Three things YOU can do!! Don’t give into apathy or stagnation!! Just do something…

PRAY FOR JAPAN

Jesus brings Hope to the Hopeless.
The People of Japan need HOPE.

Jesus brings Peace to the Restless
The People of Japan need PEACE

Jesus brings Healing to the Brokenhearted
The People of Japan need HEALING

GIVE SOME CASH

These three organizations I believe in, have seen their work and know that your hard earned money will be put to immediate work in Japan!
1- Samaritan’s Purse
2- Medical Teams International
3- Churches Helping Churches

BUY SOME THINGS THAT BENEFIT JAPAN

My good friends at HEY JOJO STUDIOS have created a great poster.  100% of the money is going to help the people of Japan.

Head over to HELLO SOMEBODY and help make a difference!

These are just some ideas. There are many more places that you could give money  and many more artists that are trying to raise money for Japan. The biggest thing is that we fight against being caught in apathy or being stagnant.

I don’t care what you do just help make a difference. Play your part!!

I love the church I am a part of. It is a true community of messed up people that are seeking to live as followers of Jesus. This past week we asked ,

“Is the Gospel Worthy of Your Generosity?”

It is a question that cuts to the core of selfishness and fear. It causes one to really wonder if they believe that God is Lord of all and that they can trust him with everything. This video that we showed just talks about how The Gospel is causing life change in people. Not a punch list and pat on the back of what we have done, but just a reflection on what God is doing and how we long to keep that the main thing.

So watch it and really ask yourself

“Is the Gospel Worthy of Your Generosity?”

HAUNT (hônt) – To come to the mind of continually

I have been reading a ton about Mother Teresa lately. Her life and how she lived has begun to haunt me, in the best of ways, on a daily basis.  I can see her humble, love filled eyes and the way she scurries down the roads of the poorest areas in the world and under her breath she whispers  Ek… Ek… Ek…

But Why?…this is why:

She has been spurring me on towards love and good deeds. She has been leading me to be in the world but not of the world. She has been showing me that the greatest of all these is love. She has been modeling to me that the most important thing is to love God and love your neighbor. She has been challenging me to find Jesus with the poor, oppressed, thirsty, hungry, social outcasts and those on the margins of society. She has been teaching me to deny myself, take up my cross daily and follow Jesus.

I am so grateful for those that are more concerned about The Kingdom then selfish gain!

I totally wish I was at this conference.  Adoption of course is close to our hearts and has changed our family forever!! Luckily they are streaming the whole thing!!  I believe with all my heart that the world will see the LOVE OF JESUS as the church rises up to solve the orphan crisis around the world and right next door…including the foster care program!!

Watch and share!!

Well…Sorry I have been M.I.A. this last month!!  Things have been great but things have been busy.  So what has been going on this last month??  Here is a few things that have had my attention and my time!

My Family

I love my family!!  They are amazing!  I have a great wife, great kids and I get to love on them every night.  I have been reminded in this season how much more of an impact I can have as I detach from media and focus on relationally building into my wife and kids.  I have also realized I can be much better at it!

Thirteenth Birthday Party

I now have a teenager in my home!!  Crazy, surreal, yet very real!  She is an amazing daughter and it was great to celebrate the day with her!!

My Church

We have been ramping up for the Fall and just entered a vision series…looking forward to what God is going to do amongst us and through us as we SHIFT: from a church to a movement

Leading Worship

Have had some great opportunities to lead worship outside Grace Chapel and also with the church I love!!  It has been a blast

Ten Year College Reunion

Yeah…pretty crazy that ten years have past.  Man I am getting old.  It was fun to celebrate the memories made at Multnomah University

The Ducks

YES…that is right…I bleed green and yell-o.  Not really, but I love me some UO Ducks football!!!!…and our seats this year are pretty sweet!!

Thriving Musicians Summit

Had a great time at this conference.  Lots of worshipers and worship leaders getting inspired and improving skill

Our son loves phones and he loves to call everyone from his friend Bubba to Grandma to his girl friend. He doesn’t even know what a girl friend is but that doesn’t stop him. He loves the statement right now “Yeah…Dats Awesome!”

The crazy thing is he is faking it the whole time!!  It isn’t a real phone and there is no one on the other end. When you are 3.5 years old it is funny, but when you are an adult and you are still faking it you look ridiculous.

Why do we try to fake things? Why can’t we just admit we don’t know how to do something; that we need help? I guess I am realizing that I don’t want to fake it any more. I want to be real. I want to ask for help. I want to be secure enough to admit my inadequacies and be okay learning from others.

I don’t know about you but I’m done faking it!!!

In what ways do you feel like you have to fake it…to be accepted??

I like this song. Why? Because it makes me think and I like that.

I don’t know about you, but I have had very weird and messed up views of God and Jesus most my life because of being raised in a conservative, monoethnic, american christianity. Is that okay? I don’t think so….

I think Gungor has done a great job of capturing some huge concepts and redefining some damaging misconceptions in this tune.

Give it a listen and really think about how you view God!

What are some common misconceptions about God that you have believed or find yourself defaulting to??

I have decided I don’t want the American Dream
I don’t care about working up the corporate ladder for my gain
Bigger and better are words that I hope never lead me in my consumption

I am reading a book called RADICAL by David Platt that is resonating so deep within me.  My worldview in the past could be summed up in one word CONSUMERISM. It was all about me, my stuff, my way, my job, my fame, my whatever. Basically the “American Dream”. The tag line of RADICAL is “Taking Back Your Faith From The American Dream”.

…in the American dream, where self reigns as king (or queen), we have a dangerous tendency to misunderstand, minimize, and even manipulate the gospel in order to accommodate our assumptions and our desires

Consider the cost when Christians ignore Jesus’ commands to sell their possessions and give to the poor and instead choose to spend their resources on better comforts, larger homes, nicer cars, and more stuff. Consider the cost when these Christians gather in churches and choose to spend millions of dollars on nice buildings to drive up to, cushioned chairs to sit in, and endless programs to enjoy for themselves. Consider the cost for the starving multitudes who sit outside the gate of contemporary affluence

I WANT TO LIVE DIFFERENTLY…What about you?? I want to see the church live, move, and strategically plan differently. I am just more and more convinced that the majority of decisions we make in our lives and in the church are not based on the leading of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God but on a consumerist “American Dream” worldview… WHAT ABOUT YOU?  What do you think??

Buy the book, read it and be ready for your life to be changed

FIVE SCHOOLS IN 5 HOURS…

It was an amazing day Saturday to watch the community of Grace Chapel tackle all the schools in Wilsonville. People of all ages  were spreading bark dust, trimming hedges, pulling weeds and enjoying every minute of it.  By the end of the day the schools looked beautiful.

It was one of those days that I was proud to be part of the faith community. I think the ability to go into the community were we live and do something “with no stings attached” is something the greater Church should be known for.

What do you think?