memorable quote

I got this from a friend:

Save the earth, it's the only planet with chocolate!!

This is the Year

This is what I wrote to my congregation, some of the material is from a sermon I preached on Jan. 6.

This is the Year. . .

That’s what came to me as I was praying about the sermon for January 6. This is the year. Not to sound overly spiritual, but I could feel the presence of God as I began to dwell on that phrase. I believe God really wants this to be the year for every one of us. Why? Because God wants the best for us. He believes in us and knows our potential far better than anyone. He also knows the dreams within us, since He was the one who placed them there! He has the best for us, we often refuse to embrace His purpose due to our fears.

Mark Batterson, in his book, “In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day” says this about fear:
What’s interesting is that psychiatrists posit that we’re born with only two innate fears: the fear of falling and the fear of loud noises. That means that every other fear is learned. And more importantly, that means that every other fear must be unlearned.

This is the year that God sets us free from those fears that have paralyzed us. Stop letting life pass you by as you continue to only “hang on”, or as you continue to wait for the “perfect time” to do something, i.e. “when things slow down”, “when I get things together”, or “when this or when that happens”. Stop it, stop with the excuses. No one ever excused their way to success. And as long as we’re on the subject, stop whining, too. Everyone has road blocks, trials, and things to overcome. Those who have been successful could list off their roadblocks too, they just refused to let those things defeat them. We are not made to “hang on”. When we became Christians God began His own rewiring process to set us free from the shackles of our excuses and fears.

Start by getting rid of the neigh-sayers, the excuse laden, critical, judgmental, negative-filled people from your life who continue to perpetuate your situation. Their purpose is to keep you down, not build you up. Find the “I believe in you” people and surround yourself with them. Find them, spend time with them; let them speak into your life. And dwell on the power of God’s Word. Let the Word of Life soak into your life, too. Be transformed by God’s word (Romans 12:1-2). God’s word can change even the most fearful, excuse-filled person.

Isaiah 8:11-14a: The Lord has said to me in the strongest terms: “Do not think like everyone else does. Do not be afraid that some plan conceived behind closed doors will be the end of you. Do not fear anything except the Lord Almighty. He alone is the Holy One. If you fear Him, you need fear nothing else. He will keep you safe.”

Psalm 16:11 You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joys (plural, meaning continual); in Your right hand there are pleasures forever.

This is the Year. Just do it.

Rose Parade Adventure, Marines

One more thing about the 2008 Rose Parade I forgot to mention. As the Marine band went down the street they received a standing ovation. I watched as they approached, each section rose to their feet, cheered and clapped as they marched by. I could not help but be touched by the display of support for the young men and women who choose to defend our country. I heard from a friend who was also at the parade, stationed about a half mile from us who said that the Marines received the same ovation from his group, too. They deserved that and more.

Rose Parade Adventure

This is the 17th year that we've been in So. CAL, but the first year that we ventured out to go to the Rose Parade. It was fantastic! We had front row seats to the extravaganza. I read in the local paper that we were part of a crowd in excess of one million along the 5.5 mile route. The crowd was very orderly, and peaceful around our area. We did see a few protesters, but nothing substantial.

The Hare Krishnas were there chanting down the street, which was quite hilarious. They are always good for a little entertainment. They were supposed to be in "worship" but were paying more attention to the crowd as they danced and chanted. I'm not sure how worshipful they really were.

The first picture is us, along with our friends, Leslie and Debbie (Leslie is the new associate pastor) waiting for the parade to start. We got up at 4:30AM, and arrived at our position about 6:20. Then the wait, but with an eclectic crowd, the waiting became very interesting.


We have lots of pictures of horses (like that's a surprise), but I'll only post one, the one with the Clydesdales. Really cool.

These are some of the award winners. The television cannot do justice to the incredible design and flower arrangements. We were in awe of the work and beauty of each one. There wasn't a bad float there. The bands were fantastic. And did I mention there were alot of horses?

The best part was the reaction of our kids. They loved it! I had Michala on my lap through most of the parade. She pointed over and over to different parts and waved to almost everyone there. Oh, and yes, Sesame Street was there, which she really liked. Bob from Sesame Street was on the float, too! That guy has been on Sesame Street since I was a kid!

Ok, I changed my mind. Here is one more picture of horses, just for your benefit. And, the guy in the front of this last float is Jack Hanna, the animal guy. He was on the phone while waving. I guess he's a busy guy.

This was well worth the early rising, driving, fighting the crowd and traveling home. We may have to do this again! Alissa thinks she and Dad need to help reserve the spot next year (which would involve staying all night). Maybe so.