July, 2007
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Tuesday, July 31, 2007 Monday, July 30, 2007 Sunday, July 29, 2007 Saturday, July 28, 2007
I did see The
Simpsons Movie at a matinee on Opening Day.
I'll comment during the days ahead. Friday, July 27, 2007 When our secretary comes
in this morning, Emma will learn that she is now
in charge of maintaining our church's
web-presence at the AuburnBuzz (agreatchurch). It was a late night (and
its been an early morning). This note was from
AuburnWriter was
posted in reply to something I wrote at the
AuburnBuzz: Thursday, July 26, 2007 We had a fun day in Auburn yesterday. After
an in-depth discussion about wireless
transmission and broadcasting with a 15 year old
homeschooler, we visited a 90 year old Rosarian.
Yeah, this is the fun part of being a
pastor--bonding with people of all ages and
backgrounds. 1) He Hideth My Soul Wednesday, July 25, 2007 Tuesday, July 24, 2007 Monday, July 23, 2007 Sunday, July 22, 2007 Saturday, July 21, 2007
Friday, July
20, 2007
Ms. Dubois
(in the window seat from Phoenix to Sacramento)
probably
'Yes and 'Amen'.
Earlier in the day, I had to pay for wireless
connection at the Detroit Airport. However, it
was worth it to me because I had business to do.
I had to tweak and approve the proof of this
column for Monday's Auburn Journal: Thursday, July 19, 2007
Thursday, July 19, 2007
This is my
final broadcast from the Library in my hometown.
I will drive down the Old Sauk Trail (U.S. 12)
into Lenawee County (to do some family research
at the County Library there), then I'll head for
the Detroit Airport. Wednesday, July 18, 2007 Tuesday, July 17, 2007 Monday, July 16, 2007 Saturday, July 14, 2007 Friday, July 13, 2007 Thursday, July 12, 2007 At the Bel-Air grocery store, Cathy and I
were standing in line and met a lady who had
moved to this area a year ago from southern
California. Another perky woman from Australia
was standing next in line (later joined by her
husband). We had a bubbly conversation over the
pink hair, the battle between the boys and
girls, the church with no sign out front. I
don't remember their names but I sure would like
to see them again. Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Hey Rob, I cc'd my reply to
Daniel Teale (the Aussie in
question). Daniel is still on break, hasn't
started that next semester yet--the one I have
challenged him to 'delay' in order to make his
way to California. Dave says he'll pray
'specifically'... Tuesday, July 10, 2007 An unedited full-length audio track is on
the sermonplayer found on this page:
click here. Monday, July 9, 2007 Sunday, July 8, 2007 Saturday, July 7, 2007
Renovation, Hey
Pastor Rob, Friday, July 6, 2007 At 1:00 p.m. at the First Baptist Church of
Rio Linda, Thursday, July 5, 2007 Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Pastor Shamas Pervaiz Tuesday, July 3, 2007 ***** Monday, July 2, 2007 Sunday, July 1, 2007
Wow! All day yesterday was PACKED with
outreach! The summer missionaries are here
and we're out there...(Gregg
from Georgia and
Emily from S. Carolina).
I'm gonna have them keep a log and turn in a
copy of their notes because we will meet
hundreds of people in the next few days.
I'll probably post them for tomorrow's
journal entry.
Our teen-missionaries are being sponsored by
the good folks down at
Courthouse Athletic Club this
week. Emily and
Gregg have full club
privileges while they are in Auburn.
Hallelujah, huh?! Thank you, Art and Bonnie.
Anyway, they're gonna need to work off some
of the weight they'll put on because of the
table fellowship that comes with being
visitors among believers in America.
Not much time to write today, but here's a
view of the apartment that
Cathy, Mary,
and I have decided to move into. umm...it
'could' look this nice...haha...if I bought
some new furniture (not likely!)....
click here to see the
apartment (if you have Java installed, you
can look at the 360 degree panorama shot).
Its kinda cool. This apartment complex
(Miner's Station) is right next to a
regional park and neighborhood where there's
lotsa unchurched people to reach with the
BellRoad message.
I uploaded yesterday's sermon at about 1:00
a.m. It is 5:59--the beginning of a new day
for yours truly. I'm currently listening to
the SundayMessage--enjoying leftovers.
*click here
for
Becoming a Mega-Church
Here's the column that should be appearing
in today's Auburn Journal. I'm gonna wake up
Cathy,
and buy a hardcopy of the local paper on our
way to the Courthouse Athletic Club
with me. Hey, I'd love to have a question
for next Monday's paper. Send me an email
with your question:
pastorob@gmail.com
Mary, and our summer missionaries
(Emily, and
Gregg) are still sleeping. We'll
let them sleep in....until we get back from
the Gym.
Yes, its Thanksgiving in July. I'm up at
4:26 sticking the sermon in the oven.
In my household, I've been the one who
prepares the annual Thanksgiving Turkey (and
I'm usually up around this time to pull it
out of the frig, unwrap it, stick it under
running water, while I reach in two diverse
orifices to retrieve parts that won't be
used, place it in the pan, butter it up,
cover it up, turn on the oven, then...stick
it in at a certain temperature).
I look up at the clock and project ahead to
establish a predetermined time that I'll
notify everyone to be here in order to eat a
hot-out-of-the-oven Thanksgiving
Dinner--together.
So, do I feel bad that I'm pulling my sermon
out of the frig at 4:33 on a Sunday
Morning?!
No...that's the way I roll.
We'll have a good dinner with lotsa meat in
about six hours.
There will be
plenty for everyone.
I am not responsible for the spiritual
dinner rolls, sweet potatoes, creamed corn,
green bean casserole, etc. The others in our
family will bring those to the Table at the
appointed time.
I sure hope that those who don't have any
other place to go for SundayMessage will
take up my offer to come to our house (God's
House).
So, I've gotta get this sermon in the
oven...but why don't you take some time to
look at these photos that Joe and Sharon
sent me this morning?
CLICK HERE
Before I went to bed last night, I wrote the
following remembrances from the first night
of Awaken '07...
A young mother who brought her child to our
VBS also came to the Awaken '07 Crusade last
night. Her daughter,
Kristen, (7) compelled her
mother to go forward.
Karen did go forward and asked
Jesus to be her Savior. An altar call at a
public event can be a very important time.
So, I was attentive to little Kristen and
spent some time talking to her about growth
steps for a 7 year old. A Calvary member,
Shannon,
came alongside me to minister to daughter
and mom.
I had a chance to speak a bit with
Comedian Nazareth; we exchanged cards. I
told him I'd link to his website. So, here
it is (click
here).
Also had a chance to meet Jason Gold,
Calvary's Worship pastor, his wife, Ann, and
kids, Hannah, Isabel, and Jacob. A beautiful
family; I'm so happy to be connecting with
Christians through this event.
I hope you'll try to come to Placer Stadium
tonight at 7:00 for the second night of
Awaken '07. There's gonna be a Worship Band
comprised of Worship Leaders from area
churches.
I figure that I will have the pink hair for
one more week. There will be much
youth-oriented activity this week with the
arrival of our teen-missionaries: Emily and
Gregg.
During my Gym-time, I have thought of many
ideas to keep these two busy with outreach
this week. Mike
Sanchez, our Mission Director,
informed me that they have been worked VERY
hard in every placement thus far.
Hannah Knapp (one of our own
teen-missionaries) is scheduled to fly in
from her Asia Mission Trip tonight. She
should be in service tomorrow to witness our
public baptism.
Today, our teens will return from Centrifuge
(our
summer camp at Jenness Park). We received
news yesterday that Terrance gave his life
to Jesus. If tradition was observed, he was
among others who went up to 'ring the bell'.
CAMP REPORT:
Terrance (far right) got saved!
click here
for photos from
Youth Camp
Tonight, we hope to
have many others who get saved at the Placer
High School football stadium.
This 2-night, city-wide
evangelistic event will start at 7:00 p.m. Please
click on this link and look for details
about Awaken '07. Cathy and I met up
with Bob Knapp at the evening prayer
meeting. That's the first time I've been at
the local football stadium. About fifty
people were there to pray for two-night
even.
Yesterday I was vision-casting
ten years ahead (give or take a year). I've
included what the year 2016 might
look like...
Upcoming Events
(click on any slide to freeze it for a closer look)
Later this morning, we're heading down to
Galt to be there when our kids get home from
Camp. However, we'll come back up for the
Crusade tonight.
If you don't have a church home, I sure hope
you'll come to
BellRoad
tomorrow morning.
Today, I will continue working on the
sermon. It should be useful for direction
(and correction).
Becoming a Mega-Church
Acts 4:32-37 (Don't let the title bother you,
click here)
Grab a cup-o-somethin'....this is a LONG entry
today. Lots going on.
Tonight, Kurt and
Christy Sandhoff are hosting a
party to introduce Cathy and me to Auburn's
Business Community. If anyone is interested in
coming, call Christy
at (530) 906-5600
Of course, you can always call me too:
(209) 323-0727
I guess it is also an Avon party (haha...but
businessmen have been invited too). It is
an open house in the Sandhoff's home (from 5:30
through 8:30). I'm kinda looking forward to it!
Then, at 9:00 p.m., a group will meet at
Placer Stadium to pray over the 2-night
event called Awaken '07. I'll be working hard on
the streets--meeting people and inviting them to
the free Saturday and Sunday night event. If you
wanna pray with us, please show up tonight.
Yesterday, Cathy and I drove to
First Baptist of
Fair Oaks to attend a presentation by their
Senior Ministries'
Hallelujah Choir. Several people from
our church were there for the music and the free
lunch.
I sat next to their pastor,
J. T. Reed
during the choir's musical-comedy. He was busy
multi-tasking on a handheld device. Curt Harjo's
daughter works at the church
(oops...forgot her name). She speaks highly of
the pastor's visionary ministry.
Here is Pastor Reed's blog (click
here). Pastor Reed preaches at all three
services. A Saturday night crowd of younger
folks. A 9:00 a.m. Sunday Service for those who
prefer a 'traditional' experience and an 11:00
service (for everyone else, I suppose).
It appears that J.T.
Reed might be a good role model for
me. The people seems to have loved and trusted
him as he has led them to try new ideas in
out-reaching ministries.
During the free lunch, we were fortunate enough
to sit with Terry Baker,
the Director of Senior Ministries. She answered
many of my questions about reaching out to
unchurched seniors.
Here is Terry's webpage for the Seniors (click
here).
Before we left, we ran into
Paul,
the Worship Leader for
Life 635. He gave us a tour of the
Sanctuary, told us about their Saturday night
service, and gave me a techie-tip.
Here's the website for
Life 635:
(click
here)....pretty cool, I must say.
They meet on Saturday nights at 6:35 p.m.
Cathy worked an overnight with Home Instead
again. After she left for work, I was googling
for something to do in Auburn. I simply entered
the date (July 26) and my area-of-interest
(Auburn, CA).
Voilà, google
gives me a wonderful new gift:a local,
what's-happening website called the AuburnBuzz.
So, I decided to get The Buzz and opened my
free, personal account there:
pastorob.
I think one must first open an
account before viewing the profiles for members
of this online community.
However, BellRoad has a free listing that anyone
can see.
click here
to see our listing
Church-shoppers (or anyone, really) can learn a
bit about what it is we are doing. An
interesting feature allows people who visit us
to write a review.
Hmm...I can think of a few who might--ah, never
mind...
Later, in the evening, Dan Clark and I
decided to go to a late-night showing of Live
Free, Die Hard. On our way, we stopped by
that Pizza place in Downtown Auburn to pass out
invitations to Awaken '07.
Welcome to town, Rob!
If you want to know what's happening in the
community you now call home, then the Sentinel
and AuburnBuzz are perfect choices.
The hardcopy edition of the region's only
locally owned and operated general circulation
newspaper contains information not found on the
website (and the same can be said for the online
version).
If you want to learn about local politics, read
Joe Carroll's Auburn Augur. If you want to learn
more about the people in the community, read my
Biscuits and Gravy column.
We also feature Gary Moffat's Other Side of
Auburn column and (in print, anyway) we publish
Kevin Hanley's Common Sense. Kevin is a member
of the City Council. -
Don Chaddock
I'm starting out the morning at 4:58 a.m.
"Pastor Rob,
I am a Christian and have a gay daughter.
How would the church handle this information?"
In order to begin working on a submission for
Monday's Auburn Journal, I'll start with this graphic for
the free CD offer which will accompany the column:
Seven of us went to the dress rehearsal matinee
for "The Sound of Music" in Placer High School's
auditorium. We all thoroughly enjoyed watching
this well-honed production.
Afterwards, the Costume Lady introduced me to
Connor (the young man who played the
role of the butler). Apparently he hadn't
believed that a pink-haired pastor was in the
audience scouting for talent.
I have been invited back next Wednesday to see
an entirely different casting by the same
theatre group. We will have our summer
missionaries, Emily
and Gregg, with us for the week. I'll see
if we can fit that into our schedule.
This is definitely a super-deal:
$3.00 for
the 2:15 show
If you'd like to meet up and go talent-scouting
with us, email me: pastorob@gmail.com
We had a powerful prayer meeting at
Bell Road last night. Twelve of us considered
the passage which will be preached for this
week's SundayMessage:
Becoming a Mega-Church
Acts 4:32-37 (If the title bothers you,
click here)
We also sang and reflected upon two old hymns.
2) Brethren, We have met to Worship
After prayer meeting, Cathy and I drove to
Calvary Chapel to join in their Wednesday night
Bible Study and Prayer Meeting. We are praying
about the citywide, evangelistic outreach at
Placer Stadium this Saturday and Sunday evening.
For more information:
see
Upcoming Events
and click on
the slide for
'07 Awaken Crusade
I will write more about this important event
tomorrow. I like what I see on the printed
invitations:
"This event is driven by the high calling of the
love of God
to introduce others to Jesus. It is not an event to
entertain Christians. It's a 'No Consumer Zone!'
Bring a friend. Invest in Eternity."
I fully intend to hit the streets of Auburn with
pink hair and these colorful invitations to this
2-night event.
Today, Cathy and I are joining a caravan of
seniors to drive to Fair Oaks for lunch. We are
being hosted by large church there to fellowship
and catch a vision, I suppose...
If you're available to come along, please call
us immediately at the church office: (530)
885-5212
I've been working on Sunday's Message:
click here
This morning I saw that Joe was online in
Bangkok, Thailand, so I called out for him....
me: joe joe
joseph: hi papa
me: Mama is working an overnight with
Home Instead.
I'm at my office and just woke up. It is 5:09
a.m.
I was thinking about my weekly newspaper column
and CD series "Expert Advice".
I'm thinking about a particular question that
was submitted:
"Pastor Rob,
I am a Christian and have a gay daughter.
How would the church handle this information?"
So, I'm thinking about how best to answer that
question for Monday's Auburn Journal. There is
only room for a short paragraph in small font.
The boundary lines must remain pleasant...
joseph: continued at pastorob.com
me: hmm... Well, that's the idea for the
CD series--allow the questions to be the impetus
for a full-blown audio discussion with various
guests and opinions included.
Once popped into a CD player,
it will sound like a "TalkRadio" program.
2 measures of intro music...
Announcer:
BellRoad Radio presents....
Expert Advice
with your host
Pastor Rob Patterson
Today's question comes to us directly from last
Sunday's Offering plate:
"Pastor Rob,
I am a Christian and have a gay daughter.
How would the church handle this information?"
Stay tuned for the next twenty minutes as
BellRoad Radio hits the Road with this very
question.
music fades in..
promo for the series
"And we're back. Hi, this is pastorob..."
(co-host chimes in) "And I'm ------------ "
This is an interesting question. The focus of
this listener's question is "the handling of
sensitive information."
As you can see, Joe is online, so I'm gonna get
going.
Make sure to check our
Youth Group Camp Blog
and
Hannah's Mission Blog
and our
Upcoming Events page
Anyone local who wants to help
with Outreach at Placer High
this Saturday and
Sunday night,
please contact me:
pastorob@gmail.com
There is a prayer meeting at the Placer Stadium
on Friday night for this evangelistic event with
music:
Phil
Wickham and
speaker:
Greg Denham
...and finally, Cathy and I recommend seeing the
new movie 'Hairspray' if you remember the
early sixties (or would enjoy seeing how John
Travolta does dancing in a dress with padded
legs....)
I chatted with our oldest son, Joe, who is still
on his Honeymoon-MissionTrip in Asia. Their time
with the New America Singers has come to a
close. Here is a link to some photos in India
and Nagaland. Of particular interest to Bob and
Diana Knapp will be the shot of Hannah and her
mission team in front of the Taj Mahal.
CLICK HERE
More later. Hey, if you didn't hear
SundayMessage, please scroll down to yesterday
and click the link.
On Saturday, David, Dan, and I had lunch at an
new restaurant:
De Vinci's Delicatessen & Catering at
277 Lincoln Way in Galt. We were served by the
owner's daughter, Sarah,
and enjoyed the friendliness extended to us.
We'll definitely be back, Mr. Trotter.
Our church's online SermonPlayer (click
here) allows you to download mp3 copies
of the SundayMessage. Joe and Sharon (in Asia)
usually go to an Internet Cafe and download our
weekly messages for playing later. One is also
allowed to subscribe to weekly iPod updates.
After posting yesterday's sermon on the
Internet, I burned a copy to CD and listened to
it in my car on the way home.
I have Windows Media Player set as my laptop's
default player. It is easy to burn a CD from
there. For me, listening in the car is the best
way to hear the message. I hear stuff that I
didn't catch the first time in church. Also,
once burned to a CD, it can be shared with
others.
Greg Brayton prefers going directly to the URL
where the mp3 is stored because our SermonPlayer
isn't exactly blind-friendly:
click here
for
The Spirit and
You
Other sermons can be found in the archives:
click
here
Daniel and Mary are leaving with a large group
of teens today to attend Centrifuge at Jenness
Park. Cathy is working at a Home Instead site,
so I'm also gonna head up to Auburn today.
Our first 'Expert Advice' should be in today's
Auburn Journal. We will answer one question each
week, so please help me facilitate this
opportunity to make contact with people who may
happen upon the Journal. Send me a few
questions.
I'm posting this entry at 6:00 a.m. PST and will
soon leave for Auburn. Yesterday, Dan Clark and
Dave Browning were in Galt. We ate lunch at a
new restaurant on Lincoln Way. I will write
about it later tonight.
A further audio-reduction brings us
54 seconds of possitivity:
click here
...and this came in from Joe on Saturday:
11:37 AM on Saturday: I noticed that Joe had
opened a chatbox and wished me a belated
birthday. So, I clicked on the box and had this
chat with with him:
Rob: Hey.
Mike McCall is sitting with me in our livingroom
and we're going over tomorrow's message..
He's gonna READ....
Joseph:
WOW
Rob: Where
are you? Did you see the photo of my Dad and me
in the newspaper?
Joseph:
No... We are in India. Been offline for
about a week.
Rob: Oh...
Well, in my blog is a photo and a story that
appears in today's paper back in Coldwater,
Michigan
How is your health? How's Sharon?
Everything OK?
Joseph:
Yeah, everything is going well
Rob:
Theo just dropped in on the set of our
reality show.
Joseph: Just
praying about our next job.
Rob: Yeah,
that's right..after India you guys don't
have any specific,
set plan...
So, let's seek the Lord to FILL YOU with HIS SPIRIT,
to LEAD YOU by HIS SPIRIT,
to stretch out His HAND and to HEAL,
to give SIGNS and WONDERS, and
to ENABLE YOU to speak His Word BOLDLY.
haha That's tomorrow's sermon...
Mike and I are still working on the sermon. Are
you gonna be online awhile?
Joseph:
We're trying to hunt down our next
tickets so we can print them--just keep typing.
Rob:
oh...ok. Well, Mike and I are pretty well done
now...
You can look online on my blog and see what
verses we're dealing with tomorrow.
I thought that I'm gonna ask Mike to
not only read...
but to speak from his heart about the Romans verses...
two verses that deal with
OUTWARD and INWARD appearance,
OUTWARD and INWARD
circumcision.
I just asked him..."Is that alright with you?"
He shrugs...
I think he's willing to be USED by the Lord
tomorrow. So, I will begin with an INTRODUCTION
about the importance of knowing the unique
aspects of personal relationship with Jesus
through His Holy Spirit dwelling in us as
believers.
Then, I'll remind us of Jesus' Baptism
and his ongoing
partnership with John the Baptist,
and being immediately FILLED and LED by the
Spirit...
then we'll go to ACTS
and deal with CORPORATE PRAYER
and
church-wide FILLING OF THE
SPIRIT...and
the ANSWER to their specific
prayer....
Mike will
read all that time....
THEN, I will hand Mike
my wireless microphone as I step
up to his
reading microphone to read
the two Acts
verses.
Mike
will engage the eyes of the congregation and
preach/share/testify (whatever)...
about the
inward work of the Spirit
to mark the Lord's saved children.
Should he need a Reader,
I will
be ready with Bible in Hand...
Hopefully, this shared sermon will inspire
others who will eventually follow our modeled
cooperation in
the PUBLIC
READING OF SCRIPTURE,
of PREACHING,
and of TEACHING.
Today, I will meditate upon these passages and
precepts discovered therein for Sunday's
Message.
Luke 3:23-4:2
Acts 4:23-31
Romans 2:28-29
Line-by-Line,
Verse-by-Verse:
"The Spirit and
You"
Here is a copy of the article that
Roland Stoy
wrote for Saturday's Coldwater Daily Reporter.
I am now 2300 miles away from a local newsstand
so, in order to read the article, I had to go
online and purchase a subscription. Well, it was
worth it to see the photo taken with my dear ol'
Dad.
Click below for a PDF copy of this story. If you
zoom in to 100% you'll get an idea of how large
this article appeared in the hardcopy. I should
mention that there are a few facts mixed up in
this article. Nothing major--that happens
sometimes with quick phone interviews. I was
surprised by Stoy's title:
Thanks to the Coldwater Daily Reporter for sharing
this story with us (license).
As with
my other memory-markers, an underlying message
has been attached to these pink-weeks. I
desire to effectively spread the Gospel by the
power and leadership of the Holy Spirit.
Therefore, I must prayerfully consider the
evangelistic significance of the string of
otherwise meaningless circumstances in my daily
life.
My new driver's license came in the mail
yesterday. Pink Hair and the same shirt. There
is also a new item added to my new license--a
pink dot. The pink dot signifies that I have
granted permission to donate vital organs and
tissues in the event of my death. As a Police
Chaplain, I have seen firsthand the difference
that pink dot makes in the lives of people
gathered in the E.R.
Although I haven't yet decided how much longer
to 'think-pink', I will carry the significance
of my driver's license with me for years. These
are the very days in which I am still able to
come and go as I please. I must make the most of
every opportunity.
Yesterday, I was going into Galt's UPS store and
noticed a peripheral view of a couple
skin-headed young people standing near the soda
machines.
Just then I heard one say, in a disgusted tone,
"Faggot!" Then, I remembered my pink hair. So, I
turned back, walked toward them, and shared that
I was a pastor, etc. etc. The guy stuck out his
hand to shake mine and apologized. Then, as I
left he said, "God bless you..."
Later, Mary
and I went to a movie together and she
experienced how much attention I'm getting from
this--noting,"All the emo kids like it."
(probably should be some comment on the movie:
awat)
In the photo above, I had my clipboard in hand,
CoachCards in my pocket, and a smile on my face.
That was intentional preparation for stepping
into the public eye.
Weaving the experiences of the last week as
illustrative material for tomorrow's sermon is
also intentional and spiritually reassuring to
me. I still possess unprocessed notes of two
different worship services experienced in God's
House last Sunday morning.
I still remember Juan Carlos Ortiz and his
message in Coldwater in the late eighties:
"Why go on to Lesson Two before you've practiced Lesson One?"
As my household is being packed for
the Big Move
to Auburn, I've got some 'unpacking' to do from
the
short Trip to my Hometown.
Intentional unpacking should bring the
rediscovery of
bulletins from two churches, airplane
ponderings, and dirty laundry. Sitting on my
bedroom floor, next to the dirty laundry is a
small box of fine china packed for me by Kim
Krim. It is marked
'Fragile--do not drop.'
I dropped it on the way into the
Detroit Airport. I have yet to look inside to
see if anything is broken.
I hope to handle the Word of God much more
carefully as I deliver it to God's people
tomorrow morning. Today is the day I have to
practice what has been preached.
I hope God sees us all in church tomorrow!
Truly, I hope we see Him--even today.
During my second flight yesterday, I had an
opportunity to start brainstorming about my hope
to quadruple personal productivity and
effectiveness during the next 25 years.
I also drew plans for three CD graphics which
will be published as part of my three-year
preaching series.
noticed that I was working on
this
remix of
She also let me use her little bottle while I
was drawing my concentric circles for the CD
labels.
On the way to the airport,
Roland Stoy,
from the Coldwater Daily Reporter called
and interviewed me. I think that he's planning
to do a story in this Saturday paper.
On Wednesday, I left a comment in the Auburn
Journal about the 'rescue' phone on this bridge.
Local man hangs himself from Foresthill Bridge
and later remembered that on Mother's Day, we
shot a video at the Bridge:
click here
This is my
final broadcast from the Library in my hometown.
I will drive down the Old Sauk Trail (U.S. 12)
into Lenawee County (to do some family research
at the County Library there), then I'll head for
the Detroit Airport.
I'll be back in California late tonight.
However, I plan to stop by
Greg Brayton's
before leaving Coldwater. I need to buy another
copy of his latest CD,
'Seein' is Believin'.
I already gave away the first copy I purchased.
He recorded it in cooperation with a mutual
friend in Sweden,
Jorgen Hannsen
(who is also blind).
I went to a Senior Men's Breakfast this morning
with my Dad. I'm 50 now--so I qualify! The Pink
Hair raised some eyebrows.
Roland Stoy,
from the Coldwater Daily Reporter
happened to be there. He asked me to call him
from the airport for an interview. So, maybe
I'll show up in my hometown paper.
update: I'm sitting at the Detroit Airport. Had
to pay for wireless connection here. However, it
was worth it to me because I had business to do.
On the way to the airport,
Roland Stoy,
from the Coldwater Daily Reporter called
and interviewed me. I think that he's planning
to do a story in the Saturday paper.
Yesterday, I left a comment in the Auburn
Journal about the 'rescue' phone on this bridge.
Local man hangs himself from Foresthill Bridge
and later remembered that on Mother's Day, we
shot a video at the Bridge:
click here
and...again, here is an audio clip from last
Sunday's sermon which addresses the Yes of
ministries to those who might be thinking about
jumping:
click here
Hey, whaddya think of my first attempt at
writing for the Expert Advice page. This will be
in Monday's edition of the Auburn Journal:
I'll be back in California late tonight.
However, I plan to stop by
Greg Brayton's
before leaving Coldwater. I need to buy another
copy of his latest CD,
'Seein' is Believin'.
I already gave away the first copy I purchased.
He recorded it in cooperation with a mutual
friend in Sweden,
Jorgen Hannsen
(who is also blind).
I went to a Senior Men's Breakfast this morning
with my Dad. I'm 50 now--so I qualify! The Pink
Hair raised some eyebrows.
Roland Stoy,
from the Coldwater Daily Reporter
happened to be there. He asked me to call him
from the airport for an interview. So, maybe
I'll show up in my hometown paper.
We haven't from Joe and Sharon since they left
Hong Kong for India (and Nagaland). Thanks to
David Burkhardt, we have this news article from
Nagaland.
Joe is
front-center.
click here
David's granddaughter,
Hannah, is behind the first girl on
the left.
My battery is about gone so I may write more
later after the library opens.
I'm still in my hometown--Coldwater, Michigan.
Sandy (my step-mom) invited me out for coffee
this morning. I took my clipboard along--the one
with the news clipping:
Pastor Ready to Dye for the Cause
It helps with the people who walk by
slowly--staring at my hair. I finally thought of
what to say when I'm asked
"Why didn't you dye your eyebrows?"
No, I'm not gonna tell you here. You'll have to
ask me personally.
I came to the Public Library again in order to
get online. Pastor Wesley was online in Liberia
so we had a chat.
Today, another ad should appear in the Auburn
Trader. It was scheduled to be in the Thursday,
July 19th edition.
I am praying and listening for the Spirit's
Direction regarding our church's mission in the
immediate months ahead. Hopefully, we will not
miss Him in any aspect of His Will for us.
Consider this story from the local headlines in
Auburn:
Local man hangs himself from Foresthill Bridge
You see, this is what the preacher was talking
about when he started asking us questions like
this.
"Does your church have a ministry to those
who have lost all hope for their lives?"
Again, here is an audio clip about the diversity
of
Jesus' Ministry through us:
click here
and here's a video we made at the Bridge:
click here
Watching those who are serving Him in Michigan
is helpful in seeing the Big Picture.
I have two days left here, so I'm planning to
spend them both with my Dad--helping him to
organize his workspace. He is 78 years old and
still works everyday--repairs and placing
clocks, antique radios, Edison phonographs,
jukeboxes, and pinball machines in gainful
settings.
I'm back in Coldwater so I'll have access to the
wireless at the Library. Sunday morning I went
to the United Methodist Church for their first
service. Greg Brayton is now the Worship Leader
there.
Sally, Greg, and I sat together for coffee in
the Fellowship Hall afterwards.
From there, I went to First Baptist Church of
Coldwater to hear the 'new' pastor: David
Pierce.
I have observations and impressions from both
services but will write them at a different
time.
Sunday afternoon I drove north to Kalamazoo and
hung out with Al and Shirley Dines (at Alpha and
Omega Ministries). I spoke with Elder Ezell
Plair on the phone, stopped by to see Tammy and
Lizzie, then visited with Ernie and Diana
Kracker.
This morning I hung out with my buddy, Jim Krim
who has been a member at Kalamazoo Missionary
Church for years.
The Spirit is speaking to me through all of
these visitations but more reflection is
necessary before I write anything.
Brandon and Cathy both told me (on the phone)
that the service at Bell Road went well.
I'm in the Library parking lot again. Dad
says to hurry because we have to pick up my
sister and head south down the road for our
reunion in Ohio.
I'm looking forward to seeing these
relatives.
The girl I sat next to on the first plane
wrote in yesterday:
Subject line: i saw your blog
Kailee
wrote: just thought id write you
to tell you that i saw it!
Kailee
is 15, cheers for high school and works for
an AM radio station doing promotions on
remote locations. Her mom had a connection
that helped her get the job. She was a very
polite and friendly person. I told her about
my daughter, Mary--about
what a good driver she is.
Last things first: I'm sitting in the parking
lot of the Coldwater Public Library because it
is a familiar wi-fi spot and I told a new
acquaintance, Emma-the-Nutritionist,
to check my journal first thing in the morning.
She had been watching me from across the aisle
and back a seat enroute from Phoenix to Detroit.
I had been working on an audio segment from last
Sunday's Message (you know, from the video frame
above).
Upon arriving in Detroit at 12:50 a.m.,
Emma asked,
"Are you a musician?"
"I'm a pastor--a singing pastor."
So, that led to pentalogue with
others as we all waited for the other passengers
to get off the plane. I told Emma that I'd
dedicate this 'song' to her.
So, ladies and gentlemen, this goes out on a
sunny Michigan Friday to
Emma-the-Nutritionist:
Click here
for
'Airplane-Edit'
I also wanna say Hi to
Kailee,
the 15 year old
cheerleader from northern California (she sat
next to the pink-haired pastor from Sacramento
to Phoenix) and
Ralph,
the Judo Referee (on both flights with me).
write me:
pastorob@gmail.com
I'll write more about Kailee and Ralph tomorrow.
However, in the pentalogue mentioned earlier, I
told the group that I sometimes include people's
full names so that when they 'google' themselves
someday in the future, they'll wind up on my
page.
So, this google-yourself-moment®
goes out
to Mrs. Gossen
from Placerville.
I've forgotten
Mrs. Gossen's first name
but I'll get it from our local church connections...
for she once was a (surprise-surprise-surprise) ..
.. a member of Bell Road
Baptist Church.
I'll call Jim
Jupin and ask
what Mrs. Gossen's
first name is.
Hmmm...now, Jim may show up here too. Hi, Jim.
Hi, Sarah
(the newlywed-whose-husband-is-leaving-for
Iraq). She's gonna write me with her myspace
link so I can feature some stuff. So are a few
other young people.
write me:
pastorob@gmail.com
Hi, Darin (he's a Gen-X Information Tech
Manager who thinks more like a Gen-Y who happens
to be a cross-generational Mormon)...yeah, we
had a great conversation from Phoenix to
Detroit.
Hey there, family-who-lives-on-Bell Road
in Arizona! I'd like to hear from
the aunt who whose church band rocks.
And, I'd like to hear from the 15 year old
Christian musician who told me he'd
write....you, the blue-haired grandson who
plays Stadium 80's rock in the high school
band...write me!
pastorob@gmail.com
Yesterday's Chat:
(from the Phoenix Airport)
I was online and noticed that
Mission-Teen-Hannah
was online. Here's what she had to say:
me:
Hannah, are you on? I'm in an airport in
Phoenix.
Waiting for a plane to Michigan.
Hannah:
Hi. I'm here. it's 8:10am here.
We are leaving for India today
me: oh...where
are you at right now? An Internet Cafe?
Hannah:
I am at the YFC center
me: In
what city?
Hannah:
Hong Kong
me: I
was talking to Heidi and Brandon the other
night...
Brandon remembered you at Centrifuge last
year...
saying you felt called to Missions but
didn't know if
anyone would take you seriously...
Do you remember that?
Hannah:
Yes i do, i love sharing that with people
me: Tell
us...your Internet audience...what have you
been
learning from the Holy Spirit in your trip
thus far?
Hannah:
I'm not quite sure, but God has been
teaching
me something valuable. By the way, I am on
the
computer at the center, Joe is in Thailand.
He'll
be meeting us in India @ 4:30 p.m.
me: Oh...ok.
Well, I'll let you get on to your emails.
Hope to get another report from you soon.
Bye.
Hannah:
Bye!
Today's my big brother's birthday. He died a
long time ago . Someday, I'll post the
Hammond B-3 solo that
Richard played on a 45 rpm
(when he was only 16). Once I googled the
name of that song 'Love Handles' and
discovered that a punk rock group had done a
cover version. They only posted a short
portion of their cover. I didn't recognize
it from what I could hear.
Around noon, I'm flying out of Sacramento
for Detroit. I have a Southwest ticket (to
anywhere) so I'm using it to 'go home' for a
week to Coldwater, Michigan. My Dad recently
turned 78, I'm turning 50, and my Ohio aunt
has organized a family reunion. So, I'm
excited about this trip. There's plenty of
wireless access in my hometown, so check
back with me during the next seven days.
There was still much to do before leaving
Auburn, so we decided to stay here after our
Wednesday night gathering. Before going to
bed last night, I tried singing the intro to
"Wayward Son" with
Joe Monto's
video (scroll down). I actually can hit that
high note...haha, but not without facial
contortion. Yeah, as
Greg
Brayton would say,
"Joe's got the pipes".
Listen for yourself: scroll down to his
video near the end of yesterday's entry.
Before my birthday I had to get my license
renewed. So...yeah you guessed it, the DMV
started buzzing because of the pink hair.
The lady at the counter was having a good
chuckle at the idea of my photo being taken.
I tried to wear my California sunglasses but
wasn't allowed. A number of people asked me
for the story. We all had a good laugh
together.
Yesterday, I received a call about writing a
weekly advice column as part of a
Q and A
feature in the Monday edition of the
Auburn Journal. It is a special page
called "Expert
Advice". Of course, like anyone
could be, I am an expert in certain areas...
Upon the expert advice of
Cathy,
and then Jack,
I've decided to say, "Yes, I'll do it." This
could be interesting, ladies and gentlemen.
Yesterday, we stopped for conversation with
a number of people of all ages yesterday.
Downtown we met a young couple in front of
that Pizza place. That particular block
seems to be the place to meet young people.
Hoping to meet some untapped talent, we also
dropped in at Auburn
Tattoo. I quickly recognized one of
their artists, Chris.
there. Story goes that his little brother,
Michael,
is a Christian and a strong musician. I asked
Chris to give him my card. So, I'm hoping that
Michael will get online, look around, and write
to me:
pastorob@gmail.com
Cathy and I came to Auburn yesterday. She is
applying for a position with
Home Instead.
When I went to pick her up I waited awhile
in the reception area and had a pleasant
conversation with
Barbara from Lake of the Pines.
We then went to the Auburn Journal to talk
tech-stuff with someone from Graphics. Turns
out their graphics people apparently stay to
themselves. So, front-desk
Michelle
called down Beth
from Sales.
We left our car parked at the Journal and
walked through downtown to the Old State
Theatre to see what was playing for the
Tuesday bargain. I chose 'Sicko'
(knowing full well that Cathy hadn't take
time to learn about
Michael Moore
or his films). Still, she doesn't mind going
to on these research jaunts with me. There
were several short interchanges with
interesting people on the walk through
downtown. Too many to detail here.
Toward the end of this film, Moore reveals
that he had sent a substantial amount of
money to one of his adversaries to cover
health care expenses. That could have been
an effective juxtaposition with an earlier
scene of an administrator from a
Good Samaritan Health
Care. There is adequate irony to keep
me thinking about America's current
situation. Talk to me about the cost of
health care in America sometime. I have some
opinions.
Last night we hung out with
Brandon
(30)
and Heidi
(29)at their house. It is always fun and
interesting for us to be around people from
a different generation. They have two young
children and I'm looking ahead toward
developing a Children's Church program. So,
we talked about that and many other areas of
mutual interest.
I'm writing rather early this morning. My
only personal email so far today has been
this guy named Jack
who sends out guitar videos (spiritual
songs) on YouTube. He teaches guitar and has
his students televise their recitals--asking
people (like me) to stop by and comment.
From the 'related videos' section, I came
across Paul Baloche speaking at a Saddleback
Worship Conference. The quality of sound is
a bit rough but Paul's point about selecting
a key for a congregational song is worth a
repeat. Here's Paul
Baloche (click
here).
This came in from
Joe Monto, a worshipper in
Washington. Check this out...make sure you
let all three personi sing before you pass
judgment on Joe's pitch:
Here's Joe's homepage at YouTube (click
here)
...and while we're on the subject of
interstate friendships, here's a letter from
my old ministry buddy,
Dave, in
Colorado:
LOVE the hair. Watched some of the message but
not all yet. Caught another video of you
leading Here I Am To Worship. You mentioned the
Aussie guy coming to lead worship. Hope that
works out – I’ll be praying for that
specifically. We’ve got a really good Aussie
guitar player/prayer on the team here. He’s a
trip. Take care,
Thanks, Dave. Please do pray for the Lord's Will
to be revealed in his life and in our northern
california context.
For the old, yet still exclusively valid HUGE
BellRoad interview with
Daniel Teale,
click here.
Last night, Cathy and I spent time with our
friend, the LodiAppleMan:
Eli Tavarez.
Before that, we went to FBC Galt for their
opening VBS Rally. Of course, they are doing
'Game Day Central' but have their own
traditions...so it was fun to watch.
I am so pleased to report that they are
maintaining one tradition in particular. The
'friendly competition' between the Boys and
the Girls. I ran up and did my little bit
for the boys. Their combined offering is
going to Pastor Richard Wesley for ministry
in Liberia. That blesses him so much, I am
sure.
Steve and
Lupe Harrison showed a video of
the children at the Greater Love Children's
Home at supper time. I had never seen that
video. It was enjoyable to watch.
Monday morning, I spent 5-6 hours editing a
complete audio track of Sunday's sermon. As
I was trying to add a song at the end, the
software froze--and all that work was
LOST...
I shook it off rather quickly...but didn't
have the energy to try to redo it...however,
I know the track quite well now. So, I'll
probably tackle it again.
If you would like to download reel two (as
seen above), go ahead and click here. Then
you can save the file.
One Answer
for All
(reel two)
Finally, I haven't yet added any titles, music, or endnotes to
this file, but if you'd like to see a rough-cut
of One Answer for All (reel one), click
on this google-video.
Cathy and I got home around 10:00 p.m. after
last night's VisionCast and Prayertime.
It is 5:30 and I'm trying to finish editing
the
direct mic-audio recording of yesterday's
sermon:
One Answer for All
I'm also currently uploading part one of a
video that Daniel and Cerissa shot of the
same message. This may take awhile so please
do check back.
Mike McCall came to BellRoad this morning
and helped me by serving as our Reader. We
haven't finished editing the various media
sources but here's a chunk from the second
half recorded on the live-cam.
CLICK HERE
The rest will be uploaded later tonight or
on Monday.
Yesterday's memorial service for
John Robertson
(at FBC Rio Linda) was very edifying. Upon
the request of his daughter,
Delynn,
I sang a song, led two hymns, and whistled
Anchors Away and the Air Force theme.
Afterwards, Cathy and I drove back to Galt.
Mary is away with friend's family for a few
days. So, we had the night to ourselves. We
walked down to the Galt Pool to watch our
second son,
Jeremiah, on the job as a
lifeguard. That was fun to observe. From
there, we visited
Charlotte Giddens. It was a nice
evening.
Today, I'll concentrate on tomorrow's
message,
One Answer for All
Life's most important questions may be
answered by connecting John's ministry to
Jesus' Baptism and Jesus' Baptism to ours.
Wanna take a look at various Jesus' Baptism
images?
If so,
click here.
Today, our third son,
Daniel is on a boat with
Dan Clark
and some other men on a deep-sea fishing
expedition. The last time he went fishing
was in a smaller boat with
R.B. McCartney.
Today's experience should broaden his idea
of fishing methodology.
Earlier in the week, Daniel pointed out that
that today's date would be
07/07/07
I'm thankful for his perception. This
simple alignment of day, month, and year may
just help me to count this particular day
aright--keeping my mind fixed on God's best
for all of us.
Hmm...it may have been close to
0700
hour this morning.
I was meditating upon Sunday Evening's
VisionCast for our ministry setting in
Auburn. When this outline occurred to me. It
fit well as a vehicle upon which to load
certain areas of recent activity:
Innovation,
and
(Excavation)
With full knowledge that we had 'slept in', I
awoke to offer Cathy these three areas
of interest.
She quickly added
"What about
Motivation ?"
So, that's tomorrow night outline.
6:00 - 7:00 p.m. during a walk-through our ministry's
property and
a pray-through the summer ahead.
Here are four letters that encourage me in
different ways:
1) from Auburn,
Christy wrote:
"These are news links
to the problem in Pakistan.
click here"
2) from Maine,
Jenny wrote:
I will continue to
read your sermons and listen to the songs that
you make note of. I do ask one favor, can you
minister to me through the website? I would love
to be able to stay in contact, even if through
just email, I have always had a sense of
belonging with Bell Road and I don't want to
lose that.
I know I was led to Bell Road and I am very
thankful to God that he brought me there. Maybe
someday I can visit again, but that would have
to be a VERY LONG time from now.
3)
from Liberia,
Pastor Wesley
wrote:
I viewed the newspaper article. It was fun doing
this in the contest and to carry pink hair
against the loser. I imagine how the children
had plenty of fun doing this....
How did you come up with that idea?
Great idea!!!!. Thanks for the FUN! I really
enjoyed it!
Pastor Wesley
4)
from Carmichael,
David Burkhardt
wrote:
Please relay to Joe a hearty thanks for the NAS
Hong Kong pix! They are terrific!
[yesterday's entry]
See ya tomorrow at Bell Road.
Cathy and I were happy to have some email
today. One came in from a former member of
Bell Road who lives on the other side of the
continent now. She is keeping up with what's
happening here through our church website
and my journal entries.
In my reply, I wrote that her letter comes
at an important time in our ministry here.
It reminded me that God has used this church
property, this building, and
an ever-changing congregation to impact the
lives of hundreds (even thousands) of
people. We need only fit in, and try to
serve his unique purpose for our lives--in
order to help others find God's best for
theirs.
We were also well-pleased to find this note
from Joe and
Sharon in Hong Kong. They
included a link to these two slideshows from
the New America Singers tour. Click on
either of the photos below to go to separate
slideshows:
Dear Mom and Dad,
We had move than 100 guys accept the Lord
today :D
********
I am singing (and whistling) at the memorial
service of John
Robertson (Delynn's father).
Patrice
told me that the big-wigs had deliberated
and found my pink-hair rightly aligned with
her grandfather's life story. We sat with
John at Alisha's
Mexican-Mission Dinner, so we got a taste of
his personality.
Yesterday, I worked on an advertisement for
the Auburn Trader. They have a good
deal for an ad this size. So, this ad (or
something close to it)
should
go out to 20,000-plus mailboxes in Auburn
(plus it will be included in the Auburn
Journal).
I wanted to make the most of this pink hair
opportunity before it turns gray!
Four photographs were taken. I played around
with the expressions and slogans. So, I'll
probably share these different ideas in the
days to come.
Daniel made a video of Cerissa's Baptism for
her myspace page. However, I don't feel good
about embedding the video-clip here because
myspace is sticking other 'related' videos
on top of the frame after it plays.
I don't really wanna take the chance of
having some of those show up here.
Working on the message for Sunday Morning:
"One Answer for All" from the end of Luke Chapter 3.
This morning Cathy applied for a job working
with seniors in their homes. While she was
in the office, I visited the office of the
Auburn Trader. So, now I'm thinking about
putting my pink-hair on one of their pages
for next week.
This afternoon, I'm scheduled to speak with
a man who recently prayed to receive Christ.
May the Lord direct your steps today. I am
seeking for Him to direct mine. There is
nothing more important than to be
Spirit-led.
Sure enough, the Auburn Journal put the
story about the Pink Hair in their online
version this morning. If you leave a
comment, make sure to enter the 'image
verification' at the bottom of the page. The
comment will probably not appear until
tomorrow because of the holiday.
Pastor Ready
to
Dye
for the Cause
click here
Cathy and I are planning to attend 4th of
July festivities in Auburn and see if the
Holy Spirit has set up any appointments for
us.
The last day of our VBS, another email came
in from Pakistan. Here is an excerpt:
Brother, tears are in my eyes with joy.
We are not alone here. God send you all for
us. With you all we are much strong here
because we are different part of Jesus.
We are one in Lord.
God bless you,
Terrorist activity in Pakistan
fill this week's headlines. Please pray for
this precious man of God, his family, and
his ministry.
Yesterday morning I went to Traffic Court
with our third son,
Daniel. He had to pay his full
ticket price ($165 for a rolling stop) but
was granted community service to cover the
$300 fine for missing his first court date.
I went with him to see the lady at
alternative sentencing. She was very
appreciative of the hair and the Cause.
Daniel
is being allowed to work off his time doing
video-editing for the Liberia-Pakistan
project.
The Pink Hair is turning out to be quite a
pleasant experience whenever I go out in the
public. People of all ages are smiling and
opening dialogue with a question.
Daniel and I met a hippie
girl from San Francisco yesterday.
Her authentic hippie-van was
stalled in the left turn lane going into the
courthouse.
Prompted by the Spirit (through a bumper
sticker that said
'God Bless the Freaks'), we
pulled around, jumped out, and quickly
pushed her into safety and shade. Leaving a
pastor's business card on her van--asking to
not be ticketed or towed--we all left for
our court cases.
Before we left, the lady (her name is
Johnna)
we were asked if we could lock up her two
valuable guitars. One of them was a Goya (I
think Randy
Stonehill has one too). So, the
prompting led to possession of two guitars.
I felt like I was in a movie and hoped for
the best!
Anyway, after court, we found
Johnna and
returned her guitars. Carrying her guitars
seemed to offer an interpretation of the
pink hair to passersby.
Johnna
asked me to sing a song in front of the
Courthouse. Then she played one for us. We
were pleasantly surprised at her talented
playing and her distinctive voice. So, we
swapped songs and business cards. It was
quite a sight.
I received this note from a teenager at
BellRoad:
*****
Click Here for
Ben Rosenau's Alaska Mission.
Ben hasn't sent me any updates but I knew his
online access would be very limited. During VBS,
I saw Ben's sister,
Alisha, looking at a Facebook page
that he had started but I don't have an account
with them.
Yeah, I haven't yet delegated the role of
webmaster for
bellroad.org
so it has gone without tweaking since it's
rebirth.
While I was listening to yesterday's sermon,
(Who's Calling?)
I heard the preacher mention the need for 'a
Calling' to the role of webmaster. So, that now
becomes a matter of prayer to the Lord of the
Harvest.
All of this is challenging and fun. I'm thinking
more about how to make the most out of each
opportunity offered to us.
Today, we will find out how much was added to
the Children's Offering during our time of
Invitation. I'll post that number later this
morning.
Yesterday's Audio Message:
click
here
for
Who's Calling?
This photo was taken when I had
the privilege to play John the Baptist in
Jebby's full-length musical:
Picture of Jesus
Page 2 of today's
Auburn Journal has a photo/caption about
yesterday's Children's Offering (discussed
fully below). A writer at th
e
Journal said that she'll try to get it
online.
That would be a much crisper photo. I hope
it happens.
Click on this pdf file for your
first look. I hope to take this project up a
level.
I trust that the New America Singers have
arrived in Hong Kong. My son, Joe, (and
wife, Sharon) have connected and will travel
through India and Nagaland with them. They
will also be connecting with BellRoad's
teen-missionary,
Hannah Knapp. This is Hannah's
first overseas mission trip. She should be
updating us from time to time at this
blogsite:
click here