Sunday August 15, 2010 - Last Entry

Today is a busy day. Guest preaching in Ventura. Wonderful people in the midst of major transitions, and I pray that they will be able to weather the changes gracefully together, despite what must be some pretty major differences of opinion on the best routes forward.

Then it was up to the house to see the family for a little bit and put together a lunch. Then up to Santa Barbara to prepare for my installation. Then the installation. Then the dinner afterwards. Then crashing at home again.

The installation went very well - or at least I assume it did from what little I remember of it. It was certainly a packed house, perhaps as many as 300 people in attendance. That's a lot of people. People are excited for what the future holds for Emanuel. It's a tad daunting, but I look forward to jumping into it.

Perhaps a dozen clergy were in attendance, including our District President who preached for the installation. People always love to see the clergy process in, dressed in the traditional white albs and red stoles representing the Holy Spirit's fiery presence. It's definitely impressive, and I'm sure it would be fun to observe it from the outside sometime.

Afterwards there was a dinner catered by the senior center next door to our church. Tri-tip steak, chicken & mushroom, potatos, salad, dinner rolls, and a variety of desserts. I didn't really get to eat anything at the time - too busy making the rounds and saying hello to everyone. I'm awful at it, but I think it's important to try and mix and mingle at least briefly.

I'll try to post a few pictures when I get my hands on them.

But, ultimately, today signified the official end of our wanderings. We now have a place to live. I now have a vocation to fulfill. Our nomadic life of the last five and a half months has come to an end. And with that end, so ends this blog. I thought I'd have a lot to say at this point. Many things to reflect on and share Deep Insights on. You may have to check my other blog to see if that's the case, since I want folks to know they can stop checking in on this one. I'll hope to have a few pictures up here - of the house and the installation and the church - but other than that, it suddenly feels as though trying to say a whole lot is anti-climactic.

We're so grateful for the opportunity we had to travel around this beautiful country and see friends old and new and family near and far. Grateful to have been able to experience slices of life where many of you live. So that when we exchange e-mails or cards or phone calls, we can picture where you are as you talk or write. We feel as though we know a little more about you for having shared a little bit in where you live. Thank you for opening your homes and hearts to us and making us feel welcome in the midst of our displacement. Thank you to those who helped to make this journey possible with your prayers and gifts. Thanks most of all to God, who kept us safe, bound us more tightly together as a family, and planted us back in the sandy soil of Southern California.

It's time to begin a new chapter, which means as delightful as the last chapter has been, it's time to bid it adieu.

Adieu.

Saturday August 14, 2010 - Carpinteria, California

Today we officially made the move to the new house in Carpinteria. As in, we're staying here rather than commuting up from Camarillo to get things ready. We're not ready, but we're close enough. The kids are very excited about their new home, and we can tell they need to just start settling in - playing with games they haven't seen in six months, watching videos they haven't seen in six months, that sort of thing.

The house is livable due to my advance preparations in terms of the kitchen. Now it's a matter of slowly rebuilding all of the food supplies and staples necessary to easily put together meals. But we can begin, and in the meantime we're yanking boxes out of the garage and unpacking them. There really aren't that many of them, frankly, and most of them are books. That probably says a lot about us - I'm not sure if it's good or not!

Friday August 13, 2010 - Camarillo/Carpinteria, California

Sermon writing and other miscellaneous items today. Nothing major. I'll be glad when this weekend is over!

Thursday August 12, 2010 - Camarillo/Carpinteria, California

This morning was errand running. Getting my robe into the dry cleaners, stopping off to do some computer work. I met Jim, Dianne, & Lewis for lunch at Zzyzx Cafe for lunch. Then it was up to the house to hook up the dryer and wipe down & polish most of the furniture so it was ready to roll.

Then it was off to Vallarta to pick up ingredients for tonight's dinner. Making up a tomatillo-based vegetable soup to go with brown rice and some of Vallarta's marinated carne asada. Yum! The family arrived around 5:40pm. The kids were *very* happy to see me again, which was very nice indeed! Dinner turned out fine (no complaints/illnesses), and early to bed.

Wednesday August 11, 2010 - Camarillo/Santa Barbara, California

A low motivation day. I didn't get much done at the house since I'm still recovering from the move yesterday. Definitely not in the same shape I was 20 years ago! Looking forward to the family arriving tomorrow!

Tuesday August 10, 2010 - Camarillo/Santa Barbara, California

The movers came today. Three guys and a truck. Lewis and Jim and I had loaded up our lawn furniture and washer/dryer from Jake & Erin's last night, and left it all tied down in a flat-bed attached to Jim's pickup. So we ran by to pick that up this morning and then headed to Oxnard and the storage unit.

The guys doing the loading were very nice and professional. Pretty quick, too. We were basically loaded up by 9am - only 90 minutes to load the truck up. We were all at the house by 9:30am, and effectively done unloading around 11:45am. No major damage in this move, which is nice, considering how quickly and somewhat haphazardly we loaded up the storage unit in February due to rainy weather. Our furniture as a whole has started to show some wear and tear after multiple moves in the last six years. We remind ourselves that these are only things, and take a deep breath and give thanks for all we have, and the fact that it's in such good condition overall.

As I had suspected, with our large bookshelves in the main living room, there isn't going to be much room for a couch. We've talked about getting an all-weather, outdoor couch thingy, and turning the patio into an extension of the living room. With the beautiful weather here, it's pretty feasible. We can add one of those big heat lantern thingies for cooler mornings and evenings, as well as a little patio fireplace. So many possibilities - we'll have to see what our budget can handle! Hopefully, there's no rush on any of this.

I went up to the office afterwards. Knowing that the place is fairly deserted after the secretary leaves at noon, I felt comfortable going up in a pretty grubby state. Of course, I run into the Circuit Counselor working on wrapping up the Sunday worship planning. He's a laid back guy though, so it wasn't too awful.

When I had arrived here at the end of July, I had let him know that I was willing to fill in if there was a pastor out of the area or on vacation or sick or anything. Nothing was needed the first two weekends, but he mentioned that he had a need for a supply pastor in Ventura this coming Sunday. Naturally, I agreed. After all, my installation isn't until 3pm. Piece o' cake.

That was before I realized that it was two services. That should be an interesting situation! Oh well. Maybe I'll be able to squeeze a nap in between the last service and my installation. Probably not, but it's a nice thought all the same. It's good to be helping out - the interim pastor at this congregation that I'll be filling in at (Grace Lutheran, Ventura) is struggling with cancer and will be wrapping up his work at the end of the month. On the plus side, all I really have to do is preach - they have a very well trained and equipped group of elders, one of whom will be leading the liturgy. That should make my work that much easier.

Guess I should get back into the swing of writing sermons again!

Monday August 9, 2010 - Camarillo/Santa Barbara, California

Usual routine. Packed up the last load of accessible boxes for my office from the storage unit. Also found what I think are the last of the kitchen boxes in storage and loaded them up. It will be sooooo good to have this thing emptied tomorrow - and not by myself! It seems like it's been in process forever, but I suppose that's just in my head. Gena & the kids will arrive on Thursday. The installation is Sunday. Life is ramping up quickly from the busy but relatively self-determined last five and a half months!

Sunday August 8, 2010 - Camarillo/Santa Barbara, California

This morning I worshiped at Faith Lutheran Church in Carpinteria. Turns out this place is about three blocks from where we'll be living, which is a little strange in some ways. The service was nice, as were the people. The pastor is relatively new to the area - I attended his installation about a year ago.

I unloaded another batch of stuff at the house, and went to unpack it after worship. Then I met up with family friends in Santa Barbara for lunch after they spent the weekend camping just north of town at El Capitan Beach. It was a nice opportunity to touch base and hear what's going on in each other's lives. Then they headed back down to Irvine, and I headed back to Camarillo in time for tennis with my friend, Jake. I'm happy to say I beat him, even after french fries at a local eatery. Life is good!

Saturday August 7, 2010 - Camarillo/Carpinteria, California

Another load of boxes to take up to the house and unpack. The dishwasher is getting broken in very well as I continue to clean the stuff I unpack before stashing it into temporary/subject-to-change-when-Gena-arrives-and-wants-to-rearrange places in the kitchen cabinetry. We don't have as much kitchen storage as we used to, but I think we'll be able to make it work. Pretty nice when that's about the biggest complaint you can come up with about the place you're going to live!

Today is Gena's birthday (I won't say which one). I sent her flowers and they actually arrived while she was home, which was nice. She & the kids went to a dinner-theater with her parents - Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Should be a fun time. Wish I could be there. Or they here. Soon enough...soon enough.

I met with the moving company guy (actually the company president), and after a brief look at our storage unit, we agreed that he would have his guys and a big truck at the storage unit Tuesday morning to move our stuff up to Carpinteria. Woohoo! Hard to believe that very soon we'll be more or less settled into our new digs. It's a good feeling.

Friday August 6, 2010 - Camarillo/Santa Barbara, California

More moving & unpacking boxes, attempting to have the essentials ready to roll before the family arrives next week. Getting more and more excited!

Thursday August 5, 2010 - Camarillo/Santa Barbara, California

Did I mention that we'll be living about a mile from the beach, and from one of the best surfing areas in California - Rincon (about :43 in the song/video)? How cool!

This was a busy, social day.

Lewis, Jim, Dianne & I all drove up today. I drove them by the house, since I didn't have keys to show them the inside. Then we drove up to see Emanuel. It's an amazing place to show people. I think this was the first time that, seeing and hearing through other people's eyes, I began to think more about what an amazing building this is. Perhaps I'll be more intimidated than I think as I stand up there each Sunday. If the Holy Spirit sees fit, we could fit about 350 people in the sanctuary without too much sweat. That would be an amazing thing to see!

Afterwards, the others headed back to Camarillo and I met the owner of the home and signed the lease. Turned over a heart-stoppingly large deposit + first month check, and got the keys and the garage door openers. It doesn't seem real yet!

Finally, Lewis and I were guests for dinner. We were hosted by a former parishioner & her family, and it was a very nice evening. Lewis & Bob (Jean's husband) are great story-tellers, and have probably between them close to 160 years worth of stories to tell! A nice relaxing evening and a good top off to an exciting day.

Wednesday August 4, 2010 - Camarillo/Santa Barbara, California

It would seem that the decision is going to stick. We've decided to sign a one-year rental lease in Carpinteria. The house is beautiful, and that was one of the big selling points. It's ready to be lived in immediately without making any sorts of changes. The landscaping is beautiful in the front and back yard, and the house is in fantastic condition. There are things that we wish we could change (carpet throughout instead of some sort hard flooring, the kitchen doesn't have much counterspace, and there's not a very natural spot for our dining room table).

But there are plenty of other good things. Two of the four bedrooms have built in desks that will be handy with the kids' homeschooling. In addition to the (typically, for this area) small living room with a fireplace, there's another room that could act as a reading room or place for people to gather. There's a garage and it's huge. And it has a red-tile roof, which Gena has always dreamed of living under. What a cool deal!

I'm scheduled to sign the lease tomorrow and pick up the keys. Gena flew back to Phoenix today, but should be back again in a week or so with the kids in tow. Things are starting to fall into place....

Tuesday August 3, 2010 - Camarillo/Santa Barbara, California

Gena arrived today!!

We had decided that since I was at a pretty solid impasse regarding which house we should rent for the next year, it was worth the time and money for her to fly out for a day and a half, see the contenders, and help make the decision.

It was a huge help.

We ruled out one house immediately because the carpet was a very unpleasant shade of puke orange. Funny thing? I didn't even notice this. And when I did notice this, it didn't register that this could be problematic. Yet it was the first thing that Gena talked about as we left and she ruled the house out. I'm not exactly known for my attention to these sorts of aesthetic details.

The last three are a tough call. One is in Goleta, one in Santa Barbara proper (about a mile from the church), and the other is farther away in Carpinteria. They all have their pros and cons which more or less boil down to location vs. condition. Two of the houses are in great condition but are farther away. The house that has great location is not in the best condition, and we'd want to make some sort of arrangement with the landlord by which we could help update and renovate a few things.

In the midst of all this deep decision making, we had some great meals. There's a little Mexican place not far from the church that's cheap and delicious. And then for dinner we drove down to Malibu to eat at our favorite seaside seafood shack. The driving and the salt air and the good food helped us make our decision. We think. We'll see how we feel in the morning!

Monday August 2, 2010 - Camarillo/Santa Barbara, California

A few more houses to view today, more work on my class, more procrastination planning my installation service.

In Lutheran churches, pastors are installed. It's a service whereby they formally begin their work as pastor in the congregation. It is a formal recognition that the person has been properly Called by the congregation. It's also a symbol of the local support and recognition of other LCMS pastors, as they attend to speak a word of blessing and encouragement toward the end of the service. Lutheran pastors are only ordained once - after they satisfy the LCMS requirements to be a pastor. But a pastor is installed each time he takes up duties at a new or different congregation.

Which means there's a special service of installation. Which means I have to plan this service. And as some of you may suspect, I'm not exactly a fan of the spotlight - and an installation service is a pretty massive spotlight. I need to get this done and out of the way, but I procrastinate wanting to think about it and plan it out either.

Sunday August 1, 2010 - Camarillo/Santa Barbara, California

I'm here for the duration, but it seems somehow inappropriate to be showing up to my new congregation and just hanging out in worship on Sunday mornings. The congregation has been blessed to have several retired pastors in the area who have been leading worship on a rotating basis, and I prefer to stay out of their hair and not cause a fuss. Since I won't be installed until *after* worship on 8/15, that means I have three Sundays to figure out where to worship.

This Sunday I attended Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Goleta. Good Shepherd was a church plant from Emanuel many years ago. I get the impression that in some ways the two have grown apart over the years. I know the pastor since he attended the same circuit meetings that I did while I was pastoring in Camarillo (A circuit is a regional grouping of congregations. Most circuits meet monthly so that the pastors are in communication with one another). One of the many blessings in this Call is getting to work with people that I've known for a while. It makes adjusting a lot easier.

I attended their contemporary service, and enjoyed it. They have a praise band off to one side in the sanctuary. People of all ages really seemed to be enjoying the service. Afterwards, I viewed another house - this one only a couple of blocks behind the church. They're asking more in rent than we would like to be paying, but it's very convenient! Decisions, decisions.

Emanuel, Santa Barbara

Here are a few photos of my new parish, Emanuel Santa Barbara.

The first three photos are of the interior of the sanctuary, as seen from the altar, looking from the right to the center to the left.

The photo below is the altar area as seen from the back of the sanctuary.

The next two are of the narthex/entry hall area right in front of the sanctuary doors.

This is looking down the walkway on the 'administrative' side of the building. The office door is roughly where the sunflower banner is.

The last three are exterior shots of the church from the 'administrative' side, as seen from right to left. I'll try to get some better shots up soon, but these are a good start.

Here are a few pictures of my new parish buildings.

Saturday July 31, 2010 - Camarillo, California

Today was a social day. After a quick breakfast with Lewis, I got the beans going in the crockpot for dinner. I visited our storage unit in Oxnard and managed to ferret out about five boxes of books destined for my office. It will be good to start getting at least some of my office stuff set up, even if I may not be able to reach most of it until we're actually unloading the storage unit in earnest to move into a house.

I met a friend and former parishioner, Ralph, for a sushi lunch - a long tradition of ours. It was great to catch up and hear what has been going on in his life and his family. Then it was a few minutes of work and research at Starbucks (researching electric guitar options - I know, I'm a moron). The bulk of the afternoon was spent prepping pico de gallo and guacamole for dinner in the evening. Lewis, Jim & Dianne, and the Parsons family all gathered together for dinner at Jim & Dianne's. Lots of wine and margaritas as well, plus the marinated chicken & beef from Vallarta market I had picked up the evening before. Definitely a good time of friendship.