Matt's Blog

The Call of the Wild
January 13 - 2008
No I'm not talking about Jack London and White Fang type books... I was thinking today about our adventures in life. I can look back and see how God has guided me with His hand every step of the way. I would never have thought to have written such an amazing script as He has. Every day sees another page of that script completed (although sometimes the nights are just as eventful). And every so often I'll come upon a new season or a new chapter heading. This next chapter is affectionately titled "Africa or Bust". When I sit back and "logically" process what God is calling Peg, KG, and I to, I just have to laugh. I don't know how to plant a church, I don't know how to start a Bible College, not to mention the fact that we don't know how to live (long term) in a 3rd world country like Kenya. Yet the daunting aspects of this upcoming adventure are some of the very characteristics that make me firm in knowing that it is "God" calling us and not something that "Self" would think up. (Sure selling all my things and leaving family, church, and the beautiful central coast to go to a very different culture where things are hot, rugged, and well... just so not what we're used to... now that's my idea of a "Grand Scheme".) Yet none-the-less God has given us this 'Wild' call. I take comfort in knowing that Jesus Himself responded to such a Wild call. In Philippians 2 we read that Jesus left the glory of heaven and came to earth as a man to suffer and die on the cross. That was pretty Wild by no stretch of the imagination. Who of us in all the glory of heaven, in the presence of perfection would choose to leave that to come to this world? I sure wouldn't have... but then again, that's why He is God and I'm not. Well now He calls each of us to take up "Our Cross." I realize that the call to be a missionary in Kenya is not "the cross" for every person, but it is that which He has called me to. And because of His voice, and the clarity of hearing Him speak, I am not only willing to take up my cross and follow Him, but I am delighted and excited to do so. So often I hear, and have experienced in my own past, "I wish I knew what God's will was for my life." Well, in a sense, God has given me a direction and a glimps of what is ahead... and although the terrain may look rough and ragged... it also has promise to be the most glorious road I've ever traveled on yet. The call of the wild, that call to take up your cross and follow Jesus... the call for the Pottengers to move to Kenya.

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Birthday Blessings
August 25 - 2007

Well, it has been far too long since I've posted a blog, and with so many topics to choose from (i.e. Kenya Grace, A wedding I'm performing tonight, life's current happenings, or add in on the job blog that the rest of the family has done) I've chosen to share a little bit of my birthday blessings.
This year I turned 27. I was blessed first off by our daughter who slept very well that night in her crib and let dad and mom enjoy a bit more sleep time as well. Then we enjoyed some family time from 7-9am with just the three of us, and although we get to do this more than just on my birthday, because it was my birthday it just seemed more special. After that Mor Mor & Papa (my mom and dad) came over from Atascadero where they had spent the night at Jen & Kyle's, to join us for a nice big breakfast (French Toast, bacon, eggs, sausage) it was wonderful. On top of that Peg had given me a rare ancient white tea for my birthday that taste wonderful which I had been enjoying all morning. After breakfast Papa and I went to the grocery store to get some things to make Home Made Ice Cream... although we were going to try out a new recipe that used Rice Milk instead of cows milk so that Peg could have it without worrying about watching dairy intake.
While the ice-cream or as some call it 'rice cream' was being made Papa and I set off to the fun task of buying a much needed computer for our Home. (It should be here in a couple weeks). After that Mor Mor made some delicious Quesadilla's for lunch. Papa and I then went out for a bike 50 min 9.5mile bike ride up Old Cayucos Creek Rd. It was fun and we saw a pack of wild Turkeys, except the Bike Papa was riding needed the seat raised and we didn't do that before we left. That evening Tia & Tio (Jen & Kyle) came over for dinner but first took advantage of the ocean and went out Kayaking. We had an amazing dinner that Peg did so much work for (Mor Mor and Tia helped out too), and we had a wide assortment of veggies and potatoes cooked on either a stone or the Cedar Plank. We also had Salmon and TriTip. What a fun night. After dinner we all indulged in the Ricecream but then Mor Mor and Papa had to get on the road to head home. We hung out a little longer with Tia & Tio and then when they left we resumed our night routine with Kenya Grace so that we could all get to bed.
All in All it was a very fun, productive, and relaxing day... spent with Family and I enjoyed every minute of it.

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Blessings in the Journey
March 17 - 2007

All too often we get caught up in the desire to be somewhere, and to get there as fast as we can that we lose sight of the blessings God wants to give us on the way there. Well a little over a week ago, I decided to take advantage of a mostly sunny day (though a little cold) and go for a hike. For those who aren't familiar with this area, we have a state park (Montana De Oro) that is about 15 minutes drive from our house. There are probably about 15-20 different hiking trails in this park and I have made it my ambition over the years to try out every one of them.

So that Monday I sought a new trail and went for it. It was a beautiful trail that wound along the hillside and a creek bed. It started close to the ocean and slowly hide itself in the hills moving eastward. I often use these hikes as a means to clear my mind and pray, or think about the upcoming week and prepare for all that is in store. On this hike, I felt the Lord prompting my heart to not just try to live the 'status-quo' any more, but to always seek to excel; not just maintain but to have a vision for the future. Well needless to say, I was a bit worried about this new enthusiasm, and wasn't sure how it would play out in my life, nor with my growing family. The last thing I want is to be 'MORE' busy than I am right now. Well, I won't go into details, but these past two weeks at the church I have been able to do more real 'Ministry' than I have in a while. Much of my job is administrative, and yet God has been challenging me to make it more Pastoring (in other words, get away from being task driven and instead be "people driven").

Well as I came to the backside of the trail where I would begin to take a loop and find my way back towards the ocean, my prayers were suddenly stopped as my eye caught something unique about 100 yards in front of me along the trail. From where I stood, I could tell it was an animal and soon realized it was a cat, but it was too big at this distance to be any sort of domestic cat and thus I was left with 2 options: Mountain Lion or Bob Cat. As I studied it (wishing I had brought my binoculars) I realized that it was a bit small for a Mountain Lion, but seemed pretty big for a Bob Cat (now mind you, I've seen Bob Cats before both out in the hills behind Cal Poly as well as around where Peg and I live (usually while we're driving in the car by our house) but the only place I've seen a Mountain Lion is 'stuffed' in a museum in Morro Bay (and the movies of course). My first concern was that it was a baby Mountain Lion and that a mother might be near by who would soon find out that a threat was near by and come and attack me. I slowly inched forward seeking to find out a little bit more about this creature. I noticed that he was sun bathing on the side of the trail that I was walking on and that he had clearly seen me (yet wasn’t' making any signs of running for nor away from me)... I continued to creep slowly forward. Also, during this whole time I did remember to bring our digital camera and took a bunch of pictures, which you can see in our Pictures section if you so desire). As I approached this cat, I soon realized that it was in deed a Bob Cat (which I was grateful for, as they are usually more timid than Mountain Lions and would most likely not attack). I continued to take pictures as I inched forward, closer, one step at a time. Eventually I was about 20-30 feet from this majestic creature and he decided that he would let me pass by on the trail. So getting up, and like any cat would do after a nice sun bath, he began to stretch his front to legs and then has back to legs, and then smiled at me and strolled off to sit under a near by bush. I proceeded to walk towards where he left the path, with caution, and peered under the shrubs and saw him cleaning himself with a gleam of sunlight falling across his face (he was at this point about 10 feet from me). He didn't seem to mind me watching him and after unsuccessfully trying to take a few more pictures (the lighting wasn't right) I moved along down the rest of the trail rejoicing in the blessing that God brought to me along this journey.

I pray that God will continue to show me the blessings that He has for me along the journey and that I will never get side tracked into thinking that it is all about the Destination. (Can I get an AMEN?)

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Shepherding in Africa
October 02 - 2006

My sincerest apologies for not blogging in what seems like forever! I thought I would do a little back tracking and share some memories from the past few months... starting with our recent trip to Africa!

This year was quite different then past years, for many reasons, one of them being that we were the leaders this year. Also another major change this year was the adventure of going as a Shoreline team and not under the banner of another organization like FRM who normally would do much of the admin and coordinating for our team. These two major factors among many others led to what would be a very powerful and busy two weeks in Africa.

This Summer I had the opportunity to teach a class called "A Biblical Approach to Shepherding" where we studied the shepherded throughout the Bible in passages such as Psalm 23, Ezekiel 34, & John 10 (among many others). It was a great class and I had no idea how much I would be putting it all into practice as I lead this team overseas. There were several times throughout the trip that I would be keeping my eye on my flock, making sure that they were safe and not in danger from potential 'predators' who saw $ in the white American team walking around. I was constantly counting my sheep and upon occasion would notice that one had shown up missing, then came the quick rush of adrenalin as I quickly tried to identify who was there and who was missing, then going around and asking others if they knew where the missing person had gone off to. Praise the Lord we never had any serious instances come up and all the sheep that we brought over made it safely back to the U.S.

Two instruments that the Shepherd uses to protect the sheep are the Rod and the Staff. I found it interesting of how I got to use these same instruments over in Africa with my team. Sometimes I would use the staff to gently lead or guide the team in a specific direction and other times I would have to yield the Rod to protect the sheep from potential dangers. I'm sure that part of the prevalence of Shepherding on my mind was due to the class that I had just taught weeks prior to leaving, but I can't help and think of Jesus and how He is the Great Shepherd who is overseeing all of us who are His and constantly going after those sheep who are lost.

All in all, we had an amazing trip and were so blessed to be a blessing to those on the other side of the world. We pray that God would continue to open up doors for us to go back to Kenya and co-labor with the saints there. Thank you to all of you who were praying for us on our trip... your prayers where felt, appreciated, and answered. God Bless You!

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My Hawaii Highlights
July 24 - 2006

Well, it has been far too long since I've posted anything here. My sincerest apologies. When I think back to Hawaii and the fond memories there of, I'm whisked into a sweet place with warm sunshine, a cool ocean breeze, tropical birds chirping, palm trees blowing in the wind, waves crashing on the shores and my wonderful family all sitting (or swimming) near by. Aside from the pure 'relaxation' time that was so beneficial, I definitely enjoyed spending time with the fam. eating, seeing places, eating, swimming, and of course more eating. A specific highlight on Kauai was going on a hike with Jen and Kyle to the Wiamea (sp?) falls in the Canyon. It was beautiful and breathtaking. On Oahu, I would say that I mostly enjoyed the special time with family (both immediate and extended) and making fun memories that will be remembered always. To top it all off, being honored to perform Jen & Kyle's wedding was by far my most memorable moment. I was so blessed to be able to do that for them and to share in their special day in that way. Looking back it seems a dream and fairly surreal. But I suppose that is normal.

Now Peg and I are looking forward to our upcoming trip to Africa (we leave in 11 days... wow!) We are so excited and looking forward to all that God has in store for our group, and to use our group to bless others. We will definitely be posting information about our trip in the news or on our blogs while we are over there. If the rumor is true, we may even have Wi-Fi in our guest house (which would be so awesome to stay in touch through). We serve an awesome God and are excited to be a part of what He is doing in Kenya this summer, please keep us in your prayers for this trip (both us and our team).

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Training for Hawaii
February 06 - 2006
Well I'm sure that I'm not the only one who is excited and thinking about our upcoming trip to Hawaii. Aside from the excitement that surrounds the marriage of my "FAVORITE" sister, one thing that I think I'm looking forward to the most is Hiking on Kauai. So, in preparation for that 10-20 mile hike :) I've been going out once a week for the past 3 weeks (2x this past week) and doing a 4-7 mile hike each time. Today's was a bit strenuous and was closer to the 7 mile, and was up hill most of the way (except on the return portion of it). I feel like God has blessed me to have Mondays off from work so that I can go out and 1. Enjoy Nature 2. Enjoy the exercise & 3. Most importantly, Enjoy time to pray and think and talk with God. You'd be surprised with how much you can talk to God about in the course of a 2 hour hike... often I will get to the point where my head is empty and my heart is burden free. It's at those moments that I just soak it all in and enjoy "Being." I hope to keep this habit up as long as I am able, as I see it as a wonderful training ground for all those hikes I want to do on Kauai. Any body else looking forward to hiking? Aside from the wedding (which is obviously our #1 excitement of Hawaii), what is the one thing you are looking forward to most? - sounds like a good blog topic doesn't it?

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When I grow up!
January 30 - 2006
Well, I honestly don't remember what i would say I wanted to be when i grew up until i was in 5th grade. At that time i had put down on a card in Mr. Bee's Sunday school class that I wanted to be a missionary. (I had also stated on that card that I had 'rededicated' my life to the Lord). I remember him coming over to our house and talking with Dad, Mom & I about it. It was also around the same time that I remember feeling a strong pulling on my heart to serve the Lord with my life. So over the course of the next 7 years of Jr High & High school. I seemed for the most part 'Ministry Bound'. I remember doing a research paper in High school about being a pastor, and interviewing some of my pastors at Hillside. It was at this time that i had heard and read a lot about Pastor Burn Out. I didn't quite understand how people could 'burn out' if they were serving the Lord. Now as an adult, i see that it comes from trying to serve Him in your own strength and not relying on Him. Also having your priorities wrong can lead quickly to feeling "burned out" in the ministry. I suppose since i can't remember ever wanting to be something else, that you could say that I have succeeded in childhood vision, since now I am serving the Lord in full time ministry. Praise Him, since i know that i had little to do with it.

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Yeah for Day's off
January 16 - 2006
I am rejoicing today in having a day off... although I usually have Monday's off from work, today is special because Peg has the day off from school. We got to sleep in (which of course means that we stayed up late Sunday night), we got to make home made waffles for Breakfast, we are going to spend some time reading, then off to see "Glory Road" (i hope it's good). Peg will still go to dance this afternoon, as well as her Bible Study tonight, as will I be going to my Bible College class on Church History (I'm just proctoring though, so much less work). So although there is a sense of normalcy and pattern, there is also a sense of relaxation, freedom, and best of all 'time spent with my girl.' I hope your day is as blessed as mine is today.

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Crashing into the New year
January 09 - 2006

Getting back into the swing of things after being gone to Israel for 2 weeks then down in Carlsbad with family for just short of a week has been difficult. I was just starting to feel like I was coming back into my routine on Thursday when Peg and I went through an unsuspecting trail. For those of you who haven't heard, I had slight encounter on Thursday evening involving my bike, a fist-sized-rock, and about 10-15mph at dusk. The unfortunate event left me in the middle of the road, trying to catch my breath and figure out what had happened. Thank the Lord that Peg didn't have to see me take the spill, and Praise Him that she was only 10 seconds away or so when it happened. My landlord happened to be coming home when Peg went to fetch the car (as I couldn't stand up without blacking out) and he came and put my bike into the truck bed and transported us the 1/4mile to our house where we changed cars and made our first trip to the ER as a married couple. After being wheeled into the ER and answering a few questions and signing some paper, I was taken back and put into a nice evening gown and laid in a bed. We had some amazing friends come by to pray for and visit with me and Peg read through Psalm 27 with me. After being ex-rayed to make sure I hadn't fractured my hip and examined for a few other things, I was dismissed and went out to dinner with our friends (as I was really hungry by 7:30). All in all I had only spent about an hour and a half in the ER.

As for today, I'm doing much better, with the help of Advil and Ice packs. I was able to teach my first class last night for Bible College, and rest this morning. The Lord has definitely seen me through this trial and has given me an amazing companion in my Wife. Thank you to all of you who have been praying. The bruising will probably take about 2-3 weeks to fully heal and I hope to visit my Chiropractor today to make sure that the crash doesn't make any difficulties for my back over the next few months. God is Gracious.

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Thanksgiving Memories!
November 26 - 2005
This thanksgiving has been a blast! Some of my highlights were getting to go on a bike ride with my Dad up a beautiful creek road in San Simeon on Wednesday. We had lots and lots of good time with family (big and small). We were able to enjoy a weekend with Peg’s parents in town and then having my Mom & Dad come down Tuesday through Saturday. We also were able to spend some quality time with Mom and Dad while staying at the Jenison’s house (Thank You Jenison’s!) It seems like 6 months or more since being able to have that type of time with them. Among the major highlights this Thanksgiving season was being able to spend time getting to know Jen’s future in-laws, Mike & Ann Wiens. It was a wonderful spread of food and family time around the thanksgiving table. From Mom’s “Super Quizzes” to my “Green Bean Casserole” to many games of “Halo,” it was a fun filled day. Thank you to all who put so much time, thought, and preparation into making this Thanksgiving Day so wonderful (A special thanks to my sister Jen, who bore a lot of the load for planning & coordinating… You Rock Sis!)

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Fun, Fear, Or Friendship
November 13 - 2005
Well, you might have guessed it, or you might not... this blog is about swimming! Growing up I remember going down to Santa Theresa High School for lessons. There were beginners where we practiced blowing bubbles in the water and kicking while holding on to the edge of the pool, we also practiced floating. If we showed that we could master these things (among a few others I'm sure) we would be moved up to the next skill level. I remember on more than one occasion when practicing a typical 'freestyle' stroke, that I would be the last one to make it across the long pool and was usually out of breath and struggling for all my life. It was at moments like these that my brother and a few of his friends would link up a human chain and meet me out in the pool and pull me to the side. John might not know this, but I was so thankful for this 'life saving act,' it made me feel safe and I knew that was protected from the depths of the pool. After some time and many summers of swimming at local pools I remember one pool in particular where we could train to be a 'Jr. lifeguard' so-to-speak. Basically if we could prove to the lifeguard on hand that we could tread water for 5 minutes or more and swim a few laps with different strokes (not the TV show), we would be allowed to swim during the time when the Lifeguard was off Duty. During this time of my "Swimming Career" things were moving along splendidly and I enjoyed my time in the water. A little bit later on, I'm a bit foggy on how old I was, but I'd say around Jr. High, I took up swimming on a 'swim team' with a church friend of mine, Owen. I have to say this was probably one of the most challenging things I had ever done. I dreaded and feared every practice as it came up, as the coach was demanding and swimming was no longer fun, but a form of exercise, discipline and hard work. Several times I felt like I could just die and drown in that water. I'm not sure if it was my incessant complaining to my mom, or just the subtle hints of dread and trepidation, but eventually I pulled out. From that point on I didn't seem to be as fond of water, unless it was for pure relaxation and fun. Which now describes how I see it today.

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Attack of the Pesky Bugs!
October 06 - 2005
One dark Thursday night, after a long day at work and a very inspiring Bible College class, Peg drove home to find some unsightly bugs had decided to take up a new habitation in our small humble home! Although Peg came home to quite a fright, I however came home to quite another story. Upon driving up to our house I first noticed that the door & screen door were both wide open and that a new pile of stuff had accumulated to our front porch. In addition to this there were new items being thrown out the door to add to the pile. I wasn't sure what I had done to be moved out of our house at the last minute, but as I pulled up and got out I saw the desperate & tired look on my wifes face that said "Please Help Me!" I quickly got the scoop about these pesky little bugs and that they had taken a liking to our bed and curtains. Seeing as that it was a little after 10pm, I pulled up my sleeves, assured my wife that it would be okay (which is always a good thing to do when they are tired and stressed). The first item on my list to do, was to quarantine a section of our small house as 'bug free,' this was the Kitchen, as there were the least of amount of bugs noticed in that area. We slowly disassembled our entire bed and frame, killing or vacuuming up the bugs along the way. After moving every possible thing in the bug infested side of the house and giving everything a thorough vacuum, wipe down, and inspection. We began to reassemble our house. We were not done with this adventure until about 12:45-1am. We estimated that we had vacuumed up, killed or thrown outside about 500-600 of these pesky oak-tree bugs (that's what someone else thought they were). Needless to say, our house is cleaner, we have been bug free (mostly) since then. I have been inspired to patch up a few of the cracks and holes that they came in through and thus our house is nice and sealed up for the winter.

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African Reflections (Maasai)
September 02 - 2005

One of the new and exciting experiences of Africa this year, that we did not have last year, was being able to go to a couple Maasai villages and minister to the people. The first place that we went, located near 'Wilson airport,' was both shocking and intriguing. As we piled out of the Matatu (small bus) we were greeted by some very friendly and tribally dressed African Maasai people. (You can go to the pictures section and I’ve labeled certain pictures of the Maasai). After greeting several people in what little Maasai language that we learned (sobah & ebah) we began to walk about the dung huts and experiencing the Maasai culture. The missionary who has been working with the Maasai ladies and teaching them how to make bead jewelry was there to take different groups into houses (usually 3 or 4 could squeeze into a house). When my turn came, I ducked into a low wooden house (room) that was maybe 6 feet tall and 8 or 10 feet wide in both directions. The lady whose house we went in was very kind and as my eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness of the room I moved forward carefully to find a place to sit. Meanwhile 2 other guys came in on my tail and Elizabeth, the local missionary, followed us. As I stepped into the house, Margaret lit a little candle which was the only light other than what sun was piercing through some of the slits in the ceiling and walls. This house reminded me of what 1 of the 3 little pigs would have made in the fairy tale story, and I wondered that a 'huffing & puffing' storm couldn't just blow the house down. Through Elizabeth's translating, we were able to learn that this woman had 3 kids and a husband who lived in this house and she was a believer, but many in her extended family were not. Elizabeth then told us that many times this lady and her family would not have food for a day or more and when she would come and visit to see how to minister to her, instead of asking for food, she would ask for prayer that her family would be saved. This story among others that I learned from spending time with the Maasai, were very enlightening and sobering, as I thought about how well off I am back in the states... and I often complain about hunger and think of it more often then I do about my friends who are lost. What an eye opener. This is only one thing which the Lord taught me on my trip to Africa.

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Birthday Blog
August 20 - 2005

I had a splendid birthday! On Friday afternoon Peg and I drove down with some friends of ours from church (Matt & La) to go to Solvang. We took our time making our way down and enjoyed ourselves. We had an early dinner in a near by town called Los Olivos at a really nice restaurant that is run by Peg's friend's husband. We all had excellent meals and Peg and I split a Halibut that was delicious. As a special and unexpected treat the chef (whose name is also Matt) made up a dessert plate with four decadent looking and very rich tasting items. (Crème Brule, Cheesecake with raspberries, their famous mud pie, and a very interesting sundae made with peach/brown sugar ice cream and a sauce that wasn't quite chocolate put we couldn't figure out). All in all it was very delicious. After dinner and with very full tummies, we drove back to Solvang and walked from our Hotel (The Royal Scandinavian Inn) to the PCPA Theater where we watched the Broadway classic, "Brigadoon." I didn't know the storyline going into it, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I only recognized the song, "It's Almost like being in love." After the show was over we retired to our hotel rooms to get what sleep we could (it seems like I never sleep as good somewhere else compared to my own comfy bed at home).

On Saturday (my actually birthday) we went out to a late breakfast in Solvang and walked around the town for a while. Then we slowly made our way back up the coast stopping for some fresh fruit at Avila Valley Barn. After meeting up with my Dad and Sister we made our way back down to Avila for a fun bike ride on Bob Jones Trail which dumps us at Avila Beach. At this point I thought we were going to have dinner at "Old Port Inn" on the pier but low and behold my wife and sister had been planning a surprise 25th birthday party for me and so I unexpectedly came up to a group of familiar faces all having fun at a BBQ at the beach. When I first saw them I didn't put 2 & 2 together, and thought, "How strange to run into all these people down here on our way to dinner." Also I thought it weird that some of the people I knew didn't 'know' each other. Finally it dawned on me that this was a Birthday Party for me and I had been successfully surprised. We then enjoyed some good ol' fashioned burgers and chips, and at the end of the night of fun and fellowship the Pottenger family went back to Jen's house for an Ice-cream cake (I love Ice cream). All in All it was a wonderful day, and had I been planning it all, I wouldn't have been able to make it nicer. I big thanks to My beautiful and thoughtful wife for putting it all together and to my Sister and Dad for all the things they did too. I hope to post any pictures that we have of that time up on the web soon (tomorrow?). Check back in soon!

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African Reflections (part 1) - Catching Up
August 07 - 2005

Well, I'm back, after 2+ months of not blogging, I know that I am way over due. Sorry to all of those out there in Cyber land who don't know what's going on in Matt's life due to my infrequency of Blogs. I sincerely hope that I will have several Blogs coming out this month (after all, this is a very special month as I will be turning 25 on the 20th).

Before Leaving for Kenya I described to our group how I felt like I was running low on RAM (not on my computer mind you, but rather in my brain) I felt that I had so many programs running, things to wrap up before we left that nothing was getting done as quickly as I wanted, and my system was running slow. I described how what I needed was to close all the programs and reboot my computer in order to get a fresh start on things... this I then likened to the 18 hr plane ride. Other than being in bed at night, sitting on the plane was the first time that I was able to sit and "relax" since our wonderful vacation to NY in mid-June.

Since coming back to Cali, I've hit the ground running with no fewer responsibilities to juggle than when I left (although this past week has been the fullest in comparison). This week I had a Bible College class to teach on Tuesday night, Worship and a Bible Study to teach on Wednesday night & then a Sermon to give for three services on Sunday morning. I loved it all, but I'm also glad to be on the other side of some of these extra duties while my pastor is away.

Over the next few days (and some to come right now) I hope to give a series of thoughts and reflections on my experiences in Africa and the things that God showed me while there. Please read and post comments if you would like. It's always a delight to know who's checking the blogs out.

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Spring Cleaning
May 15 - 2005

Well, as I stated in our most latest news... allergy season is in full force here on the central coast, which doesn't affect me nearly as much as it does my wonderful wife. We've often stated that the blessing and curse of a small place is that it gets messy quickly and clean quickly. The problem is that the 'deep' cleaning doesn't happen quite as easily. The dust and mildew here has really pushed Peg's allergies... so, on my way home from church today, when I call home, Peg says that she's on a cleaning frenzy and that she'd be blessed if I came home to help. As we began to clean (of which she did most the hard stuff) I began to think about the Biblical idea of "Driving out the Leaven." This started as a part of Passover that the people couldn't have any leaven in their house during the time of Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread. Thus the weak or two prior to Passover (which is a Spring Feast) they would "Clean House" or "Drive out the Leaven" so today Peg and I were doing a form of that (but instead of leaven it was dust and mold). Perhaps this idea is where we get the idea of Spring Cleaning. We will hopefully sleep better in a clean house tonight! Any other ideas out there of the origens of "Spring Cleaning?"

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The Case of the Missing Wallet
April 30 - 2005

There are not too many moments in life that make you lose your breath... some positive and some, well, not so positive. This past week has been a bit rough in the 'not-so-positive' realm. But don't get to down, it'll turns out with a happy ending.

Earlier this month I was given a Jury Summons to appear at the end of this month and although this could have been one of those moments to lose my breath it wasn't. In fact I was quite inspired by my Mom to enjoy the opportunity to serve. The lose of breath came on Thursday when I suddenly realized that I was supposed to call and see if I had jury duty on WEDNESDAY!!! "Oh Lord Jesus," I prayed, "Please, may I have been excused!" I hopped on line at my next available moment and frantically searched for a place to type in my juror badge # and to my relief, it came up that I had been dismissed. Needless to say there was much rejoicing.

Now what does this all have to do with the title of my blog? Well in the midst of this already full and frantic weak... a broken car, a lost jury summons, a sore back, and... well I don't want to sound like I'm complaining... but amidst all of this I also misplaced/lost my wallet. This was the other 'lose-you-breath-moment.' At first I didn't want to panic and figured I had set it down somewhere or it had slipped into an obscure place in the car. So I went through a busy day thinking to myself, "Oh I'll look for it soon." Then Saturday morning came... ah, some time for me to finely do an all out search (all the 'common sense' spots had been gazed over through the past day and a half). As the morning went on and piles where overturned to no avail, I became more and more concerned that it might no longer be in my possession but in someone else's. So to double check I went on line to our bank account to see if there had been any transactions that I didn't recognize... and to my dismay a $93 purchase had been made that was Pending to clear on Monday. This just about convinced me and did convince my wife. She was on the phone to the police department reporting my now "stolen" wallet.

Well in think about where it could have been stolen (or lost) my Sisters house was the only location I'd been to and so I called down to find out their address so we could give it to the police for their report. In this call I talked to Jen's house mate, Kendra, who being concerned about the whole deal said she would do a thorough check around the house. As Peg hung up the phone with the police I get a call from my Sis who says, "Kendra found your wallet." So, once again I'm giving a sigh of relief and offering up my thanks to the Lord for His provision. So like I said... it all has a happy ending!

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Resurrected
April 28 - 2005

Well... for those of you who have wondered... I am still alive! I found it interesting that the last time I blogged was about having a 'day off' and how I'm now working full time, and since then I've not had a day off to blog. Interesting how life comes and goes so quickly. I've had several things come and go through my head to blog about in the last few months and unfortunately I've not had the time nor discipline to sit down and detail my thoughts out. This blog is more of a cry out than anything else... letting you know what's going on in my life at present and asking for prayer in certain things. These past months have been fairly busy and so one of my greatest prayer requests have been for time management and the like (I was inspired by John's idea of making a list of things you need to stop doing). Also since about mid January my lower back has been stiff and sore, off and on (more on than off) and so I've been trying to change habits in my life to help move me past this rough time (i.e. exercise, stretching and the occasional Chiropractic visit). Lastly... I have an opportunity to speak on a Sunday for the Calvary Chapel in Paso Robles on May 22nd (coming very soon) and always take this responsibility seriously and want to be current to hear exactly what God wants to say to me for this message.

Hopefully I'll be back to blog more often and more specifically... until then I appreciate your prayers and am grateful for an amazing God and a wonderful and understanding wife.

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Scheduling a Day off?
January 24 - 2005
So, for those who are not aware of this, I'm now officially a "Full Time Worker" 40 hours and all. Although, since my work is being an assistent pastor at church, my 40 hours looks much different. For example, my busiest day is Sunday (usually 6am to 6pm - running the whole time). Don't get me wrong, I love it, even though it wares me out (it's a good tired... like after working out at the gym). So, with being full time I was told to take another day off during the week (Monday) since Sunday is a work day (thus I have Monday's and Saturdays off). The difficulty is that in ministry you don't really get time 'off' persay, just times with less to do and more to do. Last week was a week of more to do (gearing up for Revelation Study staring on Sunday morning - preached on by Pastor Tonye). Monday's I try to take 'off' but there are certain things I choose to do, like meet for discipleship with gusy whose schedules don't allow them freedom at any other time during the week. Any way, i've found it very difficult to 'schedule a day off' but today is nice, becuase God has scheduled things for me (I love His plans so much more than mine). Two guys that i was supposed to get together with today cancelled, giving me time to take care of house things (i.e. laundry, grocery shopping, dishes, bloggin :)). So now i'm able to have a fairly relaxing afternoon compliments of God. Thank you Jesus!

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Ministry & Life
January 18 - 2005
I had a good talk with a friend of mine at church today (which is my work place now). He and I were talking about life and work and leizure time, etc. when I brought up how things were going for me. I explained that I feel as though I always have a full plate (in regards to work load). Yet I expressed that I didn't mind this, but rather saw it as a positive thing. I enjoy the work that I do and thus knowing that I always have something to be working on, a project, a lesson plan, a sermon, or just the typical administrative office work... it all seems pleasurable. I feel like its a bit of "job security," as long as I still have work to come in to do, then I know that I have a job to accomplish (and consequently get paid for). I told him that rather than seeing my full plate as a looming cloud or an overbearing burden, I see it as a joy and pleasure that I have something to do, and I have the satisfaction and constant reminder that I'm doing it "unto the Lord." So, although the days can at sometimes seem overwhelming, they are never so much so that the Joy and pleasure of serving the Lord are lost or hidden. Rather, each new day has a balance of seaching out and discovering all that God want's to do in and through me that day. What a pleasure!

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Can Christmas come to early?
November 17 - 2004

So, i'm wondering if Christmas can ever come to early. By this i mean, can we start celebrating the 'season' to soon? I've heard sevral thoughts from people who say that they won't play Christmas music or drink eggnog until after thanksgiving. Others have to wait till December 1st. Personally, i enjoy the music and atmosphere so much that i don't mind starting as soon as the first cold day hits in the fall (usually around mid to late Oct). Any body out there have an 'christmas edicate laws' that i'm not aware of?

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Can Christmas come to early?
November 17 - 2004

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Adam & Eve
November 09 - 2004
I had a conversation last night with one of my students in Bible College. Without going into all the details, one of the things that came up in our discussion was, "Why did Adam and Eve wait so long to have children?" Some different thoughts were, God didn't permit them to for a time (perhaps), maybe they didn't have sex till after they had been removed from the Garden of Eden (seems doubtful). It's hard to make speculation on this, but the problem doesn't seem to get simpler by looking down the geneological record listed in Genesis 5; it would appear as though the average age of a father would be over 100 years old before having an ofspring. One hypothosis would be that the son listed wasn't their first born... but rather, the person through whom God chose to bring the "Seed" of the Messiah (compare Genesis 3:15 with Luke 3's Genealogy). This is doubtful when comparing it to other traditions held by Jewish authors who placed a very high importance on "first born," often they were the only one's mentioned in a family. So another hypothosis is this: Perhaps the time when a man hit "puberty" came much later. If you look at the life span of the average man before the flood it was over 900 years, thus their puberty could of hit them during the first 10-15% of their life span (i.e. 80-120 years old). This would parallel our modern day scale in the sense that a boy would usually start going through puberty around 10-13 years old which would equate to be about 10-15% of the way through his life (assuming the end cap of life to be between 80 & 90 years today). So that's my current hypothosis. Any body have other thoughts? I'd love to hear them.

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Fallow Ground
October 02 - 2004
This Morning i was reading in Jeremiah 4 and God told the people of Israel to break up their unplowed ground (fallow ground in NKJ) which directly correlates with Hosea 10:12 giving them the same message followed by the exhortation to "seek the Lord until He comes." I learned recently that when a persons land was flat (and unplowed) all the nutrietns would be stripped from the soil by any passing wind. Contrasting that is the ground which was soft and plowed up, the wind that blew the nutrients from the fallow ground would then get trapped in the soil of the well plowed feilds. The Lord reminded me to have a heart that is soft and firtle and damp with the dew of His love. May the nutrients that His Spirit blows over my life be caught by the plowed up soil of my heart.

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Eschotology
October 02 - 2004

For any of you who are interested in studying Biblical Prophecies on the End Times; i would like to recomend two books i'm currently reading that are very thorough, accurate, reliable, fundamental, and literal (they take the bible literally).

"Revelation Record" - By Henry Morris

"Footsteps of the Messiah" - By Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum

I've linked it to amazon although you may search and find cheaper prices elsewhere.

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