NorCalUrban

Good memorial day yesterday... Went on a M/C ride with Charles from St. Sam up to Alice's on Skyline and down to the coast. Man - we live in great motorcycle country. Redwoods, Bay vistas, the AWESOME Northern California coast. I love the Harley - but I'm ready for something a little faster - been thinking about the Buell. Still a Harley, but a sportbike. Come home, took a nap and went with Melissa and Samuel to see the new X-Men movie. Good summer flick - don't have to think too much. Great Memorial day... This week I'm off to the Congress for the New Urbanism conference in Providence, Rhode Island. The conference is about the redevelopment of urban communities. A generous donor picked up the bill so I'm off to see and learn! I'll keep you updated.

David Moore, a long time friend and mentor or mine just published a new book on the pentacostal movement. He co-authored it with Jack Hayford. I just read the first chapter - it's a great historical piece on the movement. Get the book here.

I just added this blog to the links - but wanted you to see it. If you're starting something or talking to potential funders, read his book, "The Art of the Start". Guy's blog is cool also.

Had a great time at Urban Youthworker's Institute last weekend. Larry Acosta and his crew continue to do a fabulous job at what I believe is the premier conference for those working in urban communities. Read about the conference here. Had a great time hanging with Rudy Currasco , Jeremy Del Rio , John Perkins and others. It's always like a family reunion when we go to the conference. A group from St. Samuel came also including Pastor and First Lady Bains. I had a chance to teach a workshop called, "Start Something! The Art of Bringing Your Dreams to Reality" based on my life experiences and informed by a great book by Guy Kawasaki. Amy Kushner from BCM helped me teach the class. I went down early to have a discussion with a group of 'young' leaders from the Christian Community Development Association. CCDA is the organization founded by John Perkins and others to create a network of folks doing holistic urban ministry. We had an excellent conversation abo...

Check out the book here.

Yesterday was my last day working for Bayshore Christian Ministries. It started out very appropriately by having breakfast with Kimberly Marsheck (Li) who I worked with for about 4 and 1/2 of the almost 6 years at BCM. Kimberly was key to helping me transition into the organization. Last Thursday they had a lunch for me. It was great to see old teammates like Susan Martin, Steve Joh, Ben Rodriguez and others. I had to stop at the end of the BCM driveway for a moment and thank God for allowing me to serve BCM for the last season. It seems like ages ago I was at Youth For Christ in Modesto. I appreciate Andy Hartwell for allowing me to serve. I clearly remember the early September day I drove in from Modesto to start work at BCM. I remember how different EPA was from Modesto, LA, NYC, Tijuana and the other cities I know. I remember how intimidated I was by the BCM staff, they all are so educated, passionate and committed to the cause. As I reflected I also thought of the unique transiti...

From a Sojourners e-mail blast. Interesting... Brian McLaren on The Da Vinci Code An interview by Lisa Ann Cockrel With The Da Vinci Code poised to go from bestseller list to the big screen on May 19, pastor and writer (and Sojourners board member) Brian McLaren talks about why he thinks there's truth in the controversial book's fiction. What do you think the popularity of The Da Vinci Code reveals about pop culture attitudes toward Christianity and the church? Brian McLaren: I think a lot of people have read the book, not just as a popular page-turner but also as an experience in shared frustration with status-quo, male-dominated, power-oriented, cover-up-prone organized Christian religion. We need to ask ourselves why the vision of Jesus hinted at in Dan Brown's book is more interesting, attractive, and intriguing to these people than the standard vision of Jesus they hear about in church. Why would so many people be disappointed to find that Brown's version of Jesus ...

WWJD - What Would Jay-Z Do? A commentary of christianity and youth culture. Read it here.