Here's A Question...

Why do we park in drive-ways and drive in park-ways?

Deb Update

Preface:
I know God does not answer all prayers in the way prayers about Deb were answered. So in attempt to be sensitive to those who have lost loved ones to cancer, I am not suggesting that people who do not pray hard enough, or do not have enough faith have to face the pain of losing someone. Rather, I am shining light on the fact that we have a God of comfort who hears our prayers and is, even when we do not feel it, always with us.

Praise:
Deb is cancer FREE!!!!
For more info, click on this link.

A Prayer Of Faith...

Last week, the staff at Light and Life were notified that our associate pastor (Also our Lead pastor's wife) and our good friend Deb Walkemeyer was diagnosed with a rare but very aggressive cancer in the uterus. She is actually in a 3 hour surgery today that began at 10am. Please pray for Deb, her husband Larry, and their daughter Lindsey, also a good friend of mine. For more info and updates, you can go to llcf.org and click on "Deb's Journey." Your prayers are appreciated.

Testing...

This is Cory, hijacking Izzy's blog to make it look cooler.

What Is Evangelism?

Lately, I have been reading a lot about postmodernity, youth of today, and evangelism. Frankly, I stray from using the word evangelism because evangelicals gave reason for this word to have many negative connotations. One thing in particular, however, that caught my attention was something Richard Peace Ph.D talks about in his book Conversion in the New Testament. He says the way people evangelize is determined by how they understand conversion. Further, if people think conversion is an immediate event once someone says a prayer after reading the four spiritual laws, they are likely to evangelize in a teaching and imposing way as to get the non-believer to convert right now. On the other hand, if a person understands conversion to be a process, they are more likely to get to know an individual and, overtime, share Christ by their life style and words.

So, for those of you evangelicals reading this, I tend to like what Peace says about conversion.

First: people need insight into who they really are and how it fits in terms of their relationship with God or lack thereof. Second, people need to turn to Christ, meaning they need to change the necessary elements in their life that deters them from growing closer to God. Finally, people need to be transformed and become a new creation.

I pretty much like the idea of this, but I am always game for hearing other views.

Timing

$500 later, I have a beautiful new Ibanez electric acoustic guitar with a built-in tuner and phase effect.


1 week later. I have to pay $350+ to have new shocks put in my car, and I still have to pay at least $500 more to get rear shocks, and a new cd player because mine enjoys spitting cd's out. Let's not forget the parking ticket from 2 blogs ago. Be creative with the word I am thinking of here ________________!

Sheriff

There is a great Mexican food restaurant called Enriques by my church in Long Beach. I enjoy going to this restaurant for several reasons. First, the food is great! Second, the workers are really nice and always hook it up (probably because we are there so often). Finally, it is a quiet place so I can take someone to eat while I need to talk with them, as was the case yesterday. Well, this usually quiet restaurant turned into an uprising of commotion and cursing within minutes from the time I sat down to order.

Sitting at a nearby table, there was a lady and her mother. The lady was probably in her mid 30's. I was explaining to Matt, the person I was having lunch with, about the ethical issues of parking in time zones (see previous blog). While I was explaining the prejudice of the parking police against guys with lip rings and dyed hair, the lady from the nearby table approached our table. When she got to our table, she stood glaring at me. This is not the kind of glare one gives a person who looks familiar. This is not even a glare such as one you would give a person you don't like. This lady was glaring at me like I just threw my enchilada at her while doing a tribal dance on my table. She had the look of disgust and hatred in her eyes, and I am pretty sure she wanted to steal my Horchata.

So I did what anyone else would do. "How's it going?" I asked. Then, in sharp and ice cold words, she responded.

"You sheriffs are all the same. You suck! It sucks to have a sheriff here when all you do is talk about and then you suck because sheriffs talk......." and other useless babble.

Matt got really uncomfortable and looked at me with an expression proclaiming, "What the crap am I supposed to do?" I nodded my head at the lady and asked her, "Did you get a parking ticket too?" Then she stormed off, cursing me and other customers and left the restaurant.

Hmmmm.

Not long after, our favorite waitress Blanca came out and asked what that was all about. She then apologized stating the lady was drunk and had been rude to her the whole time she was serving her. She did reek of vodka and some other liquor(s). All in all, I got a parking ticket aned cursed at yesterday. What does today hold for me? I'll let you know.

Obvious?

I go to Fuller Theological Seminary. Not important. What is important, however, is that Fuller's parking SUCKS. There are about 50 spots for 1000+ students. Where am I going with this? The story shall unfold.

Part 1:
Because Fuller has crappy parking, I must, at times, park on the street. Well, Pasadena has signs all over the place such as the following:




Let's exegete this sign.

• Time allotment for parking is two hours
• The 2 hour limit is only effective from 7:30am to 5:30pm
• There are conjoined arrows implying the sign covers the entire segment

Part 2:
Many a time I must park on the street. However, I have 2 and sometimes 3 consecutive classes, each 2 hours. Therefore, I park my car, go to class, come out and re-park my car in a new location, go to class, and so on. No problem right?

Today, like any other day, I parked on the street and went to class. I came out and moved my car. I noticed a spot across the street and down a bit from where I was originally parked so I moved my car to that spot. After my 2nd class, I came out to find something was on my windshield. "Hmmm." I thought to myself. "I wonder what flier I have in my car. Flier? NOPE! It was a freaking ticket for $35! I could say a few choice words here, but I will be sensitive to Cory who I am sure is reading this right now.

I was not about to take this garbage. I walked into the city office section for parking permits/fees. This was the conversation.

Izzy: Hello, I would like to contest a parking ticket I just received.
Lady: I am sure you would.
Izzy: Right, well I parked on one side of the street and I moved my car. I was not in the second spot for more than 2 hours.
Lady: Where did you move your car?
Izzy: Across the street and down a bit.
Lady: Well, that is your problem. You have to move at least 2 blocks away.
Izzy: 2 blocks away? Where does it say that on the sign? It just says there is a 2 hour limit.
Lady: Well (cynically) it is obvious. Everyone knows you cannot park in the same vicinity.
Izzy: Obvious? So are you calling me ignorant?
Lady: No.
Izzy: Well, it is not obvious to me that I would have to move my car 2 blocks away. Who is to say it is not 1 block or 1 mile away? No one can know that unless it is written on the sign. But I guess I have to pay it right? So where can I pay this?
Lady: Right over there.
Izzy: Thanks. (To the guy behind the "payment" window) Hey man.
The guy: How can I help you?
Izzy: I have to pay this parking ticket because I moved my car across the street after 2 hours and apparently you have to move at least 2 blocks away.
The guy: I didn't know that? I move my car from spot to spot all the time. In fact, most of us do that work here and cannot get a spot in our business parking lot.
Izzy: (Looking back to the lady who overhears this conversation between me and the guy) Apparently, it's not so obvious if people who work here don't even know.

After arguing about this for about 10 minutes which consisted of the lady telling me I should know that I cannot park my car on the same street even if I move it because the sign OBVIOUSLY states that I have to move at least 2 blocks away, I payed the guy $35 and left. I maintained the best Christian attitude I could. Let's see that sign again.


Nope: I don't see 2 blocks anywhere either.
Am I ignorant because I do not know I have to move my car at least 2 blocks away?

You're A Dollar Short!!!

I am honored that Andy and Sarah took me along with them today on a trip to a lake nearby. They set out to get Sherman into the water, lay out in the sun, and relax. Andy and I played some catch (Threw a baseball back and forth for the lay people), and I was able to read a bit for school. However, this all happened after we overcame the obstacle of crossing the border.

There she was, about 5'5'' with a blue shirt and ranger sun-glasses. Judging from the look of her brow, she must have been in the late 30's early 40's. You would be wise to take note, park rangers can be stiff folk. I have known a few, emphasis on "few," park rangers who were laid back and cool. The majority, however, are turds (the postmodern word for rigid). So it came down to it. Would this lady be cool like the 12% I have encountered? Or would she be one of the 88% of the park rangers who ride on their power trips? Well, statistics don't lie.

Andy had looked the place up on the internet before we left. The website said it would cost $6 to park a vehicle in the...park (sounds redundant). Park in the park. Okay, anyway. As you know, Andy and Sarah live off of my monthly rent check. In other words, they were literally scrambling to find pennies and nickels as a means of getting enough money to pay a parking fee. Of course, it came down to Andy asking me if I had some "spare change." Literally, Andy asked for "spare change." Well, spare change became the $4 I had in my wallet. No problem right? After all, they invited me on this trip and I was very grateful, I wanted to go, I had no problem forking out 4 bucks. They had $2 in pennies, nickels, dimes, and I think I saw a quarter in their but it could have been a peso. I am not sure.

Upon reaching the entrance to the park, the ranger said, "That will be $7 to park." What!? Wait a minute, the website said $6. "Hey, the website said $6 and that is all we have, can we get in with $6?" Andy asked. "You need to call because our website is never updated. And no, you cannot come in with just $6. You're a dollar short."

What the fudge? I mean, first off, if you are not going to update your website, DON'T HAVE A WEBSITE! Number 2, who doesn't let someone in if they are a mere dollar short? Give me a break.

The day was not lost so don't get all bundled. We stopped at a nearby gas station and Andy got some money. They charged him $1.50 which is a whole other story I am sure Andy will blog about. We returned and counted out, first in pennies the $7.