Broken for the Children

Leaving the house this morning there was a Sunday paper on the porch. We just moved into a new house and we still get the paper from the old tenants. Our new house is only about 6 blocks south of our old house, but 6 blocks makes a night and day difference in our neighborhood. We now live "South of Harding" or... on the other side of the tracks, so to speak. This is the neighborhood God has called us to minister in, it is the neighborhood for which our hearts broke when we first moved to Stockton, this is now reality, this is Stockton.

The article that covered most of the front page caught my eye. It was about the schools in Stockton. The front page article of The Record continued on to a two page centerfold. The centerfold featured stories of children that attend Stockton schools. My heart broke and I cried as I read on...

"Half a peeled orange, a snack from 16 hours earlier, rested on the floor. An empty cup of chocolate pudding sat upside down on a shelf looking like it had been there awhile.
The wallpaper in the bedroom was torn. Dirty dishes were stacked in the sink. A pair of old toilets stood out in the backyard, filled with dirt, accompanied by an old washer and an old dryer.

Roosevelt Elementary third-grader Dakota Christian, 9, arrived home.

It was early in the school year and his stepfather, recently released from jail, listened to music that included lyrics unprintable in a family newspaper. 'You're grounded,'he told Dakota. 'You didn't do your homework last night.'

A while later Dakota's mother, Jolene, walked through the front door. When she saw a couple of visitors in the living room, she said loudly, 'This house is a filthy freakin' mess. ...Sorry.'

In the coming weeks, the disorder in the house was the least of the family's issues. By late September, there had been a series of events that Dakota matter-of-factly recounted.

He said his stepfather had been sent back to jail for eight months because he'd arrived for a meeting with his parole officer " carrying a buck knife." Dakota said his biological father would soon be released from jail.

His grandmother, he said had moved in because her house had burned down.

And after someone tried to break in, Dakota said his mother had used extension cords to electrify the fence in the front of the house. When she was rigging it up, Dakota said Joelene tested the fence by tossing a bag of popcorn at it.

'The bag caught on fire,' Dakota recalled, laughing.

The house is a menagerie with snakes, dogs, chickens and rabbits among the residents.
Dakota sleeps in the upper bunk in a bedroom he shares with his older brother Aaron, an 11-year-old Roosevelt fifth-grader. Aaron was suspended four times in the opening months of School after altercations.

Dakota has chubby cheeks, wire-rimmed glasses, a blond brush cut and an innocent sweetness..." -Quoted from story "Dakota, 9"

The Record also showed these startling statistics about the Roosevelt neighborhood... API Scores 578, 97% of children receive subsidized school lunches, median household income $26, 953, 30% of families live below the federal poverty line, students learning English is 46%, and 20% of households have no car. This neighborhood is a stones throw from our home.

It also stated that one of Roosevelt's greatest challenges has been staff turnover. Half of the schools 20 teachers departed after last school year, due to budget cuts. and that some of the teachers experience culture shock when students come to them and say things like that they haven't eaten all weekend.

One thing I have noticed in our neighborhood is the children. My heart goes out for them and so do my prayers. I see children who look like they haven eaten in days, 6 year olds cussing out their parents, children running wild in the streets... It is chaos. Yesterday I saw a mother yell at her 18 month old to come back to the porch. When she didn't get her daughters attention she sprayed her with the water hose!!! I wanted to run across the street and.... I can't say. It was infuriating!!!!

The stories of abused and neglected children in today's paper is, as I believe, the norm here in Stockton. We are a city of mostly broken families... But aren't all our families broken? We are a truly broken people. I think that here in Stockton the only difference is that some of the things that mask our brokenness have been stripped away. Think of these things. Pray God continues to strip them away from all our lives so we recognize the need for him and respond to his call.

PRAY!!! PRAY!!! PRAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

God works in Mysterious ways!

So tonight I was on my way home from a long day with Elijah and friends and I get a call from a homeless gentleman that we were ministering to a few nights ago. We have spent a little time with this man on a few occasions...given him rides, gotten him food, and shared the Gospel with him. The other night was probably the best time we have had with him. It seemed like he was hearing the Gospel and we had a really good time of prayer with him. This time he asked for a ride to Westin Ranch, about a 25 minute drive from Stockton. I was still about 45 minutes away from home and we had to stop for dinner too, so I told him I would pick him up from the bus stop between 9:30 and 10p.

While we were eating my heart was super heavy for this Man. I felt like I shouldn't give him the ride alone but wasn't sure who could ride with me. Then I get a call from My wife, Raegan. She tells me that there's a man at the door who wants to see me. I'll call him "my friend" for his sake. My friend is someone who has never been to church and is not a Christian, but he has been coming to our house for prayer and council for a while now. We have gotten to know him pretty well. So he gets on the phone and says that he just wanted to talk about things...this is the first time he has come to the house sober (longer story for another blog). I told him I could meet him at the coffee shop in 15 minutes and he agrees.

15 minutes later I find myself at the coffee shop with "my friend". He just wanted to talk, which really meant he wanted Jesus. (Its funny, he keeps coming by our house and saying "I don't even know why I come here, I just know I'm supposed to...like God is telling me." I smile cause I know exactly why God has him here.) I suggested he ride with me to give the other gentleman a ride to Westin Ranch and he agrees. On our way to pick the other gentleman up he asks a million questions. He cannot figure out why I have this Love in my heart....I stole the opportunity to share the Gospel again and I think he started to get it. While answering his questions I tell him a little about this other gentleman. About how this man has lied to me and given me some crazy con stories because that is what he thinks he needs to do to hustle a ride from me. My friend is trippin!

As we pull up to the bus stop my friend tells me not to worry, if this man tries to pull something he is going to beat him to death. I said "where's the Love in that? Our love should not be conditional on him telling the truth." While we are picking the man up my friend is in deep thought. The first thing the homeless man does is start to back his way out of his lies. I stopped him and said that it didn't matter if he had lied to me, I knew he was lying all along and I still fed him and had given him rides, my love was not conditional on his actions.

I know this sounds crazy, but this is really happening... The man starts telling me how hes always trying to be good and do right but he can't....So I go into the Gospel and start sharing how God Loves us just how we are....It is at this point that my friend jumps in and finishes the Gospel. Ha! this is really happening.... this friend of mine who has heard the gospel dozens of times is now sharing the gospel to this homeless man with me!!!

Ok, so I can't finish this story because its not over. The homeless man is not yet saved. He wants to come to church and I hope to be able to take him tomorrow (Today). Also my friend is not saved, he has an addiction to alcohol that is tearing apart his family and keeping him f rom Jesus. He also has a hard time believing that God loves him and accepts him just as he is. My Heart is Super Heavy for these Men. Please pray for their salvation. PLEASE!!!

This is just a part of the ministry here in Stockton. There are dozens of people just like this that we as a Church body minister to. People are getting saved and God is transforming their lives. God has been doing radical things and answering radical prayers. Some prayers seem trivial, but God cares.... We are moving to a different neighborhood, Lord willing, and the day we decided to move I told Raegan we needed to get a dog...We prayed and didn't tell anyone....the very next day someone we know shows up at our house unannounced and says she is moving and has to get rid of her puppy she just got...God gave us a new dog! A few weeks ago we had a baptism at the church. I had gotten a pool to use but someone suggested we needed a pool ladder to get into it. We didn't have the money so I said if the Lord wants us to have one he will provide it and we prayed. I found one the next day on the side of the freeway while on a very random drive north of stockton. It was in perfect condition and the perfect size. God has provided everything we need just when we need it....

The big lesson: God always provides exactly what we need...it's not always what we think we need, but it's EXACTLY what we need!!! He is always faithful. Praise the Lord!

A lazy Saturday Morning

Its such a beautiful day here in Stockton today and this morning has been great too. I woke up today before the rest of the house. It was sweet to have quiet time with the Lord, but no matter how much time I have I am always hungry for more. A little while later the rest of the house woke up. The rest of the house is My lovely wife Raegan, Elijah, Hannah, Becky, Cari and Jacklyn.

With everyone up we all went to the kitchen and made breakfast together. Its always fun to have everyone cooking together in the kitchen. When breakfast was ready we sat down at the dining room table to eat our eggs, bacon and pancakes over some good conversation and prayer. With breakfast done, and everyone ready for the day, Raegan, the kids and I decided to go on a bike ride through the neighborhood together. With me on my bike, Elijah on his, and Raegan and Hannah together on mommys bike, we head off down our street.

One thing about Stockton that amazes me is the different areas and how segregated they all are. Our neighborhood is a pretty big mix of race and social classes. There are primarily renters and many of the homes are neglected and run down. Not too many people are out, they stay inside because of the busy streets.

Just two blocks away we enter another area. The homes in this area are triple in value from my block, all the yards are perfectly maintained, the cars in the driveway are brand new and people are out sweeping their porches and working on their houses. It blows me away at the difference two blocks make.

We ride through this neighborhood and cross Harding Way. Just a few blocks south we enter yet another zone. This is a much more rundown neighborhood. There are a ton of apartments here, the cars look like they are broke down, many of them up on jacks, broken windows everywhere and trash in the gutters. Half the people walking around don't have their shirts on and people hang out in the front lawn in lawn chairs.

Although all the People in these neighborhoods are way different they are all the same. When all the surface things are stripped away everyone still has the same need. These people all need Jesus. As we rode through these areas it was interesting to see the change in attitudes. Most people say hi, but in different ways. Some are busy working on their house or washing their car and they see you coming and their countenance changes, they smile as big as they can and say hi in the happiest voice they have. Some just look at you and say "hey", no change in countenance. and some just plain stare as you ride by and don't say anything at all.

As we were riding down the most run down area we had been in I was surprised at how welcomed we were... We were out of place for sure (riding on our cruiser bikes and matching helmets)... But never the less the people there are just hanging out and willing to talk if you just take the time to stop and say hi. They are so receptive and open, but they seem like the hardest most unapproachable people ever. Looks can be deceiving, truly deceiving. We all need Jesus, all the same. All of us Christians have the same calling on our lives too...to take the Gospel to the people who havent heard it. We have the good news, the best news ever!!!! And there are tons of people out there, lost people, who need to hear it. We need to encourage one another to share this news. We need to reach out. I love this place we live, I love Stockton, I love Jesus.

Our Bigger Family

About a month ago we had two Girls move into our house with us. Today they were getting back from a trip to Socal and they brought the last load of their things with them. We were out front of the house unloading their car, the whole family was moving things into the house, and as I walked out to get another load of things I see a homeless guy walking down the sidewalk. As he was walking by and looking at the family unload the car he says, " I wish I could be a part of that family." I kinda chuckled and said "really?" I was hoping it would start a conversation. He just got angry and said "Yea. Its not funny! I don't have a family, I'm homeless. Anything I have I get digging through the trash!" He never slowed down, he just kept walking. I thought of about a dozen things I could say.... But it was too late he was gone.

We belong to a bigger family, The family of Christ. I have really been learning a lot about our family lately. This is just another example of what Christ has been doing in our lives to stir us up for his family. God has given us a vision. Its a vision to live in a home with lots of room for others to live with us, to do life with us, to grow in Christ, learn life skills, be raised up and discipled and sent out to spread the Gospel. We really have a heart for our community and the people in it. Please pray that the Lord opens up a door for a bigger home.

Currently we have a 4 bedroom home. Our family of 4 lives in two bedrooms downstairs and we have 2 girls living upstairs. The Lord has given them a similar heart for the people of this community and Stockton, That is why they recently moved here to Stockton. We pray he moves more people here to Stockton for his vision. We also pray he continues to stir the heart of the people in his body here in Stockton. We see daily how he continues to do this....

Just last night on the way home from church with a brother, we stopped for some tacos. It was about 10:30pm. (this is not too late for dinner in Stockton) We ended up meeting a homeless guy named Bobby and giving him a ride across town to his home (a bush in a business complex). He professed Christ, but was acknowledging his desire to know Christ more. We had a great opportunity to share our hearts with him and love on him. We left him our phone number and he said he would call us to get together sometime. Before we left we gave him some tacos. His eyes lit up. He was surprised at our generosity, which was not all that much from my perspective. Somehow in our conversation he saw Christ through us. I can only pray that Christ continues to use us to share his love, even in the little things like this.

We are going to look at a home today. Its big! Like 7 bed 4 bath? I don't remember exactly. But the thing is that its in a very sketchy neighborhood.... I know we are called to that area. I know it!!! But I want to be sure that my family is protected and safe. I really need clarity right now to be sure it is the Lords will. Its only a few blocks away from where we live now. But 2 blocks in Stockton in the wrong direction is like 2 miles. There are clear lines that define boundaries of neighborhoods and areas. This move crosses the line...it crosses those boundaries.

The Lords will be done. Thats all I can ask for. We are willing, but we are also weak. It will only be by his strength. Thank you all for your continued prayer and support. We are still being supported from friends and family whom the Lord has put it in their hearts to support us. This is also stretching, and for me especially. (any of you who know me know what I mean) Every part of me wants to just get a job and support us on my own. But the Lord has been clear that's not his will for us. He wants us fully dependent on him and he has been able to use our availability in radical ways. Till next time... God Bless

PRAISE REPORT - Did this just happen????

I tried to post this on Facebook but it was too long, So I posted it here. I hope it is as encouraging to you as it was to me!!!

PRAISE REPORT!!!! -- So as most of you who attend the West Lane Campus know (or have experienced) one of the front doors at West Lane has a tendency to swing shut very hard and smack you in the heel as you walk through. It has caused a number of injuries and sent more then a few children running away crying. Well a few weeks ago we took the door apart to see if we could fix it. None of us had any idea what we were doing....but we found this weird looking thing, kind of like a shock, up inside the door jam that was leaking oil everywhere. We figured that it was the problem and tried to research it on the internet to see if we could get it fixed.

That was a few weeks ago and we still haven't been able to get it fixed.....Well today I was walking into the bank and there was a guy working on the front door lock. I thought he was a locksmith. But since he was working on a door that looked like the one we have at West Lane I asked if he knew about this shock thing. He said yea, he knew what I was talking about and it couldn't be rebuilt, but needed to be replaced. Then he said that there are about a million different models out there and they cost $250 to $500 each, not including installation. I tried to explain what the one at church looked like but really couldn't remember the name or model number. He was trying to get back to work so I left him alone and went into the bank.

As I passed the repair guy on my way out I said "Have a nice day." He was busy shuffling on the floor through some of his things so I didn't think he heard me. As I'm halfway across the parking lot he yells back at me, "Hey, did you say you took that door apart? Did you see what that thing looked like?" I replied "Yes." Then he lifts something up and says, "did it look something like this?" I walk back over and look at it. "Yes," i said, "it looked exactly like that." Then he hands me the part and says "Merry Christmas."

I'm standing there holding the 20 lb part trying to figure out what just happened. I don't remember what I said but I think I said "are you giving me this? Why?" Then he says "Jesus changed my life bro. Hope that helps." and he turns his back to me to start working on the lock again. I just stood there looking at his back wondering if this really happened.

It is amazing how God knows our needs. It is amazing at how he is concerned with our safety and how he looks out for us. This is such a testimony of Gods love for us and how he is even concerned with the little things, like our front door... God provided the part we need to fix the front door! I am still bewildered at what just happened at the Bank but all I can do is exclaim "Praise the Lord!!!"

WE SERVE AN AMAZING GOD!!!!

Heavy fog

Yesterday was one of the warmest days we have had in Stockton in a long time. It was beautiful and sunny and it reminded me of the warm sunny Southern California Summers that we were so fortunate to have. Today is not one of those days.

I opened the door as I was leaving this morning and I was greeted by a very crisp, dense, heavy fog. Hannah, my sweet 2 ½ year old daughter, was next to me as I opened the door and as we both looked outside she said “Daddy, look. Smokey outside.” I said “That’s fog honey.” She responded with a very sad, “That’s fog? Its foggy outside Daddy.”

The weather is a such great metaphor of the spiritual state of our city. There is a dense fog present today. It is heavy, it is thick, it is visible, and it is real.

Sometimes it is really hard to see in the fog. Driving down Bianchi Road on the way to the office this morning I almost drove right through a stop sign. What’s funny is that I know the sign is there, I pass it almost every day as I drive through that neighborhood. But the Fog is so thick and so distracting that I still almost miss the sign.

Isn’t that so true in our lives? Sometimes the fog, spiritually speaking, is so thick that we miss the signs. We even know what the signs look like and where they are. But still, we can miss the signs. This City is covered by a thick spiritual fog, but the light of the Gospel of Christ is bright enough to shine through.

Pray that the light shine bright in this foggy city. Pray that the fog is lifted. Pray that people see the light!

God uses Oranges

When we moved in to our home in Stockton we were so excited to have an orange tree in the backyard. We were amazed that it produced oranges through the whole winter. It seemed really weird. Now we know why. God is using our orange tree to share the Gospel. Yes… God can use even our orange tree to share the Gospel!

One morning a few months ago as we were sitting on our front porch swing reading our bibles. A woman who was walking her dog stopped to talk to us. We talked about life for a few minutes and she mentioned that we should meet her husband. We agreed but didn't really think anything of it at the time.

A few weeks later an older man was walking by while I was mowing the lawn. He was walking the same dog that the woman had been walking a few weeks earlier. He stopped and just watched me mow the lawn. It was a little awkward, I admit. Then he finally said something... "Are you the guy that reads his bible on the porch?" I was a little surprised, I had never seen this man before but he apparently knew who I was. I responded with a quiet "yes..." Then he says "My wife gave me a bible, but I don't read it or anything...That's what bible studies are for, right? Do you actually understand what you read?"

OK, so at this point I am amazed at the conversation and praying in my spirit that God would do something. I respond again with, "Yes, I do understand." He mentioned that his Bible was in English and it was difficult for him to understand because it was not his primary language. Before I know it, we are talking in Spanish.... About the Gospel!!! It was incredible.

At this point in our conversation I am amazed at where it is going. That’s when he comes out of left field with the question… “Do you eat all the oranges off your tree?” I say “No???” I was totally caught off guard and wondering why he is asking me. Then he asks if it’s ok if he picks the oranges off our tree in the backyard. I realized that is the whole reason he was trying to make conversation, He wanted oranges and came by our house trying to make conversation so we would let him have oranges.

That was about 2 months ago. Ever since then he comes by about every 10 days and asks for more oranges. We go to the back yard and pick him a bag or two of oranges and we get to talk to him about life, Family, the weather, and yes…. The Gospel! Praise the Lord for oranges in winter.

God can even use oranges to share the Gospel. Pray for our friends Salvation!

The 3 mile Walk

This week has been an amazing week. God has opened some really neat doors with may locals in our neighborhood in the last week. From meeting the owners of 3 local shops to meeting the new neighbors across the street, God has truly shown his hand in our lives.

Yesterday we went on a 3 mile walk as a family. We never get very far from our home, we just sort of zigzag back and forth up and down the streets praying for God to do something in our area, and letting him know we are willing if he wants to use us. We were almost home, about 3 doors down, when we stopped to talk to a neighbor who was also out walking with his daughter. We were talking about our common interests, landscaping, homeschooling, the miracle mile...and he interrupts to say, "Hey did you guys really help the people who lived behind you move?" He looked surprised that we would be helping someone who wasn't even a friend of ours, just a neighbor. I said "Yes".

We had helped a neighbor move to another part of town. They weren't really good friends, just the people next door. When they told us they were moving we offered to help. They agreed that we could help and when we showed up there were about 6 of us from church who helped them start to finish. We didn't pressure them to come to church or anything, just loved our neighbors! Literally!!! We have since been in contact with them a few times, actually they have contacted us to see how we have been doing. It is really amazing how simple acts of kindness can break down walls and open doors for us to be involved in each others lives. We plan on having a BBQ with our ex-neighbors when the weather gets better.

Anyways, back to our 3 mile walk only 3 doors away...So It also amazes me how God used moving our neighbor as a testimony to the other neighbors in the area. I thought no one noticed..But aparently they did. It just goes to show that God can use us through such simple things to advance his kingdom in such radical ways!!! Praise the Lord that he uses fools like us.

The Little Things Count

Ok, so it's been a super long time since I've written anything on our blog. There are so many things that have happened in the last few months I don't have a shortage of stories to tell. There just seems to be a mental block every time I sit down to write what the Lord is doing here.

Today was a fairly typical day in Stockton. It started out with breakfast at Chuck's with a brother who is growing in Christ. Over our $6 meals (that is expensive by Stockton standards) he breaks the news that he doesn't know what to do with his life, he has failed at everything he has tried, and thinks the only option left is to sign up for the military. What an awesome opportunity to share about Gods Grace and Love and how he is so right, we will always fail on our own strength, but need to surrender to Christ and rest in him and let God work out his perfect will in our life. After we talked for about an hour we gave up our table to the others that were waiting to be seated.

Outside we met Charlie. Charlie is 54. He has been homeless for 40 years. He is an Alcoholic, he has been drinking since he was 8. His thumb and index finger were black from tar because of smoking so much cigarettes and he looked like he was almost 80. We talked with Charlie about his life for about 20 minutes. It was amazing, or maybe just plain sad. At many points I just wanted to cry for him. The whole time he kept talking about every program he has tried and how he has failed... I realized a pattern this morning. He knew the Gospel already. He probably new the scriptures better then I or my brother who was with me. I was praying and asking God how we minister to Charlie. We shared a little about Gods Grace and Love for even Charlie. Then God gave us an opportunity to show him.

From the distance I can see a woman approaching us. It is clear that she is making a beeline for me. She had no teeth that I could tell, clothes that are way too big, and she was twice my size, and a shaved head. Its raining outside and she only has on a shirt and jeans. When she gets up to me she asks for money. I himhaw and say that I won't give her money (EVERYONE in stockton asks for money, you have to get used to it.). She introduces herself as Eitha. Then she tells me that she wants money to get some breakfast for her 6 kids who are at home. I felt a tug on my heart to get her some food, it goes against every instinct inside me.

I knew it was from the Lord. Then I remember that at Church one of our interns had asked for the Church to provide food for lunches. I told them that the Church didn't have the money to provide food, but I they should pray and see if the Lord provides. The next day someone randomly dropped off 2 large boxes of food. It is so amazing to see the Lord answer even the little prayers. I remembered that there were a few boxes of Cereal amongst the food. So I got the woman's name and address and told her that we would bring her food.

I think that something clicked inside Charlie as he sees this happen in front of him. Our Conversation shifted. He was looking for hope. He was wrestling inside. He recognized Gods Grace and Love. He told us where he hangs out and we hope to go and visit him another day. We left to go get Eitha and her family some food.

A little while later we find ourselves in front of Eitha's apartment. It was in a sketchy area. I was asking myself "What are we doing?" as we knock on the front door of her apartment. She was suprised to see us. She wanted us to look in her apartment to see that she was telling the truth that she had 6 kids. I told her it wasn't necessary. She was so grateful for the food. It was amazing to see the Lord work in the situation. Then She asked if we could get her some money so she could wash her kids clothes. We offered to take them and wash the clothes for her. She was again surprised. Then she asked "Really? All of them?" We said yes, not realizing what we might be getting into.... We could see Gods hand working in her heart. We could see him showing her love and Grace in her time of need. It was an incredible opportunity to be a witness to her that Christians really are Christ's Hand's and Feet to his people. She decided not to let us wash her clothes, but even still we had a great opportunity to witness to Eitha, her husband and 6 children. Who knows? Maybe one day we will get to wash her clothes for her.

By this time it is not yet 10am. Amazing!!! Truly Amazing!!!! These are the opportunities we have every day to witness to people in Stockton. These are the people we love. These are the lost. This is Stockton.