I didn't have enough air to blow out 5 candles. Oxygen tanks were standing by to revive me... Thanks to all the well-wishers from all over.
10/23/06
10/20/06
I know... it's always food!
If you ever have a chance to go down to San Jose, there is a nice Italian restaurant off San Fernando & First Street. The mixed grill or the salmon @ Bella Mia is wonderfully prepared and has great presentation. Parking is hard to find downtown, but there is a $6 covered lot right across the street. Bon apetit!
Kids are messy!
This is an excerpt from Timothy Eldred (www.praywithyouth.com) regarding the development of youth. As you read it I want to encourage you as you are IN the lives of the kids that it WILL cost... but we will either pay now or pay later... rest assured, we will pay.
-info@rmaxtorres.com
WASTING TIME WITH KIDS
October 19, 2006
============= excerpted message from Timothy Eldred follows===========
I know how to waste time. I'm sure a lot of people could give me a run for my money, but when it comes to wasting time I can hold my own. As a matter of fact, I might be considered an expert. Believe it or not, I want you to be an expert, too!
In a recent blog post on All for One, Milton McDonald, from Sydney, Australia, hit the nail square on the head with these words to youth leaders, "Develop the habit of wasting time with your youth." That comment is the context for my opening paragraph. In order to effectively impact young lives, we must learn to waste time with teens.
Just think about the amount of time we really do waste (Can we all say television commercials?). Some people loose many days a year watching advertisements on TV. Of course, there are other time-wasters we could name, but it would be a waste of my time to sit here create a list of them for you.
The point is simple: Relationships change lives. How many hours have slipped away from us (this week alone) that could have been wasted (invested) in someone's life? There are things we do for the sake of ministry we think are important that really are an unfortunate waste of time. They just keep us busy instead of actively engaged. Busy typically takes place behind a desk. It includes too much time alone. Often, busy means planning, preparing, and polishing weekly programs. Why? Are they that effective?
The simplicity of the Gospel and the example of Jesus Christ has been all but lost for the sake of productivity and professionalism. I dare you (triple-dog-dare-you) to stop being efficient for once. Instead, take a chance and begin intentionally wasting time with the people God has placed in your path. That's where real life- change occurs.
Enroll your church in Pray with Youth now.
Because of Jesus,
Timothy Eldred
Christian Endeavor International
email: teldred@allfor1.org
phone: 989-427-3737
web: http://www.praywithyouth.com
EPA Disaster Preparedness Taskforce
Honorable Ruben Abrica, Mayor of East Palo Alto, California [www.epa.net] convenes a Disaster Preparedness meeting in the City Hall on October 20, 2006. A BrainTrust formed of these 20 or more grassroots community leaders and organizational heads and representatives will surely yield valuable plans and preparations for the well-being of the residents of this area. Dialogue with cohesiveness was so refreshing in the midst of this pre-election season. Clearly, there is a desire to learn from recent tragedies and it seems that at this point, we simply know data points. What lies ahead is the formation of clear objectives & principles that can help us guide ourselves when everything starts getting chaotic.
Doug Stringer, Founder & Director of Somebody Cares International [http://somebodycares.org] cites the passage in Luke 21:13 as he challenges the Church to prepare to let all these things be an occassion for our testimony.
Doug Stringer, Founder & Director of Somebody Cares International [http://somebodycares.org] cites the passage in Luke 21:13 as he challenges the Church to prepare to let all these things be an occassion for our testimony.
10/19/06
A few good men...
(LtoR) Pastor John Liotti, Pastor Paul Bains, Mayor Ruben Abrica and Father Goode
Originally uploaded by rmaxt.
John Liotti heads up the Northern California Urban Development Corporation which is founding a Credit Union by East Palo Alto, for East Palo Alto, in East Palo Alto; Pastor Paul Bains is Senior Pastor of St. Samuel COGIC and is of the Bains Family which actually co-founded the city of East Palo Alto; Mayor Ruben Abrica is the cities first Latino Mayor and is a Stanford Graduate who is now teaching in DeAnza Community College; and Father Goode is pastoring the St. Francis of Assissi Parish in East Palo Alto & East Menlo Park.
The evening of October 19, 2006 was the date for a community forum on the ballot issue called Measure C as well as the community need for a full service supermarket. Discussion ranged from choosing a name for the SuperMarket which would not culturally alienate either the Latino(60%), African-American(23%) or Pacific Islanders(8% and growing) to declaring their position on a property tax that would provide both additional Police protection and funding for Community Based programs.
Kool KidSmart Kookies
At snack time the children of Bayshore Christian Ministries got creative! M&M's, Caramel/Chocolate/Vanilla topping and cookies all combined to provide colorful & tasty snacks.
10/18/06
Hop Scotch Engineer
Can you do it? Look close... it says "You Can Do It!" Very affirming sidewalk chalk engineer!
10/14/06
Keyhole become Google Earth
On this Saturday I went over and loaded materials & resources donated by the company formerly know as Keyhole Software. They were recently acquired by Google Earth and are one of the most valuable tools in my MacWorld of travel and investigation! I just love this program and I remember the days when I was hoping I could get enough money to subscribe to the paid version of Keyhole which had so many additional features that are all now part of Google Earth's default configuration! Thanks Mark A. for all that you and your fellow 'world mappers' were able to do. Life is change! Now Google has YouTube! and who knows what that will mean for all the media hungry webbers in the world.
10/13/06
Da Fonz
You don't know me... but I know you. Da Fonz apparently showed up at the CrossRoad Youth Night to bang the JukeBox at Mel's Diner. He's clearly a stud... looks like his grandpa!
Baby Xitlali came to work today!
Xitlali Torres brought her proud parents, Luis & Tina (see Flickr Pix) to work today!! Those doctors have been keeping her under house arrest for the last several weeks, and she just wasn't having that anymore, so she behaved long enough for the Docs to feel like it was ok for her to put up with her parents driving. Her little smile says it all: 'I've got the bestest little brother at home waiting for me!' Keep her in your prayers for all the things that are a challenge for a baby born at 8 months. She is clearly making Mom & Dad proud!
Hopefully you will soon be able to read Luis' bio on the website. Congratulations Torres family!
Hopefully you will soon be able to read Luis' bio on the website. Congratulations Torres family!
10/12/06
Why does evil exist?
Someone asked a brilliant question...
Why does evil exist?
maybe the first question to pose would be regarding the existence of evil, or not. The absence of God's goodness could be construed as evil, except that God (who is good) is everywhere. Therefore, evil may only exist in the light of an opportunity for God's magnificence to brightly shine in the moment's of our dependence on Him. . . i think?!
. . . what was the question?
why don't you post your response in the section below... and put a link to your blog, or site or whatever so you can post the same question and get responses from those whom you know, and we can examine the variety of responses across this disparate web of question askers!
10/11/06
10/10/06
Karate Chop!
Dr. Larry Acosta lays it all out in the pre-planning meeting for the Bay Area ReLoad conference coming in January Stay tuned for more action scenes!
10/9/06
Sidewalk Artiste
This young man from the streets of Mexico City found his way to Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, CA. By the light of a generator-powered light source he sprays, scrapes & flames creations from scores of aerosol paint cans that are clearly veterans of many chilly nights. Kneeling and crouched in the gaze of the streetcorner crowds, he delivers mystically profound art to the casual viewer for $10 to $20.
10/8/06
Bella Roma, Capitola, CA
29yr Anniversary Dinner at - Bella Roma
The steamed clams & mussels were delicious, if not a little cold when they were served. But the Italian fare was genuinely presented in the plaster walled, linen tabled atmosphere of a 'reservations only' class restaurant. Although it was obviously small, the attraction in Capitola was for the local residents. I would highly recommend this to anyone traveling to the Santa Cruz or Capitola area.
The steamed clams & mussels were delicious, if not a little cold when they were served. But the Italian fare was genuinely presented in the plaster walled, linen tabled atmosphere of a 'reservations only' class restaurant. Although it was obviously small, the attraction in Capitola was for the local residents. I would highly recommend this to anyone traveling to the Santa Cruz or Capitola area.
More steamed clams on Fisherman's Wharf...
... served at Sabella & la Torre restaurant. They even have their own 'barker' outside the door calling people in to sit and eat instead of standing in the streets and ordering freshly cooked crabs & other seafood from sidewalk vendors.
10/7/06
Tidal Pool Watchers... Santa Cruz, CA
It was clearly a time that many were aware of. We were fortunate enough to happen upon this beach as the tide receeded, leaving tidal pools with a colorful variety of sealife [urchins, starfish, and other weird stuff] for us to look at.
10/3/06
Moody's 2006 Latino Poster Child
CoverStory: Marcos Gamez Our good friend of UrbNet is front and center on Moody Bible Institute's web-publication! This is a good example of the rewards of hard work! Click on his name in the link above to go to the full story on Moody's site.
Attaboy Chále!
Recent visits...
Well, I looked into the stat counter and noticed that i had a few visitors recently that I may recognize...
* For starters, I wanted to greet my brother in Utah! Glad to see you checked in ABT! Hoping to see ya soon with all your tribe.
* Next, DVULI Rocks! Looking for upcoming opps to connect deeper with DVULI oriented groups around the country
* I am also guessing Pastor Curiel is checking in from Colombia, or maybe someone connected to that ministry... Bendiciones Roosevelt! Espero que estas bien.
* I'm not sure that I know anyone from the Netherlands, Morocco, U.K., Zimbabwe, Tasmania or Hawaii. Across the U.S. it's interesting to consider the searches that wind up at http://rmaxtorres.com
Thanks for visiting... It's been a brief respite being out of tech-connect with the loss of my Treo, but it's gonna change soon....
Again, this blog is a random display of photos (mostly of food) and a smattering of thoughts. The suggested links, however, are awesome blogs/sites that will take you to deep thought, not just dreams! Look in particular at UrbanOnramps, ThomistTacos and GenXCel. Have a hot cup of tea or coffee and a few minutes to put your feet up and your thinking cap on.
I hope you are able to make time to respond in comment form on any or all of these blogs. All of these authors are interested in knowing that they are piquing interest or thought processes in the Blogosphere.
Go forth and cogitate!!! -rumt.
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