This week I saw something which made my pastor heart swell up like the Grinch’s when hit with the Whos in Whoville singing their Christmas song. It happened in the midst of our sanctuary crowded with 250 kids and 100 volunteers. It is always good to see the sanctuary full. It is always good to see kids having fun. It is always good to see a well-organized …

Yesterday was a fun day. I woke up early and ran to the grocery store to buy some snacks. Through a chance encounter I had received the schedule of Scottsdale Christian Academy’s executive team’s offsite planning week — and I know any good planning meeting needs good snacks. In my opinion, SCA’s leadership has …

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.

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 …

Over Spring Break my family was able to spend a week in Southern California. On one of the 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…

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…

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 …

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…

This has been such an an amazing season to be a part of Living Streams. 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

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.

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

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…

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

“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good…

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 …

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 …

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…

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 …

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.

I remember 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 so many days planning, replanning and then cancelling…

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 so important and powerful, and I know it pleases our Maker deeply. The Bibles tells us it is “good and pleasing” to God when we…