Oh my…oh my. I was reminded again of how glorious California is as my airplane rose into the sky headed toward Chicago. Oh the beauty of the Redwoods! Oh the simplicity of the hills! Oh the majesty of the Sierra Nevadas! Oh the magnitude of the Pacific! I deeply enjoyed my time in California and was refreshed during my time there. Some of y’all might know, and some might not, that my family and I lived for 3 years in a suburb of Sacramento, CA. I was 10 years old when we moved there and 13 years old when we left, so going to Sacramento was a neat experience for me. I had not visited there in nearly 10 years. I was able to see some old friends, visit our old house, and see the elementary school. It was very good for me to re-connect with these people, places, and memories…I’m glad that I was able to spend some time walking around and reflecting. Here is some information on Sacramento and the dynamics of the city…

Sacramento is the capital of California and has about 500,000 citizens. It is part of a 4-country metropolitan area that has around 2 million residents. One of the coolest things about this city is its location. It is about 1 ½ hours south of the Sierra Nevada mountains…about 1 ½ hours east of the Pacific Ocean…and about 2 hours north of San Francisco. Sacramento (and all of northern California) has a very different feel and atmosphere than other big California cities like Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco. It is a much more low-key city that has a very family-friendly aura. In 2002, Time magazine recognized Sacramento as the most racially/ethnically integrated major city in the United States. This racial diversity is another pretty incredible aspect about the city.

My time in California began and ended with some time away at the Magda’s farm in Newcastle, CA. Newcastle is a small town about 8 miles north of Roseville (the suburb where I lived for 3 years) and about 35 miles north of downtown Sacramento. The Magda’s are a family that we became very close with while we both lived in Roseville. They eventually moved to the 28-acre farm in Newcastle and have been there for about 12 years. Please check out the pictures of the Magda’s and their farm on the “Sacramento Pictures” link if you haven’t already.

My time with the Magda’s on their farm

The farm is a place where peace and solitude can be found if it is sought. Certainly in the house there was very little peace because of the TV, work, activity, and number of people that reside there…pretty normal for most Americans. But when I left the house and walked up the hill, around the vineyard, by the stream – that is where the peace was found for me. I deeply needed some time to reflect, pray, read, and listen before I continued on the trip. This was the perfect timing for a time of retreat for me. I remembered how deeply I love walking and hiking in beautiful areas…it does something deep within my soul. I was very thankful to have this time.

As I walked and saw the soil, weeds, grass, rocks, plants, fruit, and roots I sensed a deep connectedness to the parables that Jesus used to teach his disciples. Especially the parables that talk about farms and vineyards, seeds and wheat, plants and fields. I was reminded of the length of time it takes for a plant to grow into its fullness and all the things that must occur in order for it to grow. Soil, water, light, warmth, darkness, nutrients, constant care. There are lots of different parallels that could be made to the growth of a plant, flower, or fruit, but I saw once again how this can be related to growth in individuals & communities. There are so many small, seemingly insignificant things that have to occur in order to a person to grow in a healthy way, and the same is true for communities. And it takes a long time. Most of us want growth to happen quickly in our lives, in our families, in our churches, and in our communities. Jesus calls us to embrace slow, deep, organic growth. I was reminded of that as I spent time on the farm. It stirred me to give myself away to an area for a long time and to serve people well in that location.

Not very glamorous, but it seems to be what Jesus pursued rather than the quick success that most of our churches desire and most of our culture points us toward.

ANTIOCH PROGRESSIVE BAPTIST CHURCH (www.antiochpbc.org)

I spent a little bit of time with Antioch Progressive Baptist Church while I was in Sacramento. This church is located about 5 miles south of downtown Sacramento and is in the middle of a somewhat urban context. This is an African American church has around 500 attenders during their Sunday morning services. The church is just over 20 years old and has a long-term vision to serve the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of its surrounding community. Around 5-6 years ago the church built its Family Life Center which is used for several different programs and events during the week. Many of these programs are led by non-profit organizations that are active in leading community development in the neighborhoods. While I was visiting, the kids were in the middle of their spring break and several teenagers were taking a cooking class during their week off. This class provides teens with practical kitchen skills and empowers them to be successful.

Members of the church are part of different Tribes. Each Tribe is focused on deepening relationships between people in their group, spiritual growth with that context, and serving together in a common mission. This vision for the Tribes creates an opportunity for more holistic spiritual formation. This church is all about serving and bringing healing to the community. Their building sits on over 19 acres of land. They have already built a playground for local children to play and are about to begin building basketball courts, softball fields, soccer fields, and expand their playground area. This church is hoping to provide a safe place for community activities to take place. It’s a beautiful hope and vision.

I got to spend a good bit of time with Kareef Lawrence, Antioch Progressive’s youth pastor. He shared a lot about the church, it’s vision, and his heart. Check out the web site for these guys.

A few key things that I learned & sensed during my time in Sacramento and with Antioch Progressive Baptist Church…

• My personal need for space & reflection. I sensed this again while I was on the farm and how good it was for my soul to walk around in the silence. In order for me to create and to be healthy, I need lots of intentional time where I can reflect and just be. I was reminded of my passion and gifting of providing guidance and counsel, and I sense that more formal training in this area would be helpful for my future.

• The resources of the church are for the community and world that she serves, not herself. Local churches need to see themselves as spiritual communities who intentionally serve. Grasping that we have been “blessed, in order to be a blessing” is difficult for churches to embrace and live out, but they must. May we understand this with our time, money, gifts, & physical resources.

• Why do we believe that the church is successful when she builds a bigger building? We send our people, community, and the world a message when we invest loads of resources in building buildings. Why not invest their resources into practical aspects of the community? Why not use their money to empower people in poverty rather than having to pay the nasty electric bill each month?

I hope and pray that the church will begin to understand herself as a community that has been sent into, rather than away from, the world just as Abram was in Genesis 12:1-2. And like Abram, I hope that our identity and purpose will be centered around us seeking to bless others.

Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.”

Thanks so much for all your love & prayers…