Though I will be making and welcoming some new friends into my life over the next 5 weeks (nice to meet you Mr. beans and rice), I would like to take the opportunity in the following space to say farewell to a dear friend.

As of March 1, I will no longer interact or have anything to do with this friend until Easter Sunday.

This is a friend whom I have counted on to be there each night before I go to bed.  If it’s been a good day, this friend helps me celebrate.  If it’s been a tough day, my friend is there to make things better, if just for a moment.

And even as I say goodbye for these five weeks, my friend does nothing to hold me back.  He only sits and waits with a calm strength.

If only my friend had a long alien finger that would light up in red, he would reach out and touch my heart while speaking this truth to me – “I’ll be right here.”

So, goodbye my friend Caramel Cone Haagen Dazs.  Goodbye.

Until we meet again on Easter Sunday,
Chad

Here are some things I think I think while sitting at Panera Bread in Fullerton.

This weekend we’re talking about how Jesus calls us to lose our life in order to follow him.  We must deny ourselves and take up our cross (his agenda) daily.  I feel like I get this right maybe once every 5040 minutes.  Maybe.

• I feel smarter when I’m somewhere that people are studying.
• I have been very aware this week personally and through our community that the enemy is not pleased with what is happening through the people attending RH South County.
• I was also reminded this week, personally, that the Holy Spirit truly is like the wind.  He comes and goes in ultimate power, but it’s so difficult to discern his coming and going sometimes.  But when he comes….dang it’s awesome.
• Most everyone I see who wears a beanie looks fine in it except me.
• I witnessed and experienced the beauty and freedom of vulnerability in our life group this week.  There is such, such power in sharing our lives with others…really sharing.  There was freedom in that room.
• The Panera lady just came out with free quiche samples!
• Steve Carter is hosting the staff at the new Fullerton campus this morning.  It is so exciting to think of a whole new crew being launched out.
• My 2^nd grade daughter had “quiche” as a spelling word and I couldn’t help her.  Really – I had no idea.

Ok folks…..on with Wednesday……….see you soon,

Ok everyone….

We’re going to be a little random in this space at times to mix it up. So today we’re going to list the top ten movie moments that come to my mind at 6:26 pm. Let’s do it…………

10)  Tombstone – all the guys walking down the street toward the OK Corral in their sweet trench coats.  Doc Holliday “shrugs” his off as he pulls up his rifle.  I think I would look solid shrugging off a trench coat.

9) Lion King – Circle of Life opening scene is tough to beat.

8)  E.T. – Flying on bikes.  It’s reported that in the 80’s, “flying on a bike” wishes when blowing out birthday candles spiked 700%.

7) Rudy – you might be thinking it’s when he sacks the quarterback at the end….but no!  It’s when he gets his acceptance letter while sitting on the bench.

6) Field of Dreams – When Shoeless Joe Jackson first comes back and talks about the feel and smell of baseball.  So awesome.   I would throw batting practice to a ghost if given the chance.

5) Say Anything – When John Cusack holds the boombox outside her bedroom window.  I wish I could hold a boombox outside of Jenn’s bedroom window.  But… that would be my bedroom window . . .too…so that’s weird.

4) Dumb and Dumber – the snowball fight.  I was on the floor of the theater the first time I saw it.

3) The Princess Bride – Anything Inigo Montoya says.  I do a money imitation when I’m driving.

2) Braveheart – All of them.  Every single frame of film.  I’m serious.  Every frame.

1) Karate Kid – The crane kick.  I will cry right now.

Ok, let me have it….but remember, these are just off the top of my head right now, so don’t get all crazy and stuff……

Hey everyone.  I’ve been challenged in a couple of ways this past week.

First, I’m really tired of eating rice and beans for dinner.  Like, really tired.  So much that I just didn’t eat dinner twice last week because I just didn’t want them.  This is a good thing.  During this month of sacrificing a meal for a greater cause (see goodfellowfamily.blogspot.com for more info.  It’s their fault), I am continuing to realize just how much we have and how much we waste at the same time.  So as Jenn and I dug in the other night we stopped and thanked God for the food in front of us, no matter how much we did or didn’t like the taste at the time.  Baby steps man…baby steps.  In moments like that I am astounded at how much I have to learn.   I pray that some of the teaching and habits that have taken place this month will take root and grow.  I need it….

Second, I realized I needed to get my tail in gear to invite some people to Christmas services.  I thought of these two brothers that work at the gas station right near our house.  I see them all the time and have really enjoyed seeing them and getting small glimpses into their lives.  So it came to my mind the other day to invite them to Christmas services.  We had never talked about church or what I do etc, so I was nervous about it.  I walked in and handed the invitations to Daniel and asked him to pass the other to his brother from Chad “the red bull guy”.  As I told him about the service times etc, he smiled and seemed very thankful.

I have no idea if they will come, but I’m not sure that was the goal of my visit.  I truly wanted to invite them so they know that I actually have an interest in their lives beyond just our gas station transactions.  If nothing else happened other than Daniel feeling loved and me getting the chance to express that – wonderful….

I’m continually amazed God is so active and ready to work through us and teach us if we will step into it.

Baby steps…..

Merry Christmas everyone….

Chad

Hey everyone.

As we head into the Christmas season, Jenn (my wife) started a really great discussion for our family tonight.  She had seen on a friend’s blog goodfellowfamily.blogspot.com how they are treating this Christmas season differently.  I know, I know…..this is something we talk about every year about this time.  Whether it’s slowing down, giving less or giving differently we’ve kind of heard it all by now.  I don’t disagree.  But here’s what I’m challenged with: I’m not really doing anything about it.  Yes, we’ve done a couple of things over the last few years that have been attempts to “do” Christmas in a way that focuses on the right things, and that’s great.  But as we were talking tonight, I realized those attempts are still just add-ons.  Without question, the main thing in our house and for this season is still lights and presents.

Even as I write, this is a tough one for me.  I LOVE lights and presents.  I love all the manufactured magic of Christmas.  I love stop-motion Rudolf, I love the new LED Christmas lights and I love the holiday cups at Starbucks.

But there has to be a way to raise my heart and my kids differently going forward.  I would be a blessed man if my children (now 6 and 8 ) grew up with a sense that Christmas was a time when we really did live lives that demanded an explanation.  I would be so blessed if we had traditions and absolutes at Christmas time that involved sacrifice and radical generosity.  And we would be blessed if this started at Christmas and seeped out into the rest of the calendar…

So, I’m now responsible for not just talking about it, and that feels good.  We’re going to see what God would have for our family, and I encourage you to do the same.  Let’s all do it together and then talk about how awesome God is.

Every once in a while we’re going to try and highlight a South County business here…..so if you have any input or suggestions, comment away!

First on the list is “It’s a Grind” coffee shop on Alicia and Hon, just as you exit the 405.  Yes, I know it’s a chain, got it.  But the people who work and hang there are great, they have good food and coffee and it’s right next to Laguna Hills High.  Here are a few highlights (yes, I like lists.  A lot) ::

• Self serve coffee with lots of choices.  They have flavored coffees, and one that is just labeled “strong”.  Are you kidding?  That’s why I’m here!  Coffee snobs would probably be bummed on the flavored business.  Whatever.
• Say hello to Meredith when you go.  She rocks.
• The lemon bars are ridiculous.  I’ve had a few.
• Our kids got a 50/50 bar smoothie the other day.  It’s like drinking an orange ice cream bar.
• There seems to be a regular crowd that hangs out there.  That’s a good thing.  The other day I saw a dude sleeping in the back and a girl dripped honey on his cheek so he would wipe it around when he woke up.  It worked.
• I was privileged to get a wireless tip from a regular.  If the connection is slow, connect to Golden Baked Hams across the street.  It worked.

Ok, so there’s your update folks.  If you have somewhere I should check out, put it in the comments and I’m on it….

Hey South County…..

What a great first five weeks we’ve had together. I think we’re all feeling a sense of excitement that “this thing” is off and running. I know for me personally, and for many of you it seems to be a great marriage of small and large church. I love that there is already a sense of community building, but I’m just as encouraged by the urgency to “get out” and do things as a group beyond Sundays to Reach our neighborhoods.

We’ll try to write a little something each week to keep us connected a bit, and I thought I’d start out with some snapshots I remember from these first weeks together ::

1. Meeting the first crew of volunteers in the a.m. dark in the parking lot for the “preview” set up the week before we started. Red Bull in hand.
2. 30 people walking the campus at our 3rd Wednesday prayer night. Amazing to see how that place is used, even at night.
3. Lots of Subway at the after-church picnics at the beginning. This past weekend? Coolers and beach chairs. I see where this is going…
4. As we were on the back porch praying before service, a woman walking toward the water-polo games just stopped to pray with us…said thank you and was on her way. Awesome.
5. A TOASTER for bagels on the patio! Come on now, Starbucks didn’t even give us this option for years!
6. Seeing the prayers written out on the wall of the 4-6 year-olds this past weekend. Such a realization that we can make things so complicated…
7. Getting offered a Gatorade in the parking lot after church by a baseball player and his son because he received a free water from our volunteers as they were walking to their game earlier.
8. A giant tape-ball being created during teardown every week for all the kids to play with. The same tape that was walked on by hundreds of shoes that also walked in the parking lot, restrooms……and, uh……um….
9. A portable classroom being made “cool” by Tyler and his crew of leaders for our Youth. I love the attention our teenagers get from our leaders and volunteers.
10. The life stories from Jay and Patrick over the past two weeks. Not much better than hearing that God is real in the everyday.

Ok South County….stay tuned and keep coming here to see updates about events/locations and other good stuff.

It’s so fun to do this together.

Chad Halliburton
Campus Pastor