I just heard a couple hours ago about the tragic death of Christopher Laurie in a car accident on the 91 earlier today. Chris was a year ahead of me at Calvary Chapel High when I went there. He’s the son of Harvest’s Greg Laurie and had been on staff at Harvest as the art director for the past few years.
I don’t really have the words. Just heart break and a simple prayer for his family and friends who are going through such pain and loss.
You can read more at Greg’s Blog
I decided this week that I was going to work out every day. Not if I felt like it, or if I got around to it, or at least every other day - I wanted to work out every single day. I really surprised myself. I actually did it. I stuck to the plan and had a real work out of at least one hour every day this week. I feel like I had more energy all week, a greater sense of purpose and accomplishment each day and I just plain felt better. Now, the real catch is can I do it again next week? 
Just got back from getting my hair cut at Sport Clips.
This place is extraordinary. I can’t remember now who first told me about it, but it was one of the guys from Calvary. I sprung for the MVP today - full cut, tea tree shampoo scalp massage, hot towel face massage and a shoulder/back massage. With the coupon I used today, all that was only 20 bucks. Plus, they had SportsCenter on the whole time and no one tried to strike up witty small talk. I’m thinking of investing in it because it’s such a great idea.
I think they need to start a referral program. Every time someone mentions a hair cut, I make sure to tell them about Sport Clips and how cool it is. Are there any places like this that you love? Places that have a great concept and you’re alway telling friends about?
I was getting tired of the look of my blog.
So, I tweaked it out a little.
I think I like it now.
What do you think?
On Sunday, Leslie and I had the awesome privilege of attending the wedding of Kyle and Ashley Gish. It was at The Reef in Long Beach next to the Queen Mary. Cool venue with an a nice ballroom and a deck overlooking the harbor, which was where the ceremony was held. Victor was the pastor/wedding coordinator and Randy was the music man. For Victor, it was his first and last wedding and he was super nervous, but he did a great job in spite of all the LOUD interruptions from the bike show right across the parking lot. There was also an intensely loud horn blast - I assume from the Queen Mary - that was ridiculously loud and about 5 seconds long. Through it all, Victor and the whole wedding party just rolled with it. As we were leaving, I found myself attempting to talk with Kyle while we were standing next to one of the DJ’s speakers. I was trying to keep my thoughts focused as Kyle and I talked, but really all I could think about was how loud the music was in my ear. I’m turning into such an old man. Anyway, congratulations to Kyle and Ashley who put together a beautifully simple wedding and remained graceful and upbeat through all of the day’s noisy challenges.
This week, Leslie and I celebrated our 3 year anniversary. For the past couple years, we have gone away for our anniversary. However, with time off hard to come by and gas being so expensive - we decided to follow the latest, hottest trend and do a “staycation.”
I was able to get Leslie a couple days off of work on Wednesday and Thursday. For our actual anniversary day, which was Wednesday, I decided to line up a day of things that she loves.
It started with sneaking out first thing in the morning and getting her some McDonalds along with a big bouquet of red roses. After surprising her and opening a couple presents we headed out to SusieCakes in Newport. They have the best cupcakes and a great, vintage vibe. We then headed up PCH to Main Street in HB and went to Color Me Mine. After a couple hours there we walked down the pier and had lunch at Ruby’s. I had brought stuff to just hang out at the beach, but it was actually a bit cold out so I had a backup plan to go see WALL-E at Bella Terra. We had some extra time before the movie, so we went and got pedicures. Yes, I got a pedicure… and I liked it. After seeing the movie, which was really good, we walked over and had dinner at the Cheesecake Factory.
Overall, it was a great day. By the time we got home it really did feel like we had been away on a little, mini road trip even though we drove less than 50 miles round trip.
Then on Thursday I had a Pastor’s day away that had been planned for months. It was an amazing day down at Dana Point with a couple hours of quiet time with the Lord, a baby seal spotting on the beach, some great fish tacos for lunch and a couple hours of whiffle ball. It really was an incredible time of connecting with God and the other guys on staff. I’m so glad I went.
Meanwhile, Leslie was able to take care of some much needed errands in the morning. She then decided to go get her hair done by her sister at the salon where she works up in Brentwood. Leslie and her sister haven’t been on the best of terms in recent months. It was such an answer to prayer that they were able to reconnect and they wound up spending the rest of the day together hanging out at 3rd Street in Santa Monica.
For those of you still reading this ridiculously long post, I thought the two hour quiet time Eric chose for us to meditate on while at the beach on Thursday was exactly what my soul needed. He had us read Psalm 23. I feel like those 2 days away from the office this week were like a picture of this passage. How good and faithful and loving God is to us.
1 The Lord is my shepherd;
I have all that I need.
2 He lets me rest in green meadows;
he leads me beside peaceful streams.
3 He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
bringing honor to his name.
4 Even when I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will not be afraid,
for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff
protect and comfort me.
5 You prepare a feast for me
in the presence of my enemies.
You honor me by anointing my head with oil.
My cup overflows with blessings.
6 Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me
all the days of my life,
and I will live in the house of the Lord
forever.
Thank you Lord for my wife. She is beautiful, sweet, kind-hearted and full of grace.
Thank you Lord for my job and the people I work with who point me to You each day.
Thank you Lord for times like these, where you give rest and peace and renewal.
This last weekend I went to a shooting range in Huntington called The Firing Line. It was me, my wife Leslie, my little sister TIffany and my dad Hank.
Leslie had never even held a gun and had been bugging me for a few months to take her shooting. I think it was ever since Calvary’s Man Camp.
My dad brought his 22, which is a fun little gun that doesn’t have too much kick so you can get pretty accurate with it. We also rented a 357 Smith and Wesson. It was incredibly powerful with a wicked muzzle flash.
The best part of the whole day was watching Leslie empty out the first clip … and completely miss the target. There were 10 shots fired and zero shots that hit paper. I think the first time was just a bit overwhelming for her. After that, she just got better and better with each round. By the end, she was consistently hitting right in the neck region of the target. Should I be impressed or nervous?
I used to love watching Baron Davis when he played for UCLA back in the day. The LA Clippers have reportedly reached a verbal agreement with Baron for a 5 year deal worth $65 million.
I can’t believe that Baron is coming home to LA. I can’t believe the Clippers are willing to actually pay him. I can’t believe that the Clippers in one day became relevant. I can’t believe that I may want to watch a Clipper game this next season.
Of course, he can’t officially sign with the team until July 9. So, what I would believe is that it’s all too good to be true, that the Clippers haven’t really changed at all and the deal will fall apart before any ink can be put on paper. Does that make me a pessimist, a realist or a prophet?
I hope I’m wrong, because having two good teams in LA at the same time would be a lot of fun to watch.
I’ve been blessed to be able to work with some really great people at Calvary. Many of them also have really great blogs. We can now add The Hammer (aka my creative and talented assistant Nicole) to the family of Calvary Blogs. You can check out her brand new site at gniff.blogspot.com
I normally love concerts. I’ll go see almost anyone in concert. I like the whole experience of getting the tickets, filing in with the crowd, seeing all the staging, checking out the lighting, listening to the sound. From rock to country to classical, I like going to a live concert. However, last night my wife and sister-in-law went to a concert and I had absolutely no interest in going with them. It was a George Michael concert. My sister-in-law Shelley is a huge fan. She got tickets to both the Forum show last night and invited my wife Leslie to join her, she also got tickets to the Honda Center show tonight and is taking my brother Tyson along.
Are there any concerts - that even if you were given free tickets to - you would completely pass on? It’s interesting how one person’s passionate pursuit can be another person’s avoid-at-all-cost experience. I wonder if it’s like that for many churched vs non-churched people. Do we think about how great church is for us, how much we look forward to it, will invite friends and family to go with us, and will even go twice in one week? Do we assume everyone else has the same love we do? Obviously the message of Jesus Christ is entirely different than the music of George Michael, but the only reason Leslie went to the concert was because of how big a fan Shelley was. Are we big enough fans of church? Even to the point where our enthusiasm draws others to join in, too?
