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How Expectant is too Expectant?

I have this key chain that was given to me during the most impactful time period of my life. On it are four principles to living out biblical masculinity, but it is the fourth one that keeps getting my attention every time I grab my keys this past weekend - "Expect God's Reward". I have not been able to shake this notion of expectancy.

This is not a reference to the prosperity gospel that is a very clever lie. It is simply the idea that living life takes risk, takes strategic leaps of faith where one does not have it fully mapped out but simply knows that God is going to move. Why? Because we serve a God who loves to reveal Himself and make Himself known for all to see. He longs for His people to put Him on display so He can bring others to Himself - all through our very, daily lives.

Ever since I began the journey of college I have sought to live out my life in expectant ways. I had no idea what it looked like, but I knew that if God wanted me to do something, told me to do something, it would all work out for His purpose, His plan, His will - the greater Kingdom good. The jumps are scary, yet I have never regretted taking a single one of them. It is in these jumps that I have felt the closest to my God and seen my relationship with Him take me places I did not even know were possible. It is in those times where I have come to a better understanding of precisely just how God wants to make Himself on display in my life. 

CSUF, college ends for me in 32 days. For the past year God has been revealing to me that after I graduate, I get the privilege to pour out my life, my energies, my time, my twenties, in the amazing city of Fullerton. Move there. Live in community. Do life together. Be on mission.

As time is getting closer, that desire is intensifying. And out of nowhere, last weekend a potential door for moving to Fullerton opens up. Only problem is my current job would be just enough to pay for rent (until Summer, then I have to find a full-time job). Yet, there has been a voice, a thought in the back of my head saying "Take the jump. Expect God's reward. Be expectant. Put it all on the line. Let ME be put on display in this."

Is this voice mine? Am I creating this in my anticipation and excitement of moving to Fullerton as I see the light at the end of the tunnel as graduation quickly approaches? Or, is this not my idea? Is this the indoor voice that I'm not used to hearing from Jesus (as He usually needs the outdoor voice and a 2x4...)? Is this a step of faith that I'm being asked to step into?

It leaves me wondering - how expectant is too expectant?

Lemon and Wilshire - A Birthing Place of Missional Engagement

February 28th. It begins. It becomes real and fully tangible. RockHarbor Fullerton launches, the second campus in a 2+1 vision of campus plants and church plants. RockHarbor Fullerton becomes my community. RockHarbor Fullerton becomes the place where a group of believers will come together to see and live out the Gospel together.

When I first found out that there was going to be a campus in Fullerton back in July, from the one and only Steve Carter, I was beyond stoked. The city I tangibly felt God calling me to pour out my life to, for a significant portion of my twenties (maybe beyond), was receiving the second campus in this vision that RH felt God leading them to work towards. I immediately wanted in, how could I not? Fullerton is an amazing city that God has cultivated a passion in me to reach. I believe that if one can reach and engage Fullerton, the rest of Orange County and Southern California can be impacted.

I remember the first conversation I had with Steve Carter in the RockHarbor Bullpen. I remember meeting up with him the day we got to look at potential buildings to hold our Sunday service in. I remember walking in to the Wilshire Auditorium and just feeling that this was a unique place that we could engage Fullerton from. I remember our first prayer gathering, the second, third, and vision night.

For 8 months my heart has been pulling and leading me closer and closer to the city of Fullerton. For 8 months I have been praying that God would allow us to be part of the work that God is already up to in Fullerton. For 8 months God has been allowing me to help play a part in launching this campus with other amazing people that love Jesus, Fullerton, and North Orange County. I've grown so much these 8 months for numerous reasons.

As I've been reflecting this past week God has been reminding me of a beautiful picture of a missional Church, a picture of what my prayer for RockHarbor Fullerton is. Let me take you inside that picture.

If you have grown up near church you have heard Jeremiah 29:11 quoted to you "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." A great verse, but the you is the Isrealites in a time of exile. What intrigues me most is that this verse is preceded by Jeremiah telling the Isrealites how to live inside this time period of exile, how to play out their lives. This gives context to verse 11. Jeremiah 29:5-6 says "Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there and do no decrease." Essentially, live in community. Be a part of your city. Engage it. Transform it. And then, he adds to this call in verse 7 "But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf for in its welfare you find your welfare."

Simply, it is my prayer that RH Fullerton is a place where we learn to engage the city in which we live. Where we establish ourselves, get to know our city and build relationships through life by living there. It is my prayer that above all else we learn to fall in love with the cities God has placed us in. It is my prayer that we, for the sake of the Kingdom, for the sake of the Gospel, seek the welfare of our city. It is my prayer that we pray for our city. This is my prayer. This is my hope.

Super Bowl Masculinity Part 6: Jesus is the Example

For five days the cultural and Biblical masculinity map has lead us straight down a path to Jesus. To truly understand masculinity we must understand Jesus. If Jesus is the perfect Adam, perfect Moses, etc, it means He is our mandate on what masculinity looks like for He is what we as men should strive to be. Let us remember that Jesus was not only fully God but also fully man.

Let me paint a brief picture of the masculinity of Jesus. Jesus was emotional. The key, He handled emotions in the proper ways. For instance in John 11:35 it states that “Jesus wept.” What does that tell us about real men? They grieve. They weep. They mourn. They lament. Even though He knew that shortly Lazarus would walk out of that grave very, very shortly.

In John 2:13-22 we see Jesus overturning the money tables. Another side of emotions. He had passion, He had zeal, He had anger. The key, it was holy, righteous, just. He does not just let it fly and not care about the consequences. When oppression and injustice is taking place, a man must rise and take care of business. He must not sit idly by. In fact, a man should even be angered by oppression to the point of action – not rage or violence, but compassion and action.

One last picture of emotions, John 19:26-27. This is an example of how Jesus handles His emotions. Inside this we see beautiful picture of masculinity. Jesus is going through the worst torment a man can bare – crucifixion. An unjustified execution meant for guilty criminals in which He also happened to take upon Him the sins of the world and not feel His Father’s presence. In this torment, in His last moments, Jesus does not let His emotional mind get the best of Him. Instead He makes sure to not forsake His familial responsibilities as He asks John to look after His mother as if John where her own son. Even to the end, Jesus makes sure to keep leading, keep looking out for those closest to Him. He does not use His own personal problems as an excuse to not lead, to shed His responsibility. Even in the ending moments of His life Jesus leads and shows us how to have emotions without letting them control us.

These pictures paint us God-Man who is fully both. They show us He has the full range of human emotions: grief, sorrow, passion, anger, zeal. To see one final snapshot of masculinity (there are many more we could look at) let’s see what Paul defines as true masculinity, summed up in Jesus.

Even if you are not married, this is Biblical masculinity. In Ephesians 5:25-28 Paul essentially tells us to be men like Jesus: “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.” A man must love sacrificially – just like Jesus. Men must put others above themselves to the point where you are willing to seek their good before your own, even if that means death. For instance, what does Paul say the role of a man is? It is to treat your wife (or if you are single, women) with such respect that you would sacrifice your own life for their betterment.

 Being a man involves sacrifice, and when it comes to sacrifice there is no better example of sacrifice then Jesus. In fact, Jesus is the true, perfect example of what true masculinity is. Jesus was humble. Men should be humble. Jesus put others first. Men should put others first. Jesus served. Men should serve. Jesus provided for His family. Men should provide for their family. Jesus was a man after His Father's heart. Men should be people after their Father's heart. Jesus spent time in solitude and prayer. Men should spend time in solitude and prayer. Jesus trained up other men. Men should train up other men. Jesus treated women with dignity and respect that was unlike anything they have ever seen before. Men should treat women with dignity and respect that is unlike anything they have ever experienced. To put it simply, men must live like Jesus. True masculinity involves making your life look like that of your Rabbi, your Teacher. True masculinity is not loving Jesus like some bumper stickers would make you believe, but becoming a disciple of Jesus and going on a journey with Him. It is in this journey that men will get to show the true form of masculinity and allow these Super Bowl commercials to dissapear; it will allow them to simply just be a "funny" commercial because they will no longer remind us men that we are not who we should be. 

Are you ready to stand up and live like Jesus? Are you ready to stand up and be the man Jesus is calling you to be? Are you ready to stand up and be a man like Jesus?

Super Bowl Masculinity Part 5: How are you an Adam?

Over the past three days, we have been having a conversation about what culture is telling us about masculinity. We have been taking time to carefully critique and analyze what society is telling us men need to be, or what it claims we long to be. Today though, it is time for something different. It is time for us to realize that culture is not our final word or authority for what a man is. After all, we live in a fallen, corrupted society/culture/world. Therefore, we must go back and see the world that God intended for us to be a part of. After this, we can then respond to these snapshots of culture and speak life into what true masculinity really is.

Since true masculinity can only be found in one place, we must then understand what exactly it is we as men were created to be, otherwise we will never understand how a fallen corrupted world seeks to distract and destroy us. Our journey will start in Genesis and end with Jesus (but essentially, Genesis is about Jesus, so it starts with Jesus too) and by looking at His life, His example we can see how to respond to culture.

To do this I just want to take us to several verses in Genesis to give you an idea of who we men were created to be and how the Fall has affected us. *Note: These concepts are not entirely my own. My ideas have been shaped by Dan Allan, Mark Driscoll, Mike Erre, John Eldredge and Wild at Heart, and even my own Father.

Genesis 2:20 - Adam was given the responsibility and privilege of naming all the animals inside Eden. From the very beginning of our existence we have taken part in the work of God. We were given a job by God, and that was to use our creativity and take part in God’s creation. Inside this duty was the call to care for creation. Responsibility. Duty. Work. It is good, we were created for it. It is innate in us that we are to be creative, work, and bare responsibility. It is what Erre calls the “naming of the animals” instinct.

Genesis 3:17-19 – As we see above, work was around before the Fall. However, what our sin did was make our job, our work, our responsibility a burden. It became toilsome and we would no longer necessarily enjoy our work, as it would no longer be easy.

You see, men have it hardwired into them that we must be creative, we must work a job, we must have responsibility - it is the naming of the animals instinct. That was around before the Fall; the Fall only made it toilsome. One way to sum this up is that a man was not intended to be passive, but accept responsibility. 

Genesis 3:6 - Men along with all of humanity suffers when we fail to lead and are passive. Case in point - Adam did not stop Eve from taking eating of the fruit. All this after he had received the instructions and calling from God.

Genesis 3:16 - "Your desire shall be for your husband and he shall rule over you". The Fall has set this in motion. Today we see this scene play out in the constant struggle inside male-female relationships. The fight for relationship power stems from this, thanks to the Fall.

This is typically not a place where I would leave the conversation – but due to being concise it will be left here. As the conversation pauses here, it causes a chance to breathe and contemplate as we move towards the perfect Adam, the true picture of masculinity – Jesus. Think about these as we get ready to talk about Jesus.

Where is it that God is asking you take part in His creative work? What are you animals to name? Are you running towards it? Are you letting responsibility go and instead choosing passivity? How do you lose sight of what God has intended for you? How are you like Adam? Where do you let the Fall define you? Where do you let the Fall wreck your masculinity?

Super Bowl Masculinity Part 4: Where is your Adventure?

Commercial #3 is for the Dodge Charger. Watch it here: http://video.yahoo.com/network/100076996?v=6934463&l=7438495

If you have not noticed yet, each commercial is stepping up in its intensity. We have seen that society sees that men are called to be something; we have also seen that along the way men have forgotten who they are and must reclaim it. Lastly, we see that men are longing for something more. The only problem is that due to circumstances, due to culture, due to our sin nature we do not know how to receive what it is we are called to be and we get lost on the journey of becoming a man.

The power in this commercial lies in its simple voice over and mundane, beaten, broken, tame, frustrated, tired of life, apathetic faces of men. These faces and the monotone voices that are spoken over these faces show us a picture of men that are disconnected with life. These pictures serve to illustrate the point that the life that the average American male is living is leaving a giant, gaping hole in their spirit, in their heart.

The American, westernized man is depressed and who can blame them? Honestly, if we take a look at our society, our culture and even look at the men that are successful or have something that we wish ourselves have, we see that inside they are essentially longing for the same things we ourselves long for. What we can extrapolate from this is that our western culture is making us run inside a consumeristic rat race. This race is dramatically leading us nowhere as our life, our race is being played out on the world's largest treadmill. We are seeking and striving to catch this magical fruit that is dangling in front of us and will allow our spirit rest and peace, but in the end it is constantly, consistently inside our view but always eluding us by staying just out of reach of our fingertips.

This commercial is wearyingly filled with depressing, confining language as we receive the same message illustrated in facial expressions, conveying to us the principle that man is looking for something more, something deeper, something tangible, something to live our lives for and toward. To illustrate this, Anberlin’s “Burn Out Brighter (Northern Lights) says  we  want to "live inspired" and "die for something".

Frankly, this is what this commercial is telling us men want. We long for an adventure that is worth giving our life to.  Sadly, what is more intriguing is that Dodge is trying to convince men to believe that the missing piece in their life will be the Charger as it is "Man's last stand". This haunting, yet adventurously exciting phrase can mean one of two things. Either, we men are running out of time inside society and we need to act fast before our nueterization is complete or simply, we will not have to make another stand, because this car, the Charger, is what life is all about and will make you complete.

Men, this is not the only advertisement that is telling us what we need to be complete as an individual – it just so happens this was uniquely directed toward that longing in us on Super Bowl Sunday. What are you feeling your life with as you seek that adventure, that purpose? Do you feel that void in your life? Do you want to live inspired? Do you want to die for something? Or better yet, to quote John Piper, do you want to waste your life? There is an adventure waiting for us. God is inviting us into an epic journey that we get to take part in what God is doing, and we, men, get to play a part in it. Are you ready to play your part?

Super Bowl Masculinity Part 3: Take off that Skirt

Commercial #2 is for Flo TV and is entitled "Spineless". Watch it here: http://video.yahoo.com/network/100076996?v=6935017&l=7438495

Outside of this commercial being absolutely hilarious, it is an insightful picture into a dilemma that is inside our Western culture. It is here that I begin to tread carefully not wanting to offend anyone. It is here that I realize the Modernist rise of Feminism will want to take me out back and put me down. It is here that the Post-Modern notion of no truth is better than another comes into play as I begin to make a notion that men and women are equal in everything, but have hard-wired genetic differences in gender issues and roles. We are different and God bless that. A humanity that was full of people who did not: wear matching clothes, put away their underwear, throw away clothes with holes, care about what smells came from or out of their body, care about how much grease or pizza their body ingested, care about doing the dishes, or God forbid, ever write a romantic comedy.

We are different deeper down then at a mere physiological existence level of biology and it goes far beyond the comical, stereotypical notions about manhood versus womanhood that I mentioned above. Interestingly enough, this commercial has two ways that it comments on gender issues/roles.

Firstly, "his girlfriend has removed his spine". Thank you Jim Nantz for uttering that amazing line of dialogue. What does this mean? Well, she has taken charge in the relationship and turned him into a nice, tame, “polite” (to go back to our previous discussion) man. He has been "whipped" and she is now wearing the allegorical pants of the relationship for lack of a better metaphor. While, I would love to sit back here and critique this as the fault of Feminism or women trying to usurp men and be men that would nowhere be near the complete truth (some truth maybe, but only some). To illustrate this notion, none of this would be possible if men did not allow women to remove their spine.

Let me simply state this. This is a cultural insight into how men have become passive and nice, or "polite" to a fault. It has gotten to the point in our culture where the dream of the average American male is to sit at home in his pajamas, eat cheese puffs, play video games, and watch television all day - essentially never growing out of adolescence. It is in this passiveness, in this lack of responsibility, where we have fumbled the football on what it means to be a man and lead a relationship. It is here, that women have thus been forced to rise up and take charge of a relationship and fulfill tasks that men are called to do/be. This is not necisarily because men are incompetent (though many of my brothers may appear to be); it is our nature to be leaders and to be strong. Instead, I argue that culture has allowed men to live in apathy. We can be adolescent into our 20’s – we do not need to grow up. Our culture has forgotten how to transition our boys into manhood and in the process apathy has developed because we no longer know what it means to be a man. It is here we lose our masculinity because no one taught us what it is to be a man so we turn to culture and that is an imperfect representation of manhood (just look with your eyes what it says about being a man). Therefore, our apathy is what creates our “spineless”ness.

 Secondly, Jim Nantz tells Jason to "change out of that skirt". What is he implying with that jab? I have already implied this above, but he is saying that Jason and his girlfriend have switched roles in the relationship; she is wearing the metaphorical pants.

We have a part to play - it is not the fault of women or Feminism. Not only do we need to keep our spine and reject apathy and passivity. Also, many men need to rise up and quote unquote take off that skirt. We need to step back up and lead, not because we want to be on the couch watching football instead of shopping – but because what a woman truly needs (not because they are incompetent) is man who is willing to stand up for what is right and lead a relationship to the point where he is willing to lay down his life for her (just like Jesus) and by doing that we get our spine back and put on the pants.

So, while I would love to pass the blame, it is time we men stand up and admit it is our fault. It is time we get off the couch, put down the remote, put on some pants, and put away the bags of processed food and start being who we were called to be - men who lead. Society sees it with their very own eyes; society is even calling us out on it - just like Dove for Men does. We were created to do certain things, manly things, things that require sacrifice and an adventure of grand purposes.

So I simply ask, men, why are we not living up to it? What has gone wrong? Why are you apathetic? Why are you not leading? Why are you conforming to culture? Why are we not teaching our boys to be men? Why are we not living out Biblical masculinity?

Super Bowl Masculinty Part 2: Where'd All the Real Men Go?

Commercial #1 is for Dove Soap for Men. Watch it here: http://video.yahoo.com/network/100076996?v=6934407&l=7438495

Inside a commercial for a personal hygiene product (i.e. soap) we see what society is saying a man is. It is done in a comical, entertaining fashion – but it is definitely there. Did you catch it? Did you see the picture of masculinity that it is painting? 

This commercial does not paint a completely false image of what a man is, some of it is right. Some of what this commercial says about manhood is correct. Fundamentally, what I find fascinating is that this ad is trying to show those watching it that there is a foundational, underlying, ingrained, hardwired difference between men and women. From this understanding they then argue that the way we respond to that is by making sure men and women have different kinds of soaps – they need a soap that is specifically designed and intended for them to use – because they are men.

Watching the commercial you can peruse just a few highlights of what they think a man is designed and hardwired to be. Men should: be good at sports, look cool, lift weights, be strong, know how to fight, get married, and fulfill duties of protecting and providing for your family. To delve into these full-fledged would take too much time and energy. But from these alone, we get the idea that men have things that make them men (profound I know). While, I would argue this is a mixed bag of correct and incorrect things of what manhood is – the point is this – men were created to be something unique and underlying it all is a character of strength and resolve.

Outside these highlights, there are two things that I want to point out in our conversation here.

1) "Stay out late, but be polite" – This commercial is appealing to the side in men that knows we were not meant to be tame and passive. This is illustrating that there is something is us that is supposed to be wild (go read Wild at Heart by John Eldredge for more). But if you notice, it even shows that men are meant to be wild but at the same time “be polite”. This shows us that culture identifies men as people who feel trapped and that we cannot be truly who we are, because society is telling us we have to be these nice, “polite” men. Culture wants us tame and to lose our edge to the point that we don’t rock the boat, don’t ruffle feathers, or even shake birdcages. *Note: Nice does not equate with good. Nice is passive. Nice does not stand up for what is right. Polite is afraid of offending people so as to not rock the boat. A polite guy will never speak out, because who is to say he is right? A nice guy may speak out, but in the end, because he is “nice” he will never act out or fight for justice, fight for what is right because he is a nice guy.*Note 2: Men should never be violent, rageful, or wrathful. A man simply stands up for what is right and this can look like many different things. When a man sees injustice, he acts. This is the wild side we can never tame down and make “polite”. *Note 3: I’m off my soap box now.

2) "You can take on anything" - This phrase is so true. Now, with everything else that was in this ad, culture painted a picture of a man that was a jock, and if you were not you are not a true man. I thoroughly disagree with this as nowhere in the Bible/by Jesus is man defined by his outside or the physical and praise Jesus for that. The key is that a man’s strength, resolve, character must be able to handle anything. His character must have the reputation of handling anything. This does not mean a man is not allowed to have weaknesses. This does not mean that he cannot be vulnerable. This does not mean that he cannot show emotions. What it simply means is that when times get tough so does the man. He will not run away. When life gets hard, this man is not going to get buried. He is a man that you want at your side helping you, because while it might be tough you know he and all those around him will in the end be okay.  Dove for Men actually got that part right – kudos to you.

This snapshot of manhood is a picture of how confused our culture really is about gender and what it looks like to be a man. We must be wild but not too wild for we must constantly be “polite”. We must not step on any toes or hurt any feelings for then we would cease to be “nice”.

The blame for the confusion in masculinity can be placed on a lot of things. Maybe it is our fathers and their father’s and the father’s before them? Maybe it is our churches teaching us men that all we have to do to follow Christ is show up on Sunday and put 10% of your income in your plate while loving your wife while providing for your family? Maybe it is culture’s fault for telling men that the more women we sleep with the bigger man we are? Maybe it is society’s fault for giving us video games and movies, thus making it easy for us to stay in adolescence? Maybe, just maybe, it is women’s fault for letting us get away with not being a real man and settling for us staying and living as boys in adolescence?

Super Bowl Masculinity Part 1

Unless an American lived in a cave, one had to know that today was Super Bowl Sunday. I would find it hard to believe one could not know about it, live in America, speak English and still call themselves an American, but anything is possible I guess.

Super Bowl Sunday comes and goes, year by year, and has become an unofficial American holiday (for the better or worse is up to you to decide). One thing that can be gleamed from this is if one is man, one watches the Super Bowl (a generalization I know, but go with it). Football and more importantly the Super Bowl has been married to the idea of being a man. One Sunday a year, it is expected that every man in the country will be somewhere, anywhere eating food and watching the Super Bowl. Fathers train their sons in this ritual at an early age in the same way that mothers teach their daughters to watch sappy romantic comedies on Valentine’s Day.

This day out of the year is a great day to see what type of picture American society is painting about masculinity and manhood. From everything to the food we eat, to the places we watch the game, to what we wear, to what other members of the opposite sex wear, and even what team we teach our young boys to root for. More importantly though, discoveries and lessons abound even inside 30 second commercials that cost 3 million dollars to put on the air.

Now, I am not here to talk about our Western consumeristic culture (like I could), or even the Tim Tebow ad (which, by the way, I love and cannot believe they turned into a scandalous issue). What I want to talk about are three ads that paint a picture of American masculinity. It shocked me to find this many ads that wanted to talk about masculinity. It is almost as if our culture is beginning to realize that there is something not right, something broken, something that is incomplete about the men that society is creating.

One of my heart’s biggest desires, one of my strongest longings, one of my most passionate callings is to see boys become men; to see men stand up and start acting like men. I long to see a generation of men who end the cycle of abandonment and apathy. It is my dream that once again, men will fulfill their calling as leaders, lovers, servants, and fathers and in so doing change the world and let the Kingdom burst on the scene as they become the hands and feet of Jesus.

So, if you will indulge me, for the next three days I will be posting observations from all three ads. All I ask is that you sit back, read, get ready to laugh, and see what culture is attempting to teach our men. Once we do that, I’ll simply share some thoughts on how to engage with this issue.

Not All Missional Stories Make You Look Saintly

Over the course of living a missional life style, one tends to realize more and more that they are a perfect individual who is entirely like Jesus, the equivalent of a modern day saint I am nothing special. I am just a mere man. In fact, I'm a mere man who is becoming more connected and in touch with my fallen, human, broken sinful self.

I always get so weary of telling my "successful" stories in living a missional life. So I'm very happy to report that this one is not full of self-promotion or patting myself on the back. This story is one that I regret. This story is one that God used to remind me of just how broken and how much I need Jesus and the Gospel in my life.

Last Friday night, the 15th of January, I had just gotten off of work in Fullerton at the TSU. It was 6pm and I needed to hit the Arco on Placentia and Chapman before meeting my sister and brother to go to dinner and see The Book of Eli.

It's during this drive for gas that something strange happens. I start to sense and feel God reminding me to keep my eyes open, to always be on the lookout for ways to "be a blessing to others" (Genesis 12:1-3) and constantly be on the look out for how God is already moving and working inside Fullerton and all of Orange County. It is with that fleeting thought that I pull into the Arco and start pumping gas into my truck.

Shortly after this, a man on the other side of my pump approaches me and asks me for some money because he ran out of gas for his car and he forgot his wallet at home. Now this is the part of the story that I'm ashamed of, I originally told him no because I didn't trust the way he looked. He looked suspicious. Baggy clothes, etc. The Holy Spirit thankfully starts working on me as I go in to pick up my change and I'm reminded of the conversation God had with me 5 minutes earlier that night, and right in that instance my brokenness, my sinfulness is put on display for me to see. It felt like I had been hit by a bag of bricks multiple times.

So, begrudgingly, shamefully, humbly, brokenly, I go back out to the guy near his car with $6 in my hands (enough for 2 gallons of gas) and shake his hands and all I simply say is "Hope this helps." I didn't say anything else, because at that point it was time for me to have an honest conversation with Jesus on my drive home about why I held the thoughts I held and how I need to be constantly reminded of how much I don't deserve anything Jesus gives me/does for me; how much I need the Gospel; how much the Gospel is not just for those who need Jesus for a first time, but for those who have been with Jesus for some time; how much I need to constantly recalibrate my life around the cross and the resurrection.

On the drive home, my mind was reminded of the passage in Genesis about Abraham and the 3 strangers (Genesis 18:2-8) who visit him. He had no idea who they were, he just blesses them. He takes them in as sojourners. Doesn't ask questions, just offers to bless them. Meanwhile, as I write this I'm reminded of my favorite prophet ever, the begrudging Jonah, who refused to go to the Ninevites because he knew God could save them and then gets upset when God does.

All this reminds me of how broken I am and finds me asking myself pertinent questions we all should ask: who are those God's calling me to bless unconditionally; who are those I'm afraid to live sacrificially, missionally, servantly, lovingly for because they might repent and come to Jesus?

Don't Worry About Putting "Christ" back in "Christmas": Let's put Jesus in our lives during Christmas

Living in America we as those who seek to live like Jesus hear a lot of calls of putting the "Christ" back in Christmas. We hear calls and pleas to not let people tell you "Happy Holidays" or even say "X-Mas" (did you realize that the 'X' is the Greek letter that starts off the spelling of 'Christ'?). But what we need to not worry about is putting the "Christ" back in Christmas - but keeping (or putting) Jesus in our life for Christmas.

We live in a post-modern world where even Christmas trees are under attack. For instance, at CSUF in the Titan Student Union, Christmas trees are outlawed becuase they have been deemed of religious nature. Do you know what is allowed though? A Holiday Tree. The difference? A Christmas Tree has ornaments and a tree topper - a Holiday Tree does not.

Now personally, I find this ridiculous because Christmas is far from a religious holiday. In fact, its roots go back to the Romans and Paganism - but Constantine and the Christian Empire adopted this day to celebrate the birth of Jesus (a great thing for us to do). But, since our culture is no longer that of Modernism and Christendom - this holiday in America is far from religious in nature. Importantly, I don't think that is a bad thing because Christians have used this as a way to stop living missionally. We began to expect that people would be willing to hear the gospel message or show up to church twice a year - Christmas Eve and Easter. We began to expect that uttering the very words "Merry Christmas" was a witness and that by putting up a nativity scene in our houses it was enough. I believe our adamant stance on Christmas and Christianity began to be a downfall and even a supreme example of how comfortable we had become inside the West and thus became lazy.

All this is stated, does not mean that I think what we had was wrong, it was just a different time in a different culture. What I do think it lead to was laziness and comfort (something Jesus warns against). What it lead to now is where certain sects argue over the right to say "Merry Christmas" or sing religious Christmas Carols in public schools (it was a story on AOL a couple of days ago). This is not what I believe Jesus had in mind when He told us to be the salt and light of the world.

Now, while I don't feel the need to fight over the un-Churched world about those things; I do feel the need to propagate the notion of how important it is to live missionally during the Chrismas season (also known as Advent). There's a short, great book entitled Advent Conspiracy: Can Christmas Still Change the World? by Rick Mckinley, Greg Holder and Chris Seay that gives tips about how to live a contrasting missional life that is showing a different picture then that of the cosumeristic culture we live in. So, I highly suggest making that a read.

But, after going through this Christmas season I've learned something - Christmas provides plenty of opportunities to live missionally and here are just a few:

• Christmas Parties: Need I say more? Go to them and hang out with those who are un-Churched. This is a great way to establish relationships and even show them something different. You might even be able to invite them to your church, or your house, or talk about what Christmas means for you. The possibilities are endless.
• Generoisity: There are many ways to play this one out, but the main key is to be GENEROUS! GIVE! Give to families you have a relationship with where you see needs. Be generous with your time and money.
• Joy: Coming up with one word for this one is tough, but "joy" is a good word. Do you show "joy" to the un-churched? How do you carry yourself? Do you let he holidays stress you out? How do you treat employees at the stores? To put another way, can people tell from one interaction with you during this season that you are filled with "joy"? *note: we should always have joy - but, at this time of year when the holidays should be happy and people freak out, joy can make a huge difference and lead to many conversations with strangers...
• Christmas lights: Now, some places won't allow it - but go big on your Christmas light display. Make it bright. Make it fun. Make it interactive where people want to pull their car over, or want to make a trip to see your house. Make it welcoming. Make it a place where they want pictures of it. Make it a place where they want to take friends to. Now, some people may not have the heart or the ability to do this I understand. But for those who can, turn your house into a missional Christmas display. One day, I hope to be able to give away Hot Coco and other goodies, all so I can better engage in conversations and build relationships. Heck, one day I'd even love to set up a giving booth where they can donate money and all the proceeds go to either Advent Conspiracy or some other credible, quality charity. All this with the purpose of getting to know people.

This is what I mean. Let's put Jesus back into focus during Christmas, don't worry about putting "Christ" back into "Christmas". Live missionally inside your community, your neigborhood, your city. Look for oppurtunities to use Christmas as a means to build relationships and let them see a life that demands an explanation - one that only Jesus can provide.

I Love This Place Enough to Have No Doubt - Missional Lyrics in a Secular World

As one lives missionally, occasionally one is going to come across parts of culture that catch their attention. As one seeks to engage culture, one will find inside a secular, post-Christian culture some art, some music, etc that will resonate and illustrate foundational truth. This just serves as an example of how much the Church must engage culture, not create a sub-culture, in order to redeem it with the Gospel and Jesus. In turn, this will create a counter culture and allow for the Kingdom to explicitly break forth.

One such example of this type of thing is from the secular band - Snow Patrol and "Take Back the City". Go listen to it and come back, here is the link...Snow Patrol's "Take Back the City"

When this song is played it reminds me of the Church's call of Nehemiah to love their city and take the Gospel to it. It reminds me of how much God loves the city and how Jesus wept over Jerusalem before he was crucified. It helps remind me of how important of a task it is for the Church and it's people to love the city in which God has placed them and called them to.

I just want to highlight some impactful lyrics:


God knows you've put your life into its hands
And its both cradled you and crushed
But now its time to make your own demands
(What are your demands for the city you live in? Are they that of Jesus? Why do we rely so much on the city, the world and not on God?)

All these years later and its killing me
Your broken records and words
Ten thousand craters where it all should be
(All the world, the city does is placate us...)

No need to put your words into my mouth
Don't need convincing at all
I love this place enough to have no doubt
(I love this place enough to have no doubt. These are the lyric that touch me the most. Do you honestly love your city enough, that you have no doubt that God has called you to it? Do you love your city to the point that you don't need to get convinced on mission? This is what I constantly get challenged with by this song.)


It's a mess, it's a start, it's a flawed work of art
Your city, your call, every crack, every wall
Pick a side, pick a fight, but get your epitaph right
Or you can sing til you drop 'cause the fun just never stops
(Of course its not perfect, that's why your city needs Jesus. Are you gonna run from your mission - or do you love your city enough for it to give your life to repairing it through the Gospel and Jesus?)


I love this city tonight
I love this city always
It bares its teeth like a light
And spits me out after days
(The world, the city, I love it. But it isn't going to go down with out a fight. Don't expect this to be easy. Don't expect this to not cost anything.)

But we're all gluttons for it
We know it's wrong and it's right
For every time its been hit
Take back the city tonight
(Its full of the good and the bad. We run to the city for the wrong reasons. Its time to run to the city with the Gospel and be the hands and feet of Jesus.)

This is one of my favorite songs of the moment. It is also, probably one of the best missional engagement songs out there. It shocks me how powerful and informative these lyrics are. My question for you is: Do you love your city? Are you willing to engage it with the Gospel and bring the Kingdom?Do you want to see Jesus take claim of His city? Do you want to see the Kingdom invade your city?

Establishing Monument Moments as Missional Monuments

As I sit in my chair of study early on the morning of Thanksgiving, Jesus begins to get my brain going and draws me back to a passage that He is always showing me stuff from. He is constantly taking me back to the book of Joshua chapters 3&4, to the story of Joshua and the crossing of the Jordan. This is a defining moment in the reign of Joshua as God uses it to show the Isrealites that He is with Joshua in the same way He was with Moses.

Honestly, take this how ever you want to, I'm not expecting God to part a river for me. Why? Well, firstly because I live in a city that has no rivers. Now, if God chose to part traffic occasionally on the 5 or 55 or 57 or 405 and especially the 91 - I would not complain. But, the point of this exploit was not the parting of the river but simply showing the Isrealites that God was with them. That God was up to something big. That they were His people and He was their God. That Joshua was not leading by Himself but through the power of God. The point in this story was the work God was doing, in this case crossing of the Jordan, but not the actual miracle itself.

The question though, is why did God choose to express Himself to the Isrealites and Joshua this way? Well, this is where Joshua chapter 4 comes into play. What I find so remarkable is that even from the very beginning of God's story that He reveals to us, He is constantly showing us that He is a missional God who is about drawing all the world to Himself.

After they have crossed the Jordan and God has displayed His power and His might, He issues a decree for the people to follow, one that if looked at through the Western Churches eyes, might be a little hard to understand. In 4:6-7 they are told to set up 12 stones in the Jordan as memorial. In verses 20-24 it is further explained: "And those 12 stones, which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up at Gilgal. And he said to the people of Israel, 'When your children ask their fathers in times to come, 'What do these stones mean?' then you shall let your children know, 'Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground.; For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for as until we passed over, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever." This shows us that our God is a missionary God. This is yet again an example in the Old Testament of why Jesus had to come. Jesus came to draw the world to Himself. Jesus came as the second person of the trinity to earth and lived in what is known as the 'incarnation'. He lived incarnationally, as fully God and fully man here on earth to draw the world to Himself and His Father.

But the key to this passage and why I write about it today on Thanksgiving is this. If you notice, in the pasage, God tells the people, after He has completed His work in their lives to set up a monument. This is not a monument for them to worship or pay homage to. No, it is one for them to see and constantly be reminded of the work of God in their midst. This is a monument that every time they see they are supposed to be able to tell their children why the God they worship is the true God. This monument is meant to be a monument that outsiders, sojourners, other nations will see and know that the God of Israel is the true God. This monument that God has them build is meant to be a means for the Isrealites to not forget who their God is, what He has done, and be able to easily and intentionally tell the missionary story of their God.

Which, coincidentally enough brings me back to our present day and even Thanksgiving. See, these 12 stones are a monument that are pointing back to a certain moment in time. While we do not all have a river parted on us, we all should have these moments, these stories of where God has been at move in our life. These are what I like to call "Monument Moments" and where we need to then turn these into "Missional Monuments". Think about it, even Jesus had Missional Monuments and Monument Moments. Read through the Gospels, Acts, and the Pauline epistles. Not to beat a cliched horse, but the cross and ressurection are the two biggest examples of a Monument Moment and Missional Monument, but Jesus had many more.

See, God is up to things in the world. He is calling us, His Church, to be a part of it. By taking part of it, we are to be salt and light to the world. By doing that, we should naturally have these moments where there is no other explanation other than Jesus; just like the Isrealites had no other explanation for crossing the Jordan. It is in these times, where our society has come to a point where we too easily forget them, where we don't stoop and remember. So, I say we must create "Missional Monuments" that force ourselves and the world to peer in, take a look and ask "What happened here?". Maybe the first step is to use Thanksgiving as an opportunity to look back on your year and see what God has been up to in your life. And, then see where your "Monument Moments" are and create a "Missional Monument" for you and your family or church. All so that we can easily point people to Jesus and show the world that God is on the move and here are some snapshots of what He is up to.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! What are your "Monument Moments" for the past year? How can you turn these moments into "Missional Monuments"?

Studying Culture Through the Picture of Dane Cook

One of the greatest things about being on campus all the time is that I get the chance to see and study culture at one of the many places where culture is injected into the rest of the world - a secular university. Being on campus means that one must look at this place through Missiological lenses (studying culture through the eyes of a missionary). This is a discipline that can never stop, nor should it. But that means digging beneath the surface of what you see and figuring out how and where they need the gospel; figuring out what their functional saviors are; figuring out their idols; figuring out what/who shapes their world view. So one of the things that is prevalent is how much Dane Cook is idolized by the college community (students, not professors).

Now, let me pause here for a moment, pop culture is not the best or only way to learn about your culture - there are many ways, this is just one aspect to look at. For instance, Dane Cook is a celebrity who affects cultures. So we want to see how he is affecting culture and what that is doing. Make sense? Alright moving on...

Dane Cook, is a comedian. It was very tough for me to write that sentence, because I really don't know if he can be called that. Honestly, up until about a week ago I had never heard any of Dane Cook's material - hadn't had the chance. But I've heard him talked about so much and I didn't understand him, all I knew was that college students are in love with him - especially college guys. So one night, I turned on Comedy Central and they were playing one of his live performances he gave. It turned out to teach me quite a lot.

I watched his entire 1 hour performance. I maybe only laughed several times, honestly I didn't think he was funny, maybe not my type of humor I'll admit. But, what stuck out to me was his candor and how he was not telling jokes but merely having a one hour monologue with his audience about the life he lived. For the majority of the show he was basically bragging about how crappy of a person he is. I was shocked and then came to this realization.

He is not a comedian. He is a preacher. He doesn't tell jokes he propagates a way of life. He evangelizes people to his way of life. He makes being a douche-bag acceptable and popular. He tells tales of his one nights stands and how he treats women and other people with total disregard and he gets huge laughter. Why? Because he is catering to the culture that has been established in America - a me first, consumeristic, disregard for other people. He is preaching his (false) gospel of humanistic hedonism (pleasure).

For instance, here is what he says about when he is on stage "You have to learn the crowd. I just pay attention to them so I can make sure I can make them laugh." One draws several points from this: 1) he's smart, no denying that. 2) he knows how to read culture and people - he is giving them what they want. 3) He is preaching to his followers, his converts and inviting them in to his way of life.

Now, I'm not saying he's starting a religion or anything. But, just illustrating how he is magnetizing and preaching a gospel that is contrary to that of the true Gospel, that of Jesus. One more quote, one that I feel that helps illustrate my point (and one of his more tame examples) "Three weeks ago one of my dreams came true. I finally got to see something I always wanted to witness live. I finally saw someone get hit by a car... Nailed!" He is a humanistic, hedonist preacher.

With all this said, what does he teach us about culture? Well, let's look at it specifically for college students. They love Dane Cook. They sell out his arenas and flock to his movies, Cd's, etc. Why? Because the life he is living is what they all want. He is living a life that is in the moment and about giving him glory and pleasure. He is worshiping himself. That is the American Dream, that is our culture, that is what college students think (at large).

Let me take this one step further, he is the fantasy of every college guy:
1) He makes millions without actually working.
2) He gets to work while dressing while he just got out of bed.
3) He gets to talk crudely and vulgarly and is dubbed the cool guy.
4) He gets to tell of his "chick banging" exploits without regard as to what it has done to the women.

The List could go on. But I'll end it there. What I'm getting at simply is this - Dane Cook is popular culture. No doubting it, young people love him (myself not included). If you like Dane Cook I'm not telling you to stop. In fact, as long as he's popular, I'll be listening and trying to understand him and his impact on culture and trying to glean as much info about the college mind and American society as I can.

Dane Cook is a preacher of the gospel of America. We need to be preachers of the Gospel of Jesus. A gospel of reconciliation (2 Cor 5:20-21). Because one thing is clear from him people are open to be preached to. People are looking for a way of life to live, one that will provide meaning and satisfaction - but its so much wrapped around their own personal satisfaction, which is something that we can never have our full of. Listen to Dane Cook and even though he has fame, money and women - there's something missing. Listen to college students - there is something missing. That thing missing is the Gospel of Reconciliation, the Gospel of Jesus. They need Jesus. I implore you look at your tribe, your culture and see how it needs the Gospel of Jesus to reconcile and redeem it.

Rethinking the End Goal of Church Membership

As a student, I get plenty of opportunities to sit in class and daydream. Now, mind you, my daydreams are not that of your average college student, especially those at a secular university. I do not sit in class and gawk at the girl in front of me and daydream about asking her out (like those seeking their MRS degrees would be)- instead, one daydreams about the Church and the Kingdom. In fact, on Monday, Jesus and I had our own little conversation and think session about Church Membership.

Let me state this. I love the Church (global) and the church (local). I believe you cannot have a church without the Church and vise versa. They go hand in hand and as a future pastor, future church botanist, I spend lots of time dreaming about what the church could be and the expression it could take in a local environment. Most of the time I have these think sessions it is usually big picture stuff about how the church and the Church can better reach it's community - it's city. But this time, it was being inquisitive about a part of the church, I've never fully understood and that is church "membership".

Again, I love the church. I do. But, correct me if I'm wrong - are we not all members of the Church once we encounter Jesus? Not only that, I agree that we are all commanded to be a part of the Church - and the church. Now, one of the ways that previous generations before me have did that is by allowing one to become a church "member". There is nothing wrong with that - but from past experience of being a "member" - what's the point? One spends at least a month of their life sitting inside a church building learning what this church is all about and where it stands (all good things to know) and then from there they want to make sure one knows Jesus (an important thing as well. After this one gets voted in, and is allowed the "privileges" of a church member (i.e. voting, discipline, etc), one almost becomes a share holder of the church (a good thing yet again). And that's it. You can vote at business meetings. You show up on Sundays, maybe one other time a week - you are a member, a super-Christian and thus can now be officially allowed to lead in one's church.

Now don't get me wrong, I've gone through the membership process - it's valuable, but its end goal needs some help. Now, the church one is currently at - does not have membership. They tried it, no one did it. So, they rethought things. They just want one to be connected. If one wants to be a leader, one has to go through training. Heck,now one feels far more like a member of this current church then he ever did at the one where he was a "member". This non-member church doesn't have business meetings - instead, during the main services they have "family conversations" were they incorporate it into the main portion for all to hear...

Here's what I'm getting at - why does the American Church feel the need to have members if all it does is just help us put boundaries on our attendees?

Membership is a tricky thing. I believe in having membership - but it is extra-biblical (not a bad heretical thing, but not a mandatory, have it or you are a heretic kind of thing). So, if I believe in membership, what is the point? There are lots: I agree that it is a good way to make sure your leaders are equipped - so it is training. I believe it is a good way to talk to your people about what the vision for your church is all about and what God has uniquely called you to express for the Kingdom. But, really, membership? We are all already members of the Church and a class won't make me any more or less of a member of the Church. Which lead me to this conclusion.

As with everything in the Church and church - it is about Mission. So, leadership training is about the mission (equipping leaders to fulfill the mission); casting the vision of your church is about mission (because your church is about mission and that is the vision). With the lens of the gospel and vision, what if membership was no longer about a class and being able to call yourself a member, now being able to lead, being able to vote, etc - but what if it was about mission?

What if instead of voting them in as members, after the membership class is over they now become sanctioned as missionaries to their communities? What if membership classes are now about missionary commission? What if by the time one is through the membership class, they are now official "insert church name here" missionaries to "insert name of city here". Therefore, membership classes are there to emphasize to your people that being a member of both the Church and the church is about mission, about being missionaries. Thus by the time one is commissioned they are not a "member" but a "missionary", an "ambassador" of the Church by the church for the Kingdom to the world - starting with their community.

The Art of Missional Living//be willing to get off the plan for your day

So, the journey of a missional leader and follower of Jesus leads one down many paths. In fact, on Monday night I was faced with one yet again. After being in class from 11am-645pm and working from 7pm-11pm, I was tired and ready to go home and do homework and sleep. Unfortunately though, due to horrible parking on campus and my refusal to get to campus early to find a good spot, I was parked at the back of Lot G (which for those who don't know CSUF, is on the corner of Yorba Linda Blvd, near the arboretum and Goodwin field) - it's quite a hike, even for a scooter.

Well, on my scoot back to my truck - Jesus decided to remind me that in order to live missionally it means holding all of my life loosely (thanks for that phrase RockHarbor) - even when I'm tired, been on campus all day, have homework to do, and get to be back at campus by 830am for my 9am class on Tuesday - which means that I don't control when or what I'm doing, I just go by the moment, by the seat of my pants so to speak, hold my life and plans loose and see what Jesus has in store for me each day. Like I said, on the ride to my truck there was a random, middle aged woman walking the middle of the street that runs in the middle of the parking lot. As I go by her she flags me down and asks me what street she's near, so I tell her. Then I keep scooting, because I have things to do. And I hear a voice saying to me "Give her a ride. Do it." But, I ignore it because I have things to do.

Then, I get to my truck, I take it slow wrapping up my scooter and she's near me and my truck. I look her in the eyes and ask her (knowing that I can't ignore that voice in my head) "Can I give you a ride?" With which she looks at me with big eyes, just floored that a college student would offer to give her a ride. She gladly says "Yes, do you know where Garnett Ave is?"

Now let me pause right there. Before you starting thinking I'm the perfect missional person. I'm far from it. There are more times then not where I hear these voices and ignore it simply because I am "too busy". But, that night, thankfully, I did not let my own will happen and get in the way. I hate it when I do things like that - because I know that I'm called to love and serve those in need, but at times it just feels like such an inconvenience. But,this I know, I have the rest of my life on earth to continue learning how to die to myself and rely on the sanctification of Jesus in order to help me fully live out the mission of Jesus and the Gospel.

Now with that interlude having happened, I'll continue my story. I'd love to say that in this short ride she decided to follow Jesus as that would be a lie. But, I can guarantee you that she encountered Jesus. Driving with her for that short ride, I got to know her and her story, asking tons of questions. Her name was Francis. She was a beautiful woman that God created uniquely and placed his finger print on. And her story was quite sad (too much to type about). But inside this process, I was praying for her, just simple things.

Then we pull onto Garnett Ave. Our time is over, she thanks me and gets out. I tell her it was my pleasure glad I could serve her in this and I go to turn around my truck down the rest of the street. As I come back around she waves me down in the middle of the street. She then tells me more of her story: how she lost all her money at the Pomona track and how during her time down here her boyfriend and her have gotten into fights and she broke up with him, but you see, the problem is here motorcycle is right out here and its out of gas and it happens that this is her boyfriends house. She apologizes in advance saying that she feels bad having to ask me for this and asks me for $5 for a tank of gas, sayin she'll write me a check. I look her in the eyes and call her by her name and say "Francis, I love you. Let me serve you in this way. No money is needed. Just let me do this for you. I've been blessed with so much, let me bless you tonight. It's been a pleasure to get to know you tonight. If I have cash in my wallet it's yours." (coulda said more, but remember I was tired - shoulda talked about Jesus more) Sure enough but what is the only bill in my wallet - a $5 bill... So I drive off and pray for this child of God, Francis.

Now here's some quick things I learned from this about Mission and Jesus. Firstly, living out the gospel means so much - be the hands and feet of Jesus at all tims. Second, be open. The best missional moments are the times you don't plan. Third, missional living means inconvenience - but remember we are called to live as Jesus and carry our crosses - wasn't Jesus placed at the ultimate inconvenience for having to carry our sins on the cross? Fourth, we have been blessed to be a blessing - even if it is only a rid and a five. Fifth, in our cashless society it is tough to be generous and a blessing to other if we don't carry cash and just carry plastic. Carry cash - small bills because even a five can allow someone to encounter Jesus. Be counter cultural and carry cash so you can freely give it way. Sixth, never stop praying. Don't be afraid to share. Ask questions about her. Seventh, one thing I missed, I should have asked to pray for her - but I forgot...

Gospel and Community - an example of Missional Living

Over the past several months, there have been two things becoming more and more crystallized in my mind as the Holy Spirit leads me and Jesus prepares me for ministry. Heck, these two things that I'm learning are actually one thing, or two sides of the same coin. This is all a part of what it means to live missionally - one must have the gospel and community. They are essential.

Here is the first one: All of life must be living out the Gospel.
That is a big statement, I know. What does that mean? It means that Jesus came to establish a people that were to be about the business of the Father (just like Jesus was), aka, establish His Kingdom on earth. It means that in all we do in our lives, we must be embodying the gospel - not just to those who do not know Jesus - but to those who do know Jesus. Our lives must be gospel led, gospel business, kingdom lives.

Point two which ties directly into this, is that we must live these gospel lives in community. Why? Because God lives in community as the Trinity present in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Not only that, God has always been about creating a people. First through Adam, then Noah, then Abraham, then the Isrealites and now the Church (with the capital C, not the lower case c). He's always about blessing a people to be a blessing to the world. In our world today that is the Church.

But in this gospel life lived in community it is an enormus task with lots of variables from scenario to scenario - the common linkage is that we are supposed to live life in such a way that as individuals participating in community we live such lives that the world demands an explanation, and the only explanation is the Gospel.

Jesus has been teaching me a lot about that recently. The Holy Spirit is growing that passion in me continually. Today, tonight, God gave me an oppurtunity to put this into practice. Before I share my story, I must preface it by saying that I'm not perfect at this. By no means. I fail, and fail a lot. This is one of the times I feel I have gotten it right.

Today, a brother of mine gave me a phone call. We help each other do life together and are developing a stronger bond all the time. He called, while I was in RH Student Ministries @ South County. Sent him a text and found out it was important. Snuck out and gave him a call. Where he shared with me the news that his girl friends dad had died on Thursday.

I'll admit, not the phone call I expected. Don't know what I was expecting, just not that. So we talk and find out the details, I'm heart broken, say goodbye and go back to the students. For the rest of the day it was hanging over me, I was broken and sad for two people I love. All I wanted to do was be with them, and grieve with them, and pray over them.

Then, the 9pm @ RockHarbor Central Campus begins. We sit through it and I realize that the response time is the ideal time to pray for him and her. So, after the message when response time hits - I pull him aside and ask him to come with me to the prayer room. Again, a note, I'm by no means perfect. But it is here, where I get to pray with him, pray over him, and lift him up. It is here, where community happened. Where life was done together, where it was all laid bare and made sure that for the sake of the Gospel whatever was needed from me he had as I'm there to keep him upright.

After that I asked if I could pray over them both. So he brought her in. It was sad, she's a beautiful, energetic woman who loves Jesus and I could feel and see the heaviness in her soul. I hug her and spend time grieving. It is after this that I look at them both, and do life, and live community of the Gospel out with them and share my heart, how I'm here for her, for him, for them. And then, prayed for these two amazing people who love Jesus and each other, that model a Godly relationship to the world, through the Gospel in their community.

The Gospel embodied in community. It hurts. Its tough. Its worth it. We just model ourselves after our perfect example, Jesus, till he returns and takes away things such as death. Remember, after all, even "Jesus wept".