bLoG44: Considering Dreams (the while sleeping kind)
Feb 02, 2011
I recently started the spiritual practice of recording my dreams. And I am of two minds about it. One, waking up in ... More »
Posted by Tony Traback
Compassion Updates / bLoG
These are some stories about how our community is engaging with our communities in our small groups, as a church body, and as individuals. Enjoy!
Tony Traback, Pastor of Community Impact
Click here for a guide to all of The River's blogs and photostreams.
bLoG43: "Reading" The Bible
Feb 02, 2011
I am sort of a Luddite. I don’t really trust new technology. I generally prefer a book to a ... More »
Posted by Tony Traback
bLoG42: Consider the Oak Tree
Jan 18, 2011
All trees have roots. Most trees have a large horizontal root structure: not too deep but wide. Oak trees, in dry ... More »
Posted by Tony Traback
bLoG 41: The Power of Stories
Jan 12, 2011
Stories. We all have them. And they are both mundane and, at times, powerful. As a staff team, we have begun ... More »
Posted by Tony Traback
bLoG 40: Two Kids and a Garden
Oct 27, 2010
The past two days I have spent the afternoon at the community garden, digging plots, sowing seeds and just generally preparing ... More »
Posted by Tony Traback
A Gardener’s Perspective on The Early Disciples’ Writings 4
Jun 29, 2010
Scattered Seed grows: A few days ago, I grabbed buckwheat and cowpeas by the handful and liberally tossed them into the air and ... More »
Posted by Tony Traback
A Gardener’s Perspective on The Early Disciples’ Writings 3
Jun 28, 2010
Small Seeds: Have you ever planted a seed? Some seeds are so small that you can barely pinch one between your ... More »
Posted by Tony Traback
A Gardener’s Perspective on The Early Disciples’ Writings 2
Jun 28, 2010
Sowing Cover Crops: I went to the community garden thinking about soil, seed and sowing. Knowing the soil’s neglect ... More »
Posted by Tony Traback
A Gardener’s Perspective on The Early Disciples’ Writings
Jun 28, 2010
1 Dollar on Soil: I once heard that if you have 1 dollar to spend on your garden plot, that you should spend 99 cents on the ... More »
Posted by Tony Traback
bLoG 39: Another Update
Jun 28, 2010
I wanted to take a minute to update you today about what is happening in Compassion Ministry. Locally, we are still ... More »
Posted by Tony Traback
bLoG 38: Washington Neighborhood Bible Camp
Apr 19, 2010
For the past few years, The River has hosted a Bible Camp for kids in San Jose’s Washington Neighborhood. It happens ... More »
Posted by Tony Traback
bLoG 37: River Community Garden Partners
Mar 19, 2010
I have recently had the pleasure of getting to know 2 awesome organizations: BUG (Bronco Urban Gardening) and La Mesa ... More »
Posted by Tony Traback
bLoG 36: Earth Ethics For You
Mar 19, 2010
We had such a great time this fall in Earth Ethics (a gathering geared to see how "green" God really is) that we decided to put ... More »
Posted by Tony Traback
bLoG 35: River Garden and Homelessness Update
Mar 18, 2010
So much to say… First, the community garden is taking off and it is exciting! Since its founding in the Nov of ... More »
Posted by Tony Traback
bLoG 33: Homelessness Update
Nov 13, 2009
These are some of the ideas we are sorting through... The Church and The HomelessA Church Shelter Winter RotationIn many cities ... More »
Posted by Tony Traback
bLoG 34: Homelessness Update #2
Nov 13, 2009
In the past few weeks, I have been meeting with pastors and leaders in non-profits downtown at the ministry center. One of ... More »
Posted by Tony Traback
bLoG32: She came without warning...
Sep 16, 2009
I was coming home late. I was tired and my head ached with hunger. My house was within shouting distance and I was ... More »
Posted by Tony Traback
bLoG31: Why the bLoG shortage...?
Sep 14, 2009
You may have noticed a long break in my blog. You may have wondered why this is true. And, in part, it has to do ... More »
Posted by Tony Traback
bLoG30: Guerilla Gardening
Jun 23, 2009
For years I have heard about guerilla gardening. The basic idea is you find a patch of land and sow seeds ... More »
Posted by Tony Traback
bLoG29: Community Garden Pumpkin Patch
Jun 23, 2009
This last Thursday the community garden got a lot bigger. We dug a 15-20 foot plot for a pumpkin patch and another 10-15 ... More »
Posted by Tony Traback
bLoG28: Shelby's garden stories...
Jun 10, 2009
As many of you know Shelby lives in a home on the same land as The River Community Garden. So, in many ways, she is garden ... More »
Posted by Tony Traback
bLoG27: Which came first—the chicken or the egg?
Jun 02, 2009
Months ago Rick Shertle, a River member in downtown’s Northside Neighborhood, made a chicken coop for his family. ... More »
Posted by Tony Traback
bLoG26: Beet Offering
Jun 02, 2009
Gardens require watering. This is fun when you first start but over time it can become a burden. Since I just ... More »
Posted by Tony Traback
bLoG25: Chris' Thoughts Continued...
May 26, 2009
Christ' thoughts continued...(see previous entry) Chris on church growth and evangelism“One of the most interesting ... More »
Posted by Tony Traback
bLoG24: Chris' Liberia Thoughts
May 26, 2009
As many of you know, I was recently in Liberia. I went with a River team to partner with AHEAD Ministries. Three of ... More »
Posted by Tony Traback
bLoG23: BLAM! Things Change...
May 13, 2009
On February 24th, I bLoGgEd about Shawn, who I met at Crema Coffee Shop. I was able to share the gospel with him in this ... More »
Posted by Tony Traback
bLoG22: Another Garden Story...
May 13, 2009
In a former bLoG, I wrote about the family next door to the community garden. Yesterday, I learned more about them. ... More »
Posted by Tony Traback
bLoG21: Sowing Seeds
Mar 20, 2009
It began unexpectedly. I was watering my broccoli, cauliflowers, sprouts and beets when I saw the guy next door watching ... More »
Posted by Tony Traback
bLoG20: A Re-telling of Philip and the Ethiopian Man in Acts
Feb 24, 2009
This last Saturday I knew that I needed to study for a final exam. It is my last class of my masters and so I knew that I ... More »
Posted by Tony Traback
bLoG19: Sharing the Gospel Verbally
Feb 03, 2009
As many of you know, I worked with incarcerated teenagers struggling with drug addiction and gang affiliation. In this ... More »
Posted by Tony Traback
bLoG18: X-mass at juvi continued...
Jan 27, 2009
In December, a few River members went to juvenile hall to share the Christmas message with the kids incarcerated. Mike ... More »
Posted by Tony Traback
bLoG17: X-mass in Juvi continued...
Jan 27, 2009
In my last bLoG, I shared my experience of x-mass in juvenile hall. But I was not the only visitor present. My ... More »
Posted by Tony Traback
bLoG16: Back to Juvi for X-mass...
Jan 27, 2009
On Wednesday December 17th, I gathered seven River members to go to the maximum-security wings of Juvenile Hall. We ... More »
Posted by Tony Traback
bLoG15: What does it mean to love like Jesus?
Dec 15, 2008
The first time I organized a Living Center lunch, I was unsure what to expect. I had asked the staff to prepare food items ... More »
Posted by Tony Traback
bLoG14: eco-what?
Dec 15, 2008
In the past few months, I have become convinced of an often-unheralded church mission. I would call it an ecological ... More »
Posted by Tony Traback
Honduras Tony's travel bLoG's...
Nov 26, 2008
bLoG1: Why ICE trips? It is not always clear why we send members of our congregation across seas, mountains, and plains to ... More »
Posted by Tony Traback
Tony's Travel bLoG: Nicaragua
Nov 26, 2008
Blogs: ICE Visit to Nicaragua bLoG1: Why ICE trips? (if you read my Honduras Blog ignore this first one. It is a ... More »
Posted by Tony Traback
bLoG13: San Jose’s “Third World”
Sep 29, 2008
A few years ago, I lived off the Los Gatos Creek trail. Since I enjoy bike riding, it was a great location for me. ... More »
Posted by Tony Traback
bLoG12: Another Kindness story
Sep 24, 2008
During Kindness San Jose, the River's youth also served. Kyle typed up a short bit on what they did. I have added it ... More »
Posted by Tony Traback
bLoG11: An Intercession Story
Sep 22, 2008
During Kindness San Jose, Brad (our lead pastor) led a group of intercessors. I asked him to write a thought or two about ... More »
Posted by Tony Traback
bLoG10: Those Who Live Next Door
Sep 16, 2008
As many of you know, Jeannie and I recently moved to the Washington Neighborhood. We got a great deal on a bigger ... More »
Posted by Tony Traback
bLoG9: Cookie Handout
Sep 09, 2008
I thought it would be appropriate to attach a little info from Dave Kwok and the Kindness San Jose engagement that he led. It is ... More »
Posted by Tony Traback
bLoG8: A Word from the Reverend and some Ramblings
Sep 04, 2008
St. James Park has a certain ministry appeal. Whenever downtown ministry is on the table, St. James Park is served. ... More »
Posted by Tony Traback
bLoG7: Another's Story
Aug 28, 2008
A few weeks ago, I asked River members to send me their missional stories. In this bLoG, I decided that it was time to ... More »
Posted by Tony Traback
bLoG1 (re-inserted)
Aug 21, 2008
[For some reason this, my first blog, was dropped from the missional stories webpage, and so I am re-adding it.] As some ... More »
Posted by Tony Traback
bLoG6: To The Cement Cage
Aug 20, 2008
bLoG6: To The Cement CageI felt slightly nervous as I biked to the Santa Clara’s juvenile hall. The man at the front ... More »
Posted by Tony Traback
bLoG4: Unplanned
Aug 18, 2008
bLoG4: UnplannedI went south on First Street. Most of my introductions were more or less normal. Then I entered ... More »
Posted by Tony Traback
bLoG5: Jailhouse Steps
Aug 18, 2008
bLoG5: Jail House StepsIf you have read bLoG’s 1-4, you have already noticed that my first goal was to not be the ... More »
Posted by Tony Traback
bLoG2 A Story to Share
Aug 07, 2008
bLoG2: This week I went north up First Street to meet my neighbors. Specifically, I focused on one cluster of businesses: ... More »
Posted by Tony Traback
bLoG3: Juice Squeeze Party Ends in Mystery
Aug 07, 2008
bLoG3: Juice Squeeze Party Ends In Mystery Kwok (a.k.a Dave), Angela and I hauled about 50 juice squeezes around the ... More »
Posted by Tony Traback
My first missional story
Aug 04, 2008
As some of you know, I am not what some call “edumacated” in the technological arena. In fact, I am somewhat ... More »
Posted by Tony Traback