Meet Angel. The new addition to the family unit. Thanks Cindi!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bk0WI_If2wE]

Thank you volunteers! We had bunches of kiddoes! It was awesome!

Jimmy went home today to be with the Lord. Nothing in seminary really prepares you to confront life and death issues you face in pastoring a church until you actually walk with someone through their pain.

Working on some of my first reading assignments. Read this today from Eugene Peterson:

In taking “monestary” as a metaphor for “parish,” I found way to detach myself from the careerism mind-set that has been so ruinous to pastoral vocations and began to understand my congregation as a location for a spirituality maturing life and ministry.

The congregation is the pastor’s place for developing vocational holiness. It goes without saying that it is the place of ministry: we preach the word and administer the sacraments, we give pastoral care and administer the community life, we teach and we give spiritual direction. But it is also the place in which develop virtue, learn love, advance in hope-become what we preach. At the same time we proclaim a holy gospel, we develop a holy life. We dare not separate what we do from who we are.

A place for me to grow in Christ? BAM!

One of the many things I find myself doing on a Sunday morning is watching for visitors. In a small church it’s really easy to notice when someone is new. I’ve noticed that the hardest part sometimes is getting from the front to the back quick enough to say hello right after the sermon.

We recently invited a Spanish speaking congregation to rent space at our church for their worship services. I was introduced recently to the congregation during one of their services after 45 minutes of worship. I had wanted the church to know that we were partners in the ministry of the Gospel and wanted them to know they could feel at home.  I had asked the assistant pastor if he was going to translate making the assumption that every one present spoke Spanish only. He says, “no, they know English. I’ll translate if I need to.”

In light of this experience this is very interesting from a recent article from the associated press.

While churches from every imaginable tradition have been adding Spanish services to meet the needs of new immigrants, an increasing number of Hispanic ethnic congregations are going the other way - starting English services. It’s an effort to meet the demands of second- and third-generation Hispanics, keep families together and reach non-Latinos. Continue reading article here.

HT: Juan

When Jesus sends us out into the world, he sends us to places that either bring us joy or places where we will be challenged to grow in our faith. After finishing a week of vacation Bible school, I can’t help but hear the words of Jesus, “as the father sends me, I also send you…”

Ministry is a whole lot of sending sometimes. Every where you go and everyone you meet is an opportunity for giving and living like Jesus. I have to say that I was on the receiving end of grace this week as we concluded a week of VBS. I love watching kids move from that initial first day of, “what have I gotten myself in to,” to singing goofy VBS church songs, which yours truly always enjoys doing. (I will be singing “whose side are you leaning on” in my sleep for about a week in my dreams) I especially enjoyed our celebration this evening when the kids whose parents had showed up for an end of week BBQ wanted to sing the songs for their parents. It was awesome and refreshing. I especially enjoyed watching the adults give of their lives in a way where one adult made a comment to another, “now what am I going to do now that VBS is over?”

I have no doubt they experienced what I experienced in receiving grace from a bunch of kids who were challenged at the beginning of the week to do just one thing…just have fun. The joy in being sent by God is knowing that even when we are sent to places that either bring us joy or challenge us that God has a way of renewing our hearts for for his purpose. Even when and if we’re feeling spent after a week of goofy VBS church songs, bible themed snacks, and loud ear piercing sounds and smells of kids just trying to enjoy the gift of being kids.

Blogging stinks right now. Not much happening. Went to Gilbert Arizona for a few days with the family. Nice little community there in Gilbert AZ. Gilbert has a few things I’m liking that California needs to get quickly…and that we loved.

1. lifetime fitness (a very cool gym with more televisions than best buy to work out to, a rock climbing wall facility, and an indoor/outdoor mini-water park and pool that we sat in and played for around four hours in 108 degrees of HOT sun) I’m sorry 24 hour fitness. When lifetime fitness comes to Cali…you guys are toast, we’re going lifetime.

2. PEI WEI- I loved Panda. I love Pick Up Sticks even more…PEI WEI will take over Pick Up Sticks fairly soon and I will love PEI WEI. Please come to the AV Mr. Pei Wei???? (We didn’t get to go, but drove by two stores I think…have come to learn PEI WEI is here in Cali…hurry up and come to the AV)

3. Wildflower Bread Company We had breakfast here and Panera Bread you rock with the all you can drink coffee and free WIFI…but these guys serve a cool little Honey-Cured Ham & Brie Frittata that was awesome and yes all you can drink coffee is happening at the Wildflower…

We are now back and ministry is happening this week in Littlerock! Another cool thing about my call as a pastor and that I get to help make happen….

VBS!!!! 15 kiddoes. It was pretty cool. I have to say that we have a cool church in that we have people who really do care about ministry and making sure that when kids come to the church that they are loved like Jesus loves them.

Four more days to go!!! Please pray for us as we try to reach kids for Christ in Littlerock! AND YES I get to play my guitar!!!

Young pastor I am. Wet behind the ears I am. I was left speechless today after a kind church member’s child helped pass some Vacation Bible School fliers out today at a park to a bunch of kids. When the child walked up to the kids to tell them about our VBS week, the child was confronted with a degrading remark made to the child that made the child cry and made the parents want to crawl out from under their skin. I walked up to the child who graciously tried to help pass out these fliers later on in the day and told him how happy I was that he helped the church pass them out. How do you as a pastor confront issues of difference between different groups of people? Especially in the 21st Century? What left me speechless was that this was on a day that we celebrate freedom and give God thanks that we can together live without fear of being ridiculed or put down because of our differences or in the way we look or sound.

We have a time in our service at church where we hear prayers of concern or praise. Let me take you back to our church this morning for this little bit of coolness…

Me: “Are there other prayers of praise or concern?”

Child 1 raising hand: “I’m going to Tahoe.” (Going with family member)

Child 2 raising hand: (Huge smile on his face as a he raises his hand) “My dad is taking me to see transformers.”

It was the cutest thing I’ve ever experienced in church and a reminder of the need for us big people to come to the Lord in prayer with a kids heart.