Swim party July 23

Hi All,

I wanted to make sure to let people know that there is no New Light on Friday night but that there is Pizza and Swim party at the Brighton Square Pool from 3pm to 6pm. If you haven’t done so already, please contact Winnie to let her know if you are planning on making it. The Brighton Square Pool is located off Curtner Ave (between Leigh & Dumbarton, closer to Leigh), at the end of Parquet court. Winnie says that the gate is usually locked so text her at (408) 833-8925 and she will let you in.

I mentioned last week that I received an invitation to my high school class’ 40 year reunion and next year would be Adele’s turn. I think I also mentioned that I actually knew more people in her class so we may go to that one rather than the one this year. One of the people that I remember from Adele’s class actually works at Apple now and even though I don’t see her often I recognizer her name when I see it on e-mails. She had a fairly unique name and always said that she would get married early just to be able to change it. It turned out, though, that when she did get married she decided to keep her family name (her husband’s was not nearly so unique) and that’s how I recognized she worked at Apple so many years later.

One of the things that I remember about my colleague was that when she was in high school she was on the diving team and she was really quite good. My twin brother used to take photographs of the dives so that they could study them later. Back then there was no such thing as digital photography and video equipment was rare and very expensive (not to mention rather poor quality) so he did all the photography with a 35mm film camera with a motor feed and a full roll of film per dive (24 or 36 images). And one of the most talked about series that he took was one of my friend.

In the series the first photograph shows her just starting her spring, then lifting into the air and then tucking and spinning flawlessly until her fingertips just tap the water as she is suspended absolutely vertically in the air. The next two shots show her piercing the water and then just her feet are visible as they slide beneath the surface. There was hardly a splash as she disappeared. The last image is of an almost smooth surface with the smallest of ripples radiating outward from the center of her entry that was marked by her swimsuit floating on the water.

I’m not going to tell you her name. I doubt that any of you would know her or her children, but if you did, I wouldn’t want it to get out that I told you. And I can’t really come up with a verse or Biblical lesson for this story, either. Maybe one of you can suggest something.

And if anyone has anything they would like prayer for or would like to talk with someone about, we are always available.

Allen Cheung - avaliant@gmail.com

Sudden Gurung - sgurung2s@yahoo.com

Veronica Conte - mail4veronica@gmail.com

Duane Fowler - dlfowler@comcast.net

Middle School is meeting this Sunday. Don’t wear your Sunday best. : )

Cheers,

Duane

No pictures this week, for obvious reasons...

Duane's thoughts July 14, 2016

Hi everyone. I received something very unusual this week. In fact, it was the first time I have ever received anything like it in my entire life. I know that other people have received one of these. In fact, many people have received multiple ones but I never have. Not ever. What did I receive? (you might be wondering) OK, I’ll tell you. I received an invitation to my high school reunion. The Saratoga High School Class of 1976 40 Year Reunion, to be exact.

Now there are few very interesting things about this. First is that I am not at all surprised that I did not receive any before now and actually was very surprised to receive this one. You see, even though I actually do have a diploma from Saratoga High and even though it is dated 1976 and even though my twin brother did graduate from Saratoga High in 1976, I did not. I graduated from Monta Vista High. I actually transferred from Saratoga to Monta Vista mid year and attended Monta Vista for the last semester of my senior year. The reason that I have a diploma from Saratoga is that someone in the school office mailed one to me over the summer. I don’t know who.

I know that even though I transferred mid year to Monta Vista, Saratoga did not forget me. In fact, my picture appears in the Saratoga yearbook but is nowhere in the Monta Vista yearbook. (That might be why I have never received any invitations to Monta Vista reunions, either.) Also, during the spring when Saratoga seniors were voting on the Senior Mosts (Most Popular, Best Smile, Most Likely to Succeed, etc.) they created a new category for me and voted me the Most Likely to Secede. And since my twin brother was still going to Saratoga, a lot of people never even realized that I had left. That and I actually pulled more senior pranks at Saratoga than Monta Vista. But that’s another story...

With all that being said, I think I actually remember more people from my wife’s class (she graduated from Saratoga in 1977 - her 40 year reunion is next year) than from my own. I can only come up with four names from my Saratoga High class and one of those is my brother. So, what do you think? Should I go? I haven’t decided yet.

Over time, we get a lot of invitations. Some expected, some not. Some to things that we want and some to things that we don’t want. In Revelations 3:20 Jesus says: "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” I know that a lot of us have heard that invitation and accepted it. But I also know that we know a lot of people who haven't heard the invitation yet, or who have but are still trying to decide what to do. So the question for us, then, is not whether we have received the invitation, but will we deliver it?

Coming up this week:

New Light, Friday night at 7:15, July 15

Anyone up for a beach trip? The weather has been perfect!

And if anyone has anything they would like prayer for or would like to talk with someone about, we are always available.

Allen Cheung - avaliant@gmail.com

Sudden Gurung - sgurung2s@yahoo.com

Veronica Conte - mail4veronica@gmail.com

Duane Fowler - dlfowler@comcast.net

Cheers,

Duane

Duane's thoughts July 6, 2016

Hi All, I hope you had a great Fourth of July holiday weekend.

So, have you ever had a situation where you had two close friends who didn’t like each other? I mean where you really liked someone and really liked someone else and they really didn’t like each other? That can be the definition of awkward, I think. Like where you are walking with one friend and you see the other friend but you have to change directions really quickly not because you don’t want one to know that you like the other but because you don’t want them to get into a fight with each other that you may get drawn into and really don’t what to have to take sides. Yep, I knew that you would know what I was talking about. And it’s not like there wasn’t enough drama in life already. I think the worst “between two friends” event I ever had was once when I took a friend who was a girl (as opposed to a girlfriend) to a movie and my best buddy showed up at the same movie with his present girlfriend. The problem was that the girl I was with was his ex-girlfiend. Without going into to much detail lets just say the encounter ended with a levitating bucket of popcorn, flying jellybeans, and a torrential soda shower. That and getting kicked out of the theater.

The curious thing is that sometimes we can act the same way with Jesus. When we’re with one friend or group of friends, we really don’t want them to know that we know Jesus. And it’s not even like Jesus would start a fight or make a scene. Because he really wants to know who we are with (well, actually, he already does) and he wants them to know that he loves them. But sometimes for us it seems easier to duck and hide rather than make the introduction. Sometimes we’re just afraid to let them know that we know Jesus. But 1 John 4:18 says: “There is no fear in love. Instead, perfect love drives out fear.” Next time a chance to make the introduction comes up, try it and see what happens. At least you probably won’t get covered in popcorn and soda.

So, coming up:

New Light, Friday night at 7:15, July 8

If anyone is interested in rock climbing, let me know. I have all the equipment checked out and ready to go.

If there is anything else you would like to do, let’s get it organized and do it!

And if anyone has anything they would like prayer for or would like to talk with someone about, we are always available.

Allen Cheung - avaliant@gmail.com

Sudden Gurung - sgurung2s@yahoo.com

Veronica Conte - mail4veronica@gmail.com

Duane Fowler - dlfowler@comcast.net

Cheers!

Duane

Duane's thoughts June 29, 2016

OK, I know that I am really going to be showing my age on this one. When I was a kid there was an animated commercial with a kid singing the Oscar Meyer Wiener song:

"Oh, I wish I were and Oscar Meyer wiener. That is what I’d truly like to be. ‘Cause if I were an Oscar Meyer wiener, Everyone would be in love with me."

Then there was a second commercial with a bratty kid singing:

“Oh, I’m glad I’m not an Oscar Meyer wiener. That is what I’d truly hate to be. ‘Cause if I were an Oscar Meyer wiener, There would soon be nothing left of me.”

Yeah, I know they resurrected the song with a few changes but I remember the old song. The original song. And you know what? When I was a kid, I really did love Oscar Meyer wieners. Of course there were a lot of other things I loved. Like ice cream (especially vanilla chocolate chip), and anything with lemons in it, and water mellon (especially water mellon!) and I loved my bicycle even though now I really love my motorcycle. I also love traveling, always have, always will. I love photography and making things (do you know I designed and sewed two prom dresses when I was in high school?) There are so many things that I love.

Which makes me think. It’s kind of an over used word, isn’t it? DO we really mean we love something - that we couldn’t do without it? Most of the things I say that I love, I don’t really need and although I might miss them if I lost them, it wouldn’t be earth shattering (except maybe the motorcycle - that would really hurt to lose it). So, do I really love these things? Or do I just like them and like the idea of having them? What are the things I really love?

I love my wife, Adele. I love my daughter, Julia. And not because I possess them, but because they possess me. True love isn’t taking, it’s giving. In John 3:16 John wrote: “God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only son so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” And then in 1 John 4:19 he wrote “We love because God first loved us.” (Pretty awesome stuff from a guy who used to be called one of the “Sons of Thunder” because of his temper).

There is an Russian proverb that says “Love is like a potato. You can throw it out the window, but it grows wherever it lands.”

Coming up this weeK:

New Light, Friday night at 7:15, July 1 (Hey, did you know that it’s Canada Day?)

We still have lots of S’more fixings as well as ice cream float fixings, pizza rolls and other stuff guaranteed not to be too healthy.

Monday is the Fourth of July. Anyone going for fireworks?

If anyone is interested in rock climbing, let me know. I have all the equipment checked out and ready to go.

And if anyone has anything they would like prayer for or would like to talk with someone about, we are always available.

Allen Cheung - avaliant@gmail.com

Sudden Gurung - sgurung2s@yahoo.com

Veronica Conte - mail4veronica@gmail.com

Duane Fowler - dlfowler@comcast.net

Cheers,

Duane

Wishing you LOTS of potatoes!

Duane's thoughts June 22, 2016

Hi.  I hope that everyone is having a good start to their summer. I would say that we’ve been lucky and that the weather has been good, but hey, this is California. The weather is always great here.

So, to kick off the summer, this Friday at New Light we are planning games and a campfire with marshmallows and s’mores. We’ll also have pizza rolls along with ice cream and soda for floats. Basically an health foodie’s nightmare. : ) I’ll also bring a frisbee for a game of Ultimate Frisbee.

I think I have mentioned to most of you that I have two cats. Or rather, there are two cats that live at the same house as I do. After all, can you really say that you own a cat? I am absolutely convinced that in their mind, they own you. Over the years I have had a variety of pets - everything from snakes and lizards to rats, chipmunks and squirrels. I have had a rabbit, an opossum, a raccoon, and a chinchilla. And for about six months I even had a dog. So I have had some experience with pets and the ways in which they interact with the people around them. Some with more intelligence and some with less.

Of all the furry animals that I have had, I think that without a doubt the least intelligent was the opossum. We named him Pogo and he was friendly enough but usually when you looked him in the eye, there was just nobody home. One thing that I learned about opossums is that they really do play dead. Well, actually they don’t mean to, they just frighten and swoon easily. Kind of a “Boo” “AACK” thud response.

The most intelligent was the raccoon. We named her Patty Sue and I honestly think she was more creative than a number of people I know. She could escape from almost any cage and she could steal the keys from even the best pickpocket. And the thing about raccoons is that they seem to have two brains - on in their head and one in their hands. They will be watching something (like you) with complete concentration while their hands are doing something completely different (like stealing your keys).

And every one had its own personality - even the tortoise that we called Rock because, well, that’s what he tried to imitate most of the time. And each one had it’s own way of showing affection. The raccoon would run up and wrap her arms around your ankle leaving little black handprints on you cuffs (she also loved to wash black walnuts). The chinchilla would jump onto your chest if you were lying down and leave a couple of “presents” before she left. The cats will meet you at the door when you arrive home and then turn away like they are completely uninterested. Yeah, I know that’s not the usual way we would show affection, but to a cat, that’s really special. Even the chipmunks and squirrels had their own ways of showing affection to us and to each other.

But so much of animal affection, as well as human affection, is conditional. I’ll love you if… For animals it’s mostly “I’ll love you if you feed me.” and to a lesser extent “I’ll love you if you don’t eat me.” Not always, but often. How many times have we heard the same from people: “I’ll love you if…” or “ I need this or that from you.” But God’s love is unconditional. 1 Corinthians 13 gives a list of eight things that love is and eight things that it is not. And the list ends with the statement that God’s love “never fails.”

Next time you get peeved at your brother or sister or parents or friends or whoever, take a look at the list starting at verse 4 and ask yourself: “Am I patient? Am I kind?" And so on. And don’t worry about the other person. It’s pretty enlightening to look at yourself through God’s eyes. Transforming, too.

We’d like to put together events for this summer that people would like to do. There are a couple of concerts coming up in August, and there are opportunities for other things like beach trips. Bring your ideas on Friday and lets map out the summer!

See you then.

Friday June 24, 7:15

Grace Community Covenant Church / Foothill Covenant Church

Corner of Oak and Truman in Los Altos

And as always, if anyone has anything they would like prayer for or would like to talk with someone about, we are always available.

Allen Cheung - avaliant@gmail.com

Sudden Gurung - sgurung2s@yahoo.com

Veronica Conte - mail4veronica@gmail.com

Duane Fowler - dlfowler@comcast.net

Cheers,

Duane

Everyone needs a hug now and then.

Duane's thoughts June 3, 2016

Hi all,

It’s that time of year that if you’re not out of school yet you’re pretty close. Of course that means that everyone is busy with end of school/graduation plans and so are probably as busy if not busier than you’ve been all semester. Especially if you are a senior because everyone knows that seniors really don’t do much of anything their last semester except make sure that they actually pass everything. So, for all those progressing to the next grade I say:

Congratulations!

And for those moving on from middle school to high school I say:

Congratulations!

And for those who after 12 long years of continuous toil are finally graduating from high school I say: 

Congratulations! Way to go! Whoo Hoo!

OK, Now on to other business.

First I know that everyone has a lot going on for the next couple of weeks so we are taking a break from New Light for a bit. We will not be meeting tomorrow night (June 3) or next week (June 10). The following Friday (June 17) we’ll be having ice cream floats and smores and whatever other sweet and gooey stuff people want to bring.

Also, Sunday June 12th is the Spirit West Coast concert at the Concord Pavilion. Veronica and her family, Adele and I, Sudeep and several friends are going and getting lawn seating tickets. And the more the merrier! Lawn seating costs $19.50 per ticket. Beach chairs are allowed as long as the legs are less than 7” tall. Full height chairs are not allowed. Doors open at 3pm and the music starts at 4pm. There will be food caterers as well as various booths with things for sale. I don’t know how much parking will cost but it will cost something.

If you would like to go but need a ride, please let me know. This would be a great family event so I encourage people to bring parents, siblings, friends… the works!

Information can be found at: http://spiritwestcoast.org/events/spiritwestcoastconcord

As always, if anyone has anything they would like prayer for or would like to talk with someone about, we are always available.

Allen Cheung - avaliant@gmail.com

Sudden Gurung - sgurung2s@yahoo.com

Veronica Conte - mail4veronica@gmail.com

Duane Fowler - dlfowler@comcast.net

And one last thing. A bunch of people have asked me what my wife and my mother think of me getting a new motorcycle especially considering what happened with my last one. Well…

I think they are OK with it,

Cheers!

Duane's thoughts May 26, 2016

Hi again,

It’s been quite a week. For those of you who may not have heard yet, Adele and I have a new member of the family. No, not THAT kind of new member! On Wednesday morning way before the sun rose, I woke up about 15 minutes before my alarm which was set at 4:30am. By the time I had taken a shower and gotten dressed, Adele was up too and ready to drive me to the airport. Perhaps ready is not the correct word. She was resigned to take me to the airport. We got there at about 5:30 and do you know, Southwest is already busy by that time of the morning!?! Fortunately I had already gotten my boarding pass the day before (exactly 24 hours before as anyone familiar with Southwest would know) and didn’t have any baggage to check, so I was able to go directly to the security line. That’s where the fun began. You see, the member of the family is a motorcycle and the reason I was at the airport was that I was flying down to San Diego to pick it up and drive it back hone.

Even though I have TSA PreCheck (thank you Apple) the guy checking the boarding documents looked at the helmet I was carrying and then at me and asked: “You nervous about flying?” “No,” I answered, “But one can never be too cautious.” He seemed to take that at face value and let me through. Next I went to the x-ray machine and placed the bag with my Motorcycle boots, armored gloves and riding trousers on the belt along with my helmet and armored jacket and walked through the metal detector. No beeps or bells was a good sign but the belt going back and forth as the guys peered through my bag was not. Finally they let my stuff go through but not before one of the security people asked me; “You afraid of flying or something?” “No,” I said, “But you never know…”

I arrived at the gate and after a bit of time the plane was ready to board so I got in line and when I reached the guy taking the boarding passes he took mine looked at my helmet and asked: “Afraid of flying?” “No,” I replied again, “I just like to be prepared for anything.”

So off I went down the jetway and walked on board the plane. At that point the flight attendant looked at me and at my helmet and started to say: “Are you…” “Yes,” I interrupted, “Yes, I am afraid of flying. I really am, and if I could have gotten it through security I would have brought my brother’s parachute.” “Oh, uh, well…” the flight attendant replied, “would you like a window seat?” “Thanks.” I said.

The rest of the flight was OK, except that the flight attendants seemed to be staring at me every time they passed by. As I was leaving the plane in San Diego, the pilot was standing next to the door with the look of “So that’s the guy.” as I walked up. “I hope my flying didn’t scare you too much.” “No,” I said “Very smooth in fact." Holding up the helmet I said, "I just bought this in case the person next to me was too chatty.” And with that, I left the plane.

Since this has already gone on too long, I’ll condense the rest. I got to the motorcycle dealer in San Diego (Fun Motor Sports) signed all the paperwork, got the key to my new motorcycle and took of on a really long ride north. I stayed on I-5 for longer than I thought possible, turned onto 152 and then 101 and 85 and made it home 14 hours and 500 miles after I had left in the morning, thirsty, hungry, and with one of the worst cases of saddle sore I had ever experienced in my life!

I hope that you all had a good week, too. I wanted to mention that the Spirit West Coast Christian Music Festival is coming up in two weeks from this Sunday. It costs $19.50 for lawn seating and if you let me know that you would like to go, I will order the tickets in advance. Adele and I and Veronica and her family are going as well as Sudeep and some of his friends. Please let me know as soon as possible if you would like to go so we can get tickets and arrange transportation. The concert is at the Concord Pavilion which is about and hours drive away. The concert starts at 4pm and is over between 10 and 11pm.

Some other events on the Calendar:

New Light this Friday at 7:15

Middle School Sunday School this Sunday

Kings Academy Senior Commencement June 4th

Spirit West Coast Concord June 12th.

Please let us know if you have any prayer requests. We really do pray for you guys!

Allen Cheung - avaliant@gmail.com

Sudden Gurung - sgurung2s@yahoo.com

Veronica Conte - mail4veronica@gmail.com

Duane Fowler - dlfowler@comcast.net

Also, you can find out anything you need about New Light and the youth program at: http://newlightnotes.blogspot.com

Cheers!

Duane

Duane's thoughts May 20, 2016

When I was in high school I knew a girl named Kat (Katheryn) who was probably one of the best listeners I have ever known. When you talked to her, her eyes would never leave your face as she concentrated on every word you said. They never wandered to the books in her hands or the people behind you; they were always focused right on you. In fact some people thought it was a bit disconcerting the way that she would stare you straight in the mouth. Yeah, that’s right, the mouth. That’s because Kat was completely (medical term - profoundly) deaf. You could shout and scream all you wanted behind her because she wouldn’t ever notice, But you could talk in a normal voice in front of the speakers of a rock band and she would know exactly what you were saying. (of course, if you remained there long, you would soon be just as deaf as she was.)

Lip reading wasn’t a talent that she naturally acquired. it took a lot of practice. She told me that she would watch the news every day because the reporters would always look directly at the camera and you could see their lips really well. She had cards that had different words on them that had very similar mouth movements that she would hand to people and tell them to read them to her in a random order so that she could practice. She would also look for people who had different accents because they would move their mouths differently. She said that some British accents (south central mainly) were the hardest because they didn’t move their mouths at all.

But through it all, she was an excellent listener and she would concentrate on every word you said because, quite frankly, she had to. Listening for her was very hard work and she took it very seriously. When she listened to you, she wasn’t thinking about what she was going to say or about how to answer, she was thinking about exactly what you said. If you were talking about something important she would always wait for you to finish before she would respond, usually in a very thoughtful way. She really was one of the best listeners I ever knew.

(Kat was horrible to get in an argument with, though. She would tell you exactly what she thought and then close her eyes.)

“I told you about my life and you listened to me.” Psalms 119:26

This week:

New Light Friday, May 20. What snacks will Duane bring this time?

Which School Sunday School, May 22

Spirit West Coast Christian Music Festival, June 12

Please let us know if you have any prayer requests. We really do pray for you guys!

Allen Cheung - avaliant@gmail.com

Sudden Gurung - sgurung2s@yahoo.com

Veronica Conte - mail4veronica@gmail.com

Duane Fowler - dlfowler@comcast.net

Cheers,

Duane

Duane's thoughts May 13, 2016

Hi Everyone! I think that the fact that this Friday is Friday the 13th got to me and I am once again getting this out really late. You might say that I need a miracle to get me to start these earlier. Well, we’re in luck! Sunday is Pentecost Sunday and if that’s not a miracle, then I don’t know what one is. Pentecost marks the day that the Holy Spirit came to all believers ten days after Jesus ascended to heaven. If you want the full details, read Acts chapter 2. Lots or wild things went one. But the real miracle of that day wasn’t the stuff happening on the outside, it was the fact that God was coming to us. Not just a couple of us, but to all of us. After all, anyone can walk around with heads like matchsticks and speaking in other languages, right? Websters defines a miracle as: "a surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divine agency.” Anyone who has ever taken a final exam, then, would know what a miracle is. However, my definition kind of differs with Websters. I think that not all miracles are surprising or particularly welcome. Just ask Jonah as he was picking seaweed out of his ears. But I do believe that all miracles come from God, the ultimate “divine agency.” So, I was wondering, what sort of miracles have happened around you today? What has the Holy Spirit done around you lately? I’d be interested in hearing from you. My grandfather (my mother’s father - I never met my father’s father) once told me that the only thing you can say for sure about miracles is that you can rely on them. On the calendar: New Light this Friday at 7:13 (Hey, it’s Friday the 13th, after all!) Middle School Sunday School - It’s gonna be a miracle Sprit West Coast christian Music Festival Jun 12 If you have anything you would like us to pray for or would like to talk to someone, please don’t hesitate to contact us. That’s what we’re here for. Allen Cheung - avaliant@gmail.com Sudden Gurung - sgurung2s@yahoo.com Veronica Conte - mail4veronica@gmail.com Duane Fowler - dlfowler@comcast.net Cheers! Duane

Duane's thoughts May 4 2016

Hi, If you don’t read the rest of this, please look at the special important message at the end.

As most of you may know, and for those who don’t, let me give you a huge heads up so you don’t get into major trouble, this coming Sunday is Mother’s Day. So if you have forgotten, there is still time to make, buy or otherwise obtain a card and plan some other niceties for this Sunday. What you may not know is that the American Mother’s Day is just a little over 100 years old. In 1914 President Woodrow Wilson, at the behest of Ann Jarvis, signed a declaration designating the second Sunday in May as the official Mother’s day. Actually, every state had already proclaimed it but Woodrow made it an official national holiday. The fact that it fell on a Sunday just made it easier. And while at least 84 other countries celebrate Mother’s day on the same day, almost as many celebrate it on some other day. And while in the US it’s “Mother’s Day” in many other countries it is “Mothers’ Day.” An important distinction. And there are several countries that rather than having a Mother’s day, have a generic “Women’s Day” instead.

So, with that lead in, let me tell you something about my own mother. Most people know that I have three brothers and no sisters which made my mother a definite minority in our home. While I was growing up she was barely 5 feet tall and maybe 100 pounds in the winter when she had her purse, boots, and jacket (she’s even smaller now). I think I was taller and outweighed her by the time I entered junior high. She had grown up in Washington DC during WWII which may be what gave her the mettle to survive the four of us. By the time the four of us had come around she already had a number of accomplishments wracked up. To this day I am still finding things out that I never knew about.

One of the things that most surprised me about my mother and one of the things she never mentioned was that in college she was the women’s fencing champion. My mother was a sword fighter! You’d never know it to look at her except maybe for the way she goes after flies with the flyswatter. She never misses. I asked her about it once and she told me in her usual way “I really wasn’t all that good.”
"Not all that good?” I replied, “You were the champion. That means you beat out everyone else. If you had been using a cutlass instead of an epee you would have left a trail of bodies in your wake.”
“Well, I never really learned to fence.” she said.
“Never learned to fence? You were the champion!” I repeated.
“But not because of what I could do, but because of what I couldn’t.” she said.
“Uh, I don’t think I’m following you there.” I replied.
“The only reason I did well is because I never learned to back up.” She said, now with a bit of a grin.
That’s my mom. Lots of other stories but that will do for now.

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. There is reserved for me in the future the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me, but to all those who have loved His appearing." 2 Timothy 4:7-8

On the Calendar:

New Light Friday night at 7:15pm. What’s your take on Mom? Any good stories?

Sr. High Sunday School

Spirit West Coast June 12. with MercyMe, Jeremy Camp, Matthew West, Phil Wickham, NF, Blanca, Urban Rescue, For All Season. I’m definitely going!

Special important message: I haven’t mentioned it before and it’s actually something really important. We want to pray for you. If there is anything that you would like us to pray about, please let us know. If you have something that you would like someone in particular to pray about, please contact them directly - their are e-mails below. And please know that anything you ask us to pray about will remain confidential unless you tell us we can share it. 

Allen Cheung - avaliant@gmail.com

Sudden Gurung - sgurung2s@yahoo.com

Veronica Conte - mail4veronica@gmail.com

Duane Fowler - dlfowler@comcast.net

Cheers!

Duane

Duane's thoughts Apr 29 2016

Hi again. I hope that your week has gone well. Mine has been a little bit, well, interesting.

Most of you are probably aware that I have three brothers (no sisters which probably explains a lot). And although we are all very fond of each other, we are, in some ways, dysfunctional. Oh, not it the normal sort of ways. There’s no rivalries, jealousies (well, maybe a little jealousy but that’s another story), none of that usual stuff. The issues with us is that we were all raised to 1) always be there for each other, and 2) be exceedingly independent. Those two traits, while admirable, can come into conflict with each other, and in my family it’s usually somewhere around the phrase “I’m feeling so much better now that I am out of the hospital.”

On Wednesday of this week, just as I was getting ready to write something completely different to you all, I got an e-mail from my brother that started out with that exact line: “I’m feeling so much better now that I am out of the hospital.” Huh, what did I miss? It seems that he had developed appendicitis over the weekend and had had it removed on Monday. He said that other than feeling like being  on the wrong side in a knife fight, he was doing OK now. I should mention that this is the same brother that has been fighting cancer for the last few years. Fortunately he has an incredible wife and son to help him out, but hey, what am I, a pot of begonias?

Of course he’s not the only one in my family. There was the time that I was in the hospital for a week after getting my jaw and cheekbone broken along with a rather serious concussion. I was living in Honolulu at the time so I mentioned it to my family the next time I wrote them. And there was my mother just this last year who, at 90, broke two ribs while chasing her dog over the couch (another story) and didn’t say anything about it to anyone for two days because it happened on July 4th and she didn’t want to spoil anyone’s holiday. I guess we always figured that if a person was conscious enough to dial the phone or had enough fingers left to hold a pen, that they couldn’t be all that bad, could they?

But, you know, it occurs to me that sometimes we treat God the same way. We want to talk to him after the fact. Once we’re back on the mend. Of course, had we talked to him before we did whatever it was we did, perhaps there would be no mending needed. Philippians 4:6 says "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” I now that God can empathize with me when I say that I really wish my family would talk to me before or during rather than just after.
So, what’s coming up?

New Light Friday night at 7:15 to 9

Middle School Sunday School this Sunday

Spirit West Coast June 12

Mother’s Day May 8

Let me know if I left anything out or if you want anything added in.

Cheers,

Duane

Duane's thoughts Apr 21 2016

Hi. I hope that you all have been having a great week. I have a story to tell you this week. It’s about my friend and his parrot. Several years back, a friend of mine got a parrot. I’m not sure how he came by it but it was already an adult when he got it and he was really excited about it. But there was one problem with it. It wouldn’t talk. And that made my friend very disappointed. He really wanted it to talk because, after all, that’s what parrots do. I remember seeing to him a couple of days after he got it and he told me the problem. I suggested that perhaps he should put a audio player (in those days it would have been a cassette tape) next to it’s cage that played a simple phrase over and over. After hearing it a few thousand times, perhaps it would pick it up. I saw my friend again a couple of days later and asked him if he had tried the audio player and he said he did. I asked if the parrot had talked and he said no but that the tape was driving him crazy. So I suggested that he put a mirror in the cage so that the parrot would see it and have someone to talk to. He that that was a great idea and said he would try it. I saw my friend again a couple of days later and asked him if he had tried the mirror and he said he did. I asked if the parrot had talked and he said no although it was much taken with it’s reflection. I thought about it for a bit and suggested that he put a swing perch in the cage. That way when the parrot landed on  it he would be surprised and perhaps would cry out with a phrase or two. He that that was a great idea and said he would try it. I saw my friend again a couple of days later and asked him if he had tried the swing perch. He said he had. I asked if the parrot had talked yet and he said no but that it really like the swing. I thought about it again and suggested that he get a feather bob to hang in the cage. That way the parrot would see it and think it was a competitor and that it would start talking to get rid of it. He that that was a great idea and said he would try it. I saw my friend again a couple of days later and asked him if he had tried the feather bob and he said he had. I asked if the parrot had talked yet and he said no but that it was getting to be quite good a punching the feather bob. I thought about it again and this time I knew what the problem was. I told my friend that he should get the parrot a cuttlebone. Before the bird could talk it had to sharpen it’s beak, right? I was sure that this would work. He that that was a great idea and said he would try it. As you can probably guess, that didn’t work and neither did the several other things I suggested over the next week or so. Finally one day I saw my friend in town and asked “Has anything at all worked? Has that parrot talked yet?” My fiend shook his head and told me “Not really and it’s not going to. The parrot died.” I looked at him in disbelief. “He died without saying a single word?” I asked. My friend replied “Well actually, he did say one thing before he died.” "What was it?” I asked. My friend, looking very somber, said “I came in and found him laying on the floor of his cage. I could see his beak moving so I put my ear close. That’s when I heard him whisper: ‘Food…’ Then he was gone.” Sometimes we focus on the things that we think they need without noticing the things that they need the most. And sometimes with ourselves we can focus on those things that we think are most important - the things that everyone else will notice - without noticing what it is that we need the most. In John 21:15-18 Jesus askes Peter three times if Peter loves him. Each time Peter says of course he does. And each time Jesus tells peter to take care of and feed his sheep. Whether we notice our own needs or the needs of others, we are nourished by the Spirit working through us. “‘Feed my sheep’ Jesus said.” (and parrots!) Upcoming Events: New Light, Friday April 22, 7:15  High School class this Sunday Spirit West Coast Christian Music Festival, June 12 BTW, if you have any announcements you would like included, just let me know and I will include them. Cheers! Duane P.S. If you want to check out this or any other notes that I have sent or see the latest happening with New Light, check out: http://newlightnotes.blogspot.com

People (33) Duane Fowler dlfowler@comcast.net

Duane's thoughts April 7 2016

Hey Everyone,

I hope that you’re all doing well and had a great Easter and Spring Break. I think most people should be back from their travels by now.

I have heard from several people that perhaps my messages have been a bit long. Well, I want to let you know that I hear you and to quote a famous American, I feel your pain. I’ll just share something short that happened to me this week at Apple.

At Apple, we have a tracking system to keep track of all the prototype and development hardware called “iTrack.” Actually, as you probably figured, most everything at Apple is called “i” something or other. Seems a little silly to me, but hey, I can play along. Anyway, as I was saying, everything it signed out and tracked. Once you have a device, you have to be able to account for it’s whereabouts at all times and if you ever give it to someone else, you have to transfer it on iTrack. Also, at the end of a project, all of the development samples are recalled and you have to hand them all in. And big time woe to the person who can’t find something and turn it in on time if it has been recalled! And that almost happened to me - not with one item, but with seven!

One of the problems is that I get hundreds of samples of things when I working on a new design and most of them don’t really survive in one piece. I often disassemble them, tweek them, rework them, and put them back together in a somewhat Frankenstein manner. Sometimes parts from one device get mixed up with parts from another and sometimes whole devices get mixed up, put in the wrong box, or misplaced. This week I received a recall notice for something that I had been working on from the time it was a concept until it was finally put out on the market. I dutifully gathered up all my samples which I had very carefully kept organized so that I wouldn’t lose any and took them to the distribution center to give them back. After scanning all the QR codes on every one of a box full of items I looked and the screen and there were still seven items that weren’t accounted for. I checked, double checked and triple checked and yep, they were missing. AAARG! What happened to them?!? (I should mention that these particular items would easily fit in any crack in any cupboard cabinet or closet. So today I spent the whole day searching through and clearing out every cabinet and drawer that I have and after hours of searching I FOUND THE LOST ITEMS!!! all seven of them in one place. I was so relieved.

After all that I know just what Jesus was talking about in the parable of the lost coin (Luke 15:8-10) He was talking about a woman who had ten coins and lost one so she turned her whole house inside out until she finally found it and was so relieved. That’s just how I felt. But you know what? In verse 10 Jesus says "I tell you, in the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels over one sinner who repents.” God’s angels feel the same way when they find one of us. Wow. : )

OK, that was a little longer than I had planned. But it’s also a good intro to intro to what we’ll be talking about this spring in New Light. Pastor Steve will be doing a series on the Arts of Spiritual Conversations which is about talking to people about God. And just think what it would be like if one of those conversations led to the Angels rejoicing because someone came to know God.

On to the schedule part:

High School Sunday School this Sunday.

New Light this Friday

Spirit West Coast on Sunday June 12th.

Also, one other important thing: There is a Real Options Baby Shower in the Fireside Room on Sunday evening at 6pm. All are invited to come, have cake, learn about Real Options and open baby gifts for clients of Real Options. I’ll send more information later.

Cheers!

Duane

New Light

7:15pm on Friday, April 8

Grace Community Covenant Church

Foothill Covenant Church

1555 Oak Avenue

Los Altos, CA 94024

Duane's thoughts Mar 3 2016

Hi again,

As I mentioned last week, I was in Phoenix, Arizona for the week with Adele. She was there on a business trip and I was there to have fun. On Thursday went to the Pima Air Museum in Tucson. It’s about a two hour drive from Phoenix so right after breakfast I packed a lunch (a six pack of Pepsi, a bag of BBQ Fritos, a bag of Jolly Rancher jelly beans and a box of Banana Twinkies), put on my hat and sunglasses and headed out. The drive wasn’t too bad and by the time I arrived my blood glucose levels were rocketing. This was going to be a great day.

If you are interested in aircraft, the Pima air museum is one of the best places to go because they have so many great, historical aircraft that you can go right up to. They have several aircraft that I had read about and seen pictures of and now could actually see! They has a B17 Flying Fortress, a B18 Bolo, a B23 Dragon, a B24 Liberator, a B25 Mitchel, a B26 Invader and a B26 Marauder, two B29s Superfortresses, a B36 Peacemaker, a B50 Superfortress, two B57 Canberras, a B58 Hustler, and four - count ‘em - four B52 Stratofortresses! In all, I counted 278 aircraft at this one museum!

Of all those B aircraft listed above (B stands for “Bomber”) my father flew all from the B17 to the B29 with the exception of the B23 and B24. This was when he was a navigator in the US Army Air Force during the WWII. The reason that he flew on so many of the aircraft was that he was a really good navigator. These were the days before GPS and most electronic navigation so it was all maps and calculations with a pencil and slide rule (how many know what THAT is?). He even had to use a sextant in for sun and star shots. He was so good at it that not only did the Army send him up in all these different aircraft, but they made  him an instructor to teach others how it was done. The only problem for my dad was that he got chronically air sick. He was so bad that he would loose his last meal just taxiing the aircraft on the ground before it ever took off. Add to that the fact that he had to sit at a table reading charts and maps while bouncing all over the sky… well, you can imagine what it was like.

My dad didn’t like to complain much so he just went along with it. Fortunately for him there were two things that helped: 1) he usually kept a bucket somewhere nearby, and 2) you could open the windows on the aircraft in those days. Never mind that the wind was blowing at 150mph and it was -30 degrees F… It really only became a problem when the guys at the waist gun positions behind him had their windows open too. And actually he really didn’t feel that bad as long as the plane was above 10,000 feet and everyone was on bottled oxygen. Unfortunately, the Army, in it’s infinite wisdom, assigned him to submarine patrols over the Caribbean flying at between one and two thousand feet.

I’m writing about these things now but I never actually found out about them until many years after the war. Like so many others of his generation, he never talked much about his experiences in the war. It was partly because the memory of showing up in an ice cold bucket under a desk in a moving compartment smaller than a coat closet was anything he really wanted to recall. But it was also partly because what he was doing didn’t seem like anything special. He was serving like almost everyone else he knew.

I started writing this to try to come up with something on the theme of humility. But it’s hard to be humble when you’ve had a dad like mine. Because he actually was very humble and did so many things for others without complaint and without even mentioning it. I could give you a long list of those things because, while he was humble, I am not.

James 4:10 says “Humble yourselves before the Lord and He will lift you up.” and Romans 12: 4 says :"For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one.” That’s how my dad was. I should try to be more like him.

I’ve gone on way too long but there is another interesting article on the subject of humility at http://healingprojects.org/?p=400. It’s a good read.

So, other business:

There is New Light this Friday night.

Sunday is Jr. High Sunday School

In two weeks, on March 18th we’ll have another movie night.

Cheers,

Duane

When:

7:15pm on Friday, March 4

Where:

Grace Community Covenant Church

Foothill Covenant Church

1555 Oak Avenue

Los Altos, CA 94024

Duane's thoughts Feb 25 2016

Hi All,

It’s been a great week for me, but that’s because I haven’t been at work. I’m in Phoenix, Arizona hanging out while Adele is at a conference for her company. Not too bad - she work, I play. Monday I went to see friends (Fernando and Alicia) who live west of Phoenix. They are graduates of Grand Canyon University and Alicia is currently working on her master’s degree there.

Then yesterday I went to the Phoenix Zoo. It’s not the largest zoo that I have been to but it takes a good half day to see all the animals. Along with the usual lions and tigers and bears (two lions, two tigers and one bear) they had a section on native animals. There they had mountain lions, coyotes, mountain goats, a bunch of birds and other critters and they had lots and lots of reptile - lizards and snakes. Now, I happen to like reptiles so that part was really great for me. They had geckos, lizards, iguanas and lots of snakes. Lots and lots of snakes. Mostly rattlesnakes. They also had king snakes, rat snakes, garter snakes and several other types. The only ones that are dangerous to humans are the rattlers.

Just to give you a quick lesson in identifying venomous snakes in California and Arizona: Most all poisonous snakes including rattle snakes have a arrowhead type head. That is, their head and jaws are much wider that their neck so that their head looks like a lot like a “spades” symbol in a deck of cards. Most other snakes, like all others in California and Arizona, are non-poisonous and have spear shaped heads where their head and jaw is the same size as their neck and it’s pretty hard to tell where the head ends and the neck begins. There are some exceptions to that rule like boas and pythons which aren’t poisonous but have large jaws, but you don’t see many of those except in private collections, pet stores and sewers. And then there the coral snakes which are extremely poisonous and have jaws the same width as their neck. And forget about all that “red on white” and “red on black” stuff - there are’t any coral snakes in California or Arizona except in zoos and private licensed collections. (but if you must know: Red touch white or yellow stripes is a coral snake. Red touching black snakes is a scarlet kingsnake and is native to California including the Santa Cruz Mountains and completely harmless to people)

Although I have a healthy respect for rattlesnakes I don’t have a phobia for them or any other Californian reptile. The reason is that I am pretty familiar with them. I know which ones can’t hurt me and which ones can. I’m not going to pick up a rattlesnake and show off by kissing it (which one guy did in a final display of stupidity), but I’m not going to run away from one, or worse, try to kill it because it chose to crowd a path in front of me. And I certainly wouldn’t be put off by a ring neck snake because they are actually kind of pretty and have a mouth so small that it would have a hard time biting my fingernail. But that’s because I am familiar with them.

The things that scare me the most are the things I am not familiar with. That’s why people are afraid of the dark - because they can’t see what’s there. That’s also why people are afraid of other people - because they are different, they don’t know them, they things they do are strange. I really hate parties where I don’t know anyone because I never know what to do or say to people. I would rather be in a room full of snakes than at a reception. At least with snakes, no matter what I say they all they do is smile and stick their tongues out at me.

The worst thing for me is when I see someone I know I should talk to about God. That’s my phobia. If I talk to them, what are they going to think of me? What are they going to think of God? Am I going to say the right thing? 1 John 4:18-19 says: "There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. So the one who fears has not reached perfection in love. We love because He first loved us.” Maybe I should think about that - that God loved me even before I knew he even existed. And that someone else loved me enough to share God’s message with me, even though I might have rejected both God and them. And maybe I should let God’s perfect love drive out the fear that I somehow always feel. And even though it might be easier to talk to them if I imagine them as snakes, I really need to see them as God’s cherished creations whom he loves, just like me.

Cheers!

Duane

When:

7:15pm on Friday, February 26

Where:

Grace Community Covenant Church

Foothill Covenant Church

1555 Oak Avenue

Los Altos, CA 94024

P.S. Which one of these is poisonous and which one is not? I took both photos with my iPhone.