church//gym 2/13::

 A couple of weeks ago I was running on the treadmill and something happened suddenly in my calf muscle. Something pulled or popped, or knotted up, I still don't know. All I know is that I stopped immediately and limped into my car. I got a lot of advice from some smart people- one said to stretch; one said to wear a brace; one said to eat potassium, and they all said that I needed ice and listen to my body- which meant to rest. But I didn't rest. I didn't want to stop running. So I just kept getting on that treadmill every night. I took all the advice that those friends gave me except rest. Some nights I could run for 2 minutes before quitting, some nights 5 or 10. Every night it was painful. Its been painful just walking around.

To be honest- that's not the only wound I've been carrying around. Recently my heart was wounded by a friend- and just like my leg muscle, I've been ignoring that wound and just hoping that it would go away on its own. And all the time, the pain just goes deeper, and the damage is becoming more serious. Last night I was driving to the gym and thought to myself, "maybe this leg injury is just a picture of what is happening in my heart- and what I need more than anything is to admit that I'm hurt and deal with it instead of thinking that it will all go away with time."

Yesterday I met with some friends for prayer and community, and I shared- "this just isn't going away on its own- I just need to let it go." That was big for me-

My leg is finally on the mend- and my heart is too- and both began when I got honest that those wounds were real and began to deal with them, face them and respect them. And God has graciously began to do His healing work. Its not fast- or always enjoyable, but its the best way.

God is love.
-rev-rob

I love malibu grill.

there is a sports bar about a mile from my office called the malibu grill- and I love it. I love the atmosphere; I love the food; I love the people who work there. I love talking with people there- whether its a serious conversation, or just catching up or meeting for the first time, its a place where I feel comfortable. I call it my other office- because I'm there so often. when people ask me to go to lunch, they don't even ask where I want to go anymore- they just say, "malibu right?"
here are some memories that come to mind when I think of the malibu grill-

// I was introduced to the grill by my friend Ed- I immediately fell in love with the place, and there were a few weeks where he and I went there almost every day, talking about sports and deepening our friendship.

// one time I rented the place out, and brought all of the middle school volunteers there for dinner. some of my favorite people in one of my favorite places, eating some of my favorite food- just like heaven!

// one time the grill caught on fire and they had to shut down for months to remodel. I remember going by on that day and talking with the owner- my friend Carlos. I was so sad to hear that it was going to be closed down! then one day he actually came by my office and asked me if he could borrow the church's kitchen to fulfill a catering job- of course the church agreed. a few days later, I was walking in the church hallway, and I just stopped in my tracks and thought, "I smell malibu!" and there they were- right there in the kitchen, grilling away. the day after, they treated the church staff to a BBQ lunch. it was beautiful.

// a bunch of kids and leaders from church used to go each week after church to watch football, and eat appetizers. good times!

// last summer, jane and I went to the grill often on our epic 30 day vacation, to watch the olympics, eat food, and talk about things.

// whenever I do my french-fry-fast, the first fries I always eat are from malibu.

// ben and diane had malibu cater their wedding. I officiate the wedding, and when I walked up to the church, I smelled the ribs on the bbq and thought, "this is a holy moment!"

// we had carlos and the gang come out a cater an all student volunteer appreciation dinner. I think I appreciated it more than anyone!

the other night, deanna, jane and I were having dinner at malibu before I spoke at the college group. I asked them, "how many times do you think I've been to the malibu grill?" deanna said, "well, at least twice a week for eleven and a half years!" I figured that's about 1200 times. 1200 times?! here is to 1200 more!

God is love.
-rev-rob

mexico story

Last week I drove past the McDonald's in front of Disneyland and it reminded me of this story:

Several years ago I went on a missions trip to build houses in Mexico. My friend Chris was leading the trip, and more than anything, I just wanted to support him and to help the trip run smoothly. My job was to drive the 15 passenger van, and I took that job seriously. I wanted to make sure that whenever Chris needed to move kids with my van, that it would be ready.

On the first morning of the trip, we were all eating breakfast, and Chris shouted out, "5 minutes until we load the vans!" That was my call to action. I cleaned up my breakfast, got my tools, and got in my van. I made sure that the doors were unlocked, the engine was running, and the A/C was blowing. 5 minutes passed. No students. The 10 minutes. My mind started racing. "Where are those kids? We're going to be late? How can I help Chris right now?" So I started honking the horn and shouting out, "LET'S GO! WE'RE BURNING DAYLIGHT! I GOT A HOUSE TO BUILD!"

Well, I couldn't see it, but Chris had called an impromptu prayer meeting with all of the kids on the way to the van. And the meeting was interrupted by my honking and yelling.

You would think that Chris and these kids would have thought this was funny. They didn't. The students came up to my van and shouted, "ROB! We were having a prayer meeting!" Even Chris came by and told me that wasn't cool. How was I supposed to know? I was just being an excellent van driver.

Well, it took a few more honking, yelling, and scolding mornings before I decided to just go with the flow and watch out for these prayer meetings.

Meanwhile, back in San Jose, a dear woman who was loved by many lost her battle with cancer. This news reached our group while we were on our way home.

Chris had us stop for breakfast at the McDonald's across the street from Disneyland. The students were hoping that he was surprising them with a day there, but he wasn't. After breakfast, he shouted out that familiar announcement: "5 minutes until we load the vans!" So I sprang into action. I cleaned up my food, got a refill and got into my van. 5 minutes passed. Then 10. Where were those kids? They were making us late! So I did what I needed to do to support Chris. I honked and yelled.

Another impromptu prayer meeting, and another scolding by the entire group. "What were you guys praying about anyway? We're on our way home!"

One girl snapped back, "we were praying for the dead lady from church!" "What are you praying for her for? SHE'S DEAD! She's with Jesus! She doesn't need your prayers!"

Well, you would think these kids would appreciate some good theology from a pastor, but the ENTIRE van flipped out and yelled, "ROB! HOW DARE YOU say something like that about that dead lady!"

And it was at that moment that I condluded that some people just don't appreciate good theology or efficient van driving.

God is love.
-rev-rob

vw conversations

so- whenever someone gets into my car for the first time, the following conversation, word-for-word, inevitably takes place:

them: "it smells like crayons in here."
me: "I know."
them: "do you have crayons in here?"
me: "no."
them: "its not a bad smell- its kind of nostalgic. I like the smell."
me: "oh- good."
them: "do you think there are some crayons stuck between the seats?"
me: "no."

every time.
never fails.

quiet::runner, part 1

when I run at the gym, I run at a pretty good pace, but not super-fast; like 8 miles an hour. I try to run for a whole hour. there are always guys who step onto the treadmills next to me and set their treadmills for 10, 11, sometimes 12 miles an hour. they sprint on those treadmills, for a few seconds, maybe a minute, and then they give up. I keep waiting for one of them to fall off. they go fast, but in the end, I think I get the better workout.

I have been thinking about running, and introversion, and I have this analogy- introverts are like a long distance runner. they go slow, for long periods of time, and they are comfortable with that. it feels natural to them. as a long distance runner (I say that somewhat tongue in cheek, because I know that there are people out there who put in WAY more miles and time than me), I COULD run a fast sprint, and I could probably sprint fairly well, but I wouldn’t last that long. not only that, it wouldn’t be very comfortable, and I would probably have to really train for a long time to be effective.

when I was in high school, there were guys on my track team who were natural sprinters. they almost never trained, and they were always lightning fast- but not me.

as an introvert, there are things that I can do that I’m comfortable with. they come naturally for me. almost like being a distance runner. some people think of distance running and it makes them ill. and some people think of introvert activities like reading, or studying or solitude and that don’t understand how we do it.

and as an introvert, there are things that I’m not so good at- almost like sprinting. I CAN do them, I just can’t do them for very long periods of time. and when I do, it takes lots of practice. when it comes to working with large groups, I can do it, just not for long periods of time- and it doesn’t always feel natural, and it takes lots of practice, but if I work on it, I can be effective in short bursts- like a sprint.

some extroverts remind me of those sprinters I knew in high school. things like working in front of a crowd comes so naturally for them and they don’t have to work as hard at it as I do.

if you’re an introvert like me, you may think that there are some things that you could just never do, but that’s not true. you can speak in front of groups and be the center of attention for short periods of time. not only that, you can be very effective at it if you take the time to practice ahead of time, and give yourself some quiet recovery afterward. if you’re an introvert, you’re like a long distance runner. you have rare skills that not many people have. you may be called on to act extroverted from time to time, and you can do it, it may not feel natural, and it will take some hard work, but you can. and the advantages that you have as an introvert will give your work a quality that will set you apart. so don’t be afraid of opportunities to be in front of groups- just understand yourself with your unique set of advantages and disadvantages. maximize those advantages, and compensate for the things that don’t come naturally. and don’t let your discomfort steal an opportunity from you.

God is love.
-rev-rob

which winnie the pooh character am I?

Jane has been watching a lot of winnie the pooh lately- which makes me delighted, because I have always loved those stories and characters (this blog is named after pooh's thoughtful spot). I've written a few blogs about pooh here.

as I have been watching the mvies with her and as I see the characters come on screen, I keep thinking to myself, "oh that's me." so which pooh-bear character am I?

christopher robin?
I have always thought of myself as a Christopher Robin- like this happy introvert who is content to be alone in the hundred acre wood with his thoughts and his toys- christopher robin also enjoys being outside on the trails of the hundred acre wood; he is friendly and helpful to his friends. but who I want to be, and who I actually am most like may be off a bit- christopher robin loves an adventure, and me, not so much.

pooh-bear?
pooh is also a happy introvert who enjoys making up games, and songs and also prefers the company of one other friend, like christopher robin or piglet. pooh is an optimist who always sees the bright side of things; and pooh loves to help someone or to cheer them up. pooh tends to be kind of a glutton when he's around honey- maybe I'm like pooh! I can get a little crazy for sweets, and I do enjoy helping, encouraging, and time spent alone or with one friend-

tigger?
tigger is definitely silly. and he likes to pick on people a bit- especially with his bounces. my family might describe me as tigger- because I do like to be silly around them. some of my student and staff friends might describe me as a tigger too- since I've been known to do a little picking on them. tigger and I also don't like heights or honey. he and I are also under the impression that we are experts at everything. but tigger is definitely an extrovert, has endlesss energy, and can't stand it when he is alone or not the center of attention, so probably not-

owl?
owl has quite a bit to say about just about everything. owl is under the impression that he is brilliant, and that his fun-facts about everything are all fascinating. he often doesn't realize that his many, many words are boring his listeners. I would guess that some of my student-friends might accuse me of being kind of an owl sometimes! I am often guilty of using too many words and am often under the impression that I'm a fascinating genius.

kanga?
kanga is a mom and is very protective of her son roo. she tends to worry about him. she also tends to mother the other characters in the hundred acre wood by giving them advice, help, or encouragement. sometimes her son feels a little smothered by her; and I'm sure that my little-roo has felt the same way about me! as a parent, I can definitely follow a little too closely and worry a bit too much. and I'm often guilty of worrying about the safety and security of my student friends; and of giving them advice that they didn't ask for- maybe I'm a kanga!

eeyore?
now we're getting close. eeyore is gloomy. he kind of mumbles when he talks. he tends to be cynical, and often misplaces his tail. he has kind of low energy. he assumes that no one is interested in him, and can be very pessimistic. and it seems like a lof of his friends work really hard at cherring him up. sadly, there are days when this describes me perfectly. I don't lose my tail, but my keys are another story. I spend a lot of energy fighting off my eeyore tendencies.

piglet?
we're getting warmer. piglet is also an introvert, and he really struggles with anxiety. he's constanly worrying and looking to pooh for reassurance. piglet is also generous and at one point gives away his beloved house to owl. piglet doesn't like rain, wind, or dark forests. me neither. when I see piglet come on the screen and hear his self-doubt, his fear of the unknown and hear the tremble in his voice, I think to myself, "sheesh- he sounds a lot like me sometimes!"

rabbit?

rabbit is also an introvert. he loves working quietly and having everything in order. he gets frustrated when his routine gets messed up. he likes being in charge of things, and is kind of a control freak. he doesn't care much for tigger, because he is loud and messy. he hides when pooh comes over- and doesn't want to share his honey with him! when pooh messes up his routine by getting stuck in his door, rabbit can't wait just to clean up and have everything back to normal. there is a scene where rabbit tries to cure tigger of his bouncing by getting hime lost in the forest, and just ends up getting lost himself- the sounds of the forest end up freaking him out. rabbit does have a softer side and is often glad to help a friend in need. rabbit does have patience, and he tries to make the most of a frustrating situation.

there is a lot of me that's like pooh, kanga, eeyore, piglet, Christopher Robin and owl, but when it comes down to it, I'm a lot like rabbit. I like working by myself. I like routines, I like things organized, and I like it when everything is at peace. I like to be in charge of things, (but hopefully I'm not a control-freak!) and I am guilty of pretending I'm not there when the phone or the door bell rings. sometimes the sound of the forest freaks me out; and I tend to get a little turned around and lost when I'm travelling.

I love these stories and characters- and I'm so glad that my little girl enjoys them too!
being a dad is fun.
-rob

a belated year end blog

2012 was great. great year with the family, and a great year at work.
I made several new year's resolutions, and I did pretty well on them! I said that I wanted to maintain my weight and pants-size- and I made some good progress on that! I even dropped to lower weights and pants sizes! I wanted to upgrade my house, and I'm sure I did- all of the projects seem to kind of blend together in my memory-
speaking of memory- I had a goal to memorize galatians, philippians and colossians, and all of those verses are now swirling around in my brain.
and I had no fries, no regular soda, and no candy until christmas.

I also accomplished a few things that weren't on my list! I became a runner! last year I put in 1100 miles on the treadmill! I got runner shoes and clothes and all kinds of other accessories. I really love it!

so this year my goals include-
running 1500 miles, memorizing 12 more chapters of the bible, no fries, no soda, and no candy until christmas. I also want either me or deanna to read a chapter of the bible with jane each night.

we just got her a real bible, and we've been reading it before bed each night. this is something that I have been wanting to do for awhile, but wasn't really sure how to get started. this year at christmas, she read part of the christmas story at her grandparents' and she enjoyed it a lot- so did I! so the next day we got a real teenager-purple bible for girls. she has been reading the psalms before bedtime and she really gets into it. a few nights ago we were reading psalm 3 and she was reading in a loud, booming voice:
"O LORD, I HAVE SO MANY ENEMIES! SO MANY ARE AGAINST ME! SO MANY ARE SAYING, “GOD WILL NEVER RESCUE HIM!” it was epic.

one more resolution: I plan to get ordained! that means I'll really be REV-ROB. this is something I have been curious about for a long time, but now I feel like its time. it sounds like it won't be as hard as I thought it would be. can you believe it? I'll be a reverend! sheesh.

thanks for reading and for following me on twitter @realrobwalter
happy new year!

God is love.
-rev-rob
 

my foot traffic for 2012-

well, my legs were working overtime this year. when I was in high school, I used to run on the track team: (how about those socks and laces?!)

but in college and in my 20's, I stopped running, and gained a good deal of weight.

I spent a lot of time at the church-gym trying to work it off, but it never really worked.

this year has been different. my little legs have covered quite a few miles.

it started with a fascination with the new almaden mines. I hiked every mile of trail of the new almaden mines this year- which was 34 miles in all.

 

 

then I got serious about learning bible verses. so I started walking the los gatos creek trail before work for 50 minutes, 3 or 4 times a week, at about 2 miles per walk. I reviewed my flash cards while I walked. who knows how many miles I put into this trail this year- maybe 200?

 

 

then things got really serious. I started dieting, and dropping weight, but I hit a plateau. so I decided to go back to the gym. I also discovered the Nike+ app on my iPod that tells me how far I've run while I'm listening to music. I started slow, and my runs got longer and faster. the treadmill only lets me run for 1 hour at a time. before long, I was running 8, sometimes 9 miles in an hour. this is well over a 10K a night for 5 nights a week. deanna told me that at the pace I was going, I might hit 1000 miles before the year was over. she gave me a goal. once I have a goal, it becomes a focus. and I became very focused on this goal of 1000 miles on the treadmill before the year was over.

 

 

it took 2 pairs of shoes, 2 iPods, about 4 different running shorts, and about a dozen headbands (I'm kind of a sweat-er...) but on Monday, I did it. 1000 miles.

 

 



I was kind of hoping that the nike app would make a big deal about this, but it didn't. I didn't really either. its just cool for me to lose weight and to finally get the tools that I need to actually start to enjoy running again. one of my new year's resolutions 2 years ago was to start running and to actually enjoy it. and I can now say that after almost 2 years, I have met that goal. I never thought that I would, but I enjoy it a bunch, and look forward to it each night. I miss it when I miss it. and it gives me an excuse to eat more junk, which I love. thanks to my pals Marc and Adrian who have both inspired me with their commitment to running, and achieving their own goals in both running and fitness. 

so my little legs travelled quite a bit in 2012- at least 1200 or 1300 miles. next year, I'm hoping to get to 1500 miles on the treadmill alone, and to actually run a race outside! we'll see about that! hopefully nothing on me breaks!

God is love.
-rev-rob

space//spirituality 11/28

jane has really been into space lately. she has been fascinated by the moon, the planets, and the stars. we recently made a mobile that has glow in the dark planets, and then a big poster-board overview of the solar system. we have also been watching a lot of movies and tv shows about space.

all of this talk about space has had me interested in space too- and usually when my kid and I are focused on something, it turns into a teaching series for the middle school kids. (these poor kids have had to endure sermons about winnie the pooh, toy story and various dr. seuss stories!)
next year I’m planning a series called “be the moon” that talks about reflecting the light of the Son, and orbiting our lives around Him, recognizing, that we are not the center of the universe. I have been reading and watching lots of documentaries about the moon and space, and it has led me to several conclusions, but here is quick one:

space is huge. like crazy huge. like freaky-huge. to the extent that when you think about it,
the earth is like a

little

blue

speck

floating through the night sky.
(kind of like the whos in Horton hears a who!- which is another story, sermon and blog all together)

not only that,
but space is filled with lots of stuff.
and lots of stars. lots and lots of stars. too many to count- if you can fathom that. I read recently that the amount of stars in space is equivalent to the amount of grains of sand on the shores of all the beaches on the entire earth. that’s crazy. especially when you consider just how big these stars are and how much light and energy they produce-

and the bible says in psalm 147 that God, “determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.”

So God knows the name and story of every star in the cosmos-
one for each grain of sand of every beach on every coastline-
God has the capacity to know quite a bit!

I recently read an author saying that there is just no way that God could know the story of every person on earth, let alone the story of every person in history-

but -
if God knows all those stars,
knowing all those people must be no problem!
there are way more stars than people!

and I’ve also heard that there is no way to house all of the believers and Christians,
in all of history, in ONE heavenly city;
but when you think about how BIG and VAST space is,
I think God could find the space-

after all, He found a place for all of those stars-
I’m sure that it would be no problem for Him to find a place for you and me-

God is love.

-rev-rob

my EIGHT year old.

its so hard to believe that my little girl is going to be eight this sunday! I'm sure that we'll post some photos from her birthday, but until then, here are so memories from her first seven birthdays:

this is from jane's actual BIRTH-DAY- december 2, 2004.

 

here is my 1 year-old kiddo-

 

 

here is a happy 2-year-old with a big box of big legos- which is only a foreshadowing to how much time she would spend building things out of legos!

 

 

here is the happy 3-year-old blues-clues fan!

 

its a jolly holiday for a 4-year-old Mary-Poppins-fan:

 

high-five for 5- and a year-long nick-name: J5- 

J6 with a new pair of gloves!

 

6 years old was also our first "friend-party" at the art beat in cambell-

 

celebrating 7 at disneyland! 

 

7th birthday cake-

 

 

sigh- and now she is going to be EIGHT-

 

wow. time really flies when you're having the best eight years ever-

being a dad is fun.

-rob