It has been far too long...

It is now nearly the end of 2009. I recently sent out my Christmas letter to family and a few friends. Here it is, in its entirety:

2009 has been a busy year for me! I began the year still working at FedEx Office in Turlock, and leading worship for the CGCC college group and Sunday mornings at Denair Friends Church. In January the worship band I led played at a Jr. High/High School retreat in the mountains. It was a great time to become closer as friends, and we had a wonderful time with the Lord there also. We ended up recording a few songs after we came back, which was a lot of fun. We also got a chance to play a few more times outside of our normal college group gig, and we always had a great time.
I was fortunate enough to get out on a few hikes this year including Half Dome and the Hetch Hetchy area in Yosemite, and Mt. Tallac (overlooking Tahoe). I also got a bit of time outdoors at the annual Donner Lake family reunion, though most of that was spent on the golf course... Not that I am complaining. I was lucky enough to be a part of two weddings of close friends this summer, and both of those experiences were wonderful.
In July I began transitioning out of my role in the band and college group, with the intention of being completely finished within 2 months. In August I traveled to Cambodia for two weeks. It was by far the best experience of my life. I made new friends on the trip, and experienced amazing things. It definitely changed me in good ways, and I would love to go back someday. I made an effort on that trip to not say no to anything... I was able to experience more and do things that made me a bit uncomfortable (in a good way).
Shortly after I came back I was offered a position at a Friends church plant in downtown Sacramento and I decided to say yes to that. Inside of two months I moved in with Kristin and Andrew in Elk Grove, transferred to a position at a FedEx Office near their home, and began working with the church plant downtown. It has been a crazy time of transition. It was very hard to leave people and situations in Turlock, but I feel like I am doing what I am supposed to. I was able to spend Thanksgiving with wonderful friends in Turlock, and my cousin John was even able to join me. My mom and dad will be joining us here this Christmas, and I am very excited! I am sure things will continue to change in the new year, and I am eager to see what God has in store. I hope your Christmas is amazing, and that your new year is full of wonderful times with good people and the Lord.



Anyways, that's how my year went. Hopefully this year I will be more consistent about my blogging. Peace!

so long sweet summer

I stumbled upon you and gratefully basked in your rays
So long sweet summer
I fell into you
Now you're gracefully falling away

So it's the end of summer. I haven't blogged since the beginning of summer... It was a busy and amazing time! Some highlights:

* Being in the weddings of close friends; Jeremy and Shandra's wedding, and Matt's wedding. I had a great time with the rest of the wedding parties and with the couples. Also, d.j.ing Mike's wedding was great too!
* Two weeks in Cambodia; absolutely a wonderful experience! So much to process... Easily the best thing I have ever done in my life.
* Hiking; Half Dome and Hetch Hetchy on back-to-back weekends, Mt. Tallac for my birthday. Swimming in the mountains was amazingly cold and fun.
* Seeing my parents and Grandma at Donner Lake... Meant a lot more this year with all that's been going on with my parents.

I have two Sundays left at c.g.c.c.... Change is afoot! I almost broke down while playing Sunday night; it's going to be tough not to have that outlet anymore. I got a job offer at Midtown Friends... And I want to do it. I am currently looking for another job in that area, so I can support myself. And that's about it! Go team.

i feel old

Friday: 2.5 hours of basketball.
Saturday: 1.5 hours at the driving range, 3.5 hours of swimming, .75 hours of basketball.


I am sore. I am also a quarter-century old. Goshdangit!
I watched Star Trek last night; it was entertaining, but I still miss the ST:TNG cast and crew.


Tonight should be pretty kick-back. I am working a short shift (but at holiday pay rate!) and then we are bbq'ing chicken and corn on the cob... I need to finish The Shining (the old/good version!) tonight too.


People have had pretty positive reactions to the EP, which has been awesome. We are looking into recording another one. Potential songs include Louder Than The Mob, Already There, It Is Well With My Soul, In The Secret, Famous One, and maybe others...? Any suggestions?

thank you Jesus

Our EP is done! I am happy with it, and I am excited to share it with people. Here's hoping it means something to other people as much as it does to me.


myspace.com/cgccband


Spread the Word!

take up your cross

I don't know if I can actually put this into words... But basically I didn't until recently really grasp the passage found in Matthew 16 and Luke 9, about Jesus telling us that "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me". For some reason I never equated that cross that He tells us to take up with the cross that He carried on His own back and died on. I always thought of our crosses as an abstract idea, and not something monumental. But in reality... Jesus is asking us to basically pick up the same cross that He did; a cross that leads to pain and death. Granted, for most of us it will NEVER even compare to the pain and suffering that He went through, but it is the same idea. When we choose the Father, we choose the possibility of immense suffering... But we also choose the guarantee that after that, we have Life.

That probably doesn't make sense, because even in my head it's still a bit convoluted. One thing I am certain of; tonight's set is righteous, and should be a lot of fun!

• Everything That Has Breath
  
• I Could Sing Of Your Love Forever
  
• Holy Is The Lord
  
• Pour Out My Heart
  
• Arms Of Love
  
• It Is Well With My Soul
  

So a pretty old-school set, but with some new twists. Funky "It Is Well" here we come! Oh, and then we talk about male sexuality. Go team?

you don't know me

so i adore ben folds (he is in my top 5 of all-time favorite artists) and i think regina spektor is one of the best singer-songwriters currently making music... and the song they did together, "you don't know me" is awesome. anyways, i finally watched the video for it, and it is funny crap. youtube that badboy right here.

today i have band practice for a couple hours, then i am going to my uncle's church with the oakdale fam. i am excited! he is sharing a sermon that he has been working on for quite awhile; how God's message of love has been spread through secular music in the last few decades. it should be interesting!

now i am off to do the stanky leg. word.

two songs

There are two songs I have been listening to on repeat the last two days - "Save Yourself" by Sensefield, and "Samson" by Regina Spektor. Both have interesting things to say about love and sex. I highly recommend listening to both of them, if you have not before.


It's fascinating to me how Tim (pastor at Denair Friends Church, where I play Sunday mornings) and Jeremiah (college pastor at cgcc/Crossroads Church where I play Sunday nights) end up speaking on issues that complement each other. The last few weeks, Jeremiah has been talking about establishing an identity in Christ that is truly your own; tearing down the identity that has been constructed through parents and other influences, and determining your own personal faith and belief. That was a good series, and then Tim has followed it up the last two weeks with a series on becoming a true disciple of Christ. It has been a good one-two punch! You all should be jealous. I get to listen to two very transparent and real guys share the Word nearly every weekend.


Anyways, check out the cgcc band on myspace for EP updates; the music should be up within a week, with streaming and a link to actually download everything. In the meantime, be sad that Derrick is going to Canada. According to E.O., you shouldn't visit your girlfriend on Mother's Day unless you already have a child with her. Thank you for your ever-illuminating wisdom, Eric.