note 1: this is a work in progress,
keep checking back for updates if you like.
keep checking back for updates if you like.
note2: also see the entire CHRISTmas blog at
http://christmas-images-2013.blogspot.com/
(by the way, I began the Christmas blog in 2013, but it continues,
hopefully in perpetuity thru 2014-15 and many more years to come!
note 3: this is an INTERACTIVE Christmas card
...to thoroughly appreciate it,
you need to click a few links !
be click-happy!
note4: to my relatives, please forward this to more relatives, keep passing it on ! to my former classmates (especially my fellow eagles of GRCH, but also knights of Calvin, silverswords of Chaminade, "fullerites" (fuller seminarians), et al) please forward this to more classmates...and make sure you check the eagles link for historic photos etc) And to my friends & associates & colleagues & former colleagues & fellow volunteers & persons with similar interests,
& everybody else pass it on as well!
http://christmas-images-2013.blogspot.com/
(by the way, I began the Christmas blog in 2013, but it continues,
hopefully in perpetuity thru 2014-15 and many more years to come!
note 3: this is an INTERACTIVE Christmas card
...to thoroughly appreciate it,
you need to click a few links !
be click-happy!
note4: to my relatives, please forward this to more relatives, keep passing it on ! to my former classmates (especially my fellow eagles of GRCH, but also knights of Calvin, silverswords of Chaminade, "fullerites" (fuller seminarians), et al) please forward this to more classmates...and make sure you check the eagles link for historic photos etc) And to my friends & associates & colleagues & former colleagues & fellow volunteers & persons with similar interests,
& everybody else pass it on as well!
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Hello Loved One, Friend, Classmate, Neighbor, Associate, Stranger et al. ! greetings to Missy, LDM, Jim & Lin, Amy J, Rachel S.R. , Kathy L.C., Jane D. , Julia Helen K.A., all the theules, Bruce & Anne, Steve-Kris, Clarksville K's, Fr. Frank @ St. Basil, Fr. Jeremiah @ St. Victor, Fr. Tom @ Good Shepherd, to the Schullers (all the Bob's & Sheila, Carol, Gretchen, et al et al) ...and the Dieks & Vroons, & Jack Roeda, also Beth Boyd from CPE @ UCLA medical center (what an experience!), and to Jim Wenrick from St. Mary's Hospital Long beach social work internship (let bygones be bygones) , & to Joel & Leah our neighbors in B-flower (& your brother Jerome who I went fishing with at the outer banks) , & to the beloved Byles on Hazen ST (who were graciously hospitable & provided room and board for a semester, and were on my paper route for the GR Press and whose son Rick was one of my best friends (RIP), , and Joe Boeve our philippines mission leader, along with the HogansJoel&Patty & family (who were hospitable to me in Tacloban & are now at the CRC main office in GR…& greetings to their kids Rachel Keith et al), & even to Hugh Halford in Pasadena...I extend Christmas greetings despite what happened..; and to Gary Bekker at the CRC administration...thanks for coming to Los Angeles, come again soon (say hello next time) ;, and to the Borgdorfs also at CRC-admin (& rip re Len) (always remembered from 1st CRC days) , & to Tom Post & family also at CRC-admin & leading CRC missions worldwide (in my memories re costa rica & belize…an incredible adventure ..thanks 4 the hospitality..), ,... Welcome! Greetings!
…and to the spees & all the peter pak members (mvg-wvg, barb, san, Diana, and the kids…Caitlyn, matt, anneke, Jon, et al, …and of course craig, todd, Courtney, eric, et al., …I will never forget our historic peter-pak reunion @ grandpa’s cottage on Lake Michigan in 1978? Does anybody still have one of those t-shirts? )
Also to kay & barry (& mark & Kendra)…did I already mention bruce & anne (&john & nick et al) …and all the timmers (doug, Karen, mary, marv, et al) and all the others on my dad’s side (gary & Shirley, faith & wayne, the late great Sherwood & ruth & family), … and the list goes on & on & on…
…and my professors…vandenbosch at the English dept, and the late great vandeKoppel, and all the other English professors (baron, the late great brown, schmidt, Gallagher, timmerman, et al) who everybody loves & respects so much… ; and my psychology professors (terborg, weaver, sanderson, shoemaker, Reynolds, to name a few), …and so many more great professors at calvin, not to mention our great Spanish professor, Elsa Cortina, who led us to Spain for a semester (I heard she is now retired in florida)…; and some great PE professors including the late great Don Vroon, also Ralph Honderd, Timmer (Sr) (I heard Timmer Jr is teaching PE at calvin now as well…greetings to Jim as well ..he was our quarterback in high school) ….; and to all my dorm mates from beets-veenstra as well as our resident director Jeff Bouwman (an old family friend), … and speaking of dorm mates I should mention a few of my friends and dormies from Chaminade, including my roommate Ron Foo, a great guy…still trying to find a way to reach him…, as well as Ed Durkin, Ed Perez & his uncle from Hickam Air Force base, Kimo Ryan, Maver blank, Big Al, and the list goes on… ; Those were awesome times…memories of my time in Hawaii always makes me smile & happy..! And my classmates from the semester in Spain…keith my roommate (second time we were roommates)…also Dave Engelhard, tuuk, smilde, bj, all the girls including Audrey & barb W. & the Michelles…among others, …and of course too-tall steve (aka “skyscraper”)…and our professors Fuensanta, Alfonso, and Elsa among others (sorry I missed the reunion).
And to my closest classmates from elementary thru college…the unique thing about growing up in the Christian schools in GR is that you often can be with the same classmates all the way from elementary thru high school & college. I had several neighborhood school friends in the same college graduation class, including Jack H., Keith S. , Dave E. , Greg B. , Diane Q, Joan D. , among others (I was on the same little league team as Dave & Greg). Still more I may not have gone to elementary or junior high but met in high school & continued on with them as college classmates including Lisa K, and many more. Others may not have gone on to calvin but other nearby colleges such as RBC (now called Abram Kuyper College)…including Dave DJ, …others went to the junior college and later to larger universities including my friend, the late great Rick B.(RIP) , and also the late great Doug K. (RIP) ; …and various others took different paths including the late great Paul L (RIP)…too many RIP’s for such young lives… ; and others I knew from elementary I didn’t see again for a while …wasn’t sure where they went but hope all is well including Cam V, …and I haven’t forgetten my public school friends (from alger elementary) including Mike W., Gubby D., Steve C, Tony R., Kathy M., Darrel E. Shawn W., Amy H., Amy A., and the list goes on…as well as all my great teachers…both public & elementary.. God bless you all and I hope all is well.
I am beginning to compose my CHRISTmas card letter on December 18, 2014 from
Redondo Beach, California…just happens to be the morning after a tragic accident last night outside St. James Church where I...
periodically attend church services…albeit I was not here last night when, after a Christmas concert at the church, a group of eleven or so were hit by a car in the intersection of PCH & Vincent and three were killed (two elderly, one age 36…maybe a mother )…so I happened to come to the church service this morning and saw a bit of the police press conference (the police dept is just around the corner from the church)…so that’s a SAD note to start this Christmas letter (for full story, see
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/12/18/car-hits-crowd-redondo-beach/20575453/ ),but I always try to incorporate REALITY into my correspondence, rather than sugarcoat everything, , and that’s a tragic reality of the moment as of 10:17am (pst). So add this matter to your thoughts & prayers as we countdown to CHRISTmas. And let us remember that Christmas is MORE than one day but a season for GIVING not just getting (as I say about Thanksgiving, it is about thanksGIVING, not Thanksgetting).
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/12/18/car-hits-crowd-redondo-beach/20575453/ ),but I always try to incorporate REALITY into my correspondence, rather than sugarcoat everything, , and that’s a tragic reality of the moment as of 10:17am (pst). So add this matter to your thoughts & prayers as we countdown to CHRISTmas. And let us remember that Christmas is MORE than one day but a season for GIVING not just getting (as I say about Thanksgiving, it is about thanksGIVING, not Thanksgetting).
Let us be CHARITABLE & extra-kind in deed and in spirit, remembering the ultimate sacrifice of care & love & kindness our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ made for us, 2000 years ago! And let me tell you how I am doing as we approach the year of our Lord Two-Thousand-&Fifteen !
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Just to let you know, I am okay, physically. Yes, just okay. Not great, but could be worse. Some of you know I have dealt with chronic physical pain issues after an incident that happened around 2000. It’s been fifteen years dealing with this pain…lots of MRI’s, x-rays, even a cat-scan, doctor appointments, specialists etc …all in an effort to pinpoint the source of the pain…which as best as everybody can tell is coming from my spine (c5, c6 and maybe some of the lumbar areas as well)…so I was considering surgery but suddenly something happened that caused me to become disillusioned by the medical system here in California, and I simply decided to STOP going to the doctors. I decided I would simply LIVE with the pain, and only go to my primary care doctor for the most grave matters. Once I made that decision, despite the pain still being present, in some ways my life became easier. And so I just leave it at that for now. Also, keep an eye for updates at my health (in general) blog. I try to post new information about health matters periodically.
By the way, keep in prayer those with mental health issues as well. I was a psychology major as an undergrad in college (my first bachelor's degree) and worked at a psychiatric hospital for a year after college learning much about mental health from that experience, and later did a brief stint in social work, but ultimately decided I wanted to connect theology with psychology or mental health, with the emphasis on the theolgical. See my mental health blog at http://mental-health-4-everybody.blogspot.com/
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Meanwhile, life & ministry & evangelism and telling the Good news, the joyful gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord must keep being proclaimed! And mission work is the heart & soul of the church ! We must keep telling the world what the REAL MEANING of life is all about! Albeit we must do so thoughtfully and with genuine care & concern & kindness for people, not just as a “job.”
One thing I thought of recently …given I attend many different churches and services and observe various pastors, priests, church leaders et al is that what “the people” need and want more than a “leader” or a “father” is a “BROTHER” (or sister in some cases).
One thing I thought of recently …given I attend many different churches and services and observe various pastors, priests, church leaders et al is that what “the people” need and want more than a “leader” or a “father” is a “BROTHER” (or sister in some cases).
We want to “go to church” to be amongst equals, not in a “pyramid scheme” where the parishioners are at the bottom and the leaders are at the “top.” I think the “parable of the workers” (as well as the prodigal son) is a good example of what God intended to convey about new people at a church not feeling as if they are inferior …but that they should be made to feel as if they are equal, even celebrated. Let us keep our pastors in prayer !
Too often when I go to a new church I am aware that sometimes whoever just greeted me is cognizant that they have never seen me before at “their church” whereas they have been lifetime members …and so I am “below” them on the “chain” of command so to speak.
That’s NOT how we should see others at church…in fact we must be more in tune and in touch with the church as the Body of Christ,much larger than our local congregation, more than a building at the end of the block…but the worldwide BODY of CHRIST…protestants, catholics, orthodox, et al…all those who profess faith in Jesus Christ.
I must admit I am concerned about some “independent” churches that do NOT recite the Nicene Creed, and I am concerned when I hear “bashing” of other congregations (ie protestants bashing catholics or vice-versa).
We are supposed to be UNITED…as they say “united we stand, divided we fall”, which is why I have started the PRO-CATH-ORDOX faith. This is to help keep people cognizant of the greater unity of Christ beyond the walls of the neighborhood church. It's also been encouraging to see the catholic pope & orthodox pope agreeing to more unity !
Unfortunately, too many pastors are focused and concerned solely upon their local needs…paying bills, maintenance, new building projects. Sometimes they grudgingly mention ecumenical matters, but they are still more concerned about the matters of their parish, their parishioners, their congregation…and all the logistics of scheduling, planning, etc.
When the local needs of a parish become MORE IMPORTANT than the larger needs of the whole body of Christ, the church has lost it’s focus. The pro-cath-ordox (ie protestant, catholic, orthodox united) faith is NOT meant to take people away from their local church. You can be pro-cath-ordox and also be simply protestant, simply catholic, simply orthodox and continue to attend your neighborhood church and to put the pastors at ease continue to contribute financially to your local church.
However, if you join the pro-cath-ordox faith you always remember that you are committed and united with the larger body of Christ worldwide. We do NOT solicit or accept financial contributions…this is not an appeal in that regard.
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IN other matters…some of you know me from here or there…some of you know me from my family..maybe from my Grand Rapids years…maybe from my southern California years…maybe from a semester in Spain, or from my time in Hawaii @ Chaminade University, or my mission in the Philippines or Costa Rica, or Africa, and the list goes on…; so many different experiences …different schools (calvin college, calvin seminary, fuller seminary, chaminade university of Honolulu, cal state long beach, university of spain in denia, even a little bit of law school at wayne state Detroit; also intern work at st mary’s emergency room in long beach, and at ucla medical center, among other things…;and then the church experiences ...disaster relief in Costa Rica with the CRWRC (Christian Reformed World Relief…I think it’s “World Renew” now)..and CRWM (CR world missions ) in the Philippines..; (see my Christian Reformed Church blog in general) (also see my Philippine blogs here & here & also a brief visit to the Dominican Republic with a missionary kid (college friend, steve brinks, took us to the dominican to visit his missionary parents) and growing up in the CRC mostly in Grand Rapids (1st CRC) but also Iowa (where I was born when my dad was a CRC pastor) and in southern California (Bethany CRC in Bellflower was a home of sorts for a while as well as the former Crystal Cathedral for many years…that’s a whole different story)…and I should mention Church of the Servant in Grand Rapids as well as a few other CRC’s in west Michigan that were influential to me…and I should mention how the Roman Catholic church has begun to influence me here in southern California…as you can also see from my growing church bulletin collection
...given their larger presence than the CRC in this area). I would be remiss if I did not also mention the various Orthodox congregations in southern California that I have participated with in worship over the years..even enjoying the fact that given their different calendar I can participate in Christmas services TWICE a year in some cases.
And the important thing about attending church services is that it facilitates growth in Christ…; that is what I seek when I attend a church service, or participate in a gathering of sorts. All of the above have been a positive influence on me along with my educational and seminary experiences. I have heard some pastors at some independent churches scoff at seminary (apparently some of these churches do not require seminary education to become a pastor), but I disagree that seminary is unimportant to church leadership.
I think seminary is a difficult experience but in some ways necessary to be at least somewhat exposed to in order to become aware of the various church issues and history in a larger manner. However, I am also aware of the danger of seminary, and the fact that at some seminaries there are even possible nefarious forces at work, of which we must beware. I will not mention names here..in the Spirit of CHRISTmas I will refrain from name-blame, but trust me when I say that not all persons at all seminaries are always truly in the Spirit of Christ!
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And so I will review a bit about how I have ended up where I am now…still dedicated to the body of Christ worldwide but also an independent evangelist of sorts…still committed and cognizant of my roots as a Dutch-American Christian Reformed Church kid ( I even made a trip to the "homeland" ie netherlands some time ago to try to get a better feel for my roots) , but also commited to the larger body of protestants,Catholics, & Orthodox. In my heart of hearts when you really push me the CRC is part of my DNA. I grew up in the Christian schools in Grand Rapids (MI) albeit also attended the local public school thru 4th grade (Alger Elementary) and so I was a little bit “different” from many of my Christian school classmates who knew only the Christian school experience. The short sampling of integrated education definitely had an impact and influence on me…and even separated me a bit from my siblings who for some reason did NOT go to the public school as I did (I still do NOT know why my parents kept me at the public school thru 4th grade but sent all my siblings only to the Christian schools).
Why was I treated differently? I have my theories but still have no answer from them.
Why was I treated differently? I have my theories but still have no answer from them.
Whatever the case may be, I know that attending Alger public thru 4th grade gave me greater awareness and exposure to people of different backgrounds: socio-economic, racial, ethnic, etc.
I played basketball with kids from different backgrounds, different skin color, ethnicities etc. It was the early 70’s…still somewhat the beginning of the “integration” experiment. My dad was a CRC pastor working at Pine Rest Christian (psychiatric) Hospital as a chaplain (& CPE supervisor) and my mom was a piano teacher and housewife for the time being (later she would go back to work as a full-time teacher).
I played basketball with kids from different backgrounds, different skin color, ethnicities etc. It was the early 70’s…still somewhat the beginning of the “integration” experiment. My dad was a CRC pastor working at Pine Rest Christian (psychiatric) Hospital as a chaplain (& CPE supervisor) and my mom was a piano teacher and housewife for the time being (later she would go back to work as a full-time teacher).
We lived on Griswold street, a stone-throw away from Alger…back when they still FLOODED the entire basketball court & tennis court in the winter to make a large ice-skating rink…it was a GREAT time…( have they ever done that again after those few years in the 70’s, I don’t know..but I know they discontinued doing so after a while, maybe for budget reasons).
…we would play hockey, and “hat-snatch” and just have a good ol’ time…warming up in the little shack from time-to-time. And in the summer we would play basketball and tennis at alger (the old building not the new).
…we would play hockey, and “hat-snatch” and just have a good ol’ time…warming up in the little shack from time-to-time. And in the summer we would play basketball and tennis at alger (the old building not the new).
And then I started going to Seymour School, a little further away and made new friends..I called my “Christian school friends.” …so I had my “public school friends” ..and my “Christian school friends”…and later in life they all were just my “friends” in general..still think and pray for all of my friends from west Michigan..fun trying to find them on facebook and linked-in these days.. ;
...and I hope we all know Jesus Christ as our Savior and are dedicated in some small or big way to the greater cause of the kingdom..and that we will all be united together as friends in heaven some day !
...and I hope we all know Jesus Christ as our Savior and are dedicated in some small or big way to the greater cause of the kingdom..and that we will all be united together as friends in heaven some day !
Playing football, by the way, not just for the Christian High Eagles, but even earlier, was a big part of my life in Grand Rapids…starting with rocket football..I played with Mike Waalkes for many years. ...
Anyways, we kept the game close versus Ottawa but they squeaked out a win…I was happy nonetheless to have at least intercepted Mike and got mentioned in the GR Press …only saw Mike a few times after that…once at West Michigan where he was a roommate of another close friend of mine, the late Rick Byle (who died in a snowmobile accident later in life, God rest his soul..), and once again at Calvin College..he happened to be doing something there when I was still a student (or a returning student)…hope all is well for Mike..I noticed online that he is helping out with rocket football …I really LOVED rocketfootball..it bringsback some of my most happy memories…
Well, I attended two sad mass/worship services at St. James today (8am &noon) with numerous news trucks outside the church & a growing memorial of flowers on the sidewalk at the intersection. It’s a reminder of how quickly things can change. Those three people walking out of the church had NO IDEA that a few seconds later they would be SWEPT AWAY, hopefully to a better place...
It’s been raining here in southern Cal the last few days…or a week now…we need it but it won’t do much to help the drought. Big waves make the surfers happy. I don’t surf…having grown up mostly in Michigan we enjoyed the beach but never got into the surfing scene and I never picked it up when we moved to California. However, I have become a fan of surfing, particularly pro surfing, and am keeping my eye on the current asp finale at pipeline in Hawaii (“pipemasters”).
above: the rose parade "banfest"
is always fun to see
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an
He was a public school kid and went on to Ottawa (back when they were still called “the indians” ) and I went to Christian high (“the eagles”)…we were only a few blocks away from each other, but I never socialized much with Mike after I switched to the Christian schools…nonetheless I knew he was the quarterback for the Indians..and I was the strong safety…and I was ready for the big game against them in the 1984-85 season …they were on top of the city league that year…and we were in the middle of the pack; ...
Christian High was never much of a football school (in comparison to the heavyweight Catholic Central & a few of the other stronger football schools in the city league) . We were more of a basketball, golf, cross-country school I suppose (albeit much later in time around the 2010+ year I noticed GRCH became a powerhouse for a while)…’;
Christian High was never much of a football school (in comparison to the heavyweight Catholic Central & a few of the other stronger football schools in the city league) . We were more of a basketball, golf, cross-country school I suppose (albeit much later in time around the 2010+ year I noticed GRCH became a powerhouse for a while)…’;
Meanwhile back to the present time…as I was going thru seminary…which came AFTER all the missionary work I did…and AFTER the teaching I did in COACHELLA (which is now known for the music festival but when I was there the music festival had not yet arrived)…both calvin & fuller seminary I started my OWN MINISTRY…originally mustard seed ministries..which has evolved over time in a good way, and includes media production (for the Kingdom)…& I continue to plant small seeds here & there around southern California & occasionally I go further away…sometimes northern Cal (was there at the time of the world series…giants win again !) …and even sometimes outside California..I particularly concentrated on the entire country for a while as I drove cross-country in a state of heightened vigilance re prayer for our world, country, states, cities, local communities…amazing how much more connected we become to others when we physically enter into their communities and become part of other communities if only temporarily as uncomfortable as it may be at first; I think it is important for us to experience this temporary discomfort in order to create new spaces…and I have realized that in the long-term it leads to greater sense of community…even a larger sense..more connectedness,…
...and when we do this for a larger, higher purpose, especially for the kingdom of Christ we also feel more meaningful in all of our daily interactions, whether or not we are overtly professing Christ or otherwise (sometimes we can be “evangelical” just by our presence).
*****...and when we do this for a larger, higher purpose, especially for the kingdom of Christ we also feel more meaningful in all of our daily interactions, whether or not we are overtly professing Christ or otherwise (sometimes we can be “evangelical” just by our presence).
Well, I attended two sad mass/worship services at St. James today (8am &noon) with numerous news trucks outside the church & a growing memorial of flowers on the sidewalk at the intersection. It’s a reminder of how quickly things can change. Those three people walking out of the church had NO IDEA that a few seconds later they would be SWEPT AWAY, hopefully to a better place...
And yet we are at a time of new beginnings. CHRISTmas is a reminder of the birth of Christ and our new life in Christ…whether that new life is in heaven or here on earth.
In fact as a surfing fan I try to attend the various events they have here in southern Cal, especially the big one at “trestles” by San Clemente (which impacts the rankings), as well as the US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach (which is big in terms of attendance & money, but doesn’t impact the standings for the world title)…
…right now as of 12/18/14 the world title is on the line for a guy from Brazil named Medina…hoping to bring home the first world surfing championship for a Brazilian; albeit our great American champion Kelly Slater still has a slim hope for a 12th world championship. He’s been SO MUCH FUN to watch and to cheer…a really great American champion…the whole surfing scene is a nice diversion from some of the less edifying aspects of life in southern California such as traffic, a few angry people, violence & crime & things of that sort. …[update: kelly slater was eliminated & medina from brazil went on to win the world title, congrats to brazil!]
…my time in Hawaii at Chaminade University exposed me to great waves…my roommate ron foo was a surfer…he still lives in Honolulu…for some reason my time in Hawaii brings back some of the most happy thoughts of my life…I just LOVE the Hawaii spirit and have found a way to re-ignite those memories by attending various hula shows they have here in California…
…back to speaking of violence & crime however, I must mention the unpleasant fact that my car was broken into at dodger stadium (actually parked just outside the stadium) while I was attending a game…when I got back to the car the window was broken…my laptop was gone..and the car battery too! The laptop was old, fortunately..not worth much, but it did contain intellectual property that I wish I still had (some of it was backed up on flash drives…others not)…; unfortunately, in the process of taking the battery they also, seemingly intentional, yanked the wires out of the fuse box, so that I couldn’t just replace the battery (which was getting old) but had to get the fusebox re-wired..which of course the mechanics told me was very complicated and therefore expensive as well (what’s new? Is anything not complicated and expensive for mechanics these days?).
I spent a few days and hundreds of dollars getting everything fixed…new window, re-wired, new battery, …etc but never got a new laptop…been living without a laptop ever since..
…and there are a few other crimes I could mention but why focus on the negative?
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…back to the positive…the glorious hope of salvation…I've always found the water i.e. the waves & beach...and ocean (or lake michigan and other nice lakes) to be a symbol & reminder of baptism...and a renewal of the Holy Spirit...
...in fact, I spend as much time as I can renewing my spirit by swimming in the Pacific Ocean...(and even started a "beach blog" dedicated to the spiritual inspiration that comes from being near the water's edge ) often times at Corona Del Mar in Newport beach...there's a spot called "little corona" beach where I will swim out to a buoy several hundred yards away & back for a good workout, or other times I will simply go snorkeling...sometimes the water will be crystal clear there...reminding me of Hanauma Bay in Hawaii, albeit not as many fish to see in Newport. You might see a few orange girabaldi, maybe some lobsters..a few other small fish but not too much more unless you really search and go deep.
However, the funny thing is that just last year I happened to be there and lo & behold some whales came swimming thru CDM (corona del mar)...right thru little & big CDM...; they do have lots of whale-watching tours in this area but the whales are usually out there a ways and never have I seen or heard of them coming in as close as the swimming area...it was a sight to see...one whale with a baby following closely.
Speaking of whales, several years ago I took a trip to the famous San Ignacio bay in Mexico to see the whales up close. What a trip that is! I don't know of anywhere else inthe world where whales are so numerous and come up close to the boat (and by the way, we are in simple boats...like canoes...maybe a bit bigger, with an outboard motor...with a Mexican guide)...
it was very exciting! and getting there is part of the adventure...it's so remote..I was alone..having rented a car and drove for hours on a dry, dusty, dirt road thru saguaro fields to get there..no stores, no gas stations...make sure you have food, gas, & water for 24 hours...
...that was during holy week. I think I have some video online still...albeit some of my youtube sites are no longer available because I was sabotaged.
...I still remain active online..that's my favorite form of evangelizing...often using inspirational Bible verses along with photos of current events, and/or the news, (especially "PRAYING the NEWS")and other blogs devoted to various issues...(my news blog was recently sabotaged...will give new link when i am able to re-activate it)
...but I also do street evangelism, mostly handing out tracts ...putting them under windshield wipers rather than interacting with people (unfortunately, most people don't want to hear it & will turn away immediately)...
...I really believe America is the most difficult mission field even if it may be the most comfortable in terms of material things. In fact, maybe the two are correllated...the more material wealth, the less spiritual interest..sad-to-say.
I also have focused on reaching the hollywood crowd, even doing a little "extra" work for various movies so that I might become a familiar face and a representative for Christianity inside "the industry" as they say. They let me know from time-to-time when something is available, if I am interested. Needless to say, there's nothing that glamourous about making a movie. You really have to have a purpose to remain in it. For some it's money; for others it's self-expression; for me, it's to tell the Good News!
Also,for a while up until the end, I was a regular at the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Not a guest, but in attendance at the taping of the show. It was the most accessible show to attend. Most of the time you could get same-day tickets and parking was close & free in Burbank. I was really sad to see it come to an end. I hear Leno is going to have a new show soon, dedicated to his love of cars. I wonder if that will have an audience?
But keep in mind hollywood and los angeles...keep the secular community in your prayers, as I also keep you and your community wherever you may
be in the world in my prayers...[ i really do ! with intention!]...
...speaking of prayers, ... the prayerful life is becoming ALL the more important and meaningful to me lately...I have found solace in prayer, as the increasing realizing of powerlessness has set in upon me. I don't mean physical powerlessness. I am still in decent physical condition even if in constant pain, but physical power has NO significance inthis world as an educated person. I don't use my strength as I did in Michigan to shovel snow,
...to deliver newspapers , to chop wood, or even play football anymore. I might use it for swimming...sometimes hiking and various exercises, but being a physically fit or muscular person by itself doesn't help accomplish anything. IN fact, people around southern California will turn it against you,...
... with some of them playing the "scared little me" act, and making others out to be potentially dangerous, and the bigger or more muscular are, the easier it is for them tomake a case against you. It's part of my gripe about the de-masculization of the American male (or to be exact the word is "emasculazation" but de-masculization seems to convey it better...maybe that should be a new word).
In seminary we talk about Biblical manhood & womanhood. SOme of that ties in with today's problem of de-masculzation . I don't want to get too political here, but I do think America is in danger if we allow feminism to go too far. I think there have been some good things done for women in terms of giving them more equality, but if you take it too far, without Christ in the equation, you have the potential for a time-bomb. And I think it's ticking already.
I have also made a point of defending unborn life, and will continue to do so. I hope you too will stand strong in defense of innocent life in the womb which cannot defend itself. For those who have issues about keeping their baby, let us make adoption the only option!
and then there is "police problem". ...as everybody is aware there has been a few incidents this year that have caused protests...mostly about so-called "white cops" versus "un-armed" non-white persons ...I'm not taking sides here...and am not saying the cops are always wrong. Sometimes they are, sometimes they aren't.
However, we still have much improvement to make in terms of police-citizen interactions in general, not just in terms of white-black relations.
I myself was the victim of police many years ago...about which I will not go into detail here...but suffice to say they used excessive force against me at the scene of a traffic accident where the other driver had run a red light and they tried to blame me! When I hear about these incidents where black persons are killed by cops, I hear it differently than the average conservative who defends the cops. I personally know how what really happened can be completely transformed into the cop being "poor little me" versus a "monster" when in fact it is usually the cop with the most power in all aspects. In fact I believe they are trained and coached ex-post facto as to what to say to defend all their use of whatever force they employ.
HOwever, once again I will try to refrain from any rants on the matter at this time. In fact I have blogs and other resources dedicated to praying for our cops & judges, & military et al ("the good, the bad, & the ugly" ) to try to improve our police and our police-citizen relations. There are too many good cops to generalize all as bad. Let us keep them all in prayer . And let us pray for better race relations as well!
Speaking of race relations, in a strange segue, I miss my golden retriever Lola,
who was with me for 14 years. She was the most beautiful golden dog..and full of so much energy & excitement. She was with me from Grand Rapids to Jackson Hole Wyoming to Coachella, back to Grand Rapids, back to southern California...to the top of Mt Whitney (!)...and even had eight or nine puppies along the way (all black!)...what an inspiration she was to me. She loved people! Why can't we love people, all people, as much as Lola ?! That's the spirit of Lola! That's the Spirit of Jesus! LOVE! LOVE ! LOVE!
Recently, the media wrongly reported Pope Francis (also see my vatican blog) as having said dogs may be in heaven as well. Well, the media may have wrongly reported it, but I contend that there will be good dogs, soulful dogs (& soulful other animals) in heaven as well. I say it because I want it to be so! That's the power of faith! of believing!
And speaking of soul, sad to say it came to my attention as I was going thru fuller seminary that not all "Christians" believe in soul. IT was a SHOCK to me to be confronted with such a reality, and I put such persons in quotations as "Christians" because I don't know how you can call yourself a Christian if you don't believe in soul. IN fact I don't get the point of being Christian if there is no soul. (also see http://savingsoul.blogspot.com/
Speaking of soul, as some of you know, while we were growing up in Grand Rapids where my mom also, partially, grew up (in combination with Evanston Illinois), we had some positive and some less positive experiences and interactions and ongoing relationship (or lack of) with my grandfather Leo Peters (on my mother's side). It became a very complicated soap opera in some regards, but I think I've found a way to overcome the mental confusion & angst it caused me at times...that periodically returns even thirty years later (in my mind)...if you are interested in understanding it better, go to
http://peters-appreciation.blogspot.com/
( this is also a Thanksgiving blog, in part)
I say "speaking of soul" because there were times when I felt as if our soul (as a family) was under attack by my late Grandpa Peters (yes, he is/was the founder of Butterball Farms & was the guy who battled with calvin college about the creation controversy back in the 80's)...
By the way, I hope you notice that a lot of what I make reference to is linked to other blogs created by me over time...I hope you enjoy some of the photos & narration at these other links. The theme of being a missionary & also helping others find information & links to missionary & gospel references online & elsewhere is one of my more important activities, as well as the theme of baptism & acts of kindness. Baptism is more than just a simple ceremony one may experience as an infant or later as an adult, but baptism "in the spirit" is even more encompassing as a whole...
...it's a new day as I continue this Christmas card. The shock of the redondo beach traffic accident is a few days behind us now...but nonetheless still on the hearts & minds of many people in the st. james community...keep them in your prayers...and by the way, doing social work & chaplaincy internships (I briefly started a social work program at cal state long beach...then decided against it...but completed the internship at st. mary's hospital) I dealt with various issues of death & dying, and later on when I started news blogging ("praying the news") I realized I needed a separate page for remembering those who died...and so i have an RIP blog (rest-in-peace) as well...
...meanwhile, I went to a nice Christmas concert last night at St. Vincent DePaul in Huntington Beach. I am trying to see as many Christmas concerts & musicals as possible this year...a few more coming up today & tomorrow.
In the past I spent a lot of Christmas time hunting down the various boat parades they have here in southern Cal. Some of the boat owners put a TON of time & money into decorating their boats ( and homes by the water) with lights, ornaments, music and more.
The biggest boat parade is in Newport Beach, but there are also many others (including Belmont Shores Long Beach, San Pedro, Santa Monica, Dana Point, Redondo Beach, & the list goes on.) I think I have a few photos from some of those boat parades on the Christmas blog.
And then there are the various land parades as well..I always see (& film) the big Hollywood parade that is made for TV, but this year I also went to the Whittier Parade & Downey Parade...both local community style, but nonetheless very beautiful and uplifting.
And as soon as Christmas day is over, all the attention shifts toward New Years Day & of course that's almost synonymous with Pasadena & the Rose Parade & bowl. I am not a big fan of Pasadena in general...there's something about the community (or lack of) that I never found very congenial, BUT the one thing they do have that is all the rose festivities, which I always try to attend & capture on film as much as possible. AND I am proud to say I finally started a blog dedicated to the Rose festivities.
...that was during holy week. I think I have some video online still...albeit some of my youtube sites are no longer available because I was sabotaged.
...I still remain active online..that's my favorite form of evangelizing...often using inspirational Bible verses along with photos of current events, and/or the news, (especially "PRAYING the NEWS")and other blogs devoted to various issues...(my news blog was recently sabotaged...will give new link when i am able to re-activate it)
...but I also do street evangelism, mostly handing out tracts ...putting them under windshield wipers rather than interacting with people (unfortunately, most people don't want to hear it & will turn away immediately)...
...I really believe America is the most difficult mission field even if it may be the most comfortable in terms of material things. In fact, maybe the two are correllated...the more material wealth, the less spiritual interest..sad-to-say.
I also have focused on reaching the hollywood crowd, even doing a little "extra" work for various movies so that I might become a familiar face and a representative for Christianity inside "the industry" as they say. They let me know from time-to-time when something is available, if I am interested. Needless to say, there's nothing that glamourous about making a movie. You really have to have a purpose to remain in it. For some it's money; for others it's self-expression; for me, it's to tell the Good News!
Also,for a while up until the end, I was a regular at the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Not a guest, but in attendance at the taping of the show. It was the most accessible show to attend. Most of the time you could get same-day tickets and parking was close & free in Burbank. I was really sad to see it come to an end. I hear Leno is going to have a new show soon, dedicated to his love of cars. I wonder if that will have an audience?
But keep in mind hollywood and los angeles...keep the secular community in your prayers, as I also keep you and your community wherever you may
be in the world in my prayers...[ i really do ! with intention!]...
...speaking of prayers, ... the prayerful life is becoming ALL the more important and meaningful to me lately...I have found solace in prayer, as the increasing realizing of powerlessness has set in upon me. I don't mean physical powerlessness. I am still in decent physical condition even if in constant pain, but physical power has NO significance inthis world as an educated person. I don't use my strength as I did in Michigan to shovel snow,
...to deliver newspapers , to chop wood, or even play football anymore. I might use it for swimming...sometimes hiking and various exercises, but being a physically fit or muscular person by itself doesn't help accomplish anything. IN fact, people around southern California will turn it against you,...
... with some of them playing the "scared little me" act, and making others out to be potentially dangerous, and the bigger or more muscular are, the easier it is for them tomake a case against you. It's part of my gripe about the de-masculization of the American male (or to be exact the word is "emasculazation" but de-masculization seems to convey it better...maybe that should be a new word).
In seminary we talk about Biblical manhood & womanhood. SOme of that ties in with today's problem of de-masculzation . I don't want to get too political here, but I do think America is in danger if we allow feminism to go too far. I think there have been some good things done for women in terms of giving them more equality, but if you take it too far, without Christ in the equation, you have the potential for a time-bomb. And I think it's ticking already.
I have also made a point of defending unborn life, and will continue to do so. I hope you too will stand strong in defense of innocent life in the womb which cannot defend itself. For those who have issues about keeping their baby, let us make adoption the only option!
and then there is "police problem". ...as everybody is aware there has been a few incidents this year that have caused protests...mostly about so-called "white cops" versus "un-armed" non-white persons ...I'm not taking sides here...and am not saying the cops are always wrong. Sometimes they are, sometimes they aren't.
However, we still have much improvement to make in terms of police-citizen interactions in general, not just in terms of white-black relations.
I myself was the victim of police many years ago...about which I will not go into detail here...but suffice to say they used excessive force against me at the scene of a traffic accident where the other driver had run a red light and they tried to blame me! When I hear about these incidents where black persons are killed by cops, I hear it differently than the average conservative who defends the cops. I personally know how what really happened can be completely transformed into the cop being "poor little me" versus a "monster" when in fact it is usually the cop with the most power in all aspects. In fact I believe they are trained and coached ex-post facto as to what to say to defend all their use of whatever force they employ.
HOwever, once again I will try to refrain from any rants on the matter at this time. In fact I have blogs and other resources dedicated to praying for our cops & judges, & military et al ("the good, the bad, & the ugly" ) to try to improve our police and our police-citizen relations. There are too many good cops to generalize all as bad. Let us keep them all in prayer . And let us pray for better race relations as well!
Speaking of race relations, in a strange segue, I miss my golden retriever Lola,
who was with me for 14 years. She was the most beautiful golden dog..and full of so much energy & excitement. She was with me from Grand Rapids to Jackson Hole Wyoming to Coachella, back to Grand Rapids, back to southern California...to the top of Mt Whitney (!)...and even had eight or nine puppies along the way (all black!)...what an inspiration she was to me. She loved people! Why can't we love people, all people, as much as Lola ?! That's the spirit of Lola! That's the Spirit of Jesus! LOVE! LOVE ! LOVE!
Recently, the media wrongly reported Pope Francis (also see my vatican blog) as having said dogs may be in heaven as well. Well, the media may have wrongly reported it, but I contend that there will be good dogs, soulful dogs (& soulful other animals) in heaven as well. I say it because I want it to be so! That's the power of faith! of believing!
And speaking of soul, sad to say it came to my attention as I was going thru fuller seminary that not all "Christians" believe in soul. IT was a SHOCK to me to be confronted with such a reality, and I put such persons in quotations as "Christians" because I don't know how you can call yourself a Christian if you don't believe in soul. IN fact I don't get the point of being Christian if there is no soul. (also see http://savingsoul.blogspot.com/
Speaking of soul, as some of you know, while we were growing up in Grand Rapids where my mom also, partially, grew up (in combination with Evanston Illinois), we had some positive and some less positive experiences and interactions and ongoing relationship (or lack of) with my grandfather Leo Peters (on my mother's side). It became a very complicated soap opera in some regards, but I think I've found a way to overcome the mental confusion & angst it caused me at times...that periodically returns even thirty years later (in my mind)...if you are interested in understanding it better, go to
http://peters-appreciation.blogspot.com/
( this is also a Thanksgiving blog, in part)
I say "speaking of soul" because there were times when I felt as if our soul (as a family) was under attack by my late Grandpa Peters (yes, he is/was the founder of Butterball Farms & was the guy who battled with calvin college about the creation controversy back in the 80's)...
(by the way, for a few good photos of some of my historic family history, also see
But now I have trained my heart mind & soul to be more loving and appreciative of the Peters2 family, with the help of God. And I think there is hope for something good to happen eventually!By the way, I hope you notice that a lot of what I make reference to is linked to other blogs created by me over time...I hope you enjoy some of the photos & narration at these other links. The theme of being a missionary & also helping others find information & links to missionary & gospel references online & elsewhere is one of my more important activities, as well as the theme of baptism & acts of kindness. Baptism is more than just a simple ceremony one may experience as an infant or later as an adult, but baptism "in the spirit" is even more encompassing as a whole...
...it's a new day as I continue this Christmas card. The shock of the redondo beach traffic accident is a few days behind us now...but nonetheless still on the hearts & minds of many people in the st. james community...keep them in your prayers...and by the way, doing social work & chaplaincy internships (I briefly started a social work program at cal state long beach...then decided against it...but completed the internship at st. mary's hospital) I dealt with various issues of death & dying, and later on when I started news blogging ("praying the news") I realized I needed a separate page for remembering those who died...and so i have an RIP blog (rest-in-peace) as well...
...meanwhile, I went to a nice Christmas concert last night at St. Vincent DePaul in Huntington Beach. I am trying to see as many Christmas concerts & musicals as possible this year...a few more coming up today & tomorrow.
In the past I spent a lot of Christmas time hunting down the various boat parades they have here in southern Cal. Some of the boat owners put a TON of time & money into decorating their boats ( and homes by the water) with lights, ornaments, music and more.
The biggest boat parade is in Newport Beach, but there are also many others (including Belmont Shores Long Beach, San Pedro, Santa Monica, Dana Point, Redondo Beach, & the list goes on.) I think I have a few photos from some of those boat parades on the Christmas blog.
And then there are the various land parades as well..I always see (& film) the big Hollywood parade that is made for TV, but this year I also went to the Whittier Parade & Downey Parade...both local community style, but nonetheless very beautiful and uplifting.
And as soon as Christmas day is over, all the attention shifts toward New Years Day & of course that's almost synonymous with Pasadena & the Rose Parade & bowl. I am not a big fan of Pasadena in general...there's something about the community (or lack of) that I never found very congenial, BUT the one thing they do have that is all the rose festivities, which I always try to attend & capture on film as much as possible. AND I am proud to say I finally started a blog dedicated to the Rose festivities.
above: the rose parade "banfest"
is always fun to see
**************
12/22/14 and it's hard to believe it's already December 22...and only three days until Christmas...; and remember Christmas is a season, and also that the Orthodox, especially the Russian ORthodox, celebrate Christmas on a different day...January 7, 2015...as they still use the "old calendar" (or Julian Calendar) (also see http://www.russianlife.com/blog/russian-orthodox-christmas/
When I first started my ministry and was going thru seminary I made a point of going to as many different churches as possible to become more familiar with their traditions. And now attending Christmas service at the Orthodox church has become a part of my
annual tradition as well.
Back to some of the themes of my life, especially later in life...as I mentioned prior to going back to seminary (Calvin & Fuller) I taught school for a few years in Coachella as a regular teacher; and later while attending seminary I also worked as a substitute teacher for a while. I also did a brief stint as tutor/teacher in Costa Rica after doing disaster relief; and also did my student teaching at Holland Christian Middle (now named south shores ). WHile working as a regular teacher, I worked hard to create "student portfolios"...actually the students created them, and I faciliated the process. I will ALWAYS be interested in the educational welfare of our young people, and continue to stay in touch with what is happening in education in general as well as at some specific schools of school districts, and even started a blog dedicated to student portfolios and education in general.
And teaching in the public schools (both in L.A. & Coachella) opened my eyes to some of the problems of poverty. Many of the kids I taught came from difficult circumstances, and just being around Los Angeles for a while has increased my awareness & concern about poverty issues in general. And yes, I started a blog for that as well (some say "there's an app for that" , but I say "there's a blog for that", or should be; and of course I'm not the only one, but want to play my part)
...and yet another important part of my life comes from being in touch with God's creation...I have always had a LOVE of ANIMALS...and startd an animal blog (separate from my Lola blog), and also there's just the great outdoors that should be a part of our daily life & spirituality (to which my beach & hiking blogs are dedicated)
...and speaking of animals & Lola, I should mention that when we left Grand Rapids in 1984 and moved to southern California, we took our dog & cat with us of course...(we had a black lab named Sam & a siamese cat named Dusty)...and we settled in a little L.A. suburb of Bellflower. Bellflower is not one of those super suburbs way far out from all the urban problems. In fact, Bellflower is surrounded by freeways (the 91, 605, & 105 to be exact), and when I invited friends to come from Grand Rapids to visit in southern California they tried to hide the fact that they were not exactly impressed (unfortunately, people associated my dad with the glitzy Crystal Cathedral (glitzy then, as opposed to later on when it had financial trouble), and then, perhaps, they juxtaposed fancy TV images of Beverly Hills in their mind (which is several miles from Bellflower) and when they arrived in Bellflower they were disappointed that it is not a fancy city. The reason we moved to Bellflower, however, was not socio-economic, but because Bellflower was, historically, a Dutch-American settlement back in the 1930's. And my dad grew up, partially, in Bellflower (in conjuction with Holland, MI) and my dad is/was a CRC pastor and maintained his association with the CRC while also working as a chaplain at the Crystal Cathedral (which is now owned by the catholic church and called the "Christ Cathedral). And in 1984 my grandfather was still alive and retired in Bellflower where he had served as CRC pastor as well, and also started the Valley Christian schools. I was a senior in high school at the time and practiced football with valley for the summer but ended up returning to Grand Rapids to finish my senior year due to various reasons. I made some good friends at Valley & will always be thankful for their hospitality, but at the time Grand Rapids was still "home" in my heart (and to a certain extent remains so to this day).
And that's why Bellflower is part of our family history (as well as CRC history) & remains so today (if you google "Christian Reformed Church" on southern California, you will notice that there is a small concentration of CRC's in Bellflower). BY the way, I might add, Bellflower is a very nice community with lots of very good people, but if you visit with expectations of Beverly Hills, then yes, you will be disappointed. You won't see many rolls-royces or limousines around bellflower. You will see some "historic" areas with houses built many decades ago when this area was mostly Dutch dairy farmland; and you may even see horses trotting up and down the streets in some "equestrian areas" (some people think of this as a luxury; others may think it's too rural, even though bellflower is no longer a rural community) . That's just the way it is, as they say. Personally, I like the horses. Bellflower has a lot of churches, as mentioned, several Christian Reformed, but also a few catholic and various others as well. My grandfather is sometimes mentioned in the "history of Bellflower" as one of the church leaders who helped Dutch immigrants and helped found the protestant Valley Christian school (often known as Cerritos Valley Christian today, being on the edge of bellflower & cerritos) (it makes me proud to have two grandfathers periodically mentioned as part of the history of their city...my other grandfather is sometimes mentioned as part of grand rapids history re butterball). also see http://random-by-johnny-faithful.blogspot.com/2014/05/a-brief-glimpse-at-some-of-butterball.html
Also, the catholic church has a strong catholic school in bellflower...St. John Bosco is not only academically strong but recently it was ranked by some as #1 nationally in high school football polls after winning the state championship. see http://www.presstelegram.com/sports/20131228/st-john-bosco-football-earns-national-champion-designation
an
and so there is more to Bellflower than meets the eye. And by the way this is the 30-year anniversary of the move from Grand Rapids to Bellflower in 1984. (speaking of anniversaries, by the way, this is also the 10th-anniversary of the 2004 Christmas tsunami that killed 100's of 1000's in Asia; and I was there ! Yes, I flew to Thailand after the tsunami to give any bit of help & encouragement I could. I haven't yet made a good blog of this experience, but will do so at some point in time. That was quite an experience.)
But enough about Bellflower for now! It's one part of the "puzzle" ...a puzzle in which we are ALL inter-connected...; unfortunately I lost too many "Michigan friends" because some of them thought of themselves as "Michiganders" and once you leave Michigan you are no longer "one with them" anymore. I became a "foreigner" to some of them simply because I was no longer in Michigan. Fortunately, most of my other Michigan friends don't think that way and we still stay in touch and realize we are still brothers & sisters even if separated by a few thousand miles. I also started creating my many blogs in an effort to help bridge the gaps so to speak. I feel more in touch this way...
And let me try to explain why I have been kind of a difficult person to "pin down" for so many years now. Part of the reason is that despite the fact that our family moved to southern Cal in 1984, I myself didn't stick around the area for very long..didn't really make a concerted effort to understand the community and get to know the community (and I mean the very large southern Cal community well beyond the borders of bellflower or even one county, but much more)... and once I put my mind to truly getting to "know" California (including northern Cal to a lesser extent) it took time...a LOT of time. And it's still in progress. There is SO MUCH to see and do before you become a "seasoned veteran" so to speak of California. I'm getting there. I even have a few gray hairs now.
One thing that has helped me in this faith journey (& California journey) has been having a "circuit" of activities and places to "touch down" so to speak. One of the secular institutions I regularly rely upon are the many public libraries around the state of california. Any time I travel and even when I am close to "home" I regularly visit public libraries to use their computers (as mentioned I never bought another laptop after mine was stolen last year,2013...this was not a socio-economic decision but a lifestyle decision). I decided to start a "library blog" given my frequency at libraries...it's always nice to have a "paper trail" (or electronic trail as it may be) and also it allows me to process some of my experiences ex-post-facto (not all library experiences are pleasant).
..another "circuit" I maintain is a "church circuit"...a regular base of churches (protestant, catholic, & orthodox, as well as a few non-categorical) that I rely upon for spiritual encouragement. I try to post a photo and/or video clip of where I am on a daily basis... ;
This church circuit really came in handy as the crystal cathedral was coming to an end. What a sad time it was to see such a great church close down (I don't mean just a beautiful building, which is now being rejuvenated by the catholic church, but more importantly the people..a lovely congregation of pastors & parishioners who had devoted themselves for so many years, most of us thinking the church would go on in perpetuity....little did we know, or did I know, that financial problems were so drastic...and yet I still believe they were solvable ...but I think some of the Schullers simply did not want to keep it going...apparently thinking it was their "burden" alone...; nonetheless, I ask you to keep the Schullers in prayer...and I try to keep a blog dedicated to the whereabouts and well-being of the various Schullers,...to help us remember them in our thoughts & prayers...and the original Bob Schuller in particular, who had the gumption to start it all from the beginning (and the late Arvella, RIP). It was the children of Bob Sr. who had divisive differences that made it more difficult to save the cathedral. Today, Bob Sr. apparently is in a rest home of some sort. I hope he is being well-cared for...;regrettably I can't even mail a card to him because I don't know the address of this rest home. But at least I can blog my Schuller thoughts & prayers & matters of concern for the Schullers. (by the way, Robbie Schuller, aka Bob the 3rd, who is younger than me, has subsequently taken over the "new" hour of power...and the new church location, re-named Shepherd's Grove about a block away from the original location. They recently announced the Hour of Power has been re-vamped and a Grand Rapids organization is helping to produce it...how about that? I have a feeling that Robbie may have figured the church is really better off as a TV studio of sorts..maybe closer in style to the TBN network (Trinity Broadcasting Network) that broadcasts also from orange county, CA, (which I visited for the first time a few weeks ago...it's a beautiful small building with lots of old Bibles and historical material from all the tv shows they did...which I never watched...)...; I think its a shame if the intent of Bobby is to reduce the church to a glorified tv studio...there were many people counting on the crystal cathedral to be a strong base for protestant believers for many years to come. And yet despite all the many contributers, essentially the future of the church & decision-making comes down to the grandson of the founder. There never really was a board of directors strong enough, or with enough vision, to take on the task of making it self-sustainable the way most of us assumed they were doing.
Speaking of thoughts & prayers (aka TP4) , there's another blog for that as well. There being SO MANY issues of concern not just of my own regarding health etc but my nuclear family, my extended family, my community, my city, my state, my high school , my college(s), ...my country...my world...ie. it's not me, my, & mine, but we, us, and ours! IT IS ALL of us IN THIS TOGETHER..we are all on the same boat ! Let us keep each other in our thoughts & prayers, and keep people in general in our thoughts & prayers...& start a blog of your own in such regard if it helps you, or join with mine !
In fact, one blog for Thoughts & Prayers was not enough given what also happened on September 11, 2001 . The era of terror had begun, and will probably never really end. Thus, I began blogging to "Stop the Terror" as well! Rarely does a day go by that I don't see something in the news that fits on the Stop the Terror page.
There's many things our government can & should be doing...but as citizens apart from voting & staying informed, we can pray & we can also continue to do mission work (or support it) that tries to reach the hearts & minds of extremists (ie, "muslims" in particular, whether you call them real muslims or whatever). And we should pray for the Gospel to reach as many muslims as possible, whether extremists or otherwise. And therefore, yes, I did start a blog dedicated to reaching Muslims for Christ !
Let Christ transform all lives, including Muslims worldwide ! And let the love of God replace suicide bombers! Stop the terror forever !
Speaking of suicide, it is a BIG problem. I personally felt the direct impact of suicide when I lost a good friend who I knew all the way from church nursery at 1st CRC in GR, all the way thru high school and part of college. I had left law school in Detroit in 1990, and decided to go to California (or return there)...around Thanksgiving when I received a phone call from a friend telling me Doug K had commit suicide, back in Michigan. It was/is an unforgettable moment. I was stunned, shocked, speechless & heartbroken. I didn't know what to say, and don't remember what I did say. That moment in time still remains sort of a timeless bubble in my mind. I flew back for the funeral, and remember seeing Doug's family and a few friends and being a pall-bearer , and then it was over & I was gone, back to California. I have lots of thoughts about all of this and suicide in general...too much to rehearse here, so check out the blog I began some time ago dedicated to helping end suicidal tendencies. It's the least I can do in this regard...and we call ALL do a little bit to try to encourage people, be more kind & loving, and whatever else it takes to try to make this world a little nice & better for everybody. Let us maintain "Christmas Presence" (as opposed to Christmas Presents) all year round, exhibiting the fruits of the Spirit ! (Galatians 5.23ff).
Nonetheless, beware that even the best of intentions and the most loving & kind atmosphere & conditions cannot always change everything for the better. Some things happen whether we like it or not, no matter what we do (or don't do). This is not an excuse to be apathetic or laissez faire just a bit of encouragement for those who have been a victim of tragedy (ie lost a loved one) despite the best of actions & intentions. Nonetheless, we keep trying to get better & also seek better results and wisdom from the medical & mental health community!
Speaking of mental health & losing a loved one, as many know, one of the sons of Rick Warren , the famous saddleback preacher commit suicide a few years ago. And you will see on my mental health blog that he had a conference at their church in lake forest (which I attend periodically) that I covered . I used the saddleback church "mental health gathering" (in conjunction with the catholic church, among others) as the basis of my mental health blog, and have kept it going with periodic news updates. I hope it helps somebody, anybody (lots of contacts for all kinds of issues & matters of concern) ...
…[to be continued]..another "circuit" I maintain is a "church circuit"...a regular base of churches (protestant, catholic, & orthodox, as well as a few non-categorical) that I rely upon for spiritual encouragement. I try to post a photo and/or video clip of where I am on a daily basis... ;
This church circuit really came in handy as the crystal cathedral was coming to an end. What a sad time it was to see such a great church close down (I don't mean just a beautiful building, which is now being rejuvenated by the catholic church, but more importantly the people..a lovely congregation of pastors & parishioners who had devoted themselves for so many years, most of us thinking the church would go on in perpetuity....little did we know, or did I know, that financial problems were so drastic...and yet I still believe they were solvable ...but I think some of the Schullers simply did not want to keep it going...apparently thinking it was their "burden" alone...; nonetheless, I ask you to keep the Schullers in prayer...and I try to keep a blog dedicated to the whereabouts and well-being of the various Schullers,...to help us remember them in our thoughts & prayers...and the original Bob Schuller in particular, who had the gumption to start it all from the beginning (and the late Arvella, RIP). It was the children of Bob Sr. who had divisive differences that made it more difficult to save the cathedral. Today, Bob Sr. apparently is in a rest home of some sort. I hope he is being well-cared for...;regrettably I can't even mail a card to him because I don't know the address of this rest home. But at least I can blog my Schuller thoughts & prayers & matters of concern for the Schullers. (by the way, Robbie Schuller, aka Bob the 3rd, who is younger than me, has subsequently taken over the "new" hour of power...and the new church location, re-named Shepherd's Grove about a block away from the original location. They recently announced the Hour of Power has been re-vamped and a Grand Rapids organization is helping to produce it...how about that? I have a feeling that Robbie may have figured the church is really better off as a TV studio of sorts..maybe closer in style to the TBN network (Trinity Broadcasting Network) that broadcasts also from orange county, CA, (which I visited for the first time a few weeks ago...it's a beautiful small building with lots of old Bibles and historical material from all the tv shows they did...which I never watched...)...; I think its a shame if the intent of Bobby is to reduce the church to a glorified tv studio...there were many people counting on the crystal cathedral to be a strong base for protestant believers for many years to come. And yet despite all the many contributers, essentially the future of the church & decision-making comes down to the grandson of the founder. There never really was a board of directors strong enough, or with enough vision, to take on the task of making it self-sustainable the way most of us assumed they were doing.
Speaking of thoughts & prayers (aka TP4) , there's another blog for that as well. There being SO MANY issues of concern not just of my own regarding health etc but my nuclear family, my extended family, my community, my city, my state, my high school , my college(s), ...my country...my world...ie. it's not me, my, & mine, but we, us, and ours! IT IS ALL of us IN THIS TOGETHER..we are all on the same boat ! Let us keep each other in our thoughts & prayers, and keep people in general in our thoughts & prayers...& start a blog of your own in such regard if it helps you, or join with mine !
In fact, one blog for Thoughts & Prayers was not enough given what also happened on September 11, 2001 . The era of terror had begun, and will probably never really end. Thus, I began blogging to "Stop the Terror" as well! Rarely does a day go by that I don't see something in the news that fits on the Stop the Terror page.
There's many things our government can & should be doing...but as citizens apart from voting & staying informed, we can pray & we can also continue to do mission work (or support it) that tries to reach the hearts & minds of extremists (ie, "muslims" in particular, whether you call them real muslims or whatever). And we should pray for the Gospel to reach as many muslims as possible, whether extremists or otherwise. And therefore, yes, I did start a blog dedicated to reaching Muslims for Christ !
Let Christ transform all lives, including Muslims worldwide ! And let the love of God replace suicide bombers! Stop the terror forever !
Speaking of suicide, it is a BIG problem. I personally felt the direct impact of suicide when I lost a good friend who I knew all the way from church nursery at 1st CRC in GR, all the way thru high school and part of college. I had left law school in Detroit in 1990, and decided to go to California (or return there)...around Thanksgiving when I received a phone call from a friend telling me Doug K had commit suicide, back in Michigan. It was/is an unforgettable moment. I was stunned, shocked, speechless & heartbroken. I didn't know what to say, and don't remember what I did say. That moment in time still remains sort of a timeless bubble in my mind. I flew back for the funeral, and remember seeing Doug's family and a few friends and being a pall-bearer , and then it was over & I was gone, back to California. I have lots of thoughts about all of this and suicide in general...too much to rehearse here, so check out the blog I began some time ago dedicated to helping end suicidal tendencies. It's the least I can do in this regard...and we call ALL do a little bit to try to encourage people, be more kind & loving, and whatever else it takes to try to make this world a little nice & better for everybody. Let us maintain "Christmas Presence" (as opposed to Christmas Presents) all year round, exhibiting the fruits of the Spirit ! (Galatians 5.23ff).
Nonetheless, beware that even the best of intentions and the most loving & kind atmosphere & conditions cannot always change everything for the better. Some things happen whether we like it or not, no matter what we do (or don't do). This is not an excuse to be apathetic or laissez faire just a bit of encouragement for those who have been a victim of tragedy (ie lost a loved one) despite the best of actions & intentions. Nonetheless, we keep trying to get better & also seek better results and wisdom from the medical & mental health community!
Speaking of mental health & losing a loved one, as many know, one of the sons of Rick Warren , the famous saddleback preacher commit suicide a few years ago. And you will see on my mental health blog that he had a conference at their church in lake forest (which I attend periodically) that I covered . I used the saddleback church "mental health gathering" (in conjunction with the catholic church, among others) as the basis of my mental health blog, and have kept it going with periodic news updates. I hope it helps somebody, anybody (lots of contacts for all kinds of issues & matters of concern) ...
