By His Grace

Westside Christian Church

Checked out a church today – Westside Christian Church in Long Beach. I had been introduced to it through a pastor’s prayer meeting a few months ago and had wanted to check it out ever since because their format intrigued me. They have a congregation made up of four main ethnic language groups – English, Spanish, Filipino and Samoan. At 9:45 they have “CommUnity” time where they share communion, offering, and prayer, then a short break for refreshments and fellowship before heading off to different rooms for worship and sermons in the various languages.

 

Sure enough when we arrived the room was a blend of ages and colors. We sang a couple songs in different languages – when it wasn’t English, I either followed along with the PowerPoint or just closed my eyes and listened to God’s children singing his praise. During the fellowship time, we met Pastor Jay and many very friendly people who, no matter what ethnicity, greeted us warmly. I’m not one to fill out the visitor card right away, but one gentleman greeter was so pleasant and insistent that he convinced me to do it! The message on spiritual gifts was very practical and Jay had his cell phone number on the screen in case people wanted to text him a question about what he was sharing. At the end of the service, 5 people got  baptized including one little girl who had been ready to jump out of her seat the whole service and whose smile was so big, I couldn’t help smiling back.  

 

Overall the impression was relaxed and family like – a good use of technology, but not with a slick marketing feel. They seemed to want to follow God and ready to accept anyone who he brought through the doors – very inviting and refreshing.

'Being' brings peace

Got back from Florida yesterday. We had a really peaceful time – Randy said it was the best visit to my family that we’ve ever had, and I agree. Best guess: no agenda. We didn’t have a long list of ‘To Do’ which meant we could relax and be present with each person, moving from house to house and gathering for dinners and movies (Hancock was engaging, Wanted was awful). Plus the weather was nice (for July!) with only one day of rain.

We fell in love with our little niece who turned one – had her birthday and I got to do the baby dedication. Such an honor (and I made my sister cry!) I really love my family, especially my sisters. I know not everyone has such a close bond with their siblings and I’m so thankful that we all get along so well. My Mom never had that and she worked hard to give us reason to be together. It certainly paid off as I’d do anything for them and they for me.

I have two weeks of summer class starting next Monday, and then August is open. Have no idea what I’m going to do, and yet I can’t explain the peace. God is so present whenever I stop and am still. I picked up “Come Be My Light” – a collection of Mother Teresa’s letters and find her story simply profound. I have so much to learn and am thankful for the examples of those fellow saints that have gone before us.

A New Stage

Yesterday was our last day at Revolution Church. Due to the trauma the church endured in the last few months compounded by a financial mess, my job was eliminated. Since both Randy and I are jobless at the moment, we are kind of waiting to see what God is up to.

 

I’m not a “prosperity” doctrine proponent that believes God always has “something even better for you.” Instead I have a doctrine of transformation – that God’s desire is to make me more like Christ which involves deep work in my heart and sometimes even suffering. That’s certainly not the popular Christian mantra at this point, but it’s very true in the lives of those ancient saints we read about in scripture. Yes God had a plan for them, but it often involved lion’s dens or skin boils or being driven away from your family.  

 

And so today begins a new stage of our Christian journey. My faith is still strong, even as my soul is sad. My hope does not waiver even though my heart breaks. I know of God’s love. And no matter what the future holds, I know the result: I will be more like Christ if I am willing to continue walking with him.

 

For those of you who want to be able to connect, here’s my personal e-mail address: mailforchristina@yahoo.com. I know that it will never be the same as it once was, but I don’t want to lose the relationships with my brothers and sisters in Christ. Regardless of where we are on Sunday mornings, together as God’s Church, we press forward towards our transformation and His glory.

She's here!

Our granddaughter, Ava Fallon Walker, arrived at 11:33pm on Wed 4/23, weighing 6 lbs 14 oz and measuring 20 1/2 inches long. Randy and I are so excited! Eddie, Randy’s son, got to help deliver her and Missy’s is doing great. The only down side is that they live a few hours south of Chicago where Eddie is in Med School. So we have to enjoy the pictures until we can hold her in three weeks. Pop and Gram (that's us!) can’t wait to go.

Surprise!

This past weekend Randy planned a surprise trip to celebrate my birthday. On Friday at about 11:00 we headed out to Palm Desert to hang out with our friends, Kenny and Lisa. They had invited us and 14 others to spend the weekend in a house her sister owns in place called ‘The Reserve’. With a beautiful courtyard, pool and spa, misters, and 10,000 sq/ft of space, it was like staying at a resort! Everyone brought food for a different meal and we ate non-stop.

On Saturday morning, we got up early (5:10am!) and drove to a Walgreens parking lot. OK very exciting. But then a van pulled up and took us to a field for a sunrise hot-air balloon ride! If you’ve never been, it’s worth it! Seeing everything from above gives a totally new perspective and the agriculture has such interesting patterns from above. At one point a group of cows saw the shadow of our balloon and started chasing it! I’m not sure if they thought they were being attacked or being fed. After a full day of naps and eating, I went to bed sad the weekend was over already.

But it turns out Randy wasn’t done yet. Sunday we headed to the clay courts to play some tennis. Clay is very different as it is easier on your body, plus the ball bounces a little differently. After one more meal, we cleaned up and headed towards home taking the 60W. When we ran into traffic, Randy told me we were taking a short cut, but actually, we were headed to the final surprise. A few minutes later, we pulled into the Perris Sky diving school and I got ready to jump out of a plane! It’s something I’ve wanted to do since well before I met Randy, but never seemed to have the chance. Well, it was amazing. Other than the brief moment when I first jumped out at 13,000 ft and my stomach freaked out, I loved it. After falling at 120+/mph for just under a minute, you pull the rip cord at 5,000 ft. For the next 5 minutes it’s like being suspended in air with a breathtaking view. When we finally landed, I put my feet straight out as did my tandem partner and we simply sat down on the grass. Since my partner was experienced, I felt safe because he had a vested interest in getting safely to the ground. All in all it was really cool. I’m not rushing out to do to again, but if the opportunity presented itself…

Randy, thank you for such an amazing weekend. Everything we did was great, but it was even better doing it with you!

Vanity

I just wanted to share a passage that God put on my heart.

Psalm 127:1-2

Unless the Lord builds the house,
   those who build it labour in vain.
Unless the Lord guards the city,
   the guard keeps watch in vain.
²It is in vain that you rise up early
   and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil;
   for he gives sleep to his beloved.^*

We must remember that God is the one who does the work of building our lives, our homes, and our church. And God is the one who protects us. If we try to do it on our own, we will be working in vain. The interesting thing about vanity is that it encompasses not only ineffectiveness, but also pride. When we try to create our own thing we demonstrate our pride in the midst of our worthless activity. Finally, if we are getting up early and going to bed late, feeling the anxiety of life, we are rejecting God’s love for us. He is not the one who causes anxiety; only our vanity can do that.

My prayer for myself and my church family is that God would replace our vain efforts with his peace and rest, so that our work is both successful and for his glory.

Thank God I’m alive!

Well it’s been awhile since I blogged, mostly because I’ve been spending time on the 605 freeway. This quarter I have a class in Pasadena on Mondays and Wednesdays. So I end up driving the entire length of the 605 from Katella to the 210 twice a week. Here’s what I’ve learned from this experience:

1.   If I had to commute this drive everyday, I’d have road rage.

2.   I’m thankful for my Mom who willingly talks with me to keep me calm during the drive.

3.   The 605 is one of the most dangerous freeways with a serious or fatal accident during at lease one of my commutes per week.

4.   I’m looking forward to the end of the quarter and do not want to do this again anytime soon.

Last Wednesday there was an accident in the morning that backed up traffic until 4:30 in the afternoon. As I finally passed the two cars that were 100 yards apart, both smashed up and one imbedded in the hillside, I was struck by how unpredictable life is. We humans love to plan for every contingency, organize every waking moment, and ignore the inevitable. Every time I arrive back at the office after class, I thank God that I am still alive and that he has given me one more day on this earth to love and enjoy life. And for sure, commuting is not the best way to enjoy life!

Got a couple more cool books!

What’s So Great About Christianity? by Dinesh D’Souza

This guy is a former White House domestic policy analyst and now works at Stanford University – he’s brilliant, but writes in a way you can understand. In this book he asks the questions “Is Christianity obsolete? Can an intelligent, educated person really believe in the Bible?” The result is a book that challenges the assumptions of both believers and doubters and affirms that there really is something great about Christianity. Randy and I couldn’t put the book down and gave them to our families as Christmas gifts.

Communicating for a Change by Andy Stanley

Here’s the hook from the dust jacket: “Great stories capture and hold an audience’s attention from start to finish. Why should it be any different when you stand up to speak?” And that’s what this book does! As it teaches you a strategy for giving captivating, practical talks, it holds your attention so that you don’t want to put it down until you reach the back cover. I’ve already started implementing what I learned and can see a huge difference in my ability to connect with the audience. It’s a great tool for anyone wanting to impact people’s lives though the power of communication.

Hope you enjoy them! I sure did.

Peace in rest

So often when most people (myself included) take vacation, it’s to do more stuff – run from this tourist sight to that tourist sight, this activity to that activity. But over the holiday break, Randy and I took a ‘do nothing’ vacation. On Christmas day we drove down to Mexico with Randy’s dad, Bob, and his wife, Francis. Rather than the typical tourist spot, we found ourselves in a pleasant town right in the middle of Mexico, where average families go about their lives.

Although Francis is a US citizen and has lived in Arizona for most of her life, her family is from Mexico. Last year she inherited the family home that is over 100 years old and has been spending time there restoring it. I’m not sure what I expected, but it’s in the middle of town on a main street. From the outside, it’s a wall with a three barred windows. When we pulled up, I was thinking “this is her hacienda?” But when I opened the door, I felt like I stepped into another world. The 14 foot ceiling of wood beams and polished bamboo is held up by three large arches with ornate columns. Beyond is a stone courtyard with fruit trees and potted plants. The house itself surrounds the courtyard and at the far end a passageway leads to another courtyard outside a second home they use for missions groups to rest on their travels.

For the next four days, we slept, ate, and rested. No rushing. No hurrying. No falling into bed at the end of the day exhausted. We took walks, read books, played dominos and cards, and enjoyed each other’s company. At first I felt a little guilty just hanging out. But God challenged me to think about rest as a crucial part of his plan for our lives. Although I love California with its change and movement, I certainly took pleasure in their rhythm of life. My hope for 2008 is to find peace in rest.

Tons of Toys

Last Saturday morning I got up sort of early for a weekend, threw on some jeans and a hat, and headed to a grocery store parking lot in Norwalk. Randy and I had decided to join Christopher and the team in passing out toys to kids for Christmas.

After setting up in one spot and then discovering that the truck was right in the path of the McDonalds drive through, we headed over to the other side of the lot where we’d have more space for the kids. One small problem – this guy on a bike was eyeing us suspiciously. Turns out he and his buddies use the parking lot to make drug deals – an event we got to witness a number of times throughout the morning. I have to admit – I’ve never actually seen the deals go down before – guess I’m a little, well, sheltered.

Anyway, once we got underway, the line never stopped. I hung out in the back of the truck breaking down boxes as the toys were unpacked and passed out. By the end of 3 hours, the front of my hoodie and the cuffs of my shirt were black! I had to coat them in Spray-‘n-Wash just to get them clean. But the families were so happy. In fact there were some dads who looked overwhelmed and came back to personally thank Randy for the toys – I think it meant so much to see their kids’ faces light up.

The most fun was passing out the “Garden Tools.” Along with the sports themes toys, there was a set of 4 kid sized tools – a rake, 2 shovels, and a push broom. Most kids passed right over it, so we decided to make an impromptu game – every time a child chose the tools, we’d all start cheering. It would get the attention of some other kid in the back of the line who’d want to know what the cool toy was. It was so fun! I guess it goes to prove that it doesn’t take much to entertain me!

At the end of the morning, we headed home in a great mood, so glad to have had the chance to bless the kids. And so grateful for all the blessings God gives us, his kids.