For Unto Us

Isaiah 9:6 "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."

(Not pictured here.)

Merry Christmas everybody!!!

Chilly Icebreakers

Spotted this in Reader's Digest -who spotted it in Radar Magazine. These are icebreakers they suggest you avoid.

"I can see you're not one of those shallow people who are super concerned about appearance."
"Out of curiosity, how good are you at protecting yourself against identity theft?"
"Listen, my daughter needs a kidney real bad."
"Ever been to Narnia? It's quite beautiful."

Spotlight On Music Ministry

The controversy that arises from differences of preference when it comes to music style for worship has lovingly been referred to as "Worship Wars" in recent years. This is actually an oxymoron. True worship, true adoration of God -just as the Trinity expresses love one to the other, UNIFIES! It doesn't tear apart.
So, let me let scripture speak for itself.
Phil. 2:1-8 "If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.
Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross!"
Phil. 2:14-15 "Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe"
Col. 3:12-16 "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God."

Our Red Hot Chili Pepper

I've been meaning to put these on here for awhile. This is one of the younger members of our congregation. He is also one of the most popular. His name is Shawn Pallil and folks will do just about anything to get this little guy to smile. Because when he does, as you can see, he lights up the room. Here you'll find him as a laughing pepper, a demure pepper, and, as his mom Jesse says, a choir director pepper. :)

Mid-Week Study

For our mid-week study in December, I'll be doing a series I've titled, "Joy To The World". Throughout His ministry Jesus was constantly inspiring people to worship Him. This actually started at His birth and can be seen all through the Christmas story.
Even before He was born, another unborn baby got excited about Him. Elizabeth, pregnant with John, felt the little guy jump when she first got together with Mary.
Tonight I'll be focusing on John's daddy Zechariah. He went to worship and was then quite surprised when God answered his prayer. You might say he was speechless. But there was mercy even in the midst of his unbelief -as his condition was only temporary. In fact, it give him time to work on a song as he watched Elizabeth's tummy grow. Join us!

Spotlight On Music Ministry

As I mentioned last week, I was educated for music ministry, in a way, through a very unusual occupation. I was a D.J. for a company that provided music for wedding receptions, parties, and fashion shows. I even did a bar mitzvah once.
Here I learned how to work with sound systems, how to lead a crowd, and most importantly, how to involve and motivate all age groups.
My boss taught me that you have to use songs from ALL eras in order to bring the families together on the dance floor. So it was typical for me to segue from Glenn Miller into one of the current songs of the day. You'd usually need to get things from the 50's, 60's and 70's as well. This usually resulted in everyone from the kids to the grandparents staying involved in the celebration.
I was convicted by what I saw at many of these wedding receptions. There was more rejoicing, celebrating and unity there than is usually found in many of our churches. This lead to my Thanksgiving philosophy.
At Thanksgiving, the ideal seating arrangement is not to have the older folks in one room, the kids in another room, the young people in another room, and the middle-aged in yet another room. The whole idea is to be TOGETHER!
This being said, you also need to bloom where you're planted. You probably wouldn't want to lead a lot of wordy Vineyard songs in a house church in China. If your church is made up mostly of young people, you're probably not going to be singing a lot of Gaither songs. For Faith Christian Assembly's 10:30 service, drawing mostly from Leisure World, we won't be doing any David Crowder songs.
However, for our 8:30 service, and wherever you have a fairly good mixture of age groups, you're going to need to learn how to navigate around to different styles of music. Variety is the spice of life. The young need the old and the old need the young. There is something we can learn from each other's expressions of worship.
Once I heard a speaker give a great talk on worship. He ended it by saying, "Now I'd like us to worship." He put on an old tape -and along came some very old songs. The sound quality was terrible and the songs weren't much better. However, I felt God whisper into my spirit, "Focus on what the words are saying." So I started to do just that. It made all the difference and I was able to put my heart into it. We're ripping ourselves -and God -off when we refuse to worship Him because of the style of the music. More on this next week.

Carl's Green Burrito

I was quite excited to discover this week that our Carl’s Jr. across the street is now a Green Burrito as well. Two restaurants in one! This seems to be a catching phenomenon. I’ve seen Taco Bells that also serve some Pizza Hut items. I’ve seen donut shops that also serve ice cream.
So it hit me that some other merges should be explored. Like…
Tommy’s Burgers and Dry Cleaning
Chuck E. Cheese’s Pizza and Library
Farmers And Merchants Bank and Prison
Pet Smart and Pastor Sheri’s Pies (Sheri loves animals.)
Cinnabon and 24 Hour Fitness
Starbucks Coffee and Karate Class
Jet Blue and Bounce House
Super Cuts and Hertz

Darth Vader As A Baby

Spotlight On Music Ministry

In regard to music ministry, my education came from a variety of sources. College was not one of them. But looking back over my life I could see how God prepared me for this calling. I gleaned much from everything in my school years. The public school I attended offered me experience with jazz bands, concert bands, orchestra, and, of course, marching band! Also I enjoyed singing with choirs and jazz groups -which would tackle some especially difficult music.
Growing up in church meant you were always involved. Being in the atmosphere and being faithful to attend is incredibly important. I heard it said once that God doesn't take the able and make them faithful...He takes the faithful and makes them able.
God can teach you through a variety of sources. When I first moved to Southern California from Seattle, I worked a number of "odd" jobs and I learned something from all of them. (Cue dreamy harp music and fade picture to flashback.)

As a bus boy at Velvet Turtle -I learned that you have to "save your steps". Make the most of where you are at any given moment.
At a warehouse where I punched gaskets most of the day, I found myself continuously drained by a fellow employee who had the dirtiest mouth I'd ever heard. So I began singing worship songs at work -which made all the difference.
For awhile I even had a door-to-door job setting up appointments for solar panel salesmen. This helped me learn how to start conversations with complete strangers. Also it improved my running skills as dogs chased me through neighborhoods.
For awhile I worked for a short, short-tempered man who repaired computer boards. One day he was introducing me to his family -as he was firing me. There I learned how to wait on God until I had a peace that He would provide a new job.
For awhile I worked for a company that shipped military household goods around the world. There I learned the importance of a good work ethic. I remember a manager writing down "8:01 AM" when I came in one minute late.
For awhile I worked in a ball-bearing factory in the beautiful City of Industry. There I learned how to persevere in an oppressive environment.
Finally, I worked for a D.J. Company. We provided music for wedding receptions, parties and fashion shows. It was here that I learned one of the most important things in regard to being a music minister -surprisingly enough. I'll expand on that next week.

Thanks For Don

Well, amidst a week that especially encourages gratefulness, here's something -or actually someone, for which I'm very grateful. This is my buddy, Don Croswhite. In this pic he's at the range.

Don finished his basic training in Fort Benning, Georgia and is now a part of the 1st Armored Division, Army Evaluation Task Force in El Paso, Texas. So after weeks of studying the Georgian accent, he's now working on his Texan slang. He confirmed for me that the stars at night are indeed big and bright....deep in the heart of Texas. I'm certain that he'll return with a great love for sweet tea.

It sounds like he's got a pretty important -and potentially dangerous job. He is testing new equipment before it goes to Iraq. (I imagine things like Mr. Coffee, toasters, and hair dryers.)

While most of his buddies were able to go home after basic training, he went straight to El Paso. We will get to see him around Christmastime. So I'm pretty excited about that. But offer up a prayer for Don and the other soldiers in your life who can't make it home for Thanksgiving.

Spotlight On Music Ministry

Okay, now to let you know where I'm coming from, here's a bit of my background that I think pertains to God's calling on my life as a music minister.
From the youngest of ages I was singing solos in church. Throughout my school years I was involved in various choirs, singing groups, bands -playing trumpet and trombone, drama classes, speech classes, plays and musicals. I even had a leading role in a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta titled, "The Yeoman Of The Guard" in the eighth grade. This was serious stuff!
At 14, I got my Mom to sit down with me and teach me a few things on the piano. She taught me how to read chord charts and I fell in love with the piano. Two hours would go by like two minutes -and it was never that way when I was practicing my trombone. I began to write songs around this time.
At 15, I started leading worship for my Dad's church in Bellevue, Washington. I continued to lead worship on a volunteer basis in the churches I attended once I moved to sunny Southern California.
At 24, I was leading at Life Center Assembly in Lakewood as they were trying out potential music ministers. Then they gave me a tryout. I stayed for 17 years.
To keep these blogs from becoming novels, I'll stop here. Next week I'll talk about my education for music ministry -which most certainly did not come from typical sources.

This Weekend

We couldn't be more excited to have Dennis and Necole Luce with us this Sunday morning. I worked with Dennis for 10 years in Lakewood and I consider him to be, quite simply, the best youth pastor in the universe. (Although I still haven't met some on Jupiter.)
One of the things I've always appreciated about Dennis is his focus on the inerrancy of Scripture. He's always encouraged young people -and adults- to know why they believe what they believe. His style in the pulpit is very real, down to earth, often given with humor that brings the truth home.
This is a man who loves God and His people. I respect this man of God so much and encourage you not to miss him while he's here!

Sunday night, I'll be sharing the pulpit with Charles Spurgeon. (Actually, I'm not sure that he can make it.) So, I'd like to share something that he's written that I find to be quite beautiful. Isaiah 53 speaks of Christ being numbered with the transgressors. The Message puts it, "He embraced the company of the lowest. He took on his own shoulders the sin of the many, he took up the cause of all the black sheep." The more you think about this, the more incredible it becomes. He left the incredible company of heaven...to be listed with the lowest of the low. In what ways did He do this? And why? Join us!

A Chance Of Showers

Thanksgiving is here just in time. I've had concerns lately that I'm beginning to morph into Eeyore. It's become a little too easy to complain. Complain about what? You name it! Bills. Stress. The state of the world today. The condition of the freeway. The state of conditioner in my hair. (It just makes my hair fall flat.)
So...maybe it's time to go against my nature. Instead of doing the easy thing by turning into a gloomy gus, maybe striving to "rejoice in the Lord always" is worth the effort! I don't believe Paul just jotted that down to sound like a motivational speaker. It was inspired by the Holy Spirit.
This picture is fascinating to me. We see everyone with their best face on. Such composure. Kind of like Sunday morning. But once the water hits, what happens then? I imagine some will laugh. Some will probably be furious. And some may turn into Eeyore. What would be your reaction? I'm hoping to laugh more -at the unexpected rains that come my way. Thank You, God, for wanting us to REJOICE!

Spotlight On Music Ministry

Allow me to give you a bit of an autobiography at this point -just to let you know where I'm coming from.
Seattle.
(I'll expand more on that next week.)

She's A Peach

An older couple had been shopping at a grocery store, and the wife decided to steal a can of peaches. The inevitable happened and she was caught. Upon her court date, the judge asked her what she had stolen.
"Your Honor, I stole a can of peaches."
The judge replied, "How many peaches were in the can?"
She said, "Six."
The judge then said, "I will sentence you to six days in jail."
Her husband stood up behind her and replied, "Your Honor, she also stole a can of peas."

I told this story Sunday morning -unaware of the fact that my Mother buys this very brand of canned peaches. However, she has never stolen any ...to my knowledge.

Last Weekend

Typically I try to give a little commercial for what's ahead. I just couldn't get to it last week. But I wanted to pass along something that captivated me. This is from a commentary by David Thomas in regard to John 3:16.
"God is love. How is this love to influence men? ...to influence the guilty to absolve them, and the enemies to atone them, and the lost so as to save them? Simply by faith. The greatest love in the world can only move a moral being by faith."

Chipotle Has Left The Building

Carl's Jr. has discontinued their Chipotle Chicken Salad. I was quite offended and told them to tell Carl to bring it back. The nerve! And just after I finally learned how to pronounce it.

Spotlight On Music Ministry

In case you were wondering what a full-time music minister does, I would like to tell you what my responsibilities have included. This is a real list. I'm not trying to impress you or scare you (if you're pursuing this calling). I just thought it would be good to give you an inside look at what I've experienced in music ministry.
My responsibilities have included...leading worship, directing the choir, directing instrumentalists, planning the services, arranging and writing music for rhythm section/horns/woodwinds, rehearsing soloists-ensembles and instrumental groups, administration -which involved scheduling musicians & singers & sound men & overhead crews, purchasing or renting sound equipment/lighting and instruments for the church.
...meeting, contacting & auditioning people
...reviewing and ordering music for worship, for choir, for instrumentalist, for soloists & ensembles, for special productions such as Easter, Independence Day, Christmas -and purchasing or renting sound equipment/lighting and instruments for special productions.
...producing musical productions for Easter, Independence Day, Nights Of Worship, Missions Convention, Christmas and overseeing all aspects of production -which included drama, props, sets, lighting, sound, costuming, makeup, choreography, budgeting, advertising and rehearsal schedules.
...attending various conferences on leadership, worship, choral music, songwriting, drama, sound, staff retreats and more.
...playing for weddings and funerals.
...hosting guest artists and groups -which can mean picking them up at the airport, feeding them, getting them back & forth from the hotel, helping with their sound checks, making sure all their requirements are met, (pre-service snacks, CD tables, sound equipment, special effects). Over the years I've hosted everything from a full-scale university orchestra to a mime. We've had groups like Truth and The Kry & people like Alvin Slaughter and Bryan Duncan for concerts, -and Annie Herring recorded a 'live' worship CD at the church.
...being a platform roadie -which can be incredibly time consuming -and much more.
...songwriting, producing a CD for the church, assembling a writing team to write our own Christmas play.
All of this was on top of weekly staff meetings, frequent meetings with my pastor and interaction with other departments in the church which included children's ministry (particularly Kids Crusades and camps for our church kids and for foster kids), the singles group, home fellowships, men's retreats and one women's retreat. It's important to be well-rounded and involved in the life of your church -rather than just isolating yourself in your own department.
So it would amaze me when someone would say, "It must be nice to just sit and listen to music all day long." :)

Daylight Savings

I heard it's Daylight Savings. This is the fun one people. Take advantage!

Me Want Cookie

Well, since it's a scary day I just thought I should put a monster on my blog. This guy and I go way back. We have a lot in common. Sometime back I'd heard that there were plans to turn him into a "Carrot Monster" -or something of the sort. I understand the need for parents to fight against obesity in children ...but come on! It's just not realistic to see the Cookie Monster getting all excited over eating a bunch of carrots. When it comes to muppets, I'm all about reality.

Spotlight On Music Ministry

So, you want to be a music minister. Here are just a few questions...well, 29 questions, you should ask yourself first. And these are just off the top of my head...
1. Has God called me to this ministry?
2. Do I tithe?
3. Am I faithful to be in every service?
4. Do I love people?
5. Do I submit to leadership?
6. Do I have the gift of leadership?
7. Have my giftings been confirmed by leadership and others?
8. In regard to styles of music, am I flexible?
9. Am I threatened by more talented musicians?
10. Am I willing to let others lead?
11. Will I train and equip others for ministry?
12. Am I an affirming person?
13. Am I willing to sit in a dunk-tank booth?
14. Do I have a strong work ethic?
15. Do I work well with others? ...lots of others?
16. Am I willing to turn down the volume?
17. Can I handle criticism?
18. Am I willing to be the first one to arrive early on Sunday morning and the last one to leave Sunday night?
19. Am I willing to grow in my abilities?
20. Do I practice?
21. Do I arrive early for rehearsals?
22. Am I willing to take risks?
23. If I fail, will I try again?
24. Can I live within my means?
25. Will I dream big?
26. Am I sensitive to the move of God in a service?
27. Can I adapt my song list...in the middle of the worship time?
28. Will I lead worship by example?
29. Am I willing to become invisible during the worship time? (And not a rock star.)

School Of Ministry

Last Saturday we hosted the Pre-Ministerial Class for people who feel called to the Ministry. My father has organized this program and it is incredible. Unfortunately, he is quite sick right now so keep him in your prayers! He NEVER misses so I knew that he really wasn't feeling well to be absent Saturday.
One of our speakers was Robin Garvin. She spoke on Children's Ministry and she was fantastic. I so appreciate her heart for kids!
Other subjects that day were..."The Physical Fitness Of The Minister", "Moral Behavior Of The Minister", and "Personal Deportment Of The Minister". The word "deportment" means: the manner in which one conducts himself. It may seem odd but ministers, too, need to learn how to behave and conduct themselves in a proper manner when it comes to dealing with people. Especially ministers!
Saturday reminded me that I meant to post some things on this blog that I had shared about Music Ministry awhile back. So, before I let things slide on this again, I've decided to blog about this subject on Tuesdays for awhile. Hope my experience is helpful to someone.

This Weekend

This Sunday morning my message title is "Grading God On A Scale" -with the sub-title, "Who's The Teacher Here?" Have you ever been disappointed by someone or some situation and proceeded to express your frustrations -maybe even in anger toward them -only to eventually realize that you're actually upset with God? Some people try to hide that feeling, thinking it sac religious -while others declare it openly. "God didn't come through for me."
Anyone in the Bible ever voice something like that? Yes? What? Isn't that God's pr book? Why would He allow that into His own Book? Could it be that he's not shocked by our feelings? Could it be that He actually wants us to address them honestly? Could it be that I'm asking too many questions in this blog?
Quite possibly. Join us!

High Noon In The Church Parking Lot

Had an exciting lunch yesterday. As I was walking through our church parking lot a car just about ran me over. It stopped, backed up, tried to exit the lot and was stopped by a police car. A cop quickly jumped out and pulled a gun on the car. I was within 10 feet of this pleasant little get-together.
The cop was yelling at the driver as I'm walking backward wondering if bullets are going to start flying. Unfortunately, I'd forgotten to bring my gun to church that day or I could've helped out. Of course, all it shoots is water so I'm not sure it would've been much help. It was kind of hot at noon though.
They got him into custody. Turns out he'd been "acting suspiciously" around a house -the owners of which the police were familiar with. When they told him to step out of the car, he took off. The end of their car chase was in our parking lot. I looked for news helicopters but I suppose there wasn't time since the chase only lasted about two blocks.
Considering my heart rate during this episode, I'm amazed and thankful that police officers are willing to take on this kind of responsibility. Not so sure I could. Think I'll buy them some donuts.

This Weekend

This Sunday evening my message title will be "You Look Better From A Distance". The sub-title is "Heaven's Perspective".
There's a pop song from the 80s that had this line in it: "People are people so why should it be you and I should get along so awfully?" Remember that one? I think it was either by Depeche Mode or Evie Tornquist. Think I heard her sing it at a Billy Graham crusade once.
Anyway, unfortunately, that question could be asked far too often in the church. At first everything is just tip-top, rosy, hunky-dory, peaches and cream with sugar on top. Then, one day, an ominous chord strikes on the sound track of your life as there's a conflict between you and someone else. We're then faced with a choice. We can let that conflict distance us from each other -or we can make every effort to live in peace with others.
Maybe we need a heavenly perspective when we look at each other. Are we really planning to avoid each others mansions when we get there? Eternity is an awfully long time. We're bound to bump into each other eventually. So what are we to do in the here and now? What does the Bible say about this? Join us!

Paper Or Plastic?

New Dog Treats

This Weekend

This Sunday morning my message is titled "Beware The Chair". To run in such a way as to get the prize, we need to be careful not to get too attached to all the creature comforts around us. Things are faster, sleeker, and more comfortable than ever before. They can present quite the temptation -and quite the deception when it comes to helping us actually win the race.
When I was a boy I had a record. Yes it was vinyl. One of those big round black things you'd put on to listen to music. But this record told stories and one of those was the Tortoise and the Hare. If the Hare were running this race today he'd probably be wearing stretchy pants, snacking at fast food restaurants, and, of course, taking plenty of rest stops. He, like many people today, thought it was all about speed. He'd probably go to church and hear all the things that need to be done. But he wouldn't do them. Maybe later. He thought he could always make up for lost time later on. So he went on snoozing in his big, fat, comfortable chair. But he lost the race.
The tortoise, on the other hand, was the object of ridicule. The other animals made fun of him as he plodded along. How in the world does he think he could ever win this race? But maybe he knew something the hare didn't. Beware the chair. Run in such a way as to get the prize. Join us!

I've Been There

I went to the Post Office yesterday. While approaching I noticed 2 people looking longingly at the automatic door that was automatically staying shut. It then hit me that it was Columbus Day. I'd been in the same position last year. I remember walking up to that door and bouncing right off because it didn't open. Someone noticed my look of "huh?" and explained..."It's Columbus Day."
Well, of course, I felt like an idiot. After all those Columbus Day specials on T.V. and the Columbus Day Parade with the Nina, Pinta and the Lima Beana ships...I should have remembered it was a holiday.
So when I saw their look of confusion I knew immediately what was happening. They turned to me with little lost puppy expressions and asked, "Why?" I reminded them it was Columbus Day and their furrowed brow turned into more enlightened expressions. I was so glad to be there for them in their time of need because I knew, just one year ago, what it felt like to be turned away from the post office.
2nd Corinthians 1:3-4 "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God."

Christine

Yesterday I attended a funeral for the little sister of my friend Dennis Luce. Christine died a day after her 35th birthday. She was on horseback and had an accident which caused pressure and swelling on her brain. The brain damage was too severe and now she's with Jesus.
I'd like to ask you to keep my friend Dennis in your prayers...as well as Christine's husband, Mark, and her parents, Bob and Janice. Also, Christine has a 17 year-old daughter, Susannah. She gave a beautiful tribute at the service.
A website is being constructed as a tribute to Christine. http://www.weloveyouchristine.com/
There's nothing quite like a funeral to remind you of the really important things in life. Two things that I thought of especially yesterday were to keep short accounts (not holding onto your hurts)...and to express your love to people more often. I think if we really did those things, life would be far less complicated than we often make it.

This Weekend

This Sunday morning my message is titled "Seeing Clearly".
Think you've got God all figured out? Are you an authority on the subject? Check this out.
1 Corinth. 13:12 (The Message) "We don't yet see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!"
How in the world (or in heaven as the case may be) can the angels keep up their endless praise? How does that compare to my daily response to God? How are they motivated over and over again to lift up all those "Holy, Holy, Holy" expressions? Join us this Sunday morning as we take just a little peek through the keyhole into heaven to get an idea of why the angels are so excited.

Psalm 23:2

He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.

In That Moment

Today I went to Peet's Coffee and this big guy came in pushing a stroller with a baby that you could only describe as adorable. This guy was so big that I decided not to start a fight with him. I'd get pummelled. You really have to choose your battles you know.
Anyway, he sits down with the baby and the next thing I hear out of his mouth is these "goo goo" noises as he interacted with his baby. I kind of had to stop myself from laughing at how he sounded. It was the last thing you'd expect to hear from him.
It made me think of the time that I came home to find my landlord, a big burly guy with a gravelly voice, having a tea party in front of his apartment with his five-year old daughter. It really touched my heart.
Another prime example is what you see pictured here. This is my buddy Patrick. He's a Marine with tattoos and drives a Harley Davidson. Yet any thoughts of being intimidated by this tough guy disappear when you see him talking with his son Isaac. I just had to capture it with my camera.
Babies and kids seem to have this power over us. They reduce us to emotional puddles of mush as we go out of our way to make them smile or even laugh. Shawn Pallil has to undergo that procedure every Sunday as just about every person in the church tries to entertain him.
I can't help but think that something in the heart of God reacts the same way to all of His children. Think about what God went through -in order to win our hearts.
This is from an article by Dr. Robert Webber and it speaks of what happened on the cross.
"In that moment, the divine trinity experienced the human suffering of all people, of all time, of all history.
In that moment, the Father turned His back toward the Son.
In that moment, the Son entered into the eternal separation of hell itself.
In that moment, death, which is the consequence for sin, wrapped itself like a cloak around the Son of God and made Him, who knew no sin, take into His own physical body and spiritual being the consequence of sin -death itself.
In that moment, the eternal triune community of Father, Son and Spirit was rendered in two.
In that moment, God Himself was wounded to the core of His being. He experienced for us our own rebellion, taking it and its consequence into Himself to defeat it by His love."

Song Of The Ostrich

"How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh, how beautiful! Your eyes are doves."



Wonder why Solomon didn't say, "Your eyes are ostriches"?

Noah David Aragon

I got to hold a newborn baby today! I'm not sure who the parents were. I just snuck into the hospital and picked one up.
Just kidding. The parents were none other than our own James and Fawnia Aragon who brought little Noah into the world yesterday. If my powers of retention are correct, I believe he was 7lbs. 14 ounces and 20 feet long. Or maybe that was 20 inches. (Ladies are usually so much better with the details than men. My Mom could probably tell me how many times I've hiccuped in my life.)
When Fawnia offered to let me pick Noah up, at first I was a bit hesitant...but then couldn't resist. Hopefully we'll have some pics to display here in the near future.
Our major congratulations and prayers go out to the expanding Aragon family! We love you!

This Weekend

This Sunday morning my message is titled, "Am I A Normal Christian?" Sometimes it seems that the Christian life is portrayed as one victorious conquest after another. It would seem that there are a lot of motivational speakers out there whipping crowds of people into a frenzy. But what if your heart isn't connecting with that approach? What if you just don't feel faster than a speeding bullet and able to leap tall pulpits in a single bound? Does it mean you're not a normal Christian?
Jesus seems to have an approach in His teaching that differs a bit from a lot of what is offered up today. Let's see what He has to say about what is "normal" for the Christian life. Join us!

A First For Me At Disneyland

Ok, I've got to share this. Last week I went to Disneyland with some friends. We decided to ride "It's A Small World" because we couldn't remember how the tune went. Anyway, we got on the boat and into the attraction and then I noticed we seemed to be slowing down. It then occurred to me that many of the folks in our boat were...pleasantly plump...and our boat was filled to capacity.
We bottomed out! Our boat stopped altogether. The boats in front of us faded off into the distance and the boats behind us started stacking up. Of course, there is only one river through that ride so we stopped the ride completely.
Some of us on the sides tried to push it along but a voice came over the speaker saying "please keep your hands inside the boat". We all couldn't help but laugh at our predicament.
Finally some employees showed up and tried to push us along -to no avail. So they took three people out of the boat. We were on our merry way but the boat still moved quite slow.
When I told my friend Steve Conner about this, he said I should have stood up in the boat and said, "Well, I guess it's not such a small world after all."

This Weekend

This Sunday night my message is titled "I'm A Christian And You're An Idiot". The more descriptive sub-title is "In Defense Of Gentleness".
Have you ever heard someone call into a talk radio program to discuss a heated topic and they started with the words "I'm a Christian and..." Do you ever wince when you hear what follows? Sometimes they may even say all the right things. But more than anything I think people are listening for our tone these days.
Phil. 4:5 "Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near."
Prov. 15:1 "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger."
Yes, we need to speak the truth. But how we speak it can make all the difference. It can even open doors in a world that so needs to hear it. Join us!

I'm still alive.

No, I'm not dead. Been meaning to write...blah, blah, blah. Well, I wasn't really meaning to write that. But you know the usual excuses. Too busy. Too hot. There's a possum loose in my office. All that kind of thing. You know how it goes.

I Have A Dream

And They Lived Happily Ever After

Haven't been able to get this thought out of my head since last Sunday night.
Revelation 21:2-4 "I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
What an incredible ending this story has!

Matt In The Sky

This is Matt Short on a helicopter tour during his recent vacation in Tennessee. Matt is one of our musicians. He plays a mean trumpet. He also helps with Kids Church and has even been known to help remove a tree in our parking lot. We're not sure what he did with it -but it's gone. He's just an upstanding citizen and all around great guy.
When I first saw this picture, it looked to me like he was doing the morning traffic report. I've never been out there, but in my mind the morning traffic report over the hills of Tennessee would go something like...
"We've got a cow blocking traffic on the 7 Freeway. It's in need of milking and some passengers have stopped to help. A truck has just spilled a shipment of banjos on the 47 Road going out to Ma Tucker's place. It caused an accident which actually turned into a hoe down. And over near the general store a chicken is crossing the road and we just don't know why. It has turned into a high speed police chase and we'll be following this story to its conclusion. This is Matt with KFC Traffic in the sky."

This Weekend

This Sunday night I'll be concluding my series on the Greatest Commandment and the Sacred Romance. We have a decision to make on what road we're going to take. One seems to offer us control and as few surprises in life as possible. But it's really a deception. The other one seems to have a lot of twists and turns and we're really not sure where it's going. But that is the nature of relationship. This is a journey our heart is taking. You want to be sure it's destination is a good one.

Paul's Movie Reviews

Well, I usually try to catch some of the summer blockbusters. Here's my opinion on a couple of them for this year.
The Bourne Ultimatum: The pacing of this movie is so fast -it's just all a blur...LITERALLY! It looks like the camera man had way too much coffee and couldn't hold the camera still. I think Jason Bourne did too because he's just running the entire time -probably in search of a restroom. If you get motion sickness easily, try to sit in the back row and be sure to take some dramamine before it starts. Don't take the kids because it gets a little bit more violent than the Andy Griffith Show.

Ratatouille: Hundreds of rats slithering into a kitchen in Paris to eat and cook. Not only that, a rat is the best chef in all of France. Is this Disney's way of slamming France because of the difficulties of Euro-Disney? This movie was more gross than funny. I really like the Pixar movies too. Rent "Cars" or "Finding Nemo" instead. And then just buy a rat at the pet store for Mom to play with and nurture.
What do you think?

Dull Meals Inspire Sleep

One of the cool things about teaching is that you really have to know the material before you pass it on. Of course, there are those who will try to bluff their way through it. My senior year of high school I took American Government. The teacher was an older man who just didn't seem to care anymore. The entire class was him rambling on and on at random and I remember absolutely nothing from that class.
In fact, I'd situate myself to be looking down and taking notes...but I was actually napping. (Maybe that's why I don't remember anything.)
Once I fell asleep and woke up to see that the classroom was about emptied out and the teacher was standing over me. I felt really bad about that. It would've helped if he'd had any sort of curriculum at all.
God's Word is incredible. I get excited when God shows me something in a way I hadn't quite seen it before. It's awesome to be able to share it with others. And then it keeps coming back to me after I've shared it with them. It's like a fine meal that just keeps getting better the more you chew on it. Well, chew on this...
Isaiah 62:5 "...as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you."
Ephesians 1:4 (The Message) "Long before he laid down earth's foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love."

This Weekend

Well, it's been a pretty busy week around here. We had about 40 pastors in our organization coming in from all kinds of locations to have meetings here. It was very dangerous. You have to be very covert when there are Pastors on the premises because if you get caught by one...you may never escape. What I mean is, Pastors like to talk. Which is really cool if there's one or two. But forty...that's dangerous.
Anyhoo, this Sunday night I'll be continuing my series on The Greatest Commandment. At this point in the story, we focus a bit on the villain. That's not something I thrill to actually. But it's good to be aware of his tactics and strategies. There is nothing he'd love more than to stop the Hero from having His Beloved. As we are in the middle of this fight, we must decide what story we're going to believe...the serpent's or the Savior's. Join us!

Don Update

It has been very hot and humid here this summer. But after reading an e-mail from Don -who is at Fort Benning in Georgia, I suddenly feel grateful for my present location!

"Things are hot here. Wednesday it was 112. The humidity kicks in and really works you over. It's a constant race to see if you can drink as much as you can sweat. Drill Sergeants are letting up even more."

I hope Don is doing well. I heard that every time they get a letter they have to do push-ups. Suddenly I feel very inspired to write him.
In this picture, he's the one in the top right corner. Keep him in your prayers!

Dog Sniper On The Loose

This may eventually inspire an Oliver Stone film about a conspiracy against dogs.