New People at Garden City

We keep things simple at Garden City. This the card we hand new people who show up at our 4pm worship service on Sundays.

Please spread the word and pray for this exciting new church plant in Silicon Valley.

Men Need Men

Men,

You need a circle of strong men in your life who love you, challenge you, want the best for you, speak truth to you, and who you can wholeheartedly trust.

Together is always better than alone.

Men, especially those of you called to lead, do whatever it takes to have one or several such circles of men in your life.

The Elephant Room in San Jose

At Garden City Church we have each Neighborhood Group adopt a mission for the year. For our mission this year, my Neighborhood Group has decided to host The Elephant Room in San Jose as a way to foster unity among churches in Silicon Valley, engage intellectual skeptics with the gospel, and we are using the money we make from the event to bless single moms we are caring for.

Are you a thinker/leader in the Bay Area? Register now for The Elephant Room simulcast in San Jose, hosted by my Neighborhood Group/Garden City Church.  If you register before the end of the week you’ll get the discounted Early Bird Registration. We anticipate this event filling fast, so register soon.

Acts 29

I love being part of the Acts 29 Church Planting Network. God is clearly doing something through Acts 29.

Along with Garden City, six other Acts 29 churches were launched this month. Click the link to learn more about Acts 29.

The Kindness of a Church to a Church

I love it when a local church isn’t just a blessing to it’s own church body, but also a blessing to other church bodies.

Last week we launched Garden City Church and there’s no way we could have done so without the kindness of a church that has a rich history, tradition, and presence in San Jose: Westminster Presbyterian Church.

The leadership and people of Westminster have been so kind and accommodating to us, renting to us and allowing us to hold Sunday afternoon services on their beautiful campus.

It’s easy to become more concerned about your church than you are about the kingdom of God. I’m  thankful to be learning from the people of Westminster—people who want to see other churches flourish as well as their own, people who want to help see the kingdom of God advance in San Jose.

If God allows Garden City Church to become, like Westminster, a church with a history that’s over one-hundred years old, I hope Garden City will show, in 2111, the same spirit that we’re learning from Westminster.

Run to the Tension

Run to the tension.

I’ve been teaching our leaders to “run to the tension” as they lead Neighborhood Groups/lead people in our church.

When conflict, tension, and difficulty shows up, run to it. Face it. Deal with it. Lead through it now, not later.

Our instinct is to ignore tension, but ignoring conflict now will only make for a bigger and messier conflict three months from now.

Run to the tension.

Garden City Church Has Launched!

Thank you for your prayers! Two days ago we launched Garden City Church and we had such a great launch! For our first worship service we had 136 adults, a ton of kids, and it appears that 5 people were saved. When I moved to the South Bay earlier this year I had just 3 people committed to the church plant and just 3,000 dollars in the church bank account. It’s amazing to see what Jesus has already done, and I can’t wait to see what he will continue to do. The adventure is just beginning. If you think of it, please continue to pray for our new church plant. And, if you know people in Silicon Valley who need a church, point them to Garden City.

I’m launching the church with a 7-week sermon series called The True Story of the World. If you’d like to listen to the first sermon in this series, titled, Jesus, click here for our podcast.

A Man and Woman in Love

Hilarious video of an elderly couple who didn’t know they were recording themselves. I love the love they have for each other.

Church at 4pm

Tomorrow we launch Garden City Church.

Our worship service is at 4pm. You should come and so should your friends.

4pm is a great time to hold a worship service: you can sleep in (SJSU and SCU students, I’m thinking especially of  you), enjoy a relaxing morning, put your kids in Sunday morning soccer, or do whatever it is you want to do on a Sunday morning. Then, at 4pm you can gather with a bunch of other Silicon Valley people to hear the gospel preached, to experience community, to encounter God, to receive care and prayer, to sing with joy, and to join a mission that’s so much bigger than you. After the service, you can walk to one of the many nearby restaurants or coffee shops to eat and drink with new friends.

Church at 4pm. See you tomorrow. Just follow these directions.

Garden City Church Launches This Sunday, September 18th

Today is my 33rd birthday. If things are going as planned, right now I’m nearing the summit of Mount Rainier (I wrote/scheduled this post before leaving for my trip). When I return from the mountain, at age 33–the age when Jesus completed his earthly ministry, I will begin an exciting new chapter of my ministry: launching Garden City Church.

This Sunday, at 4pm, we formally launch Garden City Church.

Earlier this year I moved back down to the South Bay with 3 people committed to the core team and 3,000 dollars in a church bank account. It was a move of faith. Now, both of those numbers have significantly grown. We’ve been meeting as a core group for several months, putting leadership, foundations, and systems in place…and praying a lot. And, now, we’re ready to go public.

God has been so kind to us and I’m so excited about planting and pastoring Garden City Church. It’s been an adventure getting to this point, yet I’m sure the greatest adventure lies ahead.

Would you please pray for us as we launch this Sunday? Pray for us this Sunday and pray for us for these next several months. Specifically, pray boldly that many people would be brought to saving faith in Jesus through Garden City and that we would disciple them well.

Would you please spread the word? Perhaps you know people in Silicon Valley who need to be there this Sunday. The title of my sermon this week is, simply, “Jesus.” I’m preaching on Jesus–it will be a great message to invite all your non-Christian friends to come and hear.

Would you consider giving towards Garden City? It takes a lot of sweat and a lot of cash to get a new church started (especially in the expensive Bay Area). And I’m looking for more supporters to invest in our church plant so that we can have an even greater impact in San Jose. All you have to do is click here to give.

Thanks for reading. Thanks for supporting.

I sure love what God has called me to do. Have you ever found yourself in a season of life where you’re using your strengths, pursuing your passions, and completely in over your head? That’s how I feel…and I love it.