The photos above are actually where you could have found me in July and I did just about everything I said in the July edition. We have had a ton of fun in Mangoland. Great music, great food, great friends and a surprise trip for Kendra’s 40th birthday and our 19th wedding anniversary. Uncle Bucky visited from Florida. The Wolfe family visited from Chico. On our trip, we visited with our old friend, Robb Gordon and then in a last minute change of plans we were treated to a behind the scenes tour of Universal Studios with college friend Fred Renner. We wrapped up the month with homeschooling blog friends Nate/Deb Perkins for a whirlwind weekend of activity.

On to the month of August…
YOU CAN FIND ME LISTENING TO THIS:

I picked up a digital copy of Buffett’s new live album called Encores, whose title is self-explanatory, containing acoustic arrangements from several recent concerts. This is a really fun album of Buffett’s oldest stuff and some new recordings. If you are inclined to check this out, I recommend taking a good listen to his cover of John Prine’s “A Big Old Goofy World.”

We are throwing a 40th birthday/luau for a friend, so I have downloaded a bunch of Hawaiian music. Steel guitar, the music of Iz, C and K, and any other island drum music I can find. If you know me (and even if you don’t), I’ll do anything to get Kenj into a grass skirt and coconuts for a little dancing (Grab your puka shells and join the fun, because “she’s still…a Hula girl at heart!”).

YOU CAN FIND ME HANGING OUT HERE:
As I type this we are still fully engaged in summer 2010 by swinging in the hammock chairs on the back porch. I just finished a great book about enjoying the things of summer and I just convinced Kendra that we need to have grilled fish, boiled shrimp and steamed corn for dinner. It has taken no convincing and she is busy looking up a recipe for pineapple peach salsa for the fish. Yup, life is pretty good here in the summer!
I recently clicked a tab on facebook that said, “I love being underwater.” This is an understatement. Since I was a little boy wearing Aquaman underoos, the pool has been one of my favorite spots. We have enjoyed very mellow temperatures here in the central valley this summer, but on most days one or more mangokids can be found in or around the pool and I can be found launching off the top of the waterfall in one of my signature dives.

YOU CAN FIND ME READING THIS:
I have not listened to one full sermon of Mark Driscoll (mostly because they are long and I have the attention span of a teenager drinking Red Bull), but there is something about the guy that makes people think I’m a fan/follower. After getting my new iPad (see below), I was looking for electronic books to see if I would actually like using the device. I also thought I would finally take the time and read the pastor that people think I am so fond of following, so I picked up an electronic copy of Religion Saves. Now I see the connection. Love the topic. Love the book. Love Driscoll’s style and his passion for the gospel. But, I’m not a man-follower and I still love Jesus a ton more! I’ll download a sermon or two next and give a listen to see if the comparison is valid!

I am an electronic gadget freak and a sucker for anything Apple creates, but this is still a great little device. You know what I notice? There are a lot of critics out there. I’ve already heard from family members and friends that think it was a ridiculous purchase. I can handle the truth and the truth is this: email, internet, the Bible, books, and whatever else I want for about .99 is sitting in my hand as I type this portion of theMangoTimes. Ridiculous? I think not! Anyhow, here’s my 10 second review: It’s not a laptop…it’s not a big iPhone. If you don’t like it, don’t buy it. If you want to be on the front line of new technology and interacting with the world in a new way…get one…today. If not, go buy a PC and enjoy your experience with Windows. Meanwhile, I’ll be cruising the App Store…send me your suggestions.

That’s it for August! I hope to see you somewhere in Mangoland. Drop by or drop me a note! Remember to stay off the highways and the byways!

Quietly making noise,
Fletch

In this email, my friend went on to talk about families that come to our church from other churches that may or may not be reformed in their thinking. This person went on to clarify their position as it relates to families and even more specifically fathers…

In responding to his question, I acknowledged no fundamental difference between live-birth and adoption-based families; they should all be raised for the glory of God! However, I continued with this in my answer:

“I think what I clung to in the Bayly boys blog is an attitude of theological elitism. What I’m getting at is that I see the reformed church (in very general terms) lacking in gospel ministry to the world and being more excited about the reformation of already-Christians instead of the salvation of yet-to-be Christians.
I also see the reformed church (again, in very general terms) more concerned in one era/style of worship and in general looking at those from the non-reformed community as coming from churches “that don’t get it” or “haven’t arrived yet.” A gross generalization, but it’s a recurring theme.”

The majority of our emails contained specific dialogue about our specific local congregation, so I’ll spare you the boring details. However, at another point, this exchange did allow me the opportunity to clarify even further what I felt was at the heart of both the Bayly Brother’s blog and my first post. Here is how I responded:

“Any Church USA” falls short when they preach a gospel that is based on external items rather than the cross of Jesus Christ. I call it “lifestyle evangelism.” When someone either notices you as an individual or…sees your family and inquires in a positive way about why you are “different” than other people of faith. Within a few sentences, we should be able to turn that conversation to the cross of Jesus Christ.
With “lifestyle evangelism” the discussion goes to what we’ve done (our marriage, our family, our homeschooling, our dress, our behavior, and the list goes on). I think we would both challenge any efforts to evangelize others to “look/act/dress/behave like me” rather than “look/act/dress/behave like Christ.”
How about Jesus? I believe He entered every area of culture. He addressed sin. He gave people hope. He gave them Himself. He addressed the religious elite regularly and accused them with sharp words of adding to the gospel of grace. Jesus came to save individual believers. He came to take away their sins and reconcile them to God. He did not come to make better families or create stronger fathers…If someone different looking/acting walked into our conservative church (i.e. red hair/tattoos), I think Jesus would accept them where they were. He’d allow the HS to address their sin and He would offer them hope.

In one of my final email responses, I went on to further clarify what I was trying to say by writing this to my friend:

“I hope we can agree that we need to minister to all, learn to relate to all, accept others right where they are and share the gospel of salvation…dwell on the core and not the peripheral…show them love…pretend that all we have to give others is Jesus and then give them Jesus! I hope we can encourage folks to love Jesus, to serve Jesus and to honor Jesus! I know we can agree that it is all about Jesus.”

Hopefully my responses in this email diaglogue will clarify what resonated with me in the Bayly Brother’s blog. I found that taking part in this email correspondence was helpful and I wish it had worked itself out in the comments section for more of you to participate. Hopefully, you can join in on the discussion now that I have included them here.

Lastly, I hope by now that most loyal readers of theMangoTimes would know that when I say “it’s all about Jesus” that I’m not negating doctrine, theology or obedience to God in His Word. I hope you would know that when I say “Give them Jesus,” I mean that phrase to be synonymous with “Give them the Gospel (alone!)” and “Tell them about the mercy of God (alone!)” and “Tell others what Jesus has done for them (alone!)”. Instead of first welcoming folks into a “graduate” level of church, let’s welcome them into loving Jesus Christ and what He accomplished for them!

Quietly making noise,
Fletch

For a while now, I’ve been talking about life from within the “Reformed camp.” You see, after years of enjoying and feasting upon great God-centered doctrine, I’ve found myself stopping to take a look around. Face it, I don’t care where you fall within the greater camp of Christianity, from high-church, to contemporary, to charismatic, to traditional…every one has weaknesses. Likewise, the Reformed tradition has blind spots and sometimes it serves us well to push our pride aside and look at our warts. Whether it’s a disconnect from the marching orders given by Christ in the great commission or an arrogant snub to anything that might look or smell like contemporary Christian life (worship, discipleship, evangelism), I continue to reflect upon the tendency for the neo-Reformed folk to be an inward-focused and self-congratulatory bunch.

At the same time, if you are a friend of mine, you’ve heard me work through an idea that I’ve termed the “graduate church.” I am referring to the effort made by many within Reformed congregations to present the Christian faith at an elevated cerebral level. In other words, Christ is understood, discussed, practiced, debated and worshipped at the “head level.” What’s missing is that “heart level” understanding of Jesus Christ. Through our own personal reformations to deeper understanding of the faith (or as I’ve heard it said, “when I finally arrived at a right understanding of God”), we lose the ability to understand, discuss, debate, and worship Christ at the “heart level.” Long gone are discussions about a deep abiding love for Jesus and we dig our heels in as our worship even approaches anything emotional. Unfortunately, many new-comers to these congregations can get lost in translation, and these “graduate churches” are forced to grow not because of “new-believers,” but they add to their membership with “already-believers.”

Like I said at the beginning, this is one of those times when someone else has said it better…much better. I found the Bayly Brothers talking about “graduate church” too, but they’ll probably get away with it. I’ll just sit back and point my fingers over towards them and say “Yeah, what they said…” Click on their picture or FOLLOW THIS LINK to the Bayly Brothers blog and read what they have said about this topic…and then come back here and drop a comment if you want.

Quietly making noise,
Fletch

I’ll be enjoying the groovy tunes of Jack Johnson’s latest album, To The Sea. After a free Starbucks download of “At Or With Me” I knew this album would be good. He continues to deliver some of the best music out there and his sound/lyrics have theMangoTimes written all over them. Throw this on the speakers, climb in the hammock, pull someone you love close, and call it a night. Favorite lyrics of late:“Are they laughing at or with me? People are just trying to fit in-But is there something telling you-You can’t trust anyone in this town-Ah baby those are such great shoes”.

I’ve spent a great deal of time enjoying the preaching of Pastor Britt Merrick from Reality Carpinteria church. I was introduced to him through a few videos I saw on facebook. He has been very transparent dealing with his daughter’s recent diagnosis of stage 3 cancer. His sermons are some of the best I’ve heard and if you are a fan of gospel centered preaching, you will not go wrong with this podcast. His current series, Missio Christi, will speak life into any stagnancy you’ve allowed to develop in your faith. Ever wonder why a Christian’s favorite meal is fellow Christians? Ever questioned how to speak truth without judging your brother or sister? As a teaser, I’ve included a snippet of his sermon, “Truth Telling without Judging” below. If you enjoy it, go download the whole sermon!

Jason Mraz is another great musician you will find playing through mangoland (or my office…or my car…or on my iPod). If you listen to any pop-radio station, you’ve heard his music, but I would recommend you dig a little deeper for some of his really good stuff. If you get there fast enough, you can still get a FREE DOWNLOAD from Levi’s Pioneer Sessions of Jason singing “Spirit in the Sky” and if you want to see the behind the scenes video, here it is:

YOU CAN FIND ME HANGING OUT HERE:
We are going to Mt. Hermon’s Summer Concert Series to take in some great tunes by Sara Groves. She is one of Kendra’s favorites and we’ve been waiting a long time to find a way to catch her in concert…and this one is nearly in our backyard (well, maybe not our backyard, but close enough). I love going to Mt. Hermon. It’s perfectly placed in the mountains above Santa Cruz and on a personal note, it’s where God chose to reveal His grace to me (way back in 1982 when I attended Young Life Winter Camp).

The backporch is a favorite locale for many visitors to mangoland. For me personally, just swinging in the hammock chairs with Kendra or curling up with some cute mangokids while the warm valley California air drifts through the back yard spells summer at our house. I actually notice that I rarely use the front door during the summer. Life just slows down and moves at a slower pace. So drop by, leave your worries in your car and join me on the back porch to swing and relax. Consider this your invitation…

As part of our Summerzcool curriculum, we’ve made it our goal to get back to the beach as much as we possibly can to find out “what is and what is not cool.” We continue to return to some of our favorite sandy spots on the coast. Santa Cruz at the harbor. Capitola, complete with the pastel cottages dotting the lagoon and Pizza My Heart. Want to join us for our summertime classes on sandy beaches and distant reaches? There is just something about watching your kids chase waves and seagulls that makes this life we’ve chosen that much better!

You will definitely find me standing in front of this new addition. If you know us, you know that life often revolves around our kitchen! Now that my parents have recently installed this outdoor wood-fired pizza oven, our kitchen party has moved outside. We have been busy perfecting doughs and creating our favorite pizzas. At 700+ degrees, we are spinning out pizzas every two minutes for the hungry masses.

…AND THE REST OF US WILL BE HANGING OUT HERE:

Hope to see you this month!

Quietly making noise,
Fletch

“Father’s Day in the Capitola sand”

“Swinging on the porch at Bass Lake”

“Lifeguard Nate” in action at the Riverbank Pool

Last weekend we hosted another concert in our home. StoryvilleLive swooped into our house in the afternoon and converted our downstairs to a coffee house/concert stage. Three of Storyville’s representatives literally donned white gloves as they moved furniture and set-up about 60 chairs for the evening concert. They served coffee and desserts, greeted the guests and then put our house completely back together when they were through! Great job Storyville!

StoryvilleLive Van, Music + Coffee = Freedom

About 60 guests filled our downstairs

Pierce Pettis filled our house with his music

Quietly Making Noise,
Fletch