Mar
8
LAUSD District Choral Festival 3/8-3/9/10
Filed Under Community News, Education & Schools, Inspiration, Local events | 1 Comment
[Ed Note: JM still, Dave will be back posting tomorrow]
On Monday and Tuesday night at 7PM all the choirs from all the programs at the LAUSD will be joining together for the yearly festival at the LAHS Gym. Doors open at 6:30PM, and this always sells out for both nights (a very packed house).
Jan
12
Haiti Earthquake Relief: What we can do today
Filed Under Inspiration, News you can use | 6 Comments
(1/12/2010) As Californians we’re used to earthquakes, but not many reach the 7.0 magnitude of this afternoon’s disaster in Haiti.
Combine the huge earthquake with the poor quality of construction and readiness of the hemisphere’s poorest nation, and the projections of massive loss of life ring true.
Fortunately, helping out is as easy as a few mouse clicks. What is needed most, especially initially, are Read more
Nov
26
Happy Thanksgiving weekend!
Filed Under Inspiration | 2 Comments
(by Dave Emerson) Thanksgiving is, in many ways, my favorite holiday.
Not because of the turkey, or even the football, but because of two things it celebrates, and the example set by our Pilgrim forefathers that seems especially appropriate in November of 2009. Put it all together, and you may just have the secret to a happy life: Read more
Sep
11
9-11, 8 years later: A word of thanks to our Los Al heroes
Filed Under Inspiration, The Base | 2 Comments
New York 8 years ago today
(9/11/09, Los Alamitos) Early this morning I was riding my zero-emissions, infinite gas mileage alternative vehicle home from “Norm’s” Automotive on Sausalito (we’ve got at least three good auto repair shops right here in Los Alamitos, so I see no need to drive further and spend more money so the sales tax on those overpriced parts can go to Cerritos or Westminster).
As I passed the Los Al fire station, I noticed John Underwood setting up a video camera to record a tribute to the heroes who gave their lives trying to save their fellow Americans eight years ago. Men and women willing to rush into two buildings that thousands Read more
Aug
13
20th Harvest Crusade this weekend
Filed Under Inspiration, Local events, News you can use | 1 Comment
Crowd at Angel Stadium for last year's Harvest Crusade
(8/13/2009) Riverside Pastor and long time O.C. resident Greg Laurie brings his Harvest Crusade to Orange County for the 20th year in a row this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights at Angel Stadium in Anaheim.
What exactly is a Harvest Crusade like? Church for those who don’t like church? A combination of outstanding music of several varieties and a jargon-free, relevant presentation of Read more
May
3
Sunday sermon: “Blessed are the peacemakers”
Filed Under Inspiration, Sunday Sermon | Leave a Comment
(5/3/09 by Dave Emerson) Warning: “Sunday Sermons” are spiritual in nature and are usually written from a Biblical/Christian perspective. If this might offend you, you are free to skip this post. . . or to read on and perhaps broaden your perspective.
2 millenia ago a relatively young, unortodox itinerant preacher preached probably the greatest sermon ever given on a hillside in the remote Roman province of Judaea. The “Sermon on the Mount,” as it’s commonly called, contains teachings so radical that they have changed the world, yet are virtually impossible to live up to.
Jesus began his sermon by proclaiming “blessings,” or true happiness, upon eight specific conditions or behaviors. Many of those aren’t what I’d put on a list of “keys to happiness:” Read more
Apr
19
Belated Sunday Sermon from Kenya: Life’s Curveballs
Filed Under Inspiration, Sunday Sermon | Leave a Comment
The omlette bar line this morning at Constitution Park's "Homeless Church"
Warning: Our occasional “Sunday Sermon” series is religious in nature. If that might offend you, feel free to skip it.
(4/19/09) To show you just how small the internet is making our world, today’s “Sunday Sermon” was delivered this morning in Kenya by a Mike Carmen from Knott Avenue Christian Church in Anaheim. I received it as an e-mail earlier today from a young man from Lakewood named Geoff Nighswonger.
Geoff’s an amazing 21-year-old who organized a weekly Sunday morning church and breakfast for the homeless in Bellflower which grew into a non-profit, “Hands On International.” Geoff’s in Kenya now helping Read more
Apr
12
Warning: This is primarily a community and political blog, but on some Sundays we wander into religious territory. If this might offend you, you may want to skip this post.
(4/12/09 by Dve Emerson) Many Christians don’t realize that the “Last Supper” Jesus celebrated with his disciples on “Good Friday” was actually a traditional Passover Cedar.
Not only were Jesus and all twelve of his disciples Jewish, so were all but one of the authors of the New Testament (Luke). Anti-semites who claim to be “Christian” are quick to focus on the role of Jewish religious and political leaders in the death of the radical preacher who they only saw as a threat to their power, but they are forced to skip over the Jewishness of the entire chain of events and of Jesus himself.
Somehow, the Gregorian monks thought a “Christian” calendar Read more
Apr
9
Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart killed by drunk driver at 22
Filed Under Decency, Inspiration, National Issues, News you can use, Southern California, Teamwork | 3 Comments
(4/9/2009, Los Alamitos, by Dave Emerson) In a shocking reminder of the fragility of life, 22 year old Angels starter Nick Adenhart and two of his friends were killed by a 22 year old drunk driving with a suspended license early this morning, just after pitching six shut-out innings in his first start of what was looking like a break-out season.
Adenhart graduated from Williamsport High School in Silver Spring Md. in 2004 and was expected to be a first-round pick in the baseball draft that year, which would have made him an instant millionaire. Unfortunately, Read more
Apr
5
(by Dave Emerson, 4/5/2009, Palm Sunday) Disclosure/warning: This website focuses primarily on Los Alamitos, but our Sunday sermons wander into theological territory. You have been warned.
Around 2,800 years ago an unknown Jewish poet wrote a song of rejoicing in God’s goodness that became one of the most popular hymns of that day. Amazingly, it’s popularity endures to our day. You may well have heard it sung or quoted in your house of worship this weekend:
This is the day that the Lord has made;
Let us rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalm 118:24)
(Most modern translators treat the second half of Psalm 118:24 as an exhortation.)
Early this morning, driving up the 605 as sparkling spring California sunshine illuminated Mt. Baldy and even 12,500 foot high San Gorgonio 50 miles to the east those words rang through my head:
This is the day that the Lord hath made;
We will rejoice and be glad in it.
(The translators who worked for King James 400 years ago framed the second half of the verse as a statement.)
Whether it’s a statement of the singers’ intent or an exhortation of both, it’s a great way to begin each day: Committed to greet with joy the new day God has graciously given us, and the blessings and opportunities it will bring.
I suspect it’s easier to greet another Read more
Mar
1
Sunday Sermon: Words to build your life on
Filed Under Decency, Inspiration, Sunday Sermon | 1 Comment
Sharing timeless wisdom with his friends
(3/1/09, by Dave Emerson) LetsFixLosAl.com is primarily about news and politics in Los Alamitos, but we occasionally take some time, often on a Sunday, to focus on matters of far greater importance. If content that is largely spiritual in nature offends you, you may want to simply click on any of the other recent posts from the list at the upper left, or use the “search” window at the bottom of the left column to search this site for posts of interest. After the events of this week here, I certainly don’t want to be accused of being insensitive!
I believe I posted our first “Sunday Sermon” after hearing an especially convicting message from a local pastor. I tried to pass on some of the things he shared. It’s been a while since I’ve put up a Sunday sermon, but I figured the old blog could sure use one after this week.
Some reader comments got me thinking about a post on prayer and the need for it for our city, it’s leaders, businesses, and citizens, especially ahead of what could be a chaotic Council meeting.
I also thought about a post on humility and the lessons we can all learn from this weeks tragedy.
But I finally decided on some timeless excerpts from what most people consider the greatest sermon every preached. There’s enough wisdom here to last a lifetime, and some of it’s quite relevant to our current situation.
It took place on a hillside in Israel almost two millenia ago, but it’s wisdom is truly timeless. It was recorded for us by an eye witness, one of those to whom it was addressed, probably with the help of some of his colleagues. From what he tells us, it sounds more like a casual hillside talk with a group of followers that gradually grew to a large crowd.
Lots of people claim to live by this, the “Sermon on the Mount.” Personally, I don’t think that’s humanly possible. If I could live by 50% of it, I think my life would be an unbelievable success.
Here’s how the author, who was an embezzling tax collector before being recruited by Jesus, sets the stage [Matthew 5:1-2 from The Message translation]:
When Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hillside. Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, climbed with him. Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down and taught his climbing companions. This is what he said:
Jan
20
Inaugural Bookends: Invocation & Benediction
Filed Under Inspiration, National Issues | Leave a Comment
Obama and Warren last year at Saddleback's Candidate Forum
(by Dave Emerson) Today’s Inauguration of the man from Illinois and Hawaii was kicked off with a few words from a man from Orange County. Actually, quite a few words.
The Inaugural Ceremony concluded with a benediction from Rev. Joseph E. Lowery, who co-founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Combined, the two prayers carried plenty of inspiration and wise requests.
Although controversial in some respects, and not as brief as it could have been, Pastor Warren’s prayer “touched all the bases,” with an appropriate emphasis on humility, a reference to the historic nature of this day, and appropriate requests for God’s blessing and protection on our new President and his family.
I’ll post the text of the invocation and benediction here once I can find them online. Hopefully also some of my thoughts about the historical events of today. I voted for McCain, but today’s peaceful transfer of power combined with the election of our nation’s first minority President make me proud to be fortunate enough to be an American.
You can share your thoughts in the comment box below. Read more
Dec
24
Merry Christmas & Happy Hanukkah!
Filed Under About Dave Emerson, Inspiration | 6 Comments
back from left: Tres and Sarah, Nate, Blair and Beth; front: Ivy, Jet, Kate, Emma (click to enlarge)
(by Dave Emerson) Barb, Nate and I just returned earlier this week from a time in Tennessee with our newest grandchild, Ivy Grace, who was born just last week, and her family. We were joined by daughter Beth and her family. A child being born, a long journey, even paying taxes–not all that different from that first Christmas in some ways!
Certainly there’s nothing like the miracle of birth–a miracle we’ve been blessed with four times in the last three years as our four amazing grandkids entered the world. God has blessed us with a wonderful family, which helps put some of the craziness of the current economy and local politics in proper perspective.
The winter holidays help achieve the same thing.
Hanukkah: A celebration of light, freedom, and God’s power
As Christians, Barb and I find inspiration in the story of Hannukkah, and spent some time trying to help our kids understand the significance of the event. In John 10:22 we find Jesus apparently celebrating Hannukah in the temple when his teachings sparked an effort to stone him. While Jesus’ opposition by the religious power structure of his day ultimately resulted in his crucifixion, his appreciation of Hanukkah should motivate Christians of today to at least respect and learn from the events that preceded Christ by about 200 years.
Here is a summary of Hanukkah, or Chanukah, from the orthodox Chabad website: Read more
Dec
12
Lessons for the Holidays from a car wreck
Filed Under Education & Schools, Inspiration, Los Alamitos Priorities, News you can use, Traffic | 1 Comment
Summer Thompson and her mother Sherri in 2007. Summer nearly died in a car wreck in 2006.
(by Dave Emerson) As the dad of a 17-year-old high school senior, I’ve got a story from the state of Washington I’d like to share with you. It’s not a local story, but it’s relevant to our family oriented small town that’s home to Los Alamitos High School.
This started out as a post about one comment from the discussion that took place here in the comments following my December 6th preview of this week’s Planning Commission meeting.
As I searched Google Images for a “bad car wreck” photo to illustrate a post about Steve’s December 10th comment, the above photo stood out from all the photos of mangled cars on the first page of “about 467,000″ images Google located for you and me. I clicked on the photo to find out more, and ended up reading a compelling two year old story from the Seattle Post-Intelligence.
If you’ve got a kid, or a grandkid, especially one who drives, you may find this story by the P-I’s Jim Moore as compelling as I did. Read more
Dec
5
Los Al Christmas Trees, Christmas Lights, and Christmas Spirit
Filed Under Community News, Inspiration, News you can use | Leave a Comment
(by Dave Emerson) Tuesday afternoon Barb & I stopped by the Youth Center tree lot at Ganahl Lumber to get our Christmas tree. I love it for lots of reasons:
- It’s convenient.
- They always have a wide variety of excellent trees.
- Lots of friendly local youth and adult volunteers.
- The money goes to a great cause: the local Youth Center
- You can have $5 donated to your kids’ or grandkids’ school, public or private.
- The sales tax stays in our town.
- It’s only a few blocks to drive with the tree to get home. Can’t beat it!
They’re open 12 – 9 on weekdays and 9 – 9 on Fridays and Saturdays and 12-9 the rest of the week. I believe they’ve got 20% off their longest lasting tree through this weekend, too.
If you know of some other local non-proftis raising money by selling trees please share the info with us as a comment at the end of this post.
Christmas Lights
Enjoying our neighbors holiday decorations is especially fun here in Los Alamitos where you can walk around in shirt sleeves even at night. Thanks to some very dedicated neighbors, our street has been going “all out” for years. In fact, when I sell a home on Linda Way, I always advise the buyers that this isn’t a good street for Grinches. So far, nobody’s objected, and our newer residents all enjoy participating. For one month every year our street’s lit up almost like Disneyland at Christmas, & I love it.
Linda Way is the middle cul de sac of Suburbia Estates, between Old Dutch Haven and Cottonwood Park on the south side of Farquhar, if you want to cruise by. If you notice some other outstanding Christmas lights in Los Alamitos or nearby, please share the info as a comment below. I’ll also try to add to the list here as I note others as well.
Interestingly, my neighbor just stopped by to tell me that Channel 3’s coming by to shoot some video. John Underwood told her that Linda Way is “ground zero for Christmas spirit in Los Alamitos.” (At the Council meeting this week, John told me he was just focusing on holiday things this month, giving “Backstory” a rest from all the politics.
I’d love to see more investigative print reporting from John, and we’re planning on getting together soon. Hopefully we can all turn the page and focus on moving the city forward, although that’s not easy for a lot of us. As I said during my debut as the “human torch” on Backstory a couple months ago, “It’s hard to move ahead when you’re looking back.”
Christmas Spirit
Which brings me to my final Holiday thought for this post. Sadly our planet seems to actually be much more in need of “peace on earth” this year than it was 2,000 years ago. While that’s certainly true from Iraq and Afganistan to India, Somalia, Sudan, and South Central Los Angeles, it’s also true in our quaint little town of Los Alamitos.
I obviously don’t think the best person won in the election I just lost, and I have very strong feelings about some of the tactics used by the CPLA and LATA, but the voters have spoken and it’s time for us to move on. I say let’s all–winners and losere–do our part to reach out to the other side. Give the new majority a chance to do what’s best for our town, give them our support, but watch them and hold them accountable.
Just like I say with the comments on this blog, let’s try do disagree agreeably, winners and losers alike. Let’s try to better understand at least most of those we disagree with, let’s hold out olive branches even when they’re initially pushed back in our face, and let’s try to work together on the things we can agree on, for the good of our town. Every elected official deserves a honeymoon period with the benefit of the doubt, even when we strongly disagree with their supporters tactics.
I’d like to find common ground issues that 90% of the Los Alamitos residents can all agree is a priority. Let’s at least try to work together on things we can all agree on. A friend of mine who’s served as a Council Member in a nearby Los Angeles County city told me that almost everyone can agree on many of the best ideas. I’ll be suggesting a few ideas and priorities that might fit that category over the next few days for your feedback. I’m just one person, however. Even more important are your thoughts on positive things you think are important to us all. That’s part of what this blog is all about–brainstorming great ideas in cyberspace to make Los Alamitos better. (If there’s not a comment box below, scroll to the top and click the headline or the blue “Comment(s).” )
Unfortunately, so soon after a bitter election even the thought of trying to work together is controversial. It’s too early for some, but harboring bitterness just isn’t productive. Eventually there comes a time to reach out, even to enemies.
Whether you’re celebrating the birth of the Prince of Peace or the Festival of Lights and God’s miraculous provision, that’s part of what the season’s all about.
