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The Kaya Family Prayer Requests Part 1: The Trip to Fort Collins/Loveland

Our summer can be defined in two words: packing and boxes.

So many of you have been so gracious in praying for me and my family during this season of transition and you continually grace us by asking how you can continually pray for us.  So the time has finally come the moving truck has left and it is time for us to go.

With that being said here is how you can be praying for us as a family as we drive out today to Colorado.

This is the first of several posts specifically regarding how you can pray for us.  I thank you advance for all your support.

1. Safety in our travels as we will be making the 18-hour trek over two days arriving in Fort Collins on Friday.
2. That movers would get there on Schedule (Friday) and all of our stuff would be intact.
3. All the logistics and details of getting settled in would go smoothly -- getting utilities, cable and other amenities all set up.
4. Rhett & Emersen would love their new school and make great friends right away -- they start Tuesday Aug. 21
5. Our home in San Diego would sell quickly and at the optimum price.
6. God's continual grace, peace and favor.
7. That it would be a fun road trip.

A 16-Year Journey Comes to a Close

On February 25, 1993 being relatively new to San Diego (just 2 months) my roommate at the time, Clint Hardick, invited me to the first public gathering of Horizon Christian Fellowship Rancho San Diego.  It was there in Suite 160 on 2930 Jamacha Road where I heard founding pastor Mike Burns share the vision that he and his wife, Laurie, had to start the kind of church that could potentially reach the 400,000 plus unchurched in East County San Diego.  Though I was on staff at another church at time -- I remember leaving inspired by what I heard that evening -- I count it as such a privilege to have been amongst the first 40 that were there that evening.

It would be almost 3 and 1/2 years later on September 7, 1996 that I had the privilege of joining the staff of that church that we know now as Journey Community Church where I have been serving ever since. During this time I have held almost every pastoral role in the life of our church -- most recently serving as the connections pastor -- where I provided leadership to our small groups ministries.

Well last weekend, August 3 & 5, I shared with our church that my time at Journey was coming to a close.

The short of it is that after much prayer, fasting, counsel and the leading of God's Spirit I accepted the call to serve as the executive pastor of Crossroads Church in Loveland Colorado.  I cannot begin to tell you (in future posts I will) what an exciting opportunity this is for our family!

Our family -- my wife Tara, whom is the one I think most of you will really miss has served as a kids ministry director for several years, my son Rhett & daughter were recipients of gracious send off and heart-felt prayer.

Over the past 16 years I have had the incredible privilege of serving under two Godly leaders -- Mike Burns and Ed Noble respectively, worked with a great staff team and serving with some of the best volunteers in the world.  

In addition I cannot thank you enough for the countless prayers you have prayed on behalf Rhett over the past nine years because of his heart condition and I trust that I can count on you to continually be praying for him moving forward.

Also there been so many life moments that took place because of Journey most notably I met Tara here and both my kids were dedicated here.

However, perhaps what I am most grateful during my time here is how you, the people of Journey, allowing me the incredible opportunity to have a front row seat in your lives where I have been able to see God move in some amazing and miraculous ways that served to strengthen my own relationship with Him in ways you will never know this side of Heaven.

It has been incredible privilege and honor to have been a part of this team for so long, however the greater honor for me was to be apart of you in this church -- so with all this being said.

Thank You!

Merry Christmas from the Kaya's 2011

MERRY CHRISTMAS

To our online community of friends on Twitter and Facebook we want to thank you for staying connected with us and enriching our lives throughout this past year.  We want to wish a Merry Christmas as we celebrate the birth of our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ!

For a child has been born for us,
   a son given to us;
authority rests upon his shoulders;
   and he is named
Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God,
   Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6

Love,

Emersen, Rhett, Tara & Rod

Dog Days Are Over -- The Importance of Having a Solid Bridge Element

After our four Christmas Services (Dec. 23 & 24) I commented to our lead pastor Ed Noble that the crowd seemed much more engaged than usual and hence he seemed a lot more comfortable from the outset of his message. Now the reason I am bringing this up is because on a high outreach weekend like Christmas or Easter the ratio of regulars to guests are much different than a regular weekend -- meaning there are a lot more guests.  As a result it takes a little longer for the crowd to become comfortable with who you are as a communicator.  It also effects what you say and how you say it.  Nuances that are normal for the regular attendees seem to go over the guests head and it is often met with a deafening silence.

Yet on this occassion this was not the case.  The primary reason I believe, and I know there were other subtle variables played a part, was the song that preceeded the message.  What I observed deepened my conviction of how important it is to have a meaningful, solid bridge element in our servivces to communicate to our spiritually seeking guests that we understand the world they live in; and that here is something that you may have already have connection to that we want to help draw spiritual meaning from.

The music team performed a cover of English Indie Rock artist Florence and the Machine's  Dog Days Are Over.  This song not only served the theme and content of the message, but it is a song that is current and was recently performed during the hit tv show Glee.  The lead on the song Minnie King nailed it. After the service when I played the song for my wife by Florence and the Machine she thought it was Minnie.  In additon it was the type of song that brought lot of energy that I believe really looseed people up. I think we forget what it is like to attend church as a guest. Many guest sit with folded or crossed arms as a indirect way of putting their guards up.  Yet with this song it could not help but relax them.

Pray Who They Can Become

In a previous post I shared the first of two practices that I want to encourage us to engage in this coming year that will help keep God as the "one thing" in our lives.  This practice is one I have developed more recently and so I am gradually trying to make it a habit.  I hope you will be prodded to do the same.

PRAY WHO THEY CAN BECOME:

At the heart of this practice is simply lifting up a short silent prayer on behalf each person you come in contact with in the course of your day.  We don't need to know where they are at in their spiritual journey all we need to pray is that they would become all that God created them to me.  Ephesians 2:10 is a great verse that speaks to this notion,  "For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life."

Now if we know the person, we may offer a specific request on their behalf, yet with the same spirit praying that they would become of who God intends for them to be.  Jesus gave us a great example in how he saw Peter when He said in Matthew 16:18  "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it."  When Jesus made this declaration hardly anyone could imagine Peter in this light, yet Jesus did not only see Peter as he was, but who he could become.

 

Adding "Angst" to Any Christmas Gathering

Now that  Christmas is becoming a memory  and in a few days we will be putting away the Christmas tree and packing away all the decorations, here is something I want to prod you to put in the vault for next Christmas.

Most of us attend several Christmas party/gatherings during the course of the season.  Some are highly anticipated, some are more of a commitment or obligatin, some you wish you could put more energy toward -- these are some of the ways we approach them.  Now with these gatherings there is not only a commitment of our time, but also, in a lot of instances, we are responsible to bring a dish (if it is potluck style) and some of you might have some type of gift to bring for a gift exchange.  So seemingly simple tasks are exaggerated because there are so many of them.  So in the midst of an already full schedule and season here is how you can angst to any of these Christmas Gatherings.

You can do so by adding this gesture.  Ask each person that attends to bring a gift for Jesus.  It is His birthday afterall that we are celebrating right?  And when I am invited to a friend's birthday party, I believe the understood norm is that you bring a wrapped gift.  So why would it not be any different for Jesus the King of King and Lord of Lords. 

Trust me when I say this will be met with angst.  Now why would I want to add angst to an already somewhat stressfull season?  I will explain in a moment. 

Up to the day of the party they are usually in a quandry as to what to bring..  When I have done this in the past, people usually have these type of responses:  "What?"  "I don't understand?"  "A gift for Jesus???"  "Do I get Him clothes, I don't get it?" 

And my answer to these questions is always the same, "It's a birthday party, have you not bought a birthday gift before?"  This usually does nothing for them, but add to their frustration.  So again why do this?

Because it can lead to one of the most meaningful Christmas gatherings you may have.  I speak from experience. 

20 years ago when I began following Christ.  I was invited to a Christmas party and when I asked what I should bring thinking it would be a food item, I was told simply bring a gift for Jesus.  And I went through all of the angst and frustration that people I have posed this question to.  I called others I knew who were attending the party, the host -- all who offered no help.

Yet, it proved to be the most meaningful Christmas.  When we sat in a circle to share our gifts I was incredibly moved to see the thought, creativity and heart that was put into each gift. 

This past Christmas that we just celebrated we did a birthday for Jesus in one of the gatherings  attended , and no fail it had a similar effect of adding angst but more important meaning.  The gift I brought for Jesus is in the picture above. You might think I that is an odd gift, but there is explanantion to the significance and the meaning.

Until next Christmas ..

"MERRY CHRISTMAS from the Kaya's"

MERRY CHRISTMAS

To all of you who enrich our lives through our on-line community.  Thank you for all the times  you made the effort to comment on our wall on Facebook or replied back to us on Twitter. And thank you for sharing your life aswell through these means.   Your friendship is a gift.

Wherever you may find yourself this Christmas may you celebrate well the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ.

 

"Why Thanksgiving Always Comes Early for Me"

Next week around this time most of us will be experiencing a food coma to varied degrees as our Thanksgiving festivites start winding down.

However, since 2003 Thanksgiving has always come about a week early for me.  In 2003 on Nov. 17th my son survived open heart surgery to work on a heart defect  Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF).  He had the surgery when he was exactly five months old. The months leading up to the operation were often an emotional roller coaster which involved numerous doctors appointments.  Yet through it all we (my wife Tara and I) were able to see the thread of God's faithfulness.

No one can prepare for that kind of journey.  Through my vocational experiences as a pastor of nearly 20 years I have had a front row seat to the depth of human tragedy.  Through the years I have watched many go through these trials courageously holding onto their faith and trusting in God during these seasons.  I would often say to myself "I do not know how they do it."  The second thing I would say to myself is "I could never bear what they are going through."  Yet I have learned when you are in it, God gets you through it.

One of the ways he got us through it was the thousands of prayers lifted up for our family from our friends, church and others whom we do not even know.  Yesterday marked 7 years since the operation.  Rhett is not completely out of the woods yet.  We have an annual echo-cardiogram that tracks the development of his heart valve.  So far every year we have been given a good report.

So as Thanksgiving will be celebrated as a nation next week I want to express my heart felt thanks to all of you who have prayed and continue to pray on my son's behalf.  Now you can understand why Thanksgiving always comes early for me.

The pictures were taken last Saturday at the Phoenix International Speedway as we took in our first NASCAR race together.

Just Can't Be True of Me

On many occasions when friends make a Starbucks run, they graciously text or call me to see if I want anything.

And I am a cheap date -- no $5 barista-intensive drinks for me.  It is either drip coffee in the morning or ice coffee in the afternoon.

Yet people get a kick when I give these specifics regarding my order.  I usually say,  "I will have a grande coffee in a venti cup with enough half and half to the color of a tan M&M."  If an iced coffee I say, "Venti, unsweetened with enough half and half to the color of a tan M&M.  I thought my specificity was being helpful.

Now it has been brought to my attention how stressful this request is.  I guess they struggle trying figure out what color a tan M&M is?  

Recently when a friend picked up a cup of coffee for me, the following was written on the cup and it wasn't my name.  She swears she did not write it.  This just can't be true!

Why I Go to Church

Today I was reminded afresh of two simple learnings that have stuck with me for some time and has proven true,  time and time and again.  The first being the importance of going to church.  I told you they were simple, yet it is coupled with this thought -- "You never know how God may speak and that is no small thing."  The second being that the real ministry often takes place after the official and planned programming is over.

After finishing my hosting duties at the conclusion of the 9am service a woman, whom initially I did not recognize, asked for a few moments of my time.  She shared how this was her second week back at Journey and how she attended for a period of time 10 years ago.  She further requested to meet with our newly appointed senior pastor Ed Noble and myself in the future to share all that God has done in her life.  In addition she wanted to thank us for our role in the process.

Now I was curious.  I could understand Ed's impact through his messages and, though she had been living on the East Coast for the past  seven years she could easily be listening to the Journey podcast, but my role was unclear.  Then as she further shared her journey, my memory was coming back to me and now her face became recognizable.  

10 years ago this woman attended Journey for the first time and I prayed with her after the service.  She shared how being Jewish she could not reconcile who Christ claimed to be.  She sensed God's movement in her life, but Christ, His death on the cross and His resurrection was a stumbling block to her.  Yet she did not want to give up on the stirring that was taking place in her life.  At the time the songs we sang in service,though moving at times, when they mentioned Jesus she could not sing them.  She wanted some direction.  She mentioned that I encouraged her to read The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel and affirmed her desire to pursue God.  Long story short after successive weeks of attending Journey and her own personal study of who Chris was over time, she came to recognize Jesus Christ as her Messiah and she wanted me to know.

Wow!

This was the highlight of my day! -- on a day that there was much to celebrate and praise God for.  

Going back to my two simple learnings. Now, my vocational role predicates me being at church.  Nonetheless if I was not there I would not have had this connection.  In addition I would not have been able to hear through her story the affirmation that what we do through this local expression of a church matters and is making difference.  In addition it was not some planned element, but a chance occurrence, she ran into me as I was about to exit the worship center.

Psalm 122:1 says "I was glad when they said to me let us go to the house of the LORD."

The Best Type of Interruption

I tend to keep a pretty full schedule and I am completely lost without a watch (that is set at least 5 minutes ahead).  And within the time blocks I have I try to get the most of out of my minutes.   So as a general rule, I do not like interruptions of any type.  One setting where I try to keep particularly focused is during my workouts.  On occasion people may recognize me from a church and want to chat, which immediately I begin to look at the clock hoping the conversation can wrap up in between sets -- which is never the case. 

Sometimes I get lucky that Ed Noble, our teaching pastor, is working out at the same time and I usually say something like this, "You know Ed is working out at that station over there and I am sure he would love for you to say hi."  Which usually does the trick.  People gladly talk to the pastor instead of the occasional weekend host.

I always smile walking by Ed as he engages the other person still some 15-20 minutes later.

Yeah, I know I am a bad person.

Yet if there is an interruption that I welcome -- it is when someone "briefly" shares what God is doing in their life.  Now as much as I love hearing the big praise stories where we hear God do something miraculous or where God intervenes in some possible life-altering situation -- the best type of stories, for me, is when people share everyday life situations where they take seemingly simple steps of obedience or follow through on a gentle prompting of the Spirit.

In recent weeks, on a couple of occasions, I left 24 Hour Fitness (Temecula, where I normally workout : ) very encouraged as someone shared with me these two incidents:

1. After hearing the message on Sunday this person felt prompted to lead the Pop Warner football team he helps coach in prayer before the game.  He shared how nervous he felt about approaching the parents and coaches about praying for good sportsmanship and safety for the kids.  And when he did ask for permission how cool it was thatl the parents were so grateful that this gesture was being made.  Now they pray before every game!

2. After an altercation with a fellow coach, instead of going into a full blown argument, he decided to walk away recognizing that the outcomes might have taken him to place where he simply did want to go.  He shared that God has done so much in his life the last thing he wanted to do was go back to behavior reminiscent of old and just as well be forgotten lifestyle.  So though he may have lost the argument, he gained the knowledge of God's continual working in his life.

These two situations may not be earth shattering, but they are the situations where God is doing some of his most tranformative work.  I don't know about you, but I have a lot easier time trusting God with "big" things of life versus the everyday.  Jesus himself said that the process of following Him is an incremental, daily practice -- Luke 23 ESV says ... And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me."

Weekend Update Easter 2010

As this is written Easter is just 25 days away!  Easter weekend (April 2 & 4)  is an opportunity for our whole church to get involved in this outreach event to see our loved ones reached for Christ.  So here is the ways we are asking all Journey members to get involved in three simple ways.

1. PRAY ... for open doors to invite people to a service; for an anointing on all the services from the children's programs to the adult services; for all areas of serving to be covered to create the optimum guest experience.
2. PARTICIPATE in a "first serve" opportunity.  If you are unfamiliar with what first serve is click here.  There are opportunities in our children ministry, fellowship team and lasting impressions teams (LIT)
3. PARTNER with your church in reaching your friends and loved ones for Christ by inviting them to a service. Below is the invitation piece that you can pick up stacks of business card sized invite cards at either the office or at Guest Services. 

In the mean time we have great services being planned for this weekend -- March 12 & 14.  We will be in part 2 of Tools & Fools looking at the life of Solomon with the message "Being Smart & Acting Dumb." Please note that this Sunday March 14 daylight savings goes into affect -- meaning that you will need to turn your clocks ahead one hour on Saturday night.

Why Christmas Cards Stay Up So Long in Our Home

Though I still see a few homes with Christmas lights and decorations up, for most, Christmas 2009 is becoming a distant memory.  Coming back from vacation we were one of the late ones to put away the decorations and the tree.  Yet there is one part of Christmas that does stay with us for a long time -- the Christmas cards.  Like a lot of people we display cards in a designated area, taping them up on a wall or hanging them on a string.  Many of these cards are from people I have minimal contact at best throughout the year, yet I am very grateful that are family was thought of during this special time of the year.  

Going through stack of mail I came across a Christmas card that really moved me. It was from a family with the exception of a few e-mail exchanges we have had no contact with in a few years.  What stood out to me was the greeting on the card from the family which included a photo of them.  It contained the verse James 1:17 "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change." Now to receive Christmas cards that are spiritual in nature and contain Scripture verses is not uncommon.  Yet I knew these friends before they came to know Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.  My wife played critical role in their spiritual journey.  This really impacted me.  I lifted up a prayer of thanksgiving saying, "God you really do change lives!"

So here is why they stay up so long.  I hope this may prod you to do the same. As a family you can make these Christmas cards a meaningful part of your family's prayer life by simply taking down one card each day and praying for that specific family. This simple practice be more meaningful than you realize.

Just Walk Around a Circle

A focal point in our announcements for the past couple of weeks has been encouraging our attendees to invited friends to our Christmas Eve services.  We have equipped our attendees with what we consider to be an effective tool and to help envision our church we had three people paint a picture of how powerful inviting someone to a weekend service can be by telling their story.  Pastor Bill Hybels wrote a great book on personal evangelism called Just Walk Across the Room.  Well sometimes we just need walk around in a circle.

(left to right Karen Olson, Becky Toth, Lauren Faiai & myself)

Ephesians 5:15,16 says "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil."  Two friends of mine (Becky & Lauren) lived these verses out literally six years ago.  In October of 2003, California was experiencing what would become a 5-month Grocery Union Strike.  As Albertsons employees on strike they had to picket eight hours a day walking literally in the same circular pattern.  Yet this time was redeemed as they got to know one particular fellow employee Karen a lot better.  And through a series of conversations with her spiritual matters were brought up, weekend messages were given & an invitation to a church service was made.

To fast forward the story -- Becky & Lauren decided to invite not only Karen, but a whole group of their fellow picketing employees and on one Friday night they filled an entire row.  Now some of those guests never returned, some attended for a season and moved on for a varitey of reasons.  Yet for Karen she got to know God, who she previously thought to be distant, in a personal way and her life has been changed, for the better, in countless ways.

Jesus said in John 4:35 "Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, then comes the harvest'? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest."  Inviting someone to church and to speak to those close to us about God and spiritual matters -- something so personal too many -- can be met with resistance, hostility and awkwardness at times.   And at the same time sometimes people are so ready and waiting for someone to ask just as Karen was.  

So take advantage of the next 10 days or so and make the ask and invite someone to a service, their life just might be changed for eternity.

The Routine May Not Be So Routine

Yesterday during my visit to Children’s Hospital to see a family in our church whose 5-month son had open heart surgery -- I was afforded a very pleasant surprise.  Now first I want to mention the best news is that the surgery was a success and his recovery is gong well. 

Now for me the surprise was running into ICU nurse that was assigned to my son when he was there in that same ICU six years ago.  (For a recap of my visit and my son’s medical journey click here.)  I had not seen in her in five years and it a took a little while for her to have some kind of remembrance of me and she could not recall who my son was.  I took no offense to this as I know she has probably seen hundreds of similar cases and patients in the past 5 years let alone her lifetime.  I was just glad that I was able to express my gratitude toward her for the way she took care of my son.  I even showed her a recent picture of my son, though she would not recognize him by any means, just to show that he is living a normal life.  This brief interaction prodded an overwhelming sense of gratitude for not only her, but all who played a role in getting my son and wife & I through this.

In my line of work where I serve as a pastor in a church of over 2,500 people and I have had the privilege of being a part of individual’s and family’s defining moments of their life.  Yet I would be lying if I said I can recall those moments with the same vividness as they do.  Sometimes it takes a little of reminiscing on their part for memory to be jarred of the event. 

However, there was a significant learning for me.  “What may be routine to us in our vocational life, maybe a defining experience for others.”  This prodded me to want to try to give my very best in all that I do because even I don’t remember it they will.

"So We Can Comfort Others ..."

II Corinthians 1:3,4 (TNIV) says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”

These verses are often quoted as way of encouraging others or possibly to shed light or offer perspective when someone is going through a critical life situation or crisis.  The notion being that one day, it could be in the near or distant future, the pain or turmoil you are experiencing now will have a purpose to help someone else, though at the present moment it is unsightly.

On Wednesday I went on a visit to Children’s Hospital to see a family in our church whose almost 5-month son was having open heart surgery to repair multiple holes in his heart.  I was approached by the child’s grandmother about 4 months ago when the child was born to ask me to be available in the future when this day would come.

So I strategically went to the hospital at around 11:30am -- the surgery was about 7am.   I say strategically because I figured that it would be right around that time when their son should be out of post-op and in his intensive care unit room.  The parents would have been able to see their baby, get a report from the surgeon and now breathe a sigh of relief that the operation was over.

Now how would I know this information?  And why would I be approached about this unknown future date almost 4 months ago?

Because almost six years ago our son at five months had open heart surgery at Children’s hospital in San Diego.  We like this family had the same time scheduled for our son’s operation and went through a similar process. I was actually familiar with the surgeon that performed their son’s operation.   When I met up with the family it was in the same waiting room that was our residence for about 5 day and when I was able to go in see their little baby boy it was in the same ICU.

Being there was a surreal experience.  The chairs in the waiting room was the same, the layout etc.  It brought back so many memories of what we went through.  I never stop being amazed at how God works!  I would not have thought when we were going through our son’s operation 6 years ago we would have an opportunity to minister to a family in our church going through an almost identical situation in many ways years later.

Most importantly their son came through the operation really well and the surgery was a success!  Praise God!!!

So I don’t know what you may be going through at this moment and the idea of your situation having some redemptive purpose in the future is the last thing on your mind, yet I want to encourage you God is faithful and He will use what you are going through for good.

The Last Dance Miracle!

Our churches are full of gold.  When speaking of gold I am referring to rich, treasured stories of God's working through the lives of the people in our congregations. And when you hear a great story the discipline comes in discerning the right placement of it in a specific service.  Sometimes we sit on a story for over year in our attempt to share the story for optimal results.  Such is the case of this my journey segment by Jon Davies who has been a part of our church life since day 1.  

Here is his journey that he shared in our services this past weekend.  You might want to get some tissue before you read.  Enjoy!

Hi my name is Jon Davies and this is my journey.

A miracle could be defined as an event which cannot be created or manipulated by human hands or intellect but orchestrated by God to give honor and glory to Him alone.  That is what I experienced and many witnessed on August 12, 2007 when I was the father of the bride on that day.

Charcot Marie Tooth and Parkinson’s disease has taken its toll on my life and as a result on most days my ability to walk is limited and I get around using my wheelchair or my Segway, or crutches or even on my hands and knees.

But my conditioned paled to the one thing that had consumed my heart outside of the Chargers loss to the Patriots in Jan 2007.  On my daughter’s wedding day was I going to be able to walk her down the aisle of the church and give her away and would I be able to dance with her.

I was going to miss out on an event that could never be repeated or experienced in any way.  .  Without a miracle by God Himself,  I would have to  watch as someone else walk her and indeed miss that last chance to dance with her and whisper in her ear how much I loved her and how proud I was of her on her day.   

I shared my dilemma with any who would listen.   And I found many people whose hearts were full of compassion and hope and encouragement.  I pleaded for prayer hoping for a miracle, but my faith was weak, as my body typically would not offer me the same hope.  

And as time went on…  people would encourage me to expect a different.  My best friend Dave and I prayed together every week and implored God to allow me this desire.   My home group was praying.   Our new in-laws were praying.   People I did not even know were praying for me… and it was quite humbling.  

As the days got closer to “the” day my daughter asked me the dreaded question,    “Dad, are you going to be able to do the dance?”   Tearfully I did not know how to answer.

The night of the rehearsal came and at that point we had several plans in place for the walk down the aisle.  It was then my emotions began to take over and I began to tear up…  (which of course started the girls crying)  

One option gave me some hope.   This was a pretty large church and with a long isle even under the best of circumstances it was unrealistic to think I could walk the entire way alone.   So perhaps I would ride the Segway halfway (to the back of where the people were sitting) and get off and walk the remainder of the way.   

The wedding arrived and I needed to pace myself to conserve energy.   I arrived at the church an hour before the ceremony and began to move around in the waiting area as much as possible to get limbered up and see if I could coax my legs to move …..   but they were not responding..  15 minutes before the wedding a young man named Ben came up to me and out of the blue told me he had been watching me for a few days and had compassion and asked if he could pray for me.    I knew at that moment there were many others praying as well.  It was at that time my son Tim approached me stating that riding the Segway all the way would be lame ….   So I made the decision based on faith and not by sight.   We are going for it

5 minutes ago I could barely stand up and now I am telling the beautiful bride that we are going to do it….WOW…. and …HOW?

I was extremely nervous as I was rolling down the isle on the Segway… aiming for the last row of guests.   I arrived there, got off and Kristen put her arm in mine and we walked and walked all the way to the front of the church where I proceeded to pump my fist in the air for God had done a miracle!

At the reception the moment fast approached where I would share our special dance.  Again things were iffy but I was not going to miss this for anything.   My daughter chose Bette Midler’s “You’re my Hero”.   As the music started, I shuffled to the edge of the dance floor and we began to rock back and forth.   My legs began to move slower and slower till they could not move any more.  I felt like Cinderella at midnight.    I did not want to let go of the moment… and soon we were standing in one place swaying to the music and as our time ended we embraced and I had to be helped off the floor by Kristen and the DJ.    Another miracle had taken place!  I will never forget that night and what God did.

I still cant walk…. But for a few brief moments…..  I did. 

My name is Jon and this is My Journey.

Being Like the One Leper

10 days ago I had the opportunity to play a very small role at a celebration gathering, that quite frankly,  I wish would happen more often.  Chuck Martinez one of the greeters at our church gathered 50 of some of his wife Jeannine’s closest friends to simply give thanks to God and to all of them for their support in the journey they had been on.

Jeanine, two months ago went in for a double-mastectomy, and by God’s grace the surgery was successful.  She went in on a Monday, was released on Wednesday and actually attended church that Sunday.  Now a surgery of this magnitude is serious however, the weight of this was even more so for Jeannine as she has been battling various forms of cancer over the past five years and there was a sense of finality this time around.  In addition this is an extra sensitive matter to Chuck who lost his first wife to cancer.

So on this afternoon it had the flavor of a small wedding.  There was a catered meal, a cake, a presenting of gifts to hosts who helped put this party on and even an out of town friend from child hood visiting to share memories of Jeannine.  We ate, laughed and simply hung out with the sole purpose to celebrate the fact that Jeannine was here with us.   What a great afternoon!  I had the privilege of presiding over Chuck and Jeannine’s wedding seven years ago and in many ways this gathering was just as special if not more so.

In Luke 17:11-17 Jesus tells the story of healing ten lepers and how only one returned to give thanks.

“One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.”

How often do we let these moments of God’s intervention in our lives pass and fail to take the time to reflect and give thanks to God He truly deserves?

Chuck and Jeannine thank you for being like the one who returned to give thanks.

A Twittering Moment ... Watching Bub Get Baptized!

Bub  (Paul Stevens) commented on my blog some time around August last year.  Being unfamiliar with who he was I checked out his blog godmeandpoker.blogspot.com and I found his latest post very interesting.  He mentioned in the post how he was taking initial steps toward trying to build connections within our church (I did not know he even attended Journey at that point) by commenting on the various pastor's blogs and that he was thinking of possibly getting baptized. 

I commented on his blog and ask what service he attended so we could meet.  Well over a period of time and through his Tweets and Facebook updates myself as well as many of my friends got to know Bub as he initiated following us on Twitter and/or asking us to become his friend on Facebook. 

For those who have been critical of social networking services like Twitter and Facebook of having a negative effect on people establishing "real" relationships and friendships; or for those who have said these means are a waste of time and that foster a pseudo form of community.  Bub's story would dispell these critics.  Just ask him.  He has since attended various classses we offer and served on our weekends and special events and for all intention purposes is fully vested in the life of our church.

So this past Sunday Bub got baptized.  And standing with him was a friend he met through Twitter, Kevin, whom has had a spiritual impact in his life and Todd Tolson, one of our pastors whom Bub also met through Twitter.

And what better way to celebrate this significant moment in Bub's life than to have him come out of the water seeing the following banner (first picture in this post) and having it later signed up by those who are following him on Twitter.

25 Million Pieces of Legos

Yesterday I took my kids to Legoland for the first time.  In addition to my kids having a great time (the rides and attractions are just right for their ages 3 & 5 respectively)  I found myself marveling at how building blocks that I played with as a kids could be used to build such incredible works. 

It is said that over 40 million lego pieces have been used to build the various statues and exhibits seen throughout the park -- with over 25 million being used for Miniland alone.  I could have spent hours taking in the intricacies and details of what was on display. 

Check these out:

New York City

Mount Rushmore

Las Vegas

San Francisco

The inauguration of the President

Human Thanking Machine

 I heard a pastor mention that after their church had gone through a huge event, his focus would be on being a "human thanking machine."  That is how I feel after the incredible weekend that we just experienced on Easter.  So today my focus will be on using the following means -- Twitter, Facebook, E-mail, Text-Messaging, Blogging and Voice Mail to thank the various teams and individuals for tremendous output over the past few weeks. 

"We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves."
I Thessalonians 5:12,13

A Sub-Economic Stimulus Plan

I do not have enough of a business or economics back ground to lend my opinion to how to fix our current economic realities that our country is facing.  And at the same time from general observation it seems that when money is put into people's hands to invest and start small businesses -- jobs are created.

Two friends of mine Eric & Nikki Henry have been on a quest to own their own business. That dream became reality yesterday when they opened a Submarina franchise on the corner of Balboa and Convoy in the Clairemont area.  This has truly been a faith endeavor for them.  Over the past two years they have seen locations that they thought be a future sight fall out and yet they believed.

Their faith has been a blessing to others.  They have employed six people that I know that previously were unemployed and looking for work.

So if you are in the area or if you know of someone who works in the area be sure to tell to stop by their location to get a sandwich.

I have the distinction of being their first repeat customer as I also went to their friends and family private opening on Thursday.

The Terrible Towel: "Will I Do it?"

After last Sunday -- I have taken a lot of flack regarding me wearing a Pittsburgh Steeler shirt to close our services especially in view of the fact that the San Diego Chargers playing Pittsburgh later that day.  To find out why I wore the shirt click here.

Now that the Steelers have beat the Chargers and are going on the AFC championship I just received a infamous Pittsburgh Steeler "Terrible Towel in the mail yesterday.  This is perfect.  I could close out our services this weekend like I normally do and say something like this ... 

"If you have any prayer need our after service prayer team is here to pray with you and specifically if you need to shed a tear over the Charger loss last Sunday I will be available to wipe off your tears with this Terrible Towel." 

The question is: "Will I Do It?"  The stakes are definitely higher on this one.   If I do, I will have to name my accomplice -- I will not be able to go at this alone.  The person who gave me the shirt and sent me the towel is my friend Meg Tomko.   Meg serves as the Creative Arts/Programming Director at an incredible church in the Pittsburgh area Orchard Hill Church. 

So thanks Meg and the community at Orchard Hill Church keep up the great work and go Steelers!

Ben Toth (One on My Favorite People)

One of my favorite people at the church I serve at is Ben Toth. I first met Ben over 8 years ago when he was 13. His life to this point has been filled with struggles and at the same time great victories. I am always encouraged by the way he is taking steps to grow. Ben's outcome is not by accident -- it is a result of many factors including God's grace and incredible parenting. As I am friends with his parents Bryan and Becky -- I remember him sharing this one story about them that has stood out over the years. He said that he had never seen his parents fight in front of him or his brother and sister. Now he further shared that there were times he knew they were angry at one another, but they never let it manifest in front of him. He said having parents like that gives him the freedom to talk to them about "anything." Bryan & Becky should be proud! They have incredible son that is a great team member in our church here is his journey below.

Impressions of an Olympics Junkie

I am amongst the many who are contributing to San Diego being the number 1 city in terms of Olympic viewing.  I have been a long time Olympics fan.  It started in 1980 with me getting up at 7am to follow speed skater Eric Heiden win five gold medals, my favorite Olympian to this day, and of course watching the USA Hockey Team beat the then Soviet Union team 4-3.

Now after 1 week and I am not going to say how many hours of Olympic Viewing I have put in, but here are my impressions after the first week of competition.

• The incredible class, grace, humility and ...,  I could go on & on in superlatives, to describe how Mark Spitz congratulated Michael Phelps in matching his record of 7 gold medals in one competition.  Spitz, is definitely a man who has athletic achievements in proper perspective and respect to life as a whole.
• The Redeem Team -- as great a collection of NBA superstars that this team possesses -- the greatest thrill for me is watching Mike Krzyzewski (Coach K) lead this team -- it has well documented how these multi-million dollar superstars have the utmost respect for his leadership.
• The Opening Ceremony -- simply the greatest ever!  Nuff said.
• Dara Torres at 41 it is amazing to think she is old enough to be the mother of most of her competitors. (If she wins gold tonight in its own way, in my opinion just as big and achievement as Michael Phelps 7 or possibly 8 gold medals).
• Michael Phelps winning 7 gold medals. (it is one thing for an underdog to have unexpected win over the heavily favored -- it is another, and far more difficult in my opinion, to be expected to win and actually do it!)
• Nine-year old Lin Hao, who walked out with Yao Ming holding the Chinese Flag during the opening ceremony, exhibited one of the greatest acts of leadership I have heard of.
• The Chinese teams -- they are well known for their athletic prowess in gymnastics but they are making their present felts in so many fields where they once were not present.  There is a reason they are leading the medal count.

So what are your impressions so far -- I would love to hear it.

Journey Summit Team: a Solid Gold Hit!

Serving as a Leadership Summit host site for five years there is one highlight that always stands out.  It is the incredible volunteer serving team that helps put on the event!  We have more than 60 volunteers that take as many as four vacation days to help at this event. Though the event is two days (Thursday & Friday) they often take the day before off to help with prep and up until this year the event had Saturday sessions.

The amazing thing is that many, way more than half, have served every year we have hosted.  In addition we do absolutely no formal recruiting for the event and actually have had to turn away help.  We simply send the team a reminder annually.

One of the lead roles on the Summit Team -- is the volunteer central team.  The leader of that team is responsible for creating a space for all team members to be refreshed (through meals, refreshments and a relaxing environment) and for providing all the latest information that team members would need throughout the day.  Over the years the leaders of these teams have come up with creative themes to celebrate and highlight great examples of servant-hood and service.  This year took on a retro-album theme with the way of expressing or communicating an "at a boy or at a girl" or a praise.

A Significant Friendship

Here is a great thought from Chazown by Craig Groeschel p. 135
"God wants us to experience His fullness through great relationships.  He has people prepared to mentor you, sharpen you, love you, and lead you toward His Chazown for your life.  He also prepared you to speak into the live of others.  To make them better and more effective.  He has accountability friends prepared to be a blessing in your life.  God has plans to bless your favorite relationships and glorify His name as you share His love."

This is an on-going prayer request of mine, that I would take time to develop meaningful relationships.  I already mentioned in previous post the importance of vital friends and earlier this week I was able to connect with another friend that God continually uses in a significant way in my life.

This friend that I had lunch with was the first friend I made when I moved here over 15 years ago and throughout my time of knowing him one thing that has stood out, amongst his many qualities, is how he stewards his financial resources.  I really have no idea what is earning capacity is, but I do know it is pretty significant.  Yet to say that he lives frugally would be an understatement.  During our conversation over lunch it was brought to my attention that he neither has a home phone now nor wireless internet in his home and when I inquired why -- he simply said it was an expense that he did not want to incur.  In addition we were talking about our cars -- he has a nice vehicle but closing in on 200,000 miles and he mentioned how though he could buy another one -- he just can't justify it at this point.  I questioned him to whether the economy was effecting his decision making on these matters.  To the contrary he said this has been his best year yet from a financial stand point.

Now being frugal and being not generous is not the same thing.  Whereas he may be frugal regarding his personal lifestyle, he is very generous when it comes to others.  He is continually contributing financially to projects for various churches and organizations in addition to individual people's needs.

I am so grateful for this friendship and left very challenged as always to re-evaluate how steward my resources and to consider what is really necessary regarding my lifestyle.  

In addition I found myself saying that my friend is living a Significant life, specifically in regards to Giving.  Significance is subject matter of our upcoming series starting this weekend and Giving is specific topic being addressed this weekend.  For a preview of this weekend click here.

Vital Friends (Hanging Out with Don)

A few weeks ago I was able to hang out with my friend Don Everts, who came and spoke at our church.  I was introduced to Don through his books and over the years we have developed a great friendship.  The one thing I also walk away with after hanging out with him is a desire to be more like Jesus.

Here are a few of my favorite Don Everts' stories:
1. While his wife was pregnant and they had one year old they decided to move to a lower income, more dangerous part of downtown Denver for a summer to live amongst the poor and to extend the love of Christ through some tangible means.
2. During his six month sabbatical he spent two months in Mexico accompanied by his wife and two children and flying there they did not check in any luggage.
3. Receiving a prompting to leave his campus ministry to serve in a church context to be able to exercise his teaching and preaching gifts more fully -- he left his job believing God would provide His next one before having secured any position.

This time through our conversations the topic of endurance came up at different points as something God has been challenging him to grow in.  In a subtle way God has used those conversations to challenge me in the area of endurance as well. Here a few examples of how it has affected me.

1. My workouts specifically in my running:  by nature in this area of my life I am prone to take the path of least resistance but over the last two weeks when ever I have been tempted to hit the stop button on the treadmill the thought of enduring has stuck in mind.  As a result I have ran longer and more consistently and have experienced breakthroughs in time and distance.
2. My prayer life: I have been praying for some specific areas of my life and quite frankly I had been growing quite weary and discouraged in my prayers -- yet again endurance has come to my mind in this area and has renewed my efforts to pray despite what I may be feeling.
3. My parenting: this is not something comes intuitively to me.  I have to really work at.  And at times I feel I have very little emotional energy to give to my children -- yet at times when I have been tempted to withdraw because I feel I am emotionally spent the thought of endurance has challenged me to give more.

All this to say it so important have vital friendships in your life -- you never know how God may use them to speak into your life.

Learning from an Incredible Leader

If you were to go amazon.com and do a search putting in the word "leadership" the very first two entries you would find is leadership books by John Maxwell. And if you would continue scroll down you would find many more of his books listed. All this to say that John Maxwell, in many ways has become synonymous with leadership.

For years I have been influenced by John Maxwell through his books, cds and seeing him speak at various conferences. Recently I have been able to see his leadership lived out in a couple of brief interactions as he often attends our church when he is in town. His daughter and her family attends Journey and therefore he and his wife attend with them.

Two Sundays ago I was able to speak with John for a few moments in between services and it was invaluable learning experience for me.  I experienced what it means to be a great leader.

First, when I introduced myself and after exchanging basic pleasantries, he immediately gave very positive feedback about the service -- specifically the message. He went into great detail about how the passage that was spoken on and its subject matter gave him insight that was fresh and new to him and how it really spoke to him. Now this is coming from someone who knows something about preaching and teaching.

The lesson I relearned is that I leaders are truly learners.

Second, I did not want to take up to much of his time, but I have made it habit whenever I meet a gifted leader to ask them what they are reading or have recently read. He then began to share about the last four books he read. Now it took him a while to get through the four books because he was interrupted by a few old friends that wanted to say hi (more about that later) however, after greeting his friends he always picked up where he left off to make sure I got the book titles and authors right.

The lesson I relearned is to take the time to invest and help other leaders grow -- it may take more than a book list at times but it is worth it.

Third, throughout my conversation he was greeted by a few former leaders and board members that he lead while pastoring Skyline Church. What stood out to me was how though he probably had not had much contact with them in years - - he still knew them all by name and also a lot of their children's names.

The lesson I relearned is that it is all about people and taking a genuine interest in them.

Parenting: The Great Leveling Field

Gary Haugen, leader of the International Justice Mission,  shared that coming from the United States and trying to serve and help those coming from some of the worst of situations on the global front -- has found it challenge at times to find that common ground to minister to them.  However through the years he has found this one common denominator as stated in his newest book.

"Parenting seems to be the great leveling experience among human beings, especially in the unique sense of vulnerability that mysteriously accompanies parents of all places.  Parents all over the world love their kids, yet none of us (rich or poor) can control what happens to them." p. 92 Just Courage by Gary Haugen

As a parent two children 5 & 2 respectively I could not agree more.