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!!

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."

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.

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?