Orange County Pastor
Every Day Thoughts for the Church by a Guy Who Loves the Church
Read the Words of Jesus 4x in 2012
I came across a great service that emails you a chapter a day from the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John)
and allows you to read through the entire words of Jesus 4 complete times in 2012.
You can even pick what Bible version you want to use!
Interested to join me? Go here to sign up
and allows you to read through the entire words of Jesus 4 complete times in 2012.
You can even pick what Bible version you want to use!
Interested to join me? Go here to sign up
A Truth that Sets Me Free
i Attended a great class at Calvary today taught by my friends Steve and Kathy Weems on World Missions ("Perspectives"). Check out info on the class here or better yet, if you live in Orange County, join us next Sunday... During the course of the class Steve asked me to read out loud the following verse. I almost couldn't finish it without openly crying as the truth of this wonderful passage hit me to the core. We are free from sin and death because...
13 Christ redeemed us from
the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written:
“Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.”
14
He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come
to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive
the promise of the Spirit.
Galatians 3:13-14 (NIV)
Video of John 12:20-26 Sermon from Calvary
Missed Church last Sunday? Not to worry, here is video of my message at Calvary Church from New Years Day called, "Following Jesus in 2012."
New Year's One Service from Calvary Arts & Media on Vimeo.
New Year's One Service from Calvary Arts & Media on Vimeo.
Great Preaching Discussion with MacArthur, Swindoll, Laurie and McDonald
This post is directly for Pastor's. I love the discussion and insight Swindoll and other's give in this link below.
Go here to watch.
Go here to watch.
John 12:20-26 Sermon Outline
I had the honor of preaching at this morning's January 1st service at Calvary. It was a tough week to study for a sermon, as the family and I were up in Santa Cruz all week visiting my parents and brother-in-law and sister. But at the same time I loved the process of preparing and preaching this message to the Church I care so much about.
Here is my sermon outline of John 12:20-26 for January 1, 2012.
Here is my sermon outline of John 12:20-26 for January 1, 2012.
I. Jesus invites us to Follow Him (John
12:20-22)
a. Gentiles too!
John 12:21 (Greeks: “…Sir, we wish to see Jesus…”)
John 12:21 (Greeks: “…Sir, we wish to see Jesus…”)
b. Whoever Believes
John 3:16 (“…that whoever believes in Him (Jesus) will not perish…”)
John 3:16 (“…that whoever believes in Him (Jesus) will not perish…”)
c. Pray for those who haven’t yet “seen” Jesus
2nd Corinthians 4:4 (“…god of this age (Satan) has blinded the minds of the unbelieving…”)
2nd Corinthians 4:4 (“…god of this age (Satan) has blinded the minds of the unbelieving…”)
II. Jesus warns us that there is a great cost
to Following Him (John 12:23-26)
a.
Jesus’
Personal Cost
i.
John
12:23 – “…The hour has come…”
b.
Dying
to Self
i.
John
12:24: “…unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies..”
ii.
John
12:25: “…He who loves his life loses it,
and he who hates this life in this world…”
c.
Following
Means Serving
i.
John
12:26(a): “…he must follow Me
ii.
John
12:26(b): “…if anyone serves Me…”
III. Jesus encourages us that there is a great
reward for following Him (John 12:23-26)
a.
Glory
thru Suffering
i.
John
12:23 – “…for the Son of Man to be glorified.”
b.
Fruit
thru Death
i.
John
12:24: “…if it dies, it bears much fruit…”
ii.
John
12:25: “…he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal…”
c.
Honor
thru Service
i.
John
12:26(a): “…and where I am, there my
servant will be also…”
ii.
John
12:26(b): …if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.”
Following Jesus in 2012
“The cross redefines
life in terms of giving, not taking; self-sacrifice, not self-protection; going
to the back, not getting to the front."
Tullian Tchividjian (Grandson of Billy Graham)
New Community Outreach Center at Saddleback Church Opened Today
Saddleback Church opened a brand new Community Outreach Center (P.E.A.C.E. Center) today on their Lake Forest campus. It will house free and low cost medical care, legal counsel and a food bank among other things. At Calvary Church Santa Ana, we are praying and preparing to open something very similar in the coming years in what we call the "Reach Center". We currently own a 2 story medical building as a Church that we hope to one day transform into 10 Kingdom focused outreach suites. It is exciting to see Saddleback's example as we pray and plan for our own building.
Here is a quick video from the OC Register on the PEACE Center opening:
Here is a quick video from the OC Register on the PEACE Center opening:
A Great Site for Church Creative Types
That's right, I mean you Aaron Lemen, Trevor Behrns and Tim McMahon...
Creation Swap is a really great site for as their tagline states, "give, take, buy, sell Church media.
I met Matt Gruber the founder of Creation Swap this past Sunday at Calvary Church..
He is a great guy with a great heart and vision for the Church.
Check out Creation Swap here.
Creation Swap is a really great site for as their tagline states, "give, take, buy, sell Church media.
I met Matt Gruber the founder of Creation Swap this past Sunday at Calvary Church..
He is a great guy with a great heart and vision for the Church.
Check out Creation Swap here.
A Great Post on Singleness
My cousin Nathan has some great thoughts on singleness...
http://natemilnik.com/blog/married-people-are-too-big-to-fail/
http://natemilnik.com/blog/married-people-are-too-big-to-fail/
Good Neighborhood Engagement Ideas
As the Local Outreach Pastor at Calvary Church, I am constantly looking for creative ways to encourage our people to engage their neighbors. I recently came across a great secular website that has lots of creative ways to engage neighborhoods in conversation...As Christians on Gospel mission some of these ideas could be adapted to create some really interesting Gospel centered conversations with people in our communities.
Check out the website
http://civiccenter.cc/
Here is one neighborhood engagement idea from the site...
Check out the website
http://civiccenter.cc/
Here is one neighborhood engagement idea from the site...
What They Found at the Bottom of Echo Park Lake
{Public Disclaimer}: Today's entry has nothing to do with Pastoring or Orange County, but I have been really behind on posting lately, so it's time to simply begin the discipline of writing and posting to get me going again...
During my last year in college in 1998, I interned for the Los Angeles Dodgers up in LA, above the Echo Park neighborhood. Each day, I would make the hour drive from La Mirada to Los Angeles and my exit would always take me past Echo Park Lake. The Park at the time was in a really tough neighborhood and the Lake was the epicenter for a lot of shady activities, drug deals, etc (although it was used as a backdrop to some of the scenes from Michael Jackson's epic music video to "Thriller.").
Each day I would drive by and think to myself, I wonder what they would find if they ever drained that Lake? This question entertained me on a daily basis...
Well today, 13 years later, I finally got my wish as the Echo Park Lake was recently drained and the findings from the bottom of the Lake were made public. Here are some of the treasures that were discovered...(taken from echoparknow.com)
Park Trash Cans – 20
Construction cones – 36
Shopping Carts – 7
Portable Stereos/Boombox – 3
Pay Telephone – 1
Skateboard – 6
Parking Enforcement Boot – 1
Toilet – 1
Glass bottles – Hundreds
Model Boat – 2
Frisbee – 20
Weapons (guns) – 2
Office Chair – 6
Miscellaneous toys, Trash, Debris – Hundreds
The pay telephone and the parking enforcement boot have to be my favorites. I wonder what would possess someone to throw a office chair into a Lake? Office Max said "no" to the return?
During my last year in college in 1998, I interned for the Los Angeles Dodgers up in LA, above the Echo Park neighborhood. Each day, I would make the hour drive from La Mirada to Los Angeles and my exit would always take me past Echo Park Lake. The Park at the time was in a really tough neighborhood and the Lake was the epicenter for a lot of shady activities, drug deals, etc (although it was used as a backdrop to some of the scenes from Michael Jackson's epic music video to "Thriller.").
Each day I would drive by and think to myself, I wonder what they would find if they ever drained that Lake? This question entertained me on a daily basis...
Well today, 13 years later, I finally got my wish as the Echo Park Lake was recently drained and the findings from the bottom of the Lake were made public. Here are some of the treasures that were discovered...(taken from echoparknow.com)
Park Trash Cans – 20
Construction cones – 36
Shopping Carts – 7
Portable Stereos/Boombox – 3
Pay Telephone – 1
Skateboard – 6
Parking Enforcement Boot – 1
Toilet – 1
Glass bottles – Hundreds
Model Boat – 2
Frisbee – 20
Weapons (guns) – 2
Office Chair – 6
Miscellaneous toys, Trash, Debris – Hundreds
The pay telephone and the parking enforcement boot have to be my favorites. I wonder what would possess someone to throw a office chair into a Lake? Office Max said "no" to the return?
God With Us
Great video from Village Church in Texas..."Jesus come. Come quickly!"
Advent: God With Us from The Village Church on Vimeo.
Advent: God With Us from The Village Church on Vimeo.
Matt Barkley - USC Quarterback
I am a diehard UCLA Football fan and this is rivalry week with crosstown enemy, USC.
But I have to admit I am a big fan of USC Quarterback Matt Barkley...
Clink on the link below to see why...
Home - I Am Second
But I have to admit I am a big fan of USC Quarterback Matt Barkley...
Clink on the link below to see why...
Home - I Am Second
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