NorCalUrban

This week our close friend passed away suddenly. Mark was my wife Melissa's pastor and served as a second father to her when her own dad passed. Mark and his wife Gloria introduced Melissa to Christ when she was a child and served as her pastor throughout her childhood and teenage years. Mark and my relationship started rocky. When I showed up in Delhi, CA courting Melissa I was a young 18 year old, brash, arrogant and opinionated. I still have some of that going on. Understandably and justifiably, Mark was skeptical and not too thrilled about Melissa and my relationship. We had a lapse in our communication for a number of years. After we left Mexico with YWAM in '94 we landed in the Central Valley broke and burned out with a newborn baby. We were struggling to get back on our feet. Mark and Gloria gave Melissa a job that she held for 6 years at La Morenita. Mark helped us with a car, with furniture, with a house, with groceries, on and on... He eventually gave me a job at the ...

Pascal Gomez came by for a visit yesterday. He brought his parents with him. Moses and Melissa are very close, old friends. Melissa was a student in a youth group I led and (my wife) Melissa used to babysit little baby Moses. I was honored to perform their wedding four years ago.  The Gomez family serves with  YWAM Amsterdam . Melissa works with prostitutes and sex slaves in the infamous red light district and Moses is doing innovative ministry through DJing. He goes by the name DJ Osmoses. Sam and he had a great time spinning some wax. They head home on Wednesday after a four month furlough. A long time ago I wanted to move to the YWAM base in Amsterdam. At least I can live vicariously through them. I've been encouraging them to blog more - hopefully my nagging will take! 

The Denver Post reports on the memorial service at the Denver YWAM base: "We're going to celebrate a life, we're not accentuating a death," said Faith Bible Chapel pastor George Morrison, in opening a memorial service today for two people killed at a missionary training school in Arvada . The service is called "A Celebration of Life for Tiffany and Philip." Philip Crouse and Tiffany Johnson died Sunday when a gunman opened fire at the school's dormitory. Youth With a Mission director Peter Warren said today both Crouse and Johnson embodied the spirit of the group. First the service focused on Crouse . "Phil gave his life to Jesus Christ and was never the same again," said Zach, a friend of Johnson's who met him years ago at a youth ministry in Alaska. At the time, Crouse was tough and wouldn't let people get close to him. "Over the years, Phil became a humble, teachable, sweet guy" who was able to reach kids with rough e...

Many of you may have heard about the terrible shooting at the Youth With A Mission (YWAM) base in Denver, CO. This is close to our heart. Melissa and I trace our roots back to YWAM. Much of who we are and what we due was infuenced by our lives at YWAM. As an update, we recieved a message from Peter Warren, the Denver Base Director: Dear friends of YWAM Denver, Linda and I just returned from the hospital at 6am. Along with a number of our staff and students we were awaiting news of our four staff who were shot last night. It's with a heavy heart I need to tell you we just lost two of them. Tiffany Johnson and Phil Crouse passed away in surgery in the early hours of this morning, Sunday December 9th. They were wonderful young YWAMers in their early twenties. Dan Griebenow is in critical but stable condition with a bullet still lodged in his neck and Chuck Blanch has two bullet wounds in his legs but will be fine. Thanks for praying for us. Our whole community has been uprooted as th...

Had a great time in New Orleans. The conference was great. I made some good contacts and heard more about what is was going on in the community development credit union world. By chance my sister Kelli and her family were in town. I don't get much time with Kelli - but I love her a ton. Saul and the kids (Noah and Lilli) were also there. It was great to see them... Came back on Saturday night - and promptly go the flu. I went to church yesterday, had much with Max (who is in town for a BCM training) then went to bed. Had crawfish (yes, I sucked the heads) gumbo and all the favorite New Orleans stuff. After many years it was a trip to be in the city. I had lots of flashbacks. When I was with YWAM schooling we did the first part of our Discipleship Training School outreach in New Orleans. It feels like that was a lifetime ago. The last time I was in New Orleans was when Melissa and I stopped in during our first California to Florida trip when we were engaged. I have some very inte...