Mike McClenahan

Advent is a time of watching and waiting. Paying attention and being patient help us to see the beauty of a moment that otherwise would have been missed. Yesterday Amy and I walked on the beach and saw a dark, stormy sky. As we walked the sky changed: just a hint of color below the clouds, a flicker of light on the horizon, then a fiery ball, and then a full blown firestorm of light. We stood there amazed along with others along the beach. If Advent is a time of watching and waiting, what might we see if we stop and look? If we pay attention to what God was doing in the midst of our ordinary walking, celebrating, decorating, or worshipping during the season? Below is a prayer that asks for God's blessing as we watch and wait for the coming of Jesus, the light of the world.  -- God of the watching ones, give us your benediction. God of the waiting ones, give us Your good word for our souls. God of the watching ones,  the waiting ones, the slow an...

This is a letter from a couple in our church who had a "life changing experience" during our ten week message series  I preached through  Luke 10:1-12  entitled  Sent Together . "Steve and I have been in a place of transition in our housing situation since 2005. It has been a long, drawn out painful period of time. After being homeowners for over 30 years, we found it necessary to rent for the past 3 years since coming to the San Diego area and have been anxiously awaiting the time when we could feel settled again and find and purchase a home again and stay put and to leave the feeling of things being "temporary" behind once and for all.   We are currently living in a very small condo/apartment and thought originally that we would be here for only 4 months.  Four months turned into 18 months very quickly.  Apartment living has it's challenges and I must admit that we had not connected with anyone living around us and have done like everyone e...

fresco from the catacombs of San Callisto, Rome (2nd-4th c) May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.   2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 May the Peace of the Lord Christ go with you wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness and protect you through the storm. May he bring you home rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you. May he bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors. Northumbria Community Morning Prayer The LORD bless you     and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you     and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you    and give you peace. Exodus 6:24-26 Receive the blessing of God the Father Almighty who created us in love, that we might be for the praise of his glory; the blessing of God the Son, who died for us and rose again t...

When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares. ―   Henri J.M. Nouwen ,   The Road to Daybreak: A Spiritual Journey

View more videos at: http://nbcsandiego.com . Community Serve Day was a great Sunday of worship... worship by offering ourselves in service (Romans 12:1). How do you measure the day? By numbers: somewhere between 1300 and 1400 preschoolers, children, students, adults served in 80 locations all over San Diego County. By the stories: there are so many to tell. Those whose imaginations created the site as a place where the love of God could be tangibly demonstrated; the site leaders who prayed for workers, even till the last minute and saw people come together in new ways; the participants who "bought in" to the idea that we'd have no worship services in the sanctuary, only opportunities to serve; the organizations, people, families who welcomed us into their world; the bypassers who saw green shirts and asked questions.  I started out on our church campus hosting Steve Luke from KNSD. He worked with us two years ago on our first CSD. I love the opportunity to tell ou...

Each week in worship we bless our children.   First through sixth graders sit with parents or a trusted adult for the first 25 minutes of worship, then are dismissed with a pastoral blessing. We raise a hand or place a hand of blessing on "our" children as a way of physically extending ourselves to them.  Last Sunday we baptized an infant. The couple professed their own faith in Jesus and committed themselves to raise their daughter in an environment where she might one day profess her own faith in Jesus. The congregation likewise committed ourselves to  come alongside the parents and the child. I've said before, "'Their' children become 'our' children." We want to be a place where children see their parents and other adults worship God, serve the world, meet together and love each other. We want them to have an experience of the church in organized and organic ways. Our hope is that one generation would "commend the works of God to th...

Ten years ago on September 11 th terrorist attacks killed almost 3000: ·          246 people on the four planes that landed in Pennsylvania, The Pentagon, and the World Trade Center. ·          2606 in New York City in the Twin Towers and on the ground 125 at the Pentagon, 55 of which were military personnel  and 411 emergency workers who responded to the scene, including 342 firefighters, 10 paramedics, 23 NYC police officers and 37 Port Authority officers. All American citizens except for 236 from more than 90 other countries. These are the numbers of those who died on 9/11, but the impact of 9/11 goes on.  ·               -Families who lost loved ones ·               -Military who have been service and many who have died serving our country in Iraq a...