Well after we found out our normal mtg place was shut down, I made one phone call; & that's all it took for God to get us a new place to worship. My friend, Andy, leads another faith community here in SC & they lease a small building next to a theater, which they use for their kids ministry. Without hesitation they allowed us to use it. So from here, until it changes again, we worship God at night; & at no other time. That said, the room is more expensive: $5 more than our previous local, but we'll live.

Thanks God. My ulcer doesn't really reflect how I feel about you.

Planting a church in Santa Cruz is difficult. However, we have been blessed by having a wonderful place to meet, which is very inexpensive. Well, yesterday, that all changed. Yesterday at 5pm the Vets Hall of Santa Cruz was officially closed by the county. Evidently in the very earthquake friendly area we live in, the auditorium would pose a significant health risk during a shake up. So, we are without a meeting place. We're excited to see what God will do, but, as always, things like this are frustrating. It seems as if the wind in Santa Cruz is constantly blowing in the face of those who serve Christ.

Dallas Williard takes on some outstanding questions.

http://mppc.org/toughquestions

As Evangelicals (& especially Pentecostals) have we stressed the divinity of Christ so much that we've downplayed his humanity & by doing so we gloss over the more unfortunate aspects of our humanity as well? "The flesh is evil the spirit is good!" "My flesh made me do it." "Focus on Christ!" Problems normal to all people are seen as obstacles to be solved; opportunities to crucify self...yet again. However, my common problems, are in fact, pretty common: anger, lust, selfishness, loneliness, pride, insecurity, greed, etc. In fact, I find my problems are one of the greatest places we find common ground. Not all of us travel to the 3rd heaven, but we all get angry. No doubt those of us who have the Spirit will produce the fruit of the Spirit, but what of the times when I do not?

6 But I am a worm and not a man.
I am scorned and despised by all!
7 Everyone who sees me mocks me.
They sneer and shake their heads, saying,
8 “Is this the one who relies on the Lord?
Then let the Lord save him!
If the Lord loves him so much,
let the Lord rescue him!”

I was recently invited to go to a prayer retreat for the pastors of the churches in Santa Cruz. To say the least, it was amazing. About 25 of us went & I was really blessed by the humility of all the guys there. We started with a "log-in" time, which is a time to share what has been happening in your life. I was very impressed by what I heard from this group of pastors: honesty, transparency, humility, etc. Only a couple of guys held back, but most were willing to reveal their "thorns."

Too, being the youngest man in the room, I was stunned by our worship. I found myself crying several times as these older awesome men of God belted out songs of thankfulness to Christ. I really lost it today when we sang some hymns & these guys really let it out. I realized these were their songs. These are the songs that encouraged them through the night. I was honored to be in the presence of those who have tarried long before me. It was an encouraging.

I give guitar lessons & that's my "extra" cash. We're spending Christmas in Chester Ca, where my sister-in-law runs a second hand store. Because it's in the mountains, 10F this morning, there are a ton of beanies at her store. In SC a beanie costs $3 at a second hand store. In Chester, today, they're 50 cents. I told my wife, "I'm gonna' go buy 40 beanies today," & of course she said, "Great idea."

Being the godly man I am I told God, "This isn't what I want to spend my money on, but I know it blesses your heart; this is the best use of my money." Two thoughts fought in my head like heavyweight fighters: Selfishness vs. Selflessness. That said, we went & picked out 40 beanies, which was all they had. As we approached the check out line, beanies bulging out of my arms, a woman offered to help me put them in a bag. I thanked her & walked away. She then approached my wife & said, "here's a gift certificate I wanted you to have," which my wife thanked her for. I asked her how much the gift was for: $20...enough for 40 beanies.

Ironic on several levels.

This comes as my friend, Ronee, has come under criticism for her work with the poor in SC. I asked her if she could use more beanies & she said: "absolutely!"

I guess God wants these beanies delivered to SC. I guess God blessed the direction my feet took me & not the direction my heart wanted to go. I guess God is faithful to the unfaithful.

Thanks God.

Return Stolen Bike Part 2

So, we return the bike & needless to say the police officer was totally perplexed. He kinda' looked at my friend & didn't know what to say other than, "You stole this bike 10yrs ago?"; it was great! Well, I get a phone call from my friend because the police officer called him later in the day. Without us knowing it, someone from the Santa Cruz Sentinel (the local paper) was in the room & overheard what was going on. They asked the police officer for my friends info, 'cuz they want to do a write up on an unbelievable story! What would possess a man to give back a bike he stole 10yrs ago without getting caught? Why would a man want make his wrongs right?

Today I get to go to the police station to give back a bike that was stolen 10yrs ago by a man who has committed his life to Christ. It's wonderful to see people being healed by God, taking inventory of their past in order to walk into the future God has for them.

Merry Christmas:
"In other words, eternal life is not the by-product of some enlightenment or knowledge acquired mystically. Eternal life is historically anchored in what we may call the scandal of particularity unique to Christianity. The life of God has been channeled to us through a historical event, an event that John says has been verified by people who saw it."

Formally Winter

Winter Formal Charity Dinner

Good old Mark Twain:
Some men worship rank, some worship heroes, some worship power, some worship God, and over these ideals they dispute and cannot unite -- but they all worship money.

Entitlement:
When your dog sits next to the table waiting for scraps, so you toss him some. Instead of catching it he allows the food to pass by his snout, hit the floor, where he is given enough time to discern if it is worthy. Then, he walks away leaving you to pick the scrap off the floor.
Entitlement.

At the Vets Hall we're never totally sure what room we're going to meet in. We were informed that this week we can't get into a room until 11:45, which is 45min after everyone gets there. What to do? So we're going to have a collective preacher exercise. Break up into groups &...

God left us the Bible in order that we might know him. It helps us to understand who He is, who we are as His children, & how we are supposed to act in our relationships with Him & the world around us. So, reading, appreciating, & applying His word to our lives is a very important responsibility.

Today we, actually you, are going to read, contemplate, & understand how to apply God’s word to our everyday life. We are the collective preacher!
Assign:
Scribe (someone who will write down what you find)
Speaker (someone who will share what you found)

After reading your text:
First: What is the purpose, the heart, or the meaning of the text?
Second: Is there another example from Scripture or life to draw from?
Third: Think of a story, whether personal or not, that relates to this scripture.
Last: How can I apply the truth of the scripture to my life? What does this mean for my everyday life? How does this truth help me to be a disciple of Christ?

When we get together you are going to share what you found. You are going to tell us what this text is about, give us another example from scripture or everyday life, share a story that relates to the truth you discovered & help us recognize how we too can live out the purposes of God by applying His word to our lives.

Gospel of Matthew—Chapter 1
18 This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.

I try. Is that so bad?

I try to convince the blind they can't see; reassure the hungry they aren't full; remind the sick they aren't healthy; warn those with money they aren't rich; notify the lame they aren't walking; inform the successful they aren't important; let the educated know their education isn't informed; advise the dead that they aren't alive.

Such are the complications of my (& yours if you follow Christ) vocation. This vocation was given to my at my baptism; yours was too. It's not a terribly popular message, but...it's part of Christmas gift.

For all the: poor, sick, blind, ignorant, dead, lame, uneducated people in the world--I have good news.

For all the rest--Your good news is at 7pm tonight; & p.s--you've always been in recession.

Why is it that when we talk to God we're said to be praying, but when God talks to us we're a lunatic?

Lily Tomlin

One of the things we've been struggling with in SC is that people think we are a cult. Hopefully this sign helps.

My Super-Hero

Psalm 127
A Pilgrim Song of Solomon
1-2 If God doesn't build the house, the builders only build shacks.
If God doesn't guard the city,
the night watchman might as well nap.
It's useless to rise early and go to bed late,
and work your worried fingers to the bone.
Don't you know he enjoys
giving rest to those he loves?

3-5 Don't you see that children are God's best gift?
the fruit of the womb his generous legacy?
Like a warrior's fistful of arrows
are the children of a vigorous youth.
Oh, how blessed are you parents,
with your quivers full of children!
Your enemies don't stand a chance against you;
you'll sweep them right off your doorstep.

This has been my prayer for many mornings. I can't really build the house & when I do, it doesn't turn out well!

Be thankful: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHn83lm6UCY