pastorob's_journal_january

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

I'm at Flour Garden Bakery using the free Wi-Fi access here.

This entry will be brief because I have so much to do here in Auburn today. Yesterday, several individuals came in to the office for dialogue.

I spent the night at the church last night. No internet there at all yesterday.

Had supper with Dan, Renee, and their kids last night. That was really fun. Today, I've spent much time with a guy named Bob. He brought me to this internet-friendly site. Bob knows some people I know.

I'm gonna try to drop in a mutual acquaintance who leads a rather new church in the area:

www.elevationlive.com

g2g...more tomorrow

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

I'm in Auburn.

I'm sitting out in the parking lot of the Holiday Inn (after an unsuccessful attempt at getting online at the Coffee House). So, this will be short.

Hmm...since I can't write much, I'll copy what our son, Joe, wrote to me today:

It was a Monday afternoon. Since there were no classes scheduled for that day, four well-balanced students chose to go for a long walk around the downtown area and buy some groceries. They would visit a few stores, listen to the birds sing and just enjoy each other’s company. Little did they know the excitement that awaited them.

This day was almost like any other January day in Baguio. It was not too hot, neither was it too cold – it was just about perfect. The sun was shining; people were out and about (but not too many people).

The four students enjoyed their leisurely stroll through the supermarket and into the smaller markets along the street. They talked with each other and laughed and smiled. It was a wonderful afternoon spent with new friends. And… it would have been just like many other wonderful friendship building times had it not been for what would occur next.

The students were well traveled. They recognized the need to be attentive and careful. They did not walk out in front of moving traffic nor were they uncertain about their directions. Three of them had been around the city for many months already, and the fourth, a twenty year old boy named Joe, was learning quickly. But this day was not a day of concerns and anxiety. Rather, it was an enjoyable afternoon through pleasant surroundings. What a gift from God. How could it get any better?

Having completed most of their shopping, the group was heading back to school. They were walking and talking with each other. Then as they were scaling the pedestrian overpass in order to cross the street, what did Joe notice?

At first he was uncertain. Was this really happening? It almost appeared normal enough. It is very common to see a hand unzipping a bag, but this was not a recognizable hand. Indeed, it was in fact the hand of a thief, trying to inconspicuously open his friend’s bag as it hung around her side. Certainly Joe was shocked, but at the same moment out of instinct because of his previous training he shouted, “HEY!” and his hand immediately seized the offender’s right hand. As the thief tried to escape Joe grabbed his jacket as well. (This was later reported by another friend as Joe did not even notice during the short episode.)

Joe was prepared for some kind of physical resistance or even an attack. At the same time, he was staring at the thief’s hand to decide whether anything had indeed been taken. After a few milliseconds, it was decided that the thief had not taken anything and that he was no longer a threat to Joe or his friends. After looking him in the eyes, Joe released his arm and allowed him to scamper off into the crowd. WOW! That was exciting, huh?!

The moral of this story is that it is good to have friends and we always need to be on the lookout for the thief. There are many times in our lives when the Devil will try to steal from us. Maybe he will go after our joy, our time with God, or our peace. Whatever the situation, good friends can usually watch out for us when we do not even realize that we are being attacked. They can provide assistance and maybe just something as simple as a smile or an encouraging word. They see other aspects of situations that we do not see and they are alert when we may be occupied with other concerns.

Thank God for good friends and for the exciting adventures that He gives us each and every day.

Sunday, January 28, 2007

I consider today as Day One of our Auburn Adventure. Jerry is staying behind in Galt and plans to attend Horizon with his friend, Stephanie Stevenson (Pastor Tim's daughter).

Cathy, Daniel, Mary, and I are gonna make the 60-mile drive to Auburn in time to attend Sunday School at 9 a.m. and to humbly participate in the installation of Bell Road's next Senior Pastor: me.

I will listen closely to everything that takes place this morning because I fully expect God to speak to me through the songs, prayers, testimonies, teachers, and pastors who have been prepared.

When it comes my turn to speak, I plan to open God's Word to this passage: Luke 15:1-7 Hopefully, I will be able share our Shepherd's Heart with a vision for this coming year. If called upon to sing a song, I think it could be God is Good All the Time (since I heard a brief 'call-and-response' to that effect on my first Sunday morning visit).

I called my friend, Pastor Ken Hendon, when we arrived in California last night. We had an important matter to discuss. I'll also return Macdonald Wreh's call after I get on the road.

from Pakistan this morning:

Respectable Pastor Rob,