Handy Tools

Any of you who knows me very well at all knows that, while I'm not a total duffus around tools, there is no mistaking me for a handy man. I'm pretty good with a paint brush, and minor repairs and installations usually get finished in only about three times as much time as one might expect, but Bob Villa has nothing to worry about from me.

However, some you guys (and gals) out there are quite good with tools, so I thought you'd enjoy these definitions a friend sent me... they more closely match my own. Who knows, you may want to rush right out and make a purchase or two!!

DRILL PRESS: A tall upright machine useful for suddenly snatching flat metal bar stock out of your hands so that it smacks you in the chest and flings your beer across the room, splattering it against that freshly-stained heirloom piece you were drying.
WIRE WHEEL: Cleans paint off bolts and then throws them somewhere under the workbench with the speed of light. Also removes fingerprints and hard-earned guitar calluses from fingers in about the time it takes you to say, "You %&*%R"
ELECTRIC HAND DRILL: Normally used for spinning pop rivets in their holes until you die of old age.
SKILL SAW: A portable cutting tool used to make studs too short.
PLIERS: Used to round off bolt heads. Sometimes used in the creation of blood-blisters. The most often tool used by all women.
BELT SANDER: An electric sanding tool commonly used to convert minor touch-up jobs into major refinishing jobs.
HACKSAW: One of a family of cutting tools built on the Ouija board principle. It transforms human energy into a crooked, unpredictable motion, and the more you attempt to influence its course, the more dismal your future becomes.
VISE-GRIPS: Generally used after pliers to completely round off bolt heads. If nothing else is available, they can also be used to transfer intense welding heat to the palm of your hand.
WELDING GLOVES: Heavy duty leather gloves used to prolong the conduction of intense welding heat to the palm of your hand.
OXYACETYLENE TORCH: Used almost entirely for lighting various flammable objects in your shop on fire. Also handy for igniting the grease inside the wheel hub you want the bearing race out of.
TABLE SAW: A large stationary power tool commonly used to launch wood projectiles for testing wall integrity.
HYDRAULIC FLOOR JACK: Used for lowering an automobile to the ground after you have installed your new brake shoes, trapping the jack handle firmly under the bumper.
EIGHT-FOOT LONG YELLOW PINE 2X4: Used for levering an automobile upward off of a trapped hydraulic jack handle.
TWEEZERS: A tool for removing wood splinters and wire wheel wires.
E-Z OUT BOLT AND STUD EXTRACTOR: A tool ten times harder than any known drill bit that snaps neatly off in bolt holes thereby ending any possible future use.
RADIAL ARM SAW: A large stationary power saw primarily used by most shops to scare neophytes into choosing another line of work.
TWO-TON ENGINE HOIST: A tool for testing the maximum tensile strength of everything you forgot to disconnect.
CRAFTSMAN 1/2 x 24-INCH SCREWDRIVER: A very large pry bar that inexplicably has an accurately machined screwdriver tip on the end opposite the handle.
AVIATION METAL SNIPS: See hacksaw.
TROUBLE LIGHT: The home mechanic's own tanning booth. Sometimes called a drop light, it is a good source of vitamin D, "the sunshine vitamin," which is not otherwise found under cars at night. Health benefits aside, its main purpose is to consume 40-watt light bulbs at about the same rate that 105mm howitzer shells might be used during, say, the first few hours of the Battle of the Bulge. More often dark than light, its name is somewhat misleading.
PHILLIPS SCREWDRIVER: Normally used to stab the vacuum seals under lids and for opening old-style paper-and-tin oil cans and splashing oil on your shirt; but can also be used, as the name implies, to strip out Phillips screw heads. Women excel at using this tool.
STRAIGHT SCREWDRIVER: A tool for opening paint cans. Sometimes used to convert common slotted screws into non-removable screws.
AIR COMPRESSOR: A machine that takes energy produced in a coal-burning power plant 200 miles away and transforms it into compressed air that travels by hose to a Chicago Pneumatic impact wrench that grips rusty bolts which were last over tightened 30 years ago by someone at Ford, and instantly rounds off their heads. Also used to quickly snap off lug nuts.
PRY BAR: A tool used to crumple the metal surrounding that clip or bracket you needed to remove in order to replace a 50 cent part.
HOSE CUTTER: A tool used to make hoses too short.
HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit. Women primarily use it to make gaping holes in walls when hanging pictures.
MECHANIC'S KNIFE: Used to open and slice through the contents of cardboard cartons delivered to your front door; works particularly well on contents such as seats, vinyl records, liquids in plastic bottles, collector magazines, refund checks, and rubber or plastic parts. Especially useful for slicing work clothes, but only while in use.
&*#@* TOOL: Any handy tool that you grab and throw across the garage while yelling at the top of your lungs. It is also, most often, the next tool that you will need.

Super Bowl Reflections

Like many of you, we watched the Super Bowl, and, while I didn't really have an emotional attachment to either team, I was sort of pulling for the Colts. I guess I just wanted Peyton Manning (great quarterback and seemingly really nice guy) to win so all the sports pundits would have something to talk about other than the great cosmic question of why Peyton can't win the big one.

It ended up being a different game than I expected, the Colts' defense and running game seemingly making the difference. Also, I guess at least partly because of the rain, there were more turnovers than one would expect. After the early going when the Bears ran the opening kick-off back for a touchdown and dominated on defense, the Colts' offense took over and dominated in passing, rushing, time of possession and first downs. Yet, until fairly late in the game the Bears were close and I wouldn't have been surprised if they'd scored and taken the lead on a big play. Then Bears' turnovers and the Colts' running game and defense sealed the outcome.

Then came the best part of the game... some of the post-game comments. Considering NFL Football is the most violent/crushing of sports with huge men colliding at full speed for 4 quarters, and considering this is the same league that often showcases the likes of T.O. and others, and considering cash and fancy wheels and "bling" are often the most recognized trappings of players, how cool was it to hear the announcers talk about the soft-spoken coach, Tony Dungy, who never yells and never curses. Then, the first thing the owner did at the trophy ceremony was to thank God for the blessing of having the focus to win. And when they asked Peyton Manning about how he felt winning and being the MVP, he said he was just proud to be part of a team that worked hard with everyone doing their parts. Finally, when they asked Tony Dungy about how he felt about he and Lovie Smith (Bears coach) being the first African American coaches to take teams to the Super Bowl and winning the game against his good friend his response was classic, something like, "Well, I'm proud of being the first African American coach to win the Super Bowl; I think the diversity is good for our country. But what Lovie and I feel best about is showing that you can win as Christians... doing things God's way." First time I've ever heard that kind of statement from a head coach of any pro team. And when they interviewed Lovie Smith outside the Bears' locker room, he was a class act as well... something like if the Bears couldn't win, he was glad his friend did.

After all that, I decided that everybody won something tonight... and maybe, just maybe enough kids were watching that one day we'll have more Tony Dungys and Lovie Smiths making headlines... and fewer T.O.s

Perceptions

On his Thursday post this week Mike Cope made this comment, "I’m feeling in the minority right now. No governor or senator from my state has yet announced a presidential bid for 2008," which elicited these two comments from readers:

After GWB, can America ever trust another Texas politician? - ses

And

c’mon ses~ tell me another president who has been thrown a 9-11 terroristic blow and a war WITHOUT borders? NONE!!!!!!!!!!I think GWB has done a fine job with the information he had at the time. He is an honest, God fearing man. Would you have wanted to be in his place, I sure wouldn’t have~~~~ God Bless America and GWB - lee

It got me to thinking about perceptions we form... how we see things in our lives... what influences the way we interpret stuff. The quotes above form a good illustration of what I mean. Many (perhaps most) of Mike's readers are believers with cofc backgrounds who probably have many ideas and beliefs in common. Yet the perceptions of these two about our current president and how he has run his administration seem to be polar opposites. (BTW, I also think it interesting that others didn't bite and turn the entire discussion toward politics... probably a good thing.) OK, so basically when I read this a bunch of thoughts started running through my head. Stuff like: Jesus recruited guys with differing political views... room in the Kingdom for... They'll know you're my followers by the way you love one another... Unity and uniformity can look totally different...

Stuff like that. Then I got to wondering just how different the perceptions of people who aren't Christians (the folks we believe God wants to reach through us) about Christians are from our perceptions of who we are. Now, I realize that there are a wide variety of beliefs and practices among those of us who call ourselves Christians (or believers or disciples or followers or... ), but my guess is that most of that stuff is totally off the radar for most who are not believers. I've just been wondering how dissimilar our self-perceptions are from their perceptions about us... and to what extent either are accurate (although I guess anyone trying to judge that would need to do so looking through the lens of his own perceptions, eh?).

Anyway, Virginia and I have been reading Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller a few pages at a time on weekday mornings before work. His perspectives on most things Christian usually make me stop and think. This morning our reading included the following from pp. 190-191, and it again led me to wonder how our actions or rhetoric have negatively impacted the perceptions those outside the church hold about believers.

This battle we are in is against the principalities of darkness, not against people who are different from us. In war you shoot the enemy, not the hostage.

In this way, the chief difference between morality in a relational context to Jesus and morality in the context of the lifeboat (his metaphor for the way most of us live) is that one system works for people and the other works against them.

It is obvious when reading scripture that what you and I commonly think of as morality is thin in definition. Some Christians, when considering immorality in culture, consider two issues: abortion and gay marriage.

Moral ideas presented in the New Testament, and even from the mouth of Christ, however, involve loving our neighbors, being one in the bond of peace, loving our enemies, taking care of our own business before we judge somebody else, forgiving debts even as we have been forgiven, speaking in truth and love else we sound like clanging symbols... and protecting the beauty of sex and marriage.

Morality, then, becomes the bond, the glue that holds our families together, our communities together, our churches together, and most important, builds intimacy with Christ. Morality, in the context of a relationship with Jesus, becomes the voice of love to a confused community, the voice of reason and calm in a loud argument, the voice of life in a world of walking dead, the voice of Christ in a sea of self-hatred.

The trick Satan has played on us involving his spin on morality has not gone unnoticed by those outside the church. (He goes on with examples.)

I wonder what those outside the church actually do perceive about us... about what we really think is important... about how we define morality... about what it means to be a Christ-follower. Perceptions...

Preacher Search

Well, I guess we have now launched into a full fledged search of a new preaching minister here at Eastside. We're probably not looking for this guy!

We had been in a conversation with a talented young guy here in the Bay area, but that didn't work out for him to come here.

About two weeks ago we posted the job description on both the ACU and Pepperdine web sites. To date we have received 17 resumes; one removed himself the next day, so we have 16. That's a lot of resumes to prayerfully consider.

We selected a team of folks, sort of a cross section of the church, to do the initial screening. We're hoping to bring 5 names to the elders in a week or two. It will definitely be interesting to see how the Spirit works through this team. Please pray that God be glorified through the process. Thanks!

ZOE Weekend

ZOE West Coast happened this weekend at the College Church in Fresno. Friday was Virginia's day off, so we got up early, left the house a little after 5:00 and arrived in Fresno about 8:20. As usual, it was a really good weekend. The Leadership Conference on Friday included some amazing speakers and small group discussions, and the Worship Conference Friday evening and Saturday was wonderful. The worship was rich; the class tracks were varied and right on target as people talked about them. You can check them out at the link above if you are so moved. :-)

Of course, the best part of any such event is always the people, and that was true this weekend as well. Jeremy and Amber drove up, arriving around 10:00 Friday night. We all stayed at Steve and Gail's place, which is now out in the country. And, there were so many others we got to see, talk to and hug, some of whom we see only at these kinds of events. Like I said... the best part of the weekend.

We decided to leave following the afternoon class tracks, skipping the closing Saturday evening worship session. I hated not staying around for it for several reasons, but it was good to get back and get to bed at a decent hour Saturday night... helped things to go better today.

Today was the last Sunday for one of our families at church. Brian and Karen and their kids have been driving all the way from Fairview (American Canyon at first) to Antioch to be part of our church family for about a year and a half. With the kids getting more involved in school and other activities at home, it just became more and more difficult for them to feel connected here. Anyway, today was their last day with us, and they'll be looking for a church closer to home. We'll miss them, but I know we'll have chances to see them again.

I pray God blesses each of you with a week full of opportunities to "be Jesus" to those around you.

Hmmmm....

Got a call this afternoon from Jill, a friend from Houston, with a song lyric question. I didn't know the answer, but we figured it out. Anyway, she was in Oklahoma City attending the funeral of Adam Langford, a former classmate of hers at OC several years back. He was part of a mission team in Jinja, Uganda and was killed in a truck rollover accident. A local church leader, Moses Kimezi, was also killed in the wreck. You can read all the details of the accident and learn a little about the God-honoring work of this mission team here. Pray for the families and the mission team.

We're introducing a new song Sunday, "Hear Is My Heart." It's Jeremy's arrangement from the second True Lift contemporary CD, My Everything. It's a very moving confessional song with an almost lilting waltz feel and expresses a confidence that God desires to forgive and heal us if only we will open our hearts to him. You can listen to a sample here. I think the church will really like it.

There was a really good spirit at praise team rehearsal tonight. Nearly every Wednesday night is a good experience, but there was a buoyancy tonight that was pretty special. Some of it was probably because we a few more than most weeks, but that wasn't all of it. Not sure what was different, but it almost seemed that the Spirit shaped what is usually a good experience into perhaps a God experience.

Take a Chance on God

Some of you may have seen these pics already, but they are fascinating to me. Today in worship I shared them with our church family as we talked about our 2007 budget. There are so many ways in this life that people take risks. Some of them are physical risks like this guy. I gotta say that I'd have been more than happy shooting the sunset from the main rock instead of jumping across a 900 foot fall for a slightly improved angle.

But we live in a culture where people also take financial risks, relationship risks, career risks, all kinds of risks. We do that because we trust something or someone enough to take the risk. Often times what we trust is our own abilities or judgement. Lots of people trust luck. Others look at trends or tea leaves. Few truly trust God.

Yet as Christians, especially when it comes to deciding how we will commit to our giving, it seems to me that trusting God is the main issue. Can our giving truly be faithful if our criteria do decide how much we give consists only of income and percentages. At some point we have to be willing to take a chance on God.

I'll close with some of David's prayer form 2 Chronicles 29 after the people gave with such overwhelming generosity toward the construction of the temple.

...who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us!

Take a chance on God!

Saturday

I was up early enough to get to my elder/staff breakfast meeting at Denny's by 7:30, so that was good. This is our second round of Saturday breakfast meetings that grew out of our fall leader retreat with Richard Fancher. The first round in the late fall lasted 6 weeks and we met at 6:00 a.m. That proved to be a little early for at least some of us if we were to continue to meet, so this time we chose 7:30 and decided to meet for 4 weeks this time. We don't discuss business, but just share about life and about how the particular text we've been "living with" for the week has impacted us. This Saturday and last were a bit different in that we spent our time just sharing our hearts about our preaching minister search. More than anything I've been impressed with how God has used our individual voices to speak to us and shape us toward speaking with one voice. It's really pretty amazing. Please pray for us as we try to discern His will in this.

Our early meeting meant that Randy and I met at 9:30 instead of 8:00 to run in the hills. It had warmed up enough by then that it was almost spring-like as we ran. And there were a lot more people out hiking... many with their dogs. It's really neat how courteous most dog owners are out on those trails. We usually see a few hikers and mountain bikers, but there were lots of people... even in groups... out this morning. Good for them!!

Tomorrow is "budget Sunday"... that one day a year when we talk about finances related to the regular budget. In spite of the fact we don't do pledge cards here (which I really don't get, but that's another blog), our church family has significantly increased their giving in the last year. Tomorrow we will ask them to do that again in 2007. We're not quite where we need to be as we bring a new preacher on board in the near future, but I truly believe our folks will rise to the occasion once more.

Have a great Sunday! Blessings...

King and Language

Today the news has been full of people celebrating the memory of Dr Martin Luther King Jr. In this time of violence and intolerance his message of peace and acceptance rings perhaps more true than ever before.

Another man who is no longer with us but for whom I had a great deal of respect was Virginia's grandfather, Wilbur Dillman. I won't go into all the reasons I respected him while he was still with us, but I do want to mention his love for language. He was a master of using language and the development of words to make points and just to have fun with his grand kids (and their spouses), and I believe he'd have enjoyed the following list that a friend sent me. Hope you enjoy it as well!!

The Washington Post once again asked readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition. Here are this year's winners. Read them carefully. Each is an artificial word with only one letter altered to form a real word. Some are terrifically innovative:

1. Intaxication: Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with.

2. Reintarnation: Coming back to life as a hillbilly.

3. Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.

4. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period.

5. Giraffiti: Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.

6. Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.

7. Inoculatte: To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.

8. Hipatitis: Terminal coolness.

9 Osteopornosis: A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.)

10 Karmageddon: It's like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it's like, a serious bummer.

11. Decafalon (n.): The grueling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.

12. Glibido: All talk and no action.

13. Dopeler effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.

14. Arachnoleptic fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you've accidentally walked through a spider web.

15. Beelzebug (n.): Satan in the form of a mosquito, that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.

16. Caterpallor (n.): The color you turn after finding half a worm in the fruit you're eating.

I found some others on-line (some of which were a bit too off-color for this blog). Here's one by a guy named Jeff Hest: Meanderthals—A group of people meandering obliviously in your path who are impossible to get by without walking in the street.

Any funny ones come to your mind?

Old Friends

I think we all have people who have been part of our lives for a long time. When we're very young those long-time relationships tend to be family and neighbors. As the years go by other precious relationships are added to the collection, creating a fragrant bouquet that will often surprise us with joy when we don't even expect it.

Virginia and I had that sort of experience this weekend. As I mentioned on Wednesday, one of her long-time friends, Karen Kukta, flew up for the weekend, and it was special for VJ... and me too. Thanks, Karen, for coming.

It got me to thinking about all the people who make up my bouquet. Some have been in bloom in my life for a long time and relationships with others have blossomed rather recently. It doesn't really matter how long I've known them, each one has shaped a little of who I am today... each one is part of me. And, when I hear from or get to spend time with someone who has been part of the bouquet for a long time... well, you know what I mean.

One example. My mom taught school in Roosevelt, Oklahoma before we moved to California in 1956. Over the years she has been able to connect with several of her former students at reunions or occasionally via letters. When she started doing email a few years back she was able to connect with many of her students electronically, and her bouquet bloomed anew.

OK... I've probably carried this flower imagery too far, but at least you get the point. Enjoy the fragrance of your relationship bouquet.

Man and Mountain

Doug picked me up at 6:00 this morning and we headed east... across the delta... north on I-5 to Sacramento... east on I-80 to Boreal Ridge just this side of Truckee.

The picture to the right isn't me (in case you were wondering), but it looks really cool, eh?! Not sure how much I learned about skiing, but I did learn some lingo, as in, "Like, wow, he's really catching some edge!" (Or something like that)

It seems that successful skiing is all about learning to use the edges of the skis. I did that sort of OK part of the time, but I'm pretty sure I'll need a few more trips if I actually want to say I know how to ski.

I'm not sure how cold it was when we pulled into the Boreal parking lot this morning, but it had warmed up considerably to reach 10 degrees by the time we left around 1:30... and I don't even want to think about the wind chill with the 20+mph winds. Riding the lift was... exhilarating?!? I think I might have learned even more, but I had a hard time understanding the instructor with his teeth chattering.

Actually it wasn't that bad as long as I kept moving, and the effort to get back up after falling down helped generate quite a bit of body heat. As a result, I tried to fall fairly frequently just to stay warm.

Doug skied while I was in ski school, and then he hung out on the green slope with me. I actually learned more from him than the instructor, and I was really proud of him... don't think he laughed at me even once.

Think it's supposed to be colder in the morning, so I'm pretty glad we were there today. I want to try it again, but I hope next time the weather is a bit more balmy... say around 25 or so. :)

Keeping Pace

Today Ruth, Kyle and I were working on the church calendar that's posted in the office hallway. It's one of those big blotter-type calendars with one month per sheet. We have all twelve months plastered all over the walls so anyone can easily see what's going on any time of the year... assuming we have stuff posted. Sooo... we spent some time posting events and other uses of the building as well as things like the Pepperdine Bible Lectures which occur other places. We posted youth activities and community outreach events and blood drives and weddings and... At some point one of us said something like, "Boy, the year sure is going by fast!" Ever felt that way? Who hasn't, right?!

I got to thinking about why the pace of life continues to increase. I read somewhere that there is a mathematical reason why life seems to go faster as we get older... something about % of life events relative to the number of years or something like that. I see only thing wrong with that theory. You see, life doesn't just seem to go faster as we get older, it actually does go faster. Anyone over 50 knows that, right!?

Of course there is also the busy-ness coefficient to consider. Here's what I mean. Tomorrow night Doug and I will attend the Pepperdine Lectures preview dinner at Tri-Valley in Livermore, and we're filling in at tenor on the praise team. Then Doug is picking me up at 6:00 Friday morning, and we head to the Sierras where I'll have my first ski lesson in 15 degree weather and spend the day honing my hopefully new-found skills. Virginia's college roommate, Karen Kukta, is coming up from San Diego for a visit this weekend, so two lovely ladies will greet me when I stagger through the door. 7:30 Saturday morning we renew our elder/minister breakfasts at Denny's, and I think Randy and I will hit the hills for a run around 9:30. I'll have some things to wrap up at the building in the afternoon and Sunday will dawn with its usual agenda.

OK, so my guess is that the next few days will go by really fast... or will they just seem to go by really fast?

Mixed Feelings

Tuesday nights are often set aside for our elder/staff meetings, and tonight was one of those. We spent some time in prayer, talked through some agenda items, and finally it was time for our primary reason for meeting. We called the young minister with whom we'd been in conversation about possibility coming here as our preaching minister. He and his wife, after lots of prayer and soul-searching, decided to remain in their current ministry role instead of coming to work with us here at Eastside.

I titled this Mixed Feelings because that's exactly how I feel. In my heart I was excited about the possibility of them coming and joining our team. I believed they both brought gifts that would bless our church and community. Yet I also know how much they agonized in prayer ove their decision, and I'm confident God will honor their (and our) prayers as he works His will.

I truly do not know what is around the corner for us here, but I am confident that God holds that corner and our future in His loving hands. Isn't life in the Kingdom exciting?!?

Please remember to pray for us at Eastside as we seek his will. Thanks!!

Spice of Life

For much of my life I've heard that variety is the spice of life. I've never known for sure if that meant that variety is a really good thing or if that was just the appropriate rationalization when thing didn't work out like you'd hoped. Still don't. I like variety in some things... but in other areas I much prefer consistency.

Sooo... why am I writing about this? Well, I watched most of the BCS championship game tonight, and the results certainly weren't what I expected... me and most of the rest of the country. I have no emotional attachment to either team, so who won the game made little difference to me. However, the way Florida dominated Ohio State was such a huge surprise that I wondered how the old saying above might apply.

Here's what I'm thinking. Ohio State truly experienced variety tonight in that they had dominated everyone all year, yet they were crushed tonight. I doubt the players would agree that this particular variation is very spicy... at least not in the good sense.

And Florida... they played really good ball all year as well and were just as good or better tonight, so I'm thinking they are currently big fans of consistency over variety as well.

I just don't know... variety may indeed be the spice of life, but my guess is some folks prefer things bland.

Saturday

Today has been pretty uneventful for me. 8:00 brought a chilly and hilly run with Randy. We didn't go as far as we sometimes do, but it was far enough for me. We did run up a long, steep and winding trail that I've run only once before. And I guess using "run" here is a bit metaphorical since I walked probably 35 or 30% of it. Part of it is so steep that I think I go as fast walking as running... and it's not nearly as tough. All in all... good way to start a day.

I've been doing a little house cleaning today and catching some of the NFL playoff games. Also doing a little work, including tweaking my sermon for tomorrow.

Virginia met one of the teen girls from church at the building this morning. Some of the girls designed a mural for the middle school classroom, so Virginia met her up there so they could project it on the wall and get it sketched out. I guess the girls will paint it over the next couple of weeks.

The other thing Virginia's been working on is a big project for the class she took in late November. I think it's due on Monday, so she's been hitting it pretty hard the last couple of days. She's already done a couple of projects for this class, but this one is the most involved. She has several hundred pages of suspect inerviews from an actual case (no names of course), and she has to be the detective and figure out what's going on by reading all the interviews. One of the things she mentioned she's learning is that you can seldom trust the people you're interviewing (suspect or not) to tell the truth straight up. Instead, she has to sort of piece the "truth" together by looking for consistencies in various statements. Gives you a little insight into how difficult a job the police sometimes have, eh?

Well, we're thawing some salmon for supper, so later I'll fire up the grill. In the mean time, I'd better get back to some house cleaning.

Upgrade

Well, I finally gave in and upgraded my blog to the new format they've been pushing. After it's all said and done, I can't tell too much difference... although I guess it is a little easier to work with and make changes than before. And, I now have a Google account as well. Lucky me!!

I'm preaching again Sunday, and tomorrow is crunch day for prep. I know where I'm going, just need to work on the details and practice a bit. First Sunday in 2007... looking forward to it.

Fridays are always funny days. They seldom end up being what I expect them to be when they begin. Occasionally that means an unexpected counseling visit or Bible study. Other times it means working on technical or electronic issues. Sometimes it's just lots of end of the week stuff to catch up on. Anyway, tomorrow is Friday so I'll do my best to expect the unexpected.

Hope yours goes well!!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to everyone in blogworld!! I pray that 2007 will be full of blessings and opportunities to serve God and your fellow man.

Jeremy and Amber made it home safely and enjoyed a fun New Years Eve. You can check them out here.

Jen, Fok and Kaleb have a "red eye" tonight to Boston. We've sure enjoyed their visit.

Tomorrow we all go back to the routines of life... earlier rising and work and school. Ah... God and life are good. Blessings!!

More Christmas Pics

Kaleb really getting into the Santa's helper role.

Jen and Fok

Fok helping Kaleb with his new roller blades.

Kaleb reading with his favorite Aunt Amber.

Christmas Pics

Decided I would just post a few Christmas pics for your enjoyment... assuming you enjoy that sort of thing.




On Christmas morning Jeremy and Amber were with us. We decided to do stockings for each other, trying to be creative and cheap (although not Murphy cheap this time).











JJ & AJ (their couple appellations) digging into their stockings.














We opened presents on Wednesday after Jen, Fok and Kaleb arrived. Not Santa's helper (aka Kaleb) waiting to distribute the gifts.












Ready to pass out presents.


I'll post some more the next couple of days.

Family Time

OK, the last couple of days have been filled with good family time... pictures in the park and food; shooting hoops and food; exchanging gifts and food; hanging out and food; and did I mention that we've had some yummy stuff to eat.

Jeremy and Amber left this morning and made it safely home in time for his physical therapy appointment for his shoulder. It's amazing to me how surgeries like he had can be done orthroscopically, leaving only two tiny little scars on the outside. He's also done well with the pt and recovery... almost a full range of motion at this point.

Virginia gave me an "old-fashioned" popcorn popper for Christmas, so tonight we tried it out. The popcorn was good and it was fun to use; popped the corn pretty fast. My memory tells me that the original poppers in this style were made of a heavier metal, but this one may be better since it heats and cools more quickly.

One thing for sure, when the holidays are over, I'm gonna have to cut way back on the food intake.

Will post some family pics Saturday.

Day After

I spent most of the day in the office today... much less hectic than joining in with all the shoppers I suspect. Jeremy, Amber and Virginia braved some stores and picked up some bargains. I'm wondering... if there's a sale and nobody buys anything, does anyone save money?

It has rained off and on throughout the afternoon and evening, but we decided to brave the weather and meet at the movies... they coming from shopping and me from the house after a quick stop. Anyway, we saw Dream Girls. Not sure what I was expecting, but it was really good... some great songs and voices, and the acting was pretty good as well.

Jen, Fok and Kaleb fly in about 12:40 tomorrow. Looking forward to their arrival.

One more thing... left-over Christmas turkey is still pretty good.

Merry Christmas!!

Little feet scampering around before dawn... adults yawning and stretching under the covers... wide eyes staring at Santa-filled stockings while adults snap pictures... we've had plenty of Christmas mornings like that, but not Christmas 2006. Nope, this year it was more like Virginia up earliest (not actually different from almost every day, but she did sleep until 6:30 or so)... Jeremy, Amber and I sleeping until we felt like getting up... wonderful cinnamon bread French toast in the late morning... 4 adults laughing and enjoying the creative tidbits in our stockings... and I think Virginia even snapped a couple of pics. Definitely a little different than if youngsters were around, but still fun... and still Christmas.

The rest of the day has looked pretty normal. Great smells of a variety of wonderful dishes being prepared for Christmas dinner... taking goodies to neighbors... football on TV... phone conversations with family (Jennifer, Fok and Kaleb in Canada and Grandma Johnson and Kent & Susan in Cabot). Just a good day to enjoy family and food and football and food and festivities of the day... and food.

One interesting tidbit. When I was a kid in SoCal, a bunch of us used to get together on Christmas day to play pick-up football nearly every year. It was a tradition for us. In later years and in the generally colder climes of Arkansas and Nashville, we'd often gather family members together for a big basketball game. Times have changed. I went for a run today, and my route took me through a park. There was a group of guys gathered on a field, and I immediately wondered if they were playing touch or tackle. I got a little closer and discovered they were playing neither... they were playing soccer, or football if you please. They were having fun, but I just had to sigh and chuckle to myself as I jogged by... times have changed.

So, I hope you "have yourself a Merry little Christmas." As for us... I think it's almost time for Christmas dinner.

Christmas Eve

I love Christmas Eve, and I think I really like it coming on Sunday. Our worship this morning was just a wonderful time for our church family and many guests. The actors who presented Mary and Joseph were inspiring... the singing was awesome... the spirit was, well, Spirit-filled. It was just a good morning.

The picture collage above serves as our Christmas card this year, simply highlighting some of the beauty of God's creation in our neck of the woods.

Have a great day tomorrow! Merry Christmas to all!!

Tic...Tic...Tic...

The clock is ticking and our kids will soon start arriving. The tree and decorations are up; we have all the Christmas cards on the wall; Virginia's bought out the local grocery stores; the beds are made; Doug is smoking a turkey for us; and Jeremy and Amber is on the road north. I still need to wrap some presents, but I think we're pretty much ready for 'em.

Jeremy and Amber should get here before dark and will go to church with us tomorrow. Jeremy's filling in at bass on the praise team. Jennifer, Fok and Kaleb are in Canada at the Leungs for Christmas, but they'll fly in Wednesday night, and then we'll have a house full!

With staggered arrivals and the kids overlapping for only about 2 days, we'll probably have more than one "big Christmas dinner" along the way... and that's fine with me. If we get creative I'll let you know how it goes. Otherwise, Merry Christmas one and all!!

You Better Watch Out!

Harbour Lights is a Christian preschool that meets in our building. Melody, wife of one of our elders, has been the director for years, and she has a great heart for both kids and their families. HL is no doubt the best long-term ministry we have.

They always do fun things for the kids around all the holidays, including a visit from Santa before Christmas. This year I got to be Santa and hand out gifts to all the kids. It was a blast! The reactions of the kids were really funny. Some couldn't wait to come sit with Santa and get their gifts. Others were too scared of this bearded guy in the red suit that they wouldn't even get close. One little boy came up to me with a wrinkled brow and worried look saying that I had given him the wrong present... not the one he'd asked for. using my best Santa voice and with a twinkle in my eye, I told him not to worry. He should just tell his parents, and I'd be sure to bring the right present on Christmas morning. Sure hope it works out for him!

Several people were shooting pics, so I asked one of them to email me a few so I'd have proof I was really Santa. About the only downside to the event was how sweaty I got in that costume. But it wasn't that bad, and the kids were certainly worth it!

California Christmas

Growing up in Southern California, my Christmas experiences generally did not involve snow men or sleigh bells or sledding or even ice skating. And most of the time I was happy about that. I mean, how many kids get to shoot hoops or play football in shorts and 70 degree weather on Christmas day? In college I appreciated it even more because it was usually pretty cold in Arkansas by the time I came home for Christmas each year. And, of course, if I really wanted some snow, more likely than not, we could drive a couple of hours up to Frazier Park or some other mountain spot and get all the tubing we wanted. I always thought it was pretty much the ideal arrangement... Christmas arriving to the melodic crooning of Bing Crosby wafting out of the window overlooking Mom's cactus garden.

In later years we got used to the occasional white Christmas when we lived in Arkansas, but if it wasn't white things were pretty gray and dead during winter. I know, I know, that's the way it's supposed to be... four seasons and all... the rebirth of nature in the Spring, etc. But I just missed not getting to shoot hoops in shorts or running barefoot in the green grass.

During our Houston years we experienced warm winters again, but the problem there was it stayed warm (or hot) and humid all year round. And, there wasn't any snow tubing two hours away. Still, we had memorable Christmas times in both places... just different than growing up.

We've been back in California for almost three years now, and, while our climate in Antioch is different than Oxnard, we are again learning to appreciate a green Christmas.

You see, the rainy season usually starts in November, and by Christmas the hills have transformed from the golden brown of fire season to a lush green. We haven't had as much early rain this year as the last couple, so the green is coming a little slower this year... today I noticed that the hills have a hint of green beginning to emerge.

That got me to thinking, and it dawned on me just how appropriate this green Christmas thing is. Most believers choose to celebrate the birth of Jesus at Christmas, and for us that marks the beginning of a story with eternal implications. I think it's pretty cool that the green hills all around here are being re-born at the same time. Maybe a green Christmas is pretty special after all.

Children's Sunday

Our worship time this morning was really energetic and special. We set aside time for our younger kids (three years old through 3rd grade) to sing some songs as a group and a few older kids to read some passages. Pretty simple arrangement, but we have a lot of kids for a church our size, and it was very cool to see so many of them up on stage. A couple of the little boys almost "stole the show" with some pretty funny antics, but something like that's always a possibility with that many young kids on stage.

The kids' portion really wasn't that long, and what was really neat was the energy in the rest of the service leading up to the kids. People just seemed really focused on worship as we sang and prayed and communed together. Great morning!

Then, two sisters, one in college and one in high school, decided it was time to be baptized today. Brian baptized Courtney, and the girls' brother, Michael, baptized Corinne... very special!!

Next Sunday our drama folks are presenting a "what if" production we're calling simply Mary and Joseph. The actors will explore some of what it might have been like for Joseph and Mary as they find out about Mary's pregnancy and deal with all the possible attendant issues. My hope is that their presentation will draw the rest of us into the story at a very personal level, allowing each of us to come along side the characters and understand a little better what it might have been like for them. We'll have a couple of final rehearsals this week, and Sunday will be here before we know it.

Have a blessed week!

It's Beginning to Feel A Lot Like Christmas

I know that there are some folks who start planning their Christmas strategies shortly after storing away those plastic Easter eggs. We had a friend years ago who always tried to finish her Christmas shopping by August... I always wondered why. For years there has been a distinct calendar creep for Christmas trappings to show up in stores. Yet, all of this stuff really doesn't help move me toward that special feeling that Christmas is just around the corner.

Yet, here it is only 11 days until Christmas, and I'm feeling that feeling. I didn't notice it creeping up on me. I didn't make a resolution to start feeling it. I didn't even watch It's a Wonderful Life. I just noticed today that the feeling is there.

Maybe it was because I crawled through that small door to the dusty attic to drag out numerous boxes and bags of Christmas decorations, along with dirt and several scraps of pink fiberglass insulation. (Yeah, I realize we're on the really late end of the curve for decorating, but, hey, Scrooge waited until Christmas Eve and did pretty well.) Maybe it was the smell of whatever it was Virginia was baking last night for a church ladies gathering tonight. Maybe it's just knowing that our kids will be here for a few days around Christmas. Maybe it was setting out our artificial-yet-really-quite-realistic Christmas tree and fluffing out the branches. Maybe it's the thought of climbing on a ladder to put up lights. Not sure...

My guess is that all of those things contributed a little to this growing feeling, but that most of those things above are minor players. The thing is that this feeling really started growing when our church started ramping up our annual holiday efforts to help others. Over 20 families had a Thanksgiving dinner because my brothers and sisters at Eastside wanted that to happen. Then there was the planning and participation with several other churches in Mission Christmas, where 700 homeless and underprivileged folks were served... dinner, gifts, bibles, music, crafts, social service assistance... all in the name of Jesus. But I think what really gave this feeling a boost was the rush on the Giving Tree. Ruth puts tags with children's needs on a tree, and folks were standing in line to remove these "ornaments" so they could go purchase gifts or clothes for children not their own. And those who didn't get a tag have forked over cash to make sure these families have something special to eat for Christmas. One of our most energetic retired gentlemen stopped by the office Tuesday morning and handed Ruth a $100 bill, saying simply, "The tags were gone; this is for the kids."

I'm eager to get the decorations up this year, and I can't wait for my kids to arrive... Jennifer, Fok, Kaleb, Jeremy, Amber... holiday trappings and having family near are all part of what makes Christmas special. But the thing that sustains that feeling, the thing that will make a difference after my kids go home and all the decorations are put away is knowing that I'm part of a church family that "gets it"... people who understand something of the significance of a relationship with Jesus and who are allowing Him to make a difference in their lives.

Yes, it is beginning to feel a lot like Christmas... I pray that you will feel thankful and blessed wherever you are!!

Children

One of the really fun things about last weekend when Brice, Neisha and Zeke were here was getting to hold and play with Zeke. He's a pretty happy kid most of the time, so playing with him was pretty cool. Since Kaleb is several years past the baby stage, this was a chance to practice my grandpa baby skills for some future date... and I made the most of it.

Kaleb is a fun age as well... he's old enough to actually go out and do stuff with him, and that's pretty special. When I was in Boston last spring, one thing we did was go out on the local hike/bike trail. I ran and he rode his bike... we had a pretty cool time. Of course, he's also up for other stuff, including movies, games of all sorts and reading. He still likes to be read to, but he really likes just to read.

This Sunday the three year old through third grade kids in our Children's Ministry will be doing several things during our service... mostly singing and reading some scriptures. They've been working on it for a while now, and I'm really looking forward to it. Our worship time may not be as "adult friendly" as usual, but what a neat opportunity for each of us to really live in the moment of what Jesus meant in Matthew 18:3-4

I tell you the truth, you must change and become like little children. Otherwise, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. The greatest person in the kingdom of heaven is the one who makes himself humble like this child.

If you're in the neighborhood, think about joining us Sunday morning. See ya!

728B

There are many things about my life growing up in the Church of Christ fellowship that have shaped me in various ways. One of those has always been a love and appreciation for acappella music. I remember the agricultural and nautical themed songs we sang so often in my early childhood. There are distinct memories of learning to sing tenor and bass in junior high and high school. There were always favorite songs along the way... ones that were just my favorites, and a few that would have been in the brotherhood hit parade. Perhaps the one song that became our "anthem" more than any other, the one that almost anyone with a CofC background knows by heart was so beloved it came to be known simply by it's number in one popular hymnal... 728B. I never understood why it was 728B instead of 729, but it was... and we still sing it all across our fellowship today.

All of that to say that anyone who has sung and loved 728B, needs to check out the web site below. You'll no doubt want to order a shirt or coffee mug or perhaps Christmas presents for your family. Click on the link and enjoy!!

728B

Lighter Side of Baptism

Every now and then a preacher will tell a "baptism story" that's pretty funny, and there are a lot of funny episodes out there. Two or three years back at the Pepperdine Lectures the first keynote speaker told a funny baptism story, and, not to be outdone, each of the other guys added theirs as well. I remember laughing quite a bit, and my favorite was told by Randy Harris.

It seems that during a campaign (I think when Randy was in college) there was a lady who wanted to be baptized. The available baptistry was really low on water and for some reason they couldn't add any more. Well, someone baptized her, but she was too large to go completely under, so they got the water sloshing enough so that just for a moment she was completely immersed. Not as funny reading it here, but, trust me, we were all laughing as Randy told it.

At Sugar Grove we used those blue nylon quick-drying things as baptismal (what a strange word) garments. I remember one guy donning one that was too tight for his "new birth," and one comment from the crowd as he came out of the water... "It's a boy!" I'll leave the rest to your imagination.

A friend sent me this link to the video of a funny baptism episode. Check it out... I guarantee you'll at least chuckle.

Bay Area Ministers

The first Tuesday of most months several of us minister types gather at a Carrows Restaurant in Dublin to catch up on what God is doing in our various ministries and to eat a bite. We're a rather eclectic bunch in terms of ministry roles and church styles, but we do have a few things in common: a love for ministry and the Lord, roots in the restoration movement, an honest desire to be who God wants us to be. There's probably more, but those for sure.

We're mostly guys, but we are often graced with the presence of a spouse or daughter or friend, and those presences always help us be a little more thoughtful in our discussions. It always amazes me how fresh a female perspective can be... especially around a bunch of ministers.

Today was one of those Tuesdays. Our group was a bit smaller than usual today, but I came away blessed none-the-less by the rich fellowship that is part of the body of Christ. The salad and sandwich weren't half bad either.

Monday

Well, the weekend did go well... God's blessings seen at every turn. We served around 700 at the Mission Christmas Dinner Party and got it all cleaned up... the wedding went off without any hitches... yesterday was a good day at church... and Virginia got home from her weekend class in Sacramento by around 3:00. That allowed us to go for a nice walk around the lake before dark.

When I woke up Sunday morning I could tell I was coming down with a cold or something, but I was able to shake it off OK for church. By the evening I was feeling it again, so we went to bed a little early. This morning it was a little worse, so I decided to sleep in a bit and work from home today instead of going into the office. I'm not feeling any worse, but I'm glad I decided to stick close to the house today. I'm still getting some work done, and I'm able to close my eyes for a few minutes if I want. Plus, I need to go to the building tonight to sit in on a rehearsal for the play we're doing on the 24th.

For those of you currently living in a deep freeze, I hope it warms up a bit pretty soon. For the record, it's 62 and sunny here today. :-)

Big Weekend!!

This weekend will be one of those that goes by really fast because it's so full... almost like life has to hurry to get it all in. I'm writing this while sitting at a wedding rehearsal for which I'll run sound and lighting tomorrow afternoon. Earlier today I was cooking turkeys and hams for the big Mission Christmas Dinner tomorrow in the big convection oven we have at the fellowship hall.

Each year on the first Saturday in December, a bunch of church groups from Antioch and nearby join together to host a Christmas Dinner/Party for anywhere from 800 to 1000 homeless and underprivileged families. There's turkey and ham and all the fixin's, pie and cake and coffee and tea, music and bibles and presents for all the kids. This year we even have some reps from social service agencies who will be there to help where appropriate. It's a great event, and Eastside is more involved this year than we ever have been. For the 2nd year in a row, we're even providing the clean-up crew.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. VJ will head off for her class at Sac State about 5:30 in the morning... part of her certification. I think this weekend is on serial killers. At 6:00 I'll meet Kyle and the elders for breakfast and some discussion. About 8:00 I'll need to get the turkeys and other stuff ready to take to the fair grounds. The people will start coming about 10:00 and cleanup starts about 1:00 or 1:30.

However, I'll need to be at the building a little after 1:00 to open up and get ready for the wedding. I'm actually thankful that I'm just running sound. :-)

Sunday will be Sunday, including a lunch meeting with a group helping plan a a spring youth rally. I suspect by the time VJ gets home from Sacramento I'll already have taken a short nap.

The rehearsal went well... in less than 24 hours a new marriage will be formed. I think the weekend is already off to a great start!!

Tahoe Vistas

Isn't that a great photo above. As I wrote earlier, we had a great time up at Tahoe Thanksgiving week. Click HERE if you'd like to see some more of this beautiful country, both before and after Wednesday's snow. Be patient - it'll probably take a little while to load. Enjoy!!

Back Home

Well, Virginia and I made it back home from our Thanksgiving trip to Tahoe. We sure had a good time. Here's a pic to enjoy, and I'll do a PhotoShow tomorrow if I have time.

The one thing we missed was getting to be with family. Jen, Fok and Kaleb were in Boston hosting some of Jen's students. Jeremy and Amber were with the Fosters this year. My mom and Virginia's mom were at Kent's and Susan's, along with three of Virginia's other siblings and families. When we talked with everyone, it sounded as if they were having a great time... including what looked like quite an ultimate frisbee game from some pics Kent posted.

As I said, we really enjoyed our time at Tahoe, but it's also good to be home. Check back tomorrow for a link to more pics. And have a blessed Sunday!

Migrating

A couple of weeks back I ordered a new laptop to replace my old one. It seemed like the thing to do... had so much info on the old one (also backed up) and a 3-year old hard drive; I could get a new version of the same machine from Dell (only lighter and much faster) for about 1/2 what I paid for the other one; the old one could be a back-up and travel machine for VJ. Sooo... I got an early Christmas present.

Instead of loading all the software from the old machine and moving all the files manually, I decided to go with the Dell-recommended software from LapLink called PCmover. It's supposed to move all your files and programs from the old machine to the new one as slick as a whistle. Well, after two days and two complete attempts and about nine hours of time as stuff moved over the USB cable, it's finally almost right. I think I'll have to reinstall some software, and PCmover did not move any of my pictures, but I think it may work. It's been a really frustrating process, but VJ has been a calming influence, and if it doesn't work out I can just do a system restore to Thursday and do it all manually. The interesting thing is that I decided to use PCmover to save time, but if I'd just done it all manually, I'd probably be done and not have the issues. Oh well....

Virginia has class at Sac State this weekend, and I came along too so we could hang out and explore a bit. We've done a little of that, however, most of the time has been spent with my computer... oh well.

Sunday I think I'll go to church at Rancho Cordova while she's in class, and then we'll head up to Tahoe for a few days... we were able to use a time share week that was about to expire. It'll be cold with maybe a little snow, but it's supposed to be mostly clear. I'll get some work done, run a little, catch up on some reading, and just relax. Back in town next Friday or Saturday... haven't decided yet. I'll try to post some this week if I can find a cafe with wireless... no connection at the resort. Maybe even a picture or two.

God bless and happy Sunday!!

Monterey

I posted earlier about our trip with Richard and Cindy to Monterey. It was so much fun! They say a picture is worth a whole lot of words, so if you like the shot above, check out this link to a Comcast PhotoShow of the trip. Enjoy!!

Special Sunday

Well, today was a really good day. We worshiped a faithful and powerful God and he showed up big time. In the spirit of Ephesians 3:20-21, Richard encouraged us to live expectantly into 2007.

It didn't start out smooth, however. When I got to the building early, the main projector in the auditorium kept shutting down after about 5 minutes, so I figured the filters might be dirty. Well, the only way to clean them is to drag out the big honkin' 18' step ladder, climb to the top and pull out the filters. Those who know me understand that heights are not my favorite thing, but I sucked it up, climbed the ladder, cleaned the filters and crossed my fingers. I guess it was dirty filters after all because the projector stayed on the entire service... yea!! Then as the service began we started getting some horrible feedback out of the monitors up front. Not sure what that was... probably somebody had twisted some of the knobs... will check it out this week. The guys in the booth just turned them way down... of course nobody on praise team could really hear through the monitors, but it all went well anyway.

Brad and Marla joined us and Richard and Cindy for lunch. We grilled chicken, added a great salad and other fixin's and just enjoyed eating and talking together. It was good. A bit later in the afternoon, the 4 of us went for a long walk up over the hill and around the lake. It was a bit chilly, but still really pretty.

It's an early start in the morning to get Richard and Cindy to the airport, so I'd better close and start winding down for bed. Hope God blesses your Monday!

Special Weekend

Richard and Cindy Fancher have been with us for the last few days, and we've really enjoyed their visit. Richard has been here to help us with an elder/minister retreat, and we've tried to make the most of their time with us.

They flew in Wednesday. Thursday we drove to Monterey, enjoying the beach, Cannery Row, and the 17 Mile Drive, including Pebble Beach, and stayed the night at a great condo courtesy of Doug and Melody. We drove back Friday, and that evening was our first retreat session at the building.

Our leader retreat lasted pretty much all day, and Richard did a great job leading us through some steps to help us as a team, minister to our church, and grow in our ability to reach out to our community. No time for details today... and too pooped. More later.

Virginia and Cindy had a great time exploring the new Trader Joe's, a really cool local place that specializes in olive oil, and a couple of other places. We got to savor some of their finds at supper tonight. Yummy stuff.

I'm really looking forward to our worship tomorrow. My prayer is that God will use our time in worship to shape us all a little more to who He wants us to be. I pray you have a great Sunday as well. Blessings...

New Week

Yesterday was a really good day... our worship time was rich as we praised and confessed and prayed and thanked God. Kay and Bill Jennings asked me to join them (along with the Koonce family) for lunch at their house. The food was good and the fellowship was better. Then... Virginia flew back into Oakland about 3:00. Nice way to complete the day.

Jeremy seems to be doing well with his surgery. I can't wait to see the movie. :-)

Back in the summer I decided to sign up to be a police chaplain. I had one call shortly after to comfort a lady whose husband had died. I finally got some training last week, and had my second call today. Again it involved a death. An elderly lady with Alzheimer’s lived with her husband, who was her primary care giver, with help 3 times a week. Well, he died in the night, and the lady didn't know it. I got the call this morning and drove over to the house. The police were still there along a care giver and a neighbor. Most of the morning I kept having the same conversation with the lady about her husband passing away. Two minutes later we'd start over with her asking questions about who all these people were and why they were here. It was interesting, however, after a while, something about it began to stick with her because she went from an attitude of defiant denial to just a puzzled description of the morning as weird. Perhaps the saddest part is that because they have no children and no family in the state, she went to a convalescent home today, likely never to return to her house again. It makes me wonder who, how, when the house and all her stuff will be taken care of. Hard to know.

Well, better get this posted and head for bed. Blessings!

Mud, Gravel and Prayer

Here it is Saturday afternoon, and the time without Virginia has actually gone faster than I thought it would, but I am definitely ready for her to be home. She's enjoyed being down south helping Amber care for Jeremy post-surgery, and today she has driven down to the SD area for Mel's dad's memorial service. She'll drive back to J&A's this evening, go to church with them tomorrow and fly back to Oakland tomorrow afternoon.

It was somewhat muddy out on the trails this morning when Randy and I ran. Much of the dirt in some sections is clay, so when it gets wet it really clings to your shoes. Several times I had to knock mud bricks off my shoes. We didn't run as far as usual today because I wanted to get up to the church and help with spreading the finishing gravel in what will be the new picnic area by the fellowship hall. Some of the guys built concrete retaining walls a couple of weeks back, and earlier this week they used Charlie's tractor with a frontend loader to move and level dirt to create 4 terraced areas. They added a layer of large rock and then a layer of gravel like you might see on a gravel road, following up with water and rolling to pack it down. Today we covered the whole area with a real fine grey granite gravel, wetting it down and using a machine to pack it down. Don plans to build forms and make 3 or 4 concrete picnic tables using some sort of special concrete. Butch has some rock coming to build a retaining wall along the curved sidewalk under where the power tower sits. After that, a little low maintenance ground cover in the dirt area should finish the project. My back's tired after shoveling gravel and pushing a wheelbarrow.

Tomorrow our worship assembly will be a time of prayer and praise. I believe times like this can really help shape who we are in Christ if we truly give ourselves over to allowing the Spirit to work in our hearts as we worship. I know that can be said of every opportunity for corporate worship, but I think it's especially true of those times when we are really focusing on prayer... prayer as an avenue to grow closer to God. I pray that our Family will come prepared to truly enter in to the experience of worship.

Some of you know Kent (my brother), Susan (VJ's sister) and their kids. Their youngest, Ryan, is still in high school and runs cross country for Lipscomb High School in Nashville. Today was the State Cross Country meet and Lipscomb won the A-AA division. Ryan was the first Lipscomb finisher in 9th place. Here are some pics for those who like that sort of thing. Enjoy! And God bless!