Biggest Challenge To Church = Homosexuality
Dr. Philip Ryken the new president of Wheaton College declares homosexuality to be the biggest challenge facing the church in the coming years. I couldn’t agree more with Dr. Ryken, and it’s exactly why we are discussing this issue next Wednesday night at Mulligan’s Pub for our monthly Theology Pub discussion. It’s also why I agreed to participate in a panel discussion last night on the campus of Colorado State University, called “faith and sexuality.” The thrust of the discussion was centered around the fact that the church should concede the theological truth that homosexuality is perfectly acceptable to God and that the any prohibition of the lifestyle is simply archaic tradition repressing people’s sexuality. The event went very well and I was privileged to represent Jesus and the gospel to a room full of college students. That being said this is a huge issue that is not going anywhere any time soon.
Does God Really Hate Gays?
How has the Church handled the subject of homosexuality? Does God really hate gays as Fred Phelps and his ilk purport? In this video we ask Christians and non-Christians alike how they believe followers of Jesus have dealt with homosexuals. This video is in preparation for our upcoming discussion on the subject on March 10th at 7pm at Mulligan’s Pub.
Update
The Couch family has now officially landed in Fort Collins, CO. Leaving Prineville with our family, friends, and amazing church family was extremely difficult. I was not prepared for how difficult it would be to drive away from those that I love so much. Now those that I hate that is a different story…Just Kidding 
Our first two weeks here in Colorado have been awesome! The weather has been great, the people are very friendly, and the city is full of lost people who desperately need Jesus and the gospel. We’ve met a lot of people in our short time here. I have visited 5 churches over two Sundays and plan to attend many more over the next several months before we begin Sunday mornings.
The Bridge will begin a Sunday evening gathering at the Evangelical Covenant Church on September 6th at 6pm. They leadership there (including Pastor Bert Wright) is very gracious to allow us the use of their facility at a very reasonable price.
The students arrived at CSU this week. I spent some time on campus this week walking around and praying for the young men and women. My heart breaks them and I long to see them engaged with the gospel. There are many great campus ministries and gospel driven college groups already happening but there are 25K students at CSU so there is a huge need. Please pray for wisdom and vision to reach into the campus and win many young people to Christ.
Andrea, the kids, and I have had many opportunities to share Jesus with people at parks, restaurants, and coffee houses. I have told many people about the church plant and we are super excited about the work that God has in store here in Northern Colorado.
Speaking of the kids, they started school last week (I know August 19th crazy!!) and they are absolutely loving it. Carson is going to Kindergarten half days and is experiencing a little bit of trouble getting along with the other kids but I think he will be fine once he gets comfortable with his new surroundings and becomes used to the idea that he isn’t at home playing by himself anymore.
I am continuing to look for part time employment and have a few really good leads that I’m looking into right now. Please pray that God provides the perfect job that will supply our needs, and still afford me the time I need to plant the church and pastor my family.
The url of this blog will be changing very soon to www.jesusfame.com, the smalltownpreacher domain will forward to that for awhile though.
Love you guys!
-ryan
Welcome to Small Town Preacher
This will be the name and the home of my blog from now on.
We are hoping to add a cool logo/banner at the top and make some other changes and additions. Thanks for coming by and reading what this small town preacher has to say.
grace…ryan
little church that does BIG things (Part 2)
I think there are 3 main reasons why pastors and churches don’t look beyond their 4 walls to reach their community. And in reality #1 leads to #2 and 3.
1. No vision
2. No money
3. No help
In other words no vision perpetuates itself whereas sensitivity to the Lord, unique ideas, and thinking outside of the box is contagious and infuses excitement into the body. A lack of vision also leads to the lack of funds and help. Why would people want to give their money or time to a church or pastor that has no vision?
Pastors are funny people. We tend to complain about problems that we’ve created. It’s kind of like marriage…men complain about their wives but what they fail to realize is that she is a reflection of them. If your wife is a nagging control freak then take a good long look in the mirror my friend because she is a product of your own stupidity.
But I digress…
I found that when I quit worrying about why soccer families missed so many services and why the church wasn’t growing and I just began to disciple the folks that were there and look beyond the 4 walls the problems that seemed so big to me actually disappeared.
It was during this epiphany that we began to do what for us were some big things…I detailed one of them in part 1 of this post. Some large outreaches that were way over our heads. In the summer of 2005 we began a summer festival called SonFest. My heart in this idea was to create a comfortable atmosphere where families could bring their kids and listen to some music and hear the gospel. We bring in 4-5 bands that play throughout the day. We cook up some hamburgers and hotdogs. We put on a mini-carnival for the kids with jump houses, water slide, petting zoo, and tons of games and candy. This year we added dramas with a clear presentation of the gospel after each one. We hold SonFest in a highly visible downtown park and typically we have 2 to 3 thousand people come throughout the day. We then hold our Sunday morning service in the park the following morning and we usually have about twice our normal Sunday attendance.
In addition to SonFest we also took over a local soup kitchen about a year ago. The former directors were real tired and decided that it was either time to find someone else or shut the doors. They approached us and asked if we would be interested in taking over the management of The Oasis. Initially I thought to myself, “are you kidding! We don’t have the man power or money to take this on.”
But after seeking the Lord and discussing it with our leadership we felt like it was the right thing to do. However the only way we thought it would work was if we hired a person from our church to manage it. At the time the current leaders (husband and wife) were volunteers but I knew that if we tried to go this route we would end up in the same boat they were in eventually. Immediately I thought of a women in our church who had just closed down a restaurant that her and friend ran together. She had food preperation and management experience and she has a tremendous heart for the Lord and people. She jumped at the opportunity and has been doing an amazing job. The Oasis serves lunch to about 50 people a day, 6 days a week. We also give away food boxes and financial assistance through that ministry. It has been a huge step of faith for us but God has provided and we are privileged to reach out to the “least of these” in our community.
In addition to these larger outreaches we have done some smaller scale events and projects. Some have been great successes; like a leaf raking outreach we did a few years ago where we went to different neighborhoods and raked leaves for people and then shared the gospel with them as they looked on dumbfounded.
Some have been pretty major failures, like the “equine clinic” we put on about a year ago…horses are a big deal here so we thought we would be relevant and reach out to the horse people
We brought in a guy who uses horses and horse training as a means to introduce people to the gospel. First of all I don’t know anything about horses so I asked a guy in the church to oversee the event. He pretty much flaked out and dropped the ball on most of his commitments. I had to pick up the slack and things went from bad to horrible. The horse outreach guy did a fair job of communicating the gospel with horses but it came across a bit canned and pretty cheesy. But what was really bad was the concert that followed. We invited this country band to come and play for us to follow up our good ol’ time. Well the problem was that nobody (and I mean nobody) from the community stayed for the concert. We literally had 9 people stay for the concert and all of them were from our church; people who felt obligated to be there. The lead singer of the band kept inviting people to church the next day and then finally realized all 9 of us were members. It was a disaster.
In your attempt to be a little church that does BIG things you will win some and lose others but don’t ever get discouraged. Keep praying, keep seeking God for wisdom and creative ideas as to how you can reach your community with the amazing gospel message.
If there is any way I can help you to implement some of your ideas into your church don’t hesitate to call or shoot me an email.
blessings,
ryan
(541) 416-9009 (office)
ryanATcalvarycrookcountyDOTcom (email)
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Instilling Vision
Yesterday I was talking to a friend of mine who used to be my assistant pastor and is now planting a church in Walla Walla, WA.
I am on his board helping him make financial decisions while his church is being established.
I was encouraging him to begin to instill in his small group of people the vision that he has to grow the church and reach the community with the gospel. Often small churches suffer from the “I don’t want a big church” syndrome. The reason we came here was due to the size. We like the small atmosphere and that we know everybody’s name (and their birthdays…and their social security numbers)
The tendency for small churches in small towns is to get comfortable with the few families that are coming and to never want that to change. As a pastor of a small church you must begin to instill your vision to reach the community early on because the longer you wait the more difficult it will be to convince Mr. and Mrs. home school parent that this is a good idea.
Here are some practical ways you can do this.
1. Talk about it from the pulpit (or music stand or folding chair turned backwards) – duh! Share your heart for the lost as it comes up in Scripture. Encourage the people to see themselves as missionaries in their neighborhoods, workplaces, and families.
2. Think big - Encourage the people that you can reach this community with the few people you have right now. God doesn’t need a thousand people to make an impact. I have been saying this since our church first began. As we’ve grown from 25 to 50 to 75 to 100 to 150 and beyond I’ve been telling our body that we can reach this city right here, right now.
3. Pour into men – Without solid mature men with leadership gifts your church won’t be healthy so begin meeting with 1 or 2 guys that have potential for leadership. Share your heart with them. Tell them your vision to reach the community. Bounce stuff off of them. Listen to their ideas. Get their opinions. Pray with them.
4. Start small – Often small churches with tiny budgets and small minded pastors get intimidated to do outreach. “We can’t afford it!” “We don’t have enough people!” Yes and if you keep saying that it will continue to be true. Think of creative ways that your small fellowship can reach out with the love of Jesus. Maybe it’s raking leaves in a local neighborhood and sharing the gospel with the people as they stand on their porch dumbfounded that someone is willing to do what they’ve been dreading for weeks. For more unique ideas see Steve Sjogren’s book 101 Ways to Reach Your Community.
In my next post we are going to look at how little churches can do big things.
Commitment in Ministry
I’m teaching the third of a ten week school of ministry class tonight at CC Bend. The topic is “commitment in ministry”. Here are my notes if you’re interested… (more…)
Back From Mexico
Hey Everybody sorry I haven’t written in a while. I just got back from a week in Mexico, teaching at a pastor’s conference in Vizcaino, South Baja.
Have a great weekend and may your church services be blessed and focused upon Jesus!
NW Pastors Conference
I just returned from Washington where myself and 7 others from our church attended the annual NW Pastors and Leaders Conference hosted by Pastor Wayne Taylor and Calvary Fellowship in Mt. Lake Terrace, WA.
Of all the Calvary Chapel conferences that are offered this is my favorite. Maybe it’s because I grew up in Olympia and therefore I know many people that attend the conference but I think it’s more than that. It’s the fresh speakers that Wayne invites, it’s the awesome times of worship and prayer, the Spirit led afterglow on Tuesday evening, and most of all it’s the fact that I don’t sense that the NW pastors are there trying to impress anyone.
No one is walking around like they’re a big shot or with that look on their face that says, “hey look at me I’m really important.” Not one pastor asked me that famous conference question, “so how many ya running these days.” I don’t think anyone cared because many of these guys, like me, are pastoring small churches in small towns and they understand that success rarely has anything to do with numbers.
I like that about this conference. No big shots. Just Jesus and a real heart to see pastors and leaders built up and refreshed by the Holy Spirit.
This year’s speakers were Britt Merrick, Tom Stipe, and Ricky Ryan.
Britt Merrick of Reality in Carpentaria, CA. spoke about staying close to Jesus and that true ministry always flows from intimacy. He spoke twice and I had heard the first message previously but I was still deeply impacted by his exhortation toward a real relationship with Jesus. It is so easy to put the ministry between us and Jesus and Britt’s call was to never allow yourself to fall into that trap. Always keep Jesus between you and the ministry. Great messages Britt! The stories about your kids really brought your points home.
However I do question your interpretations and how you arrived at some of your conclusions. For me it was the classic Jon Courson school of hermeneutics…as long as the end result is Biblical then it’s all good. Unfortunately it doesn’t work that way and your interpretation of Exodus 29 was both really cool and seriously lacking in good Bible interpretation.
Tom Stipe of Crossroads Church in Denver, CO. gave some great messages on practical ministry. One of the most profound things Tom said was, “Judas wasn’t any different than the other disciples…they all blew it. Peter turned his back on Jesus as well but the difference between Peter and Judas was that Peter allowed Jesus to deal with his sin.” Tom’s point was that as long as we allow Jesus to deal with our sin we will be just fine in the ministry.
I have a great deal of respect for Tom because of all the “big boys” in the Calvary movement he gets it. He’s not drinking the kool-aide and he’s willing to admit that their are some issues in our movement that need to be addressed. He spoke candidly about the elitist mentality that exists in Calvary circles. This arrogance that gives some pastors the notion that Chuck Smith and Calvary Chapel churches are the only ones who are actually teaching the Bible and loving Jesus. I’m stoked that guys like Tom are fighting against this mindset and challenging Calvary guys to be free thinkers. Tom challenged the pastors to find out where God is blessing others and to glean from those people and movements for the benefit of our churches and people.
Ricky Ryan from Calvary Chapel in Santa Barbara, CA. was true to form. He only spoke once but we heard from him during the entire conference as he would give each speaker a rousing introduction and periodic “black gospel church” style encouragement during their messages. Ricky is by far the most charismatic, both in personality and theology, of all the Calvary Chapel pastors. It’s not really my style and his constant outbursts during conferences kind of bugs me but I respect him and think he’s a great assest to our movement. Like Tom Stipe, Ricky is not afraid to challenge our movement and to learn from others that God is blessing. Ricky did a wonderful job of leading the afterglow on Tuesday evening. He is truly in his element in those situations and both my wife and I were extremely edified through the time of worship, prayer, and operation of the gifts that he led.
Wayne…thank you for putting this conference on year after year. You and your staff do a wonderful job and I know that many including our group were blessed big time!
Happy Birthday Video
I’m 33 today. Can this be happening? It seems like yesterday I was depressed because I was turning 30…Now I’m 33!
Here is a video that my wife and kids put together for my birthday. Andrea had our worship leader sing happy birthday to me and they showed this video this morning. It was really cool.
Mainly I just want you to see how cute my kids are.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ly4KZd-VpM]
Bighorn Hunt
I just got home last night from my bighorn hunting trip in the Trout Creek Mountains of SE Oregon.
For those of you that don’t know, drawing a bighorn tag in the state of Oregon is about as likely as winning the lottery. And those that are fortunate enough to draw one are only issued one in a lifetime.
So needless to say it’s a very big deal.
Well besides my sore body and blistered feet (it was brutal country) it was an absolute blast.
We made a hunt on this ram (he was with 7 other rams) from above.
Kevin Vaughan and I worked our way down the canyon (about a mile) and came in above the rams, while Shawn Jones and Dave Vaughan directed us from above (with radios…yelling down the canyon would have been real ineffective =)
We were able to come in right above them while being shielded from a large rim rock outcropping. The rams were bedded just below the rim rocks about 150 yards from where we came out. As we crept up over the ledge to get a good shot the rams got up (probably a combination of the wind blowing at our backs directly at them and two big white faces peering over the rim rocks).
I already knew which ram I wanted as we had glassed them from above and Shawn had told me where the largest ram was right before we made the final approach. The rams were all grouped together and initially I didn’t have a very good shot, but seconds later another ram moved out of the way giving me a clear shot at his vitals. I squeezed one off making a good clean shot through both lungs. The work had just begun at that point but I won’t bore you with the details.
Thank you Kevin, Shawn, and Dave…I couldn’t have done this without you guys!
A Tale of Three Kings
I’m reading the book A Tale of Three Kings by Gene Edwards.
Wow!
Can you say busted…this book is amazing and I recommend it to you all. The theme of the book is brokenness. It’s the story of Saul, David, and Absalom.
Here is an excerpt… (more…)
Pray for Ken Sutton and Calvary Everett
Please pray for a friend of mine, Ken Sutton, as he plants a church in Everett, WA. The church will officially launch on Sept. 21 (my birthday no less) as they begin a Sunday night Bible Study in John called “Thirsty”
Ken has planted and helped plant several churches in the US and abroad and most recently was on staff as the men’s pastor at CCCM.
Ken was asked by Kelly Taylor (CC Lake Stevens) to come up and begin a new work in the Everett area and I’m excited to see what the Lord is going to do in and through him and his family.
Fantasy Football
Last night 12 guys from church gathered to have our annual fantasy football draft. I began playing fantasy football about 4 years ago when my friend Jeff Stewart invited me to participate in their church’s league. Previously I thought that fantasy football was the activity of complete nerds who huddled together to engage in dungeon and dragons during lunch in high school.
Well it may be nerdish but I really enjoy it.
I am really excited about my team this year. Barring injuries to key players (which is almost inevitable) I should have a very solid team.
Here is my roster:
We start 1 QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 Flex (RB/WR), 1 TE, 1 DST, 1 K
Starters:
QB – Jay Cutler (Broncos)
RB – Clinton Portis (Redskins)
RB – Frank Gore (49ers)
WR – Terrell Owens (Cowboys)
WR – Anquan Boldin (Cardinals)
RB/WR – Earnest Graham (Buccaneers)
TE – Jeremy Shockey (Saints)
DST – Redskins
K – Phil Dawson (Browns)
Reserves:
QB – Jon Kitna (Lions)
RB – Matt Forte (Bears)
RB – Warrick Dunn (Buccaneers)
WR – James Hardy (Bills)
WR – Donte’ Stallworth (Browns)
Oh by the way speaking of Jeff Stewart…please keep him in prayer as he goes in for the removal of his native kidneys today. No he’s not Native American…those are his original kidneys that are diseased. When he recieved his transplant back in May they left the native kidneys and it’s now time to remove them. This surgery has the propensity for many complications so please remember the Stewart’s in prayer.
Saddleback Civic Forum
I finally got a chance to watch the discussion that Rick Warren had with presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama.
First of all I was impressed with the entire forum. I thought both Senators McCain and Obama did a fabulous job of answering Rick’s questions.
Secondly I was shocked with how much of Obama’s answers I actually agreed with. I wasn’t expecting that and I continue to learn that my preconceived notions about people are not always acurate.
Thirdly I still plan on voting for John McCain. Not because he’s a Republican. In fact it has nothing to do with that whatsoever. I believe that he holds policies and views that will allow America to go forward successfully in the future. I was thoroughly impressed with his succinct and candid answers. I think his experience militarily and his vision economically will better serve our country in these difficult times in which we live.
I really encourage you to watch this as I think it will help you to be a more informed citizen and voter.
Loose Ends
Okay this blog thing is really turning into work…
Last week I was buried with SonFest and everything else that I’ve got going so blogging has suffered a little bit.
I’ve got 3 weeks of “Burning Questions” notes to post and several other things rolling around in my head but I just can’ t find the time or desire to articulate my thoughts. Our Burning Questions series has only one week remaining and to be honest I’m not broken up about it. I wasn’t prepared for how difficult it would be to prepare for or teach. All in all I’m glad we did it and will do it again.
I’m leaving today to go on a two day scout trip to look for a Bighorn Sheep in the South Eastern part of Oregon. Why am I looking for a sheep? Because I was selected to hunt these beautiful creatures in what is a very coveted tag that you only recieve once in a lifetime.
On Sunday I begin a 4 week series in the book of Ruth. I will be teaching one chapter per week and I am really excited about this series as it illustrates some wonderful truths about God and His plan of redemption.
I just finished a great fiction book called “The Rook” by Steven James. If you like fiction buy this and “The Pawn” and find a cool place to let you mind wander for a while. Steven James is a magnificent writer who not only tells an amazing story but weaves Biblical elements in very craftily.
I’m going to start reading Driscoll’s “Vintage Jesus” this weekend. I’ve liked everything I’ve read from Driscoll and I don’t anticipate being disappointed with this book. I think I’ll write a review of it when I’m done.
Have a great weekend everyone!
Stoked
The five girls that went to Mexico for our month long AViD program are back now and I am really stoked at what the Lord did in each of their lives.
One of the daily activities that the students had while there was devotions (devos). Each day the students would read a chapter of Matthew and journal about their findings (a cool truth about God, something they need to apply, a prayer or praise to God). Then we would gather together in the morning either right before or right after breakfast and talk about what the Lord showed us. During the first few days of the trip our girls didn’t have much to say and really seemed uncomfortable with the whole thing. By the end of the first week (the week I was there) the girls from P-Ville were beginning to join in but they were still pretty timid and unsure of how to participate.
Fast forward a month…
Last night my wife and I had all the AViD girls over to our house for spaghetti and meatballs, and bible study journals. Each of us had read 1 Peter during the week and journaled individually. So after dinner the seven of us gathered in our bonus room and beginning in chapter 1 we shared our thoughts, insights, struggles, applications, and questions through the entire book.
My personal favorite verse is 5:5, “Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders…”
It was an amazing time and I was absolutely blown away at the stuff these girls were sharing. The difference was night and day compared to what I observed in them during the first week of AViD. I am so excited to see what the Lord is going to do in and through these girls over the next year as they continue to crave the pure milk of God’s Word instead of some empty substitute (1 Peter 2:2).
Each of them has expressed a desire to serve the Lord and to be a missionary right here in Prineville. They are helping with the youth ministry, teaching the kids in the Children’s Ministry, sharing Jesus with their friends and family and some of them are praying about going on the mission field or to Bible College.
Lord thank you for the work You’ve done in these girls’ lives. May they continue to be open to You and to Your will for their lives.
Young Muslim Man Turns To Christ
I recieved a link to this incredible story today. In addition to the original interview manuscript Fox News includes a few videos to watch of this man’s amazing testimony. You can link to them directly here and here.
I will include the manuscript of the interview below… (more…)
Burning Questions Week #3
This post is a about a week late so I apologize for that…
The Wednesday before last we tackled the third question in this series.
“What Does Prayer Accomplish?” (Does Prayer Change God’s Mind?) (more…)
SonFest '08
For all you Northwestites I want to invite you to our annual summer festival called SonFest.
The festival will be held on August 16-17 in downtown Prineville, OR. at the Pioneer Park.
This year SonFest has some great bands including Benjiman, a white hip-hop musician from Oregon. I know it sounds funny but he’s good…a bit of a Linkin Park sound. Our headliner is a really cool punk band called Everyday Sunday.
In addition to the free concerts we have tons of activities for the kids including a waterslide, inflatables, a petting zoo, games, and much more.
SonFest is an outreach to our community sponsored by the church I pastor; Calvary Chapel of Crook County. Our desire is to create an environment in which families can come to a safe, comfortable place where they can be introduced to the love and grace of Jesus Christ.
Click here for a run down of the festival’s events.
If you have further questions you can email us here.
Christopher Laurie's Memorial…
took place today at Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, Ca.
If you would like to watch it, it is archived at the church website here.
You can watch it all or just certain segments. Please continue to pray for the Laurie’s as the pain of this type of loss usually really sets in after the memorial.
Lord be with Brittany, Sophie and their unborn child…envelope them with Your love and peace in such a way that they will sorrow as those who have hope beyond this life. Jesus thank you for that hope, may it be our constant guardian through the difficulties of this life.
Prayer: Does it change God's mind?
Tonight I am teaching the third of a seven week series called “Burning Questions” Our topic tonight will be prayer…specifically “does prayer change God’s mind?” (more…)
Pastor John Duncan
Here is a letter from Pastor John Duncan who just recently retired as Senior Pastor of Calvary Chapel Lake Elsinore in Lake Elsinore, CA. This story was first reported on the Phoenix Preacher blog.
“I purchased from Toyota of Temecula on June 12th of this year.
I will restate the facts once more. On June 13th, when I had owned the car for only one day and took it out for the first time, the car overheated heating coil blew out, causing hot fluid to spew out on my bare foot and the air conditioning stopped working. I will state again that the car was in my possession for less than 24 hours at that point, and had registered just 42 miles.
I immediately informed the Toyota dealership that the car was unreliable and I wanted it replaced with a new car. They came and towed the Matrix back to the dealership, where it remained for 27 days before it was “repaired” and returned to me. The repair was faulty. It has since been back in the shop several times for various problems relating to the first breakdown.
The burned foot caused financial upheaval for me, because I am the sole caregiver for my wife, who is bedridden with Multiple Sclerosis, and am also trying to recover from severe heart failure, which occurred last fall. My doctor ordered me to stop caregiver duties immediately, because I could not bend the foot without risking breaking the skin. I was informed that due to my limited circulation, an infection in the foot could be very serious. With no other choice, I had to spend my own savings to hire round-the-clock care for my wife. This continued for the three weeks that I was ordered to stay
off the foot and cost me several thousand dollars. I had been working hard on my cardiac rehab program set by my cardiologist, and was up to walking over 3 miles in an hour, but after three weeks on no exercise, I have suffered a set back and I am down to less that 2 mile in an hour now.
It is clear that Toyota is responsible for this chain of events. No one else is to blame. I have repeatedly asked for a different car, and the response I have received is that “it’s my car and my problem and I can take it up with Toyota.”
The car has now been in the shop and out of service for well over the 30 days required by California law before it can be declared a lemon. Even after it was past to point of being a legal lemon the Matrix in question had an intermittent (unpredictable) overheating problem. Toyota could not get it to overheat when they had it in the shop, so they returned it to me with instructions (which I still have on a voicemail) to drive the car to them the next time it overheated. When it happened again, I tried to drive the overheated car from Lake Elsinore to Temecula a distance of about 20 mile however, the car only made it a few miles before starting to lurch and jerk back and forth. The “check engine” light came on and the air conditioner quit working. I was still only a few miles from home, and being that I have severe heart failure and could not risk being exposed to the heat, I drove it back home. They came again and have now towed the Matrix back into the shop. I don’t believe they will be able to repair it this time, being that it is already a legal lemon, but they still will not give me my money back, or a new car or make a suitable offer for the medical expenses I incurred from this incident.”
If you feel compelled to come alongside of John to assist in this matter. You can send a courteous email to the owner of Temecula Toyota:
Mr. Don Atwood
datwood@toyotas4u.com