Hey, all! You can listen to my preaching now without even coming to West Sacramento! (Though it’s still better live, and you also get to hear and sing some great music.) Visit our church podcast.
And if you do, please leave a comment or two on there. The silence is deafening. 
As you may know, Tower Records started in Sacramento. My family and I went there for music and to Tower Books for kids’ books, classics, and obscure magazines. Now Tower is in bankruptcy and have hired a company to sell off the inventory.
Eleanor and I went to say goodbye and to check out the bargains. This is a picture of my last Tower Records bag. 
I had been joking with Eleanor that I always saw a panhandler at Tower Records, and then… Marty walked up. For old times’ sake, I went and bought him a cheeseburger while Eleanor scoped out the store.
We’ll miss you, Tower!
I didn’t realize this, but apparently macaroni necklaces are not only edible but are a sought-after doggie delicacy. (See picture.) Johnny, whose necklace was consumed, did not find this revelation as exciting as I did.
Well, the church finances are looking bleak so far this year. People haven’t stepped up and we’re short more than $30,000 for 2007 – after the obvious cuts. The shortfall is almost twice the savings we have in the bank. As pastor, I’ve been struggling to come up with a plan, but I can’t seem to find one. We’d have to get rid of more than one staff person or cut my pay in half or cut 75% of our mission giving or cut all of our program funding to make it work.
The options seem to be to cut back our ministry significantly – which would be a big step backwards – or to trust that our needs for ministry will be met somehow. But where is the line between trust in God and foolishness?
I have prayed and asked people to pray. God has been acting in our church, and I don’t believe that he’s done with us. Still, we have to make a decision before the end of the year. Well, I received a message today.
Johnny was “reading” his children’s Bible this morning, and he came up to a page with a picture of a fish with a coin in its mouth. “What’s this Daddy?” he asked.
It was the story of Jesus and Peter paying the Temple tax. They didn’t have any money so Jesus told Peter, “go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours.” (Matthew 17:24-27)
The children’s Bible stated confidently that we can trust God to provide for our needs. The message? If Jesus can provide for monetary needs with a fish, won’t he provide for our church? There are many possible ways for God to provide. There were 199 people in worship on Sunday. Can’t God move them to give? Or provide some other means of support?
Johnny pointing out this story as I was struggling this morning really felt like a message from God. “Don’t worry, Steve. We’ll get through this together.” I look forward to telling you how it works out.
If you read this posting, please pray for Trinity Church. “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” – James 5:16b
Do you every wonder if what you do makes a difference?
I had a sense of a call to vocational ministry (that’s seminary speak for doing ministry for a living) as early as college, but the place that I really learned to understand my call was Sunnyvale Presbyterian Church. They’re celebrating their 50 anniversary this year, and they invited those church members who have become pastors to write about their experience. I’m sharing mine with you so that you can see how many different people and programs God used in order to grow me enough to be ready to answer the call to ministry. As you read it, think about the “little things” that you may have done and how – taken together with the actions of others – they can change people’s lives.
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