What a Summer! Even if many of us have to work full-time while everyone else seems to be sand-castling, volleyballing, and boogie boarding along San Diego’s 70 miles of beaches, there’s always the magic of more fragrant flowers in the neighborhood on our walks as a prelude to the smoky promise of BBQ, giant watermelons, bowled fresh –herbed potato salads, and clinky, chilled glasses of agua frescas and Arnold Palmers. Summer is lifelong nostalgia of time well-spent with dear ones and new friends. It calls to memory literal and figurative long, barefoot walks on the shore. When we’re in summer mode, we reflect on the fulfilled promises and new life of Spring. We prepare gratefully for even more bounty along with impending changes of Autumn.
Hopefully, we all were able to enrich our summers by attending any of the many Lifestreams sponsored and partnered conferences, trainings, nature explorations, studies, and gatherings around San Diego! It’s not too late to treat yourself to one of the life-giving activities listed on the website!
Are you like me, wanting more of the revelations, or epiphanies we have received this summer to last? They can and they should! Graham Cooke is coming to Southern California at the end of September to teach on how to receive and sustain this relationship with God. He says that:
“…an Epiphany is not just a one-off encounter but that Christ in us makes us vulnerable to all the words and actions of Heaven...which is a constant epiphany.
Epiphanies are about transformation; renewal of mind and heart, our experiences of the truth setting us free, freedom gained, healing, seeing something new/different for the first time...”
If your heart is beating at this, go to the Lifestreams website and find out more!
(Notice the new look of the website?! Have a look around! More 411 on how to navigate and get the most of it is forthcoming!)
If, however, you feel a little muted in your voice and want to clear out the lies of intimidation so your epiphanies shine brilliantly, you can still visit C3 Church this coming Monday, August 29 with one of our own Lifestreams’ members, Pastor Pam Strickler at the “Unplugged: Find Your Voice” for “Overcoming Intimidation”—a time of inspired teaching and liberating ministry.
Here’s another litmus test about whether you want Some More. Question: What does a 1980’s era TV star with a mullet have to do with your and my marriage’s success? Answer: Find out by seeing Kirk Cameron teach and encourage Christians to strengthen their marriages (sorry—if you see him in person, I believe the mullet is now just an immortalized memory on the internet). Look on Lifestreams’ website for, “A Love Worth Fighting For” at the Rock Church on in mid-September.
And, if, like me, you need “community and accountability” to write down the stories God has put inside of you, there is another SD Kingdom Writers Association Creative Writing workshop on September 10th (2nd Saturday of every month) in the morning at the Awakening church! While you’re looking at the amazing events at the Awakening, keep your calendar open to write down when you’re going to see fellow Lifestreamers Pastor Karlet Muster AND our fearless Lauren teach at the Family Reformation Conference towards the beginning of October!
There is MORE to be had! Actually, the word “summer” is derived from Latin words that mean, “some more.” Summer. Sum-mer. Some-more. That’s one way to remember this season of Lifestreams relationships and gatherings, isn’t it? I want Some More. We want Some More. God has Some More for us. Let’s go for it!
~Ella deCastro Baron
PLEASE READ this P.S. (because I’m trying to catch you before you close this email and tell this tidbit to your neighbor): that’s not true, the Latin, “Some more.” As an English Professor, I say things like this to my students so they remember important points and concepts. It’s a verifiable trick for us to “encode” information permanently. But yeah, I made that up because it’s what this Lifestreams Summer represents. (This one IS true: “summer” seems to be a variant from a Proto-Indo-European root that means, “together/one.” That’s cool too! Although Proto-Indo-European doesn’t roll off the tongue quite so smoothly!) Hopefully, like in my classes, I say “just kidding” to you all and we can shrug, giggle a bit and move on. And yet… I bet many of you will remember what this Summer means from now on…?!