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.