[ Thoughts on Mark 6:1-6 ]

Oh Jesus! You came to your own town and they were blown away. They couldn’t understand where you got your wisdom. You wisdom is from of old. From before the foundations of the earth were laid, you comprehended all. Your wisdom is perfect, flawless. You are the only wise God!

How are such mighty works done by his hand? How are they not?! We see healings and forgiveness and miracles and wonder how is that possible? Oh, foolish people we are, do we not realize that you, oh Lord, are the creator of all things? The earth was made by you and for you and through you! Every little detail, from a microorganism to the Grand Canyon was dreamt up by you—and carried out to existence by te speaking of your word. Jesus, you hold all things together, and still…still we ask How are such mighty works done by his hand?

They thought you were a mere carpenter. How often have I reduced you, Jesus, to something lower than the Most Holy God! The King of Kings. Lord of Lords. The high and exalted Holy One! Forgive me, Lord Jesus.

“A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household,” you said.

You were true to God’s call for your life to prophetic ministry. You did not care about being accepted more than obedience to the Father. He was of utmost importance. Please help me to do the same, not looking to the approval of the world, or friends, or my boss, or my students, or my wife, or my parents. Only the Father.

You marveled at their unbelief.

My current reading list

- ESV Study Bible (currently reading Daniel and Mark)
- "Hipster Christianity" by Brett McCraken
- "Black" by Ted Dekker
- "Closer" by Jim and Cathy Burns (marriage devo with Kaitlin)
- "Love Focused" by Bob and Judy Hughes
- "Renewed Day by Day" by AW Tozer (Daily devo)
- "One Minute Student Bible" by Doug Fields (daily devo)

how true this is...

Image credit: http://www.theresurgence.com/

Summer Camp Videos

...Beautiful...

Last Week's Schenanigans

Last week, we had a jam-packed week! Not only were we crankin out office work, camp forms, sermon prep, and advertising, we also were VERY social. Kailtin (who is on staff with the youth group with me for the summer) and I spent a lot of time one-on-one with students, which was a blast. In addition, we had three big events...

First was the WACKY TACKY PROGRESSIVE DINNER! So much fun! We had a 3-course meal backwards (since it was wacky tacky) and required costumes and face paint (always a great idea for youth ministry)!

Second was beach day. It was such a great time to connect with students in the ordinary. We got to talk about personal devotional times and what God was teaching them. Kaitlin and I stayed a little longer at the back (which was a bad idea because we got burned BAD!).

Finally, we attended a benefit dinner for a club that one of our students started at her school called Cooking Cause we Care. She was looking for a way to combine her passion for cooking and baking with something meaningful. Last summer, she had the opportunity to visit South Africa (where her mom was born), and was cut to the heart when she saw so many living below the level of poverty and with very little food. She started the club and they cater events, sell christmas cookies, and have baking parties. All of the money they raise goes to South African Food Bank.

They put on a beautiful event in Newport Beach with home-made gourmet 4-course meal! Some of our other youth group students we serving food, cooking, and playing some swanky jazz music! It was awesome to see teens rally around something that mattered to them!

Just a typical week...

Christian Saenz

My cousin, Christian Saenz, is a rad dude. Right now he is a Jr. Pro surfer and rides for Hurley, among other brands. He recently graduated high school and is probably one of the most down-to-earth guys I know. He takes his faith seriously and seeks to honor God in all he does. He is known for his hard work and training both in surfing and his life in general. Even with all of the temptations that the surf industry brings (drugs, sex, partying), he has managed to, by God's grace, abstain from them. He often talks about how he wants to be a good example as a Christian to others and to his younger siblings. He spoke to our youth group on being SET APART in the world. Currently, Christian is up for the OC Male Rising Star Surfer and you can vote for him HERE! Check out his video below and an awesome article the OC Register did on him.

oc register video from chrisiansaenz on Vimeo.

SET APART: Pacific Youth Summer Series

This summer at Pacific Youth, we are studying 1 Peter. Our theme is SET APART and we are seeking to learn and live out what it means to be set apart from the world as Christians. Our theme verse is 1 Peter 2:9:

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

It has been a blast learning for myself what being set apart looks like in all areas of my life...and a challenge as well. A couple of things that have stood out are:

• I am set apart (this is part of the new identity God has given me), so I need to start acting like that in my day to day life.
• Owning the idea of being an alien or stranger in this world...and loving it because it means my true home is in heaven
• My life in Christ is imperishable, unfading, everlasting.

May the Lord bless our ministry this summer, change hearts and lives, and further his Kingdom with the Gospel!

22

My wife's 22nd Birthday is today! What a blessing she is in my life! Oh how I adore her! Let the celebrations begin!

Thoughts after midnight

There are too many good theological blogs I subscribe to.

The aftertaste of my homemade hummas is still lingering in my mouth after 2 hrs, brushing my teeth, flossing, and using mouthwash...next time, less garlic!

I am really exited that I figured out how to send invitations on iCal.

Tonight is the first night in years that I have used an alarm clock and not my phone for my alarm.

This week is going to be crazy for both Kaitlin and me. (and our house is a mess)

It's seriously May already?!?! Cinco de Mayo is so awesome.

I helped Kaitlin make a mexican poncho out of a paper bag for one of her kindergarden art lessons.

I'm thankful for my relationship with Jesus! This weekend was great to spend intentional time in prayer, listening, and praying God's word!

Goodnight.

Video Blog: Intro to Acts, Missio Dei

Acts Sermonette: Intro, "Missio Dei" from Josh Saenz on Vimeo.

How Does God Inspire Us Through the Cross?

This is an excerpt from Mask Driscoll's new book, Doctrine: What Christians Should Believe. I have read the chapter on the Resurrection, and it is good stuff!

I love this excerpt because it explains how practical and necessary the cross is for our Christian life. Discoll shows us how the Cross teaches us how to be like Jesus in suffering: not running to it, not running from it. I'll let his words speak for themselves.

Jesus died for our sins, thereby enabling us to experience new life. Jesus lived as our example showing us what it means to live a truly holy human life.

Throughout Jesus' life he repeatedly stated that the purpose of his life on earth was to glorify God the Father, or to make the Father's character visible. Jesus' glorifying God the Father included dying on the cross. Practically, this means that there is joy not only in our comfort and success, but also in our suffering and hardship, just as there was for Jesus.

At the cross of Jesus, we learn that to be like Jesus means that we pick up our cross and follow him as he commanded. Practically, this means that we glorify God by allowing hardship, pain, and loss to make us more and more like Jesus and give us a more credible witness for Jesus. As Christians we should neither run to suffering as the early Christian ascetics did, nor run from it as some modern Christians do. Instead, we receive suffering when it comes as an opportunity for God to do something good in us and through us. We rejoice not in the pain but rather in what it can accomplish for the gospel so that something as costly as suffering is not wasted but used for God's glory, our joy, and others' good. . . .

At the cross we see that the love of God is not merely sentimental but also efficacious. When people speak of love, they usually mean an emotional love that feels affectionate but may not do anything to help the beloved. Thankfully, God does not merely feel loving toward us; his love actually compels him to act on our behalf so that we can be changed by his love.

From Doctrine, Chapter 8. Cross: God Dies (pgs. 274–276).
Order Doctrine now.

Marriage as a Gospel Magnifying Glass

Beyond the books and conferences on theology and relationships is a seldom visited world called Reality. Unlike the television "genre" that hijacked the name, this place is real.

With marriage as my passport, I have traveled to this land many times and found my home there. This passport has forced me out of my neat theological ideas and cute, fantastical thoughts (the kinds where I picture myself as the greatest guy in the world, waxing eloquent and romantic words while I lovingly serve my wife as Christ did the Church).

Marriage magnifies the Gospel: I am a sinner. I need Jesus.

Marriage is like the red ink on a D+ paper. You are able to see your mistakes...a lot. Marriage shatters my rose-colored glass view of myself and I see my errors and inadequacies, which are usually fueled by my selfish motives/idolatry (Read Romans 1).

In this way, marriage is similar to the Gospel: our sin is exposed for what it is and we realize that there is absolutely no way that we can do this on our own. We cannot live righteously apart from Jesus Christ. His sacrifice and atonement on the cross is the only way possible for us to be forgiven, justified, and cleansed of all unrighteousness. In addition, we receive the righteousness of Christ instead!

Grace is poured out to the saints in the Lord Jesus Christ who cling to the cross as their only true means of life and right standing with God. In marriage, we can model the Gospel to the world and to one another. My wife is a gracious woman, especially when it comes to dealing with me. She forgives me and reminds me of the forgiveness I have received from God. She is hopeful for my life as a new man, rather than the old man (2 Corinthians 5:17). She even loves me enough to say the difficult truths so I can pursue holiness, rather than mere happiness. Together we can show the world that the cross of Jesus Christ is the only REAL way that messed up people can love each other for a lifetime! All of this grace poured out is the fuel for godly living. This grace-fuel precedes any hope of "[Loving my wife] as Christ loves the Church and gave himself up for her" (Ephesians 5:25).

Reality is taking the theological ideas and living them out. You'll know it's happening when there is an appropriate and simultaneous amount of pain and joy!

Shattering

I find it so stupid that my tendency is to resist God shattering the old man as he forms me into the image of his Son. Whenever my ugliness is revealed and a redemptive path is paved by God's grace, I try to hold onto the ugly me. I think I'm scared because I feel like I'm losing myself.

But that's the while point: lose myself to find Christ.

Boy is God patient with me!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Back-Dated

Okay, so a couple days ago I posted a blog on "the Gospel and Discipleship." Strange thing: it back-dated my post to a month ago and now it doesn't show up in the right time.

Here is the post:

http://paintinggalaxies.blogspot.com/2010/01/discipleship-and-gospel.html

It's worth checking out!

Painting Galaxies: Redeeming Culture with the Gospel

So for about two years, my blog has been named Painting Galaxies. I had no good reason for the title other than I thought it sounded cool and captured a creativity that I possess but have difficulty harnessing.

God, in his grace, has recently shown me a new aspect of the title, Painting Galaxies, which has set me a new direction for this blog*. It has to do with what the body of Christ should do to culture: Redeem it. This shows up in a powerful way in Acts 19 when the idol-makers of Ephesus are outraged that the truth of Jesus has shut down their business. CRAZY! Christians changed the economy!!!

This radical, Gospel-centered, Christ-exalting purpose for the Church has not changed. We need to be doing this in our jobs, with our marriages, with our investments, friendships, free time, Facebook accounts, and care for the poor.

Like the Church in Acts 19, saying "no" is only half the witness. In fact, the more powerful witness is what we say "yes" to.

Turn from the idols of culture and run to Jesus. He is the only King.

* Lord willing, I plan to blog a series on different ways we can redeem culture called, "REDEEM IT"

Jesus Wants the Rose

It's All About Jesus!

I borrowed this image and the series title from Mars Hill Church, but found it an appropriate truth to proclaim and prayer to renew my mind. In addition, I am preaching through the book of John on Sundays in our youth group. The truth is, in Orange County, we make it ALL ABOUT US! It is clearly NOT, for one day "Every knee will bow on heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tounge will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father!" (Philippians 2:10-11).

Tomorrow, I will preach on John 1:6-9:

There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.

A couple of things stand out to me:

1. John the Baptist had a specific MISSION and MESSAGE: He was sent by God to testify concerning the light (Jesus) so that all men might be saved.
2. John understands that he was NOT the light...it was not about him!
3. He is pointing people to the light, because it's ALL ABOUT JESUS!

We should take a lesson from John and carry out the same MISSION and MESSAGE. It's clearly not about us, but ALL ABOUT JESUS! Pray that the true light that gives light to every man would shine brightly in Orange County so that God may receive all the glory!

For more on the Gospel and Orange County, visit The Gospel for OC and follow them on Twitter!

Discipleship and the Gospel

I lay on a mattress on the floor in Texas. I have just spent an incredible night of food, sharing, jokes, stories of mission trips to Thailand, and church life with our host family.

Our pastoral staff is attending a conference called "How Church Works" by Harold Bullock. Harold intentionally sought out my senior pastor, Seth, about 29 years ago while he was in seminary. Harold discipled him and a couple others and started Hope Church. Hope Church is now around 1000 people and has planted more than 70 churches around the world and sent out over 50 missionaries-- all from their own congregation.

Before Seth left Texas for California, he got his hands dirty and poured into peoples lives with the same intentional discipleship that Harold taught him. He taught the Gospel and spiritual disciplines. He then felt called to plant a church in Orange County, so 24 years ago he did.

We came to Texas this week to hear Harold teach on how church works. I have learned so much about how to shepherd people from the consumer mindset in Christianity to the comando soldier mindset.

Not only that, I have seen the power if the Gospel through generational discipleship and how the efforts of other men have impacted me personally.

First, I have gained so much knowledge and wisdom on pastoral care, godly life, and church leadership directly from Seth, but indirectly from Harold. Seth says to me always daily, "Harold always said.." or "From Harold I learned that..." and continue on explaining some biblical truth of Christ's character that must be lived out in my life. Meeting Harold was like meeting a spiritual grandfather that I never knew but one who played a huge part in the life of a man now disciples me.

Secondly, I have met so many people in the kast day who have also been touched by Seth's life (usually over 25 years ago) and are now serving in radical ministry. We are staying with a man who is one of those people. He and his wife are wonderfully hospitable. What is crazy is that I now get to reap some of the reward of the hard labor and obedience of godly men before me. I am thankful for them. I got to see this further while hanging out with our host's teenaged boys and watching a DVD of one of their mission trips to Thailand.

The Gospel is making it's way around the world and we get to celebrate that with beleivers. I am convinced that discipleship plays a HUGE role in that now. I always knew the great commission was true and that we should do it (...make disciples...) but now I have seen that it is real.

Please take the great commission seriously and make disciples. It is a long and difficult process, but through it the Gospel is preached, learned, and passes on...and God is glorified!!!