#331 - MY PRAYER ON "THE DAY BEFORE"

With less than 12 hours to go before our third and final preview service my primary prayers are:

• God, speak through me. Give me the sensitivity and awareness to know the words that You want me to say. Give me the boldness and courage to say the words that You want me to say. Give me the wisdom and understanding to say what You want me to say with both conviction and tact. In regards to tomorrow's sermon, may I communicate Your heart with my mouth.
   

• God, allow me and our team to love people and have fun doing it! Help us to love everyone who attends out of the overflow of Your love for us. Help us to serve everyone who attends out of the overflow of how You have served us. Help us to display joy out of the overflow of the joy we have in You!
   

• God, have your way. Send the amount of people Youwant to send. Have the type of impact You want to have. Leave the type impression You want to leave. Do the work in people's hearts that You want to do. In regards to every aspect of tomorrow's service, not my will but Your will be done.

I pray all these things in Your name...

Amen.  

#330 - OUR FIRST SALVATION!

Tonight I stand in awe.

I stand in awe of God's grace and goodness in my life. I stand in awe of the things that God is allowing me to see. I stand in awe of the experiences that God is seeing fit for me to be a part of. I stand in awe of the work that God is empowering me to do.

I stand in awe of how He is leveraging my past fears, faults and failures to honor Him. I stand in awe of how He is using my gifts, talents and abilities to glorify Him. I stand in awe of how He is changing my heart, will and motivations to magnify Him.

God has a mission that He desires to accomplish in the Bay Area and He invites me to join with Him in that mission! God has a work that He desires to do in the hearts of His children and He invites me to partner with Him in that work! God has a love that He desires to reveal to those who are unaware of it and He invites me to help Him reveal that love!

So what was it, exactly, that I got to be a part of this evening that has me in awe?

I got to witness Christ draw a young man towards Him. I got to witness Christ reveal His love to a young man who was seeking to find Him. I got to witness Christ pour out His grace on a young man who desired it.

I was blessed with the joy of seeing a young man set free by the beauty of the good news! I was blessed with the pleasure of seeing a young man experience true joy upon receiving the love of Christ. I was blessed with the opportunity to see a young man trust His life into the hands of Almighty God. 

JESUS SAVES!

And it is that profound truth has me in awe.

#329 - CONNECTION IS CRITICAL

Though our church is only a few days away from our third and final "preview service," today I invested the majority of my day having one-on-one meetings with each of my staff members that had very little to do with this weekend's service.

Instead, I did my best to connect with each staff member relationally. And I'm so glad I did!

Being in tune with their joys, victories, struggles and frustrations as humans is so much more valuable to me than only being in tune with how they are feeling as employees. I want the people who I'm privileged to lead to be convinced that I care more about who they are becoming than what they are doing for the organization. I want them to feel that I care more about the quality of their life than the quality of their work.

This is very important to me.

In other organizations that I've worked for in the past, I have experienced what it was like to work with a boss who only had interest in the value that I brought to the organization and how I could increase that value. And though it is one of my primary responsibilities to do that as well, I believe that truly connecting with each employee in an authentic way is a critical component to employee effectiveness.

Without it, employees are left to feel, what I hope members of our team never feel...used.

#328 - 31 - PART ONE

One week from today I will turn 31 years old, and without a doubt the last 51 weeks of my life have been my best yet.

For the sake of reflection and appreciation to my Heavenly Father, who is the giver of every good gift, here are the top 12 highlights from my 30th year of life:

1. Celebrated 8 years of marriage to my wife Rebekah in Seattle, WA. (September 2012)

2. Ordained as a Pastor and enjoyed watching the Giants win their second World Series in three years! (October)

3. Preached Thanksgiving message at Crossroads entitled, "Realistic Expectations of God." (November)

4. Officiated my first funeral and gave a message entitled "Faith vs. Works" on the last Sunday of the year at Crossroads Church. (December)

5. Moved to Oakland with my wife to start a church from scratch. (January 2013)

6. Led, theRETREAT, a final getaway with my high school students from Exchange. (February)

7. Enjoyed a night of appreciation given by the Exchange High School Ministry. (March)

8. Started job as Lead Pastor of theMOVEMENT church. (April)

9. Completed a fundraising campaign, that brought in over $200,000, to fund the launch of our church. (May)

10. Officiated the wedding of my dear friends Spencer and Lanae Romero and led a team of 70+ volunteers to execute theMOVEMENT's first public service. (June)

11. Hosted theMOVEMENT's second public service at Mills College in Oakland. (July)

12. Privileged to be the camp speaker at Horizon's 2013 Summer Retreat. (August)

I am blessed.

And because I am currently in a season of my life where there are so many unanswered questions and uncertainties, it's refreshing to remind myself of how God has had His hand over me this past year. It's refreshing to recount all of His blessings. It's refreshing to remember how faithful God has been even when, at times, I have been unfaithful.

Reflection is refreshing, and the reality is, I don't have to wait until my birthday every year to wait to be refreshed by reflection!

I can do this any day of the year!

#327 - WORRYING IS WORTHLESS

I’m a bit worried.

There are so many unanswered questions that I have in regards to the future of our young church that I wish I had the answers to.

Who will stay connected to our church when we start meeting weekly? Will the financial resources that we are investing into our marketing pay off? Where will we meet on September 29, when our current venue is not going to be available? When will the financial provision come so that we can continue to do ministry beyond September 1? What is the one thing I need to do to ensure that our church launches in the strongest and healthiest way possible?

In summary, how is this all going to end up working out?

But as much as I’d like to dwell on these questions and know the answers, I understand that worrying about them is worthless.

Worrying doesn’t bring change.
Worrying doesn’t create results.
Worrying doesn’t solve problems.
Worrying doesn’t provide answers.

Worrying is worthless.

I can and should be at peace both now and always because:

Though I may have many unanswered questions, my life and our church is in the hands of the One who has all the answers.

#326 - REST IS REQUIRED

Over the next couple of days, I am going to discipline myself to get some much needed rest.

The last eight consecutive days have been a whirlwind...

• Sunday - Hosted a Comeback Event for theMOVEMENT.  And then took my wife to the ER at midnight and stayed till 5am.
• Monday - Prepared messages for Summer Retreat, and spent time in the hospital with my wife as she had to have an emergency gallbladder surgery and was required to stay overnight.
• Tuesday - Continued to care for my wife as she was released from hospital, and then had a staff meeting that evening.
• Wednesday - Drove to Sonora and gave first of six messages at Summer Retreat.
• Thursday - Woke up at 6am for Counselor's Meeting and then gave two more messages and taught one seminar.
• Friday - Woke up at 6am for Counselor's Meeting and then gave two more messages and two Q&A sessions.
• Saturday - Woke up at 6am for Counselor's Meeting and then gave last message. Drove home from Sonora.
• Sunday - Led a Creative Team meeting for our upcoming sermon series, led a prayer meeting and worked on marketing material.

It has been quite the week!

And though I am fulfilled, satisfied and overjoyed by the privilege that I had to minister in all the ways that I did, I must rest.

Rest is required to relax my mind.
Rest is required to renew my energy.
Rest is required to replenish my strength.

Ultimately, rest is required to remind myself that God is in control and that even though I may not be working, He is.

#325 - JESUS IS THE POINT

Today, I experienced a level of satisfaction that I'm not sure I have ever experienced.

As I walked off the platform after giving my sixth and final talk to a group of middle/high school students at their Summer Retreat, I was confident, in a way that I have never been before, that I had used my opportunity to teach and preach to point the students to Jesus.

In times past, I have preached and pointed people primarily to...

My ideas.
My agenda.
My personality.

But, over the course of the three and a half days with the students, with an intentionality that I have never employed before, I did my best to point them to...

My Savior!

And in doing so, I was filled with joy. I was overcome with contentment. I was inundated by satisfaction. I was reminded that there is nothing else I'd rather do with my life than point people to Jesus.

Jesus is the point of my study.
Jesus is the point of my teaching.
Jesus is the point of my preaching.
Jesus is the point of my preparation.

Jesus is the point, and I look forward to spending the rest of my life finding creative and compelling ways to make the point clear!

#324 - GOD'S GRACE IS SUFFICIENT

Though I may have the title of "Pastor," which brings along with it many assumptions, one thing that you can know for sure is that I am also a sinner.

I fall short of God's perfect standard each and every day.

I can be very prideful in my abilities.
I can be very lustful towards women.
I can be very self-serving in my home.
I can be very envious of others' success.
I can be very greedy in my pursuit of things.

Though I may be a "Pastor," first and foremost, I am a sinner in need of Savior.

But, I am so thankful that I do have a Savior in Jesus Christ!

I have a Savior who's mercies are new every morning.
I have a Savior who's grace covers a multitude of sins.
I have a Savior who's love for me is not behavior-based.

I have a Savior who lived the life I could never live, I have a Savior who died the death I could never die, all so that He could pay the debt that I could never pay!

By grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, in spite of my sin, I can have a relationship with Almighty God, and it is on this night that I want to rest and rejoice in the sufficiency of God's grace for me.

#323 - ENERGIZED BY EXHAUSTION

I just completed my fourth message in 24 hours at the Summer Camp I am speaking at this week, and I am exhausted. 

I am physically, mentally and spiritually drained. 

Physically drained because of the amount of energy and enthusiasm that I put into my messages. Mentally drained because of the the amount of preparation and thought that goes into crafting the messages in a creative and compelling way. And spiritually drained because of the amount of desire and hope that I have for God to move in the hearts of these students in a supernatural way. 

I am exhausted. 

But for some reason I am also very energized.

Energized by the fact that I am giving my best.
Energized by the joy of being able to use my gifts.
Energized by the potential that exists within each student.
Energized by the hope that the message of Jesus Christ provides.
Energized by the privilege of serving the Kingdom of God in this way. 

Energized by exhaustion.

Energized by the fact that, tonight, I will lay my head down knowing that I have done the best that I could to use the gifts that God has given me to point people to Jesus Christ. 

I can't wait to see how God will use this energy He's given me to be a blessing to His people tomorrow!

#322 - PREACHING MAKES ME FEEL HELPLESS

I just got through delivering my first message at a Summer Camp I'm speaking at this week, and though I feel good about how it went, I want to take a moment to share how helpless I feel, often times, when preaching.

I feel helpless in my ability to connect the truths of the ancient Scriptures to a generation that is bombarded with so many other "truths" and "paths." I feel helpless in my ability to cause an individual to make their relationship with God their number one priority. I feel helpless in my ability to help an individual see how unfulfilling the things of this world really are. I feel helpless in my ability to show an individual how fulfilling a relationship with Jesus Christ can really be. I feel helpless in my ability to transform a life by the preaching of the Word of God.

I feel helpless.

But after some thought, I realize I should feel helpless!

Only God can change a life.
Only God can draw a person towards Him.
Only God can reveal to an individual how desperately they need Him.

Only God.

So tonight I remind myself:

Though preaching may bring to light how insufficient I am, preaching also brings to light how sufficient God is. Though preaching may make me aware of how incapable I am, preaching also makes me aware of how capable God is. Though preaching may make me feel helpless in my ability, preaching also makes me feel hopeful in God's ability.

So for the sake of me being able to see God do what only God can do, I'm gonna' continue preaching!

#321 - PREPARATION PRECEDES RELAXATION

Yesterday I invested the majority of my day preparing for a series of six different messages that I have the privilege of giving, this Wednesday through Saturday, at a Summer Camp, for a group of 200+ middle school and high school students.

As the day approaches for me to leave for this camp, many questions cross my mind:

Will the students like me?
Will I make a connection with them?
Will what I preach have a long-term impact?

The thought of preaching to a bunch of students who have no idea of who you are and who are all at various stages in their relationship with God can actually be quite stressful!

But after several weeks of thinking through how I could organize the talks in such a way that would be both creative and compelling, yesterday, it all came together.

The theme of the messages is "STAND UP", the primary text I will be preaching from is the book of Daniel, and it is my hope that by the end of my final talk on Saturday morning I will have answered, for the students, the following question: "How do I stand for what I believe, in a world that doesn't believe?"

But the theme, question and answers to the question didn't just come out of nowhere!

It required much prayer to discover what direction God wanted me to go.
It required a fair amount of study to determine what the text was saying in context.
It required a significant amount of thinking to decide how to tie the six messages together.

But the price of preparation is a price worth paying. My preparation ultimately precedes my relaxation.

My preparation positions me to be able to take a deep breath prior to every message that I give and pray, "Lord, I have done all that I can do to make your message engaging, now you must do what only you can do to make your message transforming."

#320 - RESPONSIBILITY IS HEAVY

I am currently in a season of my life where I have been blessed with great opportunities.

Opportunities to lead.
Opportunities to teach.
Opportunities to create.
Opportunities to impact.
Opportunities to disciple.
Opportunities to pioneer.

I am so thankful for these many opportunities, but with these opportunities comes a responsibility that, often times, is heavy.

The responsibility of effectively leading a brand new church, that impacts a city, can be daunting. The responsibility of creatively preparing messages, that communicate the heart of God, can be overwhelming. The responsibility of wisely handling the resources, that I've been entrusted with, can be intimidating.

And most days, I feel so under-qualified, ill-prepared and un-deserving of the opportunities given and the responsibility that is attached to them.

And though the above may be true, today, I find rest in the following truth:

The same God who gives me the opportunity is with me in the responsibility.

I am not alone in my leading.
I am not alone in my teaching.
I am not alone in my discipling.
I am not alone in my preparing.
I am not alone in my pioneering.
I am not alone in my fundraising. (Thank God for that!)

I do not have to bear the burden of my responsibilities all by myself.

God is with me.

And it is because of that fact that I choose to boldly move forward with every opportunity I am given!

#319 - EXERCISE IS NECESSARY

My 31st birthday is a little over two weeks away and, as each year goes by, I am made more aware of how important it is that I maintain a certain level of physical fitness.

It's depressing to feel myself get short of breath walking up a couple flights of stairs. It's discouraging coming to the realization that certain pants that I own don't fit like they used to. It's disgusting seeing my stomach through my shirt!

And it is with all that in mind that I am also convinced that it is deceiving to think that I can continue to maintain the same unhealthy eating and inconsistent exercise habits and expect myself to get in better shape.

I need to face reality, and stop living in the memory of my past physical accomplishments.

I cannot run half-marathon/marathon distances like I used to.
I cannot play full court basketball for hours on end like I used to.
I cannot lift the amount of weight and do the amount of sets like I used to.

But I can do something about it.

I can play basketball a few times a week.
I can do a few sets of crunches every day.
I can run on the treadmill for 30 minutes every day.

These are the things that I know I can do and these are the things that I know I must do. I will not accept the fact that the days of being in my best physical shape are behind me. Instead, today I resolve to make the 31st year of my life the healthiest year of my life!

#318 - PRETENDING IS PAINFUL

Though I think it’s much safer to hide how I really feel. Though I think it’s way easier to pretend like nothing is wrong. Though I think it’s more wise to not disclose the entire truth…it’s not.

Hiding is hard.
Pretending is painful.
Non-disclosure is unfulfilling.

And I don’t want to live that way.

I want to live a life of integrity – where my character is consistent regardless of whether or not anyone is looking. I want to live a life of honesty – where everything I say is true. I want to live a life of transparency – where I place a higher value on truth-telling than I do on image-protecting.

Vices and victories.
Struggles and success.
Hesitations and happiness.
Anxieties and accomplishment.

The full range of my emotions and experiences will find their home here on this website. Because at the end of the day, I have two options: I can tell the truth or I can live a lie. And though it may be hard at times to do the former, I know for sure that I don’t want to experience the latter.

#317 - OUR MAIN THING

Because the gospel is endlessly rich, it can handle the burden of being the one “main thing” of a church. -Tim Keller

As a church planter, one of my distinct roles is to lead the formation and development of our church’s culture.

In other words, I have the responsibility of deciding the behaviors that our church will value and the behaviors that our church won’t value. It is up to me to determine the things that our church will be known for and it is up to me to make sure we avoid the things that our church won’t be known for.

And the options and labels are plenty.

Missional. Attractional. Organic. Biblical. Acts 2. Purpose-Driven. Seeker-sensitive. Spirit-filled. Discipleship-focused. Relevant. Modern. Creative. Hipster. Contemporary. Traditional. Affirming. Accepting. Open. Inviting. Multi-Cultural. Multi-Generational. Family-friendly. Cutting-edge. Etc.

But as great as many of the above labels are. I’ve settled on a different one.

Gospel-Motivated.

I am convicted and compelled to lead our church in such a way that everyprogram we run, every initiative we back and every service we provide must be a result of and a response to our faith in the glorious Good News thatJesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. (1 Timothy 1:15)

Why? Because I am convinced…

A true Gospel root bears quality Gospel fruit.

It is only by recognizing what Jesus has already done, that we can faithfully do what He wants us to do. It is only by realizing who we already are in Christ, that we can freely become more like Christ. It is only by receiving what God already achieved for us, that we can fully achieve for God.

Our motivation for loving is because, through Christ, God loved. Our motivation for giving is because, through Christ, God gave. Our motivation for sacrificing is because, through Christ, God sacrificed. Our motivation for forgiving is because, through Christ, God forgave.

It is for this reason that, as it relates to the “main thing” or foundation thattheMOVEMENT is going to be built upon, I am “betting the farm” on the depth, width and breadth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

When it comes to the gospel, I am “all-in.” And I sure hope it pays off because this gospel is not only the motivation of this church…it is the motivation of my life.

What is the “main thing” in your line of work?

#316 - 3 TRAPS I MUST AVOID

As I set out to plant the church that I believe God has called me to plant, I must be careful to avoid the following traps that I will be prone to fall into:

The Comparison Trap. I must plant the church that God has called me to plant, and I must be the pastor that God has called me to be. I can learn from and be inspired by other churches and pastors, but I cannot let what they are doing or experiencing be the ultimate measuring stick for my success. I must define my success as a church planter by how obedient I am being to what God is calling me to do.

The Church-olatry Trap. I must keep Jesus first. Jesus is my God and I shall have no other gods but Him — ministry included. The attendance, the offerings, the testimonies — these things cannot be the source of my joy. Though these things may be good and of God, the moment my source of fulfillment is found in them, they have become my idol.

The Celebrity Trap. I must focus on making Jesus the hero. I am not planting a church to make a name for myself. I am not planting a church to build a platform for my agenda. I am not planting a church to extend my kingdom. I am planting a church to extend the Kingdom of God on earth. If what I am doing in leading the church becomes a greater focus than what Christ is doing in building the church, I have failed.

What traps must you avoid in your vocation?

#315 - 3 WAYS I KNEW I WAS CALLED

Though I avoided my call to plant a church for some time, the following three incidences confirmed my call to plant and gave me the confidence I needed to pursue the call boldly:

Spouse Cooperation. My wife lovingly agreed to the call. She looked me in the eyes and stated that she knew that this was God’s call on my life and that she didn’t want to miss out on God’s great plan for our lives. That day is a day I will never forget.

Pastor Affirmation. Several pastors I respect affirmed my call. They told me that I had the gifting and making of a church planter and affirmed that I would be able to plant a successful church. They also said they would support the church plant in any way that they could. Those were very empowering days.

Team Formation. Six dear friends committed their lives to the call. When three different couples said they were all-in, when I could make them no promises at all, my heart was filled with joy. On those three separate days that each couple committed, I knew that God had already began to build His church.

What circumstances, experiences or incidences confirmed your “calling” into your vocation?

#314 - HOW TO MAKE GOD SMILE

I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving. This will please the LORD. Psalm 69:30-31 (New International Version)

Do you want to please God?
Do you want to satisfy God?
Do you want to make God smile?

If you do, then

Praise Him.

Right now.

Praise Him.

For your body…praise Him.
For your mind…praise Him.
For your senses…praise Him.

For His love…praise Him.
For His mercy…praise Him.
For His goodness…praise Him.

Praise Him for everything.

For your struggles…praise Him.
For your difficulties…praise Him.
For your frustrations…praise Him.

Why?

Because He is worthy to be praised.

In spite of your struggles, He has progressed you. Praise Him.
In spite of your frustrations, He has protected you. Praise Him.
In spite of your difficulties, He has provided for you. Praise Him.

And then take a moment to imagine the big smile that is on your Heavenly Father’s face as a result of your heartfelt praise.

#313 - YOU WERE MADE FOR THIS

I will thank the Lord at all times. My mouth will always praise him. Psalm 34:1 (God’s Word Translation)

You do it all the time.

All day. Every day.

You worship.

When you wake up…you worship.
When you drive your car…you worship.
When you eat…you worship.
When you work…you worship.
When you spend time with friends…you worship.
When you go to sleep at night…you worship.

You are wired for worship.

So what, exactly, is it that you worship?

What is it that holds your attention?
What is it that holds your affections?
What is is that holds your adoration?

This is what you worship.

What is it that most controls you?
What is it that most concerns you?
What is it that most consumes you?

Is it your job?
Is it your kids?
Is it your dream?
Is it your money?
Is it your spouse?

Is it your abilities?
Is it your opportunities?
Is it your responsibilities?

Though these things are all “good” things, a very important principle must be understood:

“Good” things become “bad” things when they become “god” things.

And the truth is,

“Good” things were never meant to become “bad” things.
“Good” things were never intended to become “god” things.
“Good” things were never designed to become the objects of your worship.

You were created to only worship The Giver of these “good” things.

God.

To worship anyone or anything else is…

Idolatry.

#312 - HOW TO MAKE YOUR STORY MATTER

Everything comes from God alone. Everything lives by his power, and everything is for his glory. Romans 11:36 (The Living Bible)

So much is being said about stories these days.

Tell a good story.
Live an exciting story.
Write a compelling story.

You are encouraged to tell a good story with:

Your words. Your pictures. Your marketing.

But for what?

To spark interest?
To increase sales?
To attract readers?
To gain customers?
To set yourself apart?

These reasons aren’t bad.

But these reasons aren’t enough.

Your story needs to be for God’s glory.

Your story must reveal the grace of Christ.
Your story must reflect the beauty of Christ.
Your story must redeem the purpose of Christ.

Your story needs to be for God’s glory.

Your story must share the love of Christ.
Your story must show the perseverance of Christ.
Your story must signify the gospel of Christ.

The bottom line is this:

If your story is not being told for God’s glory, it won’t matter in His story.