A Cup Of Starbucks...In His Name

Tonight we gather at Starbucks to hand out, not just cups of coffee, but cups of hope.
I used to live in Seattle. I've got a theory that Starbucks first became so popular there because of the rain, the dark clouds and the constantly overcast skies. After awhile it just gets depressing. People duck into a Starbucks -not just for the coffee, but for the little extra jolt of energy caffeine tends to bring. I even saw a sign in one of the stores that said, "Happiness in a cup."
Well, as we all know, those cups of happiness are all very short-lived. We have to return again and again for another cup of coffee. In fact, Dave Short recently told me that coffee actually dehydrates you. (I'm believing this because, during this fast, I actually woke up in the middle of the night desperately thirsty...having had nothing but water and coffee.)

But Jesus offers a drink of another kind. He said to the woman at the well in John 4:13-14, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

We don't give these gift certificates just for them to have coffee. We give them that they may have hope in a dark world. We pray that they will be drawn to the joy that can only be found in Jesus. If you'd like to help us, we more than welcome you! Check out the address on the church website.

Mark 9:41 "I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward."

Alvin Slaughter

I've had the privilege of working with this man on two different occasions. The second time I had organized a bit of a mass choir made up of people from about 5 different congregations. We ended up with 150 people in the choir. It was an awesome experience. We felt like we were all floating on air as we lifted praises and worship to God. Which may explain why, at the end of the concert and after two hours of standing, we still didn't want it to end.

Well, his latest CD is "The Faith Life". I've found it to be very edifying. This is a song he sings on it titled "Launch Out" written by Keith Laws.

Sometimes we hold on a little longer than we should
Letting go can be hard but it's sometimes for our good
The fear of what's ahead sometimes makes us fall behind
We can see the times are changing but pretend that we're so blind
You'll never really know just what the future holds
But we know God holds us in His hand
So by faith we must climb into the boat
And follow His command

Launch out into the deep
Let your faith take you somewhere that you've never been before
Launch out into the deep
Let your faith make you fly, let your faith make you soar
Launch out, launch out into the deep

It's time to wake up and make our dreams come true
Time is always moving and it will not wait for you
The fear inside your mind can quench the fire in your heart
Sometimes where you end is where God wants to start
It's never easy when you're walking out by faith
Everything seems so different and new
But if we only learn to see with eyes of faith
We would see life in a different view

Launch out into the deep
Let your faith take you somewhere that you've never been before
Launch out into the deep
Let your faith make you fly, let your faith make you soar
Launch out, launch out
So much for you awaiting, so stop procrastinating
Close your eyes, just take a leap

What Were The Ancients Commended For?

This is from John Eldredge's devotional, "The Ransomed Heart"...

"Where would we be today if Abraham had carefully weighed the pros and cons of God's invitation and decided that he'd rather hang on to his medical benefits, three weeks paid vacation, and retirement plan in Ur? What would have happened if Moses had listened to his mother's advice to "never play with matches" and lived a careful, cautious life steering clear of all burning bushes? You wouldn't have the gospel if Paul had concluded that the life of a Pharisee, while not everything a man dreams for, was at least predictable and certainly more stable than following a voice he heard on the Damascus road."

I'm certain that John means here that Paul's letters wouldn't have been the instrument that God used to impact the church. God would have found someone else to do His work. But how tragic if Paul had not ever been converted! His life was radically changed as he stepped out in faith to follow Jesus. Once he got his eyesight back, of course.
But because these people did act in faith, we now have an example to follow. Today. Have we insulated ourselves from all risk? Or have we decided to step out of the boat and get our feet wet?

Hebrews 10:38-39; 11:1-2 "But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him." But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved. Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for."

Can't this thing go any faster?

Jennifer, our secretary at the church, was telling me what water skiing is like. I've never been and at some point may like to try it. Although, my moves on the ski slope have proven less than graceful. But Jennifer is a bit of a daredevil. She's even jumped out of a plane before! She did have a parachute though. So, I thought she'd love to put those two activities together.

Beach Bonfire Party

We had a great time last Friday night at our beach bonfire party. Much thanks to Dave Short and Gary Leming who got down to Bolsa Chica by 6 AM that day to make sure we had our own fire pit. They go fast in the summertime and we just didn't want to have to cart a microwave out there.
These pics are just barely a sampling of the folks who joined us. We had somewhere between 30 to 40 people. The light was fading fast by that point so I only snapped a few. But I have to say that I just love the one of little Noah fighting sleep in James' arms.
(Much thanks to Margaret Hammond who sent me some of these pics!)

The Contemporary Service Band

Wow, am I thankful for these folks. This is our Contemporary Service's Band and they make -not only a joyful -but also a beautiful noise. Starting from the top left...Jonathan Pintoff on bass, Tyler Leming on trumpet, Gary Leming on trombone, myself on piano and vocals, Tiki Pasillas on drums, Lauren Leming on flute, and Matt Short on trumpet.
Jonathan Pintoff is a full-time professional musician who is in demand and travels quite a bit. In fact, he just got back from a conference in Washington D.C. He also plays stand-up bass.
Tiki Pasillas is also full-time and is often on tour with Marc Anthony and/or Jennifer Lopez. In fact, if he can't be with us on a Sunday, he's usually in South America with them. Recently he had to miss because he was doing a taping on the Late Show in New York. (!) You can check out his website at www.tikipasillas.com.
Sometimes I am just amazed at the blessings God has brought our way.
Gary, Lauren, Tyler and I have played together for many years. Gary has played trombone in church practically his entire life. Lauren and Tyler were very involved with their high school band doing field shows and even marching down Main Street at Disneyland at one point. Tyler also played with a jazz group at Long Beach Community College. And it has been so cool to have Matt jump into the mix. He's got some awesome experience with his school's jazz band.
One that's not pictured is Ginny Vaughn who plays the synthesizer. At the time of this photo, she was suffering for Jesus in Vail, Colorado on vacation. (Keep her in your prayers.)
Also, when Tiki can't join us, we often have Chris Wabich on drums. He is considered to be one of the best steel drum players in the country. He even makes them. I hope to get him to play those for us at some point.

Psalm 33:1-4 "Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him. Praise the LORD with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre. Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy. For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does."

Happy Birthday

Today is Tyler Charles Leming's birthday. He is 23 today and the theme for this particular celebration is golf. His folks got him some left handed clubs and you can see how professional he looks. Just check out that follow-thru.
I'm so proud of this guy. He works at Wells Fargo and seems to be climbing the ladder pretty quickly. I'm thinking any day now he'll drive home a stage coach. He's an awesome trumpet player and helps us in the band on Sunday mornings. Lately he's also been helping out by giving the announcements.
My claim to fame here is that I am his uncle. So glad to be too because he's one of the funnest persons on the planet. Happy birthday Tyler!