a little liberty

We take alot for granted... a friend of mine is getting ready to lose his drivers license because of his health. That's happened to me. He's no longer strong enough to ride a bike, or walk very far, so once the license is gone... he's waiting on others for a ride... there's little joy in it. People pat you on the back, say they'll step up- and they mean it -you just feel like the world becomes so much larger and suddenly everyone seems so condescending, even when they don't mean to be.

Had a seizure a couple of years ago and thought they might pull my license- a good friend in Kenya is a driver for a living, drives for me while I'm in Kenya -thought I'd do all I could to earn the extra income to move he and his family to the states before I'd live at the disposal of everyone around me again... it'd be tough to earn that much money... but it'd be harder still to beg a ride to Mexico every Wednesday afternoon or a ride home from the church every Sunday night after Jackets for Jesus. I've built my life around good health and the liberty of a big car.

Getting my car washed this morning- it needs it! Half of Mexico still clings to it from last weeks rain storms. That's my bike on the rack on the back of the car. Take it with me to Siempre Para Los Ninos on Wednesdays and ride with the kids. Yesterday we rode for nearly an hour on mud rutted dirt roads, through the village, out to the bluff overlooking the ocean where we threw rocks and watched for passing whales. An incredible way to spend the afternoon... and it's my job... without my license it would become so much more difficult. My world would shrink.

It's happening to my friend. He's an outdoorsman, an adventurer. He's stood on hills overlooking Prague and dug human bone fragments, the final reminders of ancient battles from the dirt with his bare hands... Doctor's look at his medical charts and think: "Buddy, the least of your concerns is driving!"

I can't relate to his loss, but I know how I've felt... it's a fear that never leaves you. Driving, riding a bike on a sunny afternoon, getting around on your own... they all become liberties that taste just a little more sweet when one's lived without them.

Yesterday I lived out a little of my liberty: drove to Mexico with Debi and Julia, rode my bike with the kids of Siempre and Pastor Israel, and thought of my good friend Walter... he would have loved every moment of the wonderful day. If you've got the good health and ability to experience a little liberty and you're squandering it by sitting inside and reading this blog... shame on you... go out and enjoy it while you can!

Parting Thoughts

I missed it... it was on Oprah, don't get much time in the afternoons for Oprah. The doctor's say he's within months of his death after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Now, ready to give his traditional "last lecture" not at retirement, but for life, Randy Pausch, professor, stands in front of his students to impart some life lessons. Well worth watching. Glad I finally had the opportunity to catch it.

Spend a few minutes with this at risk of shedding a tear, being reminded about why we do what we do... delete it... and it's probably not going to kill you but you might just be slipping past one more wake up call to live out your dreams.

Life's fast, don't let it pass you by.

blessings,

Eric

Let It Be

Incredible clip from musical "Across The Universe." Sad... Beautiful... song of the day is Let It Be. Thought of this.

Eric

enough

In just a short time, he will restore us so we can live in his presence. Oh, that we might know the LORD! Let us press on to know him! Then he will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in early spring.”
Hosea 6:2,3

A friend of mine is near death... or possibly just very, very sick... but the doctors don't give him much hope. He's not anywhere near ready to give up. When they asked if he wanted extra measures taken in order to save his life in the event his heart stopped, or he quit breathing, he said "Absolutely! Do whatever's necessary!" He's not ready to leave. He loves life, his family, a good meal with friends... and now so much is in the balance.

I'm not even certain he believes in God.

Sharing his story with my 93 year old father the other day, I told dad my concern- that we'd prayed together, but I wasn't sure of our friends faith. Dad looked at me with a wisdom that comes from a place I've not yet experienced and with a calm, reassuring voice said: "Don't worry if he believes in God. God believes in him."

It's the kind of theology many would consider heresy... we've placed so much of our relationship with The Father into 4 spiritual "laws" or an easy to follow "Roman's Road." We sometimes forget that long before we turned to God, long before we considered the cost of the cross or the celebration of creation... God believed in us. He spoke us into being and when we lived as if we Had no Father, He never, ever forgot that He had children. He pursued us with the loving gift of His Only Son. Like a dad, determined to see his kids succeed in life, He believed in us: He is faithful when we are faithless.

My dad reminded me of that this week. He loves me.

Enough... it's a word pregnant with imagery... "More ice cream?" "No thanks, I've had enough." "Please mom... why can't I?" "Listen, I've had just about enough out of you!" "Just a few more miles to go... can you make it?" "I'm done. Think I've had enough." "Do you need any money?" "I can cover it... I've got enough."

"Enough... is enough."

God comes to us in love... we're near the end, we just don't see it yet, we're near the end every moment of every day... "Today is the day of our salvation." God offers us His Love: He believes in us- He created us- He went to a cross for us- He's prepared a place for us- a whole bunch of everything is all about us... and we embrace the simple joys of life- stare God squarely in The Eye, settle for all we see and feel and say: "No thanks God, think I've got enough."

The prophet Hosea cried out:
In just a short time, he will restore us so we can live in his presence. Oh, that we might know the LORD! Let us press on to know him! Then he will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in early spring.”
I believe it... Today I find hope in the reminder that God believes in us... He believes in me... He believes in my friend, so very near his end and that's enough for me. I can trust God and that's enough... more than enough... enough is enough... together, we can press on to know Him more. He's too good.

I'm praying that you... that my friend... that each of us are fully able to embrace His wonderful Love for healing and redemption. It's enough.

blessings,

Eric

blogs grow...

church buildings grow too

That's Central Community's Welcome Building. When I came to Central Community, just over 20 years ago, people in the church referred to it as "the chicken coop." I'd been here a year or two before I discovered that it was never really a chicken coop. It'd just been built on a severe budget with a design aimed at simplicity... a shed... just an old chicken coop. The building would never be mistaken for a chicken coop today. Over the years it's been changed a bit at a time... the picture above was taken 5 or 6 years ago during one of the buildings many upgrades.

Ken, our Associate Pastor, the one with real knowledge about building, pointed out to me long ago that we'd have been better off just to tear the thing down and build new. He's right of course. But the process has been such fun.

It's the way I feel about my blog. It's a little welcome into my life... for whatever it's worth. Started simple and it's grown: song of the day, deal of the day, joke of the day, weather, news, links, verse of the day, photos, movies... facets of media development we never imagined just a decade ago and it continues to grow as my knowledge base expands. Occasionaly someone will ask why I spend the time on it and I think of that "chicken coop" and how much joy it's been to watch it transition into Central Community's front door.

That's where the blog's going: blogs grow. Hope you'll stick with me for the joy, the journey, the invitation into a little bit more of how God's working in our ministry, our world, our family, me. Maybe you'll start a blog of your own. If so, email a link so I can clue into your journey from time to time. God created us to do this together.

blessings,

Eric

A Priceless Gift

We received one, no two priceless gifts when we met and had the opportunity to work together with Dr. Harold and Darlene Sala in Kenya. They're founders of Guidelines Ministries- Dr. Sala's heard around the world on radio. They've also reached millions through preaching, serving and with encouraging words online and in more books than I could ever imagine writing. They're both amazing... for God... and His children.

Not long ago Darlene wrote a short piece about Jodi's birthday celebration on the streets with Jackets for Jesus. I downloaded the mp3 file so you could hear not only the beautiful piece written by Darlene but also the compassion in her voice as she reads it as well. It's at our "Song of The Day."

I was blessed to listen in... I know you'll be blessed as well. God's Good.

Thanks for the kind words Darlene. Know that you and Dr. Sala are always in our hearts and prayers with great fondness and admiration.

blessings,

Eric

PS
You can check them out, listen online or find out where you can listen in your own community at Guidelines.org.

FREE Flapjacks!

7am to 10pm at your local IHOP... take a friend!

February 12th is National Pancake Day... who knew? You can read more about it at this link to IHOP's Home Page. Not a lot to be said on a topic like this... except, I know what my wife's getting for Valentine's Day!

Follow my lead, your Valentine will love it. Stop in for some free flapjacks. Eat a couple to be polite, or even better, invite some friends, spend the day taking the local homeless community in for pancakes... then when you've had your fill... take one home, freeze it, pop it in the toaster Valentine's morning and how can you miss? What better way to show your love than a two day old pancake, reheated in a toaster, in love...

Better yet, go get a card, write a poem in it, get some flowers and a gift and give them to your Valentine over breakfast Thursday morning... or today and tell her you just couldn't wait... and the pancakes are still free.

Remember to kick in a nice donation as you leave to help out a local charity. There's an IHOP right by my gym! Spin class then pancakes... I can't wait!

blessings,

Eric

Pretty Cool

I discovered www.hulu.com today. Actually someone pointed me in their direction... it's a web site where you can watch television shows from many different networks and producers on your computer... when you want... the office, the apprentice, house, the simpsons, they all seem to be there... more importantly, for me, they've got FUEL TV... FREE! I use to have cable, before discovering the wonders of over the air (OTA) HDTV. When I paid for TV, I paid an extra $10- a month for access to FUEL TV, hated doing it, but it was one of the few stations on cable I enjoyed. I've not missed cable, but I still miss FUEL TV... but not any more.

Don't know a thing about hulu.com, I've spent less than ten minutes at their site. Am looking forward to checking it out in the weeks to come. Guess you have to receive an invite to participate in the beta version I'm using, otherwise, there's something called www.openhulu.com, filled with commercials. I just checked it out- seemed ok to me, everything from 24 to WKRP In Cincinnati, all free. Didn't try watching any of it.

This isn't an advertisement... or an endorsement... just a "golly gee whiz I found this cool new site." And I'm allowed to invite some folks to join me on this beta, commercial free, adventure. So... if you'd like to fill up on The 808, Philip, or never miss SNL again, sleepy head... let me know, and I'll put you in for an invite. Take control of your TV!

I'm going to look into an hdmi cable and a wireless keyboard for my laptop and lay around and watch surfing all day long Monday! I've got a couple years of FUEL TV to catch up on!

blessings,

Eric

I'm Going On!

Mark and Wil Denton - February 8, 2008


I come from "good stock." A family of preachers, story tellers, followers of Christ with a shared history in the church of God: general offices in Anderson, Indiana... headquarters in Heaven. Debi and I spend every Friday with mom and Dad, neither have been in good health for a couple of years and they live with my brother Tim and his wife. Yesterday, Uncle Mark was down from Washington, where he's retired wonderfully with his wife Barbara, and we had the chance to do what we do when we get together: talk about the church, tell stories and sing... it was a good day. The kind of day you walk away from with a very real understanding that it may be the last time you spend a day like that with those people... wish you could have been with us.

Dad, in the red/striped shirt is 93, Uncle Mark, in the dark shirt, is 90. They were born in Princeton, Indiana: 927 N. Seminary St., two of the three youngest of 9 children. Dad and three of his brothers were called to preach: John, Glenn, Dad and Mark, built churches, led revivals, preached camp meetings from one end of the country to the other. Aunt Lois, the youngest of the family, who like Aunt Helen, sang beautifully for The Lord as well, died almost 20 years ago in Anderson. Uncle Glenn died last summer at the age of 95. Dad and Uncle Mark remain, living legacies. I digress... but God is so very, very good.

When I was a kid, the times we were all together were some of the highlights of my life... they all seemed like giants... lovable dad's, normal guys when they were a part... but together... almost untouchable. I think all my cousins would agree, when "the boys" began to sing, preach, tell their stories... it was a little like watching Clark Kent run into a phone booth only to fly out with the earth shaking power of SuperMan! Friday afternoon, dad and Uncle Mark sang again, beautifully... I tried to sing along... but I'm from a much more uncertain generation... the generation that inherited the mission, the music and thankfully The Message. But even still, in their 90's, when the song got going, I knew to go quiet and along with my children, now adults also, smile and enjoy the fact that we were just in the same family as these guys that God has used so well. He is too Good.

As the afternoon came to a close, we sang one more old song: I'm Going On. Hadn't heard it in years... but our hearts and voices swelled, all of us together as we came to the chorus: "I'm going on, I'm going on, until The Final Triumph, I'm going on. I'm going on, I'm going on, until The Final Triumph... I'm going on!" 90 and 93: 183 years of life- singing out loud, doing their best to rattle the windows, each one arm in the air, victory in their eyes, in their voices, most importantly, in their hearts... it was easy to see that they meant to go right on.

Our family- the Denton's -has not been spared heartache. We carry our fair share even still. But we've been given the church... somewhere at some point... each of us has had the opportunity to do what so many others have done... to "see the church." We've seen her at work in our families: spotless and radiant, filled with power and spreading glory in the midst of our mess. My testimony of my Friday afternoon is a simple one- "I've seen the church!" And she's beautiful, worth working a lifetime for, purchased with The Precious Blood of Jesus - One - in His Love and Grace, wonderful in the witness of the redeemed... I have seen the church! Glory!

In so many of my weekly updates about our work in Mexico, Los Angeles, Riverside and even Kenya, I find myself closing with these simple words- "wish you'd been there." Friday afternoon, wish you'd been there. Thankful our kids, Julia and John, had taken their afternoons to join us- it was fun to watch them use their phones to make video of their Grandpa and Great Uncle Mark singing... even more fun to see the child like wonder in their eyes and realize... even if they didn't recognize it right then... that they were seeing the church as well... inspired and thankful... when we hugged one another and headed out our separate ways, I left with a song in my heart- hope it's yours today - "I'm going on!" The Final Triumph is yet to come.

blessings,

Eric

Video Blogging

My son John keeps a video blog... sometimes... you can check it out at the end of this blog. I enjoy it... I like video blogs in general... but he's my son, what can I say?

One of my favorite video blogs is by a computer tech billionaire who meets with his buddies and they pass the video camera around like a cookie jar, filming one another as they each share their perspective, discussing the big changes in the computer industry. Our son recently graduated from California Baptist University, here in Riverside and he said it was common in Missions classes to have live video discussions with missionaries from around the world using SKYPE. That'd be easy to save and post as a video blog. It's all so cool.

A couple of years ago we'd taken a building group to Kenya from Central Community. I was preaching in Kitale, it was videotaped, saved, compressed and then Ken, our associate spent a day or two trying to upload it for our Sunday morning services at home... I think half the message made it... next time we'll just make a video call to SKYPE in Nairobi, film the message as a video call and have someone in Riverside record it! Much easier... maybe...

Anyway... check out John's blog... consider dusting off your seldom used video camera and making one of your own. It's one more great way to "Go! into the whole world..."

blessings,

Eric

Read This Blog

Pastor Steve Rutenbar teaching the masses, just outside Kitale, Kenya

http://www.kenyarelief.blogspot.com/

Read and follow Pastor Steve's blog. Stay current on their time in Kenya in this crisis. You'll grow, I promise. When people ask how we started our work in Kenya, I tell them we went to the univeristy of Steve. It's true. The man's heart for Kenya is huge and he's taught me more than I could ever thank him for. Keep Steve, Dan and Jeff in your prayers today. Continue to pray for the peace of God to move in Kenya.

blessings,

Eric