DanLog the ramblings of Daniel Pettit

This is my church’s original take on The Christmas Story. Over 1000 man-hours of love: painting, carpentry, Exacto knifing, animation, drawing, writing, rehearsing culminated in a performance of animation and live action puppeteering to uniquely tell the familiar story of the Birth of our Savior.

Three years ago tonight, with a rabble of jackhammer wielding butterflies in my stomach I walked into a room filled with strangers for RockHarbor’s LifeGroup launch. Little that I knew a new family was about to be birthed.

I didn’t want to be there, six months into a mostly solo walk, naturally introverted, fairly shy with a dash of social anxiety thrown in for flavor. But for six months all I kept hearing was you need to join a LifeGroup, that is where church happens. Unfortunately neither the Holy Spirit or anyone else was going to throw me into a car and drag me there kicking and screaming. Intellectually I knew it should be a safe place but nevertheless it felt like walking into a lion’s den. Thankfully God had empowered me with the courage to be a yes man or at least to be a “give it a fair try” man.

I exchanged few lollipops that evening and not because I couldn’t care less about collecting lollipops. Somehow I (GOD) landed at Emily and Shane’s station, their warmth, genuineness and relationship was instrumental in disarming my butterflies. Oh they were still there in droves just sans their jackhammers now. So like a baby duckling I attached myself to Shane and Emily for I saw no need to work the room for any more lollipops.

We were all then ushered from the Lab into the Commons, the adjoining room, where tables had been set up. Naturally I sat with Emily and Shane while other Costa Mesians that liked the cut of E & S’s jib joined us. There were two pairs of best friends a few other solo people and a couple friends of E & S. In short time the table, even the first night, was feeling like family. The existing friendships joining with others and the hospitality of E and S made it feel not much different than having Thanksgiving with my family (a good thing). There was even one woman that we playfully picked on, much like one of my own sisters.

Personally I had no expectations for what I was going to get out of LifeGroup, I just heeded the call to be present and find out what unfolded. Little did I know how much I’d be comforted and guided through a very rocky time in my life or that I’d met two future BFF’s that first night. As a baby Christian somehow I (GOD) was able to not fall into a legalistic mindset that would have come so naturally to me. My LifeGroup was perfectly equipped to foster my openness and shepherd me further down that path. Of course there were differences in experiences, stages of walks and theology, but they all modeled in their own way God’s Love and desire of service for the Kingdom.

Over the past three years many have come and gone from the group. We’ve shared, supported, laughed, cried and yes fought – we are family after all. The dynamic of the group is ever changing as we move through different seasons, even my original Shepherds have moved on. My life has been bettered in some way by all of them and I hope I’ve been able to leave some positive mark on them as well.

I’m thankful for God getting me through the door on that first night and for getting everyone else into my group regardless of how long they stayed.

Wedge_Newport-Beach_big-waves_Sep-2011_IMG_2000, originally uploaded by Daniel Pettit.

Big Surf at the Wedge Sep 2011

So Kayleen, Monica and I trekked down to San Diego to see the incomparable Adele perform. Hard to believe but this was my first “real” concert.

IMG_0767, originally uploaded by Daniel Pettit.

This is for my mom who wasn’t happy with the only picture of my new suit from Erin’s Wedding.

I had this epiphany last week, and I can’t shake its validity. California’s Government is an unrepairable house. They have been puttying up the termite holes, tossing throw rugs over the foundation cracks and spreading potpourri to cover up the sewage leaks. Doing whatever in the moment to make things look good, instead of fixing the leaks, shoring up the foundation or exterminating the termites.

Jerry Brown was the first derelict landlord or shall I say Captain of the HMS Califtanic. he started the mess my allowing state employees to unionize. Now the Government worker unions run California government. It used to be that government employees receive generous benefit packages to compensate for a lower base pay. Now for many they make much more in both cases than the private sector. Government payroll and especially the retirement benefits attached to that are not so slowly killing the State’s economy. I see it only fitting that Jerry be the Captain when this ship sinks. With a Jerry at the helm he will undoubtedly rubber-stamp every bone the legislature tosses to the unions.

This will speed the decline, the Earth may now have until 2015, but California is right on track to go down in flames in 2012 with Jerry at the helm. I have hope for the nation but California is a lost cause. California’s government must be driven to a quick economic ruin – total and utter bankruptcy, a collapse so complete that even a 9th Circuit Judge will have no choice but to render all employment contracts invalid. Only upon this complete razing of California can we begin anew, to rise up a functional, rational state built on personal responsibility instead of selfishness and foolish emotionalism.

I love and care for California and her citizens, so I will be voting accordingly on the propositions. I’m only looking for a collapse of the state government not the whole state so a yes vote on 23 and a No on 25 are vitally important to sa…ve jobs.

19- No: Because it is poorly written and is really pointless as it is in conflict with Federal law.
20- Yes: Because the foundation is rotten.
21- No: No new taxes for anything. Starve Sacramento
22- Yes: Force Sacramento to stop the budget parlor tricks.
23- Yes: This is already pretty simple if you bother to read the text instead of the false TV ads but I can make it even simpler. A yes vote will keep BEER LEGAL!
24- No: No new or higher taxes
25- No: This is a big fake out by Sacramento, do you really think they won’t get paid. A gimmick proposition to make raising taxes more palatable.
26- Yes: Will keep Sacramento more honest and will Starve the Sacramento beast.
27- No: The voters already spoke on this because Sacramento can’t be trusted. We already

obamacare-chart, originally uploaded by Daniel Pettit.

This seems pretty straight forward and cost efficient.