6.29.2005

Camp Pictures

Hi everyone, I just wanted to share a few picture from Camp. It’s so beautiful up here. I feel closest to God when I am out in the woods, experiencing the beauty of God’s creation firsthand, so I'm lovin' it!!!

Here are some of the activities at the camp:

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The Ropes Course. These are always fun. There is a leap of faith that’s new this year. They can pull it out to any length you want it. The guys keep trying to outdo each other. They’re getting the trapeze out to about 8 feet!!

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The Dune Buggy course is new this year too. These things FLY!!! I wiped out on one corner. All the kid’s laughed at me. Good times!!!

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This is the late night campfire service. They play a few team games, talk about what went on in service, and sing a few worship songs. Everyone comes back smelling like campfire smoke.

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The critters come out at night. Look at the size of this thing!!! The spots on the wings are reflective silver. So cool looking!

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This is one half of the auditorium. The musical worship times have gone really well. Did I mention that it’s SO LOUD in here? The kid’s sing out at the top of their lungs!!!

It’s going good. Thanks for your prayers for this camp!!!

6.28.2005

Camp ROCKS!!!

Hey they have internet!!! Who knew?!?! Camp is going great. There are the same old silly games that always happen at camps, and of course the evening services.
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Another thing that is really cool is that my old youth group is here!! A few faces from the past, including a couple of guys that were on my worship team back then!!
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It's been cool to hang out with these guys and jam a little bit. The musical worship has gone really well, and the kids seem to really be getting it. As soon as I start a song they just take over. They sing SO LOUD!!! There's almost 500 campers, so it's really loud in the auditorium. The speaker is pretty cool. I really like the way he ended the service last night. Instead of the usual "come to Jesus" altar call he sent the kids outside to find a spot in the midst of creation and have some personal time with God. Really cool. Sends the message that everyone can hear from God, not just the "professionals". I'll try to post later. Keep praying.

grace and peace, jimmy

6.26.2005

PRAY

I'm going to be out of town for a few weeks, and I'm not sure if I am going to be able to find an internet connection, so in the meantime I wanted to share with you a few prayer requests.
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A team of about 20 people from my church just landed in Cambodia. They are adding a kitchen facility to an existing orphanage that last year's team helped to build. They are also installing a well, and plumbing, as well as a septic system. This is a really awesome ministry in Cambodia. They employ widows to care for orphans. Thus, caring for the needs of both the orphan and the widow.

Sounds like true religion to me!

My friend Jim is going on the trip and will be hitting up the internet cafe so that he can blog about it.
CLICK HERE to check out the Cambodia trip blog.



UPDATE!!!

Thank you for your prayers! The team was able to complete their task!!!
CLICK HERE to see pictures of the Cambodia trip




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Request number two: I'm going up to the Yosemite area to lead worship for a week long high school camp. I'm excited about it. I would like to ask you to pray with me that true worship takes place. Not just church music. I pray that I don't get in the way of people worshiping because of anything I do, or don't do.
I don't want to be a distraction.

i must decrease, He must increase.

6.23.2005

Invitation: FOCUS

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A friend of mine Gina is hosting a time of worship, meditation, and reflection tonight. If you are in the Northern California area stop by and be a part.
CLICK HERE for pics from last time.
CLICK HERE for Gina's site.
CLICK HERE to email me for directions.

6.22.2005

the perfect rinse

I was reading THIS POST and laughing out loud, because it's frickin' funny. The post is about an unusual new method of bathing.
You should really CLICK HERE to read it yourself.

It had me laughing out loud, and trying to block out mental images, and it reminded me of the bidet.
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It made me think of the bidet but in reverse... no, no, that's not right. Kind of like an inverted bidet.
Read the story, you'll see what I mean.
The bidet has never really taken off in the good ol' USA but you can find them overseas quite a bit.
My first exposure to this lovely appliance was on a stopover in Casablanca, Morrocco. I was in a very nice hotel and it looked like they had two toilets. Except that one of them didn't flush, in fact it shot water out!!!
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When I first saw it I thought to myself, "Why on earth would anyone want a drinking fountain right next to their toilet?" It just seemed so unsanitary to me. Someone had to tell me what they were really meant to do...

awkward

So I was commenting on the post and I wanted to make sure that I spelled bidet correctly so of course I googled it.
Then I ran across THESE GUYS.
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Apparently, there is currently a market for premium bidets.
Who knew?
This company builds the guts of a bidet into a high end toilet seat.
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They come with all kinds of fancy gadgets, like heated seats, air conditioning, hydraulic seat lifters, a "convenient remote", and of course a powerful deoderizer.
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This thing is so advanced they even have a "pulsating massage enema" setting where the thingamujiggy actually moves around!!!
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OK, coupla things real quick...
Where are you going that you need a remote?
Does a pulsating massage enema really sound all that appetizing to you?
Do you really want air conditioning running across your bare ass?
And as for the hydraulic seat lifter... if you're too lazy to lift your own toilet seat you've got bigger issues to deal with!
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6.19.2005



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Happy Father's Day


6.15.2005

God Loves Fags

This past weekend a group of anti gay protestors flew from Kansas into Northern California to stage several protests. Among the sites they protested were the GLAAD Association awards ceremony, the Tracy High School graduation ceremony, and several Churches during Sunday morning services.

CLICK HERE to see a news report on the protests.

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They came from the First Redneck Church of the Self Righteous…
Oh no, wait, I might have gotten that wrong, oh yeah, here it is; they came from the Westboro Baptist Church, my bad. Anyway, they shouted slogans like, “God Hates Fags”, and, “Thank God for 9/11”. One of the men from the group shouted loudly, “AIDS is God’s judgment, you are doomed, America is doomed, GOD HATES YOU, GOD HATES YOU!!!!

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Members of Westboro Baptist stood outside Tracy First Presbyterian Church and shouted “God hates fags and God hates First Presbyterian Church” as the choir practiced “Oh Sing to the Lord” and “Gentle Shepherd” before service. Then the group from Kansas moved on to Grace Brethren Church. Randy, a member of Grace Brethren, was trying to describe to his children what was going on outside their church when the protesters started shouting at him. With his children standing by his side, Randy was told by members of Westboro Baptist that he was a child molester, then they accused him (in graphic detail) of a sexual act involving a cucumber.

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After a short stay at Grace Brethren the small group from Westboro headed across town to St. Bernard’s Catholic Church. They shouted “The Pope is in Hell!!” at the top of their lungs, holding up a picture of Pope John Paul II. As worshipers headed for morning mass the protestors yelled at them, “They rape little boys here, why do you hate your children?!?!?”

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At one of their protests they threw American flags on the ground and wiped their feet on them. Three young men were passing by and yelled at them saying, “How can you trample our flag while American soldiers are dying in Iraq and Afghanistan?” A young lady with a sign in her left hand that read "God Hates You", and in her right hand, "Thank God for 9/11" replied, “I’m glad they’re being killed over there, God hates this country. I thank God for those planes crashed into those buildings on 9/11. Not enough died."




To the more outspoken members of Westboro Baptist Church please stop talking for a minute and listen…


Go home. Please.

Please stop spreading your gospel of hatred. What you are doing is helping no one. When you spew hatred you define christianity to the world. You are telling the world that christianity is about hatred, not love, peace, faith, grace, hope and forgiveness.

You are the reason my stomach turns, and I break out in a cold sweat when a stranger asks me if I'm a Christian.


Please stop.


“This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again.”

John 3.16-17 the message

6.11.2005

year of jubilee


G8 reaches deal for world's poor

Slum in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea
The world's eight richest countries have reached a landmark debt relief deal to alleviate global poverty.

The move provides relief for poor, indebted nations, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa, freeing up much-needed revenue.

Announcing the deal at a meeting of G8 finance ministers in London, the UK's Gordon Brown said now was "not a time for timidity but a time for boldness".

The UK, which will host a summit of G8 leaders next month, has vowed to make poverty reduction a priority.

The plan, which was devised by the UK, secured the backing of the US administration on Friday - paving the way for its adoption at the London meeting.

Conditions

Under the deal, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the African Development Fund will immediately write off 100% of the money owed to them by 18 countries - a total of $40bn (£22bn; 33bn euros).

Between them, it will save those countries a total of $1.5bn a year in debt repayments.

UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown said up to 20 other countries could be eligible if they meet targets for good governance and tackling corruption.

The total package - which needs to be approved by the lending institutions - could be worth more than $55bn.

"We are presenting the most comprehensive statement that finance ministers have ever made on the issues of debt, development, health and poverty," Mr Brown said.

He added that the plan set the stage for July's G8 summit, where world leaders intend "to forge a new and better relationship, a new deal between the rich and poor countries of the world".

US Treasury Secretary John Snow hailed the agreement as "historic".

No apologies

Relief groups welcomed the plan as a step in the right direction - but said some it should be extended to cover more developing countries.

"The debt deal is very good news forpeople in the 18 countries that will immediately benefit," said Romilly Greenhill of ActionAid.

"But it will do little to immediately help millions in at least 40 other countries that also need 100% debt relief."

Earlier John Nagenda, an adviser to Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, told the BBC it was time for rich nations to deliver on their promises.

"I should be more apologetic and say please help us but where I come from we believe that if you are better off than someone else you help them. It's as simple as that - it's a moral duty."

The G8 countries are the United States, Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Russia.

Twenty-seven countries are eligible for debt relief under the HIPC (highly-indebted poor countries initiative). The 18 that have reached completion point, and will therefore qualify for immediate debt relief, are shown in bold:

Benin, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Guyana, Honduras, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania,Mozambique, Nicaragua, Niger, Rwanda, Sao Tome, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia

DEBT RELIEF PLAN
Debts written off for 18 countries - total $40bn
Debt repayments saved by the group each year - $1.5bn
Nine more countries to qualify within 18 months - takes total to $55bn
UK's contribution over next 10 years: $700-$960m
US contribution: $1.3bn-$1.75bn
Africa's total external debt: $300bn

from the BBC


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REACTION FROM BONO, U2 LEAD SINGER AND CO-FOUNDER OF DATA, A FOUNDING MEMBER OF ONE:

The journey of equality took another step today, and broke free millions of people in some of the poorest countries from the bondage of immoral and unjust debts. The leadership of the jubilee campaigners is bearing fruit once more, we really owe those people, from church basements to national treasuries who have worked so long and so hard for this day.
There's long nights ahead of us all to build up the speed and accelerating for a comprehensive debt-aid-trade deal for the poorest people in the poorest countries at the G8 Gleneagles.

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6.08.2005

I have found the Book of the Law in the temple of the Lord

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My friends Marshall, and Clint have been sending back and forth emails with encouragements, enlightenments, questions, and scripture to me and a few other people.

Their latest volley was based on the scripture found in 2 Chronicles 34:15 "I have found the Book of the Law in the temple of the Lord.”

The reply came shortly after and the verse in it was: “Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Destroy this TEMPLE, and in three days I will raise it up.’ The Jews therefore said, ‘It took forty-six years to build this TEMPLE, and will You raise it up in three days?’ But He was speaking of the TEMPLE of His body.” John 2:19-21

This has been spinning around in head for the past few days and here’s how it strikes me: I have found the “Book of the Law” (the guidelines for how you should live your life) in the “temple of the Lord” (Jesus Christ).

The way to righteous living is found sitting at the feet of Jesus.

I’m reading a great book right now that says something very similar, I’ll paraphrase:

“If I were a conspiracy theorist I would write a book about how christianity has successfully dethroned Jesus as Lord to such a degree that the “Jesus” who is preached, pasted on bumper stickers, serenaded in gooey love songs on religious radio and TV, and prayed to is an imposter. Here’s how I might make that argument:

1. We retained Jesus as Savior but promoted the Apostle Paul (or someone else) to Lord and Teacher. (Even as Savior, though, we limited Jesus to saving us from hell, which explains why we have had comparatively little interest in his saving us from greed, gossip, prejudice, violence, isolation, carelessness about the poor or the planet, hurry, hatred, envy, anger, or pride.)

2. We did this in various ways: by assuming that the purpose of Jesus and his gospel was to get people’s souls into heaven after death and therefore concluding that the only really important thing about Jesus was his death (or birth, or resurrection) to solve our guilt problem that kept us out of heaven. Or by deciding that Jesus’ message was “spiritual” and therefore pertained to “eternity” (where we’re going) and not “history” (what we’re DOING).

3. We developed theological systems that taught us how to avoid many of Jesus’ teachings and reinterpret those we couldn’t avoid.

4. We made up for our demotion of Jesus from being our Lord and Teacher by saying or singing his name more often, and by saying, “Lord, Lord” as much as possible, preferably with deep feeling and high volume. This allowed us to still feel like good Christians whether or not we did, or cared about doing, anything he said.

If we were to try to reinstate Jesus as Lord/Teacher, we would have to go outside the world of popular modern theology to find ways to think about the meaning of Lord/Teacher. We would go to the world of arts and trades and notice how a master violinist, a master carpenter, a master electrician, a master of martial arts passes on her mastery to students or apprentices.

The only way to learn this mastery is through the disciple’s voluntary submission to the discipline and tradition of the master.”

Brian McLaren, “A Generous Orthodoxy”

6.06.2005

Good Grief!!!



Poor old Charlie Brown!


He's had a rough weekend.



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Remember how I posted a while ago about how these Charlie Brown statues started popping up all over town? Well this one got stolen on Saturday morning.
CLICK HERE to read the story.

Then, on Sunday, he got stolen AGAIN!!! This time stolen away from the original thiefs, so that the "secondary" thief could collect on the "no questions asked" reward of $2,500.
CLICK HERE to read that story.

6.04.2005

the Naked Church

This is awesome. I just read it, and it's too good to keep it to myself. Special thanks to Natala, and Maryann.

"In his book The Naked Church, Wayne Jacobsen, with a nod to CS Lewis, offers us a possible look into a devlish staff meeting. Hell's middle management is trying to come up with a way to sidetrack the church:

"Trying to keep it small hasn't worked - let's make it big!"
All the other devils gasped, thinking that old Screwtape had finally bolted his sanity.
"Make it big? What do you think we've been working so hard to prevent?"
"Hear me out, colleagues, We can kill it with its own success. What would happen if the church suddenly became acceptable?"
"Lot's of people would go to it, you idiot."
"But what would all those people do to it?" Screwtape replied with a smirk, then sat back as he watched their minds churn.

One-by-one the others began to see the brilliance of his scheme.
"Many would come just for social reasons. They would quickly dilute those who are really in God's clutches."
"An imagine all the programs and activities they would have to plan to keep those people happy. Nothing chokes out intimacy as well as busyness."
"A crowd like that would have opinions so diverse and disruptive that the power of the gospel would be compromised in just a few short years."

"The church would eventually become a machine, chewing up individuals instead of loving them. Programs would take over where personal ministries now flourish. And everyone knows how easy it is to kill a program."
"Hear! Hear!" they all yelled."
They couldn't possibly teach all the followers to walk with God personally, so they would soon substitute rules and guidelines for his ever-present voice."
"The machine would have to be run by professionals. The others would become nothing more than spectators and bill-payers."
"And that leadership would waste most of its time tied up in administration, which we know benefits almost no one."
"Who would have time for individuals? They would have to try to disciple people by regulations, and the cracks in that are so wide we could go on vacation."
"And best of all," Screwtape spoke up again, "they wouldn't even know what had happened to them. They would think themselves successful beyond their wildest dreams.
They would be pillars in the community and stand before huge crowds. We would let them keep all their Christian terms, but we would substitute our own meanings. It's foolproof!"

"But size alone won't do that, Screwtape," Satan himself finally said. "They could still teach all those people what it really means to follow God and they could still love people one-by-one no matter how big it got."

"True, O Wicked One," Screwtape waggled his index finger, "but do you think they would?" Do you think they would risk losing all those people or would resist the corruption that such power and influence would give them?"

Satan smiled in whatever ecstasy hell allows. "Of course not!" He slammed his fist on the table, "Let's do it!"

16 years ago today...

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Tiananmen Square

CLICK HERE to read what happened 16 years ago.
CLICK HERE to read the BBC's account of the vigil taking place right now in Hong Kong.

June 4th, 2005.... HIGH NOON

2005 Western Regional Pro-Am Rock Paper Scissors Chamionships in Sonoma County today!!!

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"For a third straight year, Roshambo Winery in Healdsburg, California will play host to the Southwest Pro-Am Rock-Paper-Scissors Championship. Considered by many to be the first jewel in the Triple Crown of Rock-Paper-Scissors"

AWESOME!!!

(click the pic for details)

6.01.2005

Deep Throat is my neighbor!!!

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Ok, well not like my next door neighbor, but I used to live around the corner from him. I was watching CNN the other day and heard the reporter say, “coming to you live from Santa Rosa California”. It’s not every day that you hear that! Anyway, I'm too young to know what they were talking about but I did some research and apparently this guy had something to do with Nixon being kicked out of office.

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CLICK HERE to read the whole story

By the wayDO NOT under any circumstances Google the term “Deep Throat”. You’re gonna have to trust me on this one.

What a great trip.

We had a blast at the Monterey Bay Aquarium! We stayed at a lodge up in Carmel Valley that was great too. We spent the majority of our time there at the pool! So, I’m a little pink right now. Anyway, here are a few pics of the boys at the aquarium.

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It’s a little hard to see but that’s a shark right next to Obadiah. He really liked the sharks!! We went to the Manta Ray swim tank, where you can try to touch the Rays. We had Obadiah hanging over the edge to try and touch one, then when one got close he kind of freaked out and backed off. Right as he was backing away this Manta Ray poked it's head right up our of the water and looked right at Obadiah!!! It was so cool.

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My favorite part was definitely the Jellyfish. They really look like the picture in my previous post, where they kind of glow that cool orange color. Those ones are HUGE too!! The main body part of them is about the size of a soccer ball. There were even these tiny little ones that looked like they had an internal light system. The lights around the edges of their bodies flashed all kinds of different colors. They kind of looked like the aliens from that movie “The Abyss”.

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On the way back up to Santa Rosa we went through San Francisco, or as Northern Californians call it; “The City”. It was a pretty clear day, just a little fog. Plus you’ve got to go across the Golden Gate Bridge every chance you get!!

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