A Church Planter Watches The Super Bowl

Okay, I just have to say I loved watching the Super Bowl last night!  Being a church planter in the State of Washington, watching the domination by the Seattle Seahawks over the Denver Broncos was simply a beautiful thing.  It was a scene after the game that stirred me the most though:  thousands of Broncos fans and Seahawks fans jammed together, waiting while the New Jersey train system figured out what to do with them all.  The Green and Blue of the Seattle fans mixed together with the Orange and Blue of the Denver fans, reminding me that we're all in this life together, and that the most unlikely groups of people can be united on the journey toward home.

I'm pretty sure that as we all go back to work today, Broncos fans are surviving and Seahawks fans are thriving, and we really don't hate each other.  When I saw a picture this morning of a little Broncos fan crying on his dad's lap, I felt bad for the kid.  His heros lost the day, the bad guys won (in his world view), and his dad has the job of comforting him and teaching him about life.  That little Bronco fan is not my enemy.  Neither are the Broncos, actually, except when they are playing the Seahawks or the Chiefs!

Two thousand years ago though, firmly rooted in deep animosity, there were some enemies that just didn't mingle:  Jews and Samaritans despised one another.  They didn't mix, and would never stand together in line for mass transit (rent-a-donkey?).  Jews avoided Samaritans like the plague, especially for religious reasons.  (Christians would never treat others like that today though, right?)  This culture of self-exalting avoidance was passed on from father to son until one day when the gospel of Jesus Christ and the good news of the kingdom of God came to town.

Extreme persecution had broken out in the Jerusalem area against Christians, who were teaching that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah.  Under this persecution, Christians began to scatter out from Jerusalem, and some of them went into Samaria, the land of the untouchables.  This would be a good place to go when trying to get away from religious Jews, since they went out of their way to avoid the whole region!  Philip, a man of faith and powerful action, was one of these religious refugees, and he brought the message of Jesus with him into Samaria.  He was a walking, talking representative of Jesus Christ and of the kingdom of God, and many in Samaria turned to Christ when they heard Philip's words and saw the supernatural work of God at work through him.

God had a plentiful harvest waiting in Samaria, and Philip, the persecuted refugee, was His instrument to bring in that harvest.  The "unworthy" Samaritans turned out to be the very ones God was bringing into His kingdom!  I wonder what "untouchable" or "unworthy" people are awaiting the gospel around me.  Who do the religious people avoid that Jesus has nevertheless been preparing to receive the good news of the kingdom of God?  How do "Samaritans" look in my day and in my town?  Do they wear Broncos Orange or Seahawk Green/Blue or do they represent something else entirely?

The Super Bowl reminds me that the gospel of the kingdom of God still supersedes our cultural boundaries today, and that the people who call Jesus their Lord and Savior carry a unique message that brings hope to every "Samaritan."  I think this might even mean that Jesus could save Broncos fans.  (Sorry, Broncos fans, I know that was a low blow.  But it was funny.)  Maybe we should plant a church in Denver someday.  Would I have to wear orange?  I could probably learn to like orange.  (Sorry, fellow Seahawks, now I've managed to offend you too!)

The King's Mission

This was really encouraging to me this morning as I was reading/journaling.  I'm posting it exactly as I wrote it in my journal entry.

“Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.  You are witnesses of these things.  And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you.  But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”  (Luke 24:45-49, ESV)

The Christ, the rightful God-appointed King, the Savior Messiah, must suffer, die, and then rise from the dead, according to Jesus and according to the Scriptures.  The kingdom of God is to be led by a completely triumphant king, conquering even death itself!  (Now that’s a powerful ruler, one to make even the Marvel and DC comic writers envious!)  This Christ has specific instructions and specific purpose in the earth:

1.       That repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name.  This king has the power to forgive sins, and He has the boldness to call us to turn away from our sin and to turn to Him.

2.       That this news is to go to all the nations.  People all over the world are to be invited into this supernatural kingdom!

3.       That His followers are witnesses, testifiers to the good news of Jesus the Christ.  They are  representatives and living illustrations of His kingdom.

4.       That the “promise of my Father” will come upon His followers, clothing them with “power from on high,” the necessary power for global-sized mission and kingdom work.

What a Christ!  What a King!  What a kingdom!  What a mission!  What a privilege!

All According To Plan

This weekend didn't go exactly according to plan for our church plant here in Spokane.  It's January in the Inland Northwest, which means it's cold, so what a perfect time for the heating unit in our rented building to die!  The repairs were scheduled to happen on Tuesday the 21st, which, if you do the math, doesn't increase the temperature by even one degree on Sunday the 19th!  Well, we acted in the genius forethought that God has given us and ran two space heaters all night long on Saturday to raise the temperature from forty-five degrees up into the balmy fifties by Sunday morning.  Yeah, we were planning for it to be slightly more effective than that.  My fingers were a "bit chilly" and it was hard to hold my guitar pick as the band "warmed up" - I use that term loosely - and checked the sound.  But do you know what?  We had a great time!  Jesus was worshiped, we had encouraging participation, we had guests who liked the meeting and plan to come back, and we all built some great memories together.  Someone even said it was my best preaching to date - maybe because it was short!

Church life is kind of like vacationing with the family:  the best stories, and the ones we laugh hardest about later, are the ones where things don't go according to plan.  The stories where we come through difficult circumstances together bond us together like little else.  I feel silly even using the following verse to make a point since our heating issue wasn't exactly an "evil" situation, but read this anyway.  "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good..." (Genesis 50:20, ESV)  God always has a plan and He always has a purpose, whether life seems to be falling apart or we just have to shiver through a chilly meeting!

That quote from Genesis 50:20 was originally stated by Joseph, the Vice Ruler of the land of Egypt.  Here's his back-story:  Long before Joseph was an Egyptian ruler, his jealous brothers faked his death and sold him into slavery.  While a slave, he was sexually harassed by his master's wife, accused of attempting to rape her, and wrongfully sent to prison as a sex offender.  Through all of this wicked assault on his life God was with him, and ultimately the Egyptian Pharaoh elevated him from the prison to a position of great power.  When famine later ravaged the land, Joseph was perfectly positioned to rescue the people, including the very brothers who had betrayed him.

Looking back on his life, Joseph could see that when his brothers sold him into slavery, God had a bigger plan.  Even while he was lying in the pit of captivity God had a better purpose.  When slandered and then thrown into prison unjustly, God's power was at work behind it all.  The evil others meant against Joseph, God meant for good.  Even more, their very actions played right into God's sovereign purpose.  He could later declare to his brothers, "It was not you who sent me here, but God."  While others were hating, betraying, slandering, and imprisoning, God was preserving a nation!

A little perspective is always nice, and makes our frigid Sunday meeting seem a little less tragic!  Okay, not very tragic at all.  It's so good to know that God is building us together, building some really funny memories, and that when we face even more challenging circumstances together in the future, it will all be according to plan - just maybe not our plan!

Jesus, Please Describe Your Kingdom

Do you ever wonder what the kingdom of God is like?  Jesus talked about it all the time, so I had a really great thought (also very deep and very intellectual, so I hope you are impressed).  Are you ready for this?  Here it comes...

Why not just ask Jesus what the kingdom of God looks like?  "Jesus, could you please describe for the audience what this kingdom looks like?"

"What is the kingdom of God like?  And to what shall I compare it?  It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sewed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches."  And again he said, "To what shall I compare the kingdom of God?  It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened."  (Luke 13:18-20, ESV)

These are some of Jesus' own words about the kingdom of God, recorded for us in Luke's gospel.  Jesus loves to answer with stories and word-pictures, and he uses two of them here:

1. A man "plants" a tiny seed, really tiny, like a mustard seed, into the dirt.  This tiny seed grows into a mighty tree, large enough for the birds of the air to nest in its branches.
2. A woman "hides" leaven in three measures of flour and the whole lump of flour becomes leavened!

According to Jesus, this is what the kingdom of God is like.  When sown into your life it grows up mightily.  When sown into a community of people its effect is life-altering.  Highly potent, it affects change wherever it goes.  God's kingdom at work in the earth is a powerful change-agent, both in the human heart and in the culture at large (precisely because the hearts of real people are being "leavened" with its power).  Christians should breathe a sigh of relief here because this takes the pressure off of us!  The power is in the "seed," the "leaven," and the seed of the gospel will grow in our hearts with mighty results.  Others around us will reap the benefits of God at work.  Because Jesus has declared the effectiveness of His kingdom, Christians can also take a second deep breath and get to work, knowing that our work in the kingdom of God will be effective and fruitful!

God Himself, the King of the Kingdom, sows the seed of the gospel into our hearts.  He also sows us, his people, as seed-bearing agents into the world around us.  He sows us strategically into places of business, into neighborhood relationships, into schools and universities, and into various cities and towns of all shapes and sizes.  The seed doesn't  fall accidentally in this story, and the leaven is worked into the flour on purpose.  Imagine the trees that are to grow up from the dirt where God has placed us and where He continues to place us.  Imagine the aroma of fresh "bread" to come from the "lump" of a situation in which we may find ourselves!  You and I carry the seed of the kingdom wherever God plants us.  That means positive change will happen in due time.

Thank You, Jesus, for a little explanation of your kingdom.

Look Forward! Move Forward!

There is a call going out in the earth today.  It rings in my own city of Spokane just as clearly as it rings in New York City or London, Amsterdam or Baghdad.  "Come follow me."  It's the call of Jesus to His church, including those who don't even know they're a part of it yet!  As we respond to this call there can be a subtle whisper in our minds:  "But what about my past, what about my career, what about my family, what about my 'issues,' what about...?"  However, when Jesus calls he already knows our "stuff" and all the reasons we aren't qualified - even the ones we haven't realized yet!

Two stories stick out to me today:  Jesus commissioning His twelve disciples to go out and proclaim His kingdom, and Jesus calling a would-be disciple to move forward with Him without looking back.  The full stories can be found in Luke 9 but here are a couple of quick quotes.

“And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal.”  Luke 9:1-2, ESV
 “Jesus said to him, ‘No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.’”  Luke 9:62, ESV

When Jesus gave His disciples power and authority to rebuke demons and to heal the sick and to proclaim the kingdom of God he then sent them out to do it.  He didn’t wait until all their theology was sorted out (made painfully obvious by their later request for permission to call down fire from heaven on their enemies), and He didn’t wait until their motives were perfect (power hungry, anyone?) and all their inner-healing issues were all resolved.  He commissioned and empowered His chosen, yet imperfect, people.  He still does that.

Later, when another man wanted to follow Jesus after he dealt with some "stuff", He told this guy that he needed to look ahead rather than behind him.  Just as it would be nearly impossible for a farmer to plow a straight line in his field without watching where he was going, so it would also be hard to do kingdom work while stuck in yesterday.  The kingdom of God is moving forward and those who follow Jesus will be caught up in His forward-moving mission.

Are there things in your past, or even your present, that distract you and would seem to disqualify or delay you from kingdom work and purpose?  In Jesus’ kingdom you are not disqualified.  Look forward!  The call to follow is now.  The issues will be resolved along the journey.*

*(Church planters, church leaders, husbands, wives, moms, and dads:  this isn't a call to bury old "stuff" and let it fester!  Issues of bitterness, unforgiveness, and pain need to be addressed or those bitter roots in our lives grow and "defile many."  The point is that we don't wait until we have them all figured out and only then step out to follow Christ forward in faith.)

It's Gonna Be Quite A Ride

Dawa used to be a Buddhist priest in Nepal.  Seeking truth, he became a Hindu, but later abandoned Hinduism to become an atheist.  And now?  Now he serves as a Christian pastor and fellow church planter here in Spokane, Washington.  Jesus' relentless pursuit of Dawa has brought this Bhutanese man to my city where I met him this morning at breakfast, courtesy of World Relief.

God's story through Dawa's life stirs worship in my core.  While still an atheist, he became very sick and the doctors could not help.  A Christian friend whom Dawa had formerly debated brought him to the elders of his church.  They prayed and he was supernaturally healed; Dawa began to follow Jesus that day which led to persecution.  Now he serves other Bhutanese refugees here in Spokane, proclaiming the kingdom of God to his people!

Another man at our breakfast meeting was named Alex.  He is a Russian pastor leading an English-speaking church (Russians, Americans, and now a Chinese exchange student) that has recently been serving the Iraqi Muslim community in Spokane.  This is beautiful.

As we shared stories together of what God is doing in the world and around Spokane, my faith was freshly stirred by the supernatural God we serve.  To hear of the approximately 500 refugees that will be coming to Spokane in 2014, many of them who have experienced trauma I cannot personally comprehend, was heart-melting yet strengthening for my spiritual backbone.  The sense of destiny I felt as we prayed together for our city and for refugee families in particular was both challenging and empowering, as I could see a tiny slice of the prophetic calling on Grace Church Spokane for the upcoming year.

Multiple Congolese families are coming to our city.  Who will be the ones to welcome them to our nation, to Spokane, and into friendship?  Who will share hope with them?  Who can see prophetic destiny on these lovely people?  It must certainly be the people of Christ!  Just as Jesus went through cities and villages "proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God" (Luke 8:1), the church in Spokane has the unique opportunity to welcome families of various faiths and backgrounds into our town and to bring the gospel of the kingdom into their cultural community!  What a joy it is as the cities and villages of the earth are coming to us!

Thanks to the leaders of World Relief for hosting such a wonderful time of faith-inspiring challenge, helpful strategy, and prophetic confirmation of my own church's call to love and serve the nations in our own city and beyond.  The gospel is good news to the poor, liberty to the captives, fresh vision for eyes that cannot see, and freedom to the oppressed; it is the good news of the favor of God in our day and in our time.  Thank you for being a part of this kingdom and for being facilitators of the church's apostolic call to "remember the poor."

Jesus is connecting His people with His kingdom purpose!  He is more committed to this than we could possibly hope to be.  As we are led by the Holy Spirit into the "villages" and people groups in our cities and towns, we can expect to see Jesus at work.  Are your eyes open?  I feel like mine are opening a little wider and kingdom vision is flooding in.  It's gonna be quite a ride...  Who's with me?

Church Planting Doesn't Make You Great

As a church planter, the role of announcing the good news of the kingdom of God in unusual places is just part of everyday life.  As one who talks one-on-one with people in coffee shops and bistros, pubs and sidewalks, and who speaks more formally in our hip downtown venue on Sundays, I find myself championing the grace of God a lot!  Talking about Jesus as the one who forgives sin, who reconciles us to God, the one who paid the price for our sin - this is just what I get to do, and I love it.  Calling people to repentance, to genuine fellowship with the Holy Spirit, and calling them to enjoy the amazing relationship we have as sons and daughters of God Himself is such a privilege.  But I can also be so busy doing all these things that I forget to take advantage of all these benefits that I have in God.

I was reading this morning in Luke 7 when this scripture jumped  out at me:

"I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John.  Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he."  (Luke 7:28, ESV)

Jesus had just declared that John was not just a prophet, but more than a prophet:  he was the "messenger" whom the prophet Malachi had foretold would come to prepare the way for the Messiah (See Malachi 3:1).  In that sense, John was a pretty big deal.  However, after this statement Jesus then proclaims that the least in the kingdom of God is greater than John!  What?  How can this be?  How can the greatest prophet be lesser than a brand new follower of Christ?  (To be clear, Jesus wasn't saying John was excluded from the kingdom of God.  John was looking forward to a kingdom that he could not yet fully understand.)

To participate in the kingdom of God is better than to talk about it!  To be a great preacher of the glories of God cannot compare to experiencing them!  To live as a citizen of God's kingdom, as a member of the New Covenant in Christ's own blood, a citizen of grace and truth, freely approaching the very throne of God Himself, is a completely different reality than to declare that this is available.  While I could personally call people to repentance and call them to respond to Jesus - and I do - yet, I could still stand distant from the enjoyable benefits He has provided for me.

It was not John's "prophet" status that would cause him to become great in the kingdom of God; it would be his embrace of the King.  It would not be his austerity or good works that signified greatness but his faith in the Greater One.  In the same way, being a church planter doesn't make me great.  It's not that I come as a prophetic voice into my city of Spokane.  God hasn't called me (or you) to be "merely" a mouthpiece for His kingdom, a herald of things to come; he has called us to be active participants in His covenant of grace.  He has called us to relationship, to citizenship in Himself.

I can hear your theological gears working:  "But greatness in the kingdom is all about serving!  Jesus said that!  What about serving?"  You would be right, but what's the motive for all this serving?  Our service, whether it's declaring the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ, clothing the poor, or feeding the hungry, is best given from hearts that enjoy the abundant provision God daily lavishes upon us.  Citizenship in the kingdom of God never begins with us serving God, but with Him serving us.  He opens our blinded eyes, softens are hardened hearts, brings us from death to life, fills us with His very own Spirit, and causes our hearts to then beat in sync with His!  The least in the kingdom of God can enjoy these benefits of grace; the greatest servants in the kingdom - whether they are cancer-ward volunteers, church leaders, or poor widows who pray for them all - will serve greatly because they are rooted and grounded into the grace, truth, and love of their all-sufficient Savior.

Here's the prophetic call:  take some time to enjoy the very benefits you love to talk about!  Yes, search the Scriptures, but also come to Jesus and enjoy the life He provides.  Speak from that place.  Love from that place.  Serve from that place.  Maybe even plant churches from that place!

The Purpose of Being Blessed

I'll never forget senile Aunt Bethany's prayer in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.  She's asked to pray "The B-l-e-s-s-i-n-g" by her excellent-toupee-wearing husband, and she begins with, "I pledge allegiance to the flag..."  I laugh every time.  Yep, every time!  The family request to "bless" the food goes wrong just like everything else the Griswolds do.

The reality is that God really is a God of blessing, and he does a much better job of it than Aunt Bethany.  The King of all creation purposes to bless His people so that they can be a blessing to the world in which they live.  His words to a man named Abram are encouraging:

"And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing."  (Genesis 12:2, ESV)

When God chose Abram He told him to "Go."  He told him to leave his land and his father's house, and to go where God would lead.  Abram would experience famine, political challenges, war, and extreme marriage difficulties.  Abram was specially chosen to be blessed by the King, by God Himself, but it's the stories of his struggles along the way that encourage me the most!

1. His political turmoil with the Egyptian Pharaoh (all over his beautiful wife!):  God blessed a sometimes fearful, sometimes deceitful man because God has a bigger plan.
2. His adjustment to real life issues when a famine forced Abram to move his family and sizeable animal herds to Egypt in the first place:  being blessed doesn't mean being "babied" or "coddled".
3. His recapture of his kidnapped family along with the goods and citizens of wicked kings (like the king of Sodom); his refusal to accept payment but instead to honor God through extravagant giving:  God's kingdom is apparently an internally transforming one!

God still blesses the citizens of His kingdom to be a blessing to the nations, whether they are Egyptians, Sodomites (yep, I know you raised your eyebrows on that one), Spokanites, etc.  Our struggles are real but they will always serve a greater "kingdom" purpose.  When God calls us out and chooses to bless us, drawing us into His mission in the earth, it may not look quite as we expect!

Consider your struggles.  Consider your blessings.

Now consider the kingdom of God.  What might he be doing through your life to bless the nations?  It's worth thinking about.

The Kingdom Among Us

A constant collision of two kingdoms:  this is Luke 4, as the kingdom of God effectively opposes the kingdom of the darkness.  Early on in this story the devil has the audacity to offer Jesus all the kingdoms of the world, over which he had authority, if only Jesus would worship him.  Of course, Jesus doesn't, stating that God alone is to be worshiped, and the devil is unsuccessful.

Later, Jesus describes His mission:  to proclaim good news to the poor, liberty to the captives, and sight to the blind; to free the oppressed and to proclaim the time of God's favor (4:18,19).  After breaking demonic strongholds and healing the sick, we see Him teaching in various synagogues and towns because he "must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well" (Luke 4:43).  This was part of His purpose.

Luke seems to tie Jesus' quote and application of Isaiah's prophecy to His declaration of the kingdom of God.  Is this good news?  Absolutely!  He is anointed not only to preach the kingdom but to bring it!  He casts out demons, rebukes a high fever, heals a great many sick people with various diseases and He teaches the truth with authority.  These things are evidence of the kingdom of God among men.

Could it be that we could still see strong teaching of the good news accompanied with the powerful evidence that Jesus says is fulfilled in and through Him?  Can we see anointed men and women of God declaring the good news of the kingdom of God to the poor, declaring liberty to those in captivity, recovering of sight to lost and blinded people?  Can we really see the oppressed set free?  I firmly believe we can... and will.  I'm really excited to be proclaiming (and walking in) the favor of God this year!

The King With Smiling Eyes

Does your king have a smile in his eyes?  Mine does.

He also deeply experiences the emotion of wrong committed in his kingdom.  My king grieves over injustice and wickedness and does something about it.

Read this carefully:  "The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.  And the LORD was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart....  But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD."  (Genesis 6:5,6,8, ESV)

The Lord, the Creator King, is not an emotionless, passionless being.  He is not a cosmic justice scale made of some eternally frigid metal.  He has a heart.  When he looks on wickedness or righteousness His heart is moved by it.  The Creator King cares and feels; He grieves and smiles; and He acts with clear purpose to defeat wickedness and to advance His kingdom of righteousness.

I see the extreme contrast of God being "grieved ... to his heart" and the favor that is found in His eyes toward a man like Noah.  When God looked upon Noah, His eyes were smiling.  When He looked upon the sin of the world and and the depravity of sinful man He felt sorrow.

Often, I think we can forget that God is a "He", not an "It"; a Person, not a Force; a King that rules with care and love.  His kingdom is not just an idea but a realm with an eternal ruler.  This ruler leads with passion and His royal code means something to His heart.  The instructions He gives (His laws and decrees) represent His own love for righteousness, justice, and truth, as well as His genuine love for His people.

As I write this morning, it gives me great strength to know that because of Jesus' righteousness credited to me, though my sin has grieved the heart of God, I have been declared righteous.  His favor rests on me and the eyes of my King are smiling at me like they smiled at Noah.  This is true for every Christian, even the ones who don't know it yet.  What an adventure it is to continually discover this King with smiling eyes!

Rebel Planet

This morning I read about the day we became a rebel planet.  It was the day a crafty snake convinced a man and his wife to pursue being like God apart from the very instruction of that God.  He stirred doubt and confusion in their hearts with words like, "Did God really say...?"  This cunning serpent suggested that God was somehow holding out on this couple, and that there was a better way, a way for them to really know things.  It just wasn't God's way.  They ate the forbidden fruit and mankind fell.

Though mankind has fallen to the deception of the serpent, the awesome plan of God continues to unfold.  Throughout the pages of Scripture, the Sovereign God of the universe will advance His kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy, while the lesser, albeit crafty, enemy wreaks destruction and wickedness on our rebel planet.  God will win the day (and if you're a Christian, you know He already has)!

Still, the enemy who opposed the rule and reign of God that day is real.  His deceptive, slippery words are still crafted to stir doubt in the very ones God is commissioning to bless the earth.  If he can continue to convince the chosen ambassadors of God's kingdom to act outside of their commission, to violate the word of their Maker - if he can break the trust and relationship between man and his Lord - then this antagonist could destroy the plans of this God he so hates.  Or so he thinks.

Today, although the Deceiver may beckon with alluring words that drip with rebellion, our Creator King is extending a call through His ambassadors that rings across the rebel planet:  "Grace to you and peace from God our Father!"  Could this be true?  Could God really be extending peace to the rebels?  Could His favor once again rest on a fallen race?  This is the gospel message of hope to a deceived and dying world.  I pray that the church across my city, my nation, and my world will resound with this good news!

It's His Kingdom

Let's just say I'm not a huge fan of New Year's resolutions.  However, last night Becca and I ran a 5k as a part of the First Night festivities in Spokane, and of course it was called "The Resolution Run."  We were all invited to write down our resolution for 2014, run the race, and then throw the resolution into a fire at the end of the race.  I thought to myself, "That's perfect, because most resolutions go up in smoke anyway!"  Even though I didn't write one down, I do have a plan for 2014.  But first, here's the back story:

My Bible reading plan and
stack of journals

Eleven years ago a pastor friend of mine invited me to read and journal along with him through the year.  I happened to work for him, so it was really more of an assignment than a simple invitation!  Well, eleven years later I'm still using that same Bible reading plan and have found it to be a great launching pad for my personal devotional life as well as a great resource for preaching.  It gives me enough structure for genuine accountability while leaving me free to use the resource rather than be a slave to it.

Although in 2003 my journaling was fairly spontaneous, it's developed into writing on a different theme each year.  For example, 2011's theme was marriage, 2012 was leadership, and 2013 was prayer.  I usually write down one or two verses a day that speak to the topic, as well as what I feel God is teaching me.  Sometimes, I write down a simple prayer that gives voice to my heart's response to Jesus.  Do I write every day?  No.  Do I always write on just this one topic?  No.  Is there flexibility here?  Absolutely.

The point here is that my plan for 2014 is to discover the topic of the Kingdom of God.  It's been a passion of mine for years, coming out in songs, prayers, sermons, etc., but I've never taken the opportunity to be systematic about reading the Bible with God's kingdom in mind.  Here's to a great year of learning about the Kingdom of God!  What do you feel God stirring your heart to learn?  Why not ask Him!  Then, whatever reading plan you choose, I'd invite you to learn from God along with me this year.  He has great adventures in store for us, and great instruction to equip us along the way.


I may not have written down a "resolution" but I'll be writing all year long anyway!  Look for more on the Kingdom of God on the blog this year.  Here's a sample from today's reading/journaling.

Date: January 1, 2013
Title:  It's His Kingdom

Jon's journal entry from January 1, 2013

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth....  Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness...'  And God blessed them.  And God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion...'" (Genesis 1:1,26,28, ESV)

At the beginning of time as we know it there was God.  God created the heavens and the earth, the skies, the waters, the land, the fish, the birds, the other animals and plants, and ultimately mankind.  Man was different than the rest of creation, formed in the image of God and specially blessed by Him.  "Man" - male and female together - was commissioned by God to be fruitful, to multiply, to fill the earth and subdue it.  They were commissioned to have dominion (authority, leadership and stewardship) over all the earth.

It's important to realize that everything begins with God, and that mankind, both individually and as a whole, is subject to this ultimate King.  From His authority comes a powerful commissioning, a blessing, to enjoy relationship with one another and to be a blessing to the whole earth that He created.  From the first chapter of The Story of God, He is drawing mankind into a special relationship with Him and into a very unique place in His kingdom.  But it's still His kingdom. 

Prayer:  Lord, open my eyes this year to the wonders of Your eternal kingdom, to Your rule and reign, Your ways and Your purpose, Your sovereignty, and Your majesty in earth and in heaven!

Ready For Launch

Well, we've officially been on the Spokane launch pad for 14 months!  The Meek family moved at the end of July 2013 and it's now the last day of September 2013.  What a ride it's been so far!  We've immersed into new schools, new friendships, new jobs, new home, new everything it seems.  Over the past 14 months we've loved participating as God has drawn together a team of amazing people around us to help plant a new life-giving, Jesus-honoring, grace-saturated, Spirit-filled church in Spokane, Washington that exists to glorify God and to serve people.

As our team has been learning and growing, it's become clear that it's time to "go public."  We haven't been hiding, by any means, since we've been meeting in a rented facility at 303 W. Main on Sunday mornings since the beginning of March.  Our sermons have been online, our sign goes up every Sunday, etc., but we haven't really done a big, splashy, publicly advertized "here-we-are" event.  (If you don't count the outreach carnival and car wash we did in the West Central neighborhood in July!  I guess that was pretty splashy!) So, if you happen to read this and live in the Spokane, Washington area, you just might see some Facebook ads inviting you to come check out Grace Church Spokane this month, especially for the big "Launch" on October 27, 2013!  You might also see some posters or receive an invitation from a friend.

I promise one thing about October 27.  It will be a great day to bring friends who don't know much about Jesus, friends who are already Christians but are burned out on "religion," or friends who are looking to connect with a healthy local church because they just haven't yet!  Maybe you're reading this and you fit into one of those categories yourself.  If so, why not come see what Grace Church Spokane is all about?  Come and discover with us what Jesus meant when He said, "I came that you may have life, and have it to the full."

Fueling Prayer

There's something about gathering with God's people to pray that really excites me - I think it's a combination of knowing that God is really listening (Luke 1:13) and really appreciating the camaraderie of gathering with others who believe that too.  Last night was the first of five nights for several churches in the Spokane area to gather together to pray for each other and for our city, and I found myself praying with two college students from Whitworth University, a 40-something working guy, and a woman retired from her career but serving Jesus as she travels.  Together, we represented three of the multiple churches gathered.  I had never met any of these people before, and yet we were able to come to Jesus together in prayer and worship, coming to the same Savior, the same Good Shepherd.  We prayed, as we will all week, for a fresh reality of knowing Jesus as the shepherd of Psalm 23.  There was heart-felt repentance, there was thanksgiving, and there was simple worship; and it was really good.

It's a powerful thing, a rewarding thing, to set aside a few days for prayer and fasting, but I was really stirred this past week by the story of a woman whose life demonstrated a decades-long pattern of consistent prayer and fasting:  she has gone on to heaven now, but her name was Anna.

Anna was an old woman at the time of this story - at least 84 years, maybe even older - and she routinely filled her life with prayer.  When her husband died, rather than getting stuck in the pain she found fresh life as she invested countless hours into prayer.  This worship-filled prayer erupted quite naturally one day into a very public, God-centered overflow from her thankful heart.  It was the day an infant named Jesus came to the temple where she prayed, carried by his mother and step-father when he was just eight days old.

Anna had consistently led her life along a course of fasting and prayer, and the Bible says it was an expression of her worship, night and day.  Because she knew the blessing of finding her deepest desire in God Himself, it's no wonder that God enabled her to recognize Jesus as the fulfillment of that desire, the one who would bring redemption to His people.  God's revelation to her poured out that day in a thankful declaration to everyone around her that this little baby would be the long-awaited redeemer, the Messiah.  (Read this story for yourself in Luke Chapter 2.)

3 Lessons from Anna's Life:

1. Those who spend time in prayer that is full of worship and thanksgiving can expect to enjoy actual fellowship with God too, not just have a one-way monologue.  This adds a whole new dimension and anticipation to prayer!
2. An ongoing pattern of prayer is more likely to be sustained when it's full of worship, rather than consisting only of presenting our petitions and problems.
3. Those who come hungry for God can expect to be filled and "fed" in their times of prayer.  Anna had 84 years of proof that this is true, and Jesus would affirm it about thirty years later:  "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." - Matthew 5:6

As Grace Church Spokane joins with other life-giving churches this month to discover the richness of Jesus as our Shepherd, I'm looking forward to filling this time with worship, thanksgiving for the amazing grace of God, and rediscovering just how true it is that Jesus is enough for me personally and for us together as the Church.  Like Anna, I pray we find that the overflow of time spent with God will be a blessing to those around us.

God's Heart For Your Heart

Franklin Park, slightly earlier in the season than my run!

So there I was, jogging through Franklin Park last week, just north of my home in Spokane, the chill in the brisk morning air kept at bay through my accelerated heart rate, when it hit me.  This is what I began praying for over ten years ago; this is one of the desires of my heart.  I thought to myself, "Here I am, planting a church in Spokane, Washington, my kids have each found a niche in their schools and with great friends, my wife is putting her university teaching degree to good use and loving her job, and I'm running through a neighborhood - MY neighborhood - in the city God has called us to love and to serve.  Thank You, Jesus."  My run was easy that day as my mind was filled with gratefulness to the God who fills our hearts with passion and then fulfills the very desire which He inspired in the first place.

Today, which was supposedly the end of the world (come on guys, seriously...?) I'm pondering just how amazing God's call is for each of us.  He puts a longing for "something more" in the hearts of every man and woman on the planet, then He points us to the fulfillment of that longing:  Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah, the Savior of the World, Lover of Cities, Souls and Nations.  Despite the distractions of the Holiday Season, in the midst of the tragedies that accompany life in a fallen world, God is continually and persistently at work in the hearts of young and old alike, drawing our hearts toward His own and transforming our hearts and lives into His own likeness.

God cares about the very things we care about!  Our Heavenly Father loves to see our hearts fulfilled, both in the little things and in the grand purposes of His ever-advancing kingdom.  He absolutely loves to bless His people with good gifts, daring dreams, and unquenchable hope in the middle of the hustle and bustle of a world in desperate need of everything He has to offer.  Here's a little reminder to all of us that God is for us, not against us, His heart beats with a passionate fervor for His chosen people, and He is still in the business of restoring, encouraging, and satisfying hearts.  He's doing it here in Spokane and He's doing it all over the world.

Baptism, Prayer, and Prophetic Update

It's November and it's snowing here:  heavy wet snow that the girls are enjoying, and Gabe is shoveling!  This weather reminds me of my childhood in Missouri, so I'm feeling a bit nostalgic today.  That being said, I'm also full of faith for the future and for what God has in store for the church in Spokane.  Since it's Veteran's Day and the whole family has the day off from school I have a chance to update everyone.

Prayer just before baptizing Michelle...

...Just baptized!

If you've been following my blog (www.jonnydavids.blogspot.com), you'll know that we were preparing for our first baptism in October.  Well, we've now had two baptisms!  Two young ladies, Erika and Michelle, were baptized this past month.  The day Michelle was baptized, we had 30 people there for the celebration - lots of family, friends, and even a French professor from Whitworth University (she teaches French - I have no idea if she has any French heritage)!  Since our own home did not come equipped with a "baptismal" (of course), we were able to use another home up on Five Mile Prairie in Northwest Spokane.  This home has a great baptismal tank in the form of a hot tub.  After we all prayed for Michelle we went outside to the hot tub, where I prayed for her one more time and then her sister baptized her.  Very fun!  Hot tub baptisms, anyone?  I know you are jealous. 

   

Following the baptisms we enjoyed a great meal at another home on Five Mile Prairie, where we discussed the finer points of running, soccer, and other sports with two of Gabe's cross-country coaches.  One of his coaches, Tracy Walters, used to be a USA Olympic track and field coach so he's full of amazing stories!  I don't think Gabe really realizes yet just how privileged he is to have such high-caliber coaches training him.  These guys love Jesus and are also really good at what they do!

We are just finishing up taking our launch team through Terry Virgo's book, "Start," a book designed for new believers and an excellent first-step discipleship training tool.  We've been using the book as a way to cover some of the core values of who we are as a Newfrontiers church, while also equipping each member of our team to take others through the book.  As we wrap this up, the challenge is for each team member to personally take someone else through the book now!  This Friday night, we'll be sharing our own testimonies of how Jesus has changed our lives.  We'll also go through the basics of sharing the gospel with our friends, family, and co-workers.  Please pray for effective gospel communication within our relational networks here in Spokane!

Friday night prayer in our living room

Two Fridays ago, our team spent most of the evening just praying for each other, prophesying into each other's lives, and praising Jesus together.  It was a really great night of prayer.  We know that as we develop a culture of prayer and worship that our roots will go deep while our effectiveness multiplies.  We have much work to do here in Spokane, and we look forward to continued partnership with all of you who are mutually invested with us through prayer, encouragement, and even finances.  Thank you!

  

As I bring this update to a close, I thought I'd share some prophetic encouragement:  On the morning of October 16, I felt God gave me a mental image of a rock dropping into a pond.  I was feeling a bit like I'd been dropped into Spokane kind of like that rock - under the surface - but knowing that the ripple effect was real and would be effective.  Then I saw myself re-emerging from the water, like I was extremely buoyant.  It was a forceful, fast explosion up and out from the water.  It's a good encouragement that our small beginnings are not insignificant and that the Grace Church Spokane team will have a strong launch from the "waters" of Spokane!  I hope you remember that too; no matter where you are, God is the one who makes you strong, makes you effective, and enables you to rise up!  As Paul reminds us in Colossians 3:1-4, we are both hidden in Christ and raised with Him!  Let's fix our eyes on Jesus.

For The Kingdom,

Jon

FYI - Giving is now possible directly to Grace Church Spokane, PO Box 10312, Spokane, WA 99209.  Thanks for all your support!

There's No Place Like Home!

This past week saw a great trip to Equipped For Mission in St Louis, Missouri, where Newfrontiers leaders from around the USA, Mexico, and the UK gathered for powerful times of worship, prophetic direction, and refocusing together on our apostolic mission to impact cities and nations with the gospel of Jesus Christ!

Donald Easterbrooks made the trip with me to St Louis for the conference this year.  Donald and his wife, Jen, are helping us plant Grace Church Spokane along with their three kids.  It was great to be able to already be traveling with team members from the church plant.

Here's a brief summary from EFM:  It was so good to be reminded by John Lanferman that "Everything I really need I already possess and his name is Jesus!"  Terry Virgo reminded us of the importance of  building together shaped by the truth of Scripture and enjoying the benefits of life in Christ with the Holy Spirit!  He also reminded us that "Working and waiting belong together, keeping us from the presumption that we can do everything, and from the pessimism that we can do nothing."  David Devenish challenged us toward the grand vision of making mature disciples in every people group around the world, and to embrace the teaching, suffering, and hard work that mission will inevitably require.  Bryan Mowrey addressed the importance of hearing from God in the initial stages of ministry so that we can stand firm through the high points of life and ministry (where we can confuse success with God's will) and the low points (where we can confuse hardship with missing God's will).

St Louis Rams Vs Arizona Cardinals Pregame

Of course, the time in St Louis involved a lot of great conversation and fun with friends from around the world.  Dinner with Lee Yarbrough from Guadalajara, Mexico, beers with guys from around the Northwest, an impromptu evening BBQ with my aunts, uncles, and cousins, and lots of way-too-short conversations!  I went to my first ever NFL football game, and saw the St Louis Rams beat the Arizona Cardinals - I think they had to beat the refs too 'cause that was some pretty rough game calling!  We boo-ed, we cheered, we became Rams fans for the evening.

On my flight home, I had a 3-hour conversation with a woman who described herself as ascribing to a combination of Taoism (also called Daoism) and Eastern mysticism.  She asked all kinds of great questions about Jesus and I was happy to share the gospel with her!  She remained skeptical, but I know some great seeds were planted.  "One plants, another waters, but God brings the increase!"

I have to be completely honest:  I loved the trip, but I also missed being able to meet with our Grace Church Spokane team while we were gone!  It's a great sign that God is joining our hearts together for His purpose when missing a Friday training meeting with these great guys and gals to attend a fantastic conference has me torn!

I arrived home Saturday evening and prepared to continue our Gospel of Grace series on Sunday morning.  (I'm teaching through Galatians and discussing core values along the way!)  After the meeting Sunday, three of the young ladies in the church were going through Terry Virgo's book "Start" together and discussing water baptism.  One of them has just recently received Christ and is now being challenged toward baptism, so it looks like it's time to schedule a party!  It's good to be home and seeing God moving in the lives of young people through our GCS team.  In the words of Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, "There's no place like home!"

Full Steam Ahead

School has started, work has begun, connections are being made, and relationships strengthening.  All in all, we're happy and busy.  After just over two months on the ground in Spokane, the progress is encouraging even though it's really just the beginning stage of a marathon.  We are balancing church life with family life and work life so here's an update on all fronts.  For us, it's all integrated!

Gabe, our oldest, is running cross country for what turns out to be one of the top running schools in the USA!  Who knew?!  We had been planning to enroll him in another high school in town but found out we were just a few blocks outside of the district's boundary line.  When we went to petition to register him in the school anyway, we found out that this unexpected new school has an absolutely excellent academic program as well as a top-ranked cross country program.  We quickly decided to cancel our petition plans and Gabe is now a proud member of the North Central Cross Country team.

Bethany, our middle schooler, is also trying out cross country for the first time and making great friends along the way.  While she has sometimes struggled academically, she is doing very well this fall and seems to have started off her schooling in Spokane on the right foot!

Michaela, our youngest, has joined the An Daire Irish Dance school, and is continuing with her step-dancing (think Riverdance).  She is also making friends at school and is proud to already have the nick-name "Montana."  (She actually went to school today wearing cowboy boots and a western-style dress!  I had to laugh, because she never did that when we actually lived in Montana!)

Becca landed an elementary music teaching job at a Title 1 school in a pretty tough neighborhood.  Students who come from families ravaged through drug use, others whose only meals are those provided at school, and others dealing with various challenges arising from broken homes and frequent moves are served by a great teaching staff and administration committed to providing a quality education. We've been praying for connections into a school like this and God seems to have held the door wide open for us!  I've already been asked by the principal if we can offer after-school guitar instruction for students if he can get it sponsored by local businesses - which he thinks he can do quite easily!  We are also hoping to sponsor a holiday program at the school through Grace Church Spokane.  We found out that they don't do Christmas programs because the parents don't turn out for events like this unless a meal is provided.  Well, we're hoping to provide the food so it can happen in the future!  We've heard from the Newfrontiers church in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho that they would like to partner with us in this endeavor as well so we'll see what develops!

The after-school guitar club I'm doing is actually an extension of a program developed by Jonathan Eftychiou in Atlanta, Georgia.  He's a fellow Newfrontiers guy, and has graciously helped me to get this up and running in Spokane.  This program is helping me meet school administrators, teachers, students, and parents, while also giving me an outlet into the community using Rock & Roll and guitar - right up my alley!  We are currently running Guitar Club through Rock On Music in three different schools in Spokane and I'm hoping to expand that to five schools soon.  The doors are open, but it's proved quite costly to walk through those doors!  We know that God will provide financially to help us serve the schools in this way, but please pray for great wisdom on the business end of this community opportunity.

Finally, we are meeting on Friday nights for leadership development with our launch team, and then meeting on Sunday mornings to worship together.  Last Sunday our family was back in Missoula, where I spoke at Clark Fork City Church, so the team here in Spokane fanned out to other churches in the city to see how they "do church."  We'll meet up on Friday night for dinner, where we'll also discuss the various aspects of welcoming guests and friends  into our life together:  how guests are made to feel welcome, how worship, teaching, announcements, giving, etc. are approached.

Thanks for praying for us on all the various fronts of establishing a fresh, life-giving church into Spokane, Washington!  I'm praying we set a great example to others who desire to step out in faith to follow God into "Glocal" (global and local) mission with their families, businesses, etc.

Spokane At Last!

It's been almost two weeks now since we made the big move and we are absolutely loving Spokane!  There are adjustments for sure, like the sirens in the middle of the night and the fact that we no longer have countless family members in the immediate area, but on the whole we are feeling right at home here in the city.  Practical things like watering the lawn, going grocery shopping, and running in the neighborhood are making this feel more and more like home.

In the book of Deuteronomy we hear the words, "Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse..."  Well, that's a great summary of where we live!  We love the neighborhood and are getting to know a few people, plus we live just three blocks from the Northtown Mall.  The girls practically screamed out loud in excitement when they realized how close we are to "civilization."  And that would be the curse part of this blessing!  We are three blocks from my greatest weakness:  Starbucks coffee.  We are four blocks from one of my favorite steak restaurants:  Outback Steakhouse.  We are about six blocks from Guitar Center, where I just bought a new acoustic guitar amp last Friday.  We are close to EVERYTHING and I'm not sure my wallet can take it!  Ha!

On the music end of things, the two CDs we were working so hard to get done are finished and are both available on iTunes.  We'll get the links and guitar charts up ASAP on this blog so the resources are easily available and useable.  If anyone is at all interested in purchasing the CDs, we actually get the best return from the ones purchased on CD Baby - about 10 cents more per song comes directly to us when they are purchased that way - but we're happy however the songs get used!

Last but not least, since we haven't started regular meetings yet for our Grace Church Spokane team, I was free to speak at Prairie Avenue Christian Center in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho on Sunday.  PACC is a fellow bunch of our Newfrontiers family so it was great to be with them!  I spoke on what has been the key verse for us as we've been preparing to launch Grace Church Spokane:  1 Samuel 22:2.  Here we find David on the run from Saul, living in a cave, and becoming captain over the distressed, the indebted, and the discontent.  400 men gather to him in this place of his own struggle!  It's amazing what God can do and does do in the oddest of situations.  When our focus is Him, He has a way of bringing great joy and fulfillment even in the midst of difficult times.  We know that God has called us to be a gathering place where those in difficult times can find life, hope, and grace that changes them from those "on the run" to those who change nations!  We fully expect and anticipate being a church that takes strong root in Spokane and also sends out many men and women to serve in other cities and nations around the world!

For The Kingdom,
Jon

Two Weeks And Counting...

Well, it's less than two weeks before the big move to Spokane to pioneer Grace Church Spokane!  This has been a long time coming (10 years since Becca and I first started talking and praying about this move - wow).  Our home in Missoula sold for a great price and we just found a home to rent in Spokane this past Monday, so I guess this is really happening!

Cover of "Kingdom of God" studio album

It's been awhile since my last blog update and I've been busy working on the recording projects mentioned in my last one.  The great news is that they are finally done!  The Kingdom of God EP (which ended up as a 4-song disc) is here and came out really well.  These studio versions of some of our most-used songs will be an excellent tool for Grace Church Spokane and they're only $5 to purchase too.  We'll get those songs uploaded to the blog page ASAP so you can take a listen for free!

Cover of "Send Us" live album

The live worship recording is completed and being printed and packaged in Dallas, Texas this week.  "Send Us" should be in hand and online by Friday, July 20.  I couldn't be much more happy with how it turned out!  My good friend Rob Parr engineered the whole project and produced it with me.  His "sweet recording skills" made every song sizzle.  Heather Thomas, the new worship director at Clark Fork City Church, co-led the night of worship, so her voice brings a great Montana flavor to the music!  We are doing our best to have it up and ready to download from iTunes, Amazon.com and most other major web sources by July 20 as well.  We'll get charts up on the blog too, which will be free to download.

These two recordings were done both to make the music of CFCC more readily available and to raise funds for Grace Church Spokane, so know that every song you download or CD you purchase is helping to advance the gospel in the Northwest USA!  Thanks!!