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.