Slept in.
Poke Bowl, Fish Tacos, and Volcano Fries for a late lunch. Decent.
Enjoyed the best shave ice I’ve ever had. Ululani’s. ICE HIT DIFFERENT!
Makena beach. Huge waves. Watching the locals bodyboard was pretty epic. They’re fearless.
Great final dinner at Monkey Pod. Poke tacos. Fish and chips. And a delicious ribeye with great jalapeño mashed potatoes and tasty greens!
So thankful and blessed to have these days away with my wife. God is so kind to us.
Loco Moco and Poke Bowl for brunch. Delicious!
Chilled at the VRBO.
Classic Katsu and Galbi plate lunches for dinner. Also tasty.
Windy 30+ mile drive to the Haleakala Crater. 10,000+ feet elevation. 42 degrees at the summit. Beautiful views. Incredible sunset.
Long drive back home.
Great night’s sleep.
FREE breakfast at The Lanai.
Had to check out, but still enjoyed the rest of the day at The Westin.
Spent morning writing. Everyday Humility is not coming together as easily as I would like, but I have to push through.
Rested poolside. Nachos poolside.
Swam in ocean. DIDN’T lose sunglasses.
Drove back to Kihei.
Chicken over rice and fish and chips for dinner. Decent again. Still blessed and thankful!
Wifey made the clutch decision to rent a room at the Westin for the night!
First poke bowl and adobo fried rice for lunch. Delicious.
Shopped.
Relaxed in “The Lanai” at The Westin.
Took professional photographs. Can’t wait to see how they turn out.
Dinner back at the hotel. Decent.
Beautiful room. Great view. So blessed.
Spent the morning working on my new book Everyday Humility.
Late lunch. Cajun style Ahi. Delicious.
Beach. Lost my glasses in the water. Bummed.
Sat in Target parking lot while our electric rental car charged and Rebekah shopped. No glasses. Rough.
Dinner at Taco Bell. Don’t judge.
Malasadas and a Portuguese Sausage Kimchi Quiche for breakfast!
Beach.
Japanese for lunch.
Showered. Rested.
Shopped.
Mediocre Thai dinner.
What a blessed life my wife and I are privileged to live.
Let the real vacation begin!
Landed in Maui at about 3pm.
Navigated Covid protocols pretty seamlessly.
Picked up rental car through Turo with ease.
Enjoyed lunch/early dinner at Tin Roof.
Shopped at Costco. Snacks. Snacks. Snacks.
Arrived at VRBO across the street from the beach at about 6pm.
Settled in.
Crossed street to beach to catch sunset. INCREDIBLE.
Crashed early. Jet lag is real!
Highlight of the day. An incredible date night with my wife at Oracle Park for a great baseball game on a beautiful Tuesday night in the Bay!
Bought a new Giants hat.
Splurged on great seats.
Enjoyed a 4-run Giants 1st inning.
Witnessed Buster go yard to center field!
Feasted on a classic ballpark meal—Hot dog. Garlic Fries. Coca-Cola.
Endured a 5-run 6th by the Diamondbacks to tie the game.
Cheered as the Giants went back up by 2.
Devastated as the Diamondbacks tied the game in the top of the 9th.
Elated as the Giants walked-off in the bottom of the 9th.
Loved being with my wife for every moment!
Back in the Bay. 3 quick reflections.
The cool, crisp air has never felt so refreshing!
Re-connecting with the staff/members of the church I used to pastor is such a blessing. The love I have for them is still very strong, but the responsibility I have to them feels very different.
Feeling deeply loved by the people you deeply loved is deeply satisfying.
I’ve got the next 14 days off!
Here are some of the goals I have as I hope to maximize and enjoy this time of rest.
Re-connect with family and friends in the Bay Area.
Enjoy 7 days of rest, relaxation, re-connection, and exploration with my wife in Maui.
Blog pictures and memories from my vacation daily.
Finish reading The Practice by Seth Godin.
Work on my next longer form writing project on the topic of humility.
Enjoy my 39th birthday with family and friends.
Serve my friend Pastor Philip Muela and Inspire Church by preaching for their services on August 22.
Be prepared and open for anything else God wants to surprise me with and bring my way!
There would be no way I could have the peace, joy, and freedom to fully embrace my new position here at Hope Church in Las Vegas if it were not for the blessing and gift of Pastor Christopher Stites and his acceptance of the call to replace me as the Senior Pastor of The Movement Church in Oakland.
Christopher has now served in the role of Senior Pastor for a little over 3 months, and last week we had the opportunity to catch up in a conversation that lasted about 3 hours. I couldn’t be more thankful to hear about all that God is doing through him and the church!
In an effort to praise God, and publicly acknowledge and appreciate Pastor Christopher, here are 10 reasons why I’m super proud of and thankful for him! In just 3 short months, Pastor Christopher has…
Smoothly stepped into courageously leading the staff and pastoral teams.
Boldly decided to make significant Spirit-led changes.
Wisely discerned the changes that shouldn’t immediately be made.
Lovingly connected with key leaders and new families to the church.
Passionately persisted in sacrificially serving Oakland public schools.
Effectively sustained a life-giving preaching ministry.
Humbly absorbed unfair criticism and slander.
Significantly increased the number of people engaging in the weekly prayer meeting.
Proactively joined a coaching cohort that will greatly impact his leadership ability.
Joyfully submitted to the God-sized task of shepherding, equipping, and empowering a faith family for the mission of Jesus!
Only other Senior Pastors know the true weight and burden of being a Senior Pastor. And after having served as one for 8+ years, of this one thing I’m sure…Pastor Christopher is carrying this weight with grace, skill, courage, and humility and The Movement Church is a better church because of it!
For the last 8 years, I was a Senior Pastor. In a formal sense, this meant that I did not have a pastor. (I served alongside pastors who loved me and looked out for me, but that is a little bit different.)
As just one of the several “Lead Pastors” at Hope Church, I now have the privilege of having Senior Pastor Vance Pitman and Senior Executive Pastor Travis Ogle as my pastors!
For the first time in a long time, there are two godly men who have been called to be overseers and shepherds over my life specifically! What a blessing. I am so grateful. The areas that I can see this benefiting me the most in the days ahead are:
The health of my soul. To have pastors that have/feel a responsibility for not allowing ministry to compromise the health of my inner life brings me great comfort.
The flourishing of my marriage. To have pastors that have/feel a responsibility for ensuring that my marriage is stronger than my ministry brings me great joy.
The utilization of my gifts. To have pastors that have/feel a responsibility for placing me in positions where my gifts can serve the body of Christ best brings me great excitement.
The fulfillment of my calling. To have pastors that have/feel a responsibility for guiding me towards the completion of every good work that God deposited within me brings me great peace.
Though I will continue to shepherd people in the areas listed above (as I continue to be a pastor myself), I thank God that in this next season men will be intentionally doing this for me! I pray I never take this for granted.
I encourage you. Thank your pastor today. May we never forget, we are not entitled to the loving, sacrificial, gracious care that they give.
Whether you call it quiet time, abiding, being alone with God, etc…most followers of Jesus agree: having a consistent “God Time” (as we call it here at Hope Church) is absolutely essential for having a thriving relationship with Jesus Christ.
But what qualifies as a “God Time?” When can I say I’ve had it, on any given day, and when do I know I haven’t?
The list that follows are several things that must characterize my “God Time” or else I don’t feel like I’ve pursued/abided in the Lord on that particular day. (Keep in mind, in no way, shape, or form are these legalistic measures you need to adhere to. Your “God Time” may look totally different than mine. These are just things I know must take place for me.)
Intentional. Did I set out, proactively, to invest time in my relationship with Jesus Christ today?
Biblical. Was a significant part of that investment of time reading, listening, and considering a specific portion of God’s Word?
Prayerful/Worshipful. Was another significant part of that investment of time praising, posturing myself in humility, petitioning, and preparing myself for the temptations of the enemy (the pattern of the Lord’s Prayer) in a worship-based conversation with God?
Not mindlessly scrolling through inspirational devotional thoughts on Instagram. Not multi-tasking and listening to Christian sermons or podcasts. Not reading a Christian book. Not “enjoying Christian fellowship” and talking to someone else about God. Not even listening and joyfully singing along to my favorite songs of worship. (These are all great thing that I do and love doing!)
They just aren’t the things that I want to build the foundation of my ongoing relationship with Jesus Christ on.
I don’t write because I think I’m an expert. I don’t write because I want to be an influencer. I don’t write because I want to build a platform.
I write because I’m trying to be a faithful steward. Of lessons learned. Of ideas thought. Of creativity within.
I write because I’m trying to be a humble student. Of life. Of failures. Of experiences.
I write because I’m trying to be a generous servant. Making complex ideas simple. Making theological principles understandable. Making personal growth accessible.
I write, ultimately, to be obedient to my God who seems to time and time again impress it upon my heart that there is a responsibility He has given me that must not be ignored: WRITE.
Inspirational devotionals. Sermon clips. Christian podcasts. Small groups. Church attendance. Discipleship relationships. Christian conversation.
Are you naively assuming these things are sufficient?
These are all great things that can add to our walk with Jesus. But none of them can or should be substitutes for the daily reading of God’s Word.
How do I know this to be true?
Because as much as I hate to admit it, there are times when I (even as a pastor) neglect the daily reading of God’s Word and when I do…I feel the malnourishment! I feel the inadequacy of these other things to be able to feed me. I feel the weakening of my ability to obey the voice of the Holy Spirit and the strengthening of my inclination to succumb to the desires of my flesh.
Dear Christian, read your Bible. Open your Bible, today, and read it seeking a fresh word from your Heavenly Father. Not as a religious duty, but as a humble acknowledgement of the truth…
Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Don’t just complain…create.
Don’t just criticize…create.
Don’t just comment…create.
Don’t just condemn…create.
Don’t just run your mouth about what’s wrong with the world around you.
See a problem. Evaluate the situation. Create a solution.
You were created in the image of a Creator; not a loose-lipped, cynical, nitpicking critic!
Create.
If you don’t love the habit, you won’t persevere in the work. If you don’t persevere in the work, you won’t sow the seeds required for success over a long enough period of time to bear fruit. And if you don’t bear fruit, well…it’s only a matter of time before you quit or get fired.
YOU’VE GOTTA’ LOVE THE HABIT.
You’ve gotta’ love the practice. You’ve gotta’ love the discipline. You’ve gotta love the grind. You’ve gotta’ love what’s required of you when no one is looking.
As a pastor, I love the habit of 1-1 shepherding conversations that no one else sees or celebrates. As a preacher, I love the habit of preparing sermons even if large crowds never hear them. As a writer, I love the habit of writing even if I’m not widely read.
By the grace of God, I love the habits my work requires more than the fruit of my habits.
YOU’VE GOTTA’ LOVE THE HABIT.
Because, if you love the results more than the habit, when the results aren’t evident (and there will be many seasons when they’re not)…you’ll walk.