This is one of the things in life that never grows old. Our friend Hae-Jung is bringing his lab mates to LifeGroup & his friend, another Ph.D student came for the second time. His friend is not a believer, but during worship as we were experiencing the presence of God I looked up & watched as he was singing the songs with us.

I have seen this happen so many times & it never grows old!

We're baptizing 3 Japanese students next week (wow!). We had intentioned to reach out to the international students here, but we didn't really expect we would see more of them come to Christ than the locals. God's got his agenda to fulfill through us.

Too, please pray for our Easter Service. We're believing God for 60 people. Please pray with us.

The first full weekend of each month is our worship weekend when we dedicate ourselves to God through fasting & prayer. This is something we've been doing for 3yrs now & it just keeps getting better & bigger.

Here's the list for the 24hrs of prayer.

FRIDAY March 6th
6pm – 7pm Janine
7pm – 8pm Janine
8pm – 9pm Alana
9pm – 10pm Linda
10pm – 11pm Rachel
11pm – 12midnight Rachel
SATURDAY March 7th
12am – 1am Jeff & Matt
1am – 2am Karol
2am – 3am Sarah
3am – 4am Sarah
4am – 5am Mari
5am – 6am Emelia
6am – 7am Sean
7am – 8am Sean
8am – 9am Illona
9am – 10am HaeJong
10am – 11am Julee
11am – 12noon Laben
12pm – 1pm Laben
1pm – 2pm Jeff
2pm – 3pm Daniel
3pm – 4pm Daniel
4pm – 5pm Ryan
5pm – 6pm Gabriel

Viva Japan! Both these guys (front row your right) are getting baptized in March. I'm meeting with them weekly before they go back to Japan teaching them how to spend time with God each & every day. Too, it's my desire to teach them how to start a reproducing small group back in Japan. I only have 3 weeks, but if Paul could start churches in less time, why not me with these guys?!?

Just some random, but important thoughts. As I was running the other day I was listening to N.T. Wright's "New Perspective on Paul," & he mentioned something like this: "Nietzsche defined Paul as the most tormented man to have ever walked the face of the earth." I didn't think too much about it, other than: The Enlightenment's perspective on life, especially spirituality, is dumb(?). There are more educated words, but they escape me right now. Anyways, I tucked it away. At our service this Sunday we were talking about giving everything to Jesus (seems like we talk about that a lot) & our friend Carol, who is pretty heavenly minded said this: "Paul, was a man totally enraptured by Jesus. He never really thought about the cost of following him because someone who is absolutely captivated doesn't regard losing one thing for love's sake as sacrifice." So, when I put these two statements together things mesh for me. Nietzsche, who is looking from the outside at Paul's actions can refer to him as tormented, & he was; he was tormented by a love that is undefinable outside of actually submitting to it. Carol knows that love & is therefore smarter than Nietzsche.

There have been some cool things going on in SC. This last Saturday, Valentine’s Day, we did an outreach with another church in town, Faith Community Church, & handed out 485 (some got broken!) carnations around town. On each flower was a tag that said: “Jesus thinks you’re awesome & so do we.” We have been doing this for years before moving to SC & think it’s a great idea still. I was really blessed to see how many people from our church actually turned out for this (about 45%--15/17 peeps). This was great & shows me we aren’t creating a culture of spectators, but people who really desire to know Him & make Him known. We broke up into 3 groups & went: Downtown, UCSC, & around the Rio Theatre (“Mid-Town” to the locals). Everyone had a great time & they were genuinely surprised at: (a) how easy it is to share your faith in a very practical way; & (b) how receptive people were to what we were doing. As I was talking to Laben the other morning I told him that, although 480 people got to hear a portion of the gospel, everyone who was involved became more emboldened to share the gospel , which will have wonderful results.


Our next outreach will be April 20th aka. 4:20. Stoners around the world smoke pot each day at 4:20pm & on April 20th they all get together & light up at the same time. In SC a huge group of students gets together on campus to light up at the same time. What a great opportunity to tell them about Jesus. We want to pass out, what I’m calling right now: “Stoner survival packets,” which will include: water, candy, snack, & a card that says, “Jesus thinks you’re awesome & so do we.” It’s my hope we can pass out 1000 of these.


If you want to be involved, please come down; we will need all the help we can get.


Later that night Jeff, Janine, Linda, & I all went out for dinner. Randy K (who is an incredible coach) gave my wife & I some money for Valentines, so we all went to sushi. Our waiter, Jeff, is the owner’s son & when we got our food we told him we were about to pray & asked if he needed prayer for anything. Not really sure what to do (I don’t think many Christians offer to pray for their waiters) he said, “Pray for better business.” We did, had a great time, & left him a $100 tip. We’ll go back & see him again. When we got into the car I called Randy & told him what we did with his money. I’m not sure if he’s gonna’ send more or less after hearing about that.
On Sundays we continue to see more homeless people in our service. This is great, but many of them leave after realizing we aren’t going to feed them physically. However, some stay. Lori is a wonderful Asian woman who “dropped out” after her 14 month old girl was kidnapped. This was her second time joining us, so after praying for her (she’s huge into Asian medicine & not prayer) my wife invited her to come over the next day to eat & clean up. So, the next day she arrived at our house & took an Asian herbal bath (milk, sage, & rosemary) & ate some of our Turkey soup. It was great to have her over & my kids were playing with her the whole time. Before leaving she mentioned that after living in SC for 7yrs, no one had ever invited her to their house. This is interesting to me; is it interesting to you?

About a year ago we passed out flyers at UCSC for a free BBQ. We had close to 100 students show up & we played games & ate food. At the BBQ two Japanese students came & have been hanging out ever since. Often they walk into our mtgs late, which is really funny, but they show up on a regular basis. Last night the guys invited one of the two guys, Tader, to hang out & watch the Jesus video in Japanese (what a resource that is). Tader confessed Jesus & we will baptize him in March.

This last Sunday a new girl came to our service. She is philosophy major at UCSC & we had a chance to speak afterwards. I’m always blown away at how ignorant (not stupid, but unknowing) people are concerning Jesus. Now much of this is perpetrated by the church, but pop-culture does its work too. She mentioned many subjects to me including: imperialism; ethics, values, etc. (Basically Christianity sucks--& in many cases I agree) One thing she said was Jesus’ primary focus was ethics; I told her Jesus wasn’t concerned with ethics (at least not what she meant, i.e. a list of external do’s & don’ts) & she was kinda’ stunned by this statement saying, “Jesus didn’t teach ethics?!” I said, “Jesus was not a teacher of ethics; however, when a person is transformed by God they become much more ethical. Jesus was, & is, concerned with people being transformed by His love, not conformed to a set of rules.” How many people’s view of God would be totally rearranged if they really understood this one truth?

That's a lot of pictures!
Blessings,

My friend Juan is helping us with logo stuff. What do you think of these ideas?

This is a response to a question within our church. We've all wrestled with similar issues, & to be honest, will wrestle with them again.

"I think what you're doing is great. Yeah, this is a hard one. All of us have dysfunctions that over time will come to the surface in one way or another. Generally, what comes to the surface, isn't really the issue, but the fruit of the sin or dysfunction that person deals with. Obviously we will make things a bit more complicated because we have sin too; however, because of our maturity in Christ we don't intentionally complicate things, but we are always attempting to reconcile the situation. Now a person has a couple of choices when faced with a sin issue, namely in the area of responsibility or, "Who is to blame for this problem." They can take responsibility for the "fruit" their inward dysfunctions are creating; or, they blame their circumstances, which will include us because we are making it too hard on them. No doubt, circumstances can become difficult, including circumstances we create as a church, & we will take responsibility for our part. However, when it comes to sin & maturity, circumstances won't create new sin, they will however reveal the sin that has existed in the person yet has remained safely tucked away generally labeled as: “That’s just a part of who I am.” So, who is to blame? My experience has shown me that those who are Poor in Spirit, Broken, etc...will take responsibility for whatever part they play within the conflict; confessing our responsibility & sin brings freedom & goes the distance in helping us become more Christ-like. Yet, those who continually blame their circumstances easily allow themselves to become the "victim" whenever they choose; this is a never ending cycle of convenience: sin. We all encounter hard times, but maturity always points to ME & my part in the problem & leads me to the feet of Jesus who can then heal me. In this case: pray, repent for our actions, challenge the sin issue you see happening in both parties & ask yourself, “What’s the next gracious step for us all?” Too, draw upon your experience. You too wrestled with something very similar & because of your choices have a great deal of authority in this area."

I can't put the video here, but you can get with a little cut & paste action.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-NOZU2iPA8

Well we just got back from World Mandate, which is missions conference in Texas. I have attended this for the past 6yrs & it is always a huge blessing to see the potential of the local church. Every year I am inspired that a community devoted to the person & purposes of Jesus can reach the world with the gospel; & this is done primarily through raising & releasing disciples who go & do likewise throughout the world in local expressions of faith: Church Planting.
This year we were 17 people went with our church, which is a testament to what is going on with us. There were 5 people who had never been to an event like this & two of them who aren’t even totally sure about Jesus, but they’re so intrigued by him that they follow as close behind as possible as they discover who this man is.
God spoke to me is several ways: As I was holding Abigail, our youngest, high up in the bleachers one night I heard God say very clearly, “Spiritual Authority.” I was blessed because this is something I have been wrestling with for some time. I have desired for some time to see the Holy Spirit set people free from all forms of spiritual oppression; however, my theology in this area is underdeveloped & needs some attention in spite of my life’s experience. Certain things ring very true for me in regards to the works of the Spirit (too many to talk about right now): God desires all mankind to be free from spiritual oppression, especially as it regards death & sin; As believers we are endowed with spiritual authority to enact the purposes of God throughout the earth. So back to God’s message to me; God tells me, “Spiritual Authority.” 1 minute later a young man approaches me & says he has a word for me, he’s nervous, but I encourage him to take a chance. He says he saw a picture of me on a white horse & my eyes were burning with fire (others have seen this too, but I’m generally mad!!). He’s embarrassed, but I share what God had just shared with me & what I’ve been wrestling with & what it means to me; we pray. Then the next night I go forward for prayer, not really needing to hear another word from God, but wanting to sit at God’s feet again. A man starts praying for me & says, “I see you as a man with great spiritual authority.” (This wasn’t a leadership thought, but a “..we wrestle not against flesh…word.) I was encouraged again that this is God’s theme for me & a new season for our church. God wants to set people free from sin & death & its effects upon humanity; he has entrusted the power to do this to his people the church.

This is a huge subject, but I wanted to share a small part of what God did in me at Mandate.

Kurt won a Super Bowl for my boys the Los Angeles Rams. Go Kurt... Here's an article about faith & quarterbacks.

I'm less than comfortable with the apparent epidemic of religiosity among our nation's quarterbacks.

First, Colt McCoy, fresh from a thrilling win over Ohio State, begins his post-game comments by thanking his "lord and savior Jesus Christ."

Then there's Tim Tebow, whose game and demeanor I rather like, changing the Bible verse he endorses on his eye-black, from "Philippians 4:13" to "John 3:16." As if that might make the difference.

Personally, my own taste in quarterbacks runs toward the epic old-school debauchers, guys like Kenny Stabler and Joe Namath. If I go to Hell for that, then so be it. I refuse to believe that God — anyone's God — has a rooting interest in the outcome of something as secular and perverse as a BCS game.

But now football fans direct their attentions to Arizona, where one of American sports' most prominent God Squaders — Arizona Cardinal quarterback Kurt Warner — takes on the Philadelphia Eagles for the right to go to the Super Bowl. And I can't help but think that the religious guys are, well, blessed with an advantage, a big one at that.

Actually, the issue isn't really religion. It's faith. I don't care what or whom a ballplayer believes in: Jesus, Moses, Buddha, L. Ron Hubbard. I don't care what his position is on stem cell research, abortion, gay rights. But a system of belief — any system, really — that stills the mind and quells doubt is of obvious benefit, particularly if you're an athlete.

Warner's case is as instructive as it is well-known. In 1994, after being cut by the Green Bay Packers, he found himself working the nightshift at a Hy-Vee grocery store near his alma mater, that noted football factory known as Northern Iowa. By 1999, he'd won a Super Bowl ring and the first of his two MVP awards.

His appearance as the starter in Sunday's NFC championship game marks yet another absurdly improbable comeback. Warner had been let go by the Rams and the Giants. His career as anything but a spot starter had been pronounced dead years ago. In his several years in Arizona, he's been a backup to Josh McCown and Matt Leinart, who was named the starter for the 2008 season. Now, having thrown for more than 5,000 yards this season, Warner has a chance to deliver the Cardinals — the Cardinals! — to the Super Bowl.

"It's an advantage for any individual, when you have faith and believe in something," Warner told our Greg Boeck Thursday after the Cardinals broke practice. "In my case, it's the power of Jesus ...

"I walk by faith and not by sight. I walk according to what I believe, and what I believe the power of God is, as opposed to what the world tells us, or what circumstances appear to be."

Put another way, belief can liberate you. You need not dwell on the long odds. You're free of the thoughts that crush so many comebacks — the assortment of self-involved, self-inflicted self doubts.

"So much of this business is 'Me, me me,'" Warner told Boeck. "... My faith has allowed me to step back from that and say, 'Hey, this isn't about me.'"

There are too many examples in too many sports to ignore, from 2007 Masters winner, Zach Johnson (who, interestingly enough, went to the same high school as Warner), to the soccer player, Kaka (that a religious name? I wonder), an evangelical Christian who'd been badly injured in a pool accident, to Josh Hamilton, a recovering drug addict who may yet become a perennial major league All-Star. But, as usual, the best examples come from boxing. Muhammad Ali believed he was chosen by Allah, and looking back, who's to say he wasn't? Evander Holyfield, born with a cruiserweight's frame, believed it was a Christian God's will for him to reign as the heavyweight champ. (It occurs that perhaps it's time for God to have a heart-to-heart with Evander on the subject of retirement.) Mike Tyson, for his part, believed in nothing. And it showed.

Perhaps you recall Tyson's sudden and short-lived stint as a Muslim. Of course it didn't do him any good. Pious proclamations for the sake of PR or damage control don't do an athlete any good, unless he can con himself along with the sportswriters.

Warner's not conning anyone, least of all himself. The Cardinals were 9-7 in the dreadful NFC West. The Eagles were 9-6-1 against a much more formidable schedule. The teams met in Philadelphia, not two months ago, and the Eagles won by 28. A change of venue shouldn't make too much of a difference, though the oddsmakers have Arizona as mere four-point underdogs.

A guy like Warner, though, isn't working off the betting line. He doesn't care what circumstances appear to be. He's got faith. If not for that, he'd still be bagging groceries.

Hae-Jung, you are a man of God. Julee Seo, you are an awesome woman of God.

요한복음 3
1바리새인 중에 니고데모라 하는 사람이 있으니 유대인의 관원이라

2그가 밤에 예수께 와서 가로되 랍비여 우리가 당신은 하나님께로서 오신 선생인줄 아나이다 하나님이 함께 하시지 아니하시면 당신의 행하시는 이 표적을 아무라도 할 수 없음이니이다

3예수께서 대답하여 가라사대 진실로 진실로 네게 이르노니 사람이 거듭나지 아니하면 하나님 나라를 볼수 없느니라

4니고데모가 가로되 사람이 늙으면 어떻게 날 수 있삽나이까 두번째 모태에 들어갔다가 날 수 있삽나이까

5예수께서 대답하시되 진실로 진실로 네게 이르노니 사람이 물과 성령으로 나지 아니하면 하나님 나라에 들어갈 수 없느니라

6육으로 난 것은 육이요 성령으로 난 것은 영이니

7내가 네게 거듭나야 하겠다 하는 말을 기이히 여기지 말라

8바람이 임의로 불매 네가 그 소리를 들어도 어디서 오며 어디로 가는지 알지 못하나니 성령으로 난 사람은 다 이러하니라

9니고데모가 대답하여 가로되 어찌 이러한 일이 있을 수 있나이까

10예수께서 가라사대 너는 이스라엘의 선생으로서 이러한 일을 알지 못하느냐

11진실로 진실로 네게 이르노니 우리 아는 것을 말하고 본 것을 증거하노라 그러나 너희가 우리 증거를 받지 아니하는도다

12내가 땅의 일을 말하여도 너희가 믿지 아니하거든 하물며 하늘 일을 말하면 어떻게 믿겠느냐

13하늘에서 내려온 자 곧 인자 외에는 하늘에 올라간 자가 없느니라

14모세가 광야에서 뱀을 든것 같이 인자도 들려야 하리니

15이는 저를 믿는 자마다 영생을 얻게 하려 하심이니라

16하나님이 세상을 이처럼 사랑하사 독생자를 주셨으니 이는 저를 믿는 자마다 멸망치 않고 영생을 얻게 하려 하심이니라

17하나님이 그 아들을 세상에 보내신 것은 세상을 심판하려 하심이 아니요 저로 말미암아 세상이 구원을 받게하려 하심이라

18저를 믿는 자는 심판을 받지 아니하는 것이요 믿지 아니하는 자는 하나님의 독생자의 이름을 믿지 아니하므로 벌써 심판을 받은 것이니라

19그 정죄는 이것이니 곧 빛이 세상에 왔으되 사람들이 자기 행위가 악하므로 빛보다 어두움을 더 사랑한 것이니라

20악을 행하는 자마다 빛을 미워하여 빛으로 오지 아니하나니 이는 그 행위가 드러날까 함이요

21진리를 좇는 자는 빛으로 오나니 이는 그 행위가 하나님 안에서 행한 것임을 나타내려 함이라 하시니라

22이 후에 예수께서 제자들과 유대 땅으로 가서 거기 함께 유하시며 세례를 주시더라

23요한도 살렘 가까운 애논에서 세례를 주니 거기 물들이 많음이라 사람들이 와서 세례를 받더라

24요한이 아직 옥에 갇히지 아니하였더라

25이에 요한의 제자 중에서 한 유대인으로 더불어 결례에 대하여 변론이 되었더니

26저희가 요한에게 와서 가로되 랍비여 선생님과 함께 요단강 저편에 있던 자 곧 선생님이 증거하시던 자가 세례를 주매 사람이 다 그에게로 가더이다

27요한이 대답하여 가로되 만일 하늘에서 주신바 아니면 사람이 아무 것도 받을 수 없느니라

28나의 말한바 나는 그리스도가 아니요 그의 앞에 보내심을 받은 자라고 한 것을 증거할 자는 너희니라

29신부를 취하는 자는 신랑이나 서서 신랑의 음성을 듣는 친구가 크게 기뻐하나니 나는 이러한 기쁨이 충만하였노라

30그는 흥하여야 하겠고 나는 쇠하여야 하리라 하니라

31위로부터 오시는 이는 만물 위에 계시고 땅에서 난 이는 땅에 속하여 땅에 속한 것을 말하느니라 하늘로서 오시는 이는 만물 위에 계시나니

32그가 그 보고 들은 것을 증거하되 그의 증거를 받는 이가 없도다

33그의 증거를 받는 이는 하나님을 참되시다 하여 인쳤느니라

34하나님의 보내신 이는 하나님의 말씀을 하나니 이는 하나님이 성령을 한량 없이 주심이니라

35아버지께서 아들을 사랑하사 만물을 다 그 손에 주셨으니

36아들을 믿는 자는 영생이 있고 아들을 순종치 아니하는 자는 영생을 보지 못하고 도리어 하나님의 진노가 그 위에 머물러 있느니라

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,