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Weekend Update April 2010 Wrap Up

Life without faith is truncated, it's limited, it's less than life is suppose to be.  Faith is what keeps us from being jaded, cynical, crusty.  Your probably already know that the Bible is all about faith.  Most people believe in God -- it make sense He is there  -- it seems reasonable that someone bigger than us designed this thing.  But to experience God in your life, you've got to have faith, you've go to go beyond belief.  Friday 7pm, Sunday 9 & 10:45am.

APRIL 23 & 25          FAITH WITH GUILT:  How Faith Frees us from Crippling Guilt. (also this weekend there is still opportunity to get involved with San Diego City Fest -- stop by Guest Services to fill out a registration/prayer card)

APRIL 30 & MAY 2     FAITH WITHOUT LIMITS (also this weekend we will be your opportunity to register to attend the 2010 Global Leadership Summit August 5 & 6 at a special host-site rate.)

PLEASE PRAY:

1. God's anointing on all those who invovled with the weekend service experience (programming team, children's & student ministry teams, Lasting Impression Teams)
2. Our church would respond to God's movement in our lives and live in faith.
3. God would do a stirring in our heart to see people reached and that we would be inviting those in our spheres of influence to our services.

Weekend Update: HOLY WEEK

Tonight, Friday March 26, kicks of Holy Week at Journey that concludes on Good Friday April 2.  Information on the week is below.

This weekend will also include a great run of worship songs including: Cannons, Lord of Lords, Hosanna and As It is in Heaven.
Also there are some great ways to get involved with Easter. For details click here.

As for prayer we hope you will be joining us in praying all week for the service and it various components in addition here is content of an e-mail sent out by our teaching pastor Ed Noble on some additional ways to take part in Holy Week.

Hey all,

Easter is coming up. Holy Week is this week.

It's a great time of year for we who follow Jesus.

It's also a  time of prep for one of our most important & largest weekends of the 
year, Easter weekend.

So there are a couple of prayer initiatives we are diving in to.
March 30 we'll be fasting & praying during our normal staff devotion /  lunch meeting.
March 31 is Journey's part of PRAYER WAVE - different churches are 
taking a different day to pray for the city in the 40 days leading up 
to Easter. Let's keep that in mind. There will be a special Wednesday 
night prayer gathering that night as well -- 7pm in Equipping Center A.

I would love for those of you who can to come on out to pray.
Over those 2 days, let's do some fasting. You can pick a meal a day or 
any combo of meals for the 2 days. Not only will we be seeking the 
Lord's hand over our city & our church, it will be a great way to prep 
your heart for good friday & easter.

1 Chron 16:11 Seek the Lord & His strength; seek His face continually.

Ed

Why People Go to Church on Easter

At our Friday night service before our teaching pastor Ed Noble began his message he furthered encouraged the congregation to invite people to Easter – saying, “I am not sure why it is, but people are open on Easter, for whatever reason they come on this Sunday …”

Here is my shot at a possible answer to that question.

Though there are a multitude of variables that might lead someone to come to an Easter service – including, most notably the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit in someone’s life, here is my take on it.

The reason I believe people are open to go to a service on Easter is … they have no competing invitations.  

Let me explain …

Easter is the one Sunday where they, (the normally un-churched, non-religious people) are not being invited to go golfing or to go and workout or to go shopping or to go out for breakfast.  Why? Because the norms of our American culture, I believe, leads us to assume that Easter is either a religious holiday that should be observed or participated in some fashion; or is an occasion to spend with family (for both religious and non religious reasons).

In addition there is also limited sporting events on television to vie for our attention as well.  Take for example this year, the NCAA Tournament Final Four (the greatest sporting event in the world) -- the games are on Easter weekend but not on Sunday.  The semi-finals are on Saturday and the championship game is after the holiday on Monday night.  (Even on a post about Easter I can get my March Madness plug in.)

Also not only are they not being invited, they are not doing any inviting also – for the same normative reasons.

Think about your inviting experiences in the past on a non-holiday weekend.  Though, I am sure at times we have experienced flat out rejections for no other reason than they are not interested, however most times – they have something else to attend that they simply deem as more important no matter how trivial it may seem.

Somewhat incorporated in my reasoning is that there is a subtle group/peer pressure that plays into it – “that is what you do on Easter  which is to go to a worship service of some kind.”  So to be invited to a service only follows suit to the already established norm.

All this to say is that we have a great opportunity.  Easter is two weeks from today let us take advantage of our guests not having an excuse of a competing invitation an invite them to service.  We have thousands of invite pieces available at Guest Services or the church office. 

For more information on Easter click here.

Matthew 25:14-30: "I Want to Live with a Spirit ..."

A learning from last week's C3 conference has really impacted me.  A  teaching presented by Brian Houston pastor of Hillsong Church Australia.  He shared from Matthew 25:14-30 highlighting 3 ways he wants to live his life according to that passage.  To read the text click here. 

Here are three points that have prodded me to try and live differently. 

1. Live with the kind of spirit that anticipates and sees the master's goodness.
2. Live with a generous spirit, as one who gives and receives freely.
3. Live with the kind of spirit that expands and increases the master's domain.

Weekend Update Easter 2010

As this is written Easter is just 25 days away!  Easter weekend (April 2 & 4)  is an opportunity for our whole church to get involved in this outreach event to see our loved ones reached for Christ.  So here is the ways we are asking all Journey members to get involved in three simple ways.

1. PRAY ... for open doors to invite people to a service; for an anointing on all the services from the children's programs to the adult services; for all areas of serving to be covered to create the optimum guest experience.
2. PARTICIPATE in a "first serve" opportunity.  If you are unfamiliar with what first serve is click here.  There are opportunities in our children ministry, fellowship team and lasting impressions teams (LIT)
3. PARTNER with your church in reaching your friends and loved ones for Christ by inviting them to a service. Below is the invitation piece that you can pick up stacks of business card sized invite cards at either the office or at Guest Services. 

In the mean time we have great services being planned for this weekend -- March 12 & 14.  We will be in part 2 of Tools & Fools looking at the life of Solomon with the message "Being Smart & Acting Dumb." Please note that this Sunday March 14 daylight savings goes into affect -- meaning that you will need to turn your clocks ahead one hour on Saturday night.

Learning to Celebrate What is Right in this World

A few weeks ago I attended the Green Room.  The first session featured a rebroadcast of a message by Dewitt Jones "Hallelujah: What's Right with the World."  I had experienced this message live and I actually own the DVD and have shown it at a team gathering.  However, watching it again in this context the learnings were just as fresh, inspiring and applicable.  One of the ways it affected me was simply causing me to notice more and to take time "to celebrate what is right in the world."

On a recent trip to North Carolina here are somethings that I noticed and was able to capture with my digital camera -- another good reason to carry it wherever I go.

This picture was taken on a walk in a park in Trinity North Carolina.  My friends in the mid-west think I am crazy for finding such beauty in the barren, leafless trees found in winter.

 

Then in the neighborhood where I was staying with family also in Trinity.

Then this line from Dewitt's message inspired me to take these two photos below.

"A bird sings not because it has an answer, but because it has a song."

 

A Never Changing Prayer Request

For 6 years now we have had a ministry at our church called PPT, which stands for pastors’ prayer team.  This team gets weekly list of prayer requests submitted by each pastor individually.  For me I break up my requests into two main sections – personal and ministry and list requests under each section respectively.

I try to update my requests based upon the activities of the coming week.  Some requests stay relatively the same based on a specific season or time of the year, while some have a specific date and time attached to the request.  Yet there is one request that has not changed in the 6 years of this team’s ministry and it is the very first request on my list seen by the team each week.  Here is the prayer request: “Continual healing and development of my son’s heart valve. “

A few days after my son’s birth it was discovered that he had a serious heart condition that would require open-heart surgery as soon as he was physically able.  So at five months to the day he had the surgery. By God’s grace he received incredible medical care and the surgery was a success!  Yet given delicate nature of the surgery it requires an annual echocardiogram to monitor the results.

After 6 years and seeing his remarkable progress it is hard to believe he had such a surgery. In fact two weeks ago on Wednesday Rhett and I were on a flight to North Carolina to see a Duke University basketball game in historic Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Yet the reality of his condition is always brought to forefront when he has his annual echo as he did last Wednesday – exactly a week after we left for our trip.  These visits stir up the following, amongst many things in me:

It reminds that life is precious
It keeps me humble before God
It stirs up an incredible amount of gratefulness to God and to the many people who pray for my son.

So a heartfelt thank you to those who have been continually praying for my son – many of you since he was born!  I am always moved when people come to me and ask how his appointment went and/or to simply let me know they are praying.  It means more to me than you know.

So here are the results … as was the case in the past 6 years the visit rendered positive results – something I do not take for granted.  Basically if his condition continues on its current course he will never have to have surgery again! 

Praise God!  And please continue to pray.

Why I Carry a Digital Camera with Me Everywhere

I have made it habit to carry a digital camera with me every where I go and I hope you will be prodded to do so as well. Why? One reason is there are moments that you simply might want to capture on film and second you never know who you might run into, whom you'd like to get your picture with.  Now I know most mobile phones come with a phone and mine does too, yet I choose to carry a camera, and they are definitely small enough these days, because camera phones simply are too inconsistent and often the quality is questionable.

So here is one of those situations where I am grateful I had my camera with me.  My wife and I attended Cirque Du Soleil's KOOZA performing at the Del Mar Fair Grounds (side note if you can see it you should!) and in the crowd attending the event also was legendary, hall-of-fame basketball player Bill Walton.

Bill Walton is amongst the 50 greatest basketball players in NBA history and arguably, considered to be the greatest college basketball player of all time.  It was such an honor to meet Bill.  He was incredibly gracious and when I thanked him for what he meant to me personally and the sport of basketball, he simply responded, "Thank you, the game has been very good to me."

Memories from My Trip to Historic Cameron Indoor Stadium ... "I never realized how short I am."

Later today at 6pm (PST) the greatest rivalry in sports: DUKE versus North Carolina will play itself out in historic Cameron Indoor Stadium.  Last week Thursday I had the incredible privilege of attending my first game in Cameron! More on this in future posts. 

After the game I was able to meet freshman phenom Mason Plumlee.

My incredible 5 foot 7 inch stature never felt shorter standing next 6 foot 10 Plumlee.

a Pharisees Guide to Fasting

Our church has recently concluded a season called 21 days of prayer and fasting.
Listed below is instructions on how to approach our fast, sent from our teaching pastor Ed Noble who champions these occasions.

We will follow the format of our usual one day fasts - begin when you  wake up, break it at dinner. Drink whatever this is a fast from solid  food. I know most of us will be working on Wednesday, just allow your 
hunger to direct your attention to the Lord for a moment. If possible  spend a few extra minutes you would be eating in prayer.

Yet when I am fasting sometimes I think it would be so much easier to approach fasting as like a Pharisee.

So here is a Pharisees guide to fasting in three simple steps:

Learn to manipulate time zones:

Have you heard the cliché “it is 12 noon somewhere in the world”  So for those who need it spelled out in greater details.  Start your fast on Hawaii time (2 hours behind PST) and end your fast on EST.  Please show some decency and stay within U.S. time zones.  This shortens your fasting by five hours.

Learn to broaden your definition of what is constituted as a liquid:

As most fast include liquids our natural tendency to think water or juice.  Here is one online definition of liquid, “Flowing freely like water; fluid; not solid.”  Did you catch the end of the definition “not solid?”  That leaves a lot of room for interpretation.  This could mean almost anything ... smoothies, latte’s, shakes, soups – you get the picture.

Learn to be creative in letting people know you are fasting, without letting using the word fasting.

See my next post "How to tweet you are fasting without saying fasting" for details.

The Super Bowl -- the "Best Day" for a Non-Sports Fan!

So we are celebrating a national or you could argue an international holiday today ... The Super Bowl.  And this day has great benefits to everyone -- especially if you are not a sports fan.  You heard me right today is the best day for a non-sports fan. 

Why? 

Answer: Because between 2pm and 8pm (PST) when the game is on you can pretty much do anything you want!

So here are Some of things the things would do if I were not a sports fan.

1. Buy a brand new car.  I bet I could get an incredible deal as their only customer at the car dealership.
2. Go to Disneyland and ride my favorite ride 10-20 times -- no fast pass needed.
3. Go to the movies and pick any seat I want.
4. Go to the gym and have my best workout ever and not worry about waiting to use a machine or find the weights I need.
5. Go to dinner at a trendy restaurant that normally has an hour long wait to get in at dinner and not wait and walk right in..
6. Go shopping at the busiest mall and park as close to the stores I want to go to as possible.
7. Take up the sport of golf and have the whole course to myself.
8. If I had teenager -- teach them how to drive and not worry about my child hitting anything or anyone.

I think you get the point.  With half the population watching the game in some capacity -- anything that involves crowds and may be deemed as hassle on any normal day would not be a problem today.

So what would you do?

Why Christmas Cards Stay Up So Long in Our Home

Though I still see a few homes with Christmas lights and decorations up, for most, Christmas 2009 is becoming a distant memory.  Coming back from vacation we were one of the late ones to put away the decorations and the tree.  Yet there is one part of Christmas that does stay with us for a long time -- the Christmas cards.  Like a lot of people we display cards in a designated area, taping them up on a wall or hanging them on a string.  Many of these cards are from people I have minimal contact at best throughout the year, yet I am very grateful that are family was thought of during this special time of the year.  

Going through stack of mail I came across a Christmas card that really moved me. It was from a family with the exception of a few e-mail exchanges we have had no contact with in a few years.  What stood out to me was the greeting on the card from the family which included a photo of them.  It contained the verse James 1:17 "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change." Now to receive Christmas cards that are spiritual in nature and contain Scripture verses is not uncommon.  Yet I knew these friends before they came to know Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.  My wife played critical role in their spiritual journey.  This really impacted me.  I lifted up a prayer of thanksgiving saying, "God you really do change lives!"

So here is why they stay up so long.  I hope this may prod you to do the same. As a family you can make these Christmas cards a meaningful part of your family's prayer life by simply taking down one card each day and praying for that specific family. This simple practice be more meaningful than you realize.

A Kaya Christmas Card

Dear Friends and Family,

  Merry Christmas!  We thought we would attempt the “Christmas letter” for the first time.As Rod’s uncle Lloyd preached last year in his New Years message at his church in Hawaii, it truly has been “Fine in 2009!”

After Christmas Eve services last year at Journey we flew out Christmas morning to spend the holidays in Hawaii with family.  It was great to ring in the New Year in true island style as fireworks abounded everywhere.  The streets were so smoky it’s a good thing it rains there so often.  One of the highlights of our trip was to meet our niece, Aila for the first time who was visiting from Japan.  The kids loved playing with their cousin.

January also brought a special event as Tara’s mom Linda, got married to Mike Orcutt.  Rod performed the ceremony, Rhett was the ring bearer, Emmie the flower girl and Tara maid of honor along with Tara’s sister Desha and Mikes daughter, Rachel.  It was a beautiful wedding and wonderful memory of friends and family celebrating their union together.  It’s been over 4 yrs. since Tara’s dad passed away.  We still miss him greatly but are so thankful for our new family.  Mike is the greatest “papa” ever to Rhett and Emmie and it’s sweet to see Tara’s mom so happy.

In April the four of us traveled to New York City for a few days of family, city fun.  Rod and Rhett were able to attend the first Yankee game in their new stadium.  They also attended the last Yankee game in the old stadium a few months prior.  Emmie saw her first Broadway show “Shrek” and the kids loved it.  Rod could visit this city several times and never grow tired of it.  Tara appreciates the yummy food, Central Park and great shopping.

May 2nd Tara (with the help of friends) threw Rod a surprise 40th birthday party at the Phillipson’s home.  He was really surprised and even Rhett kept the secret.  It was a fun, Jai Ho party and Rod was so thankful for the many friends (and fabulous wife) that came to celebrate him.

In late August Rhett started Kindergarten.  He loves playing with his friends at school and occasionally appreciates learning something.  He stays busy building and creating whether it be forts, pictures, stories or food concoctions sometimes edible.

Emmie started 3 yr. old preschool in early September.  She loves pink and purple, dresses and taking care of her mommy Ruffie and baby Ruffie.  She carries them around with her everywhere in various bags.

In June Rod and Tara attended the WCA Arts Conference in Chicago.  It was great to go with a team from Journey and learn from some excellent teachers as well as see some friends from the midwest.

 

September 12 we celebrated 11 yrs. of marriage and spent a few days in San Francisco.  Although Rod was born in Berkely neither one of us has been back to San Francisco in close to 20 years.  Although Tara got shin splints from walking up all the hills we fell in love with this city!  The farmers markets are incredible there.  If you like cooking or eating (like us) you must go.  In addition annual Chocolate Factory at world famous Ghirardelli Square.

October brought a first for Rod in his travels.  Thanks to gracious friends and family who watched the kids we went to Atlanta, GA to attend the Catalyst conference. 

This was another great trip with new experiences and great learning.  One of the highlights was going to the U2 360 tour at the Georgia dome.  In addition we were able to tour, one of our favorite places to eat, headquarters and meet with one of their executive team leaders in charge of creative development -- this is none other than Chick-fil-A.

Toward the end of October Rod’s parents came out to visit and we loved San Francisco so much we packed up the car and took them there on a road trip.  Rhett loved climbing up the historic Lombard “crooked” street and Emmie loved picking out pink shoes in China town.  And although the bay bridge was closed resulting in sitting in traffic on the San Mateo bridge for a few hours on the way back, the drive was not bad at all- 8 hrs. from San Diego.

November was spent kicking in the holiday season with Tara’s birthday, Thanksgiving at Mike and Linda’s house, black Friday shopping and Christmas decorating.  Emmie also started speech therapy this month and loves going to see Miss Emily and playing games with her.  Tara and Rhett go to the library while she is there and practice his reading. His skills are developing and we are so proud of both of them. 

And this month has been busy, busy with lots of planning and executing for the upcoming four Christmas Eve. services at Journey.  We are also finding the right gifts for loved ones, trying to diet but failing miserably, attending parties and making memorable family moments during this magical season.  We pray this letter finds you soaking in the wonder of the season.

May your Christmas be filled with joy and love and awe as we celebrate the birth of our Savior. 
Rod, Tara, Rhett and Emersen

Just Walk Around a Circle

A focal point in our announcements for the past couple of weeks has been encouraging our attendees to invited friends to our Christmas Eve services.  We have equipped our attendees with what we consider to be an effective tool and to help envision our church we had three people paint a picture of how powerful inviting someone to a weekend service can be by telling their story.  Pastor Bill Hybels wrote a great book on personal evangelism called Just Walk Across the Room.  Well sometimes we just need walk around in a circle.

(left to right Karen Olson, Becky Toth, Lauren Faiai & myself)

Ephesians 5:15,16 says "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil."  Two friends of mine (Becky & Lauren) lived these verses out literally six years ago.  In October of 2003, California was experiencing what would become a 5-month Grocery Union Strike.  As Albertsons employees on strike they had to picket eight hours a day walking literally in the same circular pattern.  Yet this time was redeemed as they got to know one particular fellow employee Karen a lot better.  And through a series of conversations with her spiritual matters were brought up, weekend messages were given & an invitation to a church service was made.

To fast forward the story -- Becky & Lauren decided to invite not only Karen, but a whole group of their fellow picketing employees and on one Friday night they filled an entire row.  Now some of those guests never returned, some attended for a season and moved on for a varitey of reasons.  Yet for Karen she got to know God, who she previously thought to be distant, in a personal way and her life has been changed, for the better, in countless ways.

Jesus said in John 4:35 "Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, then comes the harvest'? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest."  Inviting someone to church and to speak to those close to us about God and spiritual matters -- something so personal too many -- can be met with resistance, hostility and awkwardness at times.   And at the same time sometimes people are so ready and waiting for someone to ask just as Karen was.  

So take advantage of the next 10 days or so and make the ask and invite someone to a service, their life just might be changed for eternity.

This Halloween Was a Real Treat!

In my previous post "No Family Fall Festival This Year -- It's A Good Thing" I mentioned that one of the indicators that not doing this event was a good thing was because people were choosing to celebrate Halloween in their own neighborhood.  What really help seal my conviction for not doing the event anymore was the insight I gleaned from reading the book Making Room For Life by Randy Frazee.

In the book (to summarize his point) Frazee mentions how distant we have become from our neighbors with many of us never meeting them even though we have lived next to each other for a long period of time.  Now this insight is nothing new, many studies have proven similar results. 

However the next bit of insight is where I had my "a-ha" moment.  Frazee shared that there is one night when barriers are broken down and an opportunity to meet and connect with our neighbors just makes sense and is very easy to do, the night Halloween.  However he further mentions that on that night when all of our neighbors our out and it gives us (the church) the perfect time to meet our neighbors none of us our home because we are at our Family Fall Festivals.  

So this year -- the first in the nine that I have lived in our neighborhood -- I was able to take our kids trick or treating!  And we had a blast!  It was incredibly cool to meet our neighbors whether it was us going to their homes or staying at home giving out candy.  My wife and I swapped responsibilities back and forth.  I kept internally slapping myself on the side of my head saying,  "This is what I have been missing."  I had such a great sense of connectivity to those who live by me and no longer do I simply see idle homes around me, but rather people that God cares and loves deeply.  

This Halloween was a real treat!

The Routine May Not Be So Routine

Yesterday during my visit to Children’s Hospital to see a family in our church whose 5-month son had open heart surgery -- I was afforded a very pleasant surprise.  Now first I want to mention the best news is that the surgery was a success and his recovery is gong well. 

Now for me the surprise was running into ICU nurse that was assigned to my son when he was there in that same ICU six years ago.  (For a recap of my visit and my son’s medical journey click here.)  I had not seen in her in five years and it a took a little while for her to have some kind of remembrance of me and she could not recall who my son was.  I took no offense to this as I know she has probably seen hundreds of similar cases and patients in the past 5 years let alone her lifetime.  I was just glad that I was able to express my gratitude toward her for the way she took care of my son.  I even showed her a recent picture of my son, though she would not recognize him by any means, just to show that he is living a normal life.  This brief interaction prodded an overwhelming sense of gratitude for not only her, but all who played a role in getting my son and wife & I through this.

In my line of work where I serve as a pastor in a church of over 2,500 people and I have had the privilege of being a part of individual’s and family’s defining moments of their life.  Yet I would be lying if I said I can recall those moments with the same vividness as they do.  Sometimes it takes a little of reminiscing on their part for memory to be jarred of the event. 

However, there was a significant learning for me.  “What may be routine to us in our vocational life, maybe a defining experience for others.”  This prodded me to want to try to give my very best in all that I do because even I don’t remember it they will.

"So We Can Comfort Others ..."

II Corinthians 1:3,4 (TNIV) says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”

These verses are often quoted as way of encouraging others or possibly to shed light or offer perspective when someone is going through a critical life situation or crisis.  The notion being that one day, it could be in the near or distant future, the pain or turmoil you are experiencing now will have a purpose to help someone else, though at the present moment it is unsightly.

On Wednesday I went on a visit to Children’s Hospital to see a family in our church whose almost 5-month son was having open heart surgery to repair multiple holes in his heart.  I was approached by the child’s grandmother about 4 months ago when the child was born to ask me to be available in the future when this day would come.

So I strategically went to the hospital at around 11:30am -- the surgery was about 7am.   I say strategically because I figured that it would be right around that time when their son should be out of post-op and in his intensive care unit room.  The parents would have been able to see their baby, get a report from the surgeon and now breathe a sigh of relief that the operation was over.

Now how would I know this information?  And why would I be approached about this unknown future date almost 4 months ago?

Because almost six years ago our son at five months had open heart surgery at Children’s hospital in San Diego.  We like this family had the same time scheduled for our son’s operation and went through a similar process. I was actually familiar with the surgeon that performed their son’s operation.   When I met up with the family it was in the same waiting room that was our residence for about 5 day and when I was able to go in see their little baby boy it was in the same ICU.

Being there was a surreal experience.  The chairs in the waiting room was the same, the layout etc.  It brought back so many memories of what we went through.  I never stop being amazed at how God works!  I would not have thought when we were going through our son’s operation 6 years ago we would have an opportunity to minister to a family in our church going through an almost identical situation in many ways years later.

Most importantly their son came through the operation really well and the surgery was a success!  Praise God!!!

So I don’t know what you may be going through at this moment and the idea of your situation having some redemptive purpose in the future is the last thing on your mind, yet I want to encourage you God is faithful and He will use what you are going through for good.

San Francisco Eating Day 3 Meal 2 -- The Chocolate Festival

Our last few hours in San Francisco were spent at Ghirardelli Square where by chance they were hosting the 14th annual Chocolate Festival.  It was a two-day event that went from 12-5pm each day.  I saw a special on this festival either on the Food Network or Travel Channel.  The way it works is you purchase a ticket for $20 (the proceeds go to a local charity) and you are given 15 sample opportunities that are checked off by each vendor you receive a sample from. There were chocolate companies of various sorts throughout the square and the street in front of it.   The great thing is that you can share a ticket and for Tara and I one ticket was more than enough.  I never thought I would say I can too much chocolate, however after having multiple gelato servings, ice cream, cup-cakes, drinking chocolate, shakes, truffles, cookies and so on -- we were experiencing a chocolate coma.  Our last 2 samples were used on tea -- we just could eat any more chocolate.

Here are a few pictures from our day:

Tara after a long wait gets a cupcake.

One of the many vendors preparing his sample.

Having some drinking chocolate even though it is a small cup I could not finish it.

Well that is it for our San Francisco trip -- thank you for journeying with us. 

San Francisco Eating Day 2 Meal 1 -- Mama's

Day 2 in San Francisco began by incredible breakfast at Mama's in the North Beach area of San Francisco.  This restaurant was featured on Food Network's Rachael's Vacation.  Of all the places we would visit this was the place that I was most excited about eating at.  First I love breakfast food at any time and I have heard from others what a great place this is.  The first thing you notice there is that there is a line.  This restaurant is open only 7 hours a day (8am-3pm) and it takes no reservations.

The food did not disappoint and the next time we get to visit San Francisco -- I will eat there daily if possible.

You order your food first then you are given your seat assignment and you can see your food being prepared as the kitchen is right there.

Tara had the French Toast samplers that changes daily.  I had an incredible Monte Cristo.  This is must visit place!

San Francisco Eating Day 1 Meal 2 -- NOPA

After walking off the meal we had Rocco's, later that night we had a late dinner at NOPA.  We were introduced to this restaurant when we saw it on the Food Network show  The Best Thing I Have Ever Ate.  This restaurant is known for its trendy, hip vibe and it was one of the few restaurants open late night to 1am nightly.

We ordered the dish featured on the episode "flatbread of spicy fennel sausage, lipstick peppers and crescenza."

In addition for dessert we had an almond butter cake with plumb ice cream.  

Earlier that day while visiting China Town we went to oldest bakery there Eastern Bakery.  As you can see by the picture some pretty famous people have visited.  When there order the warm custard tart.  It cost less than a dollar and it great snack.

San Francisco Eating Day 1 Meal 1 -- Rocco's

So I am about 6 pounds heavier than I was last week at this time.  In fairness I was in training. Not for a 1/2 marathon or some other athletic event, but for the eating I would do in a city known for its incredible cuisine -- San Francisco.  Tara & I celebrated 11 years of marriage on Sept. 12 and we went there for a quick get away last week.

(above: It is always great when the owner/chef is in -- Tara and I with Rocco)

From the beginning of our marriage we were big Food Network fans and we created a list of restaurant and eateries we wanted to visit based on what was featured on various Food Network shows.  So on day 1 last Thursday here is where we we visited.  The day began with a late lunch/early dinner at Rocco's that was featured on the show Diners, Drive-inns' and Dives with host Guy Fieri.  The food was incredible!  We had dish we saw on the show -- clam linguine with white sauce & we also had an order of fried calamari with homemade cocktail sauce and they give complimentary fresh bread with fresh garlic/olive oil dipping sauce.  Again can I say the food was incredible!

This restaurant is in the SOMA district and well worth the visit.

The kitchen is real close to seating area -- you could see the whole layout.

Across the street is another cool place to check out that was also featured on one of Rachel Ray's shows called Brain Wash -- which is a laundromat and cafe combo that serves espresso drinks and pastry/desert items.

What Shows are You "Falling" For?

Recently I had a lunch with a mentor/friend and our discussion like always went to the books we were currently reading.  She then posed this question, "How are we going to get all this reading done with new fall television season starting?"  A great question.  I love TV!  If I had to choose TV or movies -- TV would win hands down.  The writing in the television programing these days are exceptional especially the serial shows.  And now with cable channels offering their own original programming and big name actors and actresses valuing the steady work that a television series can provide -- the choices are seemingly endless.  

Now I am not a "real timer." By definition a real timer is someone who watches a television program when it is offered by the TV network not opting to watch it later on their DVR or online or even later in the year when released on DVD (my preferred method).  However, there are some programs that I am committing to watching during the course of season and here it is and I have had to restrain myself:

Mad Men Sunday 10pm AMC 

Dinner Impossible 10pm Food Network

Flash Forward 8pm ABC

30 Rock Thursday 9:30pm NBC

If I can fit these in great ... Lie To Me, The Office, Fringe

What will you be watching?  Let me know by commenting, Facebook Comment or Twitter

Interesting ... Does Anybody Actually Makes Use of This?

On my wife and I's recent trip to San Francisco -- I came upon two interesting signs that got my attention.

Here is the first one found at AT&T Park home to the San Francisco Giants.  Thankfully I did not need to make use of this.

The second was seen at the San Francisco International Airport (SFO).  If anyone has seen some one use this booth -- please let me know I would love to hear the story.

a Breath Prayer for Today

63 & Counting ... Why I Love Going to Church

Psalm 122:1 --  I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go into the house of the LORD!" 
This past Sunday -- I was glad that I was at church.  We had a great a worship experience, I was able to connect with two sets of out-of-town friends visi and what really made the morning special was running into my friends James & Teresa Tucker. 

They have been attending Journey for over 10 years now and over the years a treasured friendship has developed.  However, of late their worship attendance has been inconsistent due to some health challenges that Teresa has been facing.  Yet on this Sunday they were here -- which also was their 63rd wedding anniversary.  Yes you heard me right 63 years!  Talking to Jim yesterday to congratulate him again -- he shared in jest, "She has put up with me all these years."

That is why I love going to church -- the incredible people you meet and get to know.  People I more than likely would not have met not given this common place of connectivity.

Congratulations Jim & Teresa!!!

New Product (RED) items from Starbucks

Today on my second trip to Starbucks of the day I picked up these two portable tumblers.  The first one is for hot drinks, the second is for cold drinks.  What I especially like about them is that not only are they visually appealing they are also part of the PRODUCT RED line where proceeds of the purchase goes to help eliminate Aids in Africa.


In addition I like the notion that I am one of the first to have these products as they are neither on the Starbucks nor the Product Red website.

What God had in mind???

From Last night:

Proverbs 22:6 (ESV) "Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it."  I am not sure if this is what God had in mind when this verse was written.

A Twittering Moment ... Watching Bub Get Baptized!

Bub  (Paul Stevens) commented on my blog some time around August last year.  Being unfamiliar with who he was I checked out his blog godmeandpoker.blogspot.com and I found his latest post very interesting.  He mentioned in the post how he was taking initial steps toward trying to build connections within our church (I did not know he even attended Journey at that point) by commenting on the various pastor's blogs and that he was thinking of possibly getting baptized. 

I commented on his blog and ask what service he attended so we could meet.  Well over a period of time and through his Tweets and Facebook updates myself as well as many of my friends got to know Bub as he initiated following us on Twitter and/or asking us to become his friend on Facebook. 

For those who have been critical of social networking services like Twitter and Facebook of having a negative effect on people establishing "real" relationships and friendships; or for those who have said these means are a waste of time and that foster a pseudo form of community.  Bub's story would dispell these critics.  Just ask him.  He has since attended various classses we offer and served on our weekends and special events and for all intention purposes is fully vested in the life of our church.

So this past Sunday Bub got baptized.  And standing with him was a friend he met through Twitter, Kevin, whom has had a spiritual impact in his life and Todd Tolson, one of our pastors whom Bub also met through Twitter.

And what better way to celebrate this significant moment in Bub's life than to have him come out of the water seeing the following banner (first picture in this post) and having it later signed up by those who are following him on Twitter.

25 Million Pieces of Legos

Yesterday I took my kids to Legoland for the first time.  In addition to my kids having a great time (the rides and attractions are just right for their ages 3 & 5 respectively)  I found myself marveling at how building blocks that I played with as a kids could be used to build such incredible works. 

It is said that over 40 million lego pieces have been used to build the various statues and exhibits seen throughout the park -- with over 25 million being used for Miniland alone.  I could have spent hours taking in the intricacies and details of what was on display. 

Check these out:

New York City

Mount Rushmore

Las Vegas

San Francisco

The inauguration of the President

Ending Well (Thoughts on Jay Leno's Final Tonight Show)

I find a great leadership learning lab for me in respect to observing how leaders handle a significant life transition is watching  farewell speeches by influential people.  Here are some of my thoughts of Jay Leno's final hosting of the Tonight show.