Lego Church

Hey, that's a pretty full house. It almost gives the impression of multi-culturalism except Lego® people all look alike.
That's a pretty huge Jesus depiction on the cross.

oh. Why is everyone so spread out? Don't they like each other?

Read more on Amy Hughes' Lego Church here.

Has anyone been to the Lego® land at Mall of America in Minneapolis? It's pretty cool.

Weekly Poll: Sharing

What is the main reason that keeps you from sharing your thoughts on this blog?

I want to, but I'm too intimidated I'll read it, but I'm way too busy to engage in dialogue right now I don't have anything more to say. You pretty much say it all. I don't want to I don't know how

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Weekly Poll Results~ Creativity

Poll results are in! Last week the question was how you express your creativity.
















25% said painting/art
8.3% photography
8.3% dance
16.7% parenting/social
50% writing
16.7% cooking
41.7% other

Wait wait wait. Back up a sec.
50% of us express creativity through writing? That's interesting. Hmm. Where are all of you? If you have something you want to write about, or if you have something you've already written and you want to post it here- let me know!

Also, 41.7% of us chose "other." What does "other" mean for you? Does it mean sewing? Interior design? Ceramics? Underwater basketweaving? Party planning?

Check back later for a new weekly poll!

Naked

This post has very little to do with being naked, and yet it has everything to do with nakedness.

I’ve been talking with Nancy over the past few days, and I’ve learned that one ambition she and I share is the desire to be transparent and a willingness to be vulnerable within the Genesis community. The purpose of this goal is to establish authentic relationships and to connect with one another beyond the weekly gathering. I want to know that I am contributing in a meaningful way, even when it is uncomfortable. And I want others to contribute as well.
I bring this up because I’ve been praying over the past couple of weeks about how this forum could better serve Genesis as a whole. I try to publish relatively cogent articles on a regular basis, and I understand that most readers will not approach the blog with the same alacrity that I do. And I don’t want to force this thing in a direction it isn’t meant to go.
My heart for this forum is that everyone would have a sense of ownership, and that it wouldn’t just be me bloviating on things I read in the news or sudden insights that are somewhat related to Biblical themes and discussions.
See, the thing is, Sacred Assembly is rapidly becoming known as “Jody’s other blog.” Which is fine, except I already have a personal Jody-centric blog . And while I’m willing to be vulnerable by opening up and sharing personal thoughts and opinions publicly…it really sucks to be all alone in the process.
Against better judgment, I shall summon a scene from that ridiculously over-hyped Hollywood headache, Jerry McGuire. Remember that one scene, where he gets T.O.’ed at his boss and he quits/gets fired in front of a hundred people, whose jobs also suck and who would probably benefit psychologically by walking out, and he invites them all to leave with him? And they all just sort of…stand there? But then one person out of the masses feels the conviction and is inspired to do more than observe blithely, and Jerry is semi-affirmed as the two are escorted out of the building in awkward silence? I can relate.
Maybe that’s the price we pay when we step outside of our comfort zone- it’s the risks that render us vulnerable on our path to transparency.
I beseech this readership not out of a desire to inject this blog with a popularity steroid, but out of a desire to see the Genesis family connect throughout the week, even when we can’t be in each other’s presence.
I thought about presenting this concern a couple weeks ago, but I really think God wanted me to be patient and wait until now (you know, If you blog it, they will com-ment). And I’m glad because it coincides beautifully with what Nancy has been processing in her own life as well.
I won’t disregard some of the remarkable and powerful feedback I’ve gotten so far (usually in person).

A. “OMG! Jody! U R so A-some!”
B. “You need to write something controversial. Something that will really piss people off. Can you say ‘pissed’ on the blog?”
C. “People are just lazy. They don’t care enough to respond.”
D. “Eek. I’m too intimidated to write my thoughts.”
E. “People have lives. They are busy with school and work and social lives and they don’t have time to respond to blog posts.” –aka- “Leave me alone.”

My responses are as follows:
A. Mmm. Yes.
B. I just cited Jerry McGuire as a viable illustration. I think that’s all the controversy we can handle for the day.
C. Boy, that’s cynical.
D. There is an ‘anonymous’ posting mechanism to help ameliorate the intimidation factor.
E. Great objection. One I can’t refute! By far the greatest excuse I’ve heard so far is “I don’t have access to the internet.” Shuts me down every time!

I extend my warmest gratitude to those who support this blog. I am always open for suggestions of any sort. And I know that with the multitude of weekly plugs during announcements at Genesis (an advertising campaign most companies would kill for), I’m not the only one scratching my head, saying, “Huh. It’s the darndest thang…”
So always feel free to agree, or disagree, or suggest ideas for postings, or present your concerns, or express praise for our God, or ask for prayer, or generally make yourself vulnerable in some form or another. Otherwise, life in the blogosphere begins to be a little...boring. Tell me what I’m doing wrong, or what I’m doing right, or how you would do things differently. Do it boldly or do it anonymously. One of the great aspects of posting comments on a blog like this is that you can be totally, figuratively, or literally naked and no one will ever know.

We Have A Dream: Week 6: "A Family of Diversity"

"We have a dream that we would be a movement of God in which we are a multi-cultural, multi-generational family knowing and being known by each other."


This morning Nancy shared her heart to be transparent and vulnerable within our Genesis family, and what it means for each of us to step outside of our comfort zone. We have a tendency as humans to compartmentalize other people, and we can be inexorable with our biases to the point that we rely on cultural barriers to understand the world around us.
Reread Philippians 2:3-8 and Colossians 3:10-14, and consider the call on our lives to walk in humility, to consider others better than ourselves, and to dwell together in unity.
I think in order to dwell together in unity we have to become transparent with each other, and to become transparent we must become vulnerable. Being vulnerable will mean something different from one person to the next, but we can begin slowly by looking at this week's challenge.

Where do you see yourself changing at the heart level to achieve this family of diversity?
Where do you see yourself taking an active step outside of your comfort zone?

Happy Thanksgiving!

I never knew how important our Thanksgiving holiday was until five years ago when I spent the day by myself. I had to close up at the coffee shop and everyone I knew had plans or was out of town. I didn't think it mattered because, growing up, I didn't like food that much, I was not thankful for being forced to eat food I was supposed to be grateful for, and there were no presents or candy. The only redeeming aspect was pumpkin pie and canned cranberry sauce (schloop!). I thought of Thanksgiving as, forgive me, what Erin Ryan calls "the red-headed step child of the holiday season."
That is, until I came home to a cold, empty house. I didn't know what to do with myself so I suited up and jogged down the street with my surf board, feeling a little daring and electrified for ditching holiday tradition and facing a 15 foot swell that churned chocolatey water.
By the time I reached the cliffs I stood overlooking Capitola and I thought, "this just isn't right."

By far my favorite Thanksgiving Day was when I was seven.
My sister does not share my warm sentiment for this particular occassion. She, in fact, shudders and cringes at the childhood memory. I mentioned before that I didn't like food, but that didn't include TV dinners, probably because TV dinners are not actually food. So that year, we were visiting Dad and he asked us, "What would you like to have for Thanksgiving?"
I said, "Chicken TV DINNER!"
Heather said, "Thanksgiving dinner."
At the time, Dad was living in a tiny town in a trailer (on wheels), and his kitchenette didn't have an oven large enough for a turkey. TV dinners it was! I remember gnawing on a chicken leg while watching my favorite movie, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and sitting with Heather in the only piece of furniture that would fit in the trailer, a La-Z-Boy armchair, while Dad leaned against the wall with his TV dinner, and I wondered how I managed to get out of the traditional feast so easily. I was truly thankful and content, completely oblivious to my sister pouting next to me. Afterwards, to my resplendent amazement, he baked chocolate chip cookies. Meanwhile, my mom was in another town with some friends, eating turkey and stuffing and yams, and I was secretly, wickedly, glad I wasn't there.
I still get a warm, fuzzy feeling when I watch Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, although Heather prefers that I don't reminisce, or really even talk about that holiday in her presence.

This year, if anyone is spending Thanksgiving alone you're welcome to join me and Patrick. I promise I won't serve TV dinners or force you to watch Steve Martin movies.

For now, I'll leave you with some reminders of how much we have to be thankful for:

"We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, … and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." - Colossians 1:3,12-14

"For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers." - Ephesians 1:15-16

"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 have received from God." - 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

"Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise - the fruit of lips that confess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased." - Hebrews 13:15-16

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." - I Thessalonians 5:16-18

"Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our 'God is a consuming fire.'" - Hebrews 12:28-29

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:4-7

Weekly Poll: Creative Worship

How do you express your God-given creativity?

Select up to 7 of the following: Painting/drawing/art photography dancing parenting/social writing cooking other

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Weekly Poll Results: Home Groups

Last week I asked if you plan to attend Genesis home groups.

75% answered yes
25% said maybe

I hope everyone will at least check'em out!

I'll have another weekly poll up shortly...

...speaking of God's creation...

This morning I did not want to go to work. I had work on my mind all weekend long. I could hardly relax without reminding myself of how much work I have ahead of me this week, this short, amputated week. I thought about deadlines and screw-ups and potentially tedious, time-consuming busy work and I effectively ruined most of the weekend just thinking about it.
So this morning, while driving south on HWY 1 at 6:30 AM I was greeted with the most fantastic sunrise I've seen in a long time.
I love this time of year because the sunrises are so pink and colorful and bright and vivid~ it can distract a person from the task of driving.
This morning reminds me of how I managed to wake up at dawn to surf in freezing November water just to see red sunrises, before I thrashed my short board.
When I got to work a few minutes early I ran into my friend/co-worker Donal on the front steps of our building. He was facing the sunrise in a meditative state and we stood there quietly as the colors and light morphed among the low-slung clouds.

"Good morning, Donal."
"Ah, good morning (irish accent). Look at that...It's great to be alive, isn't it?"

Did anybody else see the sunrise?

When I got a head start on all the work I thought about over the weekend I realized I don't have that much work to do. I stressed out over almost nothing.
So, I encourage everyone to get up early this week, like 6 or 6:30, and see the sunrise. While you're up you might as well visit Joe and Joanne at Zizzo's in Capitola and order a Tuxedo. You can see the sunrise from there, too.

We Have A Dream: Week 5, "Creative Worship"

"We have a dream that we would be a movement of God in which we are living our lives as a creative expression of worship to God."

This morning was so much fun! I confess I struggled to get out of bed, and I didn't feel like going anywhere today, but I'm glad I ignored that emotion and went to Genesis anyway because seeing everybody's art for Mosaic was really cool. And having breakfast together was really fun. I'm so glad I went!


It was great to hear Erica's thoughts on creative worship. I think it is important to remember that our God is artistic in His creation, and we can express our devotion to Him through different forms of worship. Taking time to observe a sunset or nature or even other people through art can glorify God through the simple act of acknowledging that He is the ultimate Creator. I also appreciated the shout out to anyone who isn't artistically inclined, but who may demonstrate a proclivity for cooking, sewing, or parenting.
If we think of all the times in the Bible when God's people had to think outside the box to solve a problem creatively we might rethink the concept of creativity.
For example~ using a sling and some stones as a weapon; creative, no?
Or perhaps using what we have to create a solution, such as two fish and five loaves of bread to feed a multitude, or turning water into free-flowing wine at a wedding party. Obviously we aren't called to perform miracles all the time the way Jesus did, but think what we could accomplish for God by just using the talent and resources God gives to us.
I've heard cynics say that the only thing that differentiates us humans from simple animals is opposable thumbs and intellect. If that's the case then we should respect our intellect and opposable thumbs and use them accordingly in a worshipful manner (and no, I don't mean by sitting cross-legged, slack-jawed, and with eyes fixated on a video game all day long. Or for that matter, blogging, either. You can only post so many You Tube videos before people are on to you and your lack of purposeful intellect).

As you know, Thanksgiving is this week. So maybe we can each think of creative ways to thank God for our lives and for each other. (This does not include drawing a traditional turkey by outlining your hand and adding stick feet, unless you're five and you can honestly thank God for turkeys).

Techni-Christian: Send your stickers to David Crowder!

Yeah, that way he can cover up his custom-ordered blazing orange laptop. Apparently the vibrant color is distracting to him.
You can find the address to send the stickers on his blog.

(Personally, this would be the color of my dream laptop (go Boise State!) and I would never want to defile it's beauty with a bunch of random stickers, but this is what makes me and DC different- well, that and I don't closely resemble Mr. Tumnus).




While we're on the subject of technology, here are a couple- as David Crowder might say- distracting novelties.

You're supposed to wear them around your neck I think.

Genesis Home Groups Starting Up

Do you plan to join a Genesis Home Group?

Absolutely! Maybe

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Poll Results: Love Money

Good morning~

The results are in from our last online poll. The question related to Shane Claiborne's idea to give away money if recipients used it to love other people.

20% would sponsor and orphan
60% would sponsor a missionary
20% would feed a homeless person
0% would tithe
0% would take the money and run

Check back later for a new poll!

We Have a Dream: Week 4, "The Priesthood of Believers"

“We have a dream that we would be a movement of God in which we are all priests of the living God doing the work of God with our unique passions and gifts.”

Yesterday we looked at 1 Peter 2: 4-10, which is currently my favorite passage. We learned that in ancient times people had to go through a priest to meet with God, because only high priests were allowed to go to the inner Temple- the dwelling place of God. Can you imagine the humility of bringing your pet every week to a priest only to watch him transfer your sin onto your innocent animal and then slit its throat to atone for your sins? I am so grateful that Jesus went to the cross and we find atonement through Him. I don’t know if I always take into account exactly how MUCH He did for us when I think about the implications of His crucifixion, death, and resurrection. I’m glad that I don’t have to offer up physical sacrifices, which makes me more than willing to offer up spiritual sacrifices. When I consider the alternative, it helps me give of my time, thoughts, prayers, actions, and resources with a cheerful heart rather than out of a sense of obligation. I hope I can be more mindful of our royal priesthood and our immediate access to the Father.

Because God has imparted to us this priesthood, Charlie says “we can’t just GO to church…We need to BE the church.” For so long God’s people went to the Temple to meet with God, but now WE are the Temple, the dwelling place of God, “being built into a spiritual house (1 Peter 2:5).” I love the image God gives us in this passage, describing us as the Temple constructed with living stones.
I shared with Charlie briefly that this passage holds special meaning for me because months ago, when I was having a rough go of things, very confused and whatnot, God gave me an image of a meteorite-looking rock formation that had fallen and cracked in some places.
Now, please don’t think that I’m often given to strange visions or weird things of that nature. I am typically uptight and semi-conservative and probably not as permeable as I should be.
So anyway, this image. Out of the jagged fissures in the rock came an incredibly pure radiant light, and I knew that God was trying to show me that there was something good in my situation that I couldn’t see right away. I couldn’t understand how my situation was beautiful, and I honestly didn’t understand the spiritual significance of a meteorite, but I let it pass and I remembered the image.
Months later, Erica asked me if I wanted to paint a depiction of the aforementioned passage. I shrugged and skimmed through the text, and was then totally blown away. Duh! It wasn’t a meteorite that God was showing me. It was a living stone! I did a little research (very little) and learned that the Temple was not haphazardly constructed with unrefined river rock, but the stones were actually broken, chipped, shaved down, and sculpted to fit perfectly in the construction of the Temple. The cornerstone (representing Jesus) was used as the plumb line for perfect measurements and angles.
So I finally understood that the jagged rock with the light shining out of it was God’s way of showing me that he needed to shave me down and sculpt me to fit perfectly in the church, the spiritual house made up of all of us, as living stones. It’s so awesome to know that we are all an important part in the church, and that we can rely on one another to bear one another’s burdens, and to pray for each other, and to work towards a common goal for God!
For my art project (I hope the other artists in this series feel comfortable talking about any insights they gleaned from their respective passage-of-the-week, too) I painted a cornerstone along with some smaller base stones. I read in a book that when the cornerstone was laid, the priests would gather the resources brought in by laborers to offer up on the cornerstone. The resources of that time included wheat, oil, and wine. Today I think our physical resources are often represented by monetary value so I included coins in the painting as well (but we could also include the items we talked about during our series on stewardship: time, gifts, talents, etc).
I looked all over for blueprint paper to draw what we often visualize as a “spiritual house” but they don’t make blueprint paper anymore. What’s up with that? I had to use vellum and blue pencil, but the point was to draw a blueprint design because even though we may never see exactly how we as the church are built, God knows where each of us belong and he desires that we would be placed exactly where we can contribute the most for the whole of the church. And because each component is integral to the rest of the building, no one part is more important than the rest (except the cornerstone, which is Jesus, the plumb line). So we can truly partake of the priesthood without wondering if we really matter in the grand scheme of things- because we ALL matter.

“Where is God calling you to be the Church?”

Oh, and in case you missed it, here is the “Me Church” video we watched yesterday.


Me Church

Happy Birthday, Haley!

As one who has already begun the greased slide towards 30, let me say Welcome!

Jesus Camp Comes to Town

When I first heard about this film I wanted to ignore it and hope it would just quietly go away. Instead it came to Santa Cruz and is currently playing at the Nickelodeon. This makes it harder to ignore since people in the community will be seeing it.
The controversy surrounding this documentary, if you are not aware, is whether or not it accurately portrays American evangelical Christians.
I went to the official Jesus Camp Website and learned that it was filmed and directed by two women who are not religious, but who are "curious" about evangelical Christians. There are also 3 video clips, and after my cringe fest I debated whether or not to post them here.
The parts that make me most uncomfortable are:
1. Watching children convulse violently on the floor. (My sister developed Epilepsy in junior high, so it's difficult for me to believe the Holy Spirit would do such a thing to a person, especially when the Bible tells us to practice self-control)

2. There definitely seems to be an "us versus them" mentality strung through out the film. It appears from the trailer that children are being trained in some kind of Christian militia, or at least engage in tribal warfare rather than share the Gospel.

(View the videos here)

I will probably end up seening the film in its entirety, although I plan to wait until it's out on DVD so I can digest it in small doses and save eight bucks.
Does anyone else plan on seeing it while it's in town?

Love Money

Shane Claiborne challenged youth workers to use a dollar to love others. How would you use your dollar to love someone else?

I'd sponsor an orphan I'd sponsor a missionary I'd buy food for a homeless person I'd tithe I'd love MYSELF with that dollar!

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Weekly Poll Results on Halloween

Last week I asked what you do on Halloween.

6.7% celebrate like it's a religious holiday

60% dress up and hand out candy

0% hand out gospel tracts with candy

33.3% don't celebrate Halloween at all

Check back later for a new poll!

Synchronicity

A funny thing happened last week when I was reading someone else's blog. This person mentioned he was going to a youth workers' conference down in Anaheim, and he listed speakers at the event. Near the top, in alphabetical order, was Charlie Broxton.
Here is a guy whose blog I've been reading for a little while now and I had no idea he would have any earthly connection to Charlie or me or anyone we know very well because he lives in Tennessee or something. I was pretty shocked that this seemingly random person was going to the same convention Charlie went to, and he listed a few core bloggers who would be blogging during the event so people like me could hear what's going on.
Kerry, one of the bloggers, wrote about Shane Claiborne's Sunday morning session.

In terms of humility, Shane Claiborne has been the
epitome of it here at the conference. By far the most self-giving and
challenging person that I have met in quite awhile. Not to brag on him or about
him, but this is a man that so believes in giving away (not some but all) of
what God has given him. He took the money paid by Y.S. to speak, prayed over it,
and then just gave it away... He laid it all out in one dollar bills and gave it
to everyone who would come take one, with just one stipulation... Use it to love
someone. Sponsor a child, use it to buy a meal, whatever. I went up, just
crushed in the way God used Shane, and his life, to break/mold/sculpt, my life
to reflect more of Himself.What am I doing with my dollar? Im keeping it... Yup
it's all mine. I have it in the front window of my wallet, with the word Love in
big black letters staring back at me. Challenging me, mocking my wasteful habits
of spending on needless and worthless things. I pray that God uses that dollar,
the sign of America's wealth and greed, to break my heart when I buy garbage.
May that dollar be a constant burning reminder of Shane, his challenge, his
life, but even more may it constantly drive me to give more and more of myself
away in an effort to gain more and more of Christ.

This simple act really touched me. I thought about how wasteful I am with lunch money and how much I spend on random junk that doesn't appear to accumulate. But mostly I was reeling from the spiritual implications as well. On Sunday we talked about what we are doing with God's living water in light of spiritual thirst. Are we wasteful? Are we generous? Do we offer it to others who may be spiritual thirsty? And what might happen if we reached out to just one person in our lives, one person at a time?
I think we would see God work miracles, and how awesome to be a part of that?

We Have A Dream, Week 3: "Desperately Thirsty"

Our guest speaker yesterday, Kevin Deutsch, spoke on our need to go directly to God when we are spiritually thirsty. I was really blessed to see his humble nature and his reverence for the position of teaching scripture. The passage we looked at was Phillipians 3: 7-11, and we focused specifically on verse 9:

But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss
for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the
knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all
things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him,
not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is
through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that I
may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His
sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 if, by any means, I may attain to
the resurrection from the dead.

I had to chuckle when Kevin mentioned his 5 years as a Buddhist monk. I never, you know, wore the robe and meditated on a mountaintop or anything, but for about 5 years there I was heavily into Buddhist teachings. I wrote term papers in college on the subject, and I read all the hottest new releases in Eastern Mysticism, and I took a class on the stuff during my freshman year of college (Borrr-ing). And I also shaved my dirt-ay dreads off my head at one point, but that was completely unrelated to my Buddhist leaning.
The thing that was hard about Buddhism, or any religion that relies on the Self to attain perfection and absolute righteousness, was that I couldn’t be perfect no matter how hard I tried. I attempted all right ways of living, and I tried to abstain from anything that would mess with mental clarity or distract me from right mindfulness and whatnot, but I found that it was just impossible on my own. My roommates laughed when I made a joke out of my perfidy by writing the 8-fold path on my whiteboard, and then “I am Buddhist (except on weekends and during Dead week).” I rewarded my self-control by abandoning self-control at my convenience. It was false righteousness.

We looked at three different characters who were desperately thirsty, but all chose different means to satisfy their thirst. One example of a desperate attempt to satisfy thirst was to drink in the things of this world. Whether it be materialism, or other people, or pride of life, anything, it always runs dry and leaves a person thirsty for even more. Another character tried to satisfy his thirst with only a few drops of water- hardly enough to quench anything. His source ran dry and left him thirsty still. But the third character had an endless supply of water, and when his thirst was quenched he tossed the source aside and took it for granted. He didn’t even offer it to others who were clearly in need.

On a spiritual level, we may identify with any of the 3 characters. We have access to God’s Word and we are free to go to Father God through Jesus. But do we take that for granted? When we are spiritually thirsty do we remember to seek God, and when we have a sense of fulfillment do we ignore Him and waste that living water that is offered to us?
We read the Beatitudes recently, in Matthew 5: 6, where it says,

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.

God does call us to be righteous, but He knows we cannot do it on our own. Just as Kevin and I each made futile attempts to attain right-ness in mind and spirit, others might make futile attempts to please God for the wrong reasons. I wonder about the paradigm shift the apostle Paul must have had when he realized that keeping God’s law is not what makes a person righteous. Though this doesn’t give us carte blanche to do whatever we want (since we are supposed to repent of our sins), we do not have to live by a rigid set of rules for the appearance of righteousness. We have power through Jesus to overcome sin, and to glory in His righteousness.

An Eager Believer

Baptism Cannonball!

Here is an example of loving someone even when you might not feel like it.

A Thank You Note From Harbor High

Hey Everyone,
Here is a letter from the principal of Harbor High that was printed in the Santa Cruz Sentinel:

On behalf of the entire Harbor High community, I would like
to express heartfelt thanks to members of the Twin Lakes Church for "adopting"
Harbor as their project for the Oct. 23 community "Share Fest" event.
In
addition to the almost 100 church members, Harbor students, staff and parents
did an incredible job in painting, weeding, trimming, digging/setting posts and
general garden clean-up.
Thanks also to Suncrest Nurseries for the generous
donation of plants and trees that the many volunteers planted around
campus.
Since so many expressed a desire to continue the work, the next
Campus Beautification Day is set for Saturday, Nov. 18. It does take a
community. Thanks for the interest and energy in helping make our campus look so
great.
Nancy Tocchini
Harbor High School principal

Great job, Guys!

(h.t. Haley)