The Middle or Really, I'm Not Gay

Today was long. Very long. Over 20,000 steps long. That my friend, is a lot of steps. I know how many steps I took because my phone counts them. Don't ask me how, because I don't know, but it is awesome. And Magic. But lots of walking. The three guys who came out here to start the church prayerwalk the community 6 days a week. 6 days a week, they are out in the community, prayer walking. Praying God's will and power over these people, these houses, this community. They are wholly devoted to what God has called them to, and it drives them.

So today, we walked with them. We joined them in canvasing the area in prayer, and as we started, I really felt what they are up against. The spiritual oppression that these people live under and in was almost tangible. The enormity of it was almost overwhelming; that from where I stood, most of the houses and apartments that I could see were inhabited by people who don't know the Lord, and would spend eternity apart from Him. The workers are few. So very few.

So we prayed as we walked, for lives to be changed, hearts and minds to be touched. That God would be glorified. We passed out almost 4500 door hangers, and they mailed out 90,000 mailers advertising the Easter Egg hunt and the Easter Service. Statistical, the rate of return for mailers and door hangers is around 1%. But so far, the rate of return for their mailers and door hangers has been much, much greater than that, and we can thank God for that. That in the face of spiritual oppression, that there are those who are willing to sacrifice it all to follow God's leading, and that there are those who are willing to come alongside them, and support them with their gifts and services.

While we were passing out the door hangers at the trailer parks (the cost to rent one rivaled our mortgage payment) Rob was approached by two ladies asking what we are doing. He told them, and they said 'Oh' and complimented him on his bracelet. Rob for some reason thought that they thought that he was gay. So he told them that it really is a tool for sharing the gospel, but didn't really go into it. They were a little disappointed.

I probably shouldn't tell all these stories about him, but really, I'm not at all interesting.

Oh, I did make some comment about being nimble and quick, jump out of the car to close the back glass, and then slam my head against the car roof getting back in. Now I have this huge scrape on the top of my head. So, apparently, I'm just quick.

Chapter the Second: In Which our Heroes Go to the City

We had to be at the church this morning at 7am to start setting up for the 1030 service. Yeah, tons of fun. They setup from scratch and break down every single Sunday. This is what the gym looks like before they start. And this is what it looks like after it is done. They have a pretty slick setup, and they are crazy professional for only been holding services for 2 months. Most of the people who come to church are visitors, and the majority of them aren't Christians. Some of the people who serve in the church aren't even Christians, they just want to be part of the church. Pretty crazy. So we did a lot of manual labor setting everything up and breaking everything down.

Then we filled eggs with candy. A lot of eggs. We ran out of candy and ran to the SafeWay nearby and bought ALL their candy, and STILL didn't have enough candy. We are going to finish putting them together tomorrow I think, or something. They need to be done by Saturday. One thing I do know, is that if I could, I would love to live in San Fransisco. Look at this place! It was a gorgeouss day, and we saw break dancers. I totally was going to show them up, but Rob talked me out of it. Apparently, Jesus doesn't like show offs who are all frontin' and up in your grill. (Yes, that man is doing a backflip over two dude's arms.)

Tomorrow we are going on a prayer walk around 830, and then we are going to re-walk that same walk, but this time pass out doorhangers. I'm pretty sure that it isn't the most productive way to do that, but I'm not in charge. If I were in charge, we would do it dressed as Ninjas. Because, well, let's be honest, Ninjas are awesome. And Jesus is awesome. So... if A=B and B=C then.....

I think it is safe to say that I'll never be in charge of a mission trip.

Rob's Pleasure Journey vs. My Selfdeprecation

My day started with a trip to San Antonio, then to San Diego, then to San Jose. Then a quick car ride down the highway to Santa Clara. So many saints... I can't tell if this trip is blessed or ironic. Here's me waiting... how I spent the most of the day.

The run down: South Bay church is located at the south of the bay, obviously. It is in Silicon Valley, about an hour outside of San Fransisco proper. The Bay Area (area around the bay) has over 7 million people, with approximately 96% of that being unchurched. The South Bay area has around 2.5 million, with 95% unchurched. The other 5% are classified as: "Evangelical, Catholic, Mormon and Jehovah's Witness". Awesome. In the area around the school where the church meets, there are around 5,000 people in apartments. Within a 1 mile radius - 15,000 people; 3 mile radius - 77,000 people; 5 mile radius - 350,000; 7 mile radius - 784,000. 60% of the population is under 35 years old, 75% is under 44 years old. The last 5 or so church plants here that were affiliated with the Southern Baptist convention have failed after a few months, for various reasons.

For many people, this is the cultural hub of our generation. Facebook, Ebay, Google, Cisco Systems, and Sun Microsystems all have their headquarters here. So does Canon and some other giant corporations. This is a huge technological hub, and it plays a big role in forming our culture, and for the most part, it is unreached by the message of hope that is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

So, here we are. Willing hands and feet, hoping to do our part to spread the news about a church that is passionate and loving, that is in the midst of this community, bringing hope and love to a community that by and large, hasn't heard about hope and love. The opportunity for cultural influence and change that South Bay church has here is enormous, and Andy, Filipe and Archie are all burdened with the desire to see God glorified and change brought to the hearts and minds of this community. It is with expectant hearts and eager hands that we join with them in their ministry for this week. May the Lord bless the work of our hands, and your sacrifices.

Ok, serious stuff is out of the way, on to the goofy. This is a classy neighborhood people. Classy with a C, not a K. Imagine Firewheel Mall, but with million dollar homes and a school by it. Here's some pictures: The school and the field are near the shopping center/hotel area, which is on the corner of the whole neighborhood area. Imagine Firewheel Mall, but with all the area around it with the nicest looking homes you've ever seen. Apparently, the median income for the area is over $100k. So, it is important to understand that our hotel, in this area, is really nice. It has a HD tv in the room. And a pool/spa/hot tub. So... we are really roughing it. Really. I told Rob, "It isn't a mission trip unless you have a chance of catching malaria." Rob said, "I didn't bring you on a mission trip, I brought you on a Pleasure Journey." Which, in addition to being an unfortunate turn of phrase, has also become our theme.

Our plans for tomorrow include setting up and breaking down the church in the school, and then taking the rest of the afternoon off to sight see and relax (this usually happens at the end of the trip, but for us, it is at the beginning. See above under: Pleasure Journey). Monday and Tuesday we are stuffing Easter eggs (they had 2,500 people at the Easter Egg hunt last year), passing out 6000+ door hangers, and making gift baskets for the teachers at the school. Rob and I were talking, and it seems like we aren't 'doing' a whole lot on this trip, at least, nothing that seems like it justifies the expense of sending us here, especially for me, since it wasn't my money. I hope that I'm just being dumb, and not seeing the big picture, and I pray that the Lord blesses the staff of South Bay and the people of this community by your gifts and our service. I've never been in a position before where my opportunity to serve God has been the direct result of fellow believer's gifts. Thank you, and I hope its worth it.

Dorothy and the Fish

Have you seen the commercial for Microsoft that shows the adorable little girl emailing a picture of her fish to all her family? Isn't it cute and sweet? And terrifying? I think that is the most frightening commercial I have seen in my entire life. What could be worse than little children with the ability to take pictures, and then send them out? Obviously, someone with kids thought it was a good idea, but they are wrong. So very wrong.

Think for a moment if you will, what two 5-7 year old boys could do with a camera, a computer, and unobserved free time. I submit to you, that within 15 minutes, they could destroy their parent's lives. Doesn't Outlook automatically fill in email addresses? How would you like your boss to see that photo they snagged of you plunging the toilet? Or stepping out of the shower? Or God-forbid, doing both at the same time while you are eating your shower-snack-sandwich?

People, I have seen the face of evil, and it is a camera-wielding child with WiFi.

Is it plagarism if know one knows where it comes from?

I have recently been exposed to Brett Dennen, if you don't know him, you can find him here:



I believe that Music : Today :: Poetry : Past. The zeitgeist is expressed through music and lyrics where it was once expressed through poetry and verse. This isn't absolutely true, but maybe true enough. So what's this young man saying? What is he expressing?

I believe that for each of us, we have what Weezer refers to here as 'Heart songs'


Here are some of my favorite heart songs:

"...there's nothing left but a cracking voice and a song of love, I wanna dance with you, I wanna see a world where people live and die with grace..."

"...Fathomless your endless mercy,weight I could not lift. Where do I fit in this puzzle,what good are these gifts? Not a martyr, or a saint, scarcely can I struggle through. All that I have ever wanted,was to give my best to you."

"...I'm waiting to give you whatever the world may bring I'd give you my life cause I don't own anything. It seemed like the bottom was all that I had until now I'd give you my life if you'd give me yours somehow."

"...Numb and broken, here I stand alone Wondering what were the last words I said to you Hoping, praying that I'll find a way to turn back time Can I turn back time? What would I give to behold The smile, the face of love? You never left me The rising sun will always speak your name..."

"...Do I see God in all of this, maybe all along It's just that we're so small, and simply not as strong Strong like wings of silver, and feathers made of gold To carry heavy hearts, to cover all our helpless souls To cover all of us Under wings of Gold and Silver sometimes we have to hide For shelter from this bitter winter at least tonight "

"I hear the heart is where the mind, And the body come together If so, mine’s been broken since the day I was born I’m tired of the divide And I’m not getting any younger How does it feel to be whole? To live – surrender this empty old resistance To live"

"...But I know as I hammered those nails into your beautiful hands Your eyes still try to search for mine, but I look awayNow your eyes are the only thing that can save me I'm still afraid of them piercing You're breaking into my prisonJust pretended for a while My soul is dyingI won't look away..."


So what are your heart songs?

You Know Who You Are...

To the girl who came and left, and came and left:
if you don't stop playing games, sooner or later time will run out, and you'll be the only one left still playing. You don't want to be alone which is why you kept coming back, but you are scared of the truth.

To the boy who's experimenting:
it's seductive and dangerous, you're poisoning your mind, body and soul. Stop playing with fire.

To the girl who played volleyball:
don't be scared. You're stronger than you know.

To the ones who loved, and weren't afraid:
Thank you

To the woman who made it possible:
Thank you. My body and soul are for you.

The Vending Machine Broke My Heart

I love where I work. For many reasons, two of which are: Free coffee and $.25 cokes. Free coffee is a big one, a huge one. I can't overstate that. But that isn't what I want to talk about. It is the vending machine. The $.25 vending machine. You think that sounds like a good deal? You would be right. And wrong. Horribly wrong. The problem with it, is that it is such a good deal. People are always buying cokes. Specifically, Cokes. There are two things of Dr. Pepper, two Sprites, but only one Coke, so it tends to run out faster.

Today I thought to myself, "Hmmmm I need a drink to wash down that Delicious home-made chocolate chip cookie" (did I mention I like where I work)? So I grabbed a quarter, walked down the hall, opened the door, took two steps, and felt like I got punched in the stomach. There was that little red light, taunting me. My soul withered under its harsh demon-red glow. I slowly walked up and bought a Dr. Pepper, and it's cool liquid tried in vain to cool the burning disappointment in my heart.

How often do we treat God like the vending machine? We know what we want and walk up to it, and when we get something different, throw hissy fits? Or fight against it? Refuse the Dr. Pepper?