my day at Seaworld

Today I went to SeaWorld.
Your typical thought process at SeaWorld probably goes... "mmmm, God made so many wonderful creatures, and it is unbelievable how they interact with humans, and do amazing tricks"
My though process goes... "mmmm, I wonder if the dolphin trainers and the whale trainers have unhealthy competition between each other, and make some rivalry out of if, and do the animals sense it?"
That was my thought process. I think all the day in the sun got to my brain.

a great show

On Tuesday night I went and saw a show called KA, which is one of the 317 different Cirque de Soleil shows... it was the most unbelivable stage performance I have ever been to, and I highly recommend it.
It had this crazy moving hydraulic stage that I can describe by writing, so if you see me, ask me about it... plus this link show a couple of pics. i would pay 100 bucks just for the stage, without the performers.

one of my favorite Saddleback moments...

As I was sitting at the 4:30pm service today, one of my favorite moments played out right in front of my eyes.
Part A) Pastor Rick, talking about our past, referenced the modern day poets "the Backstreet Boys", by saying "looking back on the things I've done, I was trying to be someone... I smiled and nodded.
Part B) Cue the music in between points. Yes, Backstreet Boys "Shape of my Heart". Brilliant. If only AJ was there to sing it live.

On a more serious note... Erik Rees shared about his past and what shaped him growing up... it was really cool to hear him open up and see where God has taken him in his life.

I can't wait for the season premiere of Grey's Anatomy

No, not to see what transpires in the love triangle of Meredith Grey... but because I am sick of the 327 ads I see everyday for this television show.
This show could be the downfall of The Fray...

My thought for the day...

Kitale Chicken Coop - The Story

We have pictures online here

Well, it’s been a few weeks since we got back from Kitale, so I figure it was time to let everyone know how the construction of Kitale Chicken Coop went!

It wasn’t long after we arrived in Kitale that I was reminded that flexibility is the key when visiting foreign countries! While the building supplies took a little time to get to us, that gave Dean (CCG-Coop Construction Guru) time to work on an idea to build a larger coop that would not only be a blueprint that could be reproduced by other people on mission, but a coop that would be two-storeys!. The new coop names flowed freely, such as “SuperCoop” and “Coop de Ville”.

To make this reproduclible meant a lot less welding and a lot more bolts, but it also meant that it could be transported, so we built it at a friend’s (Steve Rutenbar) house where all the equipment was.

The final location of the coop also changed as we were not able to build at Mercy Orphanage. The new location we ended up at was a great location for the coop, as we knew the people would take care of the chickens and ensure that this venture was a win for them.
Sister Frida’s Cottage Hospital was the new location, and we were excited to provide them with the coop. Not only does the hospital care for hundreds of people coming in from the surrounding villages, but during the day, every day it loves on, educates and feeds over 60 needy children from the surrounding villages.

We had a great time working on the initial construction , but our time in Kitale ended before we were able to see the chicken coop in it’s completed stage at it’s final location, but Dean stayed to see it’s completion and took lot’s of pictures for us.

The coop is now the proud home to over 150 chickens and we left them enough feed to last them six months. There are about 100 broilers (chickens to eat) and 60 layers (chickens that lay eggs), as well as a few chickens and roosters in a special section of the coop we like to call “The Love Room”. The word around the surrounding community at the hospital is that people would like a home designed similar to the chicken coop! (because of the size and construction, not because of the Love Room)

We were privileged to be able to serve the people of Kitale, and are already excited to head back there!

a tale of two Bono's

Today the Sarti family headed on down to the Endless Summer Fest, hosted by Saddleback San Clemente... I was excited to go to see the Rider4Christ dudes jumping on their motorbikes, but I didn't know the real treat would be the antics of the U2 tribute band that was playing in the festival area.

Let me share a few band highlights:
-the lead singer styles his hair like Bono
-the guitar player wore a beanie the whole time (ala The Edge)
-the bass player wore Adam Claytonesque clothes (camo pants and a long-sleeve shirt)
-the lead singer had a great fake Irish accent
-MLK Jr was quoted during the bridge on one song
-Fake Bono blindfolded himself and sung during "Bullet The Blue Sky"

But what really took it to the next level, was that the band had invited another U2 tribute band to the show, so a second Bono and second Edge came up on the stage for a few songs. It was brilliant. This new Bono was more circa mid-90s with the cowboy hat, whereas regular lead Bono was more concertesque Bono in black leather.

If there were really this many Bono's in the world I am sure Africa would be in a better place.

bella is now blogging!

Bella is turning two this week, and wanted to let you know that for her birthday she asked her Dad to start a blog for her, so that her friends and family can find out just what she is up to!
You can view Bella’s blog at http://blogofbella.blogspot.com/
She will try and update it at least once a week with pictures and funny stories, as well as things she is learning and discovering on a daily basis.

Enjoy!

from the iPhoto archives #6

We are going way back to 1999 for this image, taken after Crave when it was back in Tent #2. Here are two highlights for me... a young Natalia Larosa (now Natalie Hall) and a smiling, happy (surprise) Josh Garrett.
Oh, hang on, the Ultimate Highlight - Nadim Najm complete with a large layer of hair and button-down shirt from Dick's Last Resort! Priceless.

you look like who?!

I was just reading a story at CNN.com about a guy in Korea who looks exactly like North Korean leader Kim Jong Il... read more here
Maybe we should bring this lookalike to Saddleback and have him meet up with Rick Warren?! I am sure Slice of Laodicea would love to "report" on that meeting!

jesus can fix your heart AND your home

Not satisfied with just being at places of worship, Jesus is now mobile and ready to come into your household.
(shot taken outside Henry's Market yesterday afternoon)

is a magazine like the church?

No, I am not talking about the Relevant Magazine...
I was reading this article about an older magazine called "Family Circle", a home-making magaziner in Australia. I felt like there wwere some parallels between the story of the magazine and the story of many churches. I am sure we can all learn something from this...
Click here to view the article.

from the iPhoto archives - #5

This weeks archived photo of the week comes from Australia Day earlier this year (January 26th). Chad Peacock prepares for Australia Day in Kelmscott-like fashion. Note the stonewash denim, the esky (cooler), the tank-top, the plastic thongs, and of course the mandatory mullet. You little beauty.