Mountain Views News          Saturday, April 23, 2011

Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com

2

Happy Easter

Mountain View News Saturday, April 23, 2011 

The Old Testament famously 
opens with the ringing words, 
In the beginning God created 
the heavens and the earth. The 
inspired vision of God’s creation 
sprinkles the universe with pristine 
perfection through the initial 
chapter of the Bible, which 
closes in…God saw all that he 
had made, and it was very good. 
Chapter Two introduces the 
reader to the magnificent glories 
of the four living waters and the 
jeweled lands they traverse, forever 
known to us as the Garden 
of Eden. And just as the reader is 
safe in believing they will be getting 
their feet wet, we come to 
discover that we are only teased 
by the thought of the Garden of 
Eden. For in the next Chapter 
Adam and Eve do not escape the 
page before God has banished 
the two from the Garden. 

The remainder of the Old Testament 
can be partitioned into 
numerous categories but central 
to its theme is the recorded history 
of mankind. Presented to us 
with due care, the jury, for examination 
and reflection. Each 
piece of evidence being revealed 
and then chronicled over thousands 
of years. For every God 
loving Job we are to encounter in 
the heart of the Bible an envious 
Cain surfaces. For every pure Esther 
we are greeted with, a wicked 
Jezebel rises from its pages. 
The finest single example of our 
better strengths and wretched 
failings is showcased in David. 
David’s heart is truly an amazing 
vessel for it possesses an uncommon 
depth of feeling as evidenced 
by the evocative Psalms 
he wrote, which still bristle in 
our time with an emotional permanency. 
Including the most 
celebrated Psalm of all - 23… 
Even though I walk through the 
valley of the shadow of death, 
I will fear no evil: for thou art 
with me. David’s heart reigns supreme, 
but it betrays him as well 
when he falls in love with Bathsheba, 
a married woman. He will 
have her husband killed and take 
her for his wife. The sin of David 
is extreme, and to be sure most 
of us believe ourselves incapable 
of such an action, thankfully, 
but if we look not at the action 
of David but view it through the 
lense of a lesson it is most useful 
for us. For it is the reminder 
that even the best examples of 
mankind are stained by sin and 
flawed. The Old Testament closes 
with a particularly ominous sentence… 
He will turn the hearts 
of the fathers to their children, 
and the hearts of the children to 
their fathers; or else I will come 
and strike the land with a curse. 
Here we see the bookend for 
the Old Testament, as Genesis 
opened with the beauty of God, 
Malachi closes it with a warning 
and a curse. 

Where we find the Old Testament 
as a lesson book, the New 
Testament is presented to us as 
our answer book. For in these 
pages we discover the embodiment 
of one of the themes that is 
spoken of in the Old Testament, 
the dawn of a New Chapter for 
mankind in the redemptive form 
of Jesus. 

The disciples (believers/followers) 
of Jesus are composed of 
many characteristics of people 
that we know personally: highly 
religious, emotionally giving, intelligent, 
suspicious, curious of 
mind, envious, and possessing 
the natural fears and beliefs that 
are shared by each of us. These 
were not angles plucked from 
heaven but common men. In the 
period that the disciples are with 
Jesus they will witness the profound 
experience of the Sermon 
on the Mount, Jesus walking on 
water, and Lazarus being raised 
from the dead after being in the 
grave for four days. The number 
four is important here because 
the popular Jewish belief of the 
day was that the soul stayed with 
the body for three days after 
death. Raising someone from 
the dead is one major issue but 
placing the soul back into the 
body after three days would have 
been impossible to the thinking 
of the Jews. The message is 
very clear and would have been 
understood by the Jews of the 
day. Jesus is showing them that I 
not only have power to raise the 
body but the spirit as well.

The New Testament and the story 
of Jesus is not all of miracles 
and speeches. So when Jesus 
goes to the garden of Gethsemane 
to pray if another way is 
possible to fulfill his purpose 
in life, he is told that no other 
way exists. After his marathon 
prayer the pools of blood mingle 
equally with his sweat and drop 
from his forehead as the anguish 
and burden and what must occur 
overwhelms his senses. In a 
short time he will be on trial and 
carrying the cross to Golgotha 
(place of the skull). The Jews had 
long believed that a King would 
one day rise up and free them 
from their bonds. This belief was 
heightened by hope during this 
period as the cruel and burdensome 
reign of the Romans daily 
reminded them of their plight 
and promise.

The disciples and most of the 
Jews that believed in Jesus 
thought that he had come to 
reigning as a living King and free 
them from the toilsome chains 
of the Romans, but the purpose 
of Jesus reached beyond their 
own moment in time into the 
Old Testament and the promise 
of a victory for all of us. As Jesus 
was taken down from the cross 
and placed in the tomb, the voices 
of those that were his dissenters 
in life grew in the wildfire of 
a mob. Condemning words assaulted 
those that believed in Jesus; 
I told you so – he is no Messiah, 
you are fools and followers 
of devils. The accusations rang 
from the torches that sought out 
the believers of Jesus, and it is 
during this time that Peter denies 
he knows Jesus three times. 
The people that had walked with 
Jesus and had seen his miracles 
and lived upon his words did not 
possess the strength to defend 
him. The disciples of Jesus now 
fled the streets and sheltered up 
in a home as frightened animals. 
All that they believed in and 
personally risked themselves 
for was lying in a tomb. They 
had left family and friends and 
abandoned their jobs for what? 
A dead Messiah. 

The sky was still dark that early 
morning as Mary approached 
the tomb of Jesus. The stone covered 
the entrance of the grave 
was a massive rock. It had been 
placed into positioned by several 
Roman guards. As Mary came 
closer that morning she was astonished 
to see that the stone 
had been rolled away, she rushed 
into the opening of the tomb to 
discover the body of Jesus was 
stolen. She hovered over the 
place he once rested and wept. 
She could not recognize them as 
such but two angels asked of her, 
Woman, why are you crying? 
They have taken my Lord away, 
she replied, and pleaded with 
another figure in the room. But 
he called her name, Mary, and it 
was then that she recognized it 
was the risen Jesus. 

Through much of early church 
the image of the cross was considered 
gruesome. When one 
thinks of victory it is not the 
beaten figure of a bloody Jesus 
upon a cross that logically rises 
to mind, but the victorious image 
of a stone rolled aside. It is 
only when we consider our own 
sins that we can truly appreciate 
the beauty that is the cross. In life 
we have the great and rare occasion 
to discover individuals that 
are so vitreous of spirit, so patterned 
in kindness, and so lovely 
of character that a single prick 
from a thorny rose is a massive 
injustice. How infinitely better 
is the person of Jesus than those 
imperfect souls and how much 
more is our burden for forcing 
Jesus upon that cross. 

Remember the cross this Easter 
but remember the stone that 
is thrown aside as well, for it is 
done so for all of us to enter. 

We often lose important customs 
through the passage of time.

A very Old Russian tradition on 
Easter is to greet a person with… 
He is risen and the responder to 
rejoin… He is risen, indeed.

 

Craig Hakola at CraigHakola@
aol.com

THE EASTER SURPRISE

Shop, Dine and Worship In Sierra Madre!

Coffee Houses:

 

Beantown Coffee House & Bakery - 45 N. Baldwin

Starbucks - Kersting Court Sierra Madre

 

Fine Dining:

Cafe 322

322 W. Sierra Madre Bl.

ZUGO’S formerly known as Ugo’s

74 W. Sierra Madre Bl.

Charcuterie

120 W. Sierra Madre Bl.

Four Seasons Tea Room

75 N. Baldwin

Corfu

48 W. Sierra Madre Blvd.

Great Shopping:

B.la

24 W. Sierra Madre Blvd. 

Laurel’s Apparel & Treasures

71 N. Baldwin

Angel’s Everywhere

26 N. Baldwin

Leonora Moss

9 Kersting Court

Iris Intrigue

49 W. Sierra Madre Blvd.

Belle’s Nest

55 N. Baldwin

Brown’s Classic Interiors

64 W. Sierra Madre Blvd.

Charlotte’s Jewelers

40 N. Baldwin

Savor The Flavor

11 Kersting Court

Once Upon A Time

14 W. Sierra Madre Bl.

Baldwin Jewelers

15 Kersting Court

 Churches

Episcopal Church of the Ascension

25 E. Laurel Sierra Madre (626) 355-1133

Congregational Church

170 W. Sierra Madre Bl. Sierra Madre (626) 355-3566

Foothill Center For Spiritual Living

49 S. Baldwin Ave. Sierra Madre (626) 836-2022

Greek Evangelical Church

69 Suffolk Avenue Sierra Madre (626) 355-2153

Sierra Madre Church of Christ

212 N. Lima Sierra Madre (626) 355-1817

Sierra Madre United Methodist

695 W. Sierra Madre Bl. Sierra Madre (626) 355-0629

Bethany Christian

93 N. Baldwin Sierra Madre (626) 355-1403

St. Rita Catholic Church

38 N. Baldwin Ave. Sierra Madre (626) 355-1292

and much more! 


CALENDAR

CARLOS JOBIM, FRANK SINATRA AND JOE WILLIAMS COME TO 
SIERRA MADRE PLAYHOUSE (or at least their music)!

 
Weather Wise


5-Day Forecast 

Sierra Madre, Ca.

”Three Jazz Gents” is 
an original work of jazz 
theatre paying homage 
to three of the world’s 
most beloved, talented 
and phenomenal artists 
that graced the planet 
earth, Carlos Jobim, Frank 
Sinatra and Joe Williams. 
Join us for a Sunday 
afternoon performance by 
three talented artists who 
lend their captivating vocal 
stylings to help us relive the 
memory of these musical 
icons as “The Three Jazz 
Gents”. 

Written & Directed by 
Phyllis Battle

Hosted by James Janisse

Music Director, Vanessa 
Burch

Produced by The 
Instrumental Women 
Project, an arts 
agency member of the 
E.M.E.R.G.E nonprofit 
fiscal sponsorship program 
of the Pasadena Arts 
Council.

SUNDAY, 

MAY 1ST AT 3 P.M.

SIERRA MADRE 
PLAYHOUSE

87 W. Sierra Madre Bl.

Tickets $30 – 

Order online: 

www.sierra 
madreplayouse.org 

or 

call (626) 355-4318

Group Discounts for 
six (6) or more at $25 
each, call 

(626) 301-9852

Alistair Tober is a total jazz 
package, a consummate 
artist with a reputation for 
dramatic vocal excellence 
and an impressive list of live 
performances and studio 
recordings. For two years, he 
toured to sixteen U.S. cities 
as one of The Three Crooners 
in “Wizard, a musical tribute 
to Harold Arlen,” which 
including two weeks in New 
York City and six weeks 
under the bright lights in Las 
Vegas. He has performed 
with Barbara Morrison and 
an impressive list of platinum 
recording artists including 
Adam Lambert, Taylor Dane, 
Drue Hill and more. He is 
an accomplished vocalist, 
writer, arranger and producer 
for numerous projects, 
including one of his featured 
works, Alistair Tober: Come 
Fly With Me, an evening of 
Big Band Jazz with a 30 piece 
orchestra, paying homage to 
Sinatra, Dean Martin, Count 
Basie, Tommy Dorsey and 
many more. He was awarded 
a scholarship for Jazz Vocals 
to The University of Southern 
California, School of Music 
and later added an acting 
major through the USC School 
of Theatre. His passion for 
live performance was further 
shaped by studies at the British 
American Dramatic Academy 
in London.

Julian Miranda works every 
song like a fine artist creating 
a timeless masterpiece. He has 
performed, toured or recorded 
with a list of musical icons, 
including the legendary Ray 
Charles, Luther Vandross, 
Jon Secada, Oleta Adams and 
many others. After touring 
with the duo of Rick James 
and Teena Marie in the mid 
2000’s, he travelled to perform 
in over 27 countries as a 
back up singer with Enrique 
Iglesias on a three-year world 
tour. An accomplished singer, 
songwriter, producer and 
recording artist, he is co-
owner of Standing O’ Music, 
a production company that 
develops young, new talent. 
Some of his compositions have 
been placed with Debbie Deb, 
with some jingles used for 
radio and tv commercials.

James Vincent epitomizes 
the definition of smooth 
and sultry with his range of 
vocal dynamics. His talent 
was developed and nurtured 
throughout his formative years 
immersed in the tradition 
of gospel music at his local 
church. After learning and 
mastering the fundamentals of 
vocal interpretation, dynamics, 
range and improvisation, he 
expanded into R&B. This 
dual foundation provided 
the backdrop for his launch 
into the jazz genre, which 
he embraced with a fierce 
passion. Returning from a 
decade-long hiatus in 2006 
after focusing on his career 
as a professional educator, he 
joined the Jazz Vocal Coalition 
under the leadership of jazz 
vocalist Ellen Johnson. Finally, 
he’d found his niche and began 
to establish a reputation, 
becoming a favorite, repeat 
performer on the then-thriving 
jazz club scene in Pasadena 
from the mid-to-late 2000’s, 
including the Baked Potatoe, 
Holly Street Bar and Grill and 
jazz nites at Menage’. His live 
performances include support 
vocals for Dreamgirl Jennifer 
Holiday and performed with 
the Peter Duchin Orchestra.

 
Mon: Ptly Cldy Hi 70s Lows 50s 

 Tues: Sunny Hi 80s Lows 50s 

 Wed: Sunny Hi 80s Lows 50s 

 Thur: Sunny Hi 80s Lows 50s

 Fri: Sunny Hi 70s Lows 50s 

Forecasts courtesy of the National Weather Service

CITY OF SIERRA MADRE CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Unless otherwise noted, all meetings listed below are held at City 
Hall 232 W. Sierra Madre Blvd. Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 626-
355-7135

NEXT CITY COUNCIL MEETING:

April 26, 2011 6:30 pm

April 27 @ 7pm - Library Board of Trustees | City Hall

April 28 @ 7pm - Green Advisory Committee | City Hall

May 4 @ 7:30am - SMTV3 Committee | Youth Activity Center

May 4 @ 6:30pm - Special City Council Budget Meeting | City 
Hall

May 5 @ 3pm - Senior Commission | City Hall

May 5 @ 7pm - Planning Commission | City Hall

May 9 @ 7:00pm - General Plan Steering Committee | City Hall

May 10 @ 6:30pm - City Council | City Hall

May 11 @ 6:30pm - Arts Commission | City Hall

May 16 @ 6pm - Community Services Commission | City Hall

May 17 @ 6:30pm - UUT Oversight Committee | City Hall

May 18 @ 7pm - Tree Advisory Committee | City Hall

May 19 @ 7pm - Planning Commission | City Hall

May 24 @ 6:30pm - City Council | City Hall

May 25 @ 7pm - Library Board of Trustees | City Hall

1630 AM

Free on-air publicity for local events

 Sierra Madre’s new community radio station is now accepting scripts 
for Public Service Announcements (PSAs) about community events. 
PSAs will be broadcast on the air at no charge. The station operates 
24/7 and can be heard at 1630 on the AM dial.

 Any local non-profit or non-commercial organization can have their 
event information broadcast to the public on Sierra Madre Community 
Information Radio. This new radio station covers the city of Sierra 
Madre, plus surrounding areas of Pasadena, Arcadia, and Monrovia. 

In a nutshell, your event must:

• Benefit a non-commercial or non-profit entity

• Be open to the public

• Be of general interest to local citizens

Just 
write a Public Service Announcement that describes your 
event and e-mail it to radio@cityofsierramadre.com. 

COME SOLVE THE MYSTERY OF THE “CAT’S 
CRADLE” AT SIERRA MADRE PLAYHOUSE 
STARTING APRIL 29

Written by Leslie Sands. Directed by Bill Mesnik. 

Produced by Estelle Campbell and Barbara Schofield 

April 29 –June 4, 2011. Fri. and Sat. at 8:00, Sun. at 2:30. 

Dark on May 1. Gala Opening on Friday, April 29 

ADMISSION: $20. Seniors (65+) and students (13-17), $17. Children 
12 and under, $12. RESERVATIONS: (626) 355-4318.

ONLINE TICKETING: www.sierramadreplayhouse.org