Tehachapi's Online Community News & Entertainment Guide
Tehachapi's Online Community News & Entertainment Guide
Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 79
Every year the Kern County Libraries recommend one book for all residents to read and discuss around the county. This year’s recommended book is “Incarceration Nations” by Baz Dreisinger. Given the number of prisons in Kern County, the way that incarceration affects societies and the questionable effectiveness of “rehabilitation,” this book is well chosen for discussion. Dreisinger’s writes from her experiences as a teacher and as the founding director of the Prison-to-College Pipeline pr...
My heart is with teachers and students at this time as they begin a new school year. An organization that I have worked with, the Center for Mind-Body Medicine, (www.cmbm.org) has been training teachers and parents from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., how to manage and recover from trauma. Sadly, so many mass shootings and other crises keep CMBM in hot demand around the world. They have assisted people affected by wildfires, hurricanes, wars and numerous tragedies. I am p...
Aloha! I was recently blessed with being able to visit Hawaii, lava and all. Fortunately, our boat was not hit by a lava bomb. That sad incident occurred three days after we were there. My heart goes out to the tourists aboard the unlucky boat, as well as those who were killed on the duck boat in Missouri. Vacations are supposed to be fun and memorable. How dreadful when tragedy strikes. We were blessed with good luck, colorful sand beaches with sea turtles, kayaking and colorful fish beneath th...
There's an HIV shelter in Tijuana, Mexico, that brings me close to Jesus. Albergue Las Memorias is an amazing place of men, women and children who live in community caring for one another. When people first arrive, they are often quite ill, given a bed and nursed back to health by other residents. Once they are restored to health they do the same for the next incoming folks. I see biblical stories come to life whenever our church visits this place. Prodigal drug users are welcomed back "home," g...
Like many of you, my heart is broken for the children and parents being separated at our southern border. I pray that by the time this article goes to print this traumatic situation will be stopped. Imagine your young child taken from you by strangers for a misdemeanor offense, while it is being investigated. It makes me sick that people are claiming this is the law and there's nothing that can be done. It was the law that a righteous man must marry a virgin, but Jesus' earthly dad didn't let...
Are you treading water? Barely afloat? I love to tell the story of Noah's ark, not that I believe it literally, but rather, I like to show a boat rising higher and higher as the water just keeps coming. Some folks know those times well, when the water keeps rising. I can't imagine what it's been like living in Puerto Rico. While the waters have receded, the flood of discouragement continues with many people still living in the dark, months after their hurricane and deluge. My nephew and his...
Are you flourishing – enjoying life – happy and healthy? Spiritual practices have been shown to promote health and well-being. I think most of us could use a bit more flourishing. One of the first people to study the effects of spirituality was a Harvard psychiatrist, Dr. George Vaillant. He wanted to determine what components of spirituality, if any, contribute to well-being and human happiness. In 1938, he began studying undergraduates and followed them for more than 75 years, measuring var...
Plans are underway to celebrate 90 years of worship at the little church on the corner of E and Green right here in Tehachapi. On Sunday, April 15 during the 10:30 a.m. worship, we will take a walk down memory lane. Imagine back to the 1920s. What must it have been like to gather as a congregation in the era of prohibition, Charlie Chaplin, and the Great Depression? If the walls could talk, we would hear how people came together to worship during WWII and how families celebrated the Allies...
When I heard the news of another massacre at a high school in Parkland, Florida, some of my first thoughts were of my 18-year-old daughter. I wanted to be with her, to see her, to touch her, and hug her, as my heart broke for the parents and students newly baptized by blood into our country's club of gun-violence victims. I can't imagine what it was like for those who were shot at, but as a teenager, my 16-year-old sister was killed in a violent accident and I know the nightmare of sudden loss....
The season of Lent can be rather somber. Within the church, the prayers, liturgy and hymns are written to evoke deeper contemplation, as people symbolically walk with Jesus from Galilee to Jerusalem and to his death. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, February 14, this year. All are welcome to attend a brief lunch-time service that day from 12-12:30 p.m. and receive ashes to mark the beginning of your Lenten journey. Often we avoid talking about the inevitable outcome of death, especially our own....
Christmas in Minnesota was always a bright spot, sometimes in the midst of cold, miserable weather. Pine boughs, garlands, and a bit of tinsel helped to make the season sparkle. Recently, I have met with many people who are not experiencing the light and joy of the Christmas promise. In the past few weeks, I have met with people facing physical and mental illness; loss of loved ones from death, murder, and suicide; distraught couples facing separation and divorce; people fearful about nuclear wa...
Advent is a season of waiting, on high alert. Scripture tells us to "Keep Awake" and be ready. We are to be diligent to welcome a savior coming. However, we can't appreciate the savior if we can't see what in our lives needs saving or transforming. This past year, some people have been awoken to things they didn't know were a problem. Some were startled to see Neo-Nazis in Charlottesville and racism on bold display. Others have been aroused by a steady stream of gun violence in our country....
Dear Friends, How should churches recognize Veteran's Day? A free pancake breakfast, on Sunday, Nov. 12, from 9 to 10 a.m. for veterans and active military personnel is our chosen response this year. Come and enjoy! Flipping flapjacks is the least I can do to say thank you to those who have served our country or are serving it still. Join us for worship afterwards at 10:30, if you like. There are many ways to honor veterans and engage with our troops, but this is my church's choice this...
My Dad was a great provider - a hunter, trapper, farmer, and he taught me well how to survive off the land in rural Minnesota. He believed there was no reason I shouldn't capture, kill, prepare, and cook any form of edible animal. I have cleaned many fish, gutted many chickens, and helped to butcher numerous creatures. (Perhaps that has something to do with why I am vegetarian today, but that's a whole different story.) I got my first gun as a young teenager and with good vision, I was a deadly...
Greetings! I am writing this just as Hurricane Irma is set to grind up the state of Florida while Texas and Louisiana are still recovering from Hurricane Harvey. Caribbean Islands are bracing for another Hurricane, Jose. My thoughts and prayers are with people whose lives are in turmoil from these storms. Perhaps some of you will feel called to lend a hand in the coming years. Volunteers will be needed to reconstruct homes and communities for quite a while to come. After Hurricane Katrina...
Have you ever found something you could not say no to, besides, drugs, alcohol or other addictions, but rather something positive that was like a miraculous treasure? Sometimes we discover real treasure that we can't ignore and we are willing to give everything to have it in our lives. Some of us find "treasure" that influences our careers. We are called to be police officers, firefighters, soldiers, teachers, activists, or even beleaguered ministers, not due to the salary that is paid, but due...
Greetings! I was lucky and blessed to spend my summer vacation mostly in Italy, a place I had dreamed of experiencing. It was the trip of a lifetime and I got to share it with my spouse, our 17 year old daughter and one of her friends. If you’ve ever been to Italy, you might know that there is a lot of art to see (my daughter doesn’t care to see another Madonna and Child for quite some time); there’s yummy food; ancient ruins; and lots and lots of churches (at some point my daughter was done wit...
This past week I attended a meeting at the beach in Santa Barbara. While meetings can be dull, this one allowed me to see the beautiful ocean up close and the cutest adolescent sea lion I have ever witnessed. The little guy was playing in the water. Over and over again, he kept throwing a piece of plastic up into the air and catching it with his nose. Our meeting eventually stopped, as none of us could keep our eyes off of him. What a delight. The little fellow seemed to be having a blast, just...
In the bible, Peter states that God "shows no partiality" to one group of people over another (Acts 10:34). God is not partial to Jews over Gentiles or Americans over Somalians. I wonder how God feels about nationalism and other favoritisms... When I read Peter's statement, I think of a slogan used by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Melinda's explanation of it: " 'All lives have equal value' is not just a principle, it's a strategy...if you're not moving toward equality, you're not rea...
Are you noticing signs of spring? I hope new things are budding that you are excited to see bloom both outdoors in nature and within your personal life. Each spring we are greeted by new delights if we look around: baby kittens, baby chickens, “pink snow” from blossoms on a windy day, small green leaves unfurling on trees. Take a walk around your neighborhood and really notice the plants and miracles all around. When we are filled with awe and wonder it improves our mood. Gratitude opens us to...
During Lent Tehachapi Community Church is offering "Yoga and Soul" on Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m., with yoga instructor Nikki Miller. Nikki is a local instructor who has spent time teaching in India. She makes learning fun. Practicing yoga improves flexibility, balance, stress reduction and can improve overall health. Moreover, the principles inherent in yoga go beyond physical movements to encourage embracing non-violence and being a person of peace, a virtue compatible with any religion. After 45...
Dear Friends, Greetings! If you are reading this after the first of March, you have survived Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday, and Lent has begun. Congratulations! I think of Lent as a journey - an episode of time to focus more fully on spiritual practices that put me in closer touch with the spirit that resides within. Ash Wednesday, March 1, was the first day of Lent. On that day I was hanging out with Methodist pastor, Rev. Robin Wells at Railroad Park at lunch time for something we called “Ash and D...
Each New Year allows an opportunity to reflect on the past and set new goals for the future. What are yours? Is there some meaningful transformation you long for? January is my favorite month. I like to slow down, read, and just be. Fortunately, Santa brought me a good book this past Christmas, “When the Heart Waits: Spiritual Direction for Life’s Sacred Questions”, by Sue Monk Kidd, the author of the bestseller, The Secret Life of Bees. The book is about transformation - finding and becom...
October is here: cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, colorful leaves, windy days and the last full month of presidential political ads. God help us. This, too, shall pass. I write today knowing that there are many things in the air at my church this month. Folks are fall cleaning their closets and preparing for a church rummage sale on Saturday, October 22. Meanwhile, artistic elves have been painting up a storm in our Friendship Hall, adding color to a previously beige gathering space. Our...
Vincent van Gogh is my favorite artist. When I look at his individual deeply textured brush strokes, I feel intense emotions. He didn't live a long peaceful life. He was not successful during his lifetime... only sold 1-2 paintings, and was financially supported by his little brother, Theo. The two of them wrote many letters, published as "The Letters of Vincent van Gogh", by his sister-in-law, Johanna Van Gogh-Bonger. In these letters it is possible to read van Gogh's deep thoughts about life...
