Friends

Going once, going twice…

The back of my van is full of new diapers. They are for a newborn, and I have been trying to pass them along to someone who could use them for a few weeks now. A good friend was thoughtful enough to pass them along to me, knowing that I had friends who had just… Continue reading Going once, going twice…

Say cheese

I have discovered something about Aaron in the last few weeks. He really, really loves cameras and one of his favorite things to do is to take pictures. He is so proud of the flash (he has taken to calling it the “fireworks”) and he loves turning the camera over to see the image he… Continue reading Say cheese

Goodbye, Charlie and Kate

Saturday afternoon I had the privilege of sharing words of gratitude honoring twenty-seven years of Charlie Barker’s service in ministry at Pasadena Covenant Church. Charlie was the pastor who, through meeting my sister and brother-in-law and hearing the story of our community here in South Central, led his church in embracing a partnership with us… Continue reading Goodbye, Charlie and Kate

Wonder in the Hood

Lauren came over yesterday evening to help me with bedtime for the boys while Doug ran Mercy to our pediatrician’s office with a suspected ear infection (this was the first time that Mercy informed us of an ear-ache BEFORE 2am so we were grateful). Lauren was getting ready to run to the corner store with… Continue reading Wonder in the Hood

Doing it together

I once heard someone say that there is no such thing as “a sense of ownership”. That resonates with me as I think through all of the times I have seen a group with power create the image or illusion that that power is shared when the reality is that it is not. Put plainly,… Continue reading Doing it together

Can you hear me now?

This past Sunday I was a guest preacher at a church in Simi Valley which is something I actually enjoy doing. I was nervous about the length of my sermon (sermons at our church are at least forty-five minutes) and did end up cutting quite a bit from what I had planned to say. My… Continue reading Can you hear me now?

Stevie Wonder at the Bowl

I got a call yesterday from a good friend who suddenly had two tickets available to see Stevie Wonder at the Hollywood Bowl. We managed to line up childcare (thank you, Lauren!) and we met up with four good friends from the neighborhood and headed out to the show. The traffic and parking were crazy,… Continue reading Stevie Wonder at the Bowl

There are children here

The other day I was checking the Homicide Blog when I noticed the banner at the top of the page showed a happy couple enjoying a beautiful sunset in an ad for the Ritz Carlton. What a crazy juxtaposition. Things have been fairly quiet lately in our neighborhood, though some areas immediately surrounding us have… Continue reading There are children here

Eugene Cho posted a link to a Relevant Magazine article on materialism where seven Christian leaders respond to the question of how to follow Jesus in an age that worships mammon. Shane Claiborne’s response struck a chord with my own experience of who I care about and why: What is enough is defined by our… Continue reading Friends

My tribe

I was just checking the news feed on my denomination’s website when I saw a link to this story about my former pastor in Portland being given a denominational honor in recognition for his years of visionary service. Having just mentioned Pastor Henry in my Missional Synchroblog post (as well as President Palmberg who presented… Continue reading My tribe