1202 sunday

I spent several hours at SBCC today. My father dropped me off just after the start of the first service, so I just waited on the patio for the start of the second service. After the first service ended, I spent a little time catching up with friends.

Janice mentioned that the OCSS Christmas party was last night at the Hacienda. She talked about all of the old friends that were there; it seems that time hasn't changed that group. You see, OCSS stands for Orange County Sansei Singles, though they're rarely in Orange County, almost none of them are Sanseis, and married couples represent the bulk of the membership. Add to that the fact that I would be considered one of the "youngsters" and you'll figure out why I wasn't there.

I also had a chat with Jim Y, whose right arm is immobilized, following the surgery on his rotator cup on November 2nd. I saw him last Sunday as well. He is managing quite well with just his left arm and has returned to work. He's even driving again, although he is restricted to daylight hours. He is expecting to have full use of his right arm in about three weeks.

While Jim and I were talking, we were joined by Michelle, and then we caught up on our Thanksgivings. The two of them have been a great help to me in my walking exercises, and I look forward to the time when they will be able to join me again.

I made it inside the sanctuary just as worship was starting at 11am. I was met by Danny, who asked me about my blog. You see, he didn't read the entry on 11/26, but one of you told him about it, so he'll be looking for it.

Pastor Gary started a new series today titled "If It's A Wonderful Life ...?" This week's installment asked "... Why Is The World Such A Mess?" He talked about all the pain and suffering in the world today, and how it can be traced back to Genesis, just after the fall of Adam and Eve. He referred to Genesis 3:16-17 which reads "To the woman he said, 'I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.' To Adam he said, 'Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,' cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life."

He also talked about how the earth is ruled over by Satan, which is a fact that we are all aware of, and is confirmed in 1 John 5:19 with "... the whole world is under the control of the evil one."

He talked about the Frank Capra classic "It's A Wonderful Life" with Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey, who spends most of the film finding out what life would have been like without him. Pastor Gary gave us all a thought to ponder: What would our lives be like today if God had not sent His son, Jesus, to die on the cross for our sins?

After the service, I had a nice chat with Todd. He asked how I was managing life under the restrictions of my recovery. Todd remembers that I used to like being kept busy and that I often had multiple projects going on simultaneously. I confirmed that God is teaching me patience as I can no longer expect to maintain the level of involvement thatI once had; I must now pick-and-choose what I do on a daily basis.

We talked a bit about my walking, and I mentioned that I've moved from the mall to the park. He may be joining me on a walk soon.

Koinonia met in the Dugout at 12:30pm, and it was Sheri, Liz, Wendi, Eric and Jennifer; Stephanie was out of town and Sam was unable to make it. We shared for some time before we started into the Lesson Eight study, which was led by Wendi. I would've included some photos, but my use of my phone camera has been censured. We chatted about Sheri's "elf" project, Jennifer & Eric's slow boat to Ensenada next week, Wendi's earth science classes, and Liz's discovery of broadband and the Lifehouse Everything video on GodTube. We joked with Eric about his forgetting that we were locked in last Sunday (really Jen, he was here the whole time).

This lesson covered from Genesis 11:27 to Genesis 12:20, and the experiences of Abram. We found out that Abram lied to Pharaoh of Egypt, yet God did not punish Abram for the lie. Or was it a half-lie since Sarai was Abram's half-sister? What I want to know is .... when someone mentions Pharaoh of Egypt, who does not think of Yul Brynner?

We finished up just a bit past 2pm. Liz had her Westside volleyball to get to, but was able to give me a ride home first. One of these days, I'll be back to playing volleyball again.