This Side of Heaven

I had a friend die the other day.
She was just a few years older than me and we grew up in the Arlington Church of God in Riverside, CA. I have known her for 41 years. Wow I am old! For most of the world she will never be remembered for her name or for what she had done, but for some of us, she was a friend, a helper, a prayer partner, a football player, a good person.

I was the leader of the youth group many years ago and we were in the process of raising money to send youth to camp. One of the projects was to collect newspapers to recycle. This friend and my sister played a joke on another friend of mine with those newspapers. I had stopped off at his house after school to pick something up; as we came to his bedroom door he could not get it open. We pushed it open just a few inches and there all the way to the ceiling was all those newspapers wadded up in his room.

It was funny! It was a good joke! We all set down and laughed together. Later it was time to go home. I laughed all the way home. BUT when I could not get my door open to my bedroom at my house. I stopped laughing! My room was also filled to the ceiling with all those newspapers. It wasn’t funny anymore! I called and complained! I told them they were in trouble with stealing all those newspapers from the youth group. But there told me they had bought all the papers from the church gave the pastor the money and now were giving me a present. Wow what a gift! Given with love, a laugh and a smile.

My sister died many years ago. Now Rhonda is with her in heaven. One day I will meet them again in heaven. I just hope I will not have to push the gates of heaven open because there is a pile of newspaper waiting for me on the other side.
Pastor Ken

Merry Christmas!

Wishing the best for each and everyone of you this Christmas and in the year to come. God bless you! Have a great day!
Ken

Said and Done

This weekend we had our Granddaughter at our house and in those moments of time spent together—Life gets very simple. Scramble eggs and Avocados, hugs, hide and seek, a walk in the trees to see the birds and squirrels, changing clothes and diapers, a day spent on the floor. At times a run to you, a hug and the words “Love you” and then going back to her play. Expecting nothing, but getting a "I love you" as its mealts my heart. Life at its simplest! Life at its deepest! A Life worth live for!
There is a song that comes to me in those simplest times in life. It’s called “When It’s All Been Said and Done”.
It goes like this--
When it’s all been said and done
There is just one thing that matters
Did I do my best to live for truth?
Did I live my life for you?

When it’s all been said and done
All my treasures will mean nothing
Only what I’ve done for love’s reward
Will stand the test of time

Lord Your mercy is so great
That you look beyond our weakness
And find purest gold in miry clay
Making sinners into saints

I will always sing your praise
Here on earth and ever after
For you’ve shown me Heaven’s my true home
When it’s all been said and done
You’re my life when life is gone.

Lord I’ll live my life for You!
For me it’s not all been said or done and I am looking forward to what this simple day has in store for me and the others around me. Pastor Ken

“The Lord protects the simple and the childlike; I was facing death, and then he saved me. Now I can relax. For the Lord has done this wonderful miracle for me. He has saved me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling. I shall live!” Psalms 116:6-9

The National Cathedral

In 1791, when Congress selected the site to be the capital of the United States, President George Washington commissioned Major Pierre l’Enfant to design an overall plan for the city. It included a plan for a church. The National Cathedral.
In 1907 the first cornerstone was laid and it was completed in 1990, after 83 years of construction. Today it’s the biggest church in America. We went there on our trip to Virginia. What a CHURCH!
On the side of the Cathedral are hundreds of Gargoyles. The Word gargoyle is derived from the old French 'gargouille' meaning throat. Gargoyles came into gothic architecture in the early 13th century to keep corrosive rain water off the cathedrals in France and Western Europe. During that time, the Catholic Church was attempting to bring lots of pagan folks into the church. Since pagan themes and deities had a powerful history with the people, the Church deemed it necessary to use the often coarse imagery to help make the transition into a new religion more palatable. Also, many people were illiterate, so images were a great way to convey Church doctrines. One of surprising things we saw on the Cathedral was a familiar face.
What a Church! Pastor Ken

Back to Regular life !

Its great to be back at home with family and friends! Back to Church and to Work. To the 60 freeway and the 91. When will they ever get that freeway overpass done?
In a few words--Vacation was great! We spent some time working at home, laying around the house doing nothing but feed the birds with my granddaughter. We traveled to Washington, Pennsylvania, Virgina, Maryland, Delaware. A great trip with many great stops along the way. I will post some of the pictures in the days ahead.
One of the first things I did was to remodel our upstairs bathroom. Here is a picture of our new shower. Just add one show door and it will be done!

Hope you have a great day!
Pastor Ken

Walter

Walter Crager is a funny man! If you don't know him ask me to introduce you to him on sunday. Ask him for a joke but tell him you only want one. If you dont say anything he will give you 30 minutes of them. He sent me some site this week and here you go walter! Thanks!
Pastor Ken

As we drove to church this morning around one of the curves in the road was the littlest, cutest, deer I have ever seen, right in the middle of the road. Tricia’s first words were “OOOOOOOO How cute. “ “Can we take him home?” It’s a woman’s thing!
As we drove closer to the deer, he stood his ground. It must have been a male deer; ladies don’t stand in the middle of the road. I guess it’s a man’s thing to stand in the middle of the road and show the world that you are a man. We stopped for a few seconds and I then did what is said to do at these times in life, “Honk the horn and save a life.” The little guy just stood there and with a few more taps on the horn he took off.
I just knew he would go to the right of the road but he proved me wrong. To the left he climbed the side of the rock face that was almost straight up. I was amazed. This little guy, just a few weeks old was already a skilled climber. I wanted to take him home. Just think of him in a few years and what he will be able to do.
Today I hope I can do the same in my life with the people around me. To say something, to do something, to climb an obstacle, to share Jesus, to honk the horn, to save a life. God has blessed me with this day—now let me share the joy and love that he has placed in my life. From Isaiah we read these words:
“And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind and unstop the ears of the deaf.
The lame man will leap up like a deer, and those who could not speak will shout and sing! Springs will burst forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert. The parched ground will become a pool, with springs of water in the thirsty land. Where desert jackals lived, there will be reeds and rushes!
And a main road will go through that once-deserted land; it will be named "The Holy Highway." No evil-hearted men may walk upon it. God will walk there with you; even the most stupid cannot miss the way. No lion will lurk along its course, nor will there be any other dangers; only the redeemed will travel there. These, the ransomed of the Lord, will go home along that road to Zion, singing the songs of everlasting joy. For them all sorrow and all sighing will be gone forever; only joy and gladness will be there.
Isaiah 35:5-10 (Living Bible)
Pastor Ken