Jesus was adopted!

Matthew 1:21 (NIV)
²¹ She will give birth to a son, and (Joseph) YOU ARE to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." - emphasis mine!

I have not said much about the finalization of Patrick's adoption.  We have been on a 3 year journey to this point and it has been great to finally see it be completed.  We signed our name to the documents and promised to accept Patrick as if he was our own flesh and blood.  I am proud to give Patrick my name (his middle name is Steven!) and will do all I can to help him grow into the man God has created him to be!

While studying for my Christmas sermons, I came across the verse I quoted above.  I know I have read this before...this is a pretty important scripture in the Christmas story.  But I have never read it from the point of view of Joseph.  God (through an angel) asked Joseph to give Jesus his name.  Very few commentary writers address this point.  I did find a couple who did, but the reality is that God is asking Joseph to give him his name because it was the father's responsibility to give their children a name.  Just like Joseph would do with his biological children, he gave Jesus his name because he was treating him as if he was his own son.  Just like he was not to put Mary out because she was having a baby before she and Joseph had been married, he was not to shun the new born son.  He was to give him his name.  He was to raise Jesus like he was his own flesh and blood.  Joseph didn't stand before a judge and agree to raise this child as his own, but he did stand before God.

So by my understanding of scripture, Jesus was adopted and he was the first adopted son (by Joseph) of many who would follow him and be adopted by our heavenly father.  I understand that there are other big themes in Matthew 1, but I this is pretty cool!
Romans 8:15-17 (NIV)
For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship (adoption). And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.  Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. - emphasis mine!


If you want to watch a video of our adoption with the Judge, you can watch it below!

2010 Booklist

At the beginning of the year, I wrote a blog about reading more books.  You can read that post here.  So one of my goals this past year was to increase my book reading.  I settled on 25.  I have never kept a list of books I have read so I wasn't sure what to expect.  Below you will find my list.  I finished 20 and have 7 more started by not yet finished.  I will list my books below and finish with my top 10.

Books not yet finished!
On Being Certain: Believing You Are Right Even When You're Not
The Naked Anabaptist
Justification: God's Plan & Paul's Vision
The War of the Lamb: The Ethics of Nonviolence and Peacemaking
Surprised by Hope
Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream by David Platt
The Hobbit


Finished Books
Start Here: Doing Hard Things Right Where You Are
The Air I Breathe: Worship as a Way of Life
A Brief History of Christian Worship
The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick)
Five Secrets Great Dads Know
Reimagining Evangelism: Inviting Friends on a Spiritual Journey
Untamed: Reactivating a Missional Form of Discipleship (Shapevine)
Jesus Wants to Save Christians: A Manifesto for the Church in Exile
Fathered by God: Learning What Your Dad Could Never Teach You

So, my top 10 books that I read in 2010

Honorable Mention - Seven: The Deadly Sins - by Jeff Cook
 10 - Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us - by Seth Godin
   9 - The War of Art - by Steven Pressfield
   8 - Samson and the Pirate Monk - by Nate Larkin
   7 - The Tangible Kingdom - by Hugh Halter & Matt Smay
   6 - Food Rules: An Eater's Manual - by Michael Pollan
   5 - The Orthodox Heretic: And Other Impossible Tales - by Peter Rollins
   4 - Angels and Ages - by Adam Gopnik
   3 - A Long Obedience in the Same Direction - Eugene Peterson
   2 - Following Jesus - by N.T. Wright
   1 - The Challenge of Jesus - by N.T. Wright

To keep this from being a super long post, I will refrain from commenting on each of the books, but if you would like a comment on a particular book, ask in the comments and I see what I can do!

Age Gap

Beth likes to bargain shop...especially over the interweb!  She bought me a $50 gift card for $25 to Gap.

Today I went to cash it in and get me a pair of jeans.  After trying on 6 pairs of pants, I realized I am too old to shop at Gap AND guys wear their pants like a bunch of girls these days...it was like trying on spandex. 

Oh...I was able to get 1 whole pair of jeans for $50...one!  Are you kidding me...I am too old!

Northgate's 90th Birthday

I am sure this is a bit of over saturation, but I have just posted a note on our church's Facebook page.

Please go and read it.  we are looking for help to make our celebration more than just a party for ourselves.  Help us continue our efforts at becoming an integral part of our neighborhood.

Here is the link to the page.  Just in case you missed it up top!

http://www.facebook.com/notes.php?id=143067235718158#!/note.php?note_id=133663826677877

What is 3 months amongst friends?!

It it has been 3 months since I posted anything here...and I am ok with that. 

In honor of time, I want to tell you about our church's up coming milestone.  On September 19th, we will be 90 years old.  I know that it isn't all that old in the grand scheme of things, but to me, that is something to celebrate.  We were a church plant started in one of the fraternal social halls here in town.  Manteca was a small farming community known for its cows and butter...that is how it got its name (la mantequilla is butter in spanish).  After someone misspelled the word on a train ticket, they changed the name to the misspelling...Manteca (which means lard or fat in spanish!!)

Now we are mostly a commuter city.  There are still cows around and rows and rows of Almond trees and wine grapes...but mostly we are a city full of commuters.  My prayer for our church during this time of remembering is that while we remember the past fondly, we use our past as a springboard into the future calling God has for us.  Most of the farmers are gone, but we can make a difference in the lives of the people who spend most of their life in their cars...driving back and forth to the bay area to work.   

We were a risk taken by a handful of men and women on September 19th, 1920.  We can still take those kinds of risks, not knowing if we will be here for our 100th birthday, but knowing that the risk of extinction is worth the gains we can make for the Kingdom of God...if we will only take the risk...here and now!

Happy Birthday Northgate

My Compassion

By the time you read this, it will be May 12th.  Beth and I have been married for 9 years today!  Unfortunately, we are separated by 2,413 miles (according to google maps!)  Beth is in Ashland, Ohio learning how to be an awesome "ministry wife" for our "husband and wife ministry team" (HWMT!!)  Since she is not here in California, I must sing her praises!  The last 3 days have reminded me how awesome she is and how good God is to me through her!

There are many things that Beth adds to our family, but one thing has become glaringly obvious over the last 3 days.  She brings compassion to our home.  Let me give you a few examples.

We have a dog.  I forgot!  I made it home on Saturday night.  Maggie opened the back door on Monday and let him in for the first time since I made it home.  He was ok...but I am sure he wished Beth was home!

Today Maggie did not make the cut for her school's talent show...we came home and she was crying about her lunch...naturally I thought she was crazy for crying about a taco...She needed her mom, the compassionate one, who realizes that crying over a taco was really about her disappointment over not making the talent show. 

Patrick was screaming his head off this afternoon...I am sure he needed someone to hold him and rock him...I needed him to stop screaming so I didn't go crazy...

So today, I say "I love you" to Beth.  You are my wife, my love, and my compassion.  You bring a never ending joy to my life and the rest of the family needs you home before I forget to care about the emotional needs!

I LOVE YOU!
                                                                     Me & Beth - July 2003

Impersonating a Police Officer

A few months ago Dave Thompson asked me if I would be interested in a chaplaincy program being developed through the Manteca Police Department that would allow the chaplains access to the public schools.  This program works with the school resource officers assigned to the schools as support for them and the students they encounter.  I have access to the school campuses and get to help kids connect with mentors to get them through some of the issues they are facing. 

Yesterday, I was able to go on my first call to Neil Hafley school to speak with a young man who has been missing quite a bit of school.  After waiting a while to see if he was going to show up, Officer Hensley and I went looking for him in the places he is known to hide.  On the way out the door, I was joking around with Officer Hensley about his car and he told me that it didn't matter because I would be driving - not him!  So I was able to drive the police car around the neighborhood and down the bike trail looking for this young man.  When it became clear that he was not where we thought he was, we headed back to the school. 

On our way back, my phone started buzzing.  As I was looking at my phone I asked officer Hensley if I was breaking the law (in California it is against the law to talk or text while driving!)  He told me that since I was on official police business, it was legal!!!  He snapped a couple of pictures of me driving the car and talking on my phone!
The next time you see a police officer, make sure it isn't me...I felt like a brand new driver in that car...I might run over you....and since I am on official police business, it would be legal!

 

Inverted!

So I have been patiently waiting for the IRS to deposit my tax return.  The idea of E-filing is awesome.  You don't have to mail anything and you get your money within days!  I sent off our tax return and quickly received our return from the great state of California!  I hoped the federal return would come soon.  I have checked the website and was told to wait patiently...so I did! 
Last night I checked again.  The website told me that the money was deposited...but wait, it hasn't been deposited, I checked several times...
So I went back and checked my direct deposit info.  That info is no big deal.  It is only 19 numbers that have to be exactly right for you to receive your money!  I have to say that I am proud of myself for getting it right once, but can the government really expect you to get it right every time? 
If I was playing baseball, I would be doing well.  I would be batting .500!  I inverted the last 2 digits of my checking account number.  I got 17 out of 19 numbers right the second time around.

So I wait...patiently...again!

Just a thought

Matthew 9:35-38 – The Message 
Then Jesus made a circuit of all the towns and villages. He taught in their meeting places, reported kingdom news, and healed their diseased bodies, healed their bruised and hurt lives. When he looked out over the crowds, his heart broke. So confused and aimless they were, like sheep with no shepherd. "What a huge harvest!" he said to his disciples. "How few workers! On your knees and pray for harvest hands!"

"Jesus is so much more interested in the eternity of those he encountered, but he healed their “right now” first. He understood that healing their “right now” would open the door to healing their eternity. "

2 Turntables & A Microphone!

Actually the title should be "2 Weddings and a Funeral," but it isn't as catchy...even if it is almost a movie title!
(points for anyone who can tell me who sings that song (in the title) {except Beth...I know she know!})
 
I have to say that this past week was the one of the most emotionally and physically draining in my pastoral career.  Let me give you the details and then I will elaborate.

Friday (March 26th) - Daniel asks if I can perform his sister's wedding (on Tuesday!)

Saturday -       Churches 1st annual Easter Egg hunt!

Sunday -         Church (Sermon #1)

Monday -       Get ready for Lynn & Johnny's wedding
                      Bible Study

Tuesday -       Patrick's visit with his mom (Beth took him)
                      Soccer Practice for Maggie's Team (5:00pm)
                      Lynn & Johnny's Wedding (6:00pm)

Wednesday -  Easter Planning Meeting (9:30am)
                      Noah says bye to his kids and leave for Saudi (9:30am)
                      Get a call about the death of Ezra (10:30am) He was 98!
                      Tell his Granddaughters who were in the meeting
                      Go meet family as they are taking Ezra to the hospital.
  
Thursday -     Drive 2 hours to a wedding Rehearsal (8:30am)
                     Drive 2 hours for Patrick's court hearing (12:00pm)
                     Get ready for Communion Service that night (5:00pm)
                     Finish writing Ceremony for Wedding (9:00pm)
 
Friday -        Get things ready for wedding (9:00am)
                    Leave for Wedding in Gilroy (2:00pm)
                    Wedding (Sermon # 3) (6:00pm - 8:45pm)
                    Drive 2 hours, pickup kids, get home (11:00pm)
                    Finish sermon for Ezra's Funeral (11:00pm)
  
Saturday -   Get ready for Funeral (8:00am)
                   Funeral visitation at church (9:30am)
                   Funeral for Ezra (Sermon #4) (11:00am)
                   Finish Sermon for Easter (5:00pm)
 
Sunday -     Get baptistry ready for morning service (6:00am)
                   Easter Breakfast at Church (9:30am)
                   Easter Service (Sermon #5) (11:00am)
                   Baptize 2 people!!!!
                   Eat Amazing food at Carla's Grandma's house (1:00pm)
                   Go to Sleep (4:00pm)


So the biggest thing I learned through all of this actually sounds a bit "new-age-y."  But I think it is still true.  I come to realize that I am more of a tour guide through life.  I don't say that to belittle any of the experiences of those I spent time with this past week, but I really was at these events for moral support and guidance.  I tend to be too self-deprecating, and I know that God's word is authoritative and because of that people tend to give pastors more authority than they deserve.  But taking all of that into consideration, I simply was a helper or "guide" for those who needed it this week.  I helped 2 couples understand the role of God in their marriages.  I helped Ezra's family remember the promises that scripture gives us on life after death.  I was able to help 2 people make a public profession of their faith when they were baptized.  Beth, Maggie, and I are helping Patrick have a safe place to grow up...and hopefully give him a place to mature into a God-honoring Man.

So, through all of these events, I get to live vicariously through those I am helping.  I think that is what it means to be a shepherd or pastor.  I grieve when others grieve, I get excited when others are experiencing joy.  I get to remind people why our existence on this planet matters and that following the way of Jesus brings fulfillment beyond any worldly understanding can.

I am glad I am back to just Monday bible study and Sunday sermon preparation.  It is nice to be back on normal pace, but I can't wait for the next surprise...God is good all the time...All the time, God is good!

Fun with Reading

Maggie and I were driving home from picking up her team's soccer uniforms and she decided that "reading was her favorite hobby!"  So she was reading all the signs she could.  We stopped at the corner of Louise (Maggie read it as "Lucy") and Main St.  She started reading in the "24 hour fitness sign."  Here is what she came up with...

1st - 44 fishes
2nd - 44 fins
3rd - 44 fitness (after my help with fitness)
daddy - "Maggie, that doesn't say 44 it says 24"
Maggie - "Oh yeah, 24 fitness, what does that mean?
daddy - "What does the word under 24 say?"
Maggie - "four"
daddy - "No, that is an H, not an F"
Maggie - "Oh...24 whore"

Of course it says whore...because "four" = fore but "hour" = our....

Don't you just love English....and 5 year olds!

An Ode to Noah

Noah left for Saudi Arabia today. He is on the flight right now…He will spend 11 hours in the air getting to Germany. He will then take a 5 hour flight to Saudi. He is a Major in the Army and will be stationed there for the rest of this year. I know he will be ok! Pray for his family. Tanya and the 4 kids will need it…especially Tanya!

I have written a Limerick in honor of Noah. It isn't very good, but it fits the pattern of a limerick…and I believe it captures his essence!

Drive on Noah…HOOAH!

An Ode to Noah

There is a man named No-ah

Who lives in Arabi-ah

He loves tech gear

Sure wish'd he was here

Via con Dios, Hoo-ah

I love this post...it is amazing...but not safe...

Read at the risk of your own Status Quo!

Click Here

Book Review - "Start Here"

Start Here: Doing Hard Things Right Where You Are by Alex & Brett Harris

This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.  This genre of book is not on my generally accepted lists of books that I read.  But, I have to say that I liked this book.  For the most part, these guys missed my demographic, but they were not aiming for me anyway!  The Harris brothers are a couple of young 20 year old guys who are out to inspire the youth of our world to tackle big things and not wait on "old age" before they realize God can use them in his advancing Kingdom.  The book is full of practical advice on how to effect change in the world around you.  At 37, I do not struggle with whether or not I will be cool the tomorrow at school, but that is ok...I shouldn't be.  Alex and Brett do a great job of dealing with the issues young men and women struggle with...especially if they believe that God can use them TODAY!  

While I will not recommend this book to the guys at my church, I will pass on to the next student I see that needs a nudge off the mediocrity stoop.  There is a quote in C. S. Lewis' Prince Caspian that says, "To know what would have happened,child? said Aslan.  'No. Nobody is ever told that."  That is what this book is combating...the wonder of "what if."  No need to wonder if we allow God to use us TODAY!

An Open Apology to my Wife!

Dear Beth (The best Mom ever!),

I am sorry our daughter pretty much acts like I did when I was a kid.  I know she is cute and smart, but we know she takes after you in that regard!

1.  I am sorry she talks constantly and won't stop asking questions.  There were plenty of times my parents asked me just to stop talking.  I believe my favorite word for the first 12 years of my life was "why?" 

2.  I am sorry she talks back and acts as if she is an adult.  The difference between me and her on this point is that I had 2 brothers and a sister to boss around...she doesn't have that yet, so she takes it out on us!  The bright side for us here is that she will soon be able to boss Patrick around.  Maybe we will receive a small reprieve soon!

Please bookmark this page and read it when ever you get frustrated...especially when I am not at home and you receive the brunt of her crazy fury!

I love you. 

Your repentant husband,
Steven

Lent and life change!

Last Friday our church started our annual "soup suppers."  This is a time where we gather weekly to "eat simply" and reflect on Christ's journey to the cross.  This has been a tradition of our church for quite some time and I really love being a part of it.

Last week I asked everyone to consider a fast during this lent season.  I know that many people will not be able to handle a 40 day food fast, so we talked about fasting from things other than food, or certain types of foods.

In January Beth and I started a new journey in our life to eat healthy.  We joined a Prism class led by our friend Lori Kelly.  We tell people that we are not on a diet (at least I do!) but we are changing our habits.  Because of that, I really do not have an indulgent food to give up for lent.  So I decided to do something different (really different for me)!  For lent, I have decided to go to bed early.  That may not sound like much to you, but I have been staying up late (past 12:00 am most nights) since I was in college.  If my parents would have let me have a TV in my room when I was a kid, I would have started much earlier!  So I have developed a 15+ year habit of staying up late and getting up with just enough time to get ready and get out the door.

Now, that may not sound all that bad, but the problem I struggle with is what I do with those 3 or 4 hours past 10:00pm.  99.9% of the time it is spent flipping channels on the TV.  If watching TV was an Olympic sport, I would have won Gold in the past 4 or 5 Olympics.  I have mad skills!  If I could sell advertising space on my remote control, I would do it!  So my goal over the next 30+ days is to begin to redirect my time and energy.  So I am going to bed before 11:00pm and then transfer that "awake" time to the morning.  During that time, while my family is still sleeping, I want to read and exercise.  Maybe over the next 15 years, I can develop a habit my mother has (that has annoyed and amazed me for years).  She gets up everyday at 4am or 5am, even though she lives alone and doesn't have to be at work until 7am or 8am.  There are things that I would love to accomplish that are in conflict with my TV consumption.  My prayer is to refocus so wasted time! 

So over the past 6 weeks, Beth and I have really changed how we eat.  We try to eat things that are fresh and have to be prepared.  We still eat out, but we attempt to eat healthy when we do.  2 Things have changed.  1.  Our restaraunt expenses have gone down and our grocery store expenses have gone up.  2.  Beth has lost 15 lbs and I have lost 25 lbs.  I won't post a picture of Beth because I didn't get permission, but below is a "before and after" from our first 6 weeks of "life change!"

In Honor of Lincoln's Birthday - Was he a Liberal??

So I am doing pretty well with my goal of reading 25 books this year.  I have finished, "Food Rules," "Tribes,""Primal," and have 2 others in the works!

One of those books is called "Angels and Ages: A Short Book About Darwin, Lincoln, and Modern Life."  I have read quite a bit on Lincoln, but this one is different.  This book posits the idea that both Lincoln and Darwin (who were born on the same day...a couple hours a part) revolutionized the way we think about civilization, science, and God.  I have to say that the intro is all it took to spark this blog.  I haven't finished it yet, but will soon...(I am such a nerd for this kind of stuff!)

Before Lincoln, Americans didn't think of America like we do.  We were Texans, or Virginians first.  The idea of Union, while not completely foreign, was simply not the norm.  The people of Texas couldn't and didn't sympathize with the plight of the people of Maine; they had their own plight to deal with!  Why in the world would you want to be governed by a group of people who didn't understand that it took slaves to make be successful at farming Cotton in Georgia?  These are concepts that were revolutionary in their day.  The author of this book calls the "liberal!"  These liberal ideas eventually lead to the worst war, in terms of causalities, in the history of our nation.

We are on the other side of that now and are a product of the "liberal" thinking of men like Lincoln and Darwin.  This is what Adam Gopnik says in the intro to this book...it just makes my mind churn!

"Lincoln showed, to a degree that we no longer understand, that democratic politics were compatible with long-term survival...Darwin showed that scientific reasoning could explain not only the life of matter but the matter of life; it could come up with a plausible theory of the history of life on this planet...The immediate gain of science is machines; the immediate gain of democracy is money.  Ours is a society whose two pillars - science and democracy - have given us the A-bomb, the H-bomb, mass alienation: the most peaceful and prosperous and tolerant societies that the world has ever seen, which balance on the brink of total global annihilation every day."

Now...I do not buy into Darwinism...but the more I live, the more I believe that, AS BELIEVERS IN JESUS, we shouldn't bite the "democracy" hook as quickly as we do...but that is tough to do...it is all we have known as citizens of this planet.  Maybe we should remember that we are citizens of God's Kingdom first!

Just some thoughts...enjoy.

"Open Handed" Living is not for the faint at heart!

If you don't already know, Beth, Maggie, and I are fostering a little boy...Patrick.  We hope to adopt him, but we have learned over the past couple of years that choosing to foster a child through to adoption requires us to live open handed.  We cannot hold on tightly because the process is full of roller coaster turns and moments that have the potential to send Patrick back to live with some family member.  This causes quite a bit of conflict in our hearts because we want to see Patrick's bio parents become healthy.  But their health has the potential for the reunification with Patrick.
So today Patrick visited with a bio grandmother.  This visit did not change anything.  It simply reminded us of the fragility of our relationship with Patrick.  We have to live with our hands open while giving him our hearts completely.

Neil Cole, a writer and pastor has blogged something I read yesterday.  I thought is was fitting for this topic..

This is what a theology of death looks like…
Die daily to who we are
Empowerment of others (not self) is our life
Acceptance of risk is normative
Theology is not just knowledge, but practice
Hold tight to Christ and an open hand for all else.

So I don't want it to be perceived that I am trying to toot my own horn...I am not...Matter of fact, if I was living like this, I would seek out Patrick's parents and do what ever it took to empower them to reunite with their son.  The truth is, I want Patrick to be our son and live with us so we can raise him.  What this helps me remember is that living for Christ requires risk and an open hand.  Pray we can keep them open!

2010 Goals

I have made a few goals for 2010.  I will keep most of them to myself, but there is one I would like to share with the blog 'o-sphere!  I have a goal to read 25 books this year.  Depending on you, that may be a drop in the bucket or a Mount Everest of books.  For me, it is more than just reading 25 books.  I have qualified that number.  I want to read 25 books that I do not specifically buy for sermon preparation.  I don't even know how many books I read last year...most likely I didn't complete any of them....just skimming them for the content I was looking for!  So I want to read books that are more than just sermon fodder.  That doesn't mean they won't make it into a sermon, but in my sermons, anything has the potential to make it in!

So I have started with a couple and have been empowered with a fun new tool to get the job done.  That is right...one of my friends gave me a surprise Christmas gift... a KINDLE!!!  If you do not know what a kindle does, it basically is a digital book that looks like book and easy on your eyes so you do not develop eye strain by looking at a computer scene for long period of time!  It also has the capacity to hold 1500 books or so at a time!  I am really excited about this.  So I am hoping that this will help keep my goal in the forefront of my brain and help me accomplish it!

My books already on my Kindle:
NIV Bible by God!
Tribes by Seth Godin
A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller
Food Rules by Michael Pollan
On Being Certain - Believing you are Right Even when you're Not - by Robert Burton

I have finished Tribe already and have read have of both "Food Rules" and "On Being Certain."  "Tribes" is excellent.  I recommend it to all leaders...or those who believe the should be leading.  I will come back and give a few book reviews when I have a few minutes!

Good luck to you in achieving your goals this year.  If you have any books you want to recommend, leave them here on my blog...I look forward to the wide variety that awaits me!

2010 #1

Here is a "Picture" of the Cole Family...I stole this idea from Georgia's blog...she was cool first!


Make your Stick Figure Family at FreeFlashToys.com