the Eatery ...

my new favorite lunch spot ...
the Eatery ...
downtown next to Nathan's tattoo's ...
i met a couple friends ...
derrick fleck, dan lance and sean gafner ...
the Eatery ...
I nailed a black angus burger with crazy expensive green leaves ...
provolone cheese ...
mushrooms ...
probably the best burger I've ever consumed ...
Paul David is the manager ...
our waitress Rebekah rocked it with the refills ...
the greatest iced caramel machiatto ...
no brewed iced tea ...
enough said ... take your mom out to lunch ...
the Eatery ...

anger issues ...

let's be honest ... growing up, I had anger issues ... I lived for a fight ... at school, at home, in the neighborhood ...

in the 6th grade, I fought the school bully ... he punched me and threw me on the ground ... everyone laughed at me ... with poise, I jumped to my feet and ran toward him like a train ... I knocked him down a steep set of steps ... he rolled to the ground ... then I ran to the principle's office ... by the way, the bully was hispanic ... yep ...

one time, I fought my brother Jeremy in the kitchen ... I was so angry ... I jump kicked him in the face ... true story ... now he's in a rock band ...

in the 8th grade, I was so angry at this guy ... my brother and I schemed a plan to attack him ... Jeremy slowly crouched down behind him ... out of nowhere, I ran at him and threw my body toward his chest ... he flew back and tripped over my sneaky crouching brother ... we broke his arm ... my mom grounded us for a week ...

one night, I fought my friend Dave Reichle in the Applebee's parking lot ... I was so angry at Dave ... he pushed me ... I tiger kicked him in the stomach ... he never pushed me again ...

fortunately, I'm a bit less angry these days ...

i got burgers ...

today was officially the longest day of my life ...

I couldn't sleep last night ... I drank a Caramel Latte too 'latte' in the evening and the caffeine filled my lungs ... I laid in bed until almost 4 o'clock in the morning ... frustrated ... my mind running all night ...

I woke up this morning at 6:10 a.m. ... showered ... threw on tight pants and tight black shirt and drove to Rick Pitcher's church in Rancho Murrieta ... I drank iced tea ... I spoke twice ... Rick and I ate Shrimp fajitas ... I drank more iced tea ...

I picked up my family in Natomas and we drove back to Redding ... I almost fell asleep driving ... I drank a large iced tea ...

I showed up at the Stirring just in time for worship ... Jacob and Jamie brought it ... they are such humble worship leaders ... they disappear ... and God's presence was so real tonight ... at one point, I couldn't stop laughing ... I was so overwhelmed with joy ... God is so good ...

then Dan Lance spoke on loving the least ... Dan has such a burning passion for the least in our city and around the world ... we're so grateful to have Dan and Alyssa on our team ... they bring God's heart for the least ...

quote of the night ... "I got burgers" ... listen to the podcast ...

eagle eye ...

just drove down to Sacramento to hang with family for a couple of days ... we're off to get some dinner and see that new movie Eagle Eye ... I saw the preview a couple of weeks ago ... it looks good ... I think it's about a firefighter and his wife or something ... anyways, I love Kirk Cameron ...

we have such a great time in Sacramento ... I don't think I'd ever want to live here, but I enjoy weekend getaways ... Panera Bread and B.J.'s and Chili's and hot tubs and Borders and the Arden Fair Mall ... good old Sacramento ...

Sunday morning, I'm speaking at Rick Pitcher's in Rancho Murietta ... I'm talking about hearing God's voice ... living face to face with God ... nothing huge ...

then we're cruising back for the Stirring Sunday night ... see you there ...

thank God for coffee shops ...

I spend at least 15 hours a week in coffee shops ...

Tuesday morning at Cypress Starbucks ...
Tuesday afternoon Staff Meeting at Bechelli Yaks ...
Wednesday morning at Downtown Starbucks ...
Thursday morning at Simpson Yaks ...
Friday morning at Cypress Starbucks ...
Friday lunch at Sue's coffee shop ...

and I don't even like coffee ... I'm more of a iced tea guy ...

I'm stoked about the Stirring this weekend ... we've talked about loving God, loving each other and loving the world ... this Sunday night, we're talking about loving the least ... do we see Jesus in the least all around us?

I just finished a short video we're showing at the Stirring this weekend about children and backpacks ... a few weeks ago, we handed out over 200 backpacks to children at Cypress Elementary School ... just a simple way to love children and families in our city ... Jesus loves you, here's a backpack and some white out ... thanks again to Juan for designing such cool shirts for the little tikes at Cypress ... go cougars ...

we love ...

tuesdays ...

tuesdays are great ... Dan threatened me during staff meeting, but I'll get to that later ...

first, I take my daughter to school ... it's 'take my daughter to school tuesdays' ... and every day, she makes me walk her all the way to class ... i'm such a proud father ... hand in hand with my beautiful daughter ...

and then I'm off to Starbucks to hang with God and Dan ... but not today ... Meghan and Dan and I had a urgent meeting at the office this morning at 9 a.m. ... we're planting a Sunday morning Stirring in 18 days ... there's so much to do ... we freaked out ... then pulled it together ... then freaked out a bit more ...

we drove to shirt zone and ordered 229 'we love' shirts ... the bomb ... v-necks and crew cuts and night gowns and kids shirts and onesies ... amazing ... can't wait to show off Asher's chest hair ...

lunch at Tai Cafe ... drunken noodles and evil prince ... good old times ...

off to Yaks coffee shop for Tuesday staff meeting ... Jacob and Hannah joined us today ... 10 of us around one little table ... thanking God, drinking coffee and talking about the elephant in the church ... today we laughed more than anything ... I think we needed it ...

and then I started talking about Heroes and season three and Mohinder and Sylar and Adam Monroe ... now, Dan is still watching season one and he was getting frustrated ... but I kept talking and talking and talking ... so Dan threatened me ... "if you keep talking about Heroes, I'll shank you in the shower" ...

don't mess with Dan ... three words ... bald, tattoos and shank ...

Jesus is my friend ...

If you haven't seen this, you're missing out. I talked to the worship team and I think we're going to start doing this song at the Stirring. Zap!

what's up with vampires?

what's up with vampires? ... all these vampire books ... all these vampire films ... all over town, grown men wearing vampire teeth and costumes ... my friends are sleeping in vampire coffins ... did I miss something? ... when did vampires become so popular ... I'm so confused ...

yesterday, my wife was talking on the phone with her friend (rebecca gafner) ... and Erica's going on and on about this guy Edward and I can't figure out who she's talking about ... Edward this and Edward that and on and on and on ... who's this freaking Edward fellow? ... and so I interrupt my wife on the phone ... who's Edward? ... and yep, she's talking about some vampire guy from her vampire book ... unbelievable ...

so, I've decided to be a vampire for Halloween ... or a clown ... or a clown vampire ... creepy ...

anyways, just got back from the Stirring ... we have such an amazing church ... I am so grateful for such a bold and courageous team ... I couldn't be more proud of the men and women and families and couples and children and students God has brought into our community ... they are so real and passionate and loving ...

we love ... I can't wait for the t-shirts ... I can finally show off my chest hair ...

clowns ...

so what's the deal with clowns ... creepy or caring ...

my grandma (in Canada) is one of the most amazing and creative and loving people on earth (and especially in Canada) ... she plays the banjo and writes songs and leads worship at her church and prays for the Stirring every night ... the grandma life ...

anyways, she believes in U.F.O.'s and aliens ... she's seen Bigfoot and the Lochness Monster ... and she's deathly frightened by creepy clowns ... in her own words, "clowns are from the devil" ...

she tells this story about her trip to Paris ... she was on the steps of the Sacred Heart Cathedral ... there are vendors and jugglers and tourists and clowns everywhere ... I've been there ... it's breathtaking and creepy ... one night, this tall clown attacked my grandma on the steps of the Cathedral ... it came running toward her ... she put out her hand and rebuked it in the name of Jesus (yep, the first thing I do when a creepy clown attacks me) ... when she said the name of Jesus, the clown flew back through the air 10 feet and landed on its back ... it got up and ran away ... true story ... I believe her ...

more 'clown blogs' to come ... we can't just sit back and let clowns take over the world ... watch out for clowns ... and Bigfoot ...

garage sale ...

went to the Stirring BBQ tonight ... 2 things I love ... steak and potato salad ... hung out with friends and met some new Stirring peeps ... Beth and Katie and Zach ...

I dropped the family off at home and drove over to the Garage Sale ... it's huge ... furniture and clothes and speakers and books and a coffin ... the usual ... I already bought some t-shirts and a ginormous bag of legos ... one day, my son will build me a lego tower ... and I will knock it down with a jump kick ... good old father/son time ...

it's midnight ... I've been working on a short film for the past 2 hours ... I'm tired ... I need sleep ... my cat won't leave me alone ... stay away from dirty movies ...

life group ...

we met tonight for life group ... what an amazing group of friends ... over the past few years, my wife and I have been involved in so many different life groups ... some life changing and some awful ... after tonight, I'm looking forward to Thursday nights ... I'm ready to devote myself to a group of crazy Jesus followers ... not to mention the peanut butter brownies ... that's church ...

and we missed you guys, Jenna, Libbie and Ian ... see you next week ...

"They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of the bread and to prayer and brownies ... everyone was filled with awe ..."

Acts 2:42

date night ...

the perfect date night ...

we dropped the kids off at a friend's house ... jumped into the Oldsmobile ... all dressed up ... tight pants and a button up shirt ... I took my wife to that new restaurant Rivers ... we ate deep friend Gnocchi, Alaskan Halibut and Jerusalem Chicken Artichoke Pot Pie ...

and for dessert, we drove to Rite Aid for some chocolate malted crunch ice cream ... the best ice cream in the world ... (years ago, I was fired from Rite Aid for giving away free ice cream) ... back then we called it Thrifty's ... back in the good old days, when ice cream scoops were still 39 cents ...

and to end the most romantic night ever, we watched that Owen Wilson movie 'Drillbit Taylor' ... we laughed and laughed and laughed ... one of my favorite Owen Wilson movies ... and I loved him in Fight Club ...

this blogs over ... abierto ...

enjoying mondays ...

my day off ...

I woke up this morning at 9:58 am and realized I have 1000 things to do ... fix the lawnmower ... mow the lawn ... weedeat the lawn ... fertilize the lawn ... take movies back to Hollywood video ... fix my scooter ... buy a hubcap for my Mirage ... get my bike back from sean ... put air in the tires ... buy bark for the kids playground ... get friends with wheelbarrows to help me wheelbarrow bark from the street to the back yard this Saturday ... get stuff ready for the church garage sale ... plant a church in 4 weeks ...

but today, I did nothing ... I woke up late ... I worked out ... I laid on the couch and watched a lame movie ... I read a couple chapters of McLaren's book 'A New Kind of Christian' ... I took my kids to Jamba Juice ... I fed the parakeet ... (oh yeah, we have a parakeet) ... we ate dinner with the Gafner's ... we enjoyed Pumpkin Ice Cream ... I spent time with my wife ... I blogged ...

Go check out our new website ...

thanks to Patrick and Jeremy and everyone else who threw down to make this happen ... we love ... www.thestirring.org ...

Stirring tonight ...

I'm never sure what to blog about my evenings at the Stirring ... should I stay surfaced and cordial, or do I invite everyone into my strange, pastor world? ...

I love our church ... not the building or the coffee or the stickers ... I really love the people God has placed in our church ... they floor me with their passion for God ... they are so loyal and generous and encouraging and faithful ... I'm so grateful for such an amazing community of couples and families and students and children ...

I spoke at the Stirring tonight ... but tonight was a bit different for me ... I was nervous to speak (which happens most of time) ... but this week, my hands were trembling during worship ... I felt His kind presence with me ... and yet, I felt so nervous in my spirit ... almost felt like the fear of the Lord ... literally, at one point, I fell on my knees, shaking ... I felt so weak and I began praising God ... immediately, I was drawn to the words of Paul ...

I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling ... my message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power ...

1st Corinthians 2:3-6

that's my prayer for our church ... as my Grandpa always says, "we need God" ... I agree ...

it's 11:35 pm ... just finished watching the last episode of Heroes, Season 2 ... we're ready for Villians ... bring it on ...

prayer ...

we prayed tonight ... the perfect way to begin another school year ... I've never been more grateful and excited to know God ... and to travel with so many amazing friends ... I love our church community ... I'm surrounded with people who want God ... it's refreshing ...

and I met a guy from Turkey tonight ...

nacho libre ...

I just watched Nacho Libre with my kids ... they loved it ... probably the greatest wrestling movie ever, besides Rocky III ...

for weeks, my daughters have been begging me to watch Nacho Libre ... come on, dad, let's watch it ... but I've been waiting for the right moment ... you can't rush things with little girls ...

but tonight it felt right ... Erica was gone at the Cambodia sharing night ... we dressed up in our jammies ... we brushed our teeth ... and we sat down for a family movie ... Nachooooooo Libreeeeeeee ... and I took the opportunity to teach my kids a lesson about helping orphans ... of course, Nacho wrestles for money to buy salads and foods for the orphans ... what a great Christian film ...

after the movie, Adiah climbed up on top of our couch ... she raised her hands in the air ... screaming Nachooooooo Libreeeeeeee, she jumped off the couch and flew through the air like an eagle ... she landed on Asher and knocked the wind out of him ... I'm so proud of her ... I hope she joins the wrestling team in high school ...

this is my 100th post ... blogging is so overrated ...

watch out Myriad ...

today, my 5 year old daughter Ava Louise wrote her first song ... we were hanging out ... she said, "Dad, let's write a song" ... she brought me a pad and a pen ... in just minutes, she threw down the lyrics to this song ... and I wrote them down, word for word ... absolutely brilliant ... takes notes, Uncle Jeremy ...

You are like the sun
You made my hands, You made my toes
Everywhere I look, I see Your face
By Your hand, we are all fed

Thank You Jesus for the world I have
Thank You that I have You
Thank You Jesus

Thank You Jesus for my life
You made the rain, You made the stars
Everywhere I look, I see Your face
By Your love, we are all Your children

we gathered around the piano and knocked out some chords ... Ava asked if I would play her song at the Stirring ... I replied, "of course" ... I'll have to teach it to Jacob and Jenna ... what a great day ... my daughter the song writer ... I guess it runs in the family ...

featured above is the artwork for Ava's first song ...

mountains or temples ...

so, I've been thinking about this lately ... what does it mean to love God? ... from Genesis to Revelation, this is the heart of the entire God story ... we're God's people on earth, in love with Jesus, calling the world back into a life with God ...

in John 4, Jesus has this conversation with a woman ... she's asking about worship ... she grew up worshipping on a mountain, yet the Jews worship in a temple ...

Jesus replies, "the time is coming and has now come, when worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship Him" ... it's not about mountains or temples ... it's not about ancient hymns or new songs ... it's not about some style of worship ... God is seeking worshipers ... period ...

God is looking for men and women who are so crazy in love with Him ... who have been so captured by His glance ... who run into His presence ... who fall at His feet ... who listen for His voice ... who search out His heart ... who just can't wait to be with the One they love ...

if you get a chance this week, read Acts ...

and don't forget, we're gathering Wednesday night from 7-10pm for a 'Night of Prayer' ... we want to begin this new season in prayer ... everyone's invited ... come for 30 minutes or stay for the whole night ... just show up and let's learn how to wait on God and pray together ...

we love. we make disciples.

it's 12:47 a.m.

I just finished a short film I've been working on this week for Sunday night ... I can't wait to show it ... seriously, there's nothing I enjoy more than creating and producing films ... and spending time with my kids ... and eating my wife's enchiladas (just in case my wife is reading this blog) ...

when I was 10 years old, my father bought me a video camera ... one of those heavy old school video cameras ... and for 10 years, I shot over 50 short films with my brothers ... crazy films ... Indiana Edwardson ... Rollerman ... the Paperboy ... music videos ... school projects ... I lived behind that camera ...

over the next few years, I want to carve out more and more time to create short films ... in fact, Drew Maw and I are talking about producing a short film for Erase the Dark, our film festival this coming February ...

anyways, this Sunday night, we begin a new 5 week series ... we love, we make disciples ... we believe this is why God has placed the Stirring community in Redding ... we want to spend the next 5 years living these 5 words ...

I can't wait to spend the next few weeks calling our church to give their lives to what matters most ...

read the book of Acts ... for the next few weeks, we're going to live in the book of Acts ...

superheroes ...

yes, I've been having dreams lately about superheroes ... it's great ... sometimes I'm flying ... sometimes I'm regenerating ... sometimes I'm traveling through the time/space continuum ... and then I wake up and I'm standing in my boxers at the edge of my bed ready to jump ... and my wife is staring at me ... but she can't see me, because I'm invisible ...

my wife and I are 4 episodes into season 2 ... so far, a bit disappointing ... I guess the writers were on strike, which makes sense, because the writing sucks ... but of course, we keep watching anyways ... were bored and addicted Americans ...

also, I've been reading through the book of Acts the past few days ... fantastic ... kind of like heroes, but with the risen Jesus ...

the book of Acts just floors me ... if you haven't read it lately, read it tonight ... just read it and see how God speaks to you ...

I've been praying this Acts 4 prayer for our church ... that God would enable us to speak His word with great boldness, that God would stretch out His hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of Jesus ...

after they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken ... and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly ...

Acts 4:29-31 ...