I spent the week in Southern California with some friends, new and old. I had meetings with Donald Miller, who wrote Blue Like Jazz, Rudy Carrasco, from Harambee in Pasadena, Robin Dugall, from Orange County and APU, Izzy, a YP from a Free Methodist Church in Long Beach, Andrew Eagle, new YP at Beverly Hills Pres, Ben and Lauretta Patterson from Westmont, Santa Barbara, Andy Bales, Executive Director of Lake Avenue Community Foundation where I sat in on a consortium of urban ministries like Harambee, Skid Row, Open Door, Lighthouse Men's Christian Home, and a few others. And I had a great dinner with my son, Simon.
It was an incredible time. I designed this week to be aware of new things, confirm old and lasting truths, get refreshed, be born again again, and do a lot of thinking. My time with Donald Miller was incredible as we drove to dinner together after he spoke at this small venue of a emergent church. He spoke some great things with great insight. I haven't been inspired like I was listening to Don in an awful long time. Incredible...
A quote taken from Robin Dugall's blog from Don's talk...
"Culture is obsessed with the HOW's and completely ignores the WHY...the Bible is focused on the WHY's and completely ignores the HOW". Mmmmmm... give that some thought? Look through your Bible and see if you can see a "formula" for spiritual refreshment and living. Give your Bible a shot as showing you a bullet-pointed message on just about anything. Isn't it tragic that we have shackled our God through the bonds of pragmatism. God is attempting to pull us into a redemptive and passionate relationship with Him and we're still trying to figure out how everything is going to work out in our life so that we are comfortable and happy." Don's new book, Searching for God Knows What, is great as it follows the line of thinking which he covered in his talk.
Robin, Don, and I went out to dinner in Irvine afterwards and talked. I was blessed, stretched, and renewed. Like minded, new thinking, acceptance...
Conversations over sushi and a evening stroll in Carpinteria with Ben and Lauretta Patterson was such a delight to feed my soul and set some errors straight in me. It is good to have a friend who will lovingly correct. There is a painting of Ben preaching at Hope College hanging over his fireplace that was very touching. He is preaching to a full house and in the air are angels worshiping... very cool and an incredible gift and recognition of his success there.
I am processing a lot from this week...
a teaching of Rudy's in my car on economics,
camping and the small independant churches,
the consortium meeting,
allowing the encouraging rebuke from Ben to sink in,
and enjoying my time with Simon.
New heat in my soul, new ideas in my mind, new strength in my drive... it was a great week.
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