Well it's official: I work at Starbucks! I applied at a managers symposium in San Jose & they hired me as a shift manager with the goal of making me an Asst. Manager as soon as January. I work at one of the busiest stores in our area. We are right next to Hwy 17, which serves as the main route for commuters into San Jose each day. I'm not sure how many people frequent our stores, but it's a lot. Too, the people I work with are all younger than me! It's a trip, & happens to everyone, but I now find myself saying, "I'm the oldest one here," or "dude, you can't be old enough to drive," or "uh...you're to young to have that hicky on your neck!" Anyways, I work with nothing but college & high school students. Great! Interestingly, until I become a Manager my wife & I won't be able to pay our bills. However, we recently enrolled Siena into a child work program to make up for the deficit. Please pray for opportunities to make relationships & share the gospel with these awesome people I’ll meet.

The church is doing well. We just started having two Lifegroups in the city. Both of the groups meet in public areas, one at a coffee shop & the other at a Bagel shop. This is because a) we live in the woods like a Christian commune & b) we haven't found that the people connecting with our church would be responsible in hosting our groups, so we decided to go with a "sure" location. It's been good so far. I am excited because we are setting in place one of the main formative events in our church: Life on life discipleship. Also, we get to do our thing in public; the harvest is ripe & weird in Santa Cruz!














I've been reading through John's letters, what a blessing. John is pretty hardcore about his convictions & has really encouraged me. This verse really stood out to me:

(2 John 7-11) I say this because many deceivers have gone out into the world. They deny that Jesus Christ came in a real body. Such a person is a deceiver and an antichrist. Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked so hard to achieve. Be diligent so that you receive your full reward. Anyone who wanders away from this teaching has no relationship with God. But anyone who remains in the teaching of Christ has a relationship with both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to your meeting and does not teach the truth about Christ, don’t invite that person into your home or give any kind of encouragement. Anyone who encourages such people becomes a partner in their evil work.

I had to wonder: Who or what do I allow in my house? Holiness isn't a popular subject, especially in America, & more so on the "free" west coast. We are "free" in Christ & all things are "permissible." I wonder what John would think about the guests we invite into our homes? Often times we allow people or things of influence into our lives that we, or our culture, deem harmless. I thought about the countless Christians I know who invite unchristlike guests into their house through TV, music, or other media. John goes so far as to call them "Antichrists," but he's a little more radical than us. I have found myself wondering, “Why am I watching this?” or turning my head as I endure that “one bad scene.” I know it's not cool to ask, "How is that honoring Christ in your life or the work he wants to accomplish through you?" & it's must cooler to say, "Let's go watch so & so, doing this & that, drinking such & such, while listening to you know who." I am reminded that: you will become like the people you spend time with, listen to, & desire to be like. Who are we inviting into our homes? John says, "If anyone comes to your meeting and does not teach the truth about Christ, don’t invite that person into your home or give any kind of encouragement. Anyone who encourages such people becomes a partner in their evil work." I wish I were cool, but...