The Well Community Church

I visited my last church of my sabbatical on Sunday. I went to a church in Fresno called "The Well". It said to be one of the fasted growing churches in Fresno. They are also a multi-site church that uses video teaching. Brad, their pastor, was teaching live at the service I attended. He spoke on John 9:1-41 (the healing of the blind man). Although I loved the teaching and the music, I was extremely impressed with their commitment to connect people (with God, with each other, and with those in their community). I have also heard that one of the reason they are growing so fast has to do with their commitment to leadership development. They have an extensive and multi-leveled strategy for equipping leaders from within their church family.

The Leadership Summit

I had a friend from another church that had an extra ticket to "The Leadership Summit" that was being held in Fresno. The Summit is a live video leadership training event that reaches over 100,000 leaders world-wide. It's put on by Willow Creek Church with thousands of churches across the world hosting the satellite feed. One of the speakers I really enjoyed was a guy by the name of Craig Groeschel (He looks like Tom Cruise doesn't he?). Craig's the pastor of LifeChurch.tv, one of the countries first multi-site campus churches with over 50 weekend worship experiences currently at 13 campuses in six states ministering to over 23,000 people. He threw out five main points that connected with his new book, "It: How Churches and Leader Can Get It and Keep It". The one that really connected to me was his fourth point in which he asked us the question, "Are you willing to fail?" So many times we are afraid to try something new because we are afraid to fail. Yet, Craig says that failure is often the first step into seeing God. He pointed to the life of Peter and his many failures (boat, denial, etc.) that led to the ability to "get it" (3000 were saved, etc.). He said, "Most people don't know how often we failed.... Our first attempt at a video venue was a disaster. What we learned from the failure would have been hard to learn any other way. If you don't have "it" maybe you need to try something new- and fail at it. I tell our staff often, Fail! If you're not failing, you've stopped dreaming. You'll eventually stop learning. And you will stop growing." I pray that it can also be said of my life and the ministries at NC.

Vintage Faith Church

Karena and I were in the Santa Cruz area for a couple days so we stopped by Vintage Faith Church for a Sunday night service. The church is home base for pastor and author Dan Kimball who has written such books as "They Like Jesus But Not The Church" and "The Emerging Church". When we pulled up to the church, it reminded me a lot of First Pres Visalia (older traditional brick building). We had about 20 minutes to kill before the 7pm service so we walked into their new coffee, art and music lounge called "The Abbey". They had refurbished an old room in the church and made it into a pretty cool looking coffee house. There were church members and community neighbors hanging out, listening to music and talking with each other. After exploring the campus for a few minutes we made our way into the sanctuary. The inside was similar to the outside and looked like an old traditional church with stained glass windows. The only difference was the 2 video screens hung on both walls. As with some other churches I have visited on my sabbatical, it started out pretty empty but within 10 minutes it had filled up. There ended up being people sitting in the aisles. I recognized a few of the modernized hymns they started out with before Dan came up to speak. He didn't stand on stage but on the floor just a few feet back of the first couple of rows of pews. Dan was continuing on a series called, "Theology Gone Wild" based on the book of I Corinthians. The night we were there he spoke on I Corinthians 11:17-34- Loaded at the Lord's Supper. (There were also 2 ladies that were putting together a mosaic piece of art throughout the whole service that was made from broken pieces of different colored glass taken from beer bottles and forming them into the nail-pierced hand of Jesus- very cool and symbolic of the passage). He gave us a lot of historical context from the first century church on how communion went from a communal "love feast" to a little plastic cup and a piece of bread. I learned more about the history of communion (the last 1500 or so years) in his 30 minute message than I had in any of my reading or education. It was truly fascinating. After the message we took communion together (at different stations with each person turning and serving the elements to the one behind them and saying, "Remember the sacrifice of Jesus"). Even though there is an incredible openness to spirituality in our world, there are a lot of misconceptions about the institutional church and what Christianity is all about. Vintage Faith is rethinking church and ministry and trying to live out their faith and communicate Jesus' love in a language of the culture. I was excited to see how God was using them to impact their city.

Morph

One of the books I just finished reading is called, "Morph: The Texture of Leadership for Tomorrow's Church" by Ron Maroia. It has to be one of the best books on church leadership I have read. Realizing you have no interest in reading a 12 page blog that covers all material that impacted me, I decided to pick out one quote that might get a conversation going. Ron says, "Lifelong learning is much more than just reading a lot of books an staying current on the newest leadership releases. But all that reading and informational intake must incubate and then challenge our deeply held views of the world, humanity, God, and each other. I'm surprised how convinced I am that my view of God, doctrine, and the Bible is close to 100 percent accurate... I'm pretty certain that some of what I think is certain right now will probably prove incorrect." Are you views about God and how he works 100% accurate and set in concrete? Or could he possibly continue to reveal himself in new and creative ways that might be different than what we had originally thought? Are there dangers to this kind of thinking or is it more dangerous to not think this way? What do you think?

A Spiritual Retreat

Tuesday I drove up to the foothills by Squaw Valley for a two day spiritual retreat. I've tried to include a little bit of everything in my sabbatical (church visits, mission trips, educational reading, etc.). It was now time for the part I dreaded most- silence and solitude. Scary words for me. Now, for some of you, this kind of retreat might be heaven on earth. No kids, no phones, no computer, no TV, no human interaction. However, if you ask my wife, she will tell you that the lack of busyness and noise drives me crazy within a couple of hours. So why schedule such a retreat? The very reason that Jesus often went away by himself- to slow down, listen, and enjoy the presence of the Father. I knew it was necessary, but I just wasn't looking forward to it. I stayed at a cabin that a gracious family in our church let me use. I took off my watch, resisted the urge to turn on the TV and just sat there. Within a couple of minutes I thought, "Wow- 48 hours is going to feel like an eternity." I began reading the book of Acts and just chatting with God about what I noticed. After a while I picked up a church leadership book called, "Morph" and began to read. Surprisingly, time seemed to quickly pass by. Later that night, I propped up my lawn chair and just sat out under the stars. It was a wonderful moment with God in which he expressed his heart and love through the beauty and majesty of his creation. The second day included walks, more reading, and more sitting and listening. Many times I felt him telling me just to, "be still and know that I am God". I had some wonderful conversations with God and I wish I could tell you that I left I longed for more for silence, but when I got in my car to leave I immediately turned on the radio. Oh well, at least it was Christian music.

Karena's Last Thailand Reflections

Our last days in Thailand were really busy as we wanted to use our time there to the fullest so I didn't have time to blog but I wanted to tell you about 2 other opportunities I had. Our last Friday morning there Ashlyn and I had the opportunity to go to the Lorenzo orphanage with Carmen and the team from Parkview MB (Hillsboro, KS). It is run by wonderful Catholic nuns and it is where the ALH boys came from. We had a wonderful time doing a kid's club and playing with the kids. At the end the kids sang a couple of songs with motions for us. Then in the evening Carmen and I went to a ladies night out that the TLC women had organized. They wanted something different so they made chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, and salad. Then they were going to watch Facing the Giants. Previously Carmen had helped organize these nights but this is the first one that the Thai women had put on by themselves. It is exciting to see the Thai Christians move into leadership roles. Thank you to all who prayed for us and helped make this trip possible financially. We had such a great time. A big part of our goals was to encourage our missionaries and friends. Thank you for helping make that possible. I had been wanting to go to Thailand for several years but after being there a short time it became apparent that this was God's perfect timing. Kelly was able to help Andy with questions concerning getting church leadership in place and other staff stuff. Kelly was also able to help with landscaping the tent area. Through long talks Carmen and I had several opportunities to pray together, encourage, and inspire one another to live a life trusting our Lord daily. Our children also had a great time (there boys are the same age as our boys). And for those of you who are wondering, the kids loved Thai food! (Bradyn was fine as long as there was meat available.) We also had KFC, McDonald's, and pizza occasionally to break up the Thai food. The kids favorite Thai place was the place across the street from the church that was nicknamed "Bob's".

Francis Chan

I continued south toward Simi Valley after visiting a church in Bakersfield Sunday morning. I was extremely excited about attending a 5pm service at Cornerstone Church. Why? Because Francis Chan, who has long been one of my favorite speakers, founded the church. Francis is a radical and a non-conformist. He tired of playing church games and is not afraid to say the hard things that Christ followers need to hear even when they aren't popular and fly in the face of popular western thought. Despite the wealth in Simi Valley, the church is remarkably simple and basic. From what I hear, that stems from their intentional decision to invest half of their yearly budget back into their community and world. They now run 4 Sunday services in a building smaller than the gym at Neighborhood and are very cramped for space. In response they entered a building campaign. Interestingly enough, after deciding that 50% of all commitments would be invested back in their community and world, they also decided not to build a large, expensive worship center. Instead, they are looking at building an outdoor amphitheater that will be a fraction of the cost. Granted, they are blessed with Southern Cal weather, but I mention their decision as an example of their desire to turn outwardly and reveal the love of Jesus to those outside their church family. Back to the service- Francis and his wife Lisa spoke on I Corinthians 7:29-35, a passage normally aimed at single people. However, their message was also about marriage. If you are putting a lot of time and effort into your marriage but your spouse just isn't who you want them to be, let me encourage you to listen to the message on-line (you can find it on http://www.cornerstonesimi.com/ under the quick-links to the sermons- "Christ Centered Relationships Part 1"- July 27th).

A Church Visit to Bakersfield

After a few days of adjusting back from Thai to California time, I resumed my church research part of my sabbatical. This morning I drove down to Bakersfield and attended Valley Bible Fellowship. They ranked third in growth among churches in the United States this last year and I wanted to see what the draw was. As many of the other churches I have attended on my sabbatical, their campus and church buildings were basic and versatile. Many were basic steel buildings. Being in a pastoral position, I often catch myself having a critical spirit when I attend other churches. I asked God for an open mind and the ability to learn some things He was up to in Bakersfield. As I took my seat in their auditorium and looked around, the first thing I noticed was the demographic of people attending. I noticed a lot of working class people. Some would say a "little rough around the edges" (bikers, those with tattoos, gang style clothing, etc.). I also noticed a high percentage of males around me which is a little unusual in a typical American church (about 65-70% female). The pastor wore jeans and a collared shirt and sat most of the time during his conversation style message. It was obvious that the pastor was very passionate about VBF being a hospital that cares for "sick" people. A category that we all fit in one way or another. VBF has started a satellite church in Vegas and two other cities (soon to be 3). I've heard powerful stories of the ministry that the Vegas church has with prostitutes. I walked away from the service still trying to figure out why they draw the kind of crowd they do, but at the same time thinking, "this looks a lot like Jesus to me". Jesus' ministry was messy and most of the time it wasn't aimed at the upper/middle class professionals. What would it look like if NC became messy? What if we were intentional about loving homosexuals, homeless, unwed mothers, drunkards, and ex-cons? How would the majority of our church family react? Would they leave and go someplace "comfortable"? Yet, I wonder if Jesus really wants us to be "comfortable". I absolutely love our partnership with Houston school, yet on our recent church survey there were a few (a small number) of people that highly disagreed with our desire to make an impact in our community. "We should focus more on ourselves", they said. What do you think about that? I'm excited about what God has already started at NC, but also long for the day that as a church family our heart would beat collectively and passionately for the "sinners" that Jesus spent so much time loving.

Home: Safe, Sound, and Tired

We're back in Visalia! We arrived home safely this morning at 1:30 PST. We'll take the next couple of days to recover from jet-lag before I continue my reading list and visit a few more churches this weekend. Thanks for all your prayers!

Church Under the Big-Top!

In one of my earlier blogs, I mentioned that TLC had put up a tent in order to accommodate their growth. I took a short video that you can watch giving you an idea of what their services are like. They are located along a busy street so they get a lot of people passing by and stopping to see where all the noise is coming from. As we were singing a song in Thai (that I also knew in English) I couldn't help but smile as God gave me a small but powerful glimpse of heaven- "After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the lamb." Rev. 7:9

Payton and the Crocodile Egg

Hey this is Payton again and this time I'm still holding an animal but I'm also helping it get out of its egg. When I first heard I was going to help a crocodile get out of its egg I was a little nervous. When they gave me the egg I started peeling and then I saw the eye. I thought I was going to hurt it. It was so cute with its little head poking out. After I peeled it for a little while, it started to try and climb out. So then a zoo keeper had to help me so the baby crocodile wouldn't fall out. After it was out I got to cut a part that was connected to the egg. When I was done my hands were all bloody and had pieces of the egg on my hands. He then gave it a bath and I got to hold it. After I was done holding it I let my brother, sister and my friends hold it.

Baby Tigers--Ashlyn

At the Tiger Zoo we got to take a picture with a baby tiger. The tiger was so cute and was as small as a kitten. I was very lucky to get to hold it, probably because I was the most excited to.
(people in picture, left to right: Karena, Conner, Bradyn, Kelly, Ashlyn(me), Payton, Isaac, Carmen and Sam)

Payton and the Orangutans

Hey this is Payton! So, you can see me sitting with Orangutans. When I first saw the Orangutans I said to my mom, "Can I take a picture with the Orangutans!" She replied, "We have to do a couple more things first." So while we were doing the other things first, I still thought about the Orangutans. When it was time, I sat down on the bench and then the Orangutans came and sat by me. One was holding my hand and the other was putting his arm around me. Their hairs on them were not as soft as I expected. Orangutans are my favorite animal. I got my wish touching an Orangutan. I love Orangutans! (This picture was taken at the Tiger Zoo)

Mountain Farming

Similar to what happened to the American Indian tribes, the Khmu tribes of Northern Thailand were kicked off the good farming land. Although it's hard to see, the crops being raised on the hill include corn and rice. Some of these hills are very steep and all the crops are planted and harvested by hand. Not an easy day's work.

Gardening Sins

Although I haven't seen many "intentional" flower beds, the lush tropical weather allows for many some beautiful scenery. I know all my fellow "green thumbers" can relate, but when I saw groups of Zinnias growing wild all along the road, I must confess, I coveted.

"Football" video

"Football"

After a kid's club (that included music, bible stories, and crafts) Payton plays "football" with some of the Khmu kids.

A pastor's testimony

The pastor of the Khmu village in the picture seen below sits with our group and shares the story about how his dad narrowly escaped death by jumping in the Me Khong river in the midst of soldiers firing at him during the Vietnam war. Notice the instruments in the back. Despite the primitive homes you see below, music has been an effective tool these new churches have been using to reach villagers for Christ.

Village Homes

Here's some homes located close to a church we visited.

Donated by Neighborhood and Christian Cinema

Karena and Carmen give some children's story pictures and videos (donated by Neighborhood and Christian Cinema) to the pastor's wife who helps run the children's program at their church in a Khmu village. She also runs a day-care for kids whose parent's work in the fields all day.

Me Khong River

We stayed at a hotel near the Me Khong river. It separates Thailand from Laos. Laos is a communist country and even though it has restrictions on churches, a number of church plants related to the churches we visited in N. Thailand have sprung up and are growing rapidly despite some persecution.

Elephant Rides

Along the way up to the churches, we had a chance to stop at a place that gave elephant rides. It was located in a village were 80% of the people had become Christians. That's highly unusual for Thailand which is 95% Buddist. Part of the reason for the high percentage has to do with the Thai culture. If the head of the village does something (like become a Christian) the rest of the people make the decision as well. Decisions are definitely "community" decisions. It's very different from the individualist society that we live in. What do you think? Are there advantages to this kind of community decision making process? Do you we see it in the Bible? I would love to hear from you. Oh, ya- back to the elephants. Our kids loved the rides and as you see in the picture even had the chance to feed them.

Rice Fields

This last Monday through Thursday night we traveled up to some Khmu villages in northern Thailand to see what God is up to in some of our church plants. Along the way, rice fields (and a lot of rain) were a common sight.

TLC Staff Meeting

The other day I had a chance to help lead a portion of TLC's staff meeting. I led a brief devotional on Ephesians 4 and then talked a little about what Neighborhood is doing in the area of leadership development. Team 2000 has developed a group of what we call "elders" as they aim to develop strong Thai leadership. They have recently begun to wrestle with what the staff and elder relationship might look like. I see huge potential that God has brought to TLC. Please pray for them as they work on developing these men and women into godly leaders. Oh- by the way- for NC staff that read this blog- their meeting only lasted about 1 1/2 hours. Much too short for Neighborhood's standards! Continue to feel "blessed" that we get to enjoy each others company for at least 3 hours!!!!

Break Dancing Ministry

After each Sunday service, there's a group of guys that get together to break-dance on the floor of TLC's main floor. After an hour or so of break-dancing, one of the guys leads a brief Bible study. It has become a very effective outreach with several guys coming to Christ since it started.

Cain and Abel Skit

Kelly and the King

I'm standing in front of a picture of the King of Thailand at a local hardware/grocery store. The King is a very admired and respected figure in this country. In nearly every house and store there's a picture of the King (very similar to what you see in the United States with Pres. Bush- oh wait, maybe not).

HIV Orphanage

Last night we visited the Abundant Life Home. It's an orphanage for kids with HIV and it was started by Team 2000. Some of you might remember that it was on Neighborhood's special Christmas gift giving last year. Our church family gave over $26,000. that has helped pay for things like medicine, care-takers, food, and housing maintenance. I can testify that the gifts are being well-used. There are 14 orphans in 2 houses (the boys and girls are in different homes) with a couple of full-time care-takers at each house. It's a very loving environment where Jesus is shared both in words and deeds. We celebrated a couple of birthdays and had a chance to play with the kids. As a part of Neighborhood's family, I just want to thank you for thinking beyond yourself and investing in ministries like these.

Organizing Curriculum --Ashlyn

Yesterday I helped organize some of the stuff for kids church. It was kind of like Neighborhood Church's resource room. We had to make it look and be organized like that. There were many different things to do. Other people were helping too. First, I arranged felt people and put them into bags according to their category. Then, I helped cut out stickers to give away as prizes. Other people(including my mom) helped by putting pencils in boxes, scissors in boxes, throwing away stuff that the children's ministry didn't need...etc.

Tent Revival

I had the opportunity to use my “green thumb” gifts in the beginning stages of a tent beautification project at The Life Center. In the past year, the church has set up a large tent right beside their rented meeting place. It sits out in an open field and serves multiple purposes. They use it a couple times a month to hold their Sunday service in (they have grown so much that their strip mall storefront is a tight squeeze). They also use it as an outreach to their community including basketball several times a week. To add to the attraction and the flexibility of the space, we picked up trash, “weed eated”, and sprayed Round-Up around the concrete pad. Later, we will install a gravel border, some picnic tables, and a planter bed. Gardening in 97% humidity is a bit different from the “dry heat” of Visalia but it sure helps to shed a couple pounds.

Teaching English-Part 2 (Ashlyn)

Yesterday my mom, my dad, and Carmen taught an English class at the church. There were about 15 kids there ages 6-20! They know some basic words like family words, places ...etc. They were very polite. We introduced ourselves and they said "nice to meet you" in English. The kids knew enough English that we could talk in English. First, we played hang man. The words were "mother, sister, cousin, Thailand, and children." They were divided up into 2 teams. Team 2 won by one point! After that, we showed them pictures of our house, school, church...etc. Then, we got into 4 groups. One group my mom lead, one my dad lead, one Carmen lead, and one group the original teacher of the class and I lead. We asked questions and had them work on there pronunciation of the words they had already learned. We had them ask us "what is your name", "How old are you", and "Where are you from." We helped them say it better. Then the class was done. I think they have an English class because a lot of people in Thailand speak English too.

Teaching English

We traveled about 1 1/2 hours today toward what the missionaries call the "slums". It's a very poor section of Thailand where most people do one of three things- Factories, Food, or Fish. We saw many rice fields and fish ponds. But interestingly enough, beside them were many factories. I talked with one of the missionaries in the area and he told me that the factories moved there because of cheap labor. Most workers make less than a $1 an hour. It was muddy from all the rain as we pulled into the school. The school was state run and consisted of mostly elementary age kids. The Thai government is anxious to have their kids learn English (they feel it gives them a shot at getting a better job and moving up the social classes). Ashlyn, Payton, and Bradyn all helped in acting out the story of Cain and Abel. Carmen Owen used the story to help teach the kids English phrases and I followed up the story with an illustration (using a shook-up Coke) of what anger can do if kept bottled up within us. Building off the relationships formed from the English classes, the missionaries have started a kid's club that meets twice a week in a nearby home.

Monkey Attack!

Last night we visited a zoo in Chon Buri with the Owens. We had planned a picnic and then a "night Safari" (they take you around in little shuttle buses and point out the animals with a big spot light). We had some time to kill before the Safari started so we bought a couple of bags of cucumbers, bananas, and beans to feed the animals. We started out feeding the deer with some beans. It was some-what of an "open zoo" so the deer had some freedom to roam around the place. They came right up and ate out of our hand. It was a wonderful experience for the kids. We then threw some cucumbers off a bridge to some awaiting hippos. I had saved some bananas for the giraffes and zebras. As we walked up to their area I noticed some monkeys walking around by us. I had been warned that they could be very aggressive, but as I looked at a couple, they seemed so cute. As they came closer I noticed them eying my bananas. Before I could say "killer monkeys," I had been surrounded by about 50 of them. It was me against them. I was determined to feed the giraffes and not them. Surely they wouldn't harm their close relative? However, when a big possessed male came up right in front of me and showed his pearly whites with a hiss, I quickly lost all bowel control and thew them the rest of my bananas as both families ran full-speed the other way. Obviously, because I'm writing this blog, we survived. But one thing is true, I will never look at those cute little demon possessed monkeys the same.

Sunday Worship Service

Now that I (Karena) have a few moments a wanted to share more with you about church at TLC. TLC (The Life Center) is in a great location. It is on a main road that people take all the way from Bangkok to the beach in Chonburi. Huge numbers of people come down this street every weekend on their way to the beach. The church has a huge heart logo (If you haven't seen a picture of the church, we will try to get one on the blog later this week).
The service is in Thai but one of the team members translates into a microphone so if you want to listen in English you can sit in the back and use the earphones. The worship team was all Thai people and we sang Mercy is Falling (us in English and everyone else in Thai). That was fun. They also sang other songs that I didn't know. A few people stood up and gave wonderful testimonies how God was working in their life or something amazing He did. There was even a young lady who gave her life to the Lord during the service. Then the pastor dismissed us for Children's Church. Carmen and I and some other young ladies took the children upstairs and had our own time with singing, games, Bible story, scripture time, crafts (Popsicle stick/cotton ball sheep!), snacks. My kids enjoyed the game--charades, the words were animals--so the language difference was not a problem!
(The picture above is Carmen teaching with a young lady named Wow and holding up a picture of the story. These pictures were part of a ton of curriculum and resources donated by Pastor Jayne (Neighborhood's children's pastor) ---Thank you so much!!!)

Children's Church (Karena)

This is a picture of the Thai children copying Romans 6:23 from a huge chalkboard wall at the church. We also "jumped into the light" with a Jana Alayra video (thanks so much Christian Cinema!). It was beautiful to hear their little voices singing praises to Jesus both in English (along with the video) and in Thai.

Quote of the Day

This picture is of our son Payton and Connor Owen partaking of some tasty grubs bought at a local market. Quote of the day when Payton later ate a grasshopper: "These aren't as good as the grubs!"

The Grand Palace

We were told by our missionary friends, the Owens, that the Grand Palace (located in Bangkok) is the central representation of everything spiritual for the Thai people. It's the home of the Emerald Buddha which was carved out of a single piece of jade. There religious beliefs are deeply ingrained in the culture. It was a fascinating journey to explore the temple and literally see hundreds of people being sprinkled with "holy water" and bowing down to Buddha. It helped give me an understanding of the culture that Team 2000 works in as it continues to share the love of Christ with the Thai people. Later on in the evening we celebrated the 4th with some other Americans that were staying at the guest house. The Owens had picked up some sparklers for us to use. About 15 minutes into the "fireworks show" God provided some fireworks of his own and it started to lightning and pour down rain. Our kids were extremely excited about rain that was warm (a bit of a foreign concept to them since the only time it rains in Visalia is winter). They ran around and played in the rain until the tropical downpour passed. We spent some more time with the Owens and their kids today. As we experienced Bangkok's culture, we had the opportunity to hear more about their heart for the Thai people and how God is working in this beautiful country. Pray for us as we will be traveling to Chonburi tomorrow (their home base and where TLC is located) to help with their Sunday service.

We've Arrived!

Hi Everyone- just wanted you to know that we've arrived safely in Thailand. It started out kind of rough when we were delayed at LAX due to a bomb threat, but we end arriving at 1:40am on July 4th (we are 14 hours ahead of PST) in Bangkok. By the time we gathered our bags, went through immigration and drove to our mission's house, we ended up getting to bed at 4am Thai time. I'll write later with more details, but today we toured the city (including the famous Grand Palace). Happy 4th!

Payton's Blog

Wuz up, dudes I'm Payton. A few days a go my family went to San Diego. When we got to San Diego we checked into our hotel and then settled in. The next morning Ashlyn, Bradyn, Dad, and I explored our hotel while my mom was getting ready for the day. After awhile we went to Sea World. At Sea World we went to the dolphin, sea lion, and shamu shows. At the shamu show we sat in the soak zone but we barely got wet. We also got a little wet on the sea lion show. At Sea World we saw the Quinzon's.(who go to our church). The next day our family went to the hotel water park and pool. Then the beach. Once we were done we went back to our hotel while dad got ready to go to a church. But that night my whole family went to church. After church headed home.
Payton

Bradyn's Blog

Hi- this is Bradyn. We went to San Diego a couple of days ago. It took a long time to get there. But when we got there we checked into our hotel. And after the night-time, we went to Sea World the next day. And after Sea World, we went back to our hotel. And then we went to sleep. And then in the morning, we used the pool. And after the pool we to the beach. It was lots of fun! And after the beach it was kind of embarrassing because we went to an Ice Cream shop and we were all sandy and wet. And then we went back to the hotel and dad went to the church. And at the night-time, we went to the church. It was pretty boring. Then we drove home and I was happy to be home because I really missed Chloe (our dog). I missed my stuffed animals. Now that we are back, I'm looking forward to Thailand and I'm happy to share my story with you. I'm going to miss you- good-bye! Love Bradyn.

Rock Harbor Church

My family went to the 7pm Sunday night service at Rock Harbor in Costa Mesa. They are located in a nice industrial park area next to the John Wayne Airport. A couple of warehouses have been converted into their meeting places. They have done a wonderful job of converting these buildings into attractive and functional spaces. Every sign, tv screen and picture I saw in the lobby and worship center pointed back to their purpose- a "community being transformed by Christ to be a catalyst for changing lives." They constantly reminded the church family that this happened "by giving yourself away" (GO 2008 is their theme his year). The atmosphere, age demographic, music, and ambiance was very similar to The Flood Church (previous post) so I won't repeat everything. One thing that definitely stood out during all aspects of the service and throughout their facility was their commitment to the concept of the "priesthood of all believers". It wasn't a pastor/attender relationship. Everything was "we". It was evident that they are very intentional about each persons role and responsibility in being a catalyst for changing lives. They believe that God changes us as we learn to worship Him beyond the weekend in community with one another and through service to others. There was even a reminder of this when were leaving the parking lot. In front of us was a sign that said, "Worship begins here". You didn't see it as you entered the church facilities, but as you left into the world. I think that speaks volumes as to what this church is about. It's also my prayer for Neighborhood. I hope it's yours as well.

The Flood

On Sunday morning, I visited The Flood Church in San Diego. The church meets at a high school auditorium and is near UCSD. I had heard good things about this church from a few of our previous high school students that had gone off to school in that area and attended The Flood. I have to admit, when I first got there and looked around, I felt a bit old. I was surrounded by college age students and young adults. The church has to haul in their stuff every weekend so their set-up was basic, but well put-together. They added a few props on stage that related to their current series (Outside In) and added a few lights and a kicking sound system. I felt like I was at NC because when the service first started, there auditorium was only half full, but within 15 minutes it had filled up. The lights went down when the service started and the worship leader read a couple verses out of the bible and then went straight into a song. Although the auditorium was dark and the music loud, it didn't feel like a show. I was deeply impressed with the authenticity of those leading the music and their genuine desire to worship our Creator. After a couple of songs and some announcements, Matt (their lead pastor) got up to speak. As mentioned before, they were starting a new series that addressed how to experience God's grace through the seven sacraments. The sacrament they were studying that morning was baptism. It turned out to be a biblically sound and inspiring message. They ended up inviting people that hadn't been baptized to follow Christ's example. There were 3 people in that service that went down and after some brief instructions during some response songs, they were given the opportunity to share their testimony, answer a couple of questions and then get baptized right there on the spot. After the service, I saw many students hanging around talking to each other. Even though they were meeting in a rented facility, they seemed to have found a way to facilitate "community". I came away inspired and with some ideas to think about. What about you... I realize most of you haven't been to The Flood, but I would love to hear what you think about a couple of things. Is it healthy to have a church made up mostly of one age group? If not how can this be successfully achieved? Also, what do you think about spontaneous baptism? Typically, we have interested "candidates" take a class before being baptized, yet the Ethiopian in the bible (Acts 8) doesn't seem to have taken a class before being baptized. I have my own ideas about each of these questions but would love to hear from you.

Post by Ashlyn

I had a lot of fun this weekend in San Diego. On Friday we went to Sea World. We went to see the dolphin, shamu, and sea lion/otter show. All three shows we really neat. One exhibit was the penguin encounter. There were Arctic penguins. They were behind a glass window and it was so cold that the workers had put real snow in the room and it didn't melt. Another exhibit was the Wild Arctic, it was right next to the penguin encounter. First, we went on a ride kind of like Star Tours in Disneyland, but it was a tour of the Arctic, not space. Then, we toured exhibits of beluga whales, a polar bear, and a walrus. That day we also looked at many other animals. On Saturday, we went swimming and went to the beach. First, we went swimming. There was a water park too. The pool was huge and it was really warm. There was also a hot tub. After we had swam for a couple of hours, we had lunch, and then went to the North Carlsbad Beach. It was really close to our hotel, in fact we could see the ocean from the hotel. The water was warmer than in Pismo Beach, but it was still cold. I didn't feel like getting wet so I just stuck my feet in. My brothers were splashing around and got almost their whole bodies wet. After that we came back to our hotel, took a shower, and chilled until dinner. My dad had to leave right when we were done with the beach because he had to go to a church. I'll write more soon.

A Multi-Site Church

Tonight I had the privilege to visit North Coast Church in Vista. I had set up a meeting with Chris Mavity (multi-site guru) before their Saturday night services (I also got the chance to talk briefly with Dave Enns their small group pastor- who I found out grew up in the Dinuba/Reedley area and knows a number of people at our church). I chose North Coast in order to get more information on thoughts that NC leadership have been tossing around. Do we build? Do we go multi-site? What are the advantages of each? I chatted with Chris for nearly an hour and a half before walking around to check out their campus and the different venues that are held on Saturday night. I have to say, when I first drove up on campus I was not impressed. If I was to judge a book by its cover, I probably wouldn't buy it. Their church was located in an industrial park area. They had bought up many of the old buildings and turned them into venue sites, offices, and children's rooms. Their facilities didn't equate to all the hype I've been hearing about them. So I was intrigued about how they were being so effective in reaching people for Jesus in so many different ways. You can go to their website to find out about all the different details behind the 22 different services (with 9 different venue choices- none of which hold more than 550 people- yet they reach over 7000 people weekly) on five different campuses (www.northcoastchurch.com) most of which are with live or recorded video teaching. I have talked with a lot of people that say they would never go to a church in which you see the pastor teaching on a screen. I have had some of the same feelings in the past. However, as I moved around to the different venues and ultimately ended up sitting in their Edge venue (more edgy music and feel) I began to understand why it wasn't a big deal for most people there. It only took about 30 seconds and I was able to focus in on the person teaching on the screen- like he was really up on stage. I was fascinated how the crowd interacted. They laughed, yelled back answers like he was really up there. Everything else was live in each one of their venues- music, announcements, etc. They even had a campus pastor that served as the relational connection to many in their little community. However, I wanted to share just a couple of things I learned and get some feedback from you on what you think. According to Chris, the multi-site approach: 1. Brings together the best aspects of larger churches and smaller churches. 2. Improves a church's stewardship of funds and resources. 3. Increases the total number of available seats during optimal worship times. 4. Enables untapped talent to emerge each time a new venue or site is opened. 5. Increases options of location and sometimes of worship style too. 6. Provides a pipeline for the development of emerging leaders and future staff. 7. Creates growth that happens like polyps (reach more diverse community). Although I'm still digesting what I just experienced, it took me back to the ending of a book I just finished reading (The Multi-Site Church Revolution). "Jesus left the church with one final instruction: make disciples, baptize, and teach. The apostle Paul was so committed to fulfilling that mission that he constantly looked for new and innovative ways to spread the gospel.... The churches in the first century were not defined by a building or a location. Groups of believers met in homes, in synagogues, and in the open air. They did not think of themselves as distinct communities competing for members; they saw themselves as part of the whole...The future of the multi-site church might be a return to the mind-set of the first century believer, when the word church did not refer to a specific building or a location but to a group of believers connected to other groups of believers by a common mission- a church not built around personality or a facility but instead built around a mission. Whenever 2 or 3 believers gather, there could be a new campus. Churches could meet in homes, in coffee shops, in break rooms at work. Resources could be directed at spreading the gospel and meeting the needs of the community rather than at more land and bigger buildings. Church might no longer be thought of as an hour on Sunday or a visit to a building. Church might become a lifestyle lived every day in every place the believer walks." Thanks for reading through my very long blog. I would love to hear what you think. I realize that the "multi-site" concept might still be a bit vague for most of you, but I would love to interact with you about the advantages and disadvantages of NC looking into this concept in the near future as we continue together on a journey to passionately follow Jesus by... Loving God, Loving People, and Serving our World!

Garden Worries

Our kids each planted a small 3 by 5 garden in the spring. As you can see from the pictures, they chose some interesting plants for their small space. Ashlyn chose a giant sunflower, onions, and sweet peas. Payton chose a giant sunflower, peas, and cilantro. Bradyn, however, chose to plant 3 watermelon plants in his space. His melons have taken over the other gardens and my flower planter. He's very proud that his plant is dominating all of ours. All the kids are worried that their gardens are going to die when we take our trip to Thailand. I have reassured them that we have some very nice people helping to care for their plants while we are gone.

Jim and Casper Go To Church

I just finished reading a book written by an atheist and a Christian. They embarked on a fascinating journey across the country to visit 12 churches- some well-known, and some hardly known. The book documents their experiences and reactions to each church. Many Christians have grown up in the church and have no idea how non-Christian guest might interpret what they see or hear at a worship service. What are Christians doing right? What do we need to do better? Casper, an ordinary atheist agrees to engage in these conversations with Jim, an experienced Christian leader. Casper didn't seem impressed with the polished productions of churches like Saddleback and Willow Creek. Instead he seems impressed with churches like Lawndale (in Chicago) who are deeply invested in their community. After all, he said, "if you are going to be a community church (or neighborhood church), serve your community." He explains that even though he doesn't believe in God, he sees evidence of the idea of God being a good thing at churches like Lawndale. Casper had seen and experienced over and over (in big churches and small ones) what Christians do when they "do church." The greet-sing-preach-collect-present form played out the same in every church. Yet, Casper could not imagine Jesus telling his followers that the most important thing they should be doing is holding services. Did Jesus really care about church services? Or did he care about loving and serving others and introducing people to a personal God who not only loves them but more important, likes them. Casper ends the book by asking an intriguing question, "What does the way Christianity is practiced today have to do with the handful of words and deeds uttered by a man who walked the earth two thousand years ago?" If you are looking for a book that makes you think about the way we have "always done church", I highly recommend this quick read. Based on the questions posed to me, I'm looking forward even more to the upcoming fall series at NC in which we will be looking back to the book of Acts and discussing together as a church family what God created the Church to look like.

It's Almost Time!

It's almost time to kick-off my sabbatical. I've been working frantically this last week to get everything in place. As usually, I'm sure I forgot about something. It officially starts on Monday. However, I will be spending the first couple of days around Visalia before taking off toward the latter part of the week to visit 3 Southern California churches. I will keep you updated as I visit each one. In addition to shoring up last minute details for our Thailand trip, I'll dive into my stack of books that I hope to read through. My list includes "Jim and Casper Go To Church"by Jim Henderson and Matt Casper, "Everything Must Change" by Brian McLaren, "The Leadership Secrets of Billy Graham" by Harold Myra and Marshall Shelley, "The Multi-Site Revolution" by Geoff Surratt and Greg Ligon, and "Morph" by Ron Marioia.