This Sunday

22But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness,
23Gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence). Against such things there is no law [[f]that can bring a charge].
24And those who belong to Christ Jesus (the Messiah) have crucified the flesh (the godless human nature) with its passions and appetites and desires.
25If we live by the [Holy] Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. [If by the Holy Spirit [g]we have our life in God, let us go forward [h]walking in line, our conduct controlled by the Spirit.]
26Let us not become vainglorious and self-conceited, competitive and challenging and provoking and irritating to one another, envying and being jealous of one another.
Galations 6:22-26 Amplified Bible

Somebody in the neighborhood called the City today to complain about the excessive noise and cars on Sunday afternoon. She told them she perceived we were having "church services" and asked if that was "an allowed use" in a neighborhood. My first reaction was defensive. But then I realized this is the perfect situation in which to be kind, neighborly, and "turn the other cheek". If you agree, here is what I am suggesting ~ for parking we can get one car in the garage (whoever parks in the garage should be planning to be there for the duration), and three on the driveway, if you park with that in mind. If you need to, pull up and drop off supplies and family, and then park further down the street, even back out on Alamo. If you park on Cheyenne, be mindful to leave spaces in between cars for residents so they don't feel inconvenienced by our presence.

I don't believe the noise is from the music, but from the kids playing in the pool. The house rule is an adult with the kids while they are in the pool, but we really haven't "enforced" that. If everyone took turns spending time out there, no one would have to be overburdened with the task, and the kids don't get quite so worked up when adult is out there. Thanks to everyone for your cooperation!

Any more thoughts and suggestions - post 'em!

So we did it. Mark and I went door to door to all NINETEEN of the houses in our court with flyers inviting all to BBQ with us this Friday night. We had many different reactions. Some were right on for it. Others were a bit more hesitant. One lady greeted us very suspiciously until we were able to explain why we were accosting her at the mailbox. Then she got this look of wonder on her face and exclaimed, "We have never done that as long as we've lived here. Yes, I think I'm available Friday night!" I was stunned by how many faces I HAD NEVER EVEN SEEN before, much less ever talked to. We met Gustavo, a hispanic gentleman who owns the beagle that has twice tried to come into our yard. Bob across the street, has a very engaging adult son named Andre. Many people did not give their names, but for the most part, seemed intrigued and willing. We will see who comes this Friday. We're a bit trepidatious, but excited nonetheless! Pray for us...

My Sister

There is part of me that wants to right something elaborately beautiful to describe my twin sister Julia and tell you what she means to me. I could tell you about all the pain she's been through the sacrifices she's made and the fact that she would do anything for her family. But I think the fact that my husband and I are living with her(rent free) for the next few months in order to save up for the Ministry God is calling us to probably says it all. She is completely selfless and has never once put her needs above anyone elses. She is beautiful in more ways then your eyes could ever see. So much of what she does goes unoticed, unpraised and unappreciated but the Lord sees it all. I know that we all have problems. Deep concerns, circumstances and situations of our own but I am Beseeching you today to take this moment in time when you read this to pray for my sister. Some of you know that she is very sick with a very serious staph infection. She is on extremely high doses of Antibiotics and is still trying to function in her everyday life of taking care of her three and husband and work. She is very weak, tired, hurts all over, has trouble breathing and just last night developed a red streak down her arm which could indicate that the bacteris is in her bloodstream. I trust my Lord and Savior. I know that it is not His will that Julia stay sick. But I have to confess that satan has been attacking me with a paralyzing fear that I have not experienced for years. I find myself crying all the time. Terrified to leave her even for just a little while in case something happens. If I do leave then I'm calling her to make sure she's still ok and feeling horribly guilty. I go check on her at night to make sure she's still breathing and am checking her skin constantly for any new signs of infection. Please don't misenterpret this as me asking for prayer for me. If you could pray for me Lord knows I need it but if you only have time to pray for one of us please let it be her. Thank you all, I love you. Crystal

True Beauty

A loving uncle, baptizing his nephew......

EMERGING FROM THE BOX

Unlike most of the people of whom I call friends, including my own husband, I am not a huge “music person”. God has placed in each one of us, a passion you might say, that “speaks to us”. He often uses this “passion” to mold us into the people we are. For the people I am around the most, that passion is music. For me, I am extremely moved by nature and animals; God speaks to me through the beauty of nature and the complexity of animals. That is just how I am wired! So, when Jacqui put out the invite to go to a Journey/Def Leppard concert, I thought it would be cool, but I only wanted to go if a group was going. In college I liked Journey a lot and Def Leppard had a few good tunes I liked, so I thought it would be fun to go. Now Steve loves these two groups and so he was very excited to go whether there was a group going or not.

So, on Friday Steve and I went with Mark and Susie and Jacqui and Rich to the Journey/Def Leppard concert in Concord. Def Leppard was good, but Journey was AWESOME!!! At the end of the Journey concert I turned to Susie and simply said “that was quite wonderful!”. I literally had forgotten how much I loved Journey. However, several times during the concert I would look around us and what I saw was a world I had forgotten about. I saw under aged kids drinking, people smoking weed, young girls dancing and rubbing their bodies on the guys they came with, couples making out and foul language. At one point I asked myself “should I be here?. Am I honoring God in this moment?”. I did not have an immediate answer, but I did feel peace. In spite of that question, I was truly able to enjoy the concert, enjoy my time with my friends and appreciate the amazing musical talent of these men whom God had gifted.

Today, I have been thinking a lot about that concert and about the point of the night when I said to myself “should I be here? Am I honoring God?”. The Lord answered me. This is what He said to me:

John 17:12-19

12While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled. 13"I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17Sanctify[a] them by the truth; your word is truth. 18As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

Mark 2:17

17On hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

Matthew 5:13-16

Salt and Light

13"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.
14"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

The answer to my question was “you are IN the world, but not OF the world”. As I was looking at all these people, these lost sheep, I realized that I have lived so long in my “Christian bubble” that I had pulled myself completely out of the world. All my good friends that I spend time with in Vacaville are Christians, every single one. Jesus did not do that. He was not always with his disciples or in the synagogues, he was hanging out with the tax collectors, the prostitutes, the sick and the unloved. He modeled that for me and what have I been doing all this time? I have been living in a box. It is nobody’s fault but my own. My eyes were opened to the fact that God will use us as a light to this lost world no matter where we are. We are not to join the world, but we are not to remove ourselves either. Last night I emerged a little bit farther out of my box and saw a world I have sheltered myself from for the last 9 years. How will they be reached with the love of Christ? I did not expect to learn a spiritual lesson by going to a rock concert, but thank you Lord for using that “secular” event to bring Jesus to the forefront of my thoughts. Lord, teach me how to reach the lost without joining them. Give me the faith and confidence to shine for you even in the darkest places. Help me to emerge farther from my box and TRULY SEE your lost sheep.

That was Quite Wonderful!

Journey was awesome,
Def Leppard rocked,
but my favorite moment came when Vicki turned to me, eyes shining, and said,

"That was quite wonderful!"

JESUS, HOW DO WE UNDO THE DAMAGE?

I was reading The Reporter Tuesday morning and I like to read the Dear Amy advice column, so as I was reading I came upon this letter:

FREE SPEECH PROTECTS IDEAS WE DON'T LIKE By Amy Dickinson Tribune Media Services

DEAR AMY: I work at a printing company where one of our most lucrative accounts is for a series of teacher/student books on Christian values. These books are for kids first through 12th grade. We print several hundred of these a month. These books are teaching extreme, perverted values! In one 'teaching,' there is a letter from a person who asks if it's OK to help out at a homeless shelter on Sundays instead of going to church. The response ripped him to pieces! The book states that under no circumstances are you to miss church Sundays. It goes on to say that the person who wrote the letter must spend several hours in church every Sunday and several times during the week in hopes that he can be saved and not dammed to eternal hell. Amy, this is not right. To think that a child who gets taught this will tell my child that I'm a bad person and I'm going to hell by helping out the homeless Sunday instead of going to church makes me want to give up on humanity. I can't quit my job because I had a hard time finding work, and if I refuse to do the work on these books, I will be fired. I can't just ignore this. I'm a believer in free speech and the right to one's opinion, but what should I do about this? - Conflicted

DEAR CONFLICTED: Evidently, you don't really believe in free speech or the right to one's opinion. Or rather, you believe in these important values only as long as the speech and opinions conform closely to your own. Obviously, you don't share the values expressed in this material (nor do I). Fortunately, you and I have the right to disagree with these values, to not send our children to schools that use these materials and to help the homeless (or watch Abbott and Costello movies) instead of going to church Sunday. You and I (and also the people who raise their children according to these strict statutes) have the right to raise our children as we see fit - without the threat of interference from the authorities or outraged print-shop employees. This has nothing to do with you. If you find that you can't bear to have any part in the manufacturing or distribution of this material, then you should speak to your boss; perhaps you can be reassigned. Otherwise, you may have to find another job.

What are we doing? We wonder why Christians have such a negative image, but this lady's letter shows us clearly how so many Christians who THINK they are doing the right thing are really hurting the spread of the Gospel. I am posting this letter to encourage conversation about everything this woman has brought forward and how PASSIONATELY she is AGAINST Christianity because of the ridiculous stuff she read as she printed out this material at her job. If we knew this woman personally, how could we show her the love of Christ once she has been so turned off to Christianity? I am sure there are COUNTLESS people who have rejected Christianity (and in turn Christ) because of the damage we do as Christians by clinging to all the "ritual" things and not showing the world that what we stand for is NOT religion, but a RELATIONSHIP with Jesus Christ. The floor is open for discussion.

Peace

My goodness...

Looking in...
Rick Warren...
Raiders...
Drive in...no drive in...
Including...Excluding...

You miss a few days and you miss quite a bit around here :-)

We're back in one piece (including a fresh Oregon speeding ticket for me :-) and so thankful for all of you. My dad was released yesterday afternoon - at least 2 days ahead of schedule - which was the LORD's provision and healing!!!

I spent some time with Kyla this morning and she felt so warmly welcomed on Sunday, as did her kids and their dad. Thank you for opening your arms wide enough to embrace them all.

We were actually looking in from the outside these past few days and seeing so much love...it really is quite amazing. For us, my folks, my friends, and within all of the posts that it took FOREVER to read and to which we couldn't possible chime in at this point. All of which are people just wanting to learn how to love other people more like Jesus...

Simply a few reminders for me that we are all VERY different people...grappling with life and Jesus and community together, but in sometimes dramatically different ways. And yet we can pull together at the drop of an email or a phone call to come together to help each other out, defend each other, correct, challenge or argue with each other or just love...

So for this moment...I praise God for His peace that He lavished so abundantly on us this weekend...and embrace the love He shows to me through each of you.

Thank you. I love you.

Jacqui

(ps...we are an official TMobile family ONLY now...no more Next-Hell...same Bat-Numbers)

Food for Thought

Okay, so first of all, I don't know how to do the thing where you say, "read the article here, " and then you click on the "here", and it magically pops up. So you will just have to click on the link below. I borrowed the article from the latest CRASH24/7 newsletter.

http://the-next-wave-ezine.info/issue92/index.cfm?id=15&ref=ARTICLES%5FMISSIONAL%5F239

If you do not receive the newsletter and would like to, email here, oops I forgot that doesn't work with me. Email brian@crash247.com :)

See y'all

FYI

Can Rick Warren Change the World?

Fox News is doing a special one hour program on Rick Warren this Sunday night. Here's the information from the press release...
Sun., August 20 at 8 p.m. ET Hosted by David Asman
He’s an evangelical superstar. His runaway best seller has transformed lives. But can Rick Warren’s message change hell-on-Earth or has he bitten off more than he can chew?
This weekend, join host David Asman for a FOX News exclusive: “Purpose Driven Life: Can Rick Warren Change the World?”
We’ll show you how Pastor Warren became one of the most influential religious leaders in America and built one of the largest evangelical churches in the nation.
We’ll explore how he’s transformed the lives of his readers by telling them to follow the plan God had for them.
And, we’ll examine how Warren’s wife convinced him to acknowledge that God had an even bigger plan for him: Can “A Purpose Driven Life” turn a battered people into a purpose driven nation?
FOX News had exclusive access as Warren set out to slay what he calls the global giants of disease, poverty, illiteracy and spiritual emptiness in a place where he’d easily find them: Rwanda.

So whaddya think? I'm sure they have "gatherings" as well...

In light of Jacqui's recent Starbucks conversation, I couldn't resist this...:)

... to "looking in from outside" if I was harsh and presumptive of your motives. As you've read the various post we have been through a great deal of upheaval. Some days I feel like a badger stuck in a corner with the enemy bearing down, but really today was all about protecting my friends. You see, I've got their back and they've got mine. Perhaps I misunderstood the intent of your comments, however in speaking with others face to face who've seen your posts, our initial reaction to some (not all) of your comments on all the blogs was that you were providing a bit leaven to cause the entire loaf to rise- and not in a good way. So, if you truly are who you say you are, then you'll accept my apology and understand my position. This is no Jedi-mind-trick on my part, just simply an apology and a desire to set it things right. I hope you'll continue to visit this blog and comment.
Sincerely, Rich

Remember When...?

Okey doke, final plan is to wait until all of us can go. There are several who cannot make it for various reasons, so we will try again soon. We'll look for a movie we can all see with the kids and go from there. Watch for future plans!

So then, the adjusted plan is that we will meet at the Jack in the Box at Leisure Town and I-80. Meeting at 6:45 will give us plenty of time. Susie will take the kids to see either Barnyard or Zoom which are both kids movies. Make sure kids all have chairs to sit in. Snacks are a great idea as well. We will set up cars in strategic places and since the place is not that big, we can start out at Talledega, and then Susie will take the kids over when their movie starts. Should be a fun evening...We will miss you, Crocketts!


*********CHANGE IN PLANS*********
I just got word that my dad fell and broke his hip. We will be heading to Oregon tomorrow. Please go on without us, but make different "hook-up" arrangements...thanks
-jacqui

Anyone interested in a flashback evening in Sacramento tomorrow (Saturday) night?

Here's the scoop...there is a six-screen drive-in in Sacramento and a few of us are heading out from the Crockett's house at about 6:45 Saturday night. One group will be going to see Talladega Nights, and one group will be going to see Barnyard (I am volunteering to take underagers to the kid flick). Once we get the cars situated in the right place, we'll hook up at the Talladega nights screen and hang out until the movies start and then I'll take the kiddies back to the other movie.

If you have questions, please email or call me (Jacqui).

Yes, I think popcorn/candy/food, drinks, lawn chairs, coolers, blankets, pillows, and whatever other comfort items you'd like are a fantastic idea :-)

Hope to see you there!

AS IRON SHARPENS IRON....

This is one of my favorite pictures of Maddie and me. I know you are probably wondering why. It is a little blurry, you cannot see our faces and to your eyes it is likely nothing much to look at. When I look at this picture I see the same things you do, but the difference is that I remember the exact conversation we are having at that moment in time and that is why it is one of my favorite pictures. Maddie was in the CORE and I was her mentor. We had not been together too long at the time this picture was taken and we were just beginning to really open up to each other. So, what were we talking about? Well, to set the stage, I remember I was very nervous to have this particular conversation with Maddie. I had seen some things in her life that concerned me and I invited her out to the house that day to approach her in love and hold her accountable for the things I had been seeing. This was the first time I ever had to confront Maddie with something hard and I was afraid that she would not like me very much after this conversation. As her mentor, it was my responsibility to point out things that could get her off track in her walk with God. Not to judge her or condemn her, but through LOVE to show her the areas she needed to pray about and seek God in what He would have her do. This picture is a reflection of the responsibility every follower of Christ has; to hold each other accountable AND to be ALLOWED to be held accountable by our brothers and sisters. I look at this picture and remember the words that were said, the emotions and the discussion, but my fondest memory is Maddie’s response to this conversation. Her response was acknowledgement, agreement and repentance! When all was said and done, I was FLOORED that she was so responsive. There was no “but this” or “but that”, just “thank you Miss Vicki for pointing that out to me”. WOW! I think I learned more that day then Maddie did. She taught me how to listen, process, evaluate and take the appropriate action.

As I am exploring this new journey I am on, the journey outside of “organized church”, I have been excited about new possibilities, but also a little paranoid about unintentionally getting on a path I should not be on. This concern is one Steve and I do not take lightly, so I try to explore it often and talk to the Lord about it to see what He has to say. I am not a person who seeks to be disobedient. I am disobedient in many ways, but I long to be obedient and to follow the Lord, listening and obeying His commands. I want to be held accountable! So, that revelation got me thinking…In light of not being “in church”, am I being held accountable? After thinking about that for a minute I actually laughed out loud. Why does “being in church” have ANYTHING to do with being held accountable? How often have I thought that just because I am active in ministry, in Bible studies and in services each week I am surely being held accountable? Why did I think that way? We are only held accountable if we actively seek and allow ourselves to be held accountable. Going into a building each week, even several days each week, does not give you accountability. The scriptures say “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results” James 5:16. Just as Maddie humbled herself and listened to what I was saying, so we must humble ourselves to a trusted follower of Christ and ALLOW ourselves to be held accountable. Proverbs 27:17 as iron sharpens iron, a friend sharpens a friend. So, my friends, I am humbling myself and seeking your help in staying accountable for my actions. I want to have the attitude that Maddie had toward me of not being defensive or dismissing when someone loves me enough to point out an area where I am not right. I am not opening myself up to be beaten up and accused of every little thing by any person who has an opinion of me, but those who say they TRULY love me and have DEMONSTRATED that love to me, I invite you to partner with me in confession of sin and prayer. Thank you Maddie, for demonstrating this act of obedience. May we all learn from your example.

Barbarian Way

Hello,

Vicki and I are going to start a study of the Barbarian Way video series. She has not seen it, and I missed a couple of the videos when we did it with the Worship ministry. Let me know if you would like to join us. We haven't worked out a date/time yet, but assume it will be a weekly study beginning some time next week.

God Bless, Steve

80's Rockfest...Old Folks Style...

Concord...Chronicle...Sleep Train Pavillion in Concord. Call it what you will, the rock is ON next Friday, August 25. Crocketts are there! All are welcome to join!

Commence planning...

Blank Canvas

The canvas is blank. Now it's your turn. Use this opportunity how you will. Post your thoughts, articles you've read, upcoming "field trips", etc. We are a community, and this is a way to further that. Only one way of course. We invite you to begin/join the conversation here, a conversation that has been going on since the beginning of time, in a new form. We look forward to hearing from us all! Let's get started!