Tim Svoboda

Spain

2011-11-25T12:18:00.001-08:00

I was recently in Spain to teach at the Strategic Leadership Consultation in Malaga. Malaga is a city of about 560,000 people and a beautiful place.

See the full gallery on Posterous

IMG_1147.MOV Watch on Posterous

Great Cities of the World

2011-03-21T21:18:00.001-07:00

Pittsburgh

2011-03-13T17:55:00.001-07:00

I have never been to Pittsburgh before…well maybe I drove by on it the highway some decades ago but I have never stopped over in this city. Before coming here I had some vague impressions of some dirty, dusty, smoke belching industrial city spewing out pollutants into the river.
I was pleasantly surprised. Pittsburgh has got some old time class. Once a city of 800,000 with a booming steel business Pittsburgh was probably very dirty city and the river was probably quite polluted since it was one of those cities in the infamous rust belt. Pittsburgh lost it leadership as being one of the key cities in the world to produce steel. Most of the steel factories went to Japan and Pittsburgh suffered and went from 800,000 to less than 350,000.
Today Pittsburgh seems to be moving up once again but not with steel. Pittsburgh is growing because of robotics and healthcare.

Nevertheless much of the housing still reflects the old architecture and has a beautiful old brownstone feel. There are about 90 neighborhoods in this city. The south side of Pittsburgh is one of the more classy old sides of the city with lots of ethnic restaurants and music.

Pittsburgh even has its own English dialect called Pittsburghese. In Pittsburghese, for example, "the car needs washed" instead of "needs to be washed", "needs washing", or "needs a wash". The dialect has some tonal similarities to other nearby regional dialects (e.g., Erie, Baltimore), but is noted for its somewhat staccato rhythms. The staccato qualities of the Pittsburgh dialect have been suggested to originate either from Welsh or from Eastern European immigrants. It has so many local peculiarities that the New York Times described Pittsburgh as, "the Galapagos Islands of American dialect. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburgh
One of the cool things in Pittsburgh is the Duquesne Incline that goes up Mt. Washington and was completed in 1877 by Samuel Duquesne. It is inclined at a 30 degree angle and climbs 800 feet long. It used to be steamed power but is now electric and was originally designed to carry cargo but now transports people. The other incline in the city is called the Monongahela Incline.

Here is a video of the incline going up at night.

Bay_area_007.MOV Watch on Posterous

YWAM is hoping to work out of this monastery which is right on the south side of the city.

Life story of my Father - Rev. Charles Svoboda

2010-12-22T23:07:00.001-08:00

The Pacific Garden Mission has produced the life story of my father – Rev. Charles Svoboda on their Unshackled Radio program. My brother John Boda has put some video clips along with it. It traces the life of my father from his early days in Cicero as he washed cars for the Al Capone gang, his high school days, war years and then into his call into the ministry. My father planted churches around the Chicago land area and then started a unique ministry that goes on till this day as an arbitrator for divided churches. The video can be found here.

Why am I Dreaming of a White Christmas?

2010-12-19T21:28:00.000-08:00

Must be the music since most of my last 28 Christmases have been in warm weather. I am actually dreaming of a India Christmas where there is less commercialism and lots of church programs, Christmas caroling that goes on till 4am in the morning waking people up in the middle of their restful sleeps and many good Christmas sermons. Anyway here is the Jeffrey Chin Quartet that played the other day at the Cadillac hotel in Uptown Tenderloin my home. I love hanging out at the Cadillac when there is good music and the Jeffrey Chin Quartet was just that.

Dirt Bag Challenge San Francisco Bay View Hunters Point

2010-11-22T19:28:00.000-08:00

The Dirtbag Challenge is an annual event that was held this year on November 14th in Bay View Hunters Point on Quesada street near the Bay. Must of been about 1000 people in attendance with bikers from all backgrounds. The East Bay Rats (motorbikers club) and a host of others. Elias a motorbike Stunt man was there. Check out this video with him popping some wheelies....

To enter your bike in the dirtbag challenge you submit $ 20 bucks and then you have one month to build your bike. No harleys are allowed and you have to build your bike for under $ 1000.

Here are some photos from the show....

Bikers that came to the show.

Some nut pulling a burning tire

Street skier....

Blue Angels

2010-11-19T17:50:00.000-08:00

The Blue angels were here for the fleet week in San Francisco October 9th, 2010. Heres a few videos of their flights over the San Francisco Bay. The precision and power was stunning. They put on a great show and the crowds loved it. According to the blue angels website http://www.blueangels.navy.mil/index.htm they performed for 8 million people last year and to date have performed for 463 million people.

Sacred Treasures of the Catholic Church

2010-11-02T21:30:00.000-07:00

St. Mary's of the Assumption Cathedral in San Francisco held an exhibition of some of the treasures from the vault of the church and from some other churches. It was quite a stunning show and hard for the church to say anymore, "Silver and gold have I none".....I am not sure on all the names below of these articles so if anyone out there has a more accurate description and the exact names please leave comments and I will correct them. I asked one of the priests at the church what the value of these articles were and he did not know but they are obviously really high. This stuff is pure gold and kept in the church vaults for more than 50 years.

Miter and Metropolitan Cross (I think!?)

1883 Monstrance. Made in Paris France

Chalice of Archbishop of Alemany.

1987 Papal Visit Cross. The detail of this cross recalls St. Peter the fisherman.

Saint Francis of Assisi Bas Relief

Antique White Cope

Mission Dolores Cope. 19th Century violet cope, with gold floral pattern, intricate fringe, and a striking image of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove.

Mission Dolores Gold Monstrance

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass - Earl Scruggs

2010-10-15T14:38:00.000-07:00

Here is Earl Scruggs performing Orange Blossom Special at the San Francisco Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival. Earl Scruggs is now 86 years of age but can still pick the banjo to the crowds delight. Playing with Earl is his son and his grandson. I saw him in 1973 and again here and he still plays great.

Cartagena Colombia

2010-10-09T14:18:00.000-07:00

Cartagena is one of the most beautiful cities in the world while at the same time is surrounded by 70% of the population living in poverty. It is a city of contrasts but the poor are sectioned off from the rich areas so many tourists who come to this city just see the beauty and only get a glimpse of some of the poverty on the short drive from the airport. Here are a few photos from my recent trip to YWAM in Cartagena. YWAM's main training center is located very centrally in the city on the island of Manga which one would never suspect of being an island. It is very much a part of downtown Cartagena. YWAM also has other locations well distributed in the city with some well focused projects.

Cartagena Colombia. This is taken from Manga the island that is in the middle of the city and where YWAM has their training facility.

One of the city squares in the historic section.

Old streets, balconies and quaint living quarters.

Santa Dominga Square.

One of the city hotels in the historic section.

Lots of old cathedrals

Plaza de Bolivar

Not all of Cartagena is beautiful. This is the barrio called San Francisco. 70% of the city lives in poverty. This is the YWAM school that has been here for 14 years.

Lourdes started this school and it has more than 100 students.

One of the classrooms...

Another YWAM ministry is called the Refuge that works amongst children at risk in another location.

Martin started the House of Refuge 14 years ago.

These kids live in a very poor barrio but have parents. Martin runs an after school program and a church on Friday for the kids.

They are looking for a bigger property as so many kids want to come to their programs.

It is really a city of contrasts. From rich to poor. This is Bocagrande an incredibly rich neighborhood, beaches, hotels and quite a tourist attraction.

YWAM doing art work in the city square.

I took a small ride around the historic section of the city.The buildings in this section are historically protected by UNESCO.

The population is 1.2 million people.

The Buser's and Peggy Pulido the city leader in Bucamuranga Colombia

Cartagena has two islands that are part of the city. Manga is the one where YWAM has a training facility and is centrally located. The other is Boca Chica which has no bridge to it and the only way to get there is by boat.

It is predominantly an African community. Most of the people there are ancestors from slaves who built the forts on the isalnd for the Spanish.

YWAM has a community development project there. This is the YWAM center.

They have a dental office, emergency medical, build latrines and also are building a hospital.

They also sponsor close to 100 children in school and a feeding program.

Boca Chica is very laid back, poor and yet a part of the bustling city of Cartagena

Aradhna in Concert at YWAM San Francisco

2010-10-08T06:19:00.000-07:00

Aradhna is a worship band performing music in the classical Indian form. With Sitar, tabla and guitar and lyrics in Nepali and Hindi Chris and his team are a unique expression of worship that is attracting crowds both in the East and the West. Chris Hale grew up in India and Nepal and sings in Hindi and Nepali while playing the sitar. Their music is a unique blend of western and Indian and they sing Yeshu Bhajans (worship songs to Jesus). Here is one of the recent West Coast performances at the YWAM center in San Francisco. Learn more about them at www.aradhnamusic.com and get their music. Great stuff.

Little Brown Brother at Boedekker Park

2010-10-05T07:56:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Boedekker park just behind the YWAM building in the Tenderloin for putting on this concert. This group is called Little Brown Brother and you can see their website here. The Tenderloin in years gone by was known for being a music center. Miles Davis, Dave Brubeck and others played in this neighborhood. It's coming back due to the good efforts of the North of Market Community Benefit District and The Cadillac Hotel that are trying to bring music back into the neighborhood

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass

2010-10-03T08:39:00.000-07:00

One of the things I love about the annual Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival in San Francisco every October are the sideshows. Here is one that I saw last night as I walked out of the park...it was taken just after sundown so it is a little dark. This guy is from Wichita but I didn't catch his name. He was quite an act...here he is performing Folsom Prison Blues by Johnny Cash

Great Music in the Ellis room

2010-05-16T18:51:00.000-07:00

Spontaneously in the Ellis room this is the kind of music that takes place. Lavon is on the piano. She can play and shoots some pretty good pool. Tony is assisting her. Pray for both of them. Tony is a wonderful person who is a real light in the Tenderloin for Jesus. Lavon is an incredible blessing when she comes over and ministers in song and through her soft preaching in between songs...

Singin' in the Ellis Room! from YWAM SF on Vimeo.

Indian Wall of Death

2010-03-22T18:17:00.000-07:00

I learned how to drive in India. Now you can see for yourself why Indians are the best drivers in the world.

Murals in the Mission

2009-11-28T11:18:00.000-08:00

Lots of great murals in the Mission District of San Francisco. The photos on my facebook photo album called "Murals in the Mission" are from Clarion Alley and Sycamore Alley as well as the Womens center on 18th street and a few other places like McDonald's (of all places) down on 24th or so.

YWAM Belo Horizonte Brazil

2009-10-26T19:52:00.000-07:00

I was recently in Brazil speaking at a couple of urban missions conferences. While I was in the beautiful city of Belo Horizonte I took time to visit the various ministries of Johan and Jeanette Lukasse from YWAM. In their 25 years of service in this nation they have focused their energies on children. Through their micro focus on a specific sector of society they have seen a macro application in the development of multifaceted ministries amongst children. Below is a pictorial tour of their ministries. If you want to know more about what they do or you would like to get some training in working with children at risk you can check them out at http://www.bhcentro.ywambrazil.org

The City of Belo Horizonte. This city has a population of 5,454,971 people in the metropolitian area.

The City of Belo Horizonte.

Reborn Hope House, The team works in the area of prevention of teenage pregnancy in the slums, and with pregnant teenage girls, or young teenage mothers; counseling and accompanying them.

Light House - The team works with the children, teenagers and families in one of the largest slums in Belo Horizonte, offering a variety of clubs. The goal is to offer the children and their families a better option for their future in all areas of life: a transformation on the spiritual, intellectual, physical, emotional, social and economic level.

Sower House - The team shows the love of God to deaf children and helps the children with their education and in family relationships.

Swimming pool inside the compound of the Lighthouse

The View from the Sowers House

Football/basketball court at the Lighthouse for the kids in the slum

Rock House - The team works with children, teenagers and families in one of the most violent slums in Belo Horizonte

Johan and Jeanette Lukasse at the Lighthouse. Pioneers of Children at Risk Ministries in Belo Horizonte

Rescue House, The team works with children on the streets, their families in the slums and in juvenile delinquent centers.

The slum of 147,000 people at the doorstep of the YWAM Lighthouse

In the Rescue House during certain days of the week, the children and teenagers can come to shower, eat, wash their clothes and hear the gospel. Other days are reserved for helping young people and adults addicted to drugs and/or alcohol, who live on the streets.

Looking out the DTS lecture hall window at the LightHouse. Mission at your doorstep

When the children or teenagers first arrive at the house they are interviewed as part of a social study and have a time of counseling and prayer. The team makes contact with the child’s family and authorities and helps to re-integrate the child/teenager back into their home and regular

visits are made to follow up.

Refuge House, The team works with abandoned children and teenagers who have HIV/AIDS who are cared for in a family environment, coming to know the love and acceptance of our Father God.

Johan and Jeanette hosts many guests here as they come to observe and learn about this work.

Recanto House: The team works with street girls and girls at risk situations.

Restoration House, The team works with street boys from broken homes, they go through the various phases of the RESTORATION HOUSE program, until they are ready to be completely reintegrated into society.

Looking out the window of the Recanto House....

For almost 20 years the girls came to Recanto House after completing a trial period in the Rescue House. The vast majority of the girls had a very painful past with a lot of trauma and responsibilities way beyond their years. In the Recanto House they could go back to being girls again, playing and dreaming, like girls their age normally do.
Recently this ministry is going through some changes, as they decided not to take girls into the home anymore, (with an exception for crisis care), but instead to come alongside them in their actual situation, counseling, accompanying and helping them in various ways, with the goal to stimulate a healthy development in the spiritual, physical, emotional, intellectual, economical and social areas of their lives.

Music in the Tenderloin

2009-10-24T06:57:00.000-07:00

One of the things I love about living and working in the Tenderloin is going to the Cadillac hotel for their occasional free concerts that are sponsored by North of Market Tenderloin Community Benefit District. The Tenderloin's history used to be one rich with music and Elaine Zamora and Dina Hillard are trying their best to bring that back to life.

In the mid-1900s the Tenderloin provided work for many musicians in the neighborhood's theaters, hotels, burlesque houses, bars and clubs and was the location of the Musician's Union Building on Jones Street. The most famous jazz club was the Black Hawk^[7] at Hyde and Turk Streets where Miles Davis,^[8] Thelonious Monk,^[9] Gerry Mull

igan, and other jazz greats recorded live albums for Fantasy Records in the late 1950s and early 1960s. From Wikipedia. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenderloin,_San_Francisco,_California)

The Tenderloin's rich history still hosts the Hyde st. Studio http://www.hydestreet.com where such greats like Bonnie Raitt, Tupac, Pharoah Sanders, Willie Nelson and many others have been their clients.

The other day Nelson Lunding played at the Cadillac Hotel. http://www.bluesinthepocket.com He is an accomplished New Orleans blues piano player and put on a great concert. The Cadillac concerts do not attract a huge crowd but the quality of musicians that they bring in are great. Check out the video clip below for a sample of Nelson's music.

Pete Yellin Quartet

2009-10-18T20:55:00.000-07:00

Pete Yellin and his quartet gave a great show on Sunday October 18th at Noe Valley Presbyterian Church. The church hosts what is called a Jazz Vespers about 5 times a year. The shows are free and it makes a nice venue for a jazz concert. Check out the video clip of Pete Yellin.

Friends of the Urban Forest and Wonderland Art Exhibtion

2009-10-18T20:48:00.000-07:00

Check out the article at Livinintheloin about how YWAM San Francisco is working together with the Friends of the Urban Forest at http://livinintheloin.com/2009/10/10/tenderloin-tree-planting

Also check out how YWAM San Francisco is working together with the Wonderland Art Exhibition by hosting one of their exhibits at our facility. You can read about it at http://wonderlandshow-7.blogspot.com

Swing Low Sweet Chariot by La Vonne in The Ellis Room

2009-08-29T08:49:00.000-07:00

La Vonne put on a concert the other day in the Ellis room. She is a regular drop in from the Tenderloin and got the place swinging. She is known in the Ellis room as a mean pool player and good at chess as well. Pray for our ministry in the Ellis room as it is a great hangout for people from the street in the Tenderloin. The Ellis room is open every weekday from 9:30am to 4:30am for people in the Tenderloin to hang out in a safe environment. We have pool tables, ping pong, foosball, restroom facilities, phone, couches and lots of space so people are jammed in a small room. Every Tuesday afternoon we show a movie with free popcorn, on Wednesdays we a Bible Study in morning, on Thursdays we have a food pantry in the afternoon and an AA meeting in the late afternoon. Got a new piano you want to donate to our Ellis Room? Give us a call...we can use one as this old one gets used a lot and it's great therapy for our drop in friends and staff during off hours. Check on the Video below where La Vonne sings Swing Low Sweet Chariot....

Religious Diversity in San Francisco

2009-08-18T20:30:00.000-07:00

San Francisco has a host of many religions and is a city of many spiritual interests. Over the recent weekend of August 14-16th you could witness that religious diversity right at City Hall. Posted below is a picture of the Carlos Anacondia evangelistic rally that was held August 14-15th. To my estimate they had placed about 2000 chairs in the plaza and about 3/4ths of them were filled and there were quite a few people on the fringes. So you could safely say there were 2000 people present of which most of them were from a hispanic background. It is evident that the main growth of the church in San Francisco is within the non white section of society.

Immediately following this event was Pakistan Independence day celebrations on August 16th at the same location. It was a curious mix of Pakistani's who have settled in the Bay Area. Some in their very traditional garb and others mixing with western culture. The event had a range of music that was both western and Pakistani. I took a short video clip of a call to prayer that took place which was quite a contrast from the Carlos Anacondia meetings the preceding day.

San Francisco is really a melting pot of many relgious beliefs and peoples and that is what makes it such a great city. The smallness of the city and the close living quarters provides a real "mashing" of religions and cultures. It would not be an exaggeration in some places of the city to say that at least every 10 blocks the texture of the neighborhoods change and run over into one another. You have Chinatown flowing over into Little Italy and Mission flowing over into the Castro. And the diversity of cultures is quite an amazing social phenomenon. The Tenderloin police station operates in 12 languages with the diversity in the small district that they patrol. In all this San Francisco does maintain a very friendly atmosphere broadly speaking. There are no doubt racial problems but overall it is a city of tolerance.

One last picture to show the cultural mashups of San Francisco. Here is a photo of a group of Pakistani's playing American football and the smaller boy in his kurta! Cricket yes. American football....that is a real cultural bridge that they have crossed over as you must know people from the Subcontinent hold cricket very deep in their hearts and American football...well it is very American!

2009-08-10T21:14:00.000-07:00

Heres a motorbike I would love to own! Just click here and see it.

What YWAM is up to in Cities

2009-08-06T14:57:00.000-07:00

I was asked by the University of the Nations workshop which is being held in Switzerland in September 2009 to create a 40 second video giving a report on what YWAM is doing in the cities around the world. Well you can imagine how hard that assignment was after having traveled to Stockholm, Berlin, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Dresden, Prague, Birmingham, NYC, Chicago, Las Vegas, Orlando, Vancouver, Tokyo, Osaka, Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Bangkok, Seoul, Calcutta, Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Bishkek, Tashkent, Perm, Moscow and a few more that I forget. Anyway here is the 40 second video!!! Made by Rachael Bannar in San Francisco using a little trusty video camera. For more information on where YWAM is located in cities around the world check out http://www.ywamcity.org
Check out the video below and let me know what you think even though it is just 40 seconds long!
Tim Svoboda

Full House Rhythm Kings - Video

2009-07-31T22:02:00.000-07:00

Karol and I had lunch the other day at 1 Bush street and caught this free concert put on by People in the Plazas. They are putting on about 145 free concerts between July to September in 16 different venues around San Francisco. If you want to know more about People in the Plazas you can click here. Here is a short clip of the band Full House Rhythm Kings or at least thats the name the schedule gave for who was playing. If anyone knows the real name of this band let me know. They were good. For more blog posts click here.

A New Season for One YWAM San Francisco Ministry

2009-07-27T21:35:00.000-07:00

Have you ever heard the saying, "When one door closes, another one opens?" Well, we weren’t fully sure what God was up to nine months ago when we closed the doors to the ministry in the Bay View/Hunters Point neighborhood of San Francisco.
As many of you know, we have had a team of staff living in the neighborhood and doing ministry within the community of Bay View/Hunters Point for a number of years, but after prayerful consideration, we closed the doors for what we thought might be for good.
However, God was not finished in the Bay View/Hunters Point neigborhood. Little did we know that God was stirring the hearts of a young married couple serving with YWAM in Townsville, Australia for such an opportunity as this! God does have a heart and vision for His people in Bay View/Hunters Point and His work is not complete!
David and Kim Lehmann arrived in April and have been settling into their new home. They are eagerly preparing and setting up for the work at hand.
While there is an extremely rich history of ministry in the neighborhood already started by YWAM, the two are very much in the pioneering stages. David and Kim both have a heart for the youth of the neighborhood and are passionate about seeing them come to know Christ. There is high gang activity throughout the community with daily reports of violence in the streets. They are looking at opportunities to
counteract young people's decision to join such groups by providing positive alternatives such as sports clinics, art and dance clubs, after school programs, youth clubs, special events, etc... as tools to lead people to Christ.
They are actively engaging in the community to get to know people, build relationships, and find the needs of the neighborhood. They have already met key people in the community that have offered great insight into the workings of the neighborhood and will hopefully be able to partner together in the future to reach the youth of the area. At present, they are praying for workers to join them in this incredible opportunity.
We believe God wants to restore the community of Bay View/Hunters Point and to redeem His people to the destinies for which He created them.
Please continue to keep David and Kim Lehmann in your prayers as they prepare the way for
the Lord’s work in Bay View/Hunters Point. We will have more stories and testimonies of their work to come.
Read more from our latest newsletter here

Joan Baez @ Stern Grove San Francisco

2009-07-12T17:36:00.000-07:00

Karol and I went today to see Joan Baez at the Stern Grove Free Concert. We got there about 15 minutes before the concert started and had to climb to the very top of the hill to find a place to sit. The place was packed. The only way to see her was to bend your heads around the trees and try to get a glimpse of her through all the trees down the hill. After some time I slid down the hill and took the picture above. Some of the people half way up the hill said they got there 2 hours in advance just to get those seats. I imagine others were there before 10am. Anyway the concert was great and Joan sang, "We shall overcome" in English and Farsi remembering those who are struggling in Iran. You can hear a bit of it in the video that I shot using my trusty cell phone.

Memorial Service for Pastor Phil Busbee

2009-07-08T21:32:00.000-07:00

July 7th 2009 on Tuesday was the memorial service for Pastor Phil Busbee who passed away on Saturday June 27th, 2009. Phil was the pastor of 1st Baptist Church in San Francisco. Though I have only been in the city for just less than 2 years I had the privilege to be in at least a half dozen meetings with this man. He had a tremendous understanding of San Francisco, its trends, ideologies, peoples and problems. Whenever complex issues came up in our meetings about how the church should respond to some of the concerns of the city Phil always brought a compassionate response and one that was nurtured in much reflection.

The memorial service drew a wide spectrum of people from San Francisco and many people gave tribute to the life that he lived. He will be missed.

Phil was known for some of the following statements which were printed up in the memorial service bulletin:
"Fear is a signal that you are about to cross over a faith barrier."
"When I resist my circumstance, I am resistant to God."
"No matter what others do to you, everyone is worhty of love."
"Something happens when we suffer that enables us to focus."
"Be a person others can depend on."

One of my favorites from Phil that was not printed up in the memorial was:
"Talk to God about the people before you talk to the people about God."

Phil Busbee
Born June 4, 1954 Abilene Texas
Died June 27, 2009 San Francisco

Fillmore Jazz Festival San Francisco

2009-07-05T18:38:00.000-07:00

Over the 4th of July weekend San Francisco hosted the Fillmore Jazz Festival which started back in 1985. But the history of Jazz in the Fillmore goes even further back than that. Such greats like Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, John Coltrane and others have played in the Fillmore. The festival draws around 90,000 people to it. The festival runs from Eddy street to Sacramento covering more than 8 blocks.

Some of the best shows this year were either in front of Marcus Books or at Rasselas. Alvin Johnson stormed Rasselas and put on a phenomenal show. There is a short clip here of the Bay Area Blues Society and some classy dancing by the couple in red!

San Francisco Mime Troupe

2009-07-04T19:02:00.001-07:00

Went today to see the San Francisco Mime Troupe perform their new play called Too Big to fall. It was not as good as last years play Red State which I thought was absolutely outstanding. Anyway Too Big to Fall is worth seeing and does have a good message for everyone about greed and the evil magical spell of debt that is to be solved by credit which only ensnares people even more which causes misery. The message in the end is Live within your means and resist the temptation for the things that we all think are necessary for success. The sound system was weak at times and with the huge crowd some of it was hard to follow. The performance was good but lacked the creativity that Red State had last year.

The Lamp Post.. Polk and Bush Streets

2009-07-03T22:25:00.001-07:00

Went out tonight to Polk street where Frances runs a place called the Lamp Post. It is an Arts Workshop for people from the street to come and draw, paint and create. The stuff they are putting together is going to be sold in September and the proceeds will help to buy a Pomegranate tree in Afghanistan for farmers who are growing opium poppies. We went out on the streets and invited people to the Lamp Post. Read about it at http://www.ywamsanfrancisco.org/streetteam.html

Sacred Places of San Francisco City

2008-05-25T12:46:00.000-07:00

San Francisco is a city of spirituality and that is reflected in the many types of religion found here in the city. I have been reading a book on the architecture of the city called Sacred Places of San Francisco. In that book some of the rich history of the first churches of the city and their pioneers comes out. Click on the Photo below and you will get a pictorial tour of some of the sacred places of San Francisco along with some short snippets of history from this City. I am always updating this photo tour as I find more and more places of religious significance in the city from all faiths.

Yerba Buena Park San Francisco

2008-05-05T17:16:00.000-07:00

Yerba Buena Gardens is a two block area in the heart of San Francisco that is one of my favorite places to go and relax. It has a buttefly garden, a quiet place to sit and read poetry, a memorial for Martin Luther King Jr, home of the Metreon, Moscone Center, a childrens park lots of outdoor art work and is surrounded by beautiful buildings in the downtown area. From May to October on many Saturdays free concerts are hosted in the park. Click on the pictures below and read the captions and learn some of the history of this beautiful park that was once a densely populated area of the city with lots of saloons and brothels.

Pacific Heights San Francisco

2008-04-26T14:09:00.000-07:00

Pacific Heights can also be called Terrific Heights! This is home to some of the wealthiest people living in San Francisco. It has spectacular views of the Bay and the most luxurious houses. Lots of films were shot here including Mrs. Doubtfire, Towering Inferno, Princess Diaries, Dr. Dolittle and many more. Take the photo tour below of some of the homes of people like Danielle Steele and others who live in this part of San Francisco. Lots of famous people live here and my son Paul once delivered packages here for UPS! If you click on the photos below you will get the captions to them along with history and explanations.

Haight Asbury San Francisco

2007-12-31T17:36:00.000-08:00

Haight Ashbury is famous around the world and located right here in San Francisco. It was the center of the 1960's Hippie movement. It is a neighborhood of some beautiful wooden Victorian, Italianate, and Edwardian houses. The main street still echoes the old hippie days. Click on the photo below and you will get the tour around the neighborhood that shook America!

Las Vegas Nevada

2007-12-02T20:45:00.000-08:00

I went the last week of November to Las Vegas. Not to gamble! We had our North American YWAM Cities Leadership Team meeting. During the two days I was there the YWAM Las Vegas Leader, Rich Thompson gave us an amazing tour of the city. Here it is in photos. Click on the photos and you will get captions giving you some history and facts.

San Francisco Financial District

2007-12-02T19:37:00.000-08:00

San Francisco Financial District is an amazing collection of buildings. Click on the photos below and you will get a tour of some of the famous buildings in the downtown area with captions explaining a few details of each one.

San Francisco Ramblings-Nov 2007

2007-11-24T19:26:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving Day marks 2 months for us in San Francisco. Wow, in some ways it feels like so much longer. We have seen and learned so much, adapted to a totally different lifestyle and feel we have fit in pretty well to life here in this city. I now don’t feel nervous every time I go out somewhere by car. I can actually find my way around even if I get temporarily lost, which I did every time I went out in the beginning weeks. After driving in India I thought I could drive anywhere, but it took me longer than I thought to feel relaxed driving here.

In the past month we have had an earthquake that shook us up literally and a bit internally, 2 shootings-one right in front of the YWAM building and one a block down and a police chase the other night in front of our doorstep Goodbye peaceful India! But besides the craziness of city living we have had rich experiences as we are getting to know the people we serve and the neighbors around. I have been helping out some days on getting YWAM newsletters out. I have spent several hours sitting at a table with some of the regular homeless people that come in each day. It has been enriching getting to know a couple of the guys better. Rick is a 40+ plus year old man who has been coming around for a few years. He is an amazingly friendly guy who really loves the Lord. He has had an incredible transformation in his life because a year ago he was Leslie and living as a woman. He has mental problems but his personality shines through any of his mental challenges. It is so refreshing to see someone who is walking such a transformed life. He feels YWAM is his family and deeply touched by the love he receives here. Another guy that has befriended us-Tim in particular, is Chuck. He is a big tall African American that you would not want to meet on a lonely street at night, but he is a gem of a guy who sought Tim out to help him and pray for him to get a job. It has taken weeks of paper work, phone calls, finger printing and background checks just for him to secure a job. He came in beaming with joy the other day because he got the job and he wanted us to know right away. Besides the guys that come to us I have gotten to know a Gujarati Muslim family who are new in the US and I go regularly to teach them English. Tim met them at the Laundromat, so our trips to the Laundromat aren’t totally a time expenditure It has been so much fun conversing with them. I feel so at home with them, even tho our communication is limited. They are very homesick and do not like it here at all. I pray that our times can go much beyond language learning where I can share the gospel with them.

The streets don’t seem so crazy anymore and people seem more “normal” than they did 2 months ago, but I know that nothing has changed but us. There are still the crack addicts lighting up, dealers dealing, mentally unstable talking to themselves and lots of people yelling at each other, but it seems rather normal. I don’t even hear the sirens at night, even though they are still running. We are beginning to see beyond those very obvious things to see the community before us. We want to see the “bad” side of this neighborhood changed and are trying to help in whatever way we can with civic movements. But even more we are seeing the richness of this neighborhood and the opportunities before us. We are sitting on an opportunity to reach nations at our doorstep. We ride the busses and are a minority in language and color. I often have a lapse of memory that I am actually in the US, because I am hearing Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Russian, Hindi, Thai and other languages regularly spoken around me. Tim read a statistic today that 46% of people in San Francisco speak a language other than English in their homes. Our hearts cry is for God to give us the keys to reach the nations in this city, esp in the Tenderloin.

San Francisco Ramblings-Sept 2007

2007-11-24T19:22:00.000-08:00

What an incredibly full week it has been. Our life has drastically changed. We are living in two 12 x14’ rooms in the YWAM base. Each room has a bathroom and small kitchen. They set things up incredibly nice for us and have welcomed us in every aspect possible. We feel very welcomed. I will become a real city person by having to walk a block and a half to do our laundry Trying to decide whether to buy a wheeled cart to carry the laundry in! I look it as a good time for getting to know people, ministry and reading. And SF has an incredible public transport system, so we plan to use that as much as possible rather than driving in the city.

The biggest change tho is the environment we live in.We have a continual crowd of people right on our doorstep and throughout the streets where we live. The Tenderloin area is full of homeless people. Most of them are African American men and women, but there are also some Asians and whites. The majority of the homeless are mentally ill. The numbers we have heard are around 70%. There were some laws made years ago that increased the amount of mentally ill people not getting helped so they end up on the streets. The noise level on the streets is very high with high levels of anger and verbal arguments. You always see people walking down the street yelling obscenities and holding arguments with themselves. They all get food as they have learned where to go to get free food. Glide memorial Methodist church(featured in the movie Pursuit of Happyness) is just opposite us and have lines of people for 3 meals a day. Out our window is a park where people hangout and deal drugs. Thankfully it officially closes at 6 so the noise level goes down at night, although there is often an increase in noise in the middle of the night. YWAM opens its doors every weekday from 9 to 5 for people to come in and get off the streets for a short time, get something to drink, use the phone, play pool, the piano, use the bathroom or just talk to someone. There are always people on call. They have developed many friendships in this. They have a long term program called Reach Up for those serious to follow the Lord. It is a great program and aims to get people ready to get off the street and into the mainstream of living along with spiritual input. Sometimes when we are out walking it seems so surreal that this is our life. Paul and I just went to the YMCA to sign up for their health program. We had to step around a guy having an angry conversation with himself, 4 people taking off on one another over some small problem. That is normal although it gets worse as the evening goes on. Sometimes you wonder if there are any “normal” people in San Francisco. We were in the bank yesterday and it seemed quite normal until a lady walked out talking to herself! As you can imagine we are learning much and have much much more to learn. We have wonderful people to learn from. The 22 staff are an incredible bunch with a deep passion for the city and reaching it. They are branching out into different ministries and really hoping we can help in that. Once couple have just moved to the gay neighbourhood. They are asking God for ways to reach out in their neighbourhood. The gay issue dominates so much of the city thinking and policies. We were delayed coming home from church by a gay parade on the main street-looked like a group of gay bikers with a transvestite on a platform singing.

San Francisco

2007-10-28T14:47:00.000-07:00

We are now living in the beautiful city of San Francisco. Click on the picture and enter into some of the beautiful sites of this diverse and incredible place. You can see where we live and if you click on the picture below you will get the photos with captions explaining some of the sites.

USA Journey

2007-09-13T18:50:00.001-07:00

We are traveling across the United States on our way to San Francisco. The pictures below are from some of our stops. We are traveling from Chicago to Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, Illinois, Tennessee, St. Louis, Arkansas, New Mexico, Arizona and finally San Francisco.

Come join us and see some of the places we visited. Click on the picture and you will enter the slide show of our trip across the USA. If you click on the picture you will then get some captions to explain each one.

Coco's Books and Handicrafts

2007-04-14T06:08:00.000-07:00

Click on the photo to enter my shop @ No. 7 East Spurtank Road, Chetput Chennai India. I never ran a business before and this was a new venture for me. I started in in June 2005 and with the help of many friends it is becoming a nice little shop in downtown Chennai. I have grown in my love and appreciation of India as I purchase handicrafts from vendors from all over the country. Their artistic talent and incredible creativity has given me a new appreciation for the great Indian brain. I love working in my shop and telling stories of some of the handicraft artisans and how they are bringing social transformation through their art. Wonder where I got the name Coco's? Well the guy next to me runs a restaurant called Sparkys. I laughed at him when I found out Sparky was his dead dog and I teased him that I was going to name my shop Coco after my dead dog. He looked at me seriously and said...that's a great name...and so that is the extent of my creativity in the name!

2007-04-02T09:18:00.000-07:00

Madras Places and People
Click on the photo and see some pictures of Chennai the city I have lived in for 25 years.

Motorbike Mania

2007-03-25T23:17:00.000-07:00

I ride a 1991 Enfield Bullet. It is a 350cc single cylinder motorbike. I have ridden it to Bangalore, Hyderabad and thumped all over the streets of Chennai on it from 1991 to 2007. All the time I am riding it I am dreaming of the bikes in the photos following! I guess we always are looking for something better!

Click on the photo below and pick one to buy for me.

Osaka Japan - Photos

2007-03-25T22:48:00.001-07:00

Osaka Japan

Chennai - Things to do and see

2007-03-23T10:43:00.000-07:00

Chennai is a city of 8 million people and there is lots to see in the city if you know where to go. For first time visitors you should check out the following places.

1. St. Thomas Mount. You can go up the Mount by car taking the road on the backside of the Mount. Take GST road just up to St. Thomas Post office. You will see DHL on the left hand side of the road just after Kathiapara Junction. At the traffic light just after Garrison Church and opposite to the St. Thomas Post office hang a right. Then left. Then right and the road will curve to the right just past the Officers Training Academy and then hang a left and go up the hill to the top. Otherwise at Kathiapara junction instead of heading towards the airport side go straight ahead down the Mount Poonamallee road which is the way to Bangalore. At the Jesus statue less than one kilometer from Kathiapara junction the road bends to the left. Go Straight instead and you will be at the foot of the Mount. Park here and you can walk up the steps. It is worth the walk as you can visit the stations of the cross. The view from the top is worth the drive through the traffic to get there!

On top of the Mount is a church that houses some of the relics of St. Thomas along with a bit of history on the saint. After seeing the Mount you can go back down and head back into the city and go to Little Mount where St. Thomas often visited a cave there and spent time in prayer. Another great place to visit is the San Thome Cathedral in San Thome which is right on the beach. The church has been recently renovated and is worth seeing. It is also the burial spot of St. Thomas and underneath the church is his tomb. You can go down in the tomb area and they have built a small air conditioned chapel there.
Chennai is also the world headquarters for the Theosophical Society. The Theosophical Society is located just opposite Malar Hospital on the Adyar River. It is only open 8am to 10am and again from 2pm to 4pm. It is located on a property of more than 3oo acres and has a beautiful campus. When you visit the society make sure you go to the Great Hall. Also on the property is the location of Asia's largest banyan tree. The trunk was torn out of the ground in 1984 by a hurricane that came into Chennai. But you can still see the shoots of the banyan tree and get an idea of how large the trunk must have been. To learn more about the society visit their offical website.
In Mylapore or Mandevali is the Sri Ramakrishna World Universal Peace Temple. The temple was just recently built in 2000 and is a merger of various religious architecture to show the syncetism of Hinduism. You will find Christian crosses, stained glass windows, crescents, cathedral like ceiling and other features to make it give a universal appeal. Sri Ramakrishna was the guru of Swami Vivekananda who made himself popular when he spoke at the World Parliament of Religion in 1894 on how all religions are the same. You can read and see more on their official website.
Just walking distance from the Sri Ramakrishna Temple is the Kapaleeswarar Temple. This is the biggest temple in Chennai though it is not the first temple of the city.This ancient Shiva temple is built in Dravidian temple sculpture and architecture. The main tower or gopuram is 37 m tall with many carvings of gods, goddesses and saints. The Punnai tree in the temple courtyard is one of oldest trees in Chennai. Childless women come here to pray for a baby as well as those seeking marriage. To see more about the temple you can visit their official website.
The Kapaleeswarar temple is famous for being the site of a miracle when Saint Gnanasambandar sang to resurrect a dead girl who was bitten by a snake and her ashes where brought to the saint who resurrected her. This miracle is represented in the shrine of the saint in front of the temple flagmast.
Not far from the Mylapore Temple is the Big Mosque of Triplicane. Chennai has a population of close to 1 million Muslims. They have mixed into the life of the city and the relationships between the various religions of Chennai city is quite peaceful. Perhaps that is why the call Tamil Nadu, Tranquil Tamil Nadu?
Just north from San Thome Cathedral on Marina Drive is the Lighthouse. At night this is a lively place as the whole beach becomes a large park with people cooling off from the hot Chennai weather. Across from the Lighthouse is the Inspector General of Police building which used to be a Masonic Lodge built in 1839. Further up the road is the Ice House which is now the Swami Vivekananda Memorial. It was built in 1842. The ice house was used to store huge ice blocks that were brought over by ship from New England. You can read more about its history at their official website.
Continuing north on Marina Beach drive you can see the Indo Sarcenic architecture of the city. The Presidency College, Senate House, Madras Univerisity are all beautiful structures. It is worth the stop at the Senate House to see the structure, stained glass windows and the recent renovations that have just been done.
Just opposite the Senate house is the downtown beach of Marina. At night this is a very lively place with horse riding, air gun shooting, shopping, eating and just cooling off with the sea breeze. Thousands of people come here at night to visit both the beach front and the MGR Samadhi and other burial places of famous political leaders.
As you go north down Marina Beach Drive you will pass Ft. St. George. This is Iwhere Chennai all began for the British. It was established in 1640. Inside the Fort is lots of history including St. Mary's church and the Fort Museum which both are worth seeing.
Continuing North from Ft. St. George you will come to Parrys corner. It was named Blacktown by you know who and what for! It was also called Georgetown after King George and his statue can be found there at the Flower Bazaar police station. Parrys corner is a photographers paradise. There are tons of old buildings and people of all kinds of backgrounds. It has a large Muslim, Jain, Hindi, Telegu, Anglo Indian population. Lots of history is here. One of the first buildings you will see is the High court where all the law matters are dealt with. This place was also the first location of the light house for the ships coming into Chennai.
Opposite High Court is Anderson Church. John Anderson started Madras Christian College and the college was first located here in the church. Near to Anderson church is the Armenian church. Chennai used to be home to many Armenians. The bridge in Saidapet was built by an Armenian. Near to the Armenian church is Gokhale Hall where Annie Besant started the Young Mens Indian Association and other famous people like Mahatma Gandhi spoke in that hall. It was the cultural center of Chennai at one time.
Parrys Corner is about 80 acres of commercial business places. It is a mixture of Tamil, Telegu, Hindi and Jains. You can see people living on the streets and some of the richest people in their shops. It is a photographers paradise if you like urban places and people. A walk down mint street will take you to a beautiful Jain temple. It is open till about 2 in the afternoon and then closes. There is also a street near to the flower bazaar police station that is filled with flower shops and quite colorful to walk down. More to come...