It's a Full Week

This is a very full week and here is where I am at...

Dear Chris Paul’s Shoulder,
You’ve got to be kidding me! You’ve worked well every day of his life, and now you’re going to give out? Not cool! Please get it together soon.

Dear 100-Degree Weather,
Thank you for not coming to visit in the month of May. When you do come in June, can you bring some rain with you?

Dear America,
Can you please stop being so crazy? This weekend we are supposed to remind ourselves of the men and women of all different walks of life who have died to protect us, our freedoms, and our union. As we do, let’s thank God for His favor and blessing. Let’s pray for our leaders and our military who are serving well. (Let’s pray also that Jesus would remove those who are not serving well.)   Let’s use all our opportunities and resources to lift each other up. Let’s breathe in a deep breath of gratefulness because we get to live in such a wonderful country, and breathe out a great breathe of kindness upon our fellow Americans.

Dear Black Community in Phoenix,
I am sorry for all the legitimate pain you’ve been carrying, that the killing of George Floyd ignited in your souls. I am sorry for all those who have been made to feel that black lives don’t matter. And I promise you that, as Living Streams church listens and learns about the true sources of the pain, as well as finds and acts upon true solutions to the pain, we won’t forget to acknowledge and lament with you in the pain. We have been honored to be able to stand in solidarity with you, process what is good and what is false with you, give financially to support those who have already been doing well by you, and chart our course into things that will be a huge boost to you.

And, finally…

Dear Living Streams Church,
I love you and thank you for the opportunity to devote myself to the Word of God and prayer. And I thank you for the trust you give me to lead, preach and serve. With Covid-19 pandemic fatigue, ideological weariness, and the longstanding spiritual war we live in, many of us are on the brink of caving in. There will be many who fall away, as the Scriptures say. There will be many who will experience failure of heart and failure of nerve, as Edwin Friedman says.

But as for us, let’s hang in there together. Let’s call on each other and be available for each other when we feel like giving up. Let’s remember to get alone and quiet and still with Jesus, who promises to give us anapouō, which is the kind of rest that causes, or permits, one to cease from any movement or striving in order to recover and collect his/her strength.

Grace and peace to you from God our Father,

David

P.S. This Sunday we will be addressing the part of the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus teaches about lust. We decided to go forward with this, as we believe the teaching will be beneficial and applicable to families and youth. We will dismiss the K-5th grade kids to a fun class before the message. Even though we believe the teaching will be good for 6th grade and older, we want to let you, the parent, decide what is best.

The Culture of Heaven

Just under 2,000 years ago, from the side of a hill overlooking the Sea of Galilee, a poor village man named Jesus spoke about His vision for citizens of heaven. 

Though there was no pomp or circumstance, there was definitely a buzz in the air. Jesus had been touring around the Sea of Galilee, speaking to people about God and healing people with the power of God.

There was nothing special about this man, Jesus. Five feet, five inches tall, olive-brown skin, short black hair with a beard. Yet, when He spoke about God and His kingdom, people’s hearts burned within them. And often, when sick or injured people came around Him, they weren’t sick or injured anymore. More and more people began following Him around, with excitement and hope. 

His disciples must have had many questions. To see a very common, humble man do such miraculous things would have been a lot to process. To associate with someone who claimed to be a rabbi, but was not accepted by the religious leaders of the day, would have taken some careful consideration. Yet, what they saw with their eyes, and what happened in their souls when He spoke was too compelling. 

On this particular day, Jesus could sense the wonder and the questioning within His disciples. He knew the challenges they would face if they continued to associate with Him. And He knew the potency of both the secular culture and the religious culture they were swimming in. So, He pulled them close and taught them what the culture of heaven is like. In His sermon on the Mount He gave six examples of what a person filled with the culture of heaven is like: 

1. A person filled with the culture of heaven does not just avoid murdering people; he/she doesn’t let anger take root in their heart.

2. A person filled with the culture of heaven does not just avoid committing adultery; he/she doesn’t let lust take root in their minds.

3. A person filled with the culture of heaven does not just divorce someone honorably; he/she stays faithfully committed to that person (with some caveats).

4. A person filled with the culture of heaven doesn’t need signatures, contracts, or collateral in order to keep their word; he/she just does what they say will do.

5. A person filled with the culture of heaven does not try to get even when they are genuinely wronged; he/she responds in kindness and generosity, knowing God is in control and is both judge of the wicked and rewarder of the righteous.

6. A person filled with the culture of heaven does not just will the good of his/her friends, but wills the good of those who hate or have hurt him/her.

Wow! And Whoa! Do you feel your heart shouting out Yes! That is beautiful! and at the same time Yikes! That stirs up some pain! 

I find it interesting that, after Jesus spent thirty years learning what it means to be human, He focused on these six issues. Anger, lust, divorce, broken promises, vengeance, hatred of the other, were the weighty matters Jesus needed to address in His day.

I think we are dealing with these same issues in our society today. I know racism and homosexuality are getting a lot of attention and air time these days. And it is right for followers of Jesus to stand firm in the face of ideological wars and expose lies. But I think we have to be careful not to let culture dictate what the weighty matters of life are.

Though it is an unpopular opinion, I do not think that racism is a greater plague than anger is in America today. I do not think homosexuality or transgender issues are blocking the culture of heaven from showing up in our society as much as lust is. It may sound simplistic or naïve to some, but I believe that, if we stay faithful in our marriages, faithful to our contractual promises, turn the other cheek when we are wronged, and will the good of those who oppose us or hurt us, the culture of heaven will show up in greater measure — even if we are the only ones doing it. 

So, how can change come to a person who is filled with anger or lust, has been divorced, has broken promises, has been vengeful, and/or is a long way away from willing the good of the ones who have hurt them? Well, that is what we will be discussing for the next six weeks at church.

Our positional righteousness is only possible by the price Jesus paid for us on the cross. And our practical righteousness is only possible through the guiding and empowering of God’s Spirit, who dwells inside those who have made Jesus their Lord.

You can be free. You can be transformed. You can change from being lost to found, from blind to seeing. You can be made whole. 

So, join in on Sundays and in your Life Groups for the next six weeks as we dive into these deep, provocative words of Jesus. We are going to look where He is looking. We want to feel what He is feeling. We want His Spirit to come and fill us, because where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom. We want the full, unadulterated truth to set us fully free. We will all need to come with courage, ready to respond to the invitation of God to follow Him into greater freedom. We will all need to be ready for the merciful, kind Spirit of God to stir our souls in a way that brings the junk to the surface so it can be removed. 

Hallelujah,

David

Like Riding a Bike

Over Spring Break my family was able to spend a week in Southern California. On one of those nights my super rad wife and I went on a date to Coronado Island. We took a short ferry ride from San Diego to Coronado, then rented some electric bikes to cruise around the island. We had never ridden electric bikes before, and immediately realized how awesome they are. Instead of exhausting ourselves trying to make it around the island in an hour, or settling for covering much less ground, we cruised the whole island easily and had time to spare. 

Just in case you are starting to wonder if you accidentally started reading a traveler’s blog, hang in there. We are going somewhere.

Because Jesus said He “did not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it,” we as a church family have been trying to get a good grasp on the role of the Law in the life of the Jesus-follower. We know the New Testament teaches that the Law God gave Moses is “good” and “trains us in righteousness,” but we also know that “the law brings death, while the Spirit brings life.”

The New Testament writers worked hard to help their readers see a new Spirit-based covenant has come through Jesus, which is better—way better—than the law-based covenant God brought through Moses. The Apostle Paul teaches it this way: “Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory…will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious?” (1 Corinthians 3:7-8)

Jesus, with a quiet confidence, said it nice and succinctly to His disciples: “when the Spirit comes He will guide you into all truth.” This indicates that the Law was not Jesus’ preeminent plan to guide people into truth. The indwelling Spirit was. 

So what is it like to live according to the Spirit instead of living according to the rules and commands of the Law of Moses? It’s like riding an electric bike of course. (See what I did there?)

When I ride an electric bike there are two things at work. I still have to pedal and put in effort, but all my human effort is infused with the battery’s electric power. As I pedal, the power kicks in and multiplies my greatly limited and easily drained power. My little effort immediately turns into great effort — not according to my strength, but according to the power of the battery.

When we invite the Spirit of God in, we are connected to a power source far greater than any battery out there. The power is limitless and infinite. 

Do you know how that kid’s five loaves and two fish fed 5,000 men? His little resource was hooked up to the infinite resource of God and —Voilà! — everybody ate!

Do you know how Peter and John were able to heal the lame man by the entrance to the temple? Their little compassion and small offering of care and consideration was hooked up with the deep, powerful compassion and power of God the Father and — Voilà! — the lame man was dancing and leaping and praising God.

Do you know how the little trust and hope my mom had on her death bed, as the cancer did its damage to her brain, became peace that passes understanding? It was connected with the Spirit of Christ.

Finally, do you know how the selfish brat writing this has become someone whose greatest joy is to see others built up and encouraged and confident? Jesus’ Spirit has come in and — Voilà! — a new creation has come.

I love the way Dallas Willard puts it: “Now, what we can do by our unassisted strength is very small. What we can do acting with mechanical, electrical or atomic power is much greater. Often what can be accomplished is so great that it is hard to believe or imagine without some experience of it. But what we can do with these means is still very small compared to what we could do acting in union with God himself, who created and ultimately controls all other forces.”

I pray you and I will not exhaust ourselves trying to do right without the Spirit of God guiding us and empowering us. I pray you and I will not settle for the lesser righteousness and relationship with God which comes from the Law of Moses. And I pray you and I will understand that Jesus did not come to tear down what the Law built, but to baptize it and us with the Spirit and with fire. Then, by His living in us, the whole world can see the light and feel the warmth of His glorious wisdom and love.

David

If you want to drive this “Spirit is greater than law” truth deeper into your soul in a deeply moving way, click on this YouTube link and watch the 3-minute video from “Les Miserables.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wF3FX43F-7Y

Who's at Bat?

Warning, this contains lots of baseball jargon…

Recently I got stuck. I was stuck on the passage in the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus said He did not come to “abolish the law but to fulfill it.” I know Jesus ushered in a “New Covenant” between God and people, purchased by His blood and sealed by His Spirit. But what role does the Law that God gave Moses play in the life of a follower of Jesus?

I found some words by a scholar named Jonathan Pennington, who has wrestled with this same challenge:

“The compactness of Matthew 5:17–20 is at once its power and its difficulty. By virtue of its pithy, contrastive statements we get a large-scale snapshot of the issue. But its brevity and super-concentrated collection of weighty terms and ideas mean that every sentence is a spark that sets off a fire in a different direction. Like good poetry, this short passage is thick with meaning and in need of deep reflection.” 

Jonathan’s words made me feel less alone in my “stuckness,” but I didn’t get “unstuck” until I played in a softball game.

There I was, standing in the on-deck circle of an old man softball league. Our team, which is not super good, was down eleven points in what was basically the bottom of the ninth. Each game lasts fifty minutes. For some wonderful reason our team hit really well in this inning and had already scored nine runs. After scoring those nine runs we were still down two points with two outs against us. We had two runners on base and my teammate was up to bat.

In the “on-deck” circle, my mind went through different scenarios. Each scenario raised my blood pressure and made my hands feel warm. If the guy in front of me gets a hit, the bases will be loaded, which is good for my team, but intense for me.

In case you are lost in all the baseball terminology, this means that, if my teammate were to get a hit, my at-bat could either win the game for us, get us closer to winning the game, or totally shatter all the hope my team was bubbling over with.

As I watched my teammate wait for the right pitch, the pressure intensified. Then a scenario I had not considered unfolded before my eyes. He hit a home run! No one on our team had hit a home run before. We hadn’t even come close. His hit sent the ball sailing over the fence and we scored three runs, putting us in the lead. Immediately, all the pressure was gone. Now my at bat was not a life or death situation, but an” icing on the cake” possibility. I ended up getting a base hit and so did the next few guys behind me. We got enough hits to run out the fifty-minute clock and we won the game. 

So, how does this have anything to do with the Law that God gave Moses, and the life of a follower of Jesus? Glad you asked.

Some of us are trying very hard to be good. It is like we keep coming to the plate trying to hit a home run. On our best days we do some good, but not all days are best days, and we find ourselves doing a lot of bad. Now, crazy enough, in baseball you are considered a great hitter if you get a hit one-third of the time.

The bad we do wouldn’t be a such a big problem except that it comes with a cost. And the cost is that it usually hurts the ones we love. For instance, anger can be kept in check sometimes, but when it comes out it creates pain and fear and, in some cases, lasting damage to the ones we love.

Another example would be lust. It seems like pornography wouldn’t hurt anyone because it can be personal and private. But as we know, it deeply affects a person’s ability to be intimate with a loved one in more ways than just sexual. In addition to that, every time someone looks at porn they are contributing to the sex slave industry which is tearing apart families, as well as little boys’ and girls’ souls.

I could go on with pertinent examples, but this is not what got me unstuck. What did get me unstuck was the reality that, just like the guy who batted before me, Jesus wants to go to bat for us. 

The Law God gave Moses helps us know the score.  His law points us in the right direction and shows us what is truly good. In our lives, every decision we make is like an at-bat. If we decide in line with God’s Law, it is like a hit. If we go against God’s Law it is like an out.

The problem is, many of us don’t know God’s Law. Our culture is trying to tell us that God’s Law is bad. And even worse, those of us familiar with God’s Law still get it wrong so often. When face-to-face with the righteousness described in God’s Law, we all are down eleven in the bottom of the ninth and, really, much worse. 

But if you are willing to see it, Jesus is standing at the door of your heart, knocking, with bat in hand, waiting for you to invite Him in. If you do, He will go to bat for you. 

You see, Jesus came from heaven to earth to fulfill God’s Law. He was tempted in every way we are — anger, lust, and everything else — yet He never sinned. He never got out of line with God’s Law, but fulfilled it perfectly. Then, in a wild move no one saw coming, He offered His sinless life as a sacrifice to pay the price for all of humanity’s sin-filled lives. He knew we could not do it on our own. He knew that, without His help, we would continue to be defeated by anger and lust. He knew we could not fulfill the Law on our own. So, on the cross, He went to bat for us. And when He rose from the dead, it was clear the sin debt was paid and forgiveness had come. Jesus’ righteousness was more powerful than all our unrighteousness. His life, death, and resurrection were a home run that washed all our sins away.

Before Jesus, the Law condemned us. But since Christ fulfilled the Law, there is no more condemnation for those who are in Christ. TheLlaw in the life of a Christ follower is now a helpful guide to knowing God deeper and accomplishing the kind of righteousness that rights the wrongs in the world. 

I pray you will not fall into the trap of legalism, where you believe it is up to you alone to overcome anger, lust, and all their friends.

I pray you will not fall into the trap of Antinomianism, where you ignore God’s Law, leaving yourself and others in a state of spiritual infancy.

I pray you will allow the work that Jesus did on the cross go to bat for you.

I pray His love, forgiveness, and example will compel you and empower you to overcome your anger and lust and go to bat for others.  

David

Congregational Meeting Highlights

Last Sunday night we had ourselves a good, old-fashioned congregational meeting.

I had a little trepidation going into the meeting, since last year was the most intense, confusing, disruptive, polarizing year I have ever lived through in my 43 years. Our hope was to create a space where people in our church could express what they are feeling in regards to the decisions and stances we have been making as a church. We wanted to create a space where people could ask questions and make comments to bring more clarity where any confusion or uncertainty may be festering. And we want to work toward being a tight-knit family of Jesus worshippers instead of a bigger church.

So, we prayed for some of the goodness of Acts 2 and Acts 15 to show up by the power of God’s Holy Spirit. And here is what happened…

First, I greeted everyone and threw out a bunch of chocolate candy to them.

Next, our Direction Team shared short reports highlighting some of the good things we saw last year, as well of some “what’s next” items in each of their departments.

Tammy Valdez is the Executive Director of our Ministry Team. She reported that we had 84 baptisms last year and shared how some of those who were baptized connected with us through our online church opportunities. She shared how our online church participation has increased dramatically over the last year, while our in-person attendance has steadily climbed back to near pre-Covid numbers. She shared the good news of over 400 people participating in Life Groups and 5,000 people receiving food and prayer from our Food Pantry.

Tammy has been an absolute Godsend to us. She has a strong corporate leadership background, a deep love for Jesus and Living Streams, consistent courage in decision making, and has shown great patience and faithfulness in prayer.

Arthur Le is the Executive Director of the Operations Team. He reported that we will keep the balcony as a mandatory mask space, and the lower floor and rest of campus will be mask optional in regard to Covid-19 protocols. He also shared our excitement about some renovations on our campus:

• Moving our food pantry to the west end in a space previously called the Respite Shelter.

• Remodeling several rooms in Upstairs Building B for the Jr High Ministry.

• The growing High School Ministry will move to a renewed space in the Loft of Building D.

• After this is completed this summer, we will renovate the chapel, gym lobby, and restrooms of building D with the hope of seeing Mario Benavides launch a full-on Spanish language church service in the Fall.

All of these renovations are fully funded by gifts designated and set aside outside of our operations budget.

The last thing Arthur shared was how we are contemplating and praying about getting into the education game. In light of all the anti-Biblical racial and sexual teachings finding their way into our schools, we are seeking the Lord to see if He wants us to host or create a school right here on our campus. (If this interests you, please contact Arthur: Arthur.L@livingstreams.org)

Arthur does everything well. He treats people well. He is a master of details and organization. He is joyful in everything he does. And all of his greatness is clothed in authentic humility.

Ryan Romeo is the Executive Director of the Creative Arts team. He shared about how seamless and good the transition of worship leadership from Jay Murphy to Nathan Del Turco has gone. He also shared that Nathan is no longer an “interim” worship director but has now become a full-fledged staff member directing our worship department under Ryan.

After this, Ryan announced he and his family will be heading out for 3 months of sabbatical this summer. Ryan and his wife, Blake, are both pastors at the church who have worked so hard to lift us all up, and have done so with a gracious and beautiful touch. I am so thankful for both of them and am happy for them to take this time away to recoup, refresh, and renew for the work ahead at Living Streams.

The final presentation came from Jim Watkins, the Living Streams Elder Team Chairman. We heard that, though one elder resigned his eldership and is no longer a part of our fellowship, the elder team is unified and encouraged by the decisions and stances we are making as a church. Jim also shared that our church is approximately $40,000 in the red after March, and is projected to be approximately $100,000 down by September (the end of our fiscal year). He said he doesn’t want anyone to worry because we have $500,000 set aside as an emergency fund; but he does want people to consider giving more consistently if they have been giving, and to start giving to the church if they have not.

After 25 minutes of presentations we moved on to questions and comments from those in attendance. (I also threw out some more chocolate candies.)

The question and comment time lasted about an hour, with many different people stepping up to the mic. I will not be able to touch on every question or comment, but I will share some of them.

There were a few questions about our online church. This is something we have been working on for the last 3 years, but obviously it has become a greater priority because of last year’s challenge to mass gatherings. We have hired Alec Seekins as a pastor dedicated to the online community. We still have Cliff Cesar who is and has been working on delivering the church services to those online, as well as connecting with them pastorally. At the same time we are consistently trying to make sure we are not offering some sort of counterfeit or shallow church community that will leave people frail and flimsy in their discipleship to Jesus. We welcome more ideas and help in this regard, and are thankful for the online families who have connected to our church and are helping us figure out this new reality.

There was a question about Dan Reed’s role of pastor to our senior citizens. The question was asked because Dan has decided to retire as of the end of May. Dan has done a wonderful job of pastoral care to our seniors. We assured everyone that we take the ministry to the seniors very seriously and, with Dan’s help, we will figure out how to provide great pastoral care once he moves on to God’s next mission for him.

There was a question about how we can help people not get swept away by all the anti-Biblical teachings about sexuality that are becoming so prevalent in our society and in churches, as well. In response, I shared about the origins of our sexuality. They don’t come from societal constructs. They don’t come from an evolutionary biology. The origins of our sexuality come straight from the creator God.

After God created all we see in the world, He decided to create something that looked like Him. On the 6th day God created male and female in His own image. So, when we get male and female right it is the best picture of God that we have in the world. I think this is why the devil is trying so hard to distort male and female these days.

After God created male and female and saw it was good, He instituted marriage as the next step in preserving the good. As male and female join together sexually a bond is created which is endowed by God with great power. This power is to create life — not only in the form of procreation, but also in the psychological and sociological sense. The proof of this can be seen by the fact that when divorce happens devastation happens. But when faithfulness in marriage happens between a man and woman, life, goodness, strength and security happens. When a man and a woman marry and stay faithfully committed to each other, it releases an immeasurable amount of power to create good psychologically and sociologically. Furthermore, in Ephesians 5 we learn that marriage between a male and female is the best picture we have of how our relationship with God is supposed to look.

To finish off God’s instituting of gender and sexuality in the world, He created family. In family, every child born would have a mom and dad and be taken care of. And just like male and female genders and marriage, when we get family right, goodness ensues. But when we get it wrong, devastation happens.

The reason this is such an important topic right now is because society is messing with gender, sex, marriage and family, thinking they are messing with inconsequential things. They think these are the stones at the top of the dam. But what they don’t realize is that gender, sex, marriage and family are the foundation stones holding everything together. If these are messed with or removed in any way, the dam holding back the sadness and devastation will give way.

After I said these things, there were comments about recording these thoughts so everyone could share them. So, there you have it in written form.

Other than those questions, there were a couple of budget questions which, if you have any interest in that, you can set up a meeting with Anthony DeArcos, our Finance Director at Anthony.Dearcos@livingstreams.org.

There were also a few comments of encouragement and support for how the church has conducted itself in the societal shaking of last year.

We finished by praying for our church in small groups and a song of worship.

Overall, it was a good time of fostering a family feel in our church and making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

God bless you and yours,

David

A Joyful Connection

Last Thursday, Brit (my super rad wife) and I got on a plane and flew south for a week. Normally, when we fly south we land in Belize, but this time we went further south to the South American country of Ecuador.

We arrived at 1:05 AM and were picked up by a man named Mario Benavides. Even though we were strangers and it was the middle of the night, Mario made us feel at ease and like honored guests. In the darkness, he drove us to his nice house on a hill and showed us to the super-nice guest room where we would be staying.

We woke up the next day to see everything in the daylight. The nice house we now saw was very nice. The house overlooked a city surrounded by tall green hills and the soft grey of partly cloudy skies. It was beautiful. Everything about the house seemed perfectly placed and finished very well. Some nice houses can feel pretentious, but this house made you feel invited and inspired.

Next, we met Mario’s wife, Sylvana, and his two teenage sons, Martin and Adrian. They were very kind and fun, and they showed a deep rapport and ease with each other. Brit and I quickly felt the same — like their family unity and mutual respect was contagious. Over the next four days they were extremely generous as they took us all around Quito and showed us a wonderful time.

We went to Ecuador because Mario and his family are planning to move to Phoenix and start churches for Spanish speakers as a part of Living Streams Church.

For the last seven years Living Streams has been growing a fruitful and meaningful connection with some churches in Ecuador. Our founding pastor, Mark Buckley, and Living Streams’ longest tenured pastor, Kurt Cotter, have ministered to churches in multiple cities in Ecuador. It has been a joyful connection.

A few years ago Mark told me Mario feels called by God to plant churches in Phoenix just as he has done in Quito. At the same time that God has been speaking to Mario and his wife down in Quito, God has been stirring in the hearts of our Living Streams team to plant churches for Spanish speakers here in Phoenix.

With this in mind Brit and I went, praying and hoping to get more clarity about who Mario is, and to see if God is confirming for us to work with Mario in church planting.

We came away from our time in Quito thinking:

• Mario and his family are the real deal.

• I/we have much we can learn from Mario and Sylvana about life, ministry and the multiplication of good.

• Mario and his family will be sacrificing a lot to answer this call of God.

• We will not be “equally yoked” as ministry partners.

In fact, I came away more excited and committed to seeing the next 1,000 people to join the family of God at Living Streams to be those whose first language is Spanish.

And I came away praying Jesus will help us all to be inviting and inspiring in the work we do and the life we live, develop a deep rapport and ease in our relationships, and get to see the beauty and power of God on display as He unites people from every tribe and tongue in the kingdom of heaven.

David

The Authority of Jesus

I’m out of the office, so I asked Ryan Romeo to write to you this week. – David

---

This has been such an an amazing season to be a part of Living Streams. On Easter weekend, we had 6 services with over 2,000 people in attendance and nearly the same online! Our biggest Easter yet. We also saw 14 people baptized in person and 3 online, and many more dedicated or re-dedicated their lives to Jesus. What an amazing week! Then we moved right on to more awesomeness and started the Sermon on the Mount series.

But in the midst of all the excitement around here, the one thing I keep feeling is that we are an island of good news in a sea of uncertainty. If you want to have a bad day, just turn on the news and it will take care of the rest. We hear stories of the pandemic, rumors of war or financial depressions. We hear of the mental health crisis or the ever deepening divide between political parties.

The fruit of all this worry and uncertainty pushes those of us in the church to feel more and more pressure to say the right thing or to stand for the right causes. It’s a pressure that, if we aren’t careful, will push us into being just as confused as the world around us. But in the midst of all of this, there is one simple practice we all must find ourselves running to when we need discernment. One simple practice that will push back the darkness and bring hope and clarity.

Reading the words of Jesus.

I love that we are now doing a series on the Sermon on the Mount. We are diving headlong into the greatest sermon ever preached — words that bring light and alignment in the midst of a dark and crooked world. The words of Jesus carry authority, a kind of authority that the people in his time had never heard before.

At the end of the Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew 7, it says, "When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority..”

Jesus taught with authority. He said things like, if you build your house (meaning your life) on the foundation of his teaching, that you would weather any storm that comes along. He said that heaven and earth will pass away, but his words would remain. These are bold statements of authority!

But he was right.

For millennia, his teachings have been strong enough to lead countless people through dark and confusing times. They have led all kinds of people, from world leaders to janitors, passionate church pastors to murderers on death row.

And his words still have the power to lead us through the times in which we find ourselves.

I want to encourage you this week — if you’re feeling overwhelmed by this dark season of our world, if you’re feeling lost and confused — read the words of Jesus. Dive into one of the gospels and let his teachings be a salve to your broken heart and a map to your confusing time. Take time daily to open the word of God, and watch your perspective shift and the darkness wane. Then join us Sunday as we continue this practice together, as a family, sitting at the feet of our wise and loving King, Jesus.

See you on Sunday!

Ryan

What a Weekend!

Though there are many turning away from the Lord Jesus and His narrow way, there are many turning to Him. We constantly hear reports about the decline of the church. As a pastor, I hear about and see people disengaging, or departing from the way of Jesus, because it is too hard or too narrow. But what I saw last weekend was not decline. It was not sad or disappointing. It was awesome and inspiring.

A Really Good Friday

About four hundred fifty people showed up for our noon Good Friday service and one hundred fifty joined us online. Did you get that? That many showed up for a Good Friday service! At noon. On a Friday. During a pandemic situation. A Good Friday service — which is more contemplative and quiet — connecting with Jesus at the intersection of His pain and our pain. Yet, we had twice as many people as we have ever had on a Good Friday service. Come on, Jesus!

That same night, from 6:00 – 8:00 pm, we had a drive-through-stations-of-the-cross-with-artwork-communion-and-prayer service on our campus. We wanted to ensure that anyone who is quarantined for any reason, or was unable to make it to the noon service, could partake. Over seventy cars drove through. Many people received prayer and left the campus with precious tears running down their cheeks. One young lady even prayed to give her life to Jesus. Woohoo!

The Celebration

For our Easter celebration we held a Saturday evening service and three Sunday morning services. We wanted to create room for anyone wanting social distancing space. I thought two of the four services would be pretty empty. I was wrong. All four filled up and we had the largest attendance for Easter services in our church’s history. Almost sixteen hundred adults attended in-person. Another five hundred fifteen joined us online. What?!

Moved to Follow Jesus

During our Easter services we baptized seventeen people. One who was baptized was a young lady who was moved to give her life to Jesus in the first service. She stayed for the second service so she could be baptized.

Three who were baptized were from the same family. In this family of five, three have severe autoimmune diseases. The family has been strictly quarantined for over ten years as they deal with major medical issues. Over the last year we have come to know them more as Covid-19 caused all of us to be quarantined for a bit. As we have learned to walk with them and learn from them, Jesus has been doing a wonderful work in their family. All three of the children decided to be baptized. We found a metal pool and took it to their house. (Because of a latex allergy an inflatable pool couldn’t work.) We helped the parents with a little “pastor baptism briefing.” Then, the parents recorded each child’s declaration of faith and baptism. We played the video in each Easter service to make sure their declaration was heard, received and celebrated by the whole family of Living Streams. It was beautiful! (I am glad we made the decision to put the Kleenex boxes back in the sanctuary.)

This Road Leads to Life

I know that in this past year opinions on Covid-19, race, sexuality, and gender have caused major relational hemorrhaging and — in some cases — death. I know the confusion caused by so-called progressive Christianity is becoming more prominent and leading to greater secularization in our cities and our churches. But I also know His truth is marching on. The narrow road still leads to life — abundant life. Jesus is on the throne. And just as the so-called sexual revolution of the 60’s gave way to the Jesus movement of the 70’s, I am hoping the sexual confusion of the 2010’s will give way to another Jesus movement in the 2020’s. Come on, Jesus!

David

P.S. Please note we have postponed our Congregational Meeting from this Sunday April 11th to Sunday April 25th at 6pm.

Passion Week

Passion week is upon us. The last week of Jesus’ earthly life.

The week began with Jesus cleansing the temple of Yahweh from all the greed, deceit and misrepresentations of the Father heart of God. With intense zeal Jesus scattered those making it harder for the marginalized to know God’s love, peace and truth.

Throughout the week Jesus taught in the temple courts. As He taught, the Pharisees tested Him — much like the Passover lamb would be tested in order to prove it was a spotless and worthy sacrifice. 

During this week Jesus attended a party in His honor put on and attended by people who had been healed and/or freed by Jesus. There, Mary anointed Jesus with an extremely costly perfume as a way of worshipping Him and preparing Him for His burial. 

After all this, Jesus washed his disciples’ feet and celebrated the Passover in an intimate, prophetic, profound, and heart-wrenching last meal with them. On that Maundy Thursday all those years ago, Jesus instituted the communion meal, which is still refreshing and uniting people all over the world today.

After the meal, Jesus spent the night in a garden, wrestling with the Father to the point of sweating great drops of blood. There He withstood His fear and surrendered His worry and stress to the will of His Father. That same night Jesus was arrested and taken to different judicial courts throughout the night. In those courts people made up lies about Him, fostered hatred for Him, and ultimately pronounced Him guilty and worthy of death.

Then, on a Friday we call good, Jesus was horrifically pierced for our transgressions and brutally bruised for our iniquities. The torture continued until His body and breath finally gave way. 

After Jesus died, darkness came in the middle of the day as creation groaned and mourned the death of the Author of life. Some courageous, distant friends laid Jesus in a tomb on the most silent and heavy Sabbath day the world has ever known.

But out of the silence, while creation stood still, and those who loved Jesus were weighed down with despair, the earth shook. The tomb’s stone rolled away and some angels appeared. They announced to everyone paying attention that Jesus is alive. And that announcement — which shattered the silence of that day — is still ringing out all these years later. All over the world people are still encountering the living Christ and shouting out the message that Jesus is alive.

Those three words make up the greatest sentence, the most poetic song, the most powerful phrase to ever form on a person’s lips.

If Jesus is alive, then, though we have tribulations in this world, we can have hope-filled hearts because Jesus has overcome the world.

If Jesus is alive, then God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above anything we could ever ask or imagine.

If Jesus is alive, then nothing can separate us from the love of God or keep us from being more than conquerors in Christ.

If Jesus is alive, then the righteousness of God is more powerful than the unrighteousness of men 

If Jesus is alive, then no matter what sin and death have caused, it can be undone.

If Jesus is alive, then Heaven is real.

Hallelujah!

This weekend we will be celebrating Jesus. Whether you have encountered the living Jesus, or are ready to encounter the living Jesus, please join us this weekend for one of our gatherings. 

At noon on Good Friday we will spend time prayerfully contemplating the pain Jesus went through to pay the price for us to  enter into a new life, free from all pain.

From 6-8pm on Good Friday we have an artistic drive-through experience featuring the stations of the cross. The drive-through will take about fifteen minutes and will produce some good moments of contemplation and prayer. 

For our Sunday Easter celebration we will be gathering at our normal Sunday morning times of 8, 9:30, and 11am. We are also having a Saturday evening service for those who are not yet ready to be around a lot of people. All of those services will be available in-person as well as live-stream. If at all possible, please join us in person and bring some people with you, so the gospel can reach more ears and, hopefully, more hearts.

All the best, 

David

Triumph

I don’t think the word triumph is an onomatopoeia, but the way the word sounds and forms in my mouth seems to give more weight to the word’s definition. The Google definition of the word has two parts: a great victory or achievement and/or the processional entry of a victorious general into ancient Rome. My brain also processes the word in two parts: Try and Umph. Therefore, triumph is when you try with a lot of umph and you come out victorious. (My mind also thinks of March Madness and the triumph of Loyola Chicago, Abilene Christian, and Oral Roberts Universities. Yes, you should be glad you don’t have my brain.)

This coming Sunday commemorates and celebrates an extremely important event in human history, especially for those who follow Jesus. The event is named The Triumphal Entry. There are many reasons this event is important. The Triumphal Entry was an amazing, miraculous fulfillment of prophecy given six hundred years earlier. It prepared the way for Jesus’ death and resurrection. It was the first time Jesus publicly declared Himself as the King He is, not necessarily the king we desire. But what I think makes this event so important has to do with the word triumph. 

Like the second part of Google’s definition, the word triumph is used to describe a processional entry of a victorious general into ancient Rome. It was a common practice in the ancient world for men returning from war to set up a victory parade when they returned home. The victorious person would send someone ahead to let people in the city know who was coming and what victory he had achieved. He would position his men to walk in front of him to shout and cheer. As the victor entered the city, people would shout and cheer with gratitude, because they no longer had to worry about whatever foe had been conquered. 

With that in mind, the Triumphal Entry is a good name for the event it commemorates. Jesus was thirty-three years old, He knew His time was short, and He resolutely headed toward Jerusalem. He sent some disciples ahead to get a donkey and let people know that someone of significance was coming. As Jesus approached Jerusalem, His disciples started shouting all the amazing things He had done and said, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!” Once He entered Jerusalem, large crowds gathered to see the Victorious One and hear what great exploits He achieved. When the crowds saw Jesus on the donkey and heard of all the healings and miracles He had done, they joined in shouting “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!” and “Hosanna in the highest heaven.” 

But one thing remains unclear in all this. Who was the foe that Jesus conquered that we don’t have to worry about anymore? 

This is the best part. You can’t call an event the Triumphal Entry unless someone has conquered something. Jesus did not conquer oppressive Rome, evil King Herod, or the arrogant ruling class of Pharisees and Sadducees. What Jesus declared was His conquering of sin. All the miracles Jesus performed were signs that He was able to undo the damage sin had done. The Transfiguration signified that Jesus had passed the test of being tempted in every way possible without succumbing. Then, the Triumphal Entry was Jesus announcing that humanity’s greatest foe — the foe that separated us from God our Father and caused so much damage to ourselves and our fellow humans — had now been conquered.

Now some might be thinking, I thought Jesus conquered sin on the cross. Stick with me here. Jesus paid the price for our sin on the cross, but He conquered sin every minute of every day of His life as temptations came and He did not succumb. The reason this is so important is because, after conquering sin in this way, Jesus became the only King without sin. As a King without sin, He was able to become the spotless, sacrificial lamb who could take away the sin of the world.

Paul the Apostle described this reality by comparing Jesus to Adam. Adam was the first sinless, spotless man but he succumbed to sin, causing all of creation to suffer under the oppression and destruction of sin ever since. Jesus is the second Adam who, though tempted in every way, did not succumb to sin, and opened up a way for all of creation to be free from sin’s oppression and destruction.

Hallelujah! Hosanna! Blessed is Jesus, the King we really want and need! Blessed is Jesus, who made a way for us! Blessed is Jesus, whose reign will never end, and whose faithfulness shows up in every generation! Blessed is Jesus, who is already undoing the damage that sin has done and will someday come again to remove sin and its dark shadow forevermore! 

David

The Doctorine of Individualism

Hi everyone! I’m out of the office this week, so I asked Ryan Romeo to write on my behalf. –David

“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” –Romans 12:9-13

This weekend Jeff Gokee spoke powerfully on the dangers of individualism. If you missed it, be sure to go back and watch it.

In his message, Jeff reminded us that the doctrine of individualism leaves us empty. It places self-obsession on the throne and not Jesus. It is a doctrine that is pushed in nearly every sphere of society.

“It’s all about you,” we often hear, or “you do you!” We live in a hyper-individualistic culture that is obsessed with personal comfort. We see ads of all the things we need to buy. On social media we follow people who look beautiful, rich and seem happy all the time. We surround ourselves with world views that make us comfortable, and in the inverse, can unfollow people who make us uncomfortable, perpetuating our own bubbles based solely on ourselves.

But is all of this obsession with self making us happy?

A recent Gallup poll shows that the mental health of Americans is at an all-time low. Whether rich or poor, left or right, every segment of society is feeling more depressed in 2021. Well, not everyone. The only place where mental health showed a miraculous four-point improvement, is from people who attend weekly church services.

Why? Because deep down, we know life is not all about us. We were designed for community. We were designed to commune with God and live life with other people. This season has reminded us of how important being with people is, and how painful it can be to be alone.

We need community to remind us that it isn’t all about us. We need community to remind us of the power of the Gospel and keep us from going off the rails theologically. We need church community to be reminded that life is all about Jesus. Living for Jesus. Being like Jesus.

And what did Jesus do? He served people. He taught people. He died for people. Literally.

Romans 12 is a beautiful reminder of what it looks like to be a part of a Jesus-centered community. Jesus does absolutely love each of us individually; but we grow spiritually by serving one another in the House of God. Preferring one another over ourselves. Practicing hospitality with one another.

In the end, John 17:23 reminds us that this is the kind of selfless, Jesus-like love that will speak to the world around us. We can show a self-centered world a selfless and loving community that reflects the love and power of the God we serve. Jesus, let it be so with us!

See you this Sunday.

Ryan

Four Things I Learned This Week

First:
Living Streams Church family is amazing.
I received many emails and messages of encouragement regarding the countercultural sermons of the past few weeks. It has been wonderful to to be a part of a community that is hungry and thirsty for a vision of the righteousness of God. Our community reminds me of the Apostle Paul’s hope for the church in Ephesus. He did not want them to be “tossed to and fro and carried about by every wind of doctrine.” The Living Streams family can see deceitful ideologies for what they are and are willing to obey God’s decrees, no matter what our culture says. Allelu!

Second:
I learned more about the mental health crisis our society is experiencing.
On Tuesday, our staff was taken through a training session by an attorney who specializes in mental health. He gave us a clearer picture of how vast the mental health crisis is, how widespread it is in the younger generations, and how important healthy families and the hope of Jesus are. He said the numbers were bad before Covid-19, and they are expected to be exponentially worse in the year to come. Lord have mercy!

Third:
I learned the church has historically done a poor job of creating a space for people going through deconstruction.
There is a healthy and important deconstruction we must go through, but it seems the cry of our culture’s heart right now is to make deconstruction the end instead of a means. It is true that God is always refining our faith and understanding. Good theological study is less about accumulating knowledge and more about filtering out false ideologies and misinformed beliefs. A crisis of faith is something the church should make room for, instead of ostracizing someone in that place and leaving them to process outside of the community. There is a point at which someone needs to be “turned over to Satan,” but there is another point at which someone needs to be surrounded and sheltered by the community of faith as they pass through the valley of doubt, disobedience or unbelief. God help us!

Fourth:
My wife is awesome.
Out of the many things she could do with her life, she chose ministry to kids. She feels that God told her what would make Him the happiest, and her the healthiest, is for her to teach 3rd-5th graders at Living Streams. She doesn’t just teach them the Bible and about Jesus—although she does that well—she also teaches them to live and love, have fun and care for each other, and how to TP people. Yes, when I say TP people, I mean going to a house with a bunch of rolls of toilet paper and throwing it over the trees and bushes, mailboxes and cars, and on the house, if possible.

I know this message has the potential of ratting her out. But she did take a bunch of girls from her group TP-ing. One of the girls in the group has been quarantined for the last ten years due to an autoimmune disease that she and other members of her family have. Since Covid-19, she has been Zooming into this Bible study group. When the group decided to go TP-ing, they made sure she could join in through Zoom. She even participated in the TP-ing by throwing toilet paper all over her brother’s room. It was a ton of fun, lots of laughs, and everybody bonded a little more.

Oh, one more thing!
I learned some things about cryptocurrency this week—but I’m still so confused I couldn’t add it to the list of things I learned.

Peace to you and yours,

 David

With Just a Whisper

The more difficult the situation, the more nuanced the dilemma, the more unclear what justice is, the more thankful I am for the indwelling Spirit of God and the library of Scriptures.

God knew sin would distort everything. He told Adam and Eve not to eat of the tree because it would cause death to come. He knew sin would cause us to have disordered desires. He knew it would cause dads to want to leave, moms to want to cheat, and kids to deal with gender dysphoria and diverse sexual attractions. God knew it would lead to racism and holocausts and genocides. He knew it would cause people to think they know better than God does, and to even deny that God exists. 

But instead of rejecting us and leaving us to our own devices, God, in His wisdom and grace, gives us everything we need to navigate this life and make it to resurrection life.

We must never forget that God paid our sin debt with the precious blood of His own Son.

We must never forget that God places His Spirit inside those who surrender to Him.

And we must never forget that God inspired people of old to write down an account of what they learned about God, what they heard God say, and what they saw God do. These accounts have been preserved as the Bible so we can learn from them and apply them whenever difficult dilemmas, nuanced cases, and questions of justice show up. And boy, do we have some of those things in our society and churches today. 

As my soul was feeling the squeeze of our cultural moment, this little poem came out of it. I hope it speaks to you in some encouraging way.

My mind is full 
My heart is hungry
But my feet are feeling meek 
My eyes are searching 
My soul is churning 
But my mouth fumbles to speak

So many are speaking with unclean lips 
With many things to teach 
The devil has a megaphone 
He gives a beautiful speech

Those with ears can’t help but hear
The onslaught is relentless 
Some succumb, some surrender 
Some resolve to stay restless

But way down deep and subtle as sleep
A voice is found by those who seek
It’s still and small but cuts through all 
The twisted lies they preach

With just a whisper innocence appears
And weary souls find care
In shadowed valleys paths light up
And truth and lie are laid bare 

Don’t worry or fret when the lions roar
Because these lions have no teeth
God’s word will stand 
His love sustain
Now is just part of His eternity

– David

My Prayer

It is the last week of Black History Month, where our nation celebrates the achievements of African Americans, and recognizes their central role in U.S. history. It is also a moment in the history of our nation where many thoughts, feelings, and ideologies are swirling around race relations. In light of that, I decided to would write out a prayer. 

Jesus, I pray for the boys and girls in Phoenix who notice how many people with black skin, like them, are struggling. When they are heartbroken by deep anger and frustration, broken homes and prison time, poverty of resource and poverty of education, please let them know You are with them. 

When these same boys and girls grow up watching people with different skin color enjoy resources, lifestyles, and privileges that they have never enjoyed—and don’t think they will ever enjoy—please let them know You are for them. 

When they become weary under the heavy burden of real and percieved discrepancies, and when the devil whispers the lie propagated in early American history by politicians and preachers that their lives don’t matter, please let them know their lives matter so much. 

I also pray when they are told numerous narratives and ideologies, that You would give them great discernment for what is true, wisdom to know what to do, and courage to do it—even if it is against popular opinion. 

Lord Jesus, since your word says that without vision the people perish, I pray you would give the black community a grand vision of Your plans for them. Help them be filled with torrents of hope, knowing You are so faithful to redeem pain and are perfectly aware of all the injustice their people have suffered on American soil. Help the black community experience an amazing revival and renewal, causing them to be great leaders and evangelists all over the world, for Your glory. 

And I also pray for Living Streams Church. Please help us to be and do what You are asking of us. Help us to create connections and intersections between our lives and those who are struggling. Help us know how to get our shoulders under the burden the black community in Phoenix is carrying. We know you have made Your Church the hope of this world. Please give us the wisdom and power to actually bring about good and lasting change in our communities. Let us be courageous as lions, wise as serpents, humble as doves, and as loving as Golden Retrievers. 

– David

P.S. If you would like to dialogue about this prayer, or about race relations, please let me know. We are considering setting a meeting at church for dialogue and prayer.

Love Packs a Punch

“Perfect love casts out fear." 1 John 4:18 (ESV)

Sometimes people just make you feel well-loved.

A few days ago I came home to find on the counter a small pile of mail, at the top of which was a bright red Valentine’s Day envelope from my aunt. Inside the envelope there was a card for my wife, because Valentine’s Day is her birthday. There was also a card for me and my girls, which included a little school-style Valentine for each of us, $30 cash, and a picture of my mom and her three sons, me included.

My girls were excited to see the cash and they grinned and laughed looking at the picture of my mom and us boys as young whippersnappers with dopey smiles. It was nice to get a fun little Valentine’s Day card from my aunt, but there was so much more to this. I know that my aunt, who has done this type of thing before, sent this card in honor of my mom and dad. You see, my mom and dad passed away before my daughters were born so the girls have never been able to know their grandparents or feel their love. My aunt will, from time to time, do something for my girls to help them know my mom and dad and to show them the kind of love my parents would have showered on their grandchildren if they were still here.

So as I opened the card knowing what my aunt was up to, I paused, took a deep breath, and felt very well-loved. As I explained to my girls what my aunt was doing and why she was doing it, one of them started to tear up because she too felt very well-loved.

That card was such a simple action, but it packed a really powerful punch. That is what true love does. The Bible says, “Perfect love casts out fear.” In this case, perfect love cast out our grief. This kind of love is able to take something as painful as grief and turn it into something beautiful. I carry a load of pain and grief because of the loss of my parents. My girls live with the loss and void of never knowing the love of two people who would have been very awesome grandparents. As strong as grief and loss are, my aunt’s simple act of love turned our grief into a backdrop so the beautiful love of Christ could take center stage. I’m reminded of Isaiah’s poetic prophecy: God wants to turn our sorrow into dancing and give us beauty for our ashes.

I so deeply want my daughters to know that grief doesn’t have to cripple us, and that sorrow is not something to be avoided at all costs. I want them to be able to grieve well and never lose hope in the midst of suffering. This simple act of love shown to my family through a Valentine’s Day card was inspired by the Spirit of God and put into practice by the obedience of one of His daughters. It reminded us that God’s love is more powerful than anything else, but it also helped us experience that powerful love.

There is a lot of grief in our world today; all around us there are people who have experienced loss, hardship, and pain. These people are well-acquainted with grief and the pain of grief. We have the opportunity to help them become well-acquainted with the love of Christ by pouring out by simple acts of love. Through love, we can see people set free from the chains of their sorrow. We can see our homes and streets filled with dancers who dance in the spaces where grief used to cripple. We can be a people who turn enemies and strangers into friends and family of God.

Today I pray that we—the people who know the love of Christ—will be inspired by His Spirit to show His love in simple and creative ways.

David

P.S. I was able to have dinner with another one of my dad’s sisters last week. Being with her is, for me, like being a kid again. She has somehow stepped in to represent each of my parents and grandparents who have passed away. I feel the love of all of them in her and being with her feels like home.

The other aunt has always cared a lot about my life and my work. She has always wanted to help me, and has helped me many times. Two weeks ago, she said she felt God lead her to give us a gift. She has no idea how timely the gift was for us and, more importantly, for the future of one of our daughters. I was blown away when we received the gift; even as I write this I feel that same wind blowing me away. She noted that, even though it was her decision to give it, the gift was made possible by my grandparents.

She said she was just passing on love from them to us.

The Other Option

There is a way that seems good unto man, but in the end it leads to death. Proverbs 14:12

I am not writing this to pick a fight. I am writing this because of some encounters I had this last week which left me disconcerted. 

There is so much twisting going on. I hear it everywhere. Twisting. Twisting. Twisting. Pundants and Preachers. Professionals and Politicians. All twisting statistics, twisting the Scriptures, and twisting their opponents’ words so they can feel some moral superiority, or some momentary popularity. They are laying sophisticated rhetoric traps, capturing the American psyche. Ugh. It can be so exhausting. 

Jesus often found Himself being challenged by the people who felt they were the most “woke” in His day. The religious and political elite of Jesus’ day also laid well-formed political traps in order to gain power, authority, and control. One of the traps they sprang on Jesus had to do with taxes: 

“Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch him in his words. They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not? Should we pay or shouldn’t we?”

But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. “Why are you trying to trap me?” he asked. “Bring me a denarius and let me look at it.” They brought the coin, and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”

“Caesar’s,” they replied.

Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”

And they were amazed at him.”

The kicker in this story is that the Pharisees and Herodians would have been very aware of the “imago dei” concept, which is held dear in Judaism. The “imago dei” concept is that God created mankind in His image, so, though the coin had Caesar’s image on it, each and every person has the image of God on them. They gave Him two bad options and Jesus pointed to a higher option. Whoop. there it is!

Another trap set for Jesus went like this. “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

The ones claiming to be standing on the high moral ground wanted to make Jesus either an enemy of God’s Law or an enemy of God’s love in the people’s eyes. But Jesus who is the high moral ground, says to these manipulative hypocrites, “The one who is without sin should cast the first stone.” Everyone went home and Jesus, who is the only one without sin, set the woman free. Again, Jesus pointed to a higher option. 

Now for the tricky part. Last summer a group claiming to have the high moral ground tried to capture power and control by laying a sophisticated trap posed by the question: Do you support Black Lives Matter or are you a racist?

Those who said yes with their words, posts, and activities found themselves pushing forward an agenda incongruent with the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Those who did not support BLM found themselves being marked as racists, which is also incongruent with the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

As in Jesus’ day, we need another option. We can call it, “The Other Option” or “Option #3” or “Option #0”. I really believe that if Jesus were here in the flesh, walking our streets as He did in first century Israel, He would not have fallen into this trap of two unrighteous options. He would point to a higher option. 

Jesus did not care for the poor and set the oppressed free by dismantling the teachings put forth by the law of God and His prophets. He fulfilled them. And Jesus did not care for the poor and set the oppressed free by being silent and ignoring those who called Him untrue things like demon-possessed, a glutton, and a sinner. Instead He disengaged from the rhetorical propaganda battle and ministered to individuals, telling those He healed to keep it a secret between them and God.

I love that. I care very deeply about justice. I know justice requires great sacrifice. I know for justice to happen in large ways it has to happen in small ways. By God’s grace and His divine working in my life, some of my most joyful discipleship moments have been with black men. We have had wonderful, mutually beneficial friendships forged by the Spirit of God made possible by the gospel of Christ. And currently, Jesus has gripped my heart to see Living Streams figure out how to engage with the legitimate pain and frustration felt by the black community in Phoenix, particularly South Phoenix. 

I disagree strongly with the sources and solutions put forth by the BLM organization. It is clear BLM does not acknowledge that broken families are one of the major sources of the pain and frustration, and at the same time, healthy families and faithful fathers are a main solution. BLM does not want to acknowledge sin as a source and the Spirit of God as solution. And until the truth wins out, no matter how unpopular, unsexy, or inconvenient it may be, we can never be set free. 

Let God be true and every man a liar. 

Sincerely, 

David

Vision for 2021

I remember that, when we were getting ready to enter the year 2020, everyone was joking about how we would see everything clearer. Though I do think we see some things a lot clearer now that 2020 is over, I don’t hear those people joking quite as much.

In 2020 we spent a lot of time planning, replanning and then cancelling plans. It was wild. Around August my phone dinged with a reminder that it was time to start planning for 2021. I showed it to one of our Direction Team members and we both chuckled uneasily. We chuckled because for most of 2020 we had only been able to plan out about a week or two at a time. And we were uneasy because we had no idea how we would be able to get any inspiration from the Lord, compelling vision, or clarity on the "what, why, and how" for 2021. Yet, by the time January 2021 came, we felt as inspired, compelled, and clear as we have ever been. 

Here is a little write-up about what we have our sites set on for this year:

In 2021 we will put our collective wisdom and energy into staying steady in the winds of societal unrest, keep our eyes open for the flowers of God’s goodness, and consecrate ourselves in order to gain a vision for the righteousness of God for today.

In line with our vision to be a healthy local church,  we are praying and working to:

1. Recruit, develop and care for 100 Life Group leaders in the next year.
   We just trained 10 new Life Group leaders, bringing us to a total of 46. Our aim is to make Life Groups our primary discipleship vehicle. In our Life Groups we are creating community where raw authenticity, relentless encouragement, Biblical counsel, and genuine friendship can happen.

2. Give our growing youth departments sufficient, updated spaces for the next 20 years, by working on restructuring and renovation to our facility.

In line with our vision to creatively expand God’s kingdom, we are praying and working to:

1. Recruit, develop, and send out 50 long-term missionaries by 2025. 
   We have sent out 7 and are hoping to send out another 10 or so this year. We define long-term as 9 months or more. The purpose of sending these missionaries is to strengthen churches and spread the Word of God.

2. Plant healthy, local churches in minority communities.

   The Lord Jesus has given us a meaningful connection with a church planter named Mario in Quito, Ecuador. He has planted multiple churches in the city of Quito out of the original church he helped plant. God has given Mario and his family a vision for planting churches in Phoenix. After partnering in ministry with him for 5 years now, it seems good to us and the Holy Spirit to unite in the endeavor of planting a church out of Living Streams for those in our city whose first language is Spanish. We are very excited for this and are currently waiting for him to receive his religious worker’s visa. At that point, his family will move here to Phoenix.

   We have also been compelled by God’s Spirit to plant a church in South Phoenix. We are currently investigating which area has the most need for a local church, as well as what local churches are already doing in that area. One of our main mission values is to engage in society’s pain and there is legitimate pain and frustration in parts of the black community in Phoenix, which we hope to serve.

In addition to all these wildly important goals, there are many ongoing ministry endeavors happening under the umbrella of Living Streams. It is a great time to be a part of this church family, and it is a great time to be a Christian. I know society seems to be turning more and more post-Christian, and even anti-Christian, but church history teaches us that the more unpopular following Christ becomes, the more powerful it becomes as well. 

The more the people opposed to Christ thought they were getting rid of Him, the more His name and renown and salvation abounded across the world. The followers of Christ gathered in church communities are still, and always have been, the single most dominant force for good in every part of the world and in every day and age.

 Hallelujah to the King of King and Lord of Lords who calls me His own,

 David

P.S. If any of these things, or all of these things, sound interesting to you, we would love your help in seeing them come to pass. It will definitely take Jesus’ power, along with much time, talent, and treasure from the Living Streams family. Please email me and we can get you involved. 

The Middle

Even though I don’t really want to write anything having to do with politics anymore, I do feel the need to follow up last week’s blog about the unity our president is calling for. Unity is important and powerful, and I know it pleases our Maker deeply. The Bibles tells us it is “good and pleasing” to God when we “dwell together in unity”. In that same breath the Bible tells us, “there, (in unity) God commands a blessing.”

One of my favorite songwriters, Mat Kearney, writes a lot about the struggle to find unity, particularly in marriage. He sings: 

Like ships in the night letting cannonballs fly
Say what you mean and it turns to a fight
Fists fly from my mouth as it turns south
You’re down the driveway, I’m on the couch.

 And…

Tell me why it feels like there's a Grand Canyon between us
Tell me how you're feeling 'cause I can't stand the distance
You know we started with love, and it still is enough to believe in us
Tell me why it feels like there's a Grand Canyon

The rift is real in America. The rift can be real in our marriages. The rifts can be real in our relationship with parents, friends, co-workers, church families. The extra emotional tension of 2020 and the emotions that come with continued uncertainty can cause even tiny rifts or divisions to become “Grand Canyons” in a moment. 

For unity to happen, someone has to take the first step to close the gap. Someone has to give for there to be give and take. Someone has to sacrifice what they want and feel, get out of their emotions for a moment, humble themselves, reach out knowing the attempt can be rebuffed many times before it is received. It is a most arduous task, it flies in the face of the many self-centered impulses in our body, and it can make us look weak in the eyes of the world, as well as our own eyes. But in God’s perspective it makes you look a lot like Jesus. 

Jesus left heaven, humbled Himself by taking on the form of a helpless baby, and thirty years later offering up His life as a bold, sacrificial first step toward closing the gap between us and our Maker. And ever since that day, many people have responded to His act of love by surrendering all of their life to Him. What they find is not slavery, but life to the full. They find freedom from slavery to sin, freedom from confusion and uncertainty of life’s mysteries and challenges, and they find freedom from fear and the weariness and foolishness of self-reliance. 

Last week I was trying so hard to hope and pray for President Biden and his team to make the first move, to try and close the gap, to give a little in hopes of creating a healthy give-and-take unity in our country. So far, it seems he only wants people to unite to his ideals and values, and lacks the courage or understanding of what true unity requires. 

I’ll finish this email with a lyric from a unifying old Diamond Rio country song I loved when I was growing up. 

I’d start walking your way
You'd start walking mine
We'd meet in the middle
'Neath that old Georgia pine
We'd gain a lot of ground
'Cause we'd both give a little
And there ain't no road too long
When you meet in the middle

All the best to you and yours,

David

P.S. It’s been great to hear back from some of you who read these blogs. I pray the words I put together to express some of the thoughts rattling inside my soul will not just be adding to the noise of our lives, but actually help us find wisdom. 

My Hope

I love speeches—good ones, at least. A large part of my job as a pastor is to give speeches (sermons). Words can be so powerful and, when put together well, they can be works of art.

Yesterday, Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr., gave a speech at his presidential inauguration. As I listened, I noticed that my guard was up. (This has been a reality for me with the past two presidents.) President Biden’s words stirred up hope at times, and stirred up grief at times as well. In this post I will describe to you what filled me with hope. (If you are interested in what grieved me you can let me know and I may or may not write about that.)

Most of my hope came when he spoke of unity. Some of my grief came during this time as well, but again, this email is focusing on the hope. In the section where President Biden shared what he thought America’s foes are, I felt hope. He said:

“Uniting to fight the foes we face: anger, resentment, hatred, extremism, lawlessness, violence, disease, joblessness and hopelessness. With unity, we can do great things, important things. We can right wrongs.“

To this list, though, I would have added fear and deception. These are things I can unite against. I don’t know if he would agree that these foes can be found in both parties, but I do think if we can focus on standing against these things instead of standing against each other, we will be able to see more clearly and legislate much more effectively.

Then, with this paragraph, I was filled with hope again:

“History, faith and reason show the way, the way of unity. We can see each other not as adversaries, but as neighbors. We can treat each other with dignity and respect. We can join forces, stop the shouting and lower the temperature. For without unity, there is no peace—only bitterness and fury. No progress—only exhausting outrage. No nation—only a state of chaos.”

This last year was definitely a year of bitterness and fury, exhausting outrage, and chaos. History, faith, and reason are definitely worth listening to. And it would be great to see each other as neighbors instead of adversaries. And President Biden and his team have a powerful opportunity to demonstrate, not in word but in deed, the way of unity.

Lastly, this was a hopeful thought:

“And so today, at this time, in this place, let’s start afresh, all of us. Let’s begin to listen to one another again. Hear one another, see one another, show respect to one another. Politics doesn’t have to be a raging fire, destroying everything in its path. Every disagreement doesn’t have to be a cause for total war.”

Politics does seem to be a raging fire doing damage. It is hard to see it getting any better, but President Biden is asking for a fresh start and for us all to give him a chance to make politics helpful again. And since my hope is based on God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, instead of presidents or any human’s strength or wisdom, I have every reason to hope and hope fully.

Pastor Kurt Cotter shared this prayer of blessing from the Psalms at our fasting and prayer night last night. Please join me in praying this over America, the land that I love and my home, sweet home:

“May God show loving-kindness toward us and bring good to us. May He make His face shine upon us. May Your way be known on the earth, and Your saving power among all nations. May the people praise You, O God. May all the people praise You. May the nations be glad and sing for joy. For You will be fair when You judge the people and rule the nations of the earth. May the people praise You, O God. May all the people praise You.”

Peace to you,

David

Some Thoughts on Food

Since we began our twenty-one days of fasting as a church, I wanted to share some thoughts on food. 

One of the toughest questions I am asked in my life comes when my family is all together in our big van and everyone is hungry. The question is, “Where do we want to eat?” This seems like a simple question. It seems like it could even be fun. But, oh! Foolish, naive child, it is not!

My beautiful, fun, creative wife has the only real opinion that matters to me; but she gave birth to three beautiful, fun, creative daughters. My firstborn always wants to go to the place with the best chicken strips and french fries. My second-born is the chef of the house and has the palate of a highfalutin French lord. My third-born just wants whatever is fastest because she only eats three bites of anything we put in front of her. And the biggest challenge/downer/complicator of them all is the guy driving the car. Yeah. That’s me.

My mind thinks through what we have at home, because we have already purchased that. My mind thinks how can I get them all to think Burger King, since I know the menu so well I can minimize the purchase price. My mind is so far away from their minds, I even consider a quick run to the grocery store where I can buy a few things we can all share. My brilliant, perceptive wife knows all my thoughts and tries to let me down easy most times. But if I mention any of my ideas out loud, my daughters give me their perfected eye-roll, and open mouthed “Ugh” with a pitch-perfect tone of disgust.  

We Americans have an interesting relationship with food. Yesterday, I was fasting all day and was running low on energy.  One of my American-middle-class daughters started talking about it, and she was surprised to learn that food gives us energy. She didn’t know this because she has never been without food. For her, and for most of us, food is more about an experience that brings joy to our tastebuds and a sense of fulfillment to our bellies. Outside of a few companies like Gatorade and Cliff Bar, the goal of food producers is not to produce the best fuel, but it’s about taste, experience and fulfillment. God was kind to give us taste buds and cells whose job is to give us a sense of fullness when we are overloading the system; but, ultimately, food is just about fuel. And if we are not careful, eating can be turned into a form of worship. The chef can become the priest, the restaurant can become the temple, and we can become worshippers who eat to feel better. 

There are many created things which can become idols that we worship. The practice of fasting from food can help us get in touch with all of our appetites. Food might not be an issue for you. But through fasting and seeking Jesus, you can often learn what appetite is an issue for you. Maybe it’s finances and the false security they can bring. Maybe it’s position, power or popularity. Maybe it’s achievement, body image or man’s approval. Maybe it’s lust, or the covetousness that our American consumerist culture fosters so well.

We humans are so prone to idolatry. To combat this, the Bible, from beginning to end, is constantly calling people to stop worshipping created things and get back to worshipping the Creator of all things. 

The hope of fasting is that we reorient our appetites to crave the joy and fulfillment found in what God has for us, instead of craving the counterfeit, fleeting joy and fulfillment found in earthly things. Like Jesus said after fasting for forty days, “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Jesus also said, “My food is to do the will of the One who sent Me.” Fasting and other spiritual practices remind and reorient our souls to long for, rely on, and live out of our relationship with God above everything else. 

Happy fasting,

David