Sandy's Sayings

Saying Goodbye

This weekend our church said goodbye to two beloved people.  Bob and Pat Portman have been at CPC forever!  Bob has served as an elder and Pat has been our Pastor of Women's Ministry.  Losing Bob and Pat is a big loss for us.  The way they love, care, and counsel people has been amazing to watch.  I first met Bob at my interview with the Elders before I was hired just about 10 years ago. During my interview I couldn't understand why Bob wasn't speaking?  He wasn't asking any questions and I was getting a little insecure because I was filling the position that his daughter held!  Little did I know that he was not an Elder yet, but what we call an Elderette. To become an elder at our church you go through a long process and during that process you are welcomed to be at all Elder meetings but are not allowed to speak for a length of time. When I learned of this I just laughed.  But more important to me, is how Bob as cared for me.  One of the things I have so appreciated about Bob was his phone calls to check up on me while I was taking on the high school ministry while we were high school pastorless.  Every week or two, Bob would call just to check in on me, making sure I was ok emotionally, spiritually and what not.  He continued to check in for about a year until some help came on the way.  I know many people at our church have been on the receiving end of phone calls from Bob who called just to check in.  Bob has cared and counseled many men and couples and a bunch of teenagers during my time at CPC. Pat has also been a huge part of CPC.  I've had the privilege of serving along side of her on our pastoral staff.  Pat is one of the best teachers of scripture I've listened to and learned from. I've sat along side her as well watching her counsel women, families and teenagers. She is a woman of great faith and of great prayer.  When Pat says she is praying for you, she is! One of my stories I like to tell about Pat was when we were at one of our all church retreats.  We had this big afternoon carnival out on the rec field.  We had this boxing ring set up with those oversized boxing gloves that are as big as a person.  So I challenged Pat to a boxing match!  Pat is fierce competitor, but I didn't know that and in my mind I was thinking, "I'll take it easy on the old broad!" First swing out I knew I was in trouble! Pat came out in full force and caught me totally off gaurd and all I could think of was holy cow, this woman is strong and all I could hear was my mothers voice in my head saying respect your elders! Needless to say, Pat kicked my butt in boxing that day, but it sure was a great laugh!

So Bob and Pat as you retire, know that you are loved and will be missed! God's grace and peace to you both!

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10 Year Old Gives Advice on Getting A Girl

Over the last few weeks in our Jr. High Ministry we've been talking about the difference between guys and girls.  We showed this video this morning on "how to get a girl."  Great advice from 10 year old Alec Greven. 

Student Ministry Family BBQ

On Sunday, May 17, the Student Ministry will be having a Family BBQ at Booth Bay Park in Foster City from 1-3 pm. Bring your chair, rec equipment and food item, we will provide the meat! We will also be honoring our 6th graders, graduating 8th graders and graduating seniors. It will be a fun time hanging out with family and friends! Sign up with Darcie, Rob, Sandy or Ben by Sunday May 10. Download Student min picnic 09

Double Digit Birthday

Today is a BIG birthday for my niece, she has entered the world of double digits!  Happy 10th Birthday Miss Jessica!  I can't believe you are already 10!  It seems like just yesterday we were sporting our sunglasses in the NICU at Stanford! I hope you have a wonderful day! Love you sweetie!

What a Week part 1

What a week it has been! Last weekend I got to hang out with my 10 year old niece for the weekend! We watched a movie, the Bowditch Middle School play, a Sacred Heart Prep soccer game, church and putt-putt golf! A very fun weekend but my niece schooled me in putt-putt golf.

The End of an Era

Yesterday marked the passing of my last living grandparent.  My Grandma Clohan passed away yesterday. I've always felt blessed to have known my grandparents for so much of my life. I knew a set of my great-grandparents until I was 13!  And although I'm sad, I rejoice because my grandmother is with the Lord.  She would be 90 this year and lived a long and colorful life with really no health problems.  She went just liked she hoped for, quick and not a burden to others! She was a pastors kid and had the usual pastors kid reputation growing up. One story in particular has always made me laugh.  She was in school and got in trouble in her class.  In those days they would slap your hand with a ruler.  Well, the teacher told her to hold out her hand.  She did, then grabbed the ruler from the teacher and whacked the teacher with it and ran out of the room!  She would tell us stories of walking across the Golden Gate Bridge the first day it opened, traveling from Pennsylvania to California in a Ford Model T as well as the piano/organ duels between her and her mother on the stage at Mt. Hermon during worship time.  She was a nurse by profession and didn't give up her nurses license until she was 80. She was an old school nurse, wearing her white stockings, white dress and white nurses cap and pin even when nurses made the switch to scrubs, which my grandmother absolutely loathed.  She was a tough, old bird who worked the ER's of San Francisco.  

One of my favorite memories of my grandmother was when we were all siting down for Christmas dinner. Both of my grandmothers were there bitching and moaning about the "youth of today."  Of course by this time I was a youth pastor, so I felt the need to stand up for the "terrible youth of today."  I can remember being too "big for my britches," and calling my grandmothers out on how they could judge the youth of today when they don't even know any!  I had no idea what that challenge would lead too.  The very next week, my grandmother went to Brian Berry, the youth pastor at the church our family went too, and asked how she could help in the high school ministry.  She went to camp with them shortly after that as their camp nurse and she fell in love with the "terrible youth of today," and they fell in love with her.  The very next Sunday after camp, the high school kids invaded the "Seniors" Sunday School class and carried her off to the high school room so she could do church with them.  That story still warms my heart and makes me laugh, but it also says a lot about the kind of woman my grandmother was.  I could go on and on with all kinds of crazy stories, but that would make way to long of a blog post!  More importantly, my grandmother loved Jesus and she loved people.

Up Before The Sun

So it's about 3:30 am this morning and I'm wide awake.  I've been trying to sleep all night and I've given up on it.  My brain can't shut off and my heart is heavy. It was a tough day to come back from vacation and hear that one of our Edge students lost her dad.  My heart just breaks for this family and of course I wonder what God is doing?  I also received news today that a good friends mother is waiting to hear the results of a biopsy.  Waiting for that news is so hard and your mind tends to go directly to the worst case scenario.  So a lot on my mind and have spent the good chunk of the night praying. On a more random note, at 3:30 in the morning, there is NOTHING on TV.  So I'm writing and watching Sarah Palin's address on C-SPAN.  A couple more hours and Starbucks will be open.

My Roomie: The Domestic Goddess

I think my roommate is in love with kitchen gadgets.  We had some friends over for dinner and last week and I'm not sure how my roommate used every pot, pan, gadget and dish in the kitchen when the all but one part of the meal was cooked on the grill!  I was a little overwhelmed at washing the dishes and was praying for the "dish fairy" to come and clean my kitchen.

The Big 4-0 Today

Well, today I turn 40! To be honest, I've been so busy that I didn't realize I was turning 40 until a couple of months ago!  It's kinda funny, I'm not really nervous about turning 40!  I haven't rushed out to get anti-aging cream!  Although I wouldn't mind rushing out and getting one of these for my supposed mid-life crisis!  I do know, I've learned a lot over these 40 years and I'm so thankful that God lets me do youth ministry.  I hope I get to be 80 years old and continue being a part of youth ministry!  I can just see myself in front of Jr. Highers when I'm 80, whacking them with my walker! The pic is my mom and me.  I think I'm a month old!