The way to greatness is downwards.  The way up is down.  Every leader that has made a major impact has served longer, pushed harder, and sacrificed beyond reason.  If you want to be great, then look how you can go down, by serving others.

We had an amazing service this last weekend, our highest attendance ever and we are getting great feedback from a ton of people.  With all of the excitement, I didn’t get a chance to thank all of you for the wonderful birthday gifts.  It was a marathon birthday, with a gift every day from Sunday to Wednesday.  Thank you so much! It meant a lot.

If you could pick one movie that fits your personality, not your favorite, what would it be?  I couldn’t think of mine, so I asked my wonderful wife, and she told me, “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.”    I died laughing.  Let me know yours. 

There will be times in your life that you knew that God was there.  The intangible becomes tangible. I remember a time that happened in my life.  I was in the back of a service when I felt like God told me to give my car away.  I thought, “Why would I give my car away?”  My good friend Bil, Pastor of Bay Area Fellowship, asked us some of the staff to come up and pray with some of the people in the front of the service.  I came up and just stood with another pastor while he prayed.  I stood there and for some reason tears started to flow down my face.  And there was the moment, the moment where I opened my eyes for just a second.  I saw a single tear fall to the floor.  The tear fell like any other tear, but to me it was in slow motion, it took forever to reach the floor, somehow, light shined on it perfectly.  We got done praying, I reached into my pocket, and gave the keys to my car away.  Some close people around me knew I gave the car away.  The people I had given the car to were recovering drug addicts, they had no money, they had no place to stay, they were there at the service for the first time.  I gave them that car and they were so excited about the life changes they were going to make.  They came to the service a couple more weekends and then I got a phone call from them saying that they needed money and that they would repay me.  I told them that I would give them the money, so I met them and gave them the money, and never saw them again.   I have only told this story a couple of times, and most say “I can’t believe they just left.”  But to me, it wasn’t about that they left, it was about that tear drop.  It was all about that tear drop.  I often wonder (like tonight I can’t sleep) what that tear drop meant.  Maybe it was the pain that they had endured.  Maybe it was a tear of happiness.  Maybe it was God’s grace on them and all of us.  I don’t know.  I do know that God was there in that moment.  God will do something in your life so that you can just see that one tear drop. 

Whether you are in your car, at home, or in the shower, God is with you.  I think sometimes we forget that, we remember Him before we eat, before we go to bed, or during a service on Sunday.  Remember that He is always with you. (I added some pics of my son for fun… seems like he is everywhere also dsc01276.JPGdsc01277.JPGdsc01274.JPG dsc01275.JPGdsc01281.JPG 

This last weekend we talked about how in relationships–communication is the key.  Yet, not just communication, because we all ask questions like, “Where do you work?” and “Where are you from?”  Yet, authentic communication, is when you truly understand what a person fears, hopes, dreams, and failures reside.  When you know these things, you begin to build this thing called trust.Trust takes a long time to build and can be so quickly lost.  And it is usually lost because at some point there was a lack of authenticity.  Authenticity comes with being more transparent.  Don’t afraid to be more transparent with others and God, you will see that others will be attracted to your weaknesses and struggles. 

relationships, relationships, relationships, relationships, relationships, relationships, relationships, relationships, relationships, relationships, relationships, relationships, relationships, relationships, relationships, relationships, relationships, relationships, relationships, relationships, relationships, relationships, relationships, relationships, relationships, relationships, relationships, relationships, relationships, and relationships.  Just wanted to make sure you knew what it is about….  We will be talking about it this weekend. And just to let you know,  I didn’t copy and paste the words.  :) 

I don’t know about you, but I am very forgetful!  Sometimes I forget my keys, my wallet, my computer when I go out, needed papers, and even sometimes, I forget to zip my zipper.  This morning I was trying to find my ruler.  Why my ruler?  I wanted to measure out what the approximate size of our new Imagine stickers will be.  Yet, I could not find it anywhere.  I looked every where for this ruler.  I kept saying to myself, “Where did I put that ruler?”  ”I know I had it yesterday.”  ”Let me retrace my steps.”  Right, when I was just about to give up, and in my frustrated tone, “God, where is my…” and before I could finish the sentence, just at that moment, I looked right in front of me, behind the couch, I saw the tip of the blue ruler. All that being said, remember to ask God for everything–even a ruler. And, by the way, I have no idea how it got behind the couch. 

Today I went on a run, it was a beautiful morning!  I was praying while I was running, and saw an older man sitting in his van parked in the driveway.  He was a heavier set man, smoking a cigarette, dark skin, he looked like he had been farming for years.  For some reason, I stopped to talk to him this morning.  I said, “Good Morning!”  He said in an exasperated tone, “I am so sorry, but I have a hard time hearing.”  I said, “No problem.”  So I went up to him and again said, “Good morning.”  He replied with his name and a very cordial greeting.  He said that he was outside enjoying the weather and waiting for a squirrel or bunny to run by.  He said that he missed the country where he was from—Temple, Texas.  We talked about many things.  Then he began to talk about his failing health, (he mentioned the doctors said that he should have been dead two years ago), he also talked about his living situation, and that it was difficult for him because he did not want to be a burden on his daughter.  I told him that I would be praying for that, and he told me,” I have never been for religion, or any denomination, but….(he was still gasping for his next breath) I know, I mean I know there is a God.”  He was fighting for every word from his shortness of breath.  I told him that I was a pastor and he seemed shocked.  He asked where the church was and I explained where we held services.  There was something about that man, his stillness, his ability to sit in a van and wait for a bunny or a squirrel.  As I left, I told him that there was something special about him, and at that, the mans eyes started to tear.  He told me that I had a very long life ahead of me, and to keep living it.  As I left, I had a hard time fighting my tears and prayed to God that what I had said about accepting Jesus Christ would be a reality to him.  It was a moment I will never forget.

The weekend service was great, we usually do an interactive part of the service.  This week, before the service (in the lounge), people answered, anonymously, this question, “Briefly describe a circumstance or area of your life which frustrates you because of an inability to change that circumstance or area.”  Here are some of those anonymous anwsers:  [-my weight, and eating habits, and unhealthy lifestyle   -when I get angry with the children   -my attitude towards housework   -my inability to work because of kids and one vehicle   -i have a very negative attitude toward relationships, or rather a complete lack of desire to enter into one.  It seems pointless to get to know someone, spend the time and feelings, only to be disappointed again]……and these were just some of the responses.   I had not read the responses before the service, so I was just as surprised at some of the answers.  The reason we have the relational web is so that we can open up to one another and be honest about the things that we all struggle with.  This is why Imagine is here.  We are interactive at our sunday service and in our every day lives.  Thank you guys for being honest.