Great Story

ESPN is running a great story on sportmanship this week. In short it was senior day at Central Washington and one of the opposing players hit a home run. In her excitement she forgot to touch first base. When she turned around to go back her knee gave out and she crumbled to a heap. If she didn’t touch first base she would be out and lose the homerun. She couldn’t even crawl so two opposing players offered to carry her around the bases to complete her homerun. Read here for an incredible story.

Dog Evangelism

Lately I have been walking my dog, Sampson, on the Chaparral in the Village. This has introduced me to a group of people that I would’ve never met in my normal life, Dog people. Each morning I run into the same people walking their dogs. Some are from our church like Cindy but most are not. They are very nice people. Our dogs play together while we chit chat.

Something struck me this morning as I was walking. This is a group of people that God can use me to witness to. It will take time and be done in increments but as I pray for them and opportunities I believe that God will open the door for me to share the Gospel or pray for them.

We often overlook the people that God brings into our lives on a daily basis who don’t know Christ. It we notice it then we can be purposeful in our mission to reach lost people. So my encouragement to you is to look around and see the possibilities in your life.

Anyone for a Swim?

If you like doing laps in the swimming pool, you might want to stock up on the energy drinks before diving in to this one.

It is more than 1,000 yards long, covers 20 acres, had a 115ft deep end and holds 66 million gallons of water.

Yesterday the Guinness Book of Records named the vast pool beside the sea in Chile as the biggest in the world.

But if you fancy splashing out on one of your own – and you have the space to accommodate it – then beware: This one took five years to build, cost nearly £1billion and the annual maintenance bill will be £2million.

The man-made saltwater lagoon has been attracting huge crowds to the San Alfonso del Mar resort at Algarrobo, on Chile’s southern coast, since it opened last month.

Its turquoise waters are so crystal clear that you can see the bottom even in the deep end.

It dwarfs the world’s second biggest pool, the Orthlieb – nicknamed the Big Splash – in Morocco, which is a mere 150 yards long and 100 yards wide. An Olympicsize pool measures some 50 yards by 25 yards.

Sunday Thoughts (Monday Edition)

We had our second Sunday service at Buena Vista yesterday and all was smooth. A couple of thoughts:

• I love being portable! Seeing everyone involved is a great inspiration
• Our ministry teams are really dialed in right now
• Ran out of room and chairs in second service…again
• Tom did a great job with worship!
• Children’s ministry was packed (in an air conditioned room)
• Yesterday was really hot! Wished I was wearing shorts
• Seeing lots of new people
• Had someone have an issue with one of my points and in the process proved my point
• Missed the bikers from “Rushing Winds”
• Allergies are a pain. Gave me that flat feeling
• We need to find a stroller parking lot
• Caleb was introduced to school bathrooms
• The vibe between services is really good
• There was a rush to get into second service because no one wanted to stop fellowshipping

Rocks, Rocks, Rocks!

If you have been in the Village for more than 30 seconds you will notice something that is in abundance… rocks. It seems that 2 out of every 3 yards are sporting the zero-scaping method of having rocks instead of grass.  Our yard is one of those. Our front yard is completly covered with them and all of our beds in the back are the same. Not being a big fan of them we are in the process of eradicating them.

The big problem is what to do with them. You can’t put a sign out in front on your yard saying "Free Rocks" because there would be very few takers. We thought about Craigs List but found that we would be 18th on the list of people trying to get rid of them. Finally we can’t put them in the trash because we couldn’t roll it out or the garbage company pick it up. So we are in a quandry and a rock quarry. If you got any ideas feel free to email me.

Refreshed a Success

My wife just got home from our Women’s event “Refreshed” and it was a huge success. They did it over at the McDonald’s house and held a Spring Tea and Art Fair. Let’s must say that my wife came home with lots of stuff. She was very supportive of the artists. Anyone got a connection over at Domino’s for a second job? Just kiddin. Good thing she doesn’t read my blog very much.

Anyways all the women had a great time. One woman asked one of our ladies if our ladies were always this friendly? Our lady replied yes and the other lady replied that it was like everyone was family. Exactly! We are the family of God and we strive to make everyone feel at home. Major props to Vicky, Sharon, Heidi, Joyce, and Sheila for putting together a great event.

My Friday

Fridays have become my day off. No need to give reasons except that it works out best. Today was a good day off. Did some yard work, hung out with the youngest, and had lunch with a buddy. With the craziness of the past few weeks it was nice not to be in the office, or on the phone, or meeting some deadline.

The wife is off getting ready for the next "Refreshed" which is tomorrow. Seems like it is going to be packed with women, tea, and art. I might go up and watch some of our Village People compete in the local YMCA Triathlon in Santa Maria since I will have all the kiddies. Maybe the Grandparents playground will be open .

I am really excited about what is coming up. We have some community events planned that will start to push our church outside the walls. Also seeking God on some leadership training that will take our church to the next level of ministry. Some people in our congregation are feeling the call to ministry. This is always a vital step because it is best to hire from within.

The struggle of staff and savings always pulls at churches and we are no different.  Now that we are realizing big savings from being at the school we have those who want to hire staff  (me) and those who want to save (everybody else).  So the next few months will be filled with lively conversations.

First Bus Ride

Our Daughter Allie took her first bus ride to school today! She was so excited because Mr. Tom was picking her up in his bus. The aide said that she had a blast. Anytime Allie gets to go to therapy excites her. She loves her teacher and her knowing her bus driver makes it all that more exciting. We took a bunch of pictures which will be posted later tonight or tomorrow. I was kind of sad that I didn’t get to taker her anymore but this is a really good thing.

An End of a Chapter

Tomorrow is the last day we have possession of the White Oak hotel property. Our lease ends and a chapter closes in the brief history of The Village Chapel. Sometimes in the situations you get a bitter sweet feelings but honestly I have none. It served us well and I am thankful that God opened it but it was definitely time we left. God put this on my heart over six months ago when we prayed and fasted. He didn’t reveal it to us then but took us through a work that got us ready.

Today we are better positioned to reach the lost and hurting of Lompoc Valley. I am excited for some of the things we are going to do out in the community. All of this is possible because we are starting a new chapter in our history.

Secretary’s Day

Today is Secretary’s Day or in the more PC form Administrative Professional Day. Try putting that on a cake.

We have awesome help around the office here and most of it is volunteer. Lori and Rayna head up the admin stuff like phones, bulletin, and such while Robyn takes care of the books. We are blessed by all of them so much.

We can celebrate today because most of them are out of the office on Wednesdays but tomorrow we will do something special for them.

Thanks you Ladies for your incredible service.