Two Become One

Lyle & John at our still-under-construction gathering site.

A few days ago a local newspaper ran an article about my church TerraNova.  The piece appeared in the Orange County Register.  I couldn't be prouder of my two pastors, John Reed and Lyle Castellaw.  I hope you give it a read here:

South County pastors turn their congregations into one

Thanksgiving addendum

Since Thursday I found two more things that I am truly thankful for. See, Friday Chrisy and the kids and I went shopping at Kohls and today we went to church. The latter brought about peace, and the former, well, didn't.

First, I'm so very thankful for my church, terranova. This morning the final song our church band played was "Folsom Prison Blues." I got to thinking . . . Hmmm, across this great nation of ours I wonder how many churches had somebody uttering the phrase, "I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die" from their stage?

Second, I'm thankful that I don't work retail.

And, why would my church play that Johnny Cash song? Who knows? Presumably just because Johnny Cash is evidence that there is a God.

Thanksgiving

Today I am truly trying to think about what this day is set aside for: giving thanks. I am most thankful today for my salvation: the love of God and the gift of Jesus. Second, I am thankful for my sobriety: I so prefer being able to feel to being numb. Third, I am bursting with thanks for my wife and four children: Chrisy, Max, Wes, Zoey, & Kasey! Additionally, I am overwhelmed with grattitude for my church, Canyon Hills Church, and all the people that are a part of that community: I cannot imagine doing life outside a church. Also, I'm truly thankful for all the people in my life: people rule! If you're reading this post, you're one of the people I'm talking about: extended family, friends, neighbors, my kids teachers, & co-workers. Finally, I am truly thankful for where I live: all the trees and wildlife that line the streets. I thought about this as I was jogging this morning in shorts: I love California. Moreover, we have so much in the United States of America: blessings beyond all reason. It reminds me of a U2 lyric: "Freedom has a scent, like the top of a new born baby's head."

I am oh-so-thankful for God's living Word:

"You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing.
You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy, that I might sing praises to you and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever!"

--Psalm 30:11-12

Happy Thanksgiving Day to you!

Significance

Back on March 19, 2006, my pastor printed this prayer in the Sunday morning outline:

"God my Father, who does not waver or change, I want to be filled today with an awareness that I am loved by you, created by you, called by you to significance. I do not depend on anyone for my love or significance or happiness today, because you are giving me that already, right now."

That prayer is key. It is fundamental to emotional health. It's one of the most important tools given to me this year. If I can really get this I can truly be free.

26 Photos

Now we're talking! This is what I was waiting for. Jon Hall posted a BUNCH of photos of the Canyon Hills Road Trip to South Africa. Click here if you want to see 26 Photos. There are some really great pictures of Pangani where they are staying. It looks lovely there.

Last night was a banner night for the five of us. I had decided that I was too stressed, feeling like 5:00 to 8:00 in the evening was always crunch time. Therefore, I made us all these little checklists before I got home. The first thing on my list was "couch time with kids." It's amazing what 7 minutes just sitting there with my four kids did. Taken from "The Story of Us," a movie I've never seen, we played the game "high/low" which is just going around saying what the best part (high) and worst part (low) of our days were. I affirmed all my kids and just loved them. Then I passed out checklists to the kids. Max and Wes had things like "Make Your Lunch" and "Practice Guitar" or "Practice Piano" and I even included "Give Dad A Really Big Hug" on there. There were little boxes where they could check them off. Zoey had one too. I put vacuum the floor on hers because she loves to do it. She stocked the bathrooms with rolls of toliet paper and kepting saying, "Can I help some more?" It was really cute and and they all loved it. The boys even asked if we could have checklists tomorrow. Bottom line, we all worked in harmony and had a really nice dinner of barbequed chicken from the Crock-Pot, rice, and green beans. Kasey ate so many green beans! Post-dinner was really smooth, checking homework, showers, and reading books. We sang happy brithday to Chrisy minus the cake and watched her reading a book to the kids on video. The boys even had time to watch a few minutes of "Yellow Submarine" on DVD. When I heard the boys singing "All Together Now" I new I was a good parent: they like the Beatles! It felt really good to have three hours like that.

Tonight will be a challenge. I get off my after school tutoring program at 4:15. From there, I have to pick-up the boys from our neighbors and go get the girls from our friend Mo's house and then make it to the boys piano and guitar lessons by 5:15. Hanging out on the lawn at the conservatory for 30 minutes with Zoey and Kasey will be the highlight of this day. Good thing for that time too. From music, I have to take the girls to another couple's house for sitting tonight, probably get there around 6:00. I'll take the boys back to my house so a friend can watch them and I shoot over to the Hub (our church office) to work with Epicenter (our junior highers) from 7:00 to 9:00 pm, pick-up the girls and then get everyone in their own beds by 10:00 pm. I hope. I notice that dinner's not mentioned in there anywhere. How do single parents do it? Hey, at least I won a Starbucks Card at work today though. Great timing! Now, if I just had the 5 minutes to stop at one.

Despite the hectic nature of it all, I am filled with much joy right now. Looking at Jon Hall's photos from South Africa just made me feel so good inside. Last night from about 8:30-11:00 I had three guys come over my house just to talk about spiritual issues and check-in with each other. It was the first real long, sit-down, adult interaction I've had since Chrisy left 8 days ago. Thinking about my wife, looking at my friends in Jon's photos with the smiling children in those photos, thinking about my children, the third-graders I taught today, the junior highers I'll hang with tonight, the leaders who serve beside me, the men who came over last night, my friend at work who gave me the idea of the "high/low" & the checklists, as well as all the people who are loving my children while Chrisy is gone makes me realize more than ever that people and investments in people are the only things that really matter here on earth. It makes me think about two of the verses we'll be discussing in Epicenter tonight, John 13:34-35: "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." I really want to do that better. I want to get that down pat.

Questions from Acts

The most often quoted passages from the book of Acts, at least at my church, is Acts 2:42-47. Man, I love that passage. It's a picture of harmony and it's something my church has desired from the beginning. Community.

Recently, however, I have been taken by and focused on a passage that tells of what Paul and Barnabas did for three of the eariliest churches. Acts 14:23 says: "Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust."

It blows my mind that these two guys returned to areas where they had faced serious dangers for the purpose of bolstering the faith of fellow believers. It says they went back to these places for the purposes of "strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith" (verse 22).

This little chunk of scripture is beautiful to me. For me it raises two questions that deserve to be asked: (1) Who's encouraging and strengthening you in your faith lately? (2) Who are you encouraging and strengthening in your faith lately?

The picture painted in Acts, chapter 2, is really appealing; however, I don't think we can get there if we don't have some genuine pauls and barnabases propping us up.

Joy in the Car. Wednesday Morning.

It hit me like a ton of bricks: I've got no reason NOT to be full of joy. It's not like I just discovered this, but I was listening to my God's House CD in my car and one of the tracks is a reading of Psalm 103. It's followed by the David Crowder song, "You're Everything" and I was totally affected by God's presence. In the car. On the 5 freeway. He was there. It was cool. A few lines from Psalm 103 really affected me. God satisfies my desires with good things, it says. He doesn't accuse me and he never holds a grudge against me. The Lord has ransomed me from hell. All of that and more in the Psalm. Then comes the song, "You're everything I could want, that I could need." I'm thinking do I believe that? Yes. Do I act like that? Sometimes? Never? Mostly not? Once in a while. The chorus lays me out:

raise me up from this grave
touch my tongue
and then I'll sing
heal my limbs
then joyfully I'll run to you

"My grave is my attitude," comes to mind. He's raised me from it. Again and again. And again. I confess, "If God has touched my tongue and he has, I wouldn't say much of the things I do." Yes, my limbs are healed and then "joyfully" catches me. It slams me. I think, "Philippians 4:4 dude."

"Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again--rejoice!"

Always be full of joy. Rejoice.

Now I'm thinking, Paul wrote those words. Easy for him. He saw Christ on the Road to Damascus! Me, I'm stressed. Work. Report cards. Family. Illnesses. Finances. Too many activities, too little time.

Paul didn't have those things! Oh, yea, he also wrote of his many reasons to be full of joy in 2 Corinthians, the eleventh chapter: hard work; put in jail often; whipped many times; faced death; received 39 lashes, five times; beaten with rods three times; stoned (not the kind like me); shipwrecked several times; floods; robbers; stormy seas; weariness; pain; sleepless nights; been cold and lacked warm clothes; maybe the worst, a daily burden of worrying about people he loved; and, just in case I can't relate, he caps it off saying he's burned with anger!

Yet, this same man writes: "I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." That secret? It's Jesus Christ! The Christ Paul met on the road to Damascus. The Christ I met in the same way on McFadden St. in Huntington Beach.

So, I dig down deep and guess what I find? Joy!

Tears come.

What a blessed life I have.

The song is ending now:

You're everything
I'm alive and I'll sing
I'm alive and I'm free

Indeed, I Am.