We're off for a bit as next weekend is the 4th and we've got people away, busy and/or moving. But we will be right back at it July 12th at 5pm, just across from lifeguard 'Tower 2' (on Ocean Beach) in the great Newbreak Cafe!
Thanks to Mike Lodahl who shared from his own travel journal to Israel (circa 1997) and brought the death of King Saul to life for us in a new way. (that doesn't sound right. . . ) Great also to have Alain back! Thanks to Joseph for helping out with music.
Look forward to seeing you all on the 12th. To those too far away to join us on Sunday nights, thanks for your continued prayers and support! We hope to get a podcast going by the fall so you can keep warm with us all year!
Monday, June 29, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
New Hours at Newbreak
We have some new hours for our Ocean Beach church group. Staring this Sunday, June 21st, we will begin gathering at 5p.m. at our usual digs at the fantastic Newbreak Cafe on Abbott Street (just across the road from Tower Two) At 6pm, as the cafe closes, we will begin our worship time together. This week Mary Paul, just prior to heading out east to General Assembly, will give us a sneak peak at some of the material she will be using in a retreat she will be helping to lead. See you Sunday!
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Peru Reflections by Sylvia Cortez
Some of you have asked for a snapshot of my trip to Peru so I wanted to give you a snapshot and make a first attempt at a sort of blog. It is always so rich to be able to be able to travel to distant areas in the world and to share in what God is doing in those places. As I prepared for this trip it occurred to me that this would be an especially meaningful trip because my first international trip was to the jungles of Peru just 22 years ago! Time flies. And I was excited to return and to see with new eyes, the country and people of Peru, and to be witness to all the ways God’s people are gathering and making a difference in their communities.
Our team consisted of 10 PLNU students, my co-leader Craig Johnson (PLNU music professor), and myself.
For those of you that have been on mission trips you know that so much of the joy of these trips is discovering together this new and different culture with rich landscapes, foods, and ways of living and relating that are often different but wonderful. And you know that time consists of a lot of small and large tasks, testimonies, visiting churches and neighborhoods, giving testimonies, preaching and often just fellowshipping with our brothers and sisters. All of these times were rich and our team dynamic just made it even more meaningful. We grew together so much out of a unity and love that I had not experienced in a long time.
There are so many things to be learned on these trips. There are the lessons that the team gets to experience and learn together. And there are lessons learned individually. I at least wanted to share a way that this trip challenged and shaped my reflection.
One of the most challenging things our team was asked to help with was door-to-door evangelism, a ministry task that many North American evangelicals have long abandoned for whatever reasons. As our team processed our ongoing experience, I was really proud of the fact that what we were participating in during our times of debrief was a model for ministry that I think is valuable. It is the simple movements of Reflect-Act-Reflect. To “Reflect” was simply the task of reflecting a bit on the task ahead of us, then to “Act” on the task agreeing to continue to learn through the actual experience, and finally, to be faithful to debrief by once again “Reflecting” on the experience.
Throughout this process our team was honest about the ways that some of us found the experience very powerful and exciting, while others felt uncomfortable sharing with strangers that we might never see again, people with whom we shared no history of relationship, not to mention all the baggage and pre-conceived notions associated with this type of evangelism. And even in the midst of our own hesitancies and processing, I believe that God was at work. In this small way we were encouraged to think about the many ways we do and do not share our faith journey with those in our own community back home. As echoed in the weekly Eucharist prayer, “Forgive us for what we have done and what we have left undone,” we wondered and prayed asking that God would show us a new way of being that would more adequately reflect a spirit of boldness that shamelessly proclaims the message of the gospel within our own communities. In our conversations we came to some understandings…
The first lesson I heard within this experience was Paul’s reminder that we should always be ready to give a reason for the hope that we have. This small reminder was a way of seeing that sharing the gospel whether in words or actions, was simply a way of letting others know that they are not alone both because of God’s love but also because of the love that the community of God has for one another.
The other thought we were compelled to reflect on was the experience of the mystery of God’s love. Again, despite our own hesitancies about the effectiveness of this small task, we knew to trust that God would be at work in his mysterious ways that we often cannot see. So at the end of that week, when we gathered with that church community for a closing service, we were humbled by the many faces we saw, familiar faces of those we had encountered in our door-to-door evangelism experience. In some ways we had doubted that people would show up, and yet, they did! Though we could not explain what drew them in, we could not deny God’s hand at work. What we attempt to explain as we give witness in the world is the mystery of God’s love for us and for the world. Paul speaks of this in a letter to the Corinthians when he says, “So look at Apollos and me as mere servants of Christ who have been put in charge of explaining God’s mysteries.”
There’s a beautiful closing scene in the movie, A Beautiful Mind. At the end of his life, Mathematician John Nash, having lived a difficult life with mental illness, realizes that had it not been for the one person who believed in him, his wife Alicia, he would have chosen a more solitary and lonely life and would not have arrived at many of the places of discovery and accomplishment. And he says, “I have made the most important discovery of my career, the most important discovery of my life: It is only in the mysterious equations of love that any logic or reasons can be found.” Hearing these words shortly after I returned from Peru vividly brought home to me the rich lessons I had learned in this recent trip; the lesson that I hope continues to grow and deepen within me.
It’s amazing how a trip to a distant land can help us find deeper roots and purpose within our own communities. In the church community that I am a part of, our small home group has prayed for months to be guided by God’s spirit as we attempt to find a place and purpose within the sometimes transient, broken-hearted and wandering community in which we find ourselves. But as I think of these recent lessons I feel empowered to pray that God would continue to show us the depths of his mysterious love both individually and corporately. And I pray that God would give us the courage to embody this mystery as we faithfully gather together week after week. Just as I have been witness to God at work in Peru, I know God is at work here in San Diego. I know we don’t always get it right, and that sometimes it seems we are less than the body of Christ that we’re called to be…sometimes more insecure than courageous, sometimes more skeptical than hopeful, sometimes more closed than we are open with one another. And yet Christ, in the most mysterious ways, works through our humanness. And, mystery of all mysteries, decides to show up anyways…decides to be present. Praise be to God.
One of my favorite reflections on the church comes from Frederick Beuchner. It is both about who we are and the ways we gather for church. I leave it is a hopeful and encouraging word on an authentic way to be, and to be with one another as we attempt to live out the mystery of community, the mystery of the body and blood and all the many ways we are constantly being transformed in that mystery:
“What I mean is that if we come to a church right, we come to it more fully and nakedly ourselves, come with more of our humanness showing, than we are apt to come to most places. We come like Moses with much on our shoes – foot sore and travel-stained with the dust of our lives upon us, our failures, our deceits, our hypocrisies, because if, unlike Moses, we have never taken anybody’s life, we have again and again withheld from other people, including often even those who are nearest to us, the love that might have made their lives worth living, not to mention our own. Like Moses we come here as we are, and like him we come as strangers and exiles in our way because wherever it is that we truly belong, whatever it is that is truly home for us, we know in our hearts that we have somehow lost it and gotten lost. Something is missing from our lives that we cannot even name – something we know best from the empty place inside us all where it belongs. We come here to find what we have lost. We come here to acknowledge that in terms of the best we could be we are lost and that we are helpless to save ourselves. We come here to confess our sins."
A Room Called Remember
Frederick Buechner
Our team consisted of 10 PLNU students, my co-leader Craig Johnson (PLNU music professor), and myself.
For those of you that have been on mission trips you know that so much of the joy of these trips is discovering together this new and different culture with rich landscapes, foods, and ways of living and relating that are often different but wonderful. And you know that time consists of a lot of small and large tasks, testimonies, visiting churches and neighborhoods, giving testimonies, preaching and often just fellowshipping with our brothers and sisters. All of these times were rich and our team dynamic just made it even more meaningful. We grew together so much out of a unity and love that I had not experienced in a long time.
There are so many things to be learned on these trips. There are the lessons that the team gets to experience and learn together. And there are lessons learned individually. I at least wanted to share a way that this trip challenged and shaped my reflection.
One of the most challenging things our team was asked to help with was door-to-door evangelism, a ministry task that many North American evangelicals have long abandoned for whatever reasons. As our team processed our ongoing experience, I was really proud of the fact that what we were participating in during our times of debrief was a model for ministry that I think is valuable. It is the simple movements of Reflect-Act-Reflect. To “Reflect” was simply the task of reflecting a bit on the task ahead of us, then to “Act” on the task agreeing to continue to learn through the actual experience, and finally, to be faithful to debrief by once again “Reflecting” on the experience.
Throughout this process our team was honest about the ways that some of us found the experience very powerful and exciting, while others felt uncomfortable sharing with strangers that we might never see again, people with whom we shared no history of relationship, not to mention all the baggage and pre-conceived notions associated with this type of evangelism. And even in the midst of our own hesitancies and processing, I believe that God was at work. In this small way we were encouraged to think about the many ways we do and do not share our faith journey with those in our own community back home. As echoed in the weekly Eucharist prayer, “Forgive us for what we have done and what we have left undone,” we wondered and prayed asking that God would show us a new way of being that would more adequately reflect a spirit of boldness that shamelessly proclaims the message of the gospel within our own communities. In our conversations we came to some understandings…
The first lesson I heard within this experience was Paul’s reminder that we should always be ready to give a reason for the hope that we have. This small reminder was a way of seeing that sharing the gospel whether in words or actions, was simply a way of letting others know that they are not alone both because of God’s love but also because of the love that the community of God has for one another.
The other thought we were compelled to reflect on was the experience of the mystery of God’s love. Again, despite our own hesitancies about the effectiveness of this small task, we knew to trust that God would be at work in his mysterious ways that we often cannot see. So at the end of that week, when we gathered with that church community for a closing service, we were humbled by the many faces we saw, familiar faces of those we had encountered in our door-to-door evangelism experience. In some ways we had doubted that people would show up, and yet, they did! Though we could not explain what drew them in, we could not deny God’s hand at work. What we attempt to explain as we give witness in the world is the mystery of God’s love for us and for the world. Paul speaks of this in a letter to the Corinthians when he says, “So look at Apollos and me as mere servants of Christ who have been put in charge of explaining God’s mysteries.”
There’s a beautiful closing scene in the movie, A Beautiful Mind. At the end of his life, Mathematician John Nash, having lived a difficult life with mental illness, realizes that had it not been for the one person who believed in him, his wife Alicia, he would have chosen a more solitary and lonely life and would not have arrived at many of the places of discovery and accomplishment. And he says, “I have made the most important discovery of my career, the most important discovery of my life: It is only in the mysterious equations of love that any logic or reasons can be found.” Hearing these words shortly after I returned from Peru vividly brought home to me the rich lessons I had learned in this recent trip; the lesson that I hope continues to grow and deepen within me.
It’s amazing how a trip to a distant land can help us find deeper roots and purpose within our own communities. In the church community that I am a part of, our small home group has prayed for months to be guided by God’s spirit as we attempt to find a place and purpose within the sometimes transient, broken-hearted and wandering community in which we find ourselves. But as I think of these recent lessons I feel empowered to pray that God would continue to show us the depths of his mysterious love both individually and corporately. And I pray that God would give us the courage to embody this mystery as we faithfully gather together week after week. Just as I have been witness to God at work in Peru, I know God is at work here in San Diego. I know we don’t always get it right, and that sometimes it seems we are less than the body of Christ that we’re called to be…sometimes more insecure than courageous, sometimes more skeptical than hopeful, sometimes more closed than we are open with one another. And yet Christ, in the most mysterious ways, works through our humanness. And, mystery of all mysteries, decides to show up anyways…decides to be present. Praise be to God.
One of my favorite reflections on the church comes from Frederick Beuchner. It is both about who we are and the ways we gather for church. I leave it is a hopeful and encouraging word on an authentic way to be, and to be with one another as we attempt to live out the mystery of community, the mystery of the body and blood and all the many ways we are constantly being transformed in that mystery:
“What I mean is that if we come to a church right, we come to it more fully and nakedly ourselves, come with more of our humanness showing, than we are apt to come to most places. We come like Moses with much on our shoes – foot sore and travel-stained with the dust of our lives upon us, our failures, our deceits, our hypocrisies, because if, unlike Moses, we have never taken anybody’s life, we have again and again withheld from other people, including often even those who are nearest to us, the love that might have made their lives worth living, not to mention our own. Like Moses we come here as we are, and like him we come as strangers and exiles in our way because wherever it is that we truly belong, whatever it is that is truly home for us, we know in our hearts that we have somehow lost it and gotten lost. Something is missing from our lives that we cannot even name – something we know best from the empty place inside us all where it belongs. We come here to find what we have lost. We come here to acknowledge that in terms of the best we could be we are lost and that we are helpless to save ourselves. We come here to confess our sins."
A Room Called Remember
Frederick Buechner
Thursday, June 11, 2009
What's up in Peru?
This Sunday night, June 14th, at Newbreak we look forward to hearing from Sylvia Cortez who just got back from Peru with a Loveworks team from PLNU. Welcome home Sylvia! Even though I'm sure she's still quite tired, Sylvia has graciously agreed to fill us in on all her adventures and her still unfolding reflections on what it all might mean.
Once again the food and hang-out time will run from 6 to 7p.m. (bring about $6 bucks for sandwiches) with our more formal worship time starting around 7p.m. Mark Mann will once again provide music. Also, we've been so fortunate to have Tasha Wright helping us out with childcare! The kids have really hit it off with her.
We had a very special time of sharing and prayer last week. It was Trinity Sunday and Mary did a great job of leading us in a study of this complex and beautiful topic. Earlier she helped unleash our creative side by having us engage in some drawing of themes and images that came to mind as we listened to the week's lectionary scriptures being read. At one point in the service Mark Mann made sure we stopped to notice the unusually beautiful ocean sunset in full view right across the street from the cafe. God certainly blessed Ocean Beach with a beautiful evening.
It was great to have Holly back with us and we enjoyed getting to meet Mark and Melissa's neighbor Kimberly. Hope to see you all again soon! Remember, we've always got room for more!
Once again the food and hang-out time will run from 6 to 7p.m. (bring about $6 bucks for sandwiches) with our more formal worship time starting around 7p.m. Mark Mann will once again provide music. Also, we've been so fortunate to have Tasha Wright helping us out with childcare! The kids have really hit it off with her.
We had a very special time of sharing and prayer last week. It was Trinity Sunday and Mary did a great job of leading us in a study of this complex and beautiful topic. Earlier she helped unleash our creative side by having us engage in some drawing of themes and images that came to mind as we listened to the week's lectionary scriptures being read. At one point in the service Mark Mann made sure we stopped to notice the unusually beautiful ocean sunset in full view right across the street from the cafe. God certainly blessed Ocean Beach with a beautiful evening.
It was great to have Holly back with us and we enjoyed getting to meet Mark and Melissa's neighbor Kimberly. Hope to see you all again soon! Remember, we've always got room for more!
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