It's exciting!!!

Inspired to write this!

September 2009: I will hike Mt Whitney in the night to arrive on it's glorious 14,496 foot peak by sunrise. we will have coffee and a bible study on top of the highest peak in the continental US. Last year we got electrocuted and had a blizzard attack us. Intense up there.

October 2009: we go to India/Nepal. I hear the people there treat you with the respect as though your purpose in life far surpasses theirs. Meaning they bow, touch the bottom of your garment, and just want to feed you and shower you with approval and love. Our goal is to learn them and love them more.

It never gets boring with God!

1 Peter 1,2,3,4,5 explains aliens scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappodocia, Asia, & Bythinia. The book explains their future inheritance which resides in Heaven. They were not comfortable, relaxed, rich, or loved, yet with the passion for the gospel, they scattered themselves all over the mediterranian land to be expendable for His sake, His adventure, and His inheritance.

The true andventure of His calling. It has not dissapointed me yet. I don't presume it ever will.

overwhelming truth!

Joshua 1:8 is clear about not letting the Law depart from your mouth.

Psalms 1:2 This calls us to meditate on the day and night

psalms 25:5 Anxious for the truth and teachings

Acts 17:10:12 In Brea those who were there recieved the word with great eagerness.

Nehemiah 8:1-8 the people literally begged and stood in awe of the Law of Moses.

Just something that stood out in my quite times. What if we recieved the things of God with such eagerness. When Christians get excited about the things of God then true change happens as others begin to covet your overwhelming joy.

This is going to get INTENSE!

In breaking down barriers restricting gays and lesbians from the pulpit, the nation's largest Lutheran denomination has laid down a new marker in a debate over the direction of mainline Protestant Christianity, a tradition that once dominated American religious life.

By voting Friday to allow gays and lesbians in committed relationships to serve as clergy, the 4.7-million member Evangelical Lutheran Church in America will either show how a church can stand together amid differences, or become another casualty of division over sexual morality and the Bible, observers say.

"We're going to be living in tension and ambiguity for a longer time, partly because the culture has shifted," said David Steinmetz, a Duke Divinity School professor of Christian history.

The question is whether the mainline church will shift alongside, or if it will decide that the more welcoming attitude toward homosexuality is wrong, he said.

More...http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090822/ap_on_re/us_lutherans_gays

3 years

Aly and I have known eachother ever since high school, but we were just "pass by in the hall friends". She was beautiful and I was a mess.

It wasn't unitl myspace a few years later that we would re-meet. It was on Valentines day in 2005 when it really all began though. Sure enough we were both on Myspace, so having that opportunity, I took it! I asked her to be my valentine. I picked her up, gave her a dozen red roses, and took her to Johnny Carino's Italian resteraunt in Temecula.

We have been best friends, lovers till death, and partners in taking over the world ever since. Can i tell you there is no one else in the world I could imagine spending this life with than her? Yesterday, we celebrated 3 years of marriage together. Just wanted those who read to know she's my second, right after Jesus.

I love you bug.

No room for wimpy women!

Marie Durant was a 14 year old women who lived in the France in the 17th century.

She was a protestant Christian in the midst of Roman Catholics and other main line religions during that time. 17th century France was as much opposed to any other religion than those of modern day Russia or Iran.

Marie was arrested for carrying a bible and put in jail. The official offered her a pardon, all Marie had to do was deny Christianity and accept that the religion of France was dominant and thus the only one worth speaking about.

Marie spent the next 38 years slowly dying in that jail. She wrote on the wall, "I deny your request." Her love and respect to Jesus Christ is truly noble, and worth every year spent in that cell.

practical inteligence (good enough to repost for you)

-Seth Godin

Here's a surefire way to get and keep the attention of your audience: put on a soap opera.

If there's always a feud, a criminal investigation, secret photos, innuendo, allegations of drug use, partnerships foundering, acquisitions started, delayed or canceled, secret new projects, and possible runs for office, you can bet people will tune in.

I apologize for the lack of drama on this blog (not really).

Michael Jackson, Fidel Castro and Sarah Palin created drama. Paying attention, though, is the not the same as buying or respecting. It's possible to achieve both, but not easy.

-Post from Seth Godin, good enough to repost for you.

Day 1

Very simply put execution is often the result of pressure. Sometimes we need death defying circumstances to get the job done.

We deal with that hair trigger everyday. Exodus 17 explains how This art works very well. Moses let the hand down he loses. Keep hands up he wins the battle.

work, school, families, church, everything is on a hair trigger to some extent. Emotions butt in which in most situation makes for great action, but action often fails to reach execution. This is the begining degree to which the aforementioned falls apart.

You see execution kept Israel alive through the battle of Amelek. Execution hurts, as Moses' arm was unable to sustain hight by itself, but through the help of those called to executte with him (Aaron & Hur) it was done.

I have found the hardest yet most appropriate thing in organization is simply to aquire the right help otherwise your kingdom falls apart.

Every one has some.

Ezra made a profound impact in Nehemiah 8. He took what was given him via moses and so on and put it to the best use he new how.

Matthew 28:19 is clear on what it wants us to do. We are given every tool possible to fulfill this including but not limited to tongue, ears, feet, arms, eyes, heart, and thousands of other internal organs to assist.

Ezra started a revolution with the same tools as we. When he stood and read just the law of moses hundreds if not thousands stood in awe becasue he had made the word of God look as it was intended.

Practical application consist of simply taking what you have gifts, possesions, yourself, ect and allowing those things to be expendible for him. Thats what it takes!

A poem read and written by Natalie skeith at Corban's funeral. BEAUTIFUL!

My dearest nephew Corban,

You have never met me; I am your aunty Nata. Even though we have never met my sweet little boy I don’t think I could love you any more than I already do. I remember the day your beautiful mommy called me; I was the first one to know you were alive besides your daddy. I was in San Francisco with Nathan when your mommy called and we screamed and danced around the room for what seemed like hours, tears of joy poured out of my eyes. We had waited for you for 3 years! Even before I knew you were here I bought you little boots from Italy.
I hope that even when you were so little you could somehow hear or feel or know the love that has surrounded you since your first moment of existence. Your Daddy had been so anxious for you to be here and never stopped talking about how much he wanted you. From that phone call on every Thursday the whole family and the church that loved you too would ask what size you were. First you were just a tiny dot but soon strong boy you were a grain of rice, a blueberry, a peach, a softball, a honey dew melon, and stronger and bigger you got. We watched mommy’s stomach grow knowing that God was forming the most wonderful man inside of her.
At first, I’ll be honest; I thought you were a girl. I’m sorry! But before the doctor told us God gave me peace that you were a boy and I couldn’t have been happier about it. Who were you going to become? What gifts and quirks was God weaving into your heart? My heart dwelled on you day and night. I think Mommy’s favorite times with you were spent with Abba. Every morning she read you the bible, she prayed for you and with you. Baby boy you have been prayed for more than anyone I have ever met. So many hopes and dreams were prayed into your life. You are so special and cared for, you would have to be coming from the two best parents anyone could ask for.
It is very hard to know that I will never get to baby-sit you or throw a big first birthday for you with Mommy, it is very painful to know that your perfect little spirit is not matched by a perfect little body. But how blessed I am to have seen your beautiful face that long night at the hospital. Yes my precious one many tears of love have been cried for you. Your Mommy and Daddy love you so much and they don’t want to say goodbye. Everyone wants to hold you and play with you! Little man there is one who loves you even more than Mommy and Daddy, can you believe that? He is your Abba, your Daddy in heaven, he is your best friend, your king, your savior. Little one you get to be with him right away. Your life here on earth has already been hard, and we are so sorry that you ever had to have anything less than the best. But now you can run, play, jump, hug, learn; you get to be the man God has created you to be, fulfill an amazing purpose in heaven, and live in the unbroken and perfect relationship with your Abba that all of us down here crave. May you be blessed and loved beyond measure baby boy. We are all in a hurry to get where you are so that you and Abba can show us the ropes of perfect beauty, purpose, love, and relationship.
You are loved little one. Forever and ever and I am anxious to hold your perfect little hand.

Your aunty,

Nata

Nicoles beautiful God given voice

Nicole right before her final treatments. She did amazing!!!

The success of timing!

Recently i've seen the hand of inteligence at work. Things such as time, location, certian people, or moods have made this apparent.

Years ago my wife worked with a woman named Taylor. She was agnostic and sure of it. My wife is a Christian and would take every oppurtunity possible to let her know she's open to talk. They engaged in conversations that went well, but nothing happened as far as change, or so we thought.

Yesterday was Corban's funeral (years from then) and she came. Worship was sang, poems were read, an invitation was given, and people cried. Taylor cried as well, but not because of Corban as much as her desire to just know who this God was we talked so deeply about.

You see God is about timing, timing, timing. Yesterdays was Taylors time to see God so real. after a lifelong debate she and many tears came to the conclusion that surrender is the only way. She didn't have all the answers, instead all the emotions.

I write this so you Know that timing is the great battlefield for people. We can't see the immediate result and it kills us, yes me too. But after months of battleing in your heart perhaps it's best to know that timing is everyhting and nothing.

We will see her at Crossroads this sunday!
-Short version nevertheless a great one

baby Corban!

August 6, 2009 baby Corban went to be with Jesus.

He took a few powerful breaths and hung on as long as he could, but departed soon after. Can you blame him? I wouldn't have even hung on that long, but perhaps he new how much we wanted to see him and hold him.

He was 2.5 pounds and 11.5 inches long. He was bruised to extreme measures and every bone in his body was broken. I think he was going to look like Aly, especially his hair, but he had my nose, haha. Probably good he was going to look more like his mommy as she is much more beautiful than myself.

I want to tell you about His purpose. Yesterday at the 11am service here at Crossroads, my dad from Washington state came. We have been praying for him for years, it just never quite happened, salvation i mean. We sat in the chairs after service and sure enough he saw a picture of my baby Corban and thought, "If that precious baby boy is in heaven there's no way i'm staying out." So he gave his life to Christ and got baptized. This is the short story, but know that Corban is having eternal impacts on lives, especially those in my own family.

Love you my baby boy.

What if we did...

This week we’re talking about how to demonstrate honor through thoughtful actions. One of the best ways to ensure this is by systematizing your thoughtfulness.

Most of us have every intention of being thoughtful toward those we care about. It’s the execution that trips us up. For years I found myself wishing I would have thought to bless someone in a certain way…after the fact. I was always a day late and a dollar short when it came to celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, and accomplishments, or meeting needs.

Adopting a systematic approach to thoughtfulness translates your good intentions into meaningful expressions. Now that I have a larger support staff, I’m able to systematize thoughtfulness on a level I used to only dream about. I’m able to write personal birthday notes a month or so in advance for every staff member and some key volunteers. I also honor our staff systematically with different types of gifts and gift cards for their birthdays and certain other occasions-and it’s all done way in advance.

My office sends personalized Bibles to certain volunteers commemorating each sermon series. I always try to bless my mentors with gifts on their birthdays and special occasions. These events don’t catch us by surprise-we make our plan at the beginning of each month, keep lists of the tastes and preferences of my network of friends, colleagues, and co-workers on hand, and make it happen. I think it means a lot to the people in my life.

-Steven furtick

Nothing at all

NOTHING Is Impossible With God!

Posted: 21 Jul 2009 04:02 AM PDT
I began reading through the Gospel of Luke this week…and Luke 1:37 always captivates me,
“For nothing is impossible with God.”

This verse is the response of the angel Gabriel when asked by Mary, the mother of Jesus, how she was going to have a child since she was a virgin.
“For nothing is impossible with God.”

God is SO MUCH HIGHER than our problems, pain and perceived impossibilities that NOTHING is impossible with Him.
Mary’s question got her an answer that forced her to focus on the greatness of who God is…and the “impossibiities” that He can accomplish rather than depending on her own strength and wisdom.
“For nothing is impossible with God.”

SO…how about you…are you facing a seemingly impossible situation?
Maybe it’s your marriage…you’ve tried everything you know how to do and it looks like this is the week where you guys are going to hit the proverbial wall and it is all going to fall apart. You see no signs of things turning around and are tempted to give up…
“For nothing is impossible with God.”

The same God who brought Jesus back to life can bring your marriage back to life as well. Don’t give up on God–He hasn’t given up on you.
Maybe it’s your church. You are a pastor and/or a church planter and are SO ready to throw in the towel. You’ve actually caught yourself whispering to God, “I didn’t sign up for this.” If something don’t happen…if there isn’t some sort of breakthrough you are done…
“For nothing is impossible with God.”

Remember…it is HIS church (Matthew 16:18), He loves it WAY more than you do…and if He called you there then you’ve GOT to trust Him to do the unexplainable and undeniable! MAYBE the reason you are ready to give up is because THAT is exactly where He has been trying to get you so He can move and blow your mind!!!Maybe it’s your children…you’ve tried your absolute best to raise them right…and now they have gone down a path that is absolutely breaking your heart. You’ve quoted Proverbs 22:6 so many times it isn’t even funny and have asked God, “what did I do wrong.” You want to give up on them…but the unbelievable love inside of you won’t let go…
“For nothing is impossible with God.”

HE KNOWS…and it breaks His heart as well. This is the point as a parent where you have to admit your lack of control and fall on your face at the feet of the One who reigns…the one who CAN bring your child back…no matter how far he has wandered away!
Maybe it’s your family member/friend that does not know Christ. You’ve tried to talk to them, you’ve invited them to church–maybe they actually came once to shut you up–but you have seen NO change in them. No matter how hard you try they seem to grow more cold and indifferent…
“For nothing is impossible with God.”

Our call/mandate from Jesus is to spread the Gospel (Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15, Luke 24:48, John 20:21, Acts 1:8). SO…don’t give up…keep on keeping on! Personally…I am SO glad a guy named David didn’t give up on me…he invited me to church over and over and over…and I finally went! It was several months before I fully surrendered to Christ…but it took me getting there (and someone continually asking me to come) for my heart to begin to soften.
NOTHING is impossible with God–NOTHING!!! Sometimes He brings us to the end of ourselves so that we can fully rely on Him by seeing how limited we are and how unlimited He is…
“For nothing is impossible with God.”