My dad used to take me flying when I was a kid.  He was an old Navy fighter pilot and he never lost his love of flying.  His enthusiasm was contagious, and while he was still flying I'd jump at the chance to go up with him.  I remember one day he took us up and it was heavily overcast.   As we climbed through the clouds it got a little bumpy and I couldn't see a thing.  It was unsettling to say the least.  Dad assured me everything would be all right and sure enough, as soon as we broke through the clouds, it was like a miracle.  Below us were white, billowy clouds and above us only sky - a bright, blue, sunny sky, and I could see forever!  I'll never forget it.

At times, life reminds me of that plane ride.  It gets overcast and you can't see the sun.  Visibility is limited, and sometimes you wonder if you'll ever climb through the clouds and see the sun again.  In the life of our church, last year's fire that destroyed our church building  brought in a weather system.  It became seriously overcast, and we're still climbing through the clouds.  Even now, the ride seems a little bumpy.  Visibility is limited, but we're still climbing and we're still on course.  It's o.k. to fly by instruments from time to time; life demands it!  This is equally true in our family, professional and community life.    

I'm confident that as the church of Jesus Christ, we'll break through the clouds.  As long as we remain on our knees, praying to hear, discern, and obey the will of our Lord, we'll remain on course even in the clouds. 

I'm confident because God's word tells us so.  "Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."   (Isaiah 40:31)  The prophet is responding to the exiles in Babylon who were concerned that their plight was of no concern to the Lord; that they were not on God's radar screen.   Not so, says Isaiah!  (40:27-29)
 
So, what will it look like when we break through the clouds?  Here's what I see:  a community of Christ-followers who, with compassion, embrace a preference for the interests of others over their own.  Faith filled community.  No "Lone Rangers."  In Hebrew, this dynamic is called hesed, and it's based on a love for each other.  It's one of the main themes in the OT book of Ruth.  It's the ingredient that transforms a story about two widowed women at risk into a story of redemption and salvation.  It's a story of God's sovereignty and divine love that manifests through human life, and converts two separate lives into a beautiful community.  Life springs from death, a child from a barren womb, and a peaceful community from two separate lives.   

Does Ruth's story apply in our lives or in our church?  Yes!  God is our great redeemer.   We are members of his church.  He is forging us into a community, one that gives him glory and praise.  He is taking our ashes and building his church.  And he's giving us the opportunity now to grow in community as we turn more from self toward each other.
 
At Malibu Pres, this community life is springing up all over.   Life Groups continue to grow, giving people a platform to grow spiritually in relation to one another.  People volunteer for mission trips to Baja, Brazil, inner-city Los Angeles, and elsewhere, to serve Christ by serving the less fortunate.  Others serve in community as deacons and elders; worship leaders, technicians, and worship artists; pre-school teachers/principal and Sunday school teachers; volunteers for the "building resurrection" and related committees; university, youth, and children's groups; Mommy & Me and M.O.P.S., and host of other groups.  Each small community is filled with new life transformed by faith in Jesus Christ.  In them, we grow and continue to be transformed, we're challenged, and equipped to be sent in our Lord's name.  As a friend of mine says, our small group purpose is "to get skin in the game."   We learn and grow in community in order to be sent out into the world to serve in Christ's name.  No more time on the sidelines.  
 
The community that the Holy Spirit planted at Malibu Pres nearly 60 years ago continues to grow, not only in numbers but in spiritual depth and richness.  And with the airspeed and altitude only the Holy Spirit can provide, our future in community looks brighter than ever.  With lives committed to Jesus Christ, we continue to soar on wings like eagles.  

I've been to Maui a few times, and one of her landmarks is the majestic Banyan tree in downtown Lahaina.  It's over 100 years old and will live several hundred more.  It has more than 12 trunks, approximately 200 large limbs, encompasses more than 200 square feet and is over 60 feet tall.  It cries out "climb me, climb me" and, if it were in my back yard, I'd do just that!

People congregate under the tree for shelter and shade, and birds flock to her branches.  It's the local meeting place and a nice place to savor your morning coffee, people-watch, or enjoy the scenery.
I love majestic trees.  Recently, I enjoyed the beautiful "old-stand" Redwoods up at Mt. Hermon Retreat Center.  But why?  What's the lure?

For me, these trees are living examples of God's truth.  If we stay connected to God as our source, and rely on Him, we too will grow strong and healthy, and we'll prosper.  It's about having deep tap roots into the source of water.  Psalm 1 captures this truth so well:  "Blessed are those who delight in the law of the Lord and meditate on his law day and night.  They are like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf  does not wither ---  whatever they do prospers."  (Psalm 1-3)(NRSV).  There is nothing I want more than to experience success the way God defines success.  I need roots that continuously tap into the Word of God.   More

(aka Equipping the Saints)

(Photo: Headstone from the American Cemetery in Normandy) 

One of the highlights of my recent vacation with Karen was touring the D-Day landing sites of the allied forces along the Normandy coast of France where over 100,000 men made the largest amphibious assault in history on June 6, 1944, and liberated occupied France from Hitler’s fascist stranglehold.  While walking through the American Cemetery at Colleville sur Mer in the Normandy area, you can look out over Omaha Beach (one of five designated allied amphibious landing sites), with its 200+ yards of beachhead where tens of thousands of American G.I.’s were off loaded on D-Day.      
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