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!

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!

Easter Weekend

Jesus is alive and Jesus is Lord!  What a great weekend of celebration!  I am a little wiped out but it was worthwhile.

Here are some highlights:

Community Easter Egg Hunt – Every year our church put together a Easter Egg Hunt for the Redmond Ridge community.  It is very exciting to be engaged with our community but it takes a lot of work and a lot of manpower.  Every year we also experience little miracles with regards to the weather.  Basically every year rain is forecasted for the egg hunt and every year it rains before and right after the egg hunt.  God answers our prayers and clears up the sky for the period of the outdoor egg hunt.  It is pretty amazing.

 

 

 

Janelle, Lily, Aik & Lindsey

 

 

 

 

 

The Chens and me

 

Opening up the eggs and keeping the candy.

Justin & Bree’s Wedding Reception – Later that evening I went to a wedding reception for my boss’s (Tim) stepdaughter’s wedding reception.  My co-worker Rick and I went together.  I have known Bree since she was a high school student and she worked with us just before she graduated high school.  I was also looking forward to see Adrian (Tim’s son) who has been living in Alaska the past few years.  I have seen Adrian grow up from a young boy to a young man today.  It was a fun evening of catching up.

 

 

 

 

 

Tim & Bree

 

 

 

 

The boys all decked out. (Rick, Adrian and me)

 

Easter Sunday – We had an awesome Sunday gathering.  We put together a really cool presentation using real stories, images, music, scripture and spoken word to illustrate the power of the resurrection and how our lives can be changed.

My good friends Marcelo and Elise invited me for Easter dinner later that evening.  I love these guys and it was a blast to hang out, eat and just chill.

Elise made a wonderful meal and I am thankful for the invitation to celebrate together.

That was my eventful weekend and now I am ready to crash and start a brand new day and new week.

Thank you Jesus for dying on the cross of my sin and life is different because You defeated death and rose again.

The Builder

In my Bible reading earlier this week, there was a verse in a passage of scripture that really caught my attention.  I have read this verse before and can even quote it; however it took more significance this week.  The verse is Psalm 127:1

"Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain.
Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain."

I am somewhat of a thinker, not so much philosophical, more pragmatic.  My friends can probably testify that I am a "black & white" person and that's how things appear in my head.  All that to say, I have been thinking a lot recently and mulling over things happening around me.

One of the things that has impacted me slowly but surely is the "personal confession" moment my friend Josh had earlier this year.  It has radically changed his outlook on life.  The confession is a simple yet powerful one and that is JESUS IS LORD.  I have adopted that confession and confess each morning as I roll out of bed and even throughout the day, I hear it in my head.

I desperately want Jesus to be Lord of my life, every aspect of it.  Like most people, I like to be in control, so this new practice of confession/submission has been not always easy but really good for me.

In light of the "confession" and the mission we are trying to accomplish as a church, the Psalm 127:1 verse really resonated with me.  I quickly stopped to ponder if I had taken the Lord out of the equation in building "His House."  I get to pastor a relatively big group of people and these people are watching my life, so I am trying my best to model Jesus.  It is so easy to rely on the talented people we have around us to build something and I believe that will be devastating.  Last night we had a meeting with one of our leadership teams and it was excellent.  What was exciting to me, was to hear these leaders share their hearts and see that they too have a desire (prayer, Bible reading, etc) to have Jesus as Lord of their lives and what we do to build the church.

More thinking later, I found I was asking myself again who was building my house.  I thought about being a single guy and how easy it is for me to coast through life and not think about the "house" I am building.  I thought about my friends and family here and back in Singapore, people whose houses are not in order and I was saddened by that.  Regardless of whether or not I have my own little family in the future, I have been challenged to declare that Jesus is Lord and that same Lord is the one building my house.

Who is your builder today?  Try confessing Jesus is Lord and making Him your custom home builder.

Discovering Who Jesus Is And What It Means To Follow Him

This title is taken from the mission statement of my church Life At The Ridge. It has been a really great experience so far being a part of a brand new church.  I have been thoroughly challenged and continue to be; and I also have been learning a lot from the experiences.  I am enjoying this season of life especially because I am constantly discovering who Jesus is and what it means to follow Him.  I know God is shaping my heart and mind.

I have been thinking about the term "discovery" recently; partly because I have been following a little bit of the suit between the City of Seattle and the Seattle Supersonics.  In a lawsuit, there is a pre-trial process known as "discovery" where evidence is complied and depositions are given, etc.  I was reflecting on that in my own life's journey.  The past few months have been quite a process of discovery for me.  I have been wrestling with some ideas that have come up in the church world and in the life of a Christ-follower.  I must preface this by saying I am by no means making any judgement, these are my personal thought process and convictions - my discovery process if you will.

Being a team member in the leadership core of a church has been an amazing learning experience, mostly because I come from a traditional pastor's family and a relatively traditional church background.  I am enjoying the process of breaking it down and getting to the essence of what it is all about.  It has also caused me to put certain convictions I hold to the test which is a huge growing experience.  The biggest part of my internal wrestling match these past few months comes from the second part of the title - what it means to follow Him.  I truly believe that everyone should ask themselves that question; especially those of us who are Christ-followers.

So, what does it mean to follow Jesus?  Lately I have observed, heard, and been around people who I know love Jesus and are passionate about following Him but at the same time have indulged in habits that I don't think are necessary, especially not to fit in with the "world."  Jesus set some high standards for His disciples and followers.  Sure, He hung out with people from all spectrum of life and He had compassion for them, but He never compromised His standards.  People were drawn to Him because He was different - there were things that set Him apart.  To me, that is a critical discovery point.  Those things were not rules and regulations in place to add to the religiosity of our faith, but I believe Jesus set these standards for us to become more like Him.  The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 12:2 (NLT) Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

I have noticed that in the recent paradigm shifts in the church world, like how we approach living the missional life, and being Christ in the market place; we have started to do things that "copy the behavior and customs of this world" in hopes of being authentic.  My fear is that we don't set really set ourselves apart and we don't pass on the higher standards that Jesus calls us to.  In Matthew 5, Jesus talks about how He came to the earth not to abolish the Law (10 Commandments) and the Prophets, but as the fulfillment of them.  He goes on and addresses some of the laws and He sets the bar even higher than what people were already adhering to. I believe that Jesus wants us to be set apart, to live holy lives and through that, people will see a difference.  I want to lead a life that is active in this world but not of this world.

What does it mean to follow Jesus?  I was reading in Luke 14:25-33 (NLT) where Jesus talks about the cost of being a disciple and it caught my attention.  Jesus lays it out this way:

25 A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, 26 “If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. 27 And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.

28 “But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? 29 Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. 30 They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’

31 “Or what king would go to war against another king without first sitting down with his counselors to discuss whether his army of 10,000 could defeat the 20,000 soldiers marching against him? 32 And if he can’t, he will send a delegation to discuss terms of peace while the enemy is still far away. 33 So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.

This is one area that I constantly struggle with.  I grew up with parents that were and are still devoted to the cause of Christ.  Parents who are pastoring and in ministry at a local church.  Parents who, in my opinion, have lived up to the cost mentioned in this passage and yet have a healthy family by God's grace.  Often times I hear my friends and others in ministry share their priorities in life and I am torn.  The reason I am torn is because I have seen the effects, both positive and negative, on the lives of families in ministry, so is that the cost of being a disciple?  Apart from the basic principle of loving God and loving people, following Jesus according to what He said in this passage means we are to give up everything.  One commentary I read said "Jesus teaches that whoever desires to follow Him and be His disciple should first decide whether he or she is prepared to pay the cost.  The cost of real discipleship is to give up all relationships and possessions, i.e., all that we have: material things, family, our own lives, desires, plans and interests (v.33).  This does not mean we must reject all we have, but that all we have must be placed at Christ's service and under His guidance."

In my own life's experience, I see my parents living out this explanation.  They gave up many things in life and they placed them (like the lives of their kids) at Christ's service and under His guidance and I know God has blessed them in return beyond measure.  I guess the tough part for me is combining being a private Christian and being a "professional" Christian (i.e. being in ministry) and how the cost of being a disciple is calculated.  Another commentary puts it this way: "Jesus demands that our loyalty to and love for Him be greater than every attachment, even to our own families."  It sounds like all of Jesus' disciples back in the day carried out this principle.  I guess this is one where I will have to keep working on reconciling the ideas.

My discovery process continues.  I know I want to be set apart and I am striving to live a holy life.  I want people to see Christ in me and see the difference He has made in me.