Stevens' All Nations Blog

2006-11-09T07:14:00.000-08:00

Thanks for those of you who have been reading my blog at this address. For acouple reasons I have changed the location of my blog. So please keep reading I promise to keep up with it.Thanks,http://web.mac.com/thinkoakland/iWeb/Site/Check%20Please.html

2006-10-21T22:03:00.000-07:00

I am sitting here watching "No Direction Home." Listen, watching, thinking about Bob Dylan takes me some other place, it is transcendent in the moment. Unable to explain why but passion and love are a large part of it, and a sense of the normal being extraordinary.Here is one beautiful/profound quote, that I needed to get down somewhere so I dropped it here, mostly for myself but you also get

The Hard Work

2006-10-17T20:22:00.000-07:00

Okay, I have removed all the concrete. Ripped out all the grass, and crab grass by hand. Tore out trees, add ammendment. A week ago I rented a rotatiller and went to town. Tomorrow a landscaper is coming over to give us a bid on the skill work. I would say a month away!!See more progress on: finish my backyard

2006-10-10T14:41:00.000-07:00

The rate of speed in which life is traveling is mindblowing. Just when you think you have a chance to catch your breath, one more thing 'comes up'. Trying to get three worship leaders to meet at the same time is complicated by the fact that the A's are in the playoffs and Sufjan Stevens has a show. When it comes down to it I am jealous that I am not going to either.Now as I wait in the office

2006-09-28T14:59:00.000-07:00

So I am sitting in Lake Tahoe. This morning my brother-in-law ran his first of three marathons in three days, and Peter Lendway and I were his crew. Not just his crew but a crew to many of the other twenty people who were running at about the same pace as Jon. It was a really cool time and I am sure I will have many reflections on this experience.But right now it is as if I am on a foreign

2006-09-21T10:22:00.000-07:00

The Real Mary WHY EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANSCAN EMBRACE THE MOTHER OF JESUSBY: SCOT MCKNIGHT1Why a Book about the Real Mary?“Why are you—a Protestant—writing a bookabout Mary?”I’ve been asked this question many times. Infact, one person asked me the following question: “Wasn’t Marya Roman Catholic?” (No kidding.)Why write a book for Protestants about Mary? Here’s why:Becausethe story about the real

2006-09-21T09:48:00.000-07:00

This December a new movie is coming out looking at the birth of Jesus. At the same time a teacher who I appreciate named Scot McKnight is releasing a book titled, The Real Mary. Sadly I think the Protestant Church (which All Nations Church is a part) is reactionary when it comes to Mary the mother of Jesus, since we have seen the Catholic Church go to far in some of their views. Scot is

2006-09-13T09:33:00.000-07:00

Why does it seem that when you would like time to go slower it flies by? This is the last week of our Tenebrae Service, the evening service at All Nations. I wish I was done being sad over the end of this service but I am not. This last week I would like to have that beam shine down from heaven on me as I work here in the office, but I am actually slaving away. At some point this week I just

2006-08-26T12:59:00.000-07:00

My running partner, on new running partner and I constantly chat as we run about how running is a wonderful metaphor for the Christian life. We are in good company since the apostle Paul uses it regularly. Anyway I hope he doesn't read my blog because I don't want to hurt his feelings because today I found another application of the metaphor.Running cannot be dependent upon someone else. You

2006-08-22T09:42:00.000-07:00

"O Lord my God, I would kneel before Thee in lowly adoration ere I set out to face the tasks and interests of another day. I thank Thee for the blessed assurance that I shall not be called upon to face them alone or in my own strength, but shall at all time be accompanied by Thy presence and fortified by Thy grace." -John Baillie

2006-08-15T12:31:00.000-07:00

The past few days were strange. My family took a trip to Seattle for a wedding where we had no access to computers or phones (other than at other people's houses or cell phones). We survived. The funniest was last night as we sat at desks next to each other for a few hours to catch up on email:) Is your life better since you have all these things? Don't get me wrong, I say that from my new

2006-08-03T10:29:00.000-07:00

Taking a good thing... I have been in 1 & 2 Kings and 1 & 2 Chronicles studying for awhile. This morning I read, "He removed the high places and broke the pillars and cut down the Asherah. And he broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had made offerings to it (it was called Nehushtan)." 2 Kings 18:4. Not only had Moses made the

2006-07-29T13:51:00.000-07:00

Okay, here is a book...or at least a chapter in it. Our country was not founded on the fact that we wanted freedom for all...especially religious freedom. That was a byproduct of the real point of the U.S., that we were to have to best system of government in the entire world.So whether it happened only when public education became the norm or perhaps it was happenign before, but a system was

2006-07-28T16:03:00.000-07:00

Aidyn and I decided to have a Luau the other day. I thought this picture is pretty funny so wanted to post it.

2006-07-28T15:50:00.000-07:00

The Spirit Moves: Handbook of Dance and Prayer, was written by Carla De Sola. My wife Karin has had the priviledge of dancing wit Carla and her Company, Omega West, on a number of occasions in worship. While I have not read the book yet myself, Karin and I have discussed some of it, today I felt very blessed by our discussion already.Each week in preparation for our Tenebrae service, Sunday

2006-07-27T13:55:00.000-07:00

Disappointment. One of the hardest things for me to imagine about heaven is that it will not disappoint. That seems to be such a part of this life. We are promised so much and nothing lives up to it. Just yesterday I experience severe disappointment, so much so I felt like a child. For an entire week I had been looking foward to a day game at the Colesium, where the Oakland A's were playing

2006-07-26T14:27:00.000-07:00

Apologies for limits in language. I have no problem with using inclusive language in my regular everyday speech. When it comes to translating the Bible with inclusive language, it get fish because what was written for us often was not inclusive language but rather a use of the masculine to stand for both the masculine and the feminine. Yet now that I have been ministering in the Bay Area for

2006-07-26T10:38:00.000-07:00

Motivating God's people to do God's work. Bibically the case is often made that a pastor's job is to pray and preach the Gospel. I fully agree with that and wonder if motivating God's people to do God's work is not part of the calling as well. 1 Peters 2:9, But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood...Often time people expect the pastor to do the work of the priesthood, that's not biblical

2006-07-19T09:08:00.000-07:00

Small is not the S-Word as we commonly think of it. Yet when it comes to starting a church, especially if you are still starting it six years into it, small is a dirty word. The first night of our Art Camp, I used the that dirty little word in a sentence with the father of one of the children that does not go to our church, to describe our church. It was used without shame or excuse but as a

2006-07-19T08:43:00.000-07:00

There are wonderful things happening at ANPC with our Summer Art Camp. I will be sending out an email update to let you all know more about what we are up to. This morning though I am engaged in thinking about Paul's struggle as described in Romans 7:14-20. The most clear part to me is Paul laying out a struggle. When I write friends or blog or even talk on the phone about struggle, it

2006-07-14T07:13:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had lunch with a friend. This friend has recently come to faith and unsurprisingly still has many struggles. So he is not someone who has bought the entire Christian thing hook line and sinker, but he loves the Gospel. For the second time he has gone to a small group only to be left frustrated, vowing never to go back. Each time the same thing happened. Some social or political

2006-07-12T13:01:00.000-07:00

John 13:1 Now before the Feast of Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.The editorial notes here in this part of the story of Jesus life are powerful. There is this sense of climax here, drama, power. Jesus is departing out of this world...that is wild. And it almost

2006-07-11T14:21:00.000-07:00

I really should write more while relaxing, but right now I don't have the means to write away from my house since my laptop is done for. We had a wonderful weekend as a family relaxing in Carmel by the sea. If you are interested in the town, it's name or it's history. Check out Wikipedia, here.We stayed at the Carmel Valley Ranch Resort. It was an amazing place with two pools (though we never

2006-07-03T13:32:00.000-07:00

In a previous blog I mentioned what I thought was the funniest part of running the marathon and that was the woman asking Jon, my bro-in-law, what was on the plastic boards at the watering station. We said Vaseline, and then had to describe why runners use it. She laughed because she had thought is was 'Gu', which is a protein gel that gives you energy as you ran. She said, "I thought it was

2006-07-03T13:25:00.000-07:00

Currently I am working my way through Luke Timothy Johnson's book, The Real Jesus. He is naming many things for me that my people, and people who I come in contact with constantly are struggling with. Spiritual people in the Bay Area want to live like Jesus without all the hang ups of organized religion. Is that even possible? The book offers a pretty clear, no.No I constantly sense this

2006-06-30T07:45:00.000-07:00

I am very excited about this Sunday for a few reasons. The first is a friend of mine is working at a Baptist Church very close to All Nations and is going to be out of town. He asked me to preach for them. It should be a fun time. They are a sweet group of old people from what I understand. I miss being at a church where Seniors are represented.Also I am very excited about our evening

2006-06-20T06:04:00.000-07:00

Here I am at the PCA General Assembly. Once a year most of the pastors and ruling elders from the PCA gather together. This year we are in Atlanta, or how it is known in our family Hot-Lanta. It has been a great trip so far. We took the redeye from Oakland, so we got in very tired. Took MARTA (the Bart of Atlanta) from the airport to the hotel when Aidyn announced that she had to go to the

2006-06-16T12:20:00.000-07:00

I met with a guy this morning who is looking to start a church similar to one he was involved with in Seattle. It has an emphasis on contemplative prayer and justice issues. He brought me what the group in Seattle is using as guidelines, values, or callings in order to be a part of this community.The questions that I have are...1. Shouldn't membership be based not solely on sitting through a

2006-06-14T07:50:00.000-07:00

An inconvient truth. What a great title. For a culture that is suspicious of truth, we sure get the point of it being inconvient. This morning I was reading about Peter and Cornelius. The story where the sheet comes down from heaven with all the unclean animals on it and God tells Peter to eat. After this happens a few time (and Peter doesn't eat, just proclaims his holiness), Cornelius the

2006-06-09T13:43:00.000-07:00

Went to visit a member of our church today that is at a VA Hospital in Menlo Park, about 45 minutes away from Oakland. Paul is a Vietnam Vet who used to live in a group home right near our church in Oakland. He was known in the community because he would walk up and down Grand Ave. the street that our church is on, all day. Paul was very popular in our church because he would always have

2006-06-06T20:33:00.000-07:00

Today I took my daughter Aidyn to a park. This is a brand new park in Piedmont. I like to refer to it as the perfect park in Piedmont. It really has to be one of the most beautiful children's parks in the world. Which if you know Piedmont is not surprise, since it is home mostly to the people in the top 1% of national income including such famous people as Bill Romanowski.As I am sitting there

2006-05-31T10:00:00.000-07:00

I have never been disciplined enough to read through the entire Bible in a year. Don't worry I have read through the entire Bible but it was much more intensive, less of an act of daily discipline. Most of my life I would start with the best of intentions but somewhere around Judges or on the best attempts Chronicles I would call it quits. It was encouraging to me when a friend and pastor of

2006-05-26T09:35:00.000-07:00

I genuinely thought I was over the virus I had a week and a half ago, and now I am back sick. Today is the best I have felt in the last three days, so maybe that is a good sign. The tough part is my sinus were effected in a way that I haven't experienced in years. Hopefully I am on the upswing.It is challenging to 'run' meetings and interact with people in a way that you are present when you

2006-05-18T09:37:00.000-07:00

A prayer:Beginning my day today, with all that is before I am overwhelmed at the task of being an under-shepherd. So before I begin give me peace in my heart. Allow Holy Ghost to guide my in my work, so that I would not busy myself with tasks in order to feel like I have accomplished something for your kingdom. Give me an awareness of what you would have me to do, and allow me to act on that

2006-05-16T09:04:00.000-07:00

Got hit with a virus. Otherwise this post should have been written a few nights ago. After enjoying a great dinner with our old neighbors on Saturday night, great food (including chicken feet) and great conversation we returned home to find three little guests in front of our house.Now let me give you the back story. On Tuesday, we were cooking out on our deck. Out of nowhere our neighbor is

2006-05-13T08:27:00.000-07:00

One of the cool parts of our new house is not only a great friend now living downstairs from us, but also her little dog. Wilbur or as Aidyn calls him, "WillBird" is a pomeranian. Now the picture here is not actually him, he is much more cute. Normally these dogs are very yappy and terrible with children, at least that is what we have been told, but that is not the case with Wilbur. Each day

2006-05-10T11:09:00.000-07:00

I am flying through, John Stackhouse's book Humble Apologetics. It was required reading for the conference I went to a few weeks ago, but I could not get it through Amazon.com, so I decided to borrow it from Lewis now.Stackhouse, other than offering a poor explaination of presuppositional apologetics, writes a really nice book. Honestly I think if he understood more of presuppositional

2006-05-08T10:52:00.000-07:00

April was one of the most busy and frustrating months of my life. As I said in a previous blog the events and challenges related to the marathon were merely an illustration for my entire life. May has slowed down alittle. This weekend we had our last lacrosse games, which we lost both, so we ended wit a perfect seson 0-14. Our time hasn't been any easier for Karin either. The challenging

2006-05-05T16:04:00.000-07:00

Preparing to do my first wedding. This Sunday between the morning and evening service Sarah Ball and Adam Corkins are tying the knot. Which is very interesting language since you have that great Christian symbol of the Celtic knot. And also I am preaching on Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, "a threefold cord is not easily broken." Now most of the passage is talked about a two, but then there is this last

2006-05-03T13:33:00.000-07:00

As you can imagine I have a few things to write about my experience running a marathon. One thing that was funny but not as gross as I had heard is how everyone (especially men, but also women) are peeing all over the place. While waiting in the staging area, I guess everyone is nervious so they turn descretely away. But throughout the race you see people dart into the woods, and then back out

2006-05-01T13:12:00.000-07:00

Thank God it is May:On Saturday, April 29th, after coaching two lacrosse games the night before, at 10:30 am I left to coach three more games. All of which we lost...it has been a very rough season. From there I left to go into San Francisco, thankfully one of my assistant coaches was able to by me a pizza so I had dinner, to watch Karin perform. She was amazing, truly the highlight of the

2006-04-27T11:22:00.000-07:00

"All in all, we doubtless suffer from too much doubt. But we are likely to suffer much more because too many men are too sure of themselves."-Herbert J. MullerI read an beautiful article this morning titled, History Rebuffed: Herbert J. Muller's The Uses of the Past by Thomas C. Reeves. This is my first exposure, to my knowledge to Muller, and though the writer did not agree with Muller's

2006-04-26T16:22:00.000-07:00

I used this in our weekly update to our congregation. As far as my friend Dee's generosity...one day she was fighting with Karin in front of the hardware store, with Oakland Fire Department watching, as she tried to give Karin here tithe money!! I think the OFD thought Karin was robbing her:)A few Sundays ago I had a revelation before the morning service. Iarrived early and busied myself with all

2006-04-13T12:13:00.000-07:00

Now that I have returned from a trip back to Maryland two things are really at the front of my mind. The importance of community and the importance of family. While these two are closely related, there are many distinctions, and the importance of each has been impressed upon me.Normally when I go on a trip I am in fundraising mode the entire time, and when I get home from the trip I am on this

2006-04-09T21:07:00.000-07:00

I am not a night person, but since I am back east I have no interest in getting off West Coast time. This will make my transition home easier and will make tomorrow night hanging out with childhood friends more fun, for I will have all the energy. Blogging is easy, because it is only 9PM, so I sit here and listen to Death Cab for Cutie and Sufjan Stevens' Illinois. Both are very cool, melow

2006-04-07T21:04:00.000-07:00

Tonight I had one of those experiences that felt more like a dream that I was in rather than real life. I traveled to Maryland with the lacrosse team I coach from Oakland. We got off the plane and rushed to the field and got our $%# handed to us in two games. Afterward all of the kids took off to stay with host families. Then our coaches and a few of the parents who came with ended up at G&M,

2006-04-06T12:51:00.000-07:00

So in follow up to my blog two days ago. I have a flair for the dramatic I must admit. Being accused of something unjustly and being beaten as a slave is an incredible amount of recontextualization. At the same time the principles for one were helpful for the other. One thing I realized is that when you are wrongly accused or dragged into something that is not about you, the truth in the

2006-04-05T12:55:00.000-07:00

So one theory I have expressed on my blog is that if you want to have a hit song be sure to include the word "baby" in it. This last Sunday while at CityTeam, a ministry that cares for those in recovery and homeless here in Oakland, my worship leader confirmed for me that I am not the only one who has this theory. He mentioned a song writer that has a song out that is entirely the word "baby".

2006-04-03T22:49:00.000-07:00

Amazing to me, how I can preach something and understand it and then read it again and feel like God has reapplied it to my heart. After a very rough Monday a friend recommended to me that I read 1 Peter to help me reflect on what I am going through. It really got to my heart.Last night in my sermon, actually the last two weeks, I have made the statement that the Gospel demands that you forgive

2006-03-27T15:57:00.000-08:00

Without slamming well intentions but terribly misguided brothers and sisters. This is what we are dealing with in the Bay Area. In my opinion we not only have the most secular minds in the entire country, but we also have some very simple minded in the Christian Community. No we did not partake in this event that is described at the following link, and when I read the material they made it

2006-03-23T12:27:00.000-08:00

Learning to be a minister in Oakland...that is a very compound statement so let me break it down. Learning to be a minister. And learning to be a minister in Oakland. are both very interesting experiences. Today I feel I am was at an event that I am learning more of the second. Every two weeks a group called Oakland Pastors get together at a prominate African-American Church in east Oakland.

2006-03-17T14:06:00.000-08:00

Carnage in the blogging world I guess is not uncommon. I remember soon after I started writing in my blog I mentioned a conversation that I had with someone on a fundraising trip. The person read my blog, lovingly confronted me, and I eventually removed the entry because it was hurtful. So I am not saying that I am beyond doing this. It made me really sad, hurt, and is hard for me not to dwell

2006-03-14T18:37:00.000-08:00

Karin had some amazing words for me last week. It was wild. At the beginning of the week the back bounced a check that shouldn't have been bounce. By Wed. I was sick. Thursday my laptop died, and Friday our car broke down. I told one friend on Friday that if I had a dog someone would be over our house kicking it. And these are just the things that we are able to share that happened. At some

2006-03-09T12:30:00.000-08:00

There are simply not enough hours in a day. There are things swimming around in my head that I have to express. There have been a recent number of people being affected by what they post on the internet. Some college students have been kick out of school, some high school students were denied admission after writing bad things about a college they applied to. Often I think that my posts are

2006-03-01T07:37:00.000-08:00

Transgender Person Arrested Over RestroomCheck out the link here, http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/03/01/D8G2PLHO0.htmlRecently I have had to think through many issues related to transgender folks. Both as a part of doing ministry in a general way in the Bay Area, but also specifically within the life of our church. And

2006-02-25T23:32:00.000-08:00

Part of Sermon for 2/26Proverbs 31:10-31 (ESV)10 An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. 11 The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. 12 She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life. What do you do with the things that you value? My daughter Aidyn learned one of those lessons that every child has to at some point. On

2006-02-07T17:37:00.000-08:00

Here it is my day off, and my only goal was to clean off my desk in the office at home. I have been at it for about three hours and I am still not done. I am working on three fronts. First is the home front all those things that have to do with being a part of the Stevens family. Mostly this has to do with finances and filing stuff. Second front is the Church related stuff. This is all over

2006-01-30T19:05:00.000-08:00

Seriously, a part of me really believed that reading the book of Proverbs, and having to preach on it would make me feel 'more wise'. Really has not come through in the way I expected. All of this stuff has come up, blah. Often I feel I am at square one, things that are supposed to make sense don't. People I look up to and respect act like fools, and those who drive me crazy constantly

2006-01-26T09:19:00.000-08:00

Here is the world premier of a theory of mine that has been brewing for years. Are you ready? In thinking about a unifying theory on music, or at least pop music, and what makes a song sticky. You know the type of song that is in your head all day, compared to one that you just move on from very quickly. On common thread I have found for me, I wonder if it is that subjective. After

2006-01-25T14:01:00.000-08:00

All Nations is currently in a series where we are trying to preach the Gospel through the book of Proverbs. This week we are looking at Wealth and Poverty. And as I told that to someone I met with this morning their response cracked me up, "So you mean you preaching on tithing." I said no I am going to talk about the seed Gospel. He responded, Yeah tithing. I love comments like that

2006-01-24T13:56:00.000-08:00

I am sitting here on my day off. Tired, wanting to take a nap but also needing to go for a run. Spent my morning cleaning the dishes and the bathroom...I am no maryter for it has been along time since I have done either of those. Now I have to get up and run. I don't have this problem when I run in the morning, I slide out of bed no problem and wake up running. I really don't like going

2006-01-19T12:47:00.000-08:00

I just read one of the most powerful chapters of my life, it is found in Philip Yancey's book What's So Amazing About Grace, titled Grace-Healed Eyes. The beauty of the chapter I can hardly put to words, but here are a few of the final lines:"We may be abominations but we are still God's pride and joy.""To love a person, means to see him as God intended him to be." -DostoevskyInstead of offering

2006-01-19T09:29:00.000-08:00

Last year I spent time thinking about the church as the family of God. To me that is one of the most powerful explanations we have to help guide us in fostering relationship, community, and how we worship. Often I have said that unless people at All Nations Church see each other as family we will never be a healthy successful church. We are just not good enough at all of the sexy things to

2006-01-16T13:21:00.000-08:00

2006-01-16T09:11:00.000-08:00

So I have been given a subscription to Relevant Magazine for the last year, and I am concerned that it is really bad for my cynicism. After the first issue I thought it might help cure my cynicism, but it has only made me worse.The question I have today after flipping through the recent issue, I had a thought. Is this movement of elaborate worship services with art and fancy stages and all

2006-01-11T14:54:00.000-08:00

12 new inches of snow last night. Great skiing today...more expected tonight. God is smiling on us, yesterday the mountian was closed, power outages and trees down, we had already decided to take the day off:)Very interesting being in a different part of the country to listen in on the comments about the Supreme Court Nominee hearings today and yesterday. Let's just say things are much more

2006-01-08T17:48:00.000-08:00

For the second year in a row we have been blessed to be able to go visit my in-laws who have moved to Whitefish MT. The live under the ski resort, Big Mountain. Last year was my first year skiing, Karin and her family have been doing it since they can walk and it is a favorite activity for them. The pressure was on for me to learn, with in a few days last year I was shooting down black

2006-01-04T13:39:00.000-08:00

Got some criticism for the length on that last entry...sorry. So here are some quick thoughts that I am having. The first is I had a view of what ministry was about. I remember a mentor of mine telling me when I was interning for him, "Mike, we plan things/events so that God has the space to move (in our community)." Then I went to seminary and got another idea of what ministry was about,

2006-01-02T09:12:00.000-08:00

For those of you who missed this article, pretty incredible:The Christian ParadoxHow a faithful nation gets Jesus wrongPosted on Thursday, September 15, 2005. What it means to be Christian in America. An excerpt from this report appeared in August 2005. The complete text appears below. Originally from August 2005. By Bill McKibben.SourcesOnly 40 percent of Americans can name more than four of the

2005-12-16T10:50:00.000-08:00

Lately I have been struggling over the lack of growth in numbers that we are seeing at All Nations. There are many things that I am encouraged by, yet this is something that more than anything else discourages me. Here are my few thoughts.Is there particular sin or other block that is preventing us from growing numerically? My prayer is that if there is that God would make it known and lead us

2005-12-15T09:44:00.000-08:00

Our new house is in a very interesting area, which I have been thinking about a great deal recently. First is the obvious. We are located a block from one of the coolest parts of Oakland which is Piedmont Ave. There are many great shops, restaurants, and some of the best coffee houses in all of Oakland. Yet if you go a few block beyond you very quickly get into West Oakland which is a very

2005-12-07T13:37:00.000-08:00

Now I am not much into autobiographical movies. I see them because I have to see them, Ray, Ali, and the like. All very good just not my favorite. Walk the Line was different. Knowing more to the story of Johnny Cash, I was very excited about this movie and how they would capture it. Yes of course since VH1 Behind the Music, all stories about rock stars falling from grace and finding their

2005-12-05T09:18:00.000-08:00

Wow, I got two requests to keep blogging. Thanks.Just this weekend I was thinking about being a father. Before I went to seminary to become a pastor, I went to seminary to get a Masters in Counseling. My desire was to work with families and primarily with children. It just hit me this weekend, that desire is still very close to my heart. I was thinking maybe I would go back and get my MAC,

2005-09-22T09:26:00.000-07:00

Proverbs 22:4 (ESV)4 The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life.This rattles me. Just this morning I was asking if it is worth it. There are plenty of places where I could be shown respect because of what I do for a living. In my mind I believe there is a place that when you sacrifice for someone they take notice and are open to hear the Gospel. When my emotions

2005-09-02T21:28:00.001-07:00

Please pray. I know that you already are if you are alive after watching what is happening in New Orleans. Karin, Lewis, and I are praying for I believe God is calling me to take time and go serve in the are affected by the hurricane. Just a moment ago I got off the phone with a friend who is organizing people to house refugees from the hurricane, he would like me to leave as soon as monday to

2005-09-02T21:28:00.000-07:00

1 Corinthians 3:10-15 (ESV)10 According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. 11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— 13

2005-08-23T16:30:00.000-07:00

I close my eyes and it is a few weeks later. The pace of life is unrelenting. This last week I preached on gluttony. One of the acts of gluttony I believe is the over the top schedules that most people maintain. It is not just single people or married people, people even schedule every hour of their child’s existence. There are a few things that I think drive this for us.The first is we think

2005-08-10T13:57:00.000-07:00

While I sit in a coffee shop that I often use as my office today, I recognize someone who takes class at the same yoga studio. The person who initally appeared to be a friend actually turns out to be a psyhic, and here in my "office" gives a reading.The spiritual climate in the Bay Area is overwhelming, everyone is looking for something. They know that there is more out there, yet still

2005-08-08T23:29:00.000-07:00

A seminary professor of mine did a sermon series entitled, "Why can't Christian marriages be more like affairs." This was a radical look at the passionless relationships that those in the church tend to have, and the wildly passionately affairs that are often the result. Just this weekend I began to think about the series, "Lessons the church has to learn from the gay community." My sermon this

2005-08-03T20:18:00.000-07:00

Struggle for those of us in this country is a very strange thing. A friend of mine put it well this week when she said, "I am complaining to God that my jewel encrusted shoes are too tight and my purse is too small for my fat wallet." That really summarizes what I feel like.God takes care of us, yet we continue to fear that it is going to run out. That somehow we over stayed our welcome and

2005-07-31T22:59:00.000-07:00

Wow, VBS week has passed. I am close to the point of exhaustion and here is my day. Wake up and pray. Have breakfast with the family while practicing my guitar. See the VBS group did songs and Karin & Cornelia decided it would be great to do music with the kids on Sunday morning, so I ended up doing it. Practice on Saturday and Sunday morning not enough, but only one direction to go

2005-07-26T21:18:00.000-07:00

This morning I was reminded of two very essential things. The first came in an email from a friend regarding our VBS. His statement was simple. Mike remember you have prepared for this event, done what God has required of you, and showered it in prayer. Perhaps this moment is about the few kids that you have show up, the students and volunteers you have helping lead, or maybe it is about you.

2005-07-22T10:35:00.000-07:00

The best ideas come just before falling asleep. So last night after watching Million Dollar Baby and thinking about the bombings in London, just before that moment where I fall asleep, I had the greatest idea for a blog.Tempted to get out of bed, turn on the computer and write, I did what most people would do. I fell asleep, playing it over again and again in my mind hopefully remembering it in

2005-07-21T06:39:00.000-07:00

Uncertainty. That is what life is full of and often it can get discouraging. The job I have is filled with uncertainty. Uncertainty about what God is doing in people's lives and who is hosing you, Uncertainty what will happen each day, often I have no idea. Uncertainty about the future can be enough to drive you nuts. To hope in what God is doing is often hard, there are days that I am just

2005-07-14T21:17:00.000-07:00

As I am preparing for this Sunday I came across this quote that describes what I am feeling well. "If we don't communicate, we might as well remain silent. And if we don't manage to communicate properly what we think, we have to learn to speak better. " -Dr. Roger Nicole, What to do with people who are different than you. I feel like I am at a very intense time in my life, everything is

2005-07-13T09:21:00.000-07:00

It is nice when you catch a break, this morning I had just that experience. Since arriving back in Oakland I have been fighting battery problems with my 4Runner. It seems we left a map light on while in Seattle with the battery already near the end of it's life, this put it over the edge. But like any person trying to save money, I wanted to be really sure that was the case. So I continue to

2005-07-12T23:59:00.000-07:00

So I have just returned from Seattle, WA. Our family spent time there visiting with family, celebrating Aidyn's birthday, going to a friends wedding, and fundraising. Yet this was one of the most expensive fund raising trips I have been on. We decided to 'save' money by renting a car and driving up to seattle, which is only a 13 hour drive.So on the way while Karin and I are deep in

2005-06-16T17:34:00.000-07:00

I have reached another landmark in my life, and I feel like this one is very important to share. It brings a full circle to my life especially where my marriage is concerned. On my first date I did many things when looking back I would not have done. I was running late, and instead of being creative in my excuse I explained how my toilet had backed up and I was force to unclog it. Not the

2005-06-13T21:52:00.000-07:00

How would my life and ministry be different if I no longer pursued what the immediate needs seem to be or what the latest whim, but if I were to live so that the life of my child might be better? That the mark I leave on the communitymay never be a benefit to me and might end up costing me a great deal yet God would choose to make the Bay Area more like the city of God for my children. Would I

2005-06-08T14:24:00.000-07:00

There appear to be so many obstacles against what is appearant to me to be good things. Everyone understands that peace is a good thing and yet some feel it is necessary to declare war in order to achieve it, that boggles my mind. The issues I am perplexed with on a daily basis tend to not be quite so large. Often I am not sure whether it is just my youthful ambition in which I still feel like

2005-05-26T11:51:00.000-07:00

Here we are preaching on the church at All Nations and I find that it is the most difficult series I have had to be involved with. Part of it is that I have had to work on my wounds and cynicism personally toward the church, and now I am having to lead others to do the same publically. This is not an easy task, since there are conflicts both in the world with the church and within the body of

2005-04-26T09:45:00.000-07:00

Sitting on my front porch this morning reading on of my favorite authors (Anne Lamont), I was praying. I closed my eyes, listening to the birds sing as they feasted on the seeds in our lawn, and listening to what I thought was the palm trees blowing in the wind. The sun warmed me, and I thought about the people who we have met who have lived in Oakland since the forties and fifties.It is hard

2005-04-12T09:37:00.000-07:00

Religious people are always praying before meals in public. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray…The first time my father-in-law met me he said, “I’m not into all the hocus pocus of religion.” This could have easily been an offensive statement since I was preparing to become a minister. Yet I agreed with him, though I was not exactly sure what he meant at the time.

2005-04-12T09:34:00.000-07:00

Text: John 19:30When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.One simple word, tetelestai, it is finished. The servant would say this when he reported to his master, all that you have asked me is complete, when an artist or writer completed a work the end, or as the priest after examining an animal for sacrifice that had to be

2005-04-12T09:33:00.000-07:00

Text: Matthew 27:46, Mark 15:3446 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”About three in the afternoon the entire sky went dark. This time of darkness was a symbol of the judgment that Jesus endured when He was “made a cursed” for us. It has been dark and silent for three hours before

2005-04-12T09:32:00.000-07:00

Text: Luke 23:43And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”Already after enduring unimaginable pain, Jesus’ mind is still on others. Father, forgive them…but it doesn’t end there. We are told He hung between to thieves. The word used to describe these men is not merely pickpockets, but they were violent muggers. Violent muggers who have an intimate

2004-12-07T13:20:00.000-08:00

Text: Luke 17:11-19 11 On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance 13 and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” 14 When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. 15 Then one of them, when he

2004-11-23T11:33:00.000-08:00

Just last Thursday I took Aidyn, my three year old daughter to the movies. It was her second time seeing The Incredibles, but my first. I enjoyed it so much it became number one on my best Pixar movies passing Monsters Inc. The writers and animators for Pixar were able to capture so much with so little in The Incredibles. First they captured our culture attitude toward good and evil, right and

2004-11-17T09:50:00.000-08:00

"...then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority." 2 Peter 2:9-10 As I came across this passage this morning I was immediately disappointed. Last night we were talking about trials vs. temptation at our Community Group. We

2004-11-15T16:08:00.000-08:00

Ordination is now through, all I have to look forward to is the ordination service itself, yet I have managed to fill my time that was spent studying in such a way that it is only now that I am getting back to writing. It seems things always have a way of coming up and in order to communicate whether writing or speaking you must be intentional otherwise you end up taking it for granted and never