West Cocoa Chat

If you look to the far right you’ll see the “Rock” that Joe Carr and I ascended to earlier today. The Rock and visits to it have become an annual part of my Pepperdine experience. We discovered the Rock several years ago when we were housed in a vacant Faculty Member’s Apartment at one of the highest points on the campus. Ray was with us that year and being an infantryman he “reconned” the surrounding area and discovered a trail that leads to an outcropping of rock that overlooks the Pepperdine Campus, Malibu, and Pacific Ocean.

Last year the Chuckster (we miss you Chuck) and I walked from our apartments to the Rock. Most of the way is very steep and limits the length of conversations as you ascend. When Chuck and I were almost at the end of the road and at one of the steepest points on the way up, a Pepperdine Maintenance man made a comment to us which was probably prompted by all of the huffing and puffing we were doing. As we passed him he said, “Hey, we call this “Jenny Craig Hill.” I would have told the gentleman in a Christian sort of way to “shut up” but I was out of breath.

The Rock has been the scene of many a night were Greg, myself, and various other folks spent the night in prayer. There’s something about being up above most everything on the campus, being able to hear the ocean far below, and seeing the lights of the coast that drives you to prayer. We’ve shared a lot of things on the Rock.

A few years ago, the Rock was the scene of a conversation Greg and I had with Chuck concerning his walk with the Lord. I’ll never forget that talk for it was just a few weeks later that Chuck was baptized into Christ!

This year Joe (youth minister from Melbourne) and I made the hike. It was good to get to know Joe better. Joe has worked for us at the Bible Camp but our walk and stop at the Rock afforded time for deeper conversation. I’m so impressed with Joe as I have been over the years at Camp. I was thankful to God for his company and our conversation.

Tomorrow (Friday) we leave Pepperdine. Keith has to be at LAX in the morning so we’re driving him to the airport and then heading on down to Greg’s. I will insert myself into the England Family one more time with attending Jessica’s graduation for Azusa Pacific. I fly back on Sunday.

I’m going to miss a lot of things. As Greg resigns from preaching at Long Beach to work with Josh in Temecula, I’m going to miss the LB Church. This is a special group of folks that have become my second / west coast church family. I pray that God will send the right family to work with these folks.

I’m going to miss Greg’s home in LB. This home holds a lot of special memories for me. My son grew up here over the years of our visits and even my dearly departed Mother spent time with us in Greg’s home.

So enough of memory lane; I thank God that He has provided me with ways over the past 16 years to attend the Lectures at Pepperdine and to be with Greg and his family.