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