If this were only true. Please come to LA Mr. Torre. Would it not be fitting for you to come and experience the other side of baseball and put a team originally from the other coast back on the map when it comes to baseball? By the way Joe? Have you ever had a dodger dog???? To have you coach the next generation of Dodger kids and for my kids to watch you and the dudes in blue would rock the baseball world! Mr. Little I have no doubt Joe will keep you around. Don’t fret!

When I should be finishing my sermon I came across this for motivation. I think this would be a great way of keeping in touch with people in the church.

ht: Thanks Steve

I had the opportunity to meet Steve a few years ago and heard him preach at his church and really enjoyed his preaching and his style of leadership. The man can preach good news! The guy gets it! Here is a recent sermon he preached at his church about the kind of church Jesus would join and the illustration below is something I think summarizes well the kind of church we all should strive for in the kingdom of God.

I came across this story about Clarence Jordan, who was instrumental in founding
Habitat for Humanity. He visited an integrated church in the Deep South. He was
surprised to find such a large church so thoroughly integrated not only black and white,
but rich and poor. So he asked the old hillbilly preacher, “How did you get the church this
way?” The preacher said, “Well, when our preacher left our small church, I went to the
Deacons and said, ‘I’ll be the preacher.’ And the first Sunday, I opened the book and read, ‘As many of you as has been baptized into Jesus has put on Jesus, and there is no longer any Jews or Greeks, slaves are free, males or females, because you is all one in Jesus.’ “Then I closed the book and said, ‘If you one with Jesus, you one with all kinds of folks, and if you ain’t, you ain’t.”
So Jordan asked what happened after that and the preacher said, “Well, the Deacons took
me into the back room and told me they didn’t want to hear that kind of preaching any more.”
Jordan asked, “What’d you do?” He said, ‘I fired them Deacons. I preached that church down to four people. And not long after that it grew and grew and grew. And I found out that revivals sometimes don’t mean bringing people in, but getting people out who don’t love Jesus.’ (William H. Willimon, Eating and Drinking Among the Lost, Pulpit Resource, Vol. 35, No. 4, Year C, p. 24)

My kids asked me once, “Dad, were you ever on the principals list or honor roll?” My response, “No, I think I was on the custodians list?”

This week is parent teacher conferences for the kiddoes.

And as parental units we are very pleased to say the kiddoes rocked. Bring on those cheesy cool bumper stickers that say my kids rock at their school!!!

My other favorite question from the kiddoes, “Dad, did you ever get straight A’s?”

Here ends my post on grades and kids.

Amen. Found this on Mark’s site. Continued prayers for the Malibu Church.

“To clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against the disorder of the world.”
Karl Barth

ht: Juan

Where we live in West Palmdale it looks like someone dropped a bomb on the other side of the mountains. My son said that one of his buddies relatives lost their home in Santa Clarita. Prayers for the people affected by the loss and prayers for those fighting the fires.

The pastor exhibiting a heart for the people within the context of a small or large church ministry will only help ensure the success, stability, and longevity of the pastor. The requirement for the pastor is to some how master the gift of empowerment in his or her context for ministry. An understanding of the community the pastor has entered, its cultural surroundings, and a historical reference point for the way ministry has been implemented within the life of the church will only lead to a greater understanding for how the pastor is to equip and empower the people of God for kingdom work and to master the gift of empowerment. Vision for how ministry is accomplished and the ministry of sending as outlined in the New Testament is than carried out with purpose.

phew.

Pray for Pastor Greg, Pastor Michael, and Kristi and the staff and leaders of the Malibu Presbyterian Church as their church building was lost today in the Malibu fires.

The church I pastor was charted in 1931 by the Los Angeles Presbytery. After meeting in a local elementary school for a few years the church saved enough money to buy some land and folks from the community and the church finally built the first building sometime in 1942.

There are a variety of persons that the church attracts and many who’ve attended for several years. Many in the church have worshiped together through several pastoral transitions. There was a time that the church was pastored only by part-time pastors and in the mid 80’s was able to hire the church its first full-time pastor. Everyone from retirees, insurance industry folks, accountants, shop owners, a farmer or two, school teachers, a fireman, and some contractors to those who are unemployed and in need are among the folks who’ve joined the church and have worshiped regularly together for years.

The church sits on the highway and often because of where the church is located there will be the occasional person stopping by needing food or some gas money. As with other small communities the town itself deals with its share of issues. Drug addiction and alcoholism are among the many. The church has a wonderful ministry led by many volunteers twice a month serving as a community food bank. Just this last Tuesday there were 52 families served. The food bank is part of the Los Angeles County Regional Food Bank

The community of Littlerock is roughly 40 percent Spanish speaking according to one source. We host a Spanish speaking community church every Sunday evening, a church that is part of the Covenant church. The desire that the church has had along with the presbytery is that we reflect the community we serve and one of the ways in doing this is by sharing the buildings in which we worship Christ together as one Church. We recently helped send off a Hispanic New Church Development to begin meeting on their own in a new building in Littlerock.

We have a wonderful ministry to the youth of the community. One of our leaders for several years now has led our youth ministry and along with the church has placed a high importance on loving kids as Jesus loves kids.

Here is some additional history of the community itself:

Nestled among the rolling foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, in the northern part of Los Angeles County just an hours drive from the bustling metropolis of Los Angeles, is the small agricultural community of Littlerock. Graced by four seasons, with snow in the winter, 100 degree heat in the summer, the beauty of blossoms and ripening fruit in the spring, and the changing color of leaves in the orchards in the fall, all accentuated with the year-round majesty of the native Joshua trees, Littlerock is truly a place of natural splendor.

The territory was occupied by peaceful tribes of Piute and Runner Indians until the mid 1860’s when the first settler moved in, bringing a flock of sheep and building an adobe home along the creek. When he was killed in 1886 by a grizzly bear, his place became a refuge for bandits.

In the 1890’s a settlement was started that was to become the foundation of Littlerock. The settlers planted 2000 acres of almond trees. The trees were early bloomers, and the sometimes unpredictable cold weather destroyed most of the crop. A few of the settlers had also planted pear trees, but these thrived and lived on to start the legend of the pear belt. A few almonds can be found today, but most have been cut for firewood. In 1901 the first ton of pears was shipped to the Mott Market in Los Angeles for $40 per ton F.O.B. Palmdale.

The first business in Littlerock was a blacksmith shop opened in 1890. The area at that time was called Alpine Springs Colony. In 1892 it was changed to Tierra Bonita by a developer, and in 1893 the town became Littlerock and the first post office was established. The first general store was opened in 1894, but failed after the first year because there were so few people living in the area.

A school was started in a shed in 1911, with the first school house opening on March 13, 1913. The one room school served until 1923 when two rooms were added. Keppel Union School District was formed in 1922.

In 1914 the first library was formed in the old stone house still standing on 77th St. East and Pearblossom Hwy. The county supplied 222 books. In its first year of operation, the library lent books out 577 times to a total of 47 cardholders. The library moved to its present location on 80th St. in 1999, and lends up to 25,500 books annually.

To serve the irrigation needs of the orchards, Littlerock Dam was built in 1924. The dam is an Eastwood cement multiple arch buttress dam and is one of several built in the Western U.S. It is considered a historical architectural monument. It is located in the Angeles National Forest adjacent to Littlerock and serves as a recreational facility for off-road vehicles, fishing, boating, equestrian trails and camping. This is a popular retreat and can be enjoyed year-round.

The Littlerock Chamber of Commerce was founded in 1949 after serving many years as the Antelope Valley Landowners Association. In 1950 three members of the newly formed Chamber went to Sacramento and made such an impressive appeal that they received funding to build the bridge over Littlerock Creek on the west side of town. The Chamber continues to serve the needs of the local businesses as well hosting various community events for the residents.

Littlerock is the largest un-incorporated community in the Antelope Valley and is known as “The Fruit Basket of the Antelope Valley.” The town is a series of orchards and homes and the highway is lined with fruit stands, U-pick orchards and small businesses that serve the needs of local residents as well as the high volume of tourist traffic. Littlerock has 3 elementary schools, 1 middle school and 1 high school to serve not only our local children, but the surrounding areas of Pearblossom, Juniper Hills and Lake Los Angeles. A junior college is now being planned for the area as well. There are two county operated parks to serve the needs of the community. Littlerock has numerous churches of many denominations. HT: Littlerock, CA

More to come.