Ummmmm, Yah!!!

As promised, Cory Demmel and his team totally ROCKED the house at Remnant last night. They had a dance team, a funny couple of skits, and then some stories that really moved us towards the heart of the Father. Cory preached about the Prodigal Son story, and he emphasized on the "older brother" and the Fathers love for us who have turned away from God.

It was a powerful time to realize that no matter what we have done, there is a God who is wanting to restore you and shower you with love and forgiveness. Pastor Herbie also shared his story that we could all relate to. He is one of the other great communicators of our nation. If you were there, you know what I'm talking about.

At the end, we had their team just pray over all of our students that were wanting to start living out their faith for the right reasons. It was an amazing time and one of our best no doubt! I am waiting with excitement to see what God is going to do in this ministry in the next few months.

Cory Demmel is in the House!!

Tonight at Remnant, we are going to get to have one of the nations best leaders in the house. Cory Demmel and his Masters Commission from Bellevue, Nebraska is going to be with us. They have such an amazing team and I can't wait for them to model what it means to really go after people and just own the room.

I've asked him to share his heart on the difference between 'appreciating' or 'enjoying' the spiritual environment in the room vs. being the one that steps out and 'creates' the environment. Its easy to enjoy the fruits of someone else's labor. Its hard to be the one that creates it. When everyone jumps in though, something electric happens in the room.

I can't wait for what God uses Cory to pour into Remnant!! Get ready!!

Memorial Day Weekend

I got the chance this past weekend to go back up to Lancaster and hang out with my old friends and family. I got to talk to Mama Dora, see Papa Saul, my Estrada girls, my boy Stephen who heard the 'call' with me, and a whole host of leaders & people from my youth ministry days at Lancaster 1st Assembly.

I loved the feeling of being with people who I have so much history with. Its a feeling that makes your want to really value those who God has let you share life with. Its hard to remember that the ones you are around everyday, will one day probably not be there as much. Life tends to move us on from what we have now to what is next.

I want to slow down enough today to really value who I get to have in my daily life. These people will no doubt only have one season to know me and for me to know them. Lets make this season count for all we can make it!!!

How Does It Work?

If I desired to be the best golfer in the city of Corona, but didn't do anything to make that possible, I would embarrass myself on the golf course when my friends showed up to 'see my skills!!" (With the best Napolean Dynamite voice possible)

Everything that you and I encounter is the result of a system. Circulatory System, Endocrine System, Solar System and many other examples give us a result based upon an order of how things function or operate together. The way you get ready for bed or for the day is a system. The way a golfer gets ready to swing or putt is a system. Basketball players have a routine or a system for how they shoot free-throws. The way we get a baby ready for a nap or put them to sleep is DEFINITELY a system or routine.

Your spiritual growth is no less affected & influenced by the invisible but very powerful systems that you put into place. You have to marry things that you want done to a system or it will never be done. Systems create desired behaviors in people, work environments, marriages, families, churches, teams, etc. The question is never whether or not you have a system affected your behavior the question is do you know what the system is & is it in a battle with your actual desired behavior or outcome? 

Take a look at how you prepare your heart for a church service, a night out with your spouse, a sermon, or a ministry & you'll find the need to address a routinue or system. If we are to be the spiritually developping people God has called us to be, we have to have a routine that we put into place that will give us the desired outcome.
Otherwise, its just wishful thinking.

The Unexpected Story Next to You

Today I got to sit with an amazing young couple who are engaged to be married & have asked me to marry them. I'm so excited to be a part of their story. Here is a little bit about them:

Amanda was a teenager in my previous youth ministry, but after she left it, she couldn't reconcile what she read & believed about Jesus with the actions of many people she was around in church. She became an atheist and began to research things about it and even taught people some things she found. We hadn't heard from her in years, and then about a month ago, her, her sister & their friend walked into Remnant. I always say that you have no idea who walked in the doors tonight, and the way you treat them could dictate what they think about God for YEARS!!!

After receiving the love & care that is now Remnant's DNA, they all were amazed that they could actually be in 'church' and feel God moving in them without feeling judged, criticized or misunderstood.  I asked for those who wanted to give their lives to following this Christ of love, redemption, compassion, and hope, and all 3 of them came forward and prayed!! It was an amazing night for Remnant, them & God's story of love. They all said that they didn't believe a church could feel like this, and that the people were so different than any church they had been to.

Amanda, that same night, asked me if I would marry her & her fiance Nathan and we finally met up today to start our pre-marital sessions. I asked them how God was a part of their lives, and she said: "up until a few weeks ago at Remnant, I was an atheist. So I am just now learning a new (or as we say "ReDefined") way of understanding what Jesus is all about. We are excited to have Him in our lives and we know we can't do this marriage without him."

Whatever church you are apart of, never forget that every week a story walks in and sits right near you. Join in with God on His mission to write those stories of Life Change & hope & watch God use you in ways you can NEVER imagine. They are right next to you everyday!

Can I Be A Martry for Christ?

I always believed that being a martyr was such an incredible testimony to who you believe Christ is. The very word brings images to my mind that invoke words like: prisoned, poor, torture, dedicated, sacrifice, loyal, passion, servant, & powerful. I have learned lately, that one doesn't have to have that story to be a martyr.

When Jesus Christ left this world, he sent the Holy Spirit to us to testify about Christ. John 15 tells us that we are also to be used by God to testify about Christ. This means we are to be his "witnesses" to this world. A witness in a courtroom gives the perspective on a persons character, actions, and life events. They help people see what the person is really like. Thats what people are suppose to be able to gather by watching our lives.

The Greek word that John uses to describe 'testify' is the word 'martyr.' This is a loaded word for us as Christ followers. We have a rich history of people who have lived & died for the name of Jesus. They lived & died to make sure that people would know the character, actions, & love that God gave us through Christ. This is the same idea that we are to give to the lives we live today.

Are we being 'martyr's' for Christ? You don't have to physcially die to be a martyr...you only have to spiritually die to yourself & begin to live the life that Christ asks us to. To follow His ways and to give up all you have to show this world who he is. They are waiting to hear about Him, what is our life saying about Him...or in other words, what are we testifying about the Christ?

Remnant J:High!!

I just left tonights J:High Service for Remnant and it was amazing!! First of all, the hunger these young people have to really honor the Lord with worship is a sight to see! Its so awesome to begin to see the culture of young people really take their own spiritual development seriously. I love watching 6th, 7th, & 8th graders take notes during a message because they are so desiring to make sure that they grow 'themselves' instead of relying on a service to grow them.

Next week, we are going to be combining our Remnant J:High w/ our normal Remnant service for one of our "REMNANT:ONE Services at 7p, June 1st. We are going to have a very special guest speaker with us that night, and you are going to LOVE him!! I can't wait for Remnant to get to hear this guy bring it!!

My Heart Alive

I was thinking about how much effort I put into making sure our Remnant services are amazing and God reminded me of a little lesson he's been teaching me.
He wants me to spend the energy getting the church, which is his people, ready for service to their world, instead of just getting the service ready for the people. I believe that this shift MUST take place in our hearts before it makes its way into our services. We have to become disciples that are putting time into the unglorious but so powerful quiet moments in the secret places with God.

I want our services to be amazing, but I don't want the end to be an amazing service...but to have a system that helps us to move people closer towards Christ in their 'own' day-to-day lives.

We need to be asking more discipleship questions like: "what are you doing to grow spiritually outside of Remnant?" or "what is making your heart more passionate for Christ?" This helps people realize that attendance doesn't do the whole work. Its a small part in fact. Most of the greatness in our spiritual strength WILL NOT come solely from a service we attended. Thats the gasoline on the slow embers that you keep creating daily. Without that, I'm only going to soak ashes in your heart. Ashes aren't good for making a fire or for having any power to change the temperature of a room.

We need to see our spiritual lives in this way. Am I creating more and more 'wood, sticks, & paper' for God to light, pour his gas on & use to brighten the world, or am I bringing old ashes that are all burned out?

You have to chop the trees down, put them in the fireplace & get them going...services are just to add fuel to the existing flame & then you are responsible for keeping it going!!!

Baptisms @ South Hills Church

This weekend is such a great weekend because our church, South Hills, is inviting people to leave their seats, receive Christ & be baptized right in our service!! We did the first service and we already had 31 people decide to follow the example of Christ through baptism.

Its such an exciting experience to watch people who have been learning the ways of Christ to decide to take up their cross and follow him. Baptism is an ancient and sacred symbol of what God has done in us through Christ Jesus. The water symbolizes the death of our old life of sin, and we are 'buried' in the water and raised in Christ brand new!! What an incredible opportunity it is to watch this mysterious & spiritual part of peoples lives.

Refueled!!

I am learning more and more about myself everyday. I have always had a high amount of daily energy. There is just an inner passion to do something great that lives inside of me. God made us all that way...I've just found out how to discover what mine was and now dedicate my life to doing it. Recently though, I have realized that there is a secret to keeping that passion going...it needs FUEL!

Here are a few ways I am learning to FUEL myself for Gods passions inside of me:

#1 I have to fuel my passion with some Jesus time. It doesn't get any simpler or harder than that. The End.

#2 I am the ONLY person responsible for developing myself as a person. ITS NO ONE ELSE'S job but mine. I have to put myself around like-minded leaders, books, podcasts, friends, and other people much smarter & passionate than me who can pour into me. If I keep expecting someone else to do it for me, I'll be a bitter & undeveloped leader who always makes excuses.

#3 I can't expect myself to be able to ALWAYS give to ANYONE who asks of me. The reality is, sometimes, I'm running on empty, Just because someone has our cell phone number, FB, Twitter or email address or knows where we sleep...doesn't mean they get to have access to us. I am learning I don't have to respond to every email, text, FB, etc to be a good person...in fact, many times, quite the opposite is true.

#4 I have to have some "me" time. There is something about just doing something alone that brings me great perspective on all God has given me. The last thing I should do is FORCE myself into an obligation that I have a choice over. I need to make sure I'm not lazy with this idea, and take advantage of it. But when I'm allowed some time to think, gain perspective, and relax, I'm much better to everyone I need to be around, meet with, plan for, give to, & pour into.

This isn't an exhaustive list. Only what I'm learning now. I hope you all learn to develop yourself...because no one else is going to do it for you. Lets Go!!

Remnant Discipleship

I'm so excited to start a new season of discipleship with Remnant. Our great team of leaders which includes Jolene Campbell, Dan & Stacey Martin, and my own beautiful wife Brenda, have really come together to form an amazing series of true discipleship.

Our goal will be to turn believers in Christ into genuine followers of Christ. Even in Jesus' day, many believed, but few learned the way of Christ. We want to raise a generation of informed, authentic, educated, grounded, humble, broken, caring, and passionate followers of the way of Jesus Christ. We want to teach them how to consider their actions, their beliefs, and their thoughts as they pursue the deeper components of their faith. We want to show them how they can grow THEIR OWN passion and deepen their own wells. I can't wait for Sundays @ 10:15a. It will be at Lee Pollard, where our South Hills Extended Church meets.

Get ready Remnant, this is going to get GOOD!!

Communication 101

The goal of any communications is to get a point across. If you have enough humility, then you can get your point across everytime. If you just want to win points, then you’ll lose the goal of communicating EVERY TIME. Take for instance this scenario: if a Pit Bull was trained to attack every time it hears certain words, you’d probably be certain to avoid those words.

But when it comes to communicating, it seems we forget this rule of thumb. It’s like we want to see the dog go crazy, so we taunt it. We are shocked when it turns on us, & it hurts us.  It also hurts the dog & trains them not to trust dealing with you. Then every time the dog sees you, it starts barking & getting internly agitated. Many people understand this about dogs, but forget it when it comes to their family members, co-workers, bosses, teachers, and anyone else you have to communicate with in life.

Now, are you going to go in the backyard & start using the words that causes the dog to go crazy, or are you going to learn a better way to communicate your point until they can understand what you're saying. Humility will lead you to this, but many of us have the habit of getting ourselves BIT. Try some humility, and change the words, tone, and facial responses that you use and see how calm the people in your life remain.

Who do you resemble?

Its funny how different people can totally look alike, isn't it? I've been told that I look like Owen Wilson and that I also resemble Keith Urban. I'm not sure thats true when I shave, but when I rock the 5 o'clock shadow, even I can see the resemblance.

It makes me wonder how much the inside of me is really reflecting the resemblance of Christ? I know we are the workmanship or masterpiece of Christ, so we tell of his amazing glory. But do I dull that pristine shine? Do I hinder the glow of the Spirit that should radiate from my words, my thoughts, my actions, my desires?

All too often the answer is a resounding yes. I would much rather reflect the beautiful & mysterious purity that comes from living an obedient life than to continually have my own freedom but diminish the power of being a clear reflection of His resemblance.

We are His body. May we continue to strive towards Him through devotion to personal holiness, obedience & always being held by His grace to even begin trying...with our without make-up or a 5 o'clock shadow.

Remnants May Series

Remnant is starting our new series "The Body of Christ." Tonight @ Remnant we are going to begin to give the overview of what we believe God is saying to us. Many times people become followers of Christ (formerly referred to as "getting saved") and never even learn about what they have decided to do. Our new series will help anyone who has ever wanted to know why do Christians call what they go to "church", what does being a part of the body of Christ even mean, and why was I put on this earth to do?

As we often say at Remnant, we don't 'go' to church...we are the church. You can attend something that you are. I don't attend a baseball player, I attend a baseball game, where the baseball players all show up to do what they are specifically gifted to do. Can't wait for this series to get GOING tonight.

Don't miss out these next few weeks on finding out what you were made to do and what the whole phrase 'Christs Body' even means.

We are all Hostage to something...

I was given the blessing of speaking again at all of the services this past weekend. South Hills Church is in our HOSTAGE series and I had the chance to teach on addictions. God really helped me share some things that I trust really brought some freedom and understanding to a lot of our people.

Usually when the word addictions comes up, the things that come to our mind are druggies, dark alleys, dingy shantys in the dirty places of the city, the so-called degenerates of our society, gamblers, alcoholics etc. The reality is that we are all addicted to something, and we are in desperate need of rescuing. We all have a secret sin, or a characteristic about ourselves that seems to just 'own' us. Be it co-dependency, gossip, lust, control, success, attention, power, or whatever, it is the the area that proves how much we are in need of Christ.

This week, I'm going to dedicate each day to blogging more in depth about the issues we discussed this past weekend. I always like to say that there is no such thing as someone needing Jesus more than someone else, only needing Jesus different. No one needs him more, nor less, we just have different reasons for needing His healing, forgiveness, & love.

This Weekend

I'm so excited about this weekend! I get to teach to the whole family at South Hills & I'm really looking forward to it. I've been on an incredible journey the past few years with Christ, and I'm so honored to get to share the things I've been learning.

I want to help our church, South Hills, answer a few questions about the story of the woman who had a issue with bleeding. For 12 years she had an inability to be able to be loved or touched in the same manner as any other woman. Jesus didn't just heal her physcial condition, he restored her holistically. Its a beautiful thing. I'm looking forward to seeing eyes opened to Truth they've not known before. Say a prayer for me and I'll let you know how it all goes!

Brothers & the Church

Today I got the awesome chance to spend some time with my brother Phillip. He had his two toddler baby girls, 2&4, at the Chick-Fil-A in Corona. Brenda & I went to support South Hills mission fundraiser, and he was there as well. I love talking with him because he is passionate about pursuing God, understanding Gods Word & His plan for His life. Not to mention, he can make me laugh like NO ONE else in my life. He has a way of self-depreciatingly (not a word) commenting on things he isn't doing right that is hilarious. I just love Phillip.

It was one of those great moments in life when you are laughing so hard in a public place without a care in the world, your church friends are laughing while trying to make a difference in the world, and your wife is playing with your neices in the play area and showing you why you married the best future mom in the world. I sighed a few breathes of appreciation to God. I was so fulfilled with my night. Thats how I knew I was around the church..."to us, church is not a place, its a people."

Unamazing Grace

One of the central themes to following Christ is that He has an amazing amount of Grace for us. As I look and evaluate the current trends or themes of Christianity, I am filled with so much hope. We now have a better picture of what Biblical Christ following even means. As I grew up, it seemed there were only sermons about 'getting your act together' from a preacher who obviously had arrived at that glorious location where sin did not abound in his life. A place where everyone gets "there." In fact, its called "ThereLand," the place for the holy & godly. Oh to taste the treats of that place! To sing those songs, to run on those grassy fields & to be friends with such amazing and glorious people.

It turns out, there is no such place. There never was. The place called "there" doesn't even exist. What does exist is the humble place of journeying with a Christ that has more grace than I do sin. A Jesus who knows my hearts desire is to serve him. A place where everyone believes that they need Jesus just as much as everyone else, and that actually affects the way that they treat anyone they know or meet.

If you believe that the only people in need of grace are ‘those’ people over ‘there’ that are caught up ‘in sin,’ then I wish to inform you that the concept of grace isn’t very amazing at all. Its very un-amazing. We could sing the song: "Unamazing Grace, how terrible the sound. That made a wretch like me. I once was humbly saved, but soon arrived in that place, where everyone isn't as amazing, as me."

We Are Whats Left...

Recently I've been having some people ask me about the viewpoint or idea I have regarding Christianity, Christ, or spirituality. I figured I outta write my thoughts, and then I remembered that I already did back in September last year. As I shared them with our team, they believed in them enough, that we designed our Remnant T-Shirt with the words in them. (btw, they are $10 & $3 of every shirt goes to Haiti Relief) Here is the overall message of love, Christ, hope, & real revival as I understand it.

"For years people have been walking away from Christianity, and for good reason too. The message of love has no heart. The message of Grace has too infrequently been used by His followers. The voice of God is muted by judgmental elitists who condemn and yell at those 'in sin.' The sound of a people who worship together is silenced by the noise of racial indifference. Remnant is a people who've not bowed their knee to another god, even the god of religious Christianity. We love those we don't understand. We celebrate everyone because we believe that everyone matters. To us, church is not a place, its a people. We are the church. Remnant is a people who think Jesus meant it when he said: love your neighbor as yourself, and they will know you are my disciples when you love each other. Its time to redefine what people think about followers of Christ. We need Jesus just as much as anyone else. It's not about what we do, it's about who we are. We Are What's Left from what should have been the message of Christ all along...and theres room for you. Welcome to the family."

Who Does Jesus Believe in?

We are in the middle of our "Miracles" Series at Remnant. We've been praying over the prayer walls for the past few weeks and learning how to pursue the heart of Christ the way the woman who had been bleeding for 12 years did. She did something physical and believed something deep within her heart. God has been asnwering a lot of our prayers and its been such a great reminder that we can be used by Christ to do unbelievable things.

Tomorrow at Remnant, we are going to learn what was really going on when Jesus called on people to become His followers, specifically His disciples. We believe that the stories of Jesus always have a deeper meaning than what we have normally read from the stories. I often say: "we can't understand the words of Jesus, until we understand the world of Jesus. Come find out what He believed when it came to choosing the ones who would carry His message of hope & redemption to the world. Tomorrow night @ 7p!

Spirit of Intentionality

The conversations that God wants us to have used to be a part of the biblical culture of the 1st century. Faith wasn't a foreign concept. If someone talked about their belief in god, its wasn't like they were talking about sex w/ their parents in the next room. No one whispered about it. It was normal. It was healthy. It was spiritual. It was a part of everyday life. I wake up. I brush my teeth. I tie my shoes. I talk about God with my friends & coworkers. I learn about myself & what God wants from my life. Crusades, Slavery, Hate, Bigotry, Judgmental Beliefs, September 11, Jihad, etc are all phrases that remind me of reasons why faith can sometimes have an ugly sense to it. I believe God wants to raise up a people who will redefine that feeling. Remnant is a ministry that seeks to live that out in a real-world scenario.

I wonder what would happen if we were just normal and introduced God into those talks? If it wasn't to prove a point, to look better than someone, or whatever, but just to be, normal. I'm a human. I care about my world. I have values & standards. I do my homework, sometimes on time. I love my family. I want to get married & stay married to one person. I love to laugh. I want to live a life of purspose & fulfillment. My belief in Jesus, not a religion, is what unites all those passions. I believe he was the perfect example of someone who cared, loved, & stood for whats really right.

I'm believing for Remnant to continue to live out the intentional, normal & passionate pursuit of connecting people to the 'real' love of Jesus. Every conversation that leads someone closer to that real love, is spiritual. And it requires the spirit of intentionality.

Celebrating "Voices"

My wife & I went tonight to see the play "Voices" at Corona High School. Our very own Cory Pilawski was the assistant Director for the play (the first time in the school history a student has done that!) We of course were so very proud of her. We also saw a few other Remnant students, MJ & Charles.

It was such an INCREDIBLE play. It made us laugh, think, cry (Brenda), and smile!! It displayed the real life struggles of everyday teenage life. There were so many different scenes that caught the attention of our heart. The different actors & actresses were amazing and YOU KNOW we invited them all to our Remnant Family and a bunch of em said they'd be there Tuesday @ 7p! We laughed with them all afterwards and just encouraged them. They were so much fun!!

My wife & I LOVE to find out what other people are excited about and then celebrate them while they do it. People love it when you are passionate about what they are passionate about. The great thing about being connected to Christ, is that it gives us an excuse to be excited about anyones passion, even if its different than mine. Whoever said the only thing I had to celebrate was things that only I really enjoyed? That would make for a very small god.

DMV Always Is Funny!

Best story ever. Ready. Begin.
I take Thursdays off. My best friend Katieli, needed me to help him register the Road Runner that I gave him a few months ago. So we went to the DMV and had a hard time finding it because of the endless sea of cars parked on the street. Apparently we weren't alone.

We did what I always do when there is a long line...we cut. Just kidding. But I did walk to the very front, picked up a "Change of Address" for my license, and while I was there asked the guy my question. He informed me I'd have to wait in line to get my registration appointment, and the line was 3 HOURS LONG!!! Are you kidding me? I could go to San Diego and back in that time!

Thats when I remembered I had AAA. We left to go over there (where it took 20 minutes for us to be on our way!), and thats when one of the funniest moments at a DMV ever happened.

On our way in, we said hi to a man who was just standing on the island by my car. He was a middle aged man, nice enough, and unshaven. He had a flannel on, and looked like he had drank a few beers already. It was 9:14am. I'm getting ready to back up, I then see a man in a big truck who sees me backing up, and of course, he wants my spot. He stops, gets his truck into reverse, but theres a problem. There is a car behind him, that also saw my spot and wont back up. "Prepare for the MAIN EVENT!"

At first, they honked. Then the big truck threatened to run him over & revved his engine. Then they yelled. I mean, YELLED! Recap to this point: Honking. Revving. There is more yelling. There is more honking. The big truck HONK, and then the tiny, little baby honk from the Datsun behind him. Not only that, but my friend on the island is yelling at the car behnd him: "Back up you (cussing ensued)! Quit wining, you're a (cussing continued).

Being the observer that I am, I can see that we are clearly at an impasse.

I get out of the Road Runner, head over to the Datsun and very politely said: "Sir, I'm trying to back up, can you please back up so this man can too, and I can leave?" He replied in a VERY strong European accent (which, only further set off my NRA card carrying, Pledge of Allegiance reciting, cussing, drunk & proud to be an American and at least he knows he's free "buddy" on the island), "I ohnlay naid to gehou around, kind sur!"

Thats when "Carl" let him have it. He said, quite distinctly...and I quote: "Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaah, Waaaaaaaaaah, waaaaaaaaah! Quit your cryin, you little baby, WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA, WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH, WAAAAAAAAAH!!! (More Cussing)!"

And we wonder why they hate Americans.

I waited for the truck guy to circle back so he could have my spot, because I was feeling very American, and I knew I was free also, so on way out, I said with a boisterous chuckle what only was appropriate to Carl the DMV Gatekeeper:
"God Bless America!"
He smiled & waved proudly, unaware of my sarcasm. Kat & I peeled out, and laughed our heads off as we drove away.
WAAAAAAAAAAH!!
The End. See you at Remnant on Tuesday. Carl will be there.

This Is SOOOO FUN!!

Remnant stories keep POURING in from last night!! I'm so in awe of the story that God is writing through his ministry: Remnant. From the beginning, we believed that God destined this ministry to represent His heart to people who were burnt out on the religion of Christianity, but still desired Jesus to be what shaped & guided their lives. To date we've seen that happen in some special ways.

We've had 5 atheists give their lives to Christ in the past 5 months. People who thought 'church' or 'god' just wasn't for them, are suddenly filled with awe & wonder that they have found a place where they are loved as they are with hope for who they can become. I'd love to tell you about Megan, Dani, Bryon, Scottie, Keyvan, Solomon, Maria, Gracie, Rodger, Amanda, Taylor, Morgan, Taylor, Jessica, and so many others who are quite simply not the same people that walked into "South Hills Next Gen" over the past 10-11 months. There are so many more stories than that...

To top it off, some of my old students who are now college aged came last night and God totally filled their hearts with new passion & excitement about Himself. They said they've been looking for a place where they could love Jesus, not have it all figured out, and still be around the kind of people who were so fun in their love for each other. Welcome to Remnant...thats a few things we want to reflect to this city & world.

Sleeping Giant & a Walking Beggar

At Remnant, we had the amazing honor of having some real men of God with us. The hard-core band Sleeping Giant was with us tonight. We are in our "Miracles" series and so we asked them to share their experiences of seeing God do the miraculous in their presence. It was so encouraging and faith-filling to hear the real-life stories of the God we all say is all-powerful doing the all-powerful. The guys helped with our altar call until 10p & we let students out right around 8:35p. We even had a special call for those with addictions and Jesus began the process of helping them be free tonight!!

Tonight we learned about a beggar who really needed a miracle but had friends just relegating him to his usually vice of coping with his pain. The ending of our service had people stand up on their seat to state what Miracle they really had in their heart. THAT WAS POWERFUL!! So often we walk right by the very people that God has strategically & purposelly placed us around. A GRIP of students just weren't ready to leave the spiritual & sacred night we were getting to experience.

 Remnant continues to grow spiritually and with passion towards the deeper things of God.  I pray that we don't 'hoard' these experiences, but that we share them with anyone we know or meet that needs to have it as well. If we do this, the months ahead are going to be RIDICULOUS!!
Lord, Remnant is yours, do what you will.

Miracles Part II

Remnants March series is on "Miracles." Last Tuesday we learned about what the Bible teaches us when it comes to the pursuit of a miracle. Often times, people are looking to God to 'touch' them, but we see a few times with Jesus that the people wanted to just touch the hem of His garment. The idea is that God wants to do miraculous things in our lives and sometimes they take place as 'we' reach out to touch Jesus.

The question then becomes what touches the heart of Christ in such a way that His power moves on our behalf? What are the things that touches Christ's heart and invokes His response to us? I know its not as simple as 2+2=4, but God has always responded to the cry of His people.

There is something about the passionate & trusting pursuit of Gods goodness that allows for God to dictate His response. When we really believe that the Miracle is up to Him, and that our role is to seek to touch the heart of God without an agenda, Miracles begin to take place in our hearts & lives.

Remnant Winter Camp 2010

If you just sit there and let the word "CAMP" run through the corridors of your mind, all of us can grab a few memories that warm our hearts. I think of the camp I went to as a junior in High School where I decided to give my life to following Christ. It was 4am a the Dennys down the road.

I always tell our students that you will get out of an experience like camp what you put into it. If you decide to really open up to other students, you will undoubtedly come back with a few new friends. If you open your heart to God and make decisions to pursue him with passion, you will come back with a renewed vigor & passion to make an impact in your friends lives at school.

Math has a place also: we spend 40 hours awake together. Thats 6 months worth of Remnant gatherings together in ONE weekend!! The potential for great friendships to start, God to transform you, and for you to be inspired to change your world can all happen if you're open to it...Are you ready?

Unavailable Focus

The moments where are minds are not cluttered with todo items, deadlines, reminders, emotional issues, & other stressful thoughts are the times where we can really become effective. The challenge of living a spirutally balanced life often is found in our inability to be focused. When your mind isn't unavailable to all of the seemingly 'urgent' components of daily life, your spirit & heart can't be available to hear the voice of wisdom, calm, serenity, direction, peace, or comfort.
The focus that comes when there isn't a thousand things trying to get your attention is essential to having a healthy & balanced life. Setting aside time to write, think, pray, listen & just 'be' will make refresh so much more than you can imagine. Our values get mixed up when we keep going from here to there, checking this box, making this deadline, finishing that project, making that call, and doing it all over again tomorrow & calling it: living.
Humans weren't created to be machines of productivity. We were created to reflect a glorious & amazingly in depth Creator & to live a life that honors him. Thats hard to do when the most important thing in life isn't being, but doing. It bares repeating: we were created as human beings, not human doings.

Touching Him

Last night at Remnant we launched our new series "Miracles." We talked about a woman who was considered 'dirty' or unwanted by the standards of her day. She had a condition that made it impossible for her to be touched. When Jesus was touched by her, His power instantly healed her situation.

I was blown away by how Jesus didn't just restore her physically. He allowed her to have access again to a community that she was osterisized from. She was allowed back into the realm of friendship. She could be hugged.

I know a lot of people how have emotional issues that make them difficult to love. I want to introduce you to the real Jesus...He might be different than you've been told. He desires for you to want to touch Him & move His heart towards you. Just know, you will never be the same once you do.

Memories, Change & Paint

Blogging can be like your favorite summer camp that you go back to. You love the way it feels to be on the site. You can't wait to see the same sights that signal your memories of times past. You hope the people that you see each year are all still there. You want to leave more of your heart there, so when you come back, its waiting for you. Its good to be back again. Some things changed, some things stayed the same...

I can say for certain that it feels good to finally remember my password to my blog. I can also say that I've learned a lot since my past posting, and I'm looking to share what God is doing in my heart & life. I've gotten married, I've started working in a church again, started Remnant, and am getting ready to start the Leadership School of Southern California with an amazing team here in SoCal. Please visit www.mylssc.com for more infor about it. We'd love to talk w/ you about it!

Lastly, our Christ, He is so amazing at taking the painting I have of him in my heart, and making it a Masterpiece. The hard part is letting him take control of what goes on the canvas of me. If you can choose to let go, He will paint Himself as He really is, which is probably much different than what you've been told. I'm ready for that kind of change...will you join me?