Marching On...

Lunch time blog entry time, as I sit alone... *

So yesterday was the 10th anniversary of Flood church. I've been going since 2004, I think, so I remember the old days at the College Avenue Baptist campus, and the later transition to the church's current home at Kearny High School. I don't think I've ever been at a church this long, especially one that I'd consider my own church.

The sentimentalist in me is thankful for Flood since it's brought good people into my life. (This is going to be a sappy blog, I know.)

But really. If it weren't for the Flood drama group back in 2004, I never would've re-connected with my old high school drama classmate Brittany, aka The Weez to my KD. And becoming friends with Brit and spending time at Disneyland and the start of TV Thursdays lead to me meeting and hanging out with her roommate Jordan, who would later become the illustrious TGO... Being a part of Flood drama also brought into my life Johannah - aka the "Jen" to my "Jack" (Dawson's Creek reference) - and all the laughter and scheming that we used to have... some of them including Brit, like the time I swore in front of her for the first time (epeatedly) due to a Johannah-scheme that involved me, or ditching church with Jo so that we could hang in PB (church was at night - but yeah, this still sounds horrible)... so never would I have guessed that these two girls from my high school would be such a big part of my 20s.

Knowing Johannah also played a part in me knowing Chris, and so did his being a part of Flood too. Having been a regular of the local coffeehouse show circuit back in 2004, I knew Chris' face. I was familiar with a number of faces actually. A lot of the same people went to the usual venues on a regular basis to see the usual bands and artists that played all the time, and so I started recognizing people, even if I was too introverted to say anything. Until I came across Chris' MySpace profile (all due to a comment he left on someone else's page) and read that he went to Flood - and because that one thing made him different from all the other music fans I saw around town, I made the bold (well, for me) move to say "hey what's up..." Of course, it would later turn out that Chris knew Johannah as well, and eventually the friendships solidified, and thankfully both are still around...

And of course, now there's Chris + Jordan... but I've waxed on about those two in various forms in recent weeks, so I'm quite spent when it comes to discussing my feelings on those two. ;)

Flood's had great ministries over the past 6 years that I've been in attendance - some of which I've been part of - and the worship there is like none other that I've ever experienced. But what I'm the most grateful for is the friendships that were formed and all the memories that were made and are still to come.

* disclaimer - blog started at lunch, finished at night b/c a friend ended up joining me at lunch

On a Sunday, I'll think it through...

The title for this blog entry is the name of one of my fave Jimmy Eat World songs... but has nothing to do with the song. I just wanted to jot down some reflections on today, tis all.

IT WAS AWESOME! =)

Act 1: Carlsbad 5K

Got up there just in time to meet up with Pete, who had his family there to cheer him on, and my old roomie Ben. The three of us gathered together at the start line, and off we ran! We all pretty much made our goal times. Ben finished in at just about 26 mins, Pete in an even 28:00 (when he hoped for 29), and I clocked in at 29:39 - just under 30, which is what I was hoping for! I tried to give it all I had, which needed to include a few walks to catch my breath, but this race marked another improvement (pace-time wise) from my previous run (new pace 9:33 min/miles vs 11:06 min/mile). After I caught up with the guys at the finish line, we got our t-shirts and went to the beer garden. Because apparently that's what you do at these things: you run a good distance, you treat your liver to some alcohol... Cassandra snapped a pic of us guys with our beers in hand, and I hope that pic soon to commemorate a fun run. There were professional photographers taking pics of all the runners during the race too, and I hope those get posted online during the week.

Act 2: Oggi's Pizza

After the race, I wanted to treat Ben out for some pizza. Post-run is a good time for that usually unhealthy meal, heh. Plus it was his birthday a few days ago. So the two of us former roomies went down to Oggi's Pizza and shared our usual pepperoni. Definitely miss hanging with the dude, as he's always been a stand-up guy and one of the very few that I could always be real and raw with.

Act 3: Coffee with Matt

After I got home/showered, I went over to Linda Vista and had coffee with my growth group leader (Matt) at a little shop by the Flood campus. He was my prayer partner for the week, so we caught up on the latest hap's and discussed life... I'm liking being in growth group this time around. It's still a little hard to break down my walls and talk sometimes (although I did manage to give my personal story last week), but I know it's something I need to keep trusting God to work in and through the group.

Act 4: Flood with Jess

Straight after coffee, I met up with Jess and her cousin Camille in the Flood parking lot. Chatted it up a bit and went inside for the service. Once I saw the piano on stage, I knew that The Gate Called Beautiful was likely leading worship - and they were. It was a good service - worship was awesome, and the service marked the beginning of a new series called "Touch: Real Sex in an Artificial World". Earlier in the week, another friend of mine saw the name of the series, and she kinda gave me a look, like "mmmmhmmmm..." But the fact is, sex is a big part of the culture we live in and regardless of one's age or marital status, the Bible does have lessons to learn on how we should view our sexuality. Thankfully, Adam (our speaker) didn't just throw down the stereotypical conservative church party line of "pre-marital sex is bad". (Actually, he started out with a rather hilarious look at the lyrics of Usher's song "Yeah"). But to sum, I'll just use a quote that they gave us from author Philip Yancy:

People worry that they will miss out on something if they heed the Bible's warnings against premarital sex. Actually, the warnings are there to keep them from missing out on something.

I'll definitely re-listen to the podcast, as I enjoyed the message (even if I can't properly express how it went - I'm tired now, lol) and I'm looking forward to the rest of the series. Also, this was the second week in a row that one of my original Mitchell besties, Jess, joined me for a service. Aside from the fact that it's been nice having a friend join me at church again, it's rad to feel like she's enjoying it (both the music and message), and to feel that the Holy Spirit is just doing it's thing.

And that's what I prayed with Matt during our coffee session. A lot of times I feel that uncertainty of the future, and I have my periods of doubt and lack of faith. But then I get that still voice pulling me back in and reminding me, "Hey... I'm still with you... for all those times you feel like I'm not there, or you may not even want Me there, I'm still working in your life. You may not see it right away, and you may not understand something, but trust in Me." When I hear Him reminding me of what He's already done and what He's promised us in Jeremiah 29:11, I realize that it's all good and I can put my fears aside and start finding peace/rest/hope in His love.

With that being said (quoting my Medicare mentor right there) -- Happy Sunday!

All of my life, in every season

You are still God

I have a reason to sing...

Love Came Down

The Pat Little Band has been singing a song at Flood lately called "Love Came Down", originally written by Brian Johnson. It's become a fast favorite of mine, and I wanted to share the lyrics and video below. With whatever fears we may have in life right now, I'm reminded that God is right there to fill us with hope and guide us through whatever comes our way, and that we have His perfect love to cast out our fears (I John 4:18).

If my heart is overwhelmed and I cannot hear Your voice

I’ll hold on to what is true though I cannot see

If the storms of life they come and the road ahead gets steep

I will lift these hands in faith

I will believe

I remind myself of all that You’ve done

And the life I have because of Your Son

Love came down and rescued me

Love came down and set me free

I am Yours, I am forever Yours

Mountain high or valley low

I sing out remind my soul

I am Yours, I am forever Yours

When my heart is filled with hope and every promise comes my way

When I feel Your hands of grace rest upon me

Staying desperate for You God, staying humbled at Your feet

I will lift these hands and praise

I will believe

Love came down and rescued me

Love came down and set me free

I am Yours, I am forever Yours

Mountain high or valley low

I sing out remind my soul

I am Yours, I am forever Yours

I am Yours, I am Yours, all my days, I am Yours

Romans 8:15

In contrast to the question from "Glee" character Rachel Berry -

"So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when He adopted you as His own children. Now we call him, 'Abba, Father'." -Romans 8:15 (NLT)

"I believe that God made me for a purpose, but He also made me fast. When I run it is in His pleasure." - Eric Liddell (men's 400 meter gold medalist, 1924 Summer Olympics)

Offline Blogging

...but to be posted online soon. I'm at Starbucks, per our usual Coffee Tuesday outings, and currently unable to go online because Wi-Fi isn't really free at Starbucks. They want you to buy something at least once a month using a Starbucks card, and doing so grants you two free hours of Wi-Fi access.

It's been more than a month since my last purchase, apparently.

But it's okay. I can still type this out on my word processor and upload it whenever I get the chance. That'll work just fine, I feel. And I need to take my mind off work and this "how to" book for Microsoft Access...

Random musings:

1. Three amazing concerts last week: (a) Loney Dear and Andrew Bird, (b) Duncan Sheik and Lauren Pritchard, (c) Tonic and Gin Blossoms. "B" of course being the most legendary, if you didn't know... I haven't had a week like that in awhile, when I used to go to shows with a greater frequency. I even found my old list from 2004, when I kept track of every show I saw, even the small coffeehouse ones.

2. I wish I had the keen eye that Jordan and Brit have when it comes to photography. Our photo outing last Saturday at the Mission San Diego de Alcala produced some pretty great shots. Picture days are some of my favorite days in recent memory - Old Town/Seaport Village, Gap Day, Julian... I really want to start taking pictures on my own, but (a) need a good camera and (b) don't know if I have that skill to find a good shot in any given environment.

3. I keep listening to this one song called "Lead Me to the Cross". It's originally by Hillsong United, but I have a (stealthily taped) live recording of The Gate Called Beautiful performing it at Flood last year. They choose songs that fit with Matt's message, and the combination of her voice, their music, and the song's lyrics... it's often very moving (to me). I was at The Rock this last Sunday, and worship has been an important part of church for me and theirs just wasn't working (among a few other reasons that have nothing to do with this point). I really do need to be more consistent with where I'm going though.

4. I'm ready for March 9 to get here already. Come on, March 9...