The bon voyage is nearly over

To those who haven't heard the news yet: Julie and I, and Loretta, are moving back home sometime at the end of February. Life is just too slow out here in Southern California. We miss the fast-paced celebrity culture of small-town Ohio.

Not really. It's a long story, sure to be misinterpreted by some. I only say that because it's already happened and it's frustrating but what can you do? The short version is this: Julie has come to the conclusion that fulltime ministry in a paid position at a church is not for her anymore. She hasn't lost her faith, nor does she feel she will have any less impact on the Kingdom because of this. Priorities have changed, goals have changed. Some people thrive in the environment of working at a church; other people, like Julie, find their passion gets zapped by it, whether it's because of the politics that go along with the job, or controlling egos, or the time away from family that it frequently demands. This decision is the result of about 3 years of an inner struggle, sometimes outward, trying to weed out what's from God and what is human selfishness and weakness. We both believe we knew the answer before we came out here for this job, but we weren't sure, so we gave fulltime ministry another try anyway. Trying to discern between what you think is a calling from God and what is self-motivated is sometimes extremely hard. Basically we feel that we at least need a break - Julie needs a break - to figure some things out and see what the Almighty has to say about it. At first we thought we made a mistake in moving, but some great things have happened. We've met some awesome people, and we've learned a lot about ourselves and our relationship as a couple. We leave feeling refreshed and optimistic, and our faith has actually been encouraged. It all works out in the end.

But that's not the only thing involved in our decision. My dad's health is also a concern. He's got diabetes, kidney disease, and heart trouble. And he lives alone with his faithful Pug, Buddy (aka The General), which isn't the safest thing, considering how the diabetes has affected his sight and motor skills. So it's hard to stay out here if Julie's job isn't what she wants. Her grandpa died a month after we moved, and it was hard for her to be so far away as he was declining fast. Luckily we flew home in time to see him just before he passed away, but the experience made us realize how important our families are to us.
So back to Ohio we go.

Friends and Friends of Friends

...is where it's headed, me thinks. My friend Shok passed on this interesting article to me. I found myself agreeing with much of what is written. It has to do with something we've been thinking a lot about the last few years but haven't been able to put to words quite so well: check out Friends
Let me know what you think.

Our gifts to each other

Here are some shots of what Julie and I got each other for Christmas. We had agreed not to spend a lot of money on each other this year. Julie got very creative and gave me "12 days of Christmas." Starting on Dec. 14 and ending on Christmas day, she gave me a witty little poem and a gift, which related to the famous Christmas song. Usually the gifts were some edible treat, like chocolate or dried pineapple rings ("5 golden rings!") But on two of the days I got dvd's of two of my favorite bands; U2 and Sigur Ros. In the photo are the gifts that I haven't eaten yet... Julie spent a little more money than I did. I decided to go the really cheap gift route, although it took quite a bit of time to make: I drew a picture of my two girls, Julie and Loretta. I'm still not finished, but I had to give her something to open.

Christmas Visit to Ohio Thwarted!

We had a depressing change of events occur this Christmas morning. Our flight to Ohio was cancelled due to a mechanical failure in the plane we were scheduled to take. And for some weird reason, SkyBus won't pay for a flight on another airline; all they'll do is refund our money. I'm no expert on airline customer service, but if I wanted to compete in the flying business, I might want to change that little policy if the fault was mine. It seems fishy to me that that's all they'll do, especially on Christmas Day, when it's ultra-important for people to get where they're going. So now I have to look at Julie's sad expression all day.

Anyway, on the bright side, even though we'd have rather gone home to see our family and friends, it's nice that we'll have that money back. We also saved by not having to rent a car for a week, and by not having to pay someone to watch Loretta.

Merry Christmas from CA

I know it's early, but we wanted to wish everyone we know a merry Christmas. Some of you we'll see back in Ohio when we visit next week; others won't be so lucky ;)
The time is getting near, the "most wonderful time of the year." Julie put up our tree and did all the decorating. A humble tree, yet it's full of the yuletide spirit. I sing "Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum," everyday when I walk by it.

Monterey Bay Trip

This past weekend Julie and I went up to Monterey to meet up with one of her friends from her days at Great Lakes Christian College. We took the scenic route, which goes along the coast for the majority of the trip, and it was spectacular. It's so cool for so long that you almost forget that not all roads are so scenic. The 5 hour trip took us through Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Cambria, San Simeon, Big Sur and Carmel, amongst other towns. A few miles north of San Simeon (which is where the famous Hearst Castle is located) is one of the more common spots for Elephant Seal viewing. This was our favorite part of the trip, seeing these comical and weird creatures. It was amazing how close we could get, and at first we thought they were just really smooth rocks. They look like huge sacks of blubber with eyes, mouths and fins. The main area had barriers, but further down the beach a person could almost touch them if they really wanted to. But we didn't, mostly because we didn't want to mess with their natural habitat, but also out fear. They look funny and somewhat harmless, but they're also huge and have quite formidable-looking teeth. You can't help but laugh when the huge male bulls rear their heads back and let out what sounds like a cross between a gigantic belch and a loud Harley-Davidson. Then they just plop down as if exhausted by the effort.
It was also very good to see Julie's friend, Jen, who drove down to Monterey from Sacramento to meet us. The two women had a good time catching up, and seemed to pick up where they left off about 5 years ago at school back in Michigan. We hope to visit her up where she lives very soon.
And I can't forget to mention a very important person involved in this trip: Tracy Uyematsu, the daughter of a lady Julie works with. Tracy watched Loretta while we were gone. I knew our pup was in good hands when she showed up wearing a stocking hat with cat ears. She also broke out some Japanese anime Christmas songs on her laptop, which was a mind-bending experience. I was thankful that at least Loretta wouldn't be bored...
Here are some photos of our trip: http://www.flickr.com/photos/camarillohillbillies/

Church experts, cont'd

Some people have been wanting to know more of what I'm talking about in reference to my last post. I realize it's kind of vague, but to write about church and all the weird politics and issues that go along with it is very difficult. And I surely don't claim to have it all figured out. It wasn't until the last 3 or 4 years that I even had a clue about what goes on at a church outside of a Sunday morning service. And I still feel like an outsider much of the time, even though my wife is a pastor and I've seen and heard what goes on in the running of a church.
I wanted to include actual quotes that we've heard, but to do that wouldn't have been very discreet, even if I'd have left out the names. I'm not out to hurt someone's feelings. Well, I can put one in... We mentioned in a recent conversation that we have a lot of friends that we know are Christians but don't attend a church regularly, for whatever reason. The person we were talking to said, "If they aren't going to church, maybe they're not really Christians." This is another thing I don't get: how some people seem to think they know, by someone's actions, if that person is saved or not. I believe you can sometimes have a good idea, or suspicion, but how can anyone know? It seems like that's something only God and the individual knows for sure.
Some have also commented on the Johnny Cash lyrics. One person said, "what's wrong with being heavenly minded?" To that I say nothing is wrong with being heavenly minded, but if all you do is think about when this life is over and spending eternity in heaven, but you do nothing on earth to make it a better place, then that's no earthly good. I feel the song was written for busy-bodies and know-it-alls who gripe and complain about everyone else, but they themselves are no better.
The main thing is, I'm just frustrated that the church seems to be a lot like the world, in that it too has it's share of people who are self-centered, greedy, attention-seeking, petty, overly critical and full of selfish ambition. I've always thought that "church people" would be some kind of different. I never expected perfection, just a noticeable difference.
To be fair, I've met a lot of awesome and godly people at church too. But they are the exception. Maybe that goes along with what Jesus said about the road being narrow, and many being called but few being chosen.
I don't know, maybe I'll figure it all out someday. Maybe it's not for me to worry about...