Job Offer in EPA

Last week I was offered a job in East Palo Alto. It is a second grade position in a transitional bilingual program, rather than a kindergarten position in the dual immersion program. This position was not what I was applied for, but after prayer and listening, I believe this is where God wants me to go. My family and church family have been praying for God's will to be done also, and while there has been warnings about what difficulties I will encounter, there has not been a single voice saying, "No, do not go." Some times I can deceive myself into believing that my will is God's will because I want something so intensely. I become blinded by desire and ambition. I do not believe that is the case here, as my parents and pastors have asked me hard questions about why I am going and they were satisfied with my answers. It is God's timing, and I ask all of you to rejoice with me in this. I am finally free to take the next step in my adult relationship with Christ after many years of waiting and being told, "Have patience. Stay in Santa Maria." Staying in Santa Maria has been the most difficult transition of my life. Everything - and I mean everything - that I had dreamed of doing died and remained dead these last three years.

"At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said,
'The LORD has given and the LORD has taken away;
may the name of the LORD be praised.'"
Job 1:20-21

"On one occassion, while Jesus was eating with them, He gave them this command:
"Do not leave Jerusalem [Santa Maria], but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. In a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. Then you will be my witnesses to the ends of the earth."
Acts 1:4-5,8

"For with the Lord a day is like a thousand years..."
2 Peter 3:8

Ever feel like you've had to wait a couple thousand years for God's will to come to completion?

Confession

Confession Misuse Gifts shot, originally uploaded by _Justice.

This prayer is from the second Sunday of Lent. Its beauty and simplicity caused me to stop and consider all the power God has given me to do good, yet I sit on it.

This prayer hits the nail on the head: Many American Christians are not flagrantly pursuing evil; we simply squander what's good on ourselves and neglect those in sorrow and need. We may not be perverts, but we are spoiled. We really do need God to spare us, or we're toast.

President Herbert Hoover said, "There is no such thing as a no-man's land between honesty and dishonesty. Our greatest danger is not from invasion by foreign armies. Our dangers are that we may commit suicide from within by complaisance with evil, or by public tolerance of scandalous behavior."

The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin. I think that we don't really know how messed up we are until He puts His finger on the spot and presses. The American dream - a spouse, two kids, two cars, a steady job and a dog and a house with a picket fence - is too small and self-centered to help the world. It does not include the poor, the needy, and the lost.

Happy Man with Salmon

Happy Man with Salmon overhead 279x384, originally uploaded by _Justice.

"Yeah, I got my bait back! All you have to do is shake 'em for a minute and it comes right out!"

Happiness Proverb

happiness production not consumption, originally uploaded by _Justice.

Food for thought.

I cannot give credit to the author of this statement because I don't know who wrote it.

...And Your Wildest Dreams Will Come True

I Voted for Pedro, originally uploaded by _Justice.

Image copyrighted by Andrew McMeel Publishing 2004. Captions by Daniel.

The Spirit of Sacrifice

"He who loves God is a Christian; he who loves his country is a patriot.  But he can be neither, who is wanting in the spirit of sacrifice."

Rev. John M. McNamara, regarding the death of the McGovern brothers in Korea, 1951.

Lonely Socks in the UK

You might find it hard to believe if someone described this site to you.
Some poor Britains must be bored silly.

http://www.lonelysocks.co.uk/

Portrait

DanielG Portrait, originally uploaded by _Justice.

My brother Nathan took this portrait in December, 2003. His company, Artisan Life Photography, specializes in photographing portraits for church and business directories.

Sheila's Chocolate Chip Cookies

These fabulous cookies are a family legend.

Sheila's Chocolate Chip Cookies
Yield: 40-48 cookies

1 lb butter (4 cubes), soft for mixer (microwave 30 seconds from freezer)
1 box brown sugar (2+ cups, firmly packed)
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3 eggs
2 tablespoons vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
6 cups flour
24 oz chocolate chips (1 large Package Nestle Tollhouse Chocolate Chips)
*Up to 2 cups of chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts [cheaper]) Not finely chopped.

Blend sugars in one bowl.
Mix butter, eggs and vanilla to cream in a second bowl, then blend in sugars.

Add salt and baking soda to flour in third bowl.
Stir salt and baking soda into flour thoroughly before adding to cream.
Add flour to cream slowly; the mix is thick.
Too much flour too fast = hockey puck.
Add chocolate chips.
*Add nuts to taste.

Dough balls should be size of golf ball in spoon.
Place 8 or 9 on a cookie sheet.
Bake 15-17 minutes at 350 degrees with large cookies.
Bake 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees with small cookies.

Try cooking 15 minutes first. The cookies don’t brown as fast because of the butter.
*Option: Can do all cookies with chocolate chips, then 1/2 with nuts.

Rise Up Mighty Warrior

Rise Up Mighty Warrior, originally uploaded by _Justice.

I love how "Rise Up Mighty Warrior" has this photo of a little boy raising his face to heaven. I read of the album before I saw the cover, and when I first heard the title "Rise Up Mighty Warrior," I was expecting to see a ripped adult Mohawk with a tomahawk ready to tear apart an enemy. Instead, the warrior was a young child.

There is so much truth in this seeming contradiction. The things we see as strong are weak to God. Why does He need our muscles and weapons? He can kill His enemies (or us, for that matter) with frogs, hail, disease, locusts, strong winds, or darkness. He controls nature.

It is faith and love that make us attractive to God, and children often embrace others in faith and love quickly. The war we are in is not about numbers of people converted (though that is a secondary benefit), new church buildings, better sound equipment, more money in the kingdom, or displacing demons. The war is to unite one family under one Father.

Jesus promised that unless we enter the kingdom as little children, we would by no means get in. I'm beginning to believe the same thing about spiritual warfare. Unless we have the faith of a child, we will by no means win. It is not victory to say, “We are greater than the devil.” It is victory to say, “My Dad is greater than the devil.” The family name matters more than our individual legacies. Because they carry the Father’s name, these kids have as much invested in the outcome of this war as we adults do. Since God’s weapons are faith and love, we should find more ways to turn these little ones loose so they can tear up the enemy and unite the family.

FYI: This is not a plug for the album. Beautiful Great One is the CD I most recommend from Jonathon Maracle.

Beautiful Great One

Beautiful Great One, originally uploaded by _Justice.

One of Jonathon Maracle's albums

Broken Walls

Jonathon Maracle, a Mohawk from the Tyendinaga territory, is the founder of Broken Walls. Using First Nation instruments and language, he and bandmates Kris DeLorenzi and Jeremy Radawiec have created beautiful recordings of modern Native American music. This is the website:

www.brokenwalls.com

You can download many songs free. Top three recommended songs are listed in order below,
with the album name coming first and the song name second:

Beautiful Great One - We Dance Before You (if you only hear one song, hear this)
Created to Worship - Sianer
Ride the Wind - Khenoronkhwa

If you have more time, these three are alright:

Created to Worship - Holy One (this one gets a little long)
Ride the Wind - Ride the Wind (Native American rock)
Rise Up Mighty Warrior - Fly