recent graphics

Here are a few graphics I've been working on lately. Some are finished, others just drafts.

floating our boats

Last Saturday it rained cats and dogs, with my apologies to cats and dogs. We're talking serious rain, not the light sprinkle that most San Diegans confuse for a downpour. At about 9:00 AM I got Hannah and Hope together to make boats out of Tupperware and we sailed them along the curb. It reminded me of a similar time in my own childhood. We were visiting Grandma Hensley in West Plains, Missouri, and it thunderstormed. My cousin and I improvised boats out of old milk cartoons and set sail. Grandma lived on a steep hill and the boats often went faster than we could run.

Good times ...

excused from jury duty

After being called back for day two of jury duty, I was unceremoniously excused by the prosecutor. I think he felt that since I am a pastor that I might be reluctant to convict someone. I got that idea from the question that he asked me. Surprisingly, he didn't ask me my convictions about drinking. What kind of world are we living in?

jury pool continues to shrink

The jury pool has begun to shrink. I'm not seated among the first 24 so I'm not sure about my chances. In my mind there are several I would strike. It's a DUI case involving an old lady - 2 counts.

jury duty

So I'm blogging from the courthouse.

hand dryer at city library

Every now and then we venture downtown to the main city library. It's quite an adventure (Usually connected to the homeless dudes reading magazines to kill time).

Well ... today I needed to wash my hands and used the vintage air dryers in the men's room. It was so strong that it created a circle on the back of my hand! It was like turbo-dryer.

lifepoint cafe ... march 26

Our next LifePoint Cafe will be March 26 and will feature the music of Kim DiVincenzo and Kyle Phelan. Look for flyers to come out soon.

On another music note ... The Gooses will be releasing their first CD this Friday night at Cosmos.

watching the sparks fly

I spent about five hours in the dentist's chair yesterday. For most of the morning he worked to replace a few old fillings and added two new ones. It's the strangest observation to be lying there while a drill is inside your mouth. The smell took me back to my childhood and going to Dr. Spaulding, a dentist on the south side of Peoria. Only Dr. Spaulding didn't have a television with headphones like Dr. Salazar did.

new teaching series in march

This is the graphic for March's teaching series at LifePoint. It will focus on how we can learn to effectively share our spiritual story.

tommy lasorda

I just happened to be watching television this morning at 5:40 or so and caught Tommy Lasorda on a morning show. It's been years since I've seen Tommy Lasorda on anything. To the uninformed, Lasorda was the longtime manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

He was being interviewed in regards to the World Baseball Classic. This man is a passionate patriot! He also has a strong opinion regarding those who use steriods -- needless to say, it's not a good opinion.

prayer labyrinth

On Wednesday and Thursday I volunteered at the prayer labyrinth during the National Pastors Conference. It's a series of guided exercises that walks people through a spiritual journey. It was fun to serve and I enjoyed watching how people experienced the various stations in their own unique way. Spiritual formation is still a somewhat foggy concept to many in the evangelical church. Maybe not for long ...

my mom would be proud

Those who knew my mom, knew she was a cat lover. It all began when we befriended a stray cat that later became known only as "momma." She earned the title many times over. I must have been in late elementary when momma moved in and cats became another part of our family.

My mom fed them, tried to bathe them, and bought a variety of cat pins that she wore with pride. I never questioned two things -- that my mom loved me and that she loved her cats almost as much as me.

Well ... I'm blogging this from our living room chair, with Hope sitting on the couch. She's home sick from school and so I'm "doctoring" her back to health. We have two cats in our household and Smokey is sleeping on Hope's lap while Pokey tries to "help" me type this blog.

My mom would be proud.

bono addresses prayer breakfast

A friend of mine who knows my interest in U2's spiritual underpinnings sent me the following link. It's a video of Bono addressing the National Prayer Breakfast. Once he gets settled in, it gets pretty interesting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cH0JFbjfhy4

tethering ... the antidote to t-mobile

For several years I have had conflicting feelings: my love for coffee and my desire for free WiFi. This is where matters get complicated. Tonya and I have owned stock in Starbucks since 2000 and I love the company, how they do business, and their coffee. But they do not offer free WiFi access. Instead, they require you to have a t-mobile account.

We already have broadband access at home and I'm too stubborn to pay for another ramp to internet access. So ... what I've been doing is going to independent coffee shops that offer free WiFi. Since I'm working out of the house, it's a great way to get out among people. But it also means that I'm not going to Starbucks.

Hence, the conflict.

Until now. The technical term is called "tethering." I'm actually typing this blog via a connection between my cell phone and laptop. Since my phone has EVDO (Sprint's data network) capability, I can surf the net on my phone anywhere I can get a cell connection. With the addition of a USB cable, I can also fire up my laptop and go online.

Howard Schultz should be partially happy. I'm back buying his coffee, minus the t-mobile account.

swan lake (something called ballet)

Thanks to a friend from LifePoint, we received two free tickets to the Russian National Ballet's performance of Swan Lake at the CA Performing Arts Center. I decided to take Hannah and make it a daddy/daughter date. As we were getting settled in, she asks me, "Will they be saying any words?" And not a single word was spoken the entire night!

From an artistic standpoint, it was a beautiful presentation. The dancers all weighed 110 lbs and had muscles that put me to shame. The set was nicely appointed and it was an all-around fun evening.

Hannah and I brought the average age down to about 63 or 65. I was actually surprised at the number of middle-aged guys (40 and above) who actually appeared to be paying attention. I nodded off two or three times during the first half -- not due to a lack of interest but more so because I had been awake since about 4:45 that morning. I took advantage of intermission to get a double expresso and that did the trick for the second half.

The best part was getting to spend an evening with Hannah. She picked out a pretty dress and actually held my hand as we walked around. I figure I have until about 12 or 13 before that becomes less common.

volunteer opportunities at lifepoint

LifePoint has the following volunteer opportunities! If you're interested, please email Pastor Ken for more details (and probably a free cup of coffee).

Community Service Coordinator. This person will help locate, coordinate, and publicize community service opportunities. LifePoint desires to be a church that serves our local community in practical, tangible ways.

Athletic Coordinator. This person will be the point-person for initiating athletic opportunities. May include one-time events like volleyball, frisbee golf, or ongoing activities like softball leagues, etc.

KidPoint Teachers and Helpers. We are looking to include additional teachers and helpers in our KidPoint ministry. KidPoint is offered during our 10:45 gathering and teaches toddlers through 4th graders.

LifeGroup Leaders and Hosts. LifePoint emphasizes small, intentional groupings of people known as LifeGroups. These groups meet on a regular basis for study, support, and encouragement. We are looking to launch additional groups and need leaders and/or hosts. Groups can meet in homes or somewhere else (like a coffee shop).

Multimedia Operators. If you are comfortable with a mouse and keyboard, we could use your help. We need people to run our multimedia during our 9:00 and 10:45 gatherings. On-the-job training will be provided.

Knick Nack, Paddy Whacks! We have many miscellaneous opportunities every Sunday including setting up and taking down the KidPoint tents, setting out our directional signs, helping prepare/clean-up communion, and much more! Ask at your own risk!
If you are interested in serving in one of these areas -- or another one not listed -- please contact Ken directly. Thanks!

first mobile blog

OK, I like gadgets that have a degree of functionality. Hence my first blog from my Pocket PC (Sprint PPC 6700). It runs the windows mobile OS and has wifi/bluetooth/evdo built in. EVDO is really slick -- it allows me unlimited data transfers wherever sprint has a cell connection. The phone features a slide-out keyboard and the screen automatically reorients to landscape. With the windows os I can also work on documents and then sync them with my laptop. Can you tell I'm excited?

a window seat to life

I must admit something ... I like sitting by the window when working at a coffee shop. This afternoon, I'm doing some adminstrative stuff at Cosmos in La Mesa. Just outside the window is La Mesa Boulevard. It's always interesting to take a moment's break and watch people walk by -- especially those who don't know you're watching. Without the benefit of sound, I play a little game trying to figure out what they're talking about. I sometimes do the same thing with the television -- it's a good little exercise.

I believe most people don't either use or train their powers of observation. We simply let life roll by without noticing much of what happens.

It really is amazing what you notice when you start paying attention!

new faces, exciting times

One of the things I love most about starting a new church is getting to meet new people. We've seen a steady flow of new faces since launching LifePoint last fall. Over the last month or so we've seen an increase in young couples and I've had the opportunity to grab coffee with a few of them. When a church is new, no one has tenure! That's a good thing.

My prayer is that LifePoint will always be a place where new people feel comfortable.

Hope to see you Sunday ...

prayer night

Tonya and I hosted a night of prayer at our house last night and what a great night it was! I began by sharing a passage from Joshua where God instructs the Israelites to follow the lead of the ark of the covenant. They are told to follow the ark because "they had never been that way before." When it reaches the Jordan river, the water stops flowing as soon as the priests enter the river.

It was an awesome experience to hear people pray that I had never heard pray before. We spent the night seeking God's direction for LifePoint, particulary in regards to our worship ministry. I was again humbled by the intense devotion God is building in other people. As we were praying, I was thanking God for allowing me to work alongside such good people. Starting a new church community is an adventure best experienced with a good group of people.

We were reminded that LifePoint is not an afterthought to God but originated in his own heart.