Have a Wonderful Christmas Break!

I hope you all have a wonderful time this Christmas & New Years. May you eat good food, read interesting novels, snowboard in the freshest of powder, and perhaps more importantly, may you be a blessing to your families.

In case you're already looking ahead to next semester, our Sunday morning kick-off is Jan 16th and our Tuesday night kick-off is Jan 18th. We also have a winter retreat on Jan 28-30, so mark it in our calendars.

See you all in a few weeks!

College Community Xmas Party!!

*Make sure you bring a white elephant gift for our gift exchange!

thanksgiving

This is a little excerpt from my blog that I'd like to just share for no reason other than it is thanksgiving and I hope someone feels the same way or is bored and has nothing else to do tonight.  Enjoy!

"Normally, I would have a lot of big things I would be thankful for like my family, my church, my girlfriend, etc. but driving home tonight, I thought about the little things I needed to be thankful for. The things we don’t really think about but just as important as everything else in our lives. Things like breathing, the rising of the sun, being able to see, our cells actively working, the molecules and atoms that holds the fabric of life together. We have so much trust that those important things will work and continue to work correctly and in doing so, our stress and anxiety is significantly lowered. Can you imagine if you had to worry that your body can fall apart if your atomic structure breaks down? Or that your wheel will fall off because of a faulty lug nut? What a stressful day!

But to let God take care of the “little” things, our worries lessen and we can continue to enjoy the life God has given us. Sometimes the “bigger” things in life can overwhelm us and cause us to stress and worry. But take a moment to think about God for a second. If God has the ability to make the sun rise and set, to hold the vast amount of stars in the sky, to keep our planets in orbit, to hold our bodies in place, to allow us to breathe automatically, and ultimately control time and space, don’t you think He can deal with our problems as well? Comparing our “big” problems to the “little” things that God has taken care of, I feel our problems are not as big as we think they are.

So thank you God for the little things in life."

Worship Night

Thanksgiving Potluck

Dawkins & Dawkins - Need To Know

yolanda adams open up my heart

If you like this you'll like her other stuff! Some of her lyrics are on the wall! (a little wrong though, but you get the drift!) LOL!!!

f

Dynamic Duos!

College group tonight/last night was AMAZING! I'm Loving the 2 person sermon/study/session/talk/discussion! Let's keep that going Pastor Ryan B.! I was left blessed!

YES!

A Piece Of Me... In a sense...

YES!

A Piece Of Me... In a sense!

College Community Fall Semester!!

Here is a quick overview of the upcoming weeks in the college ministry:

Sunday, Aug 22nd: Freshman Welcome BBQ & Pool Party
11:30am - 1:30pm @ 1512 E Roosevelt Rd
*Everyone is invited, come welcome our incoming class!

Sunday Aug 29th: Sunday Mornings Starting Back Up
11am - 12pm @ Room 210
(in the education bldg @ Grace)

Tuesday Sep 7th: Official Fall Semester Kick-off
7pm - 9pm @ Room 210

*We will be meeting together on Tuesday nights throughout the month of September and will not be serving again until October.

Eric's Blog About Books- Issue #4- Diplomacy

I have decided, since the game of Diplomacy has ruled my imagination for the past few days, that it shall be the subject of my blog. It's not a book, so technically it has no place in my Blog About Books, but it's my blog and I'll do what I want with it. Besides, Eric's Blog About Boardgames Which Require Cunning, Strategy, Deceit, and Mutual Trust would be far too blocky to use as a title. Anyway, your average game of Diplomacy contains more suspense and drama than any three thrillers, so I feel it fits with the general idea of Blog About Books. After all, when boiled down, stories are simply a group of characters who desperately want something, and have to plow through, pull down, or dodge all of the obstacles in between them and what they want, and by that criteria, Diplomacy is the ultimate story.

Diplomacy is a strategy board game created in 1954 and published in 1959. Seven players, each in control of one European country and three units, are all vying for control of Europe. The thing is: if one unit from, say, France attacks one unit from Germany, the result is nothing, they bounce off and nothing is gained by either side. So you either need to focus all three off your units on one or two of theirs, which leaves you open to the other players around you, or you must form an alliance with your neighbors to help you attack them, in exchange for your help somewhere else. No player can win or even significantly advance without working in concert with other players, and then betraying them at the opportune time. And, of course, they are all waiting to backstab you as well.

The rules are astonishingly simple for such a complex game. They can be found here: http://www.playdiplomacy.com/help.php

A brief summary of the rules: before the game starts, all the players talk with each other, form alliances, plan on who to target, and generally recreate the intrigue of the old Byzantine Empire. Then they all submit their moves to the Gamemaster, who then inputs the information on the board. Meaning, it's not turn based like chess or risk, everyone moves simultaneously. Everyone sees where everyone else chose to move, which country is getting tarred by which neighbors, whose armies were forced out of where. Then the plotting begins anew, and they move again. Lather, rinse, repeat until one country dominates.

When I first found out about this wonderful game which seemed tailor-made for my personality, I was determined to play it. I went to the game site in the link above, signed up, and am now in the starting rounds of a game, playing as England. To give you a glimpse of how exciting this game can be, let me give you a recap of the game so far.

I look at my position on the board, and immediately determined that France was going to be a problem. He was blocking my immediate entry into the European mainland, and if he went south to the Iberian peninsula he could cut off my ships from the Mediterranean, potentially crippling my expansion. France needed to go down, and fast. I sent a message to Italy, asking him if he would mind moving an army to the borders of France if I attacked, then considered the board further. I messaged Russia and Germany, who along with me have access to Scandinavia, asking if we could divide it up equally and then all three of us move south, assured that we wouldn't have problems with the other two quite yet. Germany and I then plotted on how to overwhelm France in a sudden assault, by which time Italy had messaged us both and was in on the plan. I messaged France to lure him into a false sense of security, using a vaguely worded plan to demilitarize the English channel (meaning, neither one of us moves into there) while offering future support against Germany.

I messaged Russia and requested that, since Germany wasn't going to be a problem, he might focus on Austria, since a weakened Austria would allow Italy to focus on France.

Around this time France got back to me, and bought an excuse I made that I was going to have to enter the English Channel, but that I would move away as soon as I could. I was in fact, going to use it to ferry troops directly into the heartland of France.

I saw the plan in my head then- France, trying to fend off my ships in the English channel, German forces in burgundy, and with an Italian army pressing on the southern flank. It was beautiful. I nip in and seize Brest and Paris, Germany gets Belgium and Holland, Italy gets Marseilles. Then an outnumbered Italy and I battle it out over who gets Spain and Portugal. Yessss...

We all submitted our orders and held our breath. From the start, France saw Italy and Germany on his borders and was intimidated enough to accept my help. I would, according to the plan I gave him, land an army in Belgium and support him against German aggression, so he agreed not to move his army there. His troops in Brest had already moved south and were en route to Portugal. they could have caused trouble for me by moving back to Brest and bouncing me, but France knows I'm on his side. Meanwhile, I tell Germany to move into Belgium, because I had made sure it would be free for the taking. On the southern front, across the board from me, Turkey was playing it safe and holing up, while Russia and Austria were about to duke it out on about equal terms, leaving Italy more or less free to move against France some more.

After France falls, I must find a way to call Russia off of Austria so Austria can put pressure on Italy right when he's fighting me. Meanwhile, I must also keep myself on Germany's good side, make sure he gains more territory by not backstabbing me. After all, it is possible to have a two or three way win. Why not maintain such a mutually beneficial alliance? Perhaps I should get Germany and I together and hit Russia in the north, after France inevitably falls? That would take Russia off of Austria. I claim St. Petersburg to maintain my dominance on the seas while Germany takes Sweden...

And all the while I must keep vigilant, make sure no anti-English coalition arises, make sure Germany or Russia doesn't suddenly sweep the North Atlantic from me and threaten my homeland...

Keep in mind, all that intrigue has taken place over one turn. Each piece on the board has moved only one time.

The average game of Diplomacy lasts about fifteen turns.

I love this game!

Update: Just found out Russia and possibly Germany have built fleets and are now capable of wiping me out. Do I believe Germany's assurances that his fleet at least is no threat, and so ally with him against Russian aggression, or can I possibly reconcile with France to back each other into midgame? I don't know! This game wouldn't be fun if I was assured of victory on my very first game!

King's Canyon

So we recently went on an amazing camping trip with the college group in King's Canyon. We shared delicious meals, beautiful scenery, long hikes, and fun times! We discarded basic rules of hygiene, got eaten alive by mosquitos (some of us), and had some close encounters with deadly and poisonous wildlife. In short, it was the quintessential camping trip. Here's some proof:

Eric's Blog About Books- Issue #3- John Dies at the End

John Dies at the End is the most horrifying, paranoia-inducing, soul-searing novel I have ever read. It's also pretty hilarious. Author David Wong manages to juggle stomach-churning terror and crude jokes without diluting either, so it never becomes a comedic novel about the supernatural nor a horror novel with comic relief (if you can follow that).

The concept of the novel is rather difficult to explain. That is, it's easy to give a general description of what happens, but when you just say it, it sounds kinda stupid. (I'm sure David Wong would agree with me on this one- he's refered to this book as "my retarded horror story.") You just don't get the same sense of latent horror by describing the situation as you do by reading it. None the less, I'll try. The basic plot is this: two slackers, Dave and the titular John, are at a party when John takes a new drug called Soy Sauce that allows normal humans to percieve and interact with the supernatural. Not the fun kind of supernatural, where all the wizards and vampires and werewolves act just like humans but with superpowers such as Harry Potter, Twilight, and so on. I'm talking about the H. P. Lovecraft kind of supernatural, where you find more and more evidence showing that the normal world is a fragile and broken delusion, where eldritch horrors, corruption, and the fear of the night reign supreme. I apologize for the melodrama of the last sentence, but something about this genre draws out the drama queen in me. After John takes the Soy Sauce and Dave is involuntarily exposed to it as well, they are drawn unwillingly into a fight against an other dimensional invasion by a elder god(ish) called Korrok, who has the sense of humor of an unsophisticated 13 year old boy.

Also, in between fighting various meat monsters, shadow men, resurrected neonazis, there's lots and lots of jokes. And there all crude, and about 98% of them are hilarious.

Unfortunately, no one can be told what John Dies at the End is. You have to see it for yourself.

Selected quotes:

" 'How does somebody get into this?' [she asked.]
'There was an incident,' [John] said. 'A series of incidents, I guess. A dead guy, another dead guy. Some drugs. It's kind of a long story. Now we can see things. Sometimes. I have a dead cat that follows me around, wondering why I never feed it. Oh, and I had one hamburger that started mooing when I ate.' He glanced at me. 'You remember that?'
I grunted, said nothing...
'I call it Dante's Syndrome,' John said. I had never heard him call it any such thing. "Meaning, I think Dave and I gained the ability to look into Hell. Only it turns out Hell is right here, it's all through us and around us and in us like the microbes the swarm through your lungs and guts and veins. Hey, look! An owl!'
We all looked. It was an owl, alright."

"Now, I wasn't there, so this story is hearsay. If you know John, you'll take the details for what they're worth. Please also remember that, where John claims to have 'gotten up at three thirty' to perform this investigation, it was far more likely he was still up and somewhat drunk from the night before."

Dave, talking to a reporter:
" 'Do you ever go to the bathroom late at night, Arnie, and for a second, just a split second, you glimpse something in the mirror other than your reflection? Then you turn the light on and, of course, everything's fine again. But for just half a second, maybe while you were leaving the room, you see out of the corner of your eye that isn't you in the mirror. Or maybe it is you, only changed? And what's looking back at you is something completely different? Something not very human?'
'Let's go back inside, okay? Your story was more interesting.'
'You're going to die, Arnie. Someday, you will face that moment. Regardless of what you believe, at that moment you will either face complete nonexistence, which is something you can't possibly imagine, or you will face something even stranger that you also can't possibly imagine. On an actual day in the future, you will be in the unimaginable, Arnie. Set your mind on that.'
Silence, for a few seconds. Arnie nodded a little.
'Okay.'
'Now, without turning your head, look at the box.'
Arnie did, recoiled, stumbled and finally fell on his ass.
'Oh, [shoot]!' he gasped. '[Shoot]!! What was the [shoot] is that?' "
(Seeing as this is a churchish blog, I edited the last for language. It hits harder with the profanity.)
I hope I managed to give you a feel for the book. Very few books can claim to have scare me, but this one most definitely succeeds. If you find any artistic value in genuine horror, and have any affection for the cruder side of humor, then this book is tailor made for you.

Eric's Blog About Books- Issue #2- Ivanhoe

Ivanhoe is a historical fiction novel by Sir Walter Scott, first published in 1819, and it is freakin' awesome. The plot is relatively straight forward- noble knight loves woman, hacks up a ton of bad guys to rescue her, and is generally a force for good and justice in a troubled land. And there's also a few subplots about a family of Jews getting screwed over constantly, and also about Robin Hood. Incidentally, all stories that connect the Legend of Robin Hood to Richard the Lionheart's return come directly to this book. That includes every movie every made about Robin Hood, including the Disney version. You may thank Sir Walter I'm-a-Kickass-Novelist Scott for all of them.

Ivanhoe takes place in 12th century England, where Norman overlords oppress and insult their Saxon peasants constantly. The divide between the crude yet noble Saxon underdogs and the the refined but despicable Normans drives most of the plot. (Also, this is one of the few historical novels where one could believably portray the English as a people oppressed by another group. See also Ireland, English Presence in, and India, Colonization of.) Ivanhoe, a young Saxon knight, pisses off his ultranationalist father Cedric by spending time in King Richard's court and learning Norman ways, and then pisses him off further by falling in love with his adopted sister, Rowena. They're not related by blood, so it's no problem to us or them, but Cedric plans to marry her off to a fellow Saxon warlord to create an alliance to throw off the Norman yoke. Cedric exiles his own son, who then goes off to the Crusades with Richard the Lionheart. Years later, he returns without arms, armour, a horse or any friends, determined to win Rowena and be restored to his father. Thus the plot begins.

I won't go into the plot here too much, because I want you to read the book, or watch one of the movie versions. But I will say, there's dastardly Templars, evil knights who get righteously shanked, jousting, torture, trial by combat for an innocent woman's life, and a much, much more. You've probably seen all the plot devices before, any time someone references knights or the Middle Ages, but never knew that many of the tropes were popularized by this book. It is a bloody great adventure, and as someone who grew up on Hollywood action flicks, that should tell you something.

It is somewhat hard to get into for the first couple of pages, because writing styles from the early 19th century are somewhat more, ah, opaque than what we in the early 21st century are used to. For instance, in the beginning Scott spends almost two whole pages describing in mind-numbing detail the exact clothes worn by two minor characters. I mean, gah. But once you break through the intial writing style, believe me, it's mustard.

Just one last note. One of the subplots, as I mentioned earlier, is of a Jewish moneylender named Isaac and his daughter Rebecca, and the various ways everyone hates them and can harm them with impunity. In fact, even the Ivanhoe, the Knight in Shining Armor, just after he saves Isaac from robbery and possible death, says this little gem:

" 'Our road,' said [Ivanhoe], 'should here seperate; for it beseems not men of my character and thine to travel together longer than needs be..."

And that's the good guy. Sort of a minor theme throughout the book is just how vulnerable Jews are to the predatations of Christians. One vivid example- Prince John and Cedric the Saxon are sitting in the top booth, about to watch the tourney. Prince John sees Isaac in the crowd below, and, thinking to mock Cedric, commands Isaac to take Cedric's place. Isaac naturally doesn't want to cause a scene that would put him in the spotlight, tries to beg off, but Prince John insists, because Prince John is a douche. Cedric looks like he's about to toss Isaac off the balcony.

Prince John says, "Let me see who dares stop him!"

Well, Cedric certainly looks like he dares. Isaac is screwed; if he goes up to take Cedric's place, he gets curb-stomped and possibly stabbed, as Cedric's temper is legendary, but if he refuses John's command, he gets horse whipped and robbed.

Isaac is saved by the timely intervention of the Court Jester, who jumps out at him and thrusts a chunk of pork in Isaac's face while brandishing a wooden sword at him, which startles Isaac so much he loses his footing and falls down the stairs. This amuses John so much he lets the whole thing drop. I really like the Jester, who later on joins up with Richard and cracks some jokes worthy of a Shakespearian comedy, so I choose to interpret that scene as him successfully saving Isaac and defusing a volatile situation, but, damn. When being humiliated, insulted, and slipping down the stairs is literally the best case scenario, you know you're in bad times.

To his credit, Sir Walter Scott does not portray this horrific antisemitism as being in any way good. Rebecca gets a fairly substantial subplot of her own later on, and all Jews present are shown sympathectically. Not to mention all the clearly bad guys specifically target the Jews.

Considering that antisemitism is still alive today, and was possibly even stronger in 1819 England, I'd say Scott is to be congratulated on his skillful weaving of the troubles that Jews faced into his romantic adventure.

Reminder: Bible Study Location

Bible Study this Thursday is at Susan Flaming's House. 2114 N Greenbrier Rd. We start at 6:30pm sharp. Bring your Bibles and join us as we study Revelation 1!

Eric's Blog About Books- Issue #1- The Black Company

I have decided to start up a sort of miniblog here about the hundreds upon thousands of stories I have read and loved. I firmly belive that God created us to tell stories to each other, and I am conveniently capable of sharing about books.

This first post is about Glen Cook's The Black Company.

Here is a handy little summary, via wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Black_Company_(novel)

The best way to state the premise of The Black Company is to imagine a version of Lord of the Rings from the point of view of a minor soldier of Sauron's army. It is deliberately void of the cliches of the fantasy genre- no elves or dwarves, no clear line between bad guys and good guys, no stalwart hero determined to do right. There are a few stock conventions present, but they all seem to be slightly off- the Evil Empire is actually of benefit to the lower classes, the Wicked Sorcerors come across as oddly human (even while raining thaumaturgic death upon their enemies), the Noble Resistance is just as heartless, cruel and psychotic as the Empire they're fighting. The whole thing plays like what it would look like if your standard fantasy novel was mere propoganda from the side that won.

The plot goes something like this: The Black Company is a mercenary oufit in a quasi-medieval world. They fight for pay and are generally the best, sneakiest, most professional soldiers around. They suscribe firmly to the belief that moral absolutism is a myth, that ultimate good depends on where you stand. They get hired by the aforementioned Evil Empire, headed by an extremely powerful Sorceress known as the Lady, who commands the Ten Who Were Taken, or just the Taken (it helps to think of it as the Lady= Sauron, the Taken= Ringwraiths). While serving against the Rebels, they hear of a prophecy that a messianic figure called the White Rose will be reincarnated and bring down the Lady. Being cynical, world weary soldiers, they don't believe it... until one of their members believes he's found her.

It's a great plot, filled with intrigue, plots within plots, sly humor, and wonderous imagination. But the plot is not what makes me love this series. There is also the distinct and highly realistic characters.

Croaker, the narrator, is the Annalist (a.k.a. historian) and physician of the Black Company. The book's framing device is Croaker writing the current events down as company history. The later books have fun with this device by having later annalists read Croaker's accounts and wonder how much of it was actually accurate and unbiased. Croaker is a closet romantic, in love with history and a complete believer in following Company traditions. He is also a highly trained and usually effective doctor, hence the nickname.

One-Eye and Goblin are two diminuative minor wizards who serve with the Company. They are mischevious, malicious, puckish, and engaged in a century long feud. They appear to hate each other but couldn't live without each other.

Soulcatcher is one of the Taken, and the Company's patron. He is your standard evil sorceror, filled with doom and gloom and unholy power, except he's a pretty reasonable guy who does right for those under him. He has a habit of switching voices every sentence, and it's implied that all the voices are actually him using the souls of the people he's killed. He's also a narcissistic megalomaniac without much long term focus.

Raven is a mysterious man with a mysterious past and mysterious motivations. A badass, cold and hard, doesn't give a crap about anything. He could and does piss off one of the Taken and doesn't even bat an eye. Or so he likes to show people. He's later revealed to be an emotional cripple whose only skill is with a blade, and he is not shown in a positive light at all.

Darling is a deafmute orphan that Raven and the rest of the Company adopt. The fact that the Black Company rescued her is just about the only reason we have to think of them as the good guys.

And there are a hundred more characters in the first book alone. Glen Cook appears to have a gift for making characters come to life.

One final note on the series; Glen Cook has a fascinating technique of zooming up close to minor details of his characters' lives and then zooming out to the world view. For example, Croaker writes about how the Company is ordered to take a critically placed fortress from the Rebels, and then hold it throughout the winter. He mentions in about a paragraph that they succeeded with few casualties. He then spends the next five pages describing a card game the soldiers are playing, and them wondering who's turn it is to go out in the cold and get supplies from the town.

The Black Company is almost a deconstruction of the fantasy genre, in that it asks, "What would the world look like if things like black magic and evil overlords and Tolkienesque worlds and so on actually existed? How would people respond?"

Till next time.

On a Monday???

WOW! So today I finally did it! Well The Dude (Ryan Albright) and I served at Lydia House today! It was really cool, different, tiring, and it seemed calmer than usual!

Really Cool because everyone was shocked to see us! The kids came Running at us, probably because the were tired of sitting in there with the adults listening to the lesson! LOL!!!

Different because IT WAS A MONDAY! Everyone was asking, What are you doing here on a monday?

Tiring because it was just The Dude and I with around 11 or 12! Wowzers!

& Calmer because there weren't a lot of us (even though It would have been really cool if more of us). Actually we were served food today! I was blessed to be the women's presents today!

A woman prayed today and it touched me so! It showed that a lot of these women really just loved the unconditional love of God!

Thank You God!

Camping!!!

So here's the deal. We are going camping June 25th-27th, up in the beautiful Kings Canyon, about 30 miles past Hume Lake.

We're leaving bright and early, at 7am on Friday, June 25th.

Cost: Not sure yet...but not more than $20.

More info to follow...but put the date on your calendar.

Where do I go during Sunday's Second Hour?

Since the college community is not meeting Sunday mornings this summer, many of you are wondering what in the world you should do instead. Here are some suggestions.

#1 Go to church. Some of you have gotten into the bad habit of sleeping in, missing church, and then going to college group. Less than stellar idea. Go to church!

#2 Visit another ABF. Since the college community is age-specific and temporary, view this as a great opportunity to visit another ABF and meet other people at Grace. The Gathering (Room 202), Open Source (Room 206), and Global Engagement (Room 200) would all be great places to visit and get connected to other people at Grace. They don't bite. If they do, let me know and I'll teach you self-defense skills.

#3 Go to lunch. View this summer as a time to take initiative in creating good habits of friendship. Grab a few others and head over to Baja Sonora and discuss the sermon. The key here is that someone, at some point, needs to take initiative and lead out. Be creative!

#4 Wander aimlessly in your own misery. You could spend the time feeling awkward, pacing the hallways, spending extra time in the bathroom. This is a legitimate option. And one that many of you prefer. Sorry, I couldn't help it!

So When's the Next College Group?

Our next meeting as a whole group is June 17th, at my house (1512 E Roosevelt Rd), 6:30pm-8pm. Bring your Bibles and a notebook, as we'll be studying the book of Revelation together.

We are also still serving at the Lydia House and at Precious Life Shelter on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays, like we have been for the last year.

**Remember: We have our camping trip coming up in about a month - make sure you clear your calendars so you can join us as we head up to Kings Canyon, a beautiful and rugged area in the Sierras. It's June 25th-27th. I'll probably do signups via facebook or something like that.

Samaritan House, May 18th

I smelled:

• Turkey
• Mashed potatoes
• Bread

I saw:

• Rows and rows of men eating dinner
• Three children
• A man that I’ve seen many times since the time we started serving there. He used to have a beard. He doesn’t anymore. I think the way he chews his food is funny.
• A few people we’ve never served with before
• The windows in the kitchen are these cubes with a wavy kind of texture. When you try to see out of them it looks like you’re looking out at a hundred tiny beach scenes. It’s weird.
• White rice
• Canned cranberries
• Green beans

I felt:

• For a while it seemed pretty warm in the kitchen, beyond the point of being comfortable.
• Sticky jelly from the lunches we were putting together
• Steam coming up from the trays we were serving food from
• Ice in my hands

I heard:

• Ladles clinking against plates
• Plates clinking against each other
• Plates being put on the metal surface where they’re picked up and brought to tables
• Orders to stop dishing up food from one man. Another man saying, “No, we just gotta keep going, we just gotta keep going.”

Lunch with Scotty

I had lunch with a guy named Scott Jones today. Some of you may know him. He is a man who has dedicated his life to serving and loving the city of Long Beach. He doesn't do this by serving at homeless shelters, or giving his money away to charities. He does it by creating a non-profit organization whose goal is to cultivate relationships with all of the different people and neighborhoods of Long Beach by throwing giant barbecues and breakfasts and other events all over the city, bringing people together into loving communities. He does this by greeting everyone he sees with a smile and an honest "How are you doing?" He does this by moving from Belmont Shore to downtown Long Beach in order to build loving relationships with his neighbors and to open up his home to anyone who needs a friend, a meal, a refuge, or just a good time. He does this by simply caring for the people around him, asking himself what they need, and doing what he can to provide it. He does it by meeting his mailman and offering him a cold drink on a hot day. It's not complicated.

I don't know what I mean for you to get out of that, but I know that if I want to show God's love, and have it change this city in crazy ways, I'm not going to do that from behind a glass counter. Scott certainly isn't.


www.welovelb.org.

Samaritan House April 20th

As McKenzie said, it's hard to know what to write about when it comes to the Samaritan House. People are unpredictable, and it is only when you don't know what happens next that you get a story that's worth sharing. We don't get to deal with people at Samaritan House, and so have few stories worth sharing. We set tables, serve food, and clean up. It's like being a waiter, except we don't get paid and we choose to describe it as service.

Let me just start by saying that Faith, Love, Hope, and Mercy are not strong points of mine. I have never been famed for my outpouring of charity or my eagerness to help others. As someone who has grown up within the church, this is not an pleasurable confession to make, but it's true. I have often asked myself, "Why, then? Why do I bother showing up? Why do I give my service, for which I would demand at least minimum wage if this were a restaurant? Why do I bother?"

For a long time, I had no ready answer. Then I had an epiphany; why do I serve at Samaritan House? It's certainly not out of the goodness of my heart, for there is none in mine. It wasn't for the approval of my friends, for I am stubborn and willfull enough that mere disapproval could be shrugged off and ignored. I serve because I'm bad at loving people. I serve because I genuinely don't care about the people I'm serving. I serve because where the body goes the spirit will follow. I serve because I need the practice.

Lydia House, April 20

I ran across this quote by C.S. Lewis the other day that said "So many people are only concerned with the existance of God as if God could do nothing but exist." A God that merely exsists seems absurd and not much of a God at all. This thought along with a verse in John, "For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does" (5:20), has motivated me to be more concerned with what God is doing around me.

This past week I was asked to step out of the kitchen (which has quickly become a comfort zone for me at Lydia house) and out into the house's living room area to lead the women's bible study. I had never lead a bible study for anyone older than me so I was a little anxious at first. As I began preparing for the women my nerves seemed to lessen as I was reassured by God about the power of His word to not return void, and with a message I had recently become personally passionate about.

The bible study concerned John 4 and the woman at the well. On Tuesday, with all my notes perpared and continuing in prayer for the women I began to think about the complex, hard, beautiful, and not-so-beautiful aspects of these women's lives. These thoughts continued throughout the day. At the beginning of the bible study, my nerves mounting a bit, I looked out at the women's faces and felt that I was beginning to understand a bit more of the immensity of God's love for these women, women with much in common with the woman at the well. These women much like the one that Jesus had revealed Himself to first. I also felt that the story of Jesus coming to the woman at the well had never been more real and clear to me.

The bible study went well. The women were attentive and more or less engaged. After the study and over dinner I was able to talk to some of the women and was struck by the childlike faith that some of them had. I was reassured that many of the women there had been met by Jesus just like the woman at the well had been and had received the grace, love, and reassurance that He offers.

How amazing that Jesus has been, and still is, meeting these women just like He met with and renewed the woman at the well 2000 years ago. How great it is that we can serve at Lydia House and see what God has been doing.

:)

"Does Anybody Know That You're a Christian"?

Listen!!! Speak to me!!! What do you think??? Be Honest! LOL!!! With Love!!!

MY LIFE AS A STUD by Jackie Hill OFFICIAL P4CM POET

Tell me what you think about this!

Lydia House April 6th

How have you seen God renew your life? Amber challenged the ladies of the Lydia house with this question during the study Tuesday. Some sat doing absolutely nothing while others poured their heart out on a half sheets of computer paper. It was encouraging to hear beautiful stories of how God has worked and continues to work in the lives of some of the ladies, sisters in Christ, we have the privilege of serving. Along with the apparent renewal we see from God, it's also difficult to hear of women who leave and/or seem untouched by God after being exposed to it in the shelter. Part of serving is praising God for the things which are good and beautiful that we see while trusting he will take care of the unseen things. I think we want to see God change people's lives at the Lydia house not only because it's a tangible way of recognizing God at work in the broken world but because it gives us hope. We want to be renewed by God and seeing people fall away gives us a small or major fear it will also happen to us.

There were many praises on Tuesday to say the least. It was definitely fun having people graciously come up for seconds during dinner. There was a lot going on during dinner as usual and the simplicity of a delicious meal made the environment uplifting. It was also encouraging to see the kids show off the Easter eggs they hunted for after the meal and to see everyone appreciate the ice cream and chocolate covered strawberries. Not only is it fun to serve the ladies we are befriending but it's also fun to enjoy the meal and dessert together. The us and them complex isn't apparent and is possibly nonexistent. It's transforming into a community which is much appreciated. It's definitely something to praise God about. Thanks be to GOD!

The Samaritan House, April 6th

It's hard to know what exactly to write when talking about my experience at the Samaritan House. We do the same things every week. We walk across the street from the parking lot, sign in, wash our hands, put on plastic gloves, set up, make lunches, dish food onto plates, dish food onto plates again, announce seconds, clean up, leave. It's quite monotonous. I've been wondering if all the blog posts from our group will end up sounding the same after a while. Maybe not.

It's easy to get into working mode without paying attention to what's going on in the room. The Samaritan House is different from Precious Life and the Lydia House in that we don't interact much with the people we are serving. As a result, when we meet in the park afterward, there usually isn't much to share. No amazing stories of how we see God moving, or of how wonderful the people we meet are. So what do we do with this? I'm not really sure. Maybe there are small ways in which God is working, and I just have to keep my eyes open. Maybe knowing I will have to write about my experience will force me to open my eyes and ears.

I believe that what we're doing there matters. We're serving those men (as well as a small number of women). They have a physical need - the need for food - and we are helping meet it. It's not really about what we get out of serving in the end. But is there more that we could be doing for them? As things are now, it doesn't seem like there is. Should I be concerned about this? I don't know. Possibly.

Perhaps I could try to engage more with those I am serving with. I'll admit that this isn't a strength of mine. It's easy to get lost in my own thoughts while slicing bread and dishing beans onto plates. I often have a hard time keeping conversation going with anyone unless they are a conversationalist, and much more so with people I hardly know. There are individuals there I have been serving alongside for months. To be honest, I can either never remember some of their names, or have never learned them to begin with. That might be a good place to start.

"I'm not pregnant."

Just as I thought there was no way I could connect with the women I was eating dinner with, just as it seemed that my chance to be involved in their community, even if just for a moment, was none, the women erupted into laughter.

I had just gone back for seconds of this amazing pasta I "helped" cook - and by help I mean, watched, as it's better for everyone that I don't try to cook after...well, it's a long story, and there are a couple of them - when Ben told me to get involved in the conversation at my table.

The problem? My table had seven women, five of them pregnant, the two others having birthed children of their own in the past, and me. And no, they weren't talking about sports.

I laughed and said to Ben, "How am I supposed to be involved in this conversation? I'm not pregnant."

One of the women heard me and told the rest and the next thing I knew my cheeks were red and everyone was laughing.

Even the God of the book of Judges has a sense of humor.

From then on I was involved in the conversation, full from thirds of the pasta, and laughing in agony as they talked about the pains of childbirth, swearing I would be the husband holding my wife's hand but looking the other way.

Sunday Series: Theology, Culture and Vocation

I just want to let you all know of an exciting Sunday series (probably 3 weeks) starting this week that will explore questions like: How should we as Christians engage the surrounding culture? Is there any relationships between my vocation choice and my calling as a Christian?

The first Sunday, we will be learning from one of the leaders here at Grace (Cory Willson) who is currently working on his Ph.D at Fuller Seminary specifically in the area of theology and culture. Come join us and get the word out!!! 11:15am sharp.

Guy's Night

So for those who haven't seen behind the scenes footage of Guy's Night (yes I know it's been a LONG time since it happened), you can check it out here at my blog.  In The Idle

Please follow and/or comment on my blog, I would very much appreciate it! Thanks guys and enjoy!

Eating our way thru Holy Week...

Join us Tuesday Night for a special worship service called "Eating our way thru Holy Week." We will be remembering the climactic week of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection by eating, singing, praying, and listening to Scripture. This is going to be a great night that will require full participation from everyone in our community. Please be in Room 210 by 7pm sharp (or we'll start without you and it may be awkward).

Note: Many of us in the college group will be fasting throughout Tuesday to prepare ourselves for our special time together. Fasting (no food...water or other liquids are okay) is a simple way in which we remember and prepare for our worship not just with our minds, but with our bodies as well. The hunger pains prepare us for entering into the pain of the crucifixion and the celebration of Easter. It also reminds us of Christ's self-denial on our behalf. We invite everyone, if they are able, to join together by fasting. Of course, if you can't or forget to, please come anyways.

Na'vi Can Can

Okay guys, here's a sneak peak of one of many epic moments that happened during our Guy's Night.  First of all, I would like to thank all the ladies for putting on such a tremendous event for us!  It was definitely awesome!  More videos and pics coming soon!  Enjoy!


Na'vi Can Can from Wisdom Morm on Vimeo.

Ultimate for Lydia House

Hey Guys, I mentioned this on Tuesday,

Ultimate Tournament.

Date:	Friday, April 16, 2010
Time:	10:00am - 4:00pm
Location:	Fields 4 and 5 at Heartwell Park

The Cost of the tournament is $10 per player.The complete proceeds from this tournament will go directly to Lydia House. Please Invite all your friends! Put a team together and contact me on Facebook or at the email: frisbeefundraiser@gmail.com

If you are not on a team and want to be, contact me too and I will see what I can do.

There will also be Pizza from BJ's being sold at lunch....more details to come.

Don't want to play? Come and cheer on your friends, donate, or have some lunch.

Velma

When Velma prays, things happen.

I met her last Tuesday night. She was sitting at the far table near the kitchen, no one else nearby. I sat down in one the the 7 other empty seats, and we talked. It took approximately 5 minutes of talking with Velma for me to realize that the woman I was talking with was insanely brilliant. As in, Shakespearean-scholar-in-college brilliant. As in, she-wrote-a-freakin-book-and-you-can-buy-it-on-Amazon.com brilliant. But most amazingly, she possessed more love and true joy than anyone I've met in a long time, maybe ever in my life. Velma is simply incredible.

So I began to wonder, "Ok, you're articulate, you're smart and capable and full of life and energy and passion and knowledge... so why then are you here?!" I asked Velma if she'd share her story with me of how she got to be at a homeless women's shelter. Her story was heartbreaking to say the least. It was hard to listen to, because I'd never before heard of such terrible circumstances wreak havoc on a more beautiful and amazing woman.

Yet what was most remarkable about her story was that through it all, she continues to carry with her a deep conviction that God is right there with her. That He is in control. That He loves her and He wants to use her exactly where she's at. The peace that she spoke with was a testament to this. The smile that kept reappearing on her face while she told stories about her family falling apart revealed a deep deep love for Jesus - a love that more than compensates for anything she "lacks" by the world's standards.

I'm still unconvinced that Velma isn't in fact a saint, if not an angel.

One of her stories was about the day she moved into the Lydia house. She prayed that God would use her to bring hope and love and joy to the lives of the other women living there. That night, a 20-something girl lay in the bed next to Velma, and screamed for 8 hours straight. So Velma prayed for 8 hours straight. She told me, "I knew the evil one wanted to destroy this beautiful girl's life, so I prayed for her." The next morning, to everyone's surprise, the screaming girl had an entirely different countenance. It was as if she was a different person alltogether. Velma got to talk with her later that day, and led the girl to Christ. That night, the girl kept Velma awake again, only this time because of her snoring from sleeping so deeply.

Velma laughed with tears in her eyes and gave me high fives as she told this part. Her smile was so contagious, my cheeks hurt by the time we were done talking. "Praise Jesus" she kept on repeating.

Praise Jesus indeed.






















(Velma gave me this shirt after we talked. It made my week!)

Photographs and Poetry

Hi everyone. I just wanted to let you all know that I have the pictures from guys night posted on my facebook now. They didn't turn out very well because the lighting was weird, but they're fun.

Also, I still want to work on getting some poetry up on the art wall by mid-April. I'm not sure who all the poets in our group are, so if you're interested in sharing your work with us, please let me know as soon as possible!

Well... ... The Blog & Lydia House! :-}

YAY I finally figured out how to do this!!! LOL!!! So Lydia House!!! It is such a blessing to be there in their presence! I have come to bond with these people so much! It will make me sad when I have to leave! It makes me think the LBRM's rules keep us from getting deeper with them. I really want to ask God to make some changes in the policy! LOL!!! I had an amazing experience on Tuesday March 16, 2010! I have not cried over my mother's death... ... but a woman named Ebonie made me do it! It is so funny how wants and makes us remember! We were talking and she said, "Come on, Tell the truth shame the Devil." I was just getting ready to take the pitchers into the kitchen when she said that and I just had to set them down then I asked, "Can I give you a hug!?!?" Then I started tearing up and she yealled, "What... What??? Don't do that beacuse you're going to make me cry!" But I just couldn't help it! That is something me and my mother use to say all the time and she just reminded me SO MUCH of her!!! It is so Amazing how God shows us that he IS real!!! I love Him for all of His Jealousy, and His Mysterousness!!! Ebonie said something to me that will stick with me forever, until!... She told me, "...And you bet not forget her either, you here me?!!? No matter what happens you remember your mother!" I just want to Thank God for Grace, Beacuse I would have probably never had this opportunity!

until then...
Peace
Tytus Larue James Gibson-Jackson

Light My Fire

Louie's post was on my mind at the Samaritan House last night. I thought about how much I was actually helping these men by scooping peaches onto their plates. Am I really making a difference? This isn't to say that the peaches don't need to be scooped, or that I am there to be sure that I, personally, make a difference. But I couldn't help but be challenged to do more. These men so obviously need more than peaches, or dinner for that matter. I don't know what else I can or should do, but if I can and should do more, I've been praying that God would show me what that is. I've talked to Louie and Kevin about having a few people come over from Lydia to Samaritan House. Mckenzie noticed that when there is a bigger more homogeneous group there that the atmosphere can be more joyful and not as lifeless. I really don't know how to serve the men better, but we can all pray that God would show us.

While we were waiting for some people to meet at the park, we saw a guy doing some crazy fire dance at the park across the street, swinging these chains with fire balls at the end. He and a woman he was with were practicing for a party they were going to, and it was only his second time ever doing it. It was so random and cool. When the woman started twirling a fire hula-hoop around her waist I thought it would be a good time to get my camera. Louie said what I think all of us were thinking "This is why I love Long Beach!!"

My Brother's Keeper (Film Festival)

My Brother's Keeper from Wisdom Morm on Vimeo.

Wisdom
Visit my blog: In The Idle

Hipster video (from our Film Festival)

One Hipster Finds Himself from Ryan Bestelmeyer on Vimeo.

I can't stop thinking about last Tuesday...

I was talking to a friend this morning and telling him the story of the college group’s recent serving at the Lydia House. I told him how it was my first time, and that while I was a little nervous about what to talk about with the women, that God opened up doors in amazing ways; that by the end of the night a woman walked up to Tytus and I and hugged us with tears in her eyes. 3 hours earlier I had no idea she even existed. I have almost nothing in common with her, and yet there we were, just kickin it together as if we had known each other for years.

The friend I was telling this to said that it reminded him a story in Luke 10. It’s about when Jesus went to this village and was welcomed into the home of two sisters, Mary and Martha. When Jesus showed up, Mary immediately sat at his feet and ate up every word he was saying, while Martha worked tirelessly organizing and cleaning and making the meal for them. Martha gets frustrated that Mary isn’t helping, and complains to Jesus about it.

So Jesus looks up at Martha and says, “Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Hearing these words really made me think… I wonder how often I’m too occupied by doing what I think is Jesus’s work, and how often I miss out on what’s most important – relationships marked by love. How many times do I busy myself with “serving,” when what people really need most is just to be listened to?

I wonder, how many times have I gone to work for Jesus and missed out on simply being him to the people I’m serving?

It hit me hard how easy it can be to get caught up in serving and doing good things and still not address the deepest needs people have. We all long to be truly known, to be loved, to be heard and feel like we’re valuable. Serving is something Jesus calls us to do, and it’s beautiful when the people of God are actively living out his will and his heart. In that story about Martha and Mary, it seems that there is more to our serving than just doing good works. It’s about relationships. I can make a meal or paint a fence or clean a room for someone, and while that’s great, it seems that Jesus wants more. At the end of last Tuesday night, a few of the women asked if we could come back and just spend time with them on a night that’s not our specific serving night. They were asking for relationships.

I don’t ever want my deeds or serving to be an event. I don’t want to view the beautiful women at Lydia House as a project. I want to know them. I want to share life with them. When I’m not there serving, I want to not be able to get them off of my mind. I want to be Jesus to them, and to want nothing in return. I want to know their names, know their stories, know their laughs and learn from their lives. I want to love them recklessly.

I'm so excited for God to continue to use our group; for his grace to flood our hearts, and that he would overwhelm us with an uncontrollable love for not only these women but each other as well!

Snow Jump Fun

Hey guys!  Okay so I know this is pretty late but I made a video of some of you guys jumping off a snow ramp during our winter retreat in Arrowhead.  I don't know about you guys, but I had a blast and I can't wait until we get to do this again.  More to come but enjoy this video for now!


Snow Jump Fun from Wisdom Morm on Vimeo.

Samaritan House 3/2

Serving at the Samaritan House usually consists of a predictable cycle of setting tables, serving food, clearing tables, resetting them, and eventually cleaning the kitchen and dining room. I usually get my 'game face' on and try to work as fast as I can, while being meticulous in how I do things - some call me a perfectionist or if they are really blunt they just tell me I'm anal (I often straighten the place-settings that other people set in order to make them as symmetrical as possible).

Anyways, I had the job last night of receiving the dirty dishes and organizing them for the dishwashers. At certain points in the night, when everyone is getting up and giving me their dirty dishes, I am working as fast as I possibly can. In the midst of my busyness, I try to be polite and nice to people, saying "thank you" or "good night," but I'm still working as fast as I can - with little time to notice what it going on around me or who it is even that I'm serving.

At one point a guest cut in front of another man at the last second to give me his dishes, and then ran off in a hurry. The man who was cut off happens to be an amazing reggae musician, and he said to me, "we're always in such a hurry..." I nodded agreeingly, thinking about how the man who cut in front of him lived such a hurried life. How sad for that man... And back I went to work.

The reggae musician thought he was only addressing the man who cut him off. What he didn't realize is that through him, perhaps God had a word for me.

Lydia House 3/2

With tears in her eyes, she came up to Louie and Tytus and said "You bring so much joy to this house." She could not stop hugging the two of them. What a beautiful image.

The previous week we did a valentines day theme and made some special desserts. The decorations went over really well and seem to create more of a homey atmosphere. One that consisted of boning and fellowship. So a few of us in the group decided that is something that we wanted to continue and it seemed to go great again. Amber said that in the study, the women instantly opened up and began sharing.

Tracy, the house manager, said that sometimes she just really wishes that we would be able to sit down more often and eat with them women get to know them more rather than 'working'. I think that is something for our group to consider. Could be as easy as having less people in the kitchen socializing less and more eating, or a suggestion was actually to have some of our group come in on the tuesdays we have college group, eat dinner, socialize and then head over in time for college group. What do you guys think??

Let's continue to praise God for the opportunity to do His work

Here are a few pictures..
some cards ashley made that were put at each place setting



some cards that the kids made in a craft and were given to their mom


a cake andrew made for valentines day

Concerning our serving...

One important aspect to our serving together 2x a month is to engage in an ongoing process of reflection and prayer. The reason for this is that it takes disciplined and sustained reflection to discern where God is at work in, among, and around us, as well as where he is not at work. Without eyes to see where God is at work, serving at LBRM or Precious Life can quickly become just another task to do, just another obligation that we can't escape.

Towards this end of cultivating eyes to see God, I would like every serving team to post something by the very next day (Wednesday 5pm) on this blog. You can tell a funny story. You can tell us the basics of what you did. You can tell us where you saw God at work (even in a small way). You can tell us where we need to be praying for God to work. You can even just offer a reflection upon what serving at Precious Life/LBRM has meant to you, or something God has taught you in the process.

You don't have to be a writer. It doesn't have to be polished. It doesn't have to change the course of history. It just has to be a blogpost concerning your particular time serving, and it has to be posted by the next day at 5pm. Every time you serve, you can rotate around your team, having someone new post each week. Let the conversation begin!!!

Welcome to Our Blog!!

This blog is designed to be a place for dialogue within our community. We welcome your insights, reflections, thoughts, and questions.