#686 - PAYING DIVIDENDS

For the last two and a half years, I have worked (and prayed!) really hard for two things to become embedded into the culture of THEMOVEMENT.CHURCH:

  1. 1-1 Discipleship

  2. Corporate Prayer

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to see the fruit of my labor (and the labor of the team I serve alongside), in a very striking way.

I preached at a College/Career Winter Camp for a church in Vallejo. Over the course of 4 sessions, I was blessed to be able to share about 4 characteristics of the early church.

  1. Reproducible Discipleship

  2. Corporate Prayer

  3. Repentant Confession

  4. Irrational Generosity

Though, all of the sessions were helpful (at least that’s what I was told!), I was most proud of how the sessions on 1-1 discipleship and corporate prayer landed on the group’s heart.

After my message on reproducible discipleship, I was able to do a workshop on how we do 1-1 discipleship at our church. My wife and three others were able to share testimonies of how being in 1-1 discipleship relationships have positively impacted their relationship with Christ.

After we were finished, many of the campers approached their leaders about discipling them after the camp was concluded. Many of the leaders also approached campers about discipling them as well.

I am so thankful that two and a half years of work was able to result in me being able to pass on a way to 1-1 discipleship that is simple and reproducible. I’m so thankful that my time invested in the camp can go beyond my sermons and continue on in the form of discipleship relationships!

But that wasn’t all. My second session was on corporate prayer. After I concluded, we circled up to practice corporate prayer. In just a few minutes the students were able to experience for themselves how “doable” and impactful corporate prayer could be.

I received a lot of feedback on how the group wanted to take corporate prayer back to their church when the camp was over! Praise God.

Then, to cap off the three-day weekend, I returned home to attend our corporate prayer gathering on Monday night.

It was incredible.

The level of faith, desperation, hope, trust, humility, unity, and intimacy that was present in the room was other worldly! There was a palpable sense of the presence of God. There was a palpable sense of the pleasure of God for what we were doing.

Though our church is currently in a corporate fast, I’m convinced many (if not all) of us left our corporate prayer gathering full.

The work is paying off. The prayer is paying off. God is honoring how we are attempting to honor Him. God is using the healthy things in our church to be an inspiration to other churches. God is growing our commitment to and understanding of corporate prayer.

A revival is happening in our hearts. A revival is happening in our church.

I am so thankful.

To God be the glory.

#685 - JOY FATIGUE

Can there be such a thing?

So much joy and happiness that it actually “tires” you? So much of God’s favor that you’re overwhelmed? So much blessing that you actually want it to slow down a bit so you can savor it?

Though this may sound absolutely ridiculous (or for those of you who may not be going through the most joyous season of your life, it may even be offensive), for the last 4 months of 2018 and entering into 2019 this has been my reality!

In this post I want to write about some of the moments that contributed to this “joy fatigue,” not to brag or to boast, but to glorify God for His overwhelming goodness and grace in my life.

I also write down these moments so I can look back and remember all that God has done.

SEPTEMBER 2018

  1. This season of “joy fatigue” actually started with one of the most unexpected, painful, personal experiences I’ve ever gone through. On September 11, while in Portland for work, I had to go to the ER for an excruciating pain in my right eye. It turned out to be a pseudomonas infection which to this day has clouded the vision in my right eye and will require a cornea replacement surgery!

  2. On Sunday, September 16, our church celebrated our 5-Year Anniversary. Though I was unable to preach at the service because of the pain I was experiencing, we heard a testimony from the principal of the school our church meets at thanking us for our service to the school, we ordained a new pastor, we heard a testimony of reconciliation and healing from a couple who had experienced infidelity in their marriage, and one of the pastors I have been mentoring over the last several years preached a phenomenal message.

  3. The week following our anniversary service, I preached a 4-day Middle School/High School Retreat. In spite of my pain, God carried me through, and I received a very generous honorarium.

  4. I officiated a wedding for a couple in our church in Granite Bay.

  5. I fellowshipped with some pastors at Pebble Beach where I was affirmed, encouraged, and prayed for.

OCTOBER 2018

  1. I was blessed to enjoy a week with my family in Lake Tahoe. My eye was still hurting pretty bad, but the time with my family was refreshing.

  2. A bill our church owed to the school district was miraculously reduced by close to $20,000!

  3. The medications I was on began to reduce the pain in my eye dramatically.

  4. I was privileged to preach at the church of another church planter in the Bay Area.

  5. I officiated another wedding for a couple at our church in Burbank.

NOVEMBER 2018

  1. I was given the opportunity to kick-off the Acts 29 West Lead Pastor’s Retreat with a message around Increasing Our Affections for God. Pastor Ryan Kwon gave me an introduction that blessed me deeply. I was also able to have lunch with him and receive some much needed mentoring. I was deeply affirmed in my calling and gifting during this retreat.

  2. I also was able to see my wife shine as the Event Coordinator for this event. Very few things give me as deep of a joy as seeing my wife flourish in her work!

  3. God blessed my wife and I with a new couple in our church who I see becoming very close friends with.

  4. We had a very life-giving Thanksgiving Weekend with my childhood friend and his family.

  5. We had our highest internal giving month ever and an unexpected contribution of $20,000!

DECEMBER 2018

  1. I led our staff through an off-site where I discerned the greatest level of unity, love, and commitment that we have ever experienced as a team.

  2. I preached a teaching series on what the Bible has to say about money that God used to bring in over $48,000 in giving above and beyond our regular tithes and offerings! We distributed $14,500 of the giving to needs in our church, and we gave the school we meet at a $12,000 check to bless them!

  3. The engagement and types of prayers that were being prayed in our Monday night corporate prayer gatherings was off the charts!

  4. Enjoyed a very special Christmas service together as a church family.

  5. Enjoyed Christmas with my wife in Texas. Discovered the patty melt at Whataburger! Enjoyed watching my dog swim at the dog park. Ate so much good food!

JANUARY 2019

  1. Finished the manuscript for my very first book (Only God.) and sent it to a publisher!

  2. Have received very kind, unexpected, endorsements for book from people I deeply admire and respect.

  3. Was invited to facilitate a goal-setting workshop for a business team. (Hadn’t done that in a while!)

  4. Found out a pastor at another church is using the content from our December teaching series on money to teach his congregation about money.

  5. Discovered that the first person to give his life to the Lord through our ministry, over five years ago, is discerning a call to go into full-time vocational ministry!

  6. Was invited by another pastor in East Oakland to encourage his congregation.

  7. Seeing the “worship temperature” in our Sunday services increase dramatically.

  8. Seeing my joy and passion for teaching the Bible accurately increase dramatically.

  9. Had an incredible membership meeting where new members were added, a new pastor was affirmed by our membership, and the level of unity and love in our membership was strongly experienced!

  10. Seeing breakthrough in relationships amongst leaders in our church.

  11. Found out the publisher wants to work with me to publish my book!

  12. Seeing very high engagement and excitement around our 21-day corporate fast.

God’s goodness is so overwhelming!

And it doesn’t look like He is going to stop pouring out His love and favor on my life and my ministry anytime soon.

So what is the lesson to be learned?

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21)