My Worship Revolution

We have time for snowball fights…since we only work one day a week anyway.

Merry Christmas.

Welcome to the new blog.

If you came straight to this post, click on home to see the front page look.

I mentioned in an earlier post that his blog tends to be somewhat a reflection of my life.
So I figured it was a good time to use a new theme as we enter into a new season of life and ministry.

Yesterday we announced at Christian Life Center that February 21st will be our last Sunday on staff there.
Why?

We’re planting a church.

Well over 5 years ago God placed a passion and call in mine and Rachel’s hearts to one day be church planters.
And this past year this passion has bubbled up within us in huge ways.

After lots of time talking with God, fasting, praying, looking at different options; we finally think we know what God is up to.
And we plan to start a new movement/faith community right here in Santa Cruz.

You will hear a whole lot about this church and our plans here at the blog.  It is going to pretty much consume us.
I’ve already got like 83 posts in  my head to share with you guys about where we’re headed and what God’s doing.

We are currently discussing partnership with a church planting organization/denomination called Converge USA (formerly Baptist General Conference).
As a final step in that process, they are sending us to a 4 day intense church planters assessment at the end of January.
Please pray right off the bat that all goes well there.

So that’s the BIG news coming out of our lives right now.
And for us, it really is big.
It means huge shifts for us including raising support, finding another job, and moving again at some point.

It feels like stepping out in faith in a big way.
There’s plenty to be nervous about.
And it means all we can do is hand it over to Jesus.
And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

We are excited to see what God has for us.
Excited to live out passionate spirituality in the context of radical community.
Excited to rethink being the church in our community.
Excited about living out the values of transformation, dependence, justice, beauty.

So we are inviting you to see it happen from square 1.
We don’t have it all figured out yet.
I didn’t wait til we had a logo and a real cool website to unveil it all at once.
This is a work in progress.
And we’re stoked to have you on the journey with us.

The blog should start looking better in time also.

And so we head into another transition in our lives.
Thanks for coming with us!

Now…here we go!!

New blog theme.
New season.
Change.

Coming tomorrow.
See ya there.

Christmas is a time where we feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
It’s a time that we cherish our families and loved ones.
It’s a time that we reflect on our year.
It’s a time that we thank God for all He’s done and is doing.
It’s a time when we are supposed to be happy that all is right with life.

And for those reasons, it’s also a time that can be the most painful time of the year for many.
For those who have lost loved ones.
For those who had a tragic year.
For those who can’t see God’s hand right now.
For those who don’t feel very thankful.
And sometimes we forget or just gloss over that for the sake of keeping it happy.

I know people who read this blog who are more aware during this time of those who are no longer around to celebrate with.
I know people who read this blog who are in uncertain seasons of major transition.
I know people who read this blog who recently miscarried a baby they were looking forward to loving.
I know people who read this blog who are in the throes of dealing with cancer in the midst of a holiday season.
I know people who read this blog who are working through clinical depression.
I know people who read this blog who don’t feel like they have a lot to celebrate.
And the season magnifies that pain they feel.

Life is pretty good for me.  Most days I am enjoying the yuletide bliss and time with my family.
But every now and then, even I have that day where things seem a lot grayer and I am more focused on the struggles than the blessings.
I think we can all relate.
We’ve all been there.

Which is why this excerpt I read yesterday resonated.
It comes out of Meditations of a Hermit.
It has some great thoughts for those of us who follow Jesus.
Maybe if you are having a tough time this season, or you know someone who is, this is something you can reflect on.
See what you think:

Let us thank God a thousand times if in the sadness which invades us it seems to us as if we are rejected by the world.  The depression and suffering, the bitterness with which we seem sometimes to be soaked to be soaked, were the lot of Our Lord on earth.  Are we not fortunate to share them?  We should pity the happy people.  Pity those whose happiness, even though it be quite legitimate and innocent, keeps them attached to the world.  God is good that he has so despoiled us of everything, that we can draw breath only by turning our heads towards him. How great is his mercy, how divine his goodness, for he has torn everything from us in order that we may be more completely his.  So the suffererers are the happy ones through the goodness of God.  In suffering I give thanks.

May these days of Christmas festival bring you, in your suffering, I do not say consolation, but the blessing God intends for you. The child Jesus will perhaps not give you any sweetness, – he reserves that for the weak ones, – but his hand will none the less be spread to bless you in these days of Christmastide, and whether you feel it or no, he will pour abundant grace into your soul.

Not much for me to add at this point.
How about you?

We head out this past Monday to cut down our Christmas tree.  Had a blast with the fam.  Got the tree home, and thought I’d share our decorating festivities with you.

So with no further ado, our tree from start to finish…in 60 seconds.

I do have to extend a quick apology to my German readers.
Apparently Sony owns that song, and they don’t want you to hear it on YouTube if you are in Germany:

Just in case you were sitting in Germany wondering why you can’t see the video.
My sincere apologies.

Last night I watched The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian for the first time.
Not sure why it took me SO long to get around to that one.  Such a good movie.
I was so captured by the story and some of the simple yet profound writing.

It made me wonder… who/where are our modern day C.S. Lewis’s?
Who is our Tolkien today, telling stories that reflect the nature of God in an engaging and powerful way?
Where is the Lewis, capturing our imaginations in telling stories of redemption and hope that reflect deep theological truths pointing us back to the greatest story of all?
We truly have the greatest story available, and it seems to me that we have lost the art of telling that story in creative and captivating ways.

Perhaps we need more pastors and leaders today who have graduated from film school rather than seminaries.
Again…just a thought.

“But God is present in reality no matter what unreality our practices and our ponderings imply.  He is forever trying to establish communication; forever aware of the wrong directions we are taking and wishing to warn us; forever offering solutions for the problems that baffle us; forever standing at the door of our loneliness, eager to bring us such comradeship as the most intelligent living mortal could not supply; forever clinging to our indifference in the hope that someday our needs, or at least our tagedies will waken us to respond to his advances.  The Real Presence is just that, real and life transforming.  Nor are the conditions for the manifestations of his splendors out of the reach of any of us!  Here they are’ otherness, openness, obedience, obsession.”

-From The Captivating Presence (via this prayer guide)

One of the books I read recently that had a big impact was Culture Making by Andy Crouch.  One of the big ideas of the book…the only way to change culture is to create new culture.

A few weeks ago I caught this story on Sunday Morning on CBS as I was on my way out the door.
Take 3 minutes to hear about how Brent Green of L.A. created culture in his neighborhood.
I found it pretty fascinating and inspiring.

Watch CBS News Videos Online

…Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.
-Jeremiah 29:7

I love the part of the video where he talks about how much he loves his city and wanted to give back.
I found that it was somewhat difficult to fully wrap my brain around the best ways to create and cultivate culture.  This is a perfect example.
A lot of churches and Christ followers like to get out and do our one day service project and go to sleep feeling good about ourselves.  But imagine if we used the talents we had on a regular basis to really bless our city with no strings attached.  Who woulda thought that a passion for plants and landscaping coupled with a little bit of vision and a heart of generosity could bring a neighborhood together and reduce crime.

So what do you have to offer to the community you live in?
How can you use your passions to start meeting your neighbors and bettering your city?
Perhaps starting there could be a lot more effective in the long run than a lot of our “outreaches” and crusades.
Just a thought.

God is most glorified in me when I am most satisfied in him…through trials.
-John Piper

That statement has had a huge impact on me over the past several years of my spiritual formation.  Fortunately I haven’t had any terribly dramatic trials to overcome in that time, but I figure they will come at some point.  That’s just kinda how life works.

For those of you who haven’t heard, there is a fairly well known pastor from Texas named Matt Chandler who is going through some serious trials as we speak.
I’ll let the video speak for itself from there.
Go check out the 5 minute video from this blog post from Matt.
It is well worth the time.

Inspiring.  And pretty amazing.
Makes you think, how will I/have I reacted when life blows up?

**Disclaimer: this post is rated PG-13 due to anatomical language.
Consider yourself disclaimed.

A few weeks ago, Elyssa was watching Caleb before church while Rachel and I had sound check/worship practice.
She later told me about a little conversation they had.
Caleb let her know he needed to go poo poo.  So she took him in the bathroom, and waited outside the stall while he did his thing.
Then he hollered out to her from the stall.  Here’s how the conversation went:

Caleb:  I can’t get my penis down!  How do I do it?
Elyssa:  Ummm, I don’t know Caleb.  I don’t have a penis. I’m a girl.
Caleb:  What?!
Elyssa:  I’m a girl Caleb.  I don’t have a penis.
Caleb:  Really?!  …Can I see?!
Elyssa:  Ummm…noooo.  You’ll need to talk to your mommy about that.

She decided that was a conversation maybe Rachel should have with him instead of her.
It scares me a little to imagine what other things are gonna come out of his mouth as he gets older.
I’m learning that life is pretty much never boring with a toddler.