the reconstruction of: [.justin]

The End.

2010-02-05T09:10:00.000-08:00

I officially won't be posting to this blog anymore.
Between Twitter, NightChurch, and Cosco Creative, I've got lots of creative processing outlets.

Also, it's 2010 and the "personal blog" was murdered back in 2008 by twitter and the explosion of facebook. Dead horses don't like to be ridden.

Continue with the Reconstruction of .justin at one of the following places:

twitter.com/puaahunter
blog.NightChurch.org
CoscoCreative.com
facebook.com/justin.holzgrove

Jax.

2009-04-03T04:48:00.000-07:00

04.03.09
4:48am
7lbs 6oz
19.75"

The one TWO one TO. [a new song]

2009-02-03T23:32:00.000-08:00

Here's a new song that I wrote with my friend, Graydon Holden, a few weeks ago. We played it at this past Sunday's NightChurch UNplugged. In fact, this is the first time we are playing it in front of people. [this, along with shoddy musicianship and mediocre talent, explain the generally average performance!]

It comes out of John the Baptizer's message to the people coming to be baptized by him in the Jordan River, just before Jesus goes public with his ministry. In Luke 3, John does a great job helping the people define what "the baptized life" looks like. Often we forget that continuing in our faith can cost so much.

He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.

"What should we do then?" the crowd asked.

John answered, "The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same."

Tax collectors also came to be baptized. "Teacher," they asked, "what should we do?"

"Don't collect any more than you are required to," he told them.

Then some soldiers asked him, "And what should we do?"
He replied, "Don't extort money and don't accuse people falsely—be content with your pay."

The song sort of takes on two of the Sacraments that Jesus commands us to celebrate: Baptism and Communion and how we are to do these IN RESPONSE to His love for us. Please enjoy.

We run
We stall
We walk
We crawl
To the water we go down
under waves of grace we drown.

The one who has TWO gives one TO
the one who has none, now he has some.
This is the Body of Christ.

This is LOVE:
that we should live our lives to bandage those who bleed
This is LOVE:
the hungry we would spend our selves to feed

This is the Body of Christ, broken and shed for our lives
This is the Body of Christ, broken so we can give our lives

Words and Music by .justin holzgrove + Graydon Holden [of Lower Lights Burning]

We'd love to hear your feedback.
Maybe someday we'll be privileged to record this with our dear friend, Mr. Bill Archer?

NightChurch.org

2008-12-11T15:40:00.000-08:00

in addition to being involved in the strategy, design, leadership, and implementation of NightChurch on a broader scale, i've been hard at work banging away on the appy-lappy late into the midnight hours these past few months. click through to these new web-places to learn more and join us in prayer and support for this wonderful new weekly worship service starting in Shelton.

[the first NightChurch is on Sunday night, January 11, 2009.]

behold, my very special creation:

this is the first "real" website i've ever created. i built it in text wrangler, teaching myself HTML and CSS along the way. my good friend, ryan, helped out with the JavaScript and server functionality. i'm really proud of it, and thankful for his help and guidance.

and here's it's beautiful sister-site:

kristi is administrating the content of the NightChurch blog. you can go there to stay up to date on the latest news, videos, stories, and announcements- created by the NightChurch family. you'll be able to get the whole inside scoop at blog.NightChurch.org. subscribe to it here.

you also may be interested in the secret love child of NightChurch.org and blog.NightChurch.org:

this little beauty is optimized for today's world of the mobile browsing: iPhone, Crackberry, Android, etc.

working in this new medium of web-design for a church has been an enjoyable learning experience. it's been a real adventure in reinventing the function of the "church website" into the "church concierge". when properly implemented by capable people, technology can be a wonderful tool to connecting people together. we've still got a long ways to go, but it's been a great start. i hope our web presence leads to people feeling better connected to NightChurch, and in turn, better connected to JESUS.

after all, it's all about Jesus.

Small Town Charm - FINDER

2008-11-22T21:38:00.000-08:00

Small Town Charm is releasing another song.

it's called "FINDER", and is inspired by Luke 15 and Apple Computer's "Finder" application.
i like it.

to read some background on the song, check out these posts:

Thursday, January 31, 2008 "GOD = The Finder"

Saturday, March 22, 2008 "The Finder GOD: a Lenten article for The Journal"

you can listen to it streaming via YouTube here:

or you can download it for free here:
[right-click / save target as]

Small Town Charm - FINDER

Music: Small Town Charm
Lyrics: .justin holzgrove
Vocals + Guitars: .justin holzgrove
bass: the Cleaver
drums: the Hesher
engineering, recording, mixing: mr. bill archer

enjoy!

for more music by my band, try these songs too:
a simple song
smile.

---
additionally, you can download the song by clicking on the image that looks like this in the right column:

Small Town Charm - a simple song.

2008-11-12T12:03:00.000-08:00

a few friends and i recorded a song that we play on a regular basis.
it's a cover of a classic Vineyard musical corporate worship song from 1991 by Craig Musseau. we drop-kicked his low-and-slow arrangement and took it up a notch. we call the result: "a simple song."

take a listen:

you can also choose to download it:
[right click - save target as]

Small Town Charm - a simple song.

Music: Small Town Charm
Lyrics: Craig Musseau / c.1991 Mercy / Vineyard Publishing
Vocals + Guitars: .justin holzgrove
bass: the Cleaver
drums: the Hesher
engineering, recording, mixing: mr. bill archer

enjoy!

[if you're interested in other songs we've done, check out: smile. and FINDER.]

---
also, you can click to download or listen to the song at any time from the button in the right column that looks like this:

III

2008-09-09T14:58:00.000-07:00

weeding with gas.

2008-09-07T20:39:00.000-07:00

i needed to take care of the weeds growing in our fire pit since we haven't been diligent with enjoying campfires this summer. i thought i would get done much faster with some gasoline and some matches.
i was right.

[much like the last time we used gas to light a fire and videotaped it, i guarantee there is no swearing in this video.]

matthew 13:24-31
1. the farmer is sovereign, in control, and he's not worried.
2. the harvest is still taken into the barn.

i feel much better now.

loving people like JESUS [sermon audio]

2008-09-05T20:47:00.000-07:00

last sunday at FBC BIG Church, i preached a sermon about loving people like JESUS would in real day-to-day life. it was an answer to a question a student had submitted during our SUMMER YOUth CHURCH series: "What is the Truth?"

some of my blog readers weren't able to be there and asked about hearing it.

you can click the link below to open an mp3 of the message in your browser, or you can right click and choose "save as" to download it and put it on your iPod/mp3 player/CD/whathaveyou.

.justin holzgrove / 08.31.08 / "What does it mean to love people like Jesus would? In real, day-to-day life?"

if you're looking for a real practical way to do that, you can join us at St. David's Parish Hall on the corner of 3rd & Cedar in downtown Shelton tomorrow afternoon at 4:00p to help serve at Shelton Community Dinner, as we do on the first Saturday of every month.

i had a lot of fun preparing and presenting this message.

let me know what you think.

an intervention.

2008-09-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

MeetUp just created this video and website to facilitate interventions to one of today's worst addictions:

"Screen Addiction".

it's clay-mation at it's best.
Rudolph's got nothing on this:

check out the website here.
it's very well done.
and funny too.

and wifey, please don't send me one.
i know the magnitude of my problem...

[THOUGHT#2: how can NightChurch use MeetUp etc. to market well to our audience?]

"how are you supposed to react?"

2008-09-03T17:55:00.000-07:00

this is the message i had originally planed to deliver when i preached at FBC BIG Church on August 31 of this year, but i was encouraged to pick another question. so i did, you can find that here. but the truth is, the student who asked this question still deserves an answer. so you will find the content of the message i wrote below. to the student who asked the question: thank you for seeking out answers and clarification on a topic that is tragically so often avoided in church circles. may GOD give you courage and compassion as you move forward in this relationship.

...

OK, this questions could be a monster of an issue, but we're going to trust that Scripture is absolutely true, clear, and relevant to our lives today as we dive in. are you ready?

I know homosexuality is against the bible but I don't get it. How are you supposed to react when a girl tells you they're going out with another girl or vice versa? What if the person has said they're a Christian? I just am confused about what to say in a situation like that.

Let's take it piece by piece, shall we?

Homosexuality is a sin of sexual immorality. Sexual immorality is a "catch all" term for the perversion of the gift of sex outside of the marriage covenant between one man and one woman, as set up by GOD. This includes: fornication, adultery, lust, homosexual acts, masturbation, porn, "friends with benefits", sex before marriage, etc.

Turn to Galatians 5:19-21:

The acts of sinful nature are obvious: SEXUAL IMMORALITY, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will NOT inherit the Kingdom of GOD.

So there it is: sexual immorality [including homosexuality] is right there, at the top of the list of acts of sinful nature which are obvious. But it is in there amongst all those other sins, isn't it? It's there amongst sins that you and I "good/clean people" all have in our lives [selfish ambition, envy]. Homosexuality is not a sin on it's own, unique from others. It is an "act of sin", which is a fruit of all of our "sinful natures". however, not all people have homosexual-branded or “same-sex” temptations, and if you don't, it's really easy to stand in condemnation and judgment against those that do. it's easy to create an unhealthy "us" vs. "them" mentality. we need to be careful that we don't respond in either “sinful judgment” or “self-righteous pity” to those that battle with this fruit of their sin nature, but rather take a humble look at the sin in our lives as well, and the need for us all to repent of sin and worship our savior, JESUS.

Let's pause for a moment for a quick look at harmartiology, which is a fancy word for the "theology of sin". It's a component to basic theology that reveals to us the heart condition that we all suffer in our sinful state.

This sin nature comes to us through two avenues:

INHERITED SIN and IMPUTED SIN.

"INHERITED SIN" is simply "the sinful state into which all people are born". it's also called our "sin nature" and "original sin", as passed down from Adam to his sons, and his sons, to their sons, and from our fathers to us. this is a very simple way to describe how each of us are influenced and drawn into doing actions that are against the desires of GOD. some theologies refer to this as "total depravity". not that we are as "BAD" as we can be, but that we are as "BAD OFF" as we can be. We must continually reject the desires of our flesh through inherited sin.

"IMPUTED SIN" is our sin nature that comes to us through adam's choice to disobey GOD in the story of the Garden of Eden [as we were all "present" with him in seed]. Romans 5:18-19 explains it in comparison to Jesus' act of redemption: "just as the result of one trespass [adam's sin] was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness [jesus' sacrifice] was justification that brings life for all men. For just as through the disobedience of the one man [adam] were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man [JESUS] many were made righteous!" theologically, there have been three “imputations” of sin: first, Adam’s sin to us/all mankind [Rom 5]. Then, as Paul puts it in 2 Cor 5:21: “He who knew no sin BECAME SIN [2nd imputation] on our behalf so that WE MAY BECOME THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD [3rd imputation]”. ALL of our sin is imputed to Christ on the cross as he becomes our perfect sacrifice. Then, [as Martin Luther calls it] in the Great Exchange, Christ’s righteousness is imputed to us.

Therefore, all who have lived [save jesus] suffer from both IMPUTED and INHERITED sin… WE ARE ALL SINNERS! It's through Jesus' act of righteous obedience that our sin nature is COVERED OVER and our sins are forgiven. In worship to Him and obedience to His Word, we must continually repent of our acts of sin and reject the desires of the flesh.

turn to 1 Corinthians 6:9-11:

Do you not know that the wicked will NOT inherit the Kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters, nor male prostitutes, nor homosexual offenders [THERE IT IS RIGHT THERE, BUT LOOK WHAT IT'S IN THE MIDST OF!] nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the Kingdom of God. And that is what SOME OF YOU WERE!!! BUT YOU WERE WASHED, YOU WERE SANCTIFIED, YOU WERE JUSTIFIED in the name of the LORD Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our GOD.

It’s only by the GRACE of GOD that we are NOT the very people we often try to condemn!!!

JI Packer, one of today's great authors, pastors and theologians refers to Homosexuality as a "heretical sin". He explains that because of our sin nature, as Christians, we are tempted to sin in many ways, including homosexuality. But because GOD saved us, through the atonement of Jesus and the sanctification of the Holy Spirit, we are to practice ongoing and continual repentance for sin and rejection of sinful desires. He refers to homosexuality, in addition to all sins, as "heretical" because it denies a fundamental aspect of the gospel: THE NEED FOR REPENTANCE. Whenever sin is tolerated, reasoned into “a lifestyle” and not repented of or people aren't encouraged to repent of sin, it is heresy. Furthermore, whenever someone is practicing sin and no one else calls them to repentance, it puts souls at danger. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 is very clear that the people in the list [NONREPENTANT homosexual offenders, as well as thieves, swindlers, etc.] will NOT inherit the Kingdom of GOD.

Romans 1:21-32 gives us another glimpse into this issue. In it, we see that homosexuality [amongst other sin] is a fruit that happens when we exchange the truth of GOD for a lie and no longer give him the credit he's due, nor trust his redemption in our life.

For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened… therefore, God gave them over in their sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator… because of this, GOD gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion… [I wonder if you and I exhibit qualities portrayed on this list?] they have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

It sounds to me like the student who submitted the question's friend is in this category. If they are a Christian, they KNOW God's righteous decree that this is sin. They also would know Him as Creator, but instead, they've chosen NOT to glorify him or give thanks to Him for his forgiveness of sin, and out of that choice have the fruits of sin in their life as listed above. But really, when any of us have these sins that mar our lives, aren't we also not glorifying, worshiping, and thanking him as we should?

[AT THIS POINT A DRAMA, portraying john 8:1-11 [woman caught in adultery], INTERRUPTS MY MESSAGE TO CONCLUDE US WITH AN APPLICATION POINT]

***on the way into church, there will be buckets full of small river rocks [4" – 5” in diameter] with a sign that says "take one, you might need it!" ***

3 or 4 [student] actors come barging in each dragging with them a red handed "Guilty offender" of a sexual sin, Hetero/Homo/Bi/Trans-included.

I say, "whoa! Whoa! What's going on here?"

They take their turns saying:

"this woman was caught in the act of adultery!"

"this guy was caught looking at porn on the computer!"

"this guy is gay [or “a homosexual offender”]!"

“this couple was ‘fooling around’ before they were married”!

So what do you suggest we do with them?

"well, we can stone them!" "yeah! They deserve it!"

[to the audience]

How about you? What will you do?

Will you throw your stone at them? Will you look down your noses at them? Will you act like you're better than them? Will you show off all the religious things you've done so as to keep the spotlight off yourself and onto them? Will you roll your eyes and say it'd take a miracle to save them? Will you tell others they've really gone off them deep end this time? Will you complain to others about how unruly they are? Will you judge them?

Huh? What will you do?
How will you respond?
Will you condemn them?

I won't either.

[to the guilty parties, and to the student's friend:]
But I will tell you that what you are doing is sin. Jesus died to offer you forgiveness for that sin. And he's given you the Holy Spirit to empower you to reject your sinful desires. GO NOW AND LEAVE YOUR LIFE OF SIN.

i've got her covered.

2008-09-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

today is kristi's birthday. she's been wanting a covered patio for her and the boys to go outside and sit under even when the weather turns sour, so i enlisted the help of her mother-in-law as the bank, her grandpa as my assistance, and i took up the role of chief "try it til it works" builder. we also got the counsel of mr. and mr. parsons. we built it over the course of a little over two days and i'm here to tell you it works and it turned out just as planned. it stands over 10' in the air and covers an area of our deck measuring 14' x 8'. what a fun project. thanks for all the help!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WIFEY!

What does it mean to love people like Jesus would? In real, day-to-day life?

2008-08-31T10:30:00.000-07:00

here is my thought flow process to answer the following question in preparation for preaching in BIG Church at Shelton FBC. i delivered this message this morning. [i was asked not to present the original message i had prepared to deliver even though it was validated as a great message and very biblical, practical and full of sound theology - just not "the right time".] this is not meant to be a complete essay, nor was it presented word-for-word, but rather as a tool that i used in my prep time.

...

What does it mean to love people like Jesus would? In real, day-to-day life?

Good Morning, I'm .justin, a youth minister here at FBC. This morning, you're going to get a glimpse into what we've been up to in YOUth Ministry lately.
This summer, we've been doing a series called "What is the TRUTH?" where students have had the opportunity to submit questions anonymously that they may have in several different ways: online at 1bCYOUth.org, via TXT message, or by putting them in "the TRUTH? box". Then, I've chosen a question each week and looked at what Scripture says about each topic. I've also done extensive research and shared some of my personal experiences with the topics that were submitted. In your bulletin, you’ll see a list of the questions that we’ve answered so far. If you’re interested in reading my responses, just write it on the comment card and I’ll be sure to get you a copy of my talk notes. This morning, we're going to answer one of the questions the students have submitted, but first, let me pray.

The question for this morning is a really simple one and I love the student’s heart for asking it:

What does it mean to love people like Jesus would? In real, day-to-day life?

We all could be asking that question more, couldn’t we?

In order to answer it, I’d like to take a look at a couple things that Jesus DID to show his love for people.

Turn with me in your Bibles to Matthew 9:9-13

9 As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him.
10 Later, Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. 11 But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum?”
[NOTICE WHO HAD OFFENSE HERE- JESUS? Or the “religious people”?]

12 When Jesus heard this, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” 13 Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”

The first step in loving people like Jesus would is to determine who that is. No one argues that it’s easy to love the people who are just like you. The people that dress like you, talk like you, vote like you, read books like you, get paid like you… but Jesus shows us something more. His lifestyle includes people that are considered “unclean” and “reputable sinners”. He is so loved by non-believers that he is invited to their houses and parties.

Here’s a question:
do you have any REAL friends that aren’t Christians? When was the last time you were invited to a non-christian’s home to hang out or eat dinner? If so, what did you chose to do?

[insert INVITE TO FBC CHURCH IN THE PARK here.]

Did you notice that in the story, it was the religious leaders that had a problem with Jesus’s actions… UMMM. HE’S JESUS!!! They prided themselves on knowing Scripture really well, so it was funny when Jesus told them to go away and learn the REAL meaning of this well-known passage found in Hosea 6:6:

“I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.”

What a rude awakening for them that must have been! Jesus tells them that he has not come for those that THINK they are righteous, but instead those that KNOW they are sinners!

And that’s step 2: know your place! The religious leaders THOUGHT they knew their place: to not associate with “sinners”, but instead were proven drastically wrong! Instead, Jesus showed them that they need to KNOW that they are sinners too! This then would make it easy for them to love other sinners and to show them mercy!

This is a tough one to get our heads around and hands in action to doing, but it’s absolutely crucial in loving people like Jesus in practical day-to-day life!

1. hang out with people who aren’t “like you”!
2. know you’re place: a sinner in need of GOD’S MERCY… this produces HUMILITY!

Next, let’s look at Matthew 14.

Jesus has just gotten news that his cousin and friend, John the Baptizer was unjustly murdered by King Herod, so he went away in a boat by himself to grieve and be alone. But because of his popularity among the people [REMEMBER: He spends time with them and shows them mercy!!!], the people ran along the water and followed him so that when he landed to shore there was already a great number of people waiting there to hear him teach and to be healed by him.

Isn’t that the way life sometimes is? All you need is to be alone, to have some time to yourself. You need a break. Things at work are crazy busy and on the verge of going bad. Your boss will not stop riding your tail. Things at school or with your friends are so dysfunctional. Your family seems shattered and broken, and all you need is to take a breather, find some rest, take time to lace your gloves back up, then headed back into the battle? It was that way for Jesus too.

But here’s how he loved people. practically. In real, day-to-day life:

14 Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.
15 That evening the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves.”
16 But Jesus said, “That isn’t necessary—you feed them.”
17 “But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish!” they answered.
18 “Bring them here,” he said. 19 Then he told the people to sit down on the grass. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he gave the bread to the disciples, who distributed it to the people. 20 They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftovers. 21 About 5,000 men were fed that day, in addition to all the women and children!

Did you notice the disciple’s response? Isn’t it so much like our own?
Send them away – let them fend for themselves!
But Jesus, in love and overflowing compassion, in the midst of tough situations and a draining day of ministry, said that they should stay. He told his followers:
YOU WILL FEED THEM!

And that’s just what we are to do: meet the needs of our community.

You live your life at work, at home, with friends, around Shelton. You see needs all around. You hear about them everywhere. What do we do about them? Like the disciples, do we leave people to fend for themselves? Do we leave it up to some one else to figure it out?

This past Monday, I stopped at Chevron to pick up a sack of Sour Balls candy for the Chargers v. Seahawks game [what a sad loss, huh?], and the cashier [a young woman] commented on my "GOD uses a Mac" t-shirt that my wife bought me for Christmas a few years ago. She said I must work at a computer store I said, actually I work at a church, but I really love Apple computers. She asked which one. I told her I'm a youth minister at first baptist downtown. She asked which one that was. I told her it was the big white one across from the civic center. Then she told me one of the most incredible [and refreshing] things I've heard all week.

A few years ago, she came in for a food voucher for her and her daughter. They were at the end of their rope. The church gave her a $75 food voucher for Fred Meyer. This year she is completing her Bachelor of Arts and graduating from college. You could tell in her face she was genuinely thankful and that was one of the events that had changed her life.

Through the ministry of our Church’s food voucher program, we/YOU have made a difference in countless lives around our community. Pam B., Natalie, Lauree, Pam K., and Ana all spend much time during their day doling out mercy and compassion to people who come through the doors of our church needing help and assistance. And because of their attitudes and your giving, we’re able to do that.

On the first Saturday of every month [including next Saturday] a handful of people from our congregation help to prepare and serve a meal to those that are hungry at Shelton Community Dinners over at St. David’s Parish Hall. The YOUth have been doing this for a year now, and we’re not stopping!

There are many [CHRISTIAN] ministries around Shelton that provide meals, clothes, showers, and beds to those in need.

This past weekend, through the work of the Boaz Project we gave away 134+ backpacks to school kids in need at the Festival of Hope. In early June, tons of people from our church got together to pick up garbage and pray for Shelton. Each Christmas we participate in Operation Christmas Child’s Shoebox giveaway and bless kids around the world and we do the blessing tree to bring Christmas and celebration to families right here in Shelton.

And these are just ONE WAY that we are able to love people like Jesus did, practically, in day-to-day life.

BUT giving tithes and offerings to Church and volunteering isn’t the ONLY way to meet the needs of our community! I would argue that an even more effective way is to walk through life with your eyes open, looking for the needs of not only the lowest on the social ladder [homeless], but also those that are in your neighborhood – THEN MEETING THEM! It’s mowing lawns of your elderly neighbor. It’s making dinner for the mom with a whole gaggle of kids, it’s helping your neighbor on his weekend construction project. It’s inviting your friends and neighbors over for dinner or a BBQ. It’s paying for the meal of the person behind you in the drive-thru. It’s creative and it’s adventurous and it’s bold and it takes courage! It’s FUN!

And like Jesus’ loaves in the story, give of yourself to meet the needs of others FIRST, and he’ll take care of you with baskets left over!

So loving people practically, in day-to-day life like Jesus is:

1. hang out with people who aren’t “like you”!
2. know you’re place: a sinner in need of GOD’S MERCY… this produces HUMILITY!
3. Meeting the Needs of your Community

Turn with me to John 8:4-11, as we look at how our attitudes can help to love people like Jesus. In this story, we see a woman who was caught in the act of adultery. Obviously guilty. We know people like that don’t we? The “obviously guilty”. Maybe it’s adultery. Maybe it’s lying. Maybe it’s manipulation. Maybe it’s theft. Maybe it’s not being a loving dad. Point is: they’re guilty.

4 “Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?”
[ 6 They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger.] 7 They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” 8 Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust.
9 When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. 10 Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”
11 “No, Lord,” she said.
And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”

How do we handle the “OBVIOUSLY GUILTY”? in this story, Jesus reminds us of the truth, which points us back to one of our first points: the one who has never sinned may cast the first stone. Now, he doesn’t invalidate the fact that the woman sinned. Adultery is horrible, and should never go overlooked. However, it was HOW Jesus handled it that made all the difference in showing her his love. Practically. He said, “I DON’T CONDEMN YOU.”

It’s easy for us to condemn the obviously guilty, isn’t it? Especially when everyone else in the crowd has rocks too. Hurling insults. Speaking judgment on them. projecting their own guilt of their own sins onto the one who is “obviously guilty”. But Jesus didn’t get into that. In fact, he protected the “obviously guilty” from harm. But he didn’t leave it there as overlooked, he told the woman to repent. To GO AND SIN NO MORE. He knew that his next act of love would be one that covers over her sin.

Our final story of the morning is the greatest example of the practical love of Jesus: His unjust death on the cross.

2 Corinthians 5:21, tells it like this:

Jesus Christ, who never sinned, became sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of GOD.

Jesus, GOD-incarnate entered into human history, to live and have dinner and party with and amongst us sinners. He came to love us by showing mercy, meeting our needs, and pointing us to repent of sin. Then, after teaching and living as an example of the Father, He was murdered for the Truth: that He is GOD. And as He died, all of the sins of the world, including mine, yours, and the “obviously guilty” were transferred to Him. And in doing so, he pays the penalty of our actions, our thoughts, our words, and our motives. But he didn’t stay dead. After three days in the grave, he rose to new life, conquering Satan, sin and death. And in doing so, transfers to us the holy spirit which sanctifies us, makes us clean, that we may become the righteousness of GOD. Martin Luther calls this “the Great Exchange”: our sin onto Christ for His Righteousness.

It’s the greatest act of practical love that Jesus has shown. And it’s one that we can’t necessarily duplicate. But it is one that we must receive. It’s one that must be the basis for which we do all other acts of love for our neighbor. Earlier in this same chapter of 2 Corinthians 5[:14], Paul writes that it is the “love of Christ that COMPELS us” to keep on keeping on in this world- to continue to love people practically, in day-to-day life.

But here's the thing... i'm going to be really honest with you for a little minute. although Kristi and i know these things that i'm teaching about... we really suck at doing them. we feel so busy and spun up with church meetings, small groups, committees, service projects, etc. that when we have a spare moment, all we need to do is rest! we want to be committed to building margin in our life so that we can give of our time to those that Jesus would. we're not doing this really well, but we want to...

that's why I’m so proud of our students for asking this question. They want to know how so they can do it. The love of Christ is urging them on. Will you join us?

I’d like us to close in a time of reflection. I’m going to play a song that you can listen to by David Crowder called “surely we can change”. It’s got great words along this theme, but mostly, I’d like you to reflect on the practical ways that GOD is laying on your heart to love specific people like Jesus does, in practical day-to-day life. Then don’t delay in executing that in the love of Christ.

Surely We Can Change

And the problem is this
We were bought with a kiss
But the cheek still turned
Even when it wasn't hit

And I don't know
What to do with a love like that
And I don't know
How to be a love like that

When all the love in the world
Is right here among us
And hatred too
And so we must choose
What our hands will do

Where there is pain
Let there be grace
Where there is suffering
Bring serenity
For those afraid
Help them be brave
Where there is misery
Bring expectancy

And surely we can change
Surely we can change
Something

And the problem it seems
Is with you and me
Not the Love who came
To repair everything

Where there is pain
Let us bring grace
Where there is suffering
Bring serenity
For those afraid
Let us be brave
Where there is misery
Let us bring them relief

And surely we can change
Surely we can change
Oh surely we can change
Something

singing a song by STYX.

2008-08-28T15:37:00.000-07:00

when we were in the San Juan Islands this past weekend, we took a day trip to Friday Harbor. one of the highlights was walking the docks, checking out all the boats and daydreaming of sailing off into the sunset towards uninhabited islands with my family...

and then i came across the coolest boat i've ever seen.

i like that it's not a sailboat, and i like that it's unique looking.
i like that it's not large. i like that it's super simple.
but i have no idea what it's called or any technical terms to describe it.
seriously, this boat has gotten into my soul... i want to learn more!

maybe one of my nautically-inclined readers could help me to identify it?

[i'm looking at you, COAST-GUARD-KENAN!]

isn't she classy?

Bible Malarky!!!

2008-08-27T17:55:00.000-07:00

so, tonight is our very last SUMMER YOUth Church. we're taking a break next week when the girls will have a sneak peek into how AWESOME C3 is looking with the "Sherbert Social" - a mother/daughter girlie night. then we'll be back on September 10 for "regular" YOUth Church in C3. this whole year we'll be tracking Jesus through the Gospel of Luke.

but tonight, we're going to have a little lite-hearted fun!

this past weekend on a youth retreat to Shaw Island [which ben and jessica both wrote detailed reviews about], we played a game called Malarky, which reminded me of some of my youth group days with Thomas, and Justin and Ri-Choade.
tonight at YOUth Church we're playing a little spin on this game.
introducing:

BIBLE MALARKY!!!

students will answer the questions they submitted and try to convince the "judging" team that there answer is right... even though they'll be bluffing! i've included some Bible Verses for bonus points! it's sure to be a great time... a testament to how much i've enjoyed having students at our house this summer.

QUESTION 1:
Why did AJ shave off his awesome beard and mustache? [Judges 13-16 / 16:15-21]

QUESTION 2:
Why do people wear Hawaiian shirts to church so often? [Isaiah 42:12 / I Kings 6:29-35]

QUESTION 3:
Why is the ocean wet? [Matthew 14:22-36]

QUESTION 4:
Why is the sky blue? [Exodus 9:13-35]

QUESTION 5:
What did Noah [as in & the Ark] do with all that animal poop? [Mark 7:14-15]

QUESTION 6:
Will I ever get married? [1 Corinthians 7:1-4]

QUESTION 7:
Is the Book of Mormon a good bedtime story? [Proverbs 6:6-11 / Proverbs 20:13]

QUESTION 8:
What is the meaning of life? [2 Kings 2:23-25]

QUESTION 9:
If there were only 2 people in the world [Adam & Eve] how did the world get populated? [Genesis 30:37-39]

QUESTION 10:
Did snakes ever have legs? [Genesis 3:10-15]

sometimes we never know.

2008-08-25T17:57:00.001-07:00

when i stopped at Chevron to pick up my sack of Sour Balls for tonight's Seahawks game, the cashier [a young woman] commented on my "GOD uses a Mac" t-shirt that my wife bought me for Christmas a few years ago. she said i must work at a computer store. i said, actually i work at a church, but i really love apple computers.
she asked which one. i told her i'm a youth minister at first baptist downtown.
she asked which one that was. i told her it was the one across from the civic center.
then she told me one of the most incredible [and refreshing] things i've heard all week.

a few years ago, she came in for a food voucher for her and her daughter. they were at the end of their rope. the church gave her a $75 food voucher for Fred Meyer. this year she is completing her Bachelor of Arts and graduating from college. you could tell in her face she was genuinely thankful and that was one of the events that has changed her life.

i've never seen her in church, and i'm there a lot, but as a i left the store and got back into my car to drive home, i was a little bit weepy [i've been pretty tender lately] in thanksgiving to the LORD for The Church, His Bride that HE setup here on this earth to continue the mission of Jesus of meeting the needs of our community.

i want to see His Kingdom expanded here in Shelton.

Thank You Jesus.

the Healer Fraud.

2008-08-21T09:08:00.000-07:00

i'm pretty skeptical of bandwagon Christian things.
especially when there's lots of crying involved.

so when i saw this video a few months ago and heard people going crazy over the new Hillsong Australia song "Healer", i had my doubts.

but because i'm usually marked as an insensitive jerk when i open my mouth about these things, i kept it under wraps and didn't write about it. in fact, i had written a post, but then deleted as i exercised what little discernment i do have.

since the official YouTube video i'm referring to has been taken down, here's the background on the story:

a worship leader/songwriter/pastor named Michael Guglielmucci from Australia wrote a song called "healer" because he had terminal cancer. this song has gone on to give hope to thousands upon thousands of christians and with the help of the internet, this song has spread to churches across the world and has become a regular staple in lots of worship leader's repertoires. he's also collected money from people all over the world touched by his song. the video on YouTube that made this song infamous is of the author Michael Guglielmucci singing this song alongside of Darlene Zschech at a Hillsong Service. Michael's got oxygen tubes coming out of his nose, he's crying and has agony on his face, Darelene is crying and wailing, the people in the audience are crying, it sounds like people are getting electrocuted all over the sanctuary.

EXCEPT HE DOESN'T HAVE A TERMINAL DISEASE. HE IS NOT SICK [physically].

"Mr Guglielmucci confessed his two-year fraudulent cancer battle at a national executive meeting of the Australian Christian Churches on Saturday, and was stripped of his credentials."

the entire thing was a big fat scam.
not even his wife and family knew what was going on.
news broke last night from Hillsong Church, who were duped in this as well, and was picked up by a local newspaper.
you can read the article here, and watch the video.
[it has been taken off of YouTube.]

in a second [unavailable] video, during an interview for the song, Michael tells how
the news from the hospital that he had "quite an aggressive form of cancer" inspired his song. "I just went home. I knew I had to go home and needed to get alone with God," he says in the video.

"I walked into my studio at home and for some reason. . . I sat at a piano and began to worship.

"I sang that song from start to finish. I was crying. I just realised that God had given me an incredible gift and I realise that song was going to be my strength."

[SOURCE: Australian newspaper "the Advertiser". i also watched the video when it first came out.]

this is pretty low.

but on the other hand [and it's a VERY SMALL other hand]:
could this have just been absolute marketing genius?
taking a note from reality tv, acting a part in a commercial and setting up a viral video to sell songs?

do the words of the song when sung genuinely, not continue to ring out true?

"i believe you're my healer... nothing is impossible... etc."

terminal illness or sinful arrogance and deception, the Father IS our healer! He is more than enough to redeem the brokenness and bring forgiveness and restoration and renewal in our lives, is he not?

the scripture he read before he started singing is no less true of Jesus:

He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
Like one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted.

But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
[Isaiah 53:2-5]

while i'm sure i won't be singing this song congregationally anytime soon, the words are true. true for people who are terminally ill, and true for people who fake terminal illness.

thank you Jesus.

[HT: MMI]

UPDATE:

what’s more important: work & school or reading the Bible & time with GOD?

2008-08-20T17:55:00.000-07:00

here is my thought flow process to answer the following question in preparation for SUMMER YOUth Church. it's not meant to be a complete essay, nor was it presented word-for-word, but rather as a tool that i used in my prep time.

...

what’s more important:
work and school or reading the Bible and time with GOD?

My response:
love and marriage, love and marriage
goes together like a horse and carriage
this, I tell you, brother
you can’t have one without the other!

Like so many things in the Christian Life, the answer is “both”.

our purpose on this earth is to be “Christ’s Ambassadors”.
An Ambassador is “the highest-ranking diplomat that represents their country”.
We are the highest-ranking/equally important people to represent Jesus’ Kingdom to our slice of the world!

Look at this Scripture- it’s such GOOD NEWS!!!:

[2 Cor 5:17-21]
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

If we are to be Christ’s Ambassadors as “missionaries” or representatives to our culture and the UNchurched, then work and school are super important… because that’s where the people that need Jesus’ redemption/reconciliation/new creation-ism are at!

If what Jesus says is true [and it is!] WE are the SALT and LIGHT of the world. we need to be placed in such a way that the warmth of the light and the flavor of salt is able to touch and warm and affect and guide all those in our life! [matt 5:13-16]

So if we “fled” from our mission field into our little church-groups and church-cliques and holy huddles and strayed away from non-christians at places like work and school, then we are abandoning them to their destruction!

REFLECTIVE QUESTION: At your work and school [or sports teams, 4H club, dance class, etc.] do you have relationships with NON-CHRISTIANS?

But here’s the catch- this is where the “both” comes in: it’s through time spent with Jesus in the Bible and Prayer that OUR HEARTS ARE CHANGED, so that we can actually be ministers of reconciliation and Christ’s ambassadors! It’s there that we are reminded that we are a new creation, and Jesus’ mercy, forgiveness, compassion, and redemption hold power to transform others into a new creation as well! We need to remember what Christ has done in our life, so that we can help reveal what Christ can be doing in other’s lives!

When we read Scripture and the Stories of Jesus [the one we are to be representing!], there is an overwhelming thread that points every single thing back to Jesus’ life, the cross of sacrifice and the resurrection power. It’s through reading scripture that we are humbled by our sin and reminded of GOD’s great love for us, poured out continually, making us new. This also gives us permission to live open, authentic and transparent lives!

People aren’t won to Jesus because of how “holy” and “sinless” we are, they are won to Jesus when we are able to reveal GOD’s love in our imperfect lives and struggles and reveal that HE who knew no sin has become sin on our behalf so that we might become the Righteousness of GOD. That HE has reconciled the world to the Father and that we are now NEW CREATIONS! The old has gone away!

So my encouragement to you is to spend some time reflecting on the things that the LORD has saved you from. In what ways has he made you a New Creation in Christ? And then celebrate those things in thanksgiving to Him!

Don’t use your new creation-ism and your “incredible holiness” to define yourself and negatively judge and condemn others, but instead take that joy, that ministry of reconciliation to your work and school and live your redeemed life as salt and light bringing flavor and warmth and guidance to all those in your circles of influence.

Both are important. You can’t be “effective” at work and school without spending time with Jesus through the Bible and Prayer… so make a commitment to do it more often! After all, that’s the way we learn about the very person we are to be Ambassadors for!

on the uselessness of Video Surveillance.

2008-08-15T22:25:00.000-07:00

i've had lots of things stolen.
most of these crimes happened under the watchful eye of a video surveillance system.

here are some of the more interesting ones:

from my isuzu truck in high school parked in a bank of hawaii parking lot: my very first real acoustic guitar - a seagull S6. [video surveillance]

from the parking lot of the MGM Grand hotel in Las Vegas, NV: my friend Heather's ENTIRE CAR. [about 10 of us took a road trip from LA to LV for my 21st birthday.]

from my volkswagen golf parked in a church's underground garage in hawaii: my electric guitar pedalboard containing a bunch of really nice effect pedals. [video surveillance]

from my chevy astro "MAN VAN" at my grandma's luxury condo: the CD deck. [video surveillance + 24 hour roaming security guard]

from my current blue toyota truck parked in the alley at the Church, DURING YOUth CHURCH [no surveillance, but tons of people in & around the building]: the CD deck was stolen.

from C3, a student's electric guitar was stolen from the stage while 10 students and i were in the couch room.

from shelton laundromat, our two sleeping bags out of a dryer. [video surveillance + laundromat attendant - who is NOT there for security purposes!]

in all of the scenarios where there were video surveillance systems available, i have reported the crimes within 12 hours, if not sooner. in ALL of the cases, the response back has been: the tapes haven't found anything.

WHAT?

in some of the scenarios, the tapes had taped over the crime scene. for example: they are on a 48 hour loop.] why this happens when there is an incident reported, i don't know. if the crime was reported within 12 hours [at the longest], the tapes should be pulled for review immediately.

in some of the other scenarios, like the one at my grandma's apartment, the crime was reported within an hour. the tapes were pulled and the security guard and the manager were notified. after a few week's worth of checking back in with them, the report i got back was "we didn't see anything".'

WHAT?

my question was, "well, did you video my van being parked by me and me leaving on foot towards the elevator?"

"YES."

"did you video me coming back to my van to find that my CD player was stolen?"

"YES."

"well, what happened in between those two events?"

"nothing. we didn't see anything."

"WHAT?! YOU ARE AN IDIOT!!! can i watch the recording myself, please?"

"no."

and that's where they always end. can i watch the tape? no.
why not?

is there even a tape?
are they there not to stop crime, but instead to reduce insurance liability costs or "deter" theft?
what's up with this?
this is ridiculous. i'm not a business owner, so i don't know what the con is with these systems, but from my thorough experiences with theft, i have found them to be useless. [even at the bank and in vegas.]

in none of these situations, did i expect to "catch the crook" or identify the criminal. nor did i really expect the situation to be resolved in a way that would benefit me and/or return the stolen goods. in all of the situations, my insurance deductible was too high to warrant filing a claim with them. also, for only some of them did i file a police report. too much hassle for too little return on investment. i just wanted to know that "the man" had my back. they didn't. at the very least, i wanted my curiosity to be satisfied by watching the crime in real time.

in my personal experience, a video surveillance system in a low-risk small business establishment is a waste of money if you expect it to solve/stop crimes. if it's just for "theft deterrent" and you don't intend to use it to it's fullest purposes, you are tricking your customers and providing bad customer service.

now i know that some crimes are solved with these. surveillance tapes often make the news. but as it's played out for me, they'd be better used taping reruns of COPS on FOX.

...neverending...

2008-08-14T08:30:00.000-07:00

so the crowder band downloaded user videos that were uploaded to YouTube of their song "...neverending..." and edited them together to form a music video. this is brilliant, and alluding to an earlier post by ryan, maybe THIS is THE MUSIC VIDEO of the YouTube generation?

[The song "neverending" filmed by fans this past year. All footage from YouTube.]

DC*B's Live REMEDY DVD/CD

2008-08-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

on August 19, the david crowder* band is releasing a live DVD of their Remedy Club Tour last fall.
needless to say, i'm stoked.

check out this trailer:

since it's not playing in any theaters in the PNW, ~~i think i'll be showing it in C3 on the Big Screen in Surround Sound on Tuesday evening, August 19 at 8:00p. maybe you'll join us?~~ UPDATE: uhhh... sorry, i'm busy. maybe some other time?

and just for fun, they are giving away a free digital download song ...neverending... [yes, that's the one with the guitar hero controller] live off the CD/DVD. [click here.]

and here's a link to their e-card for more sweet dc*b media. [click here.]

we were guests at Mars Hill Church Olympia.

2008-08-10T14:34:00.000-07:00

this morning, my family and i visited our JESUS-Family at Mars Hill Church in Olympia at their 10am service. below, i'll share [in detail] about our experience.

it was great to go to a church as a lay person and have the experience of going to an unfamiliar church service as a new visitor.

when we first decided to go, i visited their website [www.marshillchurch.org -> choose a location -> olympia] to find out what time their services were and where they were located. i also wanted to make sure that they had children's ministry/nursery available since they were a new campus. [they do.] while i knew the general idea ahead of time, the information i was looking for was easy to find and very clear.

as we drove up on sunday morning, the standard black & silver Mars Hill-branded signs were out and easy to follow so that i didn't need to look at the directions again. there was lots of parking and MH-branding on all the major entrances to the building, which was a regular SPSCC lecture hall.

in front of the main entrance, a few people were congregated, and after being greeted and asking about childcare, a kind woman walked us around the corner to the check in station. it wasn't hard to notice the large man wearing a black MH-polo shirt tucked into a pair of jeans standing just away from the entrance. his shirt said "SECURITY". if we had any fears of the safety of our kids, they were then dispelled.

here's an opportunity to speak of some "fears/questions" kristi had as we discussed attending a new church service:
"do they have childcare for Judah?"
"Judah won't know anyone, what if he doesn't stay or like it?"
we knew Mars Hill had high standards for Children's Ministry workers, and so we never questioned our son's "safety" in that regards. their over communication of this, really helped ease our minds.

so, at the children's ministry check in table, we were greeted by several workers, all female, all moms [i assume]. we filled our a family-identification card, and judah was given a name tag and we were given a corresponding number. we were told that he would only be released to us and we need to have the slip they gave us. then they would turn him over and take off his name tag sticker. if the security saw a child leaving the classroom with the sticker still on, he would bring the kid back to the classroom regardless of who they were with for proper checkout. defending and protecting the kids- now that's awesome.

judah got setup playing with some toys, gave mom and dad a kiss goodbye and was fine and dandy the whole service. he had larry in his pocket for a "just in case" time and he didn't even get it out!

here's a sign that was on the registration table giving a schedule of what to expect your kids will be doing while you were in service [click to enlarge]:

[NOTE: for your child's safety, we will contact you for diaper changes.] <- i like it.

kristi and i went to the service, and we were surprised at the amount of people [150] and the makeup of the people. we thought 1/3 were age 35 or older, including some gray hairs. the others were made up of young families, college students, and children who were in the service with their family. including middle school and late elementary students. the pre- and post- service music was MH worship songs played quietly. the ambiance was nothing special: florescent lights [except for the back row] turned off, a few incandescent cans on.

the service started with announcements by the "emcee" of the day who was a man from Centralia, also a community group leader. he wasn't super-eloquent or excellent with the mic, reading, or public speaking, but the great part is that he is a man in the church that they are training in leadership! [he did just fine, by the way]

the band was made up of a female lead vocalist playing a keyboard [setup with synth in one hand / keys in the other through a keyboard amp], an acoustic guitar player through an amp, and a female and a male background vocalist. each of the vocalists lead at least one song. they did Mars Hill songs, executed in a mediocre way [just saying...]: 2 before the message [the glory of GOD, For YOUr goodness] and 3 after [i don't know the name-i was getting judah, the solid rock, and psalm 51]. the lyrics were displayed on the screen in PPT. NOT gigantic letters, and for the most part accurate and with proper line breaks.

after the first set of musical worship, the emcee came back and read scripture [Romans 6], then the DVD started.

MH|Oly is setup to run on DVD teaching of Pastor Mark Driscoll a week late, so we watched last week's sermon PRAY LIKE JESUS: Gethsemane Prayer, which was absolutely fantastic. it encouraged me to get closer to jesus, lead my family, repent of sin, and study scripture more. here's a short clip, if you're interested:

the DVD had glitches and pixelations. then, a little after halfway, it froze and quit. it took about 5 minutes for the tech team to get the DVD back up and running and in the right spot, since there are no chapter markers within the sermon. now some of you Video-teacher haters are going to say "a live preacher wouldn't freeze and quit!"... and that IS true. however, the majority of the audience was patient and gracious, a little squirmy, but were mostly understanding of the technology barrier they were working through. i'm all for multi-site church planting, the anointing and appointment of teachers like Pastor Mark and the dedication to use technology to further the Gospel. don't be a hater. people are getting saved and transformed.

that being said, i'm also looking forward to next week [we will be going back again] when Pastor Gary Shavey, campus pastor of MH|Oly will be preaching live for 4 weeks through the book of Jonah. [this will be happening church-wide for 4 weeks.] the campus pastors typically preach 12 times a year. Pastor Mark via video/live preaches the other 40 weeks.

Speaking of pastor Gary Shavey... he was no where to be seen today! and i wasn't bothered by this even at the least! while i did find it weird that the campus is just a few weeks old and he's the campus pastor, i also know his heart, having heard it personally, that if this campus is going to succeed, it will be because the men of the campus will rise up and take on leadership roles and make it happen! and that's just what i saw occurring! while pastor gary could have "saved them" by being an eloquent emcee, or by filling in and communicating well during the "technical difficulties", the leaders of the church stepped up, took on the situations and are better off now, having faced them and will [hopefully] find some solutions for the next time they run into them.

at the end of the message, parents were released to pick up their kids from children's ministry, and the congregation participated in singing to jesus, communion, and giving of the tithes and offerings as they do every week. i gathered judah and was really blessed by holding him in my arms and having him hear me sing songs of worship to jesus, explain communion to him [again], then tell Judah about what the leader was praying as we closed and were released.

my family greatly appreciated our time at Mars Hill Olympia, and we will go back next week, while we are on vacation. it also encouraged me to rejoice that such a force in the Kingdom of GOD has now found a home in Olympia as TEAM JESUS is strengthened here in the South Sound. finally, it got me really excited about the future of FBC and "Night Church", as these wheels begin turning towards serious planning, beginning this tuesday!

JESUS WINS!

Vacation Part I - DETOX.

2008-08-07T22:31:00.000-07:00

today was our first day of vacation.
but it doesn't feel like it yet.

the first few days of vacation really serve as a DETOX period.

it's not just a period of winding down from the schedule of working, or the nights away from my family on YOUth events.
it's the letting go of the weight that i carry as a shepherd of young people. the coming alongside, and helping to shoulder their burdens as i try to point them to Jesus.

but it's not only that-
it's detoxing from the poisonous words of the self-righteous WITHIN the Church.
it's the unloading of the extra-biblical baggage that the christian-culture heaps on in the form of "expectations" and cultural taboos.
it's the continual blocking of the openhand issues that religious fundamentalists cram into the closedhand.
it's working through the reality that YOU can't understand exactly what i'm referring to until you're here.

sometimes kristi and i feel really alone in this.

so if you think of it over the next few days, please pray for me and my family.
that we would be able to have a Sabbath rest and be restored.

then we will return again to the battle.
we will take on hell with our water pistol.

Is it OK to work on Sunday?

2008-08-06T17:55:00.000-07:00

here is my thought flow process to answer the following question in preparation for SUMMER YOUth Church. it's not meant to be a complete essay, nor was it presented word-for-word, but rather as a tool that i used in my prep time.

...

Is it OK to work on Sunday?

>>>before you read the answer to my question, you must go back and read the answer to the question before this one: "Why is Church important?" [working on sunday so you can avoid being a part of a local church community is NOT what i'm talking about here - that's sin!]

I sure hope so! Because if it’s not OK to work on Sunday, then most pastors are in sin!

I think this question comes from a Christian-culture perspective that looks towards a few old testament verses for it’s source [including the almighty BIG10!!!]:

In the story of Creation, on the seventh day, when He had completed Creation, GOD rested and made the day “holy” – set apart/special/unique. [gen 2:2-3]

The 4th of the 10 Commandments is to "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy." [exo 20:8-11]

I think these verses setup the grounds upon which this question was asked. Both of these verses deal with a Hebrew concept called “Sabbath”. In order to get a better understanding to answer our questions, let’s take a closer look at SABBATH.

The Sabbath was a “practical law” given to the people of Israel to serve a few purposes:

1. to remind them that GOD is in control and we don’t have to work-work-work to make things happen. We need to trust in him.

2. It was a “gift” from God. – no other cultures surrounding Israel practiced Sabbath. It was counter-cultural, much like it is today.

3. It points towards JESUS. In Genesis 3:17-19, when the consequences of the curse were given to Adam & Eve & the Serpent, Adam was told he would have to work the land in painful toil until he died, then he would have to return to the ground. But in GOD’s provision, he also commands RELIEF FROM THE CURSE for His People: Both in labor [Sabbath day] and love [Jesus’ sacrifice to lift the curse – gen 3:15]

However, when Jesus comes on the scene, we see a different perspective to the Sabbath than the Hebrew People had come to practice.

One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain. The Pharisees said to him, "Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?"

He answered, "Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? 26In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions."

Then he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."

Another time he went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, "Stand up in front of everyone."

Then Jesus asked them, "Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?" But they remained silent.

He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.
[MARK 2:23 – 3:6]

In this account, Jesus has clarified that the Sabbath was made for Man [as a gift] not that man was made to obey the Sabbath! [v. 27], he then reminds them that the Son of Man [JESUS] is LORD of the Sabbath - HE IS THE LORD OF REST!!!

He then accentuates this by finding a man with a crippled hand in the temple [where all the super-religious people are] and heals him for all to see – ON THE SABBATH – a day made for healing! This made the religious people mad because they had created extra-Biblical laws that they held themselves [and the people] to that were to serve as a hedge or a fence around real Biblical laws - like keeping the Sabbath. This hedge even went so far as to prohibit doing good, like feeding and healing people. So when Jesus healed the man in the temple on the Sabbath, not only was he breaking the Sabbath law to reveal to them that GOD’s heart was for the wounded and broken, but he was also showing the religious people that they completely missed the boat! At this point, the super religious people got really offended and instead of repenting of their sin, they banded together to demise a plot to kill Jesus.

So what does this have to do with working on Sunday? Well, not a whole lot – and that’s my point!

The Hebrew people [including Moses, David, and Jesus] practiced the Sabbath on Saturday. [From sundown on Friday night to sundown on Saturday.] Jesus was crucified on a Friday, and his body was removed from the cross and put in a tomb before Friday at sundown so that it wouldn’t be up during the Sabbath [mk 15:42]. He was then in the tomb for three days [Friday – Saturday – Sunday] and on Sunday He resurrected from the dead! This is the pinnacle of all of Christianity – GOD that was dead is now ALIVE! It’s even more important than the cross! The cross is a symbol of Christ’s sacrifice, but the punctuation on his sacrifice, the part with the power, is when Christ conquers satan, sin and death – when he overcomes the grave and is risen to new life!

In Acts 20:7, we see the first believers of the new church begin to gather on “the first day of the week” – the day of the Resurrection – SUNDAY! From then forward, most churches choose to meet on Sunday. BUT that doesn’t mean that churches HAVE to meet on Sundays… it’s just the tradition that was started and most continue to hold today. [apparently the Sevey’s don’t have this verse in their Bible – or they don’t like the resurrection! i kid... i kid... but seriously, welcome to the New Covenant... you don't HAVE TO do it the way you guys are doing it! RELAX!]

But the most important aspect of learning about Sabbath is this:
JESUS IS OUR SABBATH REST!

Like the whole of all of Scripture, the laws about the Sabbath point to Jesus.

The Sabbath Laws in the Old Testament point to Jesus’ work for us when it calls for a reliance on faith and a stop to work. [rom 4:4-5]

[in reference to Salvation] Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.

The cultural extensions of the Sabbath Law are found in Leviticus 25:1-13 and seen practiced by Boaz in the Story of Ruth:

- don’t harvest your field to the edge: so the widows, orphans, aliens, and outcasts can eat of your abundance.
- Don’t harvest your fields twice: so the hungry can glean from your fields as a modern food bank.
- Don’t muzzle your oxen: so they can enjoy the benefits of the grain they are working to provide for you.
- Every 7th year is a year where you don’t plant crops, you just eat what the LORD provides. [an echoing of the manna-gift in exodus 16]
- Every 50th year [the year after 7 Sabbath Years], all debts are cancelled, all salves set free, all land returns to it’s family.

Jesus is our Year of Jubilee – all debts of sin are now canceled in him and we as slaves to sin are set free!

Jesus also came to restore the rest that was forfeited in the garden by our first father, Adam. As we mentioned briefly earlier, the curse stopped adam’s continual rest, but at the time of that cession, GOD foretold that Jesus would come through the seed of the woman to crush the serpent’s head [PROTOEVANGELION!]! And crush it, he did! And in doing so, Jesus revealed to us that the rest and the cession of work [towards salvation] is found in him:

"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light" [matt 11:28-30]

then our final and total rest will be fulfilled in eternity with the LORD in Heaven. [rev 21:4; rev 22:1-3]

Is it OK to work on a Sunday? SURE!

The Old Testament commands to keep the Sabbath as a day of rest have been fulfilled in Jesus [matt 5:17], who IS our Sabbath rest. Nowhere in the NT are Christians commanded to keep the Sabbath.

It’s still wise to have a rhythm of rest in our life so that we don’t get overworked or forget about our families, or our mission, but it is no longer a requirement to “keep holy the Sabbath” by “not working on Sunday”.

I do feel the need, out of personal conviction, to offer some words about addiction to things like technology, work, “staying connected”, TXTing, and other innocent distractions that become the focus of our life. While it’s not “breaking the Sabbath law”, it is unhealthy and sin to allow these types of things to take over in your life and become your focus/god/idol. A sin of omission by not doing the things you should be doing. And maybe even a sin of commission, by doing things that you know you should NOT be doing. I need to repent of this in my life, as my wife continually reminds me to put down the iPhone and close the computer. I encourage you to evaluate your life along these areas and repent of sin if you need to as well!

and as for right now: [8:00p] KRISTI AND I ARE ON VACATION UNTIL MONDAY AUGUST 18!!!

the axe DETAILER shower TOOL!

2008-08-04T08:56:00.000-07:00

i really appreciate good marketing. and while i reject axe's sex-based marketing schemes, i think they id a phenomenal job on this one. i present to you the MAN's DETAILER Shower TOOL!

it's the MAN's loufa. what man would use something called a "loufa" or a "shower poof"? but if it's a "TOOL", or a "detailer" [like you'd use on your car], then who can pass that up?

i'm being slightly fecicious, although i really appreciate their strategy here.

truth is, i've tried using the poofs. and when i do, they poof and fall apart. they unravel because i'm a scrubber. the little sissy loufas can't handle the clean i throw at it. growing up, we used these "japanese" wash cloths that were basically a long skinny strip of loufa material, but those are too long and awkward.

i think might have to give it a try and see if it can handle my rigorous cleaning techniques! [wifey, maybe you can find it for free somewhere?!]

[to be honest, my very favorite cleaning tool is the bar of soap with the gritty rocks inside of it! it's one simple item to attack the dirt!]