Wrapping up 2007

Great day today. We got to see our good friends Dan and Marcia, along with their oldest daughter Amy (visiting from NYC). Over the past seven years, we've come to really love Amy and her sister Jill and it was a great privilege to see her with Dan and Marcia. We later shared dinner with our long-time friends, Doug and Susie. Over 34 years, Doug and Susie have loved us unconditionally and often been the voices of reason when parenting nearly got the best of us.

Looking back on this year is pretty interesting.

- In March, I graduated from Cal Poly Pomona with a Bachelor's degree in Animal Science
- In May Sherry started work as a nurse in the ER at Long Beach Memorial
- In June we moved from the Cal State Fullerton Alpha Chi Omega sorority house (where we'd been house parents) to Long Beach
- In June I started work at bigger dot in Long Beach
- In August I began work on an MBA in International Development at Hope International University
- More to come later . . .
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Community: is it Madness?

I just finished reading chapter 4 (online here) in Soul Graffiti about Emperor Arcadia. My emotions really took me by surprise when, after reading how he had tried to commit suicide and Mark and Joseph had visited him in the hospital, I actually, uncontrollably, burst out in tears! This is something I haven't done for years!

It wasn't that Mark had visited him, or that the Emperor lived through the ordeal, but it was as I read on and Mark explained to the hospital psychologist (who couldn't figure out why Mark and Joseph would care about a filth-creased, drug-addicted, mentally unstable indigent) ". . . that Joseph and I [Mark] were part of a small church community trying to imitate the example of Jesus by making friends with lonely people. 'That sounds like the kind of church I would love to join,' she replied."

It's also the kind of church I want to belong to. And if such a church doesn't exist, don't we need to BE it? This is an example of a part of what I think Lou is longing to see expressed here in Long Beach . . . How amazing would it be to serve as a catalyst for Grace, inviting others to join us in this Way of living that impacts people where they live and forces them to confront fears and stereotypes and maybe even their own selfishness? How can people who call themselves followers of Jesus fail to see that this is a key component of following Him? How did Sherry and I miss it for so many years?

The Road

Weight of darkness teased by scents of light. What was the purpose? To get there. Oh. So there is a reason for the journey? Sure. Okay. I just wondered. Oh. Literary feet wrapped in metaphor. Coughing over the tyranny of the road. Footprints in ashes vanishing with each step. Wondering. Breathing Papa’s protection underneath the evil smelling blanket. Are we going to die? Not today. Maybe soon? Maybe. Okay.

I loved the discussion. I loved the style of the writing. I hated the story. With a structure unlike any I’ve ever experienced, Cormac McCarthy masterfully sequences a compelling tenderness within a wicked journey by a father and his son in an apocalyptic tomorrow. No names, short sentences and plotless, It was grayscale punctuated by explosions of literary grandeur, each one a new siren leaping at you and almost instantly evaporating leaving you breathless, and seducing you into the hunt for the next. Rick, is it one you’d recommend? Of course. Okay.

Community

We had a great dinner last night. Carrie & Jason and the boys, Denis, Daniel & Mandy. Usual craziness with a 4-year-old and almost-2-year-old. Lots of rice on the floor. Maybe we should ixne on the pomegranate seeds in the salad? Several pieces under the table on the white carpet; not so pretty - and not so easily removed (until I busted out the Pure Erase:-). Chuck and LaFonda would be proud.

What was really cool was our discussion over the meal about community. Seems everyone wants to experience it, but no one is really sure what it looks like. The questions revolved around whether it might be a physical thing . . . or might it be a spiritual and/or emotional thing as well. One of the items had to do with being in a safe place where people can speak into your life. It's something that doesn't happen often or easily. It takes time. It takes risking. We talked about how living in close proximity allows for people to share both their stuff and lives more easily. I do know that whatever it is . . . Sherry and I want in!

The Long Beach Armada

My hunch is that your first response is NOT, “What a cool name for a baseball team.” Nonetheless, that is exactly what it is – a semi-pro baseball team whose home park is Blair Field in downtown Long Beach. We were treated to a special game tonight, in which the Armada defeated the Orange County Flyers in a come-from-behind victory. You’d think that fantastic offense and dazzling defense are what made the event special. Not even close; it was the announcement between the 8th and 9th innings, “We’re sorry to inform you that due to City Noise regulations, we will start the fireworks show . . . right now. We’ll finish the game after the fireworks!” It was 9:55 pm and the game wasn’t done – but the fireworks had to be complete before 10:00 pm. A few seconds later, the fireworks started – all the lights still on in the stadium – and at 9:59, the fireworks show was done. 4 stunning minutes of pyrotechnics muzzled by stadium lights. End of evening, right? Hardly. Still one more inning to go!

There has to be a message here. Maybe something about planning? Or about things not ending up quite like you thought they would? Or perhaps its nothing more than a reminder that at times, life is absolutely hilarious and the unexpected is what gives life such texture and flavor. Drink it up.

Mission, Vision, Values

Wow! What a mouthful. So we spent time on working out what the Mission and Vision might say - and now we're working on articulating the values that define the Mission and Vision. Wait a minute! Isn't that a little backward? I thought values define Mission and Vision. Seems like we got just a bit out of sync here. I think what might be appropriate is to really define the key values - and then see how the Mission and Vision flow out of them.

I actually think this is a wonderful process for our church. So far, this is what it looks like:

Mission Statement:

A Community of the New Creation, living out of the gospel, for the flourishing of all

Vision Statement:

Catalyzing a global movement of the gospel that begins by impacting 40,000 people with the gospel by 2015.

I like the Mission statement. I'm so-so on the vision statement. One change I'd make to the Mission statement is to take the "of" out of the phrase, "living out of the gospel," changing it to "living out the gospel." The first seems a bit passive - the latter more active.

I really like the global aspect of the Mission statement. Uganda (or Burkina Faso) is just a bit more global than simply Long Beach or LA. Can I get an Amen here?

Orbiting the Giant Hairball

At first I thought the book was going to really be cheesy. Then I started reading. Gordon Mckenzie was for years one of the prime creative forces behind Hallmark. His stories are hilarious, but they also drive you to introspection. The premise is that creativity isn't some special talent or gift, reserved for just "the creatives," but that it is something we're all born with - but that gets stolen from us by life.

The hairball is a layering of "the ghosts of past creative successes," which seduce us into trying to repeatedly replicate them - which of course never happens like we want or expect. Orbiting is, at least in the corporate world, identifying the main goal of an organization and finding ways to reach it, but without getting caught up in "the way it's always been done before." Operating on the periphery, yet remaining true to an ultimate vision or goal.

I think that's what we need to do in reaching the poor. So far, all the grand strategies of the IMF and World Bank haven't had much of an impact. World aid so far is a giant hairball! Let's orbit and see how we might impact even a small piece! The Batwa pygmies are still on the verge of extinction, but we can play a part in keeping that from happening! See you on the fringe!

Mac the Barber

OK, so Adam came and ran with me this afternoon. He’s a rabbit. I have this 4.06 mile run – not a 4 mile run – it’s a 4.06 mile run. Anyway, we (Matt and Sherry and I) normally run it in 38 - 40 minutes. Today Adam and I ran it in 36 minutes. So you think only 2 minutes less isn’t a big deal? You try it! Took me about an hour before I could breathe reasonably normally again (got asthma . . . no wonder).

Had a great conversation with Mac today. Mac is my barber. He’s all tatted up, with tattoo mags filling his shop. Really a nice guy, but upset about the “illegals” coming in to “take our stuff.” I asked him if he ever looked at life through the eyes of a poor person. He hadn’t. Asked him if he’s ever visited someone who has a dirt floor, no windows – only blankets covering the openings, no door – only a blanket. He hadn’t. I suggested he was upset because he was white and male – and saw life through that filter. When I left after my 30 minutes and $14 he shook my hand and said he enjoyed the conversation. I can’t figure out why. Everything I said was contrary to what he said he believed – or at least what pissed him off. Maybe next time we’ll get more time to chat.

Saturday morning

The dinner party was cool. The living room was really hot (this morning I found the radiant heat in the living room turned up to full blast. it was about 90 when I got up) Conversations. Lots of them . . . about Siberia, about downward mobility. About whether Creation was a literal or figurative 6 days. About LAPD. About Trader Joe's latest great cheap wine (Santa Ema). About what it means to live out the gospel as families with kids running all over, turning on the heater without the adults knowing it and wondering why it was so hot in the room LOL!

Dinner Party

Should be fun. 9 adults and 7 kids in a 2-bedroom apartment (or condo. whatever). We're hosting the Nesbitts, Swansons, Princes and a new friend named Dennis (won't know his last name until after dinner). Getting ready is fun, despite the fact I ripped off a toenail trying to move a table from the kitchen to the dining room. Whats amazing is we actually have enough room to do this deal.

Living out the Gospel isn't convenient, but it is right. Sometimes what's right isn't easy. Or convenient.

Waisted

Its 5:30 am and Matt is coming shortly to join me in my regular 4.06 mile run. Not 4 miles. 4.06 miles. On Monday of this week, Sherry bought me a couple pairs of new pants for my birthday. She called me at the office and I confirmed, 38 x 32. Problem is that when I got home and tried them on . . . yeah, too tight. No way am I giving in and exchanging them for 40's instead of 38's. I'm not going to waist my life any more!

All right, so its been almost a year since I last posted here. . . and a lot has happened in that year! I took a 2 1/2 year hiatus from full-time work after 25+ years in the flooring industry to go back to school (Cal Poly Pomona), from which I just graduated with a BS in Animal Science! Ultimately Sherry and I are still headed for Africa, where we'll be involved in microdevelopment for marginalized people. I know Animal Science is a long ways away from flooring, but it is an interest I've had for decades and finally decided to pursue. It fits because the microdevelopment projects will be focused on using meat animals - like goats - as the basis for creating an economic infrastructure for people living in grinding poverty with little hope and usually no advocates.

Sherry is working as an RN in the ER at Long Beach Memorial Hospital. I'm working with a company that does cross-media communications (includes custom printing and marketing solutions). She's one year away from finishing a Masters in Nursing and I'm ready to start a new Masters in Intercultural Studies and International Development. My program is a joint effort between Fuller Theological Seminary (the Intercultural Studies component) and Hope International University (the International Development component.) Its a 3 year program, but much of it can be completed online if we end up going to Africa sooner. We're now living in Long Beach, since our house in Huntington Beach is still leased to a wonderful couple, who have been there since we left for Pomona in September, 2005. Email me if you want or need our new address!

Until we head off to Africa, I'm really stoked about our involvement with a group in our church called "The Gathering." I'll write more about The Gathering later . . .