Growing up, July 4th was not really that big a deal for me. I knew what it was, why we commemorated it, and was thankful for the fact that the United States of America exists as a nation at all, but that was about it. But since 1997, July 4th has been another kind of day altogether. That day a dear older brother in Christ passed away in an accident, and it would be an understatement to say that his death and his life impacted our church indelibly. I know many of you younger ones never even met William, but I hope that reading what Pastor Ed & Kelly Kang wrote about him last year, on the 10th year after his death, would give you a picture of the kind of servant of all he was, and of the legacy he left behind.

On a related note, there will be an all-Koinonia picture @ 5:45 on thesteps of Sproul Hall. Don’t be late, and also spread the word to your friends!

A humorous little story. I really identified with the woman who lost one of her coins. I admit with no shame that I collect the state quarters. I have a friend, Betty (part of ISM staff) who actually gives me the new quarters when she gets them as part of her change. She gave me both the Wyoming and Idaho quarters. However, one day when I was trying to park in Berkeley, I ended up spending both of the quarters without realizing it. I just saw two quarters so I put them in the meter. A few weeks later, I realized I lost them.

They’ve been “lost” for a few months now, and I’ve yet to come across either of them in my monetary transactions. However, yesterday at the Y, I was trying to buy me a cold drink out of the vending machine, and I begged for exact change from folks studying there. Will gave me a quarter, and guess what? It turned out to be the Wyoming quarter! Granted, this is a very different context from the woman who probably needed the 10th silver coin to survive in life, but I still identified with her joy when she found what she had lost (even though I realize it was not the exact same coin I lost, but close enough!)

Now all I have to do is find an Idaho quarter…if any of you find one, I’ll gladly give you two quarters in exchange! Maybe I’ll even throw a party!

I was actually up at the Sierra Lodge this past week with Pastor Ed and Kelly Kang who were leading some of us staff for Bible Teachers Training (which was great, by the way). Though inside the house the air was fine, when we went outside to work or play, there was a distinct smell of smoke. Lake Spaulding was covered in what looked like mist (smoke), and it looked like the scene in Lord of the Rings when Sam won’t let Frodo go it alone, and they get into the little boat and ride past the huge stone statues of the men with their outstretched arms.

Anyway, Kelly was sharing some of the things she had been thinking about in light of the fires (no pun intended at all). It gave me a lot to think about in terms of what is truly lasting in this life. Thanks to Pastor William Kang from acts2fellowship for posting it on his site.

People were very creative in their fundraising efforts, going door-to-door, selling homemade cookies, beaded key chains and bracelets, hitting shopping centers, talking with co-workers and neighbors, going in front of college lectures/classes to raise awareness and ask for sponsors from U.C. Berkeley students and professors.

It was a meaningful time for all who participated (some people’s short reflections coming soon). I can’t believe it, but the total we’ve raised so far is $76,118.65 (the $.65 is kind of funny!), and the figure is rising! Check here for the latest figures.

You have until Friday to collect all your money…wonder if we’ll hit the $100,000 mark?

Like Pastor Ed Kang said on Sunday, let’s not just have this be a one-time event, but continue to think of ways to be hands of Compassion in our communities and in our world.

We’ve been grappling with such tough questions like “How Could a Good God Allow Suffering?”

Anyway, many of you know that Dr. Keller came to U.C. Berkeley in the spring, and some of you actually got to attend the talk. The following day, he went to Google as part of their Authors@Google series (if Azusa ever complains about her work, we can just cite cool things like this!). I thought it might be neat to put a face and voice to the words we’ve been studying. He pretty much goes through some of the points in the book, but it’s cool to hear the way he talks through his own points. Enjoy! (Don’t let this be a substitute for reading the book yourself!)