#774: 5 DAILY AFFIRMATIONS TO DEVELOP A DEEPER DESPERATION FOR GOD

Desperation is a catalyst for a praying life.
- Daniel Henderson

Desperation can come through crisis or cultivation.
- Ugandan Church Leader

The new job is great. To lead within the areas of prayer and teaching ministries is a dream come true. Hope Church is a faith family that I am so privileged and proud to be a part of.

BUT…

I have never been this desperate.

Desperate for God’s power. Desperate for God’s strength. Desperate for God’s intervention. Desperate for God’s wisdom. Desperate for God’s Spirit. Desperate for God’s hand on my life and my ministry.

What has this new level of desperation led to?

An intentionality and intensity to seek God and the power of the Holy Spirit in prayer, like never before.

Where has this new level of desperation come from?

Ultimately, it’s a grace of God. God has been gracious to allow me to see more clearly than I’ve ever seen before, 5 truths that have pushed me towards a greater desperation for Him. 5 truths that, if I affirm their truth often, I believe can help to cultivate, in me, a deeper desperation for God. Prayerfully, they can do the same for you.

1. MY GIFTING IS LIMITED.

Never before have I been more aware of the limits to my gifts, talents, and abilities. My ability to preach/teach, my ability to lead, my ability to write, my ability to shepherd—all of these gifts from God are impotent apart from the power of God! Never before have I been so aware that I can very easily fool myself into thinking that my gifts, alone, are sufficient for the task at hand. They. Are. Not. God’s gifts without God’s power are useless in achieving the eternal purposes for which He gave them to us in the first place. I am so desperate for God to anoint and empower the gifts that He’s given me every time I’m given the opportunity to use them.

Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,” and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.” 1 Corinthians 3:18-20

Is there evidence for your awareness of the limits of your gifts in how passionately, consistently, and desperately you seek the Lord in prayer?

2. MY FLESH IS WEAK.

Never before have I been more aware that, apart from the ongoing power of the Holy Spirit of God at work in my life, my propensity and my leaning is to choose sin. If left to myself, I will choose laziness. I will choose selfishness. I will choose lust. I will choose exaggeration. I will choose pride. I will choose unforgiveness. I will choose neglect. I will choose going to food for comfort rather than going to God. I will choose the road that leads to destruction. Without God’s power, I am prone to choose the enemy’s poison. I am so desperate for the power of the Holy Spirit to help to live the life of holiness and purity that I am unable to live apart from Him. I am so desperate to be a clean vessel that God can use whenever and however He sees fit.

Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 20:41

Is there evidence for your awareness of the weakness of your flesh in how passionately, consistently, and desperately you seek the Lord in prayer?

3. MY ASSIGNMENT IS IMPOSSIBLE.

Never before have I been more aware of the enormity and impossibility of what God has called me to. Loving the Lord with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. Loving others as I love myself. Loving my wife like Christ loves the Church. Turning a heart of stone to a heart of flesh. Causing spiritual truths to come alive and be received by physical eyes and ears. Making disciples of all nations baptizing and teaching them to obey all that God commanded. THESE TASKS ARE IMPOSSIBLE…in my own strength. That which God has called and commissioned me to do CANNOT and WILL NOT be accomplished apart from the power and presence of God at work in my life—to think otherwise would be delusional.

“Who then can be saved?” But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:25-26

Is there evidence for your awareness of the impossibility of your assignment in how passionately, consistently, and desperately you seek the Lord in prayer?

4. MY ADVERSARY IS RELENTLESS.

Never before have I been more aware that the enemy is out to kill and destroy every purpose that God has for my life, and he will not back down. He wants to kill my intimacy with Jesus. He wants to kill my unity with my wife. He wants to kill my destiny on this earth. Every purpose that God had in mind for me when He knit me in my mother’s womb, the devil wants to destroy.

The devil desires to destroy my life and yours with distractions, temptations, unbelief in God, fear of man, and anything else that would cause us to lose sight of our King and the “good works” that God prepared in advance for us to do. We must be alert. The devil is not playing. The enemy will never stop trying to rob us of everything that is ours in Christ Jesus.

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 1 Peter 5:8-9

Is there evidence for your awareness of the relentlessness of the devil in how passionately, consistently, and desperately you seek the Lord in prayer?

5. MY GOD IS ABLE!

My gifts are limited. My flesh is weak. My assignment is impossible. My adversary is relentless. Yes, these things are all very true. But, the greater truth in my mind is—GOD IS ABLE. God is able to empower my gifts! God is able, by His Spirit, to help me overcome the desires of my flesh! God is able to complete the work that He began in and through me! God already has, through the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, defeated the enemy! GOD IS ABLE.

The question for you and I is, “Are we seeking and beseeching the all-powerful, all-knowing, King of Kings and Lord of Lords who is more than able to do all that which we are incapable of doing?”

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21

Is there evidence for your awareness of the ability of God in how passionately, consistently, and desperately you seek the Lord in prayer?

Here’s the big idea. Until we seek the Lord more desperately in prayer, these 5 affirmations are, merely, words we believe in our heads rather than eternal truths that have landed on our hearts. LET. US. PRAY!

#728 - 10 MONTHS. 10 REALLY HARD CIRCUMSTANCES.

Last year I had the privilege of enjoying a 3-month sabbatical.

But, when i returned in September of 2019, little did I know, my wife and I would begin the most difficult season of our lives…

1. September: Paz’s Depart from TheMovement.Church.

Due to circumstances beyond my control, the first task awaiting me when I returned from my sabbatical was leading our church through the unexpected departure of my parents and brother from our church. My parents and brother had been a part of the church since we started nearly 7 years ago. This was very difficult.

2. October: Key Leader Arrested for Inappropriately Communicating with Minors on Social Media.

This was devastating. We could’ve never seen this coming. Leading our church, the student ministry that he was a leader in, and his family through this circumstance has been extremely challenging. To this day, he is still in jail awaiting his sentence. I have talked to him weekly over the last 10 months. This has not been easy.

3. November: Two Husbands Cheat on their Wives.

Walking with one couple through reconciliation following an infidelity is tough. Walking with two couples, simultaneously, is very emotionally taxing. Though I praise God that both marriages have been restored, this was exhausting.

4. December: Worship Leader Leaves Church.

For reasons I completely understand, our worship leader and his wife left our church. This was particularly difficult, not only because this was a dear friend, but it also required that I step into his place to lead our music ministry team in the meantime. This was a punch in the gut.

BY THE GRACE OF GOD JANURY AND FEBRUARY BROUGHT LITTLE DIFFICULTY. BUT, JUST AS WE THOUGHT WE HAD TURNED THE CORNER FROM A DIFFICULT FALL OF 2019…

5. March: Covid-19 Strikes.

Transitioning our church to functioning primarily online was no easy task. Preaching into a camera took more out of me physically and emotionally than I expected. Facilitating the various parts of the service then preaching for six weeks in a row literally knocked me out cold. The Wednesday after my fifth week preaching, I found myself on the floor of the church office curled up in a ball like a baby. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t drive home. Not Covid, but a major fever. This was scary.

6. April: Rebekah’s Cancer Doesn’t Suppress. Hysterectomy Is Needed ASAP.

For over a year my wife had been on a cancer suppression medicine in hopes that, if the cancer in her uterus lining was suppressed enough, we could still try having a child naturally. The medicine didn’t work. We had to make the difficult decision for her to get a hysterectomy thus killing our dreams of my wife one day giving birth to a child. This was heart-breaking.

7. May: George Floyd is Murdered.

Leading our church (roughly 20% of which is African-American) through the anger, sorrow, fear, confusion, and conviction of the events surrounding and following the death of George Floyd was a lot to handle. Though we drew a line in the sand during this time to become an unapologetically anti-racist church, the work that it requires is no joke. This was overwhelming.

8. June: Church Office is Robbed.

$6,000+ worth of equipment needed replacing. $10,000+ needed to be invested in securing our office moving forward. $16,000+ in unexpected expenses. We had to livestream Sundays from my iPhone. Quality of our services went down dramatically. This was frustrating.

9. June: Former Pastoral Apprentice Leaves Church.

Prior to this Pastoral Apprentice and his wife leaving, our Pastoral Team had to navigate through conversations with him and the church about why we had chosen not to ordain him as a Pastor. These were not easy. We had a desire for him and his wife to stay at the church despite our decision. They chose not to. I had been very deeply invested into this man’s life, and they had been deeply invested into our church for nearly 3 years. This was sad.

10. June: Leader Who Was Arrested Has Article Written about Him in East Bay Times. His Case Becomes a Federal One.

Leading his family and our church following the details of what he was arrested for becoming public knowledge was not easy. Old wounds were reopened. New wounds developed. The potential for a longer sentence became a reality. This felt like the progress that had been made was reversed.

Though there were many lessons learned over these last 10 months (I do plan about writing about those in the future.), the purpose of this post was not so much to reflect on these circumstances, but to recall them so that i can understand, more clearly, why, on this day, July 2, I feel so…out. of. gas.

#727 - BLESSINGS FROM THE FIRST HALF OF 2020

Though the first 6 months of this year have been challenging, in so many ways, as the second half of 2020 begins today, there are still numerous blessings and experiences from the first half of 2020 that I must praise God for.

January

• Received a $50,000 gift from the SEND Network to lease an office space for our church.

• Preached Faith Bible Church Winter Retreat.

• Preached WALK Church Deepen Conference

February

• Published my very first book — Only God.

• Met John Piper.

• Preached Gateway Chapel.

March

• Enjoyed Silence & Solitude in Las Vegas with Rebekah.

• Finished leading 6-week mentoring group through Spiritual Leadership.

• Baptized Edward Kim.

April

• Transitioned to #TMCatHome.

• Launched the Preacher’s Kitchen Podcast.

• Blessed with 4 weeks off from preaching.

May

• Rebekah had a successful hysterectomy. Received news she is cancer free!

• Received love and support from so many church members post-surgery.

• Enjoyed Last Dance Documentary. Gifted Air Jordan V’s.

• Convicted to transition church from non-racist to passionately and unashamedly anti-racist.

June

• Enjoyed quality time with the Huang’s.

• Enjoyed quality time with my family for Father’s Day.

• Navigated church towards a greater commitment to anti-racism.

These months have been difficult, no doubt, but God has been gracious. I am so thankful.

#726 - 4 BLINDSPOTS TO AVOID WHILE LIVING AND LEADING THROUGH THIS CULTURAL MOMENT

My blindspots have been exposed.

Things I did not know and things that I could n0t see prior to George Floyd’s murder, I now know and I now see. Though I am sure there is so much more that I am still not aware of, I do want to be a good steward of what God has been gracious to show me by processing and sharing the following thoughts.

BLINDSPOT #1 - Appreciation for black culture is not enough. Commitment to improving the black experience is what’s necessary.

I was blind.

I wrongly assumed that my deep love for Black people, African-American studies, soul food, funk and R&B music, Air Jordan’s, and grape soda (I love grape soda and obviously add that to the list tongue-in-cheek) was enough. It isn’t. It is entirely possible to truly love all of those things and be void of any real commitment to improving the experience of those who created the culture I so often immerse myself in.

Appreciation is great. Advocacy is better.

Thank you Jesus for opening my blind eyes.

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed. Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice. Proverbs 31:8-9

BLINDSPOT #2 - Reality of a multi-ethnic church is not enough. Commitment to becoming an anti-racist church is what’s necessary.

I was blind.

I wrongly assumed that my accomplishment of pastoring a multi-ethnic, multi-generational church in the city of Oakland was enough. It’s not. It is entirely possible and, also very likely, that though there are people from various ethnic backgrounds in a church, partiality can still be very present and often practiced. This was surely the case in my church.

Diversity is great. Determination to eradicate all forms of personal and corporate racism is better.

Thank you Jesus for opening my blind eyes.

Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law. James 2:8-9

BLINDSPOT #3 - Emphasis on gospel centrality is not enough. Commitment to racial equality is what’s necessary.

I was blind.

I wrongly assumed that preaching salvation through faith alone, in Christ alone, by grace alone was enough. It wasn’t. Though the gospel is sufficient enough for salvation, for sanctification, dots must be intentionally connected. It’s entirely possible to preach the gospel in all it’s beauty and not achieve racial reconciliation.

I don’t just preach the gospel and expect people to give generously—I connect the dots. I don’t just preach the gospel and expect husbands to love their wives sacrificially—I connect the dots. I don’t just preach the gospel and expect Christians to live missionally—I connect the dots.

When it comes to speaking against racial injustice why are pastors, myself included, so quick to say, “We just need to preach the gospel.”? We aren’t this intellectually lazy when it comes to other areas where we desire to see the fruits of repentance, why are we lazy in this one?

Gospel preaching is great. Gospel preaching that results in a passion for and action towards racial reconciliation is better.

Thank you Jesus for opening my blind eyes.

But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. James 1:22

BLINDSPOT #4 - Pursuit of incarnational living is not enough. Commitment to living a crucified life is what’s necessary.

I was blind.

I wrongly assumed because I desired to listen, learn, weep with those who weep and mourn with those who mourn, I was living as Christ commanded. There’s so much more. It is entirely possible to live incarnationally yet avoid dying to your flesh. Walking a mile in another person’s shoes is a great start, but truly following Jesus requires death.

I must crucify all inequitable forms of my leadership. I must crucify justifications for micro-aggressions in my speech and actions. I must crucify my traditions and paradigms of thinking that are unhelpful and irrelevant. I must crucify unhealthy forms of nationalism. I must crucify my preference for personal comfort over my acknowledgement of corporate sin. I must crucify my need for receiving affirmation before receiving correction. I must crucify pre-conceived notions of who God can use to speak truth into my life. I must crucify excuses, passivity, negligence, and fear of man.

Incarnation is great. Crucifixion is better. Because, then and only then is resurrection possible.

It’s so crystal clear to me now. Before I ever experience the “resurrection” of an anti-racist family, church, city, or world, much needs to be crucified in me…first.

Thank you Jesus for opening my blind eyes.

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. Luke 9:23-24

I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives. John 12:24

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER: Which of these four blindspots might be one of yours too? In a desire for God to reveal your blindspots regarding living and leading during these times would you be willing to pray the following prayer?

Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting! Psalm 139:23-24

#724 - A DECADE OF GOD'S FAITHFULNESS AND FAVOR

I would be remiss if I went into the new year (and the new decade) without first investing the time to reflect upon and express gratitude to God for some of my most memorable moments from the last 10 years.

2010

• Surrendered to God’s call on my life to go into full-time vocational ministry.

• Hired as Interim High School Ministry Director at Crossroads Church in Fremont.

• Re-committed myself to writing consistently.

2011

• Made the full-time High School Ministry Director at Crossroads Church in Fremont.

• Began formation of Church Plant Core Team.

• Ran a marathon in Sacramento.

2012

• Called to plant a church in the city of Oakland.

• Bowled a 235 on my birthday!

• Ordained as a Pastor.

2013

• Moved to the city of Oakland.

• Planted THEMOVEMENT.CHURCH.

2014

• Celebrated 10 years of marriage to Rebekah in the Dominican Republic.

• Ran a half-marathon in under 2 hours.

2015

• A very rough year.

2016

• Brought Merritt Paws into the family!

• Ran a marathon in San Francisco with Spencer and AJ.

• Enjoyed Hawaii with the church fam.

• Enjoyed Palm Springs with my siblings.

• Cried watching Lionel Richie live in Las Vegas!

• Completed (barely) a Super Spartan Race with my friend Mervin.

2017

• Started @airjcollector on Instagram and was featured on Complex and Complex Sneakers.

• Grew out my hair…and my beard.

• Cast the vision of EightX for THEMOVEMENT.CHURCH.

• Ran a marathon in Sacramento with Spencer in under 5 hours.

2018

• Preached at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church.

• Enjoyed a vacation in Hawaii with the Romero’s.

• Preached at the Acts 29 US West Pastors & Wives Retreat.

• Got a picture with Tim Keller!

• Got a severe bacterial infection in my right eye.

2019

• Wrote a book and signed with a publisher.

• Bought a home!

• Enjoyed a 3-month sabbatical.

• Preached at the Acts 29 US West Conference.

To write out this list is to see in plain view God’s faithfulness and favor in my life. To look at what God has accomplished in and through my life over the last 10 years can be easily summarized in just one word…GRACE.

And I’m convinced because it was grace that brought me through the last 10 years, it will be grace that takes me through the next 10 years. Praise God for GRACE!

#720 - FAVOR > COST

The New Home of the Golden State Warriors!

I had absolutely no intentions of going to this game.

It was the very first NBA basketball game to be played in the new Chase Center in San Francisco, and though it was a preseason game, tickets were still crazy expensive. I was fully prepared to enjoy the game on TNT.

Then, less than two hours before tip-off, I get a call from an old friend who is a VP for CLARK Construction. This friend of mine played a major role in facilitating the deal between the Golden State Warriors and CLARK Construction to work together to build the arena. Not only did he help facilitate the deal, but over the two years that the arena was being built, he also oversaw the project in a major way as well.

He tells me that the people he had invited to go to the game bailed, and he asked if I was interested in going. I said, without hesitation, ABSOLUTELY!

Then, I found out he had theater box seats! FREE full buffet. FREE cocktails. FREE tickets.

Favor also means feasting!

The game was great. The arena was beautiful. The opportunity to catch up with an old friend was priceless.

But tonight, I was reminded of a truth that God has revealed to me time and time again (and hopefully it’s a truth that you can be encouraged by as well!):

Cost can price you out, but the favor of God can get you in!

You can take that to the bank!

#719 - REFLECTIONS ON PREACHING THROUGH REVELATION

Though I have many weeks to go before I have preached through the book of Revelation in its entirety, I just finished writing my third sermon from the book, and I wanted to share some reflections on what I’ve experienced in my study and sermons thus far.

1. Because I am clear on why I’m preaching through the book, what I choose to preach from the book is much clearer to me. (This is probably true for any book of the Bible you choose to preach through, but I’ve found this particularly helpful for the monstrosity that is the book of Revelation!) Side note, my stated purpose for preaching through the book is: “Instead of being focused primarily on explaining when God is returning or how God is returning, we will study Revelation to gain a deeper understanding of the God WHO is returning.”

2. Physically re-writing what I see happening in every sentence in the text has been a great aid in preparing me for my understanding and interpretation of the text. (Once again, this would probably be helpful in preparing me to interpret any book of the Bible I preach from.) Another side note: The ESV Scripture Journal from Crossway has been extremely helpful towards this end.

3. It’s been in my study where the Spirit shows me what to say. (Again, this isn’t unique to the book of Revelation. God shows up in this way when I’m studying to preach from any book!) But, because preaching through Revelation is such a challenge and step of faith for me, I am amazed at (and thankful for) how God meets me during my study and preparation and guides me towards what he desires for me to say. I absolutely could not do this work if I did not encounter God in my study. This process is truly a miracle!

4. The congregation is hungry for the Word! Whether it’s the book (Revelation is intriguing!) or the season of life that our people are in (or a combination of the two), I have never sensed such a strong hunger and desire at THEMOVEMENT.CHURCH for the teaching of God’s Word. Preaching is so much more fun when there are eager listeners! I am so thankful.

The bottom line is this: preaching through Revelation is turning our much better than I ever thought it would! (And I’m only 3 weeks in!)

I will most definitely write more reflections on preaching through the book of Revelation as the weeks go along, but in light of the things I’ve shared above, I am so thankful for what God is doing through this teaching series. Though it hasn’t been easy, God has been faithful, and I am thankful!

#713 - 7 DAYS BACK. 9 SERMONS PREACHED!

North Hills Middle/High School Fall Retreat

Living Stones Men's Retreat

It probably isn’t ideal to come back from a sabbatical and be as busy as I have been, but is it what it is, and I wanted to take a few moments to reflect on a few thoughts I’ve had after being thrust back into preaching in this way.

#1 - GOD SUPPLIES.

God has supplied the strength equal to the task. He hasn’t supplied more. He hasn’t supplied less. He has supplied exactly what I’ve needed to minister to the people who he has called me to minister to. God has supplied the right Scripture. God has supplied the timely discernment. God has supplied the necessary courage. God has supplied the way to even physically get to the places he’s called me to preach. To preach, you need supply. I praise God that he is my Supplier!

#2 - JESUS SAVES.

Every time I extended an opportunity to those who were listening to my preaching to place their faith in the good news of Jesus Christ, people did not accept the invitation. But, one time, five students did! Jesus still saves. Jesus still reaches down, by his sovereignty, and opens up blind eyes to his love. Jesus is still drawing people to himself. My job is to preach the good news and invite people to place their faith in Jesus. It’s Jesus’ job to save. And I’m so glad he still does!

#3 - THE HOLY SPIRIT CONVICTS.

Even though I am preaching one message to scores of different people with different backgrounds, it blows my mind how the Holy Spirit can bring the message to bear on every heart in a unique way. The Holy Spirit takes the words that I use and causes them to impact hearts and minds in a supernatural way. There is no way that I can know every need of every listener present, let alone address every one of those needs in one message. But some way, somehow, the Holy Spirit does know every need, and he makes a way for those needs to be met. I’ll never understand how this works, but I am so glad I do not preach apart from the person of the Holy Spirit who convicts the hearts of my hearers.

#4 - THE GOSPEL REFRESHES.

The good news that Jesus absorbed our wrath. The good news that Jesus cleanses us of our sin. The good news that Jesus credits us with his righteousness. The good news that Jesus makes a way for us to be adopted into the family of God. This good news when received by faith is refreshing to the soul! No matter how many times someone has heard it, the gospel of Jesus Christ is always like an oasis in a desert for a weary traveler. The gospel always brings hope. The gospel always brings peace. The gospel always brings joy. The gospel always brings grace. How privileged I am that this is the news that I have been called to deliver!

There’s no doubt. I. am. exhausted. But I am also…overjoyed. God supplies. Jesus saves. The Holy Spirit convicts. The Gospel refreshes. And I get a front row seat to see it all go down!

If you are a preacher, be encouraged! This work that we’ve been called to is not in vain!

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:10-11

#712 - 6 YEARS PLANTED. 6 TOUGH LESSONS LEARNED--THE HARD WAY.

3 years I ago, on the day before we celebrated our 3-year anniversary as a church, I wrote this.

3 years later, two days after we celebrated our 6-year anniversary of our church, I thought it would be wise to write about what I’ve learned since.

LESSON #1: There will be people who leave and hate you deeply, BUT there will also be people who stay and love you dearly.

Before leaving for my sabbatical and upon my return, I experienced the deep love, respect, and appreciation that many people in the congregation have for my wife and I. It felt so good!

As hard is it is to deal with people who leave and don’t have very many positive feelings for you as they go, focus on the people who love you. Appreciate the people who love you. Continue to invest in the people who love you. Investing in haters is a waste of energy.

Key note: Some people who stay will actually hate you (why they stay I’ll never understand), but some people who leave will actually love you. I guess the bottom line is…you’ll always have to deal with BOTH!

LESSON #2: Your spouse will pay a price, BUT your spouse won’t regret the price they pay. 

They will get less of your attention. They will get less of your emotional energy. They will get less of your time. They will constantly feel like they are “sharing” you with the church.

But, if you do your best to never sacrifice your spouse on the altar of ministry, set boundaries, and are sensitive to your spouse’s needs, there will be days when your spouse says to you, “I know that this has been hard, but I’m glad we did it.” The church plant will reveal to your spouse who God is in ways that nothing else ever could. And there will be days when they recognize that truth. Those days are the best.

LESSON #3: Most of what you want to happen won’t, BUT everything God wants to happen will. 

The amount of people. The amount of money. The amount of salvations. The amount of baptisms. The amount of impact—you’re very likely always going to want more than what is. More than what God has given you.

But what I’ve come to find out after six years of leading a church plant is this: the amount of people, money, salvations, baptisms, and impact that God does give you, is exactly the amount you’re supposed to have!

LESSON #4: Money will always be an issue, BUT you can impact how big of an issue it will be. 

Specifically in regards to money, you’ll always feel like you need more. But, the level of anxiety, worry, frustration and fear that your church/team has around the issue of money will be a direct reflection of your attitude towards your financial situation. 

The more faith, hope, and confidence you have that God will financially provide for the church’s needs, the more faith, hope, and confidence your church will have that God will provide. 

The choice is yours. You can either be a “thermostat” that constantly sets the “temperature” to faith and expectancy or you will be a “thermometer” that merely reads the “temperature” of fear and worry that enters the room every time finances get tight. Be a thermostat.

LESSON #5: Volunteers will constantly be quitting, BUT volunteers are who God will consistently keep sending.

They’re “burnt out.” Their “season” of serving is over. They’re too busy. They move away. You will very rarely have a month where a volunteer doesn’t quit.

But, as you pray to the Lord of the harvest to send laborers, He will send laborers. He will send exactly who you need, at exactly the right time, every single time! If you don’t have the volunteer you want now, you very likely don’t need them now. Wait on the Lord.  

LESSON #6: Leading people to pray corporately is hard, BUT neglecting to pray corporately will always make ministry harder.

Getting a church community to remain committed to praying together is one of the hardest things you will ever attempt to do. Week after week, month after month, getting people to see the importance of gathering to pray together will feel like pushing a 200-pound boulder up a steep incline. Leading a community of faith in consistent corporate prayer is hard work. 

But, here’s why I don’t give up. Doing ministry void of an emphasis on corporate prayer is like standing on the bottom of a steep incline trying to stop a 200-pound boulder, that is coming right at you, before it runs you over—it is IMPOSSIBLE. 

NOW IT’S YOUR TURN.

If you are a church planter, part of a church planting team, or an attender of a church-planting church, what lessons have you learned about church-planting? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below! I’d like to learn from you. For real.

#710 - THE 5 THINGS I MISSED MOST ABOUT WORK WHILE NOT WORKING

Monday Night Prayer Crew!

1. PRAYING AND WORSHIPPING GOD WITH MY CHURCH FAMILY.

I missed hearing the grateful prayers of thanksgiving and praise. I missed hearing the humble prayers of confession and repentance. I missed hearing the faith-filled prayers of petition and supplication. I missed hearing all of our voices joined together singing to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. There is absolutely no substitution for gathering with the body of Christ to pray and worship him together. I can’t wait till this Sunday to do it again!

2. PREACHING THE BIBLE.

Though I am thankful for the break, I missed preaching God’s Word. I missed the preparation. I missed the insights that the Holy Spirit reveals. I missed putting together my Keynote presentations! I missed being led to say things while preaching that only the Holy Spirit of God could’ve led me to say because I had no intention of saying them. I missed calling people to respond to the preached word of God. I am absolutely humbled by God’s call on my life to proclaim his Word, and I can’t wait till this weekend when I get to do it again!

3. LEADING OUR LEADERSHIP TEAMS.

I missed leading us to praise God for his blessings. I missed leading us to trust God. I missed leading us to confront and confess sin. I missed leading us to have tough conversations. I missed leading us to come up with creative solutions to problems. I missed leading us to grow in our love for each other. I missed leading us to take bold steps of faith. I missed leading us to create awesome Sunday worship services. I missed casting vision. I missed leading the humble servants of Christ who I am privileged to serve alongside. I can’t wait till two Sundays from now when our pastoral team/wives will get together, and I get to lead them again!

4. DISCIPLING MEN.

I missed the one-on-one discipleship relationships that I’m privileged to be a part of. I missed the meals together. I missed reading the word together. I missed praying together. I missed asking the tough questions. I missed encouraging and celebrating steps of obedience. I missed applying grace and truth to sin. I missed the joy that comes from investing life into life, and I can’t wait till I return to engage in these discipleship relationships again!

5. DESIGNING GRAPHICS/MARKETING/BRANDING MATERIAL!

Though someone else should probably be doing it, I missed it! I missed finding new fonts. I missed finding just the right image and mixing it with just the right typeface to communicate just the right feeling and emotion. I missed using my creativity to serve the body of Christ! (I just finished designing the branding for our six-year anniversary, and though it’s not anything spectacular, putting it together was something I thoroughly enjoyed!)

The truth is, though I enjoyed every bit of my sabbatical, I am anxious and excited to get back to doing the things I was uniquely wired to do day in and day out! I am so blessed to have a job that requires the use of my passions and my skills. God is worthy of my praise for his kindness in calling me to and positioning me in this type of work at THEMOVEMENT.CHURCH.

NOW IT’S YOUR TURN.

Whether you have your “dream job” or not, take a moment to thank and praise God for the parts of your job that you are thankful for. Thank him for the opportunities you do have to use your unique gifts. Feel free to share them in the comments below. I’d love to know!

#709 - 71 REASONS I'M DEEPLY GRATEFUL FOR MY SABBATICAL

We LOVE the Huang’s!

Hate the Dodgers. Absolute LOVE our brother-in-law Donovan!

BANG. BANG.

1. Being given the opportunity by my church to take a 3-month sabbatical.

2. Being gifted additional financial resources from my church to enjoy during the sabbatical.

3. Resisting the temptation to be pulled back into certain ministry situations which I became aware of.

4. Watching the Pastoral Team lead the church well (especially in the adversity) in my absence.

5. Receiving encouraging emails/texts from the pastors and leaders of the church.

6. Being free (for the most part) of the emotional weight and responsibility of shepherding people’s souls.

7. Being free of the responsibility of/for the “results” and “success” of the church.

8. Having six different preachers fill our pulpit in my absence—four from our church and two church planters in Oakland.

9. Seeing giving increase in my absence!

10. Seeing Jesus build His church without me!

11. Seeing our next church plant Core Team gain momentum.

12. Receiving several future preaching invitations.

13. Enjoying many moments of feeling the tangible presence of God during private praise and worship unto him.

14. Realizing early on into the sabbatical that even a sabbatical is not “the answer.”

15. Letting go of the guilt that comes along with being blessed with a sabbatical of this nature.

16. Vegging out on multiple movies/series/documentaries on Netflix and Amazon Prime.

17. Being available to assist as an assessor for the Acts 29 US West Network.

18. Finishing the final draft of Only God.

19. Receiving endorsements for Only God from leaders I respect and admire.

20. Making tremendous progress towards the publishing of Only God.

21. Hearing that Only God will be available for pre-order in January 2020 and will be officially released in February!

22. Thinking of, creating, and designing several ebooks to be given as free pre-order bonuses for Only God.

23. Having the time to invest in working on my creative ideas, especially for the book launch.

24. Being able to sleep in…often.

25. Enjoying nice, quiet, long walks with my wife and Merritt.

26. Receiving a Playstation 4 from JR so I could play video games.

27. Playing video games for hours and hours and hours without any condemnation from my wife!

28. Enjoying many uninterrupted hours of reading multiple fiction and non-fiction books.

29. Building our friendship with the Huang’s through our trip to Disneyland.

30. Watching and investing time with the Huang kids so Chris and Cori could go on a getaway.

31. Eating Brazilian BBQ with my entire immediate family.

32. Enjoying Xiao Long Bao with the Yim’s.

33. Enjoying Korean BBQ with the Kim’s.

34. Enjoying Peruvian with the Stites.

35. Catching up with the Hung’s over Chicken and Waffles in their new home.

36. Making shoe deals at Sole Supremacy with JR and enjoying a Japanese lunch together.

37. Purchasing and selling several Air Jordans.

38. Getting approval to sell shoes on the GOAT app.

39. Enjoying yet another Warriors run in the NBA Finals.

40. Going to a Giants game with Spencer and Peyton.

41. Going to my first Giants/Dodgers game at Dodger Stadium with my siblings.

42. Re-connecting with Chris Jensen—a great leadership coach with the Table Group.

43. Rest, Relaxation, and Refreshment at the Acts 29 Global Gathering.

44. Worshipping God with 1000+ church planters from around the world.

45. Watching my wife thrive in her work for Acts 29 US West and Acts 29 Global.

46. Hearing from God, very clearly, about emphasizing His worthiness as an enduring motivation for living righteously during my next season of ministry.

47. Having Christopher and Brittany advocate for Rebekah and I to extend our trip in Italy through our wedding anniversary.

48. Attending/supporting a church service at Inspire Church.

49. Attending/supporting a church service at Bay City Church.

50. Buying our first house!

51. Receiving miraculous financial provision from God to go towards the down payment.

52. Being financially supported by friends and family members to help make the purchase of our home possible.

53. Working together with my wife to move out of our home in Oakland.

54. Receiving our full deposit back from our landlords and maintaining a relationship with them beyond the move.

55. Getting our July rent back, not having to pay rent or our mortgage in August or September!

56. Working together with my wife to move into our home in San Leandro.

57. Working together with my wife to paint the rooms in our new home.

58. Enjoying the Patty Melt at Whataburger in Texas.

59. Having a great experience at the shooting range with Rebekah’s family in Texas!

60. Traveling to several cities and making great memories in Italy with Rebekah over the course of 25 days!

61. Going on runs in 3 different cities in Italy.

62. PIZZA IN NAPLES.

63. And the many other great eating experiences we had while in Italy.

64. Enjoying many reflective conversations with my wife about our life and marriage.

65. Enjoying times of reading the Scripture and praying together with my wife.

66. Celebrating our birthdays and 15-year wedding anniversary in Italy.

67. Having the financial resources to purchase Louis Vuitton Italian leather dress shoes for myself and a purse for my wife.

68. Finding the perfect gifts in Italy to bring back to some of the important people in our lives.

69. Being in town to see my nephew get baptized.

70. Being in town to see my brother-in-law get married.

71. Seeing my wife deeply grateful for these 3 months that we’ve been able to spend together in this way.

Praise be to God for His grace and kindness in my life. “I’m so unworthy, but still you love me. Forever my heart will sing of how great you are!” To Him be all the glory, honor, and praise!

NOW IT’S YOUR TURN.

You don’t need to have been on a sabbatical to create a list like this. What are the experiences, moments, blessings, difficulties, and relationships from God that you are thankful for from the Summer of 2019? I encourage you to invest at least 30 minutes thinking though and writing them down. Come up with at least 25. Or, feel free to share a few of God’s blessings towards you in the comments below. I’d love to celebrate with you.

God is worthy of the gratitude and praise that will be stirred up within you as a result of your remembering!

Please, don’t neglect doing this. God is worthy!

#686 - PAYING DIVIDENDS

For the last two and a half years, I have worked (and prayed!) really hard for two things to become embedded into the culture of THEMOVEMENT.CHURCH:

1. 1-1 Discipleship

2. Corporate Prayer

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to see the fruit of my labor (and the labor of the team I serve alongside), in a very striking way.

I preached at a College/Career Winter Camp for a church in Vallejo. Over the course of 4 sessions, I was blessed to be able to share about 4 characteristics of the early church.

1. Reproducible Discipleship

2. Corporate Prayer

3. Repentant Confession

4. Irrational Generosity

Though, all of the sessions were helpful (at least that’s what I was told!), I was most proud of how the sessions on 1-1 discipleship and corporate prayer landed on the group’s heart.

After my message on reproducible discipleship, I was able to do a workshop on how we do 1-1 discipleship at our church. My wife and three others were able to share testimonies of how being in 1-1 discipleship relationships have positively impacted their relationship with Christ.

After we were finished, many of the campers approached their leaders about discipling them after the camp was concluded. Many of the leaders also approached campers about discipling them as well.

I am so thankful that two and a half years of work was able to result in me being able to pass on a way to 1-1 discipleship that is simple and reproducible. I’m so thankful that my time invested in the camp can go beyond my sermons and continue on in the form of discipleship relationships!

But that wasn’t all. My second session was on corporate prayer. After I concluded, we circled up to practice corporate prayer. In just a few minutes the students were able to experience for themselves how “doable” and impactful corporate prayer could be.

I received a lot of feedback on how the group wanted to take corporate prayer back to their church when the camp was over! Praise God.

Then, to cap off the three-day weekend, I returned home to attend our corporate prayer gathering on Monday night.

It was incredible.

The level of faith, desperation, hope, trust, humility, unity, and intimacy that was present in the room was other worldly! There was a palpable sense of the presence of God. There was a palpable sense of the pleasure of God for what we were doing.

Though our church is currently in a corporate fast, I’m convinced many (if not all) of us left our corporate prayer gathering full.

The work is paying off. The prayer is paying off. God is honoring how we are attempting to honor Him. God is using the healthy things in our church to be an inspiration to other churches. God is growing our commitment to and understanding of corporate prayer.

A revival is happening in our hearts. A revival is happening in our church.

I am so thankful.

To God be the glory.

#685 - JOY FATIGUE

Can there be such a thing?

So much joy and happiness that it actually “tires” you? So much of God’s favor that you’re overwhelmed? So much blessing that you actually want it to slow down a bit so you can savor it?

Though this may sound absolutely ridiculous (or for those of you who may not be going through the most joyous season of your life, it may even be offensive), for the last 4 months of 2018 and entering into 2019 this has been my reality!

In this post I want to write about some of the moments that contributed to this “joy fatigue,” not to brag or to boast, but to glorify God for His overwhelming goodness and grace in my life.

I also write down these moments so I can look back and remember all that God has done.

SEPTEMBER 2018

1. This season of “joy fatigue” actually started with one of the most unexpected, painful, personal experiences I’ve ever gone through. On September 11, while in Portland for work, I had to go to the ER for an excruciating pain in my right eye. It turned out to be a pseudomonas infection which to this day has clouded the vision in my right eye and will require a cornea replacement surgery!

2. On Sunday, September 16, our church celebrated our 5-Year Anniversary. Though I was unable to preach at the service because of the pain I was experiencing, we heard a testimony from the principal of the school our church meets at thanking us for our service to the school, we ordained a new pastor, we heard a testimony of reconciliation and healing from a couple who had experienced infidelity in their marriage, and one of the pastors I have been mentoring over the last several years preached a phenomenal message.

3. The week following our anniversary service, I preached a 4-day Middle School/High School Retreat. In spite of my pain, God carried me through, and I received a very generous honorarium.

4. I officiated a wedding for a couple in our church in Granite Bay.

5. I fellowshipped with some pastors at Pebble Beach where I was affirmed, encouraged, and prayed for.

OCTOBER 2018

1. I was blessed to enjoy a week with my family in Lake Tahoe. My eye was still hurting pretty bad, but the time with my family was refreshing.

2. A bill our church owed to the school district was miraculously reduced by close to $20,000!

3. The medications I was on began to reduce the pain in my eye dramatically.

4. I was privileged to preach at the church of another church planter in the Bay Area.

5. I officiated another wedding for a couple at our church in Burbank.

NOVEMBER 2018

1. I was given the opportunity to kick-off the Acts 29 West Lead Pastor’s Retreat with a message around Increasing Our Affections for God. Pastor Ryan Kwon gave me an introduction that blessed me deeply. I was also able to have lunch with him and receive some much needed mentoring. I was deeply affirmed in my calling and gifting during this retreat.

2. I also was able to see my wife shine as the Event Coordinator for this event. Very few things give me as deep of a joy as seeing my wife flourish in her work!

3. God blessed my wife and I with a new couple in our church who I see becoming very close friends with.

4. We had a very life-giving Thanksgiving Weekend with my childhood friend and his family.

5. We had our highest internal giving month ever and an unexpected contribution of $20,000!

DECEMBER 2018

1. I led our staff through an off-site where I discerned the greatest level of unity, love, and commitment that we have ever experienced as a team.

2. I preached a teaching series on what the Bible has to say about money that God used to bring in over $48,000 in giving above and beyond our regular tithes and offerings! We distributed $14,500 of the giving to needs in our church, and we gave the school we meet at a $12,000 check to bless them!

3. The engagement and types of prayers that were being prayed in our Monday night corporate prayer gatherings was off the charts!

4. Enjoyed a very special Christmas service together as a church family.

5. Enjoyed Christmas with my wife in Texas. Discovered the patty melt at Whataburger! Enjoyed watching my dog swim at the dog park. Ate so much good food!

JANUARY 2019

1. Finished the manuscript for my very first book (Only God.) and sent it to a publisher!

2. Have received very kind, unexpected, endorsements for book from people I deeply admire and respect.

3. Was invited to facilitate a goal-setting workshop for a business team. (Hadn’t done that in a while!)

4. Found out a pastor at another church is using the content from our December teaching series on money to teach his congregation about money.

5. Discovered that the first person to give his life to the Lord through our ministry, over five years ago, is discerning a call to go into full-time vocational ministry!

6. Was invited by another pastor in East Oakland to encourage his congregation.

7. Seeing the “worship temperature” in our Sunday services increase dramatically.

8. Seeing my joy and passion for teaching the Bible accurately increase dramatically.

9. Had an incredible membership meeting where new members were added, a new pastor was affirmed by our membership, and the level of unity and love in our membership was strongly experienced!

10. Seeing breakthrough in relationships amongst leaders in our church.

11. Found out the publisher wants to work with me to publish my book!

12. Seeing very high engagement and excitement around our 21-day corporate fast.

God’s goodness is so overwhelming!

And it doesn’t look like He is going to stop pouring out His love and favor on my life and my ministry anytime soon.

So what is the lesson to be learned?

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21)

#678 - THIS KEEPS ME HUMBLE

• God created me.

• God blessed me with good health and a fully functioning body.

• God gave me parents who introduced me to Jesus.

• God revealed Himself to me at a young age.

• God saved me.

• God stayed close to me even when I didn't want to be close to Him.

• God gifted me.

• God called me.

• God surrounded me with people who believed in me.

• God placed opportunities before me I could have never created.

• God filled me with His Holy Spirit.

• God delivered me from sin I could never deliver myself from.

But it's not just about what God has done that keeps me humble. It's also about what He continues to do!

• God authorizes whether or not I take another breath.

• God brings provision into my life.

• God speaks through me when I speak for Him.

• God makes it possible for me to think and act in a coherent way.

• God forgives me of my sin.

• God extends grace to me day after day after day. 

• God blesses the works of my hands.

• God loves me.

• God upholds me.

There is nothing, and I mean nothing about me that is self-made.

I am God-created. I am God-ordained. I am God-sustained.

TO HIM BE EVERY OUNCE OF GLORY, HONOR, AND PRAISE THAT I AM CAPABLE OF GIVING, FOREVER AND EVER, AMEN!

#676 - ANOTHER BLESSED SUNDAY

Over the church planting journey, there are many Sundays that go by where it feels like just "another Sunday." There are also some Sundays that go by where it is a "rough" Sunday. Then, there are days like today, where I am reminded that God really is involved with what we're doing!

A few highlights from today included:

• Feeling obedient to God in how He led me to prepare and preach the Word.

• Extending public gratitude and honor to the 3 full-time staff members of our church.

• Welcoming and publicly declaring our support of the Westbrook's who will be planting a church in Oakland in 2019.

• Leading a discipleship training after church with over 50 people! Seeing God move amongst our 1-1 discipleship relationships is a beauty to behold!

• Spending time with one of my disciplees after the discipleship meeting and being in awe and wonder of how God is transforming him from the inside out!

• Running 12 miles with my dad! (Nothing to do with church, but still a blessing to be able to do!)

What a day. God is gracious. And I am BLESSED!

2018 MID-YEAR REVIEW (MEMORABLE MOMENTS)

This is one of the ways I remember and reflect on the grace and goodness of God in my life! 

JANUARY

• Officiated Potts’ Wedding

• Completed Fast

• Led Devotional at Mega Metro Missions Conference

• Brought onto City to City Bay Area Church Planter Incubator Faculty

• Preached in Texas at Propel Conference

FEBRUARY

• Appointed Acts 29 Bay Area Co-Lead

• Preached Compelling Prayer Series 

MARCH

• Spoke at Main Session for MOVE Conference

• Developed friendship with Kyle/Lolly Collins

• Enjoyed trip to Savannah, GA with Rebekah

• Obedient to God in preaching SEXOLOGY Series

APRIL

• Experienced an incredible Easter Sunday

• Officiated Francisco/Harney Weddings

• Enjoyed trip to Cancun with Rebekah

• Launched calledtoplant.com 

MAY

• Led LGBTQ Workshop at Acts 29 US West Conference

• Enjoyed Acts 29 Us West Conference with 11 of our church leaders 

• Officiated Laurence/Vanessa Wedding 

• Blogged everyday for 5 months straight

JUNE

• Enjoyed Weekend to Remember with 16 couples from theMOVEMENT Church

• Officiated DeLafuente Wedding

• Preached at JFBC Sunday Services 

• Swam with Merritt in Lake Nottely in Georgia

#671 - WEEKEND TO REMEMBER (DAY 1)

On the first day of the Weekend to Remember marriage conference I am attending with several other couples from our church, my big takeaway was this:

RESPOND TO FEELINGS WITH FEELINGS AND RESPOND TO FACTS WITH FACTS.

This was a principle given during the session on communication, and I can see how this can be super helpful to how my wife and I communicate moving forward.

If she shares feelings with me, I need to share feelings with her. If she shares facts with me, I need to share facts with her. Nothing is worse than having your feelings responded to with facts, and your facts responded to with feelings!

So simple, yet so helpful!

#670 - THREE OF MY HEROMAKERS

Today I had the opportunity to hear Dave Ferguson talk about his new book Heromaker. The above pic describes the five practices of a "heromaker" outlined in his book.

I am blessed to have had three heromakers. Specifically as it relates to my journey of becoming a pastor and church planter.

Brian Cassidy. Brian Goodell. Paul McGovern.

These were three pastors that had "multiplication thinking," "permission giving," "disciple multiplying," "gift activating,", and "kingdom building" mindsets that led to them speaking into my life, affirming my gifts, and giving me opportunities to lead and minister in the local church way before I was ready or qualified. 

I would not be the pastor or leader that I am today without their contribution in my life. I would not have had the audacity to even believe I could do ministry vocationally without them. I am so thankful.

Thank you for allowing me to stand on the platforms you built. Thank you for allowing me to minister to the people you were accountable for shepherding. Thank you for mentoring me and giving me feedback when there were many other things you could have been doing.

THANK YOU FOR INVESTING YOUR LIFE INTO MINE.

Thank you for trusting God. Thank you for entrusting me.

I have invested the last 8 years of my life preaching the gospel, making disciples, and glorifying God through the local church, vocationally, in large part, because you believed I could. Thank you.

My commitment to you is to invest my life making a "hero" of others like you guys were committed to making a "hero" out of me! 

To God be the glory!

#667 - MEMORIAL DAY

The freedom to sleep in. The freedom to enjoy good food. The freedom to buy new furniture for our home. The freedom to be entertained by NBA playoff basketball. The freedom to enjoy a good movie.

These were the freedoms that myself and many others enjoyed on this Memorial Day.

Honor, respect, and gratitude are due to those who died to make these freedoms possible.

Thank You. 

#662 - NEW FRIENDS

Tonight my wife and I had the opportunity to go on a double date with a couple from our church. We went to the Museum of Ice Cream in San Francisco and had a great time. We then shared a meal together at a ramen restaurant close by and it was delicious. 

As I reflect on the events of the night, a few things comes to mind:

• One of the ongoing joys that my wife and I get to experience as a result of starting theMOVEMENT Church is meeting so many great people from various walks of life with various stories and various backgrounds. If we never took the step of faith to start the church, we would've missed out on meeting so many awesome people!

• Shared experiences (especially new ones) are strong catalysts for developing new friendships. The laughs, the memories, the conversations that take place over a meal - all go a long way in strangers becoming friends. But, this requires intentionality. This shared experience happened as a result of us reaching out for this couple to join us. Very rarely do strong friendships develop on accident. 

• Because my wife and I have developed friendships with people in our church before who have gone onto leave us (and sometimes hurt us in the process), there is a certain hesitancy about investing in new ones. I hate that hesitancy and hedging is present, but I'd be lying if I told you it wasn't. But, I can't stop trusting people with my time, effort, and emotions just because others have abused it in the past. I must continue to trust that long-lasting friendship with others is possible. Never trusting again is never a good idea. 

• God is faithful. He gives us exactly what we need, exactly when we need it. My wife and I needed a good time out with people who we could be ourselves with. And we got it. God is good.