I recently sat in the staff mtg of the Vineyard church in Redding & was asked a great question: "How do people make there way to your church, what type of signage do you have to direct people to your church?" I mentioned that, "We don't put out any signs," which brought up other questions, namely "how do people here about your church?"

This brings up a core value for our church: We (the community of Antioch Church of Santa Cruz) are the signs that direct people to Jesus & our church. So,thus far, 90% of the people who are now a part of our church are a result of friendships created in & throughout Santa Cruz. This is a very intentional thing. We believe that evangelism is the response of each believer to the Great Commandment & the abdication of this task to the church machine (the impersonal comglomerate of services, logos, events, etc.) is effective in creating a crowd, but less-effective in helping the community take responsibility for their faith (discipleship). Getting a post-card in the mail is a good, but Jesus' means of evangelism was, & still is, believers engaging him daily & then taking their personal relationship & the power therein to the communities they live in & inviting them into a relationship with God. Post-cards & events get a message out, but at the expense of helping each person within the church "love their neighbor" as a normative result of their relationship to a loving God.

Jesus was asked: "What is the greatest commandment?" He responded: "Love God, Love People." I believe that a natural response to loving God is an eventual reorientation of one's entire life to the person & purposes of Jesus. Because we love him, we will slowly but surely love what he loves & he without a shadow of a doubt he loves people. Therefore, the more we love him, the more we will love people & will want to include them into a relationship with the one whom we have found life within: The triune God. I know this isn't a simple A to B transition, since all sorts of things come up in between, however to love God & not love people only shows our lack of knowing the one who loves us so dearly. So, by our not relying upon the "church machine" to do the work that should be the natural response of the Great Commandment within each believer brings about The Great Question: "To what degree do you know the love of God & in what ways can we deepen that love together?" Too, this helps me, albeit a frustrating & revealing adventure at times, to gauge how well people are being transformed by the gospel & not just taking part in a "cool" service each week. I have heard of numerous churches that first off aren't communities but crowds, & two exist namely for themselves & take no joy in the responsibility of being "the light & salt of the earth," which leads to the leadership of the church vamping up the "signage, events, etc." in order to reach the lost. These are not bad things, however, the church (a people, not a place or event) is God's means of revealing himself. Therefore, our lack of "signage" hopefully results in empowering people to reveal the true depth of God's love in their life.

I do know that loving God is easier than loving people. However, finding out the difficulty of loving people should only lead to a deeper dependency upon God, relying upon him even more, & allowing him to heal the brokeness in our lives in order to live out the Great Commission (make disciples). So when I present the question to the leadership of our church: "who are you spending time with this week & why are you investing into that person?" is in a roundabout way asking about their relationship with God & their willingness to grow into the likeness of Christ (not a simple thing by any means, but it's the best!).

Now needless to say "branding" & other culturally contextual things of this sort are important to us & the culture we live in. I do like our logo. However, in order to reach the 95% of Santa Cruz county who don't know Jesus our lives need to shine with God's love. Santa Cruz has many "cool" (& wonderful churches). That said, the percentage of people who don't know Jesus is the result of many things, yet one thing is certain, however you slice it the believers in Santa Cruz aren't living a life fueled with the love with God. If they were, the percentages would be different; 95% is a clear reflection upon the depth of the churches within our county; including ours. Too, what is the key component to sending church plants out all over the world? Not signage, but people whose lives are daily fueled by God's love for them, which then results in...

Antioch Church of Santa Cruz: A community devoted to the person (Great Commandment) & purposes (Great Commission) of Jesus.

Blogging about it & living it are two very different things, but aiming high is always fun!

As of late I've been thinking a little bit more about movies. Entertainment is a fascinating thing. I am often amazed at people's devotion & discipline to find time in order to sit for 2hrs in a state of self-satiational bliss whereas they often can’t find time to do other things (this is a post in itself). My thoughts on movies have definitely changed over the years; most of all, I generally have much better things to invest myself & my time into. However, I do enjoy an occasional movie, especially those with some redeemable worth like a documentary (Reverend Billy & the Church of Stop Shopping is amusing education at its best.) Our culture is an entertainment engrossed nation; yet are there any spiritual ramifications from watching the things you watch (or listen to for that matter)? For those of us in the Western world our dualistic approach to life renders certain things as spiritual & other things secular. I don't believe this is true & believe everything has some spiritual significance. Too, movies (& music) are especially powerful in that they influence a person's soul (via. intelligence, emotions, etc...).

What is your theology on movies? Would Jesus be watching what you watch? Why or why not?

Here I am at work standing next to one of the most prolific ultra-runners ever. This guy just did 50 marathons in 50 days. After doing that he was burned out on the media hype it created & needed to get back to his first love, so he started running back home from New York to San Francisco!

Things are going well. I must admit God just took us through an interesting place in time, but we're on the other side. Our house is cool, my new job at Fleet Feet (a specialty running shoe shop) is chill & I get many new pairs of shoes. No complaints.

I was talking with a pastor friend of mine yesterday & we are both humbled that the Kingdom of God advances with suffering included. Why this is I don't totally know, but that's how it is. A utopia is not God's plan for this side of eternity.

Hebrews 5:8

Eat turkey!

Yesterday at our area pastors mtg a couple of things stood out to me:

40% of all Vineyard church plants fail within the first 5yrs.

In order to keep up with the population growth within the Bay Area over the past 10yrs there would need to be 250 new churches planted; over a ten year period there have been roughly 80 new churches started.

I wore a long sleeve shirt, boardshorts, & sandals (all in nice condition) to our mtg & was told, "Sean, I can see you got dressed up for the mtg." Uh...am I missing something? I am the only person there under 45yrs old. (I started going to the Vineyard 'cuz I could wear shorts...I still go to the Vineyard 'cuz I can wear shorts!! Most of the time ;-).

Vision is important, but ways to measure & keep accountable to that vision are equally important.

We just bought our World Mandate plane tickets.

One of the things God has put upon my heart is to send out leadership thoughts to the core of our church. Here we go!

Lately I’ve noticed many movies based on people who overcame great odds. How many times have you watched one of these movies & been inspired by the main character’s determination, discipline, hope, expectation, faith, & dreams? We all agree that these stories are incredible & we desire to be like the heroes in these stories. Well, we can be. The ability to overcome great challenges is a daily choice & being mediocre takes just as much energy as being excellent. We should realize our lives are stories too. What’s the story of your life going to be?

Antioch Church of Santa Cruz is the result of God’s dream for Santa Cruz. 97% of this county does not know Jesus, so God sent his very best to tell them: Us. We are an expression of God’s determination to reveal himself, so that all men & women in this area would have the opportunity to know the one who created them. This is why we are here; we are God’s living & tangible love letter to Santa Cruz.

As I dream & pray for our church I am often reminded that one of the keys to growth, both personally & corporately, is persistence. My faith is always inspired by the figures of the New Testament. Their unrelenting pursuit of God & his purposes is very motivating. When I look at our challenges in light of Scripture I am constantly reminded of these wonderful men & women who experienced similar challenges, yet they persevered under pressure. Moreover, by enduring trials of many kinds, what started as small communities in Ephesus, Philippi, or Colosse, (small churches like ours!) grew into thriving communities focused upon the person & purposes of Jesus. These small groups changed the world in spite of numerous challenges; & as we continue to seek the heart of God I know we will change the world as well.

I think we’d all agree starting a community devoted to the person & purposes of Jesus is challenging; however, we are seeing good fruit coming from our labor. That said, as we continue to grow we are always going to face adversity; therefore we must stay persistent, doing what we know leads to good fruit. Throughout good & bad times we must stay determined to do what needs to be done which will result in a good harvest. Dreaming with God will reveal our path; Prayer will result in changed lives & power to overcome spiritual darkness; Studying Scripture will result in a correct perspective on God & life; Inviting will encourage those who are far from God into a relationship with him; contacting those in our community on a regular basis will result in stronger friendships; & Mentoring will produce mature followers of Christ who can join God in His work. In all of this persistence is crucial.

When Linda & I think of who God has surrounded us with along this journey we are tremendously blessed. We are surrounded by awesome men & women of God. We are humbled by our companions in this journey & know God handpicked all of us to be together for this time & place. Each of you is irreplaceable, special, uniquely gifted, & appreciated. We couldn’t imagine doing this without you. I know that when God created this group he was dreaming a big dream; I’m blessed we get to dream with you all.

Hebrews 12:1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. 3Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up.
Blessings,

A little nugget from my sermon this next week based upon Matthew 6, "Give us this day our daily bread."

“God helps those who help themselves” is not Biblical! You may believe that about God, but it isn’t the God who is represented by Scripture; it is an American ideal projected upon God! Rather, “God helps those who seek first the Kingdom of God.”

I've heard this statement so many times it makes me sick; it's pure self-reliance American dribble. Now don't get me wrong, I'm American & I love working hard. However, this statement is often used to describe how a person (1) doesn't need God, (2) is more blessed then "Them," (3) or, their success is evidence that their hard effort is a sign of God's blessing.

God helps those who help themselves is not bibllical.

God likes to help all sorts of people.

God has a mission, that's why he has a church.

In high school my first real girlfriend was, ironically, from Santa Cruz. This last week Abigail got sick & we had to take her to the hospital (she's doing great now). As I was leaving the hospital I recognized a man from Redding whom I hadn't seen in years; it was the younger brother of my old girlfriend. We laughed, talked, & he asked what I was doing in SC. I told him I came here to start a church & I was the pastor. We both laughed a little more & he said he & his girlfriend wanted to start going to church. I'm not sure where he's at in his relationship with God, but we both agreed God was the one who made our paths cross. So, he showed up on Sunday with his girlfriend & their new baby. As they walked in Laben walks up to him & says, "What's up!?" Evidently Laben & my friend hung out in Redding & Laben did some work on his house & bummed a couple of cigs off of him! My friend came back to Santa Cruz because a large part of his family & his girlfriend's family lives here. God is good & it's HIS passion & mission to expand his family tree through us.

We've been meeting at a public hall for about 1yr now. This last Sunday was incredible for many reasons, but one stands out to me. Our relationship with those who work or use the hall is deepening & it is our prayer that as they see our faith lived out before them their desire to know the one who loves us will grow. We are the light of the Yoga Center! It is fun & interesting.

Every Sunday the hall is overseen by a young Hispanic man who we have befriended. We have invited him to BBQ's, football games, roasted him his own coffee!, & listened to the wonderful story of his life. We have spoken to him several times about church, since that's what we are, & he has expressed his disdain for church & Christians for various & fairly typical reasons. Despite his objections we have continued to live our faith before him & continue to see him belong before he believes.

This Sunday was something new, yet expected. As we set up, he stayed to talk & watch. As we worshipped, he gave my children gifts & listened. As I spoke, he left, went up to the balcony to sit & hear what his friend "pastor Sean" had to say; all of which was a first. Needless to say throughout the entire service I watched from the corner of my eye knowing our friend, God’s child, took calculated step toward his creator.

The life of Desmond Doss is a hero without a gun. I watched a documentary on him & actually cried. His life reveals a friendship with God that is truly a thing of envy. Faith. Conviction.

Our life is unique. Right now our life is unique for real. Unique is cool.

So Siena sees a tour bus yesterday & says...






"Mom, look at the size of that house!"

I've been reading this & it's been great. I must admit I'm very fascinated by Judaism, especially since our faith is a continuation of this ancient faith. Reading history & finding out how & why Chrisianity left its Jewish roots, & the effect of this purposeful shift in both Christian orthodoxy & orthopraxy is really eye-opening to our current conditions. Another outstanding book is "Father Abraham: The Jewish Roots of our Christian Faith.

Abigail Kait McMasters was born Sept. 20, 2008.
Linda's water broke at 1:50 a.m. & Abigail was born @ 2:15 a.m. Needless to say it was a quick birth.

Well here is our new home: Motor home. We're not sure what ours is gonna' look like, but we're gonna' live in one come Sept 1. We have been unable to find a house, as of Thur, but keep looking. The funniest thing we've heard so far from a rental agency is, "We only except 2 people per room. Your family has 5 people." We know human rights is important & that infants are certainly people, but Abigail doesn't need her own room just yet. Anyways, we have a place to stay, which is a tremendous blessing. I think we're going to stay at a 7th Day Adventist Compound of sorts. We'll see how that goes!

My wife & I feel extremely fortunate to be in Santa Cruz for Jesus. 97% of Santa Cruz doesn't know Him. To what length are we willing to go in order to share His love with SC & initiate a community that represents the person of Christ to the world? To what degree is our commitment to Jesus & his purposes conditional? As I told my mom the other night, "Mom, this is the only Hell I'll ever know." Within the spectrum of what a life could be, my American dilemma is outstanding! Furthermore, I said that because on the spectrum of eternity I won't remember this. However, I will be reminded of our present decisions because there will be a great crowd of people in Heaven from Santa Cruz. I am often reminded of Jesus' words, "Where your treasure is there your heart will be also." If your treasure is God, than your treasure will be what & where? I want to constantly be reminded that my Hell is another persons Heaven & their Heaven is a bad deal. "How will they believe if a messenger doesn't go to tell them?"

Too, as with all interesting periods in life, this phase of our life has really served to help us dig deep into our faith, theology, & relationships with each other & our church. Circumstances are often cheap, but highly effective, seminaries.

I'm reading two incredible books: Jerusalem to Irian Jaya. This a biographical history of missions. If you want to read stories of personal sacrifice read this book. Throughout time men & women have given themselves to God's purposes, which has resulted in great fruit. However, the cost involved has been high. As Tertuillian said, "The blood of martyrs is the life-giving seed of church." This is a very inspiring book.

The other book is: Foolishness to the Greeks by Leslie Newbigen. This is a very heady book that deals with the gospel within the Western world. He deals with numerous aspects of Western thought including: Enlightenment, Neo-paganism, Science, etc... This book has been very illuminating for me within the context of Santa Cruz. (Steve this books deals with a lot of the issues raised by your latest post 8/28)




Send us your address & maybe we'll come live in your driveway for a few days!
Blessings,

Well, we need to be out of our house in 10 days & still don't have a place to live. One woman said, "a family of 5 is too many for a 2 bedroom place." If we don't get a house in 10 days my wife will be heading back to Redding & I will stay here to look for housing, etc, but I'm not sure where I'm going to stay. My unemployment runs out in 1 month & I've submitted at least 30 apps & got one response from a painter who is willing to pay me $17hr, if he had any work! Too, Abigail is coming in 3-4 weeks & there is a chance Linda will give birth up in Redding. Please pray for us as these situations are presenting unique opportunities for all sorts of things to happen in our life.

Well the time has arrived. Someone finally approached me with an invitation to join them in their journey with Jesus; it only took 1yr & 8 months, but my time of acceptance or rejection arrived. A wonderful young man named James approached me at Starbucks after ordering a coffee & told me about his church. Unwilling to let a good opportunity slip by he then asked, "Would you like to join us this Sunday? We're a new church & you can come with tattoos, piercings, or anything else." I asked him about his service & made his drink. Homeboy saw a glimmer of acceptance in my eyes & left some tracts at the end of the bar.

1yr & 8 months. That's how long it took someone to invite me into anything remotely Christian let alone a relationship with Jesus. My assumption is that we are surrounded by people who aren't being invited.

One of the things we are realizing here in Santa Cruz is that we are saying no for people. What I mean is, instead of actually inviting them we assume they'll say no, so we never ask. In fact, we are inviting many people who are saying no, but rejection is a part of the gospel. However, 1 invite per year & eight months is not enough. We need communities who invite people into a relationship with Life. Too, what we're realizing is that most people are saying no to something that doesn't exist. They're saying no to a god who isn't GOD; they're saying no to a jesus that isn't anything like JESUS; they're saying no to a religion we're not a part of. People's "no's" stink of educated ignorance, which is our responsibility & joy to remedy.

The next day a woman approaches me saying, "Can we hang this sign up, we're starting a new service here in Scotts Valley." I tell her, "I'm sorry Starbucks won't allow religious material in the store." She becomes frustrated & walks away. I stand there thinking, "I'm right here, why not invite me?" The poster isn't important, but I am. Invite me; don't say no for me 'cuz I might say "Yes."

When's the last time someone invited you?

I haven't been invited to anything for 5 days.

Cut & paste to see some race pics!
http://www.marathonfoto.com/order_my_photos.cfm?RaceOID=27892008M1&LastName=MCMASTERS&BibNumber=2034&Language=en&Mailing=16254&BFI=sh4og9cbro&Frames=true&Flash=true&FlashVersion=8&Height=800&Width=1280&Index2Home=true

Well I ran my marathon & it included many lessons. The race had pacers, who are people that run at a specific speed in order to get a specific time. I wanted to run a 3:10 marathon, so I started out with the guy who held the 3:10 sign. Well, in short, he was a liar! Everyone around me kept saying, “He’s running fast,” but I didn’t believe them. When you train for a marathon you can run faster at a shorter distance & I felt good. Anyways, between mile 4-5 somebody says, “We just ran a 6:40 mile.” That’s not good when you have 22.2 miles left to go. In order to run a 3:10 you need to run 7:15 a mile, which on a good day is doable for me. However, a big mistake is to waste too much energy early, when you feel good, & have little left when you feel like dying in the later miles. So, my guy was a liar, but I’m also my own enemy; I should have started out with a slower group—“In like a Lion, out like a Lamb,” is a favorite saying of mine that I still don’t listen to. So, at mile 13:1 I ran 1:35, which was perfect, but the pain is about to begin. About mile 17 I’m in serious pain, but this is nothing new & I’m still running fairly strong. Mile 21? Well my hamstring cramps so bad it literally stands me up & I have to stop to stretch it. Sadly, this continues on throughout the rest of the race. I’m pretty sure it was dehydration, which is another reoccurring theme in my ESPN highlight reel. I finished in 3:37, 8:18 per mile.
I shed some tears at the end of the race, which was odd for me. I cried because we still don’t have a place to live, we keep applying to 3 bedroom houses as a group of 4 adults-3 kids-1 dog & they look at us like we’re the one smoking dope, the church is growing SLOWLY (but surely), the job scene is stupid to say the least, we’re about to have another kid (Abigail Kait McMasters), we were all packing & everyone was moving that day, & I had been running runs by myself that were too long. So I cried because at least one of the weights that was keeping my resentful knees pinned to the ground before the feet of Jesus was gone. I find it easier to run than to kneel; sad, but true.
Blessings,

My buddy Juan Eddards from orangefloorstudio.com came up with this. What do you think?

We still don't have a place to live, but our landlords are letting us stay here until Sept. 1. Needless to say, we're having a great time right now. However, it's kinda' cool to have God as your only hope. I was reading Acts 7 today & in Stephen's speach he talked about Abraham who left his land & settled in another place, but didn't even get to see what God had promised to him. Wow; what was that like? Abraham wishes he had a Jeremiah 29:11 tattoo on his buttocks (esp. American style blessings ;-).

I'm running the S.F. Marathon this Sunday. It's exciting to know I can take all of my competitive aggression out on myself & people I don't know. A few years ago I was running a triathlon & was passed by a 65 year old man on the run; evidently he was a stud!. I hope I see him this Sunday 'cuz I'm gonna' break him off something special!
Love you all.

I just got back from L.A. from the Regional Vineyard Conference. It was great to connect with many people, here great God stories, & continue to get a fresh vision for California & the Bay Area. This was our first conference with kids, which was really different. We were often late & we left early on more than one occasion. We would be listening to a speaker, watching power-point & see "Would the parents of Jonathan McMasters please come to child-care." Pretty funny. I truly fall more in love with my kids each day. As assumed Siena did great in "school" & was more than pleased to over achieve at each session.

I spoke at the church planting workshop & one person pegged us as "neo-monasticism." I made sure to let everyone know that we were just following Jesus & he led us to live together for a period of time. It was fun hearing everyone's stories & I'm blessed to be a part of the Vineyard. I walked away blessed to be a part of this movement, whose theology is a wonderful reflection of the New Testament (ie. charismatic theology)

We decided to move & Sept. 1 was the date we were aiming for to leave. So, my wife accidentally tells the landlords that "this is our 30 day notice," on July 7. Anyways, our house is on Craigslist the next day & basically rented two days later. We found out yesterday that Aug. 7 is our move out date & only Marina has a place to stay. Please pray for us. It's all quite crazy around here right now.

It's official: Things change. I'm looking for a new job, we're about to have another kid, & we are moving into SC. Starbucks is helping me meet a bunch of new people, but it isn't paying the $1500 rent. Abigail ----- McMasters is kicking like a machine, maybe she's a soccer player? She's due at the end of Sept. & everything is going great so far. We decided it's time to leave the ranch & head into town. We keep praying for people, go into SC & see them, & then come home realizing there are more horses up here than people. So, we're all moving. Please pray for us, since any one of these "new" adventures creates exciting joy in a person's life; add them together & the recipe brings you: Exciting joy.

Santa Cruz Jobs website:
140,000 job seekers
7,000 jobs
please pray

Everyone but Linda & I went to Mazatlan Mexico. They had a great time & feel even more inspired to reach SC. They built a "house" in 3 days. Check out the video

We are continuing to meet & invite people into our community. It is a slow going process. It seems as if there is always someone new at our events (ie. celebration, Lifegroups, BBQ, etc.), but having that translate into them "sticking" is another matter. We do have some new faces however who are hanging around, which is great. 97%of SC doesn't go to any church, so the harvest is ripe. However, the harvest requires some patient persistence & the use of correct tools.

Blessings,

Sorry for my absence, but that's just how it is. Anyways we evacuated from our house 'cuz there's a huge fire right below it! Needless to say it was a party getting everything out & wondering if the house is going to burn down. What was cool is that in the middle of our packing up my friend Prakash calls & says, "Come & spend the night at our house." I teared up because I wasn't sure where we were going & my friend, outside of our church, called me. Likewise, everyone had a place to spend the night & was contacted by our friends. This is a sign of health within our little community.

Here's a snapshot & some questions I've been wrestling with:
1st BBQ @ UCSC? 70 people!
2nd BBQ @ UCSC (invite only)? 30 people. These seem to be a hit. We would have had one tonight, but our friends at ISI are having a BBQ so Antioch is representing.

Mexico Fundraising has put us in great places. We intentionally, even if we had all the money we needed, put ourselves into the city to allow people outside of our church to participate with us in building a house for a poor family. Car washes, a booth at a local market, a booth outside Trader Joe's, radio announcements (go Rachel), 3 local restaraunts giving us portions of their income on certain nights, more car washes, work days at peoples houses, etc. All of this has allowed us to meet new & wonderful people.

Planting a church takes time. We are not trying to rally disgruntled Christians to a new church. We are not doing something "new" come & check us out. We are trying to give an expression of Christ's love through our community to those who otherwise don't know the love of Jesus. The church is going out into the city. This takes time. Imagine a person on a spiritual journey toward God as numbers 1-10 (1 nothing; 10 A.W. Tozer or something). Most people who attend "church" as a seeker are already at level 6-8(?) & have come to some conlclusion that "Jesus is the answer to my questions." We have found ourselves surrounded by people who would be numbers 1-5; from "what the hell do we need another church for," to "these could be signs of the end of the world," to "who are you guys & what are you doing." Therefore, seeing certain people from whom we find ourselves amongst being baptized is a couple of days away. Frustration is all a part of it, but it's a good thing to fret about. Alan Hirsch makes a good point in one of his books by saying something like this: "A majority of churches at this point in time are reaching the same group of people & then see those people move from building to building." 3% of our county's population attends church. One can also then speculate the percentage of that 3% that actually follow Jesus. I'm writing this from my friend's house whose dad is Hindu, wife is Buddhist, & he's agnostic/atheist. Too, before I believed I would have just as well told you to "something" even though I considered myself spiritual. ITT-It takes time.

"Saved" is a fabulous movie.

For anyone believing we need no new churches in Santa Cruz: I've lived here for a year & a half & have yet to have ANYONE reach out to me in an effort to help me know the love of God through Jesus. Where's the 3%!? Either I haven't met any of them or they...? Actually at Starbucks I met one of them, in fact I meet many. I asked this person repeatedly about the church they attended & never once did this person ask me anything about my sprituality! They attend a very well known church in town & actually have a position of authority within it. It was again sobering & sad.

I find it interesting that Jesus never said "Go...start churches," or "Go...gather people." Never, ever, never, ever, never, ever, did he say something like this. What did he say & why did he say it?

I asked Laben what at the end of his life he wants to look back & see. He said, "I'd like to see about 10 guys who I raised up & who went & planted churches around the world." Now whether or not this happens is, well, a life long journey that I think is glorious (imagine that!). "Hey Timmy, what would that new pastor you hired say to this question...?" How you answer this question will answer the what & how questions of what you devote your life to.

Answer the question, your life already is.

Sorry...I'm out of my office & trying to find my way back. There is a lot going on, & a lot of good along with it. It all seems a bit much right now, but I will have an update soon(?). Remember: Jesus thinks you're awesome & so do we.

Guess who is on the cover of our webpage? Kerri Fagan!.

Kerri this is a great photo! It almost makes you look 10yrs younger, so, like, 45 or something.

Well the long awaited time of truth has arrived: We're having a girl! Alas, Siena is going to have some competition for her princess throne. Another girl, wow. Jonathan, if we're done at 3 kids, is going to be the baby boy.

This last Saturday we did our first ever fund-raiser here in SC. We're going to Mexico to build a house for some homeless people this summer & need some duckets to get there, so, on with the carwashes! It was great. I love being out there telling people about who we are & what we're doing. Too, Janine scored a table for us at a Farmer's Market & we're hoping to get donations for: cookies, salsa, & home roasted fair-trade organic Mexican coffee! Once again, it is awesome to get out there with the peeps.

My manager's dad came to church yesterday because she told him he should check it out. How cool is that?

We're all doing good. We keep "inviting & including," which can become a little difficult at times. A lot of inviting & not too many people show up, but nothing new there. People are showing up & sticking. I guess I'm very thankful for the health of our church, since I hear of more church plants failing (especially those starting with small teams) in Santa Cruz than succeeding. In fact, the Vineyard church in Scotts Valley (5 miles away from SC) tried starting a church in the building we meet in on Sundays & it didn't work out. So, I should thank my Lucky Charms (Jesus & Co.) for what's happening with us; because in all reality, there's a whole lot of cool stuff happening in our little church.


Here's a shot of what the "houses" look like before & after.

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.

As I was working at the Buck the other night something occurred to me: I can’t remember the last time someone shared the love of God, the Gospel, did something intentional to reveal God’s love to me, told me about Jesus in any way, invited me to anything, or (heaven forbid) gave me a tract. I really can’t remember the last time someone personally “witnessed” to me in any way. It’s odd because I’m generally thinking about how to reach out TO people, but it struck me that no one is reaching out TO me. Is my experience similar to everyone else’s?

Why is this important? Because if my experience is an indicator of what others, who don’t know Christ are experiencing, then my assumption is that the majority of people (in Santa Cruz at least) are not hearing, seeing, or experiencing the life Jesus offered, which (in theory?) is now being lived & demonstrated through the life of the church. (Church: Not a place where, but a people who…)

“You’re a believer, of course no one is telling you about Jesus!” Being new to SC means no one knows me; they might as well think I’m a Klu-Klux-Clan Grandwizard! Since living here in SC I have yet to have one person engage me personally with the Gospel.

However, I have witnessed certain, “Come & See” events downtown. I remember Vintage Faith’s Easter display, Wonderful! Too, & hands-down the coolest (my bias), was when 12 Tribes of Israel (a Jesus commune from San Diego that has “communities” around the world—Slightly odd, some weird theologies) danced & sang songs about Yeshua. They were weird, but they were stoked about Yeshua (They don’t call him Jesus). Their joy was evident.

In my day-to-day life, I must admit, although in many ways surrounded by churches & Christians, no one has actually attempted to personally reach out to me, invite me, confront me, compliment me, encourage me, or engage me in an attempt to help me know or understand Jesus. I haven’t even gotten a fake $20 bill tract in the tip jar.

Is my experience typical to what others, who don’t know Jesus, are experiencing? Am I resigned to believe that Church Events (Wonderful as they are: Thank you for doing them) are enough to give people the opportunity to really know Jesus?

If as churches our function is to, “Equip the Saints for the work of the ministry,” Etc, etc… Why am I surrounded by churches, but left behind by “His” followers? I’m right next to a Christian campus, meet people who go to church, & talk with people who have crosses around their necks & fishes on their SUV’s; yet no one has personally engaged me.

I stopped praying prayers like these: “God please reach out to my neighbors.” “God touch the people of Santa Cruz.” “God love on the people at Starbucks.” Why? Because every time I prayed prayers like this I get one response: “That’s why you’re there.”

Guatemalan Rainforest Coban roasted to a “Light French” roast is very nice. Too, the place I buy my beans from is a Home Brew & Coffee Roasting Co-op. I’m going there today. I'm stoked to "Go..." They have what I want & I have what they need: Jesus.

Say ye what?

Well, Easter was incredible. We had over 50 people up at the house & many of them don't know how much God loves them. However, we hope the Tri-Tip helped them to experience a little love! So, after church, I'm really tired (Easter week was a little crazy) & when we come home I lay down for a nap. Well...I get up & the property is filling up, fast. I was totally thrown off! Thanks be to God for a little brown bean. Anyways, 5 BBQs!!, 8 Tri-Tips, 20lbs of Chicken, 10 lbs of Korean Beef, & we're all happy campers. Hopefully I'll post some pics later. Ironically, I didn't have a good time. Why? Because a couple of people I hoped would celebrate with us at church didn't show up. Wow, what a bummer. I'm crying because things aren't where I'd hoped they would be, all the while MISSING what God has done & was doing through our little church! This is something God is working on in my life right now & it's fun in an interesting kind of way.

Anyways, here’s something I’ve been thinking about. I took a grad class in which my prof passionately defended a very classic & common INTERPRETATION upon Luther's "by faith alone" salvific theology. We studied "Savior only" & "Lordship" salvation. He is "Savior Only," I disagree. I have been on a quest (of some sorts) to really find out what it means to "Be Saved" as this is somewhat of an important question. I was reading through Romans today, Paul's little Reformed book, & came across a verse which stood out to me: Chapter 2:7-11 "He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers. 8But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives of wickedness. 9There will be trouble and calamity for everyone who keeps on doing what is evil—for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. 10But there will be glory and honor and peace from God for all who do good—for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. 11For God does not show favoritism." I guess my question is: What is the nature of saving faith? I believe salvation comes through Christ alone; however, what does Paul mean when he says, "He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers." What is the nature of saving faith & what’s your life got to do with it?

I recently watched "Luther," which is a great movie. Something really stood out to me as I watched this movie again. Luther DEMONSTRATED a great deal of faith. He stepped outside of the bounds of the only system of salvation available at that time. He was very scared, but he stepped out in faith. I’m no expert on the Reformation, but it seems as if faith to Luther meant more than our modern INTERPRETATION of "what the Reformers said" faith means.

Romans 2:16 "And this is the message I proclaim—that the day is coming when God, through Christ Jesus, will judge everyone’s secret life." Evidently, THIS is the message Paul proclaims; I have been taught & almost every tract or end to a good sermon ended with this verse: "And that message is the very message about faith that we preach: 9 If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." (Ironcilly my prof would say, "Jesus is Lord" means "Jesus is God." Funny...Lord can mean God, but it can't mean Lord? Who knew?) What’s my "Life" got to do with my "Faith?"

Too, I just got done reading a wonderful book: "Father Abraham: The Jewish roots of our Christian Faith." What an eye-opening book. As I understand Judaism more I start to read the NT with greater clarity. Judaism is the lense by which God created the NT, not the reformation.

We roasted some Sumatra last night; we drank some dark Sumatra this morning!

What say ye?

Here's a snapshot:

Pearl, a South Korean student at UCSC, prays outloud this last Sunday, "I don't know you, but I want to know you. I've never met such merciful people before. Please help me to know you." Half of us have tears in our eyes. Rachel leads her to Christ over lunch. Marina was hanging with Rachel 'cuz they were gonna' do discipleship or something like that. Marina said she didn't mind that Pearl interupted what was going to be a teaching about which letters are Paul's & which might not be.

We had 5 new Bethany Students at church. One of them drove from San Jose to our house for dinner. Our "tent-making" lifestyle as ministers kinda' blew her mind.

A friend of mine from Starbucks cam up to our house to to cook a French dinner for us. It was great. I wasn't sure what to expect, & neither did she, but she did a great job. It's been awesome seeing real relationships develop at the Buck.

Laben's cousin is here to start chargin' for Jesus. He worked from 6am to 6pm on the property; my type of guy!

We're expecting 50people for Easter at our house. 80% don't know Jesus.

Laben is leading our first trip to Mazatlan. He cried...for joy.

& Last, but not least...

Roast your own beans. It's going to a whole new level.

We are going through Mark right now & last week we looked at the passage when Jesus calms the storm. One thing we discussed was the two groups: Those on the shore & those in the boat (boats actually). Here's something from tomorrow's sermon I especially like.

Sadly, we have been trained to read & think of scripture as "truth to be understood," rather than "life to be lived." Too, Jesus isn't a "truth to be understood," although he is truth; he is life, & gives a "life to be lived." Are you standing on the shore or are you in the boat with Jesus?

I'm on a surfboard, but Jesus understands.

I thought this was fitting for the current title I've chosen. Too, Aug. 3 my goal is a 3:15 marathon in SF.


March 03, 2008

After 65 Marathons, a Sub-3:00

Perseverance, thy name is Frank Livaudais.

The 33-year-old triathlete is on a quest to run a marathon in each of the 50 states; so far, he's knocked 37 states off his list. He'd run 65 marathons, in addition to several ultras, when he lined up last month for his 66th 26.2-miler: the AT&T Austin Marathon.

Livaudais had never broken 3 hours in the marathon before, but he'd come tantalizingly close, according to the Austin American-Statesman:

"I thought I'd have a shot at last year's AT&T, but when I hit that hill on 38th Street, I blew up and ended up with a 3:02:09," he said.

He came close again last November at the Sun Trust Marathon in Richmond, Va., missing by 49 seconds.

In Austin, he finally did it, clocking a 2:58:15. (The American-Statesman, bless its heart, knocked another 30 minutes off his time, saying that Livaudais ran "a fine 2:28:15 on the challenging course.")

Congratulations, Frank!

And a note to all those readers heading into spring marathon season: If at first you don't succeed, just try again... 65 more times.

What? Who's that runnin' in the Green & Gold for Cal Poly!? Yeah, that guy dropped me at mile 11. Jeff ran 8.8 miles & did great. He got 19th place out of 71 people! He said he burned by this guy near the finish line, but it turns out the guy he ran by was 73yrs old! Viva El Jefe!!

I've been out of the office for a little bit.

Well things are going well in SC. We seem to be in a new season with the church: "Yeah, I'd love to come to your church," but don't show up season! It's cool. We have been here just over one year & I assume this is a normal part of what groups, who do church like we do, experience. We have made a great deal of headway into making relationships with people in this city, & for that Jesus is extremely blessed; however, we desire for people to bridge the gap into the greatest relationship ever offered. Persistence.

I've really had to search my heart in many ways, scrubbing out little pet secrets I like to keep. One is: Being successful. It's easier (easy in the sense of atta boys) to love Jesus when things are going well, but how do I love Jesus when things aren't as I expected? Another thing he has been teaching me is: He's in control, it's his time (& timing) not mine. My anxiousness won't make things go any faster & even if it did, I'll assume with some experience to back me up, it would probably make things more complicated. I was praying during one of our 24hr prayer nights & felt like God spoke to me, "Galatians 2:1." I thought, cool, let's see what it says. "Fourteen years later I went up again to Jerusalem, this time with Barnabas. I took Titus along also." I started laughing; I get a word from the Lord & it's basically about one thing: Patience. So, I've become a much more relaxed person ;-).

No matter what though, I wouldn't change a thing about how we are doing this thing. Our hunger for God has risen to new heights, which I assume is the whole goal. Church isn't a service, even a cool post-modern seeker service, it's a group of people who love God, love People, & Make Disciples; & I will define success by the percentage of people within our fellowship who are living out the Great Commandment & Commission. Too, what % are willing to follow the Jesus of the NT who said, "No, Let the dead bury the dead. Follow Me." Fun times.

I mentioned to Laben the other day that there are basically 3 groups of people Jesus spoke to: 1.The religious leaders, 2.The broken & sick, 3. The apathetic crowd. I made the observation that a majority of churches cater to group #3, which is a group Jesus refused to gratify. The crowd was really interested in Jesus, wanted to follow, but the price to be a "Nazarene" was too great. Jesus is a fascinating guy. One guy in our church who has said "Yes" to Jesus is a Ph.D student at UCSC. He mentioned, "I don't want to follow Jesus. What if he asks me to give up my Ph.D?" I thought, "Well, sounds like a question you'd find in the NT!" I told him, “He might.” He has turned out to be one of the greatest blessings in our church.

We handed out flowers for Valentines with tags on them that said, "Jesus thinks you're awesome & we agree!" It was great. We handed out close to 100 flowers & everybody had a great time. The expressions on the faces of the people were priceless & it was awesome to know they were confronted with Jesus' feeling for them. I made sure to go to the Vet's Hall & place a flower inside the director's door. 3 days later as Jeff & I were paying our bill we noticed the flower on his desk, in a vase. Wow. Looking forward to 14yrs of pure Jesus fun. Too, one of our LifeGroups is moving to a house on campus! When I heard about it part of my LifeGroup ulcer was instantly healed!! Meeting in coffee shops downtown is cool, but a home is a much warmer place.

We are headed to Mexico this summer. We committed to working with a YWAM base in Mazatlan for the 1st week in July. We are going to build a house for $3800! (Uh, we could use some help getting the money). I chose YWAM because they are doing things we value: Outreach, Training School, Evangelism, Etc. However, we desire for this to be done within the context of a local church. (Para-Church orgs are another blog). Although we're not sure who will go with us I keep telling everyone, "We can't invite people to do something we aren't doing," so, let's step out in faith & go. Hopefully this turns into our yearly short-term trip, which gets people exposed to: Doing more of the same somewhere else. If you wanna' go let me know ($650: Not including house $).
Love ya,

Had a great time at World Mandate & we we're all inspired to pursue Jesus & those who don't know him even more. However, stepping back into SC is sobering, as I assumed it would be. I read a Chinese proverb that summed up one of the major things I walked away with:
"Talk...













...doesn't cook Rice."














I need to step out of my warm happy place.












Like Damien who lived among Lepers, showing them God's love, before contracting the disease himself.















I need to "Go...













Because "Talk doesn't cook rice," not even "missional" talk.

We finished our Daniel fast & it was wonderful. Everyone had a great time being decaffienated vegans for Jesus. It was fun fasting & having some of our new folks fast with us. Slowly does the big wheel turn. Last night we broke the fast & today enjoyed one of God's gifts to mankind: Coffee. Laben decided to drink our normal strength coffee, which according to Rachel makes her "feel like I'm gonna' ------- my insides out!" Anyways, Laben thought he was gonna' have a heart-attack & had to drink about a gallon of water to stop shaking. He's OK now & passed the "are you a Mormon?" test.

Just got some great news yesterday. We've been worshipping in a very small room at the Vet's Hall @ 10:30, but we start singing when the Yoga folks are "simmering down." So, I spoke with the director of the hall & mentioned we would love to meet in the biggest room @ 11, so we could have more space & leave the Yoga peeps to their transendental meditation upon their navel energies. I told him, "Yeah it must be tough for you guys 'cuz at 10:30 we start singing our guts out to Jesus!" He thought that was funny. Too, he was really excited for us to move to the biggest room @ 11. So am I. If we can remain at the Vet's Hall we will have one of the cheapest, best locations in SC. Wow.

We leave @ 4 for Texas. 2 new folks are joining us. What will happen? Jimmy knows.
Blessings,
Sean