Dear friends,

Great news! Candace just emailed this morning to say that Quinn passed his swallow test yesterday!!! This is great news!

He is able to swallow both solid food and liquids and they will soon be able to take the tube out of his belly for good once they're sure he's getting all the nutrients he needs orally.

What an amazing answer to prayer! Candace wanted to share this great news with all of you. The pictures above were some Candace sent: One is of a trip to the Santa Barbara Aquarium and the other is of Casey and Quinn playing together on the swings. Wow! These pictures bring me so much joy!

Let's keep praying daily for his full recovery and development. What an exciting miracle to witness!

Much love,

Kristie

Dear friends,

Great news! Candace just told me that Quinn was moved out of ICU at 6pm

tonight. He is stable and set to recover there...still on the 5th floor.

They are encouraged and excited!

If you've missed any of the recent emails (some of you are newly added to

this list) you can check www.malibupres.org/children/blog for anything

you've missed.

Praying with you,

Kristie

We all know that there exists an unspoken hierarchy in our society where some are treated with more value and respect than others. When some express their belief in this ranking of people to be right and just, we call them classist or racist...or bigots. 

The thing is, the "least of these" are caught in this and in many ways function as slaves to the rich.  Paid slaves, but all the while bound by the status they have.  

I believe that the most important thing we can try to do as Christians is to treat each person with an equal amount of respect and dignity. This is hard to do. It's not an easy task. We are trained and soothed into the belief, as a capitalist people, that "survival of the fittest" reins and that it is quite alright to think higher of one who has achieved more than the other. 

I think I've been working on this my whole life, and my hunch is that I will continue this work for the rest of my life. 

This verse has been ringing in my head over and over 

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world; but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Romans 12:2

I believe that Jesus calls us to this continual re-thinking of the way we view the world and treat others. I am trying. I fail often...but I am always so captivated by what the Holy Spirit can do through me and in me to reveal light to the world.

Today I went to get my nails done. I like to have red short nails and to have them look nice, they take regular maintenance. 

I walked into Venus Nails in my hometown, Toluca Lake and was greeted warmly by the crew of Filipino folks who work there. On the walls is a wallpaper boarder of dolphins. There are random metallic "paintings" on the walls, the kind they sell in downtown LA for 10 dollars or so. It drives me nuts sometimes because it is so poorly designed and I love design...I long to offer to paint and donate lamps and a zen like atmosphere.  The florescent lights blare in my eyes and most of the people who work there can hardly speak English. The patriarch of the salon is Steve. Steve is always smiling and cracking jokes in broken English. I adore him. I can only imagine that if I spoke his native language he'd be hilariously funny. 

I think the thing that keeps me returning to Venus nails is that it's moderately priced (I don't feel like I'm ripping anyone off), they do an excellent job, and most of all, they are filled with joy.  Often nail places of this sort feel like sweat shops to me. A place of work for recent immigrants who are resentful to have to do the nails of a bunch of snotty white women. I don't necessarily blame them...but I appreciate the lightness of this particular salon.

The language barrier, I have noticed, seems to give folks permission to live in that hierarchy. The customers boss the Asian women around and get mad when they don't do exactly what they want. The Asian women know that their roll is to smile and do their best to provide what the customer demands, even if it's ridiculous. The racism I've watched while getting my nails done is appalling. 

Today I had the tiniest Asian woman I have ever seen working on my nails. She was darling. I would guess that she was in her 40s. She worked meticulously on my fingernails. I think she spent four times the time most of the women usually spend. I sat there and I prayed for her, and I looked at her and thought about how much Jesus loves her...and how if she was the only person on earth, he'd die for her. 

I looked around her neck and there hung a cross. I tried to strike up conversation...the cross...the pretty day...but my attempts were rather diminished by the reality that she could not understand one word I was saying. I pointed to her cross and said "pretty". She said "thank you. catholic"  I said "christian". She looked at me strangely and I said "same".  She smiled. 

Throughout the hour I sat there, we smiled at each other and i felt so tenderly cared for. She kept telling me I was cute. Which made me laugh. She also said I have "very nice hands"  I thanked her at each gesture: a long hand massage, careful attention to detail...all sweetly done. 

It's hard to articulate the moment, but it felt really deep. It felt like love of another kingdom was being exchanged. I was about to walk out the door when I noticed she was standing there. She had a pack of gum and she had her last piece which she was offering to me. I felt overwhelmed by this small gesture. This sweet woman, offering her last piece of gum. It thanked her again and looked her in the eyes so she knew I meant it, and I got into my car to leave. I chewed my fruity gum and thanked God for an hour with one of His own. I am so blessed by moments with the "least of these" that I hope to crawl out of my entitlement step by step so I can dwell in a world that isn't like the one I live in so often, but that I will continue to be transformed and present myself to the world as a daughter of the king...a citizen of the kingdom of God.  In this kingdom: the nail lady, the guy at the car wash, and white privileged me are all on the same playing field. We're created and loved and redeemed in the same way...and it's exciting to enter into.

Last weekend I attended a day long "Young Women's Conference" at North Coast Calvary Chapel in Carlsbad, CA. I have to say, it was one of the most thoughtful, intentional conferences I've attended. It was intentional in these ways: on the back tables were quilt squares to decorate and later would be made into a quilt for a local women's shelter, the bag we received upon arrival was a Freeset bag, and the food, speakers, worship were all well planned, thought provoking, deep and excellent. When you've put a zillion ministry events on, you can imagine that there's a certain amount of jading that happens...so it's immensely refreshing to sit back and enjoy something. 

My friend Kate invited me down and I was initially hesitant since I don't attend the church. I didn't want to be intrusive to someone else's church retreat. However, I was supposed to lead worship with her at a different conference in the morning...so the idea was that we'd do both...and then it turned out the other one was canceled.  I think God may have had a plan and wanted me to go to this retreat. 

I've had many creative ideas since then as I think about taking the "next step" with the things that I am doing in ministry. How can I be more thoughtful? How can I be intentional with the things I buy personally? 

One thing I loved were these Freeset Bags made by women coming out of prostitution in India.  They are taught how to make these bags and then by purchasing them you are supporting the industry they've created to stay off the streets. Poverty breeds very few choices for women in underdeveloped countries (and arguably developed countries for that matter) 

I guess the question that I am continuing to grapple with...and have been for years...is how can we be good stewards of what God has given us...and also be consumers that support the economy we live in? If our economy is dependent on our spending money, then I want to find ways to responsibly spend it.  I'm excited to explore this and share with you what I find. There are so many great options that are emerging.

I recommend these bags. They're great quality and really fun. I love that you know you've supported someone in their journey to freedom too!  They make great Christmas gifts too!

A few years ago I listened to a podcast series that Rob Bell & Don Golden did called "Jesus Wants to Save Christians". I resonated with it deeply. I found myself listening to them over and over while at the gym.  I'm excited that Rob has made this series into his latest book.

"Jesus Wants to Save Christians" by Rob Bell and Don Golden. I'll be picking it up today at the bookstore to read over the weekend. Rhett posts an article written in Relevant Magazine

If you'd like to talk about it if you read it, I'd love to get coffee and discuss it!

From the time I was about 4 years old until I was 11, my grandparents on my dad's side were on the decline.  My grandpa had about a zillion strokes and brushes with cancer, and my grandma was blind and caring for him. They lived in a cute house in Burbank just about 4 miles from our home, and so it became our custom to bring dinner over. We did this about once a week. My mom would cook a full meal for all 6 of us (my mom, dad, brother, grandma, grandpa and I) and then take it over to their house. We would sit together at their table and spend time together and share in life.

My grandpa, a brilliant man who loved writing poetry and reading philosophy books, had been paralyzed on his left side by a few of the strokes. He could speak out of the right side of his mouth, but it was always slurred and slow, difficult to understand.

I remember watching my family feed him, and wipe his face when the food would slide down his chin. My mom and dad always pointed out to me how joyful he was, even though his situation was rather unfortunate. He lived this way for 7 years. Through one side of his mouth he would write beautiful poetry and my grandma would write it down, even though she was legally blind.  They would reminise and tell stories of all the times they traveled to national parks and to their favorite island of Hawaii. My dad would go and get them a Christmas tree each year, and my aunt would balance their checkbook.

            I would go over to play when my mom had something she needed to do, and my grandma would take my brother and I on nature walks around the neighborhood to collect acorns and seadpods which had fallen from the tree. One time we came home and strung all of the acorns together and made a necklace.  In those years we dyed easter eggs, made holiday cookies and sat on the swing in the backyard drinking fresh lemonade. This deep life we lived, despite the broken way things were, was so beautiful I wish you could have been there to see it.

            I think back on it, and I suppose that we could've really just dropped dinner off. We could have left what they needed and gone back to our house where it was easier to eat dinner and have a conversation. Instead we lived life together. We walked into hospital rooms together, and threw birthday parties and anniversaries around hospital beds and dinner tables. We prayed together and thanked God for all of our blessings.

            I suppose God could've just dropped Jesus off for 33 years, taken care of business, and then gone back to the comfort of His perfect place, but he hasn't. He's chosen to live life with us, by His Spirit in our midst.  He lived life on earth, to know what the human condition feels like and so now he knows how hard it can be. He gets us. I love that about Him. It's the amazing paradox of a God who knows the whole story...yet still will live it with us. He is so tender in the way he desires to walk the road with us, and not merely leave us the tools to do it, and then walk away. It makes for a deeper and richer life.

            When I look back on the last year of my life, I think of all the moments along the journey that have been so rich. The relationships with the people I've been able to walk the road with, have been transforming.  I have seen God move in a way that has developed a deeper trust, that no other circumstance could have taught me.

            The church burned down one year ago this Sunday. It's been difficult. I won't say it's been easy. I've been pushed and pressed and stressed in the most intense ways. We as a community have tried to choose joy and to consider it joy in this trial. In many ways, I've seen Malibu Pres "choose life" and as a church people we have said "yes" to this journey. When many could have walked away, we have grown in depth and care for each other.

            It's been good, and I think that deep life is about saying "yes" to walking well through life's trials. It's in walking the road that you get to see all the beauty, the ease of the other option is shallow and less than what God calls us into...life to the full.

It's quiet here in my office and I'm thinking of all the things I could do before I go home. I could probably stay here all night and work. But I won't. I won't because like the rest of you, I value my time at home to do the things that order my life.

I'm excited that fall is here. The sunsets seem more of an amber color, and the nights begin to get cooler. It's a great time of anticipation and gathering. I plan on going home tonight and making a big pot of chicken tortilla soup and some pumpkin muffins (Trader Joe's has an amazing mix!). I guess I love this time because it all feels so alive and deep. I feel like playing jazz standards and lighting candles. Each season seems to have it's charm, and I like them all, but fall is my favorite.

Sunday school seems to be off to a good groove, Mommy and Me starts back up tomorrow, and MOPS on Friday. My day Friday will conclude with a fun gathering of the 4th and 5th graders of our church. Like the changing of the seasons, it seems that my job takes on a new flavor and essence with each month. I love that there are never two days that end up being quite the same.

For me, this season is about preparation too. I love the Advent season and I savor each day of the red cups at starbucks. I feel like in many ways I get to help you all celebrate christmas, by throwing fun children's christmas parties (Dec 5th), planning meaningful ways for your children to learn about Christ's birth at Sunday School, and partnering with Josh to plan the Family Christmas Eve service. In order to stay a little sane in this busy time of parties and activities, I've taken to using the fall to prepare for this season too. I bought my christmas cards last week...and I've already started buying the supplies we'll need for Sunday School too.

It's now 6:30, and I suppose the traffic on the 101 has probably subsided enough to not prove completely frustrating. I'm going to blow out my pumpkin chai candle and head to the grocery store and then home.  I'll do this all with a great amount of gratitude to get to live this life with each of you, my friends, my church family.

Happy Fall!

If Jesus were in Malibu, I think he'd be a Latino man working in the food industry.