Wednesday, 14th July 2010

New website launched: LCPC

Posted on 13. Jun, 2010 by kchristieh in religion, work

New website launched: LCPC

lcpc website la canada presbyterian churchAfter years of whining that my church needed a new website, I finally put my hours where my mouth is and redesigned the website for La Cañada Presbyterian Church.

I customized a premium Wordpress theme, WP-Genius by Solostream. The site has over 133 pages and dozens of posts, which are mostly for events. It also includes six different templates. I migrated years worth of past podcasts, presentations and videos from the old site to the new site. I integrated Google calendars for each ministry area, Formstack forms for event sign-ups and website editing requests, Flickr slideshows for photo albums, and Vimeo for embedding videos.

Besides creating an easy-to-navigate, informative, attractive site that complements the new church logo, my main goal in this project is to delegate the daily maintenance of the site to church staff and other volunteers. I spent countless hours creating a detailed Wordpress instruction page, and have held four training sessions thus far for people who will update the site. I don’t expect to completely extricate myself from the process, but I’d like to be called on only when necessary.

It’s a work-in-progress, but I think it’s pretty cool.

Happy Easter

Posted on 04. Apr, 2010 by kchristieh in religion

Happy Easter

As seen at La Canada Presbyterian Church this morning. People bring flowers from their gardens to adorn the cross.

flowers on cross, easter flowers, easter cross, la canada presbyterian church, lcpc

It’s a Bigger and Better weekend in La Cañada

Posted on 12. Mar, 2010 by kchristieh in my life

It’s a Bigger and Better weekend in La Cañada

Tonight several dozen junior high students descended upon La Canada for a “Bigger or Better” scavenger hunt. Each of four groups started out at La Canada Presbyterian Church with a paper clip and instructions to ask residents of different streets if they’d trade what the kids had for something “bigger or better.” Our group consisted of about a dozen confident, polite 7th and 8th grade girls who enthusiastically explained to complete strangers what they were doing. It was a pleasure to see how their infectious enthusiasm inspired people to dig into their closets and garages for increasingly more impressive items. Along the way we obtained a pack of gum, a teapot, two basketballs, a garbage can and two boxes. We wound up with a very big box. Other groups beat us out, however, with their working Sony television, uncharged ATV and vintage bicycle.

All items collected will be donated to an upcoming Girl Scout garage sale which is raising money for Haitian earthquake victims.

We all had a great time. What a win-win-win activity!

Here are the final items each group brought back:

Speaking of Bigger and Better…stay tuned for more about the giant Rice Krispie treat being constructed in La Canada this weekend. Yummy!!

Video of Kara Powell speaking on “Graduating from Faith” (Part 1)

Posted on 08. Mar, 2010 by kchristieh in religion

Video of Kara Powell speaking on “Graduating from Faith” (Part 1)

Who do teens say provide the most support to them? Parents or friends? What percentage of kids leave their faith behind when they leave high school? What characterizes kids who don’t leave their faith behind?

Find the answers to these and more by viewing Kara Powell’s great presentation from yesterday’s Growing Families talk at La Canada Presbyterian Church. I even purchased a Vimeo account so that I could post a 38-minute video. Mark your calendar for her next talk at 9:30 am on March 28th.

from on .

Location: La Canada Presbyterian Church (LCPC)

Date: March 7, 2010

Guest speaker: Kara E. Powell, Ph.D. Executive Director, Fuller Youth Institute, Fuller Theological Seminary

Description:

“As leaders, parents, and grandparents, we do all we can to help kids develop a faith that lasts. Yet according to research conducted by the Fuller Youth Institute, somewhere between one-third and one-half of graduating seniors pick up their diplomas and ditch their faith. Why is that? And equally important, what can we do NOW when kids are in preschool, elementary school, middle school, high school, and college to help them develop sticky faith? Regardless of how old or young the kids you care about are, come and learn all sorts of practical tips that you can apply immediately to help kids develop a faith that sticks for the long haul.”

Dr. Kara E. Powell serves as an Assistant Professor in Youth and Family Ministry and the Executive Director of the Center for Youth and Family Ministry at Fuller Theological Seminary. Prior to that, Kara was an Assistant Professor of Youth Ministry and Practical Theology at Azusa Pacific University.

In addition to her roles at Fuller Seminary, Kara currently volunteers in student ministries at Lake Avenue Church in Pasadena. She was also college pastor at Lake Avenue Church from 1995-1998 and was the Associate Youth Minister at San Diego First Assembly of God from 1991-1995. During college, Kara gained an ongoing commitment to church/parachurch partnerships during her time on Young Life Student Staff in the Stanford area.

Kara is the co-author of Deep Justice in a Broken World, Deep Ministry in a Shallow World, as well as many other books on youth and women’s ministries.

Kara is also a regular speaker at Youth Specialties National Youth Workers Conventions, Forest Home Christian Conference Center, as well as retreats and conferences across the country.

“Building a Healthier Community” Fair 2/27

Posted on 22. Feb, 2010 by kchristieh in health

“Building a Healthier Community” Fair 2/27

Eat free food, listen to live music, meet local politicians and celebrities and get your H1N1 flu shot all at once. There’s even a drawing for great prizes. What could be more fun? Check out the “Building a Healthier Community” Fair this Saturday at LCPC. More details are below.

After spending Saturday being healthy, you can join State Senator Carol Liu in walking in the Chinatown Firecracker Run this Sunday, 2/28. See more information here. This is a great opportunity to get to know your State Senator. Download the pdf here and bring it on the day of the run along with a check for $22 made out to the Los Angeles Firecracker Run Committee. It’s a $5 discount off the regular price. Meet at Senator Liu’s booth at the start line on North Broadway, Los Angeles at 7am. Please RSVP to or call .

Katrina Kenison to speak this Thursday at LCPC

Posted on 13. Feb, 2010 by kchristieh in books, parenting

Katrina Kenison to speak this Thursday at LCPC

When my kids were little, they didn’t understand why someone would cry if they weren’t hurt. They thought I was crazy for getting teary-eyed when we’d pass a wedding party outside of a church. I think they’re starting to understand, however, as we all broke down recently while watching Marley & Me. Some things just hit you harder, and as you grow older, there are more life experiences you can relate to.

That’s what Katrina Kenison does for me. When someone emailed me a link to a video of her reading from her most recent book, , I almost didn’t watch it. I didn’t want to sacrifice 7 minutes to watch a YouTube video. But I trusted the judgment of the person who sent it to me, so I finally clicked on the link. I’m so glad I did. It made me reflect upon the joys and challenges that have come with parenting, and how much my children and I have grown. It also reminded me of how much I’ve been blessed by being a mother for the past 18 years. Grab the tissues and check this out:

You can hear Katrina in person this Thursday, February 18th at La Canada Presbyterian Church. She’ll be speaking during my Parent Ed class, but it’s open to the public. The program starts at 12:30 pm, and she’ll sign books after the presentation. Please rsvp to . Babysitting is available for $10 per child. If you would like to have babysitting for your child, you MUST confirm a spot with Sandy at before Feb. 18th.

Here’s the official event flyer. I hope you can come!

Christmas caroling at any age

Posted on 10. Dec, 2009 by kchristieh in music, my life, religion

Christmas caroling at any age

This past weekend I sang Christmas carols at a local nursing home with junior high kids and fellow youth group leaders from our church. I vividly remember doing this with my high school youth group, and I wanted to do what I love and hopefully cheer people up at the same time.

I think they enjoyed our visit; they smiled and thanked us at the end. It was a lot like how I remember it was in high school, but with one exception: it was all I could do not to cry. At least I knew the songs by heart, so when my eyes welled-up it didn’t matter that I couldn’t see the page as easily. I live a life that’s so sheltered from the difficulty and isolation that can accompany aging, and it was overwhelming to see that all of the residents were in wheelchairs, and that some clutched dolls and stuffed animals but still looked so alone.

At first I thought it was because I’m 30 years older than I was in high school. I’m closer to most of these people in age than I am to the junior high kids who sang with us.

But this evening, one of the junior high school girls told me that she’d had a hard time not crying too. And a high school girl told me that she’s surprised at how emotional she gets at times.

So I won’t over-analyze my reaction. I’m grateful for the blessings that allow me not to have to visit or live in a nursing home, and for the people who opened up their lives to us this weekend and allowed us to sing. I don’t know what the next 30 (or 60, or whatever) years hold, but I hope I always appreciate a good Christmas carol.

Next time we’ve got to bring jingle bells…

The dolls to the right remind me of my sister. Not only does she love little dolls like these, but her singing voice is identical to mine. We’re the alto sisters who grew up in NJ but moved to CA. Too bad our voices aren’t super-amazing, because maybe we could take our act on the road. In the meantime, I can’t wait for her to visit so we can sing next to each other on Christmas Eve.  :)

The antidote to “Black Friday”

Posted on 27. Nov, 2009 by kchristieh in non-profits, religion, shopping

The antidote to “Black Friday”

I’m burning out on rampant consumerism, and am trying to be more careful about how I spend my money in a tight economy. I found no reason to drag myself out of bed early this morning to join the throngs of people hitting the stores early to take advantage of the latest bargains.

Instead, here’s what I’m excited about: the LCPC Christmas Market. I’ve been helping my church, La Canada Presbyterian Church, with its alternative Christmas market for several years. You’re probably familiar with the concept: instead of buying a physical gift for a relative, teacher, client, etc., you buy something such as a goat, school supplies, tuition, etc. for someone who really needs it in your friend’s honor.

For the past few years, I’ve created a long online list of all the items available, with a PayPal button for each. It wasn’t very elegant, since you’d have to hit “back” every time you added something to your cart if you wanted to purchase something else. But none of the ecommerce packages I’d ever used – Yahoo Stores, GoEMerchant, Volusion, Miva Merchant – were cost and time-effective enough to bother with. This year I finally found the solution I’ve been looking for: BigCommerce. I had a blast creating this year’s online Christmas Market with BigCommerce, and am enjoying using it for other clients. After living through the creation and launch of eToys so many years ago, it’s mind-boggling how quickly and effectively I can now launch an online store.

Please visit the LCPC Christmas Market and put this year’s holiday dollars to good use!

White House | Black Market vs. Pakistan

Posted on 08. Aug, 2009 by kchristieh in inspirational people, international, religion

Sometimes I think my brain has a brick wall between its different sections. Sometimes that’s bad, but sometimes it’s necessary in order to fully process what’s going on.

For example, the other day I was waiting to see whether my daughter liked a shirt at White House | Black Market when my cellphone started its merry little ringtone. It was my friend Majid, who’s a pastor in Lahore, Pakistan. He told me about an awful massacre of Christians in Gojra, a village near Lahore. We had an imperfect connection, not only because he was in Pakistan but because I was in the heart of the Glendale Galleria, but even as I gave thumbs-up to my daughter’s clothing selection, I heard about how a mob of 1,000 burned nearly 150 homes, killing 11 people. It was surreal to hear of such horror even as I stood in such a safe and comfortable place.

Majid said that the people of his church are not only giving aid to survivors of the attack, but on August 11th they’re going to bravely protest the government’s mistreatment of religious minorities. August 11th had already been declared a national holiday commemorating the anniversary of Pakistan’s founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s 1947 speech calling for impartial government, religious freedom, rule of law, and equality for all, so it’s fitting that this would be a day to protest for these things.

These people are very brave to protest, and deserve all the prayers and support that people can give them. I hope it makes a difference.

Links:

Here’s part of a message I received from Majid today. He said it was ok to publish it here, since he wants to get the word out about this tragedy.

The Gojra Tragedy is another shameful incidence of religious intolerance and violence against minorities in Pakistan. This is not the first time that the fanatics/ extremist amongst the majority community have committed serious acts of aggression and murder against the minority groups for no fault of theirs.

The brutal attack on Christians in a village called Korian near Gojra town on 31st July 2009 where more than 50 houses were burnt and the people were terrorized on the pretext of desecrating the Holy Quran which in fact never took place.

After two days the Christians living in Gojra town were attacked and seven members of a family were burnt alive, two shot dead and their houses were burnt completely.

An emergent meeting of all Church leaders and primary members of the community was called on 3rd August 2009 at NCCP Ecumenical Center and unanimously condemned the incident of Korian and Gojra.

It was further resolved that the NCCP along with the Catholic Bishop Conference and representatives of the community at large urge the Government and Parliament from the day that the Blasphemy Law was enacted, hundreds of Christians were subjected to prison and torture of no fault of theirs.

It was also resolved that the leaders of the community with the support of the community at large demand the government to repeal the 295 B & C and save the community from religious fanatics and terrorists. For decades these acts of extremism and intolerance have taken place in Shanti Nagar, Sangla Hill, Bahawalpur, Taxila, Murree, Bamian Wala, Kasur and now Gojra and many other places.

It was decided that a protest and prayer meeting be held of all the churches on 11th August, 2009 at Naulakha Church, Lahore in remembrance of the martyrs of Gojra as an expression of solidarity with the Gojra victims.

When it’s best to H.A.L.T.

Posted on 26. Jun, 2009 by kchristieh in my life, parenting

When I was a manufacturing systems consultant, I overdosed on acronyms. From JIT to MRP, I often suspected they were used to impress the clients. As a result, these days I’m hesitant to use acronyms.

Here’s one that impressed me enough that I told my kids about it: H.A.L.T. It stands for

  • Hungry
  • Angry
  • Lonely
  • Tired

It’s what stops you from having healthy interactions with other people. If you’re any of those things, you should take a step back and try to solve the deficiency before you try to communicate with others. If you don’t, you may regret what you say or do. I learned it at Mark Hastings‘ talk at Growing Families at La Canada Presbyterian Church this past Sunday.

I’ve found this to be true with myself and with others I care about. I’m almost never angry or lonely, but I don’t function well if I’m hungry or tired. I’m trying to teach my kids to recognize these signs before they leave for college. The tough part is realizing that you’re having a problem when you’re in the midst of it.

I’m sure I’ll remember this acronym. Hopefully it’ll help me apply it. It’s usually pretty easy to fix being hungry (lucky American that I am) but sleep is sometimes a challenge.

26 Great Things About My Church

Posted on 28. Apr, 2009 by kchristieh in inspirational people, international, religion

There are so many reasons I love La Canada Presbyterian Church: the beliefs, the people, the programs. Today I was reminded that I also love how much our church reaches out to the world. I’m constantly amazed by how many people at our church take on so much. Here’s the list of 26 upcoming events I put on the Outreach portion of our church website this evening:

I wish I had time to do all of these!

Tomorrow’s Parent Ed speech / message / talk

Posted on 21. Mar, 2009 by kchristieh in parenting, religion

Here’s the talk I’m giving at La Canada Presbyterian Church at tomorrow’s 9:30 am church service about the great Parent Education program:

Yesterday I attended a baby shower. At one point the expectant mother held up one of her gifts and said, “I don’t even know what to do with this!” We all laughed because it’s true: kids don’t come with instruction manuals, and it’s sometimes hard to figure out what to do with them.

That’s why I love Parent Ed. so much. I learn how to be a better parent from the amazing instructors and from the other parents.

When my family moved to La Canada in 1996, one of the first things I did was sign up for the 3/4 Parent Ed Class. I had a three-year-old and a four-year-old, so I couldn’t resist enrolling for something where I didn’t need to leave the other child at home.

My instructor was the amazing Claudia Zentmyer. She calmed our fears, gave us advice, and let us share any concerns we had. My children and I have friends to this day that we met in that class.

I took a break from Parent Ed for awhile when I went back to work, but I returned when my oldest entered high school. Our terrific instructor, Jan Roberts, does the same things for our teen class that that Claudia did for my 3/4 class: she calms our fears, gives us advice and lets us share concerns.

An expectant mother, who’s immediately concerned with how to change a diaper or swaddle a baby, might wonder why it’s still important to have a Parent Ed class when your kids are in high school. Well, when teens mess up, it’s more likely to have a life-changing impact. And as a parent of teens, it’s frustrating that I can no longer hold their hands and keep them away from all of life’s dangers, or kiss their foreheads and make it all better.

At Parent Ed, I learn ways to teach my kids to make good decisions, and techniques to help them navigate the ups and downs of high school. Jan and the parents of older kids alert me what to watch out for in the future, and we all share  what’s happening in our local community.

But most of all, Parent Ed has taught me how to apply my faith to my parenting. I’ve learned to be less judgmental of fellow parents, since we’re all struggling to do the best job we can. I’ve learned that children need to know that we love them unconditionally, because sometimes they can feel like the whole world is working against them. And finally, I’ve learned to forgive them when they mess up. We all make mistakes, sometimes big and sometimes small, but just as God forgave us, so should we forgive our children.

I’m definitely not a perfect parent. But Parent Ed teaches me to be a better one, and I am incredibly grateful for this important ministry.

Handbells were my ticket to California

Posted on 01. Dec, 2008 by kchristieh in animals, music, my life, religion, travel

dog handbells christmasMiss G Dog would have played handbells if she could have. Unfortunately, she lacked opposable thumbs. Hopefully God gave them to her in heaven. At any rate, she gets them in cyberspace on my new Christmas-themed header.

I first visited California with the Tower Hill Presbyterian Church (Red Bank, NJ) high school handbell choir. We landed in San Francisco, and I was thrilled to see palm trees for the first time. The family I stayed with gave me a tour of the city, and constantly apologized for how dirty it was. Are you kidding? I thought it was 100x nicer than any East Coast city I’d ever been to. It’s no wonder I wound up out here.

Our trip continued up the coast, where we played in a handbell festival at Humboldt State. We also saw Crater Lake and Medford, Oregon, which remains the most beautiful place in the U.S. I’ve ever visited. We drove back down through California’s Gold Country, and enjoyed visiting Yosemite and the old mining town of Columbia.

I remember wondering why the palm trees didn’t have coconuts, and why I didn’t see a bear in Yosemite. I finally saw coconuts on my honeymoon to Tahiti, but I’m still waiting to see a bear. That’s probably good.

We were a pretty awesome handbell choir. We even cut a record, but I think that only our parents bought it. I played the third position from the bottom, which meant I handled pretty big bells. When the choir director would turn his back, I’d flip them. I never missed. To this day, I’m awesome at flipping my hairbrush like that. The bells were REALLY expensive, and he would have been really peeved if he’d known I flipped them.

That’s as rebellious as I got in high school. Flipping handbells. My parents were really lucky. I think they knew it, too.  :)

It’s good when our world gets smaller

Posted on 25. Sep, 2008 by kchristieh in international, politics, quotes

Meet Oleksiy (Alex) Palchykov and Andrii Chakov. They stayed with us the other night when the Kiev Symphony Orchestra played at La Canada Presbyterian Church. Both are singers, and Alex is one of the lead soloists. The whole group was extraordinarily talented.
andrei & alex, kiev symphony orchestra

Alex and Andrii only spent one night at our house, but we all enjoyed getting to know each other and learning a little about each other’s worlds. We exchanged email addresses, and hopefully we’ll keep in touch.

This is the second time this year we’ve had international visitors. Several months ago, we hosted an amazing Pakistani family at our house, and I plan on keeping in touch with them forever.

I think it’s great when we meet people from other countries.

  • It reminds us that our way isn’t always the “right” way. Andrei wanted his milk heated up before he put it on his cereal. Nothing wrong with that!
  • We have a chance to appreciate our blessings. We get a distorted view comparing ourselves to other Americans.
  • It gives us a human face behind the stereotypes. I have a much different view now of Pakistan’s people than I had a year ago.
  • When we know people from a place, we’re more likely to want to learn more about that place. Just as I keep up with the RedBankGreen blog because I used to live in that area, I also read articles that mention Kiev or Pakistan much more closely now.

The other day I saw a CNN segment where a group of young, first-time voter Mennonites in Goshen, IN were asked whether they thought it was naive for Barack Obama to want to meet with leaders such as Hugh Chavez and groups such as Hamas. Here’s a sampling of what they said:

  • “How else do you fix the issues that are important to us if the leaders won’t talk to each other?”
  • “I think diplomacy and trying to find alternative solutions is something that involves a leap of faith. But if you’re willing to take that risk and to have that faith, you find hope in something greater than yourself.”
  • “I think that part of being patriotic is being a good neighbor to those actually in our country and to those far away.”
  • “You can’t just think about what you want, but about what others want also. Maybe their choices aren’t always the greatest, but they’re human beings, and they deserve respect.”
  • “When you go to another culture, you learn that the way that you were raised isn’t the only way, and maybe not even the correct way…and you learn to respect other peoples’ views and other peoples’ ways of thinking.”
  • One young woman talked about how she was shocked at how her stereotypes were shattered when she traveled to Iran and was welcomed with incredible warmth into peoples’ homes.

Amen to all of that! Note to self: must find out more about this Goshen College that these articulate young people attend…too bad Indiana’s so far away!
mennonites on CNN talking about barack obama diplomacy

Ask Belief-O-Matic what religion you should be

Posted on 27. Jun, 2008 by kchristieh in cool websites, my life, religion

god painting finger arm outstretchedNot sure if your religion matches your beliefs? Take the 20-question Belief-O-Matic quiz to determine how your beliefs match 27 of the world’s major religions. Questions range from “What happens to humans after death?” to “Why is there so much suffering in the world?” After answering each question, you can give it a low, medium or high priority.

My results matched my chosen religion, Presbyterianism. Here are the three religions that had more than an 80% match for me:

  1. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (100%)
  2. Orthodox Quaker (82%)
  3. Liberal Quakers (80%)

Several years ago when I took the quiz, Orthodox Quaker came in at 100%. I guess my beliefs have changed slightly over time. But they’re still Christian. I was surprised that Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon) showed up as more of a match than Roman Catholic. (60% vs. 50%) Still, they’re nowhere near the 100% my chosen religion got.

Note: Belief-O-Matic won’t assume legal liability for your eternal soul!

Isn’t church for sinners?

Posted on 18. Jan, 2008 by kchristieh in religion, things that bug me

Maybe I’ve been a Presbyterian for too long, as I was stunned to read in today’s Wall St. Journal article “Banned From Church: Reviving an ancient practice, churches are exposing sinners and shunning those who won’t repent,” that there are pastors and churches that actually kick people out for sinning.

Sounds backwards to me. Shouldn’t churches want sinners, so they can be saved? Aren’t we all sinners? I’m not surprised that the sins people were accused of weren’t all of the adultery sort: some were booted for questioning church authority and wanting to see financial records.

I guess that the people kicking their brethren out of church must be perfect themselves. What an amazing feat! We should try to do the best we can, but I believe that the only human who’s ever been perfect was Jesus. I think that churches should be willing to give advice on how to live as Christ wants us to, but God’s the judge, not the church.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” (John 8:7)

“Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye. (Luke 6:42)

Read this before you go to the mall

Posted on 27. Nov, 2007 by kchristieh in international, religion, shopping

Here’s the perfect gift for the person who has everything: the gift of giving. Honor someone’s altruistic side by giving to a charity in their name.

Here are some of my favorite options:

  • La Canada Presbyterian Church Christmas Market: OK, I’m biased: I’m a member, and I created this portion of their website. You can pay by PayPal for such gifts as school supply kits for Mexican orphans ($5), immunizations for Ugandan children ($30 for 10 kids), employing an inner-city teen ($40/week), freezing weather survival kit for a homeless person ($20) and much, much more. You can print out a colorful gift card from the site to fill out and send to the person you’re honoring.
  • Heifer International
  • World Vision
  • Charity Gift Certificates.org: You purchase the gift certificate, and the person you “give” it to gets to choose which of the 75 charities the money should be allocated to.
  • Kiva: “Loans that change lives.” You can give someone a Kiva gift certificate, and they can choose who to loan to.

We’ve found gifts such as these to be especially perfect for grandparents. We send them a nice photo calendar of the kids each year, and supplement it with a gift to one of the Christmas Market items that matches their interests. My stepsister is getting the Charity Gift Certificates for my kids this year, and I’m looking forward to having them choose who to allocate the money to.

We’re so blessed in the U.S., and should always remember to share our blessings.

Eight things you may not know about meme

Posted on 08. Oct, 2007 by kchristieh in my life

terrier mix mutt dogI couldn’t let this meme from BunsOfStrudel go unanswered. So here are eight things you may not know about me. Windows to the soul? Perhaps. Perhaps not.

  1. My degrees in Industrial Engineering fit me perfectly. I hate inefficiency.
  2. I’ve worked out at Curves 668 times in the last four years. That’s 3.15x/wk.
  3. My favorite food in the world is my mom’s sausage lasagne. Too bad it has so many carbs. Here’s the recipe. It beats anything I ever had while visiting Italy.
  4. I tend to gravitate toward more complicated people, pets and food. No plain vanilla for me.
  5. I like being Presbyterian because it encourages me to think and act, and allows me to keep my religion and politics separate.
  6. Unlike many in my town, I drive an 8-year-old car, don’t have a housekeeper, and chose a La-Z-Boy sofa the last time I bought furniture. Despite what my stepfather may think, I can be cheap and practical on occasion.
  7. I use the phrase “see the forest for the trees” a lot. I like to look at the big picture, and appreciate life’s many shades of grey.
  8. I talk to my dog. I hope I’ll get to heaven someday and she’ll be there and she’ll say, “You know, I understood everything you said. Thanks for respecting me.”

Now the hard part: I’m supposed to “tag” eight other bloggers and encourage them to link back to me, list their eight things, and pass it on. I did this back in June, so I don’t want to burden the same people again. So this time, I’m “tagging” local bloggers Altadena Above It All, Eye Level Pasadena, Head Start College, Reynolds Group, Rattling the Kettle, West Coast Grrlie Blather, Tableau Vivante, and Aaron Proctor.

LCPC group hug video

Posted on 17. Aug, 2007 by kchristieh in religion, travel, videos

I just returned from the La Canada Presbyterian Church camp at the Mission Springs Conference Center in Scotts Valley, CA. More about that in future posts. In the meantime, please enjoy this of everyone before the group hug this morning.

If you haven’t been to this camp, I HIGHLY recommend it! It’s a great way to get to know fellow church members better, and really feel like you’re a part of the church family. It’s also a great combination of spiritual enrichment and fun vacation. It doesn’t matter your age or your family situation – everyone’s welcome!

If you enjoyed this post, get free updates via email or RSS. 

Parent Ed. – I finally made the plunge

Posted on 08. Feb, 2007 by kchristieh in parenting

We’re very fortunate in our community to have a terrific Parent Education program through La Canada Presbyterian Church. It happens to be my church, but lots of people attend the program who aren’t church members.

Anyway, the last time I attended Parent Ed. was when my kids were in preschool. I’ve either been too busy since then, or didn’t feel the need to go. But now that I have two teens, I finally decided to check out the parenting teens class. I was on the waiting list all fall, but finally got to start today.

It was terrific. We talked about curfews, negotiations, and how to communicate with your teens. We also shared some local resources, and talked about a few specific issues people had. It was great!

Now to get it all to work in our family…

Forget the mall – buy a sheep!

Posted on 24. Nov, 2006 by kchristieh in articles, international, my life, religion, shopping

Sick of long lines and big credit card bills in the pursuit of a gift that will soon be forgotten anyway?

Then check out www.lcpcChristmas.org. I just put the finishing touches on the La Canada Presbyterian Church Christmas Market page, so now you can purchase items such as school supplies, blankets and sheep for people that really need them. It’s a great way to give directly, or give in someone’s name. In the past we’ve given in honor of my grandparents, and given them a gift card telling them about it. It’s fun to choose a special gift you know they’d like to give themselves.

If you’re not convinced, read this terrific essay titled “My Days Are Numbered” by Rick Moranis from Tuesday’s NY Times. It highlights the folly of American consumption. Here’s an excerpt:

I HAVE two kids. Both are away at college.

I have five television sets. (I like to think of them as a set of five televisions.) I have two DVR boxes, three DVD players, two VHS machines and four stereos.

I have nineteen remote controls, mostly in one drawer.

I have three computers, four printers and two non-working faxes.

I have three phone lines, three cell phones and two answering machines.

I have no messages.

I have forty-six cookbooks.

I have sixty-eight takeout menus from four restaurants.

I have one hundred and sixteen soy sauce packets.

I have three hundred and eighty-two dishes, bowls, cups, saucers, mugs and glasses.

I eat over the sink.

Church camp

Posted on 17. Aug, 2006 by kchristieh in my life, religion, travel

We’re wrapping up a weeklong vacation in Northern California. The main purpose of the trip was to attend the La Canada Presbyterian Church all-church camp at Mission Springs in Scott’s Valley, but we visited friends and relatives on the way there and back. Here are some highlights:

  • Visiting my sister and her family in Marin County, where they have decided to live even though they’d promised they’d return to La Canada. My daughter fell in love with the area, and is now saying she might prefer Berkeley over Columbia, if she has the choice. I’m for that – better to be near than far!
  • Visiting my friend Sandra and her family in Burlingame. Her husband, Dan, just started as rabbi at the local temple there. I wish we all lived closer!
  • Biking at Stanford. It’s by far the best way to see the campus.

As for church camp, we enjoyed hearing Old Testament lessons by speaker Dr. Peter Whitelock from the Lafayette-Orinda Presbyterian Church, followed by New Testament reactions from his father-in-law, the former pastor of our church, Gary Demarest. My favorite one was the last one, where they talked about Joseph and forgiveness.

We all enjoyed relaxing, getting to know people from the church better, and having fun hanging out in Santa Cruz and around the camp. It’s no wonder it’s the 5th year in a row we’ve gone!

LCPC Faith Missions on cover of Valley Sun

Posted on 23. Jun, 2006 by kchristieh in articles, my life, religion

This week’s La Canada Valley Sun has a great cover story about La Canada Presbyterian Church’s Faith Missions program. There are two articles:

I’m quoted in the second one about Pastor Jim Milley:

According to Faith Missions fan Kathy Hernandez, “Jim Milley ‘walks the talk.’ It’s great to volunteer for Faith Missions because you know he’s so hands-on himself.”

It’s absolutely true! It’s great to work with someone who is enthusiastic, hardworking and competent all at once. I spend lots of time updating the Outreach portion of the church website for Jim and sending out emails for Pastor Gary Dennis. I’ve also spent hours teaching ministry partners how to blog, and have so far met partners from Ethiopia, Oregon, India, East LA and Serbia. It’s great when you can make a difference in the world doing something you enjoy.