Happy New Year... 2009... living out a great theme

It's been a month or more... thought I'd start the new year by posting links to videos of our Christmas Party at Siempre Para Los Ninos- our children's home in Tijuana, Mexico

2008 Christmas Party at Siempre Para Los Ninos @ Yahoo! Video

and Jackets for Jesus Christmas Party on skidrow.

2008 Christmas on Skid Row - Jackets for Jesus @ Yahoo! Video

Each event was hugely successful because of the positive support of so many people, both at our church home, Central Community, and our extended family of support. People just like you and me. (a bunch of times IT WAS you and me!)

I try my best to live by a simple maxim: "Everybody wants to do something good for God- they just don't know how." These video's are made possible by people who've opened their hearts and lives to discover some of the good God wants them to do and have given themselves to it in ways small and large.

I'm praying that each of us opens our hearts to listen, learn and live in God's Grace in 2009 - doing all the good things we were not only created to do - but also those things that fulfill us in ways we've yet to discover. May God richly bless you in your creative pursuits of serving Him while meeting the needs of others. May He receive all the glory, now and forever.

richest blessings,

and happy new year!

Eric

The Back Packs are Here!

I've already handed out over 200... and that great big stack of boxes still occupies the corner of my office. You're invited to get a free backpack, fill it with everything you think you'd like if you were homeless and return it for Jackets for Jesus Christmas Party on the streets of LA, Sunday night, December 21, 2008. As in everything we do: You're Invited! If you've never been to skidrow- it's a great first night to go. Call me for info... or backpacks!

blessings,

Eric

My Week... so far...

It all started normally enough- after preaching our services at , Central Community, rested for the afternoon, then headed out to the streets of skid row in Los Angeles for our weekly work with Jackets for Jesus. I'd battled a tooth ache all weekend, so... Monday morning bright and early I was waiting at my dentist office. Fortunately they said they could make the pain go away in a matter of days. Unfortunately it was going to cost several thousand dollars. I walked. Told them I'd live on Motrin until I could make a decision.


That's my friend, Joe, he's a professional fishing guide, member of Central Community and all around good guy who's been trying to get his pastor out on his boat fishing for a year or more... life get's busy... we'd agreed to get together Tuesday morning for a few hours on a local lake. He picked me up just before 7am, beautiful bass boat in tow, me hauling a mouth load of pain and the promise of a dentist who said she'd just pull the tooth for $125- the next day. Fishing ahead, end of pain in sight, we headed out for a great morning.

I've only fished with a guide once before in my life- and never on fresh water -if you've never done it, I highly reccomend it. And if you're in Southern California, give Joe a call, he works all the main, and some of the not so main lakes. Sat back on his boat, used his gear, he even taught me a completely new style of fishing. It's been awhile since I've fished fresh water and even longer since I've targeted large mouth bass. We slayed 'em. Well actually we didn't kill any of them- but we caught a bunch- keeping a few of the larger ones in the live well for a end of morning photo before sending them back to where they belonged, sore lips, but ready to fight another day. While fishing, the tooth pulling dentist called and said she could see me in two hours, it was an early end to our day but I needed an early end to the pain. Here's me before the big release.


also caught this incidental catfish on plastic... this guy went to a friend for dinner!


The dentist ended up saving my tooth and shipping me off to an endodontist who operated with a cool microscope shoved down my mouth... interesting... feels much better now... after 3 days of dental work and several more to come.



Skipped out on Siempre Wednesday and spent the afternoon with friends at CBS Studios in Hollywood for American Idol Gives Back. Getting tickets to the event seemed too good to be true... apparently it was. Ended up being a first come first served kind of deal and we didn't make it in- just a parking lot away from the stars! Still had a great night with friends- stopping in Pomona for dinner -a first for me. They were all natives of the area and Debi and I were able to eat enchilada's and chile relleno while hearing stories of growing up in Pomona. Way better than American Idol!


More dental work Thursday morning. Worked all afternoon then preached in our Thursday everning services. Worked and rested Friday morning then spent the afternoon with mom and dad. Clicked this shot while visiting mom at the nursing home. We'd picked up dad, where he lives with my brother Tim and his wife Nancy, gone through Del Taco, then ate with mom. It's odd the changes in life we can adjust to: dad living with Tim, mom in the nursing home... both amazingly confused much of the time with so little short term memory and the long term fading fast. Makes an afternoon together so sweet. Once mom had tired of us... or actually dad was ready to go, forced dad out for a hair cut then back to Tim's.

Debi and I ended the evening at dinner together in Orange County, waiting for the traffic to ease before we hit the freeway home. It's Saturday morning and I have a full day scheduled, but that's my week... so far... it's been a good one, a painful one, an expensive one, another one... filled with miracles and wonders... hope your week was equally amazing.

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.

The Word of Peace

Man waves a machete in Nakuru, Kenya. 1-27-08 SKY News

I'm not preaching today. That's unusual. Rare. I preach 4 times a week, or more, at least 50 times a year. I've not preached for two weeks... it's been a good break and I've enjoyed listening to God's Word as our son John and our friend, Pastor Dean Witkop, have shared my regular preaching schedule. God has blessed us.

But I should have been preaching... in Kenya... but the church was burned to the ground. Today, Sunday, January 27, we would have been wrapping up our Nairobi crusade after preaching in Kibera. The church is gone. The crusade would have been the same as last years- outside in a parking lot in the market place with large loud speakers, followed by the Jesus Film. The market places have been burned to the ground. Curfews are in place. The only crowds that are gathering - gather with machetes, bow and arrow, rocks in hand... hearts filled with anger. Even funerals for those killed in the rioting have quickly become flashpoints of violence and death.

The Word of Peace seems to be silenced... but God is not dead or deaf to our prayers.

Religious leaders from across Kenya are building a coalition of faith, crying out for peace. Spiritual leaders from around the world with a heart for Kenya are flying into the storm with a heart to serve. And the church, too often silent in times of crisis... so quiet as Rwanda faced her day of reckoning... is in prayer... praying for peace... praying for God to show how we can serve in this miserable moment for Kenya.

People fight poverty around the world. Violence happens in silence to children, women, the elderly, the disabled, the disenfranchised in every nation... in America. Jesus walked almong "the least of these..." and promised that when we did the same, we were serving Him. Christ has placed Kenya in our hearts but you don't have to go to Kenya to meet the need. Each of us live in community's filled with those in need of The Word of Peace in their time of heartbreak, loss, confusion, pain, poverty, hunger, anger, sin... and when it seems the skies are silent and we get no immediate response, God is working - in us - we're the one that prayed. He longs to give us a heart to serve and a willingness to share ourselves with those far from His Peace- wherever they live -whatever the reason.

May you richly experience The Peace of God today.

blessings,

Eric

just a taste

An incredible time on the streets Sunday night serving with Jackets for Jesus on skidrow. It was our 19th Christmas in the heart of the city and God blessed it in ways we could have never imagined that first frightening night on the streets almost 1,000 Sundays ago. God's taught us so much, we've made so many amazing friends and we've been given the opportunity to serve that no one deserves. God is too good.

A couple hundred of us celebrated in the serving last week while nearly 900 men, women and children received backpacks filled in love. I only got a couple shots on the streets... some video before the packs were in the truck... this is it... just a small taste of our evening. enjoy!

Eric

from a distance

Not so very long ago... waiting for Christmas to come... the workers of Jackets for Jesus, our ministry to the homeless of Los Angeles, were caught up in a robbery. Christmas was weeks away. It was a cold night. The McDonald's we were sitting in was empty, until some young men came in, masked, guns in hand and forced the workers on the floor while they emptied the registers and safe. It was pretty scary. It was the second time we'd been caught between the guns and money on a Sunday night.

Our workers are dedicated.

Christmas music was playing, we'd been ignoring it until the end of a pistol silenced us all... then we heard it clearly, Bette Midler singing her Christmas version of "From a Distance." She was in full voice, mid chorus, singing "God is watching us, God is watching us..." Peace moved freely. Robert started singing along. Our hearts, while not yet beating, were at ease. It was as if God WAS watching us and from not too very far away. It seemed like He was right there.

The song now holds a special place in each of our hearts. Bette Midler jumped way up my list of favorites- she'd become a messenger of peace when we needed one most.

Christmas is just weeks away. So much will fill our lives in the days to come. Some of it will be amazing... some heartbreaking... some of us will face disappointment we never anticipated... God is watching us and from not so very far away. He's in charge, even when life gets out of control, we choose to live in His peace... or not.

It may be October- but it's a Christmas song of the day -it's a great reminder of His Presence through it all this last year. A reminder that regardless of what's out ahead, He'll be there, we can share His Peace. We can prepare our hearts for joy: God is watching us.

Play the song of the day in the sidebar... don't get too caught up in the words... think of some scary guys with guns in McDonald's and the amazing message one song sent to some frightened people... He has a message for you in your most frightening moment... when it all comes down, listen... God is watching us.

Merry Christmas!

Click to hear music file

Big Dreams... in action!

That's my buddy Joe's, (aka Aloha Joe), Pumpkin Patch. Stopped by to visit on my way down for Jackets for Jesus, our work with the homeless on skidrow. Joe's a dreamer who's put his dreams in action. He left a job he was unhappy with to start his own business with party jumpers and he's now parlayed that business into his first pumpkin patch- using all his jumpers- and a Christmas Tree lot in the same place once the pumpkin's are gone.

He's deeply invested. He's giving it his all. He's having a blast. Joe's a people person- thrives on being in a crowd- watching his pumpkin patch sprout and grow has definitely been a highlight of this month for me. I drive by, scan the lot, look for his face or maybe the face of one of his family, stop in when it looks like they're not too busy and drive by smiling when the place is packed. Pretty cool.

Might sound like a simple dream- sell some pumpkins, give a family a safe place to hang out and have fun together in the middle of what's become a pretty scary holiday, hopefully end up a success at the end of the day... by my measurement he's already there... he's doing it, living his dream.

Hope you're living yours today. I'm heading down to skid row to live out part of the dream God's given me. There's something for everyone. God's good.

blessings,

Eric

One Voice

It was a much needed, unifying highlight of the '60's - America landing men safely on the moon. It's tough to find someone old enough to remember who couldn't tell you exactly where they were as they watched those men bravely step out onto the surface of a new world. I was 15 years old and working as a bus boy at Phillips Chicken Pie Shop on Pine Ave. in downtown Long Beach. A crowd gathered behind the lunch counter and stared in disbelief, some prayed, we all cheered: just to see them safe... just to see them... we felt a little like the jetson's might really be our neighbors some day. It was an incredible moment.

The moment began with one man- our president -who challenged a nation to lift her eyes to a new horizon, beyond ourselves. Sadly, President Kennedy didn't live to share the world's celebration as some of our own sent home their incredible video journal. But it was his voice, his steadfastness, his inspiration that got the project going, set a deadline from the start and motivated us to believe that anything was possible.

Just one voice changed the way we looked at the world.

I once ate lunch with Jim Irwin, one of the other 12 men who eventually walked on the moon. I asked him all the same questions he'd probably been asked a million times before. I keep his photo, on the moon, autographed to me, just above my desk. He was a humble man who was kind to a young preacher. Jackets for Jesus, our work with the homeless in Los Angeles had just begun. He gave me one of his personal flight jackets to give to a homeless man - Col. Jim Irwin, beautifully stitched in - I handed it out one brutally cold night to a man who cared more about the warmth than the story behind it. I'll never forget watching that jacket walk away- keeping a man, earthbound by poverty, warm, from the back of a man who'd looked down on the earth from the surface of the moon. Jim said the entire earth; billions of people, each with their own stories, hid neatly behind his raised thumb... it amazes me still.

One voice united a generation, one act of kindness kept a man warm, one life- well lived -leaves an imprint on eternity. It's our voice, it's our choice, it's our legacy... so many are waiting for direction. We can change the world, one day at a time.

blessings,

Eric