Joshua's pictures from Columbia, CA

These were taken by Josh at Columbia State park...

March against violence

Glonk here for a good article from the bee about last Saturday's march.

Pics and events...

First let's start with a couple variations on a theme. Who do you think it's really true of...







And here's Josh and Sam with one in the Theater...hanging with the High School Musical crew...



Sam said he was tripping them...



Last night, thanks to a generous donation from our good friends at Youth For Christ, we were able to take our Saturday "kids club" group to a Modesto Nuts game. That's right, our local team is called "The Nuts" It's especially fun when the crowd
begins to cheer, "Let's Go Nuts!" We had a great, loud, crazy time.



The kids loved it as the Nuts hit the winning run while they were tied at the bottom of the 9th with 2 outs and two men on. It was a sweet victory. During the subsequent
fireworks show, one of the guys turned to me and exclaimed, "This is the best night
ever! Do you have tickets for tomorrow night!" We had a blast.



Today was the city's March against gang violence and we participated with a few
of the students we know. The crowd was small, partly due to rain and mostly due to
Modesto not really being an engaged town for this sort of thing. It's hard to get
people out for community events. But you got to start somewhere. The speeches were
good and mostly about preventing the kinds of atmosphere where gangs thrive. It was
good to be there and take part in something important in our city...



We even got to help hold the "Youth for Christ" banner and walk with our friends...



And last but not least, this weekend saw the release of the long fabled, talked, hoped and prayed for 4th Indiana Jones movie...



The Whitlers loved it! Somehow, Sam made it into the cast. It's good to see Indy again on the big screen. For me, it didn't disappoint.

This is the picture Sam brought back from Sunday School this past week. The teachers told him he could draw a picture about the story they read in class or just draw something on their own. Sam drew this. What is it? It's a black hole sucking up the 9 stars of hope. Duh. The end of the world is near.

Our new YWAM Modesto video

Some family pics

Some of these were taken on my cell phone, most of them were taken by our friend Shelly Wason of shellywasonphotography.com

Wonder which are which? : )

Phil!

I've been hungry for a good concert lately. I haven't had a lot of time for music and I've recognized that as a problem. A few weeks ago, a guy named Justin Fox came through town. He's a musician from southern California and was playing a few venues in our area. An acquaintance in ministry works at one of the churches that was hosting a concert and brought up the fact that they were looking for a host home. Aaron was away in Ireland so we had Justin stay with us. We attended his concert. It was good but it was also a youth group and that comes with it's own set of distractions and agenda. It wasn't the "concert" I'd been hungry for. I can't wait to see Justin again though...he's a great guy and makes good music that I'm only starting to get to know.

Earlier last week, I went searching online for a good concert. I looked at Phil Keaggy , Randy Stonehill and Bob Bennett, the latter two being from California my chances were good. Randy Stonehill is coming to Scaremento in August, Bob is playing lots of seminars and retreats but I saw that Phil was coming to Monterey on Thursday! I wondered how I could make it work. Monterrey is at least three hours away...concert at 7, bread truck till 5:30...no way. Boo. But I did find a Randy Stonehill and Phill Keaggy live CD to download on itunes. That went a long way to satisfy my fix. But not quite what I wanted.

The next day I got a phone call from another youth pastor friend...

"Hello?"

"Chris, it's Michael, um...how old are you?"

"I'm 37."

"Oh, well, you might know who I'm talking about. Would you like to come to a free Phil Keaggy concert this Friday night at our church?"

"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

So the rest is history. It was awesome. And Phil just the way you need to see Phil. A small room (280 people), Phil and his guitar and his awe inspiring digital looping on the fly skills. He did all my favorite songs of his. He sang "Here comes the Sun" (do do do do). He sang Bob Dylan's "Make you feel my Love"...a heartbreakingly sweet rendition. I think he did some "Love Song". He shared his heart. He talked about the old days. He talked about Jesus. He humbly shared with wisdom, skill, wit and of course, some mind blowing musicianship.

I recorded a few songs on my phone but the sound didn't work out. So find a few samples of Phil live here...and here...and here.

It felt like when I was 12 and sitting at my very first real concert. It was Dallas Holm and Praise. I was blown away. I had never really been "into" music. I was a bit of a late bloomer having lived a pretty sheltered Christian life on a Christian collage campus in Northern Wisconsin. These guys were not like my Sunday School teachers. I grew up knowing about a nice God who wanted us to be nice people and do nice things. Idefinitely came on the scene post Jesus movement, so Christian music was beginning to lose it's edge. But it wasn't gone yet. These artists challenged me with radical messages of abandon to God, evangelism and challenge to live holy lives that matter. I've said it before, but we need it again...desperatly.

So at the end, Phil came out right where I was sitting and the crowd gathered round for autographs. Amie had been naturally walking toward me and we were soon swept into the Phil mania. So Amie shook his hand...the one with the middle finger missing. Then there was an awkward silence and then Amie said, "Phil, this is my husband, Chris..." And Phil extended his de-fingered hand to me and I shook it and could sense the missing digit. He touched me, oh, he touched me and I'm wondering if I play guitar better now.

So you have to do some looking, but different, real, good stuff is still out there. Who wants to go see Randy with me this August?

And now to really slow down your computer...

Youtube galore! Stella has become obsessed with youtube. Every time I open up my new laptop (thank you generous donor!) she wants to watch manamana...here we are...doing what we do many times a day...



And here's the real thing...



It weird, we can get lost in this stuff forever! Last night, we found some bugs bunny and just kept going...



Oh, and here's a real one from Amie's dance concert this past week...this is from a practice but you'll get the idea if you weren't able to make it.



And the other thing we've discovered is hulu.com...have you been there yet? REally weird...you can watch and embed whole movies. Like, uh, here...watch "Ice Age"...

YWAM Modesto Newsletter

Hey all, thought I'd let you know our new newsletter is done! I know newsletter can conjure feelings of boring statistics and a long commitment, but not this one...it's a five minute read about good news. Go ahead...

Download it here!

Jesus

I was in borders a couple of weeks ago and I was looking in their religious section. So much has been written about Jesus. So much has been done in his name, on his behalf. So many people with very strong feelings about him. Jesus, really Y'shua...a form of our "Joshua." I'm told that Jesus is a kinda badly strained Greek version of his name. Joshua is better for English meaning "God (or 'YHWH') saves". Gayle Erwin points out that on Palm Sunday which recently passed, the people were shouting "Hosanna!" which means "Oh, save!" or "God, save us!" They were shouting "Save us!" to "God saves." Pretty cool.

This week I read the gospel of Luke...it's a good one. I couldn't help but notice how practical Jesus is and it's got me thinking. Over the years, we've added a lot of stuff to his message and acts. I wonder what he thinks about all the stuff? I wonder what Christ really thinks about our buildings, programs, courses, books, seminars, plans, fund-raising and services? Really. The real Jesus, not just our idea about him. Michael Card once sung, "We've made you in our image so our faith is idolatry." How much of that is true in my life?

On this past Good Friday...case in point, we call it Good Friday cause that's the day Christ laid down his life, then, it was just the day they killed people for robbery and treason and the like...anyway, I went to the best "Good Friday service" I have ever been to simply because it wasn't really a Good Friday service. It was a community Bible study at a West side ministry drop in called the Vine house that me and the guys happened to be leading. It wasn't the best because we were leading either. We were quite unprepared.

There was coffee, there was singing, there was a Bible reading, there was sharing and there was prayer all done in a small circle. While we were sitting there I thought, "Wow, this is it. This is what Jesus meant when he established his church." All of the other stuff is extra. Not really bad extra necessarily, but extra none the less.

For all our fanciness, this is how Christ's church in most of the world thrives. This is the Chinese church that no government could take down. I get the feeling sometimes that our western churches would all but fold if we lost the ability to use our tithes as a tax deduction! How can I deduce that these simple circles are really what Jesus meant? Because it's what the Christians did right after they had been with Jesus..."They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer." (Acts 2:42)

I met some great YWAMers last month that are helping people learn how to plant churches with this new but really old idea of "the simple church". It has me hungry and looking for more (by looking for less?). But our meeting at the Vine house was really, the basic idea...there was coffee and just being together, we sang (which is a kind of corporate prayer) and prayed, we heard from the apostles by reading scripture, we responded to the scripture and to each other. And that's it. This is what changes lives. What more do we need?

Ah yes, authority. Well that was there too. Everyone in the room was submitted and growing. And instead of creating false authority, this kind in our little circle happened through friendship. Sure there's things to work through, sure there will be confrontation and dealing with junk...if there are people, it gets messy. But we must get used to a little bit of mess and committed to routing it out of our own life with God's help. That what friends are for.

I'm not leaving my church because we have a building and a sound system. But I am committed to be the real deal at my church. To know people better. To share my life with them. To eat with them. To pray with them. To hear God's word with them. It's the only thing Christ meant...

John 15: 9-17 "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other."

Movies and a miracle...

U23D

Was a lot of fun. If it's still playing around you I'd recommend it (if you like U2 that is). Bono gets a little rock star preachy but, hey, he's a rock star. What I love is that he knows that and sometimes a little tongue in cheek and other times a little nerdy, he goes for it. I know he's a little lefty for some of my friends and one recently told me that he thought God had gone out the window for U2. In 2006, Bono addressed the national prayer breakfast. For a good read or listen, Click here and decide for yourself. I dig it.



Once

We rented this movie on a whim because we heard the oscar buzz. Amie and Aaron actually saw the performance on the oscars. I was way too tired. The movie is beautiful. The music is the star. A wonderful piece about lives intersecting for a little while. If some base language upsets you, pass it up but it really is a wonderful story. The website is here.

And wonder of wonders, I actually finished a BOOK!



If you are a sucker for good fantasy, good action and great characters, go get this book. After a long lull, I actually sat for the better part of a day and finished this thing. So far, there are 3 more in this series and look forward to them. The Napoleonic wars...with dragons as an air force. Well crafted and definitely the redemption of Eregon. Here's Naomi Novick's (the author) website.

Fun stuff to come!

Barack Obama is not a Muslim

There have been a lot of internet rumors going around the Christian circles about Barack Obama being a Muslim. I am not at this point supporting him as a candidate, I just want us to tell the truth. Read this story from a trusted, prominent, Christian friend...

Read it here

Uhhhh...yes!

OK, real quick...

We've been quite busy hosting and teaching the Discipleship Training School from Youth With A Mission, Pismo Beach. We have had a great week with them though and they ran into our outreach times together. This team was a breath of fresh air.

We taught on justice issues, but more about how justice starts with and ends with real community between us, God and the world around us...both with people and the earth itself. We shared together in the mornings and got to actually apply those things in community outreach in the afternoons. Sweet.

OK, all you need is 20 minutes. This is a great little video shown to me by my friend Dave...it's a very simple explanation of the interconnectedness of the justice issues facing us in our time. Some thought provoking ideas. Let me know what you think.

The Story of Stuff

Another team from Canada arrived tonight...off I go!

You won't regret listening...

Hey, my good friend Aaron gave this to me to listen to the other day and it's a good perspective. It's a talk Donald Miller gave at Mars Hill church about "Story" and how stories relate to life. The book is scheduled for May I heard. Good stuff...

Download it here

Saturday was the first wedding from our YWAM Modesto community. John and Rhiannon, along with family and friends put so much work into the day to make it special. The word special really falls short. Magical is better but still not quite there.

There is so much mundane preparation that goes into a wedding. The busyness can eat up your ability to see what's really going on. Here they are, just kids really. They barely knew each other for two years and most of that time was spent doing separate YWAM training. Not much money and no real natural reason they should have met. But they came together around compassion and community. They bumped into each other while walking toward Jesus.

So after everything is in place, the women have run around checking and double checking and the men have been careful to do what the women say. The crowd gathers, the ladies sparkle, the men are resolved, the music plays and transformation happens. No longer a kid with no money, but a king backed by the men of God at his side and coming into his own. No longer a girl, but a queen, untouched by time like some sort of immortal beauty from Tolkien's world. We cheer at the coronation. They turn to us and bless us. For a day, our lost nobility shines. They are gracious to share kind words with their guests and we toast their union and bask in their grace.

And whether we realize it or not, we cry because we are hungry for the ultimate wedding to come. The king will rise to take his own, the glorious bride without spot or wrinkle will shine in his light, resplendent in traditional dress, tribal markings and henna designs. He will say "I do" with a voice like rushing water and she will respond in a thousand different tongues. We will come together around ultimate compassion and participate in ultimate community. We will be truly known. We will truly rest. And together, we will make a home.

And then we dance.

Come, Lord Jesus.

Wow...I actually took an internet quiz.

This was kinda fun...it's funny, they're right! My religious roots are Weslyan!

What's your theological worldview? created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan You are an evangelical in the Wesleyan tradition. You believe that God's grace enables you to choose to believe in him, even though you yourself are totally depraved. The gift of the Holy Spirit gives you assurance of your salvation, and he also enables you to live the life of obedience to which God has called us. You are influenced heavly by John Wesley and the Methodists. Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan 82% Emergent/Postmodern 71% Neo orthodox 68% Roman Catholic 57% Fundamentalist 50% Reformed Evangelical 43% Classical Liberal 43% Charismatic/Pentecostal 39% Modern Liberal 25%

Loving your neighbor

We must make every effort to rid ourselves of thoughts, speech and acts that do not allow others to be wonderfully complex, beautiful and in process with their Creator. This is a step on the path to loving your neighbor as yourself.

Excellent article

I was reading my friend Beth's blog today and she linked to a great article about the North American church's unnecessary fascination with "Excellence". Click here to read.

Gratitude is the ground floor

Journaling is a good way to track your spiritual life. I recommend it to every one that is seriously wanting to develop in their own discipleship. It may not be the answer for every one but it sure has helped me. Here are a few of the positives...

-If you find concentration in prayer difficult, the act of writing can focus your thoughts. While quiet contemplation is something to be desired and growing in our lives, writing can be a means to that end. It doesn't have to be flowery, just honest and as private as you want it to be.

-It creates an automatic chronicle of your spiritual life and the ways that God is speaking to and leading you. It is very beneficial for review. It can also be a way to help you remember those things you discern God challenging you to work on.

-Prayerful journaling can help you process your life instead of blindly existing in it. It's a way to help you make sense of what's happening day to day, ask questions about the hard stuff and remember the things that shouldn't just fade away.

In a "new years resolution-y" kind of way, I wanted to be a bit more faithful to journaling. So I began January with a new journal and I have been writing in it a little each day. But I started to feel that pressure already to really write and get a lot out of it. Just in the first few days of the year, my new resolve became more like an assignment that I HAD to do.

Then I remembered some really good advise that I have heard from a few sources (one of them was Oprah but let's not get into it and the other was a course I took called Space for God...awesome!) about keeping a gratitude journal. To intentionally sit down in the evening and list at least five things you are grateful for that are specific to that day.

It's best to not make them general things like checking off a foregone list...wife, kids, place to live, friends, food. But to be as specific as possible. For instance, here's mine from today and obviously, in my own journal, these things are way more specific but you'll get the idea...these are all things I experienced, noticed or thought about today.

"I'm grateful for...

-The way Stella dances in our musical worship times at church. It reminds me of how I long for freedom like that...to not care what others think and just naturally respond to God.

-For a lazy afternoon with family and the game of 'Clue' that Sam won and all the fun we had with Grandma finding out she actually committed the crime in the lounge with the wrench.

-For the way I see community happening right in front of me...friends gathering to pray for one another through difficult times, friends supporting and encouraging a young couple about to be married, friends giving to each other out of their poverty, friends getting together and laughing their heads off.

-For quiet time

-For my hilarious boys, Joshua's quick wit and Sam's silly heart. They're killing me lately."

This has revolutionized my journaling time. I feel silly keeping a diary, just chronicling the events of the day in the order they happened. But to look back on my day through the lens of gratitude helps me see God's hand even in more difficult times.

A good friend once told me that before all the proper theological thinking, before all the stuff we think makes us good Christians, before it all, there is gratitude. It is the way we come to God. It's our first step in moving toward God. If for nothing else, for the gift that we have that we could not have given ourselves, life. When we realize that all we are and all we have is grace, the most fitting response is thankfulness. Gratitude is the ground floor of our relationship to God. It's the way in.

"Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name." Psalm 100:4