Wednesday, April 30, 2008


Next week at Elevate we are starting a new series called "I AM Legend." Throughout the Old Testament God made himself known to his people by his name, Jesus continued that in the new Testament by sharing who he was; saying "I am..." This is going to be a powerful series for the simple fact that when we begin to learn about God and his faithfulness it begins to reinforce our faith. Life is tough, we get hurt, we hurt people, we get busy and stressed, this causes us to look at our circumstances and life situations as being huge and overwhelming. In short we take our eyes of God and lose faith. Faith is the driving force in living a life of impact, and having an understanding of Gods grace, mercy and power propels us to new heights in our daily walk. I am looking forward to learning more about God and allowing him to change me form the inside out.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Wisdom Balance and Friendship

Tonight I was able to take the evening off, I went to my sons school musical and then took my family out for ice cream afterwards. The amazing thing is that I was completely relaxed and was able to not even think about the fact that usually I am running crazy on Tuesday nights making sure everything is ready to roll for elevate. The reason for that peace is that I have some great people in my life that are willing and capable of running things completely fine without me. Its not easy for an ego to take the cold hard facts, that life can go on without me. It is awesome to have a great Friend like John step in and be a part of the teaching team, and having Mike be such an amazing partner in ministry. And then having a Leadership team like Elevate's who are all so willing to just jump right in and get things done- I am very blessed and very thankful.
So to all you who make my life so enjoyable- Thank you from the bottom of my heart. There is a great verse in Proverbs 24:18 that says there are a lot of friends that come and go, but there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother. That Friend is not only the Amazing God of heaven, but also many people who demonstrate Gods love on a daily basis. These friendships make it easier to live a life of balance- to help me understand that I am not in complete control and that although I know I have a significant calling on my life from God, there are so many people around me who's calling is just as significant.

OK, so I am starting to ramble but it is 11:30 and I slepts a total of 5 hours last night. All this to say: I appreciate my friends who help bring balance to my life- and give me a tangible expression of God's unconditional love

Monday, April 28, 2008

FIX IT DAY


Today I am working on one of those "honey-do" list for my wife, we are making some adjustments around the house to fix somethings that need fixin', and making some minor improvements.
I have shared in previous post that I am a perpetual procrastinator, but when I start doing something I get into it and cannot stop, I will keep on plowing through until I get finished, don't talk to me don't disturb me I am on a mission to get something done. My thought today is on balance, I wish I could find a happy medium between my procrastination and my "get out of the way, I'm getting this done." Somewhere in between those things is a unknown place to me, a place of good results on my work minus the stress of trying to beat a deadline or having to work harder on something because of consequences of waiting.
So in my quest to implement Wisdom into my Life- I am going to shoot for some balance.
This takes a little more effort and also overcoming some of the ways I have been doing things for years.

Proverbs talks much about diligence and quick action; I know in my head that doing things methodically rather than frantically is better, its just that most of the time I convince myself that this is just how I am and that I thrive better with pressure.

Balance will also make things a lot easier on the most significant people in my life, mainly my wife and kids. There has been many times that I have turned down a meaningful game of catch with my son because of the "tyranny of the urgent" created by my lack of diligence and planning.

So Balance here I come, looking forward to it, balance is Wisdom, and according to proverbs it is looking for us, we just have to start looking in the right place.

Quick note: I should have learned some balance before last night, I went from not playing basketball in 3 years to playing 10 games of full court 5-5. I can't move! I hurt! but it was fun.

Saturday, April 26, 2008

From Guest Blogger Glen Bryant


Quick note from Joel: If you haven't met Glen yet you really need to, Glen is on the leadership team for elevate and has a great story to share how God found him and gave him a new life. Glen runs our media on Tuesday nights, but more importantly he has a passion to share the love of Jesus with our generation, here is his blog submission:

Healing Power of Jesus: (True Story)
Several years ago I had an opportunity to go to a conference for youth leaders. It was in Sacramento and several top Christian artists were going to be there, so it promised to be a good time of fun and worship. There was a group of six of us going from my church and we piled in the car and set out for Sacramento. I was driving, and while on the way I started feeling a pain in my shoulder. It was a deep, aching pain that was literally sucking the life out of me. It was nothing new though. This pain had been bothering me for months and there appeared to be no specific cause, and I couldn’t find any relief from the pain no matter what I tried. It was there and then it would be gone again. It might last ten minutes, or more than an hour. I just had to “ride it out”.

So we arrived in Sacramento, got checked in to our hotel, and headed for the conference. It was great. Chris Tomlin was our worship leader for the first two days and there was so much energy in the room. Youth leaders are kind of crazy anyway so imagine hundreds of them all together in one building worshipping, unashamed, with their hands raised toward heaven, praising our awesome savior. It was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. But on day two, during the evening service, it happened again. The pain returned. It was right in the middle of a worship set with Chris Tomlin leading. I remember vividly how I tried to raise my arms in the air and had to bring them down because it was making the pain worse. I was frustrated that the pain would have to come now. How unfair. It was stealing my joy.

That’s when it happened. A vision of a scene from the movie “The Passion of the Christ” flashed into my mind. It was when Jesus was carrying the cross through town on His way to be crucified. He was beaten, bloody, spit upon, and cursed at. He fell down under the weight of the cross He was carrying and they began to beat Him more. I could see the blood all over Him, dripping to the ground and the pain in His eyes as He carried our sins to that hill. I watched Him rise back onto His feet and continue along the road. The vision was only seconds long.

That’s when I told myself that if Jesus could endure that pain for me, that I could handle the pain of lifting my hands in the air to honor Him. So that’s what I did. I raised my arms as high as I could and for as long as I could. Both my arms were actually burning in pain by the time the song was over and I felt my joy return in the pain I was sharing with my redeemer, with my savior, with the one who died to save me. I will never forget that night as long as I live. Even now, when I’m standing in church, or at a conference, and I start to feel a pain in my legs or arms, from standing or raising my hands to God, I remember that night in Sacramento, when I found joy in suffering with Christ. I don’t sit down, I don’t lower my arms. The pain in my muscles always bring that picture back to my mind of Jesus carrying that cross, and I smile and praise Him all the more.

We had a great time at the conference and came home with joyful hearts and sore throats (from all the singing). It was actually about two weeks later that I realized something. Remember the pain in my shoulder I talked about? It suddenly dawned on me that I didn’t remember feeling that pain lately. In fact I couldn’t remember having that pain since that night at the conference. I thought that was pretty cool. It was nice to have two weeks of pain free days and nights. But you know what’s even more awesome than that? That was over three years ago, and the pain has never returned! That’s the healing power of Jesus my friends. Jesus is our faithful friend.

By Glen Bryant

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Sharpening my Perspective


I am thankful for the people that God has put in my life to help me in area's where I am weak (which is a ton.) Today I was able to have coffee with a great friend who wasn't trying to help me on purpose, we were just doing life together. But today, just some of the things he was pondering, provoked a thought process of my own, which really helped clear up my perspective on some personal and spiritual issues. I am my own worst critic and have grown up in a "Christian culture" that is heavy on the guilt and light on the grace of Jesus. I know I wasn't taught this on purpose- but what came across is that the guiltier you feel the closer you are to God and the more spiritual you become- which is a load of you know what. I am learning that my relationship with Christ has nothing to do with guilt, he took my guilt and shame on the Cross with him, and I can come to him right where I am at. He wants me to come to him with a confident humbleness, not because of who I am but because of who he is and what he has done.
So through my conversation today, I believe my heart is starting to catch up with what I am learning to be true: growing closer to God and living a meaningful life as a Christ follower is less complicated and guilt filled than I try to make it.
So today I am embracing my weaknesses as well as being thankful for them, because they are opportunities for God to show his strength and also to show his grace to some who doesn't deserve it.
Proverbs tells me that "As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens another." I am thankful for my sharpening time today. The cool thing is that that simply came about by having a cup of coffee and sharing our stories... I believe that is the type of church and community Jesus intended for us to be a part of.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

His Wisdom is Perfect


I am very hard on myself, sometimes I deserve it and sometimes I don't, but I tend to beat myself up over stupid mistakes and when I feel like I don't meet standards I have set for myself. Last night at Elevate was a perfect example, to be honest I felt very scatter-brained and all over the place (even more than my usual ADD self.) After finishing I truly had this thought: I just wasted 25 minutes of these peoples life, thank God that John and the band lead people in an amazing worship set to clean up my mess. So after feeling bad about myself and drowning my sorrows in a bowl of dibs (ice cream you can eat with your fingers- how awesome is that?) I checked my email, and to my surprise I got several emails from people who said that God had spoken to their heart through the message and they were very encouraged- it was exactly what they needed to hear. Talk about being humbled!
After going through this battle, I wish I could force my heart to understand something, I have no power on my own to make a difference in people's lives. It is only through God's strength that anyone can leave a mark for His Glory in this life on anyone. I still have a responsibility to study and grow and seek to give the people God has put in my life the best I can, but that can only come through his power, not my own.
That takes a lot of pressure of the outcome off my shoulders when it comes to results, my Job is to get as close to God as I possibly can and simply listen and allow him to to touch others.
We truly serve an amazing God who uses broken people to be a part of what He is doing!

Cardinals Update


OK, no umpiring for me today, just one of those crazy dads on the sideline who thinks his son is the next Mickey Mantle just needing a breakout game. Jonah is on a great team and they won today 10-3 to make us 7-0 for the season. If you think I am kidding about crazy parents, we actually had one of the opposing coaches check one of our players bat today to see if it was regulation. The great things was it was a girl on on our team and she can flat out hit- I think she got a hit every time up, if I wasn't a mature full grown man- I might be sticking my tongue out and putting my thumbs in my ears to the opposing coach and say nanananana..... Ok so that would not be wise, but come on, checking a 7 year old girl for a corked bat, I was waiting for them to start a petition for random drug testing...

Wisdom tells me to just be quiet and enjoy, I will work on that!!!

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

What do you Treasure?

Tonight at Elevate we are going to be discussing the Valuable things in life. The things we usually consider Valuable are people, time, and money. I think the easiest way to see what we Value is to take a look at how much time we spend with something or someone, and how we spend our money.
There is a verse in the book of Matthew where Jesus says "where your treasure is there your heart will be also." We tend to do a lot of things based on our heart (or our feelings), I would like to think that I treasure somethings higher than others, but if I were to look how I spend my time and my money I actually have some things way high up on the Value List that should be much lower.

I am looking forward to taking a personal inventory to really see what I Value, and begin to take some steps in life to increase my value of eternal things. Jesus talks about this much on how much more Valuable the Kingdom of God is than the things we tend to let drive us in life.

Today I want to treasure my Freedom in Christ and my relationship with him, and to seek to place high Value on the greatest things he has given me.

Another thought: What did Jesus Value? that would be a great place for me to look when I am assigning priority to the "things I treasure list."

Monday, April 21, 2008

From Guest Blogger Glen Bryant


A couple weeks ago a light came on my dashboard that wasn’t normally on. It was a round symbol with the letters “ABS” in the middle. I new that I should know what that was, but when I couldn’t figure it out I had to break down and get the owners manual out. It said that it stood for “Anti-Lock Brake System”, and that since the light was on that there was a problem, and that my “ABS” was non-functional. The book warned that although my regular brakes were still working that I needed to get this checked ASAP.

Now I remember when there was no “ABS” on cars and how I felt when they started installing them in new cars. I was against it. How dare they take any control away from me. When I hit the brakes I want them to do what I want, not what the car was telling them to do. Now in case you don’t know, anti-lock brakes are designed to keep you from hitting the brakes and locking up the wheels. Simple enough right. I didn’t like the idea of that. What if I wanted the wheels to lock, now I can’t make them do it.

So anyway, this light has got me thinking again, is God trying to tell me something? Let’s see. The idea of giving up control, to gain control. Now I have had first hand experience with what happens when a cars wheels lock up. It happened about 6 years ago one evening when I was on my way home. I was leaving the freeway via an off-ramp and hit my brakes too hard. The result was a number of spins, followed by a number of rolls. My car ended up upside down with me lying on the ceiling. My car was totaled but I walked away without a scratch. (I wasn’t a Christian then, but I believe that God protected me.) So now I have to ask myself, what would have happened that night if my car had an “Anti-Lock Brake System”. Furthermore, what would have happened if I had given control of my life to God many more years ago?

Giving up control of our lives, to gain control of our lives is Christianity 101. It’s also one of the hardest things for us to do. We want to know that we are in charge of our lives and that we don’t need any help. We can be stubborn, pigheaded, control freaks that want to take credit for our successes without having to share the glory with anyone!

Well let’s get to the bottom line here. I am living, breathing proof, that when you give God control of your life, you gain control of your life. I have no problem giving Him all the glory because He deserves it. And I am at peace knowing that I am fulfilling His purpose now and not mine. Let me tell you…take that weight off your shoulders and let God carry it for you. He will give you as much as you can carry on your own, and the rest is in His hands. The difference in my life is like night and day, or more like darkness and light.

Here’s an example. Finances. Through God’s word I have learned what it means to be a “good steward” of what He has given me. I’ve learned to be wise when it comes to how I spend my money, and also obedient on how to give my money. No, this isn’t a tithing sermon, but I got to tell you how God has blessed me through my giving. I have increased my giving of finances over the years through tithe, building programs, missionaries, and other programs, and I could show you a bank statement that has a balance that keeps getting larger and larger. It is awesome what God can do with things when you give Him control. So don’t wait…take a chance…give God control. I think it’s the best way to get control of your life back.

If I had died in that accident 6 years ago, someone might have said “too bad he didn’t have anti-lock brakes”. Well now I have them in my car, and God is the “ABS” of my life. I suggest you get your “ABS”, no “AGS” (Anti-Lock God System), today, before your life gets “totaled”.

By Glen Bryant

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Tough Decisions


I am enjoying being a baseball dad, I love heading out to the ballpark and watching my son play. Yesterday I was put into an uncomfortable position, it was my turn to be one of the umpires and call runners safe or out. My worst nightmare became reality, my son hit a grounder to 3rd base and started running down toward first, I could feel the beads of sweat starting to form as I realized my nightmare- it was going to be a close play, and I was going to have to make a call- Safe or Out. I was either going to disappoint my son by calling him out on a close play or upset the other team because they would feel I was showing favoritism. I got down in good position and watched the base and the 1st baseman's glove, taking a quick peek to see my son running for all he was worth. Jonah and the Ball got to the base and almost the exact time. I made my call... Safe!!! Immediately I began to fear the worst, parents would be calling for my head. Fortunately from my view Jonah looked like he beat it out by half a step. The coach from the other team began to protest- it was on. Then I got a surprising helper, the other umpire who was a dad from the other team- yelled at his own coach and said "he was right, he beat the throw by a step." I was so glad to hear a supportive voice from a unsuspected source. The other coach simply bowed his head and acknowledged he was wrong. There are a million different analogies here from Gods word, but I was thinking what the book of James says about wisdom, it says if you don't have it and desire it, Ask for it and God will give it to you.
God brought wisdom to the situation through an opponent, proverbs says when you apply wisdom in your life God will make your enemies your friends.
Hope I don't have any more close calls... but I know that I am imperfect but have a perfect Savior granting me wisdom where I come up short.

ps: we won the game 9-0 and re now a perfect 6-0

Friday, April 18, 2008

True Friendship


The last couple of days I have been reminded of how fortunate I am to have a great people in my life. I love the message translation of Proverbs 18:24 it says "Friends come and friends go, but a true friend sticks by you like family." We have many people in life that come and go,but those that stick around when things are tough are rare. The one thing that I have been teaching and reminding myself is that if you want these people in your life you must first be one.

-Congrats to my friend Jay- in Dallas he had a 6lb 15oz little baby girl last night, or at least his wife did.

Also thank you for your prayers for Amanda, the nurse who works with Codie and several of our Elevate family. Though the problem still exists and much prayer is needed, it may not be as critical as originally thought and she won't have immediate brain surgery. God is good, pray for their family as they have a lot of things to deal with through this time. She also has great friends who work with her, who are willing to help where needed.



Here is a good reminder of true friendship- "Saddle Up Partner"

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Proverbs 16


Today in reading proverbs 16 the overriding theme seemed to be no matter how much we think we are in control, God is really the only one who has the ability to affect our future. I tend to be a fix-it person, if I see a problem, I want to fix it. now notice I didn't say I was necessarily good at it, my nature is to jump in and try to make things the way I want them to be. Some of the greatest wisdom I can take from this, is that I need to learn to wait on God to work things out rather than making it my personal prerogative to be mister fix-it in many areas of life.

Porverbs again reiterates the point in this Chapter "commit your way to the Lord" that means choosing his way of doing things over my way. So today, I am going to to choose his way, and seek his council before I began feverish attempts at being mister fix it at all of life's challenges.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

210 Coffee shop Now Open

A great place to hang out and have a quality cup of coffee. The 210 cafe is now open every day on center street. If you stop by you will probably run into me having a great cup of fresh Guatemalan Blend.

Saturday, April 12, 2008

FROM GUEST BLOGGER GLEN BRYANT


One morning on my way to work I came across what appeared to be an emergency scene. You know, like when there’s a fire or traffic accident and all the response vehicles are there with all the lights flashing and people scurrying about their business. Although there was a fleet of vehicles with lights active and a whole team of guys ready to do their job, this scene was different. These were the cable guys. At 6:30am, we had what appeared to be a “cable emergency”!

I had to laugh to myself thinking how cable TV could be so important that it would ever require this kind of response. Then I began to think of the people who at that very moment might be experiencing a morning with NO CABLE. Oh, the infamy. I could picture peoples day coming to a screeching halt as they checked their TV sets and screamed to family members, “the cable’s out”, with panic in their voice, not knowing how this could be possible. I imagined how some, even though they might already be running late, picked up their phones to call and find out what’s wrong. “How could they let this happen”, they might say. The thought really had me laughing as I arrived at work.

It got me thinking how we react to life’s injustices and what really qualifies as an injustice. Does cable fit in to this category? What about a long line at the grocery store? What about being in that line at the store behind someone using government assistance coupons? What about being in a hurry and being behind someone who has the nerve to drive the speed limit!? What about bad or no reception on our cell phone?

I could go on and on with examples of so-called modern day injustices that we react very strongly to, that we spend valuable time discussing and complaining about, that we wish we could eradicate once and for all! The fact of the matter is…these do not qualify as injustices, but just inconveniences.

So what is an injustice? What about people dying every day from hunger? What about people dying every day from sicknesses that there is treatment for? What about people dying because there isn’t enough clean water to drink? What about people sleeping in the freezing cold because they have no home to live in? Shall I go on? “How could God let this happen?” is the common cry we hear. “If God is good then how come…….?”

Well let’s see. Is there enough food on earth for everybody? Do we have the vaccines and medicines to treat the ill? Could we provide clean water for everyone? What about shelter? Do we have the financial means to provide homes for the homeless?

The answer is YES. God has provided us with the resources to take care of all His children. The problem is that the rich countries get richer and the poor countries get poorer. Now that’s not to say that no one is helping, because there are many, many great organizations that are out there doing a great job, the problem is that the need is greater than what’s being given. We’ve all heard it before, but I just wonder what would happen if we reacted to the real injustices like we react to our cable going out. What would happen if we took action like we do when the TV screen goes blank?

I think it could change the world. By Glen Bryant

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Proverbs 10


I am still sick! but getting better.

I am an impatient person, the truth is that tends to be a downfall for me when it comes to making wise decisions.

Todays proverb (10) contrasts the consequences of wickedness verses the benefits of living a life fearing God and embracing wisdom.We generally don't consider ourselves to be wicked people, but we do have a constant battle going on inside us, to choose what our fleshly nature desires, against what I Gods plan is for our life.

The bible says that the heart is deceitful above all things and that it can lead us into trouble and even destruction. But when we choose God's wisdom our life is filled with great things. So many times in my life I have dismissed Gods plan as being a "do" and "do not" list rather than realizing that everything that God commands always has two things in mind for me- my protection, and providing what I need.

My flesh only desires what makes it feel good immediately where the spirit of God in me desires what is most beneficial in the long run.

Proverbs 10:23 Doing wrong is fun for a fool, but living wisely brings pleasure to the sensible. 24 The fears of the wicked will be fulfilled; the hopes of the godly will be granted.

Wisdom says although the wrong thing may feel better or even fun at the moment, the wisest choices consider long term consequences and the rewards are greater when we wait on God.

The habit of choosing what feels good now is a hard habit to break, so I have my work cut out for me, but I am already seeing the resluts of a renewed quest for wise decisions in life.

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

NOT FUN BEING SICK

I hate being sick, thought a i'd share a video with you and share my pain.

Monday, April 7, 2008

Proverbs 7- The Grass is Greener... or is it?


Proverbs is a great book of nuts and bolts wisdom for daily living. I have been learning a bunch and have actually started to see some results in my life from making wiser decisions. Proverbs 7 could easily be dismissed as a "don't have an affair chapter," but there is more more practical wisdom here than meets the eye. Tomorrow we are going to be covering what God has to say about relationships through proverbs at Elevate, and this chapter actually makes a ton of sense, whether you are single, married or dating. unfortunately in our culture the entertainment industry has been the main source for knowledge about relationships, and it paints a unrealistic picture, usually of two attractive people being burned with passion, and teaches that when we follow out heart it will lead us to the right person and we will have eternal bliss when we find them. I am not one who says we need to throw away our Tv's, not go to movies, and bury our heads in the sand. But I do believe that Gods way is better than unrealistic methods of achieving intimacy and meaningful relationships. Proverbs 7 talks about the dangers of following our heart, the book of Jeremiah tells us that the heart is "deceitful above all things" and will lead us to destruction if we don't begin to make wise choices in our relationships. Once again according to proverbs, it all comes back to 2 things- fearing God, and trusting Him.

Another disservice that has been done to popular views of relationships, is that Gods plan for relationships is seen or portrayed as boring, prudish, or out of date. The truth is that there is more enjoyment and satisfaction when relationships are carried out in a way that honors God.
Its more about what God offers, than about what you shouldn't do. The grass may look greener on the other side (following our passions and desires,) but Gods way will always bring true fulfillment rather than momentary pleasure followed by guilt and depression.

You want true relational greatness, fall in love with God. Let him become the most meaningful being in our life, the rest of our relationships will have a far better chance of being what they were created to be- Amazing.

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Dumb Mistakes Update


OK so here's the deal, we are in a series called "Dumb and Dumber: learning from the book of proverbs." And I am making a conscious choice to make better decisions. So i am doing OK in some areas, in others area's it seems like same ol' same old. On my way back from LA (Pasadena) I jumped back on the 210 Interstate and was cruising to get home in a hurry, all of a sudden I saw a sign that that showed I was going east not west. Stupid decision, but it was made because I was one of those idiots talking on the cell phone and not paying attention to the signs and let my instincts guide me. My instints almost guided me to Palm Springs. Going back to the Proverbs, Solomon states that if we want to be wise we need to trust in God, and fear Him. Sometimes we like to think of God as the magic Genie rather than the God who cares about every detail of our life and desires to guide our steps and use our lives to show his amazing power and love. So my take home from wisdom this weekend , trust God more, and learn to trust myself less when it comes to God's plan (or simply getting home.)
While I am already opening up: I also jumped into the shower and didnt have a towel anywhere near... could of been worse, it could have been toilet paper.....

Friday, April 4, 2008

SPIRITUAL DUCT TAPE




There are somethings in life that annoy us. For me having a loose earpiece microphone is way up high. Usually I have some device to fix that but Tuesday night there was none to be found.
So that is where Zach came to the rescue, when the Duct tape came out I was thankful yet quite worried about the removal afterwards. It worked great (looked a little silly) but nonetheless did the job, it also came off quite easily without taking half my throat with it.
Duct tape does a great job of fixing things, and being a broken person in constant need I need some serious duct tape in my life.
I believe the book of Proverbs works a lot like duct tape (only better) it holds things together and is very useful when applied properly. The truth is that God loves us and watches over of, but only when we apply God's wisdom (spiritual duct tape) do we avoid some of the consequences of stupid decisions.
I have been enjoying going through the proverbs personally- and I have benefited greatly by practicing them in my every day life- I hope I can make a habit out of it.

Wednesday, April 2, 2008



AMAZING NIGHT!!!!

Elevate Opened tonight with a incredible first night. The place was packed and we had to pull out several stacks of extra chairs.
Jonathan and the Band lit it up with Everlasting God, Happy Day, wonderful Maker and several Others.
Tonight we started a series called Dumb and Dumber: Learning from the wisdom of Solomon. The two foundations of Wisdom are Trust and Fear. Trusting God enough to let it change the way we think, and Fearing God in the sense that we know that this amazing God who created the heavens and the earth with a mere breath- loves us and has an deep love for us.After the great night in 210 me and John Bremer hopped into my truck and drove to LA for a conference... so here I sit in a Hotel room in LA still pumped from the great night. If you were there tonight (or last night, beings its 1:20 AM on Wednesday) remember the one proverb per-day this month.

Here are a few pics I will pop up some video later.

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

TONIGHTS THE BIG NIGHT!!!

After 2 years of expectation, the moment has arrived! Tonight we are going to launching something amazing to lift the name of Jesus up high in this community. At 7pm we are going to have a powerful night of worship, and a great time to see what God has in store for us.

I am amazed at the leadership team that God has brought together. I know that God has had his fingerprints all over this because there is no way this team would ever be together except through his leading. We have so many diverse background, yet together our lives and stories combined together make the perfect team. Last night we had a night of prayer and worship preparing ourselves for tonight. Our prayer is that everyone who has a part in the leadership of this group be a clear reflection of who God is.

If you are around, make sure you come tonight at 7, have a great week