The Garden

Sunburst Youth Academy

jamey — Mon, 14 May 2012 18:03:29 +0000

The youth of the Sunburst Youth Academy would like to thank the Garden church for your generosity! Your giving has helped to provide Bibles for all of the students. Here is a short video expressing their gratitude:

Download Video: MP4

The Faces of Children’s Ministry at the Garden (continued)

jamey — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 00:37:21 +0000

Our mission in Kids Ministry at The Garden is to provide a safe and welcoming environment where kids can experience the love of Jesus and build a lifelong relationship with Him. We could never do this without our wonderful team of volunteers. In the next couple weeks we will be introducing you to these volunteers who spend their Sunday mornings turning a cigar lounge into a nursery and classroom for newborns to eight-year olds.

Name: Jessie

Occupation: High School Counselor

What made you decide to volunteer in Garden Kids?

I love working with kids. Since I work with high school students during the week I wanted to work with the younger kids at the Garden. I love the innocence children have and I think I learn from them just as they hopefully learn from me. It is so important for kids to experience God's love at a young age and I really hope that they can experience that through me! I still remember the teachers at church when I was young and know God used them in my life.

What is your favorite thing about volunteering?

I enjoy being able to give part of my time back to God. I am always blessed through volunteering my time. It's also such a great way to get to know people and develop good relationships.

What do you like to do in your free time?

I enjoy being active in my free time. I love running, turbo fire kickboxing and hiking. I also enjoy traveling and since I have my summers off I do quite a bit of it! I have an amazing family and love spending time with them as well.

Name: Kristi

Occupation: Middle School History Teacher

What made you decide to volunteer in Garden Kids?

I spend so much of my day with middle school students that I thought it would be fun to mix it up a bit. I also love babies!

What is your favorite thing about volunteering?

I love being an active part of the Garden and I enjoy getting to know the various families and volunteers present on Sundays that I wouldn't normally get to meet.

What do you like to do in your free time?

In my free time, I enjoy traveling, running, biking, decorating, and searching for garage sale/alley treasures.

Name: Lisa

Occupation: Teacher at Los Altos Brethren School in Long Beach. I teach a transitional kindergarten class Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and co-teach a kindergarten class on Tuesday and Thursday.

What made you decide to volunteer in Garden Kids?

I want to get more involved in the work at the Garden and feel like God has given me a gift with children.

What is your favorite thing about volunteering?

I like to meet new people and help families. I enjoy the children and seeing their faces as they learn new things.

What do you like to do in your free time?

I like to decorate and sew, I read novels, and I like to ride horses.

The Faces of Children’s Ministry at the Garden (continued)

jamey — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 23:34:43 +0000

Name: Christina

Occupation: Registered Nurse in the Pediatric ICU at Miller Children's Long Beach

What made you decide to volunteer in Garden Kids?

I wanted to volunteer in Children's Ministry to serve the Lord with the gifts He's given me.

What is your favorite thing about volunteering?

My favorite part of volunteering is building relationships with the kids and getting them excited about studying God's word. I especially love seeing the little ones grow up before your eyes. I'm amazed at how fast they learn and their little personalities, even at a young age, are fun to watch.

What do you like to do in your free time?

In my free time, I enjoy running, photography and spending time with my family.

Name: Leigha

Occupation: Pricing administrator at an industrial supply distribution company

What made you decide to volunteer in Garden Kids?

I have always liked spending time with children, and I had been looking for ways to become more involved at the Garden. The children’s ministry has been growing rapidly so I thought that would be a great place for me to be.

What is your favorite thing about volunteering?

I love seeing the kids grow and learn about Jesus. It is so fun watching them discover knew things and how they all interact with one another. It is also such a blessing to see the joy on their faces while we are worshipping God through songs, bible stories and prayer.

What do you like to do in your free time?

There is nothing I love more than spending time with my wonderful husband, family and friends. When I have a free weekend I will visit my precious baby nephew. I also enjoy reading, running and riding my bike at the beach.

Name: Alissa

Occupation: Teacher (7th Grade History!!)

What made you decide to volunteer in Garden Kids?

I wanted to hang out with Oliver and his buddies

What is your favorite thing about volunteering?

Watching all the kids interact- they are all so fun!!

What do you like to do in your free time?

Eat, cook for friends/family, be outside- especially markets!!

Name: Blake

Occupation: Construction

What made you decide to volunteer in Garden Kids?

When Oli was born we wanted to help all the wonderful people taking care of him

What is your favorite thing about volunteering?

Getting to know other families with kids.

What do you like to do in your free time?

Photography, hang out with my hilarious, beautiful, thoughtful wife.

The Faces of Children’s Ministry at the Garden

jamey — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 22:29:20 +0000

Name: Mikaela

Occupation: Case Supervisor with a Non Profit that works with foster youth

What made you decide to volunteer in Garden Kids?

I just love kids and thought it was a great way to get involved at the Garden!

What is your favorite thing about volunteering?

Getting to use my gifts to bless the families at the Garden, getting to know other volunteers in our community, and learning more about God through the simple and pure faith of the kids.

What do you like to do in your free time?

Running, reading, accomplishing items off my bucket list like traveling, skydiving, etc.

Name: Amy

Occupation: stay at home mom

What made you decide to volunteer in Garden Kids?

I was excited about the opportunity to love and inspire the little ones (and of course hold lots of babies!)

What is your favorite thing about volunteering?

Just simply watching them grow up. I also love how much they inspire and challenge me to grow as well.

What do you like to do in your free time?

Spend time with my little family, coffee dates with friends, read.

Name: Brooke

Occupation: 31 Bits: Director of Involvement

What made you decide to volunteer in Garden Kids?

I wanted to serve in the church and I have always loved kids. It seemed like a perfect fit!

What is your favorite thing about volunteering?

Hanging out with all the kids and listening to them pray for their families and for each other.

What do you like to do in your free time?

Bike ride, read, write, cook, travel, practice piano, try new things... the next things on my list are kayaking and rock climbing.

Name: Jacquelyn

Occupation: Student, more specifically: CSULB, Architectural Interior Design Student and works as a part-time Administrative Assistant

What made you decide to volunteer in Garden Kids?

I had a dream type conversation with God telling me that I should become involved in the Garden and help out with Children's ministry and the following week the announcements came up on the screen introducing volunteers needed.

What is your favorite thing about volunteering?

Interacting with all of the kids and listening to what the have to say and telling me what they have learned.

What do you like to do in your free time?

Spend quality time with extended family, trying new things, reading, bike rides, and having quiet time to get away from all the crazy activities that make up a typical day of being a student and part time worker.

Meet the Kids of the 5th Street Garden: Franco

jamey — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 22:20:22 +0000

We are going to begin highlighting and interviewing the neighborhood kids that come to the 5^th Street Community Garden. When this garden first started a few years ago we really didn’t know how many kids were in the area and whether they would be interested in the garden at all. As we opened the garden up, however, we suddenly had lots of kids showing up. They just liked to hang out there, to help us build the garden, and even desired to own some of the plots. We want to share some of their stories and experiences here. Hope you enjoy these kids as much as we do.

Meet Franco. The moment you meet him you know there’s something special about him. He has been with the community garden ever since the groundbreaking ceremony. Soon after meeting him we found out that he loves to garden. He was actually teaching us a lot about gardening when we first started! He was one of the first neighbors in the area to start taking care of a garden plot. He loves to grow onions, cabbage, tomatoes, squash, peppers, and anything else he can get his hands on. Something special about Franco is his passion to serve people. Whenever we have events there he is always asking to be a volunteer. He is constantly asking others if there is anything they need, and he is a great mediator between other kids at the garden. We couldn’t imagine the community garden without him and his family. With that, here is the interview we had with him:

5^th Street Garden: So, Franco, tell me a little about yourself and your family.

Franco: Well, I’m 12 years old and in the 6^th grade. I have four brothers and three sisters. My parents grew up in Mexico and struggled for a while down there. They came here about 15 years ago and they both started working. We have a pretty small and crowded house, but I love my family.

G: What do you want to do when you grow up?

Franco: I’ve already started to save up to go to college. I know that’s important and hope to be able to go. I want to get my degree in music engineering and work with signing bands and help them produce their music.

G: Do you play any musical instruments?

Franco: I play the saxophone and the guitar, which you guys gave me for Christmas. I love to play them. I’m taking beginning band at school, so I’m getting better at the saxophone.

G: I’m sure your neighbors love the saxophone. How did you start getting involved here at the garden?

Franco: I first found out about the garden when I saw the groundbreaking ceremony back in 2009. I knew right away that it was going to prosper and I wanted to be part of it. I also noticed that the people were really nice. I started coming here when it was open and really liked how everyone treated each other. They valued and respected me and I respected them back.

G: What has been your favorite memory here so far?

Franco: I think the two Halloween Carnivals that you guys have put on. I liked that there were so many people and everyone was happy with their parents and their families. They had so much fun. No one got angry or fought with each other.

G: Is that something you usually don’t see?

Franco: Ya. Everyone is usually mad and they don’t get a long. But here, they do.

G: Why do you enjoy coming here to the garden?

Franco: Honestly, it’s an escape from the pressures of my house. It’s a lot of kids there, but right here, I feel free. I don’t have to worry about getting my mom mad. But most of all I just like the people here. I really like hanging out with Jon and learning things from him. I also like all the fruits and vegetables we grow.

G: You own one of the plots here. What’s that been like?

Franco: I planted it a while ago, and it started growing really well. You guys helped me weed and take care of it and now it’s doing really well. I’ve already taken two cabbages home this week. I love to just wash them off and eat them raw. I’ve also made soup for my family from some of the squash.

G: Last question, Franco. Why do you think we’ve created this garden?

Franco: I’ve always felt that the people that made this place and come here want to be here and they want to share their love for us. They care about us. I feel that everybody likes me here. I don’t feel left out. It means a lot. I can’t really imagine living here without this place.

G: Thanks, Franco. We can’t imagine the garden without you.

That’s Franco. One of the many kids here that we have invested in and are walking with. This garden isn’t just a project; it’s a place to join, witness, and experience His will being done on earth as it is in Heaven. We are able to share God’s love by creating a garden and simply showing up. Look for our next interview with another garden kid, Amnesty.

The 5^th Street Community Garden is open every Sunday from 1pm to 4pm. It is located at 1051 E. 5^th Street, Long Beach. Email: communitygarden@thegardenlb.org for more information.

Rebels Are Really Artists

jamey — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 23:55:50 +0000

My introduction to youth ministry started long before I ever became a youth pastor as my friends and I set out to play music to a generation of kids who were sick and tired of the church. Exhausted by sermons preached from the gospel of fun and games, these kids were seeking to be a part of something real and authentic, and music was that outlet for them. We traveled the country playing shows just so we could invite a few of these church exiles out to dinner.

We wanted to hear their story. We wanted to share our own.

And in the midst we discovered that even though these kids gave up on the church, they had yet to give up in their faith in Christ.

These kids had dreams and passions about changing the world, yet they were stuck in the economic grid lock that told them that they needed to get good grades in order to go to another school to get better grades. The stories that they found themselves living in were stories that never validated what they were capable of, so they jumped ship and found ways of expressing themselves that left their parent’s concerned. Sex, Drugs and Rock-n-Roll were far more provocative then SAT’s, PhD’s, and empty promises that a college education meant that employers would come knocking at your door.

These kids parents and grandparents were the ones who rolled up their sleeves and made the American Dream come true. So let's be honest and role the credits because that era in history is over and the last thing on earth these kids want to do is be known as the generation that inherited a way of life they never wanted.

Parents see it frequently as rebellion and I have come to see it as opportunity. These kids are artists who paint in the medium of compassion and social justice and are begging for the world to give them a canvas to paint upon. Yet their story continues to read, “Get-good-grades-in-order-to-go-to-another-school-to-get-better-grades.” Is it any wonder why they have chosen to rebel? Is it any surprise that they have chosen a different story?

I’m not advocating the pathway of sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll, but the questions I would like to suggest today is, has the church provided a better story? Have parents provided a better story? Have youth pastors provided a better story?

I’ve shared meals with thousands and thousands and thousands of teenagers who would argue that the answer is no. In their opinion, all the church wants to do is “have fun” or “teach boring theology.” You see, these kids wanted to change the world and the church said to them, “You're too young.” You see, these kids had dreams about ending world hunger and the school systems said to them, “Get better grades so you can go to college and wait around for another four years.” You see, these kids aren’t actually kids but in many ways young adults who are stuck at home playing video games because when they spoke out for the first time, their parents didn’t see an artist but instead saw rebellion.

We have taught them how to stay quiet.

We have taught them that they will only be valuable if they graduate.

We have taught them how to maintain the American Dreams that we had and never once stopped to ask if they had dreams of their own.

My plea to every disciple who follows Jesus today is that they may come to see these teenagers as the future of the church. Can we begin inviting these kids to grow up, take responsibility, and follow Jesus once again with everything that they have? It's time to stop asking them to adopt what we have built for ourselves and begin training them to become the best storytellers this world has ever seen. My team and I at the Garden are exploring new and creative ways at approaching youth ministry, and what we are noticing time and time again is that Rebells.Are.Really.Artists.

‐Billy

Stories from our community

jamey — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 23:43:26 +0000

We have changed up our blog format to include more stories from our community. If you would like to see our Sunday curriculum, go here.

The Spirit, baseball, and restoration

jamey — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 21:33:21 +0000

03/31/2011

My wife and I received a call from Darren and Alex, inviting us to have dinner with and John and Chris from St Mary’s Church. We walked over to their house and were both wondering what the night was going to be like. We walk in, are greeted by John and Chris and we sit down for dinner. We joked, laughed, told stories, and had a great time. We got to talk about our lives, our dreams, and what had brought us to The Garden and to Darren and Alex. It was all going exactly like I expected. We ended the night (or what I thought was the end) with wine and good conversation. Then John, like a surgeon, began asking deeper questions to Lydia and me. He asked us to put the following in order for our lives, “People, Principals, and Projects.” We started down that road and he unwrapped our lives to a very raw center of realization. That Lydia is a strong leader, a little cold, but a gifted adventuring truth teller who doubts herself. John Peters said that she reminds him of himself. Myself, a people oriented, love comes first, visionary who is a little blind. He walked us through how we each should compliment one another, how our gifts are very unique to His purpose and how we can “nuke” our gifts by denying they exist and reacting in the wrong way to them. It was some heavy stuff, and my wife was visibly uncomfortable with some of these new revelations. With that, he asked if we could pray. Of course we said yes. He asked us to stand, close our eyes, open our hands and give the Holy Spirit permission to work in us. We did that and Chris, John, Darren and Alex began to pray over us. I will speak from my perspective because that is really all I can speak on.

John began to pray, in a prophetic way, truth over my life. There were words of affirmation, truth, and precision in the words being spoken over me. I definitely felt love by the Spirit, but nothing that was out of the normal for me. He was speaking in some tongues, but it wasn’t distracting, it was, in a way, a love language that was guiding the words of affirmation being spoken over me. After he was done, I began to feel a strange sensation over my face. The only way I can describe it is a tingling sensation that seemed to grow in intensity and was spreading. Yes, I was a little weirded out, but I said, “God, if this is you, bring it.” Alex then began praying over me, tender words, sweet words, comforting words. I realize now that I was being walked down a specific path. It wasn’t choreographed by those praying for me, it was guided by the Holy Spirit. It was like He was saying, “Come, Jon. I have an amazing place to show you. Just trust me.”

Now, as I write the rest of this, I am speaking of what I remember experiencing, and also what those in the room saw. I was completely aware the entire time, but I was also so wrapped up in what was going on, that others had to fill in the pieces.

Well, Chris came to pray for me and said, “Jon, I have this vision. It’s a very American picture, but I see you playing little league baseball and you are standing on the field wondering where your father is.” At that moment, there was a deep, deep feeling inside of me that was welling up and that came out in what I can only describe as a guttural crying wail of grief and pain. I found this out later, but it was so loud that the downstairs neighbors had come up and thought there was a fight going on. I fell to the floor and just began to weep and wail uncontrollably. The reason I think this picture hit me so hard comes in two parts. One, my dad is now entirely absent in my life. When I was 13 years old, a year after my parents had been separated, he dropped me off at home one day and said, “Jon, it’s just too hard to be your dad. It hurts too much. And I feel that if I am in your life, I will only bring you hurt and pain.” Bye, dad. Second, whenever I think of my childhood, my mind always takes me back to the memory of the little league team I was on and how happy I was that my dad and I would practice together and the few games he was able to go to were moments of celebration for me.

So, here I am, in a mess of emotion, and grieving the loss of my father in a way I have never experienced. Chris was continuing to pray, revealing the truth and love of my true Father in heaven. These are all things I knew and believed before, but I was in such a raw state of grief and vulnerability, that this time it was actually healing my broken heart. At this point, my wife is in tears seeing the state that her husband is in. She was being comforted and guided by everyone there that this was normal and a good thing. Well, I’m still wailing, grieving and in an absolute state of vulnerability when I start to get that tingling sensation over my face again, but this time it spreads to my entire body, from my head to my toes. My heart starts racing, I start breathing like I have just ran a marathon, and I realize that the Holy Spirit is being poured out onto me. I hear a whisper from Darren, “You may be given the gift of tongues, don’t fight it.” I have never spoken in tongues. I have had one experience with it, where someone spoke in tongues and I clearly saw a vision. Other than that one instance, I have put the gift of tongues on the backburner, in a way afraid of it, mystified by it, and something that I really didn’t want or care to visit again. Then it came. I was trying to speak English, but all that was coming out was this strange language that I could not, at first, comprehend. But a few phrases into it, I understood it and it played out like a love poem to my soul. There was nothing else I could say. I didn’t need to force it because it seemed that it was my only option of response. I clearly remember speaking out in a state of grief, but it was immediately followed by a statement and feeling of love. I’ll do my best to describe it: I realized last night that tongues isn’t a linear language. I’m not able to write out the language of tongues as I am writing out this right now. There were layers upon layers of meaning and emotion in a single word. It’s as if the questions I was asking out loud were being answered in the same phrase I was speaking. It was as if each word I was speaking was healing, loving, affirming, comforting, and lifting me up. I wrote a little of the dialogue I remember:

Where have you been father!? I have been here the whole time my son.
Where were you when I needed you?! My son, I am filled with so much love for you. It’s going to be ok. Come, find your rest love and peace in me. I love you, Father. I praise you! I am so sorry your dad has failed you, but I am here, and that is all that matters. I will never fail you. I will never leave you. I will never forsake you. You are mine, my child, my son. There is nothing that has ever or will ever separate my love from you. Let’s celebrate our love, let’s celebrate my truth, and let’s celebrate the love I desire for this entire world.

To give you a picture of what’s going on, I am on the ground, literally rolling around on the floor, crying, laughing, smiling and speaking in this amazingly strange language. They had to move all the furniture out of the way because I was so animated by the Spirit. The last thing I was thinking was how silly I probably looked. I didn’t care. I was still aware of what was going on, but I was so filled with His love that it was as if I was literally drunk. The feeling of love was so strong that I had to lie on the floor for about 45 minutes before I even had the strength to get up. After I felt it pass, I got up and we debriefed a bit, but my mind was so out of it that it was hard to concentrate. Days later, I was still feeling the echoes of what happened that night. I had and still have a new sense of healing inside of me. I feel like I was given a new heart, a softer heart. I was given an aerial view of my life last night, one that I know is marked by God. I am His forever, and He is forever mine.

Oh, and that vision that Chris had, about the little league game. I found out later that night that he was picturing the scene from the movie, “Hook,” with Robin Williams, where Jack, Peter Pan’s son, was a baseball player for Captain Hook and the pirates. Guess what the name of my little league team was? The Pittsburg Pirates.

-Jon

January 15th, 2012

jamey — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 01:27:44 +0000

Read Mark 1:1-11.

¹ As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, ² saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. ³ If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’”

⁴ They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, ⁵ some people standing there asked, “What are you doing, untying that colt?” ⁶ They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. ⁷ When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. ⁸ Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. ⁹ Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted,

“Hosanna!^[a]”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”^[b]

¹⁰ “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!”

“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

¹¹ Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.

Jesus isn't concerned with patching up your raggedy rags. He doesn't want to put icing on your crap. He wants to give you a whole new self. The problem is that we really don't know what is good for us. Jesus knows exactly what we need, and it may be the very thing we don't want. If you haven't been disappointed by Jesus yet, you may not be following him closely enough.

If Jesus just "fixed" our problems, without giving us new selves, we would just learn to live continually in a broken, upside down world.

Have you been accustomed to viewing your relationship with Jesus this way? That he is there just to patch up your otherwise "perfect" life?

Have you invited him into the core of your being, and allowed him to set you right side up? To give you a whole new self?

January 8th, 2012

jamey — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 01:26:32 +0000

You can listen to the message here by subscribing to the podcast.

Read Mark 1.

The only way to get Jesus and his message is to follow him as a disciple.

What's hindering you from discipleship?

Is it not resting? Is it drinking too much? Is it busyness? Is it addiction? Is it unwillingness to say yes to what God is asking you to do?

Click here to see the presentation from Sunday.