THE VIEW BLOG
Weekly Updates and Musings from Our Pastor & Director of Program Ministries
Joy Is Meant To Be A Part Of Our Walk With God
On August 1, 2015, I went to see the progressive rock band Rush perform what would become their final concert as a trio. Neil Peart, arguably the best prog rock drummer in history, was ready to retire due to the physical toll and a desire to be with his family, and his bandmates agreed. Sadly, Neil passed away in 2020. When that happened, Rush fans—who are very dedicated—understood that to be the end of the era.
However, just last year, they announced that they would once again go on tour. Fans, including myself, were overjoyed. They had chosen a drummer who would honor Neil’s memory, and with the blessing of his family, they launched the tour last Sunday at The Forum where they had played their final show.
Pausing For A Moment
June has swung into view, and it brings us into summer which has a little pressure with it. The pressure is to do something, to enjoy the warmer weather, perhaps even to be more social since it’s “nice outside.” And as someone who spent a decade living in places where sunshine was not as plentiful, I fully understand that urge.
But I ran across a few things this week that emphasized being present in the moments given to us instead of moving quickly through them and on to the next thing. I’ve given you one in its entirety just below – a Blessing for a Gentle Summer by Kate Bowler – because I think we can all use this kind of blessing these days.
Reflections
Dear Church Family,
I'm currently at Lazy W Ranch for my annual sermon planning retreat. This morning I started the day on the front porch with a cup of coffee, reading for an upcoming series and listening to the sounds around me.
It occurred to me that the scene looked exactly like one of those carefully curated photos people post on social media — all it needed was a vivid warm filter and a cryptic caption to make me look deep and thoughtful. (I took the photo but resisted the urge to post it online. Mostly because I can't really figure out Instagram.)
What God Does Is Love
May used to be one of my favorite months of the year. Spring has come and warmed the earth and air but doesn’t contain the rather more uncomfortable hot temperatures that the summer will undoubtedly bring.
On some level I still love May, but now it comes with all sorts of “end of the school year” things – concerts, performances, awards, and on and on. Mind you, these are nearly universally delightful things but there are many of them and I tire of them at a certain point.
Couple all of those extra things that pile into May with the usual run of the mill tasks, errands and activities and it ends up feeling like a treadmill that someone adjusted to 10/10 for me. Even now, I hear the siren call of the grocery store. I’d resist it, but we do still need to eat so I’ll try to squeeze that in between leaving work and picking up the first kid to be done with her school day.
A Lawn Mower and the Life of our Church…
Dear Church Family,
On Tuesday, I stopped at the Albertson's shopping center to grab some lunch. As I climbed into my truck, I glanced up at the hillside behind San Clemente High School — and I couldn't look away.
Coming down from the top of that steep hill was the most remarkable lawn mower I have ever seen. Now, I've mowed my share of lawns. I've pushed the old-fashioned hand mower, and I even got to ride one of those small riding mowers during a visit to family in Indiana. But this was something else entirely. Mounted on a massive construction vehicle with caterpillar treads, it had some kind of enormous blade-chopper contraption on the front — that's the technical term — working its way straight down a hillside that no ordinary mower would dare attempt. The little boy who once loved Tonka trucks was completely swept up. It was beautiful, as only lawn mowers can be.
The Power of Creativity
The other day as I was driving around town, I noticed a large pick-up truck with a lot of lumber stacked in the bed. There appeared to be the usual standard sizes of wood, but there was also a piece that looked somewhat triangular. How curious, I thought, and I wondered what might be built with this wood.
Later that week, I found myself in a waiting room. After checking in for this appointment, I sat to listen for my name to be called and my eye was drawn to a flash of plastic and thread in the hands of the woman sitting near me. The thread appeared to be fine and the plastic piece she worked with was an odd shape. Curiosity overtook me and I asked what she was doing and what she was making. She told me she was tatting and making lace. I admired her lace and her creativity. She laughed and said it kept her hands busy and helped to pass the time. All the same, I marveled at her creativity.
Let Me Notice You
Dear Church Family,
Our laundry room door wouldn’t shut. I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to “fix” a door, but as it turns out, this is not an easy task. But last weekend, while Kristen was on the Women’s Retreat, I decided to give it a try.
I began where all good DIY projects start: I bought a power tool. An orbital sander to be precise. (I would have consulted with Kristen, but I didn’t want to disturb her retreat, obviously.)
Then I carefully studied where the door was sticking. I tried to tighten the hinges, but that didn’t work. Clearly, I needed to sand down the top edge of the door where it was hitting the jamb. After removing the door, I took it to the garage to sand down the edge. Everything was laid out perfectly on my sawhorses. I drew my lines on the edge and used the sander to take it down to the right size. Then I brought the door back into the house.
It Takes 30 Seconds
It’s Tuesday morning and it is way too early for me to be awake. But my brain has not heeded my silent request to go back to sleep. Instead, it has clicked on for the day and started to think thoughts. I know this is the end of my sleep so I quietly get up, head downstairs, and wonder how tired I will be later.
After my faithful coffee maker has delivered a hot beverage to me and I am sitting in a chair, I notice that the light changes near the stairwell. There is movement there, and a sleepy 11-year-old girl in her fuzzy robe enters the dim room with me. I put down my coffee, and she comes over to curl up in my lap. She can’t exactly curl up on my lap, though, because she’s only maybe six or eight inches shorter than I am now, so, she sort of squishes next to me in the recliner.
Rise Against Hunger
Dear Church Family,
I must tell you that I am really looking forward to Sunday's Rise Against Hunger event. But I also must confess that the first year we did this event I had no idea what all this was about. Pastor Karl reassured me that it would be great and that I 'd love it. But I wasn't entirely convinced.
Certainly I understood feeding people - I'm a mother of four and I often joke that Food is my superpower. But the whole part about putting dehydrated vegetables and rice into a bag didn't quite make sense in my brain. I couldn't quite envision it.
What about the hair nets and gloves?…
Be Like A Roomba
Dear Church Family,
Our dog sheds - a lot! He’s a Border Collie, so it comes with the territory—but it means that if we don’t stay on top of it, dog hair takes over the house fast. Enter the Roomba, our robotic vacuum cleaner.
Two years ago, I asked for one on Father’s Day, and it’s been one of the most practical gifts I’ve ever received. If you’ve never seen one, they look like a giant hockey puck. Every night, this little robot makes its way around the house sucking up dirt, small particles, and, most importantly, large clumps of dog hair.
What I find fascinating is how the Roomba handles obstacles. It has bumpers on the front and sensors underneath, so it knows when it hits a wall, piece of furniture, or even the actual dog itself. When it bumps into something, it doesn’t stop. It makes tiny adjustments - a little left, a little right - until it finds a way around. Then it’s right back to its mission: clean the floor.
Ordinary People
There are plenty of mundane tasks to do to get ready for any Sunday, but this coming Sunday is Easter which means there are even more. As I write to you, the copier is humming as it prints out well over 500 pieces of paper that many of you will hold in your hands at the worship services on Good Friday or Easter.
The sanctuary has been stripped of some of the normal color and black has been added for Good Friday. But the Easter flowers wait in the wings for their moment in front. Colored, plastic eggs and goody bags for the kiddos have been assembled. Musicians have been preparing for weeks for this weekend, and Karl has been thinking about the sermon for a little longer than is typical.
Recent Staff Changes
We have had an exciting week on our St. Andrew’s staff, as we have welcomed two familiar faces into new ministry roles on our team.
‘Tis A Gift To Be Simple
Dear Church Family,
This Sunday we'll be exploring the Spiritual Discipline of Simplicity — and as it happens, I had planned a simple day for today, Wednesday. Let's just say it didn't quite work out that way.
It was supposed to begin with a breakfast planning meeting. But then I realized I had accidentally double-booked myself — a rare case of an appointment that never made it onto my calendar. Suddenly I needed to figure out how to be in two places at once. Simple enough, right?
Setting Intentions of Love
On some mornings, I will do yoga as my exercise, either at in-person yoga class or with a video online. I am not very flexible, but it does help keep my joints moving, and I think it’s good for me to move daily in some way. In most of the classes, the instructor will give a moment for us to “set an intention” for the day’s practice of yoga.
I love the idea of setting an intention for that specific time, but nearly always my mental response is somewhat cheeky: “my intention is don’t die.” I mean it figuratively - I’m not worried about physical death, I just want to make it through the session. “Don’t die” is my way of saying that I’d like to keep up and not have the movements be too fast or too bendy. Of course, since I’m the one who decided to do the yoga, I usually come up with a truer and less flippant response.
A Part of the Family
Dear Church Family,
When I entered Junior High School as a 7th grader, I was over the moon — not just because I was finally out of Elementary school, but because it meant I could finally join the band.
I still remember the moment it all started: the Junior High Jazz band came to play at our elementary school, and the second I heard them, I knew I wanted to be part of something like that. I asked the director what it took to be a drummer, and he told me I needed lessons. Fortunately, I'd been taking them since 4th grade, so I spent the next year learning and growing, preparing for my chance to audition.
When the week finally came, I was ready. I made the cut — and as a 7th grader, I was going to be part of the group.
The Swings
Sitting in my office now, I can hear a swing from the preschool/day care just across the parking lot. The swing whines a little higher as it goes forward and a little lower as it coasts backward. I don’t know which child is enjoying the swings right now, but I can tell you that it is a fairly constant sound. It’s not annoying in any way, just a small and somewhat distant whine that I can hear if things are quieter in the office.
I remember loving to swing on the swings as a child. It almost felt like I was flying – what a marvelous thing! Some kids could jump off the swings at just the right time and go sailing through the air and land well. I could not do jump off with any sort of accuracy or grace, but I could swing!
Mexico Mission Trip Recap 2026
Dear Church Family,
As I type this, I can hear the wind howling and the rain pouring down outside. After a brief break, the storms have returned — and while it's cold in the office, I'm warm and dry, sheltered from it all. That thought keeps leading me back to three families in Ensenada who are also sheltered from the storm today, because of your love and generosity.
On Earth As It Is In Heaven
It’s early as I grab my coffee. I sit down and make my list of things to do today. Making a list always helps me: once the list is on paper, my brain can relax a little since it knows the paper is now responsible for remembering all the things. The list isn’t overly long today so that is nice.
As I sit at the table making my list, I glance at yesterday’s paper. I find myself reading the headlines and some of the articles. My heart aches at the callousness with which we humans treat each other. My brain is not relaxed any more as I read the ways in which we seem to be inventing new ways to hurt one another.
Missions Month
Dear Church Family,
Back in 1994, I took a group of Youth on an “Urban Plunge” mission trip. We had about 30 junior high and high school students and brought them to work with various mission organizations in Los Angeles. It was an amazing experience with a lot of surprises (some great and some challenging).
It’s been a while, but I recall that we handed out sandwiches on the streets, served meals in a soup kitchen, and learned about ways people became the hands and feet of Jesus for those in need.
But there was one part I will never forget…
Unclogging the Spiritual Drain
Dear Church Family,
If you're a parent of daughters with long hair, you know about one of life's most glamorous tasks: the quarterly "Clearing of the Drains."
This ritual happens every time those long hairs become too much for the drains to handle. Armed with a special tool designed for just this purpose, I wrestle the bundle free from deep within. And then, like the miraculous parting of the Red Sea, the water suddenly falls away.
I have found that over the years, the same thing can happen to our spiritual life. The stuff of life begins to collect in our spiritual pipes. And over time, less and less living water makes its way to our souls. We can easily find ourselves clogged.