Dez' Parents Visit 1/08

In January, my parents left below zero temperatures to brave it sunny Southern California for a whole week. Our 65 degree winter weather felt glorious to them and was the talk of the trip--Minnesotans can't help themselves, they must always comment on the weather.

We introduced them to two of our beloved cheap dinner date places, Chipotle and In & Out. This might have been my dad's favorite part of the trip. Both establishments are very good at what they do: big, big burritos with the best guacamole around at one and oh-so-tasty burgers at the other.

I would say my mom's favorite part was probably the beach. We took them down to Crystal Cove, our favored beach and the Lord blessed us with an incredible sunset. The sunsets are one of the greatest things about living here. How I enjoy watching that brilliant ball of fire take it's evening dip in the great ocean.



We visited the Autry Museum of the American West, which by the way, had an exhibit about Walker Texas Ranger. You can never go wrong with Chuck Norris in my family! My dad is a big fan of "the West" and likely sees himself as a modern day John Wayne. You can find him wearing his cowboy cut Wranglers, boots, western shirt, leather vest, and cowboy hat. His duster and black Stetson are for special occasions.
http://www.autry-museum.org/

Brandon and I had been curious about what it would be like to visit Saddleback Church where Purpose Driven Rick Warren is a pastor, so we asked my parents if they were up for an adventure. The four of us knew it would be big but we were totally unprepared for the MEGAchurch. I think you could put all of my hometown of Spring Grove, MN on their campus and still have room left over. It was like a small city. The worship service was well polished and well attended. Rick Warren even happened to be preaching that night. Interestingly enough, he spoke about his views on spiritual formation and how he thinks we mature in Christ. It made for lively conversation on the way home as Brandon and I had several points of contention with his ideas, since I am studying spiritual formation and the care of souls. I won't go into all that here, but my mom called me after their return home to tell me what she learned from that experience: just because you write lots of books and pastor a huge church doesn't mean you've got it all figured out.
http://saddleback.com/flash/