Graduation Day!

Yesterday Stephanie, Caleb, Jackie, and I all went over to Amanda's house to celebrate her high school graduation. I don't know if she was more excited about graduation or starting College at BIOLA in a few months. Along with Amanda, four other students from Accept graduated high school, Chris, Dan, Jazzmine, and Mikey. Great job you guys! Come out this Friday for our Grad Night Party... 9pm-11pm in the Chapel.

Mother's Day

We are ready! Today Ken and I wrapped flowers to hand out to moms tomorrow at church. Make sure to remember to honor your mother tomorrow!

So Fun.

Movie Night: Friday, April 18th, 2008

Youth,

Movie Night this Friday, April 18th! 7:00pm to 9:00pm. We will be watching the always fun bobsled movie ‘Cool Running’s’. Everything is free for you. Free candy, popcorn, and soda. We will be giving a prize for the best dressed movie themed costume and the student who brings the most friends. Movie Nights are always fun. From our giant movie screen to lots of friends. It’s just like Friday night at your local theater. Just this time you can save your $10 and not worry about curfew! See you Friday night.

Accept,
John Denton

Give me a call with questions 951-689-5806 or just respond to this email.

Frostbite's Does it Again

Wow! Nothing like very thin pancakes? Crepes? Call it whatever you would like. I promise not to break your arm...

New Starbucks Update!

The new Starbucks located a block from the church is almost open. Like very almost open. I am giving it less than a week. The signs are up and it is even listed on the Starbucks website as coming soon!

Check it:
Arlington & Streeter, Riverside
5130 Arlington Avenue
Riverside, California 92504
951-509-2673

	Drive Through Window
	Coming Soon

Straight from the world wide web. It is no longer a neighborhood myth; from fiction to fact (if it is on the web it must be true).

30 Hour Famine: Part 1

Our 2008 3o hour famine was amazing! I pray that every group that participated experienced what we did this weekend. Students learned, inquired, and grew together as a group. Our main goal of raising awareness in our community and giving a voice to hundreds of thousands of starving children around the world was accomplished. We spent our day not only doing great activities, collecting food, and having fun, but brainstorming about how we could take this journey so much longer than 30 hours. Thank you to our great leaders, Louisa, Julia, David, and Caleb. Check out these pictures of our famine.

Ice Cream

I have decided to make myself the official food taster of Riverside. Today I went out and experienced one of the best ice cream places in the city. Frostbites on Magnolia and Tyler offers up some great treats. My rainy day ice cream craving was put to an end. Ice cream is great. After ice cream I handed out free soda and talked to high school students walking home from school. We had some fun conversation. Side note: I am so excited about the 30 hour famine tomorrow, come back tomorrow to read more about our famine.

Oranges

As I continue to look around and enjoy my surroundings driving around town, one of my favorite tourist destinations in Southern California comes to mind. No I am not talking about Disneyland. In between Starbucks and our church rest the original parent navel orange trees (where all of your navel oranges began). After a quick google of this historical landmark I gathered this short bit of fact:

The parent navel orange trees came from Brazil; they were planted in 1873 by Luther and Eliza Tibbets, these two bud stocks - derivatives of a Brazilian navel orange - took surprisingly well to the area's semiarid climate. All other navel orange trees in the country were drafted from these two.

I shot this picture of the trees mid sip of my morning iced mocha. A few times a week I notice tourist standing around the fenced in trees taking pictures, and I have even seen a few stick their hands inside and grabbing at the ancient trees fruit. What interesting things are in your neighborhood? Historic landmarks? Old factory's? Police riding Segway scooters?

Accept,
John Denton

30 Hour Famine: Keep up the great work!

The 30 Hour Famine is a month away and we are already getting tons of support from World Vision. For the last four years the youth of Central Community have taken part in the 30 Hour Famine. The first few years it would be me and a few youth, now it seems every student in the group comes out and brings a friend as well. World Vision does an amazing job of lifting up leaders and youth groups. Yesterday there was a package waiting for me in my office with a great plaque and letter inside. The letter states, "I want to thank you for leading one of our very best 30 Hour Famine groups in the nation!". I felt good inside, not about my work but about the work of the hundreds of youth over the last four years who have worked hard to save kids lives. This year I hope that every youth pastor in the country will be receiving one of these plaques for their groups efforts in the 30 Hour Famine. If you have not signed up for our 30 Hour Famine here at Central Community or for your youth group there is still time, check out www.30hourfamine.org.

Accept,
John Denton

Thanksgiving Preparation

For the last 20 years Central Community has been delivering thousands of meals throughout riverside county for our free Thanksgiving dinner. People have been cooking turkey for two days now, and tonight the rest of the meal will be prepared in order to get all of the meals out in our two hour window tomorrow. Normally the people who prepare food and deliver meals get high fives. This year I want to give my friend Bill ten up high. Each year he goes through and does the routing so these meals can successfully be delivered. He spends hours making sure the maps are in realistic groups so our volunteers will be able to make swift deliveries and return back to the church to take a few more. Thanks to everyone who makes the free Thanksgiving dinner possible.

Fun

Matt Old's having fun.

Day Dreaming

I don’t get to surf that much right now because I am so busy with school, but I spend a good deal of my day dreaming about good waves and fun times with friends. It’s hard to explain in a way that people who have never surfed can understand. There is something about surfing that feels so good. When you are on a wave the only thing you are thinking about is that wave, that moment, and what your next move is going to be. Over the last few months that clear and focused state of mind has appealed to me more than ever. Too much has been on my mind and more stuff keeps piling up. When I have gone surfing the conditions have been less than desirable but exactly what I am looking for; an escape from my daily routine.

Accept,
John Denton

Funny Voice Mail (100th Blog!)

What a better way to celebrate my 100th blog, than with this voice mail I received yesterday. Thank you to everyone who keeps on reading my blog for some crazy reason. I love writing everyday and I always wait around for comments, and try to respond to everyone. Yesterday I was even able to help a guy get online with grand central. Thanks for reading my blog.

Accept,
John Denton

Call Me (Grand Central)

Another day. Today take a few seconds and give me a call. Just click the above button, enter the number of the phone next to you (you have to click off the leave my number private box if you want a call back), your phone rings, you pick it up, magic: its already calling me. Then leave a message in my voicemail inbox. Grand Central is pretty neat. It allows you to choose any phone number you want in the United States, and forward all of your calls from you new number to all of your existing numbers at once (its does tons of cool stuff check it out). Oh yeah, as of now its invitation only, leave your email address in your message and let me know why I should invite you, and maybe I will (I can invite 10 people). I can’t wait to here from you.

A New Starbucks

The anticipation is building here in the office at Central Community. We have a new Starbucks coming our way (only a block away to be precise). There was not a Starbucks in Riverside three years ago, now we will have four locations all within three miles of us, on the same exact street. The new Starbucks looks pretty big and it has a drive through. I think I might walk to it every day; maybe I will go read a book, drink coffee, and lounge around?

You can do it!

I haven’t played golf for two weeks and I miss it. Check the picture of Sean teeing off at Oak Quarry’s signature par 3. Sean is a great friend; we enjoy golfing together, talking about random sports facts, and sharing our afternoons with each other. Sean golf’s way better than I ever will but is still patient enough to wait for me when I am struggling on a particular hole or simply playing bad golf. The last two weeks I have let small things get in the way, and stop me from golfing on Mondays with Sean. Often we let these little minute details destroy our big plans and fun times that we could be having. This week get out there and do it, don’t let small things stand in your way.

Accept,
John Denton

New Shoes and more (Video Blog)

Click twice to play!

Click twice to play!

Angel's Lost (sad face)

Artivist Film Festival

On November 10th, Glue boys, a feature length documentary, will make its world premiere at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood as part of the Artivist Film Festival. It will be screening at 8:15. You can purchase tickets now at www.artivists.org or find out more information about the film at www.glueboys.com. Bring a friend, date, or spouse and come out to support this great film project. Philip Hamer, the film’s director, contemplates the future of the world’s estimated 150 million street children and documents the day-to-day plight of a handful in Kitale. The film also unveils the distribution chain of their addiction to sniffing glue, from the small-time street dealers who facilitate it, to the authorities who enable it, to the massive multinational corporations that profit from it (www.Glueboys.com). I had the privilege of working on the project with Phil and have seen his heart and passion for these children first hand. You will not want to miss the world premiere of Glue Boys.

Accept,
John Denton