Children and Parents Really Are Interested in God’s Word

I wanted to share a quick story about indoor soccer last night. We were short-staffed, so I had to coach the 4 and 5 year olds (which, actually, I love to do!) Usually, in the middle of indoor soccer, we stop and have a short Bible lesson taught by my daughter and some girls from our teenage girls club.

Eight o’clock rolled around, and they weren’t there. As time went on, some of the parents started asking if we were going to have the club. I was expecting the kids to ask, but the parents were the ones who were asking. I was surprised. I sometimes wonder if parents think we are imposing on the time with our half-time Bible lessons. I couldn’t be more wrong.

The Bible club teachers finally arrived, and all the children moved to the center of the court for the lesson. It was great to see how much they concentrated on the lesson. They were really in to it.

After the lesson, I turned my back and called out to start the soccer games again. When I turned back around, there was a big circle or kids around the Bible club teachers. I called again and no one moved. I had forgotten that the children could recite last week’s Bible verse for a small prize. They all wanted to do it. It was another 10 minutes before I could get the soccer games going again. Thank you Lord for reminding me that people really ARE hungry for your Word!

Our First Christmas on Dumbarton

Christmas can be one of the few opportunities for people to get to know their neighbors, especially in the Silicon Valley. So many people live in condos and apartment buildings here, and I regularly hear about people who have lived in the same place for years and never even met their neighbors.

While growing up, both April and I had parents that had us making home-made cookies and passing them out to the neighbors some time around Christmas. In April’s neighborhood in Tulsa, the love is passed around, and there is often more plates of various brownies, caramels, peanut brittle and the like received from the neighbors than passed out. It’s a sign of a great neighborhood.

Two years ago, we moved to Dumbarton Ave. in East Palo Alto, near the center of the city and close to the school where RYAA does most of its work. As Christmas Eve approached, we thought that doing the Christmas cookie thing would be a great way to meet our new neighbors. As we started making the cookies, I could sense that my children were a little nervous. It seemed to be a mix of not knowing what to expect, and having teenagers who simply didn’t want to look stupid. Were we going to look like a crazy white family trying to show off and just make things worse? Were we going to make people feel bad if they didn’t have anything to give back? Legitimate questions.

The first house went OK, and we received some smiles. But the second house was the beginning of things to come. With a big smile, this neighbor said, “Wow, thanks! You want to come in? We have tamales!” Well, there is a special place in my heart for good tamales. We had a great time, and left 30 minutes later with full bellies, and ready to go to our third house.

We went a few houses down to the home of one of our soccer families, and noticed they had a fire going out in the front yard and some family standing around. We were welcomed to the fire with smiles and passed the cookies around. And then I noticed a big pot on the fire. We were beckoned to the pot, and as the mom lifted the lid, she said, “Carnitas”. I was staring into about 40 pounds of stewed pork meet, simmering in beer and spices. 30 minutes later, I had enough. We stumbled back towards home, about 4 houses away.

As we got past 2 houses, I recognized another neighbor, one of our soccer dads, in front of his house. We dropped off some cookies, and he said to come back in a few hours, their party was going to get going. 2 hours later, as I approached their house, I saw a big crowd in the front yard, surrounding a huge blow up pillow, similar to one of those bounce houses, but without the top. In the middle of the pillow, was a mechanical bull.  A child was riding the bull, and the bored looking Mexican operator was giving the child a nice, fun, slow ride.

Wow, I always wanted to ride one of those. My neighbor, with a big smile, invited me to get in line behind the kids. Cool, this will be fun. As I got on the bull, my neighbor’s smile got bigger. In fact the whole crowd was smiling, including the bull operator. As we got going, my belly started reminding me of the two large meals I had a few hours earlier. After about 60 seconds, I wondered when the ride ends. The operator’s smile got bigger, and the ride got faster. The ride ends when you fall off. Somehow, my bottom found a seam between two pillows, and I found a spot that wasn’t quite so soft. An experience I will never forget.

I was taught a few lessons that Christmas (like, never ride a mechanical bull on a full stomach and always ask how the ride ends). Anyway, I encourage you to reach out to your neighbors this Christmas, and don’t let those little voices make you feel stupid. You never know what will happen.

Merry Christmas!

Getting Up the Hill

Windy Hill

I like to mountain bike to stay in some semblance of physical condition. There is a dirt road at the end of Portola Rd. in Portola Valley that is killer, and winds its way up through the Windy Hill Open Space Preserve. 1.6 miles, 1300 ft. up. In the middle of this climb are three brutal hills, one after the other. They are what I hate about this ride, and they are why I come.

These hills are just steep enough that I am in my lowest gear, but have to pump my legs hard to keep the bike going and keep from falling off the bike. Each hill ends with about 5 feet that is extra steep, where I need to lean forward as far as possible to keep from lifting the front tire and either falling sideways or flipping backwards. Each hill is just long enough that I can barely make it up with my legs screaming and chest pounding. I then get a brief rest while I slowly approach the next hill, and do it again. Yes, I am nuts.

As I approach each hill, the fear begins. I know this is going to hurt. As the climb begins, I start asking myself why am I doing this? Why not just walk the bike up the hill? Better yet, why don’t I just walk the bike down the hill and go get a latte!  And then I hear another voice, that says “You have done this before, you can do this again.” And I latch on to that voice to get me up the hill.

I have found my faith in Christ to be a lot like that hill. There are times where my faith is really challenged. Contemplating issues that challenge the authenticity of the Bible are tough. Also, when I have to confront someone, or apologize for something, I go in to freak out mode. I hate that.

And then I remember what my college pastor Jerry Lambert used to say, “Trust in the dark what you know to be true in the light.” He got that from his mentor Bob Munger, who I understand got that from his mentor before him. It helps me to remember the miracles around me, my wonderful family and seeing Christ change lives in the RYAA youth. And in particular, I remember the amazing work God has done in my life, and contemplate with awe and trembling what I might have been without Christ. And then I get a latte.

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. – Romans 8:16