porchpondering.com

Name the Location

We had an incredible day in LA today. Can you name the location for this family shot?

Vacation Pictures

We're home again! We just spent the last seven days camping at San Onofre. It wasn't as much beach camping as it was freeway camping. Even so, we had a great time. It took me a few days to adjust to the endless dirt. For the first two days, we made the long hike down Trail 6 to the beach. Long walk and it was hot. We got smart after that by simply heading to the main beach in our van. We packed the boards, an EZ up, and even a camp stove and spent the day on the water. One of the highlights for us was having friends visit on Friday night. Lots of fun! Thought you might enjoy a few pictures from our trip so far. Here we are:

Today we're heading to downtown Los Angeles for a walking tour of the city. We're going to show our kids the riches of our beautiful city: Union Station, Olvera Street, Philippes and more!

Marketing Cool

This is cool. I clicked through the "events" pages but couldn't find any happenings in the whole of California. Maybe it's not as cool as I want it to be but it's a great idea.

On a Mission

The boys are finishing their first session of the California Junior Lifeguard Program today. It has been great fun for them these past three weeks. Lots of running, swimming, and learning of lifesaving skills.

On Sunday we're heading out of town for a few weeks of vacation. You can be sure it involves sand, water and waves. Please keep us in your prayers for a restful and refreshing time with family.

Blogging will be non-existent until I return in August. Happy "Summer of Love" to you!

Garden Gathering Tonight

Tonight marks the first Garden Gathering for the summer. We'd love to have you join us in our home for an evening of conversation, friendship, learning and worship. Appetizers will be served beginning at 7 o'clock.

I've posted the prayer requests from Sunday on the top rung of our patio cover (see picture below). This morning as I read and prayed through the stack, I was touched by the variety of concerns. It was a honor to hold the tangible expression of much concern and compassion. The reason I am posting them for us to see tonight is that I think we need do everything we can to connect what we do on Sunday with the way we live during the week. Tonights gathering will emphasize the connection in a few different ways. I hope to see you here.

4th of July Report

Everything is different during the summer season. For the past few weeks I've been serving my rotation in the driving pool that gets my sons to and from the Junior Lifeguard program that meets at Salt Creek. On the drive this morning my sons informed me that if they do two sessions (each session lasts 3 weeks), they'll be eligible to be an "AI" (assistant instructor) when they are 14 years old. "Do AI’s get paid?" I ask. "No but I don't think they have to pay for anything." Sounds like a great deal to me!

This year the 4th of July was a BEST EVER. As you may remember, last year we had just received the news that we had to vacate our house on Old Spire. We didn't know where we would go and we didn't have the funding we needed for a down payment. Our celebration was tempered with the reality of our situation. And then on the day before we were heading out of town for vacation I received a call from the Presbytery office, "We have funding, go find something you can afford." It was the best vacation ever because we knew that when we returned that there would be a house waiting for us. We didn't know what house that would be but it was fun to dream. The house we found has proved to be the perfect fit for us for many reasons. Our celebration of the 4th of July with our neighbors was further confirmation of God's blessing in our lives. Our kids had a blast in the bounce house, endless water wars (always trying to soak the parents), hot dogs and burgers, and an incredible firework show at Founders' Park to top it all off. I’m confident that next year is going to be even better!

On Sunday afternoon, July 15th, we're heading down for a week of camping at San Onofre. It will be the first half of my two week vacation. We managed to find an RV to rent for the week. It’s going to be fun. We've got big plans: surf in the morning, eat, surf in the early afternoon, eat, nap, and then surf in the early evening. I hope I can convince Mackenzie to come out with me on my longboard. I hope the conditions will be right.

The first "Garden Gathering" is scheduled in our home for Wednesday, July 11th at 7 p.m. I hope we'll get a good turn out. I know this is travel season but we’re going to get together anyway. My plan is for this group to somehow become several groups in the fall season. I'm convinced that gathering in groups is essential to our formation in Christ. This was the practice of the early church (see Acts 2:46 and 20:20) and there can be great benefit for us in the same practice at Village.

Okay, so I've been rarely posting in recent months and then I go for the long scrawl. Sorry about that. My porch pondering is a bit scattered because everything is different during the summer season.

VBS 2007

Avalanche Ranch was a tremendous success thanks to the efforts of many! I just uploaded these photos taken by Rick Brotherton. This morning in worship we're going to highlight the happenings for all to see. There will be plenty of music, stories and fun. I hope to see you later this morning.

And again, many thanks to all who worked so hard to make Avalanche Ranch a wonderful experience for our children. Your efforts really made a difference.