When I was in junior high, after my sister and I had made it through a good chunk of our schooling, my mom went back to school to get her teaching credential.

Well, 20 something years later, that hard work and dedication was noticed by the public school district she has worked faithfully to influence and improve. She was nominated by her principal as the San Leandro School District’s 2008 teacher of the year last June- which after all the nominations were turned in, was awarded to my mom, Karen Berry. (which my mom tells me was evidently a rarity: you usually are nominated by a teaching peer and usually the award is given to those in the middle or high school level- so this was special all around)

You can read the write up the local paper did after spending a few hours in her classroom here.

In addition, last thursday she was honored in a invitation only Alameda County Teacher of the Year banquet at Cal State in Hayward and she won a grip of gift certificates and such. If I hadn’t been in Nor Cal for the past 2 weekends, I would have tried to find a way to get there.

Perhaps one reason that I care so much about being a Christian influence in spaces where that is not so obvious is because of my mom’s passion to do just that in the San Leandro Unified School District. She has given years of her time and even money to educating and loving on her students and families- often with well over a dozen different native languages spoken in her classroom by her students. She is well known not only as a hard worker and a good teacher, but a woman who lives her life in response to her Christian convictions. It’s truly been a great chance for her to be Jesus to these kids and this recognition was not only a long time coming for my mom, but was also a great opportunity for the Kingdom of God to be given some positive press.

Way to go mom. I’m proud of you!

I have flat screen tv envy.

It doesn’t make much sense because I hardly ever watch tv, so I should really give a hoot.

But, regardless, every time I end up at someone’s house who has one- which seems like everyone these days, I get a little jealous. I heard that the 32″screens (which is evidently about as unimpressive as a vhs player I suppose) are going to go for $350 or so by the time the “holiday” season rolls around. Hmmm.

But anyway, if you have one of these bad mama jama tv thingamajigs with HD signal, well then you should seriously consider waking up to sunrise earth on Discovery HD at 7am. When I was at my parent’s house, we watched it one morning while I ate my breakfast with the boys. It was a sweet start to my day. They just film the sunrise in locations around the planet and give you the nature sounds, no commentary- just an occasional text explanation with a time stamp.

If you love it as much as I did, you could buy it for both of us and we could watch it over and over again too.

• “one day” I want to be a full time youth pastor.
• “one day” let’s get married.
• “one day” we wanted to have a family.
• “one day” we wanted to own a home.

Those are some of my “one day”s that are now in the past.

I used to say, “one day” I’d like to teach for Youth Specialties.

Well, guess what, that day is here. Enter YS ONE DAY.

I said I wasn’t going to post about it any more until I actually saw my face on the official website and today while at a network meeting of other youth pastors, I found out it was up. HA! I had no idea. But it’s up there alright. I’m part of a team that is teaching a “one day” seminar for youth specialties on teaching students the Bible. I’m pretty excited about this material and hoping lots of people are super encouraged and equipped to do minister to teens as a result of it.

I’m teaching in the following 5 locations in 2009:

• Friday, February 27th in Salt Lake City.
• Saturday, February 28th in San Jose.

• Saturday, March 7th in Yorba Linda in the OC

• Saturday, March 21st in NEW YORK CITY, NY- I’m trying to wrestle up some frequent flyer miles to do this one with my wife- only question is how well Billy and Becky might be ready for that transition.

• Saturday, April 25th in Austin Texas- returning to my Methodist Roots to teach here!

If you’re around one of those areas and serve in any capacity with youth and the Bible, I think you’ll dig the material- so bring some friends and stop on by.

• “one day” I think I’ll write a book. From the looks of the team’s bios- I better get on that soon 🙂

Oh.. and one funny note on the bios: they edited mine- which is totally within their right. I wrote it with a sentence of “accomplishments” which included teaching an occasional seminar for YS and the roles and writing I’m doing for another organization. I thought that was kinda funny that it was dropped. Maybe they thought it was a lame attempt at credibility. I dunno. I’m just a husband, dad and a youth pastor. Truth be told, I guess that should be enough.

Last weekend, my entire family and I flew to Northern California for Shannon’s cousin’s wedding. It was by far, the best 3 days I have spent in San Francisco with my family ever.

But since they say a picture is worth a thousand words, here’s 20,000 worth.

We had dinner at a steakhouse founded in 1928 with Justin on the night before the wedding.

I spent a lot of time on B.A.R.T. I loved my new iphone bart app. So cool to be able to figure out when the train is coming and when how long it will take me to get where I’m going.

I got off the train on Sunday afternoon and thought to myself, maybe even outloud, does San Francisco ever get any more beautiful than this?

This is the rooftop of the Hotel Vitale where we had the wedding.

Before the wedding, I celebrated this great day while watching the blue angels buzz the city skyline. Always a good time.

Then before the wedding (and before Jake split his head open and had to go the hospital for 2 stitches!) I snapped this pic. My favorite part about it is that I just told my boys to stand there and I’ll take their pic. This was the smile and the pose they busted on their own. They really do love each other sometimes.

This is the wedding party

Vanessa and Justin with the bride’s parents, Tim and Saundra

My wife and I sporting the moon lit sunset of the bay bridge.

The San Francisco Ferry Building.
The sunset over the Bay Bridge.

Night on Embarcadero street and the Ferry Building. (side note: I also got flashed by some drunk girls on the next roof over while taking this photo. Drunk girls are really not that impressive, no matter how naked.)

Bay Bridge Night shot. I think I might sell this one.

Angel’s Island caught fire sometime near the end of the reception.

Long story, really short. Shannon and I managed to land a room with this view in the hotel- sorta spur of the moment, after the reception. The grand parents took the kids and Shannon and I stayed the night. This was only the second night I’ve spent in the city with Shannon, the first being our honeymoon. This view so kicked butt on the one we had in our room that night- which was a union square construction zone. This place was awesome. The icing on the cake was that I opened my eyes in time to catch the sunrise.

Here’s a shot of the fire they were now fighting Monday morning on Angel Island.

Wow. Such a great wedding day/weekend. If it is half the picture of what their marriage will look like, then it’s going to be one for the record books.

Thanks Mark for letting me borrow your camera.

These pictures and a few more are also in an album on facebook, so feel free to buzz on by my profile and see those too my friends.

Yep… it is. But I wonder how Sarah Palin feels about this site. Oh, and I checked, they didn’t make one for Joe Biden either, but someone made a much lamer one for John McCain. Dorks.

Anyway, I wonder how I’d feel if someone made one for me… and yes, that’s an offer to all you web geniuses out there. If you build it, thousands will surely sign up to pray for me and my expanding family. I’ll even send you weekly updated prayer requests 🙂

However, on a serious note, I got this e-mail from my old senior pastor about a prayer need in India today that he received from one of the directors of YWAM. Evidently there is mass persecution and killing of Christians occuring currently in one province or state there due to the revenge of a Hindu priest’s death which is being blamed on Christians. It’s so easy to think the rest of the world is worried about the stock market and not something far more concerning. Here’s part of the e-mail:

Our kids and staff are locked inside and have stayed that way with doors and windows shut for the past three days. It has been a time of desperately calling on the Lord in prayer. More police have come to offer protection. In Kalahandi, the police and some local sympathizers got to our dream center and gave our staff and kids about 3 minutes notice to vacate. No one had time to even grab a change of clothes or any personal belonging. As they fled, the blood thirsty mob came to kill everyone in the building. We would have had a mass funeral there, but for His grace. In Phulbani, the mob came looking for Christian homes and missions. The local Hindu people, our neighbors turned them away by saying that there were no Christians in this area. So they left. We had favor. The same thing happened in Balasore. All our dream centers are under lock down with the kids and staff huddled inside and police outside. The fanatics are circling outside waiting for a chance to kill. Others were not so fortunate. In a nearby Catholic orphanage, the mob allowed the kids to leave and locked up a Priest and a computer teacher in house and burned them to death.

Hey Jesus followers, it’s time to pray, and for more than just Sarah Palin.