bedtime stories and a 6 year olds prayer

We have a night-time routine at our house.  I’m sure it’s much like yours.  We read a few stories, say a few prayers, rub a few backs and head off into never never land.  Often times, like most 6 year olds, Joshua will pepper me with a few questions.  Tonight we ventured into the realm of heaven, hell, salvation and creation.  We spoke of dragons, snakes & angels of light.  As we did, my heart leaped at the opportunity to share the gospel with my boys.

It all started with a blacklight.  You see we spent the afternoon @ Chucky Cheese for Micah’s (3 turning 4) birthday party.  They stamp your hand with a special black light number when you enter so that the kids can’t escape with someone elses parents.  Our number was 239.  While reading our stories under black light the boys of course noticed once again the number on their arms.

Here’s a condensed version of how my conversation with Joshua went…

Joshua (reading the number 239 on his arm): “Is that how many lives we have?”

Me (jumping at the opportunity to share):  “No, we only have one life and then the afterlife.”

Joshua: “And then we go to heaven?”

Me: “Or we go to hell.” (I’m not sure where that came from!)

Joshua: “Where the red guy lives?  What does he look like?

Me: “Well, the Bible says he looks like a lot of things…  a dragon, a snake, an angel of light…  That’s why mommy doesn’t like you wearing shirts with dragons on them. Do you know what hell is like?”

Joshua: “It’s the place like a lake of fire.”

Me: “Do you know how to know which place you’re going to?”

Joshua: “No”

Me: “Well, the Bible says that Jesus died on the cross for our sins so that we won’t have to go to hell if we believe in Him. Where do you think you’re gonna go?”

Joshua: “Probably hell because sometimes I’m bad.”

Me: “But remember what I just said?  Jesus died on the cross in your place so that you don’t have to go to hell.”

Joshua: “Even if I’m bad?”

Me: “Even if you’re bad.”

Joshua: “That doesn’t seem right.”

Me: “The Bible says that if you believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and that God raised Him from the dead you will be saved…  That means that you don’t have to go to hell.  Do you believe that?”

Joshua: “Yes”

Me: “Do you know what confess means?”

Joshua: “No”

Me: “It means to tell someone.  Have you ever done that?”

Joshua: “Yes, I just told you and Micah!” 

Me: “Do you know what the word Lord means?”

Joshua: “Yes, it’s like king… and Jesus is the king over everyone!”

Me: “Yes, and do you know what kings do?”

Joshua: “They rule the world!”

Me: “Yes, and they take care of their people and tell them what to do.  Have you ever asked Jesus to be your king?”

Joshua: “Yes, but I don’t really hear Him.”

Me: “Well, you have to be very still and listen really hard…  Do you know how God speaks to us?

Joshua: “no”

Me: “Mostly in three ways…  by His Word (the Bible), His people (that’s you, me, mommy and other Christians), and His still small voice right there in your heart, but you have to be very quiet and listen carefully…  Wanna try it?”

Joshua: “Yes…  God, how do you make the planets?”

Silence…

Joshua (a little louder): “God, how do you make the planets?”

A longer silence…

Me: “Did you hear anything?”

Joshua: “No, not really”

I prayed silently to God that He would make himself known to Joshua and Micah as we lay quietly…

Joshua (almost shouting now): “GOD, HOW DO YOU MAKE THE PLANETS?”

Silence…

Me: “Did you hear anything?”

Joshua: “Kind of…  He said oils and pastels?  What are oils and pastels daddy?”

Flight 1549 Landing in the Hudson

My dad shared this with me and it was too cool not to share!

Nathan Tasker

Nathan Tasker

I’m excited about our New Venue.  The Venue is a small coffee shop type room, but it’s perfect for small concerts.  To launch into a new season of these types of events we invited Nathan Tasker from Australia to come and play on Saturday, February 6th.  It should be amazing.

I hope to see you there…

The Nicest Guy in the World (Mark Munoz)

Mark & His Wife Kristy

I got the opportunity to go to UFC 108 last weekend thanks to the nicest guy in the world Mark Munoz and his wife Kristy.  He and his family are strong Christians who attend Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Ca.  My friend Randy rents a house to them and they hooked us up with tickets to UFC 108.  We had dinner with them @ the MGM Grand where he spent a good ten to twenty minutes of his busy schedule sharing his story with us.  He spoke in a quiet, humble voice about how God has really gotten a hold of him over the last few years.  It took a few challenges and setbacks to get him where he is today, but we all know that “trials & tribulations produce perserverance, character and hope and that hope does not dissapoint us because it’s poured out into our hearts from God.” Romans 5:3-5

Here’s a nice gif of him showing how kindhearted he is… 

UFC 108

I think God has some great things in store for him and his family…  and he really is one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met! 

Home sweet home

Home sweet home.

I’m not sure I can still call it that since I haven’t lived there in like almost 8 years.

Staci and I are heading to San Diego for the weekend to celebrate our anniversary.  I can’t wait.  I miss that place a lot.

I might even get some surf in!

Wordless Wednesday

I know it’s Thursday but I saw this Wordless Wednesday idea over at Visual Trademark and really liked it, so there!

Thanks CJ!

The Beautiful Mess of Discipleship

Here’s something that I’ve been mulling over lately.

The Church is a messy place.  Don’t ask me how, but as leaders in the Church we have perfected the duplicitous thought that perfection is a requirement for leadership.  While 1 Timothy, Titus and other scripture lay out some very important ground rules for leadership, perfection is not one of them.  In fact, if it were we’d all be in big trouble!

I’ve found that as a Pastor it is sometimes easier to dismiss someone as not fit for leadership simply because their personality doesn’t jive with my own.  The same is true in relationship to my own calling.

As I hone in on my true calling as a Pastor (the great commission to “make disciples”), I’m realizing that the very act of dealing with personality conflict is part of the discipleship process.  It’s part of me becoming more like Christ and it’s part of them becoming more like me (in Christ).  To use a cliche song lyric, it’s really just a big “beautiful mess”.  So I’m finding myself repeating this phrase over and over in regards to myself and my leadership teams…

“Don’t confuse personality conflict with divine calling… or lack thereof.”

Hilarious Japanese Soccer Video

I haven’t posted anything in a while.  I really wanted to launch into a new season of blogging now that seminary is filling my head with so many amazing thoughts and ideas on God and life in His kingdom.  But this was too good to pass up.

I feel like life in the kingdom of God is sometimes like this.  You can see it, but it’s so hard to fully comprehend.  The unfortunate part is that because of our inability to completely understand God’s ways people continuously get hurt by our mistakes.  And then we’re too busy trying to find the ball and make the next play to even stop and see if they’re okay.

We must come to understand that in God’s kingdom people are more important than programs and relationships always supersede religion.

Thanks Vince

catalyst west forgotten – craig groeschel

craig groeschel

Wow… finally, the last of the Catalyst West Forgotten series.  I’m ready to talk about something else, as I’m sure you are as well.

I’ve got to tell you though, Craig Groeschel in particular impressed me more than any other.  I really believe that I’ve saved the best for last.  Then again, it could just have been because I just finished reading ‘Crazy Love’ by Francis Chan and ‘The Barbarian Way’ by Erwin McManus.  Here’s what I mean….

I was taught and I thought the Church was supposed to be a safe place.

It’s time for the Church to become dangerous again!

Let the word drive the creativity, not the other way around.

Don’t trust the package…  Trust the power of God.

I was taught and I thought ‘build the Church’.

Build the Kingdom!

Be a Kingdom Player…

Be good at what you do, not what others do!

Unite the Church.

I was taught and I thought that success was only found in the big numbers.

Get the right people doing the right thing!  Even if your numbers decrease.

Don’t blame yourself for the decline or you’ll be tempted to take credit for the increase.

3 types of Christians in our Churches today…  We want to get people to line 3
1. I believe enough to benefit
2. I believe enough to contribute comfortably
3. I believe enough to give my life

What kind of message am I preaching?

catalyst west forgotten – perry noble

Perry Noble

I’ve heard a lot about this guy over the years.  His Church is blowing up.  The reality is, he wasn’t anything like I had envisioned him.  Way more down to earth and incredibly funny.  Here’s what I got from his time at Catalyst West…

The size of the vision that God will give you is directly related to the amount of pain you are willing to endure.

Ezekiel – We always want to go to the place that is already rockin’ instead of building a place that is/will be rockin’.

1. Trust Him
Dryness will alwayslead you to desperation…  That’s why you are where you are…  And when you’re desperate, you are forced to go back to your first calling.

Have you ever prayed for God to move the storm?

2. Believe Him
You have never waited on God!  He’s waiting on us!!!

I didn’t bring you here so you can wait until a better gig comes along.  I brought you here to preach to these dry bones so that they may come to life!

We have nothing to fear if we truly believe that God is sovereign.

3. Don’t be obsessed with discovery rather than development.  Get obsessed with development rather than being discovered.

Leadership is as easy as listening to God!

We don’t have a 3 year plan…  We don’t have one!

God lead Moses one step at a time…

Get more concerned about repentance than attendance.

What would you be willing to attempt for God if You knew you couldn’t fail?

We’re obsessed with everything but the supernatural.