SCC Pastors' Blog

Ah, leave it to modern sports to continue to give us endless illustrations of how to live well… or not in some cases. Going to bed last night, I thought, “I don’t know what I’ll blog on yet from my message last week.” After reading this morning’s news, it’s the Olympics to the rescue, they gave me just what I needed!

This one is golden (ok maybe just silver, depending on how you look at it…)
I was looking at the news events of the day – not the Olympic news, and a headline caught my eye, “Putin attacks Plushenko judging.” I wondered what the Russian Prime Minister was so hot about? Imagine a politician ranting about the judging of an Olympic sport! It turns out that the American beat the favored Russian. But what really caught my eye was the gracious words from the silver medalist Russian…

“You can’t be considered a true men’s champion without a quad,”
“For someone to stand on top of the podium with the gold medal around his neck by just doing triple jumps, to me it’s not progress, it’s a regress because we’ve done triples 10 or even 20 years ago,”
“Just doing nice transitions and being artistic is not enough because figure skating is a sport, not a show,”
“I was positive that I won. But I suppose Evan needs a medal more than I do,” Plushenko said through a translator. “Maybe it’s because I already have one…”
“Now it’s not men’s figure skating, now it’s dancing.” Plushenko said.

Hmm… I confess I didn’t watch the interviews (maybe he really was a gracious second place finisher), but the comments seem to underscore a less than complementary attitude. An attitude that is more concerned with “me” than others. I know it – I’ve had it.

When I was in High School I played water polo. I won the MVP award on the JV team. I went home and threw it at the wall and the arm broke off (I still have it in my garage somewhere, I now keep to remind me of the attitude). I was so upset because I didn’t get my varsity letter that year. I practiced with the varsity and played on the varsity team in most of the non-league and tournament games. I thought I DESERVED the letter. I was so angry that I was unable to enjoy the award I had gotten. Pride is a ruinous thing. I wonder if some people are unable to celebrate God’s gracious gift of salvation because it is ultimately about Him, and giving Him the thanks and praise He deserves, because in doing that, it takes the spotlight away from their focus on themselves? Or even serving others because then you can’t be serving yourself?

My prayer for us all this week is that we would embrace Philippians. 2:3 …”Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.”

Hi Gang,

First off thanks for all the prayers for my safety as Missionary Steve Reed and I traveled in and through San Salvador, El Salvador last Monday through Thursday.

Twenty years ago Steve and I founded a financial outreach to the poorest of the poor Christians in El Salvador that has had $2250.00 sent down via money orders every three months to be distributed to mostly elderly couples and five different churches.  The man who delivers the meager amounts ranging from $30.00 to $50.00 per family is named Victor Hernandez and he is now eighty-one years young.    He and another faithful pastor do so much to help the helpless that I am humbled by their service.  Our trip was simply to verify the ongoing system is working.  Aside from working on a backup plan to deliver the funds, we couldn’t have been more pleased with the how it all is working.  I’ll have more to say in my next e-mail/blog.

The last thing I wanted to share with you today is the stature of the conditions in El Salvador.  Though vastly developed since my last trip there in ’95 the slums and the poor remain in abundance throughout the countryside. El Salvador encompasses a land mass about equal to Petaluma to Gilroy north to south, and from Livermore to San Francisco, east to west.  In other words a small country.

Shockingly, since our last visit, we have found a people under siege by gang violence so great that there are an average of seventeen murders every day in San Salvador.  The corruption of course impacts the poor the most, and the violence leaves none of the people we serve immune from the potential for violence at any time.  It is a fearful place for many to live.  One report told us that hooded vigilantes have begun to fight back in one of the areas.

This is the reason for the change. Many young men fled the country to the United States because of the violence associated with the revolution back in 1989. Almost all of them ended up in Los Angeles, where they banded together to form two main Salvadoran gangs, the “MS”  and the “18′s”.  As these men were arrested for gangland violence in Los Angeles they were sent to state prison were they did anywhere from 3-5 years in our prison system.  Upon their release they were immediately deported back to their homeland.  They took all their acquired gang skills and began to use them now in their own country and as a result have turned the country upside down.

The “MS” and the “18′s” have a stranglehold on many of the townships in and around San Salvador, henceforth my need for prayers for safety last week.  All this to say our work there is as important as ever.  Later this week I will get back to you with an opportunity for you to build into the lives of our Christian brothers and sisters in El Salvador.

thanks for taking the time to read this.

dan

I was riding to a meeting with John and he had this article in his truck… Great insight from an atheist about Who meets real needs!
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/matthew_parris/article5400568.ece

OK, I know the score: two weekends, two messages on Biblical authenticity.  You’re thinking ahh, yea, that’s right.  I seem to remember something about that.

Well my friends, and I do consider you friends and family, seeing as how we will be enjoying God’s eternal provisions together in the not too distant future.  It’s time to make a change.
Yes, it’s time to make a change.  I will not allow another moment to pass in your life where you don’t stop and consider the depth and meaning of a God who knows your every thought, motive, and action.

After you’re done wrapping your mind around that incredible truth, start thinking today how that should make it a lot easier to begin conversations with others in the faith of Jesus Christ with a clear declaration of God’s greatness and your great need.   Start talking about it in every facet of your life and do it with God and do it with each other.

Remember –  Authentic people tell the truth about themselves because they know what God knows about them.  So encourage those that confess to you and encourage yourself while you’re at it.  God actually loves you beyond human reasoning through Christ Jesus.

Two: What I am asking for is legitimate transparency, so find someone you can trust, form a small group for accountability purposes, heck I don’t care, just take your faith to the level of ‘real’ today.  If you don’t know anyone then get plugged into Bible studies or men’s or women’s groups and start meeting fellow sinners saved by GRACE,  please!

Three: Accept that other folks have weaknesses/sins different from yours.  Don’t condone them but remind them of God’s great forgiveness and mercy and that you’re there to help them win the day over whatever ails them.

Please know the pastors here love you and care deeply about your commitment to Christ and we believe a life lived authentically is our absolute best opportunity to impact the people we know, both in faith and without faith. 

Let’er rip!!!

love being your pastor,

dan