Jan
20
Red Tails: A movie for black teens, Dean Grose, & all Americans
Filed Under Dean Grose, Decency, Inspiration, The Base | 3 Comments
(1/20/2012, Los Alamitos) Why did it take a Hollywood legend like George Lucas 24 years to make and market his movie about America’s Tuskegee Airmen?
Lucas said part of the problem was America’s studios reluctance to bet on a film where all the good guys are African American and all the bad guys are white.
Sadly, another part was our studio’s reluctance to produce something besides a “music video Read more
Jan
15
“Thirst again”
Filed Under Inspiration, Sunday Sermons, Songs & Stories | Leave a Comment
(1/15/2012) Warning: Most Sundays we put up a post with a spiritual emphasis. Today’s is from a markedly Christian perspective.
Today’s “Sunday Sermon” is built around a brief note on John 4:13 in Pastor Chuck Smith’s The Word for Today Bible.
First, the context. Jesus and his followers were on a long trek from Jerusalem back to their base in Galilee. As he rested by a deep well in the noontime heat, Jesus asked a Samaritan woman for a drink of water.
Surprised, she candidly asked Jesus why a Jewish man would even speak to a Samaritan woman. John explains that “Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans,” reminding us that racism has been a blight on humanity from ancient times.
Jesus reply surprised her even more: “If you only Read more
Jan
2
Your dreams for Los Alamitos?
Filed Under 2012 Issues, City Council, Inspiration | Leave a Comment
(Los Alamitos, 1/2/2012) In an excellent New Year’s Eve post JM Ivler discussed the power of sharing your goals for the new year with others, and provided us all with an opportunity to do just that.
Specific goals often flow from a broader vision, especially when it comes to communities. Most well run organizations devote significant resources to developing a shared vision.
What is our town’s vision statement? What vision drives goals and decisions made by city staff and elected officials? Read more
Jan
1
A New Year’s Psalm from Moses
Filed Under Inspiration, Sunday Sermons, Songs & Stories | Leave a Comment
(1/1/2012, Los Alamitos) (Our “Sunday Sermons, Songs/Psalms, & Stories” are generally written from a Judeo-Christian perspective. We’ll be back to local news & politics shortly. . . )
Today, as we begin a new year with hope, we offer an ancient song ascribed to the great leader, lawgiver, and “Man of God,” Moses himself.
Apparently approaching the end of his long life, this reflective prayer of Moses gives us a glimpse of the great lawgiver’s perspective on time. Corrie Ten Boom regarded it as a “birthday Psalm,” but it seems equally appropriate as we mark the beginning of the New Year.
The translation is from the English Standard Version , and the following introduction is excerpted from the ESV Study Bible, my current favorite:
Psalm 90. This community lament has some unspecified disaster (vv. 13, 15) as its background, and asks God to have pity on his people and bless them.
The title, which ascribes the psalm to Moses, invites the singing congregation to picture Israel around Read more
Dec
25
Greg Laurie: Christmas in Heaven
Filed Under Inspiration, Sunday Sermons, Songs & Stories | Leave a Comment
(12/25/2011, Los Alamitos) Today’s “Sunday Sermon” is taken from Pastor Greg Laurie’s Christmas devotional. Like many in Los Alamitos, Pastor Greg’s Christmas is “tinged with sadness” because of a loved one who isn’t here this Christmas.
In his devotional, Pastor Greg talks about the loss of his son, Christopher (“Topher,” pictured above on right with his wife, father, & daughter above):
Merry Christmas to all of you!
Christmas is a day of joy. But for me and my family, it is also tinged with sadness, because it is a day when Christopher’s absence is intensely felt.
I have to tell you, Topher loved Christmas! It was always a big deal to him as a little boy, and when he became a father, he Read more
Dec
23
What Christmas is all about
Filed Under Holidays, Inspiration, Sunday Sermons, Songs & Stories | 2 Comments
(12/24/2011, Los Alamitos) Every Christmas Eve, before bedtime, as I was growing up my father would gather my sister and I and read the familiar words of the Christmas Story from the 2nd chapter of Luke’s Gospel.
Then he and Mom would send us off to bed as they burned the midnight oil assembling and/or wrapping trikes, bikes, train sets, workbenches, and assorted other gifts.
Eugene Peterson”s The Message paraphrase style translation tells Dr. Luke’s familiar account of Jesus’ birth in a more contemporary language that, for me at least, adds life to the familiar words (If you prefer the more traditional language translations, scroll on down)
Luke 2: 1 – 20 (The Message):
The Birth of Jesus
1-5About that time Caesar Augustus ordered a census to be taken throughout the Empire. This was the first census when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Everyone had to travel to his own ancestral hometown to be accounted for. So Joseph went from the Galilean town of Nazareth up to Bethlehem in Judah, David’s town, for the census. As a descendant of David, he had to go there. He went with Mary, his fiancée, who was pregnant.
6-7While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. She gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room in the hostel.
An Event for Everyone
8-12There were sheepherders camping in the neighborhood. They had Read more
Dec
11
(Los Alamitos, 12/11/2011) Chistmas is exactly two weeks from today.
Starting tomorrow I plan to run a series of 12 brief holiday videos from the creator of the “Veggie Tales” series called “The 12 questions of Christmas.” I found them both informative and humorous.
Today we take a quick look at my pastor’s thoughts about the best known verse in the Bible. It’s an excellent summary of why Christians celebrate Christmas:
. . . God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16, NLT)
Here’s Pastor Chuck Smith‘s thoughts on those words of Christ:
Jesus wasn’t just talking about quantity of life here. He was talking about a quality of life.
Quantity of live without quality is hell. Jesus has given us a rich life of inestimable quality that also happens to go on forever. What a glorious truth!
God’s purpose for your life is Read more
Dec
4
Emmanuel: The greatest gift
Filed Under Inspiration, Sunday Sermons, Songs & Stories | Leave a Comment
(12/4/2011, Los Alamitos) (Today’s post is a reflection on the Apostle John’s description of what happened on Christmas, taken from a study I recently read:)
Most Fridays I get together with a few friends from work for a brief inter-denominational Bible study/discussion that’s proven quite timely this year.
We’re just starting off the Apostle John’s Gospel, which kicks off with a unique approach to the tale of Jesus’ birth.
For one thing, John doesn’t mention the name “Jesus” until he’s completely done with the story of Jesus birth.
For another, John starts his Gospel and his Nativity story with the words of Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning. . . .”
Then John uses a multi-tiered Read more
Dec
1
Time To Break Out
Filed Under 2011 Issues, Highlands Guy's Thursday column, Inspiration | 11 Comments
(12/1/11, Los Alamitos) In today’s piece, which I found downright inspirational, it seems like H.G. is calling us to dream of what our city could be. . .
by Highlands Guy: To coincide with the changeover in the city manager as well as the anticipated changes in the make up of the city council, it’s time to re-think what we are, who we are, and what we want to be, as a city.
It should be clear by now that yes, we are small, but certainly not in the ‘Mayberry’ way that has been talked about in the past. It’s just that we don’t have a lot of folks living within our city boundaries.
Not an island
What we are, is a small governmental unit next to, and surrounded on every border, by larger and more aggressive neighbors to whom we are dependent upon for parts of our civic health.
We should recognize the need to develop a closer working relationship with Long Beach, Cypress, Seal Beach, Garden Grove, Hawaiian Gardens, and Orange County. We are not an island, and because the city lines are so blurred it is imperative to work cooperatively with our neighbors.
We now have the chance to make up for past civic decisions. We can work to make what we have the best, and not with Read more
Nov
27
Pepper spray to the world!
Filed Under Decency, Inspiration, Sunday Sermons, Songs & Stories | Leave a Comment
(11/27/11, Los Alamitos) Nothing says “Peace on Earth” quite like a can of pepper spray! Whether you’re a “UniCop” in Davis or a Walmart shopper in Porter Ranch, pepper spray seemed to be the holiday greeting of choice for Californians who found someone in their way!
Hard to think of a better way to celebrate the birth of the one who preached about loving your enemies and turning the other cheek.
Obviously, Jesus never tried to get a heavily discounted Xbox at 12:03 a.m. on Black Friday.
Which actually says quite a bit, and leads to a question that might just give add a lot more love, joy, & peace to our holiday celebrations: Read more
Nov
24
An early “Merry Christmas” from a world famous flash mob
Filed Under Holidays, Inspiration, Sunday Sermons, Songs & Stories | Leave a Comment
(11/24/2011, Los Alamitos) I keep rescheduling this post, but now it’s finally time.
You’ve finished your turkey, the wife’s scanning the ads getting ready for Black Friday, so it’s finally time to get in the mood for the biggest holiday this side of Saudi Arabia.
And I can’t think of a better way to get in the mood than a video of a Canadian flash mob in a Read more
Nov
24
Happy Thanksgiving!
Filed Under Inspiration | 2 Comments
(Thanksgiving Day 2011, Los Alamitos) However and wherever you spend today, we hope you’ll enjoy the blessings of family, neighbors, friends, freedom, and living in one of the nicest small towns I know of!
Sure, we’ve got our share of problems locally and nationally, but we’re actually in a whole lot better shape than those Pilgrims were when they decided to get together with their Indian neighbors and thank God that only half of them had died in the last year!
So let’s take some time today before we count down to Black Friday to count our blessings and give thanks to God and to those we love and to those who brighten our lives.
With that in mind, I’d like to thank you for taking the time to read, to post comments, and to care deeply about our town, whether you identify with J M, “Larry,” or the thousands of Read more
Nov
20
(11/20/11, Los Alamitos) (FYI: This briefest “Sunday sermon”" yet is from a Christian perspective.)
God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
–John 3:16, New Living Translation
God’s purpose for your life is not that you should perish, but that you would have a rich, full life that Read more
Nov
13
Happy Thanksgiving Season!
Filed Under Inspiration, Sunday Sermons, Songs & Stories | Leave a Comment
(11/13/11,Los Alamitos)Some holidays have seasons that seem too long, others too short.longer “seasons,” especially if you judge the seasons by the stores. National chains back to school sales seemed to start this year almost as soon as our schools were out.
As soon as “back to school” season is over, Christmas decorations start going up in the malls. Veterans Day and even Thanksgiving barely get a day.
I’d like to see Veterans Day last all week. . . if not all year! We can resolve to do that ourselves simply by taking the time to say “Thank you for your service” whenever we see someone in uniform or wearing a cap, pin, or shirt indicating service. Here in Los Alamitos, we have plenty of opportunity to do that!
Thanksgiving is another holiday I try to keep going all year round. Not just by overeating, that’s something I actually need to eliminate year round. But by having a thankful attitude regardless of my circumstances.
As St. Paul wrote to the Christians in Thessoliki, Greece, “Give thanks in all circumstances.” (I Thessalonians 5:18).
Because, as I wrote in 2009. . . .
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
Nov
11
An 11/11/11 Salute to our Veterans!
Filed Under Decency, Inspiration, The Base | 4 Comments
(11/11/11, Los Alamitos, from Laura Hertzog, Honoring our Fallen.org)
On this Veterans Day, let us take a moment out of our busy schedules to thank our U.S. troops who have fought, bled, and died for our country. We appreciate all that they have done and give our heartfelt thanks and gratitude for the sacrifices they and their families have made in order to preserve freedom in the United States of America and around the world.
Less than one Read more