I often wonder why I live in the Mtns, work in Scotts Valley, but have been called to start a church in Santa Cruz! God is Sovereign; & I think he's trying to reaffirm that in my daily. I wake up early, often too early wondering what we are doing. My heart breaks for those who don't know about the life available in Him. Then, when I talk to my friends & whom they're inviting to our game night tomorrow I'm presented with a laundry list of names. He is faithful; I am faithless. Church planting is all the humble pie you can eat. But who couldn't use more humility!?

Anyways, let's make the most of my time at the Starbucks next to Bethany University. As of late I've been doing some question asking. Not all of these people attend Bethany, but all of them say they are Christians.

1) Do you spend more time in devotion to Jesus (ie. worship, fellowship, reading scripture, etc.) or devotion to modern media (ie. watching T.V, playing video games, internet, your cell phone, etc.)? Given the hrs. that you spend doing either, which do you think has more influence in your life? Is this how you want to spend the time God has given you?

I asked two Christians this question & both answered: Modern Media. I wasn't surprised to find out that both of them spent a majority of their time devoted to modern media, which then, I assume, shapes their lives. I don't know if they make the connection between: Time spent=influence. One guy went so far as to tell me, “You should be careful who you ask that question to. I’ve always been told not to mix religion with work.” My answer: “That’s because you don’t read your Bible. Hey, there’s a girl at the counter who says she’s your girlfriend.” Jesus @ work, no. Girlfriend @ work, yes.

2) Where do you go to church? What do you like about your church?

I asked Q2 last night to a very nice Bethany student who is about to graduate. Here's a snapshot.
Where do you go to church?
I used to go there, but now I go here.
Why the switch?
Doctrine.
Which ones?
Predestination & the Gifts of the Spirit.
Does your present church operate in the gifts?
Not really, but they believe you can.
So, their doctrine is theoretical?
I guess you could say that.
What do you like about your current church?
I like the worship & the teaching is good every now & then.
Can you give me a Biblical definition of Church?
Uh...
Can you give me your definition of Church?
People who help me in my relationship with Jesus. What are you getting at?
Do you ever find it interesting that when people are asked what they like about their church they describe an event? I rarely, if ever, hear people describe a group of brothers & sisters, fathers & mothers, who live life devoted to pursuing the things of Christ. Too, when I hear people define or describe church they define it in terms of services rendered to them & not something they participate in.
Would you agree Acts 2:42-47 was included in the Bible to help us see what Church could/should look like?
Yes.
Was it an event or a life?
A life.
See you later.
Thanks for giving me food for thought.

I'm thankful that God has placed me at this Starbucks &, as usual, want to make the most of my time spent with these wonderful people. However, most people are ignorant of the love & life that is available to them through Christ & his church, even though they attend Church. If God wants me to stir the pot here then so be it. Turkey has the largest group of unreached people in the world: 22 Million Muslims who might never hear the Gospel. God's answer is: The Church, (ie. these young people)

As we came home from our men's retreat we saw tons of college students walking away from UCSC. We wondered what was happening & then it dawned on us: It's 4/20! We were bummed 'cuz we missed a great outreach opportunity, dang it! Next year I think we're gonna' set up a booth with a sign saying, "Jesus thinks your awesome & we agree," & hand out candy. What do you think? Check out the pictures & part of the article.

SANTA CRUZ -- Thousands of college students, dispelling the notion that marijuana somehow makes users forgetful, showed up late Sunday afternoon at UC Santa Cruz and smoked major amounts of weed.

It was a coordinated effort that went off without a hitch to celebrate what has become commonly known as "4/20" to a pot-smoking subculture.

In what could be aptly described as a cross between a New Year's Eve party and a wannabe Woodstock gathering, thousands of students found their way to the meadow behind Porter College in a scene reminiscent of "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," then counted down the seconds until 4:20 p.m.

And when the time finally arrived, a big cheer went up along with huge clouds of smoke.

About a minute or two later, another cheer went up with more clouds of smoke.

Then another a few minutes after that.

Clearly, watches weren't synchronized -- but, hey, how relevant is time anyway, really? Think about it

A new subject for our men at Woodleaf.

I just got back from a great time in Houston. I was invited to the Vineyard’s National Church Planting Coach training. It was fun to connect with some familiar faces & some new ones. I was humbled to be invited to this event since we are just starting out, but humility never hurt anybody. I was the only one there who didn’t have an “established” church, but a church plant. (Established is 100, we’re 17. I hope!) I learned some great stuff & am inspired about the future of church planting in our Region.

One of the things I have wrestled with & continue to wrestle with is the hiring of people vs. raising up & releasing disciples. I guess I don’t understand why pastors need to hire people when their churches are filled with people. My assumption is that as we follow Jesus & implement the Great Commission in our lives & churches, there should always be a group of up-&-coming disciples who are ready to participate in the work of the ministry. Maybe I’m wrong. I continually here people saying, “My church is ______ & were looking to hire a ______ pastor/leader.” I guess I don’t understand or agree with this theology. Shouldn’t the church be filled with people ready to step into responsibility without pay? Why hasn’t the pastor identified & released someone they have been discipling into this position? If you have to hire from outside of your church doesn’t that speak of problem inside of your church, namely discipleship? What does hiring outside your church say about your ability to disciple people? Too, in what ways does hiring distort the discipleship process within a given church? Just questions.

I believe money is a huge issue here. I have often seen pastors who don’t allow the, often/always difficult, practice of discipleship to become developed because: I can just hire this guy. Money therefore, allows pastors to overlook one of the pivotal commands of our faith: Go, make disciples…Using money to hire a ready made disciple is like putting water on a pill & out comes an animal. This, I believe, is a cancer in our churches. I’m sure Williard does a better job via. “Cost of Non-Discipleship.” If you’re good at discipleship, which IS the Great Commission, then your staff should be filled with YOUR disciples, not somebody else’s.

We’re gonna’ baptize 4 people tomorrow. 3 are brand spankin’ new believers & one is rededicating his life to Jesus. What’s also exciting is I’m not doing any baptizing. Why? Couple of reasons: My disciples led these people to Jesus, I didn’t. My disciples will be discipling them, I won’t be (although I’m still their pastor, etc…). The people in my church need to know how to baptize, I have done it.

I’m excited about my sermon tomorrow because this is a day these people will all remember. I will be preaching on the Great Commission. Why? Because that’s why they’re getting baptized: Go, & do what’s been done to you, baptize more people, everywhere, all the time, for the rest of your life. Getting baptized isn't about you (although you're very special: Psalm 139), it's about being devoted to the person & purposes of Jesus.

Lastly. Why is it that when I talk to people about their church they describe an event? I'm confused.