Book Reflection: Deep Justice in a Broken World

Chap Clark and Kara E. Powell of the Fuller Youth Institute published a book in 2007 that, I hope, makes the pursuit of justice within the reach and understanding of every youth minister. There are solid development principals throughout this book (or so my wife tells me), but the language is simplified. The content of this book is also multi-disciplinary. The authors employ basic biblical studies, education theory, ministry experience and more. Topics explored include racial reconciliation, economic justice and very practical, useful, advice on how to mobilize youth.
The greatest strength of this book is how clear it makes it that moving toward justice with youth means more than service projects and short term mission trips. Not only do the authors call these practices into question, but they provide tangible steps toward helping youth find their own ways to right wrongs.
I also especially enjoyed the interviews in the book. At the end of every chapter, the authors ask a leader in the field a few questions regarding the topic of that chapter. Some contributors are experienced youth leaders; others are experts in development or famous church leaders. Their contributions put heart into the very practical content of the book. They also share some very moving stories.
This book, and its companion, Deep Ministry in a Shallow World, are not the most well written books about youth ministry available, but they are must reads. The conversations that can come from this content can help us to develop healthy youth ministries that shape young lives and serve the communities around us.

Book Reflection: Deep Ministry in a Shallow World

I recently read a book called Deep Ministry in a Shallow World by Chap Clark and Kara E. Powell. This book was published in 2006, but I read it recently after perusing the website of the Fuller Youth Institute. Our church has been having some exciting conversations about the youth ministry recently, and it was necessary that I do some reading on the subject.
While the writing is not great, and the design of the book is obnoxious, the content is quite valuable. For example, in the first chapter the authors explore the usual shallow solutions to the challenges faced in youth ministry. Their first observation of common shallow solutions: more of the same. The authors provide an example of the thought process that may lead to a fallacy such as this. “Small groups on Sunday’s aren’t clicking, but that’s because the students don’t know one another all that well. If they met on Tuesday nights, then we could move past pseudo-community and into real life relationships” We often decide what we need is more; more leaders, more money, more time, etc. In reality, most of us simply need to stop and listen. We need to listen to students, parents, and the Lord. In my assessment, the most valuable aspect of this book is the way it causes the reader to look into the mirror. This text also provides many practical examples of what a youth leader might be able to do in order to move into a deeper ministry.
There are two glaring omissions from this book, and they are not the weird sidebar prompts or the overuse of the infinity symbol in their diagrams (though both are glaring). First, there is little call for personal growth and deep change in the youth minister. For this subject, I would recommend a short book by Eugene Peterson (author of The Message) called Working the Angles. The other glaring omission is the call of the church, and youth ministry, to work towards justice. For this, I would recommend a book by the same authors, Chap Clark and Kara E. Powell. In 2007, they published Deep Justice in a Broken World. I will be reflecting on this book next.

Coaching as Volunteer Development in the Church

This is the first of a series of posts I have rolling around my brain that will help me tie the work I have been doing the past couple of years with my future as a church leader. I do not have a clear picture yet of all that God will call me to, but I do have dreams of leading a church in efforts to serve the community in practical ways. The first area I would like to explore is staff development. My work in the non-profit sector and in education has helped me grow in the area of staff development and training others. This post will explore what it might be like to implement staff development strategies in the church context to train volunteers and develop emerging leaders.

Staff Development in a Church?
Staff development is a part of my job, but more than that… I see staff development having a place in the church. I know how that may sound, but not everything the church endeavors to do will be things the congregation is already qualified to do. I dream of a church where we are an integral part of the community. I envision a church not only offering a place to worship and a sense of community, but economic development, educational services and more.

I know that for most churches, these endeavors will be outside of most people’s experience. This should not deter us in pursuing all that God calls us to as a community. Usually, we can find a few people who do know how to do what God is calling us to, so we simply need to make space for them to share their experience with the rest of the congregation. That way, we can all serve in whatever God calls our church to. Effective training in all of our efforts is an important part of what the church does. The things church leaders ask of the congregation may be completely novel to them. If this is the case, leaders will want to set their church up for success. If church members don’t experience success at new outreach endeavors, they may not be willing to try the next time. Success is an important boost to morale.

In order for the church to be effective in outreach and service, it must provide church members, staff, and volunteers with adequate training. The training strategy I propose is based on a learning theory called the gradual release of responsibility. The implementation of this theory attempts to shift the responsibility for one’s own learning from the teacher to the pupil(s). In staff development, this is called coaching and it is done in the context of project based learning. A staff member is taught how to do something and then led along while they implement what they learned until they are ready to do this on their own. Before they are released, they collaborate with others on a project that helps them refine their skills while simultaneously serving the community.

A Picture of Coaching

This is an approach to teaching that is best explained with an image of a childhood cliché. Picture a father teaching his child to ride a bike. He shows them what it is like to ride a bike by giving them tricycles and training wheels. Then takes them off, holds the back of the seat and runs alongside his child. At some point he lets go. His pride is unmistakable. He slows down and watches as they ride on their own. “I’m doing it!” the child stereotypically cries. When they have the inevitable crash, Dad picks them up wipes their scrapes, kisses them, and encourages them to try again. Let this be our method for teaching. Let the father teaching his kid to ride a bike be how we equip and empower our church members. Through coaching, we get to participate in the learning of church volunteers and then look on with pride as they “get it.”

For the purposes of volunteer development in the church, the four stages of coaching are: modeling, guiding, collaboration and independence. In modeling, the leader shows the emerging leader(s) how to perform a task, strategy or skill. In guiding, the leader works with the emerging leaders to practice the skill. In collaboration, the emerging leaders create a project that helps them practice the skills they have learned. Lastly, in the independent practice stage, emerging leaders are released to serve and demonstrate their competence. During this stage, leaders observe this practice and help emerging leaders make small changes to their strategies as they go along.

Coaching in the Church
For these strategies to be effective emerging leaders must be paired with established leaders who have something to pass along. Established leaders would benefit in being trained in these teaching strategies to ensure that they are successful in sharing what they know and who they are. The job of a leader is to work themselves out of a job – replacing themselves and sharing control with emerging leaders. It should also be stated that this strategy, taken from professional staff development, is best implemented in small groups. These are not the mega church small groups of the last two decades, but a balanced combination of spiritual nurturing groups and professional learning communities. During this process skills and knowledge can be shared and deep personal growth can be reached in a community. This is not a method for helping people grow spiritually or in terms of maturity. The goal of coaching is to help develop the practical skills of volunteers in the church.

The implementation of these strategies must be “above board.” In other words, everyone involved must know that this is taking place. From the newest volunteer to the eldest leader, all are eligible to be trained in some way and all are eligible to train someone else. This is not a comment on spiritual maturity, but on professional development for lack of a better word. These strategies can be used to equip volunteers and develop interns. This will help each new endeavor be successful and it will help interns draw valuable experience from their service within the church so that they can add value to the communities God calls them to.

Interns, Apprentices, and Volunteers
I would suggest that internship be the most formal context for the implementation of coaching. I would propose that a church internship program would have specific goals and a leadership that is competent in the implementation of coaching strategies. Interns could work through a particular coursework of topics that have been deemed important for interns to learn, but as long as the number of interns is manageable, I would suggest that they set their own goals for growth based on their life goals. In contrast, apprenticeship is a personal relationship that an emerging leader might have with a pastor. Interns should work in cohorts of no more than 10 individuals. There must be room for them to collaborate and help each other grow.

Volunteer development would be a completely different category. I would suggest that coaching strategies be taught to department leaders in a 3-5 session training experience that implements the strategies (modeling them for those who will implement them). Afterward, department leaders should implement coaching strategies with those who serve in their departments. A staff member competent in coaching strategies might be required to function like a consultant. While this person may not be the best teacher when training someone to run the sound board or plan an event, they may be able to help those who are skilled in any area teach others.

Obstacles and Benefits
Each church may face some difficulties in implementing the coaching strategy for volunteer and leadership development. First, these strategies will be new to some and must be learned first. Second, it may be difficult for those who are younger to train those who are generally more experienced than themselves. While one can look to the wisdom of elders, we must collaborate with humility. Lastly, implementing a formalized training technique could stifle relationships, especially if the church is to grow numerically at the same time. It will be vital for the church to fit training into the life of the church rather than creating hierarchal or managerial relationships. This is a reason why training is best conducted in teams rather than mentor relationships. In teams we are able to foster a sense of community while avoiding leading from a position of authority. This difficultly will be possible to overcome in a church that has already developed a culture of collaboration.

It can be argued that the benefits of implementing coaching strategies in a church would outweigh the obstacles. If the church can add structure to its methods for staff and volunteer development it will be able to ensure success in whatever new endeavors they face. Success will build a sense of self-efficacy in church members. They will have confidence in their ability to represent Christ in whatever way they are able to serve the community.

I would also suggest that a formalized internship program that offers demonstrated growth and teaches new skills will attract new people to a congregation. Churches may find that a quality internship program will cause college students, youth and those pursuing a call to ministry or community development to flock to the church. An internship program can present itself as an alternative to age based suburban church programs. It is the church’s diversity and love for one another that shows Christ to the world, but this may not attract a hopeful and optimistic workforce, passionate for personal growth and societal change. The church must make a space for these people if we hope to add to the value of the cities we live in.

Goals for Implementation
I would propose several short and long term goals for any church considering implementing coaching strategies in their church’s training methods. First, a church should train its members for each upcoming event. Most events fit the larger purposes of the church and are not standalone events. A good place to start would be a training session for volunteers, the trainer walking around during the event to check for understanding and implementation of directives, and a debrief follow up to perfect strategies for next time.

My second recommendation would be to develop a basic structure for apprenticeship and internships for the coming year. If a church has several prospective interns it must create a place for them. During the first year, this would likely still be an individualized rather than formalized program, but training would be intentional.

My third recommendation would be to implement a basic training for department leaders. This would be highly encouraged for anyone who teaches or trains others. It would be mandatory for anyone who leads a department and is not yet conscious of this need.

My fourth recommendation would be to develop a formal internship program that functions like an educational program; with customizable coursework, and training sessions delivered by the most competent people the church has available in each subject. The real learning however, would not happen in the classroom, but in service.

Learning and Growth through Service
The church will learn and grow while they serve, but people will not learn and grow simply because they serve. They must be intentional in helping each other grow, not just spiritually, but in service. With training, they will be effective in their service. This will give them confidence to develop a deeper life of service instead of an act of service. Through a lifestyle of service will we see the kingdom of God and expressions of God’s redeeming grace. The divine perspective is not from above, up in heaven; it is from below, washing feet.

THINK Together Students, Homelessness, and You

On November 19th, I will be taking the students from my after school program to Exposition Park to participate in the United Way’s HomeWalk. We have been doing this for a few years, and the United Way is one of our community partners. The following information is lifted right off the HomeWalk LA website for your convenience. We will see you there.

What is HomeWalk?
HomeWalk is United Way of Greater Los Angeles’ annual 5K Run/Walk to End Homelessness. Each year thousands join together to do their part by fundraising and spreading the word that homelessness is a solvable problem.

Why HomeWalk?
In Los Angeles County 51,000 people are homeless. Wages have not kept up with housing costs. Over the past 20 years, only the top 1% of salaried workers have seen significant income growth. Our percentage of working poor is higher than the U.S. as a whole. We’re the homeless capital of the nation. The number one reason for homelessness is losing a job, and L.A. County unemployment is in double digits for the first time since May 1993. The HomeWalk funds focused on ending homelessness among 2 populations; the chronically homeless, who are the most costly segment, and families who represent the fastest growing segment.

How does the United Way help?
All money raised through HomeWalk is distributed back into the community to help quickly re‐house homeless families and provide permanent supportive housing to our most vulnerable, chronically homeless individuals and veterans. Over the past 4 years, HomeWalk has mobilized 18,000 walkers, raised $1.7 million and funded organizations that have moved 9,000 people into permanent housing.

The United Way believes that our community must focus on housing people first while giving them access to support services such as health and mental health treatment. This “emerging model” was designed to move people into housing quickly while giving them the supportive services necessary to stay there. In this model shelters are used as very short-term housing only. Housing homeless families and individuals will do more than manage the problem, it will solve it.


How Can We End Homelessness?
The number one reason for homelessness is loss of a job. With our region’s unemployment at the highest it’s been in a decade it’s not surprising that we are the homeless capital of the nation and that 40% of the homeless population are women and children.
We can end chronic, veteran and family homelessness by moving people into housing quickly while giving them the necessary services to remain there. This permanent supportive housing model has drastically reduced homelessness in cities like New York and Denver, and it’s 43% more cost effective with an 80% success rate of people staying off the streets for good. HomeWalk is an opportunity for our community to come together to raise funds and hope for a better future. Join us by participating, volunteering and/or recruiting others. Together we will end homelessness.

Register To Walk and Fundraise
Go to www.homewalkla.org to register online and start fundraising by asking ten people for $10.

Event Information
Saturday, November 19th
Exposition Park
700 Exposition Park Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90037

Important Info
Registration Opens: 7:00am
Opening Program: 8:30am
Run/Walk Begins: 9:00am
Registration fee for walkers and runners is $25.
Minors (under 18) are free.

Eating My Own Words on Civil Disobedience as Sacramento's Homeless are Evicted

Here's where I eat my own words on the issue of civil disobedience. My last post, which I wrote earlier today condemned those who participated in civil disobedience so that their voices would be heard on the bailouts. I maintain my previously stated opinion. I think it is wrong for people to stage dramatic demonstrations against our political leaders over tax policy. I feel this way because as a Christian I am called to not behave that way. I think it is wrong for non-Christians as well because it is immature and selfish.

Here's where I eat my words... The "residents" of Sacramento's tent city are being evicted. To me this is an injustice. These people have nowhere to go. Those who have already been removed have simply relocated and formed another tent city. The Mayor of Sacramento is initiating plans to expand the homeless services and shelters, but not before having the people forcibly removed. Those who remain are planning to participate in their own form of civil disobedience. And who are they led by? A religious leader. Her name is Sister Frenandez and she runs an organization that helps the homeless called Loaves and Fishes. She is Jesus' representative in this mess and while I know it is presumptuous to suggest that she is doing what Jesus would do, she is certainly doing what I would do. My hometown is about an hour away from Sacramento. This is clearly not my fight, I am still recovering from surgery and Pasadena to Sacramento is a long drive with a three foot brace on my leg, but I think if circumstances were different I would be there too. Still, assuming of course that these people want her help, she is their advocate and she is willing to be arrested for their cause.

So am I a hypocrite? Do I say one thing and do another? I ask that people would submit to political leaders, then when faced with the plight of the poor, I would do anything but submit. Maybe I am a hypocrite, but I think this is different. First of all let me say that the media and blogging community needs to stop pointing out the celebrity status of our political leaders. It does not disqualify them for leadership any more than it qualifies them for leadership. Secondly, I must admit that I do not know which fight is "right." It is possible that those who oppose the President's tax policies are right. He could be ruining the country by not listening to them. I simply do not know anything about these sorts of things. His policies are aimed at fixing this problem on a larger scale, but then so are the ideas of the Republican protestors. Sister Frenandez is not trying to fix the country. She just wants these people to have a safe and legal option. He fight is simpler. I understand it, and maybe that is the cause for my bias. Still, I said a few hours ago that Christians must do their best to be above civil disobedience, remaining humble and submissive. Now as this story presents itself to me, I feel compelled to civil disobedience on behalf of those who God loves, the poor and oppressed.

I do not envy the homeless, this nun, political leaders, or the police who have to remove these people whether they want to or not. Watch the story with me as it unfolds over the next few days. I am dealing with this as it is happening and I would invite you to deal with it with me.

In Response to the Recent "Tea Party" Protests

Recently, some republicans have been staging what they call "tea party" protests demanding lower taxes and less government spending. These protests seem to be an attempt at initiating a popular revolt against President Obama. You can read the LA Times article about it here.

The article basically says that while most Americans support the Presidents spending policies so far, people are more concerned with jobs than taxes. Despite this, the Republican demonstrators are protesting the recent bailouts and increased government spending. I will not pretend to know how to best fix the economy, but in my opinion it does not matter. As the economy falls apart we as individuals are responsible for our actions.

In America it is not only our right to protest bad leadership, it is our duty. American was founded by people who were revolting against their own government. This is the foundation for our country, but it is not necessarily the right way to respond to politicians we disagree with. At some of these recent protests the actions of the protesters have been peaceful, but some disturbing imagery has been used. At one event that was connected to these recent protests but was in opposition to Governor Schwarzenegger, a conservative opposed to his policies held a plastic sword that was piercing a hollow rubber Schwarzenegger head. The man said, "We need to punish him for what he's done." In my opinion Governor Schwarzenegger has been an embarrassment to California and has failed miserably at his duty as Governor. He needs our active support to fix the condition of the state, and in the places where he has failed he needs us to elect someone better. Our state needs us to elect someone better.

When your candidate does not win there is no sense in whining about it. Inciting rebellion and encouraging revolt over money is not the way to respond to leadership you disagree with. I happen to agree with President Obama's policies so far and I do not agree with Governor Schwazenegger's policies. My role as a Christian is to submit to their leadership and pray for them regardless of whether or not I agree with them. In Romans 13:1 Paul writes, “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” Paul is saying that everyone, and especially Christians, must submit to civil authorities because they are established by God. I am not suggesting that there are not exceptions to this rule, but I would point out that the rule for Christians is to submit.

Stereotypically the Republican party is often associated with American Christianity. I hope that those who are participating in these "Tea Parties" are Republicans, but not Christians. This is not the way Christians should respond to leadership they disagree with, especially when the concern is over money.

I am not sure where the line is to be drawn exactly for when a Christian can and cannot participate in civil disobedience. Was the resistance of the South African church during Apartheid acceptable in light of this passage? Would disobedience to Hitler in Nazi Germany have been appropriate? Was the passive resistance of Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. an acceptable action for a Christian leader? It seems to be that there is a delicate balance to being an American Christian, because in America we are encouraged to fight tyrannical leadership, but as Christians, we are called to submit in humility. For me the line will be drawn at issues of justice, not issues of the wallet. I may oppose leadership that justifies the suffering of the innocent, the denial of human rights or war, but I simply do not see any justification for this kind of behavior when the concern is taxes.

Of course this is quite un-American of me. American was founded by people who were fighting unfair taxes more than anything else. Tax policy is an important issue, but I do not think it is as important as our attitude towards our leaders. What do Christians want more, political power or to honor God with our actions? If you find yourself disagreeing with a politician, that is fine, but is the way you express your opinion honoring God or does it deny him? I find myself disagreeing with political leaders often enough, but I want to be loving and generous more than I want my voice to be heard. Do you think God is worried about our economy? I think God is worried about how we will respond to our economic situation.

The Eviction of Sacramento's Homeless

This morning I am supposed to be working on my theology homework. It is about the doctrine of election. Yesterday I cared about this topic. Today I don’t. I want to. I know it is important, and I need to get my homework done, but there is something more important on my mind. This morning I read an article in the LA Times about Sacramento’s tent city. If you haven’t heard about this, read the article here. This is front page news and because of that the city has decided to shut the tent city down. It has been open for about a year and the living conditions are terrible. The article was striking to me because this tent city is reminiscent of the hoovervilles of the depression. The people here are not all the stereotypical homeless.



Many are recession victims, people who wouldn’t normally be homeless, but are now homeless because of the economic situation. The city has ignored this problem for a year as far as I know, and now they are set to close the tent city by the end of April. Some might say this is a feasible solution. I’m not sure. Won’t shutting down the area simply relocate the homeless? I don’t have all the answers, but I know that the recent rise in homelessness is a symptom of a much greater problem. I am at a loss as to what the right response is, but I realized today that relocation can’t be it.

I came to this realization because of a bus stop bench.

This morning I went to Starbucks to get my aforementioned homework done and I passed by the same bus stop bench that I always pass by. On most days this bench is occupied by a particular homeless man. I will admit that I do not know his name, and have not spoken to him much. We have only shared a passing hello, but he always seems to be there. This morning he was not there, but I still took particular notice of the bench. I noticed it because for a while it has had a clothing advertisement on the side that shows a woman who is barely clothed. Now this is a pet peeve of mine for reasons that are completely unrelated to this story, but come on it’s a clothing advertisement, she should probably be clothed. So I passed by the empty bench and found myself annoyed with the sign. I worked in Starbucks for several hours, but as I took a break I read the article in the LA Times about Sacramento’s tent city. My heart burned and I was completely distracted from my work.



On a side note, is God speaking to me supposed to feel like ADHD?

I don’t know, but I do think God has been speaking to me today. I walk out of Starbucks and the bench is GONE. It’s as if it were never there. I look around in disbelief and I see the usual homeless resident of the bench across the street at another bench. He has several friends with him who also look homeless. Everything suddenly falls into place for me. I don’t know this man’s name or why he is homeless. I don’t know if he needs help, because that is not an easy thing to ask a stranger. But I do know he is not going anywhere. I don’t know why the city of Pasadena would remove a bus stop bench, but I know that the result was the simple relocation of a man, and he didn’t go far. It’s almost impressive how quickly this bench was removed. It was there at nine, and was gone at eleven-thirty. If Sacramento removes this tent city, it must have an answer for how it will help these people. Otherwise upwards of two hundred people will simply relocate, and they won’t go far.



I doubt very many people will read this post as it is kind of long, but if you are reading this… yes I am aware of my failure to understand or handle this situation. I don’t have any answers for the homeless recession victims whom I am sure God loves. While I live the American dream, they live the American nightmare. I don’t know what the city of Sacramento should do with the people of the tent city anymore than I know what LA should do for the people in Skid Row, but something must be done. I know that I cannot say that someone else will do it. If God is speaking to me about this, it’s for a reason. I still probably need to be able to understand theological concepts like election if I ever want to graduate, but I would rather know people whom God loves. I also know that as I write this it is glaringly obvious that I do not know the name of the man that I see several times a week in the same place. I should probably remedy that. There are as many as 80,000 homeless people in LA County. What do I do with that? I don’t know, but I know where one of them will be.

Operation Fresh Water Fundraiser

Today I had the privilege of joining my friends Isaac and Drew on a short trip to Western Christian High School in West Covina. The school is only a few blocks away from Life Pacific, and Isaac has a connection with one of the teachers there. We were invited to the chapel and Isaac was able to tell his story to the students of Western. Isaac is a Kenyan who came to California to go to Bible College. He has begun a project that is his opportunity to give back to the community he came from. The town of Burlagate, Kenya is in need of a sustainable water source since they are outside of the provision of the municipal water supply in Nanyuki, Kenya. Isaac is raising funds to drill a well in Burlagate. This is a difficult project because there are not other non-profit companies that drill in Kenya. Generally speaking, Kenya has a sufficient water supply. Since this particular community is in need and no one else can drill this well, the costs are much higher than in other countries. Still Isaac has been pursuing this goal for some time, and every dollar counts. Today we sold water bottles with custom labels on them. For every bottle sold, 100% of the profit goes to drill this borehole. If you are interested in any more details you can check out his website. This project needs your support and I have greatly enjoyed working with Isaac. Contact him if you have any creative ideas or would like to be involved. I plan on posting any updates whenever Operation Fresh Water organizes any more fundraisers.

The Idea Camp is next weekend. Get ready for the unconference.

The Idea Camp is a FREE, open source hybrid conference designed to help people move from the realm of ideas to implementation.

The Idea camp is coming up next weekend. I'm really looking forward to this event. I hate conferences, but I think this will be a creative and fun opportunity to learn from some really interesting leaders. This is not a normal conference. Instead it is an unconference. There will be much discussion and the focus is on the participants, not the speakers. I hope to learn a lot, and I'm sure I will. My favorite part about the whole thing is that there will be no booths or annoying things like that. I'm actually more excited about that than the fact that it is free. Here's the info: Check out the website for more.

Dates: February 27-28, 2009
Cost: Absolutely FREE!
Location: New Song Irvine (www.newsong.net/irvine) - 18842 Teller Ave Irvine, CA 92612

A Reflection on Recent Events at Pasadena Foursquare

At Pasadena Foursquare Church this Sunday, my pastor Ralph Torres began his sermon by retelling the story of Rosa Parks and the events that sparked the civil rights movement. This story was not an attempt to connect the sermon with current holidays, February being Black History Month, but rather it was birthed out of the life of our church. On the Wednesday prior to this Sunday, our church installed new elders. One of the elders was not able to be there on time, and missed the ceremony. Our church is diverse as the city we are in, Pasadena. This particular church elder was a black woman. Pastor Ralph at the end of the installation service told the story of Rosa Parks and then redid the installation service in its entirety for our elder who was late. His point was that the world has told some of us that we are worth less than others. In the life of the church this is not true. The late elder, regardless of race, was as important as every other elder who was able to be there for the ceremony. The impact of this impromptu speech on Wednesday carried over into Sunday and on Sunday Pastor Ralph made the point that our theology must penetrate and change our lives and our community. It is not enough to believe that all people are created in the image of God; we must show people that they are created in God’s image.

The first thing I can take from this Sunday’s sermon is a leadership principle. Sermons do not come from a vacuum of thought. They are not intended to simple be inspirational or concerned with clarifying doctrine. Even when sermons do accomplish those things that is not the priority. The sermon must have purpose and context. The purpose and context come from the life of the church. If the sermon has no meaning to the people who are hearing it, then it should not be said.

The second and equally important application I found for myself is to be sure that my theology affects lives. I have learned a great deal of information at Life Pacific College, and I love studying the Bible. But if my education ends and my life has not changed, there will not have been a point to my studies. Our beliefs about God should change not only us, but everyone we come into contact with.

Bass Pro Shops are a monument to death and consumerism

So on my first night back in Manteca, Cameron and I went to the new Bass Pro Shops. I don't really know why. I guess we felt we had nothing better to do, and I had not been there because it was still being built when I left. I Knew this place was big and I expected a certain level of ridiculousness, but I was not prepared for what I encountered. Bass Pro Shops is a monument to death. There were animals everywhere. They were stuffed, but they were not cuddly. Naturally we took a few pictures. I have never seen such a crazy store before. It could only be described as hicktastic, and I'm not far from being a bit of a hick myself. This place is a cross of redneck culture and consumer culture, and it represents all that is America.

After going to the Bass Pro Shops, we went to visit a particular house that has for some reason become a tradition for Cameron and I to visit at Christmas. This place is the most heavily decorated house in Manteca. There are lights everywhere. Their electrical bill must be insane. Until seeing the monument of death and debt that is Bass Pro Shops I thought this house was the most startling symbol of waste in Manteca. The time and energy put into the decorating of this house could power the entire town. And if thousands of lights were not enough, the homeowners politely remind the city to "Keep the Christ in Christmas" and that God blesses America.

All in all, I have missed my hometown. The place is crazy, but its home. Things have changed a bit, and I'm sure things will continue to change, but somehow it still feels like Christmas. Check out the pictures from tonight for a quick laugh.

Bass Pro Shops

Shameless Plug for our Kenyan Water Well Project

Take a moment to check out Operation Fresh Water if you haven't already. OFW is a new non-profit that is just starting up. It was created by Isaac, another student at LPC. The goal of this organization is to drill a water well in Kenya near his hometown. We have been raising money for a while and we are only just getting off the ground. We have a temporary website up, but check back soon because I am hoping to finish the new one as soon as possible.