Gardening as a metaphore.

Our most recent gardening experience has had a rocky start. First, a team was here from Canada and they helped us prepare our plot of land at our host church. We shoveled in real cow poop and gave it a good tilling. Another team came and helped us till a bit more, make rows and plant seeds. Then it got unseasonably cold again and then came some bird issues we think. Over half of our seeds didn't make it. then came the weeds. We were warned about the weeds as this happens when you use real cow poop. They took over faster than we could work.

Then today, we got a tiller again and walked through the garden and hidden in among the weeds, were plants...the real deal. We shoveled them out and set them aside.



Now, in another garden project when we first moved here...just a little family garden, I was digging out some weeds in our plot under Amie's Grandmother's supervision. I off the cuff-ily said, "Why is that seeds grow so easily and the good stuff takes so much work to grow?". Grandma looked up at me very slowly and seriously and smiled and said, "That'd be a good topic for you to do a Bible study on." She literally scared me.

As we pulled these straglers out of the weeds, Jimmy said, "This is what we do!" God's heart is to find the good among the weeds, take us out, clear the weeds and replant us in a good, open place. We did it literally today. It is good work. It's filthy and feels so clean. I can hear my dead, gardening, Kentucky Grandfathers laughing at me as I learn as I go. My Father in Heaven is laughing right along with them. They know I'll get it someday.

"He brought me into a spacious place because his delight is in me" Ps 18

You've gotta see this...

Ok, there's a Kyrgyz man (as in...from Kyrgyzstan) coming to stay with us here in Mo-town for about 4 weeks. He is John's friend Jengish and we met up with him while in Mexico?! ...he was in Ensenada dong his DTS. Well, happy for us, he could not get his visa to Peru to go with his team so he is joining us for the remainder of his outreach time. You've got to see his photography blog of images from Kyrgyzstan.

jengish.blogspot.com

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.