NEXT: while working as a public school teacher, (especially later
on as a substitute teacher in L.A. to help pay
my way thru seminary) I realized
how uncaring and mean sometimes students can be to each other. I realized there
was NO place for students to reflect, think quietly, or even pray according to
their religion if need be. Although I know it will probably never happen, I
realized how important it is to have a chapel in public schools. Just because
its not likely doesn’t mean we shouldn’t advocate for it, right? That’s what
this blog is all about.
I am
concerned about our public schools lack of spiritualilty and the limited to
none educational opportunities to learn and grow in terms of spirituality. They
want to say that "spirituality" is something you do on Sunday, once a
week, at your church, and that's up to your family & pastor, etc if you or
they so choose. But I say that the schools have an obligation to the spiritual
as much as the cognitive, physical, etc.
Next: WHY IS BAPTISM so IMPORTANT?
That was a theological question I asked myself many times during and after
seminary. And there’s more than one kind of baptism to make it more
complicated. And there are denominational differences as well. Some say all you
need is infant baptism. Others say you
must be baptized as an adult. Others say
water baptism is merely symbolic but what really matters is baptism in the
Spirit. And the list goes on. This blog is dedicated to baptism and includes me
doing “baptism in the Spirit” which I record on video. IT’s nothing complicated or sophisticated. It’s simply my
attempt to be obedient to God’s command to not only be baptized but to go and
teach and disciple and baptize…
******************************
Next: sports has always been somewhat
important to me both as a child as well as an adult. I mentioned playing
football as a child thru high school. I also enjoyed basketball formally &
informally, as well as a little bit of little league baseball, among other
endeavors (snow skiing, water skiing, hiking,rock climbing, and the list goes
on.) I also enjoy remaining aware of current sporting news and attending some
athletic events . So I added a general sports blog .
******************
Next: I mentioned growing up in Grand
Rapids MI , and maybe I noted that I attended “Christian High” as it is simply
known in GR. Here’s my blog dedicated to the high school days and friends; and
I periodically blog about current events happening there.
*********************
Next, we
are also called to pray for and respect our leaders, judges, law enforcement,
first responders, military, et al in so far as they do not attempt to live
contrary to the word of God. So we must keep them in our thoughts and prayers.
Next:
and we need to keep our judges, police, 1st responders, veterans,
all law enforcement and protectors in our prayers; even if they do wrong or we
disagree with them. IT’s not always easy when we feel wronged by them, but
let’s take each one on a one-by-one basis just as we ourselves wish to be
treated ; and keep them in our prayers, encouraging them to be their best and
do their best at all times.
*******************************
Next: this is MY THEOLOGICAL BLOG (which I call
“theo 1” for short). It has a variety of posts that pertain mostly to ecclesiastical and theological issues .
ALSO
**********************
Next: this is become one of my most-visited
blogs. It is entitled very simply “STOP the TERROR” and takes on issues of
terrorism, both domestic and international. And hasn’t it become ALL-the-MORE
relevant given what just recently happened in san Bernardino (not far from
where I happen to be typing this today, only a week later, as I am heading to
Redlands for a “forum” to talk about the issue on 12/9/15) . We must pray and
act to stop terrorism. Hear our prayer, Lord ! THIS BLOG is
DEVOTED to ENDING TERRORISM AROUND the WORLD thru EXHORTATION, INFORMATION,
& PRAYER. JOIN US in PRAYER to STOP the TERROR,ACCORDING to GOD's WILL
**********************
************************************
Next:
so I wasn’t satisified by the lack of unity between the three main branches of
Christianity (Protestantism, Roman Catholicism, & Orthodox) . Hence I
started a “new religion” called PRO-CATH-ORDOX. It doesn’t require one to go to
a new church, per se, nor change their practices per se, but does require a
slight different point-of-view. If you become a pro-cath-ordox protestant for
example you can no longer think that you are superior to catholics, nor
vice-versa. When asked, you should say or think ‘I am a pro-cath-ordox
protestant, simply re-affirming what you already declare in the Nicene Creed
anyways. But by adding pro-cath-ordox to your title as Christian/Catholic you
remind yourself that we are in unity (or
should be) if we believe in Christ. I invite you to become a pro-cath-ordox
today !
************* next: ever since I started
“researching” the catholic churches while going thru seminary and starting my
own ministry I’ve continued to attend (and sometimes appreciate) the various
catholic churches I attend for daily or Sunday mass. I say “sometimes
appreciate” because I have had a few less than positive experiences, but by and
large, mostly good positive experiences. And I recite the Nicene Creed at the
protestant churches I attend as well as the Catholic churches. There’s a few
independent non-affiliated churches that do not recite the Nicene Creed and I
try to avoid those churches by and large because they are too solo. I believe
strongly in the united Body of Christ: protestant-Catholic-Orthodox (ie
pro-cath-ordox). And so I attend all three churches in various locations with
utmost respect and integrity, in good faith. And I blog my experiences and also
update this blog with catholic & Vatican & pope-related material.
Next: going to spring training in Arizona for the first time
was a big thrill. The cactus league has many locations for the many different
teams around the phoenix area including angels, dodgers, cubs, and many more.
It’s a great experience. You can see half of the MLB teams play in just a week
or so as you go from stadium to stadium. Hence, my blog which has become more
than just spring training, ex-post-facto. GO ANGELS ! re LOS ANGELES ANGELS of ANAHEIM
& MLB IN GENERAL .THIS was originally a blog for spring training...with an
emphasis on the L.A. Angels (my home team)...but now I've converted it into an
Angels (all season) blog, and also periodically other MLB news..not your blog
for everything...just periodic entries;
,
*******************************
Next: once again I remind you I grew
up in grand rapids and this blog will remind you as well.
next: part of the great commission is to go and tell the good news, baptizing,
teaching, discipling etc. It’s the most basic element of being evangelical
Christians and Catholics. We verbally proclaim the good news and we also give
out the written word, among other things. This blog is about issues of reaching
people with the Good News!
Next:
I love music, always have, always will. And I grew up in a musical household.
My mother was a piano teacher & cello player. All of her children were
required to take piano lessons for at least a few years. Then in junior high I
also played cornet. I also collected albums (yes the old vinyl kind that go
round-and-round and need a needle to play; but also CD’s later on, and I stay
aware of what’s happening, in general, in the music scene, or try to. I grew up
on classic rock, not hip hop. And I was on the tail end of the disco scene
growing up in the 70’s . see
**********************
Next:
after graduating from Grand Rapids Christian High School I went on to Calvin
College, only a few miles away also in Grand Rapids. Calvin College is one of
the denominational colleges for the Christian Reformed Church. Many of my
classmates also went there. It’s a natural progression so you already have a
lot of friends when you arrive as a freshman, and make some new ones too. I
graduated from Calvin twice. First as a psychology major. Later I returned and
added English/Education for a second bachelors degree. All my siblings attended
Calvin College as well; and parents, and grandparents. You get the
picture?
**********************************
*********************************************************
next: this little sailing event came to Long
Beach one year and apparently it is here to stay for a while. I’m not a big
sailor, don’t know much about how to sail these big boats…I only sailed hoby
cats growing up on lake Michigan…the little ones that is, not the big ones you
see at the Americas Cup. But I was going blog crazy at the time and felt I had
to cover this
event
with a blog as well.
****************************************
next:the first time I
“attended” the Oscars I was sort of new to Hollywood. That is, I had been
around for a few years, but hadn’t really every paid attention to the Oscars
most of my life. Then one year I went down to Hollywood blvd to see what all
the fuss was about and finally realized what a HUGE DEAL it is (to Hollywood,
anyways). They literally close down most of Hollywood blvd in the area around
the Kodak/dolby theatre, and put up bleachers for a small group of select
persons chosen to be red carpet viewers. And they put up fences along the blvd
with police scanners here and there. For the first few years I attended ( and I
mean as an observer from the outside, not inside) it was still rather loosely
policed. We were able to get fairly close without being overly-monitored by the
police, but in the past few years they’ve made it suffocatingly difficult to
get a peek. Its not as fun as it used to be to come and observe from the
sidewalk, but there’s also other events apart from being an informal spectator. They have symposiums and
interviews of the various nominees, many of which are free events. So every
year I still try to do a little b it of something to feel as if I am still part
of Hollywood, and have been blogging it more or less ever since. See
Next , another big event in the greater L.A. area is the
Toyota long beach grand prix . This also is a multi-day event, and requires the
closing down of a huge section of downtown Long Beach near the water’s edge.
And they allow free entry on the first day of the event, so it’s always fun to
go and view for free every year. I also add current car racing news
periodically.
next: I periodically go to
the various art museums around L.A. including, of course, the famous getty
museum along the 405 freeway (also less frequently I have gone to the getty
villa but that’s much more of a hassle) . And I try to learn something every
time. I try to remember some of what I learned in art history at calvin college
and apply it to my viewing experience at the getty or other museums. I’ve
enjoyed taking photos of the art and blogging the pictures here as well.
*************
Next: as I began attending catholic churches
more often and studying their theology I was introduced to what they call
“natural family planning”. It’s a way for married couples to engage in sexual
activity without violating the beliefs of the catholic church (ie they believe
using contraception is sinful, among other things). I’m not married so I
haven’t had to put this into practice, but maybe I will someday. However, for
the time being I have commited myself to the celibate life. see
***************
next: I spend a lot of time at libraries , or
did as I was starting my ministry and trying to organize some of what I do on
paper, and also use the public computers to upload my videos, update my blogs
etc (I still haven’t replaced my laptop ever since it was stolen so I depend on
public computers). And as I do my work I enjoy listening to various programs,
whether it’s a religious program, a youtube sermon, music, or sometimes “old
time radio”! I really found some great old time radio shows to enjoy and
continue to do so. Most recently I’ve been listening to a lot of the old “texas
rangers” radio program on internet archive. And I try to add some of these to
the blog for others to enjoy. And over time I also added links to general
audio, not only old time radio. see
*************
next: another part of my ministry and
evangelism (as well as pre-evangelism) was to become as familiar as possible
with all the big annual events around southern California. The county fair tradition
is very important to local Californians. There’s the BIG L.A. Fair (maybe the
biggest in the world?) as well as the slightly smaller OC Fair. And there’s
also the San Diego Fair which is smaller the L.A. but bigger than OC, and has
the best location of the three (right next to the beach). I have a general
county fair blog as well as this specific oc fair blog.
**************
next:as mentioned, I enjoy checking out viral
videos on youtube and adding the best ones to my favorite video blog. I haven’t
been updating it as much as I used to but I think you will enjoy a few of the
posts:
*******
next: as mentioned above, I did mission work
in the Philippines, and have a blog dedicated to that experience, but also
have/had this separate blog which I started after the GIANT TYPHOON hit the
Philippines in 2013. It happened to have a direct strike on Tacloban which is
an area I stayed for several days with one of the missionary families in 1992.
See
next: I haven’t mentioned it y et, but I also
did a semester in Hawaii at chaminade university and have a separate blog
dedicated to that experience, one of the best times of my life. And ever since
then I h ave enjoyed the “tiki spirit” (or hula spirit) ie the Polynesian
lifestyle and dance spirit. And around southern Cal there are several festivals
dedicated to the Polynesian lifestyle and NO they are not anti-Christian; in
fact most of them have been specifically pro-Christian in nature, including
local Polynesian-american preachers saying prayers and even leading a short
worship service on occasion. The human body isn’t bad. It’s good. IT’s the
matters of the heart which make it sinful or not. And I have never felt the
hula dance and other tiki expressions to evoke lust, but rather a feeling of
peace, even praise to God !
Stop THIEF ! next: I’ve been robbed more than once in
southern California. The first time I got conned by a guy selling airplane
tickets on craigslist. HE apparently fooled a few others as well. And the LAPD
cops didn’t do anything about it. Instead they blamed the victims. Some lazy
cops will often blame the victims because then the victim will feel ashamed to
keep pushing them to do their job. It makes their day easier. But it’s still
sleazy of them. They did it to me again when I got attacked by a 7-11 clerk
& an accomplice. They blamed me, the victim, warning me repeatedly that
they could, in fact, charge me for trespassing at the 7-11 (sleazy police, this
time in orange, ca). I also had my car broken into when I was at a dodger game.
I asked for police to come and take a report and they never showed up. And
there’s a few other matters that shed bad light not only on the perpetrator but
the police as well. Do you think they care? You can’t buy integrity no matter
how much you pay the police. Anyways, this blog attempts to keep track of some
of these events and has become a “robbery blog” in general (not all about me
being robbed but others as well).
on
August 21, 2015 I was assaulted, robbed, & vandalized at a 7-eleven store !
also see video at
*******************
next: we should ALL blog against abusers &
molesters. Shame on them!
*******************
next: I had never
heard of greg laurie when I first came to southern cal as a teenager in 1984. I
knew of Billy Graham of course, but greg laurie was a new name. Now I know that
he holds an annual “harvest crusade’ at angel stadium every year (his original
location) as well as other parts of the country. I’ve been attending every
since I discovered it, although we might have some theological differences. See
**********************
next: how can you live
in southern California if you don’t enjoy the beach? I love the beach. And try
to get to different locations as much as possible. I also enjoy snorkeling
around southern California. I was amazed at how many unique locations there are
around southern Cal. But it takes some time and effort to find some of them.
See
******************************
next:SIMPLE ACTS of KINDNESS or “sacks” are
common phrases now in the year 2015, but it wasn’t always the case. The
“kindness movement” has taken time to catch on over the years but thankfully it
is now part of the lexicon. And I thank my dad , in part, for being a “kindness
evangelist”. He started out as a “pastoral care” pastor and over time began
holding an annual “kindness conference” at the crystal cathedral (before they
closed/moved), and I picked up the ball and ran with it as well with a kindness
blog (or two, or three). This is one of them. .
http://fight4kindness.blogspot.com/
********************
next: I don’t golf
much. In fact not really at all anymore, but for a while when I started this blog
I was still going to the driving range. I haven’t added a whole lot to this
blog but do try to update it for the big events such as masters, us open , etc
And I still enjoy attending different pro golfing events around southern
California. I just haven’t been too good at updating the blog.
MY BELOVED INDIAN TRAILS! "
*******************
********************
Next, as mentioned, my family came to
California because my dad took a job at the crystal cathedral. After working
there for almost 30 years the large glasss church could no longer cover the
costs of operation. They declared bankruptcy and sold the campus to the
Catholic Diocese of Orange County. This blog is dedicated to those last days
and a little more. see
************************
next: I mentioned my late grandfather came to
bellflower in the 30’s and started a k-12 Christian school called “Valley
Christian”which is still in operation today in bellflower & Cerritos. I’m
proud of my grandfather for founding this school and proud of valley for
providing excellent Christian education, and also having a strong athletic
tradition as well.
********************
next: A SECONDARY BLOG this was another prayer & care blog but is
no longer updated.
this blog is no longer updated
which is current & up-to-date at
****************
next:I started this blog to pay respect to Nelson Mandela at the
time of his death.
*****************************************
****************************************
Next: I spent a significant amount of time
voice-recording the Bible not only in English but in a few other languages as
well, including Tagalog (the language spoken in the Philippines). And I had
them nicely uploaded to a website called posterous, and was assured by them
that they were going to be there for a long time. Then one day, however, they
weren’t. Twitter bought them out and closed them down. It was tragic ! IT took
so much time and effort to upload and add the written word alongside the audio.
I was very disappointed. And I’ve never found another good site to post my
audio Bible for free. I tried to save evidence of what I had done, and this is
what this blog is about, mostly for me to remember my efforts. http://tagalogbiblya.blogspot.com/
********************
next: one day as I was still trying to do a
little bit of everything there was to offer in southern cal I came across this
“anatolia festival” at oc fairgrounds. I memorialized it and created this blog:
**********************
next: for many years I
was a faithful attendee at the tonight show in Burbank . It was SO convenient
to show up an hour before the show and most of the time get it on a standby
ticket and see an interesting guest. One day Obama was schedule to come and a
LOT OF US came out to protest rather than attend the show. Here I am making a
stand for unborn life as Obama drives by in his motorcade. Obama is notoriously apathetic about
protecting unborn babies.
********************
