Barrio Prophets

A few months ago I actually cared about who won the Democratic nomination. Molly and I made phone calls for Obama in the East L.A. area the weekend before super Tuesday. We have an Obama sign on our lawn. I have a “Si Se Puede!” sign in my car. Do I want Obama to win? Sure. But really, this is getting old. 

I picked my first strawberry last week. I decided that I was going to give it to the Lord. So I wrapped it in a paper towel, said a prayer, and burned it at the altar (the grill).

My stat counter is telling me I only have one returning reader. It’s not that I don’t want to write, it’s just that I have no time for it. I have ideas on a daily basis, but the thought of sitting down and writing them out feels like a lot.

I’ve taken up gardening lately. The other day I was reading John 15, and Jesus’ comments about God being a gardener took on a whole new meaning for me. At this point I’m growing cucumbers, egg plant, strawberries, spinach, pumpkins, squash, tomatoes, onions, watermelon, basil and a whole bunch of herbs, peas, and about 15-20 other flowers and plants. I know when each one of them grows an inch, I know how much water the get, how much sunlight they need, when I need to move them, when to fertilize, I know what diseases they have, and I know what type of insects are eating away at them.

God takes care of me the same way. That’s a comforting thought. 

Some of you have probably been wondering where I’ve been. The easy answer is, “planning for LaFe07″. After Cumbre (in November), LaFe07 took most of my time, and I was overwhelmed with work to the point that I had to stop blogging completely. Most of my reading, visioning, scripture study, and writing went into the conference. I realized that I didn’t have the energy to plan for a national conference and blog at the same time. But here I am, on the other side of LaFe07, and I’m ready to go again.The first things I wanted to do was give you an opportunity to look at a video that I made for the intercession team that was praying for me in the month leading to the conference. I share my thoughts on what went into planning for it, the “Engaging” track, my talk, and why I think LaFe07 took Intervarsity LaFe to the next level in raising Latino Christian leaders in our movement. 

Some of you have been asking what I’ve been up to in January. Answer; “fundraising”. Molly and I have a few thousand dollar we need to raise before the end of the fiscal year.

I’ve also decided to shelve my books on history, economics, and politics for at least a month. I need to just be with the Lord and live life without engaging serious things for a bit. I started reading “One Hundred Years of Solitude”, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Man, it’s beautiful. I haven’t read a novel in almost two years. I’ve been watching lots of UCLA basketball, celebrating that fact that I’ve caught 11 cats in the neighborhood, and last night we watched the first episode of the new season of American Idol. Molly and I will be celebrating our birthday this Saturday. She turned 29 last week, and I turn 30 on the 24th.

“For the most part, happiness isn’t about money. Priests and firefighters are the most joyful, and they’re pretty close to the middle of U.S. earners.” Time Magazine, November 26th (2007) Issue 

Molly and I aren’t priests, but we’re definitely happy with our job. Clergy topped the list of happiest people; Gas-station attendants were the least happy. 

•  Clergy
• Real-Estate Agents
• Doctors and Dentists
• Accountants
• Lawyers
• Athletes 

·      Joseph, an Israelite, had helped Egypt become the nation they were. He coordinated the distribution of food during the famine at the end of Genesis. If it weren’t for the Israelites, Egypt might not have become the superpower they were.

·      The Israelites were exceedingly fruitful. They multiplied greatly.

·       “Then a new king, to whom Joseph (and the Israelites) meant nothing, came into power in Egypt”. The governing powers forget about the contributions of the Israelites.

·      “Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.” Pharaoh fears the number of Israelites in the land, and justifies the oppression of a people by saying that their presence is a threat to national security. 

 I’m wearing a USC shirt tonight. Some of you might be thinking that maybe I’ve gone over to the dark side. That’s not the case here. Let me explain.   

I’ve been writing my talk for Cumbre, and it’s been hard. When I get in front of my computer I begin to get headaches and feel nauseous. I know what I want to say but it’s just not coming to me on paper. It’s frustrating. I’ve felt really alone this week.   

But in the midst of this I’ve also had an awesome time connecting to God. I want, more than anything else, for God to be glorified on Friday. He reminded me tonight that I have people around me who care about me, and that there are those who have passed on and are watching me from above.  

Tonight the Lord reminded me of Julio, the ELAC student I mentored for two years. He was killed in a hit-and-run in 2005. I’ve been thinking a lot about Julio during my writing this week. I might share about him at Cumbre. 

Julio was a funny character. He once got me a USC shirt for Christmas to make fun of me. He knew how much I hated SUC. When we were praying the Lord reminded me of Julio’s gift. So I pulled it out of my bottom drawer and put it on.   

This one’s for Julio.      

The room location for Cumbre07 has changed. We are still at CMC, but we’ll be meeting in the Athenaeum, not McKenna Auditorium. Click here for directions.Sorry for change in location, we’ve run into some problems working with the events people. I need you guys to pray for me. I’m speaking on Friday, but these types of changes stress me out and get in the way of my writing.

I got this YouTube video forwarded to me today.

“Hey Abner, Check this out man, I was surfing you tube and i found this great speech by non other then MLK!  It’s awsome!  Substitute the word vietnam with the word “Iraq” and it’s still real today!!  I love how he makes reference to God towards the end of his speech!”   

It was time to change the look of my blog. Some of the links aren’t working, and the images up at the top suck. I’ll fix the rest of it later. Let me know what you think.