Hippie Thanksgiving Tradition

This Thursday we will gather with our family and do all the usual things that folks do on Thanksgiving, but we will also do something that we began in So Cal some thirty or so Thanksgivings ago. We will listen to Arlo Guthrie sing Alice's Restaurant - again - all 18+ minuets of it. We have done this almost every year and if for some reason I forget to crank up the old Victrola (just kidding - we have it on cd now) our kids remind me that it just isn't Thanksgiving with out hearing Alice's Restaurant!

It is interesting how traditions create a bond within the family; they give us a sense of stability and place.

Thus says the LORD: “Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; Then you will find rest for your souls…” (Jeremiah 6:16)

Peace, Love, and Light through Jesus the Christ!
Kevin (Cloud)

Happy Thanksgiving!

To call a holiday "Thanksgiving" begs the question... "To whom do we give thanks?"

We must assume that there is a person to have gratitude towards, in that an impersonal entity or object is incapable of receiving our thanks. Our giving of thanks to anything less than a real personal benefactor would be pure non-sense!

So who did they thank at the first Thanksgiving? They gave thanks to our loving Creator Father, God Almighty!

Check out The History Channel for info about The First Thanksgiving

Check out the Butterball Website
for holiday turkey recipes and tons of ideas for what to do with all that leftover bird.

Peace, Love, and Light through Jesus the Christ!
Kevin (Cloud)

The Price Of A Sparrow

According to United Press International a sparrow disrupted a domino display in the Netherlands this week. The sparrow knocked over about 23,000 dominoes in a 4.3 million domino display that was being set up in an attempt to break the world domino toppling record.

The sparrow was cornered and shot with an air rifle although it is a crime to kill the common house sparrow in the Netherlands with out a permit. Officials decided to shoot the bird with an air rifle after attempts to capture it were unsuccessful. The man who shot the bird with an air rifle has received death threats.

Now here's the absurdity of the matter...Where were the animal rights people when the house sparrow's habitat was being destroyed? The Dutch over build their cities and cause the sparrow to decline in numbers. After essentially killing off tens of thousands of house sparrows with bulldozers and chain saws they make the little bird a protected species. Now every one gets their BVD's in a knot because someone goes Rambo on one of them. They want to kill this guy for shooting one bird, yet the whole Dutch nation has benefitted from the wholesale destruction of habitat that supported tens of thousands of these same birds - the world has gone up-side-down!

Jesus lends us some balance here... "Aren't two sparrows sold for only a penny? But your Father knows when any one of them falls to the ground. Five sparrows are sold for just two pennies, but God doesn't forget a one of them. Even the hairs on your head are counted. So don't be afraid! You are worth much more than many sparrows." (Matthew 10:29, Luke 12:6-7)

Peace, Love, and Light through Jesus the Christ!
Kevin (Cloud)

Running On Empty

This last few weeks have been very full, lots of projects to finish and deadlines to meet. The nonprofit that I work for put on a fundraiser benefit concert with several musicians and Jackson Browne as the main act. The concert was sold out with three thousand in attendance and all the proceeds from the event going to help fund the programs that we run for adults with disabilities. It was a great concert and it was such a thrill to see an event of this size for such a great cause.

By the end of the week I could really relate to the lyrics from two of my favorite Jackson Browne tunes, The Pretender and Running On Empty. I got to the point that all my gauges were pointing to empty - I needed sleep, food, ice tea, love, and most of all I needed my spiritual tank refilled. Spiritually I was running on empty, I had not found (or made) the time to meditate on the Bible, sit and listen to Father, or pray. Spiritually I felt dried up, parched, and run down.

Jesus said "For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?" (Luke 9:25)

This is a condition that I have been in before and by it's self isn't too bad, but left unchecked it leads to a cycle of spiritual emptiness that ends up being filled with things that aren't so good. Nature abhors a vacuum and our heavenly Father meant our lives to be filled with him. When there is a lack of his presence in our day to day experience then the enemy of our soul rushes in to suggest things to fill the void, and that is when we get into trouble. Relationships take work to cultivate, and the same is true of our relationship with Father. We need to take time to hang out with him, talk to him and listen to him if we expect to have a sense of his presence in our lives. I find that prayer, quiet meditation on his great love, reading the Bible, singing songs to him and about him all help me to keep my spiritual tank full.

Running on empty isn't a good idea because when you run out of gas getting out and pushing that old '56 Chevy isn't so easy!

Peace, Love, and Light through Jesus the Christ!
Kevin (Cloud)

Who Ordered The Chaos?

This last week I was sharing with a coworker about some of the latest challenges that have presented themselves in our otherwise quiet empty nest. Being a devoted christian and avid gardner she had some Godly advice that was seasoned with down to earth examples from her garden that an old hippie like myself could relate to. I love it when Father talks to his kids in the garden, after all that is where it all began - in his garden.

One of her favorite metaphors about life and its unexpected trials comes from her love of gardening. She asked me if I was familiar with English Gardens and the concept of "Ordered Chaos". I joked about not placing any orders for chaos, how I didn't remember ordering this current situation and I certainly didn't request this super sized order of chaos. After a brief chuckle she went on to explain that "Ordered Chaos" is the term used to describe the way an English Garden is planted. The intent is to recreate a natural looking space, like a small meadow bursting with wild flowers untouched by human hands. The appearance of the garden is chaotic and random but in fact it is planed with great care and it is quite deliberate in its design and execution.

To the observer the English Garden is totally random and without any visible hint of design, just as life's trials can appear seemingly senseless and without purpose. The truth is that there is a designer that has every situation under his control, no matter how horrific the pain or how mind numbing the confusion, the Father loves us and holds us in his hands. Our challenge isn't getting through the chaos, but rather understanding that the chaos isn't so random and senseless. The challenge is to learn to trust God in the depths of darkness knowing that he will bring us through it, hopefully stronger and more compassionate, able to help others in their painful time of chaos.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

We may never understand the reasons for the chaos beyond learning to trust Father in every situation. It is in trusting him that the chaos begins to loose its ability to hide the designers hand.

Peace, Love, and Light through Jesus the Christ!
Kevin (Cloud)

Get The Tent And Pack The Pampers Grandma...

My wife and I joined a new club two weeks ago... we now belong to one of the fastest growing segments of our population - Grandparents raising Grandchildren. In California there are nearly 300,000 grandparents raising grandchildren, more than any other state. Read A Profile Of California Grandparents Raising Grandchildren for some interesting stats and check out Grandparents Raising Grandchildren for links to some great resources.

We don't know how long we will be raising our beautiful granddaughter. We just want to love her and provide the best care possible while her mommy & daddy get their act together. If they don't pull it together right away we could be faced with a permeant placement and adopt her in as few as six months.

This was not what we had planned for our empty nest years, but you know how plans go. We had enjoyed the roomy nest for about three years and raising a second brood wasn't even on our list of things to do. Jamaica, now that was on our list. Travel cross country, sure we could just pick up and go at a moments notice. Save for retirement, well it was somewhere on the list.

I never saw this coming! Sometimes I wish that I had a crystal ball, perhaps we could have taken an early retirement and headed out for the open road. Now the hobby-computer room may have to be redecorated with pink frills and fuzzy animals and vacations may have to be scaled down to trips to the local zoo.

But what if we had runaway from home? I would have missed out on all those toothless grins that my beautiful granddaughter gives me at 4 a.m. - nothing in the world could equal those moments when she looks me in the eyes and gives me a great big smile!

I think that we have a new travel companion. There is a new little face to help fill up our vacation photo albums, a precious little princess to help us explore new wonders, someone to share the Father's Creation with while making smores over a campfire in the redwoods. Get the tent and pack the pampers Grandma - we're going camping!

Peace, Love, and Light through Jesus the Christ!
Kevin (Cloud)

Which Came First - The Tie-Dye or The Cross?

This question was posted recently on The Hippie Christian Bulletin Board, here is my response...

It was back in 1969 when Jesus found me, I was 13 years old then. I had just started to grow my hair long, of course I was into all the great tunes and wearing cool threads but I was not into the drug scene.

My transformation from a nerd to a hippie was happening simultaneously with my becoming a disciple of Jesus, so I was never really one before the other. The roots for both were planted deep within me from my earliest childhood but neither was dominate. My parents had some bohemian views and were spiritual in their own ways, but they were neither born again christians or hippies.

My transformation was during the Jesus People Movement and it was quite normal to be a Hippie Jesus Freak at that time. I never thought that I had to choose one over the other, for me being a Hippie and a Christian were not mutually exclusive experiences.

Most of us don't like labels, but I have always considered my self to be both, never one or the other. I am a Hippie Christian, a Christian Hippie, a Long Hair Hippie Jesus Freak, whatever - I am just one of God's colorful kids!

Peace, Love, and Light through Jesus the Christ!
Kevin (Cloud)

Autumnal Equinox

This week marks the Autumnal Equinox - one of the two times during the year that the sun passes the equator, when the days and nights are equal in length. Fall has always been my favorite season, fall is so colorful, the oppressive heat of summer has passed and I can move about without breaking into a sweat. Fall is the Father's way of allowing his creation one last burst of color, a giant tie-dye blanket covering his creation before the winter nap begins.

Autumnal Equinox begins the time of the year that the final harvest is brought in, a time of thanksgiving, a time of preparation for change. The cooler temperatures and longer shadows tell my sub-conscience that winter is coming and changes yet unseen hang in the air. The Autumnal Equinox is a marker, a signal of the passing of seasons. Fall has always been a time for change for me, perhaps it goes back to my childhood days, fall is the time the new school year would begin.

This year is no different, this week I start in a new management position at work. What perfect timing the Father has, he knows that I am more receptive to change in the Fall. Most folks want to make new beginnings around the first of the year, not me - too many failed New Year's resolutions.

Here are two links about The Equinox and Fall Equinox Celebrations.

I love the Fall and the changes the Father brings my way. I look forward to long crunchy walks with my wife along leaf littered streets beneath the sycamore trees.

Peace, Love, and Light through Jesus the Christ!
Kevin (Cloud)

Ring The Bell

Friday I received an e-mail from my friend Bill asking if anyone would be interested in helping the Salvation Army. They needed someone to be a "Bell Ringer" in front of Wal-mart on Saturday morning. Well I don't normally sleep in, even on Saturdays so I said "What the heck, why not help out?" - besides what else would I be doing at 8 am, blogging?

Now being a "Bell Ringer" doesn't take much effort or special training, nor does it require any unique skills, but I figure it is a small way to help out those folks hit by Katrina down in the Gulf states. The local Kiwanis Club joined up with the Salvation Army by providing hot dogs and sodas to anyone who made a donation to the Salvation Army.

What was wonderful about my two hours of bell ringing was that I got to see the compassion and generosity of good kind hearted people, people who were glad to help others through their donations to the Salvation Army. An important fact is that all the money collected will be sent directly to the affected region.

After my two hour shift of bell ringing was over I placed my donation in the familiar Red Kettle and grabbed myself a BBQ'd hot dog and a cold root beer. My wrist was a little stiff from coaxing donations from Wal-mart shoppers with the little bell, but my heart gladdened knowing that in a small way I was able to reach out to those folks down in the Gulf states.

Salvation Army Website

Peace, Love, and Light through Jesus the Christ!
Kevin (Cloud)

Should We Go Back To The Communes?

"Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved." Acts 2:44-47

There were things going on after AD33 that forced the early faith community to pool resources and band together; i.e. persecution & famine. In the culture of their day there most likely was a stronger sense of community, something quite foreign to us here in America. It was natural for them to have a close knit communal group, not so natural here in our individualistic society.

Conversely though, why should we accept the dominant society's lack of community in the household/family of God?

I am not suggesting that we all live in a 60's style commune to be closer to the early faith communities. I'm talking about developing a stronger community that looks beyond the "church" building, one that embraces the concept of a family of believers called out from a life of sin and joined together with a common purpose of building each other up and spreading the Gospel.

Who knows, we just might be facing the same things here in America as a community of believers that those in the rest of the world and the First Century believers faced. Our faith communities may have to pool resources and band together. We may have to develop a stronger sense of community to deal with possible future persecutions.

You should check out the lyrics of RIGHT HERE IN AMERICA by Larry Norman the pioneer of Christian rock and poet laureate of the Jesus Movement. It is a song he wrote back in the days of the Movement and I think that it rings true today, his words are quite prophetic.

Peace, Love, and Light through Jesus the Christ!
Kevin (Cloud)

Alone In A Crowd

Have you ever felt alone in a crowded Church service? I have, many times I have slipped in and out of church, sitting unnoticed in the back pew, never greeted by anyone, never prayed for by anyone, never praying for anyone myself. It is possible to be alone in a crowd, just go to a ball game or the mall - you are surrounded by hundreds or maybe thousands but you are a stranger to them all, and it happens in church every Sunday.

The question I have is how do we get involved in our brother's & sister's journey of faith? How do we interact with each other in such a way as to have an impact upon our lives, so that we are transformed each time we gather? How do we avoid being a solo act in a crowd? How do we capture the understanding of first century "ekklesia" and carry it out in our daily walk of faith? How do we develop a strong community of brothers and sisters that extends beyond the four walls of the "church" to fill up the rest of the week, not isolated until next Sunday?

I know, too many questions. But we need to start finding solutions to the isolation and it is in the understanding of "ekklesia" that we learn we are more than a group that meets in a building one or two days a week. We need to understand what we are called out from and what we are called to be - the visible earthly representation of Christ, his body, his dwelling place.

"...oikos theos hostis esti ekklesia zao theos..."

"...the house of God, which is an assembly of the living God..."
(1 Timothy 3:15 - Young's Literal Translation)

Peace, Love, and Light through Jesus the Christ!
Kevin (Cloud)

The Good Old Days

I received an e-mail today from a fellow refugee of the Jesus People Movement. In reading about the many things that he has done along the way since then I began reflecting on my own life's accomplishments. I was wondering if I have made any major contributions to this world. Have I made a difference in anybody's life at all? At the end of my sojourn here on earth will my life have counted for anything or will all that I have spent my time and energy on been for nothing?

I think that I have done a great many small things rather any one great thing. But the Father knows my heart and I always want to keep moving so as not get stagnant. I believe that it is in the quality of the daily walk that one is measured rather than the one or two grand accomplishments that one could boast about. So I keep looking forward and taking one step after another.

As the apostle Paul said... "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:12-14)

Peace, Love, and Light through Jesus the Christ!
Kevin (Cloud)