People from Fresno STILL rock!

Last year, we hosted a high school team from Fresno First Baptist. WE loved having these guys...they were so willing to jump in and serve with cheerful hearts. So when Jon (the youth pastor) decided to come back with another team, we were very happy to have them again. And once again, this team (6 that came last time and 5 newbies) was so fun to host for outreach. They brought life, laughs and light to whatever we did together. Here's a few pics...


They love playing games together whenever there's a free moment and they are quick to include others in the fun. This one's called 'Ninja'.



And they loved everybody on South 9th Street in our time there...everybody!



They served...



They sang...



They played...



They even flipped...



Art and dance were unplanned themes with this group. We spent time listening to local artist, Emilio Martinez, who has a heart to see his neighborhood change through creativity.




And we were able to take what he taught us to a group of kids from the same neighborhood...




They had an impromptu dance class from Amie...



And they danced...



Danced,



DANCED!



Thanks Jon & Co. from Fresno First B. Thanks for loving us, our city, our church and our friends.

A Saturday with the kids.

We don't really have a kids program anymore but we do know some great kids. This past Saturday, we took some of them to our local library for a magic show and some reading together. There are few better ways to spend personal time with a kid than experiencing a story together. I'm thankful for Manuel and Alexa who came along with Aaron and I to make the day possible.

Percy Jackson - a review by Josh Whitler

"Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lighting Thief" is the story about a kid who has been kicked out of almost every boarding school in New York. Life does not seem to be looking up for Percy right now, until he finds out he is a demigod (half mortal, half god). So, he flees to Camp Half-Blood where he finds he is the son of Poseidon, the god of the seas. If that weren't enough, taken directly from the back of the book, "Zeus's master lighting bolt has been stolen and Percy is the prime suspect". Now Percy must find the bolt, clear his name and find the real thief in ten days.

There are a lot of differences between the book and the movie. The hydra fight in the museum in the film was like the castle siege in the Prince Caspian film, it was disappointing because I really wasn't expecting them to add extras. This is Chris Columbus, the guy who made the first two Harry Potter films which were, of all the the Potter movies, closest to the book. And, in the book, there was a big 'ol fight with Ares, the god of war, that I would have liked to have seen in the film. All in all the movie was very far apart from the book.

I liked the book more than the movie because there is a deeper story. It gives you a sense of "oh no, what are they going to do next!" I think you would like it. Give it a try!

(Edited by Chris)

We called my Grandfather "Popo" : )

This is a re-post of a story I submitted over at the Hog's Head website (thehogshead.org). Yes, my geekliness is showing through but I love this blog style site that discusses Harry Potter and other meaningful stories. It was there that I found out that this is national storytelling day. So they invited anyone to leave an oral tradition type story as a comment. Here is mine on remembering my Grandfather...



My Grandfather was one of the funniest people I have ever known. To call him Grandfather feels weird. We called him "Popo" because the first grandchild picks for everybody else. My Grandmother was consequently "Momo".

Popo was always "on". Also, he repeated many of his jokes over and over to the point that they became a kind of liturgy that I still remember and sometimes carry on because I can't help myself. When this happens, Popo would say that. If we were stuck at a stop sign at a busy intersection, Popo would say, "Somebody opened the gate and let 'em ALL out!" There were a million of those. He loved kids and loved to make them laugh. I remember him as one of the first adults who had timeless time for me

He was also the hardest worker I have ever known. For years, he worked as a rigger (that's welding and construction at very high heights) for Louisville Gas and Electric. In younger years, to save money so he could marry my Grandmother, he hitch hiked to Detroit to get a job in a factory when work opportunities in Kentucky were scarce. He was too young for the draft in WWI and too old for WWII (he also had flat feet) and so he worked in ship yards building for the navy. He always had a huge garden. It was way too big for his family to consume all the produce so they canned the excess as well as shared it with their church community on Sunday mornings.

Popo was a year away from full retirement benefits at his company when he had a terrible accident. He was working on the roof of a building and slipped off, falling several stories. He told me that he remembers thinking as he was falling that he didn't want to just land, he wanted to land with a purpose. So he twisted himself around so that he would land on his feet, giving him the chance to roll quickly over and minimize the damage to his body.

The impact immediately broke both of his heels but he did manage to roll when he hit. Being just months away from full benefits, his boss could have let him go because of his disability. There was no way he could continue his work. He would have lost everything. But, it was a different time. Somethings were more important than the bottom line. His boss told him that he expected to see him at work until he qualified for full retirement.

Popo did just that. He came in everyday and made coffee for the guys, cleaned up and did what he could at the work sites. And later that year, retired with full benefits.

A great book you've never heard of.

So here is my recommendation for this book, The Fiddler's Gun by A.S. Peterson of Rabbit Room fame. "The Rabbit What?", you may ask. The Rabbit Room (rabbitroom.com) is a communal website hosted by Andrew Peterson and friends. Named after the room in the Eagle and Child Pub where Tolkien, Lewis and others of the famous "inklings" met to drink, talk, argue and laugh. The virtual Rabbit Room is just that, a group of friends who are also artists sharing common discussion about culture, stories, music and faith. If you like blogs, this is a fun one to add to your reader. It's a great place to find out about some good music, books and film that you may have otherwise not heard of in the current atmosphere of big advertising where the thing with the most bucks behind it's publicity is the thing you hear about.

Through the Rabbit Room I discovered that A.S.(aka Pete) Peterson was writing his first novel and letting the public in on the process through a website (http://thefiddlersgun.com). I was intrigued by his ideas for the story and began following his progress at the site and through Twitter. This was a fun build up to the release of the book...we got to experience the author's frustration, uncertainty and joy and most things in between. He opened himself to those of us following and I can't decide if it made me want to try my hand at writing a book or never, ever attempt anything so vulnerable. I guess time will tell. So, when it's all said and done, did the story deliver?

After following the process so long, I was pleased to be able to buy my book right from Mr. Peterson's hand (notice the signature in the picture above) at the Ryman Christmas concert (where many Rabbit Roomers were lurking about) of Behold the Lamb of God. Well, there were a few books in my way but finally, I read it.

I loved it.

This is one of those stories that you never tire of hearing. It carries with it, in the best way, echos of stories you love to wrap yourself up in and marinate in the language. Beautifully told, this is the story of a girl, who is all of us, finding out who she is destined to be. It's a story of redemption, not in spite of but through mistakes, misunderstandings, pride, foolishness, heartache, courage, friendship and love.

In The Fiddler's Gun, we follow Fin Button, an unwanted orphan girl coming of age in the time of the American Revolution through real danger, difficult choices and narrow escapes. This is not a children's book, the story sees Fin through some very dark and scary places (I recommend it for teens on up) and it is well worth the journey.

Peterson writes riveting action sequences that keep you reading way past your bedtime. And what I loved most about the book is the deceitfully simple beginning that matures into a well woven tale of unfolding mystery (wow, I should write movie trailer copy). And I can't wait to read the conclusion in the forth coming "Fiddler's Green" which according to the Twitter updates is past chapter 17.

You can get your copy of The Fiddler's Gun in the Rabbit Room online store (HERE). And if all that doesn't make you want to read it, this will...

From the prolouge by A.S. Peterson...

"...time has a way of leading a person along a crooked path. Sometimes the path is hard to hold to and people fall off along the way. They curse the road for it's steep grades and muddy ruts and settle themselves in hinterlands of thorn and sorrow, never knowing or dreaming that the road meant all along to lead them home. Some call that road a tragedy and lose themselves along it. Others, those that see it home, call it an adventure."

A quick update with some links for your perusal from the Whitlers in Modesto, Ca.

In our last update, I mentioned that we were hosting a team from Global Youth Network in Canada. Every year a group comes to spend a week of leadership training with us. This year the team was smaller than usual, only 4, and we had a great time together. We are looking forward to a return team from Global in the summer as we partner together for Camp Awesome. Global will help us take some inner city kids to the coast for a 4 day camp experience. We can't wait! Read more about the recent trip HERE.


Toward the end of February, our family and Aaron were able to spend a day with Amy and Jeremy who are pioneering Youth With A Mission in Sacramento. There are several YWAM locations near to us and we would like to be better connected to the mission. YWAM Sacramento has a similar heart to ours here, seeking to minister alongside the local church, providing opportunity, using creativity and imparting those passions that God has given us to others. They have a special desire to see the Latino community in their city released into missions. Find more about YWAM's work in Sacramento HERE.


While we seek to serve as many church communities as we can, we do have a unique relationship with New Hope Christian Fellowship. I lead the worship team and serve on the youth team. Aaron and I are also deacons in the church. Earlier this month, we had a church leaders retreat in the foothills of the Sierra's. This was a wonderful time of connecting, sharing and praying with one another. We did not have an agenda for this retreat but just let God set the days and it was so good. We came away refreshed and knowing one another so much better.


On the family front, we're doing great. Spring has sprung (as it always does) a tad early here in California. This past weekend, we took the kids to the annual Celtic Faire in Sonora and had a great time together in spite of the rain. We saw real jousting, shot arrows, deployed a real trebuchet, listened to some great Irish music and ate some good ole fair food. You can see some pics from our day HERE.


Please pray for our friends and fellow YWAM workers, the Sustars in Thailand working with Compasio. They will be there for one more month. You can read more of their adventures HERE.


Also, pray for us as we gear up for 3 visiting teams in the next month. One of those teams is John Wason from YWAM Canada's Word To Life Theater Arts (click HERE for more info). We are currently setting up a local tour for him. If your local Modesto area group or event would like to book John, let me know!


Also, please continue to pray for our continued weekly outreach on South 9th Street here in Modesto.


Support - If you would like to support our work financially, all donations are tax deductible when made out to YWAM and sent to: YWAM / P.O. Box 3000 / Garden Valley, TX / 75771-3000. Our name must not appear on the check, but include a separate note stating the gift is for the Whitler's work in Modesto, CA.

Thanks so much!

Here's how to find us online...

Family site/blog - http://thewhitlers.com

Amie on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/amiehw

Chris on facebook - http://www.facebook.com/badyouthspeaker

YWAM site - http://ywammodesto.org

Chris on Twitter - http://twitter.com/badyouthspeaker

Our Podcasts - http://cwhitler.podbean.com

Tron, Kenosis and the fabric of the universe.

This past Saturday, Josh, Sam and I went to our local library for a viewing of the 1982 film Tron which was one of the first to utilize computer graphics as a major part of the story-telling. After seeing Avatar late last year...well, let's just say we've come a long way. How long has it been since you've seen Tron? I haven't seen it since it was on video and I was still plunking quarters into the Tron game at the Arcade on Sunday afternoons. While not the greatest film in the world, it's value is more in the nostalgia than anything. And because of the nostalgia, Tron 2 will hit theaters in December of this year.

Josh, Sam and I were the only ones to show up to watch the whole thing along with the nice library lady who turned on the projector and made us popcorn. But as we watched, I was stuck anew by an element my friend Brad used to talk about in our YWAM Discipleship Training Schools in Canada. About how many stories, and this shows up a lot in sci-fi, carry similar elements. How there is a story that we do not tire of telling in our books, movies, plays, shows and songs.

In Tron, Flynn, a "user" from the real world gets sucked into another reality, a reality he helped to create. Flynn finds in this alternate world that things are amiss and he is caught up in an effort to set things right. Flynn is the only one of his kind. The rest of the inhabitants of the computer world are created programs but Flynn is a user, a creator. Flynn finds that he can heal, he even brings a program back to life. And in the end, he realizes that he must give of himself, by jumping right into the heart of the evil Master Control program in order to absorb his nature and through a Resurrection of his own, he resets the computer world as well as things gone wrong in the real world.

That reminds me a lot of....



The Matrix...

...where Neo finds that the world he thought was real is not and things are not right. All of humanity is being controlled by machinery that has created a false world in order to keep us happy. After he has been awoken to reality, Neo enters back into the Matrix to find that he can do incredible things. But the controlling agents kill Neo and after love resurrects him, he has the power to bend the nature of reality in the Matrix, then on into the real world where the ultimate sacrifice is asked of him. Neo absorbs evil and the world inside and outside the Matrix are reset and a new day begins. That reminds me a lot of...



The Iron Giant...

...who comes to earth and is very out of place. He's huge! He befriends a marginalized boy from a small community. The Giant has great power and is designed to be a weapon when challenged. But in his love of the boy, Hogarth, he chooses to lay down that power. The military get wind of the Giant's existence and are threatened by him. Through a massive misunderstanding, a nuclear weapon is deployed on the tiny town the Giant has come to love. The Giant chooses to sacrifice himself by embracing the bomb and flying with it into space, destroying himself in the process. Hogarth and his family's life are forever changed by meeting the Giant and in the end, we are let in on a secret that he is coming back. that reminds me a little of...



E.T...

Where E.T. finds himself in another world. He befriends a group kids and has a special connection with one of them. He can feel Elliot's feelings. He can heal and do extraordinary things. He brings a dead plant back to life. After a time here, E.T. gets sick from being in our world and dies after being in the hands of government officials. The flower he brought to life, withers. In a time of great despair, beyond hope, the flower blooms and E.T.'s red heart glows. The kids help him get back to his ship and he goes back home but not before telling Elliot and the kids that he would always be with them. Which reminds me of...



A recent interview I heard on the NPR show, "Speaking of Faith". In an episode called "Science and Hope" (which you can listen to HERE or read HERE), South African Quaker cosmologist George Ellis talks about a principle he has observed in the universe that he calls Kenosis. It's a Greek word that means "letting go, giving up or emptying out."

Dr. Ellis talks about how this counter-intuitive "losing to win" is at work in many different ways in nature and in our experience. Parents giving up to see their children thrive. Gandhi and Dr. King as modern examples of literally absorbing pain and suffering, and in the act, a certain system of oppression is reset, made right. When a star dies, it goes super nova and in a last great cataclysm, throws off the stuff that forms new stars. New life in the rain forest sprouts from the dying matter beneath it. New life, resurrection, redemption all come from losing, letting go, emptying out, dying.

And all that reminds me a lot of...well, you get the idea.

"I love to tell the story, for those who know it best
seem hungering and thirsting to hear it like the rest.
And when, in scenes of glory, I sing the new, new song,
'twill be the old, old story that I have loved so long."

Measuring up.

For those of you who follow my blog (and I really appreciate both of you, really, I do), you may have noticed that I just haven't been in the mood lately. For lots of reasons, writing and creativity have not been flowing. Part of that though is just not taking the time. Today, I got the itch so here's the scratch...

There seems to be a unique process for those of us who grew up in church and a Christian home. Well meaning folk (Sunday School teachers, preachers, etc.) all my life have given me a few unworthy God concepts to work out (lots of good ones too). I specifically recall one Sunday school teacher talking to me and my 7 or so peers in our junior high boys class about God not approving of being funny or telling jokes as it is "idle talk". He told us how one day, we will stand before God and give an account for every silly thing we said. Whoa!

On our resent church leaders retreat, we talked a little about our different views of a common debate between denominations. Are you "once saved always saved" or can you "lose your salvation"? This question can be quite a hot button and really, I'm not trying to start a debate here about it. But during the discussion, I had a little personal revelation. When pressed to give an answer on where I fall, my only answer could be, "This is the wrong question."

For one, this is a doctrine that scripture does not ask me to have a position on. Scripture assumes that I am walking with God in relationship (I mean, I'm reading aren't I?). There are stories that warn me of the dangers of getting off track, there are stories of restoration and God's power. And in all of it, it is a huge story of how big God is, how small I am, and how trustworthy He is. And that God is, at his very essence, Love. And that there is no fear in love. So if I am at the point of asking the question whether my salvation is secure, then I'm probably doing ok. Like, if you're worried you've committed the unforgivable sin, you probably haven't. Because if you have, you wouldn't care.

So I do not have to fear admitting that I, in relationship with God, have a little something to do in that relationship. "'Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness' and he was called God's friend" (James 2:23). God loves when I reach out to him in freedom and contribute to our relationship. He responds to me! Li'l 'ol me!

And in that, I do not have to fear admitting that I am secure in him. He is so much bigger than me and I do not have to fear that a misstep will turn all heaven against me and doom my mortal soul. I do not have to fear that I am so all important that I can fall off the salvation wagon so easily.

I have a daughter and one day she will probably be so mad at me that in a fit of emotion says "I hate you!" But I'm her Dad and while it may sting a bit, I really know the score. I'll know that she is my daughter and that she really loves me but doesn't see things so clearly right now. I will know to be patient and wait for her to come around. My daughter and her thoughts and feelings are important in our relationship, but mine are more important. I'm the Dad. In a much bigger way, God is the Dad and what he knows is way more important than my limited perspective.

It seems that so much of Christian culture is based in fear...fear that we are not doing enough, not learning enough, not reaching enough, not "right" enough...never enough. And while there is an element of discipline, pressing in and stretching in our walk, it can never be because of fear. These things grow out of love...pressing in to God because we are in love with him. No lover ever has to be guiltily convinced to spend time with the beloved. In love, there is no end of things to talk about, experience together and learn of one another.

So, not in love? That's ok, you might be afraid of God. He can handle that. But get beyond your fear and start a relationship with him. Relationships are dynamic. They start slow, maybe a little awkward at first, then friendship grows with shared time and interests, then intimacy develops and before you know it, love is in full bloom. There is no fear there.

It is dynamic, you both have a part to play.

It is secure, God is big and his love is enough.

"One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment." (Matt 22:35-38)

Loving, thoughtful discussion is welcomed in the comments. If you have questions and would like to correspond, email me...cwhitler@gmail.com

Psalm 65

"O You who hear prayer,
To You all men come."

God,

Hear my running, tired, ragged, joyful, imperfect, crude, reaching, searching, distracted, tearful, laughing, disjointed, funny prayer.

Amen.

Surely we did more than eat...

This past week, we hosted another annual team from Canada. Every year, Global Youth Network sends us a team of student leaders to hang out with us in Modesto, learn about how we do outreach here and hopefully glean some useful stuff along the way. It was a great week but looking through my pictures, I'm having a hard time finding anything that doesn't involve food.

Of course, we started the week with our customary story telling tour of the places we have and do work in the city. And we end it at the taco trucks...of course...that's to be expected.




Yeah, but then we did a BBQ on South 9th Street



Well, yes...that's food too, I guess. Arley got creative and had his burger on a doughnut instead of a bun...



And Gilad and Trista gave it a shot...




But yeah, we did other stuff...like, uh, we...

Reconnected with the kids! Yes, we reconnected with our kids group in the Airport neighborhood...here we are playing soccer with the kids...



Right after we ate beans and rice with them at the park.




But seriously, we also did things like meet up with some ministry and initiative leaders to hear their heart for their neighborhoods. And the only picture I have of that is of the team picking grapefruit...to eat...



Ok, we ate. Alright, we admit it, we ate!



Oh, and we did take them into San Fransisco to see the sights...

The best explanation of fasting I've come across...

Here we are on the eve of the traditional Lenten season. In fact, by the time I finish writing this, "Fat Tuesday" will be over and Ash Wednesday will have begun. This begins the forty days leading up to Easter when many Christians of all kinds of traditions fast in some way. Whether you choose to fast at this time or not, I thought I'd share excerpts from the best explanation of fasting I have come across...from Stephen King's classic novel, "The Stand",

"The casting away of things is symbolic....When you cast away things you are also casting away the self-related others that are symbolically related to those things. You start a cleaning out process. You begin to empty the vessel.

"...take an intelligent...man. Break his TV, and what does he do at night? ...now take away all his books, all his friends and his stereo. Also remove all his sustenance except what he can glean along the way. It's an emptying out process and also a diminishing of the ego.

"If you read your Bible, you'll see that it was pretty traditional for these prophets to go out into the wilderness from time to time...the time span given for these jaunts was usually forty days and forty nights, a Hebraic idiom that really means 'no one knows how long he was gone, but it was quite a while.'

"Now think of yourself as a battery. ...everything you think, everything you do, it all has to run off the battery. Like the accessories in a car.

"Watching TV, reading books, talking with friends, eating a big dinner...all of it runs off the battery. A normal life...in Western civilization (is) like running a car with power windows, power brakes, power seats, all the goodies. But the more goodies you have, the less the battery can charge. True?

"Well, what we've done is to strip off the accessories. We're on charge."

Whitler Update 2/11/10

Hi folks, Chris here with a quick update and some links about our family, life and work...

We celebrated Christmas and the new year with my sister, Christianne and my Dad back in Kentucky. We had a good extended visit with them for three weeks. The past year has brought much pain and change for my family. Dad is now in a nursing home and we got to see him quite a bit. My Sis has come through the most difficult battle of her life this past year. It was so good to be there to spend the season with them. Many folks gave to make this trip possible, some that don't even know us, but know and love my sister. We are grateful. You can read more about our trip HERE.

In January, we saw 1/3 of our YWAM team off to Thailand for a 3 month mission. The whole Sustar family is working with our good friends at Compasio on the Thai/Burmese border, supporting ministry to vulnerable children and families there. You can follow their work at their family blog HERE. Please pray for the Sustars and Compasio.

At the end of January, I traveled to Tijuana, Mexico to meet with all the Youth With A Mission ministry directors in the Southwest region of the US. It was a refreshing 2 days of relationship building, sharing struggles and praying for one another. To see all the variety and creativity represented in Youth With A Mission, visit the new improved international homepage at ywam.org

Amie continues her involvement with our local junior college dance community. She's taking more classes and is entering a piece she is choreographing into a community concert. She's also giving dance lessons at our church. You can see her piece from last year's show HERE.

The kids are great. We had a blast with them in Kentucky. Stella had so much fun with her cousin, Emma and is happy to be home, attending Awana, playing at church and wishing for Gabriel (the youngest Sustar) to come home from Thailand. Sam loves puzzles, any kind of game and trying to scare me when I come out of the bathroom. Josh is still aspiring to be the next Stephen Spielberg and is continually thinking of new story lines for movies. We even entered a short film contest together...but more on that later.

February, March and April will bring a series of visiting teams to Modesto. Tomorrow, Aaron and I pick up a team from Global Youth Network in Canada who'll be with us for leadership training for a week. We'll host Spring Break teams from Fresno and Sacramento in March and April.

We're also hosting The Wason's from YWAM Canada's Word to Life, who are back in our area for a Spring tour. John will bring his performances of the book of Colossians and Jonah. If you're local and think your church would like to host one of these unique and creative performances, contact me for booking.

We continue to reach out to the poor of our city, to serve the local body of Christ and to explore how we can support the vision of our local and international partners. If you're local, c'mon out for a coffee at the 9th St. cafe, Friday mornings, 10:30 - 12. If you're not local, get a team together and come spend a week with us learning how to do simple outreach ministry. You can take what you learn here back home and on other mission trips. We'd love to work with you.

Support - If you would like to support our work financially, all donations are tax deductible when made out to YWAM and sent to: YWAM / P.O. Box 3000 / Garden Valley, TX / 75771-3000. Our name must not appear on the check, but include a separate note stating the gift is for the Whitler's work in Modesto, CA.

Thanks so much!

Here's how to find us online...

Family site/blog - http://thewhitlers.com

Amie on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/amiehw

Chris on facebook - http://www.facebook.com/badyouthspeaker

YWAM site - http://ywammodesto.org

Chris on Twitter - http://twitter.com/badyouthspeaker

Our Podcasts - http://cwhitler.podbean.com

St. Francis broke his iPod

On my first mission trip with YWAM in Germany, there was a crazy, old missionary that insisted we all watch the movie “Brother Sun, Sister Moon” which dramatizes pieces of St. Francis’ life. It’s 70’s, “hippie” atmosphere is off putting at first...a bit funny. But when we watched it that cold night in Augsburg in the Winter of ’91, something happened in me. It is a formative film in my life and has informed choices I have made ever since. It has definitely been a part of the journey here to Modesto. When I go and speak at other places, I am now the crazy, old YWAMer subjecting a new generation to some 70’s awesomeness. The sound track is Donavan for Pete’s sake!

So I have tried to walk in some of Francis’ footsteps after encountering this story. I have pursued a simpler life. I long to commit to relationships more readily than to consumerism. I do not like to have a lot of stuff. I rarely own the latest and greatest. And I long for a simple faith. A faith grounded in the gospel of Jesus, not the christian bookstore. A faith that can flourish in simplicity, humility and community. Sounds good, huh?

Well now I do have some nice things and I get to do extraordinary things from time to time. Most, if not all, were given to me. My laptop is often one of the best computers in the room...it was a gift. My Takamine guitar was pure grace. Our family van was a gift. Our flights to Kentucky this year were provided and two years ago, we went to Disneyland as a family, that was from a secret collection done by a friend.

Until December, I thought having an iPod would always be out of the question. There are always more important things to spend our money on. I have a walkman...like for cassette tapes that I still use and a CD walkman that plays MP3 CDs...who needs an iPod? I’ve always really wanted one and have managed to suppress the urge.

Then, over Christmas, my nephew got a new 3G iphone with no immediate plans for his old (original) one. He gave it to me. I was able, with the help of some internet downloads, to jail brake it so I could use it without a Sim card as an iPod touch! Music, podcasts, audio books and apps galore! Woo hoo! A dream come true for me. Oh and the kids love it too. You should see Stella playing the Tinkerbell game. So cute.

Today, I followed links to a routine iPhone software update that I didn’t realize I shouldn’t do. The software updated and the dern thing locked up again and the jail braking program wasn’t written for this new system. It’s locked.

St. Francis broke his iPod.

I was surprised to find that I loved this thing so much. I was sad all day. I sulked. I was dark and depressed. I was testy with Amie and the kids. I pouted and wasted a lot of time trying to fix it.

It surprised me how much this thing affected me. I had to consciencely put it away. I had to talk myself down from being too sad over this thing. How sneakily possessions can creep in and steal us from the real stuff of life.

I want my life to be marked, not by possessions or even accomplishments, but by relationships..interactions with the living God, family and friends and my community.

"Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." ~ Jesus (Luke 12:15)

This would have been a lot funnier a month and a half ago but...

Well, I thought I'd waste some time and Avatarize the Whitlers. For your consideration:

Me, Chris...



Amie...



Josh...pretty good...



The best of the bunch in my opinion...Sam...



And finally...Stella...



Ok, just for fun...John Rosenbaum...

New Video from Love Modesto!

Good stuff...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpXKeCDzCyE