Is your "Community" putting the world back together? by Christine Hodge

All day Sunday I thought about the question, "Do you have the sense that you're part of a movement that's putting the world back together?" My answer is "yes." I believe--as a "member" of Community--that I am a part of something great. Something greater than me. Something so great that it can only be attributed to God.

I think it is easier to love people in a practical way, as a body of believers, when you are a part of a small church. I believe it is a lot easier to do an outreach such as the Free Car Clinic or a block party when you are part of a small church. Large churches often have large hoops to jump through before getting a ministry idea approved. Large churches have calendars and budgets and elder boards (all of which are fine and necessary). It's just that it gets complicated sometimes. Small churches don't have to worry as much about conflicting schedules or budget approvals. No money...no problem, we'll just use our own (individual) money or ask for help from someone who has more money than we do. It's a lot less complicated and it frees us up to do what we've been called to do: love God and others.

That's what excites me about being a part of Community. I now have new ideas for loving people swirling around in my head that I almost can't wait to share them. Yes, I believe I am a part of a community that is putting the world back together, one exciting day at a time.

Easter Chocolate

On Easter Sunday we handed out aver 150 "slave free" chocolate bars to families who came and visited our Community booth. With the chocolate we also gave them information regarding chocolate and slavery, as well as providing literature that explains some of the places to buy slave free chocolate locally. We were very blessed to have chocolate donated by Trader Joe's Santa Barbara, and by Rainbow Bridge.

Good Friday Labyrinth

Just in case you weren't able to make it last week, or if you made it, and would like to comment on it, here's a chance to revisit the labyrinth.

One of the Saddest Things I've Ever Read

*Warning* Don't read this if you have any responsibilities for the next 5 minutes. After reading this news report from the BBC this morning, I had to weep. My heart now hurts, and I want God to intervene in the Middle East more than ever.

The Red Cross says every aspect of life in Iraq is getting worse - a trip to the market has become a matter of life and death.

"Once I was called to an explosion site," Saad, a humanitarian worker, is quoted as saying in the report.

"There I saw a four-year-old boy sitting beside his mother's body, which had been decapitated by the explosion. He was talking to her, asking her what had happened. He had been taken out shopping by his mum."

Do we even care who's to blame any more? I just want it to stop. I want the pain in my heart that I feel for this 4 year old boy who I don't even know to stop. I want his pain to stop, I want him to be loved, to be taken care of, and to have his mom with her head back so that she can explain to him what's wrong.

Click here for the whole story.

Hand Eye Coordination Fully Realized

I wonder at what age your hand-eye coordination fully matures.

Today, while waiting for the video from last night's labyrinth to render, I stumbled across a website that caused a great deal of nostalgia for me. Nitendo8.com contains 10 of the best Nintendo games ever, and allows you to fully play them from their website. You have to use "z" and "x" instead of the red "a" and "b" buttons, and they are on the wrong side, but it is pretty amazing.

I started to play some of these 17-22 year old games, and two things shocked me.
1) They brought back intense memories from my childhood. I can remember playing double dragon for hours with Freddy at his house, and watching James Hester beat Zelda. I remember playing a borrowed Super Mario Bros. 2 at my dad's house on this itty bitty TV. And I remember beating it after a weekend marathon session. Every little secret brick on the original Super Mario Brothers is magically recalled as I effortlessly play through a few levels. And I can remember riding my bike to the Hawaiian Shaved Ice store to play Super Mario Brothers 3 on the arcade, (SMB3 is my favorite game of all time).
2) I still get stuck at the same exact places that I did as a 10 year old on some of the games. I still don't make it past level 3 on Double Dragon, and I still suck at Zelda. I'd like to think that I could beat a 10 year old version of myself at basketball. I know that I can do more pull ups, run faster, understand James Joyce, and correctly pronounce my "r's". But what happens with video games? Maybe some more playing time will help me figure it out.

Freedom Day: One Voice to End Slavery

Join us Sunday, March 25th at Van Guard University from 2pm - 7pm in Costa Mesa for Freedom day.

Ia Satan Responsible for Global Warming?

In a recent sermon, Jerry Falwell stated that "global warming" is a tool of Satan. In an article for Ethics Daily.com, Bob Allen writes:

Moral Majority founder Jerry Falwell, who has worked for decades to involve conservative Christians in politics, said Sunday the debate over global warming is a tool of Satan being used to distract churches from their primary focus of preaching the gospel.

"If I decide here as the pastor and our deacons decide that we're going to get caught up in the global warming thing, we're not going to be able to reach the masses of souls for Christ, because our attention will be elsewhere, " Falwell said in Sunday's sermon at Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Va. "That's pretty wise for Satan to concoct."

Falwell urged preachers listening on TV across the country, particularly evangelicals who signed an Evangelical Climate Initiative statement declaring man-made global warming a moral issue: "Don't be duped any longer. The jury is still out on global warming."

After reading the quote by Falwell, I didn't immediately jump on the anti-Falwell wagon. I'm constantly being asked by people whether or not preaching social justice distracts from the message of the cross, and it is important to consider for a second what the Rev. is saying here...for a second. After about a second of consideration, it becomes apparent of two things:

First off and most apparent: If global warming is a ploy by Satan to deter churches from reaching "masses of souls for Christ," Falwell himself has given himself over, as his entire sermon, entitled, "The Myth of Global Warming," was itself on global warming.


In his sermon, Falwell does admit the importance of taking care of creation, he preached that we should take care of our trash, beautify the earth, and keep the streams clean. He did, rightfully so, express concern at alarmism. I would agree with him, Christians need not panic the global warming is outside of the power of God, but we also should recognize that an aspect of keeping the streams clean, picking up our trash, and beautifying the earth (with its atmosphere), is to care about CO2 production.

My second observation follows this admittance that we should care for God's creation: If we should be beautifying the earth, how would preaching about taking care of what Brian McLaren calls our "created sister" be any more of a distraction to reaching lost souls than lobbying against abortions and same-sex marriages.