Catalyst One Day

Last week I had the opportunity to attend Catalyst One Day in Sacramento with members of our Two Cities Church team. Because of all the transitions as of late and the fact that we’re not having regular worship services yet, I hadn’t realized how exciting it is for me to really think about creating this church.

Andy Stanley (who I got to meet, yeah, it’s no big deal) and Craig Groschel traded off sessions and the North Point band led music. It was amazing to listen to these guys talk about culture and core values and the perspective we ought to have in creating services.

I also got to see and talk to old friends from the two churches I worked at, Clovis Hills and New Vintage, and hear what God is doing there. In short, I was energized.

I’m so excited about what this little church that God has entrusted us with can be; so excited to dream and believe him for massive things and so grateful for the opportunity to take a bet-the-farm, crazy risk in making this thing go.

As we finish up 2012 I’m believing God for amazing things in 2013. This is the year, I believe, that we’ll see pieces come together. This is the year, I pray, that we’ll have our first service. This is the year, I trust, that God will begin to use those services to connect people to His heart and His son.

This event reminded me of how big our God is and how much he still is going to do!

What I’m thankful for

It’s Thanksgiving and today I’ll be driving a loader all day instead of having turkey with the family. Our turkey day will be tomorrow with friends.

Today, however, I’m thankful for a lot of things so I thought I’d compile a list here.

1) My family – the last two years have been a season where God has taught me a lot about work/family balance. I feel like right now I’m in the sweet spot. I’m working a job that I can leave at work and when I’m home I can be fully there. My two girls have been amazing even through all the transitions they’ve had to deal with and my wife, Jenn has been the one to hold the whole thing together. She has been supportive through a job search, a cheerleader while learning a new job and a partner as we’ve dreamed together to be a part of this new church.

Friends – we made the move with Micah and Erica Foster and great friends like them would be enough normally, but we’ve gotten to move back to great friends like the Grubels and Doutys (and soon the Loachs!) who we get to do life with. Not to mention Guys from my old band that I’m excited to reconnect with and I am blessed to the brim with great friends

3) a God that allows us to dream – 6 years ago we had a dream to start a different kind of church. We didn’t know what it would look like or where it would be, but it was our dream and one we were excited about. Over the last 6 years we’ve got through periods where it looked like it would stay a dream and periods where it was definitely going to happen. Now we’re right in the middle of it! It’s hard at times, but we’re sharing our vision and seeing people connect with it and want to be a part. We’re roughly a quarter of a way to our monthly financial goal and our goal for people in groups and we’re only a few months old.

This last year was in many ways the hardest of my life, but now we’re here and living out our dream and our calling. I have a lot to be thankful for.

Oh yeah, and the Giants won the World Series…AGAIN!!! Now that’s awesome!