Jaw Poetry

McMannus & Morgan

2011-12-18T15:16:00.000-08:00

We Partner with McMannus and Morgan. The LAIC Book Collective has a book store in their store as a way to support this Historic Paper store that supports local artists.

Pray for us in LA as we seek to find ways to create jobs and reduce the loss of work in our neighborhoods... Initially through books...

Thanks!!!
John TW

A Rare Book Opportunity

2011-12-07T01:40:00.000-08:00

A Rare Book Opportunity: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140653387278

When can you support both a local historic art store and someone who has a call on his life for urban ministry... & get a Rare Book at the same time. My friend John Tallacksen has faithfully served The First Evangelical Free Church of Los Angeles for some years now. I can truly say he is both a brother in Christ and a brother in need.

Music & Wisdom to be shared...

2011-11-03T11:37:00.000-07:00

Thinking a lot about the roll of music in the life of Faith. Also thinking about II Peter 1:3-11 & Ephesians 3:14-21. Will be getting ready to preach / or teach on these passages where ever the door opens and the Peace and Grace of God compels me to do so...

To get me back into the habit of blogging I am going to start posting a song, artist, or Album a week to stir my reflections and to encourage my soul to take the Psalms of life as seriously as the Bible does.

Who are the Real Girls by Daniel Amos

Daniel Amos was key in my High School & College years in helping me escape the traps of consumerism and materialism.

Mall all over the World

I am convinced that anything that I have worked through deeply in my soul is connected to both thought through concerns and Music &/ or Poetry or some other form of art.

Baptism 77 and the healing in the family grows deeper...

2011-08-01T16:01:00.000-07:00

Roxana did not dare to believe for many years that her mom would change. Chris, her husband continued in faith to witness and serve his mother-in-law even when her actions and words were unreasonable and hurtful. After many years, after Martha's 77th Birthday Martha, Roxy's mom, got Baptized at New City Church. Coming out of the water... and looking out and waving to the audience with tears in her eyes... Roxy shared her heart openly with her mom and with us... "This is your spiritual family now...".

Watching the grace of God invade and penetrate into the hurt and pain of families and turn them around is a privilege of being part of God's family the church. Having that as one's life work is the privilege of serving as an ambassador of God's grace. In 1994 Roxanna and Martha came with Jude to pick me up at the LAX airport. I have been part of their extended family ever since... and have watched Roxy move from being a tough girl at the edge of a local gang to being a well respected mother, wife & teacher for LAUSD.

When I joined InnerChange... I joined a community that was determined to make the love of God at work in us and through us as tangible as possible in a context where religious attitudes often conveyed judgement rather than love and grace. Be sure judgement will come... but the task needed here is to make the love of God known.

Yesterday was very satisfying evidence that I have participated in God's amazing love and grace. I too had almost stopped believing that Martha could be reached by God's love... Chris never Gave up that hope. Yesterday we (Jude & I, Chris & Roxy, Martha, Salvador/ Roxy's Dad, Lance Mark/ Chris & Roxy's son,) went to Clifton's Cafeteria near 7th & Broadway to celebrate Martha's baptism and birthday. And "Andre'" came with us... He's the next young man that Chris & Roxy have recently adopted into their family to mentor. I got to know him a bit and to hear how he was touched at church by all of the baptisms. The cry in his heart was simple... "I could relate to some of the stories people shared... they did not have a good relationship with their fathers... and they struggled with pain in their hearts because of that..." Love continues to flow and touch hearts... often one heart at a time... it is a privilege to be any part of God's love.

A short reflection on the Nture of Spiritual Experiences and Traditons

2011-04-01T14:10:00.000-07:00

Luke 9 ... Reflections from the one year Bible reading for today...

"³² Peter and the others had fallen asleep. When they woke up, they saw Jesus’ glory and the two men standing with him. ³³ As Moses and Elijah were starting to leave, Peter, not even knowing what he was saying, blurted out, “Master, it’s wonderful for us to be here! Let’s make three shelters as memorials^[a]—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” ³⁴ But even as he was saying this, a cloud overshadowed them, and terror gripped them as the cloud covered them."

I find in almost every tradition of the Christian Faith some of this propensity to turn experience... not fully digested and understood... into doctrine.

Richard Foster does a good job in my opinion in his book Streams of Living Water of honoring various Christian traditions... showing how we need the balance offered by the rest of the body of Christ and noting the tendencies towards distortions in the the different traditions he takes the time to explore.

There are a lot of people having powerful religious experiences these days. and there are debates about what all this may mean. If in the end we do not hold what we have experienced with great humility... we are in danger of becoming like Peter in this text. Confused at best...

I Corinthians 12 is clear... we need the whole body of Christ together and we need to be rooted in love and patience with each other.

There are others that when insecure about whether or not a movement of the Holy Spirit... and if it is from God... seem to me to be like the apostle John latter in this text:

⁴⁹ John said to Jesus, “Master, we saw someone using your name to cast out demons, but we told him to stop because he isn’t in our group.”

⁵⁰ But Jesus said, “Don’t stop him! Anyone who is not against you is for you.”

Truth is tested best when it comes against evil and is able through good to over come it... If you see that going on in a tradition of the Church that is not your own... support it and do not tear it down.

By saying all this I am not saying that we should be lazy about discernment. Instead I am saying that we need to pursue discernment with the counsel of other and do so with humility trusting that God is both working in our communities and outside of them.

The last thing that I will mention from this text is that it is centered on what everyone else except Jesus, Moses, and Elijah were focused on. Jesus going to finish his sacred work for us by going to die on a Roman cross for our sins... and to rise again that we might have life in him. The is no good Christian theology that is not Christ centered and centered on the Death and Resurrection of Jesus. This is the focus that God will call us back to again and again ... whatever tradition of the Christian faith we have encountered and are learning from:

While everyone was marveling at everything he was doing, Jesus said to his disciples, ⁴⁴ “Listen to me and remember what I say. The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of his enemies.” ⁴⁵ But they didn’t know what he meant. Its significance was hidden from them, so they couldn’t understand it, and they were afraid to ask him about it.

Dec. 2010 Newsletter

2011-01-11T20:03:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends, December 2010

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness, a light has dawned. (Isaiah 9:2)
This year the world’s attention was focused on the physical earthquake in Haiti. Here in Los Angeles, the economic quake continues to shake people’s lives. The struggling economy has meant continued hardship for our neighbors. Many cannot pay their rent, and it has become common for families who already live in tight quarters to share their space with another family. It is more than cozy. Every day becomes a struggle to survive.
This verse from Isaiah reminds us that Jesus came into this world not because everything was going great, but because there was “deep darkness.” The promise is that into this deep darkness, the light dawns. We don’t always notice the dawning of the light. Sometimes we have to look for it. The waiting of Advent reminds us to pay attention, to look for the ways that light and hope break into our world and into our everyday reality. We are finding more people directly asking us for guidance and direction in these times than ever before. We are ever grateful for Immanuel, God with us. The darkness is not the end of the story.
A few words about us:
John invited others to join him in reading the one year Bible, starting this past January, enhanced with you tube videos of John reflecting on some of the passages.
The book collective initiative has flourished and grown, and is a great source of life to John – not just the books, exactly, but the ways he can live out mentoring/discipleship relationships in the process. He expects to continue to move forward on this in 2011.
Jude continues to explore what it means to be an urban contemplative. She enjoys her part-time teaching in Fuller’s School of Intercultural Studies.
Together we are moving into more of an “elder” role in InnerChange, as we think through what our contributions will be for the next generation of mission workers among the poor. We had the opportunity to travel to Malaysia for CRM’s Worldwide Conference held every four years, where we each gave a presentation. Afterwards we spent a fun few days in Kuala Lumpur, visiting a Fuller alum who now runs a bible college (thanks Tess). Jude enjoyed watching John’s gift for connecting with people take place in a very different context.
Ways to stay in touch with J&J in LA: Find us on Facebook
John’s you tube channel -- youtube.com/jaw1LA
Send Jude an email if you would like prayer updates – judetw@innerchange.org
Our blog – www.jawpoetry.blogspot.com (Including links to Jude’s writings)

We are so grateful for each of you and your part in our lives and ministry. In the midst of the challenges of life, may the grace of kindness be abundant in this New Year.
John and Jude Tiersma Watson

Donations welcome: 1- 800-777-6658 http://www.crmleaders.org/support/support-staff

IC Sandimus from San Francisco / A call to practice more silence before God.

2010-08-21T15:29:00.000-07:00

Here is a short musing on my time with the SF IC Sandimus Team. Let me say that I am glad for the time that I had with them. It is theirs to share what they learned from me... Rather I am going to focus on some things that God brought to my attention about my own life.

Jose, the current leader of this team, was trained up under the Base community model of Bible study while living in El Salvador. He later came went through our formation. Still some of the strengths of his former training comes through in a profound way. (and no we are not from the Liberation Theology camp... but we don't stick our fingers in our ears either...)

Jose models a deep discipline of listening to God. a good part of this is learning to regularly take silent retreats. His modeling this inspires the rest of his team to practice the careful listening to both God and their own souls. This also impacts the quality of their sharing together. They know their own hearts, souls, & thoughts ... and the various ways in which God seems to speak to each person on the team. Because of this practice and the reality it grounds each member of his team in... Jose has a deep trust in each persons ability to follow God and contribute to their community's process of discernment. The team has a deep sense of loyalty to one another... deeper than I have recently seen anywhere else... and even a deeper sense of loyalty to God.

The groups openness to God drew out of me a capacity to hear God that is unusual for me. In the first 10 minutes of meeting with them God called me to give a small financial gift to one of his team members. I saw the need before they said anything about it... and it was the last thing on my mind... For me it was a call to obedience. (Jude - my wife / I am her husband - she is the one who has the gift of giving [between the two of us]... and any impulse in that direction I attribute to God's grace and the impact she has had on my life.) Our lives in very simple ways... and direct ways touched one another. (I can tell sometimes when the grace of God flowing in my life is coming from my own rootedness in God / Eph. 3:14-21, or from Grace that is at work in and around others... The Grace at work wise profound to me and largely not from my spiritual well.)

The result of this time and the re-reading of Henry Nouwen's book "The Wounded Healer" (encouraged by Jeff Man)... I have promised Martha & Jose that I will try to go on my own silent retreat and try to listen to God and his initiative in my heart for 3 hours... before the end of the year... I am putting this in print for the sake of accountability.

I should draw up again some of the basic literature on this practice... Like Richard Foster's Book Celebration of Discipline. I am sure that Jude will celebrate and encourage this movement in my life. She also will have articles and other lit. to give me to enrich my focus in this work.

I can not say enough of the Caya's hospitality. Simply put, they were very kind to us for all the time we were with them.

There is more to share. But I must rest here because my plane has just arrived... late... but it is here.

The Story of Stuff

2010-06-22T11:16:00.000-07:00

I am finding that there is a growing desire among my friends to find an alternative to this narrative. THE STORY OF STUFF ... AND many of them find Acts 2:36-47... A far more attractive narrative to live into.

Pray for us in Los Angeles. A major Import / Export city...

A friend of mine... Lyndy sent me this email...

"If you are a lady in the LA area, this email is for you, if not, please disregard this email....

My church is having a Clothing Exchange this Saturday, June 26th from 2-4pm. I wanted to invite you all to attend.

Bring clothes to donate and hopefully someone else will take it home with them and you can take whatever you like as well. It is a good way to clean out our closets and re-use things. (think this is perfect in line with our creation care in learning community.) Something you are tired of might be someone elses new gem.

If you can not make it, but would like me to donate clothes, please bring it to Tuesday prayer or give me a call so you can drop it by my place this week and I will take it on Saturday.

I will be going early around 12 pm to help set up, so see you there.

Thanks,
Lyndy

Kairos Hollywood (building we share with Hope International Church)
4903 Fountain Ave
Los Angeles, CA, 90027"

This is just one example of this impulse...

A good friend of mine Evelyn has a website called: EarthCaringArt.com
She has pursued and built this website out of her own passion for "Creation Care".

Tire Swing... Check this out...

2010-06-21T15:37:00.000-07:00

My Friend and Colleague Alastair Rundle has figured out a way to turn some old tires into new useful Tire Swings for the youth in our neighborhood. He's now got one up for sale on Craigslist. Check it out.

Disaster Preparedness...

2010-06-08T14:16:00.000-07:00

Well... I have some work to do... and I intend to begin to post some of the basics here...
Resolve after a day workshop in Los Angeles:

The Practice of the Presence of God

2010-06-04T14:32:00.000-07:00

Here is Kevin Ha's sermon referencing Brother Lawrence's Book, "The Practice of the Presence of God". One of my favorite Christian Spiritual Classics.

I am finding New City and it's vision very compelling for my context in Los Angeles. Come and visit sometime if you are in the area.

My Birthday Party

2010-04-29T02:52:00.001-07:00

Hello Folks,
Well it is coming soon, John Tiersma Watson’s May Day birthday. This year his Birthday is on a Saturday. As always, there is a lot going on that day, but we invite you to join us for a cup of coffee to celebrate John’s birthday. We are starting early, as some folks have a workshop at 9:00. Feel free to come say hi even if you can’t stay long. For those who have more time, we will enjoy your company a bit longer.
When: Saturday May 1, 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM. Come when you can,
Where: Ollin Café, 1325 W. Venice Blvd, just east of Hoover.
Street parking, or come on MTA bus 200.
Why: Because we want to see you.

Looking forward to seeing you there!
John and Jude

Note from John -- I am asking people to bring a wise saying, Poem, or Bible Verse that you like. Gifts should be limited to anything Re-cycled or bought second hand unless it is art supplies. The greatest gift will be seeing each of you.

Jaw1LA

2010-01-22T09:20:00.000-08:00

I am committed to sharing my life with a network of young people in Los Angeles. First they asked me to join MySpace (which I hardly use any more). Then they asked me to join Facebook. Then some of them asked me to consider joining Twitter or YouTube. I have decided against twitter because it would rob me of the need for silent spaces... once on twitter and connected with a phone one can report any small fragment of thought at any time. This is too intrusive for me to do right now. Now that I have a MacPro. I can both do the reflections & interviews that I want to do.

Help me by giving me feedback whenever you are moved to do so...

And thanks for joining me on this journey.

Our Christmas News Letter. Please note Prayer requests.

2009-12-23T12:49:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends, December 09

“Because of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us,
To give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.”
Luke 1:78-79, from Zechariah’s song

This year marks Jude’s 20th Christmas here in the Westlake/Pico Union neighborhood of LA. For John, it has been 15 years. Each December, during advent, we have pondered what it means to wait in hope and expectation for the in-breaking of our Lord into human history, into our lives, into this neighborhood. Each Christmas we remember that the light has dawned, and will break through the darkness. What a joy it has been and continues to be to remember anew that the Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood – our neighborhood and yours too.

This 20th year marks a transition for the LA team and also for Jude’s role in InnerChange. Jude has (finally!) been released from the role of leading the team. She will be moving into a new role in staff formation within InnerChange. She is hopeful that her new role will allow her more room to breathe and pursue the things that matter most to her in this season of her life. John continues to lead the team, but alongside Alastair, who came through a stem cell transplant for lymphoma this past year and is now doing well.
Meanwhile, John continues to enjoy his role encouraging young people in micro-enterprise and artistic endeavors. We both truly enjoy mentoring young people, investing in the next generation of leaders.

Recently I (Jude) had lunch with a young mother who was in kindergarten when our team first moved into the Cambria apartments. She shared that she had been wanting to see me and found me on facebook. She wanted to say thanks to our team for being there for her when she was growing up. She is working and doing well in raising her son. She thanked us for showing her a different way to live than the chaos she knew in her own home. She also asked if I knew of a church where she could continue to grow. What good news that New City Church will be a good place for her to be and belong.

One other major life transition this year was the death of John’s dad in July. We are still processing how this loss impacts us, and his family.

Prayer requests:

• For Chris Albisurez as he travels to Urbana mission conference, to lead a workshop with John Hayes on using art in ministry with the poor. Pray for safety, protection and blessing for Chris, and that many lives would be impacted.
• For the network of young adults who are struggling to move forward with their life goals due to economic realities in our city, and struggles within their own families.
• Pray for our team’s vision as we pioneer a new neighborhood and seek to continue a legacy of effective ministry in our context, as well as preparing missionaries to serve throughout the world.

Thank you to all of you who have journeyed with us, supported us, and believed in us for all or part of these years. We would love to hear from you.

Peace and Joy,
John and Jude Tiersma Watson
InnerChange LA
Box 17367 Los Angeles, CA 90017

John’s Blog: www.jawpoetry.blogspot.com

(For donations, http://www.crmleaders.org/support/support-staff
Or call (800)777-6658)

To find John on Facebook: use his yahoo email: jawpoetry@yahoo.com (I check this email less than 2 times a month).

Two New Links

2009-12-10T22:31:00.000-08:00

I have added two new Links to my Blog, My Friend EVE and her Website: EarthCaringArt.com and my friend and companion in ministry Catherine's Weekly Collum called: Back Alleys By Candle Light.

Just wanted to share them with you...

Cook it, Bag it, Ship it... Good Coffee for a Good Cause.

2009-12-07T22:04:00.000-08:00

Some of us are former meth cooks, some of us are former gang members, and some of us are young pastors. And some are a mix! All of us have been involved in the Bible studies with Bob, Chris, Ryan and pastors from Tierra Nueva at the Skagit County Jail in Washington State. Many of us get out, and due to our criminal histories, our huge debts in the system and with collectors, with former using buddies and gang homies around us, starting a new life “on the outs” can be almost impossible at times. Most guys stay in the “underground” life, make money on the streets, and only find a church where we feel comfortable once we’re back in the jail Bible studies.

Jail Bible Study

But a few years ago...

If you are looking for a unique Christmas gift that does a lot of good for all that are involved... Let me recomend this for any Coffee Lovers in your networks...

I got to know these folks while on Sabbatical... They are street level legit and sold out to God...

Travels down Memory Lane: Rez Band

2009-12-03T00:34:00.000-08:00

I am preparing to share my life story with my team mates. I am remembering today how wonderfully influential was some music that came out of the "Jesus" Movement. The Band Rez Band and thier community Jesus People USA has fueled my journey with hope and vision. Rather than press into a potentially destructive lifestyle in my teens... I am glad for the grace that allowed me to become a "Jesus Freak".

I have not turned back... and the adventure has just gotten more rich and more full of grace and wonder. My tastes in music have gotten broader and have changed. My love for God is now fueled by a deep gratitude... all of what is good in my life... I see the hand of God in it... all I can do is Thank God for his love and faithfulness.

I guess this response is why God kept on telling Isreal to "Remember all that the Lord Thy God has done for you."

I Am Second

2009-11-07T02:10:00.000-08:00

Here I have found a great resource in simply people telling their stories...
about putting God first and being OK with being "second".

A great relief from a culture that constantly pushes us to be Number one.

Thanks to Fin who turned me on to this...

Return to the basics

2009-08-30T15:27:00.000-07:00

I am glad to finally be back into a mode and mentality where I can begin again. Here I will begin again to share what really matters to me.

Communication and time set aside for that is part of it.

I am currently on vacation. Much needed and glad for it...
I am at peace with my father's passing...

I am anxious about my own health and body image. Exercise will be a new daily priority.

I am very aware that I am now an elder in a number of communities that I am part of... My Family, InnerChange, My community of Westlake, and Some parts of the church. The call to press into the wisdom I have learned while keeping an open learning posture... The call to consider generativity and what I will leave behind when I too am gathered to the "Triumphant Church" risen with Christ.

I can not imagine what my life would be like if I did not have certain commitments in place:

1. A commitment to pray. I am currently reviewing the history of my life with a view on how prayer has impacted it. The more I reflect on this... the deeper my commitment to make prayer a priority becomes. I have had an amazing extraordinary life. Prayer and the vision birthed out of prayer has been key to many of the good decisions I have made. Many of my less than good decisions could be seen as a lack in this internal commitment to turn all matters to matters of prayer. How long will it take me to really agree with Christ that, "Without Christ I can do nothing".

2. Reading the One year Bible... It has gotten me out of the habit of reading just what I like. It has gotten me into the scriptures in a fresh way. I have a growing company of friends who are reading the same scriptures along with me. I am finding this an amazing tool for discipleship.

3. Gratitude for the grace I have found in my marriage to Jude. Her love, wisdom, and gracious accountability has been key to my lasting as long as I have in the work that I do in Los Angeles.

4. I can not just work to help the poor... I must work to change the conditions that keep the poor impoverished. Francis Ogorman's book Charity and Change has some priceless wisdom to offer anyone committed to Biblical transformation.

My Father has passed on...

2009-07-05T16:32:00.001-07:00

John Watson Sr,
received his last rites from Father Vincent (Russian Orthodox Church)
10:40 AM — July 5, 2009
and died peacefully in the presence of several family members.
Thanks for your thoughts and prayers,
John and Jude

Conversations and Keeping Jesus in the Mix...

2009-05-17T10:02:00.000-07:00

Jesus said, I am THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE...

I am priveleged to have the core of my day to day life wrapped around three important conversations...

THE WAY... "How are we going to meet OUR daily needs and what does it mean to allow God to help us with this?" This is not a departure from good theology into economics... rather it is at the heart of good theology... As seen in Acts 2, The Lord's Prayer... "Give Us this OUR daily bread"... What does it mean to "Consider the Lillies of the field and the Birds of the Air... and to SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD??? Matthew 6..

THE TRUTH... "What is of real value & how do we enter into our personal and corporate "Purpose" for our lives?"

THE LIFE... "What is the good life?" A life worth living with contentment, joy, satisfaction and significance...

Jesus Christ wants to be a part of all this...
and helping people include God in all of their lived life is what is at the core of my life journey.

Musing worth Further Reasearch

2009-03-04T10:41:00.000-08:00

I have been thinking becuase of my work context on realities that impact brain chemistry in a positive way and the mind, body, soul, spirit, / Holy Spirit interactions.

In a admittedly fragmentory way...

There may be more to the Admonision to "Sing to the Lord a new song than we might imagine."
Recent Plasticity of the brain studies show that the brain continues to grow and recover over most of our lifetime if the conditions for brain growth are right.

Key to the right conditions is continued learning. The brain being challenged to learn, remember, retain, and use new ideas, concepts and exercise new actions. The more wholistic the learning the better.

Music also has the power to alter brain chemistry.

Communal actions have the power to redefine a persons sense of slef & Selfhood.

So maybe the churches in my community that feature hours of worship serveral times a week are actually providing a kind of healing community that is "transforming the minds" of many of the participants.

Here is a tension...

Anthems feed the sense of communal life. Their stability and not changing helps set the anchors for a community or culture/sub-culture.

New songs will adnvance change.

So we have the need for both the old and the new in any worship context.

If we only have old songs... or songs that no longer fit our world and context... boredom sets in and we lose the power that music and learning can have on the brain. Anthems are only meaningful if deeply felt.

all of these thoughts are fragmentory and in the raw...

The One Year Bible

2008-10-27T09:46:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

I have come to a point in my own "Spiritual Walk" where I need to be pushed to read the parts of the Bible that I am not naturally drawn to... I also am really impacted by form as well as content. I am finding the "One Year Bible" a tremendous tool for getting me back into the scriptures. It also is giving me a tool to share with a larger network of friends.

The One Year Bible is the Bible arranged in a different way. Every Day there is a portion of the Old Testament, the New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs set appart for that calander date. Having these portions already organized for reading is a great gift. In addition to this... The Missionary Community of LA InnerChange has begun to read this together... Giving us a common bond of scripture that we all are reading. It is a great tool to invite others into reading the scriptures together with the potential of reading through the whole Bible in a year. It also shakes me out of my tendency to pick the passages I like to read and to avoid the passages that are more challenging and difficult.

If you happen to have any extra copies of "The One Year Bible". We would love to have them to use as ministry tools as we challenge the Christians around us to make room for reading God's Word in their daily lives.

A few tips that I have found:

*If you miss a day... do not allow guilt get in the way... Read the reading for today first... you can always read more if you want to. Use the same attitude that Brother Lawrence teaches about prayer in his little book "The Practice of the Presence of God". Think of it as spiritual food and try to simply enjoy your food.
*Keep your copy out in the open where you will see it.
*Read a portion before or after a meal
* Note that this is also available online: http://www.oneyearbibleonline.com/
*If something inspires you, challenges you, or stirs up questions... Share this in your conversations...
*IF YOU FIND THIS PRACTICE HELPFUL THEN INVITE OTHERS INTO IT AS WELL!!!

I am back in the mix...

2008-08-14T14:01:00.000-07:00

Current mood: contemplative
Category: Life

I am glad to finally be settled back in LA.

This Fall is going to be about God, Art & Business...

InnerChange continues to grow in its vision and capacity. I just came back from our annual conference. We have fully adopted the historical structure of a Christian Religious Order. Do you want to go deeper with God... ask me about it and I would love to share this journey of Deepening Faith and Growing Love and Joy with you.

LA Street Productions continues to persist and grow. I am glad that there is both opportunities and resources that keep coming our way... sometimes as gift. I have decided to feature my friends who are active in LA St. Prod. as my top friends... becuase we want to help each other keep growing as artists.

Many of you know about the Book Business that I have been teaching people about in my office. If you want to do the work to make an extra $200-$300/month by maintaining an inventory of books to sell (Roughly 200 books). I can teach you the basics of how to do it and help you get started. These skills are really useful if you are going to school and want to buy your books online at a cheeper price and would like to sell your old text books back to others before they lose their value and go out of date.

Currently reading :
The Home-Based Bookstore: Start Your Own Business Selling Used Books on Amazon, eBay or Your Own Web Site
By Steve Weber

A MicroEnterprise Initiative Moves beyond a pilot project...

2008-07-02T12:10:00.000-07:00

This past Weekend Christain Assembly in Eagle Rock allowed us to do a book drive at their church. We have recieved 131 boxes of books which we estimate to be about 3,100 books. This will position us to begin working on our vision to teach emerging leaders how to use various internet tools to build economic opportunities. Pray for this work. It take vision to move beyond a Santa Claus mentality to vision. What is critical is that this resource is turned into tools for learning skills that will be applied to other opportunities.

"To go well beyond teaching someone how to fish... to learn how to position oneself to own the pond if that is what is needed... Still how to fish is necessary..."

Jonathan McCracken will have a critical role in the transfer of some of the initial skills. He has done all that I have asked him to do and is bennefiting from it... and is running a small model business for others to learn from...

If you look up enterprise international you will see a video that talks about this ministy thrust...
Look at the Los Angeles story...

I literally have 2 women who are gifted evangelists... that any increase in economic freedom would mean increased evangelism & Discipleship efforts.

I have an emerging teacher who will not get his first real pay check until October. He is full of questions about God, Faith, and doubts... But he hungers for truth and justice.

I have a network of emerging artists... all in different places of faith...

I have a 2 friends who have a ministry to skatter youth in their neighborhood... once again it is economics that limit the time that they can invest in a significant network of youth.

Some of us dream of the what if we could stumble into the kind of grace that the early church in Act2 gew out of... We long for this deeper sense of community...

This is part of what will mark my efforts this summer.

Peace and Grace,
Jaw1

Family Matters...

2008-05-23T10:01:00.000-07:00

The amazing truth is that my Dad is stable and settled into his own room in a nursing home that can care for his medical needs.

My mom Survived her opperation and is recovering... staying at my aunts house.

My Aunt Kathy is working as a Physicians Assistant at a hospital... good challenging work... but also draining at times.

The cousins are all in an intergenerational soup that is all to common. The sepparation and remarriage of Doug... my uncle to a new wife has ripped the foundation of trust in what the family knew as true. To honestly look at our story means to have to sort through a lot of pain.

I wish I could get everyone in our journey to wrestle with the honesty of many of the Biblical narratives. They openly talk of how humans maked choices that has consequences over the generations. It also points to God who continues to seek ways to intervene and impact our day to day lives.

Let us begin again... and discover in a fresh way what these stories might inform us about in our lives...

The larger stories that we reference in our hearts are the stories... Much like the stars in the sky... impacted early nautical navigation... These stories shape the landscape of our choices.

Where you go is profoundly effected by which stories you choose to pay attention to...

My Uncle Mickey served his country well and fought in the Korean war. During that war the government issued each soldier a New Testament and a pack of cigarrettes. He died of cancer. He had a military burial... and spent his life fixing and maintaining Heliocopeters. I pray that his soul found rest.

To Start Again... Again...

2008-05-23T09:52:00.000-07:00

Today I have been reminded of the way journaling has been a means of grace to my soul. I Tim. 4:16 says, "Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers." So I am back to the work of recalling and reflection... here... and I will also add a visual element to the mix... See the Link to "JawArt".

Update on My DAD

2007-11-30T10:03:00.000-08:00

My dad is in a nursing home recovering from his 90 days on a repirator... and 3 operations... It is a miracle that he is alive... thank you to all of you that expressed your care for my journey through your kind thoughts and prayers... and doing your part to hold the clan together.

They say that it takes about 1 week of recovery for each day that one is on a respirator. If you are the praying sort... Our prayer is that my dad will recover enough to qualify for the assited living program at the nursing home where he is at...

Our days are not infinite...
Cease the day for the good that you want to be part of the history of your lives.

My DAD and Family

2007-11-15T12:09:00.000-08:00

Dear Praying Friends,

I would like to thank you all for your persistent prayers. The fact that my dad is still alive is a miracle. When I last communicated with you all, my dad was still on a respirator and had just gone through an experimental procedure to repair his lungs. The first miracle is that he is completely off of oxygen. The second is that he is now convalescing in a long term care facility where he can continue his rehabilitation. Pray for this long journey. Some experts say it takes an average of one week of rehab to recover from one day of being on a respirator. This would seem to imply that my dad has 90 weeks of recovery ahead of him.

We have just found out that the doctors believe that his brother Mickey will live only one more year, maximum, due to the lung cancer he is fighting. My dad already misses the friendship and support that Mickey used to offer, and feels badly that he can't be there to support his brother as he would like to.

My sister Sunday, who has carried most of the burden of caring for our dad, is now happily expecting her second child, due in March. I am going to Philadelphia for a couple of weeks to help Sunday and the family in whatever ways I can. This may include helping my dad figure out what he is going to do with all of his stuff that has been sitting in his empty apartment since spring. It is now clear that it will take over a year before my dad would have the strength to live on his own again, if indeed he regains enough strength for that to happen.

During this trip, my half brother Gabriel is getting married. He also intends to join the Marines. This pleases my dad a lot, but raises concerns in my own heart for his safety and well being.

Please keep me in your prayers as we try to resolve my dad's housing and financial situation. If we can't resolve this so that he can get out of debt, he may loss his spot in this care facility. My dad is struggling in his new situation because most of the other residents are 10-20 years older than he is, and many of them are not very talkative, while my dad is an extrovert and thrives in social situations. This makes it more difficult for him to accept where he is and to let go of his apartment. Pray that Dad's friends will visit him, and that he will also make meaningful friendships where he is. Pray also for me, because I feel the weight and the void in this situation.

Also, my cousin Joshua is seeking to restore his relationship with God, and hopes to see me while I am on the east coast. This too would be an answer to years of prayer.

Jude will stay here and be preparing to teach in January, as well as visiting her mom for Thanksgiving.

Thank you again for your prayers.

John TW

Breathing Deeper on Sabbatical

2007-10-05T13:07:00.000-07:00

A Sabbatical Reflection on context:

The Sun had set and the evening had begun to darken -- shadows had ceased to be shadows. I sat comfortably reading in an easy chair next to the sliding glass door. I left the door open and closed the screen and was enjoying the fresh evening air while reading a Psalm of David.

An itch in my nose and then the sound of scraping caused me to turn my head to the screen door that was less than 2 feet next to where I was sitting. A skunk was pressing its face into the screen door. I, in a startled panic, suddenly breathe in and choke on the foul smelling air. Just as startled, I imagine, the skunk in a flash had turned and positioned himself to spray me. I fled my seat faster than I have moved in a long time. I could feel my heart pounding. Once I was fifteen feet away, I turned to see the skunk lumber away from the screen door and out of view. I was grateful for having escaped a possible nightmare of accidental encounters… still am reminded that if the skunk had chosen to demonstrate its power, I would have spent the next month trying to eliminate the pungent odor from the living room … a smell so strong that even a small whiff of it made me choke.

I know for sure that I am not in Los Angeles.

Later that week in the woods, Jude and I see two Great Horned Owls. While I fear skunks, these owls enjoy eating them. According to the local experts… There has been a significant increase in the number of skunks in the larger area. Non-indigenous plants that they like to eat are to blame. I have seen a skunk several times since then and I know I am not seeing the same one.

I am learning not to worry or fear… either the skunks get me or they do not… Worry can’t change the color of my hair (except give me more grey hair than I already have…) or change my height (except bend me over with bad posture…) and why cling to that when God offers his gracious kingdom (Matthew 6) – Time to press further in…

Jude is enjoying bird watching. She’s signed up for a class about birds and is learning the names of all sorts of birds…White-tailed kite, snowy plover, Anna’s hummingbird, Wilson’s warbler (en route to Central America), Great egrets, American Kestral. This gift of naming… intensifies awareness and watching increases wonder and enjoyment. How often do we see without seeing.

In this season I find my sensitivity to life and my enjoyment of it all being restored and refreshed. This is part of what “sabbatical” is for; learning, and a restoration of Holy curiosity, wonder and gratitude.

2007-07-22T12:09:00.000-07:00

Dear friends — thank you for your prayers. I do not think that I would have been able to handle seeing the challenges that my dad and my family have to face without your prayer support. We are thankful that the doctors have been able to complete one half of the experimental procedure on my dad’s lungs. He now is able to spend more than one half of the day each day off of the ventilator (breathing machine). Also, during this time of intensified prayer, my sister met a doctor at her church that works at Temple University Hospital, where my dad is. The issues related to my dad’s poor circulation in his legs are now also being cared for by some of the top doctors in Pennsylvania. Please continue to pray for the healing of the hole in his lung and for all that needs to happen for the second half of the procedure to be scheduled and completed.
What is most difficult currently is that my sister (who has a two year old) is the only person consistently visiting my dad, and she is weary. His brother Mickey, who is struggling to beat lung cancer, had been visiting, but his health has worsened and he is not able to visit.
Pray that my dad’s extended network of friends and my half brother and half sister (who just had a baby this week) would find it in their hearts to visit him also.
My dad is the kind of person for whom a simple note or card will mean a lot. If you feel inspired to send a note, you can send it to:

John Watson Sr.
C/O John Watson jr.
PO Box 17367
LA. CA. 90017

Thank you again for your standing with us in prayer.
Grace and Peace,
John TW

Pray for my Dad

2007-07-10T11:09:00.000-07:00

If you are reading this blog...

as a request for a minute or two of prayer for my dad on this critical day in his struggle to continue life here on earth. He has a hole in his lungs that is not healing. I spent a week with him before the Fourth of July. He goes on and off a respirator... And is under the care of some of the best lung doctors in Pen. At Temple University Hospital. He has signed up for an experimental procedure. From a medical standpoint... Everything depends on the hole in his lungs healing.

Conversation: John's dad

Hello — we just received a call from John's sister. His dad is finally going to have the one way value procedure today. (This will cut off the flow of air to the area of his lungs that has a leak or could produce one.) The last days have been very difficult, and he has been showing signs of giving up and even moments of feeling very depressed. Please pray for his body and also his spirit and soul, that the procedure would be successful and that God would encourage him today. Please also pray for John's sister Sunday, who is his main social support.
Thanks so much for standing with us in prayer.
John and Jude TW

THANK YOU FOR ANY AND EVERY PRAYER!

Wisdom... the Heritage of words...

2007-06-13T11:45:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

I sit here disquieted. I now have words for what I long for and have not gotten from my father. He currently is ill and may not make it. What I long for is the proper heritage of wisdom that I never got from him.

I now see from reading the models of William Pen and his “Some Fruits of Solitude”, of King Solomon (Proverbs & Ecclesiates) and King Lemuel (Proverbs 31), Brother Lawrence and “The Practice of the Presence of God” and others. That “Proverbs” are horizontal offerings and can be a heritage of love for one’s fellow man. A heritage of wisdom gathered over a life time.

In the Same way Psalms/Songs like those of David are vertical offerings… and so are the great historical hymns to the current songs of praise… Each generation needs to find it’s own voice of Praise.

Like it says in Colossians 1:16, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

I think that each generation is responsible to capture it’s own voice of wisdom for their generation… as well as their own voice of praise.

"No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thorn bushes, or grapes from briers. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:43-45)

We live in a time that is knowledge rich but thin on Wisdom. That is why we know how to do so much stuff… yet struggle with the quality of day-to-day life. We have quantity… Some of us are thirsty for the satisfaction that comes through wisdom that connects us lovingly to each other and causes us to enter into the history that matters.

Proverbs 24 and Weird Al's White & Nerdy

2007-04-25T23:34:00.000-07:00

Proverbs 24 provides a context for me to think about Knowledge, Understanding and Wisdom.

Juxtaposed to this the parodies of culture presented in the movie Napoleon Dynamite & Weird Al and his song I'm too White and Nerdy… and you have a cutting edge expose' of how far the collapse socially of the dominant culture is in popular culture. This collapse from dominance is what post-modern folks mean when they say that the center will not hold. I do not have any problem with this to the extent that mainstream culture has also left God out of the picture.

To me this provides a huge opportunity for the people of God… because we live in a knowledge thick world that is very thin on wisdom. It is time for fresh movements of faith to rise up and demonstrate depth… words will not be enough… Let's look back at Proverbs 24 and break down some of the wisdom in it for our times…

3Through skillful and godly Wisdom is a house (a life, a home, a family) built, and by understanding it is established [on a sound and good foundation],

4And by knowledge shall its chambers [of every area] be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.

• My First point is to try to get us to grasp where we are in our current times. KNOWLEDGE IS our cultural KING. Whether that is the heady knowledge of the Nerd, The social Elite, The Style Elite, or the Street Knowledge of the Thug. In our current cultural mythos if someone has the right Knowledge he or she will get over in life and be able to get all the "stuff" in life that matters.

The codes of knowledge… that of the academy belonging to the "Nerds" and their domain of the University, and "The Code Of the Streets" belonging to the Thugs of the world and "the hood" both have dire outcomes in terms of ultimate meaning.

As T.S. Eliot observes in this cultural decline now recognized by the academy.

"Where is the Life we have lost in living? Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information? "
T. S. Eliot

The Hip Hop Group" The Black Eyed Peas" share their Lament with the streets:

"What's wrong with the world mama?
People living like aint got no mamas…

Chorus:
People killing people dying
Children hurtin you hear them crying
Can you practice what you preach
Would you turn the other cheek?
Father Father Father help us
Send some guidance from above
Cause people got me got me questioning
Where is the love?(where is the lovex3)(the love2x)

I feel the weight of the world on my shoulder
As I'm getting older y'all people get colder
Most of us only care about money makin
Selfishness got us followin the wrong direction…"

This is the condition that Cornel West calls "Practical Nihilism" and Neil Postman calls it "Amusing Ourselves to Death".

The Bible Simply calls this the sin of "The Pride of Life"
The Decay in quality of thought is clearly marked out in Romans 1:21-23

21For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

Our Idols are pop Idols like Britney Speers who is falling from her throne to Thom Cruise and many others…

We are living in a Spiritually dangerous time because our times are stuck on the "precious and pleasant riches"... that Knowledge seems to offer… Your Cell phone and Lap top in the geek world… to your myspace and thumping bad assed tunes to bee seen on MTV that can be high contexted referenced by elaborate ring tones. What makes these days in our culture so spiritually toxic is that we live in a world that teaches people to love things and use people rather than loving people and using things. Things can stimulate, but they can not love. While many people are lacking the character depth to really love (II Peter 1:3-11).

Proverbs says, "Knowledge puffs up a person"
"Pride comes before a fall and a haughty spirit before destruction."

The fruit of knowledge disconnected to the histories and realities that ultimately matter end in ever increasing consumptions and the loss of the role of love at every level of life & society.

By the way ... I really like the use of parrody used by Weird Al in his song "White & Nerdy". Like Bill Cosby he gets us to laugh at the twisted realities too many people are living. If there were not a lot of white people buying HIPHOP... then it would not have such a large market in the US. The fact that selling out fits the old stereotype of "Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll"... or the ancient categories of sin... "The lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life". Does not surprise me. But for me exposes why these forms have sold out on their capacity to communicate the deepest realities that inspire true hope and values.

In response to an open question... "Are organized Religions a Fraud?"

2007-04-18T14:24:00.000-07:00

Current mood: contemplative
Category: Religion and Philosophy

[Most of you know that I am very passionate about my faith. I wrote this piece on an open forum that is even somewhat anti-faith... All world views and the actions that flow from them have consequences...]

I would like to suggest that all people have a world view. Part of it is inherited via culture. Part of it is caught through experience. (The basic Nature vs. Nurture debate...)

All people want to understand and be understood. It is human to form groups out of common world views and experiences. (Family Systems theory provide better continuim categories: Rigid to Flexible, Permiable to Impermiable... with evalution being based on the qualities of life produced.)

There is a lot of motivations for organized groups to do both good in the world... like the relief work of "The Salvation Army" and bad in the world... Like the crusades... Good in the world ...Like seeking a cure for cancer ... Or ??? what ??? in the world... Like... why should Britney Speers shaving her head be all that important anyway and on national news???

It is simplistic to blame great evils on being "Organized"... lots more people also die from neglect and disorganization. Rather we should evaluate the delivery system and the qualities of what is being delivered in and through each system.

It is also simplistic to think religion is the problem... Attempts to eliminate religous beliefs as in communist Russia also lead to the death of Many people. Wars have throughout history been more about the competition over resources than a world view... even when the two seem to come togehter... like in World War II...

From an anthropological point of view... Religous experience is part of the human experience. (Denial of soul care according to AA and NA is the core cause of Addictive patterns of behavior.)

Key for me is the room for dialogue, discovery, growth, and change.

Personally, when I was a child I grew up in a family that was atheistic. We encountered as a family experiences that caused us as a family to embrace a Christian World View. I have friends who both share my world view and friends who have very different understandings about the world. (I have not met a person whom I could not learn something benneficial from...)

Personally I am concerned about systems that become too closed and therefore shut down dialogue. The worst of human nature seems to come out when meaningful communication breaks down.

or Systems that become so open that concrete actions can not be taken and evaluated. Not all roads lead to the same place. And not everyone wants to go to the same place or direction. (Kierkagaard is right at this point... All actions and choices have consequences.)

It is this part that is lacking in many human groups...From family systems to Nation States... Economic systems to Systems of belief...

The open honest pursuit of evaluation by groups is what keeps groups healthier and makes for a better learning environment.

For a good but hard read on the religous end: "The Transforming Momment: a Study of convictional Knowledge" by Dr. James Loder

Another hard read... but For a resource to think about systems and to learn how to find your way of making the world a better place that will not impose on you "A religous world view": "Children and their Families in the Social Environment" by Garbarino.

Last but not least... when approaching any faith system... get as close as you can to reading the original sources yourself. The word "Bible" means little books for example... Each little book has it's own historical context.

I like the presentation of the, "Pocket Cannons" as a simple place to explore the Bible: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pocket_Canons

I am a poet... so I enjoy what Bono says in his intro about the book of Psalms... a rich book for any poet to read... I think I will play his song 40 just for old time sake.

Currently listening :
The Best of 1980-1990
By U2
Release date: By 10 November, 1998

Holy Week... Now which week is not that???

2007-04-08T16:40:00.000-07:00

AnyWay!
Current mood: thankful

For Me the Resurection of Christ reminds me that the risk of Loving and the Challenge of living is all worth it...

Here is my word of encouragement to all my friends for "Holy Week"... actually life is a gift... so it is all a miracle...

People are unreasonable, illogical and self-centered.
Love them anyway.
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.
If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.
The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.
Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.
The biggest person with the biggest ideas can be
shot down by the smallest person with the smallest mind.
Think big anyway.
What you spend years building may
be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.
People really need help but may attack if you help them.
Help people anyway.
Give the world the best you have
and you might get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you've got anyway.
- Anonymous

Madam Guyon, Suffering... and We all get to live the Book of Job

2007-03-23T12:20:00.000-07:00

Current mood: contemplative
Category: Life

Today I was reading a book called, "Deeper Experiences of Famous Christians" by James Gilchrist Lawson.

What was striking to me is the difference on how Guyon in her time saw suffering compared to our own time. Her response was rather consistently in suffering to turn to God. I spent a good part of the day considering her response in almost every hardship was to turn with trust to God. I tend to just get angry with God when things do not work out the way I want them to...

Job seems like a trajic story. It is our story. We all will live into it. The loss of everything. Time will eat away at our lives. In Romans 8 it says that God gave the whole of our creation over to decay... So In time we will even have to pass through death's door ourselves. Not everyone gets the chance to wrestle with God. To question him about what in the world is this all about? And to hear God's answer, "These matters are to great for you to fully understand... Did you see when I did X, Y, or Z???"

The difference between many that are great in faith and the rest of us...
is their ability to say "Naked came I into this world and Naked shall I return from where I came." No of us called ourselves into exsistence. The difference is a core trust that whether in Life or Death we belong to God.

Some of us get delusional and temporarily think that we are the ultimate masters of our own fate. I do... and I find today... that this delusion is a sickness called denial that cuts me off from humility and my humanity. God have mercy on my soul -- Amen.

Madam Guyon decided that she would start an intense relationship with God before she had to go from this life to the next. I am asking myself why am I settling for less?

Currently listening :
Blessed Be Your Name the Songs of Matt Redman, Vol. 1
By Matt Redman
Release date: By 19 July, 2005

To All My Friends who are tempted to think with the wrong Head

2006-11-28T11:32:00.000-08:00

To All My Friends who are tempted to think with the wrong Head... This is a letter 4 U.

History is in the making. Mothers and Fathers... Who will or will not have self-control. Children need Faithful Fathers and Mothers...

Choices and consequences. There is life after the big wow. A history to live with...

Porn feeds off of the lack of the real in terms of intimacy and relationship. It can also leads to a very lonely life... If one can not trust oneself... Why should anyone trust you??? No Trust = No real Intimacy.

I don't want to be pimped nor do I want to see my friends pimped... nor my family, nor my Culture.

As KRS One Says, There is no such thing as just making love, instead we should say... "making life"...
both history and the children that become part of it through our actions are real and can never be earased.

Fantasy is just that. There are no actions without consequences. Our thought life will lead to actions.

Like I have always said... God made us male and female and knows all about Sex... It was God's idea... God made what is good in Sex good. Then he gave us some guidance aboout what good looks like... If you ignore this advice and try to use Sex beyound what it intended for... you will suffer the consequences of your thoughts and actions.

Like in bowling there can be a significant time gap between a choice and the consequences. Sometimes a 9 month or more time gap...

Do not tell me I am against good sex. Have you ever read... "Song of Solomon"? Some of you will never know real romance because you became a slave to lust... and never learned what true love is about. Time to go back and learn before it is too late.

Real friends tell the truth to real friends. When they get burned they do not lie about it... Keep it real people.

Keep the Love Real,
Jaw1

Please Help find my friend's Uncle!!!

2006-11-16T22:28:00.000-08:00

If you live in LA ... take a good look at this picture and help us find Mr. Romero.

Teach the Real

2006-09-28T11:56:00.000-07:00

Warning, "Jude says that this should be cut up into parts... that some will find these too much to digest in one sitting". So I am publishing it here with the hope of Each of these points will be a good beginning for future surmon topics... I would love to preach on these themes...

Things we Usually do not teach our Kin... and maybe we should:

1. "Lord teach us to Number OUR days". If you are 15 years Old... In 3 years you will be a "Legal Adult" making adult decisions that will set the course of the first part of your life... In 10 years you will have full adult responsibilities and will need to be able to lead others...(Possibly including your own children)... In 20 Years you will be shaping within the sphere of your influence "The Content and Quality of life" for both yourself and those within your sphere of influence... In 40 Years (which may seem a long ways away... but in truth will come sooner than most of us think...) Your Satisfaction will be based on the history you have made... both for yourself and those around you... In 80 Years the next generation will either bennefit from how you Lived or Not... They will have a reason to name you in hisotry with a sense of thanks and gratitude... or Not. Reguardless, Each of us will answer to God for the life that we have lived.

2. "Every Generation has to choose what is of value to pass on to the next Generation." This is not automatic. Whole civilizations rise and fall on the Content and Quality of What they pass on and what the present Generation learns and discovers rooted in their inheritance. See II Timothy 2:2

3. We Are born lost and not knowing our way into a world that is lost in both confusion and "Sin"... this is both personal and public.

The state of confussion is easy to see. We all struggle with it to some degree every day. Confussion simply is not knowing what we are doing and why we are doing it. Only by facing bravely this state of mind does one mature and rise above it... Sometimes for short momments... and sometimes for longer periods of time. (Humility is learned in this cloud of Unknowing when we can say we do not know... only then is discovery possible.) Groups only rise out of their own confusion when they can wrestle honestly with humility the real questions that impinge on life.

The reality of being stuck in Sin is hard for the modern/post-modern mind to see. And if the adults will not see it for what it is then that makes it even harder for the youth who are growing up to see what is going on. (Hebrew 3:12-13) Sin hides itself in our pride and without honesty it does us and the next generation real damage. The most productive word picture that I have found so far is "taking the trash to the trash can". I know in my head what I am doing. I do it any way. Much of what is in there is not good for the earth and will end up in this place called a landfill. Generations after me will suffer for and from my actions. It is really hard to stop... Recycling to the extent that I do it only eliminates some of it. Yet anything I do not address is toxic for the next generation.

(The reason why this generation finds the language of the church about sin hard to understand is because of the pride and arrogance of our times... We have spent far too much time accusing others of evil and sinfull acts while ignoring our involvement with sin ourselves... In contrast if God can through the Holy Spirit convict us daily of the sin in our own life... it will be natural that those around us will bennefit from our humility and find themselves also convicted by the same loving and gracious Holy Spirit. Currently we live in a world that wants justice done to somebody else... rather than the more hopeful view that Mercy can triumph over justice.)

4. Understanding our Times. Currently we live at a time where we are being consummed by consummerism. Materialism has lost any anchor to meaning and reason. Many desire to posses things and in turn secretely find themselves possed by them as a way of being "Cool", Comfortable, Entertained, or Significant. More simply put we know that we should love people and use things; Yet, the current dominant culture teaches us to love things and use people. In fact the way we use the worlds resources shows us to what extent we value power and things over the value of a life. Our times are very far away from the values lifted up by Jesus... who said, "Whatever you have done to the least of these my brothers you have done it to me." (Matthew 25)

II Timothy 2:2

2006-09-13T15:57:00.000-07:00

I am asking for prayer as I am glowing with a sense of joy mixed with sadness. My friend Roxy teaches 6th grade at a local grade school. She is having her baby dedicated to God this Sunday at our church. She took a personal day today to help a friend...

My Friend Chris has helped his wife Roxy get through school. Supported her all along the way. Now it is his turn to go back to school and get his education. He is a loving and tender father... Supportive of Roxy their baby and now Roxy's efforts to help her friend in this time of need.

When the family network fails to be the support network... Where can people turn... "Who is our Neighbor?"

Families... Valued or thrown away... Roxy's friend needs to escape an abusive addicted boyfriend/father who says he does not want or need her and their kids anymore. So her friend takes a step towards freedom and hope for her children without their father. Roxy's desire is that the love and life that has impacted her life will be passed on to others... A love rooted in God (Ephesians 3:14-21).

What we live and teach is intergenerational. It all is about the quality of lives we live. We need to entrust the best we have learned to those who will pass it on as a heritage -- II Timothy 2:2.

Dreams and Jacob's Ladder

2006-09-03T12:01:00.000-07:00

I am struck by how Jacob in Genesis 29 responds so profuondly to a dream. His world view connected what he dreamed to reality. This became a doorway for his relationship with God to grow.

These days I am staying up to late to dream... taking in too many images in the form of movies, TV, and Advertisments... Lacking the stillness to dream...

There is a connection to dreaming, hope, and praying. When our deepest desires get burried in the imeadiate we forget to pray. Satisfaction is so different than entertainment. Sifted desires... to be left to long for holy longings and then to pursue those longings -- this is the true fruit of prayer.

The integrity of my life is bound up with the integrity of my dreams and my prayers.

Dreams are only as reliable as the soul that has them. Initiative can come from God and even very tainted souls can be touched by the devine in their dreams. The integrity of our response.

Anywhere where we can dream is Holy ground.

Genesis 23

2006-08-29T16:55:00.000-07:00

Today I have the joy to have my first full day of a two-week vacation. Jude and I are currently at her brother Peter’s house near Santa Barbara. The hospitality here is incredible because, Thea, Peter’s wife is so fond and gifted at hosting.

Tube… They have cable and by choice Jude and I do not… Last night I watched some of the history channel about the history of the Ottoman Empire, Some Japanese Animation, and the military channel on some of the history of tanks… plus the tail end of the godfather III…
This morning…
I Watched the US women’s soccer team play China… left off from that when they were winning 4 to 1… and watched Farscape flicking back and forth from these two programs. (This habit of channel flicking drives Jude crazy). Farscape left some very good questions about addictions. The best of fiction and the best of theology – as I see it -- raises the questions that matter about life and really living. Questions, not just to float with… but rather to press into the gift of life for what it is…

My Old Testament scripture for this day… Genesis 23 is sobering for me literally… having been intoxicated for a short time by the tube. Genesis 23 is about the death of Sarah and the work of honoring her life through burial… including purchasing a field with a cave for that purpose…

The existentialists are right a this point. Death forces us to consider the meaning of our life and the ways in which we spend it… Reading this encourages me to move away from the tube and to sit and enjoy the patio of my brother-in-laws house with Jude… To again appreciate her in life rather than staying self absorbed.

I could stay self absorbed and morbid. Since 2000 I know 26 people who have all gone to their grave. Visiting Gravesites of those whom I have loved has really begun to inform my soul not to take the times and days I have for granted. The gift of this space for reflection and prayer has also been more fruitful than I like to admit.

So much of our current culture ends in dissipation and various forms of “drunkenness”. Pain buried and sensitivity to joy diminished for the sake of ???

As a Christian, poet, and artist… I want to remain awake and alive… yet swim in the current culture.

I have started a myspace… / jawpoetry I find it quite a flesh market. It will take real accountability not to get sucked in. I have started this space at the request of various friends. If I have a burial site will it feed the souls of others the way visiting the burial site of Dr. James Loder has fed my soul? The unexamined life is not worth living or remembering… Maybe that is why those who are disconnected from hope and vision are so given over to addictions and dissipation?

Jude sits here reading The Chamber, by Grisham… good story plots she says… good vacation reading… Brueggemann says we live in a multi-storied universe. The existentialists say that it is the personal story that ultimately matters. I have come to believe it is what God would say about our story that really matters. Some lives deserve to be memorialized. Sarah has a sacred life and a sacred tomb. The scriptures choose a very different slice of humanity than what typical historians would choose… both to praise and to vilify. Don’t try to make Abraham and Sarah into super human people. Abraham questioned the promises of God at times and Sarah laughed… They schemed, lied, tried to figure things out their own way, and loved each other in their lifetime. What set them apart literally and figuratively is that when God asked them to go on an undefined journey they were willing to go…

So Sarah was buried in a foreign land away from much of her family and at a very high price… (Compare 400 shekels with 17 in Jeremiah 32:9…) Having Inter-generational hopes, visions, or dreams will mean that when we die some… if not many / or most of our hopes and dream may remain unfulfilled. Like MLK Jr’s, “I have a dream”. Tombs are meaningful when the hopes, visions, and dreams of those we visit have the power to continue to inspire us. Relevance comes from the choice of those who reference the past intermingled with the divine that anchors the past with sacred meaning.

LA is filled with a culture that works at forgetting and starting over. HipHop thrives on the triumph of the present moment. In contrast, Judeo Christian roots and the Scriptures as well as our history continues to give us a lot to reflect on and remember. This invites us to our own journey with God where ever it will lead.

I hope that either the core visions, hope, and dreams that I have will be lived out in my lifetime… or what is more likely the case… that it will be worth while for some living souls for me to have a tomb, gravesite or grave marker. Yes I crave significance… and the existentialists are partially right, “nothingness haunts being”. Yet the stories of the scripture are not a tease where only others get to have a relationship with God and we get to watch and read about it… In the midst of life we get to go on our own journey of faith, doubt, and laughter… until we too are gripped by dreams and visions that have intergenerational vision.

Jude reminds me that true meaning comes from our being part of God’s story and that gives us meaning in life… and that I like most of us forget that and get sucked into a more ego-centered perspectives.

Firsts and a reminder to pay attention!

2006-06-16T14:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, for the very first time, I won a game of scrabble. I am at CRM's Missions conference that happens with staff once every 4 years. I don't play Scrabble very often. Spanish is the dominant language in Westlake - Pico Union Los Angeles neighborhood. They do not play scrabble... They do play soccer!!! Yet almost every week I do something new or have a first. It is the nature of being alive to God, to the city, and to my neighborhoods. I have forgotten to notice and take note. I want to get back to blogging again more often. Short is sweet. I will use firsts as another way to get me blogging more often. So if you are tired of not hearing from me... You can have hope that this will change.

My friend is free for now.

2006-06-16T10:57:00.000-07:00

Free yet not free. Addiction creates blindness. If fines are not paid then it will mean another trip into the system. If community service is not served it means another trip into the system. It woulld be more helpful if real guidance was offered. If we have no self-control. We will have no control. The momentary desire to escape pain could rob my friend of life. Pray for grace in whatever form it may come.

Prayer for a Friend now down for the counts...

2006-01-27T23:38:00.000-08:00

Today a friend of mine lost it in my nieghborhood. He got taken off the streets by the police... I hope I get to see the day when this will just be a bad memory or even better yet something to laugh about... Remeber that crazy day when...

Was it the size of the questions rolling through his mind?
Was it the need to be seen, heard, somehow noticed?
Was it the drugs that he had added to the mix?
Was it a cry for help deep within the soul?
Was it the deception of an evil spirit?

I saw a group of friends hanging together by the some steps. A bong set up ready to smoke... and the general uneasiness of those who are anticipating getting high when confronted with those who don't.

I invited everyone to the donut shop with us. They cleared out and followed a different direction... following the bong...

After hanging at the donut shop for a while...
Two of my friends, who I saw earlier, showed up and were headed to the local liquor store. I hoped they had come to join us. I called out and noticed that one of them seemed almost posessed by a spray can. He walked up to a parked van and spray painted a big bright orange "Why?" on the back of it. I tried to stop him and said', "Do you know what you are doing?" He said, "Yes, i know exactly what I am doing"....

He walked right into the liquor store, spray painted a name on the door and an F@#$^% on a sign, got a bottle of beer and tried to walk out of the store. I intervened and the owner fo the store got his bottle of beer back and while they left. I then helped the owner clean up the paint hoping that the police would not have to get involved. (I never know that WD-40 could clean up freshly painted spray paint). I did this to try to spare him from ending up in jail... but I had saved the beer bottle for the store owner, and failed to get the spray can.

I was shocked to see other cars marked with strange questions or tags... Why?, Really?, ___ Oner, an Anarchy sign,... etc.

When the police caught up with him his statements to them were not defiant but rather those of a soul trying to grasp at the last straws of reality: "It should not be like this... I have a right to exsist... We should all be family and love one another... Can I go home now or do I have to come with you... Ok let's go then... or let me go... then let's go then..."

The soul needs an anchor or it becomes lost. When family doesn't know how to help... Friends are not trying to help... and no one is going to acknowledge the deep scream for meaning, purpose, and identity...

Spray paint can make your neighbors hear you silently scream... until the police arrive to take you away.

If God anchors your soul... pray for us.

Snapshot of a Neighborhood Yard Sale

2005-12-13T17:32:00.000-08:00

My husband John loves yard sales. I have always been more cautious – they are a lot of work, and I have wondered if they are worth the effort. But our neighborhood yard sale yesterday was a truly remarkable event, and was about so much more than buying and selling stuff.

To be accurate, it is not really a yard sale, since we don’t have yards in our neighborhood. It was more of a sidewalk sale. These sidewalk sales are found wherever there are people trying to make a few extra dollars to survive. Near our apartment, on 6th street, the sidewalks are transformed into a market every weekend – families come for the day with some things to sell, hoping to make enough to pay the rent, or feed their families.
Thus our yard sales are an appropriate place to practice redistribution, sharing the wealth of one neighborhood with another less affluent neighborhood. We also like that they are eco-friendly, and things that might have gone into a land-fill find a new life.

This particular yard sale began with my colleague Dan Shaw, whose precious wife died suddenly in October. He asked if perhaps we could use her clothes. It then turned out that Dan’s neighbor, from La Canada Presbyterian Church, had collected 300 pairs of shoes that needed to find new owners. When John found out we would receive these 300 pairs of shoes, he was ecstatic. Truly. He gets that excited about the possibilities. Seeing him so excited, I decided to join in the fun.

At 7:00 am, our team joined in and helped unload the truck of shoes. Within an hour, various people had filled up a bag of clothes and shoes to send to relatives in Mexico, El Salvador and Guatemala (redistribution across borders, even better!).
My favorite part was the box of barely used children’s books – we love to see books go into the homes of the local children, and these were really nice books, of the kind that people here cannot afford to buy. We kept some of the books for our community room, to be used for our activities there or for kids to borrow.

Throughout the day, neighbors hung out together in the area of the yard sale. Two girls were able to connect with Miriam, who works at a tutoring center at a local church, and were able to go with her in the evening to a fun Christmas event on a boat in Long Beach. Other kids were able to buy shoes they really liked for $2.00.
Why do we sell the shoes instead of giving them away? Our neighbors are not homeless. They are the working poor. They have some resources, just not enough. To give the shoes away would be to turn our friends and neighbors into “charity cases.” Buying the shoes gives them choice over what to buy, and retains their dignity. It is a reciprocal exchange, they benefit, and so do those selling.

At the end, there were still plenty of shoes, and clothes. Some went to another yard sale, to support a youth ministry of a local church. Thirty pair went to the St. Francis Center, where our colleague Kathy works with the homeless as a Physician’s Assistant on Mondays. Two bags were given to a neighbor going to Mexico at Christmas. Beyond the sale itself, we wish we could convey the substance of the relationships that were nurtured and the tangible sense of love and community that has grown in our neighborhood through these kinds of events.
Thank you for your continued prayers and support.

John and Jude Tiersma Watson
InnerCHANGE LA

On 10 of the Ten

2005-11-26T11:18:00.000-08:00

This was something I hadn't thought of before.
Susan

From: Francis Schaeffer's _True Spirituality_ ON THE GIVING OF THANKS

"You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's
wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or
anything that is your neighbor's." (Exodus 20:17)

"Coveting is never an outward thing, from the very nature of the case. It is an
intriguing factor that this is the last command that God gives us in the Ten
Commandments and thus the hub of the whole matter. The end of the whole thing is
that we arrive at an inward situation and not merely an outward one." (TS, 7)

"Does this mean any desire is coveting and therefore sinful? The Bible makes it
plain this is not so -- all desire is not sin. So then the question arises,
when does proper desire become coveting? ...desire becomes sin when it fails to
include love of God or men. Further, I think there are two practical tests as to
when we are coveting against God or men: first, I am to love God enough to be
contented; second, I am to love men enough not to envy." (TS, 9)

"A quiet disposition and a heart giving thanks at any given moment is the real
test of the extent to which we love God at that moment."
(TS, 9)

Susan and Mark serve with InnerChange in Cambodia.

Thanks Giving.

2005-11-24T09:18:00.000-08:00

At the core of my heart has been a growing grattitude.

I have never created one day of life.
Each day comes to me as a gift... and the fact that I get to make a difference with my life is an amazing gift.

There is a joy that comes from embracing the gift of life in the midst of pain. We have a choice to either accept and embrace the challenges of life... or to complain about them.

Today I am reminded that joy comes mixed with sorrow... and that sorrow can not be eliminated, yet it makes each choice that I do have radiate with more Joy... because today is another day I get to embrace the love of God and share it with others. Ephesians 3:14-21

Those who know me know the love I carry in my heart for each of you.

Those who don't know me... there is a greater love waiting to embrace us all if we are just willing.

Joyful Thanks Giving!

Another Request for Prayer

2005-11-22T22:16:00.000-08:00

Jude Writes:

Hello All — I am inviting you all to join me in prayer for my younger brother Ben, his wife Jeanine, and their three little ones. (This is the brother who is now on the family farm).

Last week Jeanine was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had a lumpectomy this past Friday, and today the results are back. It is not the result we were hoping for. They removed the malignant lump, and several lymph nodes, but there are residual cancer cells that they were not able to remove. So on December 8, she will again go into surgery and have her breast removed. After that she will have a season of chemo and radiation.

Right now they need wisdom about treatment. Some are suggesting they go outside the San Joaquin Valley for treatment, but with three kids aged 3, 5 & 6, and Ben’s 14 hour work days on the dairy, it is not that easy to leave.

Also pray for me (us) to know how about my (our) time, when I (we) need to go be there with them. Ben and Jeanine are the family that live next door to my mom and have been looking out for my mom, so obviously this will impact what they can do for her as well.

Thanks for your prayers.
Jude

Learning to Say Good Bye

2005-11-10T16:10:00.000-08:00

Since 2001 over 27+ people who were somehow tied in to my conscious world have died. Some have died from violence, some from cancer, a few from old age... this has rocked my world in some ways. Growing up in a culture that was good at denying the reality of death -- in Princeton NJ. Has left me with a gap in my ability to embrace life and death for what it is...

I find myself with this quezzy feeling that I have begun to recognize as anger... but what am I angry about...

The Bible does not lie about the shortness of life itself...

slowly it has dawned on me the roots of a very dangerous spiritual toxic poison.

I live in a culture that keeps trying to get me to love things and use people rather than Loving People and using things; Death puts the value of things in perspective.

A friend of mine, has had cancer removed from his brain... He has two kids and a loving wife... he has set in front of himself the hard work of contemplating what it means to care for their life span and it's journey... even if he may not be there... he has started to write them letters for their birthdays and for their hoped for life stages... like marriage... etc.

Half the world is 15 years old or younger.

We have created a world that is extremely indulgent and does not care much about the world we are passing on to these kids. Even normal life is more twisted than we like to imagine... visit your local land fill and contemplate your contribution to it... if you think that your life is just a little messed up...

I am going to a grief group tonight because I have never really learned how to be angry in a healthy way. I am angry because we as a culture do not value life as we should... It has taught me all the wrong priorities... What thing would I not sacrifice if it meant that I could have just one more hour of quality time with Dr. James Loder, or Satoe One.

If we valued life we would honor it much more than we do... and we would struggle with what is of real value and significance much more than we do...

"NO One Gets a Second Chance To Be the Friend they Meant to Be" Mark Heard

Thinking about my small network.

2005-09-27T15:52:00.000-07:00

There are a few blogs that are from some friends who have come alongside InnerChange in ministry for a season. Some have continued their blogs. And some have left theirs as a record of their journey with us.

Julia an APU student will be the third APU student who has joined us and served with us as part of their studies at APU. She has just started her journey and her blog: OneUno.

Shauna & Alisha were with us last year. (Alisha’s entry on February 24, 2005 has a link to some great pictures of our neighborhood.)

Ben W served all of Innerchange through his technical skills while living with our San Francisco team.

Kathy is a Companion to InnerChange and has served with us in LA for many years. We are ever so grateful for her presence, giftedness, and passion to serve in this community.

Darren is our fearless editor of InnerChange’s quarterly publication The Inner Voice.

I could Go on and list Ginny the Poet, and JC, Jrod, and others… but my main point is to encourage you to explore my little network here. Some have just started… others have been at this blogging thing longer than I have. Not all are in the same circle of faith and works of Faith that I am in. But all have a voice worth listening to… I will clean up the list in a few weeks. If you have a favorite let me know.

Let’s keep doing this thing called life and learn to center it in the love of God. That’s what I will be seeking to do.

The Book of Common Prayer

2005-08-09T10:35:00.000-07:00

Today like most Tuesdays, I have the privelege of praying for all of InnerChange and our work around the world. All InnerChange missionaries take some time on Tuesdays to pray for our larger movement. Today only two of us could make it to the sceduled time of prayer. Many are away, traveling, on a much needed vacation, or had pressing work this morning.

Since neither Paul nor I had time to prepare for our time of prayer... I thought since he likes "The Book of Common Prayer" as a helpful guide for prayer... I might be able to find it online. Here is a link to what I found...

Mission St. Clare seems to be an Orthodox group who have organized the daily prayers and other helpful resources for the bennefitt of those interested. We found the Morning service helpful today... even though I still prefer the Online Prayer Guide put together by England's branch of Youth for Christ.

What do you do to feed your soul???

Paul Reads I John 1

2005-07-26T10:40:00.000-07:00

Here is a link to the 10 minute Sermon I shared with Willie & Gennell based on I John 1.

The Blessing of the Rings

2005-07-26T10:37:00.000-07:00

First Prayer for Willie and Gennell as a married Couple.

2005-07-26T10:31:00.000-07:00

The Wedding Party

2005-07-26T10:26:00.000-07:00

J&J with Mr. & Mrs. Hartsfield

2005-07-26T10:23:00.000-07:00

The Dance of life together begins in a fresh way.

2005-07-26T10:18:00.000-07:00

I got to share my testimony with Evelyn's "Skater" Youth

2005-07-24T09:58:00.000-07:00

After sharing my testimony and my relationship with the God of the Bible... these youth recieved these Bibles with a lot of joy and enthusiasm.

Thanks to those who donated special extra resources in order that we could give these Bibles out to friends like Evelyn's Skater kids. Bibles and other christian resources are always useful.

I hope to speak again to this group in the fall.
Spiritual hunger often comes up to the surface when young people are talked with rather than talked at.

My first Wedding as the Pastor

2005-07-15T17:41:00.000-07:00

Willie & Gennell... I have known them since 1993... here they are playing a little cards with my friend Steve...

It is a joy to be able to see them make this kind of committment to each other. It is the promises that we make and keep that builds honor and courage into our lives.

Pray for me. I am supposed to keep my sermon to only 12 minutes...Thank you For your prayers!!! my 10 minute sermon based on 1 John 1. Thanks!!! I will say more about this...

Still Digging up tears from July 2001.

2005-07-09T12:17:00.000-07:00

Sunday July third, 2005 Robert a young man that I hardly knew was gunned down a block from where I live. At first I find myself numb to these kind of realities. Then there comes the car wash on the weekend to help pay for the funeral. Seeing the signs advertising a car wash for Robert and getting a call from Jude on her cell telling me that she was at the car wash, sent my soul on a journey towards the next layer of release. (Witnessing trauma can often delay and extend the grieving process; I have not only witnessed trauma, but know over 20 people who have died since 2001.)

My soul stayed troubled all day. All things are not right with the world. Explosions in London highlight this fact. This deep sense of tension between what is and what ought to be starts to boil up in my soul. I have trouble sleeping and decide to watch a movie. I have the whole Lord of the Rings trilogy and decide to select scenes out of “The Return of the King”. After an hour of skipping forward to some of my favorite scenes I come to the end when the company must truly part and say goodbye for the last time. I sob for half an hour. Finding the release I needed, finally I could rest. This seams to be a healing door for me. “Blessed are they that Mourn for they shall be comforted.” I am like a lot of guys who have been taught not to cry. The themes in Tolkien’s, “Lord of the Rings” have helped me since I first read the novels in sixth grade. I have read them so many times that I am sure my mind fills in gaps in the movie. Meaning and sacrificial love go hand in hand; the way we give our lives away every day... that is what becomes the meaning of our lives.

Anyone who wants to watch a good movie and cry with me sometime – let me know.

Hopefully I will get the freedom one day to not need the aid of Movies to dredge up the past but will be free to cry and rejoice and release my true feelings in a friends embrace, in seasons of parting, in celebrations of life and death, and in the communion of the saints – through prayer.

Urban Jungle and the Young at Heart

2005-06-24T10:59:00.000-07:00

Today on the way back from Pasadena a young man desperate for help begged me to help him with directions. He was on the way to a rehab home in North Hollywood. I tried pointing out the maps available... he said I can't read maps. His anger at not being able to understand the world of words and directions fueled his desperation and undermined his sense of dignity.

Half the world is young... under 15 years old... and the modern world is a challenge to understand and navigate ... even for adults...

He carried religious books with him... but what he wanted both now to get to the rehab and in life was... "Don't tell me, show me".

I am more and more struck by how much change is happening on how the young percieve things... "The Medium is the Massage"... The youth I work with do not remeber much without a visual reference to go along with what I am talking about.

We need a lot more adults not only willing to give directions... but willing to give directions in a manner that the young can absorb. The youth I know and many of the adults are on stimulation overload. They are at the point where they say... I can't figure it out... don't tell me... show me.

I am glad that Jesus said,
"Come and Follow Me"
because I needed tangible demonstrations of
Ways to live, How to live, and Truth to live out of...
... so I can't complain when I am asked... don't just tell me ... Show me...

A quick Update

2005-06-13T10:37:00.000-07:00

Thuis week IC has it's annual conference. Pray that we grow as a community in mission... both in wisdom and strength.

Pray for Valerie as her mother Theressa has passed on to the next life. We praise God that the last year of her life she walked with Jesus and her family was strengthened because of this.

July we have Melony & Julio's Wedding -- July 9
and then we have Willie & Gennell's wedding -- July 16 (I will be the pastor for this wedding)

Thank you for your prayers for us...

Why I am a Christian

2005-05-26T00:33:00.000-07:00

The Good Book says that both rain and sunshine fall on the just and the unjust. I have come to believe that the brokenness of the world also remains at this time for the just and the unjust.

This being so, I for a time have been wondering what advantage in this life is there to being a Christian. Heaven has never been the big appeal to me. I am much more passionate about the here and now… “Thy Kingdom come Thy will be done on earth…”

This past Sunday when I had the privilege of serving communion, an early childhood memory came back to me. I remember encountering a love manifested through my aunt and uncle that I did not have. This brought me to tears (I cried in my room for over an hour under the conviction that I did not have within me this kind of love); they told me that Christ was the source of this love. I remembered a time in my life when I was a stranger to the source of this kind of love.

In fourth grade I encountered Christ for myself, though I really came to appreciate Christ’s love much more in high school. This for me is the enduring gift of God. I cannot imagine what my life would have been like without Christ’s love. A love that has not always been mediated through others -- yet witnessed in others; a grace and a gift that in truth is nothing short of God extending God’s very Spirit or breath to us.

No one gets to keep their life and each of us uses it or give it away daily.
Some might say that we can love without Christ; I would say that the love we could love with would be much deeper and more profound with Christ. This is why I am a Christian to this day and this is why I wish that others would become like me at this one point – Ephesians 3:14-21.

I Cor. 13
I John 1
Matthew 24

Urban Youth Workers Institute

2005-05-23T09:19:00.000-07:00

Jude and I presented two talks this weekend at the UYWI conference. Our material on the "Use of public Space" and "A Missional View of HIPHOP in the Latino context" was well recieved by those who came. It was the very first time I have used Power Point on my new (1 week old) Mac Power Book. Thanks to the Tech support that they had... and the great youth and youth workers that came to our seminars!!!

I promised a book list that would help folks in their journey of navigating their faith walk in this fast world of ours... I will post this latter this afternoon... peace...

Here is a Start... and this is still in progress...

The books listed here are in response to the different people that I met at the UYWI please note the reason that each resource is mentioned and pursue those that are of interest to you:

Life in Christ references:

*Disciple by Juan Carlos Ortiz – Years before the book, “40 days of Purpose” by Rick Warren, Juan Carlos Ortiz helped orient me to becoming a true disciple and follower of Jesus Christ. It is written on a sixth grade reading level without being simplistic and is still inspirational to me even though I have read it over more than 10 times.

*The Celebration of Discipline, By Richard Foster – When I got to the place where I said OK I know the truth but give me something to do with it that will bring life into my soul the church that I was attending started working through this book as a community. It Rocked my world.

*Streams of Living Water: Celebrating the Great Traditions of Christian Faith by Richard Foster

*Loving God, by Chuck Colson

*Space for God, by Don Postema – this is where I turn when my prayer life or poetry life gets old and dry.

HipHop and Youth Culture References:

* National Geographic Vol. 196, No. 2 August 1999 “Global Culture” – The cover picture and it’s contents ate worth contemplating if we are going to be ready for tomorrows world of missions.

*Code of the Streets:Dececy, Violence, and the Moral Life of the Inner City by Elijah Anderson

*The HipHop Generation by Bakari Kitwana

*Fight the Power by Chuck D

*It’s not About a Salary: Rap, Race, and Resistance in Los Angeles by Brian Cross

*Strength to Love, by Martin Luther King -- the Power of his oratory and the wisdom of the words are often still relevant to us today. The reason why his wisdom is not taken up by this HipHop generation is because my generation only half-stepped to what he was calling us to rather than fulfilling the dream. I sometimes read some of his words over beats.

Bring it together:

*Mustard Seed Versus McWorld: Reinventing Life and Faith for the Future, by Tom Sine

*Restoring At-Risk Communities: Doing it Together and Doing it Right, by John Perkins

Other thought Provokers and Helps:

*Dedication and Leadership, by Douglass Hyde – sometimes our discipleship is not working because we are not doing what can and should be done in terms of good basic leadership development and God may be blessing us in spite of our weak organizational structures and training patterns.

*Soul Survivor by Philip Yancey – a great read for those of us who struggle with our faith a times.

One of the best B-days ever...

2005-05-01T21:50:00.000-07:00

I want to thank everyone who joined in celebrating my birthday...

What made it such a good day for me is that I enjoy watching people -- especially my friends... What was moving to me was to watch how much love and care was in the mix. It matters to me that my friends are good to each others and for each others... and that is the way it was and is... All thanks to God for this...

Roxy, Chris, Lance Mark, & Salvador... for setting up the decorations at Magee's Donut Shop.
Sal, Jose, and Rikki... for bringing my two favorite cakes to share with everyone.
Wil, Glen, and Nate... for Gifts of sharing Art... Keep up the Creativity!!!
Willie & Gennell... We are looking forward to you Wedding this summer...
Carmen... for her encouraging words and for encouraging her son in his creativity...
Barbie & Yoshi... for sharing your cullinary arts and the largest havest of lemons I have ever been blessed with...
Miriam, Nate... for hanging out with me for a whole day of musings and conversation...
Jesika... for spreading love wherever you go...
Paul, Kathy, Mel, Julio, Rikki, Kristin, Steve & Sandra... for so often going the extra mile for us throughout the years...
Jude with great love made a trip to the Farmers Market on Mariposa Street and brought 8 baskets of our favorite fruit / Strawbarries...
Miguel, Ramiro... for freindship over the years
Reina, and Kathy for being such good neighbors...
Natalie, and Melissa for their friendship, Paitience with questions about La Cultura Aqui, and the years of hair cuts...
LA Street Productions... Remembering our beginnings at Maggees... Active members: Wil, Miriam, Nate... Innactive Members: Sal, and Rei (by phone), and Potential new members Glen, and Yoshi...
For special guests... Kim, Alexi, and Kathy
Maria, Frank, and Ronald also came through...

Kathy also reminded me of John 13 and Jesus washing the feet of the disciples... and our care for the feet of the poor... and our shared history of sharing something of the love of God in this way... thank you for blessing my feet for my birthday... may we extend this blessing to others... may we carry the grace implied by such a blessing...

Mike & Mona...For the best breakfast I have ever had...on my real B-day... at the House of Blues Sundays Gospel Brunch.

10 Years of Marrige

2005-04-22T09:56:00.000-07:00

There is the gift of being loved for over 10 years by someone you know as, "unique in all the world".
There is the gift of support, challenge towards growth, and encouragement through the hard times.
Free but lonely nights are forgotten and have given way to interdependence...
Then there is the gift of being loved for just who you are... including the imperfections...

This is what 10 years of marriage has meant to me... this and much more...

Thank You Jude!!!

This morning I got a phone call from a good friend saying thank you for being a role model... I have always wanted to stand up straight and tall and point to the love of God in all things... It is a gift to know that I may have succeeded at least in part...

It is a gift that once again draws me to my knees in prayer... Ephessians 3:14-21.

A Beautiful Baby and Jealousy

2005-03-31T16:09:00.000-08:00

Five days after Roxy and Chris had their baby I got to visit them and hold their baby. Nervous about holding a newborn in my arms I was surprised by the warmth of “Lance Mark’s” little body resting in my arms. Jude and I have waited years for this day. In fact 9 years ago we bought a special piece of cartoon cell art depicting Sylvester and his son depicting the anticipated day that Chris would become a father.

What caught me off guard was the surprising detail of Lance Mark’s hands, feet, eyebrows, and eyes. Then it happened, Lance Mark reached out with his hand and grabbed my index finger. I was lost in a whirlwind of amazement, desire, and emotions. The surprising thing is that the strongest emotion was a kind of jealousy; I longed to have a baby of my very own that would reflect in some way the heritage of Jude and I.

Not knowing exactly what to do with these feelings and the power of them, I have been staying up late at night either thinking about these things or trying not to think about these things. I also have found myself withdrawing from young children. The void here unless there is some kind of miracle is probably permanent. The question is whether good or evil will fill that void in my heart. I am still glad for Chris and Roxy. I do not want their child, nor would I want to diminish their joy. It is just the denial of my own feelings regarding having a child of my own was forced to the surface with a lot more force than I anticipated.

Before March Madness... March 1-5.. My trip to Minneapolis

2005-03-21T18:10:00.000-08:00

Sue, One of the Executive directors of Innerchange, asked me to go to Minneapolis and get a first-hand look at some of the ministry of InnerChange Minneapolis.

It was quite a gift for me to be able to lend myself out to this part of the IC community? with the hope that I might help deepen the work there. As always, I found God challenging my own heart to grow. What is first striking about Minneapolis was the wide range of cultures.

I witnessed signs of the presence of these cultures:
African Americans, Americans (German decent, Scandinavian decent, others) / Divided also by many subcultures and self-identifications,Ethiopians,First Peoples/ Native Americans, Guatemalan, Mexicans, Hmong, Salvadoran, Somalis, and others...

I witnessed the challenge and the strain it is to constantly be shifting to relate to different people with such a wide variety of world-views. It also seemed to me that people had less experience in Minneapolis of purposely relating cross-culturally than what we see in LA. (Not that in LA we do a good job of it.)

My primary role was to see if I could add additional insights into what was happening in terms of ministry through some of the InnerChange Minneapolis staff so that they might be more effective in this challenging context. What I found most striking was the number of different peoples and different places they were interacting in and with... This they were doing with an incredible energy and creativity. The work ahead of them is how to sharpen their focus meaningfully and recruit more volunteers and staff so that the impact of what they are doing will have more depth. I felt this deeply because I actually have the same challenges in my own work and ministry.

My suggestions were:

To dream up as many job descriptions as possible and to seek to give away any ministry that is not core to their own sense of calling / and to work on clarifying their core callings.
To let the IC Main office know of their recruiting needs.
To carve out time for recruiting new team members and volunteers.
To network more with existing churches and agencies.
To make sacred a whole day for Sabbath rest and reflection.
To acknowledge that they may need to let go of some ministries to be effective in others.

My only regret about the trip was the necessary time we spent in the ?Mall of America? buying a few gifts for friends and that we didn?t have more time just to be together and some time to share doing art together.

I made some of the typical errors of those just learning to share in the work of oversight and accountability.

I did not listen twice as much as I talked... Part of this is the excitement of a new task... And some of this is just plain old being lax with my listening skills.
I could have asked more questions and checked my perceptions with those who hosted me.
The funniest and biggest mistake... I forgot to check in and make sure that we had the same goals for the visit... And that the purposes were clear and upfront for all involved...

All is well that ends well... Some of the goals were met and we all have an opportunity to grow...

Thanks to all who hosted me... I love the people I met and the city of Minneapolis.

My sister Sunday has had a Baby boy!!!

2005-03-06T10:53:00.000-08:00

Very big baby 8lbs. 11oz.
Long Labor and then C-section
Welcome baby Justin into the world at 1:14am March 7, 2005

CONGRATS TO CHRIS & ROXY -- THEIR FIRST CHILD IS BORN!

2005-03-03T12:42:00.000-08:00

Announcing the arrival of
Who: Lance Mark Albisurez,
Son of the proud parents, Chris and Roxy Albisurez
When: March 1, 2005, 1:30 AM by c-section.
Weight: 6 pounds
Where: Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA
All are doing well, tired but happy.

Birth Trivia:
Anesthesiologist — Indian
OB/GYN — Japanese American
Dr. -- Philippina
RN — Mexican American
Nurse’s aide — Russian
RN — Caucasian
Technician — African American

With a heart of gratitude,
Jude Tiersma Watson (Oma — DUTCH/grandma)
John Tiersma Watson (JAW1 -- African American/Brother/Uncle/Homeboy)

2005-02-26T22:13:00.000-08:00

2005-02-25T23:37:00.000-08:00

Things that deserve more than a line

2005-02-19T21:28:00.000-08:00

Now my mother in law may have cancer...

Steve Scharf Got Married today...

And the rain in LA CA keeps on coming...

We have rented space to do more work with youth...

The LA IC Team is soon going to have it's own office...

I am dreaming of an art Studio...

I wish the whole world could see online InnerChanges new Quarterly publication called the InnerVoice.

Willie and Gennell have asked me to be the pastor for their wedding...

Chris and Roxanna are expecting their first child early March...

My sister Sunday and Kieth are expecting their first child late March...

Mentoring Initiative

2005-02-04T15:30:00.000-08:00

I am right now prepping for a 4:30 pm meeting with a group of young leaders in our neighborhood. I get to lead the beginning ice breaker and the devotions at the end. I feel somewhat inspired for the devotions...
on Matthew 7:7-12 and thought I would leave some of my reflections on my blog...

This is a relational truth and not a magical formula. That is why verse 12 is not a non-sequitur. God is not a cosmic Santa Clause. God is a responsive Father. God's responsiveness to us is not unrelated to our genuine love and care for one another.
The world of good belongs to the pro-active: The people who ask, seek, and knock.
We do not always see clearly about what we are asking for, seeking, or on which door to knock... God as a loving Father is responsive to the fact that we are Asking, Seeking, and Knocking.
Think of the tragedy of a life lived without the help and support of God or others... That comes from a lack of Asking, Seeking, or Knocking.
Those who succeed in this life are defined by their persistence in the face of requests that may go unanswered, Searching that goes on unanswered for even years, and The many doors that may have been closed before the right door opened. God is encouraging us to ask. (see the life of Zachariah and Elizabeth in Luke 1&2. for encouragement. God wants us to be moved into roles of significance in this life which runs deeper than the threads of expectations and personal longings.)
What is most important in the journey is who we become as people in the midst of our request, longings, seeking, hopes, exploring by knocking on the doors of opportunity, and pursuits.

Yard sale Reflection

2005-02-04T14:33:00.000-08:00

Saturday January 22, 2005 InnerChange and LA Street Productions did a small Benefit Yard Sale.

Recycling other people’s junk in order that treasure can be increased in heaven is a special joy to me (JAW). Will collected donations from his house and some of the other members of LA Street Productions (Special thanks also to Rei ; ). InnerChange and some of our ministry partners also contributed significantly (Special thanks to Randa, Barbie, & Sue’s sister).

Results:
Over $250.00 was raised. Half will go to LA Street Productions for their second Annual Scholarship to a deserving Belmont High School student. Half of it went to the Tsunami Relief effort Through CRM.

Neighbors were able to meet some of the needs of their extended family. One grandmother, who bought a group of coats, proudly told me that she was going to send these back to her family in Mexico.

Other Neighbors moved by the event donated their own clothing and other goods in order to contribute to our efforts. One couple arrived after the yard sale was over and donated a whole set of dishes for our next yard sale.

All the goods that were left over got donated to the Nehemiah House… a Christian discipleship house that is an extension of ministry from a local Evangelical Free Church in Pico-Union.

Because the day was a very pleasant LA day… many of the women of the neighborhood spent a significant time just being together and talking with each other. This kind of event is very helpful in nurturing a sense of community and has become a recognized community event. Norma was able to catch up with one friend and was able to restart the weekly Bible studies she has been having with their family. Will is well known and liked by many in this neighborhood… so this event became a good chance to catch up with old friends including some inactive members of LA Street Productions. On top of all this we got to meet some neighbors that we have never met before.

At the end of the day Will was having some car trouble. In old time barter/neigborhood fashion he was able to get help getting his truck fixed in exchange for one of the donated tables in the yard sale.

I also had a great time talking with Will – (thanks Will for your help with everything). We have shared hopes and dreams together over the years. May God continue to grant us the grace to receive His blessings and to share that blessing with others.

This Little Light of...

2005-02-01T17:19:00.000-08:00

In a recent prayer time, God gave my friend, and fellow LAIC Team member Rikki, a thought that I have been meditating on it for over a month....

I decided that I wanted to share it with you all...

"A Candle can only burn if it has enough oxygen.

*****So, if you're the Candle.....what is your Oxygen?"

Tues.Feb. 1 -- A Prayer meeting that moved me.

2005-02-01T16:51:00.000-08:00

Prayer
February 1, 2005

Silence – 5 minutes
Focus heart and mind to be here together with Christ

Read Psalm 103

Silence – God’s relationship with His children
“He does not treat us as we deserve”
His Mercy
The Cross

Prayers of Intercession
Our Teams here in Los Angeles
San Francisco
Minneapolis
Venezuela
Romania
Cambodia
Individuals in IC who are struggling
Those in pain
Those who are sick
Pray for Kristen’s health

Prayers of Blessing for IC

Read Romans 12 together:

Romans 12

And so, dear brothers and sisters,
I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice – the kind He will accept.

When you think of what He has done for you, is this too much to ask?

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect His will really is.

As God’s messenger, I give each of you this warning: Be honest in your estimate of yourselves, measuring your value by how much faith God has given you. Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are all parts of His one body, and each of us has different work to do. And since we are all one body in Christ, we belong to each other, and each of us needs all the others.

God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out when you have faith that God is speaking through you. If your gift is that of serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, do a good job of teaching. If your gift is to encourage others, do it! If you have money, share it generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.

Don’t just pretend that you love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Stand on the side of the good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy in your work, but serve the Lord enthusiastically.

Be glad for all God is planning for you. Be patient in trouble, and always be prayerful. When God’s children are in need, be the one to help them out. And get into the habit of inviting guests home for dinner or, if they need lodging, for the night.

If people persecute you because you are a Christian, don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. When others are happy, be happy with them. If they are sad, share their sorrow. Live in harmony with each other. Don’t try to act important, but enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!

Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do your part to live in peace with everyone, as much as possible.

Dear friends, never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God. For it is written,

“I will take vengeance;
I will repay those who deserve it,” Says the Lord.

Instead, do what the Scriptures say:
“If your enemies are hungry, feed them.
If they are thirsty, give them something to drink,
And they will be ashamed of what they have done to you.”

Don’t let evil get the best of you, but conquer evil by doing good.

Close in prayer

Some of what's been keeping me Busy...

2005-02-01T13:32:00.000-08:00

Each of these items could deserve their own space in my blog. That said it is better to note them than toneglect blogging them completely:

Tues.Feb. 1 -- A Prayer meeting that moved me.
Sat. 22nd... a very sucessful Yardsale that made over 250.00 for a Scholarship fund and tsunami victims.
My weekly Internet Radio show has come to an end and been replaced with other work.
We have 2 neat APU Students as interns with us this Semester -- Shawna, and Alisha... See their blogs...
I have Joined a Gym for both Exercise and Ministry Purposes.
Congradulations again to Steve and Sandy who are getting married mid Feb.
Willie is working full time and selling stuff on Ebay... He has a perfect record and close to 100 independent positive feedback messages.
Miriam just got back from a short-term missions trip to Purue.
We are starting the Mentoring Initiative again this week.

Rikkell sent me this Poem by William Blake.

2005-01-31T14:22:00.000-08:00

Joy and woe are woven fine,
A clothing for the soul divine;
Under every grief and pine
Runs a joy with silken twine.
It is right it should be so;
Man was made for joy and woe;
And when this we rightly know,
Through the world we safely go.

-Blake

A great reflection on Charity and Justice!

2005-01-27T18:05:00.000-08:00

From Dry Bones

What I am reading these days

2005-01-14T17:44:00.000-08:00

I have been reading the book Soul Survivor by Phillip Yancy and Strength To Love A collection of Surmons by Martin Luther King. I am reminded in these books of the power of those who inspire us to life.

It is not enough to wade through life... it is important that we move through life with vigor and joy. I am setting asside Mondays for the next few weeks to do some significant reading and writting as well as vision/planning for LA InnerChange. Pray for our work here in LA. More than that... Pray for our very souls... If you don't know where to start then try praying -- Ephesians 3:14-21.

Much of our work has to do with creating paths of hope with and for our neighbors even when there seems to be little hope to be found. I am glad for this assignment by LAIC because I had slipped into a mode of too much outreach and not enough inreach.

If anyone has some comments on what has been feeding their soul lately I would be glad to hear it.

My frined Alan sent me this poem and it is a good reminder to my soul these days...

2005-01-07T15:07:00.000-08:00

My friend Alan Wrote:
John,
Hope all is well as you engage the streets of the city.I just completed my first full semester as a PhD student atthe University of Texas at Dallas. I had the opportunity tobe a student in Fred Turner's (son of anthropologist VictorTurner who wrote "The Ritual Process") poetry class thissemester. I am no natural poet, but I thought I would sharesome of what I wrote this semester. I still remember theafternoon you tried to teach me the art of poetry.... -- this poem has references to Nietzsche.

Voice from the Sea Gull

She rides the sky and watches fishermen
Peaceful and free in grave contrast to me.
My will to power crushed on rocks again
And washed in salt that burns my troubled sea.
Subdued by waves of doubt that give no rest
I seek a drug to calm my angst and haltThe storm,
the hail that leaves my mind undressed.
Can truth be found to sear my wounds like salt?

Unfettered by the winds the gull confides,
³Homo ecco, ego remains the sourceof your despair.
The truth you seek abidesin God¹s design.
All life obeys His course,or breaks.
The storm that leaves your mind undressed
Results from fruit outside what God has blessed.²

If anyone like to share poetry with a friend... and maybe getr it posted on this blog... do send it to me at jawpoetry@yahoo.com

Thanks Alan

Jaw’s ’05 New Year Mix

2005-01-03T23:17:00.000-08:00

Well I am back at it and spinning tunes and making mixes...

I will also be reflecting on Matthew 24 & 25...

Always Keep God in the mix -- Peace out!!!

Jaw’s ’05 New Year Mix

1. Resplendent 5:02 Bill Mallonee & Vigilantes of Love, Audible Sigh
2. Gone 3:45 Switchfoot
3. Track 12 2:57 5 Blind Boys of Alabama Spirit of the Century
4. Track 03 2:26 Blackalicious Arrow
5. Track 09 4:25 Cross Movement Human Emergency
6. Light 3:12 Apt Core #2
7. Track 16 3:23 Daniel Amos Mr. Buechner's Dream
8. Track 15 3:40 Tobby Mac
9. Track 07 1:57 RadidoHead OK Computer
10. Track 01 4:02 Steve Taylor Squint
11. Track 09 4:09 Azreil the Activist Axiomatic
12. Zombie 5:06 Cranberries No Need To Argue
13. Track 07 4:59 Lauryn Hill Un Plugged
14. Any Day 3:45 Zehnder Breathing
15. Track 01 4:08 U2 All That You Can't Leave Behind
16. Love is the Movement 5:10 Switchfoot
17. Path of Life 4:47 Ruth Naomi Floyd With New Eyes
18. Track 05 2:52 SkyPark

Christmas Greetings to Everyone!!!

2004-12-22T17:47:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!!! and Merry Making...

2004-12-21T11:51:00.000-08:00

This weekend was very satisfying. The work of love changes lives... Our lives...

Saturday we had a gathering at Kathy Henry's house (a very full house at that). Mostly people who have shared our journey in the neighborhood for the longest... I challenged people in a short devotion to consider Mary the Mother of Jesus and her willingness to allow God to radically alter the whole of her life so history could be made. Would you let God do whatever so God's good could reshape history in and through you??? And Jesus still knocks at the door of our hearts... Revelations 3...

Sunday was a gathering of LA ST. Prod. The possiblity that God has already let one generation of active members continue in their own course and opened up a new generation of new souls to journey through this community is a real possibility. What that looks like is yet to be seen. It was really good to meet both the old friends from the group and some of the folks who are looking for a context to grow in and through... MAY GOD LIGHT OUR PATH.

Monday InnerChange sponsored one of the "LA Posada" celebrations at the Cambria building. We had a blast being embraced at the heart of a this Annual Christmas celebration that we had a small hand in kindling... that has helped nurtrue a sense of community in that building over the years.

Love is the only power on earth that can change an enemy into a friend. Martin Luther King
We were once enemies of God. Saint Paul

Merry Christmas... the love of God is why I celebrate...

A copy of a posting from "My New Biblical Diet Blog"

2004-12-09T13:45:00.000-08:00

I have been very busy. So I have had less time to stop and share tangilbe meals with friends. But my discipline has made me more aware of those around me that are hungry. The irony that I start reaching for food in response to stress has added a smile to my face; Now it is another reminder to pray for my friends and not just another craving. We pray, "give US this day Our daily bread."

This year I around before the Thanksgiving holiday I prayed for Turkeys. A prayer that comes from having hungry friends. I asked a church contact that had provided Turkeys for Thanksgiving last year... they had already promised the food to others... Latter on they came through with 3 bags of food but no actual turkeys...

Now I am not talking about handing out Turkeys to strangers... but to hungry Friends and Neighbors.

Wednessday night the day before Thanks Giving... I was on the way to celebrate a friends Birthday (a Shout out to David... we are just growing older... and hopefully wiser...) ... Christy who works for APU called me up on Jude's Cell phone and said they had placed a student with an organization... that chose to support the striking Hotel and Restaurant workers in Los Angeles by providng food for the holiday. They came through for them with plenty. They had extra food and 100 extra turkeys to give out.

That same day Dan a friend and past IC intern was visiting with Kathy and Reina in our neighborhood. They were able to go and pick up 15 Turkeys. More than we needed. (I am learning that God can answer prayers without me being part of it; this is the flip side of learning that sometimes God's provision is within my power and responsibility.)

The fun part of this is the "more than enough" that was provided at the last minute for more people than I had thought of... and we still have a couple Turkeys to share... and so it goes...

Thank you God!!!

Thank you Christy for being the unplanned connection for this secrete prayer request. Thank you all who have been involved in being part of this answer to prayer.

When we know those whose needs are greater than what we have to give... it gives us a chance to learn to pray... to cry out to God!

See Isaiah 58...
and Share your food with the Hungry ; )

Today's Mix

2004-12-07T13:10:00.000-08:00

Here is a list of some of what I spun today on my Internet Radio show:



1. Track05            0:35            Martin Luther King

2. Track03            2:26            Blackalicious            Arrow

3. NeverGive Up            3:17            KRS ONE        Spiritual Minded

4. T-BoneSpeaks            0:32            KRS ONE            Spiritual Minded

5. Standto the Glory            3:49         Ruth Naomi Floyd  With New Eyes

6. Gone            3:45            Switchfoot  Gone

7. Track07            1:57            RadioHead            OK Computer

8. Track01            4:02            Steve Taylor            Squint

9. TheNations of the World            1:48            Animaniacs

10. TheyAll Fall Down            5:23            Grits

11. Resplendent            5:02            Bill Mallonee & Vigilantes of Love Audible Sigh

12. Track11            1:07            Hildegard Von Bingen

13. Track06            3:21            Matt Redman

14. Track01            3:52            Staind

15. Zombie            5:06            Cranberries

16. Stuckin a moment you can't get out of            4:32            U2

17. Track06            3:55            Tobby Mac

18. Track28            4:41            Rez            XX

19. AnyDay            3:45            Zehnder            Breathing

20. The Blind Boys of Alabama a full 30 minutes of Gospel blues

A Prayer request From Willie

2004-12-02T17:13:00.000-08:00

Hello Folks,

Willie has asked for prayer today.

Currently he is a temporary employee. His immediate boss wants to hire him permanently, but it has to be approved by the “powers that be” in their company.

Please pray that they would approve his hire.
The issue isn’t Willie, but that they usually work with temporary people, which is cheaper for the company.
The decision will be made Friday or Monday.
Thanks,
Jude & John... for Willie

My Current Worship Mix

2004-12-02T17:04:00.000-08:00

I sent a few friends a copy of my current favorite worship songs. (Let me know if you want one.) What some find surprising is the range of the kinds of music I like. I love all kinds of music... from Tazie, and Jazz, to Gospel and HipHop, from Hard Rock to Munk Music... Track # 9 from the HIPHOP Group Cross Movement is thick with our yearning for our eternal Home. What music draws your heart towards God??? The most important thing is that our hearts and affections are drawn towards God's Embrace. This is what I'll spin on my show this comming Tues.

1. Track 03 4:02 Taize
2. Path of Life 4:47 Ruth Naomi Floyd With New Eyes
3. There is a Redeemer 3:13 Kieth Green
4. Track 03 4:51 Apt Core #2
5. Track 06 3:21 Matt Redman
6. Track 07 3:18 Julie Miller Orphans and Angels
7. Air 4:18 Barry Taylor Love Songs for Underdogs
8. Espiritu Santo Venga Aqui 5:42 Costarica Vinyard
9. Track 09 4:28 Cross Movement
10. Track 11 4:38 John Micheal Talbot Come to The Quiet
11. Tu Primer Amor 4:00 Giovani Aniversaio
12. Track 09 4:19 Forever After
13. Track 03 2:24 Mahalia Jackson, The Greatest Gospel singer In the World
14. Track 09 4:20 Kieth Green
15. Bargin 4:57 Rez XX
16. It is Good 4:47 Beth Meres Tree
17. Multiply Your Love 5:03 Andy Park All I Need

The verb of my late Father-in-law Mark Tiersma.

2004-11-30T15:19:00.000-08:00

The Verb of my late Father-in-law Mark Tiersma was Gratitude in all things. I am finding this a good season to practice this in the midst of chaos... and the sense that every day is a gift is gripping my soul in a deeper way than ever before.

Happy ThanksGiving to all with much love.

I am glad that my friend who was homeless for a few days is now renting an appartment that he can afford.
I am glad to recieve art supplies from a stranger during a yard sale... just because what we are doing is something he wants to contribute to...
I am glad for the hawk I got to see up close... there is wild life in the city skies... and it is not only pigeons and crows (which are also cool to me).
I am glad for the generosity of friends who buy hats at yard sales ; ) and chose to pay much more than I ask for it... and how I was able to pass on this generosity to others...
I am glad for neighbors who feed neighbors when they are hurt and hungry.
I am glad for the gift of over 15 turkeys for neighbors... an answer to prayer this Nov.
I am glad for generous churches, unions, and foodbanks.
I am glad for old interns who visit and find themselves right back in the mix... even if it is for a day -- Thanks Dan!
I am glad for two great new team players with us in LA InnerChange: Rikki and Kristin.
I am glad for Doctors and all who are wise in the healing arts.
I am glad for a loving wife and life partner... We are coming up on 10 years now.
I am glad to make the love of God and Neighbor my highest aim.

I thank God for this and much more.

Pray More and Nothing can seperate us from the Love of God

2004-11-19T13:11:00.000-08:00

This Week has been about getting a friend out of harms way. We all have a past... and many of us wish we could change the realities of that past... We become tired at some point at hurting others and ourselves... and those of us who find God and work the 12 steps of AA / NA also seek to make amends whenever we can... but to do that we have to be safe and stay safe... Avoiding the people, places, and things that might hinder God's work in our hearts.

One of my friends this week chose to become homeless rather than take the path of violence... I respect that. We got to share our small home with him for a couple of days... Not enough room for 3 of us in our humble home...

We recovered as much of his stuff from his old appartment... and God ansewred our prayers quickly for a new home...
We moved his stuff into storage one day and two days latter we moved his stuff into his new home.

What others intended for evil God has worked out for our good to the glory of His name and praise -- Less rent in a safer environment.

We will by God's grace seek to live, love, and return only good for whatever comes our way, in order that we may become on the inside more like Christ -- Romans 8 and Ephesians 3:14-21.

Pray that our faith will become stronger having once again gotten tested. May we grow the seeds of love and grace that can sustain us and the coming generations. May God's peace rest on all that read this...

JAW1

We continue to find Joy in the midst of the Drag of Life

2004-11-16T11:25:00.000-08:00

Norma called me this morning. Her son is in the hospital with a blod clot in his leg. She and her daughter both have the flu... and she is still recovering from her car accident. She so much wants life to get back to "normal". Her neighbors have poured out a tremendous amount of love in this season. She has not hardly had to cook a meal since her car accident. This is one of the strengths of our neighborhood -- its loving hospitality. She is very thankful to God for the many answers to prayer in the journey.

Kathy Henry also asks for prayer for a mystery illness... maybe caught in her sacrificail work at Clinica Oscar Romero... that is causing her considerable suffering and discomfort.

Saturday I had a very sucessful yard sale. We raised enough money to help 3 friends with thier living expenses. Pray for my formation of a business plan to start a thrift store. Also I hope to have more yard sales in the future. If you have stuff that you might like to contribute... let me know.

My friend Willie is currently living in a weekly rental hotel. He longs to be in a regular appartment by the new year. He is paying much more rent than Jude and I are to live in a space less than half than what we have... and we live in a small one bedroom apt. Prayer and any tangible help and support in this journey is welcome.

Worship, the only way we don't get coopted by "the World"

2004-11-15T15:29:00.000-08:00

JAWS Favorite Worship Mix

1. Track 03 4:02 Taize
2. Path of Life 4:47 Ruth Naomi Floyd With New Eyes
3. There is a Redeemer 3:13 Kieth Green
4. Track 03 4:51 Apt Core #2
5. Track 06 3:21 Matt Redman
6. Track 07 3:18 Julie Miller Orphans and Angels
7. Air 4:18 Barry Taylor Love Songs for Underdog
8. Espiritu Santo Venga Aqui 5:42 Costarica Vinyard
9. 4:28 Cross Movement
10. 4:38 John Micheal Talbot Come to The Quiet
11. Tu Primer Amor 4:00 Giovani Aniversaio
12. Track 09 4:19
13. Track 03 2:24 Mahalia Jackson The Greatest Gospel singer In the World
14. Track 09 4:20 Kieth Green
15. Bargin 4:57 Rez XX
16. It is Good 4:47 Beth Meres Tree
17. Multiply Your Love 5:03 Andy Park All I Need

I have been looking back on my life. I have noticed that what I give myself too the most ... both in terms of passion, intention, and action... that is what I worship. I have found that a centered focus on God through Jesus Christ cause me to love deeply -- Ephessians 3:14-21. When I drift on this "Practices of the Presence of God", then the quality of my love drifts as well.

Some say that worship is easy... not for me... I get easily distracted from the main point of focuss... I have found that I need support in the journey... Fellowship, good supportive tools, Like Don Postama's Book "Space for God", and I need Music...

Today I am feeling a call back to worship. We can serve a lot of small and insignificant wants and desires... or we can worship with our lives the God who made us.

If you are worshipping God, then your love will grow and overflow... If you find yourself inwardly blocked and tied up somehow... figure out what has to change... You can not worship and then not love... without the meaning of your worship becoming hollow; You can not love with out drawing from the source of love -- That is the point of Worship.

Matthew 25, Isaiah 58, Eph. 3:14-21

I plan to spin The above worship songs tommorrow and to continue to reflect on this call in my heart.

Stand with us in praying and supporting our friend Randa -- thanks.

2004-11-12T11:39:00.000-08:00

Randa has just found out she has breast cancer. This means that she gets to stay with us longer... it also means that she has to wait on her dreams. And so it goes... Here are her own words and a mailing address where notes of encouragement can be sent ; )

Greetings once again from Los Angeles.

I had intended this newsletter to be the one where I explain to you all the details of when I would be moving to India and what I would be doing there. I am learning once again that we are not in control of our lives and must rely on the Lord for wisdom for each day.

In my routine medical check-ups before leaving for India the doctors found breast cancer. Within 48 hours all my plans have changed. I have met with the surgeon and will be having a lumpectomy on November 24th (the day before Thanksgiving). After the surgery they are expecting 6 weeks of radiation and possibly chemotherapy (this depends upon what they find when they do the actual surgery). With this in mind I will be delaying my move to India.

My mom & two sisters will be coming for the surgery. They will stay with me until Nov. 30th. At that time I will move in with my friend (and also my boss), Sue Lloyd. I'll stay with Sue until I leave for India, which is tentatively set for late August at this point. Since I'll be able to work while getting the treatments the wisest decision seems to be to stay in LA and continue to work with InnerCHANGE.

I would appreciate your prayers. It looks like the cancer is contained in one mass and has not spread to the lymph nods. A lumpectomy will take only the mass and the surrounding tissue. They will also be doing a Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy which means they will follow the path internally that the cancer would have traveled to my lymph nodes and take samples of these to check for cancer. If cancer hasn‚t infected these first few lymph nodes it will mean that it hasn‚t traveled outside of the immediate area.

I have always loved reading the Old Testament, especially the books of Israel‚s history. Many times Israel was surrounded by enemies who outnumbered them and the situation seemed impossible. Cancer is a huge "enemy" and from the first day of hearing that I had this disease I felt assured that the God of Israel is my Lord and Protector. He will fight this enemy and I will come out of this fight victorious. Prayer is the weapon that will conquer cancer and I would appreciate your joining me in this stand of faith in God‚s power to deliver me.

P.O. Box 26427
Los Angeles, CA 90026

Blessings, Randa

Feeling the Blues

2004-11-11T18:13:00.000-08:00

We all have days like this... and none of us want to have days like this.

Hear are the facts:

My Dad is in the hospital because what they thought was Cancer, adn then TB in the lungs is not acting like either... so he has moved into being a mystery diagnosis... and they are trying to figure it all out... Think Limbo.

My mother-in-law affectionately know as "MeM" or Arlene went to the hospital with an irregular heart beat. She is stressed out because her husband just recently passed away.

It is the little things that get to me... Today I went to pick up a donation for a yardsale on Sat. but the person who offered the donation was called away by her job and thus was unable to pass on the donations.

I heard a lecture today that talked about slavery and the Killing fields of the Sudan. Good content with hope in very dificult times... it made all my personal pain seem so petty... and yet I have to be real with God and not ignore my heart.

Got to go to a meeting this evening. Which is both good and bad. The hours won't be wasted... but tommorrow I think I need to spend some extra time in prayer.

My mindset was punctuated with the blues last night and I could not get to sleep because of a large "Ghetto Bird" (a Helicopter) buzzing arround our neighborhood until 2am in the morning. There was a "manhunt" going on looking for someone who had a gun... this also made parking impossible... and so it goes...

Everybody gets the blues sometimes...

Fragmenst on Character Growth for Mel and others

2004-11-08T13:24:00.000-08:00

Growth comes from focussing and learning what is within our power and responsibility. That is part of what makes the "Serenity Prayer" such a helpful prayer.

My friend Mel is going to be sharing with a group of JR. high youth about Character growth and development. There are key ideas that I have found useful to point out to my younger friends that have helped them learn to make better choices...

I will be adding some of those comments as I think of them on my blog for her and others. Feel free in the comment section to add your own.

Growing on the inside is the most effective way to improve the quality of your life, because you live with yourself 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
Who you are is what you share with someone else in every relationship.
The content and quality of our lives are built on the content and quality of our rleationships with God, ourselves, one another, and our environment.
There is pain in the process of learning, but the pain is worth it... Remember when you learned to ride a bicycle... the diziness, the falling, and the triumph... and anyone who has learned to ride a bicycle can ride further and faster than they can run...
Who bennefits from learning??? You Do!!! Who bennefits from not Learning???
Do you want to learn enough to choose what you want to do to make a living; or do you want to be doing what someone else tells you to do?
Timing is everything... Practice is a key way to be ready for the right momment and opportunity... Example... a great batter in baseball knows when and how to swing the bat... and it is not every day that the bases are loaded and you get to be at bat... Either you are ready or you are not...
Our capacity to Give and Recieve Love depends on our Maturity in Character (I Cor. 13, II Peter 1:3-11). There are no short cuts to growing in Character.
Poor communication skills will lead to a lonely life. Good communication skills will open the door to many friendships.

We are creating history every day by our choices. We Live with the history we create for ourselves and others for the rest of our lives. Learning to make good choices is key to having a good life.

A good life contributes in a positive way to the life of others.

It is a sad thing to grow old and fail to grow wise. It is sad to be an old fool...

Drag when...We are on the verge of new beginnings

2004-11-02T11:48:00.000-08:00

Recently Jude went to visit her mom in Visalia. Her mom was ever so glad for her being there with her ... her car broke down three times while she was there.

As some of you know Norma -- who is close to our community -- had been out of work and on disability for months and had just gotten reassigned to a job she could do in the LA School System... and now her accident has her sidelined again... now in pain and seeking to continue to persue what God wants to bring through this... her car was totaled and she isn't sure where she is going to get the money for a new one...

Willie had his ATM and Pin Number Stolen and his Bank account cleaned out of the little that was in there... Yes we have corrected this but we are still working through the paper work... When it rains Willie can't eat at home because water leaks from the roof on to his electric stove.

Paul's car is dieing and he too needs a new car...

Jude's Cell phone has stopped working...

Our computer printer has died and we have yet to get a new one...

In November/December the LA team is going to be lead through a community discernment process to set out on some new dreams together. We have come to a time of closure on some old ones... The Cambria Appartments for example (See our web-site)... are completely in the hands of the tennants and the non-profit corp they have started... and the board that they elect...

There have been an exponential increase in annoying events as we move towards this time... pray for God's guidance and peace in the midst of seeking what new things God would have us do.

Pray for Norma

2004-10-22T15:55:00.000-07:00

Hello Folks -- The LA team is requesting prayer for Norma, who was in a car accident yesterday on the way to work. Norma is a single mom from Honduras who has been involved with our team for some years. She was an intern with us two years ago, now lives in the neighborhood near Kathy, and desires to be full-time with our team here. She recently led an entire family network to the Lord.

Anyway, she has no broken bones, but she is in extreme pain and can hardly move or breathe because everything is painful
.
Thanks for your prayers for our Friend and co-worker for the Kingdom.
Jude for the LA team