NorCalUrban

Rudy has some interesting points about the end of days and a Brian McLaren article. See them  here.

" What if the churches of the cities and people of color led an Evangelical renaissance... a resurgence of biblical Christianity? " Great discussion happening on this blog.

Walked out by the bay yesterday to look at the recent snowfall. What an amazing place we live!

Man, do I love YouTube! Here's a very cool thing I found. See- If I'm blogging about music it's either Ryan Adams or U2!

Man, what a show. Ryan was sober and loose. Lots of interaction with the band and audience. I've seen him three times, this was clearly the best. If he stays clean and sober, I believe he has the chops to stand with Neil Young, Gram Parsons, Bob Dylan and some of the other greats. He's a phenomenal talent, singer and songwriter. However, his quirks may stop him from greatness. I guess it's the same with all of us... Here's a video someone took last night:

Melissa and I are going to see Ryan (not Brian) Adams tonight in Berkeley. Ryan has been one of my favorite musicians since his Whiskeytown days in the 90's. We had a long but fruitful weekend - and I'm looking forward to spending some time with my bride and hearing some great music, perhaps also eating some great Indian food in Berkeley. If I'm blogging about music - it's usually about either U2 or Ryan Adams... Ryan is a brilliant singer / songwriter but has had a up and down career. He's recently embraced sobriety, kicking a pretty nasty drug habit. He's trying to avoid becoming a stereotype. Earlier this year the New York Times did a good article on Ryan and his journey. In the article it states "ONE afternoon, as Ryan Adams was recording his new album, “Easy Tiger” (Lost Highway), at Electric Lady Studios in Greenwich Village, the singer-songwriter Steve Earle dropped by to visit. Jimi Hendrix had built Electric Lady in the late 1960s, and Mr. Earle...

We hosted the Bay Area Reload event yesterday. We had a wonderful and successful event. The Bobby and Lawrence from Urban Youthworkers Institute said we had about 280 leaders in attendance - about a 50 leader increase from last year. I was particularly encouraged by the fact that when I asked, about 90% of the leaders who attended hadn't been at last year's Reload or at the national conference each year in Azuza. I really believe in what Larry Acosta and the UYWI folks are doing - I appreciate their hard work and passion to train urban leaders. A special 'shout out' to the planning committee who came together to promote the event including Greg Moder from Patten University, Angie Ibarra, Pastor Ben Guerrero from Maranatha Christian Center, Eld Billy Dixon from COGIC, Kirk Davis from Younglife and many others... Afterword we headed to San Francisco for pizza at Tomassos and Cannolis in North Beach with Jenni and my parents who are visiting. Good times! BTW - I was bles...

The American dream is founded on the belief that people who work hard and play by the rules will be able to earn a good living, raise a family in comfort and retire with dignity. But that dream is harder to achieve for millions of Americans because they spend too much of their hard-earned money on fees to cash their paychecks or pay off high-priced loans meant to carry them over until they get paid at work. Here is one initiative that can unite progressives and conservatives as well as business leaders and community activists: helping the "unbanked" enter the financial mainstream by opening checking and savings accounts, and working collaboratively with financial institutions and community groups to develop and market products that work for this untapped market. This will put money in the pockets of individuals and grow the economy. And it won't cost taxpayers a dime. See the entire article here.

Chris Brooks' commenting on the new book, "Deep Justice". Good stuff. Check it out... Chap Clark and Kara Powell are the authors. I know Kara, she's good people...

It's been hard to get a chance to blog this year. I had hoped for a more relaxed pace once the credit union was open. I guess I was wrong.  This year has already been fruitful and busy. Here are some bullet point updates on what's going on.  - This weekend is the Bay Area Reload  event at Patten University in Oakland. This year Bart Campolo, Leroy Barber and Joy Challenger are our speakers. Yours truly is doing a workshop on suburban / urban partnerships. If you're in the area, come and join us! - I've recently joined two boards of director, one for One East Palo Alto, a local non profit intermediary organization and Christian Community Development Association. I'm honored to serve both these excellent organizations. Last Tuesday I attended my first OEPA board meeting and last week I was in Miami for the CCDA board meeting. All that to say my plate is full... - My parents are out here. Dad is an electrician who specializes in nuclear power. He's working down at...

Last night we recalled the difficult events of two years ago...  The photo is the widow of slain East Palo Alto officer Richard May at last night's memorial. The Palo Alto Daily News reports: "Besides marking the beginning of a new year, the month of January in East Palo Alto has become a reminder of how quickly violence can take lives. Two years ago Monday, police Officer Richard May was allegedly gunned down by Alberto Alvarez, a now 24-year-old member of the East Palo Alto-born and -bred Sacramento Street Gang. Alvarez was on parole at the time and is awaiting trial. About 60 people gathered at the St. Francis of Assisi Church to remember May, a man who friends and family said cared deeply about East Palo Alto and the residents he was hired to serve and protect. His widow, Diana, told the crowd that she was perusing his old laptop, on which he did all of his police work, when she realized how attached her husband had become to the city. "He had plans for East Palo Alt...

After a much needed hiatus, I'm back! What a whirlwind 2007 was. Here's a few updates from my life and work..  Credit Union: As previously mentioned in this blog, we opened for business on 12/19. Since we had a soft opening, we haven't done any real promotion in the community. Even so, we've been successful in opening new accounts, just based on word of mouth. It's been exciting to see friends and community members coming in to start accounts or stop by to give their greetings and blessings. CU Supervisor Maria Chavez is doing a great job. We're proud of her.  The top photo is of NCUD co-founder Marc Prioleau and I behind the teller line at the new branch. Below is the 'famous' Maria!  Sam's Back: Finally! Samuel always heads to the Central Valley during his breaks. He loves hanging out over there. Essentially, he hangs with his grandmother, Uncle Fabian and Aunt Alicia and his cousins Jose and Nevaeh. Over there he's a prince, eating, playing vi...

Article found  at EPA.net. Community Trust Credit Union of East Palo Alto Is Open For Business Community Trust Credit Union of East Palo Alto opened its doors for business on Wednesday, December 19, 2007. After three years of planning, much hard work, and unwavering faith, the dream of a mainstream financial institution owned and governed by the residents of East Palo Alto is a reality. Why is this important? Because the people of East Palo Alto and surrounding communities will now have easy access to high quality, low-cost financial services to take care of their everyday needs and a way to build assets for the future. Community Trust Credit Union (CTCU) is a full-service, not-for-profit financial institution that has been established since 1961. Under the leadership of President and CEO Joe Duran, CTCU has become one of the most respected community development credit unions in the country largely because of its mission “to provide excellent personal service” to all of its mem...

Ecumenical Hunger Program needs your help... Hoping for 11th-hour donations East Palo Alto food bank 'could use a couple hundred more' hams, turkeys With Christmas Eve almost here, the Ecumenical Hunger Program in East Palo Alto is hoping a last-minute wave of donations - from turkeys to toys - will remedy what workers there say has been a dismal year. On Thursday afternoon, as volunteers packed boxes of food for several people waiting in line, Arnold Hart reckoned the food bank had about 60 turkeys and hams left, significantly less than what is needed today and Saturday. "We could use a couple hundred more," Hart said. Like many charitable organizations around the Bay Area, the Ecumenical Hunger Program is seeing a drop in donations, possibly from a shaky housing market and rising energy prices. Ecumenical primary donor, the Second Harvest Food Bank, which serves about 400 nonprofits in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, has barely reached half its three-month holid...

This Dylan song from his first gospel album, Slow Train Coming, has meant a lot to me over the years. What lyrics!  They ask me how I feel And if my love is real And how I know I'll make it through. And they, they look at me and frown, They'd like to drive me from this town, They don't want me around 'Cause I believe in you. They show me to the door, They say don't come back no more 'Cause I don't be like they'd like me to, And I walk out on my own A thousand miles from home But I don't feel alone 'Cause I believe in you. I believe in you even through the tears and the laughter, I believe in you even though we be apart. I believe in you even on the morning after. Oh, when the dawn is nearing Oh, when the night is disappearing Oh, this feeling is still here in my heart. Don't let me drift too far, Keep me where you are Where I will always be renewed. And that which you've given me today Is worth more than I could pay And no matter what the...

Thanks to Silicon Valley Community Foundation  for a great article in their new magazine "One". Pastor Bains and I are on the cover - check us out! We really appreciate the exposure! Link to it here and see the whole article.

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...

Great video! If you're from our area this is especially poignant. Is there another bubble burst coming?

OK. I admit it. I'm a pizza snob. I hate soggy, ham and pinapple, take and bake or mass produced pizza. It's offends my Italian American, northeastern US heritage!  The New York Daily News lists the best pizza in NYC. While admittedly the pizza in the Big Apple is truly awesome (my family in Jersey says the pizza across the river is better...), are they truly better than the Bay Area's Amici's or Tommaso's in San Francisco (just ignore the red light district that surrounds it)? I don't know, Jeremy , I thin the Bay is giving the Apple a run for it's pizza money... So - what say you? What is the best pizza in your 'hood? Please don't say Domino's!