Happy New Year from Pasadena 1 Jan 2009, 8:28 pm

Unlike folks who camped out overnight (which I personally think is crazy) we choose to leave our home around 7:30am, arriving towards the end of the parade around 8:30am. For us as family, much more do-able. And this year friends (who recently moved here from the midwest) joined us.


“Bollywood Dreams” - The City of Sierra Madre, a small community next to Pasadena, pulled off this amazing float. It's great seeing smaller cities from the area (Duarte, West Covina, Flintridge/La Canada, South Pasadena, etc) build incredible - and award winning - floats, the vast majority of work being done by volunteers.

The City of Los Angeles has an entry every year, but it's never anywhere close to what these much smaller cities do.

We were on Sierra Madre Blvd, north of the 210 Freeway, sitting on a grass median. We parked (free, of course) in a neighborhood and walked about five short blocks.

Weather was great. About 70 degrees, and sunny. We got to know some of the people around us, shared snacks ... strangers I met ten minutes earlier made sure my kids had a good seat. How great is that?

The parade is six miles long, five miles of which is along Colorado Blvd. The parade turns north at Sierra Madre Blvd. and continues for another mile. Sierra Madre becomes a residential street: it's pretty wild having a parade of this calibre pass by single family homes.

Most floats are simply amazing! Click on any of these photos for a larger (and more detailed) image. Considering we only waited about an hour for the parade to start, we had great seats. Most of these photos were taken simply standing (although a couple of times I stood on a metal folding chair). We brought chairs to sit on - which we highly recommend.

These photos are just a few of the 46 different floats that rolled by this year. Every square inch of visible surface area has to be covered with plants, flowers, or organic material.

Back when I was a student at UCLA, a couple of fraternity brothers and I got up early to try and see the parade. It was dark and cold as we wandered along Colorado Blvd around 5am looking for a place to sit. We didn't know what we were doing. I was tired, wished I had brought a chair, and really wished I back in bed. When the parade finally came by, we were on the wrong side of the street -and staring into the sun. Lame. I promised myself I would never go back.

Ten years later a friend suggested we go, but this time he had a plan: show up at towards the end of the parade (around 9:30am) - with step ladders, so we could see. Worked great! I understand Pasadena has since banned ladders - but a metal folding chair can work, too as long as you're behind the crowd and not blocking anyone else's view.

As I said, it was sunny and about 70 degrees. More amazing than the floats is the fact that it's only rained on the parade once in over fifty years. If you're not familiar with Southern California, it rains here in the winter. The fact that the parade has only experienced rain once since 1956 is remarkable.

A few years ago, I began to wonder, "Does God like the Rose Parade?"

Before answering that, maybe a better question is "does God like flowers? Does He like plants, animals ... His Creation?"

I think the answer to that is, "yes."

"God saw all that He had made, and it was very good." Genesis 1:31


Why are there so many varities of plants and animals?

Why are there so many kinds of flowers?

Why are they so beautiful?


The diversity of life on earth is amazing. I remember thinking years ago "God isn't a theologian - He's a biologist!"


The Tournament of Roses doesn't try make any sort of theological statement. Sure, there are little nods to faith, much of which seems grandfathered in from previous generations: the Salvation Army band participates every year, the Lutheran Layman's League has an annual Christian-themed float (this year's theme "Hat's Off to Entertainment" was trickier than usual to work with). Most significantly, the parade organizers have a policy never holding the parade on a Sunday. In our secular, 24/7 society, that's incredible, really.

In a world of war, famine, suffering, injustice ... is it trivial to even ask if God likes something like the Tournament of Roses?

Maybe. But maybe not.

Thoughts?

He [God] waters the mountains from his upper chambers; the earth is satisfied by the fruit of His work. He makes grass grow for the cattle and plants for man to cultivate - bringing forth food from the earth: wine that gladdens the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread that sustains his heart. The trees of the LORD are well watered, the cedars of Lebanon that He planted. There the birds make their nests; the stork has its home in the pine trees ..." Psalm 104: 13-16

"The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of goves is heard in our land. The fig tree forms its early fruit; the bloosming vines spread their fragrance." Song of Songs 2:11-13

Merry Christmas from Santa Monica 24 Dec 2008, 11:46 pm

Over a dozen churches in Santa Monica sponsor an annual Christmas display in Palisades Park.


Fourteen life size displays dramatize the nativity story as found in the gospels, specifically the first two chapters of Matthew, and the first two chapters of Luke.

The displays have been a part of the Santa Monica landscape since 1953.

I found this article, which has some interesting historical background on the displays .... and some old black and white photos: http://www.surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/news/News-2005/December-2005/12_07_05_No_Room_at_the_Inn.htm

The displays are along Ocean Avenue between Arizona Avenue and Santa Monica Blvd. Here's a few photos from earlier in this week:

The Annunciation
"Hail thou that are highly favored." (Luke 1:28)



Joseph's Dream
"The angel appeared unto him in a dreaming saying Joseph the son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife." (Matthew 1:20)



The Visitation
"Blessed are thou among women and blessed is the fruit of they womb." (Luke 1:42)



Caesar's Decree
"And Ceasar Augustus decreed that all the world should be taxed."
(Luke 2:1)



Rest on the Road
"And Joseph went also up from Galilee unto Bethlehem to be taxed with Mary, his espoused wife." (Luke 2:4-5)



No Room at the Inn
"There was no room for them in the inn." (Luke 2:7)


The Nativity
"And she laid him in a manger." (Luke 2:7)


Peace on Earth
"And there were shepherds keeping watch over their flocks at night and the angel of the Lord came unto them." (Luke 2:8,9)


Herod's Court
"When Herod the king heard these things he was greatly troubled." (Matthew 2:3)


Three Wise Men
"Behold there came three wise men from the east." (Matthew 2:1)


Presentation in the Temple
"They present him to the Lord." (Luke 2:22)


Joseph's Warning
"Behold the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream." Matthew 2:13


Flight to Egypt
"And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and deported into Egypt." (Matthew 2:14)


Return to Nazareth
"And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth." (Matthew 2:23)

So many of us appreciate the time, effort, and funding to make this happen. At a time of increasingly secular displays of Christmas, an elaborate nativity display like this is a welcome relief from Frosty, Rudolf and dogs singing Jingle Bells.

The displays - unfortunately - are somewhat dated. Apparently, these same displays drew huge crowds in the late 1950's and early 1960's. They received local television coverage and reserve police officers were needed to control traffic.

The displays still draw visitors, although much fewer than in the past. It would be easy to dismiss this all on the secularization of Christmas, and that's part of it, but honestly the displays simply don't capture the imagination the same way they did 50+ years ago.

I wonder what it might take to renew interest.

Perhaps a better question to ask is "if a dozen churches in Santa Monica decided to begin hosting an elaborate public nativity display today - what would it look like?"

As stated in an earlier entry, the Church at Rocky Peak draws 18,000 people over six night for it's 'Back to Bethlehem" event, and Journey of Faith church in Manhattan Beach draws huge crowds for a similar event.

Of course, living in the area, I know that Santa Monica is a very different community than Chatsworth or Manhattan Beach and I appreciate having anything on the westside of Los Angeles that publically speaks of Christ and the Incarnation.

I also appreciate the challenge of churches from very diverse beliefs working on this together.

Rather than simply throwing in the towel and writting off any sort of public display of faith, churches were willing to work together. This included evangelical churches like Calvary Chapel Metro, Lighthouse (Assemblies of God), and Trinity Baptist, denominational churches like the United Methodist, Pilgrim Lutheran, and the First Presbyterian Churches, St. Monica and St. Anne Roman Catholic Chuches, and (certainly what would fall outside of historic Christian theology) the Mormon Church.

Despite the fact that these churches are all over the map theologically, I appreciate seeing the birth of Christ - the Christmas story - publically displayed to Santa Monica and the greater westside community.

On behalf of my family - thank you!

"Where is the one who has been born King of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him." (Matthew 2:2).

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Merry Christmas from Compton 20 Dec 2008, 11:00 pm

This past Saturday morning we had the opportunity to spend a few hours helping out at the Salvation Army in Compton.


The Salvation Army has an excellent long-term presence in the community ... committed to meeting spiritual and physical needs of literally thousands of individuals and families in the immediate area. (Looks like the recent wind and rain did some work to their sign out front.)


Saturday was the big Christmas outreach, providing food and Christmas presents to several hundred needy families.

Captains Martin and Tory Ross provide leadership to the ministry. Here Tory is sharing a few words (being translated into Spanish) beforehand about some of the resources the Compton Salvation Army offers the community.

Martin - who who is very conversational in Spanish - decided to have his Christmas message translated as well. Compton is a community in transition, with a huge, growing Latino community.


The facility was packed!


Volunteers from other churches came out to help staff the event. A group came down from a Micronesian Church in Pasadena. Very cool.


This little girl is playing the part of Santa Claus for her family!

Volunteers helping families carry Christmas gifts and food boxes out.

We've helped out here before, but this year we thought about getting involved in something closer to home. Someone reminded us that social-service organizations on the westside of Los Angeles generally are better resourced that those in South Los Angeles. Make sense, they're simply around foundations, businesses, organization, and individuals that are better able to give. So, at the invitation of those in Compton, we once again drove on down to see how we could help.


A highlight for us was the opportunity to bring our kids. Living in Los Angeles we're exposed to extremes of both wealth and poverty. We appreciate the chance for them to see and serve alongside the Salvation Army for a couple of hours. My son Stephen (9) played the role of a snowman, greeting kids and parents at the door. He was a real trooper - that suit got pretty hot pretty quick. This is the third year we've tried some sort of Christmas service project, and it only gets easier as our kids get older.

Here's the link for the Salvation Army Compton's website: http://www.salvationarmy-compton.org/. There are opportunities to get involved, or to invest financially in the the work.

A huge thank you - and Merry Christmas - to Captains Martin and Tory Ross and their team, and for the ongoing impact they're making here in Los Angeles.

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Merry Christmas from Chatsworth 14 Dec 2008, 3:18 pm

A little Christmas gem in northwest corner of Los Angeles is the "Back to Bethlehem" event. It's held every year on the two weekends before Christmas in Chatsworth, in the San Fernando Valley, at the Church at Rocky Peak www.rockypeak.org.

This is definitely worth seeing - and experiencing!


Click on this image for a larger (and more readable) view of the flyer.

The church's web site describes it as "more than a nativity scene ... not a play". That is an understatement.

It's a very impressive re-enactment of what life might have been like in Bethlehem as Mary and Joseph would have experienced it, entirely staffed by volunteers.

And - admission is free.



The wait to get in is very minimal. While Los Angeles doesn't get snow, it can get chilly, especially at night. If you plan on attending, be sure and bring warm clothes, hats and gloves.



Hundreds of volunteers do an amazing job bringing this event to life.

There was "no room at the inn" ... but a donkey outside of the simple stable nearby gave a hint of what might be inside.


Waiting to visit Mary and Joseph, and their newborn son.

This is a fantastic event for families to help explain the Christmas story to their children.


Mary and Joseph inside the stable, sharing the story of the first Christmas with the thousands of visitors every night. Each year this event attracts 18,000 people over six separate nights.



Outside the stable, sheep and goats. A reminder of the environment Jesus was born into. A volunteer lets kids touch a goat.



At the edge of Bethlehem is the rabbi school. Children and adults gather around to hear the village rabbi share the prophecies about Messiah from Old Testament prophet Isaiah.



Every visitor receives free shekels at the entrance. Spices were just one of the many items you could buy.



The Roman soldiers walking around were a reminder that Bethlehem in the first century was a conquered, occupied territory (I have no idea how these guys - again, all volunteers - stayed warm in togas and sandals.)



Pomegranates. This vendor was smart and was prepared for a chilly evening.



Warm bread: another popular item.



The shops and stalls were in a circle around a large field that is part of the church's property. The entire event is outdoors.

Our kids loved the freedom of being able to go from booth to booth, running around buying little things, having the small samples of food. It really helped bring the Bible to life: Jesus was born in a real place at a real time.

While the lights of the San Fernando Valley are visible in the distance, the church is located in the foothills of the Santa Susana Mountains, adding to the authenticity of the event.



A shepherd recounting his experience of the angelic visitation announcing Jesus' birth. What was impressive was that this particular volunteer playing the role of a shepherd was also bi-lingual.



It was neat seeing the diversity of visitors that night, as well as many of the volunteers. A reminder that the gospel is for "all the people."



At the edge of Bethlehem, a group of Magi were encamped, looking for "Him was was born King of the Jews."

This map gives an idea of the many things to see and do. The night we went, the event seemed well attended, but never felt overly crowded. Definitely something we'd like to see and do again.



On behalf of our family and the thousands of kids and adults who experience this every year, a huge THANK YOU to the Church at Rocky Peak and the hundreds of volunteers that make this outreach to the community happen.

Journey of Faith Church in Manhattan Beach www.journeyoffaith.com has a similar (although slightly smaller) event.

While the concept of a "walk through Bethlehem" is not unique to Los Angeles, it is the largest American city where an event like this can be held entirely outdoors. Hard to image this in a place like Chicago or New York. Come to think of it, our climate (Mediterranean) is also the most similar to what Jesus and those around him would have experienced.

In what can unfortunately been a very busy and stressful time of the year, this final photo sums up both this event, and Christmas itself:



"Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Luke 2: 10-12

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Our Beaches Best Kept Secret 21 Nov 2008, 11:33 pm

One of the best known features of Los Angeles is the beach.

But one of the best kept secrets of our beaches are the tidepools.

I found this great on-line tide chart. http://www.saltwatertides.com/dynamic.dir/californiasites.html

Here's a few photos from some of the local tide pools, taken in January 2007, almost two years ago. We are very blessed to live in a city with the ocean at our doorstep - that we can enjoy year round.

If you really want to enjoy tide pools, you'll want to go not only at low tide, but the lowest of the low tides. In the next couple of months (Jan & Feb 2009), I'd recommend:

Saturday January 10th (low tide at 3:09pm)
Sunday January 11th (low tide at 3:05pm)
Saturday February 7 (low tide at 2:11pm)
Sunday February 8 (low tide at 2:49pm)

Remember the saying "take only memories, leave on footprints?" With tide pools, in many cases you don't even want to leave even footprints. Better would be to "take only pictures, and be extra careful where you step." And, please please don't take any "souvenirs."


"Mightier than the thunder of the great waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea - the LORD on high is mighty." Psalm 93:4

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A Walk Up Wilshire (Santa Monica to Beverly Hills) 20 Nov 2008, 9:53 pm

Earlier this year I took a long walk up Wilshire Blvd; mostly I was just curious how far I could get. I enjoy hiking in the Santa Monica Mountains (especially Topanga State Park). What would it be like to do an urban hike?


I started by walking about four miles from my home to where Wilshire Blvd begins in Santa Monica. Santa Monica is named after Saint Monica of Hippo (A.D. 333-387). Here's her statue. She's remembered for praying for the conversion of her non-Christian son, Augustine (who went to become Saint Augustine).



Across the street is this office tower. When I figure out the name, I'll come back and add it. It use to be called the "Lawrence Welk Plaza" (seriously!) but that was over 30 years ago. A friend of mine is a stock broker up on the 14th floor - nice view.



What in the world? Hundreds of people were lined up at Wilshire & 3rd Street (aka the 3rd Street Promenade) at 6:30am. The line started at the Apple Store and was at least a full city block long. Why? The new iPhones were being released that morning when the store opened.



A half a mile up Wilshire (Wilshire & Lincoln) another iPhone line, this time at the AT&T store. I feel so out of it.



Not all of Wilshire is high rises. I'm not a big fan of liquor stores, but there was something so "typical" So Cal about this place, I had to get a photo. Santa Monica and much of Los Angeles is in weird place of being too crowded to feel suburban, but spread out to feel urban (does that make sense?).



I don't know why I took this picture. Maybe just a normal guy waiting for his bus.



Santa Monica is a separate, unique city from Los Angeles. Once you hit 26th Street, you're actually back in the City of Los Angeles. North of Wilshire is Brentwood, south of Wilshire is West L.A. The zoning is noticeably different.



Big mess out side of the KFC in West L.A. At first I thought this was just a late night party gone bad, but more likely it was some transient digging through the trash looking for cans. Sad, really - and, of course, we have all live with this.



Wilshire & San Vincente looking back, with the Pacific Ocean in the distance. Brentwood to the right, West L.A. to the left. No, this was NOT a Sunday morning, traffic was just amazingly light. Chalk it up to being a late Friday morning in the middle of the summer .... with gas about $4.75 a gallon.



World Savings Tower, on the corner of Wilshire & San Vincente. Back around 1984 I actually climbed up inside and got on the roof just before it was completed. Note: I would NOT recommend doing that today!



I never really thought about what happens to old limos, guess they just get parked in Brentwood somewhere. I think someone is living out of it. Wonder if it even runs? I can't imagine trying to squeeze out of that parking space!



Finally, some traffic (I was getting worried there for a moment). Heading towards Westwood, home of UCLA. Despite the 20 story buildings, it's still called "Westwood Village". Not sure if the Mayor's "Subway to the Sea" down Wilshire will ever make it all the way to the ocean - but thanks to Measure R (1/2% sales tax increase) getting to Westwood & UCLA looks like a reality.



Metro Rapid. My son really wants me to take him on one of these buses, because they've got the accordion fold in the center. Behind the bus is the Avco Cinema, where I saw "The Empire Strikes Back" in 1980. Westwood Village has the largest concentration of single screen movie theaters in the world.



Transient sleeping at the Westwood United Methodist Church. See my previous blog about some thoughts about the homeless.

I've been to a couple of weddings at this church - beautiful, historic building.

Only 2% of people living on the westside of Los Angeles attend any sort of religious service on a weekly basis (this includes churches, synagogues, mosques, etc.). Because of the proximity and connection to the entertainment industry (and it's global influence) this is especially sobering.

Fortunately, several new churches have started here on the westside in the past few years:

• Pacific Crossroads Church (meeting at University High School)
• Mosaic Church (meeting at Beverly Hills High School)
• Shoreline Church (meeting in at the Regent Theater in Westwood Village)
• Shepherd of the Hills (meeting at the Wadsworth Theater)

These new, evangelical churches are seeking to impact the westside with the gospel of Jesus Christ (topic for a future blog entry).



Condo towers continue to be built along Wilshire. What's amazing is that right behind these towers are single family homes, with backyards and everything.




This is my favorite condominium building located at Wilshire & Westholme. A bit of Manhattan plunked down on the westside. Not like I could/would ever live there: like everything else on the westside, these are extremely expensive.




One of many synagogues found here on the westside. This is at the corner of Wilshire & Beverly Glen; there's another large synagogue a block away. Los Angeles has the largest American Jewish community outside of New York City.



Amazing how powerful artwork can be. Preserving and passing on the Torah to the next generation.


Welcome to Beverly Hills. Fountain at the corner of Wilshire & Santa Monica Blvd. There was some transient using the fountain to wash his feet, but decided not to include that.



I cut through a residential neighborhood (Canon Drive) and headed north. Not all of Beverly Hills are high end mansions. This home would be pretty typical in a of neighborhoods in the United States.



Same street, just a few houses up. This is what most people think of when they think of Beverly Hills. The style of these large, opulent homes are often referred to as "Persian Palaces" due to their popularity by the community's large, and influential, Persian (Iranian) community.



Picked up a MTA bus where Sunset Blvd intersects with Canon & Rodeo (next to the Beverly Hills Hotel).

Taking a bus back worked great. I was able to get a one way hike in (about 13 miles) and see and experience a lot of the city from street level.

I'd really like to walk the entire length eighteen mile length of Wilshire Blvd someday, but don't know if I want to try that alone. It'd want to time it right, too. Some neighborhoods (esp around MacArthur Park) are a little dicey.

The book of Jonah is the only book in the Bible that ends in a question. 2,400 years ago God asked Jonah - and the people of Israel - a question which is just as relevant for us today:

"Should I not be concerned about that great city?" Jonah 4:11

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A Perspective on the Homeless 20 Nov 2008, 9:19 pm

The poor you will always have among you." Jesus to his disciples

Living in Los Angeles, we see homeless men and women (but mostly men) every day. We see them downtown, on the bus, on the streets, in our community, at the park, at the beach, in front of the supermarket, panhandling at stop lights, going through the dumpsters at our condo complex, camped out on sidewalks, around our church. And by the way, we live in what everyone considers a “good part of town.”

What’s our response?

Really, to do nothing isn’t an option for someone who considers himself or herself a follower of Jesus Christ.

I’ve wanted this blog to be “photos and commentary about life in Los Angeles from a Christian world-view.” It’s been fun to post my own photos, sort of the “I get to live in a city where people from around the world want to visit.” I’ve also taken the liberty to use photos from other sites to tell a story.

It’s easy talking about the beach, the mountains, the weather, the attractions, the diversity, various neighborhoods, weird stuff like the Los Angeles River or Venice Beach … the fun stuff, the reason why people choose to visit or live in Los Angeles. Issues like traffic, graffiti, smog, trash – easy, too. Who is in favor of trash?

It’s a lot harder talking about crime, gangs, racism, immigration, poverty, loss of manufacturing jobs, “elephants in the room” like the fact that Los Angeles is the center of the porn film industry, or homelessness. Who wants to read a blog about the loss of manufacturing jobs in L.A.? Maybe someone. Who wants to write it? Not me.

Going back to the homeless. Whatever we’ve been doing for the past 30 years hasn’t been working. I’d really love a discussion on biblically based social policy to really tackle homelessness in our city. Our outgoing President tried some things, but “compassionate conservative” was mocked on both the left and right. Perhaps our next President can tackle this (giving new meaning to the expression “only Nixon can go to China”) but he has his hands full with other issues – the economy and a war or two.

Christian non-profits (the Salvation Army, the various skid row ministries, the hundreds of small urban churches) are awesome. Life in Los Angeles – really any city – would be hell without them. But what would it take to reduce the number of homeless in Los Angeles from 70,000 (current estimates) to 7,000?

There’s so many directions I could go, but I’d like to focus on an issue that Christians (I speak for myself) have been guilty of ignoring: the mentally ill. Over a third, possibly half of the homeless in Los Angeles are mentally ill. That’s 25,000-35,000 men and women walking around who should be in mental hospitals.

Remember “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”? Won Best Picture in 1975 and stared Jack Nicholson. Danny DiVito and Christopher Lloyd have small parts. My wife and I recently watched it. It’s not a family film, but it is worth viewing.

The film helped influence public opinion = mental hospitals bad. According to advocate E. Fuller Torrey, here in California while Ronald Reagan was Governor, a very odd coalition of politically left-leaning civil libertarians, who believed that nobody should ever be involuntarily hospitalized, and politically right-leaning fiscal conservatives who saw closing the hospitals as a way to reduce state expenditures and thus reduce taxes implemented the Lanterman-Petris-Short (LPS) Act in 1969 which made it exceptionally difficult to involuntarily hospitalize psychiatric patients.

The Camarillo State Mental Hospital doesn’t exist anymore. It was closed in the 1990’s and is today of California State University campus (nice looking campus, by the way). So where are the mentally ill who use to be in hospitals like Camarillo? For the most part, on the street. Going back to homeless, I try to ask “why are they homeless”?

Is it a choice? Believe it or not, some people (mostly men) enjoy a “carefree” life without responsibility. Kind of like being permanently on a bad vacation.

Are they an alcoholic or an addict?

Are they fleeing an abusive relationship?

Are they mentally ill?

I don’t advocate ever giving money to panhandlers. I become an "enabler" as the vast majority of the time the money goes to drugs or alcohol. The LAPD told us some homeless “who are good” and know how the work the system make $200 - $800 a day (and I don’t think these guys are filling out W-2s).

I want to continue to support the incredible work of places like the Union Rescue Mission and others. http://www.urm.org/

But as I Christian living in L.A., I also want to re-think our society’s moral obligation to the mentally ill. Amazing how a Hollywood film critical of an institution makes we wish we still had it.

“It's been over a hundred years since this society was so cruel as not to try to take care of the true victims, people who are incapacitated by mental illness and really can't take care of themselves.” Myron Magnet, New York City – author & editor of the conservative “City Journal” www.city-journal.org







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City of Angels 19 Nov 2008, 7:55 pm

In October of 2000 four hundred painted fiberglass angels were displayed in public places throughout the city of Los Angeles. They were on display for about six months, and then auctioned off to benifit a couple of local charities. You may have seen or or two around the city - there's one at Farmer's Market at 3rd & Fairfax (next to "The Grove").

I found this great website (put together by Ruth Wallach) featuring dozens of these angels: http://www.publicartinla.com/Community_of_Angels/

Here are my favorites pulled from the site:


Susan Manders "Angelica de Espero" - Sponsored by Anti-Defamation League



Gwen Cates "Angelscape" - Sponsored by William Morris Agency



Jonye Feldman "Fat Charlie" - Sponsored by Southern California Gas Co



Cindy Suriyani "The Garden" - Sponsored by Nonprofit Art Corporation



Barbara Ashton "Palisades Angel" - Sponsored by Sidley & Austin



Lura Schmiedeke "Guardian Angel of the Skies" - Sponsored by Sheppard, Mullin, Richter and Hampton, LLP



Annmarie Socash: "Gladys Glass" - Sponsored by Kevin & Britta Shannon

It’s really too bad this project wasn’t a permanent thing. These fiberglass angels are bright, creative, engaging, and – in many cases – beautiful.

I wish I could say that about most public art. Much of it is either bland, weird, political, overly sensual, and sometimes just plain ugly.

The subject “angels” is a very familiar one to Christians (as well as Jews and Muslims).

Seeing a dozen or more angels around the entrance to an office tower downtown is a subtle (or not so subtle) reminder to both believers and non-believers that there is more, much more, than our 70 or 80 years here on earth. There is a spiritual dimension to life that is often ignored, or simply compartmentalized (i.e. "I don't let my faith influence my public life" - what's that about?).

I appreciate the fact that the many artists engaged in this project brought a timeless subject to the 21st century. Looking at the website, I certainly don’t like them all … that’s OK. It was overall a great display.

I heard someone say that Christians are better at criticizing art than producing it. As the Apostle Paul was fond of saying “brothers, this should not be.”

Art, music, film, theater.

They all influence culture. They leave a legacy.

But what kind of influence are they making? What kind of legacy are they leaving?

Perhaps better questions are: what kind of influence am I making? What kind of legacy am I leaving?

This town is known for making sequels.

I'd love to see "Community of Angels - Part II" sometime in the future.

It'd be very well received.

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Not the Getty 19 Nov 2008, 1:04 am

High above the Pacific Coast Highway, sporting incredible ocean views, sits the Getty Villa. It's the former home of billionaire J. Paul Getty, and was the original Getty Museum. The much larger Getty Center in Brentwood now houses most of the artwork, but the Getty Villa Malibu (technically in Pacific Palisades) still features the Getty Greek and Roman Collection. You can easily spot the Getty Villa driving up or down the PCH. It's a recognizable landmark to both visitors and residents alike. There's just one problem.



It's not the Getty.

The building you're looking at is known as Villa de Leon. Built in 1926, it's a large private residence overlooking the Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades. Ever since J. Paul Getty began opening up his estate to the public in the mid 1950's, people have assumed that the huge mansion perched on the hill is "the Getty." Even among people who live in the area, it's probably one of the most mis-identified buildings in Los Angeles.



Villa de Leon sits above the entrance to the Getty Villa, hence the confusion. The Getty Villa is actually not visible from the street and is located up a private road off PCH. Here's a link to the Getty Villa's website: http://www.getty.edu/visit/.


GETTY VILLA photo credit: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=443587

The Getty Villa (topic for a future post) is in an incredible setting, with amazing Greek and Roman artifacts, and best of all - free admission.

Meanwhile, Villa de Leon sits overlooking the Pacific, continuing it's job as one of the most mis-identified landmarks in Los Angeles. According a local paper, it was listed for sale in 2005 for $15 million. A closer inspection reveals:

Major cracks in the foundation. Click on the image below, and you'll see what I'm talking about.



The problem ultimately isn't the house - it's the hillside it was built on, part of which has collapsed during a winter storm, taking an entire garden terrace with it. Ouch. Reminders of "building your house on the rock" (see the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 7:24-27) come to mind.



The home is located at 17948 Porto Marina Way, Pacific Palisades, 90272. Here's a view from the top showing the extent of the collapse of one of the hillsides.



Zillow.com gave the home an estimate between $3-$5 million since 2001. It apparently sold for $10 million dollars in 2007. Zillow currently has it valued at around $6.6 million.


Looks like a lot of work is still being done on it. $6.6 million seems like a lot of money for a "fixer upper" - but obviously the owners of this property are in a completely different league than most of us.

Thanks to image.google.com (which I've used many times on this blog) mere mortals like us can have an idea what the interior looks like.

Click on this link http://www.intlistings.com/listing/10000062.html if you'd like to see more interior photos.

Apparently it's still for sale? Not sure. Maybe the owners are planning on "flipping" it.


Can't argue that the street it's on, Porto Marina Way, has a great view of the Pacific Ocean. This is looking south towards the PCH with Santa Monica in the distance.

Getting back to the original idea - calling 17948 Porto Marina Way "the Getty Villa" doesn't make it the Getty, even if a majority of people do so.

Christianity isn't based on popular opinion, but on historic facts. Almost two thousand years ago, Peter, an eyewitness to Jesus' life, ministry, crucifixion, burial, resurrection, and ascension wrote:

"We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty." (II Peter 1:16).

Christianity isn't true because we believe it, we believe it because it's true.

I just found yet another website incorrectly listing Villa de Leon as the Getty Villa: http://www.angelcityart.com/so-cal-ACA.html


And while on-line "stories" and (much more common) "word of mouth" continue to perpetuate that the big house on the hill is the Getty Villa, the facts reveal something else.

A trip to the actual Getty Villa is worth your time (visit the website ahead of time - you need a parking reservation). And be sure and give a shout out to Villa de Leon when you visit.

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"R" Spells "Relief" 18 Nov 2008, 11:29 pm

Two weeks ago today voters in Los Angeles approved Measure R, which increases the sales tax in Los Angeles by 1/2 a percent. As a tax increase, the measure needed a "super majority" (66.67%) and passed - barely - with 67.22%.


view from inside the No. 2 MTA bus (heading north on Sepulveda) - stuck in traffic along with everyone else. At least the bus' windshields are clean, right? The concept of "getting people out of their cars" happens naturally when it's quicker to take a subway or light rail than your car.

While not necessarily providing a visionary mass transit system for Los Angeles, the passage of Measure R will provide some relief, and complete several of the light rail projects in the works.


[Photo (September 2006): L. Henry] www.lightrailnow.org

It will also provide the needed funding for the Purple Line - the Wilshire Blvd. "Subway to the Sea" - which now ends at Western Ave. in Koreatown.


photo credit: www.railway-technology.com

Unfortunately, the tax doesn't take effect until July of next year. Voters approved this measure - why is it taking another half a year to start funding the projects we need?


This is just one of a dozen various proposals for light rail and the Wilshire subway extension into the westside. Fortunately, doing nothing is no longer an option. I'm not holding my breath that the Wilshire Subway will go all the way to the ocean, but it probably will get to Westwood/UCLA. image: www.lacurbed.com

Stuck in gridlock traffic is NOT my idea of political leadership. Either is taking money earmarked for transportation to pay for other things.

cheaper gas = less incentive to conserve. Stuck on San Diego Frwy near Westwood last week .

Ironically, this past summer when gasoline was peaking out at $4.50 a gallon - it made a dent in traffic. In most places, you actually noticed the difference. Now that gas is down to around $2.50 a gallon, traffic is again terrible.

A few days after writting this post, I saw an article in the Los Angeles Times by Steve Hymon and Ruben Vives basically saying the same thing: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-backtocars20-2008nov20,0,4531243.story. Now you know where these guys get their ideas for stories ...

I may be in the minority here, but I wouldn't mind paying more for gas is the difference went directly to immediate traffic relief. I only take the bus when I'm going to UCLA, but how many more Angelenos would ride the MTA if the fare was just 50 cents? Just wondering.

What is our time worth? Obviously something.

Thanks, Los Angeles, for passing Measure R ... so we can all do a better job of making the most of our time.

"Therefore, be careful how you live. not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time." Ephesian 5:15,16

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Not a Desert 8 Nov 2008, 10:54 am

Occasionally, I hear someone refer to Los Angeles (or Southern California) as a "desert." We lived in Arizona for four years: Los Angeles is NOT a desert.

None the less, a couple of recent rainstorms caused me to pull out the camera and snap some pictures. Taken through the windshield while driving is an interesting effect. Is it legal to take pictures while driving? I guess as long as you're not on a cell phone.


Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice


Main Street, Venice


Long's Drugs, Venice (I think every drugstore needs a clown)



Main Street, Ocean Park


from a fireroad in the Santa Monica Mountains, Pacific Palisades & Santa Monica

Los Angeles has a Mediterranean climate with the vast majority of the precipitation coming from mid-December to mid-April. It's actually an ideal climate, at least, I like to think it is (otherwise, why would I even be writing about it?) It's found in only four other places on earth: the Mediterranean (hence the name), the central coast of Chile, south Africa, and western Australia. If you're new to Los Angeles, here's an interesting link to our understanding the weather here: http://www.you-are-here.com/info/weather.html

The weather in Los Angeles has influenced everything from our center of the motion picture industry, to the paving over of the Los Angeles River (topic for another blog), to our imported water via the Los Angeles aqueduct (topic for still another blog), to what is often referred to as the L.A. "lifestyle." There are few other places on earth where you can go skiing, surfing (and, according to this Los Angeles Times link, hiking) in one day http://www.latimes.com/theguide/outdoors/la-trw-oneday03-2008may03,0,4703866,full.story

Sunshine and rain. God gives us both. Theologians refer to this as "common grace."

"He [God] causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous."
Jesus, the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:45)

Making an early rainstorm even more appreciated.

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Congratulations from Los Angeles 5 Nov 2008, 10:47 pm

"For those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices. I will be your president, too."
President-Elect Barack Obama


"This is a historic election, and I recognize the significance it has for African-Americans and for the special pride that must be theirs tonight."
Senator John McCain in his concession speech



While conservatives may disagree with much of Obama's policies and political philosophy, I hope we can agree with McCain's comment: the election of an African American to our nation's highest office is an incredibly historic, amazing event.

Congratulations to President-Elect Barack Obama.

There are plenty of political blogs out there, some good - some not so good.

Should Christians, followers of Jesus Christ, be involved in politics? I certainly hope so. But what does that look like - or perhaps a better question, what should that look like?

Cal Thomas is no lightweight. He is America’s most widely syndicated op-ed columnist, appearing in more than 600 national newspapers. He was the vice-president of an organization known at the "Moral Majority" from 1980-85, and later co-authored "Blinded by Might" - a critique of that experience.

In light of that, I came across his most recent column. Here's a clip:

Evangelicals are at a junction. They can take the path that will lead them to more futility and ineffective attempts to reform culture through government, or they can embrace the far more powerful methods outlined by the One they claim to follow. By following His example, they will decrease, but He will increase. They will get no credit, but they will see results. If conservative Evangelicals choose obscurity and seek to glorify God, they will get much of what they hope for, but can never achieve, in and through politics.

The entire article can be found at:
http://www.calthomas.com/index.php?news=2419


Regardless of how you feel about the outcome of Tuesday's election, Christians - those who consider themselves politically conservative, liberal, or somewhere in between - should remember the words of St. Paul:

"Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Give everyone what you owe him ... if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor." Romans 13:1,7

"I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone - for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness." I Timothy 2:1-2

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Lighting Up the Night - in Los Angeles 1 Nov 2008, 3:40 pm

Three years ago, just a month after moving here, we took our kids trick-or-treating.

I'm not sure if it's living in a big city, or trick-or-treating in neighborhoods with too much money, or just the Hollywood influence ... but it was unlike anything we had experienced.

Friends of ours recommended a "popular" neighborhood here on the westside. That was an understatement: there were so many kids and parents at times it was hard to walk on the sidewalks - it was that crowded.

Is it just being a dad of young kids, or are costumes creepier than in the past?

Some houses looked like professionally designed sets to horror films. Gone are the days of a couple of pumpkins and "Casper the Friendly Ghost" in the front yard. Neighbors seem to compete with each other on who has most terrifying and realistic house. Does anyone else have a problem with young children being shown images of death, torture and the occult? What's really scary is when we as adults start to get used to this - and it no longer shocks.

I mentioned this to a friend in our community, who shared how busy his street is as well. I asked him if he'd like to work together to create an "alternative" Halloween celebration. Thus was born "Light Up the Night." I'm sure the name isn't original with us - but we like it.

A brightly lit home, upbeat music, a large puppet theater in the driveway, helium balloons, and lots of candy are all part of the mix. We were OK with the candy - it's the celebration of everything "dark" that we tried to avoid. Here are a few photos:


No, this is not Disneyland - just the driveway of our friends' home. At the busiest time there were sixty kids and parents hanging out.


Another view when things mellowed out a bit. Helium balloons that said "Light Up the Night" were a huge hit - we ran out.


Friends from our church help make this happen. A couple of guys involved in the entertainment industry set up live video feed this year - so kids could "be on TV." Fun.

It's also something kids from our church can be involved with: handing out balloons, candy, or running the puppet theater.

I heard some adults refer to it as "that Christian house." That's great.


This year we created 4x6 cards with "Light Up the Night" in multiple languages. The back had a bit of information about the event and our church's website.


photo from last year

Last year a dad told me "people all over are talking about this house. People in Santa Monica, Brentwood ... I'm here because a friend at work said 'you gotta see this one house ....'" We can't verify if that's true, but every year we get great feedback from appreciative parents, the majority whom have no religious background.