Memorial Day

It’s a nice morning. The cool California air feels good. I’m enjoying having the day off and my taste buds are already tasting the chicken that Bev is going to marinade for dinner tonight. We’re going to go to Costco later today to look at small picnic tables. We’d like to have one to go... Continue Reading →

May 28, 2007

The Plaster Guy

Last winter, Bev ordered a new window for our house. It was going to replace the dilapidated aluminum slider that opened to the back yard. A glass company here in town built the low wall the window rested on and installed the window. The next stage of the operation was to get a stucco company... Continue Reading →

May 26, 2007

Don’t rock the boat!

I had a friend once tell me that he thought you just needed to accept the way things are. To acquiesce. Knuckle under. Give in. Give up. Those weren’t the exact words he used, but that was the bottom line of what he was saying. After the conversation was over I felt profound sadness for... Continue Reading →

May 26, 2007

Ask, Seek, Click

I just discovered an excellent web site in Cutting Edge, the quarterly church planting magazine of the Vineyard. The site is the creation of the New York City Vineyard Church, and it was designed specifically for people of diverse background and belief in NYC. The site features short video clips from members of the NYC... Continue Reading →

May 25, 2007

Dingo

Friends of our took a three day vacation to San Luis Obispo, and they asked us to keep their dog. We were quite happy to do that, especially since “Dingo” has visited us before and done quite well. This morning he came to our bedroom door and notified us of his need to go out. ... Continue Reading →

May 23, 2007

Superchex

I got invited recently to attend a Chamber of Commerce seminar called Volunteer Leaders Workshop. It takes place on June 9 in Sacramento. The stated purpose of the workshop is to assist in developing an effective leadership team to guide your Chamber to excellence. It is presented by Superchex which is a group of Northern... Continue Reading →

May 20, 2007

I’m so bummed.

Bev and I have kept an eye on American Idol. We haven’t been able to watch it much, but we have monitored the results. We already knew that Melinda Doolittle was a huge talent that deserved to win. Plus we enjoyed hearing her powerful and lovely voice. But stupidity and style points are what won... Continue Reading →

May 19, 2007

Divine Ignorance

When I went through church planters “boot camp” everything was pretty theoretical. In some ways it was like reading the travel books Bev and I used to prepare for a European trip. It wasn’t until our feet were on Parisian streets that we really understood how it all worked. Before we moved we were warned... Continue Reading →

May 16, 2007

Car Show

Saturday was the day of the annual Chamber Car Show. Merced is a popular location for auto buffs, and this annual May show is well attended. In previous years the show was held at the County Fairgrounds. Because of recent changes, the car show was moved to the Castle Air Force Base museum rounds. It... Continue Reading →

May 14, 2007

Worst Places to Live

This was a headline on page A-1 of the local Merced Sun-Star: “New Book Ranks Merced Fourth Worst Place to Live in U.S.” It’s not exactly the sort of thing you want to hear about your city. Criteria for the designation includes cost of living index, air quality, job availability, health care, and climate. It... Continue Reading →

May 12, 2007