Molly's New Blog!

A couple of months ago, we were thrilled to find out that Molly, the young woman that my husband and I are mentoring through shared life, was accepted to Adventures in Missions' "First Year Missionary" program in South Africa/Swaziland. She will spend nine months with a team in southern Africa experiencing intentional discipleship in ministry and missions.

As part of the preparation process, AIM sets up each participant with their own blog site and gives them specific assignments to complete before the trip begins. Once on the field, the participants use their blogs to keep friends and supporters updated with prayer requests, stories and pictures.

You can visit Molly's site here. She has already blogged about her expectations of the trip, her calling to missions, and the reality of life for orphans in Swaziland.

Here's a snippet from her bio:

I have felt for the past couple years that God might be calling me to Africa, and more specifically He has begun to break my heart for Swaziland. When I found the First Year Missionary Program, I learned that I could serve in Swaziland and be mentored into my future in missions. This program was exactly what I had been looking for. So now, I have begun the journey and look forward to what God has for me next.

Please feel free to visit Molly's blog and leave a comment of encouragement!

The Year in Pictures: 2008

January


When our JHers left the classroom and made a real difference in our neighbors' lives, they made "Love Your Neighbor" one of the best Sunday School classes we've ever done.

February


Oh Pizza Pucks, how I miss you. I'm so glad I got to enjoy you one last time, before the last shop that sells you closed its doors. Without you, the world seems a little sadder.

March


These five girls on my New Orleans team learned valuable lessons over the spring break mission trip about love, community, support, and prayer. They inspire me, and I am still learning from them.

April


It took us a while, but we finally found "our place" in the area: Napa Valley. Close enough for a day trip, but far enough away to feel like a whole different world. This picture is the garden at Copia (they actually use ingredients from their garden for the food in their restaurant!) I can't wait to get back!

May


We enjoyed our first camping trip with the Bonus; showing off our favorite sights in Yosemite as well as exhaustedly scrambling to the top of Yosemite Falls, one of the ten highest in the world (this pic is proof we made it to the top!).

June


We cheered on Molly as she crossed the stage at graduation. Two weeks later we cheered as she crossed a hospital room on her own two legs; praising God for the miraculous recovery from a (temporarily) paralyzing fall.

July


After 2 1/2 years of prayer, God blessed us by allowing us to bring a team back to work with our Guatemalan family in Lake Atitlan. (and yes, that's Molly right there with us!)

August


We were thrilled to join our friends the Berrys for a weekend getaway to a cabin in Lake Tahoe. One of my favorite parts of that trip was this hike down to Emerald Bay.

September


I tried my hand at wedding photography, and though I found it more challenging than expected, I really enjoyed the day. I'm so glad I could support my friends by helping them to capture special memories!

October


October saw the return of one of our favorite annual traditions: candy poker night!

November


As part of our annual 30 Hour Famine event, our students not only raised $3000 to send to World Vision, but gathered 200 pounds of food for the Monument Crisis Center, a local food bank.

December


Fellowship means celebration: here we are enjoying a Christmas party with the small group we joined last September. We've been so blessed by the friendships of these other young couples over the past three months.

As I look back over the highlights of these past twelve months, it's easy to see certain themes emerge: ministry, travel, and friends. I am so grateful to God for all the gifts and opportunities He's given me. I am thankful for the special people who have brought joy and meaning into my life. And I look ahead with wonder, with anticipation for what God will bring my way in 2009.

Reading the Good Book

With the end of the year in sight, I have been reinvigorated to finish my "through the Bible in a year (or 3)" plan.

I started in Genesis in January 2006, and have been working my way from left to right, cover to cover, with the desire to read and understand the entirety of God's word in context.

I've taken breaks here and there to move around and study a topic in greater detail, or meditate on scriptures relating to life events, but I always come back to the silk ribbon and renew its progress.

The cover to cover method has been valuable for me to spend time in scripture passages that I may not have come across through a sermon or a devotional. I like knowing that I've read everything in the Bible (hmm, if only I could remember everything I've read!).

This will be the second time I've completed the reading from cover to cover. The first time through, I read the NIV Life Application commentary alongside the relevant scriptures, which also took me three years (I enjoyed the extra information, but ultimately found that the extra weight of the Bible discouraged me from taking it with me anywhere).

So, how shall I spend my daily quiet times in January 2009? I've got a couple different options in mind.

One is the "One Year Bible", which is based on the idea of (surprise) reading through the entire Bible in a year. What I like about this Bible, is that it automatically divies up the reading for each day, so that instead of reading a huge chunk in one place, you read a bit from the Old Testament, a bit from the new, and a Psalm (Hopefully this would keep me from getting bogged down in long passages of similar content).

Another option is a topical daily devotional. Yet another would be to do an in-depth study of Romans, and pick something else once I'm done with that. Ultimately, my goal is to continue learning about God's will in my life through His word, and to grow in obedience and maturity.

How do you choose your Bible devotional / study material? Do you follow some sort of a plan, or the pick and flip method?

It's a Wonderful Life

I'm so excited to see our very own Lauren Galvin starring in "It's a Wonderful Life", presented by Contra Costa Christian Theatre.

The show will run Dec. 12-21 at the Del Valle Theatre in Walnut Creek.

You can get your tickets here.

A Family Thanksgiving Photo-Blog

What makes for a great Thanksgiving weekend?

A pretty table



A thankful heart



Time with my Hubby



High School Buddies



Sweethearts



A Minnesotan's first-time trip to In'N'Out



Laughter



Steaming hot apple cider



My parents



Pie



A real Christmas tree



Watching USC trample Notre Dame



Preachin'



Color!



My hubby's family



Thanks to God for these special memories!

Max's Thoughts on World Hunger and Poverty

The following is a note from one of our students, a young man in the 10th grade named Max. He is being challenged to really live out his faith in a meaningful way. This is exactly why we do things like the 30 Hour Famine:

So recently (as in since the 30 hour famine at my church), I've been thinking a lot about world hunger and poverty. I feel like I'm finally beginning to comprehend what's really going on everywhere in the world...except here. Because like every year when we're preparing for the 30 hour famine, we just hear over and over "kids die every day of hunger" and "other countries are divided into classes and it's so unfair" and stuff like that. But for some reason, it has really made me think a lot recently.

Like it's just so hypocritical how I can stuff myself on Thanksgiving and say I'm a Christian. Aren't we as Christians supposed to feed the hungry, not just live in our bubble to please ourselves? And I'm just satisfying myself and going beyond what I need in order to be full just because I can. And like every day, I'll look through the cupboards for something to eat, and I'm not even hungry. And whatever I see I usually turn down because "I don't feel like having it right now". If people in, I don't know, Swaziland had all the variety that I had, they would be ecstatic. I just take it all for granted.

And grocery stores. I don't think I realize that I have so much because I'm so used to it. Do I ever wonder when my next meal will come? Do I ever question if the grocery store will be out of food next time I go there?

26,000 children die each day of hunger. That's a child dying every 3 seconds 24/7. And that doesnt't include adults or teenagers. How can I not be thinking about that constantly? Why am I not weeping for those children? Why don't I do something about it?

And just watching television disgusts me. There are all these advertisements for cars and crap like that. So many people around the world couldn't afford that no matter how they tried. And I'm worried that I won't be able to use one of our two cars when I get my license.

And I never wonder how we're going to pay for all our expenses. I know that the money comes from the two and a half solid jobs that my parents have. And we have tons of money leftover for so much extra. What do we mean when we say "money will be tight this month"? We can't go out to eat for a month? So many people around the world live on an incredible amount less than us. What if we just cut some more stuff out? It's so unfair how children in Africa have to go work in the fields at the age of 5. And many girls become prostitutes at 8 or 9 just so they can make money to live. Then that just helps spread HIV.

Then I start thinking: Why was I born in America, the richest country ever? It was only by chance that I happened to be born here. Only 300 million people live here. There were like 200 other countries I could have been born into. I don't think I realize how lucky I am.

So I encourage you guys to think about and pray for the rest of the world. Because we DO live in a big, sheltered bubble. And there's so much bad stuff that we don't even know about in the rest of the world. Realize that we are very blessed indeed and that God will expect us to use the situations he's given us to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and tell others about Jesus.

30 Hour Famine Report

As reported in the Oakleaf:

Two weeks ago, 45 junior high and high school students went without food for 30 hours to raise money to fight world hunger, and to fast and pray on behalf of the hungry. During the fast, students engaged in service projects, played games, worshipped through song, and even got in some ballroom dancing!

Including the individual donations collected by students, the Sunday bake sale ran by our junior highers, and the "Get Off My Lawn" fundraiser our high school students came up with, Fair Oaks students raised approximately $2000 that will go to World Vision, the foremost Christian relief agency in the world today.


Our primary service project was a trip to Love-A-Child, a shelter for homeless women and their children in Bay Point. We piled out of our van caravan and were immediately put to work. Within minutes, kids were mixing concrete, painting walls, consolidating and stacking ceramic tiles, and shoveling gravel. Students also cooked and served lunch to the ladies and their kids, all while not eating themselves.


In the latter hours of the fast, students went out into the neighborhood surrounding the church in teams to collect food donations for the Monument Crisis Center. In little over an hour, they gathered three huge boxes full of food.

Students broke the fast with a feast of marinated chicken, tortillas, beans and rice.

Special thanks are due to the many adults who supported our students through donations, prayer, and volunteering their time during our 30 Hour Famine event.

FREE Concert this Sunday!

Looking for something to do this weekend?

There's going to be a FREE concert at Fair Oaks Church on the evening of Sunday Nov. 23rd.

The ambassador choir from Multnomah University will be presenting "Worship Through the Psalms", and is visiting Fair Oaks as part of their tour.

Click here for more information.

(Did I mention it was FREE???)

God Loves the Predators... Could You?

A phenomenal post by World Racer Kim Daniels, about her encounter with a man in a Thai strip bar.

Kind of like something shifted in me the night we got held at gunpoint in Johannesburg, South Africa, something shifted in me the night I found myself on the rooftop in Phnom Phen, Cambodia yelling freedom over the city with my brother Matt. Most of our squad is in Cambodia working in the slums, but 8 of us are back in Bangkok, Thailand for the next 7 days... back in the bars.

The World Race ends for me on November 21st. Just when I thought I was near done... nope! We're going to pump it up a notch at the end of this thing here. No fizzling out. The word 'autopilot' means nothing.

Its hard to describe what it was like being back in the Nana Entertainment district again, except to say that I knew I need to be there. Not just last night. Not just tonight and tomorrow night. But in the future. As I sat sipping my water, God told me, "Kim, you belong in the strip bars."

He made me smirk at that one. I like it: I work for Jesus in the strip bars.

We went back to Nana for the first time since GATO left Thailand 2 months ago. I'd felt intense all day, and it culminated especially as I stepped out of the taxi and laid eyes once more on the chaos of the downtown scene. The lights. The pounding music. The men. The women. The beer. The smell...

Once I get into intense mode, it takes the jaws of life to pry me out. I wanted to just get in there. I walked fast, fiercely praying through the downtown streets, blessing little kids and speaking limbs into cripples. I tend to feel the physical weight of spiritual atmospheres; it manifests itself in extreme aches in my body, headaches, nausea, stomach issues, etc etc. Over the last couple of months I've recognized it as hell's pathetic ploy to keep me at home. So whatever. I say no to hell. "Hell, no."

Caroline, Andi, Matt S, Mark, Gretchen, Patrice and I split into smaller groups and headed into the 3 story entertainment center, which read "Nana Entertainme". The 'nt' had burnt out. Caroline, Andi and I went into a bar on the 2nd floor that was hidden behind a green curtain.

As we sat inside, drinking our waters, a random man named Lonny (that's what we'll call him) came in and sat down. After about 3 minutes of trying to hit on me, he realized that getting hit on was not what I was in this bar for and started to ask some different questions and listen to mine. We talked for about an hour.

His was a classic story: He'd come with his two friends from Australia to Thailand to 'do what the Thai people do' after his 3 year relationship with his girlfriend had ended. Basically, he was here because he was angry, felt rejected, and was in the mood to dehumanize others and make them feel worthless because he felt dehumanized and worthless himself. Behind me were Andi and Caroline, praying. Behind him were his two buddies, making out with the almost naked women.

He asked why I was in Bangkok. I said, "Those girls up there", motioning with my head and turning my eyes to the girls on the poles. He followed my gaze and looked back at me. "Those girls are somebody's sister. Somebody's mom. Somebody's daughter. No matter how they ended up here, none of them are too far gone. Basically, I want then to know that they CAN get out. And if they won't yet, I at least want to tell them that their intrinsic value has nothing to do with their outward beauty or how much men will pay to sleep with them. Most of these women have never ever heard that in their life."

He played along with that for a while, saying things to make me think he agreed. I saw that he hadn't let it hit him yet, so we kept talking. I asked him, "So, Lonny, can I ask you a question?" With his yes, I said, "If you really think all those things about the girls- how sad it is that they are doing this, and how you don't think it's right- then what are you doing here?"

He looked down at his beer bottle, smiled and nodded his head as if to say, "You caught me." He said, "I'm here with my buddies. They know I don't agree, but I didn't want to be alone, so I came. And I have a pretty screwed up life, ya know Kim. Probably nothing like your's. I've been really depressed and almost killed myself a few times. I've lost the love of my life and lots of my close friends and family have died. I've had near death experiences, and have been on and off of all kinds of drugs for years. I bet you don't know very much about that."

I smiled. "Actually, Lonny, I know about all that. Our circumstances are different and I won't ever assume to know exactly what your life has been like. But I do understand depression. I was in it deep and heavy for years, and I understand the suicidal thoughts that go along with it. I get death-- my dad died suddenly of a heart attack and I've had quite a few friends die in the war and in freak accidents. I get loosing the "love of your life", and how excruciating that can be. I've been held at gunpoint; that's a near death experience if I ever heard one. And the drugs, well, I've never done pot or coke or smoked, but I was on anti-depressants for so long that it began to alter my personality. There are whole chunks of my life that I don't remember because of those doctor prescribed drugs. But your illegal drugs and my legal ones both have the same origin: using human re-doubled efforts to feel better, or to numb pain. Neither one of those ever works."

His eyes were glued on me. He said, "What are you really doing here?"

I told him about my Hero, who said that you have to loose your life in order to find it. And so I left everything behind, gave Him my life, keep giving Him more of it, and apparently it's led me all around the world.*

He told me about his Catholic background, and how it just never really worked for him and he couldn't figure out why. I asked him if he ever felt boxed in, like there were a bunch rigid standards that he could just never live up to, a list of do's and don'ts that he was supposed to keep and always found himself missing the mark. He said yes, and so his response to it all was "Forget it. I can't measure up anyways" and concluded that he was just a bad person and that God was really angry at him.

The law had brought him death.

He told me that he hated religion. And I told him that I hate religion, too. His eyebrows raised... "Wait, I thought you are a Christian..."

"I am," I answered. "But I'm not about religion. Religion sucks the life out of me and makes me want to whither and die. I'm not about a system that tells me how to live a nice life. I'm about the God who raises the dead and still makes all things new, who is also the same God that doesn't judge me on my performance or love me with condition."

That's when he broke. I watched his eyes change. They softened and then deepened, and he looked really vulnerable all of a sudden, like someone had just exposed his child-like innocence from a facade of pseudo-man pretending to be tough and calloused.

"What do you see when you step inside of Nana, Kim?"

"I see the Matrix. We're in the Matrix. Have you seen that movie?" He nodded. "Everything we see right now is not the real world. I can touch this wall, and I'm sitting on this stool, but these tangibles are not the reality of what is really going on in this bar. I've taken the red pill, and now I'm so deep into the truth of reality that I can never go back. What I see going on here is a battle for these girls' souls, and for the men's souls, too. There are lies here, accusations, greed, depression, hopelessness, lust, all things manufactured by hell. But there is also Light, and Life, perfection and beauty, restoration, hope, truth, and freedom. What I see when I step inside of Nana is it drying up. I see it not existing. I see the whole strip-bar scene going back to hell where it came from and Nana becoming a place that reflects the Kingdom of God, on earth as it is in heaven."

His eyes kept softening. "...I want what you have. If I could have whatever this is, I'd scoop it up with both hands so quick..."

"Hey, good news then. Its for you..." I said. "Jesus is especially fond of you..."**

I saw that facade begin to whither, but then something like a black sheet dropped over head. He stood up all of a sudden and got really flustered. I was surprised at how abrupt it was... He said, "Okay, um, I don't know what this is", motioning to his chest and stomach area, "I don't know whats going on, but its really unfamiliar, and... I just need to go. I'm just going to go."

I saw the discomfort in him... I saw that he'd been stirred and it freaked him out. But I smiled, thinking Oh, boy, God met you in the bar tonight. You came for sex and left recognizing your hunger for Someone else... You're much closer than you think... "Okay" I said. "Wherever you go, look for truth. Real truth, Lonny. And don't settle until you find It."
I watched him walk away quickly, his head down, oblivious to the girls all around him. I knew that God had gotten a little too close for his comfort zone.

That's part of my dream for Thailand. It's not just for the bar girls, it's for the men here, too. That they would travel halfway around the world thinking that they'll dive deep into pleasure and ignore the pain that drives them here... but instead of meeting girls for sex in the bars, they meet God instead. Because God's Kingdom invaded the bars incognito, and they didn't even see it coming. And in the very place that they thought they'd play Jonah to keep running from Him, they crash into Him.

~~~
*Quote from Matt Snyder's mind
**"The Shack". A must read.

30 Hour Famine Fundraisers

30 Hour Famine is an annual event sponsored by World Vision, with the goal of raising awareness and money to fight world hunger.

Last year was the first time the Fair Oaks youth group did the famine, and I am thrilled to report that our youth have caught the vision!

We already have about 40 youth signed up to participate, and they are preparing for this weekend's 30 hour event by planning their own fundraisers.

The junior highers put together and ran their own bakesale, selling off freshly baked cookies, brownies, and pies, with all donations going to World Vision. All credit goes to Spencer, an 8th grader who came up with the idea, then organized everyone involved! (I found out later that this may have been the very 1st bakesale in Fair Oaks Church history!)





The high schoolers came up with their own creative idea: taking over people's lawns! For donations, you can send a group of fun-loving teenagers to hang out on your friend's lawn! Or, for a donation, you can purchase insurance to keep said teenagers OFF your lawn!

I had no idea what the response would be to this idea, but our whole church has really gotten a kick out of it, and much has been raised towards our cause.



I look forward to reporting back next week how much our group has raised!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Last Friday, I was blessed to celebrate my birthday with family and friends. (I was relieved to find three-one much less traumatic than last year's farewell to my twenties. Phew!)

I woke up to the sound of my parents leaving me a birthday message on my answering machine (they were headed out of town); and though I didn't get to speak with them directly, it was a good way to start the day.

Friday evening, our church small group had made plans to get together for pizza and games, so we had a fun night of hanging out and getting to know one another better (and while I was celebrated, it wasn't all about me - which was good).

Molly gave me a copy of a book I'd read once and loved, The Narrow Road by Brother Andrew. I recall being so inspired, that I can't wait to read it again. Gary gave me a bible study on the book of Romans that I'd asked for.

These were thoughtful gifts, but the real celebration came Saturday evening, when Gary and Molly combined forces to take over the kitchen and prepare me a special dinner! This was special and significant for me, due to the rarity of the occasion. Prior to this night, Gary has cooked for me twice - and one of those was because he had lost a bet!

Despite the lack of experience, Gary and Molly did an incredible job putting together a gourmet pasta dish with roasted turkey and sun-dried tomatoes (does that sound like a weird combination? I thought it did, but it tastes amazing!).

I feel so blessed and honored to have friends like these in my life, who give me the best gifts of all - love, laughter, and great food! Thanks, guys!

Pilot Lands Plane After Losing Sight

This story is amazing: a pilot in Britain lost his sight while flying due to a stroke, and was talked down into a safe landing. Unbelievable.

Art Imitating Life...

Tuesday night, we started a new lesson series with our junior highers on the book of Psalms. Gary kicked it off with an unusual exercise designed to get the kids thinking about their own own experiences and emotions and how they might relate those to others (as the Psalms are extremely honest and passionate).

He instructed them to spend approximately eight minutes drawing a picture that represents their life. With junior highers, it would be impossible to guess what this challenge might produce. How can anyone, really, sum up their life in eight minutes on one sheet of paper?

When Gary called time, I walked around the room and was blown away by our kids' ability to capture their lives - a snapshot, if you will, of the middle school experience. If any of you out there have junior highers, or work in junior high ministry, I am sure you will appreciate these as much as I did:

















Do any of these remind you of your own junior high years?

Faithful in the Waiting

So often, I think of my own obedience to God in terms of DOING His will, SERVING Him, ACCOMPLISHING great things for His Kingdom. And, it's just so easy to judge others by what I SEE happening in their lives.

It's in our nature, isn't it, to focus on outer things? It's why we have the cliche "to judge a book by its cover"; it's why Jesus accused the Pharisees of being "white-washed tombs".

But I've found myself in an unfamiliar season of my faith: NOT doing (at least, in my own perspective). I suppose I had a sense of anticipation for this, when I blogged this a couple months ago:

"... I sense that my role in youth ministry is going to have to be more defined and less all-encompassing than it has been in the past. I dread the moments when I am going to have to, at some point, say NO to myself, my students, and worst of all, to my husband. But I don't see a way around that if I'm going to keep myself and my marriage healthy for the long term."

As I prayerfully sought God's direction on my commitments for the year, I was more than a little confused when His overwhelmingly direct response was simply, "WAIT!".

"Wait"? What do you mean by that, God? Shouldn't I be, like, doing something for You? What exactly, am I waiting for?

But, the clarity of this instruction, and the peace that encompassed it, have subdued the questions that have sprung up within me.

So, I'm attempting to teach myself a new way of thinking. I'm reminding myself that I'm just as valuable to God even when I'm not teaching a Bible Study or planning a mission trip. (Oooh, how that irks my productivity-oriented nature!) I am seeking to diligently and patiently listen for His voice. I am making myself more available. To God, to others. I'm trying to not try so hard.

Because, to God, our hearts are even more important than our actions. And my obedience to His instruction to WAIT is more valuable right now than all the self-satisfying things I could come up with to do in His name.

Ultimately, my desire must not be for specific deeds or accomplishments in my life, but faithfulness to my Lord. Even when all He asks me to do is wait.