03 June 10 - 22:05Honoring our fallen heroes
Last Sunday, we remembered the fallen American heroes in all our wars, men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice to give us the freedom to be who we are, the freedom to worship God as we please, the freedom to speak our minds, the freedom to gather together peacefully. Yes, even the freedom to protest against soldiers and war.
This Sunday, June 6, is D-Day, the day in 1944 when 160,000 allied troops stormed thhe beaches at Normandy to bring liberation to France and then the rest of Europe. 2,500 Americans and 3,000 allied soldiers died on the sands of France that day. On Saturday, I will be spending the day with soldiers of the California State Military Reserve and the California National Guard. In the evening, at the end of the exercises and before the barbecue, I will be leading a brief service of remembrance for those fallen heroes of D-Day.
Beyond Memorial Day and D-Day, remember our fallen heroes. ...
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24 May 10 - 12:08Baptizing Gwyneth and Quentin
On Sunday, I had the privilege of baptizing Gwyneth and Quentin Dominguez, 6-month old twins. As I prayed over the water, I played with the water and they both watched, enraptured. Then, during the actual baptism, neither one cried! And they allowed me to walk them up and down the central aisle as the choir sang.
In the Presbyterian church, we baptize babies. Some think that is mighty strange... the babies have no say in the matter. It is arrogant to think that we, at any age, have a say in what God can do. Yes, we accept God's free gift of grace, but that gift is given to us as a covenant from God, and thus we can acknowledge it in infant baptism. As Gwyneth and Quentin grow up in the church, supported by their church family, they will at some point confirm thier baptism.
Welcome to the family, little ones!
17 May 10 - 14:50Old and New music
Great worship service on Sunday. We worshipped in the Ministry Center (aka the Gym) and celebrated the music of Northminster Presbyterian Church. All the choirs sang, from the 2 children in God's Little Angels, to the anthem of the Chancel Choir, and each of the handbell choirs shared a piece (check out our youngest bell choir here! http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/video/video.php?v=1398894527087). Our smallest ensemble, the "Bell Hogs," played the novelty song Sabre Dance. Personally, I played the slide whistle, triangle, temple blocks, tambourine and Kazoo on that fun number! Singing was accompanied by guitar, piano and bells. We would've used the organ, but it was just too big to move into the gym!
Church music... the source of many church fights since the church began! Some think that only Scripture should be sung; some think that instrumental music should be ...
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06 May 10 - 08:00Our troops in harm's way
I just got back from a couple of days at Camp San Luis Obispo (the original home of the California National Guard) for the State Chaplain's Conference. The conference room was filled with Army, Air Force and California State Military Reserve chaplains and enlisted chaplain's assistants. These incredible men and women serve our service members by offering spiritual guidance and counseling, often risking their own lives to help others. Some incredible stories were shared by experienced chaplains who served one, two or three deployments in the sand box (that is, Iraq and Afghanistan). Us SMR chaplains can't be deployed overseas, but we serve our troops by backfilling for deployed chaplains, and offering other services.
When I logged into my Facebook page, I had a note from a member of my previous congregation that her daughter Shelley was about to ...
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10 April 10 - 22:24Reconnecting
Have you ever had a time when you found yourself disconnected from those you love? I did. It started nearly 40 years ago when my mother and father divorced. I really didn't want to have anything to do with my dad when I was a kid. I pretty much lost touch, until several years ago when my older sister started redeveloping a relationship with our dad. They discovered that they shared a common interest in photography, and spent time travelling together shooting photos. She helped me start to get to know my dad again, taking me to his house to visit when I was in California. When I moved back to the state, I found it difficult to find the time--make the time, in reality!-- to spend time with him. He moved to Arizona shortly before I moved to Salinas.
But he was in California again for a medical procedure at the VA hospital in Palo Alto, and spent the week at my sister's. This week, we had some time to talk and catch up. I really need to take time ...
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04 April 10 - 13:17Happy Easter!
A blessed Easter, everyone!
Worship was great today. A full house, very nice, lots of children, including crying babies. Crying babies are so wonderful! I was a bit clumsy-- knocked an Easter lily off the pulpit, then nearly spilled the communion bread trays.
Thanks for a blessed Easter, God!
See everyone in church!
24 March 10 - 08:58Digging in the Dirt
I spent last Friday and Saturday digging in my garden. As the winter progressed toward spring, my garden was over run with Oxalis, that pervasive yellow plant that that so easily takes over.
I really liked being on my knees with my hands deep in the soil, rooting out this weed. It was in many ways a spiritual experience. I was able to focus on prepping the garden for new plants, and in doing so was able to think of God's creativity in creating the world.
It also made me mindful to the "weeds" that can invade my own life, things that might look OK for a while, but end up being a blight on my life. Something less that desiable. We need to let God come into our lives and dig around, yanking out those things that are the weeds, allowing room for the positive aspects of our lives to grow.
More later!
17 March 10 - 14:38CREDO-- Home again
Back from Study Leave in North Carolina. I must say, western North Carolina is the most beautiful place in the US! I spent the week at the Lake Logan Epicopalian Center. The Lake was amazing!
31 Presbyterian pastors gathered for a week of reflection and learning. The week was spent learning about our vocation, physical health, financial health, and spiritual health. The best part was interacting with those other Presbyterians, learning that I'm not alone in my struggles in ministry. And learning that most lean toward traditional style worship!
My CREDO Plan:
To write books!
To establish a Prayer and Praise service immediately.
To get my retirement plans in order.
To help the church establish a transitional shelter for families. ...
