The Church Doing What It Does Best

I made this video to share my experiences in Central America last week.

This little boy is at a church in Guatemala City. Poverty cripples the city and leaves orphans every day. I met children worse off than "Carlito", living in garbage dumps and eating what they find.

Carlito's story represents the stories of thousands of children who are served by the local church throughout Guatemala. Children's Hunger Fund is privileged to be able to supply the church with resources to serve needy children across America and around the world.

Be Mine Blizzard®

My mom and I are both ENFPs. If you're not hip to the whole personality test culture, that means we're the same. We communicate in much the same ways, and we respond the same way to the attitudes and actions of others.

On her blog, she wrote about how she reacted to, and how her personality was moulded by, the actions of others during the Valentine's Days of her youth. The cruelty or forgetfulness of others caused her to need the romance and generosity of her husband on Valentine's Day like a tortoise need it's shell. It also caused her to become a regular and generous gift giver to the people she loves.

This is the story of one such Valentine's gift.


I wasn't much of a ladies man in high school (vis the picture above). In fact, I had a pretty serious self esteem problem. My Grandmother tells me of a time when I was a little boy and she said to me, "Oh Freddy! You're so handsome." As she recalls it, I replied, "Thank you Grandma, but that's okay. I know I'm ugly." Pretty pitiful, eh?

I desired to be liked by girls and to get the same attention from them that I perceived other boys were receiving. That's why when a bouquet of balloons, tied to a package of chocolates, and addressed to me appeared in the drive-thru window of the Dairy Queen where I worked, I thought I had finally become a ladies' man.

The note attached read:

"Dear Fred,

I love you!

Love,
Your Secret Admirer"

Oh the joy! Oh the sweet terror! Oh the flush of blood, dear reader, that filled every corpuscle in my face, neck and head! Some red-blooded (hopefully pretty) teenage girl admired me secretly! I couldn't be expected to make sundaes or mix Blizzards®! We would soon be together. We would hold our perspiring hands. Within days, even hours, of her mylar advance, we would share our first kiss!

But who is she? Is she Maya, the soccer playing cheerleader who works beside me making shakes and cones? She discovered the package. Nah. She hates me. Seriously, she does. What about Carrie from youth group? I think she might like me. But she lives in Washington. You wouldn't know her. And she doesn't have a license so she couldn't have come all the way down here for this. What about Angela? or Jenna?

Ho, but I was frustrated. My joy was turning to anger as I began to imagine that this was some kind of trick! It was probably brought by one of my buddies as a joke, or by one of mine enemies to torture and humiliate me. And the girls at the DQ kept asking, "Who is it, Fred? Who is your girlfriend?"

I was beginning to hate this bloody valentine! I dragged it home with me that night, despising the sound the balloons made as they thrashed one another in the wind. When I got home, I ripped the candy off the strings and let the balloons float to the ceiling in our split level entryway, and retreated to my bedroom to brood.

The next morning I heard my sister bubbling with excitement over the Valentine's balloons floating in the entryway. "Who are they for? Are they from a GIIIIRRRRELLLLL?" I crashed up the stairs where my mother and sister were waiting, grins grinning, waiting to hear my explanation.

I reached over the railing and grabbed the strings. I quickly pulled each balloon to my chest and clumsily burst them all. "It's just a stupid trick," I raged. "No girl likes me."

That's when I saw the look of hurt, not pity, flash across my mother's face.

To this day, I'm not very concerned with Valentine's Day. My wife isn't either. We may make a date to a restaurant during that week and one of us may pick up a card if it's convenient. We have our own little romantic events that we revere, but February 14th is just not that important to us.

But my Mom still sends Valentine's cards. She brings gifts for my kids. And each time we meet, she lets me know how much she loves me.

My mother may never again pretend to be my secret admirer. I guess that is what caused all the confusion in the first place. You see, I already knew she admired me. That was NEVER a secret.

Happy belated Valentine's Day.

The Chindo

Scallywag Sketches

I was blessed with the opportunity to be one of 2 artists chosen to create images for the premiere pirate rock band, Captain Bogg and Salty. Below are some of the sketches that didn't quite make the cut and some that did. By the way, if you think that because we're in league with pirates, you can freely steal these images, you're wrong. We are neck deep in copyrights and lawsuit successes so don't even try it.


I love this guy. Stuck out at sea for months at a time, a pirate dreams of simple luxuries like fresh fruit. This mate found himself a quiet perch in the riggings to enjoy this most rare of delicacy. By the way, I did draw this before Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean showed Captain Barbossa longing for a juicy bite of apple. Cutting edge indeed.


When your ship is blown to smithereens by a Commodore of the Realm, it's best to make do with what you have to
help you get away. Hang peg!


This poor fellow was left to fend for himself when he broke with the pirate code. Though a cruel piece of pirate justice, being left to drift on the open sea may not be so final when they've let you take along a few necessities, like limes for the scurvy.


"Treasure maps and goldy rings will fill your heart with glee. Apple cores and limey fruits will keep you from scurvy. Powder kegs and cannon balls will save your neck mate. But what makes a pirate glad he's alive? PIECES OF 8IGHT!"

Click here to watch the hilarious video for the song that inspired this sketch. Incidentally, this one made it into the album cover.


What happens if the only pirate who knows where the treasure is buried takes his final voyage down to Davy Jones? The spit of an island it was buried on gets swallowed by the sea and the treasure is lost forever. This sorry bloke entombed with the treasure is a grim reminder of the dangers of living a pirate's life. This too made it into the sleeve.


He may greet you in the street with a smile and a bow, but behind your back he's plotting your ruin for his gain. Note the artist's sorry mistake. This greasy chap was drawn with two right hands. Oops.


Superstition guides much of a sailor's days, so when a real life sea serpant gives you a ride on her back, you drink to her health and pray never to see her again.

If you'd like to join the crew, you can buy the album below.


You can also purchase them song by song at itunes here (of course you can't see all the album art if you don't buy the cd above).
Pegleg Tango or Bedtime Stories For Pirates

Especially In That Sunshine

"I stare to gain her stare, and still I'm making no sense.
Raise the curtain. Ease the focus.
Even the naked have their moments."
- Circe's Smile

We had our genius. We had our problems.

I'm not sure if it ever made sense, but we made some interesting music and loved the pretty lights.

We were a rock band. We were Circe's Smile.

Whole

GOD will you keep her safe from the thunder storm
When the day is cold, will you keep her warm
When darkness falls, will you please shine her the way
GOD will you let her know that I love her so
When there's no one there, that she's not alone
Just close her eyes and let her know
that my heart is beating with hers.

- Devotion

This woman I love has given me so much. I owe her much more than I can give.

This week I was given the opportunity to serve her as she underwent and recovers from surgery. Though the pain in her body and our heart is great, her smile and strength fills my heart. My joy is full.

Chrisface

In our teenage years, my brother and sister and I had trouble looking, well, good on Christmas day. The first attempt was genuine, but the following years, though genuinely bed ruffled, had a little ham in them.


This year I was in a play on Christmas Eve, Babes In Toyland, so I still had make-up on. I look like a little maharaja. Ike's hair is especially poofed. Hey, there's Opie!


Unable to control myself, I kind of messed this one up with a faked sleepy face. But of course, Annie looks as cute as always.

We're together again this year, so perhaps we'll see another Chrisface soon!

If I Could Give You More

"If I could give you more
I`d fill the house with flowers
Let you sleep for hours
Throw open the windows and unlock the doors
If I could give you more"

You never ask for more. In the quiet of the night you say, "I have everything I want!" Oh I find that hard to believe. There are so many things I wish I could give you that would give you a better life.

"If I could give you more
I`d make the streets safe
For every homeless waif
That wanders alone to a foreign shore
If I could give you more"

Because of all you give to me, I want to give you more every day. Yet still you smile and endure difficult times, a difficult world, and difficult me.

"See that you are sainted
Remain true and pure
So that you never get lost
No matter what you may endure"

Saints and Poets will forever wonder at the gifts given them and insist they are unworthy. They try to give back and it's always a feeble gift compared to the grace they've been given. So I look at the gift of you and with a desire to repay God, I present these simple words: "I Love You"

If only I could print them in the sky for all to see forever.

"If I could give you more
I`d hand the world a phrase
That could not be erased
And tells of a love that`s never been before
Oh, I will give you more"

- If I Could Give You More by Harry Connick Jr.

Happy Dozen Years my love, my desire, my sweet.

Chatsworth Aftermath

It was a tough night last night. The wind was so strong, the house was rocking. I got up this morning and took a walk around the mobile home park to see what happened.



Even now, huge gusts are battering our home and the noise is unnerving. I'm sure it'll be another tough one tonight.

Earth Has No Sorrow Heaven Can't Heal

Pray for Helen.

I went to a ministry to take pictures of children receiving food from Children's Hunger Fund. There I met Helen. She's 74 years old and the primary caretaker of her two ailing, adult children. Her daughter Diana has severe fibromyalgia leaving her in pain all day and unable to work. Helen's son David is suffering from a heart disease that keeps him in bed. David isn't expected to live long. Helen herself has severe valve problems in her heart and, with a smile through tears, said, "I'm making it."

She comes to the church to receive free groceries and encouragement from God's Word.

Helen said, "When I was young, I prayed that God would let me live long enough to raise my children, so they could make it on their own. Now, I pray that he will let me live long enough to comfort them through their pain."

Helen reminded me of a woman Dreefee and I met in Belarus. She was the sole caretaker of her mentally handicapped granddaughter, Dascha. The woman had severe cancer and knew she would die soon. She begged us to take sweet Dascha with us to Amercia so she wouldn't be put into a Soviet era institution upon her death. Only then, could she die in peace knowing Dascha was lovingly cared for.

Helen's story is unique and yet so common. Each of us has a world of sorrow to fight through and endure. And for many, the hope for heaven's healing is the only hope they have.

Pray for Helen. Hope for heaven.

Knott So Bad

Although we do have a real gripe with the pirates at Knott's Berry Farm, I can't help but love their authentic (though shabby at times) attempts at recreating a Ghost Town of the 1800s. This man, the Marshall of Ghost Town, has done everything in his power to keep Ghost Town authentic and appealing to pioneers of all ages since 1982. In fact, in recent years he campaigned to open up the famed gambling hall ("Me think someone cheat") to visitors. It now doubles as his Marshall's office where he keeps a cool collection of period guns, lawman badges and wanted posters.


He even reopened up the long shuttered schoolhouse, a real pioneer schoolhouse moved to California from Kansas, where kids can sit in the desks and experience a few moments of schooling from an authentic school marm. TallGirl probably could have been expelled for the length of her skirts, but they let her off with a warning.


This path behind Ghost Town to Boot Hill still remains as it was when I was a boy. And yes, there is still one grave that you can feel the heart of it's resident corpse beating eternally.


Of all the "Old Time Adventures" at Knott's, my favorite is still the first and greatest log flume in the world, The Timber Mountain Log Ride. The taxidermal animals and pitch black first drop make this the only thing I never miss. It's wonderful to see my little adventurers enjoying it as much as I did.

Pirate Mission

On a secret mission that will live in infamy, El Chindo, that's me, and TallGirl and Deet did set sail to Knøtt's Beπy Farm to carry out the Captain's orders. You've never seen a more determined lot.

So with our long boat ashore, and our orders clear, we snuck our way past their battlements and into their lair to see if the rumors of stolen treasure were true.

A great mountain of booty was there to be had and our hosts, unsuspecting of our alliances, were generous and gladly shared a bit of their own treasure with us, your most humblest of pirates.

Though well fed and cheered by the loot, we were still determined to blend in, crocodile grins and all, in the hopes that they would let slip and show us the treasure we suspect were stolen from out o' our own beloved Captain's locked and guarded cache.





And then...




How, in Neptune's name, could this be true? It be far too horrid a tale to be believed?

We sat stunned, in sad disbelief. Yet we'd seen it with our own good eye...







Snøøpy is a pirate.






It was a sad crew what set sail fer home that night. And though we're known fer a bit o' pirating ourselves, we'd hoped these bedtime tales of stolen treasure would have never had to come true.

Yer mate,

El Chindo


To find out more about the world's greatest Pirate Rock Band, travel thissaway to meet Captain Bogg and Salty.

My Weekend of the Gone Girls

Guest Poster - Deet, Age 5

Hi. My name is Deet. Last weekend my Mom and my sister were at Big Bear, so me and my Dad had fun adventures til midnight!

Me and my dad went on a really really really long drive that I got annoyed with.

My dad couldn't catch the pictures I was taking cause he was driving. So I just took pictures all day.

He drove me on a really long trip. and I wanted to go home, and I was all, "nothing could keep me from wanting to go home except Chuck E. Cheeses."

I really wanted to go home until I saw that he was taking me to Disneyland, then I was all, "nothing could stop me from going to Disneyland. Not even Chuck E. Cheeses."

I love going to Disneyland with my dad... alone. Can you keep that a secret?

We went on Pirates of the Caribbean 2 times!! And we got stuck in a video game called Buzz Lightyear. And we shot into a black hole for reeeeeals. Well not for reals, but it was just Space Mountain. And we went to the guns thing at Adventureland. I don't usually shoot things but this time I got the rabbit hole and the light sign. {whistle whistle whistle}

We stayed til midnight. I was tired but I lasted.

The next day, gramma took us to a pumpkin patch.

I bungee jumped so high that I could almost see the beach! It was cool.

Then, I saw the most spookiest really spooky spooky haunted house. I cried cried I mean cried the whole time. The people said it was a "Not Very Scary" Haunted House. Just because they told us it was fake doesn't mean it's not scary. My Dad said that they should tell people it IS scary.

My Dad told me he was sorry that he took me in that haunted house. I said, "It's okay." Just never take me to that haunted house Again. Ever.

We had lunch at Flooky's. The one that's close. You know the one you sing Jingle Bells in? Aw, just kidding. The food was good. Really good french fries and hot dogs.

Then, we went to the most coolest car show. I thought it was gonna be a cool show where the cars did tricks and stuff, but they just bring their cars there to show off.

One guy, my Dad's cousin Ben, took us for a ride in a really cool car. when I say cool I mean really cool.

We went and got milkshakes at Del Taco.

Then we went to see the model airplanes fly at the model airplane park. One was like a rocket. It did stunts. It went close to the ground. If I had an arrow on this blog to show you how close to the ground it went I would show you that it went all the way to the bottom of the screen. Well, not touching. Sorta.

After that we went to see real airplanes fly at, what's it called? The 94th Aerosquadron at the Van Nuys Airport. We saw only a couple planes. Not stunts. Just landing.

There was a big blown up wall there. And there was a little thing where they put a little flower at. And there was jeeps, really cool ones. Army jeeps. I sat in one. And there were cannons.

Then we took dinner to Verns house. I played drums. Isn't that cool?

I never played drums except for that one time.

At night we slept in the same bed. We watched a couple Strongbad cartoons the second night.

The girls came home. I still like spending time with my Dad AND the girls because they're my family.

tha tha tha tha that's all for now folks.

Love,

Deet

Diners and Dogs

"One more life that I could touch in some small simple way
Or one more light that I could shine
To show someone the way
Or one more sure word of encouragement
To say to one more soul
Oh Lord please won't you save me one
One more day
- The Lost Dogs

My Dad is going to have open heart surgery tomorrow to replace a valve. He's tired, and a little nervous (I think), but he's ready.

It's unusual for my Dad to just hang out with the guys. He's usually out encouraging the sick, or sharing a kind word, or shining the lighthouse of God's love, or resting his heart in preparation for another funeral, or loving on my Mom. So, he usually replies, "I'd love to, but I think I'd better stay. You boys have a good time."

But a couple weeks ago, he said yes. Me and my dear friends Jeff and Bryan took him to see our favorite group, The Lost Dogs. We had a pre-concert snack of onion rings and cheeseburger minis at a diner. Then we stayed out late, rockin' Pasadena.


I know it was tough keeping up with us, bad heart and all, but I'm glad my Dad came with us.




"Fat on the bacon
Wool on the lamb
Flies in the ointment
Murder in the ham
Hardened hearts and arteries
Salt block in the Spam
Lord save us all from this Bad Indigestion"
- The Lost Dogs

It's a good thing he's having heart surgery tomorrow. Those cheeseburgers were lethal.