A Just (and good) Coffee

One of the highlights from my recent trip to New Orleans was sitting in an open-air cafe in the French Quarter.  It was Friday night…Bourbon St. was out of control and my friend Eric S. and I were looking for a place to have dessert.  We happened upon this incredible french cafe where we sat looking across the street at Jackson Park.  The people watching was entertaining…the bread pudding was delicious…our conversation was one I will not forget…but the coffee was the highlight!

I had two cups of a french press coffee that may have been the best I’ve ever tasted.  It was also the strongest coffee I’ve ever tasted, which kept me up most of the night.  It was well worth it!

I have spent quite a bit of time reflecting on our experience in New Orleans and the St. Bernard parish.  I have received some very encouraging emails from the friends I travelled with, as well as those we served.  Here is a little of an email I received from a mother whose family has been living in a small trailer since Katrina.  We spent a couple days insulating her entire house as well as putting up most of their dry wall.

I have to thank yall from the bottom of our hearts…My kids were so excited when they saw the house I think they started to give up hope on their house getting done and it was a blessing thanks to everyone. We will never forget what your church has done for our family and hope to see yall again.        

 But back to the coffee…

 

Reflecting on that night in New Orleans got me thinking that I would spread the word about a new coffee company that Redwood Hills church has committed to serving.  It’s called Cafe Justo (formerly Just Coffee).

 

I came across Cafe Justo at the Deep Shift Conference in Seattle a couple months ago.  I loved the taste of it and after looking into who they are, and how they are going about bringing coffee farmers in Mexico out of poverty…I was sold.

 

Cafe Justo seeks to go beyond just making shade grown, fair trade coffee.  They also are paying the farmers three times what most fair trade companies pay.  Plus, they also provide health benefits and pension plans to their farmers.  That is what we call a sustainable wage!

 

Make sure you check them out the next time you look to order more coffee for your home, office, or church. It’s good stuff!

 

Love and Peace.

 

 

Pastors Egos and Church Pirates

I have been a pastor for nearly 12 years now.  In those 12 years, I have worked in a suburb of San Francisco, Tacoma, Washington and now here in Kirkland Washington.  There are certain things I know to be true about being a pastor…

I will always have to accept the challenges and hurts that come with the job.

I have an ego (as EVERY pastor does) that needs to be in check at all times.

I have insecurities as a leader that I must be honest about.

Recently, I came across a video of Pastor Ed Young Jr. in Dallas, Texas.  Young has a massive church along with a huge television ministry.  No doubt there are thousands who attend his church each week with millions of dollars flowing thought their ministry.  I have heard Young speak on several occasions and actually like his creativity and humor.  But, after hearing what he has to say about church planters, or as he likes to call them…”church pirates”, I have to say I’m very frustrated.

The video was recorded at a recent staff meeting.  He is obviously warning his employees to not even think about leaving and starting a church in their city.  He continually compares the church to corporate America and gives blanket statements about his thoughts on church planters.

I have seen this sort of thing in staff meetings before when a couple pastors in my former church decided to plant in the tacoma area.  They both have gone on to have very successful churches reaching many unchurched families.  But it came at a price.  They were never given approval and for years I listened to the “warnings” of not to even think of doing what they did.  Looking back on those days I realize that many people were hurt in this mess.  The church was not a movement of grace and love, but of selfishness, insecurity and a greedy corporate apporach to reaching people.

If someone in our little church decided to leave and start a new church here in Kirkland, I will be the first to admit that my insecurity of losing families would be very real.  But, I hope that my love for and belief in the church would support this new work, and I would in no way look at this as church pirating.  I realize this is all much easier said then done, but afterall, the church always has been about a movement of grace and restoration through people…not senior pastors. 

 I wish more pastors would get out of their own way…stop leading the church like fortune 500 companies…take their damn names of their buildings…and quit treating their congregations like they are some kind of property!  I know this sounds harsh, but I just can’t see how Young’s or any other pastor who thinks this way is honoring the gospel.  Competing for the gospel will never be a part of the Kingdom, and will surely lead more and more away from the church. 

What are your thoughts about this?  Should there be rules about how close a church should be planted?  Is Ed Young Jr. right to say what he says, or is his ego just getting in the way? 

 

Home from New Orleans

I am home today after spending six days down in the hot and sweaty south!  New Orleans is quite a city.  Our church sent 17 people to work with City Impact, a non-profit helping rebuild the St. Bernard parish. 

We did everything from helping a church finish sheet rocking their building, to repairing leaky roofs and laying sod all over the parish neighborhoods.  What a great time we had!

The weather was unbearably hot and humid, yet the group pressed on and worked their butts off to get as much done as we could in those few days.  I was very proud of everyone and very proud to say I help pastor Redwood Hills.

To give you an idea of what happened in the St. Bernard parish…it was impacted the most due to help being delayed since they live on a penninsula.  The rescue teams could not pass by the stranded in places like the Ninth Ward, so it took a few days longer to get to those in St. Bernard.  It really is sad to think that many lost their lives due to waiting.

We met some who had lost several friends and family members in the storm, and you cannot drive more than a block or two without seeing homes with the spray paint displaying the number of dead found by rescue teams.  I never really understood the destruction of Katrina, until I drove the streets…talked with the people…heard the stories.  It was an experience of a lifetime.

One thing I found interesting was that those who consider themselves part of the church were by far the most hopeful.  The church has quite a presence their in New Orleans, and God has an undeniable presence among the people there.  It was emotionally moving at times to feel that presence and to know that we had a part in joining God’s presence of hope and restoration.   It’s for that reason that we will always pursue a global presence in this world. 

There’s nothing like being a part of something much bigger than ourselves!

Love and Peace.

 

Headed to New Orleans

Well, it’s been an busy week to say the least.  I’ve been preparing our team of 17 for our trip to New Orleans, finishing up several painting jobs, and trying to spend more time with the family before I leave.  With all that’s been going on, I haven’t taken much time, if any, to blog.  Plus, if I’m honest…I haven’t had much to say either.  Feel free to send any blog requests! 

Tomorrow morning, there will be a group of us from Redwood Hills church flying to New Orleans for a few days of building in the St Bernard parish.  I’m very excited that we have this opportunity.  I’m equally excited to see continued growth in the number of people from Redwood who are taking the step of being a part our Global Mission effort.  New Olreans will be a brand new experience for a handful of people in the group and I’m very anxious to see how their lives and faith are challenged and formed from this serving experience.

Please pray for our safety, our conversations, and our work efforts.

There’s really nothing like the adventure of stepping out and joining what God is doing in our world.  It’s the mission he calls the church to.  Soon, I will begin to post more about our upcoming work in Swaziland, Africa as we set to launch our new non-profit, HopeWorks.  Exciting times!!!

Love and Peace.

300 Million Barefeet

It’s understandable to feel hopeless in week’s like this where the news gets worse everyday from Myanmar and then a devastating earthquake in China where I’m sure, many ore will be found once they begin to really excavate the city.  It’s been a very difficult and sad week.

Redwood Hills has decided to try and do something in joining the relief efforts in Myanmar.  Many churches areound the Seattle area are doing some cool benefits and fundraisers to help as well.  In a week where sadness weighs on my heart, i have found hope each time I hear of a church community living out its mission in our world.

Soles for Souls is an amazing non-profit aiming to provide new and gently worn shoes to people in impoverished nations.  Redwood Hills will partner with them for the next month in collecting shoes for the people of Myanmar who have lost most everything. 

There are many other needs in Myanmar…water being the most important right now.  But we wanted to do something a little more tangible where an entire family could participate by going through their closets, or even to mall and buying new shoes for those in need. 

Soles for Soles states that there are 300 million children in our world who have NEVER worn a pair of shoes.  That is the same number of shoes dumped in American landfills every year.

I would like to invite you to join us in sending us your shoes!  We will take care of all the shipping to Mayanmar.  Please consider this and help us spread the word.  You may also send a cash donation for the purchase of new shoes if you like.

You can mail or drop off your donations to:

Redwood Hills Church

60 Lakeshore Plaza STE. 2

Kirkland, WA. 98033

The Power of a Hand

I’m sure by now, you have heard of what has taken place in China.  Officials are saying that the number of dead is rising above 12,000 and I’m certain that number will rise as the week goes on.

My father in law is from China and continues to go back to be with his family several times a year.  While his village is far from the devestated areas, I know this has hit him very hard.  These are his people…his childhood…his heritage.  I have been wondering and hoping that this tragedy will in some way open his heart to God. 

Please take a couple minutes to look at this picture from the NY Times.  Try and place yourself in both situations…the one caught in the rubble and the one extending a hand of comfort.  Tough to do isn’t it.

This picture says so much about how we must live when others hurt.  To simply be present with someone, offering a hand of comfort and hope is a powerful thing in a world where too many live and die unknown and hopeless.

We should pray today for China…for Myanmar…for Darfur…for America…for Iraq…for our world.  Prayers may be our only way of extedning our hands to people we will most likely never meet, but are called to acknowledge and love.

Love and Peace.

A Great Family Weekend

This has been one of those very busy weekends where i go into to the work week exhausted.  Since Friday, we have had two family birthdays and Mother’s Day. 

On Friday, our son Mason turned 2!  He has absolutely been a joy for our family.  Mason is active, smiley, and absolutely lovable! 

Today, I got to share my 36th birthday along with my mom and Christalle…a wonderful mother to our two boys on Mother’s Day.

It was kind of funny day as Christalle and I both felt the tension of not making the day about us.  Here she tried really hard to make this a special birthday for me, while I was trying to make it a special day for her.  All in all, it was a great day!

It’s been a weekend of too much birthday cake, card shopping at Hallmark with the boys (that was an experience in itself), and playing extra-hard in the back yard. 

I call weekends like these…beautifully crazy!

 

Love and Peace.

 

Praying for Daniel

I’ve been meaning for quite sometime to begin blogging about my very good friend Daniel.  Daniel Murillo is sick with a very serious blood disorder and is awaiting bone marrow transplant. 

If you met Daniel you would never know he is sick, because quite frankly, he looks very healthy and he’s not one to ever put his needs above others.  Daniel is a talented musician, a loving husband to Candace, a determined worker, and a people lover.  I spent a couple hours with him yesterday at his temperary home in the Pete Gross building next to the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance.  Even there among the sick, he smiles…loves…and seeks to serve. 

Men have a thing about greatness.  We idolize male greatness in our society.  We use words like great leader, great father, great visionary.  Men seek to become great.

Spend a day with Daniel and you leave wanting to be good.  You want to be a man who exemplifies goodness.  Our society would be entirely different if we me sought goodness over being known as great.

 Daniel’s sister is here from Ensenada Mexico.  She is a match for a bone marrow transplant but their insurance company refuses to pay.  So they sit and wait as they appeal the mega-million dollar insurance company. 

Please pray that they accept their appeal and cover the costs of this life-saving transplant!

Please pray for Candace as she continues to work in Tacoma while Daniel is in Seattle.  This I’m sure can be very scary and discouraging at times for her.

Please take time to follow their story through Caring Bridge, then leave them a message of hope and encouragment.   

It’s times like this that test our faith in ways that we never like.  But it is absolutely neccassary to the journey!  God is good.  God is listening.  God is big enough.

Love and Peace.

 

Baby Catch…

You be the judge…is this guy a crazy dad, or did he just make an incredible catch?  I say you may not see a catch this good for many years! 

One Hundred Thousand

MSNBC is now reporting that as many as 100,000 are dead from last week’s Cyclone in Myanmar.  One US diplomat reports that he saw “thousands of bodies” floating in the flooded delta. 

 Let that sink in for just a minute. 

It’s times like this that often make us feel helpless.  I mean, what can one person do when they hear of thousands of bodies just floating in the water?  Well, one person can give a little money towards the relief and when thousands of those persons begin to give…we begin to make a big impact.  There are many organizations to donate to and if you already have a giving relationship with one of those groups, then please give to them.  If you don’t know who to give to then may I suggest Quest church in Seattle.

Quest church and its pastor Eugene Cho have traveled to this beautiful country.  They have walked with these people…served with them…they are friends.  Eugene through his blog Beauty and Depravity have asked people to join them in giving towards the relief efforts.  If you would like to read more please click the Beauty and Depravity link above.

May we all think to pray for these people.  May we be reminded of how all of humantiy is connected.  May we somehow seek to join God in his restoration of Myanmar.

Love and Peace.