I was down in LA this weekend visiting people. I had a really great time, and wish I could have spent a lot more time with a lot more people. If you didn't get to see me, I'm sorry. I'll try to find a two day period with more than 49 hours next time.
Seeing as I'm headed to India, it was really great to talk to Rose and Jon about their experiences in India last summer. It added both to my excitement, and to my uneasiness. More and more I'm realizing how challenging those four months will be. I suspect that realization will have a dramatic jump once I actually get there.
Sunday morning, before I left Inglewood to head back to Santa Barbara, I noticed something unexpected about myself. I was nervous being a racial minority. Since I had gotten used to it at Harambee this summer, I didn't expect it. I have a few theories as to what may have caused this. At Harambee I was almost always with someone else from my team. People in the neighborhood seemed used to the idea that white guys were around helping out at Harambee, so I didn't feel so out of place. Finally, after all of the stories I've heard from Jon about Inglewood, Harambee just feels like a safer place. Whatever the roots of this really are, I'm sure these feelings will intensify while I'm in Calcutta. God has a lot to teach me about myself.
Sunday, October 31, 2004
Friday, October 29, 2004
Vote for Pedro!
Seriously, we've got a Pedro running for State Assembly in Santa Barbara. I'm not registered to vote in Santa Barbara, but if I was, he'd probably get my vote.
(For those of you that don't understand this post, it's because you haven't seen Napoleon Dynamite.)
(For those of you that don't understand this post, it's because you haven't seen Napoleon Dynamite.)
Thursday, October 28, 2004
Kid's Club II
I went to kids club again today. For whatever reason I was exceptionally happy to be there. I could feel my face stuck in a giant (probably dorky looking) smile the whole time. It was great!
Today the game was musical pieces of paper. It's a lot like musical chairs, except they had to dance around while the music was going, and then touch a piece of paper taped to the ground with their foot when the music stopped. They did allow multiple kids to share the same paper. The real problem was that there was nothing causing a direction of motion. This became particularly obvious once there was only one sheet of paper left and everyone was trying to dance on top of it. In the end I think about a dozen kids were declared winners.
After the game we went inside and enjoyed some songs with motions and a kid friendly talk. I thought the place was crowded last week, but there were even more kids there this week. Somehow everyone managed to squeeze together on the floor. The speaker of the week talked about Jesus choosing disciples. She put two scenarios out there. In the first, Jesus chose really exceptional disciples. One was strong, another popular, a third was smart, etc. In the second scenario, Jesus chooses some smelly fisherman, a guy that just sits under trees reading, a tax collector that everyone hates, etc. About that time I went to go help get the pizza dinner ready. Thus I didn't get to hear the rest of the talk, and was left wondering which group of disciples Jesus would want. Maybe I can find a book with the answer in it.
Afterwards I talked with Nancy (one of the leaders) about my future involvement. I'm planning to keep helping out while I'm in Santa Barbara, but she doesn't want to put me in certain roles because the kids will get attached quickly and it will be hard for them when I leave so soon. I certainly saw that this summer at Harambee. It looks like I may get involved planning a big Christmas thing they do every year for that neighborhood. I'm already looking forward to going to Kid's Club again next week.
Today the game was musical pieces of paper. It's a lot like musical chairs, except they had to dance around while the music was going, and then touch a piece of paper taped to the ground with their foot when the music stopped. They did allow multiple kids to share the same paper. The real problem was that there was nothing causing a direction of motion. This became particularly obvious once there was only one sheet of paper left and everyone was trying to dance on top of it. In the end I think about a dozen kids were declared winners.
After the game we went inside and enjoyed some songs with motions and a kid friendly talk. I thought the place was crowded last week, but there were even more kids there this week. Somehow everyone managed to squeeze together on the floor. The speaker of the week talked about Jesus choosing disciples. She put two scenarios out there. In the first, Jesus chose really exceptional disciples. One was strong, another popular, a third was smart, etc. In the second scenario, Jesus chooses some smelly fisherman, a guy that just sits under trees reading, a tax collector that everyone hates, etc. About that time I went to go help get the pizza dinner ready. Thus I didn't get to hear the rest of the talk, and was left wondering which group of disciples Jesus would want. Maybe I can find a book with the answer in it.
Afterwards I talked with Nancy (one of the leaders) about my future involvement. I'm planning to keep helping out while I'm in Santa Barbara, but she doesn't want to put me in certain roles because the kids will get attached quickly and it will be hard for them when I leave so soon. I certainly saw that this summer at Harambee. It looks like I may get involved planning a big Christmas thing they do every year for that neighborhood. I'm already looking forward to going to Kid's Club again next week.
Wednesday, October 27, 2004
Home Group #6
No, there aren't five other posts about my Home Group. This is the first post, but it is about my sixth Home Group session.
Last night we studied Matthew 26:30-46. It was a really great time with a good discussion and a lot of great sharing. It really impacted me to realize that Jesus knew his disciples would fall away, yet he still placed trust in them when he brought them to the garden to keep watch. I've had difficulty in the past understanding what Paul meant when he says that love always trusts (1 Corinthians 13). I always had this counter example of the parent that suspects their kid is using drugs. Trusting their kid when they say, "I'm not" just doesn't seem like the loving thing for a parent to do. Here's what I realized about Jesus' model of trust versus my example. It comes down to a question of who it hurts if the trust is misplaced. Jesus takes the hit when his disciples don't stay awake, and as they fall away. For the parent, it is their kid that will be hurt by misplaced trust. Jesus calls us to trust others over looking out for ourselves. That is the love that Jesus models.
Our study ended at about 9:30, and then I got talking with the other people. This happens every week, and usually I leave between 10:00 and 10:30. This time, I really lost track of time and was there until almost midnight. It was certainly time well spent, but I really shouldn't do that to myself on a regular basis. Speaking of which... Good night!
Last night we studied Matthew 26:30-46. It was a really great time with a good discussion and a lot of great sharing. It really impacted me to realize that Jesus knew his disciples would fall away, yet he still placed trust in them when he brought them to the garden to keep watch. I've had difficulty in the past understanding what Paul meant when he says that love always trusts (1 Corinthians 13). I always had this counter example of the parent that suspects their kid is using drugs. Trusting their kid when they say, "I'm not" just doesn't seem like the loving thing for a parent to do. Here's what I realized about Jesus' model of trust versus my example. It comes down to a question of who it hurts if the trust is misplaced. Jesus takes the hit when his disciples don't stay awake, and as they fall away. For the parent, it is their kid that will be hurt by misplaced trust. Jesus calls us to trust others over looking out for ourselves. That is the love that Jesus models.
Our study ended at about 9:30, and then I got talking with the other people. This happens every week, and usually I leave between 10:00 and 10:30. This time, I really lost track of time and was there until almost midnight. It was certainly time well spent, but I really shouldn't do that to myself on a regular basis. Speaking of which... Good night!
Tuesday, October 26, 2004
Blessing Upon Blessing
Last Sunday night I had dinner with a bunch of people from Church. Out of a dozen or so people, there were two people I had talked to before, and only once each. Basically it was a bunch of people I didn't know.
I was so blessed by many of the conversations I had. I got talking to a guy (college age) who has a dream of making as much money as possible, living on a modest amount, and using the rest in creative ways to build the kingdom. I suggested that he read Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger. I guess I've only read a couple chapters of it, but those two chapters were certainly good... and I will read it. It's on my required reading list while I'm in Calcutta.
I got talking to a girl (college student and recent Christian) about my experiences at Harambee this summer. It was really great to talk in depth about that again. I was actually getting choked up telling her about some of it. That hasn't happened to in months! It was great to feel that passion in myself again.
On top of all of that, there was a guy (a bit older than me, but still pretty young) that overheard me talking about going to Calcutta with someone else. He started listening in, and about the first thing he said was, "Can I help support you financially?" Wow, God is providing for me out of nowhere!
There were plenty of other good conversations too, as well as some tasty food. It was a wonderful night.
I was so blessed by many of the conversations I had. I got talking to a guy (college age) who has a dream of making as much money as possible, living on a modest amount, and using the rest in creative ways to build the kingdom. I suggested that he read Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger. I guess I've only read a couple chapters of it, but those two chapters were certainly good... and I will read it. It's on my required reading list while I'm in Calcutta.
I got talking to a girl (college student and recent Christian) about my experiences at Harambee this summer. It was really great to talk in depth about that again. I was actually getting choked up telling her about some of it. That hasn't happened to in months! It was great to feel that passion in myself again.
On top of all of that, there was a guy (a bit older than me, but still pretty young) that overheard me talking about going to Calcutta with someone else. He started listening in, and about the first thing he said was, "Can I help support you financially?" Wow, God is providing for me out of nowhere!
There were plenty of other good conversations too, as well as some tasty food. It was a wonderful night.
Monday, October 25, 2004
Nothing Gets You Going on a Monday Morning Quite Like a Hot Cup of Humility
When I got to work this morning, I received the following email:
"You're wasting my time... If you don't understand... come see me in my office."
I edited it down a bit, but that's what it said. It was really a
pretty boneheaded thing that I'd done, and I really should have
realized it before I did it... a second time. I did it the first time
because I decided I understood a certain compiler warning enough to
ignore it, and that it wasn't worth other peoples' time for me to ask
them. It turned out I didn't actually understand the warning, and I
wasted far more of someone else's time when they had to track it down
and fix it twice.
I swapped a few emails with the guy, and he asked for a few more
specifics about how it happened. I could have easily bent the truth
and saved some face. I chose honesty instead. Contrary the hostility I
felt in the first email, he was actually very helpful and
understanding. He made sure that I understood exactly what those
warnings meant, and how to avoid similar problems in the future.
"You're wasting my time... If you don't understand... come see me in my office."
I edited it down a bit, but that's what it said. It was really a
pretty boneheaded thing that I'd done, and I really should have
realized it before I did it... a second time. I did it the first time
because I decided I understood a certain compiler warning enough to
ignore it, and that it wasn't worth other peoples' time for me to ask
them. It turned out I didn't actually understand the warning, and I
wasted far more of someone else's time when they had to track it down
and fix it twice.
I swapped a few emails with the guy, and he asked for a few more
specifics about how it happened. I could have easily bent the truth
and saved some face. I chose honesty instead. Contrary the hostility I
felt in the first email, he was actually very helpful and
understanding. He made sure that I understood exactly what those
warnings meant, and how to avoid similar problems in the future.
Sunday, October 24, 2004
Jesus Didn't Want Me at Church on Time
I left for Church about ten minutes before the service. That's enough time to get there, but it is pushing it a bit. On my way there, I saw three kids in a driveway. Two of one was on his back, on the ground covering his face. The other two were on top of him throwing punches.
I started to park on the side of the street, only to notice a "No Parking" sign right in front of me. I turned the first corner, parked, got out of the car, and ran back to where they were. They were gone. All three of them. There were two kids around, but I didn't remember exactly which driveway it was, nor did I ever see any of the kids faces. Neither of the kids I saw looked like they had been beaten up. Unsure of what to do, I just went on to Church, arriving late.
Looking back on it I wonder a few things:
1) Why were the kids gone? Did they realize I was coming back because I started to park next to them? If so, maybe Jesus used me to stop them without even confronting them. If not, did someone else see them and stop them in the minute it took me to park and get back there?
2) Should I have just stopped and gotten out immediately, even though it wasn't a legal parking spot? If I had the opportunity again, I think I would. I don't think it would have blocked traffic. Being there only a short time, it is unlikely that I would have been towed. Even if I was towed, I think it would have been worth it to help the kid on the bottom.
3) Should I have tried harder before leaving? I could have confronted the kids that I saw. It seems likely that the two kids I saw were the ones beating up the third kid.
4) If I had the opportunity to confront them in the act, what would I have done? I think I would have first told them sternly to cut it out. If they didn't listen, I'm fairly confident that I was big enough relative to them to have physically stopped them.
If you had been driving by, what would you have done?
I started to park on the side of the street, only to notice a "No Parking" sign right in front of me. I turned the first corner, parked, got out of the car, and ran back to where they were. They were gone. All three of them. There were two kids around, but I didn't remember exactly which driveway it was, nor did I ever see any of the kids faces. Neither of the kids I saw looked like they had been beaten up. Unsure of what to do, I just went on to Church, arriving late.
Looking back on it I wonder a few things:
1) Why were the kids gone? Did they realize I was coming back because I started to park next to them? If so, maybe Jesus used me to stop them without even confronting them. If not, did someone else see them and stop them in the minute it took me to park and get back there?
2) Should I have just stopped and gotten out immediately, even though it wasn't a legal parking spot? If I had the opportunity again, I think I would. I don't think it would have blocked traffic. Being there only a short time, it is unlikely that I would have been towed. Even if I was towed, I think it would have been worth it to help the kid on the bottom.
3) Should I have tried harder before leaving? I could have confronted the kids that I saw. It seems likely that the two kids I saw were the ones beating up the third kid.
4) If I had the opportunity to confront them in the act, what would I have done? I think I would have first told them sternly to cut it out. If they didn't listen, I'm fairly confident that I was big enough relative to them to have physically stopped them.
If you had been driving by, what would you have done?
Saturday, October 23, 2004
This Just Out
I just sent out my support letter for my trip to Calcutta. I sent it to a lot of people, but I'm sure I still missed someone that would have liked one. If you would like to support me and don't get a copy in the mail within the next week or so, please just email me and I'll be happy to mail you a copy, along with a response card and return envelope.
Here is the letter itself:
Here is the letter itself:
Dear Friends and Family,
As many of you know, I graduated from Harvey Mudd College last May and spent the summer at the Los Angeles Urban Project (LAUP). At LAUP, I was working with a summer program for children in a poor, Black and Latino neighborhood. My experiences there were among the most amazing of my life, and caused me to reevaluate just about everything. One of the most powerful things I experienced at LAUP was God’s love for the poor. It is topic mentioned throughout the Bible, yet has become very easy to forget about.
I know that God wants me to have additional experiences with urban poverty. To that end, I made a personal commitment to put myself back into a situation of poverty, so that I may continue to experience God's love for the poor, as well as investigate where God may be taking me in life.
I have been accepted, and I am currently preparing for a trip to Calcutta, India in February of 2005 with an organization called Word Made Flesh (www.wordmadeflesh.org). I will be a member of a six person team serving among the poor. I will be in Calcutta for four months, long enough to immerse me in many of the realities of life in Calcutta without being able to escape into my American comfort zone. I will experience some of the most extreme urban poverty anywhere in the world. Just the thought of it is both exciting and scary to me. Even a year ago I wouldn't have considered this trip. God has done an amazing work in my heart to bring me to this point.
To make this trip I will require a great amount of support both financially and in prayer. Please consider if and how God is leading you to partner with me. Whether or not you choose to support me financially, please consider supporting me through prayer. This will be a very intense four months for me, and I will need to rely on God more deeply than I ever have before.
My total budget is $4800, and I need to raise it by January 15th. If you choose to support me financially, I have enclosed an envelope and a response card. All donations are tax deductible. Checks should be made out to “Word Made Flesh” and my name should not appear anywhere on the check. Make sure to include the response card so that they will know that you are supporting me.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
Thank you for your loving support,
Philip
Friday, October 22, 2004
Whoops!
A few minutes ago, while driving back to my apartment, I was in at a stop light. I was in the right hand lane, behind one other vehicle (henceforth "vehicle A"). The light turned green, and I followed vehicle A through the intersection. It was only then that I noticed a familiar clicking sound. "That's odd," I thought to myself, "Why is my right turn signal on?"
"...Oh, I meant to turn there!"
"...Oh, I meant to turn there!"
Thursday, October 21, 2004
Kid's Club
I went to a local ministry run through my Church called "Kid's Club." They meet from about 4:45 - 6:00 every Thursday afternoon, plus they periodically do other things like the movie night they announced today. Ages ranged from grade school to middle school, although the middle schoolers were very much the minority. It's in one of the ethnic minority neighborhoods in Santa Barbara which really gave it a Harambee sort of feel.
The first thing we did was divide the kids up for a game of human knot. A few of the older kids whined about it, but still joined in. Some of the younger kids weren't very good at keeping their hand holds. It also adds an interesting dynamic to the game when the sizes of bodies are varied. Big kids trying to maneuver around little kids adds challenge.
After the games we went back inside. There was quite a bit of mud nearby, and one of the boys slipped and fell in it. He felt pretty embarrassed about it, even though not many people seemed to notice, and he didn't get too much on him.
We all crowded into a living room that was barely big enough, and sang kid songs (i.e. ones with motions). After that there was a message given by a local junior high teacher. He talked about temptation using the story of Jesus being tempted by Satan in the desert, as well as multiple examples from some of his students (kept anonymous of course). He talked about God's word as a sword to fight off temptation, then used a sword (labeled "Word of God") to pop balloons (labeled Gossip, Cheating, Stealing, etc.)
About that time, one of the junior high kids (sitting in the back of course) did something that really pissed the speaker off. He yelled at the kid, told him to get out, and not to come back. The kid looked a little bit stunned, but got up and started to leave. One of the other leaders jumped in and said she would take the punishment for him. Ah, the beauty of it! It caught all of us off guard, and served as a really great example of Jesus' sacrifice.
After the message it was time for pizza. I noticed that one of the kids was sitting off at the side by himself, not eating pizza. He was the same guy that slipped in the Mudd earlier. I went over and talked to him. He was still feeling really embarrassed about slipping in the mud. I told him a story that I was "lucky" enough to have about when I was at work and got ink on my shirt almost first thing in the morning (It was only last week). I related how that made me act (awkwardly trying to cover it up whenever I wasn't at my desk) to how he was avoiding people. I made the point that people probably noticed the cover up more than the blemish. I asked him to go hang out with the other kids, and in a little while he did. It was so wonderful having that moment of connection with him. That alone made my whole time there worthwhile.
I had a great time! It was so nice to get out there investing in kids again. I'll definitely be going back again next Thursday.
I'm also waiting to get some information from the Santa Barbara Rescue Mission and what opportunities they have for me to serve there. It's good to know I won't be going idle while I'm in Santa Barbara.
The first thing we did was divide the kids up for a game of human knot. A few of the older kids whined about it, but still joined in. Some of the younger kids weren't very good at keeping their hand holds. It also adds an interesting dynamic to the game when the sizes of bodies are varied. Big kids trying to maneuver around little kids adds challenge.
After the games we went back inside. There was quite a bit of mud nearby, and one of the boys slipped and fell in it. He felt pretty embarrassed about it, even though not many people seemed to notice, and he didn't get too much on him.
We all crowded into a living room that was barely big enough, and sang kid songs (i.e. ones with motions). After that there was a message given by a local junior high teacher. He talked about temptation using the story of Jesus being tempted by Satan in the desert, as well as multiple examples from some of his students (kept anonymous of course). He talked about God's word as a sword to fight off temptation, then used a sword (labeled "Word of God") to pop balloons (labeled Gossip, Cheating, Stealing, etc.)
About that time, one of the junior high kids (sitting in the back of course) did something that really pissed the speaker off. He yelled at the kid, told him to get out, and not to come back. The kid looked a little bit stunned, but got up and started to leave. One of the other leaders jumped in and said she would take the punishment for him. Ah, the beauty of it! It caught all of us off guard, and served as a really great example of Jesus' sacrifice.
After the message it was time for pizza. I noticed that one of the kids was sitting off at the side by himself, not eating pizza. He was the same guy that slipped in the Mudd earlier. I went over and talked to him. He was still feeling really embarrassed about slipping in the mud. I told him a story that I was "lucky" enough to have about when I was at work and got ink on my shirt almost first thing in the morning (It was only last week). I related how that made me act (awkwardly trying to cover it up whenever I wasn't at my desk) to how he was avoiding people. I made the point that people probably noticed the cover up more than the blemish. I asked him to go hang out with the other kids, and in a little while he did. It was so wonderful having that moment of connection with him. That alone made my whole time there worthwhile.
I had a great time! It was so nice to get out there investing in kids again. I'll definitely be going back again next Thursday.
I'm also waiting to get some information from the Santa Barbara Rescue Mission and what opportunities they have for me to serve there. It's good to know I won't be going idle while I'm in Santa Barbara.
Wednesday, October 20, 2004
ASCII Art Can Be Functional!
The following comment will be helpful to anyone trying to understand the code I just wrote:
The actual graph has labels and stuff on it that I removed. It took me way too long to get this to format remotely correctly. It still didn't take as long as it's taking my code to compile...
//
// |
// +
// |\
// | \
// | \
// + \---------\
// | \
// | \
// | \
// +--------+--------+---
//
The actual graph has labels and stuff on it that I removed. It took me way too long to get this to format remotely correctly. It still didn't take as long as it's taking my code to compile...
Second Post
Ok, everyone seems to have a first post, new blog, or testing sort of post as their first post. I didn't want to do that, but it still seemed practical to have something to use as a marker for when my blog started. This should work.
Top Ten Reasons I Love Santa Barbara Community Church:
Santa Barbara Community Church (SBCC) is the Church I've been attending for the past month or so since arriving in Santa Barbara. Here's a sort of roughly ordered, incomplete list of why I love SBCC so much:
10. They support Harambee - They support a lot of other ministries too. It just really caught my attention when I found out that they support a place I love so dearly.
9. Young adults group - SBCC has a college minister who is currently working on starting up a group for those of us who are a bit past college. This was something I really didn't expect to find anywhere, but here it is. When we had our first brainstorming meeting with about a dozen of us, we all expressed similar desires: First, a group that brings together people in a similar stage of life to support each other. Second, the group shouldn't be a meat market. There were other things expressed too, but both of those pretty much applied to everyone.
8. Afternoon services - No, I don't like the afternoon service because I'm lazy. I'd actually prefer a morning service based on how I like to structure my day. The reason I like this is really the underlying reason for it. SBCC rents their space from another Church. Never mind the fact that they have a congregation of over 1000, where is it written that a Church needs their own space. By renting space from another Church it allows SBCC to use a lot more of their money for ministry and outreach.
7. Opportunities to Serve - SBCC provides opportunities for people to get involved in serving the community around them. More than that, they really encourage people to get involved in them. I can't remember a single Sunday when there wasn't some opportunity to serve announced. Thus far I've helped out with a Habitat for Humanity project and on Thursday I'm going to go help out with "Kid's Club" in the late afternoon / early evening. I'm planning to give the Rescue Mission a try too.
6. Communion preparation - "A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself." (1 Corinthians 11:28-29) I've seen communion done many different ways in many different Churches, and I can see advantages and disadvantages to each. SBCC doesn't have any particular order to when you go up. When you're ready, you just get up, get in line, and go take communion. It probably takes longer, but this way there isn't a need to just go when the time comes. You can (and I usually do) just sit and pray to prepare yourself before you partake. This really helps me to focus myself on Jesus and His sacrifice that made it possible for me to take communion.
5. Praying in community - Every Tuesday morning at 6:45am 50 - 100 people gather to pray together. That sort of dedication to prayer is so important both for the Church community, and for each individual in the body. I am so privileged to be part of it.
4. Integration of solid teachings with the Bible studies - Each week at home group we study a specific Bible passage. Then, we come to Church on Sunday and hear teaching on that same passage. I never realized how much it helps to be familiar with a passage when you hear teaching on it. It's not like I was hearing passages for the first time with other sermons, but the passages weren't fresh in my mind either. Pretty much every week the Pastor nails topics that I had been thinking about because of having studied the same passage the week before.
3. Emphasis on community - The Church is quite large, so you don't get to know people just by coming on Sundays. Every week they have the information about joining a Home Group in the bulletin. Every week I've had someone new ask me if I am in a Home Group. The first week (when I wasn't yet in one), he invited me to join the one he was in, and when it turned out it was on my one bad night, he introduced me to the person in charge of Home Groups to help me find one that worked well for me. They periodically have community (or subsets thereof) dinners to help people get to know each other. Community is important to this Church, and the whole body shares that vision.
2. My Home Group - Every Tuesday night I get to go worship, pray, study the Bible, and share my life with these amazing people. God gave me a wonderfully supportive group of Christians for my time in Santa Barbara. The people are such a change from college Bible studies, and I love it. In terms of age, there is everything from college seniors at Westmont to young Grandparents. There are both singles and couples. They guy that really impresses me is Drew. He has been a Christian for about 9-months, and clean for about 8-months. By clean, I mean that for many years he was a meth addict. He is now living at the Santa Barbara Rescue Mission until he finishes their program. He is so sincere about his deep love of God. When he prays for God to protect him from himself, he knows what that means in a way I don't think I really do. Oh, such a great group!
1. God brought me to SBCC and prepared it for me - When inquiring about Churches in the area, the two recommendations I got were both for SBCC, which gave me a strong incentive to check it out. On the first Sunday I went there, they announced that they were starting up a new session of Home Groups and Tuesday morning prayer meetings that week. My timing isn't that incredible, only God's timing is.
10. They support Harambee - They support a lot of other ministries too. It just really caught my attention when I found out that they support a place I love so dearly.
9. Young adults group - SBCC has a college minister who is currently working on starting up a group for those of us who are a bit past college. This was something I really didn't expect to find anywhere, but here it is. When we had our first brainstorming meeting with about a dozen of us, we all expressed similar desires: First, a group that brings together people in a similar stage of life to support each other. Second, the group shouldn't be a meat market. There were other things expressed too, but both of those pretty much applied to everyone.
8. Afternoon services - No, I don't like the afternoon service because I'm lazy. I'd actually prefer a morning service based on how I like to structure my day. The reason I like this is really the underlying reason for it. SBCC rents their space from another Church. Never mind the fact that they have a congregation of over 1000, where is it written that a Church needs their own space. By renting space from another Church it allows SBCC to use a lot more of their money for ministry and outreach.
7. Opportunities to Serve - SBCC provides opportunities for people to get involved in serving the community around them. More than that, they really encourage people to get involved in them. I can't remember a single Sunday when there wasn't some opportunity to serve announced. Thus far I've helped out with a Habitat for Humanity project and on Thursday I'm going to go help out with "Kid's Club" in the late afternoon / early evening. I'm planning to give the Rescue Mission a try too.
6. Communion preparation - "A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself." (1 Corinthians 11:28-29) I've seen communion done many different ways in many different Churches, and I can see advantages and disadvantages to each. SBCC doesn't have any particular order to when you go up. When you're ready, you just get up, get in line, and go take communion. It probably takes longer, but this way there isn't a need to just go when the time comes. You can (and I usually do) just sit and pray to prepare yourself before you partake. This really helps me to focus myself on Jesus and His sacrifice that made it possible for me to take communion.
5. Praying in community - Every Tuesday morning at 6:45am 50 - 100 people gather to pray together. That sort of dedication to prayer is so important both for the Church community, and for each individual in the body. I am so privileged to be part of it.
4. Integration of solid teachings with the Bible studies - Each week at home group we study a specific Bible passage. Then, we come to Church on Sunday and hear teaching on that same passage. I never realized how much it helps to be familiar with a passage when you hear teaching on it. It's not like I was hearing passages for the first time with other sermons, but the passages weren't fresh in my mind either. Pretty much every week the Pastor nails topics that I had been thinking about because of having studied the same passage the week before.
3. Emphasis on community - The Church is quite large, so you don't get to know people just by coming on Sundays. Every week they have the information about joining a Home Group in the bulletin. Every week I've had someone new ask me if I am in a Home Group. The first week (when I wasn't yet in one), he invited me to join the one he was in, and when it turned out it was on my one bad night, he introduced me to the person in charge of Home Groups to help me find one that worked well for me. They periodically have community (or subsets thereof) dinners to help people get to know each other. Community is important to this Church, and the whole body shares that vision.
2. My Home Group - Every Tuesday night I get to go worship, pray, study the Bible, and share my life with these amazing people. God gave me a wonderfully supportive group of Christians for my time in Santa Barbara. The people are such a change from college Bible studies, and I love it. In terms of age, there is everything from college seniors at Westmont to young Grandparents. There are both singles and couples. They guy that really impresses me is Drew. He has been a Christian for about 9-months, and clean for about 8-months. By clean, I mean that for many years he was a meth addict. He is now living at the Santa Barbara Rescue Mission until he finishes their program. He is so sincere about his deep love of God. When he prays for God to protect him from himself, he knows what that means in a way I don't think I really do. Oh, such a great group!
1. God brought me to SBCC and prepared it for me - When inquiring about Churches in the area, the two recommendations I got were both for SBCC, which gave me a strong incentive to check it out. On the first Sunday I went there, they announced that they were starting up a new session of Home Groups and Tuesday morning prayer meetings that week. My timing isn't that incredible, only God's timing is.
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