Tehachapi's Online Community News & Entertainment Guide
Tehachapi's Online Community News & Entertainment Guide
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At midnight on December 31, 2019, I celebrated the arrival of a new year with my family at Disneyland. It was glorious! There was a concert and fake snow and lots of twinkly lights. I'd never celebrated New Year's Eve at Disneyland, with huge crowds and jacked up holiday prices, but my sister and my niece had both become widows in 2019 and we were happy to be with them and all a bit eager to see such a difficult year end. We had every hope that 2020 would certainly be much better. Little did we...
For many of us, going home and being together is essential to celebrate the holidays. We crave to be with loved ones and have a sense of home and belonging. We sing about going over the river and through the woods to Grandmother's house, trusting that warmth, hugs and good food await. This year, it is all different. We can sing, and wish, Zoom and talk on FaceTime, but it's not the same. Our hugs, kisses and favorite home cooked meals have to wait several more months for us to gather safely....
My husband and I enjoy writing skits and watching people perform them at our church services in the park. During September and October we will be following the epic story of Moses and the Exodus, using a bit of humor along the way. Skits require people to play different roles, sometimes quite different from the ones we play in real life. Sometimes we are unaware of the roles we play in our real lives. As a Marriage and Family Therapist, I have studied roles within families. I've been fascinated...
I write today thinking about teachers and students attempting to engage with a new school year. My good friend has a classroom of 30 and says it is hard to see them all on a screen. She told me her screen froze and they all disappeared. Then one of the students got ill during class and there were many background noises appropriate only in a sitcom. My hat is off to teachers! God bless you and keep you safe and sane! School personnel are also being challenged. My sister is an office...
How has your life changed since the COVID-19 pandemic began? What have you had to give up? What have you gained? Sudden change thrust on us is tricky and seldom welcome. There is loss. For the past four months many have struggled with lost income; disrupted jobs and education; limited social visits and gatherings; and downscaled celebrations. Some people have suffered loneliness, illness and death. It can be hard to find the silver lining in such circumstances. Don't get me wrong, the pandemic...
Recently, I had the honor of leading a memorial service for a gentleman who was an inspiring hero. He had been a firefighter for 30 years and often walked into danger. There's a particular biblical quote that is usually read at the farewell service for firefighters: "No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends." (John 15:13 NSRSV) This man had written a brief autobiography and it was precious to hold the pages of his handwritten words. He was one year older than...
Greetings! It is good to be back from quarantine. I hope you are doing well. We are all learning how to cope with a new viral pandemic and the increased awareness of a racist pandemic as well. This one isn't new; it's been with us for quite some time. When people describe it as systemic, is it clear to you what that means? For me, when I think of that phrase, I am reminded of a Muslim teacher I once had in seminary whose specialty was the history of Christianity. When asked why he studied Christ...
Greetings Friends, Our church, like others, has not been able to meet within its building, however, we've been having weekly worship calls and Zoom coffee chats. Each week, one of our members has written a poem to share with us and I wanted to share them with you, so here are three of them. We look forward to meeting this summer in some form or fashion. Our services will focus on the ancient stories and colorful figures in Genesis and Exodus beginning June 7 through the end of August. We hope yo...
Dear Friends, Greetings! I hope you are doing well. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic my church has shut down and likely will remain so for weeks to come. We are taking it one week at a time and simplifying what we do. I want you to know that even if you’re not a member of my church, you are welcome to join us in a weekly conference call at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday mornings. We will simply gather, share some words of inspiration, pray and check in with one another to share love and support. If you w...
Greetings! March 22 is World Water Day. It's a day to be grateful for fresh, clean, water ... a necessity for life. It's also a day to consider how to best make sure that all people for generations to come can have access to this essential element. Organizations around the world will be promoting ways that we can help others gain access to reliable water sources. When I was in Uganda last summer, I got to witness a new well being dug for a village of people. When we arrived, the children had...
February is the month our country celebrates its iconic former presidents honoring them with a national holiday. Wouldn't it be interesting if we could have President Washington and President Lincoln among us at this moment in time, giving us some perspective and inspiration? Our 16th president, Abraham Lincoln, experienced our new nation after the honeymoon was over and deep divisions brought us to civil war. I would love to hear his comments on our current state of affairs. President Lincoln...
For some reason the shipwreck of the Titanic has a lingering presence in my mind. Throughout my life I have often wondered what I would have done if I had been on that ill-fated ship. Would I have been one of the survivors or not? When I was younger and had very little money, I related to and empathized with the people on the lower decks who were not able to get into life boats. As I have aged and my income has increased, I have thought that I might have been more fortunate. I know that the vast...
A few nights ago, I was able to join in a posada procession with "Mary" and "Joseph" and a delightful band of musicians, Toledo Mariachi, in downtown Bakersfield. The event was initiated by Rev. Luis Rodriguez of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, hosted by Mill Creek Christian Church, and supported by Faith in Kern. The Spanish word posada means "inn" in English. Our group walked to many business places in the downtown area, with Joseph knocking on doors asking each establishment to allow him and...
Dear Friends, This is the season to be led and influenced by little children. My grandson, Benji, is patiently waiting for some stranger to break into his house and bring presents because a baby was born many years ago. His home doesn't have a fireplace, so Benji's mama built one from cardboard for Santa to "slide" down the chimney and into their living room. Santa was the scariest person Benji met last year, so it's a wonder that he sits by his little fireplace eagerly awaiting this man's visit...
Previously, I wrote about part of my summer trip to Jinja, Uganda and the Pearls Children's Home that my church has helped to support. You can read about this amazing place at www.pearlschildrensfund.org and I hope you will. A second non-profit in Gulu, Uganda, that my church has also helped to support, is Aid Africa, Inc. You can read about them at www.aidafrica.net, and again, I hope you will. Aid Africa began about 15 years ago to help people displaced by violence be able to return and...
I'm back! This past summer I was on sabbatical and it was life-changing. I visited Uganda, as I had five years ago. My church and I have been helping support two non-profit organizations in Uganda for more than five years: Aid Africa (www.aidafrica.net) and Pearls Children's Fund (www.pearlschildrensfund.org). I will write more about Aid Africa in a future column, but you can check it out online. This organization has helped improve many lives with clean water, better stoves, health support and...
One of the perks of being clergy, is that after a number of years of service, most pastors are granted a temporary sabbatical leave. This becomes a chance to learn or experience some new things, go on retreat, and/or reconnect and refresh. Having served as Pastor at Tehachapi Community Church for over six years, I am going on sabbatical this summer. I look forward to spending time with family, helping out loved ones and having time to be in nature. I won't be writing for The Loop while I am...
Dear Friends, Greetings! Happy May! Happy Spring! Where does the year go? May is traditionally full of end-of-school activities. If you are a teacher or love a teacher, please give them some extra support and kudos this month! If you are a student or love a student, please give them some extra support and kudos also. If you know of someone graduating this month, whom we can recognize and pray for, please let me know! Our church is busy this month in preparation for my upcoming sabbatical. After...
Dear Friends, Mine is a church that likes to celebrate different cultures, and Celtic traditions are certainly an annual favorite. This month, St. Patrick's Day falls on a Sunday. Come and join us for worship and some innocent festive shenanigans. Another of our favorite annual events has been the Kirkin 'o the Tartans, a Scottish worship service where we remember and honor Scottish heritage and loved ones we have lost in the past year. Our service will be April 7, with bagpipes and lots of...
Greetings! It's February, a month associated with love and valentines. My Jewish friend and colleague, Rabbi Cheryl Rosenstein, was discussing love with me recently. Judaism and Christianity overlap on many things, but love is sometimes perceived differently. We all agree that we are to love God and love one another, but how do we do that? In the Torah, there are three commands to love: "love your neighbor as yourself" (Leviticus 19:18); "love the stranger as yourself" (Leviticus 19:34); and...
My fondest Christmas memory came about in the midst of a violently cold snowstorm in rural Minnesota. The storm had come up quickly and schools were scurrying to get children home for their winter break. Our bus driver had done the best that he could, but we were 9-miles out from town on the one main road and there was no way the driver could deliver the last dozen kids to their homes. The roads were getting too bad and visibility was impossible. In those days, nobody had cell phones and the...
What do you hope for during the holidays? Have you been good? Is Santa headed your way? Or do your hopes run deep for peace and harmony in your life, your family, community, nation and around the world? So many things to hope for, if you have hope. Many people feel hope is distant and for some it has disappeared. Rates of suicide have risen in our country in recent years. As a therapist, I know the one question that correlates best with risk for suicide is whether or not a person has hope. I...
Greetings! Recently, a woman from Tehachapi, Judy Hewitt, shared with me and a few others the story of her 26-year-old nephew, Zach Heglemeyer, who died this past year from a surfing accident. He was on vacation in Bali, Indonesia, doing things he loved, especially surfing. Two days before he died, he wrote an inspiring message that I think would be good to read every day. Below is what he wrote. I and his aunt hope it inspires you. Blessings, Pastor Nancy Zach's Message Friends, take this to...
These past few weeks, I have been contacted by numerous people, some males, but mostly females, who have been victims of sexual assault. A sexually explicit letter was also placed on my teenage daughter's car by someone who's been watching her and her female roommates. One of her roommates posted online, "Women experience this kind of violence or threatened violence every day. When will it stop?" How does it stop? To be honest, I kind of lost count about how many times I've been sexually...
Mark 9:30-37 tells a story of Jesus walking with his friends while they hang back bickering over which one of them is the greatest. Jesus turns around and catches them in the act. Awkward. Imagine Jesus, of all people, catching us bragging about our "greatness." I'll bet he gave them a stink-eye pause as they looked away in embarrassment. Yep, however, this story tells me that the disciples weren't hopeless, because people only get embarrassed about bragging if they value humility and in this...
