Los Angeles, California

We are in Los Angeles, California now. Sadie is in her 3^rd week of Dancing with the Stars (DWTS) and she is doing awesome! Vote for her at 1-800-868-3411.

i have learned a lot this weekend.

     Saturday, MK and i went surfing with a Surf Instructor. He told us that where he comes from in South Africa that family is really important. Now all of his family has moved to Los Angeles, and they all found houses/apartments as close as they could to each other. They take turns cooking every night and move from house to house during the week. This struck me because that is exactly how my family is. They made their “small town” with family at the center in a big center where, “It is too loose. There are no family units.”

    That night we went to another Star’s on DWTS house. MK and i were talking to a professional dancer, and he said the same thing. The dancer said his favorite part of DD is the family dinner at end because it is just like his family back in Russia except the Robertson’s are drinking Sweet Tea and his family is drinking Vodka. He also said he is all about accepting of everyone’s beliefs, but quoting him, “The farther you get away from family, the harder it is for people as a whole to stay together.”

     Sunday, we went to church at the 8 o’clock service of Mosaic. The entire thing was revivalizing. Yes, i made up “revivalizing”. It means the breeding ground of a revival in Los Angeles. Mosaic is the cool, fresh thinking, and free culture of Los Angeles with God at the center. We thought it was a club when we were walking up to it. It was crowded, dark, a smoky haze covered, and they were playing some kind of Trap music. Then, when everyone found a place, the blue lights lit up the stage through the smoke, the band played for God like angels would, and the room sang for the One who is fixing their souls. The Sprit moved. It gave me chills.

The songs showed the struggles the people have in L.A. Most of the songs were about the Light in the Darkness, making it through the night, making the people whole again, and how God is cool through the storm.

 Erwin McManus took the stage to preach and he did preach!  

Romans 5

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we[b] boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we[c] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

He said if Hope was a muscle then it would be the abs, and if perseverance was a muscle it would the hamstrings. They are not always the muscles we want to work out because they are not always seen, but from them being strong is the only way the rest of our body can be strong. He also said not everything happens for a reason, but we are to bring a reason to everything that happens. Meaning that life is miserable sometimes. There is suffering in the world. That is not God. God does not bring suffering. God only brings life like it should be. Suffering only shows that life is not how it should be. Pain shows us if what we are doing is working or not. If there is pain then it is not working. There are times that are miserable. We must be resilient. Resilience makes us stronger. It gives us integrity to do the right thing for the right reason. The Resilient people have the character to be filled with Hope.

To sum up the things i have learned:

1.     If you are married then stick with it if for nothing else then to create a family that sticks together.

2.     Maybe the reason you feel like something is wrong with the world is because there is something wrong with the world.

3.     Resilience is to come out stronger then you went in. Hope for how things should be and you will get there eventually.

Mosaic