Sunday, May 25, 2008

• Randomness

  Currently Listening Songs My Father Taught Me By West Coast Mennonite see related

  The currently listening CD is one I've been wanting for awhile. . .it is very quickly becoming a favorite!!  But, it kind of makes me miss Morgan and the laundromat because if I was in Minnesota we would be working and listening together. 

  As the title indicates, this is going to be a rather random update.

  I bought a car a little over a week ago--a 2000 Mistubishi Mirage.  Quite a blessing and answer to prayer!

  I got a job with Home Instead Senior Care--a home health care agency.  Right now they just have 15 hours of work for me.  I spend five hours a day on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday with a dear elderly lady.  Hopefully, eventually they (or someone) will have more work for me. 

  I have applied to attend Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga this fall. . . 

  It poured down rain here this week.  The first we had experienced that.  I got to drive in it both days that it happened. . .so that was interesting.

  Last weekend it was dreadfully hot.  This weekend we turned the furnace on.

  I have been struck anew this spring with the whole idea of waiting. . .it seems like it is something God is teaching me.  I hope I'm getting it!

  This morning, we attended a Brethren in Christ church in Ontario, California.  (They rent some space to Choice Books.)  The Pastor is an ex-gang member from NYC.  He made a point in his sermon this morning, that struck me.  He said in the gang, they don't love you.  But if you get hurt by another gang or something, everyone in your gang shows up to stand up for you and defend you.  He was contrasting the church against that.  Too often that "belongingness," that loyalty, that sense of "I've got your back," is missing from church life.  How sad!  We (the Christian church) should be a place of safety, a place where we stick by each other through thick and thin--defending, protecting, encouraging each other.  But, like one in the audience this morning observed, too often in the church we "kill" each other.  Obviously, it is not a physical killing.  But, rather, an emotional killing and even more disgusting, it is sometimes a spiritual killing.  Here we are supposed to be drawing people to Christ and due to our inability to sacrifice ourselves, our reputation, our opinions, our "whatever", sometimes people end up being turned off to Christianity.  This ought not to be!!  Anyway...enough of my "preaching."  I was just struck by the fact that we as a church ought to be a "gang."

  Quote of the Day:  Pastor Reyes was comparing several churches he has pastored and in describing the move/transition to California:  "Out here in the West they've got their spurs, their horses, their cowboy hats.  But, now they've turned in their horses for surfboards, and their spurs for flip-flops, and their cowboy hats and outfits for 'Hey, Dude!'--still a laid back attitude."

  Yup!  That pretty much sums up the stereotypical idea of California!

  Blessings to each and everyone!

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