Last Sunday at Lighthouse

Preached three services this morning, lead worship for three services this morning, spoke my final words to LWPC, hugged about 10,000 people, almost lost my voice, watched the hilarious kidnapped video of Josh and I, the slideshow montage of Jessica and I, Tara and Patty the Puppet, listened to "California Preaching," Heather and Matt's "Nathan's Life Story" song, Double Trouble's original Hip Hop masterpiece just for us, received awesome prayer for the L.A. team, and ate my face on a chocolate cake... it's conclusive, I couldn't have had a better last day on staff at Lighthouse...

Photos and videos coming shortly... too tired right now. 

Thank you everyone for an absolutely AMAZING time!

Last Saturday Night Before a Sunday Morning at Lighthouse

Late Saturday nights have been habitually amazing times of prayer, revelation, and expectation as I prepare to minister the following Sunday morning at LWPC. I can recall many songs that were written and many tears that were shed. 

One of the most memorable was about three and a half years ago when I was at the church at 1 AM and had just finished my last minute preparations to the stage and the Song Show Plus presentation. I took great pleasure in everything being in order and ready for the morning, and then sat at the baby grand piano and just began singing "O that someone like You would love someone like me, O that someone like you would die to set me free, O that someone like You is there so faithfully, You're a selfless savior, and You're exactly what I need." Then the verses began to pour out just as fast. They were a desperate cry from a low place that I wasn't necessarily experiencing in that moment, but I felt it all the same. Turns out, when I sang it the next morning in service (just 8 hours later), God used it to FREE someone from serious suicidal thoughts and intentions! How amazing... they approached me weeping and felt the song was directly from God for them... which it was. 

I went on to record it, sing it to minister in many churches and services, and perform it at GMA's Music in the Rockies as a top three finalist for worship song of the year. 

... just one of the memories that is now bitter sweet as this season comes to a close. 

A Day of Miracles and How to Get the Right Perspective

Today I rested well, breathed in divine life before my feet hit the ground, awoke to my beautiful wife, spoke to my soon-to-be-born daughter, relaxed with my family, spent time with my heavenly Father, had a birthday dinner for my Mom's fiftieth (Happy Birthday Mom... you are sooo loved), had to do some work even though it was my day off, by God's grace was able to to allow the Spirit of God to bear fruit through me despite myself, was tempted but overcame it as God provided a way out (as He ALWAYS does), hung out with my mother-in-law and my twin sister's-in-law, and took in the beauty of sunshine and a rain storm within three hours of each other!

THIS DAY WAS FAR FROM SPECTACULAR TO MOST, BUT WITH THE RIGHT PERSPECTIVE IT WAS NOTHING BUT MIRACLE AFTER MIRACLE THAT COULD ONLY BE ORCHESTRATED AND DELIVERED BY GOD. 

I believe that life should be lived with eyes wide open to the wonder and adventure of following Jesus. It's so sad when I meet people who live with eyes sealed shut to anything and everything God has placed before them. You may need to BREAK THROUGH the things that are blocking your view. 

If you feel stale and blocked, here are three self-examination questions to help you break through to the right perspective (borrowed from Jeff Leake)...

1.  Is there a SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE that I need to renew or launch?  Maybe a fast?  Tackle a memorization challenge?  Commit to a Bible reading plan?  Establish a more consistent devotional time and place?

2.  Is there an EXPERIENCE I could pursue?  Have you been baptized in the Holy Spirit?  Have you participated in a Missions Trip?  Have you been prayed over lately?  Have you prayed for someone else?  Maybe you need to have an extended time of solitude?  A day to seek God?  

3.  Is there a RISK - a STEP OF FAITH that I need to take?  What has God asked you to do and you have not yet obeyed?  What promise do you need to declare in spite of what you see?  Where is Jesus calling you to follow?  A new adventure?  Sharing your faith?  Praying for the sick?  Stepping out as a Small Group Leader or a Volunteer?

The Proper Foundation is Worth the Re-Effort

We were recently building a dock... at the very end, we put much effort in getting the posts cemented in at the right height, level, centered, etc. After getting them in, WE REALIZED THE POSTS WERE NOT THE RIGHT DISTANCE APART! At that moment, we had to decide whether to rip one of them out and lay the proper foundation or let it go and try to make do. 

We decided it was WORTH the RE-EFFORT! The semi-hard cement had to be dug out, a new hole had to be made, the measurements had to be re-taken, and more cement had to be purchased and mixed. In the end it was well worth it to have an operational dock! 

Evaluate your life and make ANY CHANGE necessary to get a foundation in place that can be successfully built upon. It could be your marriage, your career move, your calling, your family, and even your decision to follow Christ.

Read Luke 14:27-30... it is worth the RE-EFFORT!  

Last Night at The Call

Jessica and I had our last service at The Call Youth Ministry tonight (see crazy picture of everyone and me with the crew)... it was sad but also amazing. We really love these kids and it's been a joy to see them grow into young men and women of passion for God and life. (I can't wait to see what happens with all of you over the next ten years! You have so much in store! The world isn't ready for the impact you're gonna have... I am privileged to have been a small part of it. When you feel like Abraham and the promise (purpose) of God looks impossible, you must also believe like Abraham did and it will be counted to you as righteousness, and He will fulfill HIS promise in you... always look to Christ and you will walk on water... and when you fall, He'll rescue you! Love you all!)  ...crazy dance video coming soon...

Anniversary and Last Night at MYAC

Jessica and I celebrated our two year anniversary today (the best two years ever!)... also our last Mission Young Adult Church Service...a congregation that I began about four years ago.  I took everyone through the history of MYAC, shared some final words, prayed for Keith (the new Pastor), and then had everyone stand up front for photos and a crazy dance video on my Blackberry... the photos will be up later, here is the dance video... by the way, my good friend Ferd was hard core grinding behind me when you hear everyone laughing and see them pointing... and also take note of Jessica's baby mama dance on the front right... 

Prayer for Prayer

I pray today that people of God would PRAY. Determine in the deepest place your desperate NEED for Him. We often need to repent of an attitude of self-sufficiency, evidenced by prayer-less days, weeks, months. God teaches us the power of simply calling on the name of the Lord...

Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. (Romans 10:13) 

I called on your name, O LORD, from the depths of the pit. O Lord, you took up my case; you redeemed my life. (Lamentations 3:55, 58)

God also warns us about not calling on His name...

Will evildoers never learn— those who devour my people as men eat bread and who do not call on the LORD? (Psalm 14:4) ...a correlation between not calling on the name of the Lord and being an evildoer that does harm to God's people... 

DESPERATION AND RELIANCE ON GOD IS EVIDENCED BY A PRAYER FILLED LIFE... this is my goal in family, finances, dreams, and the Clarity church plant. 

All Relationships to Reveal God

Picture One: Baby legs... it's a girl

Picture Two: Baby with fist in mouth

Picture Three: Nice face shot 

I believe that God uses and has created all of our earthly relationships to more fully REVEAL Himself to us. We experience true love and He declares that He IS love. We become husbands or wives and He declares that HE IS our husband and we (the church) ARE HIS wife. We have Fathers and He declares that HE IS our perfect heavenly Father. We become parents of children and He declares that we ARE HIS children. This is why healthy and godly relationships so beautifully teach the true nature of God, and why dysfunctional and broken relationships so tragically teach the false nature of God. You MUST evaluate how you are depicting the nature of God in and through all your relationships and be determined to grow more into an accurate representation today... for the sake of your heavenly Father. 

Pregnancy, Birthing Classes, Ultra Sounds, Pictures, and Church Planting

First Picture: Jessica at twenty weeks in my office.

Second Picture: Jessica and I right after our first ultra sound at twenty one weeks.

Third Picture: Jessica's silhouette at thirty weeks in front of the lake at my parents house. 

Today we have our third birthing class (which has been a wild and educational experience) and a 3-D ultrasound (I will post pictures and video soon) and the baby is due August first, but we're told it could come anytime after mid-July! We appreciate your prayers and are sooo excited. It is also very cool to be in the process of a baby-birth and a church-birth at the same time... and interesting how much prep work, healthy internal growth, and miracle working power of God they both need. 

Clarity Website & Blog...Journey to L.A.

I'm happy to say that the CLARITY website is up and will be running with the promo video and some basic info this weekend. This will be an active site dedicated to the church that God has called us to plant in the West Side of L.A...Santa Monica. 

Also, THIS blog will be tracking the journey to L.A. as we preach around the nation, raise some support, and start meeting as a launch team and staff on the first Monday of June. There will be everything from pictures to video blogs so you can keep up to date on what's going on and pray for us...or join us. Don't hesitate to contact me with any questions, concerns, or encouragement at nathan@claritylife.org. 

Remember

In the back room looking over the lake that my parents live on...the early sun was glistening on the slow-moving water and the blue sky still had a hint of red in it. As I was taking in the beauty, I noticed on the table-top between myself and the window...the two by one foot model sailing ship that I made while in art school at the age of thirteen. It consists of clay, popsicle sticks, brass, paint, string, cloth, wood, and tons of hot glue. Well, this morning it was positioned perfectly to look like it was sailing on the morning waters after a long night at sea just looking for it's next adventure. The image immediately brought me back to being a young, thirteen year old sailor, adventurer, artist, builder, explorer, dreamer, believer, captain...you name it!

Then I remembered the Scriptures, "Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know," (Jeremiah 33:3) and...

"You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first." (Revelation 2:4b-5a)

Today, may you remember the child-like adventure, exploration, and dreams that God put in you as you sail over the vast seas, blown by the mighty wind of the Spirit, and in personal relationship with your first love, Jesus...

Myrtle Beach Lessons 001: The Never-Ending Roar

I'll never forget my vacation to Myrtle Beach last summer with my wife and her family...it was a time of countless spiritual lessons. One of them came as I was flipping through "Fresh Wind Fresh Fire" by Jim Cymbala, which I highly recommend, and reading the part about calling on the name of the Lord. Jim was elaborating on when God spoke to him to simply teach his small congregation to pray. God was deeply stirring in me as I read the story, and every time one of Jessica's family members would slide open our condo's glass door the sound of the crashing waves and the hot air would rush in and quickly fill the room. It shocked me every time. Everyone would be playing Wii Golf, eating some ice cream, laughing about something, or slowly falling to sleep on the couch, when all-of-sudden the door would be opened and we were all reminded of the roar just outside.

It struck me that the crashing of the waves is just like the prayers of the saints. They are constantly being offered up, building upon one another, getting stronger and stronger, and forming into the mighty cry of the Lion of Judah (Jesus and his body, the Church). We often get distracted and lose sight of the spiritual war around us, but then someone opens the door and we are overwhelmed by the power, the size, and the sound of the never-ending roar of the Saints of God. May you join in today!

Simple Times, Simple People?

Some people shrug off the life and teachings of Jesus saying, "Those were simple times and simple people, the world is different now." But they don't realize the complexity of the cosmopolitan society that Jesus stepped into. There was just as much diversity, just as many sweeping societal deceptions, just as much political tension, just as much insatiable lust for the world, just as much hatred, just as many false gods being sacrificed to, just as much poverty, just as much wealth, just as much false religion, just as many demons of hell, and just as many strongholds claiming victims. Jerusalem was like L.A., New York, London, or Tokyo. 

Jesus... one like no one had seen before, one who wasn't like anyone or anything else, one who spoke with authority, and one who was filled with grace and truth, broke into our world and our history proclaiming, "Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven in near." This young man revealed the love of the Father in a society just like ours today. The amazing news is that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. May you engage yourself in the ministry of Jesus Christ today, wherever you are, with whomever is around you...

Pray Your Priorities

About a week ago I was discouraged by comparing and belittling myself in the light of other great ministries. I realized I had to stop and seek God in order to see clearly, but I continued to be distracted in prayer. Then God reminded me of something I had read that same morning, "It is essential to keep our priorities in tact as a guideline through the complexities of life." Those priorities are God first, family second, ministry (or vocation) third.

Then I began to pray through those priorities and EVERYTHING in me shifted. As I told God that He was my FIRST priority and how much I loved Him, I began to rest with over-whelming fulfillment in His presence. Then as I prayed for my wife and my "soon-to-be-born" child, I was melted in awe of how God has perfectly fit us together, and I had a rejuvenated mission to love them with words and actions as the leader of my household. Then, and only then, was I able to pray about what God has called me to do and for those multitudes that I want to reach with the Gospel. May you, today...have peace as you pray through your priorities.

Lazy Sunday Morning?

Once every year we partner with Red Cross for the "Run for the Red Marathon." This does not sound like much until you understand that the marathon is held on a Sunday morning and shuts down the only road that leads to our congregation's facility. I still remember and respect my Dad for when he decided to cancel all our Sunday morning services and have just one service at 12 Noon in order to allow the marathon to run. Not only that, but he decided to organize volunteers to run a water station at 7 AM to help serve the runners. He made a statement that we care about what our community cares about and are not so self-consumed that we have have to fight everything that may interfere with our perceived self-importance. Keep in mind that as a consequence of this, we have a much smaller attendance for that week and a much smaller monetary income for that week. But also as a consequence of this, the Red Cross asked my Dad to open the marathon day with a prayer in Jesus name!

So today is the marathon and that is why I am writing this at 10:20 AM on this lazy Sunday morning :) Thanks to my Dad and anyone else who sends a message that we, as the Body of Christ, care about our community...kind of like Jesus did.

A Movement

I heard a question recently that is stirring new passion in me and revealing more of what I think God has called me to do and be a part of. The question is..."What would you do in the world and in the kingdom of God if you knew you could not fail?"

The follow up statement is really the point...
"Whatever that is, if you don't do it, you're a coward."

When I ask myself the first question, the answer is simple...reach people, communicate Jesus, plant a far-reaching church(es), and start a movement. When I challenge myself with the follow-up statement, I realize that I was put here, at this time, to do this.

I hope you will join with me and do whatever it is that God has put in the core of you...and don't forget, simply find out who YOU are and then BE that. Have no fear and allow your life and mission to need God to make it happen!