Improbable People Ministries

The Music & Ministry Of Sally Klein O'Connor

Does God Watch Star Trek?

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I laughed the other day when I said to my husband, “I’m pretty sure God watched every Star Trek episode there is.” Some statements feel kind of obvious, but in a weird way that makes you do a double take. In my head was a voice that whined, “Well, yes, He’s omniscient so that’s technically correct, but…” which only added to my amusement. What—God is too detached and holy to watch Star Trek?

Is He a Trekkie? That one’s up for debate. But He’s certainly not above using story segments as reminders, and for that He had to have watched them all.

“What—God is too detached and holy to watch Star Trek?”

Currently, my husband and I are plowing through Star Trek: Voyager. We started with Next Gen, moved on to Deep Space Nine (BY FAR THE BEST), and are now on Voyager. The Captain—Captain Catherine Janeway—frustrates me on so many levels, but because of that, in part, she is a very good character, if a sorely deficient captain. She captains a Federation ship called Voyager that was thrown into an entirely different quadrant of the universe, and it’s a 70-year journey home if all goes perfectly. Spoiler, it does not all go perfectly.

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Seeds

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That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Whoever has ears, let them hear.” (Matthew 13: 1-9)

Improbable People Ministries was born quite unexpectedly on July 15, 1990, Michael’s 35th birthday. It was a sunny day and we planned to go to Raging Waters in San Dimas and spend the day celebrating on slides and floats.

But first we stopped by the Rock of Israel Ministries office, Sally’s place of employment, to pick up discount coupons promised by her boss and our good friend, Robert Specter. While we were there the phone rang in the office, interrupting our exchange.

The lady on the other end of the line asked where she could get a copy of our first album, Hey God, Are You Talkin’ To Me?  This was highly unusual. The cassette was barely released, with no plan, no airplay, and no distribution. Only the Rock of Israel was selling it on their table at the end of services.

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The Gospel According To Elwood P. Dowd

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 Michael and I participated in an interesting discussion at our Bible study last night that centered on evangelism. As we were discussing various forms of “sharing the Lord” with others I had this picture come to mind.

“He is oblivious to their reactions of concern when they cannot see Harvey for themselves.”

It was a scene from an old Jimmy Stewart movie, Harvey. The movie focuses on Stewart’s character, Elwood P. Dowd, and his friendship with an invisible 6-foot-tall rabbit named “Harvey,” which only he can see.

Nearly everywhere Elwood travels Harvey remains with Dowd.  They seem inseparable. Elwood almost always introduces the people he is with to his special friend, Harvey, and never thinks anything of it. He is oblivious to their reactions of concern when they cannot see Harvey for themselves.

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Annette Louise Alvidres Grable: An Appreciation

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I first heard about the passing of my dear friend and mentor, Annette Louise Grable, on November 13th. Both she and her husband, Kevin, meant so much to me as I entered college. She was a huge part of organizing so many of the fun and ministry events at the Valley Vineyard, our home church in Reseda, California while I was growing up. Looking back at the many times she touched me, there are two in particular that stand out.

“This revelation fascinated Annette and, far from questioning the vision, she appreciated that I shared it with her.”

The first is when I was looking for someone to help me with my writing. She introduced me to Jarre Fees, a woman at church. Jarre and I became fast friends. She saw potential in me and, with patience, helped me become a better writer. When Jarre passed away in May of 2014, Annette was one of few people I felt comfortable sharing a vision God gave me in the midst of my grief. I saw Jarre, the way I last remembered her: elderly, short gray hair, bent over and using a walker. Then she stood upright; her walker was gone, she grew younger, and her hair became blonde and long. This revelation fascinated Annette and, far from questioning the vision, she appreciated that I shared it with her.

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The Last Campaign Promise

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EDITOR’S NOTE: From the beginning we promised this blog would be as free of political discourse as possible. But this essay by Bonnie, like Sally’s recent post, brings in the political world in order to make a greater point. We hope you will agree this is a fair exception to our rule because it does not proselytize for any candidate or issue. 

Before I remove myself from Facebook for a while—thanks 2020 Election—I’d like to share my heart and thoughts about it.

I don’t hate the election. What I have always hated is the treatment I’ve been seeing Democrats and Republicans give one another online. Another reason I was glad to leave California was because while there I was under peer pressure to vote one certain way from my friends. Even while I was in high school my teachers encouraged me to vote, no questions asked, for certain candidates and propositions. I didn’t do as they wished in 2012, because I found the policies at odds with what I believed. On top of that, I believe it is better for school authorities to state facts and encourage students to think for themselves rather than being led like sheep.

I’ve been careful to not share too many political views on Facebook.

I’ve been careful to not share too many political views on Facebook. I’d rather not face so much anger and wrath. But then again, proclaiming my faith in Jesus rouses offense too. So why should I be afraid?

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Dear Rich Mullins

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EDITOR’S NOTE: We are in the midst of trying something a little different for the next few weeks. Each staff member will write a letter to someone they never met but wish they had. Perhaps a hero. Maybe a villain. Maybe someone never known to the larger world. Real or fictional. Alive or dead. Below is Part 2 of our 5-part series. You can find letter #1 here. We hope you find this exercise in literary fantasy thoughtful and intriguing.

Dear Rich,

You may find this a strange way to begin a letter of gratitude for your life and music, but then I have never gone about things very conventionally.

When I first came to faith it was the songs of Keith Green that spoke loudest to me. I never met him in person, but through the lyrics of his songs and the book No Compromise I was deeply influenced. Like you, my husband and I also began a music ministry. After almost every concert, during the early years, at least one person would come up and tell me I reminded them of Keith. Even my pastor said something similar—and he had been Keith’s pastor also.

When I first came to faith it was the songs of Keith Green that spoke loudest to me.

I found it kind of strange since I didn’t play the piano nearly as well, and I wasn’t what I would call an evangelist by nature. But I came to realize it was Keith’s passion for the Lord, his humor, boldness and honesty that so many found compelling and helped me identify with him.

 

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True “Hope and Change”

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Life is a complex journey on Planet Earth in these days. Extraordinarily beautiful at times and incredibly painful at others. And sometimes there is both pain and beauty in the same moment. I think these things have become only more true in our current age. And I think the intensity of these truths are becoming overwhelming to the up and coming generation, because there is almost no sheltering them from these realities while they are yet still children, only dressed up in adult clothes.

Underneath the makeup, the body piercings and tattoos I think there may be a lot of fear and a loss of hope as they face the seeming tidal wave of our world as it is right now. And so many are taking their lives, cutting and breaking themselves because it’s too large and too hard.  It’s all over their little and big screens. And it’s ripping their families apart. 

He seems like some ancient relic from a bygone time, or the stuff of fairytales . . .

But there is Jesus. And though He seems like some ancient relic from a bygone time, or the stuff of fairytales, or just some religious notion stuck in the minds of parents, He is as real today as He was the day He rode into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey’s foal to surrender Himself as the Sacrifice Lamb at Golgotha.

Jesus is bigger than the world with all its struggle and sin. And He is closer than the air we breathe. He is the personification of hope overcoming the death and despair of this world. He is the Great Beauty.

May we truly teach our children how to find their hope in Him.

 

Photo by Kyle Loftus on Unsplash

A Brief Dissertation on Toilets

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When I think about traveling, I often think about toilets. I know it’s a bit strange, but I have done a lot of traveling and seen a lot of restrooms, public and private.

Sometimes, when I use a public restroom at a local theater, a line or two of stalls will remind me of being on the road.

I must admit it feels a little strange to think that even on the toilet God sees me and hears me.

Or I am at a friend’s house and she did something similar in her bathroom design to what I saw in another house a thousand miles away. I picture the distance between the two rooms—and think about traveling.

I know it is an odd connection, but do you ever think about how many different bathrooms we use during our lives? In airports; subway stations; on trains; in hotels and stranger’s homes? [Read more…]

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