Happy Anniversary

I'd like to wish Jim and Wilma Nash a very happy anniversary. They got married on June 26, 1936 -which just happens to be 72 years ago today. This marriage thing just might work out for these two.

I think they're two of the sweetest people on the face of the earth. I've known them all my life. Their kids and grandkids went to our church in Santa Ana when I was a little boy. So, we'd see them on occasion. They were actually founding members of a church in Los Angeles -which eventually moved to Bellflower -which eventually moved to Seal Beach, our present location. Talk about faithfulness!

They are both in their nineties now but still very active in the life of the church. They organize and host Faith Fellowship every Tuesday in the Garden Room. This involves games & fellowship & worshiping together. Also, of course, coffee and popcorn. Jim gives me the thumbs up sign when the coffee is ready. :)

One of my favorite things about them is their love of Yosemite. My family always loved to vacation there. We would hike to Vernal Falls, which was a pretty steep hike, and, on several occasions, we just happened to find these two at the top! We hadn't even known they were there so it was quite a surprise. I've got a theory that their love of hiking may be one of the keys to their longevity.

We love them so much and are thrilled to have them here. Happy 72nd Anniversary Jim and Wilma!

I Know Who Holds Tomorrow

-by Ira Stanphill

I don't know about tomorrow, I just live from day to day
I don't borrow from its sunshine for its skies may turn to gray
I don't worry o'er the future, for I know what Jesus said
And today I'll walk beside Him, for He knows what is ahead

Every step is getting brighter as the golden stairs I climb
Every burden's getting lighter, every cloud is silver lined
There the sun is always shining, there no tear will dim the eye
At the ending of the rainbow where the mountains touch the sky

I don't know about tomorrow, it may bring me poverty
But the One who feeds the sparrow is the One who stands by me
And the path that be my portion may be through the flame or flood
But His presence goes before me and I'm covered with His blood

Many things about tomorrow I don't seem to understand
But I know who holds tomorrow and I know who holds my hand

Time Travel By Car

I've been seeing some pretty cool cars in my neighborhood lately and it makes me wonder if we've switched centuries and nobody told me.

Happiness: Not A Goal But A By-Product

The Wednesday night Bible study has been taking a closer look at the Beatitudes. It has been fantastic. Last night my father spoke about how short-sighted we can be when we make happiness the goal of our lives rather than God. This seems to be especially true of Americans who are constantly speaking of their rights and ready to sue at the drop of a hat because their happiness is to be preserved at all costs. I wonder how many will be doing that on that great and final day when every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord? It would be tough to speak about your rights in the presence of a holy God -His Son being the sinless one who died for our sins.

While elaborating on Matthew 5:6, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." -he said, "If we want true happiness, Jesus says, develop a hunger for righteousness; in doing so, then your life will be filled with happiness." So many people think that pursuing pleasure is the key to happiness. But the key is actually pursuing righteousness. Pursuing God Himself.

John Eldredge, in his book "Walking With God" wrote, "God wants us to be happy. But he knows that we cannot be truly happy until we are completely his and until he is our all. And the weaning process is hard.
"The sorrows of our lives are in great part his weaning process. We give our hearts over to so many things other than God. We look to so many other things for life. I know I do. Especially the very gifts that he himself gives to us - they become more important to us than he is. That's not the way it is supposed to be. As long as our happiness is tied to the things we can lose, we are vulnerable."

Matthew 5:4 "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." You can begin to see why sorrows, why mourning can be a good thing. If we allow it, they will lead us to true comfort. Not to distractions, or temporary pleasures just to numb our pain, but to the Comforter Himself -and in His presence is fullness of joy.
Psalm 16:11 "You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand."

Tortoise On The Run

While waiting to cross the street this morning I spotted this sign. Apparently someones tortoise has gone missing. It may be looking for its motherland. Should be easy to identify because how many turtles around here speak Russian?
The reward is a copy of Tolstoy's "War And Peace".

Tomatoes Done Nicely

It's nice these days to find tomatoes you can trust. (In case you haven't heard, there's a bit of a health scare happening at the moment. Salmonella has resulted in a real "attack of the killer tomatoes".)
Last night at the Bible Study, Betty Nicely gave me some cherry tomatoes that she had grown in her garden. It was reassuring as I plopped some onto a salad at lunch today that I knew where they came from and that I could trust the gardener. In a world where cows are going mad and mice don't excuse themselves to go to the powder room to take care of business, it's a wonderful thing to have your own private source of food.
Not only that but they tasted terrific and I just can't wait tooooooiekea;ria... uh, ...........ekeiaeoe;eke..........what's the number for 911?

Bragging Rights

Job 1:8 "Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil."
My friend Steve brought this scripture up today. How cool it is to see God taking such pride in Job. And for awhile the enemy was allowed to wreak havoc in Job's life. But still, God was able to continue bragging on Job. Even through all the calamity, Job was still believing. Though not understanding, he was still afloat, trusting in the goodness of God above all else.
From verse 6...
"One day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them."
...I'd imagine that Satan has to take a number to get an audience with God. But our cries go straight to God's ears. This should tell us something about the priority we are to God.
Recently in our pulpit, Bob Phillips said, "God allows us to have an adversary for the purpose of training us." What an awesome thought that our enemy is simply the tool God uses to bring a greater glory to our lives. Now that's the proper perspective...not to be devastated by him, but trained because of him.
Romans 8:28 "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
So, let God do some bragging on you this week.
Have you considered my servant______________? (your name here)

Poster Pigs For Boycott Bacon Campaign

Six Sharps

Matt Short is one of our incredible trumpet players at the church. He told me the other day that he mentioned to his band teacher that sometimes he plays in 6 sharps at church. She asked Matt if the music minister hated him. I got a kick out of that. For the record, no, I don't hate Matt. A lot of awesome songs coming out these days have been written by guitarists. They tend to choose keys that keyboardists and other instrumentalists don't really care for. Not every song we give them ends up in 6 sharps. But when you're trying to navigate all those sharps, one song can feel like too much. On the other hand, if you can master playing with all those sharps, you'll be able to navigate just about any piece of music that comes your way.

While mulling this over, I began to see a correlation with my troubles and challenges frustrating me to the point of wondering if God hates me. Of course, we know He doesn't. But sometimes, if you're really honest about it, you can start to wonder if He cares about what you're going through.
Here's the cool part. If we can learn to navigate and persevere through these tough situations, He's turning us into one awesome "Musician". Our life becomes a beautiful song. If we can get through one incredibly tough piece of music, it gives us confidence to dive into the next one. When we realize the glory that He wants to bring to our lives, we can actually be thankful for all the sharps He's tossed at us today.

1st Peter 1:3-7 "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."

Psalm 46:1-3

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah" (NIV)

"God is a safe place to hide, ready to help when we need him.
We stand fearless at the cliff-edge of doom,
courageous in seastorm and earthquake,
Before the rush and roar of oceans,
the tremors that shift mountains.
Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,
God-of-Angel-Armies protects us." (The Message)