What is this?

I went to the Giants game last night in SF. After the game when Sarah and I were leaving the ballpark, there were two or three guys just outside the gate that had megaphones and big signs. They were announcing things such as, "Judgement day is near!" and "Repent for your sins!". They had signs that read, "What will you say to Jesus on judgement day?".

To be honest with you, I was a little frustrated with those guys. They were just trying to scare people into repenting for their sins. I just don't think that is a good way to go about bring people into a relationship with Christ.

It is an incomplete message of what it means to be a Christian. It sounds like all those guys want is for me to repent. If I repent, then what? Can I just go back to my life? Repenting for your sins is not the whole equation. We are in a relationship with God. We cannot just say a prayer for repentance and thats it.

Maybe I'm reading into this too much. It just ticks me off when people only convey part of the gospel message. We are called to repent, turn away from our meaningless existence, and awaken our souls to be in a living relationship with the Living God. I want people to understand that God is stretching out His hand, like Jesus and Peter, to save us. I want people to grab hold of the life, love, and hope Jesus brings. Scaring people into repentance is not enough. Love people like Jesus, and they will see your new life in Christ.

Yelo: Step Up. Step Out. Lead. Live.

After our conference at Mosiac in LA, I have been so empowered to bring positive change to my sphere of influence. I really felt like our leadership in the Gathering needed an overhaul. The group is already hard working and I love them, but I want to raise the bar to something that is beyond anyone's expectations. This summer, Daniel Garcia and I have put together a three week leadership development class called Yelo: Leadership Training Experience. This is a program put on by Mosaic in LA, but we are using the name and many of the resources we got at our conference in LA. We will be focusing on character development, strengths, and how we can set the bar higher than we ever imagined in leadership. It is going to be very exciting and I hope every potential leader at Hillside Church attends. The classes will be on Sat. and Sun. three weeks in a row from July 8-23. There are really only three session, they are just repeated two nights so we can work around people's schedules. Please check out the flyer in the Hillside Church bulletin or downstairs in the Gathering lounge.

Junior High River Raft Trip 2006

I am going to be the speaker at the Junior High River Raft Trip for Hillside. I am so excited because I have some amazing lessons planned that are going to challenge the junior higher's faith. The theme is "Dive in Deep" and I will be speaking on what is really means to be a Christian, selflessness, and changing the world. Please pray that God will use me to reach the core of these kids' hearts. I want them to leave challenged and empowered to live a life fully devoted to Christ.

6-6-06

So the world didn't end today; at least most of it. It's 10:30 pm on the west coast so there is still a chance for us. Well, I guess life goes on. Actually, I'm glad the world didn't end today. I have friends that need Christ. Well, on to 6-7-06.

I'm a slacker

I posted a few weeks ago that I would start a series of articles on the Catalyst Groupzine, but I've been a slacker. I got distracted by another good book: Blue Like Jazz. I would recommend reading this book. It has great insight into how the world views Christianity. I will be writing a much more extensive review on this book very soon since I just finished reading it today. If you get bored this summer, pick up a copy of Blue Like Jazz. If you can't focus enough to read an ENTIRE book, check back for the clifnotes as determined by me.