6 month update

if you’re keeping tabs on your pal rob, here are some updates:



I made some new year’s resolutions at the beginning of the year; here is a 6 month update:


I made a resolution to eat no fries and no fried food all year. that has been pretty good. I’ve been in situations where there has only been fried food available and have had a few bites here and there. it hasn’t been perfect, but I’m doing pretty good. my new goal is to have a soda-free-summer. about 25 day in and I’m going strong. I don’t even miss it.


we have also not charged anything for the last 6 months. this has really helped us to pay down our credit cards! whenever I buy something online, I first go and get a gift card and use that instead of my credit card. I’m hoping to make it until December, but we’ve got a cracked winshield on one car, and bald tires on another. hang in there car parts!


we did get to take Janie to Disneyland, and we can’t wait to get back. she has recently fallen in love with toy story 2, and we are excited to go on the toy story ride and take pictures with buzz and woody.


I said that I wanted to have a good attitude, and I’m really working on it! (that last post wasn’t the best example). I have read a bunch of books on this, and I think about this and talk about this all the time. its cool, because I often hear my friends talking about it too.


I wanted to get to the gym 250 times this year. this isn’t going to happen. I make it about 3 times a week if I’m lucky. I’ve added some meetings to my weekly schedule that make it almost impossible to go everyday.


I’m still making a ton of homemade toys! I just made jane a soccer field for her figures, and a hat for her buzz lightyear costume.


my trees didn’t make it. there are 2 left. they are fighting to stay alive. I had the students plant pine tree seeds instead. I’ll share more about that camp in the future.


my job is a blast, and my family is awesome.
thanks for keeping up with me. and thanks for reading my blog.


God is love.
-rev-rob

bring exact change to vasona

so, today I took jane to oak meadow park to ride the train. we brought $10 in cash (2 $5 bills); $5 for parking and $4 for a train ride with $1 left over. there was no parking attendant at oak meadow, so I thought we saved $5, but there was no parking spaces available because they were repairing the parking lot. so we went to park on the street, but there was no space on the street because everyone else had to park on the street. so we went to the next door vasona park to park, even though parking there is $6.


there was no parking attendant at the booth at vasona either; so again I thought I saved $6. but I saw a sign that said that you have to get your parking ticket from a machine. everyone else in the parking lot had a ticket on their dashbord. So we got back in the car and drove over to the machine. the parking ticket cost $6. all I had was two $5s. I stuck both in. instead of giving me $4 in change, it printed a $4 refund ticket. We got back in the car, went to the train station and asked if we could trade the $4 refund ticket for 2 train tickets. the train guy said, “oh that is for vasona. we are oak meadow. we have nothing to do with that.” I asked how to get a refund. again he said, “I don’t know- that’s a vasona thing. we’re oak meadow.” so I spent a bunch of time getting a parking space, I spent $6 on a ticket, and now I can’t even buy train tickets because I have no cash left.


so I called the number on the ticket. I got the standard, “if you know your party’s extension…” I pressed zero. a lady answered. I asked her how to get a refund and she told me to come to the administration office. I asked her where it was. she had a hard time explaining that to me. she asked me where I was. I told her that I was at the billy jones wildcat railroad. she said, “oh you’re at oak meadow! we’re vasona. you parked in our lot. we don’t have anything to do with them.”

it turns out that the administration office was a couple miles away, on the other side of the park, near the youth science institute. I let the lady know that this was frustrating and inconvenient. no good attitude prizes for me today.

so we got back in the car, drove over to the administration building and gave the lady our refund ticket. she asked a guy in the office to help me. he did not look up from his computer for a minute. then he gave me a form to fill out. after I filled out the form, he gave me my $4 in change.

so we lost about 45 minutes of playtime because:

1. vasona and oak meadow don’t work together, even though they are side by side parks and the train goes through both of them.

2. oak meadow had no parking and vasona didn’t staff the parking booth,

3. the parking machine doesn’t give change,

4. they let a machine answer the phone, and they make you fill out a form to get change when you over-pay, and really,

5. customer service is not really a value.

it took me a while to calm down. I was so ticked off. but then I started thinking about customer service in my world. are the systems set up for the guest, or are they for my convenience? am I making it easy for people to participate? or it it way too complicated for people to sign up for events, to pay, to get information? how well do different departments work together in my world? do people walk away from event under my leadership with the same frustration?

we can’t let that happen. its got to get easier. its got to get streamlined; and frankly we have to care about the frustrations that people are dealing with and stay with them until they are fixed.

vasona tried to save money by not staffing the ticket booth, and they tried to save time by letting a machine answer the phone; and what they communicated to me was that Janie and I were not worth their time or money. and that makes me not want to come back. (but how can I stay away?!)

when it’s a park, its frustrating. when its church, someone’s eternity could be on the line.

bottom line #1: we have got to be excellent and customer service and make sure that everyone has a great experience.

bottom line #2: bring exact change when you park at vasona.

or use your credit card (which I wish that I did!)

boardwalk growth chart-

here is a picture of jane from may of 2009, and from today, june 2010-
looks like she has grown about 3 inches taller! what a big kid!

(and yes, she is sporting (678) business card in the 2nd picture- that's just me being a freaked out father. praise the Lord we haven't had to use it!)

jane-on-the-train

today, jane and i visited Oak Meadow Park in Los Gatos-

its one of our favorite places to spend time together. we had a snack, swinged on the swings, and of course, we rode on the train:

The Billy Jones Wild Cat Rail Road.

As we were riding, I asked Jane: "how many times do you think we have been on this train?"

she thought about it for a bit and said, "maybe a million-billion."
"I think you're right," I said.

we had enough tickets for two rides, but jane decided that she only wanted to ride once. We took our spare tickets back to the cashier for a refund, and the cashier said, "what's wrong?"

"she's over it." I answered. "she has been riding this train her entire life!"

from the pictures below, you can see that its true: jane has been riding the train in Los Gatos for her entire 5 and a half years of life.

jane was born in late 2004, and so these pictures are probably from her first ride ever in 2005, and less than a year old:

here is Jane in 2006 at a year old:

in 2007 with those trademark sunglasses:

before she could talk, jane did most of her communication through her facial expressions. I think this was means "this is exciting!":

on the train with grandma and grandpa at 2 years old:

in 2008 at 3 years old:

and in december of 2008 on our famous night ride:

here we are on the train in 2009 when jane was 4:

and today, at 5 and half years old:

waaaah!!!

she's so big! I can't believe it. time is passing too fast. pretty soon she won't ride the train at all! actually, I think it me that loves it the most.

sigh.

being a dad is fun.

-rob

fifty trees:: part one

I’m pretty excited about our middle school ministry’s upcoming summer camp called “elevation” at camp chinquapin. I wanted this to be a whole new kind of camp experience- with experiences instead of sermons. I was prepping for the camp and praying and thinking about what we would do. I closed my eyes and said to myself, “picture you’re at camp chinquapin…what do you see?” and I answered myself, “I SEE TREES!” and I knew that I wanted to make use of the trees at the camp and the many times that the bible uses trees as an analogy. I started to investigate if I could make a way for each student to plant a tree while they were at the camp.

I called the camp- they specifically requested that we plant sugar pine trees. they gave me the name of a forester to talk to about trees. He told me that it was pretty late in the year to be planting trees, and that they might not survive if we planted them at this time. I told him that we just wanted the experience of planting them, and that I didn’t really care if they survived. that blew his mind. “that’s the point of planting trees! you’re missing the point!” he told me. he told me that the minimum order was 50 trees and that when they arrived I had to get them in the refrigerator right away. when they arrived, I called him and asked them how long they would last in there. He told me that they were hibernating in there and that they might make it one week. I told him that I needed them to last a month. that blew his mind too. he told me, “those things are ready to grow now! you’ve got to get them into some dirt!”


so I started thinking about how to get these trees in the ground. after thinking through a bunch of options, I finally settled on planting them in pots on my patio. I figured that I’d drive them up to the camp in June. so this morning, I planted 50 trees.

when I opened the box, the smell of Christmas wafted out of it. the trees were wet, and some of them had mold on them. they were just little twigs with roots on one end, and green leaves on the other. he actually sent me about 100 of them. I don’t think that I have ever gone to this much effort or cost for an illustration; and in the end, they may all die and I’ll have to get a new illustration!


when I dreamt up this experience, I planned to tell the students about the roots, and how we are to be rooted in Christ; and I planned on telling them about the branches, and how we are to abide in Christ- and I planned on telling them about the fruit, and how we produce for Christ when we are connected to Him. but while I was planting those trees, God used those trees as an illustration of His love and compassion for me and for the students.
I saw those little saplings like the faiths of students that I minister to.


:: These trees were young, fragile and yet full of potential. As I planted each little sapling in the pots I reflected that each little tree had the potential to grow into a mighty 30 foot tall tree, or they might not last the week.

:: I thought of the care and concern that God had over me when my young faith sprouted up. I reflected on how He planted me at First Baptist Church, and supported my little limbs with such Godly men; and how He fed my tiny roots with Scriptures and messages from the people of that church.

:: As I planted these trees, I began to feel the urgency that my forester friend had for these trees. It was a mad dash to get these trees out of the box, into the pots, and watered with fertilizer. And I began to think of how little time we have to make an impact in a student’s life. We have to support their young faith, and help them grow as quickly as we can or we might lose them. We need to create environments where they have the best opportunity to grow; and if we can just get them from the box to the pot, and from the pot to the soil, they just might make it into adulthood as a strong tree that is able to give strength to others.

:: In short, as I planted those trees, I began to care about those trees, just like my friend the forester, and I can’t wait to see them planted in the forest? Will they all make it to camp chinquapin? Probably not, but I’m going to give it my best. And who knows? Someday me and my middle school friends may go up to Chinquapin and say to a young friend,
“see that big sugar pine tree? I planted that tree myself, and now its growing big and strong- just like you and your faith.”


psalm 1
“Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers.


But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.”


I’ll keep you posted on the status of the trees.
in the meantime, keep on growing. 
God is love.
-rev-rob

homemade toys:: ballet recital

I usually make homemade toys for jane when I can’t find them anywhere in a store or online. that was definitely the case in the toy I made today. jane has been into ballet; and she often has her toys put on shows for the other toys. so- we needed a stage for them to perform on! with curtains that open and close!





I made it out of a box from michael’s, some wire, some key rings, and some small pieces of fabric for the curtains. the curtains are held open with some plastic hooks.
let the show begin!


being a dad is fun.
-rob

schmoozing with angels

last week I was thinking that I could use a mentor. I just wanted an older guy in my life who could kick my butt, or tell me what I’m doing right, or just a guy who I could ask questions to about getting to the next level. I don't know if I was tired or just in a mood, but I specifically remember praying, “God I just wish I knew if I was making a difference.”

Fast forward to last Sunday night: we were at an all-volunteer meeting at church, and I was greeting everyone and making small-talk. I said a lot of, “hey! how are you?!” and “good to see you!”


I saw a guy who I had never seen, but I said, “hey how are you?! good to see you!”
and the guy said to me, “you don’t know me, but my niece is in your youth ministry…"
I was stuck in schmooze-mode so I said, “of that’s awesome! tell her I said hi!”


he looked me right in the eyes and said, “she has been through so many difficult times, but she is growing so much through the middle school ministry here… and I just want you to know that you’re doing a good job; and you are making a difference.”


when he said that last line I did a double-take and said, “what did you just say?” it was like he had been listening in on my prayers- or the One Who listens to my prayers had spoken specifically to him.


he repeated himself, and saw the surprise in my face and said, “can i pray for you right now?”
and he did pray for me- long and loud and right there in front of everyone; but it was a blessing, and I knew it was from God.


I could still use an older youth guy in my life, but I walked away from that moment surprised, encouraged and humbled.


God listens when we pray.


God is love.
-rev-rob

profiles in attitude: joseph

since the beginning of the year I have been thinking a lot about my attitude and about how to have a great attitude. as I have been reading through the Bible, its amazing just how much it talks about attitude without actually talking about it. one of the best examples of a great attitude from the pages of scripture is joseph from the book of genesis.




we all know the story, but its fascinating to look at his story from the perspective of his attitude. as a young man, joseph is given dreams that one day his family will bow down to him. he tells them to his family and they hate him for it- especially his brothers. they end up beating him and eventually selling him onto slavery and faking his death.


he is hated by his family, beaten by his brothers, and sold off into slavery-
at this point, joseph has earned a bad attitude, but instead, he has a great attitude.


he makes up his mind to be the best slave that he can be- and eventually his owner, potiphar leaves him in charge of all of his business affairs.
but potiphar's wife falsely-accuses joseph of attacking her, and he is sent to a dungeon.
again, at this point, joseph has earned the right to have a bad attitude-
all he did was a great job, and it landed him in a dungeon.


but instead, he has a great attitude.
he makes up his mind to be the best prisoner he can be and he is put in charge of the prison.
he even chooses to be friendly to the other prisoners.


one of his friends was released and promised to put in a good word for joseph, but he forgot. and joseph stayed in there for several more years.
again, he earned his right to be negative-
but instead, is gracious to the pharaoh when he is finally released.


the pharaoh put him in charge of all of Egypt- and he made the pharaoh richer and more powerful than ever.
and when joseph had the power to get revenge on his brothers, he showed grace-
that is a great attitude.


a lot of times we are convinced that we have earned the right to be rude, or to complain, or to be bitter, but none of us have dealt with what joseph dealt with; and if he found a way to do his best and be a likeable person in the situations that he faced, then surely we can choose to have a great attitude in the trials that we endure.


a couple of things that I notice about joseph are:
:: his bosses liked him. they like having his close to them. what did he do to inspire that kind of confidence and trust? how can we learn from that?


:: joseph gave it his very best at whatever he did. whether it was running a dungeon, or running the Egyptian empire, he gave it his very best.


:: as far as I can see, we have no record of joseph ever complaining or blaming anyone for his circumstances. in the situations that we find him being rude to his brothers, its all a part of the act that he puts on to be reunited with his father and with his brother Benjamin. instead, he just does his job with excellence, kindness and grace.


:: we have all heard that phrase, “you can be bitter or you can be better.” joseph didn’t just say that, he lived it. he forgave the people that hurt him and then chose to bless them and share his wealth with them. when he father two sons, he named them Manasseh, and Ephraim; whose names mean, “I forgot” and “fruitful.” in other words, “I’m letting go and choosing to grow.” and all of this was before he was reconciled with his brothers. amazing.


this is the kind of person that I want to be: forgiving, gracious, likeable, trustworthy and with a great attitude. hopefully I don’t need to go what joseph went through to get there.


God is love.
-rev-rob

Easter Sunday

today at church I drove the shuttle from the church campus to our off-site parking for staff and volunteers. a friend of mine gave me a break, so I decided to go out front and greet guests. Easter and Christmas are pretty much the only time of year that I'm called on to be a greeter, and I accidentally said, "merry christmas!" to a few guests.


while I was out front I saw my friend Luba, who I blogged about on Valentine's Day. I've been wondering if she got my card- she came up to me and gave me a hug and said, "thank you for that card! I opened it up and said to the Lord, 'Lord, you gave me a son. Not by my blood, but by Your blood. Happy Easter, Rob." this lady has some sort of power over me, because we both teared up again while we hugged out on the patio! she gave me a kiss on the cheek.


this lady made my day.
give someone a hug this week.
tell them that you appreciate them.
use your words to bless them.
and if it's ok, give them a kiss on the cheek.
you can make their day for free.


God is love.
-rev-rob

lectio divina:: genesis 16

way back in Genesis 12, God promised Abraham that he would make him into a great nation; but Abraham and his wife were old and they had no children. in chapter 16, they get impatient and force the promise to come faster. Abraham’s wife Sarah tells Abraham to sleep with her Egyptian servant Hagar and he does. (which also raises some questions; because that’s a wrong thing to do…right? God never brings it up.)

so Hagar gets pregnant and the bible says that she despised Sarah. (I probably would too). then the drama comes out. Sarah tells Abraham: “You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my servant in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the LORD judge between you and me." and Abraham basically shrugs his shoulders and says, “Your servant is in your hands, do with her whatever you think best." the bible says that Sarah mistreated Hagar- so much that Hagar ran for her life. way to go Abe.

then it says that the angel of the LORD found Hagar near a spring in the desert. (the commentators all have all sorts of ideas about the angel of the LORD. This angel speaks for God in such a way that its pretty much God speaking. and when people speak to the angel, its like they are speaking to God- so is it an angel, or is it God? or is it Jesus Himself, before He was made into flesh?)

the angel asks Hagar, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?" (I love this question- did Hagar even know where she was going? or was she just running?)

“"I'm running away from my mistress Sarai," she answered. Then the angel of the LORD told her, "Go back to your mistress and submit to her." The angel added, "I will so increase your descendants that they will be too numerous to count."
The angel of the LORD also said to her:
"You are now with child
and you will have a son.
You shall name him Ishmael,
for the LORD has heard of your misery.”

Ishmael means “God sees.” and even though this lady was just a servant in Abraham’s house, God saw her. and when Hagar was the victim of Abraham and Sarah’s dumb decisions, God saw that too.

I love what it says next:
“Hagar gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: "You are the God who sees me," for she said, "I have now seen the One who sees me."

we all deal with messes- some of them are our faults, some of them are the result of someone else’s decisions, but through it all, God watches us and watches over us. He sees. He sees the patriarch and he sees the servant girl, and He sees you and me- and He cares.

“May you now see the One that sees you.”

God is love.
-rev-rob