From the 9th St. Cafe: How to make the new Iced Cadillac!

We set up a weekly street cafe on south 9th Street in Modesto.  The popular drink is the 'Cadillac', a mix of coffee and hot chocolate.  The year, we've perfected the iced version.  So here, in pictorial form is how to make the Iced Cadillac - a great way to make friends in hot weather!

Modesto singer banned?

This is Dellanora Green (wearing a green Dellanora Green shirt!).  She has been a staple character in downtown Modesto for many years now.  You can see loads of videos about her on youtube under "singing homeless lady" and other titles (THIS ONE is pretty good).  She is an easily recognizable figure downtown.  She has a strong voice and sings familiar songs for anyone to enjoy.  Singing is how Dellanora makes her meager living.

Dellanora is not an intimidating person.  She approaches folks downtown and asks if they would "like a song for a donation."  If you say no, she politely walks on until she finds someone interested.

Quite a few years ago now, Jimmy from our team, helped her to record a Christmas CD so that she could sell them to people who wanted to support her further.  We've kept in touch with her through the years.

Last week, I saw her downtown as she informed me that she had been issued a warning citation to stop singing as it falls under our "aggressive panhandling" bi-law in the city of Modesto.  If you have ever encountered Dellanora, you know how silly that is.  She is far from aggressive and she offers a service for very little.  She'll take whatever anyone can give and does not badger people for money.

She is literally singing for her supper.  A local lawyer has offered to help Dellanora produce a petition for folks to sign to allow her to keep singing on the streets of our city (hear Dellanora talk about it HERE).

I know that I'll be looking for her this week and adding my name to that list.  Could you?

I am not against the police or the government and I indeed believe that we should work as a community to discourage aggressive panhandling.  But Modesto can be a compassionate community and I believe allowing Dellanora's voice to fill our streets is part of that.

Fire at Shiva's Motel

 Wednesday night there was a fire at Shiva's Motel on South 9th Street. This is the place where we have been trying to connect with people in one way or another for 8 or more years. 7 people lost the very little that they own including our friends James and Cheryl. Everyone is ok but they have lost clothes and personal belongings. There is a mother and a 3 year old girl. And a few others that I do not know personally.

 When we arrived Thursday afternoon to have our weekly Bible study at the Shiva, the team we partner with from Christian Challenge had been there a while already. And local ministries were already engaged. A congregation committed to bring dinner down for the motel residents and our friends were rushing off to the store to buy some sandwich fixins so folks could have a lunch.

 
We carried on with the Bible study and were able to join in prayer with the community



 The local Gospel Mission stepped up to provide some clothes for the people who have lost their things in the fire. It was great to watch people, motivated by compassion, respond in love to an emergency. 

Good things can happen when we work together.

Receiving God's Love

You can listen to a message by Chris yesterday at New Hope church in Modesto that includes some stories of early days in YWAM. Just click HERE to listen or download for later.

Pray for the weak

 For years, a disturbed man has protested downtown here in Modesto. His claims are unclear but he has been quite upset. Many, including our team, have tried to talk to him, hear his story or offer him help. I'm sure he's also had his fair share of detractors. He has refused help or conversation and is obviously dealing with debilitating mental health issues.

 He is sometimes outside a church building we've been invited to use for hosting teams. Jimmy and I have been there working on music lately too. Every time I see Ramon, I am confronted with feelings of helplessness. When we pass him, the only thing I've known to do is pray for mercy.

 Recently, he took his protest up a notch by ceasing to eat. He has gotten so thin and frail. And I got to witness this week a mercy this man has needed for a long time. Leaving the church, I saw that the police had finally intervened as he was a threat to himself and public safety. You can read the articles about this in our local paper HERE.

It's difficult to know what to do for the mentally ill who are alone (by choice or not) and living in poverty. I often feel helpless on 9th Street.

 I remember hearing a pastor talk about prayer once. How we see it as a last resort after we do what we know how to do. We pray when our abilities come to an end. He likened someone saying "Well, I can't do much but I can pray" to saying "Well, I don't have a slingshot but I do have this inter-continental ballistic missile".

 Please, let's pray for Ramon. Pray for Cheryl on South 9th Street and Debbie and Cherelle and John and Catherine and Sonja and Arlene and whenever you encounter the poor and mentally ill where ever you are. Listen, be a friend, make eye contact, love, feed and most of all, pray, "Our Father.."

Shiva Bible study - John 7

 For a few months now, I (Chris) have been a part of a small Bible study group at the Shiva motel here in Modesto. The Motel owner is Hindu but has been very open and generous in providing a space for us to meet free of charge. She feels the scriptures will help the folks living at the motel. The Shiva is a pretty desperate place. It's where the addicted, handicapped, mentally ill and desperate of our community land when there is no where else to go. Among other traits, Shiva is the Hindu god of destruction.

 

 We have been going through the gospel of John and we're using these little free booklets we ordered online HERE (a great, free outreach resource). We have between 5 and 10 that gather. Usually only one or two from the actual motel itself.

 To open our meeting, I asked the group about the most beautiful, refreshing place they had ever been. We talked about rivers, mountains, the beach and even the desert. The last to share was from the Shiva and she shared that the most beautiful, refreshing place was "right here".  This took me back a little as 9th Street and the Shiva are the last places I think of when I think "beautiful and refreshing."  It is a dirty, pest ridden motel an ugly part of town.

 Today, we were in John 7 and read together Jesus' declaration... "If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.’”

 If Jesus' promises are true, then the lady from the Shiva was right. With Jesus, where ever we are can be the most beautiful, refreshing place there is. Because the river is in us. Rivers of living water.

 We talked about how we don't always FEEL like God is near. We don't always feel the waters flowing. Sometimes we have to just trust that God is near even when we don't feel it. But the group also shared what can help in those times. Music, worship, thanksgiving (counting your blessings), gathering with others and getting out in nature can all help. In Christ, living water is always available to us if we take the time to come to him and drink.

 

The Value of Improvisation

While not an official foundational value of YWAM, "Improvisation" should be on the list. At YWAM Modesto, for instance, we can't afford to rent a building for an outreach cafe, so we just make one up on the street.

And usually, our improvisations include that white van back there. It was miraculously provided for us a few years back and, while it's had it's moments on the side of the road...

...it usually comes through in a pinch. I think of the rare repairs as "rental fees." But this week, the YWAM van really outdid itself. You see, Jimmy and I are both song writers. Jimmy is using part of this season to finish a recording project of his music and has encouraged/pushed me (Chris) to do the same. With a little creativity and some good software, you can do some pretty cool stuff. Our puzzle in this project has been where to find recording space as we really can't afford studio time. We've had an open invite from a congregation downtown to use their building and so we've been there a bit but we've really struggled to find a proper space to record the drums. We needed a smaller, enclosed space where we wouldn't disturb families, neighbors or church office workers. Enter YWAM Modesto's new drum studio!

What? Me? Pose?! Never!

We'll keep you posted. Some good music is coming soon to a CD or MP3 download near you courtesy of a little creativity, improvisation and a certain white van.

Whitler World Tour, 2011 - Going Home

This is the last in the series of videos that Joshua made from our family trip there and back again in May of 2011 (a whole year ago!). You can see all the posts here on our blog of the National Parks (HERE), New Orleans (HERE), Our time in the car (HERE) and our trip through the North (HERE). Enjoy!

Get on your bikes and ride!

This past week, because of a last minute cancellation, I was asked to put together a band for our local gospel mission's motorbike rally/fundraiser in the Sierra Nevada foothills.  We thought this a fitting song for them to arrive to...

Cosmos

This video will remain on Amie's dance page but I thought I'd share it here on account of tonight's giant moon event.  Did you know that tonight the moon will be huge!  It will appear 14% bigger and 30% brighter.  And it looks like we get a front row seat here on the west coast.  It also looks like the west is due for an annular solar eclipse later this month.  So in honor of all that, here is Amie's award winning entry in our local college's choreographer's showcase - Cosmos.  Amie says it was inspired by our family's love of laying on blankets and watching the stars...

The Whitler World Tour, 2011: The North

Behind the Scenes With Amie!

A l'il video of Amie behind the scenes at MJC's Choreographer's Showcase. Her piece this year placed 3rd in the Celebration of the Humanities competition. If you're local and want to see it, it's being performed one more time tonight at 7:30pm at MJC Cabaret West ($10 general/$8 students)

Music and friendship on 9th Street

Our Time In The Car

Part 3 of the Whitler World Tour Chronicles from May, 2011...

Sam's the best! Around.

The story of Sam's 3rd place ribbon today at the 2012 AWANA Bible Quiz in Stockton, CA

Whitler World Tour Chronicles,Part 2: New Orleans

The Whitler World Tour, 2011 - The National Parks

Group Game!

Hey, hey...here's a new game I learned from the Canadians of Global Youth Network.  It's kinda like telephone but you write and draw instead of whisper.  GLONK HERE to see how it works.

All we need

For the past several years, we (YWAM Modesto and some partnering agencies) have been picking up day old bread and pastries from a local grocery store.  This has been a great resource for us as it has given us a touch point with which to meet people.  This pick up has served recovery homes, a drop in center, a couple of community food pantries, multiple congregations, bread lines and our own little 9th Street Cafe.

Sometimes there's been little and sometimes there's been a lot but we've tried to be faithful to pick it up and not let this resource, that would otherwise be thrown away, go to waste.  This has been a topic of some discussion for our team.  Is taking food to people enabling poor choices?  Are we just another bread line in the eyes of the people we serve and are trying to get to know?  Do they know that we value friendship more than free food?  Is the cost of picking it up worth what folks get out of it?

We have chosen to keep picking the bread up as it truly does bless the South 9th Street community.  We have done our best to let people know that the Cafe we set up most Fridays is about more than the food.  We seek to understand.  We want to listen.  We want friendship.  And we want to bring things that will refresh, ease the hardship of life and be a source of comfort.

We've even made a popular game out of the "too hard for human consumption" bagels.  Who doesn't like a good old fashioned game of bagel toss?

This past week, the option to pick this bread up came to an end and I must admit, I was nervous about how our Cafe friends would take the absence of free bread and pastries.  I wondered if coffee and us would be enough.  My fears were quite unfounded.

First of all, we had plenty of things to share today.  I thought I'd help a little by making up a simple pot of hot oatmeal to serve with brown sugar and raisins from our pantry.

It doesn't look very appetizing there in the pot but let me tell you, it was good and people ate it up!  A few friends donated some clothes for us to give out...

And other friends brought about 5 boxes of bread and homemade brownies and muffins to share!

As it turned out, no one missed a thing.  I was reminded of a line from a song off the soundtrack to "The Prince of Egypt" that says, "When all you have is nothing, there's a lot to go around."  Everyone brought something from home to share and there was more than enough for all.  There were full bellies, happy conversations, prayers offered, needs met and friendship in abundance.  And if the time comes when all that's in the van is us, that'll be enough too.

Songs from Kentucky

Hi ho, Chris here on the road with my good friend Jimmy. We've been in Ohio and Kentucky, hanging with friends and family. It's been a trip of meetings, prayer, discussion and lots of laughter. Some of that laughter was had last night at an impromptu recording session with my sister, Christianne and my nieces, Ally and Grace. So, as we run out the door to sit with a Burmese family and sample some traditional treats, here's our music from last night. Thanks to Jimmy, our producer extraordinaire. By the way, you can download and/or subscribe to all audio for this blog and thefirebowl.net HERE. Enjoy! This is "I dreamed a dream"...my nieces covering the song from Les Miserables...

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And this is my song "Pillar of Fire" sung by me and my sister, Christianne...

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