Can’t Afford To Be Safe

Acts 4:13 & 20 (NLT) - The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus…We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard.

I have a feeling this is going to be the scripture passage that took me from 2009 into 2010 and will continue to challenge me this year and beyond.  Yesterday was one of those days where I was reminded all day long.  At LATR church yesterday morning, Josh talked about the marks of people who are obsessed about Jesus.  We should be marked by unusual love (Jesus loved and gave His life because that love). We should be marked by faith – faith to be fully engaged, willing to take risks and of unusual sacrifice (again like Jesus).

Then last night, Jarron and I visited New Life Church and once again I was confronted with these thoughts.  The pastor talked about when he gave his heart to Jesus and was baptized, he experienced a transformation and passion for Jesus that led to a relentless boldness to share Jesus with everyone and anyone.  Then he said when he got older something switched, he started to be “safe” – he got married, he got a mortgage, he had kids, etc, and he discovered the boldness dissipating.  His descriptions resonated with me and then he referred to the Acts 4:20 where when Peter and John were basically asked to stop talking about Jesus, their response was that they can’t stop telling about Jesus and what He has done.

I heard a stat yesterday that motivated even more.  I found out that I was living in 4th most un-churched  county in the country.  I cannot afford to be safe anymore!  There are people all around me that have never heard and/or experience the love of Jesus.  It is no longer ok to be safe; it is time to be bold and be recognized for having experienced and been transform by Jesus.

Another encouragement and challenge as a part of a church plant was something else the pastor said – he had been struggling with the idea of membership and the number of people attending the church.  The idea of a church with a few thousand people attending being known as a mega church was not what he wanted anymore – he desires to see a church of mega missionaries; people who are outward looking and sharing Jesus with everyone.  I know it is the heart of Josh and mine to see our small community of people at LATR be mega missionaries and be concerned with growth that comes from people coming to know Jesus and be changed forever.

It is now time to live a marked life and not stop telling about everything we have experienced and seen Jesus do!

The Rest of the Trip

I am finally back home in Seattle!  What a crazy adventure I’ve had the past week.

Let’s pick up from Saturday evening.  After chilling out for a bit back at the hotel, I decided to head out again for dinner and see what else I could do around town.  I asked the front desk personnel for suggestions and they recommended a Brazilian restaurant called Pampas.  If you are unfamiliar with Brazilian steak houses, they basically  bring you meat of all kinds and slice it onto your plate and it is all you can eat.  There is one in Seattle called Ipanema Brazilian Grill and another one that I’ve been to in Chicago called Fogo De Chao.  Very yummy!

Once again, when I said I was going to walk to dinner, the staff at the hotel insisted I took a cab.  They were truly concern for my safety at night.  I took their advice and rode in a cab.  Dinner was excellent and very filling (all that steak).  After dinner, I figured I could walk back to the hotel and it was a chance to walk off all that food.  As I made my trek back, I went by a coffee shop/dessert place and I decided to stop for ice-cream.  It was a cool little joint, however no one spoke English.  So I placed my order anyway and asked for ice-cream, seeing that they had a freezer with ice-cream containers in it.  The lady over the counter proceeded to say something to me in Spanish and I had no idea what she was saying.  Thankfully, a lady, who was there with some friends, saw what was going on and stepped in to help me.  I told her what I wanted and she asked in Spanish however the response was strange – we don’t sell ice-cream.  I was confused since I was staring right at the ice-cream containers.  After some persuasion from my new friend Mireya, they decided to sell me a cup of vanilla ice-cream.  Apparently they had the ice-cream there to make smoothies.  For the next hour or so I got to enjoy the company of 3 lovely women (I didn’t get a picture with them though).  Mireya had spent a year in the US and so her command of English was good so it was fun to learn more about the city and people of Tijuana.  After the dessert break, Mireya and friends gave me a ride back to the hotel because they too were worried for my safety.  Since there was not much else I could do on foot, so I decided to retire for the night.

Sunday arrived and I woke early to try and find info about the church I had passed by the day before.  After searching for a while I found the church online.  It is called Grupo Unidad.  The church was quite unique in that it was a huge building with no signs or fixtures to identify it; also the sanctuary was in a circular form but in a rectangular building.  It looked like a former arena of sorts.  Another thing that was fascinating to me was the church was connected to a bar few feet away; they kinda shared the same property.  The best part about the location of the church was, besides the bar, Starbucks was across the street – what more could one ask for.

I got to church about 1/2 hour before the service was to start, found myself a good central spot and sat down.

Only a few people were there before the services started.  People started trickling in about 10-15 minutes before church started.  I wonder if this is a common occurrence around the world – people trickling in to church.

Kicking off the service.  You’ll notice and empty section – it was filled up as the service progressed.  The whole bottom floor was full by the time the speaker came up to speak.  Although I had no idea what anyone was saying and singing, I recognized some of the melodies of the songs being sung.  I was overwhelmed at being able to worship Jesus as part of the Church (universal).  It was a great experience.

After the message, there was a call for prayer and the prayers teams came to the front of the stage.  Their teams consisted of married couples partnered together to pray with people.  It was so cool to see people respond and be prayed for.

I went across to Starbucks for lunch after church.  Then it was time to look for a way to watch the Seahawks play.  This task was harder than I thought.  I walked a few blocks back to the hotel and found none of the TV channels playing the Seattle game so I decided to make the trek out to TGI Fridays.  I was hoping since it was an American establishment they would play all the games on their TVs.  After walking in the sun for about 3 miles, I walked in to a packed restaurant with every TV screen showing the San Diego Chargers game.  I was very disappointed.  Now I had to make my way all the way back to the hotel (which included climbing a steep street).  After exhausting all my television options I decided to try and find a way to listen online and finally there was something I could do.

After the game, I spent some time reading and winding down; then it was time for dinner.  This time I decided to just use my map and walk without asking anyone.  However as soon as I stepped outside, my buddy “Fuentes” the cab driver saw me and asked me what I was doing.  He then insisted on taking me wherever I wanted to go and he even suggested a Japanese restaurant, so I went and had sushi.  It was a nice place and good food.

Upon returning to the hotel, I saw that my favorite swing shift crew was working so I spent the next 2 hours just hanging out with them at the front desk and getting to know them personally.  I even had a chance to talk about church and my faith and hear Gilberto’s take on church.

I found it hard to believe that my stay in Tijuana was almost over.  My friends in Seattle were all talking about how it was probably God’s way of forcing me to slow down and rest in Mexico.  I now had to come up with a plan as to how I was going to make it to the airport to try and fly standby.  I really wanted to get home on Monday so I could turn around the make it out to the Minister’s Retreat.  My plan was to try and get back into the US, return my rental car and get to the airport before the plane left and I succeeded.  Running to the check in counter, I asked if there was a way I could get on the last flight out and the response was yes but for $100.00.  I was now with the choice as to how much it meant for me to return that day or wait till the morning to catch the first flight out.  I tried to get them to see that I had already paid to reschedule my flight for the next morning and I really didn’t want to pay another $100.  Then out of nowhere, a manager suggested to the agent to pull my name up in the system where we found that I was not even booked for the morning flight.  In fact, my reservation had not been changed yet and I was booked on the previous flight on Saturday still.  I was then asked if I still wanted to leave to which I said yes!  The biggest surprise was that they were going to let me travel for no fee.  I was very thankful to God and the good people at Alaska for allowing me to travel home after my adventures in TJ.

So, I made the flight and arrived in Seattle at 9:30 pm, picked up my car and drove fast home.  I was determined to get on the road again to head south for the Pacific Ocean and make it to the Minister’s Retreat.  I got home, dumped my stuff out and repacked for my next trip.  I then headed out for my next adventures.

I had been to the location of the retreat once before many years ago.  I could remember landmarks that I had made in my mind except this time I was driving solo and at night.  It was pitch dark and really late.  I actually missed my turn and kept driving until I ran out of freeway.  It literally took my to a point where the sign said “Primitive Road.”  At this point it was almost 3 am and I had been driver for over 3 hours (after just returning from Mexico).  I was out of cell range so I couldn’t call Josh.  I had to back track.  As soon as I had one bar on one of my cell phone I left Josh a voicemail.  Finally we were able to connect and poor Josh had to wake from his sleep, jump online to find a map and direct me to the hotel.  After what seemed like an eternity, I made it to the hotel.  I quickly jumped into bed to get some shut eye knowing I had a sound check/rehearsal at 8 the next morning.

Morning came fast and we were off to start our day at the retreat.  It wasn’t really a retreat for us since we were there to do worship at every session.  The meetings were good, and the speaker was good and I had a good time.  Here are some pictures of where we were:

That’s the Pacific Ocean out there.

Josh and I drove onto the beach.  He was filming a short video clip and I took this picture.

It was fun to be there, albeit a little tiring.  I got to meet some people and see some old friends and that was refreshing.

Now it back to the grind and easing my way back into work.  I need another break to recover from my crazy adventures and travels but there is none in sight.

I am glad to be home and grateful for the experience I had.

Saturday In Tijuana

I decided that this was the day to go out and try the local fare and on the recommendation of Gilberto (my new front desk friend), I went on a morning walk to check out a local establishment call El Potrero.

The building is shaped like a Mexican sombrero.  Here’s where I was on my way to brunch.

I had to cross this concrete, highly graffitied, overpass.  Traffic and roads were relatively clear this Saturday morning.  It was bustling with people cars just the night before.

You can see the Marriott in the distance where I am staying while here.

Back to brunch and El Potrero.  As I approached the restaurant, I noticed this place was hopping with people going in and out and I figured it was the place to be.  Before I left the hotel, I wrote down words and phrases that I could use if I was in a bind but as soon as I walked in, I had no idea what they were asking me.  Pointing around helped and I was quickly seated.

Vincente was my server for the morning.  He barely spoke English but could understand a little of what I was asking and saying.  Everything on the menu was in Spanish and nothing looked familiar like in the Mexican restaurants back home.  I even got a funny/puzzled look from the bell hop this morning when I asked him if I could get a breakfast burrito.  Anyway, I asked Vincente to recommend what I should get and he pointed to a dish on the menu and went on to describe what it contained.  I managed only to catch parts of what was going to be in it, but I thought what the heck, I need to just try whatever comes.

I have been forgetting everywhere I’ve been so far to not ask for ice in my drinks, but so far I am holding up really well.  I think my Singaporean trained stomach is doing it’s job.

My food arrived and it looked like this

I had 3 different kinds of salsa (in the little dishes at the top of the picture), from mild to spicy.  Then there was this plate of I am not sure what that had some spicy sauce on it and it was quite yummy.  I dipped my chips in them.  Then my main entree turned out to be an omelet filled with sliced green peppers and onions covered with the corn Verde sauce with beans, potatoes and chips covered in cheese and sauce on the side.  It was a very tasty meal for US$10.50.

It was fun to observe people around me.  I noticed tons of families eating together, a lot of them with teenage kids who seem to really enjoy their parents’ company.  It was a refreshing sight.  The other thing I have noticed is people like to drink.  Vincente, my server kept asking me throughout my meal (even to the end) if I wanted a shot of Tequila.  Either it is really a part of culture (even at brunch) to starting the booze flowing or I must have a look that says I need a stiff one.  He finally came back with a “complimentary” mimosa (mostly orange juice though).

I had a great brunch and two thumps up for El Potrero’s!  Here’s me and Vincente (he refused to come closer for a picture)

Paid my bill and I was off on my walking adventure.  Not having a car is quite stifling but I am getting my exercise and sunshine for sure.  BTW, the cabs here do not use a/c at all, they have their windows down, so in the middle of the afternoon you’ll be sweating in the cab.  As I was walking along I found my walking into this huge beat up building.  I noticed it was like an underground arena type place that had chairs around.  I quickly realize as I walked all the way in that it looked like a church set up but it was all women there today.  I figured I am stumbled into a women’s gathering of some kind and no one spoke English.  My friend Josh had told me yesterday that he attended a church service once at a converted arena/stadium and I am wondering if this is it.  I am going to check it out tomorrow although I can find any info on the church.  The church had not signs posted anywhere; oh well, I’ll go anyways during regular “church hours” to see if there is something going on in the morning.

Here’s a bunch of ladies waiting to get their food outside of the church area:

I thank God for good sense of direction and photographic memory for landmarks.  So when I was driven around in the day and night I was watching for street names and landmarks to help give me a sense of where I am heading.  I was kind of aimlessly walking, mostly to walk off brunch and also see what I could find that was interesting around the town.  After walking quite a few miles, I decided to turn around because it was starting to heat up and I didn’t want to be a puddle of sweat.

On my way back, here’s what I saw

 

This billboard brought a rush of emotions.  Thanks to the good peeps at the US Consulate General, I am missing home, missing church on Sunday and also missing the ACTUAL GAME at Qwest!  I am hoping there is a way to catch the game on TV here.

Here’s another familiar sight:

And finally, my last stop of the morning walkabout and I couldn’t pass this up, a piece of home

 

This was my venti sized passion tea lemonade, not quite the same size as back home but it worked.  The barista spoke a little English and was curious where I was from.  I told her I was from Seattle and she excitedly told me her husband was also from Seattle.  She looked a little too young to be married but whatever.  I think she said she met her husband here in TJ and I think he works for Starbucks corporate, not quite sure but I think that’s what she said.  Anyways, I chilled out a bit Starbucks before resuming my walk back to the hotel.

Now, I am going to relax a bit till the evening, maybe read a little (surprise, surprise) and maybe catch a nap too while I am at it.  So until later, peace out.

Weekly Recap

It has been a while since I’ve had a week like I just did; and I definitely am not used to the schedule I kept.  It was a week full of work and ministry.  I figured I played my guitar/music everyday from Sunday through Sunday.

The first 3 days of the week was spent coming to work earlier in the mornings so I could leave earlier to make it to a youth camp I was participating in with worship.  It was fun to see old friends and worship with them.

Then on Thursday night, I had a rehearsal with Jarron for a worship night we were a part of on Friday night.  I was glad when Friday rolled around though I knew I was not done with the week yet.  Worked all day at the office and then headed out after to the worship night at Cedar Park Northshore.  Jarron and I were excited to be a part of this event and help lead people in worship.  It was a good night and we had fun.  Here are some pictures of us:

Getting ready to play and was reading some scripture

Jarron and I during our set

Saturday rolled around and it was supposed to be a relaxing one except I forgot that I had some drivers working, so I woke up and got started with my communication with them.  After getting things squared away, I head out for Andy and Sarah’s birthday party.  I was looking forward to seeing friends and hanging out, celebrating life and friendships.

Birthday kids – Sarah and Andy

With the fellas (me, Jordan, Jarron, Andy, Aaron & Eric)

After the party, I finally had a few hours of alone time and I was excited.  I need to chill a little and get prepared for Sunday.  I went home, watched a little Seahawks football action, practiced a little on my guitar and then worked on some Sunday stuff.  It was a good way to end my Saturday.

Somehow Sunday comes quicker than most days; I think partly because I wake up the earlier than most days.  It was an exciting Sunday at LATR.  We were going to have baptisms after the gathering and I was going to assist in my first baptisms.  It was a busy day for me – I lead worship, watched some kids in the nursery, did an interview for the kids about my baptism experience and then I got to assist Josh in baptizing a couple of people.  One of the guys getting baptized was one of my worship team member so it was special for me to be a part of this day.

Jarron and I figuring out his “new” iPhone

Posing for a picture

Not sure what I was looking for…

Assisting Josh in baptizing Gregory -  a kid from Kids At The Ridge

 

There he goes!

So proud of Gregory and for his testimony and choosing to take a step of faith in baptism to show his commitment to follow Jesus!

Here with Josh and Kenny.  Kenny’s story is cool too.  He gave his heart to Jesus as a child but never took the next step in water baptism.  So when the opportunity came up at church, he decided it was time to make a stand and his family came and got to witness his faith.  Awesome!

 

 

 

Showing a little love here; managed to stay dry until the hug…

It was truly a great ending to a busy week.  Seeing transformation in the lives of people and hearing their stories and celebrating with them is so fulfilling.  Thank you Jesus!

Have to finish off this recap with the cutest thing ever – Abby and Andrew…

 

 

 

Ah…kids :)

Cheers!

Do You See Him?

We started a new series at LATR called “Do You See Him?”  The big idea of the series is that Jesus is walking with us whether we see Him or not.  I think so often we choose to have selected awareness of Jesus in our lives – we praise Him in the good times and when things are bad we wonder why He is so far away when in reality He is always there.

I was reminded of a section in the first chapter of Glenn Packiam’s new book called “Secondhand Jesus” where he wrote about how he had bought into the suburban rumor that so many of us have bought into and that is “my house was an evidence of His blessing. Our growing church was an indication of God’s pleasure. Things were going to get better and better while I kept my life on cruise control. Never mind that I had struggled—mostly unsuccessfully—to have consistent time alone with God. Forget that I had hardly spent time worshipping God offstage. The more my wife and I searched our own souls, the more we realized we had become passive, complacent, at times even indifferent about our own knowledge of God. We had been lulled to sleep by our own apparent success, numbed into coasting by our spiritual Midas touch.”  Like Glenn, I find myself in a similar condition; I have not been seeing the real Jesus behind what I have and what He has allowed me to accomplish but now it is exposed.  Now that I have written this, I guess people are going to hold me accountable. :D

Josh did an excellent job describing areas of our lives that we might have missed seeing Jesus, and there was a particular area he mentioned that convicted me instantly, thus this mini confession.  That area is in regards to work/biz.  Josh mentioned how the global economic situation has caused many people to have lost money, jobs and businesses.  I was instantly convicted because I was made aware then that I have not, truly, in recent times, given thanks to God for having a job and the continued success in business.  It is true, we’ve worked hard as a company and have made wise decisions, but I know that is only because of the hand of God that we are where we are.  I am probably the only one in the company that believes this, yet I have failed to properly acknowledge Jesus and see His hand over everything.  I am once again humbled by this revelation.

There are a few lines from a song that Glenn just released that have been running over and over again in my mind:

“I have only heard the whispers of Your majesty.  All I’ve know were only rumors, now my eyes have seen Your glory”

I am tired of the rumors and lies of Jesus that I have bought into, I want to see Jesus and His glory.  Another quote from Glenn: “Rumors grow in the absence of revelation. Every time we keep God at arm’s length, declining an active, living knowledge of Him, we become vulnerable to rumors. Lulled by false comfort and half-truths about God, we—in Keith Green’s famous words—fall asleep in the light.”  I am certainly more aware that I need to block out the rumors and look for true revelation of the man who gave His life for me so I can have life, more and better life.

Jesus is at work, in fact, I believe He has kicked it into overdrive.  I want in!  I want to be more aware of His presence and to be able to see Jesus in pain and sorrow and in good times.  Open my eyes Jesus!

Recapping

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind, especially over the weekends.  It has been fun and the beautiful weather has contributed to the fun quotient.  I have been learning a bunch and making new discoveries.

For my international readers I know you guys like pictures more than text so here’s some picture recaps:

 

 

 

My friend Kami got married.

 

That same weekend, Kami’s brother, Jarron, had a graduation party.  I am very proud of Jarron and for him sticking it out and completing college.

 

 

Here’s Jarron reading his cards and taking note of the “loot” he received – cha ching!

 

This last weekend, I got to spend time with some special little people.  Josh asked me to join him at a training thing he was speaking at; and Josh brought Abby along.  I love this kid, she is fun to be around and I am glad I got to spend quite a bit of the day with her.

 

 

 

I asked Abby to smile for the camera

 

 

 

 

Abby and Josh, playing a game on his iPhone

 

So we’re at this training thing and all the speakers have taken their turns to share, they then had this Q&A time.  My friend Del, the facilitator of this session, invites the speakers up and turns to me and asks me to join them in taking questions.  I was not really prepared for this but it was a fun experience to share since I got quite a fair bit of questions.  I also got to encourage a guy after the session which was cool.  I had mentioned that I was a pastor’s kid and he wanted to talk a little about that.  Fun times.

After we got then with the training session, I headed to the next event which was a birthday party for the 2 (of the 4) of my favorite blondes (Jazlyn and Olivia).  I love these kids and was honored to be invited.

 

 

 

 

Here comes the cakes

 

 

 

 

Singing “Happy Birthday”

 

 

 

 

Blow out those candles!

 

 

 

 

Birthday girls opening their prezzies

 

It was a quite a couple of weekends.  Now I am off to my next adventures, being called out to help people discover who Jesus is and what it means to follow Him.  Life is good because of Him.