*This is not a knock on people trying to spend money alone on the ills of the world; although I believe Jesus is the answer. Nor is it a knock on the people involved, although one of them said it, and they might all believe it. I only wanted to highlight the "Being good gets me to Heaven" thinking to the billionth degree.













Buffet's contribution of about $1.5 billion a year to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will be used to seek cures for the world’s worst diseases and improve American education, Bill Gates said Monday.

“There is no reason we can’t cure the top 20 diseases,” Gates said while appearing with Buffett during a donation ceremony at the New York Public Library.

The Buffett and Gates families, as well as onlookers, were beaming as the so-called Oracle of Omaha officially made his benevolence a reality.

“There is more than one way to get to heaven, but this is a great way,” said Buffett. He presented the biggest gift to Gates, and $1 billion donations to his own foundation and the foundations run by each of his three children.

Today is the first day of our (the Santa Cruz church plant +1) Daniel fast.
















We are taking the next 21 days to fast: meat, sugar, processed foods, caffeine (ouch), nicotine, alcohol, fried foods, and that’s right, burritos too!













We have also set up numerous prayer times for the fast, so that we stay focused on Him and not on what we are not eating: This Friday we will have a 24hr prayer time in which each of us (9 people) take shifts throughout the night praying (I drew 1am to 3:40am!?!!?); Sunday nights we will worship and pray together; each person will have a nation to pray for; and each member will share a prayer request for the group to pray for during the fast.
Too, we are praying for our trip to India. We go July 14-28 and are eager to see what God would have us do in this nation, both long and short-term. India has the greatest amount of unreached people groups (those who have never heard of Jesus!) on earth. God our Santa Cruz church wants to be a part of what you’re doing. What would you have us do?








We would love for you to join us; just a small buy-in cost: your life.

This has been an interesting bit of posting. Join in.
I dedicate this post to my friends.

Here are two churches that do a great job at raising disciples and releasing them to make more disciples. As a matter of fact, both of these churches have planted over 30 other churches out of their communities to various parts of the world (including Iraq & Redding!). What do they do that's so special: cool Sunday services, awesome music, relevant messages, fat salaries, great locations, best-selling books? Maybe. The one thing both of these churches focus on and measure success by: Christ-centered discipleship relationships through small groups.

Waco Texas: http://antiochcc.ccbchurch.com/app/w_page.php?id=1&type=section
Santa Cruz California: http://ctw.coastlands.org/