"I See A Face" #1 - by Sam Whitler

This will be a recurring post here at the Whitlers dot com from Samuel. We will be posting his best observations. Here he is in his own words...

"I've been seeing faces in inanimate objects recently and I can't take it anymore. So this is a leaf I just found in my front yard." Sam.



What do you think this leaf is feeling? Please comment below.

A Candle For Lorna.

I never spoke to her. I only saw her. I don't know if she ever really talked to anybody. She was quiet but more than that, she was in another kind of reality. At least once a week I'd see her walking. She walked everywhere in a determined kind of way. Always there on the 9th St. bridge, somewhere downtown, walking Yosemite Blvd. Always walking and always a concentrated look on her face. Not mean, not angry, not blank but something like frustration. She didn't talk.

We could never get her to stop and have a coffee at the 9th St. Cafe. She was always in too much of a hurry to get somewhere. I wouldn't have known her name if not for Arlie. Arlie has known her for years. He remembered when she used to talk and laugh. He remembered what she was like before. Some abuse or tragedy had caused her to retreat into herself. Sometimes she would just stand and look at the road in a silent, troubled reverie.

Arlie was the only one that ever got her to take something we offered. She once took a hot dog from him at one of our cook outs. It was like a miracle.

Lorna passed away two weeks ago from a hit and run driver. She is the 13th victim of hit and run in our county alone this year.

Last night, I was a guest at a prayer service hosted by our local chapter of the National Alliance On Mental Illness. It was a beautiful evening. As people shared their pain and reasons for thanksgiving, I couldn't help but think of Lorna and so many like her in our town that have just fallen through the cracks.

So many have gotten sick or hurt. They are confused and alone. They have no meds so they take what's available on the street. These people are like ghosts haunting the forgotten places. And they will remain that way until we slow down, until we stop, until we listen, until we pray with them, go as far as we can with them, eat with them and somehow find a way to make a place for them among us.

At the end of the service, we were invited to come and light a candle at the altar as symbol of our prayers to Jesus who is the light cutting through darkness. I had Lorna in mind as I lit my candle, thinking of the others out there like her that are alone.

Please, please don't drive distracted. Don't say it won't happen to you. Please put down your cell phone and pay attention.

And better yet, let's work hard at not being distracted people. Take some time, even a little bit, to lay down your life and follow Jesus. He's walking with the broken and lonely. Let's walk with him.

For new things to begin, old things have to end (kinda)

Today, we helped Jim and Kelly pack up a van and a Uhaul for storage and clean the house they are vacating. It's another step in the move to Thailand to work with good friends at Compasio. They don't have all the funds they need yet but it is coming in slowly but surely. We're getting surprise hits at the YWAM Modesto Paypal button (wanna surprise us? You can HERE! : ) and we are assured that God is going to provide all they need.

A couple of nights in Modesto and then they are off to pack up their storage, get some training and say goodbye to family down south while they finalize their plans.

It's a bittersweet time. We are sad they are going and happy to watch God do what he does so well. He sends, he ignites, he breaks our heart, he gives us a choice, he invites, he compels, he opens doors and creates connection and he loves when we love... when we love so much that we can't help ourselves but pour it out into the broken places of the world. He loves when we are so captured by his love that we drop it all and go and do the thing his love has compelled us to do.

For them, it's taken a lot of frustration, obstacles, communication and plain hard work to get here. And they are not 'here' yet but it's coming. What helps is to remember why. It's love, love so big we call him God, that makes it worth the effort. The Sustars have made me want to get ready to go. Only I'm going here for now. What is it that holds us back? Let's pack up the non-essentials, put hindrances away, keep what's important, say a prayer with our friends, support one another and take off into the good works that have been prepared for us to do.

"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" Eph 2:10

This is a video of the "why" they are going. If you're reading on facebook, you can find the video HERE. And you can follow the Sustars at their blog HERE.



By the way, that great song is "The Reckoning" from the album Counting Stars by Andrew Peterson.

September's Song of the Month

I write songs. They do not make the whole world sing but a few people may enjoy them. I rarely have the opportunity to sing my original songs. And here you are...probably a friend, at the comfort of your own computer....why not sing some songs for you? I also thought having a goal would help me get my songs in some sort of rough recorded form.

This song I wrote in 2009, after our family's visit (with Global Youth Network) to the Tsartlip First Nations community outside Victoria, BC in Canada. "First Nations" is how Canadians refer to native or aboriginal people. You can read about that trip HERE.

Stelly's Crossroads is the name of the street that runs the length of the village on one side. One side of the street is the First Nations community and the other side is predominately white middle class style homes. We fell in love with the community and culture in our time there and plan to go back for a visit maybe in the Summer of 2011.

If you're reading this on facebook, you can listen at our podcast site HERE. You and all these other nice folks can go there, listen to the player, download the MP3 for pod-ableness and subscribe to future posts using itunes.

So, here it is, my first song of the month, "Stelly's Crossroads". Enjoy!

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How to start a children's ministry...

I was reminded this morning of the three simple steps to starting a children's ministry...

Step 1. Get some friends together...



Step 2. Find some kids...



Step 3. Hang out with them for a bit.

My business card

Sustar Send Off!

We are hosting a send off fund raiser for the Sustar family, preparing to leave us here in California to work with our partners in Thailand at Compasio. So, save the date and c'mon out to...

Salida's Kountry Kitchen
4702 Broadway in Salida
Tuesday night, September 21
From 5 - 8pm
$10 gets you a burger (with all the fixins), fries and a drink.
We'll have some live music and entertainment from our community
Get some plates to go or stick around to enjoy the food and company.

All profits go to help the Sustars get on the plane for their new adventure. Do you want to know more? Folow their journey at their blog...CLICK HERE!

Tickets are on sale in advance and available at the restaurant or from the YWAM Modesto guys
For more info, call Chris at 209-404-4027

9/11 Airport neighborhood clean-up day!

Thanks to our friends at Advancing Vibrant Communities and some good hard working partners from Millcreek Church and...um...Sam (pictured below).

This...



is no longer there...



!

It was a great day to be working together with the body of Christ in our city. Lots of stuff got done. Let's hear it for good, filthy work!

Becoming a fool

All of the liturgical readings today are about God’s way of turning our world’s wisdom upside down...

“If any one among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.” - 1 Cor 3

“...who shall stand in the holy place? ...(he) who does not lift up his soul to what is false” - Ps 24

‘(Jesus) said to Simon, "Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch." And Simon answered, "Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets." - Luke 5

I am consumed with this world and following after its wisdom. I desire to live for the joy in God's kingdom. May I become more of a fool in this life so that I can see the wisdom of the kingdom. How can I let go of the false life and embrace God's reality. How can I become foolish? How do I lift up my soul to what is real? When and how do I drop my nets where it doesn’t make sense?

"If we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."
- C.S. Lewis in The Weight of Glory

What if I only knew this?

“...I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.”
1 Cor 2

What would my life look like if my entire worldview was through the person of Jesus Christ and his sacrifice on the cross? If I saw everything in light of who he is and what he has done? How would it change my perspective on relationships, hardships, finances, culture, politics, work, my self and my community?

What if before I speak, write or act in any way, I considered Jesus and how he laid down his life? What if I picked up my cross and followed Jesus?

Jesus heals, speaks truth, tells redemptive stories, spends time in prayer, encourages, forgives, is a pain to the systems of the world, loves the outcast and those on the fringe, shares meals, feeds people, is above politics, never once gets drawn into a silly dispute, feels no need to defend himself and willingly lays down his life so that others can live.

What if I followed in this way? What if this were all I knew?

Love 8/22/10

I got to talk about what it's all about today at my church...

If you're reading this on facebook, you can hear it here...http://cwhitler.podbean.com/

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The Spicy Cincinnati Style Coney Island Meatbuster by Sam

Sam has entered a burger contest at Red Robin (if you wanna enter, you can go HERE). We made his entry burger this week and thought I'd post our process here. After a great meeting of the burger minds (Sam, Josh and I), we came up with the Spicy Cincinnati Style Coney Island Meatbuster...a name we labored over quite a bit. The winning entry gets their burger on the Red Robin menu for a year and a free family vacation. Let's get into it...

We started with the Cincinnati style chili (which is really a Greek pasta sauce that was sold to here in America as 'chili' and it's beautiful). It's a simple mixture of tomato paste, water, ground beef, chili powder, cayenne pepper, cocoa, cinnamon, allspice and garlic. You can read more about that HERE.



Then of course, the burgers...





Next, we cooked up some sweet Nathan's kosher dogs and split them in half...



Add dog to burger...



Top with chili, shredded cheese and chopped white onion...





Take a moment to find your center...



And dig in!





Sooooooo good. And maybe your next few meals should be salads.

Also, Stella tried her hand at making up a dish of her own. The recipe of which should be self explanatory. For dessert, may we suggest, the whipped cream sandwich?

Who is YWAM Modesto and what do you do?

Youth With A Mission Modesto is Aaron Alford, Jimmy, Kelly, Mila, Zion and Gabriel Sustar and Chris (me!), Amie, Josh, Sam and Stella Whitler. We also have many friends, partners and supporters that make our life and work here possible. We live exclusively on the grace of God through donations to our work from congregations, families and friends.

We serve a Mission...

Youth with a Mission (YWAM) is a specialized, inter-denominational missionary order desiring “to know God and make Him known.” YWAM is committed to...

Convey the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Change lives through training.

Care for those in need around the world.

We are aligned with this vision and one or more of these elements is a part of everything we do. We connect with others in our mission regionally for mutual prayer and conference. We teach our style of outreach to YWAM trainees when called on.

We serve A church...

Aaron and I are deacons at New Hope Christian Fellowship, a small, Bible based, non-denominational congregation. I lead the congregation in worship on Sundays. We facilitate the youth group meetings in a team and are available to listen to and pray with them. We attend the leadership meetings. We help run monthly prayer meetings. We serve the members who have needs and help to connect people to resources in the community. We serve the vision of the elders. We serve the activities of the congregation.

We serve THE church....

We connect with local networks of church and ministry workers and build relationships and serve where we can. We host teams from out of town and locally to teach them the joy of simple outreach by taking them along with us to 9th St. and other hurting places in our city. We partner with local inter-church worship and outreach efforts.


We serve two international organizations...

One is Compasio, a ministry to impoverished families on the Thai/Burmese border. Jimmy and Kelly are moving their family to Thailand for two years to work with them (read more about that HERE). Aaron goes to work in Thailand at least once a year for a month or more. I sit on the US board for Compasio.

We assist Global Youth Network in Canada in the training of young leaders by hosting an annual group for 10 days. Global is an international justice and education organization that we worked with and learned from before coming to Modesto. We also partner with Global in other projects including retreats and camps.

We serve the poor, lonely and broken...

Each Friday, we set up a little cafe in a forgotten place in our city and spend time with hurting people. We serve coffee, some food and friendship. Friendship is the heart of our little team. Out of friendship comes everything else. We have been with people through recovery from substance abuse. We have seen people come to and back to relationship with Jesus. We have seen people leave the street. We have seen them fall, get up and fall again. Through it all, we offer friendship, prayer and support. And we seek to engage our creativity in being a voice for these friends.

And, because we are a 501c3 non-profit in California -

We also keep our own books, manage donations, and raise our own personal and corporate support. Some of our ministry is right out of pocket and some of it comes from our corporate budget.

Please pray for us. Sometimes it's a lot to juggle and we are in a constant state of re-evaluation as this life is quite dynamic. Thanks for reading and thanks for your support and friendship.

The previously rich, young weirdo?

Today’s reading in Matt 19 is “sell all your possessions and give to the poor.” The young man to whom this was said went away from Jesus very sad because he had many possessions. I have often thought of the fact that I probably have more and am richer than the rich, young ruler. Maybe not relatively but I’m sure in some sense, I have more privilege than he. I mean, I have a refrigerator and air conditioning and a car and two computers and...

We think of spending time with Jesus and leaving happier, free, forgiven. I know that happens. But what about the Jesus that wants us to own less and share with the poor. He makes people like me sad. It’s his great love that does not want us to own a lot. Or better said, for a lot to own us.

I serve stuff all the time. I attend to a TV quite a bit. I listen to an ipod. I get downright intimate with food. I care for buildings. I am happy to put things up that I don’t even like. Am I serving stuff more than people? Do I attend to people? Do I listen? Do I relish others? Do I care for people? Do I put people up?

This “rich, young ruler” gets a bum rap. We don’t know the rest of his story. Perhaps he was sad but thought about it a bit and went for it. Maybe, in a franciscan fit of madness he put all his stuff in the street and followed Jesus. He might have been one of those gathered there on the mountain to watch Jesus ascend into heaven.

The word “rich” doesn’t seem to offer much hope of his changing. But the word “young” has some promise to it. “Ruler” maybe another stroke against his ability to do the right thing. It’ll be a while before we know what happened for sure.

We have made all kinds of excuses about this story. There are sermons and commentaries out there in the ether full of “he didn’t really mean”s and “hyperbole” this and “getting to the heart” that. But the truth is, if we really want to know, Jesus isn’t afraid to tell us. He’s not afraid to make us sad.

If we want Jesus on our own terms, we will not have the real Jesus. He’ll point out the elephant in the room and tell us to deal with it aggressively. And on the other side of that is the freedom and joy we so desperately need. The world doesn’t need to see anymore nice Christians with all their own stuff and maintaining the status quo. The world needs big weirdos who have abandoned everything to follow Jesus.

You can’t follow Jesus and keep your cool. You can’t look normal. My friend Wick once said “If you follow the call of God on your life, people will think you’re weird.”

To paraphrase Jesus a bit, “Go on, get rid of it and live for something better. Trust me, you’re going to like it.”

What I learned while climbing Vernal Falls.

A few years ago, I tried to hike the Mist Trail that takes you to the top of Vernal Falls in Yosemite National Park with two of my best friends. I was too out of shape and could not make it. Vernal Falls is a relatively easy hike, just 1.5 miles but it winds and climbs up a long incline that eventually turns into “going into Mordor” type stairs up the actual side of the fall which is 317 feet tall.

Late in 2009, in response to Don Miller’s recent writings and encouragements to turn your life into a better story, I posted here that I was going to get into better shape, lose weight and climb to the top of Vernal Falls. You can read that full post HERE (There’s even an entry in comments section from Mr. Miller. I know, name dropper!)

Well, I said I’d do it in the Spring. Spring came and went and to be honest, I have not had all that much success in the weight loss and getting in shape area. I have gone up and down (as has my resolve). I have blamed this and that. It is one of the hardest battles of my life. I have not given up just yet.

Regardless of my “in-shape-ness”, Jimmy, his boy, Zion, Aaron, my boys Josh and Sam and I loaded up on Wednesday and headed out to see if I could get up the falls. I was quite nervous. What if I just couldn’t do it. I would not only let my friends down again but my sons were there too. And what if they couldn’t make it? If you know the Whiters, you know we’re not the most in-shape folk on the block. Usually, we prefer an air conditioned theater to hiking and the like.

But, there was nothing for it, our lot was cast. We were gonna give it a shot. So, in Don Miller blogging style, here it is...What I learned while climbing Vernal Falls...



Take on challenges in a community. “Many hands make light work.” The old saying is a saying because it’s true. It’s easier to do things in groups. If you’ve all bought into the vision, it isn’t as easy to give up. You all can laugh about how hard it is and you can all celebrate making it to the next level.



Take on challenges by remembering the beauty around you. On the hardest parts of the trail, I found it easier when I took time to look up at the beautiful park all around me. How much do we miss when we have our eyes on the path and we don’t stop and look up? There is always beauty to be found if we look for it.



Take on challenges by doing them in smaller segments and taking it slow. We took a lot of breaks. It was a steep hill to walk up. When we’d start off again, I’d point up the trail and pick the next spot to stop and catch my breath. We gave ourselves plenty of time to get up the hill and allowed anybody in the group to break when they needed to. We also encouraged each other to reach the projected goal. None of us felt the need to be super-human but we pushed ourselves to keep going.

Before going on to my final lesson learned, I’ll pause here to say in the previous Vernal attempt, I failed in all of these points. Jimmy and Aaron were with me but I was trying to get up myself. I pushed myself hard to the breaking point and inevitably had to give up. I wanted to fit in with my fitter friends and did not admit my weakness. I did not let them help me. And I failed. This next part was THE key to get me up the falls.



Take on challenges by changing your motivation. I made it up the falls (oh yeah, I haven’t said that yet...yes, we made it!) because my motive changed from wanting to get myself up Vernal Falls to wanting to get my sons up Vernal Falls. They both really wanted to do this with me and I did not want to let them down. Every goal I set, every decision and thought was turned toward helping them succeed. And I wanted to make them proud.



I took the rear of the group and held back even when I felt I could go faster. I watched for signs that Sam needed to rest. I was watching to keep Josh hydrated. By switching my focus from getting myself up the falls to getting them up the falls it resulted in getting me up the falls too. Woo hoo!

New Hope Baptism

Kids Dance!

Amie and a friend from Modesto Junior College taught dance this year at our church's summer kids program. Here's what they came up with...

Watch the Keith Green concert here!

http://lastdaysministries.org/

Keith Green concert Wednesday afternoon!

I'll post the web stream here at our blog tomorrow...

Counting Stars

"The best thing you can do for your fellow, next to rousing his conscience, is - not to give him things to think about, but to wake things up that are in him..." - George MacDonald

In the last few years I've found some great music and stories through the gang over at the Rabbit Room Dot Com. They always have thoughtful, creative and helpful posts on the blog and good stuff in the store. If you frequent my blog, I'm sure you've noticed I like these guys. But hey, good is good.

My friend Aaron surprised me by pre-ordering a two pack of "Counting Stars", the new album from Andrew Peterson and it arrived this week. If you are already a fan of Andrew Peterson, this album will not disappoint. If you've never heard of him, this would be a great place to jump in. "Counting Stars" is an acoustic driven album full of the good, deep, life affirming stuff of longing, fear, hope, disappointment, work, family, imagination, faith and love.

Check it out here...andrew-peterson.com

Here's a video from the album (HERE IF YOU'RE READING ON FACEBOOK!)



And if you can catch it, there's a free online concert happening this Tuesday. Over here on the west coast, it's at 5pm (boo...I'll be in a church staff meeting). You can check that out here...http://www.hearitfirst.com/live/

And there's a good article about the new album over here...breathcast.com

So yeah, I like it. So there.