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Categorized

2011-08-17T23:18:00.000-07:00

Do you ever wonder how people have categorized you in their minds? It seems that people slap a label on you and put you on a shelf. When the time is right, or when they are in need of whatever you offer, they take you off the shelf, look you up, and utilize what they think you can give.

I know this is a little presumptuous, but probably not too far off. So what category do I fall in, how do people see me? I know that the title "pastor" automatically sets me in a certain genre, but besides that I don't know. Am I the fun one, or the one people feel obligated to involve in their lives? Do people genuinely desire my counsel or talk to me when they have no where else to go? Am I thought of as someone who is genuine or someone what pretends to be a certain way.

It's weird to get emails or face book messages that reveal how people see you. Some are humbling and encouraging, others are disappointing at best. Some make you proud to be who you are, others just remind you of your short comings. At it's best it causes me to want to be the best man of God that I can be, and at worst it makes me want to give up.

So to all you who have catagorized of me, I hope it brings out the best... in both of us.

Hume

2011-08-16T23:49:00.000-07:00

Every year 50 of us load up for a 9 hour bus ride up to a small camp in the sequoias. In this unassuming small parcel of land, something extraordinary takes place. The children of God gather and spend some much needed time with their Father. They listen to His voice and are reminded of his love for them. They see His handiwork and stand in awe of Him. They tell stories of His goodness and have their hearts warmed as they reminisce of His faithfulness.

It is during this short time, these 6 days set aside every year, that God and his children re-establish the special bond that exists between the creator and his creation. In this time, conviction and comfort, rebuke and restoration, 1st time decisions and re-dedications take place. During this week the family of God seems to escape the complications and ill effects of the sin which plagues our world. They come back empowered, with a renewed vigor and hope, to address the issues that await each of them back home. They are reminded of the words of Jesus "In this world you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world!". They are reminded that he is bigger than their problems, stronger than their weaknesses, braver than their fears, and able to accomplish his perfect will in their lives.

They come back changed.

Listen

2011-07-20T09:35:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking about taking a "vow of silence". I know it's not practical, and it would probably cause my son to need therapy 30 years from now as he recalls "the Silent years", but I it would be soo good for me.

I have been actively trying to listen to God more in the last month and a half. So far I've had mixed results. Some days God is very clear in what he is saying to me, other times I can't hear his voice at all. It's easy for me to blame the phone, people around me (it's not a quiet household these days), or the general business of life for my lack of hearing... but I think those are just cop-outs.

If I'm real with myself about these matters, I don't really want to hear a lot of what God has to say to me. His words challenge my way of life, my thought patterns, my desires to attain certain things in this life, and even what I want to accomplish in ministry. But they also breath life into my very being, they whisper of his love and grace, they remind me of the eternal significance of my work for him, and they empower me to be the husband, father, and man that I need to be.

Ultimately his words lead to life. I need to listen to them, whether I want to hear them or not... and the only way that can happen is if I am silent before him.

Summer Nights

2011-06-21T21:48:00.000-07:00

Oh how my summer nights have changed over the years.

Tonight it consisted of watching my little boy play in the sand on the beach for the first time, as the waves chase him up and down the shore. Watching his only set of clothes get wet and sandy, followed by his sampling and continual consumption of that very sand.

This was soon followed by sharing a hawaiian shaved Ice as we waited for our food from the Santorini cafe. There's nothing quite like sharing a shaved ice with a little boy wearing nothing but his diaper and a hoodie.

It's amazing how you don't miss the freedoms, late movies, night hikes, and midnight swims when they are replaced by a simple evening at the beach with your family. I like my summer nights.

Ms. Hill

2009-11-20T15:49:00.000-08:00

I seriously think that there might be a soundtrack of Lauren Hill constantly playing in the minds of black people. Let me explain...

Lauren Hill has this flow, the kind of flow that me as a white person is totally void of. Just listening to here brings rhythm and flow to what ever I do. I walk, write, think, even type in a fluid motion when she's singing in my ears...

Unfortunately this flow and rhythm is only present when I'm listening to her... My normal flow seems to be much more along the lines of 90's punk -fast, choppy, driving, with a hint of harmony.

Oh how I wish I could choose the soundtrack that played in my mind.

Coffee Bean

2009-11-19T10:44:00.000-08:00

Have you ever made friends with a barista? Seriously. I have become (what I consider) friends with Randy, one of the barista's at coffee bean in Carmel Mtn. I don't really like their Americanos (my bev. of choice) as much as other established coffee houses, but I like talking to Randy when I go in.

Through our 2-5 min conversations I have learned alot about Randy over the last year, and I really like the guy. So I find myself going to Coffee Bean not for the drinks, or the atmosphere, but for a random relationship with a random guy who God loves.

So for that reason, I'm going to stick with coffee bean when I can. (unless I have gift cards to another place, cause I'm thrifty)

Got to keep it complicated!

2009-11-18T12:05:00.000-08:00

So I was sitting down with one of the moms in my youth ministry yesterday talking about ministry, and the people I work with, when I realized something- My life is overcomplicated!

I don't know if it was because I was actually talking through these situations that made me realize it, but I feel like I'm working on Telemundo and am stuck in the middle of other peoples very own telenovelas.

Seriously! I need to start writing scripts for Mexican soap operas. I could be making thousands of pesos on the side. Oh well, here's to hoping that all of these dramas have a happy ending.

Re-engage

2009-11-13T12:44:00.000-08:00

So I'm trying to re-engage in things that I have found meaningful in my life but have fallen by the wayside, and blogging is one of them.

My ten month hiatus is over. Life has changed, and I wonder where it's taking me. My previous roles of follower of Jesus, husband, and pastor, is now accompanied with 'father to be'. My roles in life are constantly shifting, and seem to be getting more complicated as I get older. But the good thing is that I am growing to love those roles more and more. I love my wife, my church, my God, and even my dog more than I ever have.

God is giving my heart new capacities for love that it has never had before. Along with that capacity for love comes it's sensitivity to pain. Loving is accompanied with heartache, compassion with empathy, insight with burdens. I find encouragement that strength is given to the weak, and wisdom to those who ask.

Glimpses of Jesus

2009-01-16T12:00:00.000-08:00

Last night was Ted Cupples memorial service, the dad of 3 amazing girls that are involved in the youth ministry at our church. After the service ended I witnessed something beautiful take place. With tears of empathy and words of encouragement the family of God gathered together and talked about Jesus. How strong and good He is. How he showed himself through Ted's life and was faithful to Ted until the end. How he will bring healing to the broken hearts of his daughters, and how he will continue to walk with us through every circumstance.

I need community like this. I need to be reminded that Jesus is real, that he's here, and that he really does love us. I saw Jesus last night. I saw him in his people, I saw his compassion, his love, his empathy, and his healing. I love him.

JJ Heller

2009-01-16T11:54:00.000-08:00

I just downloaded 7 songs by JJ Heller off I-tunes. I really like them

Messed Up!

2008-10-29T09:42:00.000-07:00

I have been messed up ever since I taught through the book of Revelation, and read 'the Mark of the Lion' series. I thought that my thoughts of impending doom would dissipate, but they only seem to get stronger. Track with me a second...

1) Revelation: (our future) things get really bad because people will not repent of their sin, so they abandon God and his ways. Satan deceives the world into following him, fights God, God wins. But it gets ugly for Christians in the process.

2) 'Mark of the Lion': (the past) Story takes place in the 1st century as the church is being established for the 1st time. People who are followers of Jesus are followers of Jesus.. They regularly die for him in the Arenas, are looked upon as vermin and anarchists. The people are united with each other, and their hearts are not divided -because they can't be. Christians are living like Christians. God is pleased with his followers.

3) Constantine: (years later) This emperor basically nationalizes Christianity, persecution stops, corruption begins. The world is filled with "Christians" who no longer die for Christ, but rob, steal, and murder in his name. God is grieved with those who do these things in the name of Jesus Christ.

4) Today: God longs for authentic followers again. We are returning to conditions like those in the 1st century because it's what we need in order to have undivided hearts.

So welcome to my mind... I haven't been talking to people about this stuff, it's just thoughts that I have that I can't shake. I expect things like prop 8 to pass, people who obviously don't love God to be elected, and for the church to finally have to take unpopular and (depending on what happens) illegal stands for what God says in His word. The Church needs persecution! I think God is tired of the way we are "following" Him. I think that a time is coming where we'll have to weather the storm and be found faithful to our Savior, or abandon Him for something else.

Death of a dream...

2008-10-22T16:43:00.000-07:00

So I've always had these secret aspirations of being a Chef. I love cooking almost as much I love eating, and that is saying a lot! Natalie and I don't own a house, we don't spend much on clothes or gifts for each other, we go out to eat. Anniversaries, birthdays, special occasions, and non-occasions are filled with food. Our vacation routes are determined by what restaurants we would like to experience on that trip, and the restaurants that we go to are often the highlight of the trip.

My dreams of being a chef stemmed from the food my mom would cook for us. The way she shows love us is by cooking for us, and the way we show love back to her is by reveling in her creations. I am very good at showing her love! As I worked as a waiter in various establishments I paid attention to what was happening in the kitchen, asked lots of questions, and started to get a feel for cooking.

This, along with the inherited ability to create tasty dishes brought forth the desire to someday have a little place that would serve delicious satisfying meals. I always knew that this lifestyle would take work, but I never realized how much until I read my most recent book. "The seasoning of a Chef" by Doug Psaltis. It was a great read and thoroughly entertaining (for foodies at least).

Reading this book brought by dream to an end. If I want to be a Chef I need to be single, no way around it. 12-15 hr days 6 days a week don't scare me, but my marriage would disinigrate and my life would be all about food. I love food, but I need my life to be about people. So I will continue to eat, and leave the cooking to those who truly love it.

Cheesy girl books

2008-10-01T10:40:00.000-07:00

So I decided not to watch T.V. late at night anymore... (despite my secret obsession with Steven Colbert- sorry Conan, you've been replaced) And so I've been reading before I go to bed. Since I'm not a fantasy geek like Wakeling, I've been reading a series that my wife owns, called: "The Mark of the Lion" by Francine Rivers. (Sorry Eric, but it's true)

What I'm really surprised by is how encouraging these books have been to me. They take place around 40 years after Jesus' death and follow the lives a Jewish girl, a family from Rome, and a German gladiator. Anyway, I don't know how historically accurate Rivers is in her writing -it seems like she's done her homework, but for the first time I feel like I've been given an inside view of what life must have been like for the early church (at least in Rome and Ephesus.)

Accurate or not, reading this series has made me think about, and want to love Jesus more. For that it's been worth my while. I'm not a big fiction reader, but this in case, it's been fun.

Any good books i need to add to my list? -let me know

Inspiration

2008-09-15T15:46:00.000-07:00

I don't have much inspiration to blog lately. Typically it's something I enjoy doing, but lately... not so much. So I will give the super turbo update of the last 2 months:

Humelake was awesome, I was totally burn't out and wanted to run away to live in a cave, things got better when we hired another pastor, I realized I was being a jerky husband and have been working on it, I lost all the muscle tone I had gained over the summer, I got in debt because of a ticket - a broken windshield - and a trip to Pittsburgh, i didn't win fantasy baseball, and I finally saw Batman.

Now that we're up to date, I'll try to blog more often

Themed Bowling

2008-07-17T12:45:00.000-07:00

Randomly this summer we decided to have a weekly event at Poway Funbowl. It started out as something that the Jr. High volunteers did after our Wed. night Bible study, and has grown to over 20 people. We dress up in different themed outfits from "nerds", to "gangsta's", to "business attire". It's not an official event by any means, I have no responsibility, I just show up bowl and leave. The thing that's frusterating is that our bowling nights have been more successful than events that have taken days if not weeks to plan... I don't get ministry sometimes. Any way, here are some Pics...

Pittsburgh

2008-07-08T10:00:00.000-07:00

So I leave for Pittsburgh on Wednesday night to be in my good friend Steve's wedding. This will be the first time I've ever been to the "Steel City" and I don't know what to expect. The first couple of days are going to be filled with the wedding but I have Sunday completely to myself. My plane doesn't fly out until 8:30pm Sunday night... So, what do I do?
-Any good churches, restaurants, or sights that I should make sure I see? I love food, I could go to a Pirates game, etc... I need suggestions so I don't spend the day sitting in the terminal.

Consistancy!

2008-07-03T11:26:00.000-07:00

I have found very few things to be constant in my life.
My dog Bo is always excited to see me when I get home for work,
My wife Natalie consistently shows me love when I even if I am a total jerk,

and then there is there is the Americano!

In a world where coffee is burnt, weak, old, or just plain bad, there is the Americano.

Three shots of espresso + hot water = consistency

You get the punch of the espresso, without risking any bitterness and inconsistencies that come from a regular cup of coffee. The price is also a big bonus! Usually around $2 the americano is by far a more economical way to enjoy a specialized drink.

So matter what starbucks, coffee bean, pete's coffee, or mom and pop shop you go to; when you order an Americano you know what you are going to get. A hot, fresh, and delicious cup of joe!

Quotes...

2008-06-09T22:00:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while you run into a quote that smacks ya. This one's left it's imprint on me this month...

"What you think about, when you think about God, is the most important thing about you."

- A.W. Tozer

The Great Food Tour

2008-05-13T14:49:00.001-07:00

That mind as well have been be what our vacation was called... "The Great Food Tour" aka 'Get Tim Fat'. It was awesome! From grandpa's beer battered trout, to my Prime Rib,
it was a-mazing. The best was when it culminated in our visit to 'The City' (San Fran)
for some seriously good eats. We had lunch at Zuni Cafe and got this awesome table that over looked the kitchen while they cooked. I felt like I was in ratatoullie where they are watching amazing food being prepared.
It made me want to open up my own place and serve delicious food that people would think about for the next 2 months. The food at Zuni was amazing, fresh and simple, with the perfect combinations of flavors and textures.

We stayed in the city for dinner and ate at an incredible restaurant called 'Aziza'. It was this gourmet Morroccan fusion restaurant that serves some of the tastiest food ever. The highlight of my meal was the rabbit. It was absolutely fantastic. Anyways, it was a great vacation and I hope to continue this food tour throughout my whole life.

G -MAN

2008-04-15T23:25:00.000-07:00

Becoming a Godly man is really hard! I was talking about this with my friend James today over a Western Bacon cheeseburger, and I realized that there is so much more to becoming a Godly man than meets the eye. You must be disciplined, loving, and active in the things that matter to God. A loving husband and father (if you have kids). You need to be a student and follower of Jesus Christ with the openness to do whatever he asks of you. Courage and strength are traits that Godly men seem to possess. Passion with restraint, and wisdom with zeal are characteristics that embody this Godly man.

I see some of these in my life, while others seem to illude me. I know it's a journey, and I know I have a long way to go. But it's good to know that at least I've started.

Weedin' the garden

2008-03-27T12:38:00.000-07:00

In preparation for our Easter sunrise service, I was pulling some weeds up on the hillside to clear an area for people sit. Most of the vegetation and trees were burnt out by the fires or removed since then. This has dramatically decreased the number of people who used this area to indulge in their various libations and narcotic activities.

We have received our fair share of rain in the last 2 months here in San Diego, and new life has been emerging from our scorched earth. So as I'm clearing the area up on the hillside I all of a sudden find myself faced with this...

Now, I'm not sure what processes in the whole pot smoking preparation went on up on that hill, but this guy was growing there, plain as day. So I quickly went from pulling weeds to harvesting weed. I don't know if someones 'secret stash' was un-earthed, or if our hillside is soon to be graced by a 'forbidden garden', but whatever the case, it made me laugh...

Book Quiz...

2008-03-19T12:04:00.001-07:00

This makes me happy...

You're Babar the King!

by Jean de Brunhoff

Though your life has been filled with struggle and sadness of late,
you're personally doing quite well for yourself. All this success brings responsibility,
though, and should not be taken lightly. Life has turned from war to peace, from damage
to reconstruction, and this brings a bright new hope for everyone you know. These hopeful
people look to you for guidance, and your best advice to them is to watch out for snakes.
You're quite fond of the name "Celeste".

Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

The Best Week Ever!

2008-03-13T12:05:00.001-07:00

I love spring break camping trips. I have incredible memories of times at Leo Carrillo, but the work it takes to put on a trip like this is astronomical. So this Spring break we are trying something new. We are having 4 separate events over the week and are calling it "The best week ever"!

Event #1 - Friday - Saturday
We are driving up to Orange County for a student lead worship night at calvary church. We are going to spend the night up there at different peoples houses, and are going to have a Downtown Disney scavenger hunt in the morning.

Event #2 - Monday
Guys are going paint balling, girls are shopping at Cabazon.

Event #3 - Wednesday
Beach day with bonfire and worship/guest speaker at night.

Event #4 - Friday
late night pizza and broom hockey

Kids can go to whatever they want according to their schedule, but if they go to every event they get a sweet discount. Is this going to be more or less work than a trip? I have no idea. But hopefully it will be "The best week ever!"

Ridiculous!

2008-03-11T13:55:00.001-07:00

God is ridiculous! For some reason he decided to put it on our friends hearts to help us replace our 94 toyota camry. They invited us out to lunch the other day and handed us a check for $5000! We had mentioned that we probably would be looking for a newer car sometime this year, and before you know it... bada-bing! So all of a sudden the market we were looking in dramatically changed! This along with the $1200 gift that the government is giving all of us couples this year, we were able to buy an 08' Honda Accord! It is awesome! 30mpg... need I say more. Why God did this, I don't know, but He is good, and sometimes ridiculous!

Death

2008-03-05T12:43:00.000-08:00

My grandma is dying right now. She has anywhere from a few hours to a few days to live. Last week one of Natalie's co-workers who was married and had two kids (7 and 9 years old) died of cancer. Then two days later one of Nat's friends had her mom die unexpectedly.
I'm not to sure about where I stand on the whole death topic. I know what I believe happens after we die, but I don't know what I think about death right now.

I've always felt as if I would die at a relatively young age (some time before 50yrs), and thats never really bothered me. There's nothing in life that I desperately want to experience before I die. It would be cool to be a dad I guess, but I'm satisfied with what God has allowed me to experience until now.

I've started to adopt this attitude that treats anything I get to experience in this life, other than what I already have, as a 'Bonus', instead of what I "should" get to experience. It has made a lot of the little things I used to take for granted seem like blessings, and things that used to seem like blessings become incredible acts of grace from my God. It's been pretty cool.

I guess I find myself holding life loosely, and in turn have started to hold death loosely. Maybe this is me starting to embrace the inevitable, or maybe it's me in denial... or maybe a little bit of both.

The drive

2008-02-22T12:15:00.000-08:00

Nat and I drove back to San Diego from her grandparents house (by Chico) on Wednesday. It was the most beautiful drive through central California I've ever been on. Everything was St. Patrick's day green. I was reminded of Scotland, or what I imagine Ireland to look like.

Not only was it beautiful, but it was a great drive for my wife and I. We were able to laugh, enjoy God's incredible creation, sing sweet 80's songs, saw 4 rainbows, and stop for a really good lunch at our new favorite stop at Harris Ranch (near Colinga). What a great way to spend 11 hours of a Wednesday.

Middle aged man

2008-02-19T14:56:00.000-08:00

I am a middle aged man...
It's my 29th birthday, and I am using all of my birthday $ to buy new knives to cook with... I am old! I love to watch sports center, am trying to get good at golf, I just bought a Honda accord when I could have gotten a sweet truck or something fast, and use phrases like "easy turbo" or "don't get your panties in a bunch"... (what does that mean anyways?) So in other words, I don't feel as young as I used to.

Addiction

2008-02-19T14:39:00.001-08:00

I'm not sure if I have addictive tendencies, but I may need some help. I think I am addicted to Jetman. Jetman is a game that someone introduced me to over facebook, and I love it! I love to sit in Panera, listen to my podcast sermons for the week and play jetman the whole time. It's just mindless enough to not distract me from what I am listening too (ADD) but competitive enough to want to do well.
Right now I have the 2nd highest score of all of my friends who have this application. I love it, and you should too...

A 1st for everything

2008-02-17T20:24:00.000-08:00

I am sitting at Natalie's grandparents house up in Paradise California right now. We just finished eating some burgers, and now are sitting next to the fire in the living room.
I'm supposed to be in Mexico right now getting ready to wrap up a house building trip with my high school group. So why am I here instead of there? I'm not really sure...

About 5 weeks ago I read an article about all of the sketchy things that were happening to people traveling throughout Baja. A bunch of people got robbed, and worse... This is nothing new for places we go for missions trip (look at L.A. Urban), but for some reason I couldn't shake this out of my head. Instead of fading as the trip got closer, my uneasiness grew, all the way to the point that I decided to do something that I have never done before... I canceled our trip.

Now, this isn't like me... I've never been one to avoid situations that God has called us to because of an uneasy feeling, but I couldn't bring these kids down for this specific trip for some reason. I don't know if it is because I feel alot like a protective father to some of the kids that were coming on this trip, or if it were something God put on my heart. Whatever it was, it was weird, and I think it was the right decision to make...

Irresponsibility is fun!

2008-02-05T14:55:00.000-08:00

So someone broke into our church and stole 6 guitars (two of which were mine)...
One was a graduation present from my parents (a beautiful breedlove guitar), and the other was a Martin DX1, that someone gave me $ to buy, to replace my guitar that was broken at Hume Lake this year (see previous post). These were major purchases that I don't normally make, and that I probably will never be able to make again.

So we filed a police report and all that fun stuff. Now, I didn't know if our church insurance would cover the guitars, and Natalie and I don't have any home owners insurance to cover these losses. So I thought that the guitar playing phase of my life was over. But, it turns out that our church will cover the stolen instruments!

In order for this to happen we had to go to guitar center to get the serial #'s to the stolen guitars. On my way over to the store I calculated what it would cost to replace my 2 guitars, and so assumed that this is what I'll get from the insurance company... (assuming is a bad idea) As we walked in, my friend, who had 3 guitars
stolen, suggested we go look at possible replacements (another bad idea).

So to make a long story short, here is my new guitar bought with $ I hope is coming from the churches insurance sometime soon.

It's a gibson hummingbird custom quiltback...

I absolutely love it, and it sounds like butta!

Irresponsible... yes.
Would I do it again... probable not.
Am I happy I did it? HECK YES!

Hairspray

2008-01-10T15:06:00.000-08:00

Every now and then Natalie and I will suffer through a movie that the other really likes and wants to watch @ home. The worse one to date for me was "Bring it on".
So for the last 3 weeks Natalie has been bugging me to watch "Hairspray" with her. I was hesitant but slightly curious about this movie.

So a day after watching John Trivolta dressed as a fat middle aged woman, and watching the main character dance in ways that made me quite uncomfortable, I have officially decided that I did not like this movie.

Christopher Walken was hilarious, and some of the characters were well cast, but that wasn't enough to make this a "Sure, I'll watch it again" movie.

It's on my black list.

Humanity

2008-01-10T14:38:00.000-08:00

So our church has added a 3rd service to our Sunday mornings. Partly because we don't have that much room since the fire, and partly because it is going to help solve some of the music issues that our church has been unable to resolve. (lame)
So for better or for worse I am the primary speaker @ our 3rd service called "Awaken".
I don't know if it is because of this new responsibility or what, but have been spending alot of time thinking about humans.

Eric Tonnas is a biola prof., and some friends of mine just heard him speak @ hume. One of his main points was that the human being is the crown-jewel of God's creation. I tend to stand in awe and marvel @ sunsets, the ocean, or the mountains, but I overlook God's most incredible creation all the time. I makes me think that I am just not getting it when it comes to people.

People bother me, get in my way, make my job difficult, and are everywhere. I love them sometimes, and want to avoid them at all costs @ other times. I don't know if it is human beings or their fallen condition that I tend to dislike, but I don't want to get the two confused.

Hillary...

2007-12-10T13:35:00.000-08:00

So about a week ago I went to the International 'AIDS and the Church' summit at Saddleback. First of all, Saddleback is ridiculous! It's alot like my gut during the holiday season... Slowly growing to the point of being unattractively huge, yet still part of an overall attractive entity.

So Bono wasn't there this year (it would've been sweet if he was), but we did have our own celebrities this year. Senator Clinton decided to drop by and offer her solutions to the world's problems. She had lots of solutions, and even more secret service agents (both of which weren't overly impressive).

So, I've always been pretty fast... I was the fastest on my sports teams in high school, and though I'm no 'spring chicken' any more, I would like to think that I can still hold my own. So I was relieving myself next to one of Hillary's SS agents, and honestly considered grabbing his gun and making a run for it. I figured with advantage of surprise, along with the time it would take him to 'gather himself' I could have a great head-start. But the fact that I am not overly familiar with the Saddleback campus, and that I got winded walking up the stairs the other day, made me think twice. And so I resisted the temptation and went on with the week-end.

Really good conference... The church in the U.S. doesn't do enough about AIDS, and it probably never will. We are pretty self- focused, which I believe, makes God's heart break. I hope that I will start to care more.

Phil

2007-11-27T20:10:00.000-08:00

The album I'm listening to most right now...

I love it!

Music really is good for the soul.

Hume n' Beans

2007-11-17T23:13:00.000-08:00

It's 11:14pm right now, and I'm sitting here in the Meadow Ranch coffee shop at Hume. I got here yesterday afternoon, and after one day up here I have realized something. I miss God.
It's kind of a weird thing to say for me, a pastor who teaches out of God's word every week... But it's how I feel right now. As I was sitting with 270 high school guys and their leaders, around a campfire, singing worship songs and taking communion, I realized how much I miss my God.
I'm not sure what this means for me, but I love Jesus, and want him to restore my heart.

breakfast pastries

2007-11-15T11:17:00.000-08:00

Ever since my office got destroyed by the fire I have been visiting many of the fine eating establishments in our area, using them as a temporary office space. -(hilarious movie)

In these visitations I have sampled many of the pastries that these "cafe's" have to offer. I must say, I have been quite disappointed with the lack of flavor and attention to detail that I have been presented with over the last couple of weeks.

If I find a place with good bagels... they have bad toasters. Good toasters- bad bagels. Muffins are drab, and lack the abundance of blueberries that are necessary for a delicious breakfast experience. (Even the muffin-tops aren't what they used to be ;)

But I have found my pastry of choice! Amongst the coals, I have found my diamond!

The Tart Cherry Scone at Panera is excellent! Topped with a dusting of powdered sugar, these scones are fantastic. Not to sweet (like starbucks) yet with the perfect texture. It is loaded with delicious semi-dried cherries, and is the perfect compliment to a cup of hot coffee.
The $2.49 price tag is a little steep for my liking, but is quickly forgotten after the first bite. I suggest you try one, the are scrumptulescent!

Whats in a name?

2007-11-08T10:21:00.000-08:00

Growing up in the O.C. we didn't really develop a nickname for our home town. Tustin was Tustin, Orange was Orange, etc...

When Natalie was going to Biola, there was the odd "Guada-la-habra", but nothing like we have down here in San Diego.

Since we moved down here, I have heard more nicknames for the towns I've lived in than ever before. Our first rental (yeah... we'll never own) was in Escondido. Within the first two weeks I heard "The dido", "Escon-ghetto", and "Sweats-condido".

To the north of us we have "Hot-mecula, or Temec-u-far" (Temecula)

To the south there is "Chula-juana" (Chula Vista)

And then there is the home town of Rancho Bernardo. Natalie and I didn't want RB to miss out, so we nicknamed it "the Nardo". The name stuck and was beginning to be widely used, but since the fires there have been some new names being suggested. There has also been a new town slogan that is circulating the web...

The suggestions for name changes include "Rancho-burn-hardo", and "Rancho Inferno". Both of these names were brought up by people severely effected by these fires... You've gotta love humor in the midst of tragedy.

This made my mind start racing with new ideas for names and slogans for our church (1/2 of which was burned down)
-Can you imagine the possibilities?

What do we do now?

2007-11-01T10:56:00.000-07:00

What do we do now? How can I help?...

If I got a dollar for every time I was asked these questions in the last week, I would be retired, driving a Ferrari, and sitting on my beach front house in Barbados.

This just goes to show that we are in uncharted territories, and that life has taken a significant turn down a road we did not expect.

A lot has taken place since the last time I blogged.

-I Met the fire fighters that saved our church:

(The told me that if I stand with my arms crossed, it would make me look buff)

We sifted through the ashes of Stan and Shana's house...

Since most of their stuff was burned, Natalie and some of our high school girls took Shana (15 yr old sophomore) to the mall for a shopping spree. I am so proud of how the kids @ rbbc have been there every step of the way.

We also:
-Set up a relief center @ our church
-Cleaned up multiple houses of their ash, burned fences, shrubs etc...
-Got interviewed by CNN, 700 club, local news, and more... (So begins my career as a televangelist)
-Had our first church service using only our downstairs facility
*If you are looking for church unity, just burn down the main sanctuary
-And last night had our annual harvest festival, where we had over 400 people from our community come and celebrate God's faithfulness with us.

All this to say -I am sooooo tired- It hit me Sunday after noon, and I have barely been able to function for the last 3 days. My emotions have been all over the place, I almost fell asleep (standing up) while taking Bo on a walk.

Where we go from hear is uncertain, but I know that this is our journey, and I know where it will end.

Out of burn't ground...

2007-10-25T09:43:00.000-07:00

Sorry it took so long for this post to get up, free wifi has been hard to come by the last few days.

Dan and I were able to play the 'pastor card' to get onto our church campus with our insurance adjusters.
It was really erie driving into this silent neighborhood where complete devistation had just taken place. Very different from driving down to San Diego the first time after the fires started. When I drove down on Tuesday I felt overwhelmed with this impending sense of doom. With the black clouds billowing, it was kind of like I was entering the land of Mordor with Frodo and Sam.
But when I drove through this neighborhood, it was just sad, not scarry, just sad.
Walking into the sanctuary of our church was crazy. So much of it was standing and there, and then I saw the stage:

I just taught on this stage 2 weeks ago and now it's gone.
But there is good news! All of our offices were untouched, all papers, books, and computers were dry and undamaged! Oh yea, except mine. My office got got jacked up. I have a skylight above my desk, a complete set of shakespears works (from the mid 1800's)- special waterlogged edition, and a slightly messier than normal desk:

We walked around the church and saw that God had incredible grace and mercy on this place. There were multiple places where the fire burned all the way up to the building and just stopped.

I think this is the first time where I personally feel an incredible debt of gratitude to our police men and fire fighters. They are aaamazing! 9/11 was too far removed for me to really feal the impact of it, but after this experience, I seriously want to seek out these men and woman to thank them.

I really don't know what else to say at this point, there's too much going on.
RBBC is setting up a crisis center for our neighborhood (the neighborhood should re-open today). If you want to help you can go to our Web sight rbbaptist.org and give your donations to the place you feel lead.

The way the church is coming together in this time of crisis is awesome. I was so proud to be part of our team last night. A table full of people (some whose house had burned down) coming up with incedible ideas about how to serve others. It was christians being christian. It was beautiful...

I can't write any more right now, but I will as soon as possible.
Despite what it looks like and how it feels, God is here.

...and then my church burned down

2007-10-22T22:16:00.000-07:00

(House down the street from the church)

"... and then my church burned down."
I think it sounds like a line that you throw in the middle of a story that people are losing interest in.
Kinda like- "... and then I found $5"
And then when it really happens you don't know how to react. It's so weird how one day changes what life and ministry are going to be like for at least the next two years.

300 house burned down in Rancho Bernardo. I have no clue how many of those people I know. I have no clue if our condo is still there or not. (good thing we rent) - I think...

I'm at my parents in Laguna Niguel, my friend Rick and I are gonna drive down in the morning to see if we can get into town. He's 99% sure his house is gone. (he's married with 4 kids)

Crazy

I'll update with new info tommorrow.
God is here.

soggy bottoms

2007-10-13T22:44:00.000-07:00

Soggy Bottoms... my gals got-em. Yes my wife sat on a wet bail of hay today at the pumpkin patch at Irvine park. It was fun and entertaining to say the least. I saw the Biddles (I love that family) and an old friend from high school who used to go by Laura and now goes by Jane. All in all I would give it an 8 out of 10.

P.S. never call your wife a 'muffin top'. I thought it was funny and sweet, but it turns out that it is a name given to girls, who wear tight jeans, and have their excess 'poof' bulge out over their pants like a muffin top. Lesson learned.

mmmmmm....

2007-10-02T19:15:00.000-07:00

Cheesy Potato cakes from Claim Jumper are awesome!

I'm eating them right now, and am happier than a blind dog in a meathouse!

The Mexican Dream

2007-09-25T20:41:00.000-07:00

So I went down to baja last weekend to work with some deaf and mute kids down in Ensenada. While I was down there I came to some conclusions...

I will never experience the American Dream. I'm pretty sure I'm never going to own a house. I don't have any kids. (I blame 5 years of Jr. High ministry for that one. It's like I have a target on my nether-region) So I've come to accept that the typical ideals for the American dream will never happen for me and my wife.

But!... The Mexican dream just might be possible for Natalie and I. Being a Mexican citizen I have a chance to own my own little piece of the madre-land. I can have my own house, with a satalite dish, and my own business that I run from my front yard. I was also thinking that I could buy mas quantities of beach front property and "lease" it out to families from the US that don't want to get involved with the 99 year leases that the mexican gov. sets up. I just may own my little slice of paradise yet.

For Some reason that makes me feel better about life, and I don't know why.

Beauty from splinters

2007-09-18T16:32:00.000-07:00

So one of my high schoolers dropped my guitar off the top bunk at Hume this year. It was pretty jacked up, the top was all split. I didn't really friek out because I have decided not to care about stuff as much as I used to, but I was still pretty bummed. It was my high school graduation present from my parents so there was a little sentiment there as well.

So, I thought I was without my "knock around" guitar from now on, and would only have my breedlove to play. But low and behold the kid showed up to church 3 weeks later with 4 hundi for a new guitar! So I went to guitar center with my friend Paul (who gets fatty discounts cause he used to work there) and decided to purchase the martin DX1. The guitar is pretty simple -no frills, and it doesn't even have a natural wood body. I was super skeptical about getting it, but I've had it for a week and absolutely love it. The tone is warm, the action is great... I actually like playing it more that my breedlove. All of this and I only paid $346 for the thing! ($499 normally). I highly recommend you get one!

Pastors Union

2007-09-13T14:24:00.000-07:00

So I was listening to the radio the other day and heard that the grocery store clerks were going on strike... again. Then my wife tells me that the nurses in her union at Sharp medical center went on strike last month, and they all got a $2 per hour raise.

So I have started fantasizing about developing a pastors union.

One that gives us every other Christmas off, 40 hour work weeks, and no phone answering obligations on our days off. My union would also pay extra for overtime, and we would be rewarded for good work with stock options. Thats right, you could actually gain ownership in the church. (I would start with the sound equipment) I figure since I'll never own a house because I work at a church, I mind as well get some sweet sound equipment. We would also be able to tell repeat 'complainers' that they were not allowed to comment on the services anymore.

We could also go on strike. I can just see it now... Sunday morning rolls around and all of the pastors are outside their churches with signs, yelling "scaaaaaaabb!!" to the old lady who plays the organ and the nursery workers as they walk in the doors.

This would help the congregation to have compassion on us pastors, it would help them realize that just because we are pastors, doesn't mean we have taken the vow of poverty.

Hahahaha, though not a reality, it sure is entertaining to think about,

I think I need a day off.

Ship Shape

2007-09-05T10:46:00.000-07:00

So, I'm on this mission to finally get my life organized. I've been at my church for 3 years now, and I thought it was about time to get things 'ship shape'. (what does that even mean???)

Step one: Blow apart my office, and make it into a room I actually like to be in.

Step two: Rent a giant dumpster and load it to the brim with all of that "we might use it someday" stuff.

Step three: Drink a quad americano, and make rash decisions about the new color scheme for our youth room.

Step four: Follow up on those rash decisions and have a youth "fun day" to paint the room.

Step five: Hire a painter to redo everything

Step six: (final step) Lure Lois Chandler away from Calvary and have her come down and run my ministry instead of Erics...

I like my plan ...

Hotter than Hemmit

2007-09-04T13:45:00.000-07:00

Yeah so, it's hot... and so I've been thinking of hell a little more than normal.

I saw these two Mormon guys walking down the street in Poway yesterday, wearing the full garb, and I thought... "Better get used to the heat". So here I am making jokes about a real persons eternity... The thing is, didn't really feel bad for them at the time.

Here I am, Tim the Christian, making thoughtless comments about 'Mormon Joe'.
I don't like that I didn't really care about those two guys. It actually really bothers me
right now. But at the time all I could think about was getting out of my crappy, burning hot, 94' camry and getting some food in my belly.

It just shows how my personal comfort is connected with my willingness to have compassion for others.

I wish that wasn't the case...

Part of the band...

2007-08-28T14:19:00.000-07:00

So last night I volunteered to play the bass this sunday for our youth praise band. This created some problems because I don't play bass, and I've never played with a band.
The fact the most of the band is composed of new freshman helped with the 'not being able to play bass part.' My struggles were not as noticible as they could have been. And the 'being in a band' dynamic was really fun.
We practiced two new songs that we learned at hume. ("campaign" was aaammazing) It took about 2 hours to go through 5 songs. Kinda long, but still fun.
So I've decided I want to be in a band now. I don't really care what I play... bass, or guitar are possibilities (drums and vocals are out). I don't have time for it, or the ability to play really well, but I still want to do it. I can add it to the list of things that I don't have time for, or good ability in. Oh well, at least I'll have eternity to work on some of these things.

Free Wi-fi

2007-08-23T11:06:00.001-07:00

I am a follower and I'm cheap. Two things I've never really myself to be. I'm a follower because I've followed Eric Wakeling and Matt Doan to the Blogosphere, and I'm cheap because I only blog at Panera Bread because they have free wi-fi and I don't want to shell out the $40 a month to get it at my house.

I used to think I was a great support system, and that I was frugal with my money, but now I pretty much realize the those were just 'Tim' words for 'follower and cheap'.
So until that changes, this is where my blogging will take place. Over a delicious cinnamon crunch bagel, and cup of coffee (only $2.78 total!) Hooray for free wi-fi.