Problem or Opportunity?

When God put's opportunity in front of us it's often packaged as this impossible feat. The feat is too big for us, too much for us and to great for us. "Thanks God for reminding us how small we are..." Nope it's quite the contrary God is reminding us how BIG He is inside us. The longer we focus on the smallness of our lives the more we feel inadequate, pressured and frustrated. Then in the middle of the chaos God put's a pause... into our lives. Just like a commercial mid abruptly putting the current program on hold . That pause serves as a infomercial to inform you that God is with you, that nothing is impossible with Him. Practically speaking when faced with insurmountable odds I've noticed the following stages:

Breakdown Phase: When everything is overwhelming, unsettled and direction is hard to find. I can hear life, hear problems, hear circumstances louder then I hear God at this moment.

Pause Phase: Like calm in the middle of a storm. Sometimes I can intentionally pursue these moments, other times they are just planned by God and His direction and His plan is clear as day. Renewed strength, passion begins to build and purpose becomes clearer.

Breakout Phase: Just like Beniah of the bible of II Samuel 23:20. I begin to chase what I was running from before.

Just Thought You Should Know...

Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary.
No one can measure the depths of his understanding. Isaiah 40:28

Wake up! and smell the Jehovah Java, this is is one of those double shot of espresso scriptures challenging my life today to wake up. Look alive, walk with some hope, with some trust in God. Walk like your Daddy can beat up anything, because He can. Isaiah 40:25 say's "Who is my equal?, say's the Holy One. God's never had a challenge, never been contended against, never been rivaled. God does not worry, does not get tired, does not lose energy. The doors God opens nobody can close, and the doors He closes nobody can open. Nobody's NO is bigger then God's YES. He is second to no one, before was, was, God WAS. He is the undisputed, undefeated, HEAVY weight Glory of the entire universe and them some. Would you help me welcome into your life, into every circumstance, into any and every arena of challenge life might present. He's the dream maker, the purpose behind my purpose, the author and finisher of our faith, He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the bright and morning star, the always present, all powerful... the one...the only....God the Almighty.

Just thought you should know...

Default Setting

"...But as for me, I will always proclaim what God has done... Psalm 75:9

There are two types of people in the world, complainers and worshipers, and there isn't much circumstantial difference between the two. Complainers will always have something to complain about, worshipers will always find something to praise God about. They simply have different default settings - Mark Batterson, In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day.

Reading this scripture today reminded me about my default setting. I'll be honest, there's a lot going on in my life right now, a lot of pressure, a lot of demand and it almost seems easier to set my heart on complaint mode rather then worship mode. There are moments when a default setting to worship God, and trust that God is bigger then our problem will not come automatic, it's times like this when worship must become intentional. The scripture today gives perfect example of what intentional worship looks like. You may be going through a struggle right now, But as for me... may be facing tremendous pressure in life right now...But as for me...may even feel like giving in...BUT-AS-FOR-ME... I will always proclaim what God has done... Where's your default setting today?

Much Love

Vision Test

For the Lord has poured out on you a spirit of deep sleep. He has closed the eyes of your prophets and visionaries. Isaiah 29:10

It did not take me long to journal on this passage today. What caught my attention was the word "Visionarie" A Visionarie is what I believe God has called me to be, a person who brings life to people, families, regions, for without Vision people perish. This scripture today is talking about a people who had their own plan, tried to do things their way and stopped being obedient to the word of the Lord. As a result the Lord poured out a spirit of sleep, and the eyes of the prophets and the visionaries were closed.

"To test vision, you must test the heart first" If disobedience closes the eyes of vision I want to be obedient to the point that I live life in High Definition. I want to be able to hear a now word from God, not yesterdays revelation, not a revelation from someone else, I want to hear what God wants to do and say today. What a terrible sight to be closed off to Vision. To be closed off to the heartbeat of God, to be closed off from His plan, His purpose and His will.

Let me see God, and when I can't or if my vision becomes faint help me to go back and check to make sure that I'm doing everything right, everything the way you want. Help me Lord to remember the vision test.

A Beautiful Struggle

Feeling the grind today, the best way that I can explain it is that in between stage of where I'm at and what I'm called to do. Sometimes it's easy to get impatient and frustrated because life goes around once. I don't know if you have ever been there, but I guarantee you, you will. Like a butterfly in the cocoon it must go through a struggle before it can become all that it was intended to be. In the struggle is where the greatest work of God is taking place. Remain faithful wherever your at and God will promote you to where your supposed to be. Thank you Lord because the metamorphosis has begun.

Now may the God of peace—who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood—may He equip you with all you need for doing His will. May He produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him. All glory to him forever and ever! Amen. Hebrews 13:20-21

The Path

"...Mark out a straight path for your feet..." Hebrews 12:13

Recently I heard Andy Stanleys Leadership Podcast on the principle of the path. The principle of the path says this: "Your direction determines your destination" and to take it even deeper "intention will not determine your destination." These are pretty easy concepts to understand especially when we are driving or on a hike. If I want to drive to the beach which is west of us but I start driving EAST it does not matter how much I intended to get to the beach I will not end up there. My destination was determined by path I chose and the direction I took. This is where this scripture spoke to me because in life the principle of the path is something that we easily ignore and we find ourselves lost, find ourselves without direction and then ask ourselves later "How did I end up here?" The bible says to "Mark out a straight path for your feet..." and in Hebrews 12:2 we find exactly what path to take and it says, "We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith."

The encouragement of the bible today is "Make sure Jesus is in front of the path that your on." When Christ is leading the path, the destination of my life will be exactly where it's supposed to be and it will be the most fulfilling and rewarding when this takes place. I've always said it takes 3 people to make a marriage work, it takes a Husband, a Wife and Jesus, I've marked out a straight path for my marriage. I believe the key to me being the best father, leader, friend and person is when my life is guided by the standards that God shows us in His word. Maybe you need to mark out a straight path for your marriage today, as a parent, for your finances or in your spiritual life, mark it out, make sure Jesus is in front and follow Him.

If there is any area, any area at all that I am not on the right path on I give you permission to realign my life, my heart and my direction today. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Seeing From A Distance

"...but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it..." Hebrews 11:13

Faith gives us the ability to see from a distance what may be extremely far away. Sometimes victory in our lives seems so far away. Sometimes a dream is only but a beat in your heart but faith brings the assurance that one day it will eventually be in your hand.

Ever watch something from a distance, to catch a bigger view you look through binoculars. Faith is just like a pair of binoculars it allows you to see from a distance no matter how far or how absent your promise may seem. The moment you look through a pair of binoculars, what may be far away jumps in front of you instantly. There have been times in my life when what I dream about, hoped for and believed in, seemed so far away but the minute I look through God's binoculars I find the assurance and strength to keep moving on. Those "binocular moments" though at times are small, are incredibly powerful, powerful enough to get me through a tough day, powerful enough to keep me from the tipping point and powerful enough to keep me going stronger then before that moment took place.
Can you see from a distance today, take time to peer through God's binoculars and see what God has planned for you...

Without wavering...

Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise Hebrews 10:23

The potential to lose at anything in life is when you waver. In sports, nobody has ever played a perfect season, not every pitch is a strike, not every ball is caught, and in life it's the same way. Hebrews 10:23 say's "Let us hold tight without wavering" "Without wavering does not mean perfect progression, it means progression without losing sight of your goal no matter what"
Wavering is not when you are tired, frustrated or even pushed to the limit of breakdown, wavering is when facing those challenges and becoming undecided about your goal. It's when your mind becomes unresolved about who God say's you are. Wavering is when all of the sudden you begin to think, "who was I kidding", "what was I thinking", "this is not me". Without doubt, your life will face challenges on the way to believing and seeing what God has actually planned for your life. Too many people give up when their victory is right around the corner, they give up on their children, give up on their marriage, give up on God, give up on life.

Don't allow what's happens to you in life to effect your God given goal for life. I prayed for a young man this weekend at church and God put something in my heart for him that was powerful. I mentioned to this young man "Life has tried to make you feel like a bronze all your life, but God is telling you to go for the gold." Don't allow God's word, His promise, His design for your life to become skewed, hold on with every bit of strength you have and when your out of strength know that God's strength takes over. Frustration will challenge your grip, but wavering begins the process of loosening it. Hold on tightly without wavering...

Sunday Recap July 12th

-Went to sleep thinking about church, woke up thinking up about church. Every Sunday I get to influence, challenge, and encourage lives to live for Jesus. It's some of the most precious 75 minutes of my week and I absolutely do not take it lightly NOT ONE BIT.

-Felt like tweeting the following post last night, but really felt it should wait. Found out a few other Pastors that I follow on Twitter had the same encouraging heart this morning.
Here's what they posted, mine is towards the end:

Pastors...if HE really is THE MOST HIGH GOD...then PREACH today like THAT IS TRUE!!! BRING IT...hell is too hot for us to be cowards! - Perry Noble Newspring Church, South Carolina

Pastors-today you'll come to a point in your msg where you'll think: "I can't say that." Say it.
Steve Furtick, Elevation church, North Carolina

Hey Pastors & Worship Leaders: Let's serve God with our whole heart today! Our God is ALIVE and cares about us! How awesome?! Shaunk King, Courageous Church, Atlanta

Is there any greater cause than the cause of Christ? Luv incredibly, inspire hearts & touch lives. Preach 4 a generation u might never see.

- I visited our lead campus in San Jose early before our service, had to see the rest of the family. Feeling like God is about to do something incredibly special and unique...and I'm not just saying that. It's time for the greatness to show up in peoples lives, take a risk for God.

-Our worship band is going through a HUGE transition right now. Our team of musicians and singers are up for the challenge and they brought it HARD today. So proud of them. Incredible time praying with people smack in the middle of worship. Great call Jesse, great call.

-Something that has happened often at our church is meeting new faces from far, far, away. Met a new guy this weekend all the way from Germany. Toby loved service, loves journaling and we loved him right back. Hey Toby I feel like your family already man.

-My Boy Santos preached, he lived with me for several years while in Masters Commission, you know what that means it's roast Pastor Ant time. Man Santz called me an instigator, big smack talker and super competitive. I get to preach next week bro remember that. Ah ah aha.

- We've been discovering God's blueprint the past weeks, this week Santz talked about living it. Straight from 1 Kings 19, Elijah hid in the cave, although victorious in the previous chapter, in 19 he was fearful and discouraged. Sometimes that's us in life. We stop living God's purpose, we hide in the cave and God calls out "What are you doing?" Some people are afraid to live amazing but God has called us to live amazing. -Santos Samayoa. LIVE YOUR PURPOSE. Powerful message. I love to hear Santos speak, because I remember him when he was just a ruddy kid like David in the bible, now he's a Giant Killer. Love you Santz, your the man dude, you and your soon to be wife had such a HUGE influence on today's service, amazing.

-Getting ready to start a new series in a few weeks. "At the Movies" courtesy of Pastor Angel Menchaca from CWC Dinuba Thanks bro, you inspired me. Also we are taking a new initiative towards building a journaling culture and life on life growth. Can't wait to unveil this new experiment.

Sometimes it's easier...

Been having this thought and have experienced a bit this week so I had to blog on it. "It comes natural to live by feeling then to live by faith" It's easier to live by what you know then to pursue what you don't know. It's easier to believe where your at then to trust in where your going. Truth is, you block the greatest you when you allow feeling to run your life rather than faith. Your greatest purpose, your greatest potential, your greatest dream, the greatest you will remain unknown without faith. My prayer is that faith becomes natural more then our feelings, deepest fears or biggest roadblocks. God has not called you to live by feeling, He's called you to step out and live by faith. I have a friend who recently wrote a poem. Matter of fact I did not even know that she wrote but glad that she did because it's perfect for this post.

The Lion
by Amanda Mikkelsen
My mind is racing
Cant seem to help my mate
Brings back such feelings
I cant shake
I know uncertainty; I know the way
It makes you feel as though
The road is clear yet youre no where
Near the path
Lock eyes with the lion
Its your turn to fight
Get up on your game and stride
The strides you know you must take
Your eyes are weary but keep that lock
On him
Things will open up
Things will fall in place
Things will work
Dreams will work
Work until its done
Work


"Faith makes the impossible work"

Sunday Recap

-Had a fantastic 4th so I was expecting a great Sunday on the 5th

-Launched a new off site LifeGroup at Starbucks. This thing has some amazing potential, were expecting BIG things out of this latest experiment.

- On a weekend we celebrated the freedom of our great country a mother and child attended a church service for the very first time in America at our church. We made a big deal, because it is a big deal so we recognized and honored this tremendous journey of a family being reunited. Prayer works Sumant! Congratulations on your family arriving and welcome Geethu and Advay!

-T.L. the ministah unleashed his latest song to open the message. By the way a new CD is due to be out soon available on iTunes. More info on that to come within the next three weeks. We can't wait!

-We continued our series on "The Blueprint", but with a twist. Complete video driven sermon, other then the first and last 4 minutes. Great success, many people were touched, a lot of positive feedback. Great experiment... definitely won't be our last.

-Had a chance to talk to several folks during the day and heard some beautiful stories. Take some time, listen to the stories of peoples lives, they are amazing. Thanks Kanchan for sharing your heart and your amazing story, more people need to hear it.

-Ended the day with a great lunch with the team and some shaved ice. Started brainstorming our next series. We have some great ideas, can't wait to see things unfold.

Should have some more pics later during the week!