This & That

Ok, I haven't had a computer for a week so here's some random stuff...

Fair Trade...



I found a great way to make sure you're stuff isn't from a sweat shop...besides justiceclothing.com...have someone you know make you clothes! Diana made me 3 pairs of shorts and a pair of pants for my trip to Mexico. They're way comfy!

One Day...



We gathered with other area youth groups to do service projects around Modesto. Our little New Hope team worked alongside Laloma Grace Brethren Church to clean up a park where we usually give out bread on Thursdays. We saw quite a few friends there. See the little Modesto Bee article here

Adobada...



In Ensenada, they stack up pork on a spit with half a pinapple on either end to give and receive juices...



Then they put it on a tortilla or in this case a torta shell with fresh salsa and toped with some of the "juiced" pinapple from the bottom...



This is Shelly eating one...we ate these a lot whilst in Mexico. Really, really GOOD!

And finally...

In my continuing search to live in greater health, I've begun a topical blog...read it here...healthyintegration.blogspot.com

Enough already...I'm outta here.

Mexico

I'll probably write more about Mexico later as I process it more. It was a great trip. It was so many things coming together...my church and YWAM team (John and I) serving with another church's youth ministry...us as a group serving the YWAM team in Ensenada...we as a staff serving the high school students...the high school students learning and growing together...the YWAM team there ministering to us (one of the guys on our team became a Christian on this trip)...the donors that helped us raise the money to go...the little mexican church that embraced us and prayed for us...all working together to build a house for a single mom, abandoned and robbed by her husband. Her and her four kids were living in a dirt floor shack with nothing.

We were able to raise enough to build the house, furnish it, stock the pantry and buy her oldest son a few months supply of epilepsy medicine. And while we built the house and played with her four kids, our translator on her spring break from Biola university spent the week with the mom explaining the gospel to her. On the last day, just before the key ceremony, with a local pastor and his wife there, this beautiful mom and her sister tearfully gave their lives to Christ.

And it's not some big thing...like we did anything great. It was God doing the great thing. He cares about us. He cares about the YWAMers in Ensenada. He cares about high school students. He cares about my little church. He cares about big churches. He cares about Mexican churches. He cares about abandoned, single moms and their kids. So he will scheme and orchestrate to bring a bunch of weird groups together. It's His kingdom come, his will being done on earth as it is in heaven. It's what we pray for but one can only stand in awe when you get a glimpse of it because there's no way you could have pulled it off.

Commercial?! Who says?!

March

Well, May has been quite the month (do I say that every month?). And it started out with a bang. Our friends John and Shelly Wason from YWAM in Vancouver came down with their kids to spend 10 days in ministry together. John performs one man plays where he dramatically presents entire books of the Bible. He brought "James" and "Philippians" to share at area churches along with other shorter dramatic pieces presenting life and faith creatively. We had a great time together with our old friends who we knew and worked with in YWAM in Ontario.

It was great to be able to connect with local churches, youth groups and a school but perhaps my favorite performance of the week was when john performed some of his shorter pieces for a small group of kids that we have befriended in South Modesto. They sat wrapped in wonder as John moved and spoke in their little dirt yard declaring God's love, life and freedom. I don't know if they had ever seen anything quite like that before.

At the end of the Wason's time here, we had another team come in from YWAM Pismo Beach. This team of 17 came to reach out to our friends in the South 9th St. motels with a BBQ. They also spent time preparing our garden area to grow vegetables to share along side our weekly bread distribution this summer. We'll have about 50 tomato plants...with squash, cucumbers, egg plant, peppers, beans and more.

Then after a week of our normal outreach schedule, I left for Winnipeg, MB up north of the border. I was invited to speak in YWAM's missionary training school there. I spent the whole week with the 6 students in their program training them on evangelism as they were preparing for their mission to Uganda (they are there now). We had an awesome time together.

All that time, Amie has been faithfully educating the boys and managing our home. She is a very hard worker and such a wonderful support to me in all my craziness. She has also started up a small, children's dance class at our church. She has about 7 students from our church and the home school community. She hopes to resume dance training at our local junior collage this summer.

Joshua is bigger than a mountain and is a great help to us and loves to read. Samuel is reading very well too and loves comic strips. Stella is up walking full time now and currently is very crabby because she caught some virus along life's way.

Amie had also been caring for her Grandmother who fell and fractured her pelvic bone about 3 weeks ago. She's been in hospital and now in a convolesant home. Amie has been back and forth with all the errands and laundry, etc that come along with this kind of thing. Grandma will be released with a clean bill of health on Easter Sunday. She is 90 years old.

Please pray for Amie's Grandma, Margret. Pray for my Dad, Al, who has come out of the nursing home in Owensboro to live in a house with his new nurse, my cousin, Denise. My Mother's sister, Anita recently died and her daughter and son have moved to help with my Dad's needs as he struggles with the effects of multiple strokes.

Pray for our work here among the poor. For connections in the community, for our growing network of friends and co-laborers. Pray for the children we continually meet that suffer from the poor choices of short sighted, addicted parents. We need wisdom to serve these families the best that we can.

"where two or three are gathered in my name..."

Last night, I had the great privilege of going, with some of our youth guys from church, to a meeting called simply “One”. This is a joint effort from our local youth ministries network. We have begun to, every now and then, get our groups together for an hour of worship through singing, reflection and prayer. No agenda...it is what it is. With Good Friday coming up, we pondered the cross of Christ together.

Just before that, in the afternoon, I had the great privilege of gathering with a group of ten children at their south Modesto home. There are at least 5 families represented on this small property. This group used to live in the Shiva motel...that’s where we got to know them. They finally found a house but it is still not the greatest situation. Addiction, need, substandard conditions mixed with too many people in one house does not make for an easy childhood.

A few months ago, a team came from Canada and helped us clean up the kid’s back yard so that they would have a place other than the small, dirt front yard to play. Yesterday, a lady in our church had given us Easter baskets for these kids with some simple toys in them. The boys got baseball bats so we all headed to the back yard for the most fun and most chaotic and probably the most “ignoring of the rules” baseball game I’ve ever been a part of.

After the game (the kids won), we sat around in the front yard and read the story of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection to them. Afterward, we had a prayer together...the kids prayed out their thanks to God. We all put our hands together in the middle of our circle and said “AaaaaaaaaaaaMEN!”

This Sunday, we celebrate the resurrection. I get the privilege of gathering with a Mexican church down in Ensenada this year as I’m leaving to help a youth group on a mission this Saturday. But I feel like I’ve already had my celebration. Some will celebrate Christ’s life in multi-million dollar facilities this week, some will gather in simpler structures, some will huddle in a cave for fear of being discovered, some will be in a house, some will be outside. Some will be decked out in their finest clothes, some will wear the only clothes they have.

But all these meeting will be more or less they same thing...just what we did in the little dirt yard in a slum lord’s house. We will reflect on Christ’s cross and the miracle and hope of his resurrection. We will pray out our thanks to God. We will put our hands and heart’s together to celebrate the life of Christ among us. And I know that God is pleased with our sincere efforts, even childish efforts sometimes, to put words around who he is. I know that God can hear the thanks of ten little kids in a backwards town. Together with all the prayers around the world, before his throne, brilliant with majesty, he hears “AaaaaaaaaaaMEN!”

“From his temple, he heard my voice. My cry came before him into his ears” Ps 18.

Things you owe yourself...

You owe it to yourself to rent “The Corporation”. I watched this film up in Canada and am still processing what I saw. Much of the movie is spent looking into the disconnect between the value of the people that work in corporations and the values of the corporation itself as it’s own entity. You may not agree with all of the film’s conclusions. You may not agree with the world view of all the commentators. It is over 2 hours but many compelling facts, scary scenarios and challenges for change. If you watch it, let me know what you think.

If you are a Modesto local, you owe it to yourself to go eat at Minnie’s (downtown near five points...with the tiki statues outside). Now, since we found Thai food (thank you Kevin and Janet) I have kinda sworn off Chinese food but Amie and I went this past Thursday and it is awesome! With a menu that hasn’t changed in taste, quality or value in 50 years (this I’m going on hearsay...from our trusty church accountant, Marge). A $4 plate of fried rice...plate is the wrong word...heaping platter is better...could have fed Amie and I alone but we also ordered Kung Pao vegetables and deep fried asparagus. A great atmosphere and a friendly staff make for a wonderful chinese experience.

You owe it to yourself to do nothing. I’ve been meditating on the way of the smoker lately and I think they have something. Now, I’m not advocating smoking but I can identify with being stressed out at my smoking friends during some work project cause they can justify taking more breaks than us nonsmokers. You know, you’ll all be working away and somebody says...”I’ll be back in a few, I’m going to step outside for a smoke.“ Why can’t we all step outside more often? Lately, I’ve been stepping outside for a breathe. A little fresh air and sunlight can do a lot to get you through.

You owe it to yourself to turn off the TV more often. Today, I found myself channel surfing and I woke up to the fact that I was sitting in my room and had stopped on a Chris Doughtry music video! You know, the guy from American Idol...wow! That’s really quite a thing to come to terms with. Before it got too far, I turned the TV off, stepped outside for a breathe, sat on the front porch and picked up my long neglected C.S. lewis book, “That Hideous Strength”. I’m in the middle so don’t tell me what happens...I just read about when he sees “the head” for the first time...creepy and a great read. I’m glad I left Chris Doughtry and his ilk behind.

Now lest I come off as a bit too much for my own good, let me just say that I am fully aware of much shortsightedness in my life. I waste time, I procrastinate, I sit idly, I tend toward laziness (my taxes! I haven’t done my taxes!), I get sucked into silliness, I don’t live with great perspective, I despair, I give up. That’s probably a bit of my motivation to write. I’m writing to me. I need reminders to be more educated about my choices, to celebrate good local endeavors, to not be so busy and to stop wasting time. These things I hold in tension because we live in a corporate world, the multinational chain is homogenizing our communities, we are stressed to the brink of insanity and the media would love to eat up our soul. To actually rely on prayer and not our own understanding, to read the scripture and take it’s wisdom to heart, to involve ourselves with our family and neighbors, to live lovingly, selflessly. To let go of sin and self to bask in the good life that God offers.

Lately, I’ve been saying that it feels like I get so crazy in my life that I just start to make the minimum payments...shoot up a quick prayer as I run out the door, glance at scripture or make a symbolic gesture toward my family and friends. But it’s not God I am shorting...it’s me. Everyday we have the choice and so much more than our personal peace rests on our decisions. Today, I want to live in love. I owe it to myself.

Evangelizm week...

I've been away in Winnipeg teaching in a YWAM Discipleship Training School(see their blog here). One of my former students is now the director, along with his wife, of the work up there. They have an evident heart for the city, their community, our mission and the church. I had a great time sharing with the students and God led me in a way that I have not really experienced before. Teaching in a DTS has always been something I'd like to do but never really had the opportunity until this past year. Jimmy, Aaron, our friend Josh and I went to teach the students in Bishop, CA this past Fall and had a blast. The DTS is a great idea. What better way for younger people to catch the vision of ministry than to bring them along with you for a few months?

As I prayed about what to share with this class, I sensed very little instruction to share any of the teaching I've developed. I love teaching. I love the process of tackling an issue and trying to put the truth around the matter into understandable language. I love communicating how much God loves people. I love it all.

My topic was "Evangelism" and as I prepared, I seemed to be directed to just share me with this group. Not my nifty thinking about evangelism, but just to share stories about my life. I did share 2 prepared lectures and we watched a movie together...but the rest of the time was discussion and story telling. It was thoroughly enjoyable. And isn't that the heart behind what true evangelism is? Sharing our lives and the good things that God has done in us with one another. To encourage one another down the road.

The word "evangelism" comes from the Greek word that means "the reward given to a messenger that brings good news." It's also the root for our word "angel." We shared together about the disconnect in our minds between our everyday life and "evangelism". Why do we think that way? It's our pleasure to be able to carry with us the good news about Christ...into our world. Not the romantic image of the missionary leaving for foreign shores, of course, that's included but what about carrying Christ to your children, spouses, friends, co-workers, neighbors, fellow church members, the poor, the lonely, etc.

I almost don't like to use general terms anymore like "the poor" or "the lonely" because that conjures romantic images to our minds. We disconnect that from where we live, convince ourselves that you have to go somewhere else, be something else and do something else to reach "those people." As if that was for someone else, not us. But, as Christians, our ministry is to Christ...the real Jesus. And how do we minister to Christ? We feed those without food, give drink to the thirsty, clothe those who do not have clothes, visit the sick, visit the prisoner and welcome the stranger.

Who in your life is hungry? Who is thirsty? Who needs clothes? Who is sick? Who is in prison? Who is a stranger? If you will, take some time to write these things down and put actual names beside them. We all know them. We all have ready access to them. Pray for these names and ask God to lead you in not only ministering to these needs, not only ministering to these people but in doing so, have a mindset that you are actually, not poetically, ministering to Christ himself.

If we cannot bring the good news to one another, how will we ever bring it to a broken hurting world? It starts where we are and ripples ever outward. Do not wait for whatever it is before you commit to become Christ's messenger. It's as close as the person next to you. "Let's have coffee.", "How can I pray for you?", "What can I do to help you?", "Can I share my story with you?" These and only these will change the world.

Roll up the rim to win!

In Canada...there is a coffee shop that I love. the coffee is cheap and has a cheap coffee smell and taste but there is just something about it. It is Tim Horton's. Coffee, donuts, muffins, bagels, sandwiches...they have everything.

There is also a special time of year at Tim Horton's that my friends in Ontario hallow almost like it's Christmastime. We would wait for it, plan for it, celebrate it. It's "Roll up the rim to win" time! That's where Tim Horton's hides free prize vouchers under the rim of their paper coffee cups. You roll up the rim to see if you've won. There's cars, bikes, TVs, ipods and free donuts and coffee under there.

There is also "Please play again" under there. Boo.

So here we go...almost in real time...I will show you what it's like to anticipate a free donut or something under your rim. Here goes...

Here I am with a "Tim bit"...a tasty little donut ball...



I drink my last bit of coffee...



I roll up my rim and...



Boo! "Please play again." I'm 0 for 3! Oh well, I'll just have to try again tomorrow.

How Canadians have fun

Well, I'm spending some time with the Discipleship Training School in Winnipeg and last night we had a "fun" night...which really meant we played some crazy games together. And to start off the festivities was....indoor, mini-smores...

Get some kebab skewers, mini marshmallows, chocolate chips and Golden Graham cereal...


Get some candles...
























And that's that...quite tasty...indoor, mini-smores. You need to eat about 15 of them to actually feel like you've eaten something but hey, it kept us busy.

On the concourse...

This is the Chicago airport...ridiculous! There are soooooo many people here today. I am on my way to Winnipeg, MB to share at a YWAM Discipleship Training school. But I have to wait here for about 2 more hours. I've been here about 2 already. I knew this and was ready for it. So I settled in for a 4 hour haul. I found my distant, other terminal gate, found an ok Chicago "kinda" pizza place called Uno's and called Amie while I was eating. After I hung up, I hear, "Passenger Whitler, your flight is leaving in 1 minute, if you are not on board...blah, blah, blah". I freaked. I downed my soda, throwing it in the recycle container on my way to the gate...I know I made it in under a minute but the plane was pulling away. I interrupted the clerk helping another customer, "I'm sorry to interrupt but did you just call my name? I'm Whitler and I'm booked for the 6:25 flight!"

She barely looked at me, "oh" nonchalantly (is it possible to do something "chalantly"?)..."it's gone", still not looking at me.

"Well, am I still booked on the later flight?" I say intently...possibly chalantly.

"I wouldn't worry about it..." She says, trailing off. Service these days...cheesh. I won't say what airline but I will say I wish this worker had been more UNITED with my idea of customer service. Well, I went to the customer service desk where I guess they specialize in this sort of thing and found that everything was worked out. Yay! I have 3 hours to wait.

Oh, my in-flight movie was "Stranger Than Fiction" with Will Ferrell and Emma Thompson. Mind you, I saw the "edited for content" version but it was very good. Not at all like the trailers made it look. While funny, it is not mainly a comedy but a nice and thoughtful look at life, connection and the things that make it all worth it.

I'm sad that I missed our first St. Patrick meal at New Hope this morning. But Amie and I started our new St. Patty tradition. We bought Irish soda bread and if you haven't had it...go get some now! With real imported Irish butter, then we ate the whole thing. So yummy!

When Amie and I were in Ireland, the Irish liked to remind us "mutt" Americans that it's because of Patrick that we were all Christians...I don't think the logic works but I do know that we serve a scheming God that likes to make strange connections. Long story short, Patrick evangelized Ireland and inspired the celtic monastic movement, who in turn evangelized Europe and that is the way my ancestors received the gospel. It's not the only way they could have but it is the way it happened. Patrick's life and obedience to go to his former enslavers with Christ's love can be an example to us all. Suddenly, it's not so tough to walk downtown or across the street with the same stuff that enabled such forgiveness and devotion in Patrick.

And the soda bread doesn't hurt either.

Sweet Podcastness

Hey everybody...I found a great website today full of down loadable old school YWAM teaching! I listened to Keith Green teaching at a Discipleship Training School. It was awesome! Go here and hear some great stuff!

YWAM Podcasts

Playing Ebert

Josh noticed the lack of pictures of him on this blog so I thought I’d indulge him by showing him doing something awesome...some rock climbing in Columbia, CA. I think they were pretending to climb into Mordor.

So, The Bridge To Terebithia - I officially take back my previous blogging about the movie being different from the book. The movie trailer is actually very different from the movie which is very faithful in spirit to the book. A warm, funny, sad story about a friendship between two misfits in a small, rural community. Some nice special effects to highlight the children’s magical kingdom but very well done. I recommend it.

Also, One Night With The King - Amie and I rented it just in time for Purim : ) As a movie, it was better than I thought but not as good as it wanted to be. Did it take too much liberty with the story? I mean you gotta take some liberty don’t you to make an interesting movie. I found it a bit plot confusey and a little too happy about it’s “Lord of the Rings” like sweeping special effects shots but all in all, it wasn’t an awful viewing.

And finally, An Inconvenient Truth - OK, not bad. Mr. Gore presents some compelling evidence, good food for thought and hopeful seeds for change. By no means do I eat tree bark in my cereal but I know there’s things we can all do better. As americans, we tend toward a lazy, irresponsible view that leads to sleepy, excused actions. He addresses those issues that conservatives raise about the natural warming cycle of the earth as opposed to what’s happening now. His facts are based in credible studies and the film was well done and caused me to think more about my way of life. So...I liked it and recommend it.

So that’s that...two blogs in a day and two “Lord of the Rings” references in this blog. I know...I’m a nerd...I don’t care.

Canadians

This past week we have hosted a team from Canada brought by my friend and mentor Dave Skene. He brought 6 university students as part of a leadership training program put on by our friends in Global Youth Network up in Ontario. They are all interested in justice issues around the world and gave up their Spring break to come and work with us here in Modesto. Here’s our week...

Saturday - It was the nicest day of the year so far and since the team had come from the Great, White North, we took them into San Fran to fisherman’s wharf and to see the ocean. But what we really did was sit in traffic and get lost. They were good sports about it even though we didn’t have time to drive by the “Full House” house.



Sunday - They attended our New Hope service and then we went to our “formerly of the 9th St. Motels” friend Dean’s apartment building and threw a BBQ for his whole neighborhood. We all had a great time meeting folks, sharing some good chili dogs and helping Dean meet his neighbors.

Monday - We cooked the team a nice breakfast and did a bit of orientation. After lunch, we took them on a tour of poverty in Modesto and discussed the issues that keep people down.

Tuesday - A family that we know recently got a house and moved out of a 9th St. Motel. The house is trashed and definitely owned by a slum lord but we went to clean up an area in the yard for the 7 kids that live there to play soccer in. We cut, mowed, stacked, chain-sawed, dragged and played our hearts out. The team even bought them a new soccer ball!

Wednesday - We worked and worked and worked at the church...cleaing up a bit of the junk pile in the back field and preparing the garden area to be planted.

Thursday - Rain kept us from finishing the garden...we got a good start on it though. We watched a great documentary called “It Was A Wonderful Life” about women who are homeless in L.A. then the team helped with our Thursday bread run.

Friday - We had a bit of a debriefing session where we got many encouraging comments from the team about the week. They made us poutine for lunch, a wonderful Canadian delicacy of fries, cheese and gravy and then we prepared for a BBQ on 9th St. A lot of people showed up to eat...120 burgers and 60 dogs later we packed up and took the team out for dinner at the taco trucks.

Saturday - Jimmy and Aaron took them to see Yosemite National Park

...and at 3am Sunday morning, I took them to the airport. We had a great time with them and made some new friends. They are gone now and I’ll definitely miss them but after church, I plan on sleeping the rest of the day.

A bunch of stuff

Amie’s Surgery - You may or may not know that Amie has a pacemaker. Well, she does...since she was 13. She just came through her 4th surgery to renew her batteries and everything went fine. She’s all healing up and stuff, has a lot more energy and should get her stitches out on Valentines day...heart...valentine’s day...there’s a joke there but I couldn't think of one good enough. Aaron wants me to fast bad jokes for lent.

Fresno Zoo - We spent a day down at a nice little zoo in Fresno. It was cheap, the animals seemed happy and cared for, the kids loved it...we’ll definitely be back. Not quite as daunting as a trip to the bay area and it was definitely a better experience than the Oakland zoo. While they had most animals that you look for in a zoo, ironically, there was no gorilla...

Terebithia - The boys and I (by which I mean Josh and Sam) are reading The Bridge To Terebithia in preparation for the movie release this Friday. The trailer looked cool so we decided to read the book first. The book is a nice story about a friendship between a boy and a girl in the fifth grade. We are 3 chapters from the end and so far, there has been none of the cool stuff we’ve seen on the trailer. I’m thinking that the movie will be nothing like the book...oh well, what did I expect? It is a sweet story...kinda “To Kill a Mockingbird”ish but much more simple.

A Perfect Day - I had the realization that this past Friday was absolutely perfect. Everything I want to do and experience, I did on Friday. I was up early to order my day and start it right, I exercised, I did a little manuel labor at the church, I did a little office work, I met a new youth pastor for lunch, went with our team to share food, friendship and Christ with our friends on South 9th St., came home to a nice supper, had some good time with my family, some time reading and early to bed. Ahhh, I gotta do that more often!

Bacon-wrapped, Deep-fried, Caffinated Balls of Sugar - Years ago, on a mission trip to new Orleans, some friends and I tried to come up with the most unhealthy food imaginable and this is what we imagined. Later, we shot a commercial for the imaginary product and tried making it for the skit. As it turns out, they're not bad! You take a chocolate donut hole (providing the caffine, the 'deep fried' and the 'ball'), wrap them in freshly cooked bacon, sprinkle them with icing sugar and tada...you've got a very unhealthy, tasty treat! If you're turning up your nose right now just think of the taste when you dip your bacon in pancake syrup. It's the same kind of effect. I made them for a friends going away party we had a youth group last week and most of the group liked them...so there.

See these five paragraphs...they coulda each been an entry but I can’t just do things simple can I? No, I have to wait and wait and take a bunch of time to do it all at once. I’ll learn some day...

Old books

I recently read "Prophetic Untimeliness" by Os Guiness. I would recommend it. In it, the author echos the advise from C.S. Lewis to mix up your reading a bit. Throughout history, the "whatever's now" modern perspective usually carries with it the idea that if an idea isn't new, then it's not valuable. So Lewis advises, if you read a new book, choose an old book next time. It's a good idea to gain perspective from more vantage points than a modern one.

My friend Aaron tells me about the concept in G.K. Chesterton's writing around the "democracy of the dead" as a great voice to look to as we form ideas and world views. Chesterton said, "Tradition means giving votes to the most obscure of all classes, our ancestors. It is the democracy of the dead. Tradition refuses to submit to the small and arrogant oligarchy of those who merely happen to be walking about." They have left behind their writings for us read and we should let them help us. And that is our problem, isn't it? Admitting we need help.

Well we do. We would do well to listen to older people and read older writings. G.K. Chesterton and C.S. Lewis have both entered into that democracy and their writings are a great help to us now. We are not re-inventing the church. We don't get to do that. The church wasn't thought up...it was born. And we, surrounded by a very real "great cloud of witnesses" would do well to not presume our ideas are new and/or better.

No Sweat!

I finally found a really good sweat shop free site to shop for clothes! Enjoy...

Justice Clothing

Some Catch Up...

Again, another season of no bloggy so I’ll play a bit of catch up....

Grieving - At it’s most basic, grieving is living through the shock of death and summoning the mental, emotional and spiritual strength to press on and rework your life around this huge gaping hole that your loved one left. There’s no way around it but sometimes you feel like just sitting down and not walking for a while. Everybody says the wrong thing and you give them grace for that because no body knows what to say. For being “not okay”, we’re doing okay.

Youth With A Mission, Modesto - We’ve reworked our web site by adding some things...there’s music there now and our family’s January podcast is available.

Las Vegas - Speaking of YWAM, we took a little trip recently to drop our last local volunteer off at her Discipleship Training School in Pismo, Beach. Then we headed to Joshua Tree national park for two nights of retreat and on to Vegas for a YWAM South West business meeting where they told us we have a new regional director...she’s great! It was a good time and I’m looking forward to the future with YWAM here. But Vegas? mmm...a bit too spendy and confusing for my tastes. I love the YWAM team there..they love the city and are working to be real lights in a truly dark place.

Eregon - disappointed in the book, disappointed in the movie. The book got better the last 150 pages, the movie got worse in the last hour. The dragon was nice to look at though.

Apocalypto - Jimmy, Aaron and I saw it last night and it about wore me out. It was really violent, bloody, stressful and well done. While it is not for the weak of stomach, it is beautiful and moving with many things to say about the decline of a society, what’s really important, identity and what’s worth fighting for. For me, worth the journey...if you haven’t seen it...proceed with caution.

Speaking of decline of society - the movie theater was a mess last night! People talking loudly and about 10 kids snuck in through the exit door. But Jimmy complained and we got some free tickets. Yay, I guess...

Good news and bad news - A family that has lived in the motels for years now recently got a house. It is way better than the motel but still in a slum. The landlord does not care for the property, just his money. It’s better though as there is more room and we can now play soccer with the kids in their small yard (no grass but you take what you can get). The bad news is that better housing does not change the heart of man. These kids are still in the care of shortsighted, immature adults. We need wisdom for our contact with this and so many other families and the patience to pray and let God do his more perfect work.

CAROLYN ANN HEWITT OCT. 30, 1944 - DEC. 30, 2006 Carolyn Ann Hewitt, 62, of Modesto, went to her rest on Saturday, Dec. 30, 2006. She leaves her husband, Paul Hewitt; her children, Kevin Hewitt, Cyndee Hewitt, Amie Whitler, and Daniel Hewitt; Nine grandchildren; her mother, Margaret Nelson; her brothers, Larry and David; and a multitude of other loving relatives and friends.

Carolyn was born to Elmer and Margaret Nelson in Minneapolis, Minn. on Oct. 30, 1944, the youngest of the three children. She graduated from Hopkins High School. She married Paul Arthur Hewitt on Feb. 7, 1964. She spent the last few years as a caregiver for seniors.

Viewing services will be held at New Hope Christian Fellowship, 4204 Dale Rd., Modesto, on Thursday, Jan. 4th, 2007 from 5:00- 8:00 pm.

Family and friends are invited to celebrate her life at New Hope Christian Fellowship, 4204 Dale Rd., Modesto, on Friday, Jan. 5th, 2007 at 1:00 pm.

Funny Christmas Things

A funny thing on Christian radio...

Last night, I had to make a Save Mart run for Stella. She’s teething and boy, was she upset and we were out of baby pain killer stuff. So I got out of bed and went like all grumpy, tired fathers before me.

Amie had left the car radio on the christian station so I let it play. Now I’m not a regular listener of christian radio but it’s nice every once in a while (I used to be a DJ at one back before YWAM and I think I just had my fill). Anyhoo, there was this guy going on and on about keeping Christ in Christmas...all the stuff we hear all the time this time of year. And when we talk about such things we really like to use words that rhyme like...hustle, bustle and reason, season. Well this guy didn’t do that which impressed me. He actually found new ways to say those things we all already know. Dickens, Capra and Schultz are really all I’ve ever needed.

So right after this big encouragement to remember what Christmas is all about, the song that follows is a sultry CCM artist singing, “Oh the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful...” I had a nice, ironic, christmas chuckle on the way to the store.

A funny thing in San Francisco...

We had Stella’s 3 month post-operation check up on Monday. We decided to take the boys with as it was my day off, stay in the city and see some seasonal sights. I looked online and found that the library had an interactive display of the Polar Express so we decide to do it. I had visions of being able to climb aboard the engine or a big coach. The boys were excited...well...Amie and I were excited.

Stella did great for her check up. Her team of doctors are really impressed with how she’s healed and is developing. Afterwards we got some great pizza at Blondie’s and parked near Union Square where we saw the big tree and headed up to the library. We figured out which bus to get on, got off at the right stop and went in the library. Excitedly, I kept looking around for the big model of the Polar Express train. I asked the information lady about it and she pointed us in the right direction. We walked up to it and it was a tiny model train in a glass case with Thomas the Tank Engine as well.

We just laughed, Sam enjoyed it and we sat in the children's library and read the Hanukkah story. It was nice...the boys had been asking about Hanukkah so now we know...cool story. We caught the little trolly back to Union Square, looked in the big Disney store and looked at some shop windows then came home. Whew!

Wal Mart...

Here. The Pastor is from my hometown. That's funny strange, not funny haha to me...probably no one else. This is something that I would like to see happen but I do not have much hope for it. I think we are just going to have to find other ways to get our stuff if we want to shop with conscience. It's really hard but I know it's possible.

Something Amie said...

And finally, Amie had the realization today that Dr. Phil is a classy Jerry Springer.

On that note, Happy Christmas and New Year!

City Council

I shared with our city council in Modesto this past Teusday. It was alrighht. They listened. They have to! There is a section of thier meetings called "Oral Communications" and any citizen can go and speak for 3 minutes about anything he wants. So this is what I said...well...read cause I was so nervous.

"My name is Chris Whitler working for Youth With A Mission, Modesto at 4204 Dale Rd. I have lived and worked in the Modesto area for 5 years now. I came here to develop ministry in Modesto mostly to our poor. I have worked with various local church communities and organizations to help people in need. Mostly, I have walked the parks and South 9th St with a small team to make friends, bring food and help folks as best we can.

I'vecome here today to finally speak to you on behalf of the poor here in our area. I am grateful for your willingness to serve our community. I appreciate the initiative to get a winter shelter for single men and women. It is a good start. And I am thrilled to see Agenda item 5 in tonight's meeting. The need is overwhelming in our community and if we do not start talking about simple, sufficient, cost effective housing for our poor things are only going to get worse and they will not go away. To give our whole city over to the commuter house developer and the big stores the people in those houses crave is to sell away the heart of our community. The target worker cannot afford to live in the community target serves...this is not a dead statistic to me...this is Diana and Stella who care for kids and grandkids.

It will be you and the bi-laws you implement that make way for the opportunity for all of Modesto's citizens to have what all people in all communities deserve - the dignity to make a way for themselves in this world. The poor continually face discouragement, rejection and difficulty. It is leadership's responsibility to make a way for the poor IN society...to provide a way for them to exist in the community you serve. This council cannot impose long term change on an individual, you can only make ways for our city to change to accomodate individuals in their process. A good friend was recently evicted from his home by our city bi-laws. He was staying in his sister's backyard in a camper. The camper area was clean, he took care of the yard, he maintained sobriety and lived quietly. The house got a letter stating the set up was illegal and my friend had to move out. The city of Modesto prefers him homeless.

Our society does not want homeless people sleeping hidden in the parks or on city property and yet this happened. We've got to do better and think more creatively. I ask that you start by letting families help out their own by allowing back yard campers to have people in them...and of course by-law enforcement would be implemented in any situation where a yard is unsightly or neighbors act unruly. Let's start to talk about a legal camping area, a non-profit, co-operative trailer park or a safe parking area for people that sleep in their car.

For thousands of years, many different people groups have made a way for themselves with dignity living in tents. Shelters are temporary and do nothhing for families with kids or the mentally ill who cannot bring themselves to sleep in a room full of strangers. Our team wants to work with you and others in our city. What's is happening in our city toward these ends? Are there things of which I am unaware? What can we do to help?"

After I read this the Mayor said, "Thank you" and that was that. I sat down with Aaron and then the Parks director came up to us and requested a meeting. So we're going to get together. Then a police officer approached us and asked to talk out in the hall. He is an outreach officer who committed to helping us however he can. All in all, it was good. I an really grateful to live in a place where, even if my view aren't shared, that I can be heard.

On track

I've been getting up early for the last week and a half. It all started with the "fall back". Instead of sleeping in I just woke up that much earlier. The trip to the airport at 3am last week I'm sure did not help. I went to bed around 10pm on Wednesday night (skipping "Lost" by the way...don't worry, I taped it) and waking around 2:30 am. I stayed up the whole day and went to bed at 11 that night. Still, I woke up really early. So I decided to start going down to the track at MJC.

Now, I did a stint at the track earlier this year which many of you will remember resulted in my knee not working for a while and my doctor laughing at me and while shaking his head saying, "You tried to run?! Let me settle it for you for all of time, you are NOT a runner." Then after giving me some ibuprofin he sent me on my limping way saying something about the pain being a good teacher for me.

Ok, so I'm not a runner. I just assumed I was. I got close to being able to go a mile when I blew out my knee. So I'm a walker. I like the track. It's much better than walking through a neighborhood. For one, the track gives way. Concrete is unforgiving. What I like most about it is that the 12 or so people there when I am there are all there for the same thing. Everyone is huffing. Everyone is trying to improve and no one is looking down at you.

In a neighborhood, the runners are all sending a silent message..."I'm totally better than all you lazy, fat people still in bed!" Ok, maybe that's unfair to say but it feels true. I was walking along a neighborhood road a couple of years ago when a car drove by and some guy inside felt the need to stick his head out the window and say, "You'll never lose weight, Fat %#$!" Wow. What a life that guy must lead. Just driving around discouraging others. "Oh yeah! well...you'll never be...er...nice?"

I was just about to write "I can never think of a good comeback when I need one" when I realized that this entry could very quickly turn in to a Ziggy comic. So I'll just sum up by saying we're out there in the mornings...there's the older lady who runs circles around me, the really skinny girl who floats by me on the wind, the "plus size" lady who looks so determined it's scary, the guy who looks like he's beating on the devil up every time he comes back down the stadium steps, the friends who are strolling and talking, ipod girl and me...the fat "you know what" huffing along resolved (one more time again) to prove that idiots in cars are wrong.

Awesome!  I'm blogging in a widget!  If you don't know what a widget is then you're just not in the know.  You wouldn't understand...it's a Mac thing.  Ok, that was awful but it's true.

Discipline before delight

In my last blog, I mentioned that our YWAM computer had died and I am very happy to tell you that a generous supporter has donated not one but two new computers to our team! We are blown away. So, no more excuses for not posting...

I was thinking today about my younger years in Youth With A Mission. In the fervor of joining a missionary group, there is much new excitement and feelings of spiritual intensity. You can tend to get a bit ahead of yourself. It seems our mission's strength is that we put young people out on the field right away. The energy of youth and the zeal of fresh experience with God is a wonderful propeller for the gospel message.

Our mission's weakness is that we put young people out on the field right away. Without the temperance of wisdom and study sometimes things do not go great. I've seen both of these in action...many times on the same outreach!

I remember a speaker that came through our training campus down in Texas and he spoke to all of us about having grace for ourselves and one another. He talked about not beating yourself up if you miss a day or so of personal prayer time. And then he said something that really sticks with me to this day...personal prayer must be a discipline before it becomes a delight.

This is right where I am 15 years later. Having grace for myself after missing the mark on daily prayer and scripture reading and coming to the understanding that it will not just happen magically. I have to make space for it. Discipline is purposefully killing our laziness...the tendency to let down.

Something we've been saying a lot lately is that it's OK to have an off day every now and again, we're going to live forever. But you can't let your off days pull you along. With your spirit tuned to God's Spirit, you must tell you mind to let your emotions and your body know just who is in charge. With grace for the times we fall short, we must throw off our laziness and get to it. Our time here is short and there is much to do.

Play by play...

Well, it’s back to some old ways. Here’s a recent play by play…

We moved the first of this month. Both YWAM Modesto families live in Salida now as housing at our church became unavailable. So we moved. That has “busy” ramifications of it’s own. We like our new place. We live with Aaron near Modesto Christian school in Salida. It’ll do for now. We are content.

Last weekend, we had family here…Amie’s brother and sister-in-law from Oregon. They were here for Amie’s grandma’s 90th birthday party! They all stayed with us. We had a lot of fun staying up way too late, eating Thai food and solving all the world’s problems.

Last Friday at the last minute, our friend John came through town with his Discipleship Training School (DTS) team from YWAM Bishop, CA. They are a wilderness DTS learning discipleship principles and outdoor survival techniques. It’s pretty cool and John is flourishing. They came through to BBQ with us down on 9th St. and spend the night at church. We had a sweet little BBQ cooking for our friends down in the motels, hanging out with them and praying for people. It was awesome to see this team go for it with their witness and just pouring out love.

Monday, we had another team arrive from down in southern California to host a “night of missions” at New Hope. This was also kinda last minute but a great time. This team is YWAM as well and all they do is travel the states and Canada to promote missions in churches. They are independent of any “base” and are truly representing all of YWAM when they are on the road. They toured our city and we shared our heart with them for the poor of Modesto. We worshiped God and prayed together on 9th St and again, this team just went for it…crying out to God to change our city and bless the poor.

And this week, horror of horrors…our computer totally died! Like dead dead. Ahhh! So, I will not be too terribly internetty for a while. I am stealing time on Marge’s computer at the moment in the wee small hours of Monday morning to blog and catch up on email.

So, that’s that. Change is in the air. Please pray with us…we have some fairly heavy stuff going on in the life of our church community and our family, we have much work to do to, we have some specific needs as far as support and whatnot go and we need a computer. But “life is an adventure to be lived, not a problem to be figured out” and even hardship is an invitation to run deeper into the heart of God.

The Shiva is done for

The Shiva Motel is all but shut down here in Modesto. The place got condemned by the county who looked the other way at this filthy, run down place for way too long. The oppressive management has charged people ridiculous rents to live in squalor, taking advantage of the fact that many are willing to pay high rents for shelter if they don’t have to pay first and last and a deposit.

Most of our friends there have found new places to live...better places...not much better but better. We went and visited one friend in his new digs yesterday. It’s a small studio apartment complex on 9th Street. Others have moved to the airport district and still others to different motels.

Please pray for the displaced, dysfunctional community that lived at the Shiva. A horrible season has ended for them. We are privileged that we were able to meet these folks and be a part of their lives. Their tenacity humbles me. We are still in touch with some of them in their new locations. Pray the kids do well in new schools and new places and that we can manage keeping in touch and stay faithful to friendship in a new way.

Er...um...

Yesterday I realized that there is something wrong with me. I can sing the entire theme song of America’s Funniest Home Videos from the early 90’s and the Facts of Life theme, Differ’nt Strokes, Gilligan’s Island, The Brady Bunch and most of the theme to Muppet Babies but I have not memorized the Apostle’s Creed. I’ll get right on that. wow.

It's starting to rain

The Autumnal equinox was September 23rd but today is the real first day of Fall. The clouds have been gathering for a couple of days now and the sky finally cracked a bit this afternoon. Nights have been getting cooler and the wind is picking up.

Change is in the air too. My community is having a bit of a “heart equinox”. We moved this week to a house in Salida. We’ve been blessed with a new (er) car. Our season living at the church has come to an end. A good friend is dealing with the joy and sadness of his grandfather passing. Some truly wonderful people in my life are facing unjust accusation and the sting of petty, uncaring betrayal. This is a bittersweet time.

This is a time when I just want the people in my life to know I love them. Once in a while, the dumb stuff disappears from view and you sink down to the essentials. Good relationships, good, honest work and Jesus. Have you ever just been so hungry for him? I mean the real Jesus. Perhaps my advent season is starting a little early because my heart cries out for Emmanuel. How long, O Lord? Don’t let us miss the point.

Our 4th BBQ

A great BBQ yesterday (which was Sunday, Sept. 24). We had about 150 folks out to our church from the downtown community and we all enjoyed a delicious tri-tip meal together. For you easterners, tri-tip is an excellent little cut of beef sort of in the shape of a triangle that everybody uses out here (especially our lovely taco trucks...mmmmm!). What I love about this annual event is how much more “family” oriented is has become. It was virtually stress free.

Every year, we shuttle our homeless friends from downtown out to the church. Last year a local car dealer provided us with big vans to do it. That fell through this year and nothing else surfaced no matter how hard we tried to find something. In the end, we felt convinced that we just give the problem to God, so we did and the body of Christ came through with plenty of donated vehicles.

Also, we had a bunch of ice donated from our local icery...whatever they’re called but we were not aware that we had to get it at a certain time. We were too late. Again, no panic, just go with it. My friend Josh and I went up to the supermarket and the manager just gave us 140 lbs. for free! So awesome.

The first year was all about the event and it went great. The next year was about political action and from that came the salvation army shelter at 9th and D. last year was really small as we planned our event on the same day as the now defunct “international festival”. This year was just right...a good group of people happy to be together, sharing music, food, scripture, prayer and fun. That’s the kind of stuff I love to be a part of.

Thank you

It’s been a week since Stella’s surgery. Last Wednesday and Thursday were the longest days of our life so far...especially the time that the surgeon had our girl. We have had a lot of grace on us. Stella did fine. Her mouth is healing and her pain is decreasing. We have another few doctor’s visits coming up to check her progress.

Thank you, friends, for your prayers, help with our boys, help with food and kind, encouraging words. Nothing can compare to the support of God’s family in times of trouble.

Grab Bag

Family Photo - Well, this one’s pretty good. We had a hard time getting all of us to look at the camera with appropriate looks on our face but I think we did ok. Our digital camera is not the greatest. I always go for the cheaper version and then get mad at myself later. Grrr.

Youth Evangelism - Our youth group, along with 6 other area youth groups and Youth For Christ, hosted a youth evangelism training day this past Saturday. It was great! We had about 80 student leaders come out for a day of training and fun with YFC’s own Fred Lynch...formerly of PID!!!! You know...PID...Preachers In Disguise! The late 80’s and early 90’s groundbreaking Christian rap group. He was a great communicator and he still raps...he’s working on “The Epic” which is a rap translation of the whole gospel of John...chapter for chapter, verse for verse. He did some of it and it was, in this non-rap liking, white guy’s opinion, awesome.

Newly Homeless - Our friend, who has been comfortably and cleanly living in his sister’s back yard in a small camper surrounded by a tall, private fence was kicked out of his trailer by our city’s government a few weeks ago. Here we are with one of the highest percentages of homelessness in the Western U.S. and we choose to put another person out on the streets. Modesto would rather him be homeless than safe. What a solution, eh? He’s sleeping where ever he can find a place instead of in his own bed. Let’s here it for beurocracy!

Stella - our baby’s surgery is coming up this Thursday. We are trusting and stressed all at once. Please pray for her.

Jury Duty - I waited and waited and waited and waited and waited and waited and waited and waited and waited. And then they sent me home. The parties reached a settlement. Hooray. They do make jurors as comfy as possible...internet connected computers, free phones, snack bar, cable TV going and a quiet room to read in. I got a lot of reading done.

MAI - I finally finished a book today I’ve been working my way through for a while called “Multiplying Salt and Light”...it’s the story of the development of CHE (Community Health Evangelism), an integrated approach to medical missions focusing on prevention of disease and disciplining individuals to take ownership of their own solutions while sharing the gospel. Some really good stuff and the sole strategy of Medical Ambassadors International, a global mission based right here in Modesto.

9/11 - Today is September 11. I don’t really know how to mark this day in my internal self yet. Right now, we are letting the media take the lead in how to treat this day and I don’t think I really like that as so much of what they do is divisive and ratings/money centered.

And the war continues as well...so many confusing voices and so much loss. It’s overwhelming to try to take it all in.

A soldier who just came back from Iraq was at our church on Sunday. Our congregation thanked him for his service. His parents and wife are so happy he’s home safe. Thank God.

Amie heard a story on TV about a woman who lost her husband on 9/11 and is now raising money to help the poorer than poor women of Afghanistan who have lost their families. That’s all the way forgiveness. It’s beautiful. It reminds me of Jesus.

The city is a clique

Amie and I just spent a day in San Francisco under the gracious hospitality of our fellow YWAMers there. We had to go in for some testing for Stella prior to her surgery (which is next Thursday the 14th). She was a trooper and we had some fun there too. Good curry...mmmm!

But I noticed something about cities. If you are an outsider, it can be like entering into a clique. You know what i mean? A group of people that all know each other and what’s going on. They do not have a lot of patience for outsiders...people who do not know their ways. Figuring out the transit system was a hoot! We rode in on BART and used MUNI to get around. Wow, quite the adventure.

At one point we got on the wrong train and realized it after about 10 minutes but then the driver just stopped the train in the middle of an unknown part of the city and made all of us get off without explanation then he took off in the opposite direction leaving us all on our own! Even the locals were stupefied!

A kind/gruff woman at the same time helped us find our way to the right train. In fact, every time we came up to something we didn’t know how to do, there was a bit of frustration and then a kind soul would reach out to us and help us on our way. Just like in any group of friends there is usually someone who is watching the periphery to see if there’s someone else that can be included and tries to make the new comer feel welcome...that’s usually the case... I hope I’m that for others. And then there’s the group that is just full of jerks...which can happen and at that point, they all deserve each other.

An old-fashioned burnin'

This past week, a good friend of mine did a courageous thing. He dealt ruthlessly with things in his life causing him to toy around with sin. In 2 Chronicles, King Hezekiah did a similar thing in Judah. He took all the objects of false worship and tore them down throughout his country. That’s what my friend did.

In these times it might be funny to think about those days around campfires with the youth group and everyone throwing in their rock and roll tapes and LPs but this was not an emotional response of fear. This was a calculated obedience. It was such a privilege to be there and a challenge.

Is there anything unhealthy that I am holding on to?

“...let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Hebrew 12:1

This is in the abstract and in the actual...throw off every THING that hinders AND the sin. Our junky attitudes and stuff have got to go if we’re going to get on with real life.

Hmm...

It is precisely the illusion that mechanical progress means human improvement that alienates us from our own being and our own reality. It is precisely because we are convinced that our life, as such, is better if we have a better car, a better TV set, better toothpaste, etc., that we condemn and destroy our own reality and the reality of our natural resources. Technology was made for man, not man for technology. In losing touch with being and thus with God, we have fallen into a senseless idolatry of production and consumption for their own sakes. We have renounced the act of being and plunged ourselves into process for it's own sake. We no longer know how to live, and because we cannot accept life in it's reality, life ceases to be a joy and becomes an affliction. And we even go so far as to blame God for it! The evil in the world is all our own making, and it proceeds entirely from our ruthless, senseless, wasteful, destructive, and suicidal neglect of our own being.

Thomas Merton

Summer highlights

Time to get back to bloggin' My good acquaintance, Phil has unknowingly put some fire under my tail...Good as I feel a kindred spirit...Acquaintance cause I don't know him all that well. We work in the same Mission and see each other about once every two years. His blog is refreshingly short, sweet, original, to the point and thought provoking. I always feel the need to write these huge epistles so the thought of writing overwhelms me. So there we go. Help me people. Let me know if you're reading.

This summer has been great and a bit too full. Huge full, but that's ok...we made it. Some highlights...

Thailand...read more details on previous posts but what a beautiful country. The people and culture taught me so much. It was great to experience freedom like we do not have here in the USA. Life is not outrageous there (it has it outrageous spots but on the whole...). It was, I don't know, a bit more simple. Less ridiculous.

Fireworks...well, we lived through running a 6 day fireworks fundraiser right after Thailand. It was hot, tiring work. I know way too much about morning glory sparklers and Mad Dog fountains. The best memory is preaching to the traffic out on the Dale Rd side walk about the wonders of fireworks in the southern black preaching tradition..."I'M TALKIN' 'BOUT FIREWORKS! ARE YOU READY FOR AN EXPLOSION TONIGHT!!" Oh yeah, and when Josh and John taped fireworks to their bodies and we lit them while playing the hallelujah chorus.

Hosting Teams...we had a Canadian youth group come and be with us to help us in our work here with the homeless. This team completely re-made our friends room who stays at a residential motel...new paint, sheets, everything clean, DVD player, cooking supplies, etc. It was awesome! We also worked with some local groups as well to BBQ for our friends on 9th St and in Chavez park.

Marine World...we got to take the kids for a couple of days to the theme park. The park was fun. Amie and Josh got to touch a dolphin and feed him. We walked through their beautiful butterfly room, saw sharks, a killer whale and loads of other animals but our most fun time was at the hotel, in the pool. Go figure. Oh and I only had one Clark Griswold moment when I realized how much park food costs!

Finding the homeless church...There is a really cool man in our town that runs a church meeting for the homeless at Legion park every Sunday. He feeds a meal, shares the word and loves the heck out of his congregation. It so nice in this horrible system to actually find people that make sense. A sight for sore eyes.

Modesto Nuts...I finally saw them play. The team name is the Nuts. They lost. It was awesome. I'm going back. I bought a hat that says Modesto Nuts with the mascots on it...Wally the Walnut and Al the Almond.

YWAM West Coast Conference...this we just got back from. It was 4 days of refreshing, re-visioning and remembering some basics. It was great to worship with a bunch of crazy YWAMers again, see and make friends and just relax for a bit. Chidcare was provided so Amie and I could attend some things together. It was a really good time. We were also made an official YWAM location by our regional leadership. Many gathered around us to pray and speak blessing over our work and life here in the valley.

Well, I did it again. I wrote a big thing. I'll be brief next time, I swear.

Are we connected?

Well, I haven’t written since I got back from Thailand. I don’t know if anyone out there is really reading anymore but I thought I’d put something down. I know there’s a few.

I started my “myspace” account to help me keep in touch with people. “myspace” is a good idea. I think it’s an idea that’s dying...still really popular but it has been bought by a corporation and has that feel of big business trying to cash in on cool. Like the kids who buy the Ramones t-shirts at “hot topic” in the mall and do not own a Ramones album or even are really familiar with their music. I feel like the curve has arced and myspace will go down.

These ads get really annoying for one. I know they have to sell ad space but how many times do I have to be asked if I like naughty or nice? And pictures of scantily clad women, showing cleavage with a vacant look in their eyes do not appeal. It’s getting old. So I don’t check my “myspace” too often.

Then there’s the issue of being able to see the real lives of people I know. The internet is funny. I know people that are so open...wide open online and can barely talk to you in person. I just read a blog from a friend that was so deeply intimate and personal yet face to face, they can hardly look you in the eye. This can’t be right.

I can’t help but think that all these ways of keeping in touch has or will only serve to lead us farther away from real relationships. It seems like people don’t know how to talk to one another anymore. Our culture is a bit absurd. Heavy doses of sarcastic humor only serve to drive us away from one another. I feel like many of us have forgotten how to be human.

Have we forgotten how to look someone in the eye? To say “Hello”? To say “sir” or “mam”? A couple of week ago while working out in the community I called someone “sir”. His friend laughed out loud at me and told me it was ridiculous to call him sir. I was stunned!

I know I’m a blessed son of a dying breed. I don’t take it lightly that many did not or do not grow up with the blessings I had. I had the great privilege of growing up in a home with Christian parents...my father taught me to look people in the eye. He taught me the value and art of knowing how to speak to people. He taught me that all people have dignity. It the same thing I’m working on with my sons.

Some kids I know, all they hear is coarse, vulgar or sarcastic language. Or we puff up and hold the rest of the world in an egocentric view...everyone besides us and our little circle is stupid and a joke. No fathers to teach or dumb ones that abuse with language or worse leads to a generation that seeks comfort in like associations (not real relationships) and pain killers like alcohol, drugs and non-committed sex. We are a generation that speaks about emotions we don’t even know if we feel or not. We regurgitate trite emotional language that we hear on TV hoping that we’re not missing life. We are.

My life and family are not perfect. I am not on a high horse here. We’ve struggled and gotten it wrong. We’ve been short sighted and hurtful. We have missed the mark. My life is not free of pain. We have been through sickness, rocky finances, bad decisions and death. We have been angry and misunderstanding. But we have held on.

Whatever your circumstance, you do not have to live and act beneath it. You can live and find your way with dignity. Can we let go of “put down” humor and over sarcastic attitudes? Can we find a way to work hard where we are at...to serve and do a good job, the best we know how to do? In humility, can we admit that there are still things we need to learn? What about practice...can we handle not being good at something and take on the discipline of practice to get better and see progress? Can we try new things that make us vulnerable? Can we afford to not look cool? Can we be silly and have fun without hurting others and ourselves? Can we say “I’m sorry, I was wrong, I love you.”? Can we shut up and be interested in others? Yes, we can...we just have to drop our pride. And even all this “I’m so weak and tragic” stuff is pride. False humility is pride. Turning the focus on you is pride.

My father was an elementary and university teacher and a piano player. My mother was a secretary. My grandfather was a farmer and iron worker and my grandmother was a homemaker and a good southern cook. They were not great people. But they knew and practiced great things. Can I pass the good advise I know on to you?

From my Dad...look people in the eye and speak up. Speak to them with respect. Give them your eyes and be interested in them. Listen. Give.

From my Mom...if you’re going to do something, do it right or do not do it at all. When you find out you’re aggravating someone, stop. Sacrifice.

From my Grandfather...work hard, be faithful, do not give up. Speak to strangers, be friendly, make children happy, enjoy right now.

From my Grandmother...love unconditionally. Serve. Learn the old ways. Read the Bible and pray early in the morning.


This is my inheritance, I pray I live it well.

A week in Thailand

Some of you have said you like it when I do this...so for lack of a more creative I idea, here's an overview of my week in Thailand...

Friday night, the 16th, I left to join our team already here. I skipped through 2 days as Thailand is 14 hours ahead of Pacific time...so Friday night in California is sometime Saturday morning in Thailand. The flight took me through Guam, Manila, Bangkok and finally, Chang Mai...a large city in the north. I arrived Sunday evening pretty rested as I lived on Thailand time for my whole flight (which reduces the effects of jet lag). Like, if it's not time to eat in Thailand, you pass on the meal...if it's not time to sleep, you stay awake. It really helped! I found the team in good spirits and tackling a job we had no idea we would be doing.

Monday the 19th was right into the fray...the previous week, our team had been helping at the Home of Joy, a YWAM ministry that takes in at risk kids (abandoned or orphaned) and gives them a real family environment to live in. Our friend Kathleen and her staff serve these kids with a beautiful commitment. Her kids that of school age go to a Christian school called "The vineyard". Our new friend Tuk is the pricipal there and she is a wonderfully spirited lady. There is no holding her back when she gets an idea.

Tuk's heart is to see Thai children develop a love for reading. It's not really a part of the culture for kids to read a lot or for parents to read to their children. Tuk felt her school should have a library. They had no money. One day, while listening to the radio, she heard Thailand's king encouraging citizens to return to simple living and environmentally friendly ways of building. That's when she had the idea to build a mud library...a library completely made of mud...mud walls, shelves, furniture. So, her and her church and school staff began the work.

Tuk's husband is the overseer of Methodist missions in Thailand and Singapore and they are getting ready to spend a couple of years in California at Fuller seminary for him to have further training. Before they leave, Tuk's heart is to see the library done, so she prayed months ago for help to finish it. So here come some crazy people from Modesto that have no idea how to build a mud anything but we quickly learned...sort of and have been plugging away at it all week. Mixing mud like the children of Israel in Egypt, preparing the walls for shelving, doing some of the shelving work, sawing, chiseling, cleaning and scraping. It's been awesome!

I'll write about other parts of the trip later but it is really neat to see how faithful God is...our goals were to serve at risk children in Thailand and God sent us to the Home of Joy. We wanted to find one or two small ministries to serve and partner with in the future and we were sent to a little orphanage and Christian school. We wanted to address our passion to see the "sex industry" of Thailand end...more on that later...but here's these kids, some of them born to prostitutes being cared for by God's people and then here's this school that wants to shape the leaders of tomorrow by providing Christian education and God let us be a part of it all! Not just us, but all those back home who helped us come (we were able to provide the first 100 books to the library!) and all those who have been praying for us, this has been a particularly blessed time. And now we can look forward to our new Thai friendships developing as Tuk and her family will be in California for 2 years and we have more ways to continue to help the Home of Joy!

God loves this stuff and it's such a privilege to see him join hearts and visions together over a huge expanse of distance and culture. He seems to love mixing his kids up with each other so that we can help each other do the stuff of his Kingdom. There's nothing better than that.

I'm a goin'

Well, just stealing a couple of blogy minutes this morning before my big ole day. Later tonight, I fly to Thailland...farther away than I have ever been and longer away from Amie and the kids during our marriage. It’s gonna be hard but I am also excited to go and experience what God is doing in Thailand. It’s an epic flight! I guess some of you will have been to Asia before but I have not. I, like the team before me, change planes in Guam. Guam! Have you ever seen Guam?! It’s like a tiny dot on the globe out in the middle of Pacific ocean nowhere. How did people ever even get to Guam? Well, I’m goin’.

This has been a difficult process to get this team to Thailand. Three of our original members did not make it due to circumstances. We did not get the money that we’d hoped for but we did get just enough. We’re squeaking by but I got a good chunk to take with me today so that’s good. The tickets were a bear to secure. We had ‘em then we didn’t then we did and didn’t then at the last minute we got some and scraped one more in there...me. So I’m going.

Please pray for this last bit of the trip, that I can be an encouragement to the team leader...a good support on the final push. Pray that we all get home safely and for the teams continued health. Pray that we get done what God has purposed for us to accomplish and that we can build on that work in future fund raising, trips and projects.