Pastoral Publishing

Below is a great article written by Skye Jethani on the topic of celebrity pastors & Christian publishers. Celebrity is a big deal for us Americans (& I've often wondered about publishing $$) & Christians are no exception. It's worth a look.

Publish Me

Oh, So True

Mark Twain

"Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured. "

A Synopsis of our Pastor's Book Club

Here's my friend's recollection of our last Pastor's book club & his invitation to other pastor's in Santa Cruz. Needless to say we have a great time discussing some serious issues. Thankfully we understand disagreement can be a fun process, which leads us away from the fallacy of unity & into the difficult beauty called community.

When I read this I had many thoughts, & wouldn't normally post something with my name in it so often, but it's too funny to pass up, seeing that this is the invitation to our book club many pastors in our city will receive. 

"During a fun-filled discussion of the spiritual implications of fat and dieting, we ate great food and drank deeply at the well of Sean's hard work at mastering the magical qualities of yeast. And let me assure you, Sean is the magician's apprentice when it comes to harnessing the magical qualities that God has created into the world on the microscopic level. Sean makes great beer. In fact, if we all weren't so happy because of our dancing tastebuds, I'm quite sure our tongues would have formed into sharper shapes when a divisive topic like dieting is the ring around which we were all rosey-ing. But happy tongues have a hard time lighting fires, so instead we sang each others praises for disagreeing so tactfully."

 Here's Pastor Jason at one of his church BBQ's.

Help me to Grow Up, Before I Grow Old

This is a list of how to raise grateful kids. I know a few "adults" who would do well to practice the list too.


“What are purposeful, practical ways you’ve tried to train your kids to be grateful?”
Here are several common themes – and a few additions of my own.

1. Travel: expose your kids to different cultures. This will provide perspective that “our way” isn’t the only way to live. Kids will also inherently understand that life isn’t as bad as they might have originally thought.
2. Have your kids spend time hanging around with grateful and wise adults. Invite wise and trusted grownups over for dinner or a BBQ on Saturday afternoon. Role models are significant; surrounding your kids with grateful role models makes sense.
3. Teach gratitude rigorously. Point thankful spirits out in other people. Kneel down and look your kids in the eyes and tell them they did a good job thanking someone else. When they fail to say ‘please’ or ‘thank you,’ lovingly correct and guide them to respond with appropriate words right then and there. Don’t miss the teachable moment.
4. Confront entitlement immediately. Snuff out any spirit of whining or an attitude of “I deserve this” in your kids. Be kind, but firm. Simply do not tolerate it.
5. Make events and outings special, but not assumed. When kids assume special events or trips will always be there, entitlement begins to creep in.
6. Model it. It may seem obvious, but it can be easy for mom and dad to forget that modeling is the most significant way to guide our children. Eliminate sarcasm or complaining in your conversation. Remember: more is caught than taught. 
7. Read Scripture together. The Bible has numerous verses about gratitude. Consider reading from the Psalms regularly or before dinner.
8. Minimize (or eliminate) time with television, advertisements and commercials. The goal of marketing and advertising is to make you discontent with what you currently have. Studies reveal that, regardless of income level, there is a direct correlation between the amount of hours people watch television with the amount of money they spend each month.
9. Give and serve as a family. Seek out ways to serve as a family (and not just around the holidays). Whether its for a few hours at the local soup kitchen or homeless shelter on a Saturday morning or a week-long mission trip, it builds memories, allows for healthy modeling and provides perspective that breeds thankfulness.
10. Find the right balance between work and play. Communicate to your entire family that there will be times where we will play hard and there will be times where we will work hard. Expect both. Create age-appropriate chores – and schedule fun times to make memories together.
11. Refrain from buying everything your kids want. Pushing the cart through the toy section at Target can be dangerous, but don’t give in. At appropriate times, bless your children, but don’t give in to every request for something. The worst thing we can do as parents is to give our kids everything they think they want – when they want it.
12. Refuse the comparison trap. Refuse to allow your kids to compare themselves with other kids, especially regarding possessions and ‘their stuff.’ The root of discontentment is comparison.
13. Watch the language. Have a keen ear for phrases like “I need that doll,” “I want that toy,” “She has ____ and I don’t…” or any other form of whining. If you hear it in the grocery aisle or from the backseat of the van, address it immediately. This includes non-verbals like pouting or smirking.

Keep Santa Cruz Weird

...fact is stranger than fiction. 

Woman jailed after throwing a duck in Santa Cruz

Sentinel staff report

Posted: 09/24/2011 08:07:44 PM PDT

SANTA CRUZ - Authorities were called to the 700 block of 41st Avenue Saturday afternoon for reports of an intoxicated woman abusing a duck.
According to a Santa Cruz Sheriff's Office, deputies received a call that a woman was drunk and was refusing to leave a business just after 4 p.m. The caller also said the woman was throwing a duck to the ground and apparently also trying to strangle it with some sort of leash.
When officers arrived at the scene, deputies found an intoxicated woman throwing the duck around. It was not immediately known whether the duck was wild or domesticated, or if it was the woman's pet.
The woman, whose name has not yet been released, was taken to County Jail on charges of public intoxication while deputies tried to catch the duck.
Deputies said Saturday that the animal appeared to be uninjured, but they planned to take it to the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter for evaluation.

Just For You

A funny video a friend sent me the other day.

This Ain't Ohio...

Flash mob in Santa Cruz shows some skin for a cause

By CHELSEA HAWKINS

Posted: 08/19/2011 04:33:05 PM PDT

SANTA CRUZ Sentinel - Women are baring all in the name of a good cause.
In support of breast cancer survivors and continued cancer research, women will shed their shirts at the city hall courtyard in downtown Santa Cruz. Led by Mariana Sophia Santiago, community members will participate in a flash mob from 5-7 p.m. on Sunday.

The event coincides with National Go Topless Day, a show of support for gender equality and an attempt to redefine cultural perceptions of female nudity.

Santa Cruz is one of the few cities that allows women to be publicly topless and Santiago, who organized the flash mob, is embracing such liberation. Participants will wear pasties and flaunt body art, exhibiting their nude torsos as a show of solidarity to the men and women affected by breast cancer every year. Community members of all walks of life are encouraged to come and show their support.

"I want to tap into ... the goddess in every woman," Santiago said. "Breasts are the origins of food, our first food, so there is no shame in showing oneself. There should be no shame, because there is this whole connection between womanhood, motherhood, food, [and] nourishment."

(My thoughts): Breast Cancer, Topless Day (showing your boobs will help equality with men & redefine the image of women? Men will show up, but I don't assume for the ideal of equality), Santa Cruz allows women to be topless in public (yep), goddess.

What does a church, devoted to sharing the love of Christ in Santa Cruz, look like?

This Ain't Ohio...

Peter Gabriel

I'm on my way, I'm making it
I've got to make it show, yeah
so much larger than life
I'M going to watch it growing

the place where I come from is a small town
they think so small
they use small words
-but not me
I'm smarter than that
I worked it out
I've been stretching my mouth
to let those big words come right out

I've had enough, I'm getting out
to the city, the big big city
I'll be a big noise with all the big boys
there's so much stuff I will own
and I will pray to a big God
as I kneel in the big church

big time
I'm on my way-I'm making it
big time big time
I've got to make it show yeah
big time big time
so much larger than life
big time
I'm going to watch it growing
big time

my parties all have big names
and I greet them with the widest smile
tell them how my life is one big adventure
and always they're amazed
when I show them round my house, to my bed
I had it made like a mountain range
with a snow-white pillow for my big fat head
and my heaven will be a big heaven
and I will walk through the front door

big time
I'm on my way-I'm making it
big time big time
I've got to make it show-yeah
big time big time
so much larger than life
I'm going to watch it growing
big time big time
my car is getting bigger
big time
my house is getting bigger
big time
my eyes are getting bigger
big time
and my mouth
big time
my belly is getting bigger
big time
and my bank account
big time
look at my circumstance
big time
and the bulge in my big big big big big big big