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Miracle Ranch, April 12

Our next trip to Miracle Ranch will take place on Saturday, April 12. In light of the many requirements for Homeland Security, I think it is advisable to get a passport for everyone in the family. It's better to get it now so you don't have to rush the paperwork before an important trip. Our family got what we needed (no small financial investment) before our December trip to Costa Rica and now it's going to be easier for us to get back and forth across the border in Mexico. If you don't have a U.S. passport, you will need to bring other documentation with you on the 12th. Here's the official word from the U.S. State Department.

For information about how to obtain a passport, click here.

Log Lines

On Easter Sunday I referred to the brief descriptions often included in publications like TV Guide that offer a quick movie summary. The description of the Wizard of Oz is my favorite: Transported to a surreal landscape, a young girl kills the first woman she meets, then teams up with three complete strangers to kill again (found here on Wikipedia). The log line I offered for the church in light of the Easter message was this: Loving Savior beckons followers to live hopefully as his representative in the world. In the coming weeks, we're going to be looking at what it means to live hopefully. Take a look here to see what's on the horizon.

Happy Easter!

We had a wonderful Easter morning! Many thanks to all who helped to make the service run so smoothly. Great music, food and friends.

Easter Plans

Our favorite worship leader, Matthew sent word late last night that he reached an important milestone in his recovery. Though he's still in the hospital, chances are he will be with us on Easter Sunday. Yesterday, Mike dropped off the large "Get-Well" banner and my son, Matthew, finished editing the video and he posted it here on YouTube. Please keep Matthew and his family in your prayers!

Friday @ Fuller

I woke up early this morning to jump on the Metrolink with Chris to spend the morning at Fuller. I have a few items of business I need to take care of here. The trip itself was amazing. I love public transportation. I'm including a picture here from our bus ride in Costa Rica. In general, I like to take trips with a bunch of people rather than alone in my own car. I have the same approach in relation to faith. I'm always glad for the people who are traveling with me. In recent weeks we have had several new people come along side us at Village. They have gifts, enthusiasm and insight to share. Perhaps as we gather for worship on Sunday, you might want to dare to sit in an unfamiliar spot (we tend to be territorial people) and dare to strike up a conversation with someone. You don't have to delve into the grand themes of life. A little bit of small talk is required to pave the way to more significant relationships. That's all for this Friday. Just a small challenge and a little encouragement. Give it a try this Sunday!

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Fresh Voices

We just finished a half-day of new member orientation for Village Presbyterian Church. We've made this class available in a variety of formats since the first offering in November of 2006. We've tried a series of evenings and for the second time now we just packed everything into a half-day format. It makes for a very full day. This morning we had eight participants. Added to the 42 others who have already made a commitment to Village brings our adult total to 50. Pretty cool, eh?

We had a great time together today. One thing I really appreciated was hearing the various stories of how God brought each person here. Hearing the many different stories in fresh voices was renewing for me. God's plan is much bigger than any of us can imagine.

This new class will be received on the 30th of March. They are a great group and I'm so glad to have them all associated with the work God is doing through us here. The next orientation will happen closer to May or June. Several people have already expressed interest in participating. I'm confident it will be another great class.