Hello Eden!

Our team members Bob & Susan Combs just adopted (the papers were signed today) a beautiful newborn. Eden Combs was born on Dec. 26th in Chicago. Bob & Susan have been in the adoption process for quite awhile and have had several real heartbreaks. Our team did some serious praying these past 5 days! But now it has been worth it all!

They (and all of us) are so excited and at the same time humbled with the privilege and responsibility of this life. We all can't wait to meet her. Hopefully they will be back in LA by Tuesday.

Our children are unbelievably excited about having a God-sister!

Praise God! What an incredible way to celebrate and kick off the new year.

A Present for Los Angeles

December 26, 2003 E-mail story

CALIFORNIA
Homicides in Los Angeles Down by Nearly a Quarter

Times Headlines

After Los Angeles led the nation in homicides in 2002homicides will dip to fewer than 500 for 2003, undercutting last year's count by almost 150 — a 23% reduction and the lowest number since 1999. Homicides will dip to fewer than 500 for 2003, undercutting last year's count by almost 150 — a 23% reduction and the lowest number since 1999.

Good news, good news.

Merry Christmas!

Just hanging out today. Taking it easy with two flu-bitten children. Opened our gifts and relaxing with our family and a number of friends and staff dropped by.

Syd and Zach received tons of stuff. Stuff from grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins out of state, stuff from our staff, gifts from supporters, stuff from families we work with here in Compton. Tonya and I got them each one nice present and some small stocking stuffers.

It's hard to know how to demonstrate to our children our concerns with materialism (especially this time of year) and wanting them to feel love from those around them. We know that especially the people in our community desire to share their love to our children. We don't want to take that joy from them.

But they get so much stuff!

We work hard reminding them that today is Jesus' birthday. We adopted a family that had absolutely nothing from Christmas, no food, no gifts. Tonya delivered one of our Christmas Boxes of Love and a box of gifts for all the family members. They were so touched! It was so fun for us to be able to love Jesus that way. We also spent a lot of time with two children in particular that live across the street from us. Since they are basically homeless, we knew that Christmas wouldn't be much for them. We have had a lot of discussions with Syd and Zach about the meaning of today.

We're also going through everything in the next few days. Everything will go into one of four piles; stuff to keep, stuff to give away, stuff to take to the office (kid's room) and stuff to dump.

I believe they get it... and we don't want to over do it either. We don't want them resenting the idea that their parents are always up in their grill about Jesus' birthday.

Finding that delicate balance, the quest of parenting!?!

But a great day overall.

Thank you Jesus and happy birthday!

Terrorist Target: Los Angeles

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HOMELAND INSECURITY
Muslims warned
to leave U.S. cities
Al-Qaida websites claim New York, Washington, Los Angeles are targets

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Posted: December 24, 2003
11:23 a.m. Eastern

© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com

Known al-Qaida affiliated websites are warning Muslims to leave New York, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles ahead of massive attacks it claims have been planned for those cities.

The statements, posted on sites such as Al-Lewa – Arabic for "The Banner" – are part of the alarming increase in "chatter" among terrorist operatives in recent weeks cited by Homeland Security officials for raising the terror threat level to high, or orange, reports the New York Post.

Officials told the paper the CIA, FBI and National Security Agency consider the messages "pieces of the overall puzzle."

Counterterrorism experts uncovered and translated statements boasting of an impending wave of terror that started Nov. 15 after the suicide bombings in Istanbul, Turkey.

"The next al-Qaida attacks will be most violent and will target the U.S.," read one claim translated by Rita Katz, director of the SITE Institute.

"Our Muslim brothers in America, this is our final warning. We ask you, as fast as you can, to leave the following cities immediately: Washington, D.C., New York City, Los Angeles," read a second message posted Thursday by a group calling itself the Islamic Bayan Movement.

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WASHINGTON — Six commercial flights from Paris to Los Angeles were canceled Wednesday because of security concerns, French officials said.

The Testimony

The following is part of a speech/testimony given by Ramiro, a S.A.Y. Yes! student from Calvary Baptist Church in Compton. Some of our S.A.Y. Yes! team and I spoke at the Compton Salvation Army on Sunday, December 14th. Our staff speaks at churches, helping to cast the vision of wholistic youth discipleship. This is Ramiro’s testimony...

Hello, my name is Ramiro _____. I'm 15 years old and go to Dominguez High School. I've lived in Compton since I was 5 and I have been going to church since I was 6. I've been going to Calvary (Baptist Church in Compton) almost 10 years. My church has a S.A.Y. Yes! Center that's been open since I've been going there. S.A.Y. Yes! is an after-school program and it's a place to go have fun but at the same time learn about God. Some fun stuff I will always remember is going to Washington (State University), staying in the college dorms and playing football in Huskies Stadium. Another fun thing I remember is when we went to Missouri to a camp called "Kids Across America". It was a very fun camp but it really touched me spiritually through the singing and praising of God.

S.A.Y. Yes! has really helped me in many ways like homework, learning about computers and most of all is my walk with God. Every day we have a bible study and we learn more new things. Knowing God has been a beautiful thing in my life. Going to church has helped me through problems and has inspired me to want to do better. One person that has really helped me in my walk is Mr. Mike. He has been there for me since the beginning, answering questions, encouraging and pushing me to do better. He is no longer the S.A.Y. Yes! Director for my church but we still keep in touch and have bible study one day a week. I really want to thank him and his family for being a part of me and my family.

I just thank God for everything He has already done in my life and if it wasn't for S.A.Y. Yes! and church, I don't know where I would be. I have had many friends and family members that have made wrong choices in life that has hurt them already. But thanks to people like Mr. Mike and churches that want to do good things for the people in their community, I've made right choices in life. I still struggle with some things but with God, I'll make it through.

I think having a S.A.Y. Yes! Center here would be wonderful. It will reach out to many children and teens and will help them like it has for me.

Thank you.

**THIS WAS USED WITH RAMIRO'S PERMISSION

The Sacrament of Comfort

How is it that we now believe it is our spiritual heritage and right to achieve a high level of comfort? The house, the car, and busy 'soccer mom' lifestyle? And then we get so frustrated in traffic, or with any small inconvience, such as not being able to understand the drive-thru cashier at McDonald's?

Pastor Bob (from our new church in Paramount) and I watched the DVD sermon from the 2003 Willowcreek Leadership Summit of Pastor Erwin McManus of Mosaic here in LA about the 'Barbarian' Christian lifestyle of Paul and John vs. the 'civilized', comfort-focused lifestyle of the typical American Christian. Amazing stuff. This is a must see sermon. McManus hits it on the head when he talks about the famous saying, "the safest place for me is to be is in the center of God's will." But looking at Paul and John and other great Christians of our time, when was God's will ever "safe according to our definition?"

The center of God's will for me is to live and raise my family here in Compton. Is that safe? Did God promise me that we will never have heartache, danger, break-ins, being yelled at, ridiculed, etc. If I lose one of my children by living here, was I outside of God's will? Obviously, that would devastate us. So I don't throw that out flippantly. But what if something like that happened? Is God still God? Still sovereign? Still in control? Did He promise us that everything would be safe by moving here?

These are good challenges for us. Tonya and I desire to be more involved in the lives of families here in our neighborhood. Less focused on having our sanctuary away from the troubles, inconviences and dangers of ministry. But that won't really be comfortable.

Is this what a church should really be focused on?
"A church here in Houston is having a 'Breakfast with Santa' for $30/family - church members can enjoy a continental breakfast, crafts, taking pictures with Santa and Rudolph, and getting to visit with Santa all conveniently in the church hall. more

Lord help us not to be comfortable.

Box of Love Stories and 3500 more Boxes on Saturday

Over 6500 boxes went out to 60 ministries all over the city. We are beginning to collect the stories of what God has done through them…

The congregation of Ingelisia Biblicia Altisimo in South Central knocked on all the doors within ten minutes walking around their church. They asked people if they could reserve a Box of Love for them and told them when to come to the church and pick them up. An African-American mother was so excited when they knocked on her door, “I really need this food, I’m out of work and don’t have enough for my children,” she exclaimed.

They handed out 100 Boxes to those grateful neighbors. The next church service they has 33 new people attend and 7 decisions for Christ!

This is the last reminder before this Saturday’s Christmas Boxes of Love Packing Party. Come and join us in preparing an additional 3500 boxes to go out to another 35 churches as they use them to share the love and hope of Jesus in their neighborhood.

It’s this Saturday, December 20th from 8 AM till about noon. Come and help spread the true Christmas spirit!

Tired

This has been one of those weeks. You know what I'm talking about, where you just wish you could stay in bed and pull the comforter up over your head.

I've been working on this grant and several other things in the good ole fund development area. At the same time trying to do the 'normal' stuff, whatever that is. It's been a series of 12-16 hour days for a few weeks now.

I find myself getting really 'peopled' out, short with other staff and my family.

Balance is a critical issue here. We have seen people go up like a rocket and down like a rock.

Tonya and I have found that our daily routine can be like a pendulum. Sometimes it swings way towards the ministry side, which is ok as long as it at some point swings back toward family and having some down time.

So now starts some down time. This afternoon I'll be at home resting, doing some reading and tomorrow Tonya and I have an appointment with a pastor at our new church and then we'll have some focused family fun (fff).

Working Class Poor is growing in LA

A newly released study shows the number of poor people in the Los Angeles area increased during the last decade, fueling a rise in the number of poor neighborhoods in the region.

My Guests

One of the things I learned* (present participle) here is that your time is really not your own. Often when I'm mentally or emotionally 'off the clock', God brings someone to remind me why I'm here.

Usually, I need alot of reminding. Consequently, I often have alot of guests!

Behind me right now I have some visitors in my house. Junebug (a nickname) lives across the street. He lives with his mom and sister in his grandmother's house. There is another 9-10 people that live there, all related in some round about way.

They have three more days to live there. The grandmother, it seems has grown weary of everyone landing in her home so.... she sold it.

In the five years we have lived here we never really knew who really lived there or who was just stopping by.

Junebug, his sister Felicia and a cousin?, Tooty have been hanging out with us pretty regularly for a couple of months.

Junebug, to my knowledge has never really had a father-figure in his life, which is the norm. Estimates state that 70-80% of kids growing up here are growing up without a father. Imagine people tellng you about a heavenly father without the concept of an earthly father.

Junebug and his immediate family aren't sure exactly where they are going in three days. Maybe into an uncle's house, but who knows. That is the reality of life.

There is another boy, from our church here as well. He is from a broken family as well. The dad is in the picture, but that may not always be a great thing, according to his mom. She is an amazing woman, one of our new heroes. She is raisingfive kids as a single mom. Tonya and I have trouble getting our two ready for church, she has 5!

This boy has some of the same issues as Junebug, with a few small differences that will lead to completely different life cirscumstances.

First, this boy's mom is following Jesus. She has amazing faith that challenges ours. Secondly, this boy is growing up in a loving, caring and nuturing community at church. There are many people investing into this family, as they are investing back.

This is the true example of the Body of Christ in action.

Last week the Senior Pastor came up to Tonya and I said he feels affirmation watching us as he preaches. That's because our hearts are being healed by the power of the Gospel. Practically every week I cry in church because I see testimony after testimony of transformed lives. This church in Paramount is living out what is meant by the new emerging church, except it is not new and has been 'emerged' for a while!

Good Thinking

Being new in the blog world, I still am finding some great sites out in blogland. I came across this blog called The Dying Church. It's done by a Pastor in Toronto Darryl Dash.

Let me quote his Dec. 3, 2003 post; "Subversive leaders
It sometimes feels strange to be employed by a church while writing about how the church needs to die to itself. I'm both the pastor of a church and, at the same time, a critic of how the modern church operates. It's sometimes a funny feeling, especially on payday.

Two modern transformations give me hope.

In 1985, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev embraced glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring), allowing discussion and criticism of government and culture. Glasnost led to the end of the Soviet Union, and of Gorbachev's position, but it also led to the transformation of that society, which continues to this day.

In the early 1990s, South African president F.W. de Klerk ended the ban on the African National Congress, freed ANC leader Nelson Mandela, and ended apartheid. In 1994, the first multiracial elections were held, and de Klerk lost his presidency to Mandela.

Both Gorbachev and de Klerk were subversive leaders. They led structures that they ultimately worked to overthrow, at great cost to themselves.

Thinking about these two stories, I'm wondering if there is a role for leadership within the system of the modern church that questions many of its assumptions, and which might in the end lead to something very different. It may cost these leaders their own positions (the gift of martyrdom?), but it may also lead to the very necessary death-to-self of the modern church, and to its rebirth as something new.

Not everyone is called to be this type of leader, but surely some of us are."

Wow, imagine for a moment what it could be like... if the Church was a place where leaders would be willing to sacrifice themselves for it's mission. Not the other way around.

Back from the Bed

Wow, I don't get sick. Usually everyone around me will get it and I'm not effected. But not this time! The flu got me good.

Sunday in church I begun feeling hot and started to ache all over. That night I had a huge fever and chills and a sore throat like I had never experienced.

So after two different Doctor visits (one to our amazing Christian Chiropractor) alot of Immunplex and Cataplex and some Cayenne Pepper capsules (yes you can feel the heat inside!) and then some antibiotics and alot of advil, I'm back.

Today was the first day in the office this week. I just thought I was behind last week! There is an amazing ammount of work to do with all of our open projects.

I'm praying for the day I will have an assistant!