Escondido Escapades

I am in Escondido, California today for a WASC accreditation visit for Escondido Adventist Academy.  This event was not in my schedule even three weeks ago.  A last minute complication from a visiting team member precipitated a last minute call into duty.

Sabbath morning took me to Yuma Gila Mountain Church.  I enjoyed Sabbath School with the church family which consisted mostly of retired and semi-retired people.  Their Sabbath School begins at 9:15 a.m.  I’m not talking song service; I am talking post-song service Sabbath School begins at 9:15 a.m.  So even though Penny and I arrived promptly at 9:30 a.m. after waking up at 5:00 a.m. and leaving Scottsdale a little after 6:00 a.m. in order to arrive on time, we arrived merely in time to hear half of the mission story from a lady who had actually served in the jungles of Peru!  Amazing!

I had the privilege of sharing the children’s story (I had to call a 16 year-old to participate in the children’s participation part of the story.  I am thankful there was at least one younger person there.  Her name was Naomi).  I also preached a sermon entitled “My Eight Sons.”  I enjoyed preaching it and Penny told me she enjoyed it also. 

We stayed for potluck which gave us the opportunity to share the table with some very interesting people—one from Battle Ground, Washington and the other from Sand Point, Idaho.  Both couples shared life stories and experiences that confirmed that God was working in their lives.  It was a very interesting lunch.

We could not stay much longer since we had committed to a dedication service in Redlands, California at 6:00 p.m. on Sabbath evening.  We arrived with plenty of time, mainly because I let Penny drive and I fell asleep.  I am certain my poor Prius got pushed more than when I am driving.  I was surprised how quickly we got to our destination.  We even had time go to Riverside to visit for a few minutes with the grandchildren.

Which brings me to Escondido, California and a WASC visit.  My media fast has gone through a bit of a change.  I am listening to choice music—so that part of the media fast has morphed.  In exchange I am trying to stay away from video media of all kinds as much as possible.  This is not easy, since much of the news offers video clips to accentuate the news event.  I am a news junkie of sorts.  I am now tempted to exclude all news…and sports…from the array of options in which I choose to participate.   I am having trouble with that one.  Perhaps that’s a clue that I should try if I am serious about “detoxing” my mind.  I can only begin to imagine how much stuff has accumulated over the years of watching newscasts alone, not to mention all the other stuff I have mentally ingested.  It is quite sobering.  In any case, duty calls.