God Sightings At The Eye Screening

(The above video is a picture slideshow that one of the men from Christian Laymen Church put together!)

This past week was such a good week!! Monday through Thursday we hosted a free eye screening at our church in collaboration with Christian Laymen Church (CLC). CLC had put on a similar eye screening the last three summers in Oakland. Late last summer one of our pastors, Aaron Roy, asked the leadership team if they would consider doing it in Richmond. We are so thankful that the Lord allowed our two churches to partner in this ministry! It was one of the best ministries I have ever participated in. In 4 days, 466 people had their eyes examined and had the opportunity to receive free glasses!! Let me just share some short snippets of how God was at work this week.

One Body
The volunteer team this week consisted of people from our church (LHNC), CLC, and a few other bay area churches. The diversity of the body of Christ was on full display. One of the men we served was from a different faith background. He shared how he was growing weary of seeing so much racial discrimination and prejudice within his religious system. He commented on how he had never seen such a diverse group of people serve another diverse group of people in such a unified and loving way!

Drive-by Gospel
On one of the afternoons there were approximately 30 people already in line, 1.5 hours early. We had provided chairs for the first 40 or so people in line, so they were all seated at this time. All of the sudden a car pulled up, and a young guy (probably in his 20s) got out and stood in front of the people. He got everyone's attention and then proceeded to share his testimony of how he came to know Christ. He shared for about 5 minutes, and then encouraged everyone to look to Jesus for salvation. When he finished he went back to his car and was ready to drive off. (I flagged him down to introduce myself and ask him what church he was from).

Building Bridges
Since moving in here we have been trying to build relationships with several of our neighbors. One family in particular (of another faith background), we have been praying for and trying to establish trust. On Sunday evening my discipleship group and I went door to door passing out flyers in the neighborhood. I intentionally went by myself to this family, explaining what our church was doing and inviting them to come. The second day of the eye screening several of them came! Both adults and kids received vouchers for glasses. On the final day of the screening, they made Josie and I dinner and invited us to come over and pick it up! This was a huge answered prayer!

A Huge Provision
I met a couple with a young child who shared that they were struggling financially. The woman had recently lost her job, and they had been struggling to make ends meet. They shared that this free eye care was a huge provision for them! I also learned that she was a preacher's daughter, but that they had been disconnected from a church family for several years. I invited them to come and check our church out, and I really believe they will come. (Several other people also shared: 1) what a huge blessing this was and 2)that they had been praying/looking for a church home).

Church Family
Before the eye screening we (the pastors and I) had two meetings with the program staff at the Bay Area Rescue Mission, inviting them to bring men and women to the eye screening. They were very enthusiastic about this opportunity, and were thankful that we reached out to them. The first three days of the eye screening they made several trips to us, dropping off men and women from the shelter. I really believe that this communicated to both the mission staff and the shelter residents that we are a church that desires to be a church family for men and women who are either homeless or in transition.

Mobilization
Our church was both energized and mobilized by the opportunity to both host and serve at this event! So many of our church family volunteered their time in both sacrificial and meaningful ways. One sister commented to me that after volunteering this week she felt more at "home" at our church. One brother, who is normally very quiet around people he doesn't know, really came out of his shell and was very intentional about making people feel welcome at our church. Another brother faithfully arrived each day at 7:30am and served all day long as both a translator (into Spanish) and greeter. It was so exciting to see everyone serving together, and with such enthusiasm.

Today was our first church service after the eye screening. We had one of the biggest Saturday morning crowds that I have ever seen (in my almost year here). Several of the people whom I met at the screening were there this morning. I anticipate that we might have some additional visitors tomorrow as well. In addition, was asked people to fill out contact cards so that we could follow up with them this coming week. Approximately 90% of the people who attended the screening filled out a contact card. So we have our work cut out for us in the coming weeks! We are so grateful for this partnership with CLC, and for the opportunity we had this past week to serve together and to bless the city of Richmond! I believe God was glorified, and by God's grace we were an answer to Jesus' prayer(John 17 - that they would be one so that the world might know!).

"But God"

We recently completed an 8 week "But God" series at our church! I would really encourage all of you to check out the messages here. This series really highlighted the story of redemption that flows through all of Scripture!

I preached the final message in the series from Ephesians 2:4-5 on how God brought death out of life. Here is the outline below...


"But God"
Ephesians 2:4-5

I. Dead (Ephesians 2:1-3)
1. Dead (in our trespasses and sins)

2. Disobedient
a) Following the world

b) Following the devil

c) Following the flesh

3. Deserving wrath

“Just when things look the most desolate, Paul utters the greatest short phrase in the history of human speech: “But God!”

II. But God
1. Mercy
2. Love
3. Grace

III. Life
-John 11:25, John 5:24, John 10:10, John 14:6, 1 John 5:12

"Best Friends"

Here is a little encouragement/inspiration to "be there" for your friends! :) Please enjoy "Best Friends" by Krispy Kreme. You're welcome!

July Praise & Prayer

(Video: The transformation of our gym has begun!)

Praises (We praise God for...)

1) The Lord's faithful and timely provision of our needs!

2) The opportunity I had this past week to work with the youth at the Bay Area Rescue Mission's "King's Club." I loved getting to know both the kids and the staff there, and hope to continue to serve them in different capacities.

3) Our gym rehab has begun! We have made great progress thus far, and Lord willing we will be putting in the new floor this week!

4) Our discipleship groups, and the work that God is doing in and through us. We are being stretched as leaders, and we are seeing people's passion for the Lord, His word, and making disciples grow!

Prayer Requests (Pray with us for...)

1) That we would depend fully on the Lord (John 15:5) in our marriage and in our ministry.

2) For our upcoming eye screening (July 16th through 19th). Over the course of 4 days, we hope to serve 400 Richmond residents! Please pray that the Lord would provide adequate staff (optometrists), volunteers, and people to be served. Pray with us that this would impact lives for Christ! (See eye screening video below...)

3) That we would continue to grow as disciple makers.

4) That I would be able to sell my condo (in Chicago), and that Josie would be able to rent her condo (in Branson).

5) I will be preaching the weekends of July 7-8, 21-22, & 28-29. Please pray for my time of preparation - that the Lord would challenge me with what He would lead me to share. Also, pray that Christ would be exalted every time I preach. You can listen to our messages here if you are interested.

6) For continued planning, preparation, and leader recruitment for AWANA (It will launch this fall!).

(Video: This helps explain the mission & vision of the eye screening. This is the first time, this ministry has come to Richmond.)

Gospel All (Gospel Shaped Prayer)

Here is my outline from the message I shared at Lawton Evangelical Mennonite Church on Sunday June 10th. You can listen to the message here. I hope it is an encouragement to you.

1 Timothy 2:1-7
First of all, then I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for ALL people, for kings and ALL who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires ALL people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for ALL, which is the testimony given at the proper time. For this (testimony to the Gospel) I was appointed a preacher and an apostle, a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

I. He gave Himself for ALL - v.5-7

(1)Jesus is our Intervention (mediator)!
Mediator = one who intervenes between two, either in order to make or restore peace and friendship, or form a compact, or for ratifying a covenant

(2) Jesus is our ransom!
Ransom = refers to purchasing someone’s release

II. His heart is for ALL - v.4

1 Timothy 1:15 = The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.

Romans 9:1-3 = …that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ, for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.

III. (Therefore) Pray for ALL! - v.1-3

“'All men' makes it clear that no person on earth is outside the influence of believing prayer. This means we should pray for the unsaved and the saved, for people near us and people far away, for enemies as well as friends." - Weirsbe

"Prayer not only changes people, situations and even the course of history, but also those who pray! It is dangerous for the enemy and also 'dangerous' for you." Patrick Johnstone

Disciple Making For Life

Below is my outline from the message I preached at New Hope Fellowship on Sunday June 3rd. I hope you are encouraged by it!

2 Timothy 2:1-2

I. Gospel Endurance
v.1 You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus

His exhortation to endure is rooted in the saving work of Christ!

His grace saves us (2 Timothy 1:9; Ephesians 2:8-9)
His grace strengthens us (2 Timothy 2:1; 2 Cor. 12:9)
His grace sends us (2 Timothy 2:2)

II. Gospel Multiplication

1) Evangelism (implied)
Matthew 28:19 “make disciples”
Matthew 4:19 “fishers of men”

2) Equipping
2 Timothy 2:2a and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses

Paul spent intentional time with Timothy!

(a) The content of the message (Gospel Content)
-2 Timothy 1:13; 2 Timothy 2:2, 2 Timothy 3:10

(b) The character of the man (Gospel Character)
-2 Timothy 3:10; 1 Thessalonians 2:8

3) Empowering (sending)
2 Timothy 2:2b entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

Paul sent Timothy out (1 Cor. 16:10-11; Acts 19:22)!

•Paul had the vision of a disciple maker! In these verses, we see 4 generations of disciples (Paul→ Timothy → faithful men → others)

•Making Disciples involves 3 components:
Evangelism → Equipping → Empowering
Deliverance → Development → Deployment

Closing Challenge: Are we making disciples?
There are 2 types of people:
(those who hear this message and think) I could never do that!
*Who are the "Pauls" you could link up with?

(those who hear this message and think) I should be doing that!
*Who are the "Timothys" you could intentionally spend time with?
*Who are the nonbelievers in your life you could intentionally spend time
with?

June Praise & Prayer

(the family at Carson's baseball game)

Yesterday, we returned from our roughly 10 day "tour" of the Midwest!:) We had an amazing time visiting with family, friends, and supporters! This morning, we are both very thankful for the opportunity God gave us to make this trip. As we get our bearings this morning, and head into the rest of June here in Richmond, here are our June Praises & Prayer Requests:

Praises (We praise God for...)
(1) Such a great visit to the midwest. Although it is difficult to connect with everyone we would like to within a short period of time, we are grateful to have connected with so many (and if we missed you, let's shoot for Christmas time:)). We praise God for New Hope Fellowship (Paw Paw), Roseland Bible Church (Chicago), and Lawton Evangelical Mennonite Church (Lawton)! These are three (out of 4) of our supporting churches. We are thankful for the opportunity we had to give ministry updates and share the Word with each of you!

(2) We launched our discipleship groups (small groups) this past month! The initial feedback from both the group leaders and the participants has been so encouraging! God is growing us as disciples and disciple makers.

(3) This past Sunday I had the opportunity to perform my first baby dedication at Lawton EMC. It was especially meaningful in that I got to dedicate my nephew Bryson (who is 2 years old)!

(4) We received a very good offer on my condo in Chicago! We are waiting to hear back from the bank, but it looks very promising. It could potentially be sold by the end of this month. Please pray that the sale would go through!

Prayer Requests (Please pray with us for...)
(1) This month we will begin the rehab work on our gym. This will consist of tearing up the old floor, painting all of the walls, and laying a new floor. We have a completion deadline of Monday July 16th. Please pray for this work project, and for continued provision for it, as we have discovered some additional unexpected costs.

(2) Josie will begin her new "youth camp consultant" role this month. Please pray for wisdom for her in her new expanded role at the Y. Also, she is also exploring part time physical therapy work options and is waiting to hear back about potential opportunities. We would appreciate your prayers for wisdom in this as well.

(3) Monday June 25th through Friday June 29th I will be serving at a sports camp with the Bay Area Rescue Mission's Youth Outreach Department. Please pray for Gospel impact this week, and for meaningful opportunities to connect with youth! I will also be serving with them the following week (July 2nd - July 6th).

(4) Please continue to pray that we would be able to either rent or sell our condo in Branson, Missouri as well.

Thank you so much for your prayer support! We need it! As always, let us know how to be lifting you up as well!


(Josie & I with the newly married CW & Jacqui Allen!)

A Good Warning

This is a good word!

Rwanda Reflections Still Flowing

A month ago today we were wrapping up the Unity Conference in Kigali, Rwanda. I am still thinking about our time in Rwanda...all we saw, learned, experienced, etc. One of the things that made the trip special for me was being able to travel with one of my mentors, Dr. John Fuder (aka Doc). Doc was my urban ministry professor at Moody Grad School. I took more classes with him than with any other prof there. However, Doc's influence on my life exceeded well beyond the classroom. I travelled with Doc (and other students) to several CCDA conferences, enjoyed BBQ's at his house, and even occasional breakfasts with him after my Moody days were done.

Doc is a guy I truly look up to, and definitely want to emulate his commitment to the Lord, to his wife and family, and to ministry. So it was pretty crazy to teach at a conference with him! I really felt honored by that. Not only that, but it was good to just hang out together again with him and two of my former classmates. It felt like CCDA Africa!:)

I thought I would share some of Doc's reflections from our time in Rwanda...



Doc's May newsletter was also dedicated to the Rwanda trip. During the first part of this newsletter, he shared about our visits to the genocide memorials in Kigali. It was a sobering experience for all of us. It definitely set the tone for the remainder of our trip. Doc shared this, "Because I think we need to at least briefly feel the incredible weight of grief and guilt, carried even by Rwanda’s spiritual leaders, many of whom we had come to “teach” that week. These precious men and women, some coming from many hours away, gifted us with their gentleness, humility and vulnerability. For days we poured into them, from morning until night, and they gave right back to us. We shared exuberant and joyful worship and many hugs and tears as we taught hour after hour on unity, forgiveness and reconciliation."

A month later I am still so grateful for the opportunity we had to serve in Rwanda! Our experiences there "marked" me in good way.

May Praise & Prayer

This was supposed to go out last week, but we were feeling a bit out of it after our long flight home and significant time zone readjustment!:) We have so much to praise God for! Thanks for praying for us!

Praises (Praise God with us for...)
(1) We are so thankful for the Rwanda trip, and all God did in and through us during our time there! You can read more about our trip in our previous blog entries (and there will probably be more coming).

(2) Today was our final training session with the missionary from the Crescent Project. Curtis, Aaron, and I are so grateful for this answered prayer and needed training for us!

(3) On Easter Sunday, we celebrated with 8 baptisms immediately following our service! Each person represents a story of God's transforming grace. It was especially moving to have Aaron baptize his son Isaiah. Check out the video!




Prayer Requests (Please pray with us for...)
(1) Josie has been offered an 8 week day camp director position at the YMCA. She has a meeting tomorrow to discuss the details of this position and program tomorrow. Please pray for wisdom about potentially moving forward in this.

(2) Please continue to pray that we would be able to rent our condo in Branson and sell our condo in Chicago!

(3) We are having our first church membership class (we are calling it "ministry partnership" rather than membership) this coming Saturday, and then launching discipleship groups (small groups) the following week. Please pray for us as we begin to go deeper relationally and mobilize as a church!

(4) I am praying about serving in a sports ministry role (as a volunteer) at two youth organizations (Bay Area Rescue Mission & Richmond Police Activities League). This would be a great opportunity to build relationships with teens in Richmond. Please pray for direction for me, and that I would not overcommit myself (I tend to do this sometimes:)).

(5) We will be traveling to the midwest the first week of June. We will be at New Hope Fellowship in Paw Paw on Sunday June 3rd, Roseland Bible Church in Chicago on Wednesday June 6th, and Lawton EMC on Sunday June 10th. Please pray for me as I begin to prepare for this visit.

Thanks for your partnership in ministry! Let us know how we can be praying for you!

Do We Weep?

(Blessed & Doc Fuder with Josie and I)

During our time in Rwanda I was moved by the heart of my good brother, Blessed. Blessed is the director of Hallomai, and he is the one who worked to coordinate our trip there. After our second very full day at the Unity Conference in Kigali, he began to debrief the day with our group and encourage us by how God was using the conference to encourage pastors. He shared that several pastors had commented on how they had been blessed and encouraged by the sessions. He then went on to share and reiterate how great the need is for theological training for pastors in Rwanda and in many other African nations. He shared that he has been getting emails from other pastors in other places asking for training. He said, "the need is great," and then he began to weep. He was so burdened by the need to come alongside pastors and church leaders with training and encouragement that he was moved do deep tears. It is a moment from our trip that I will never forget. As he paused to cry, Doc Fuder placed his hand on Blessed's shoulder and said, "God bless you brother" (as only Doc Fuder can) and then led us in prayer for Blessed, for the efforts of Hallomai, and for the need to equip and empower church leaders in Africa.

It reminded me of the quote, "may our hearts break for the things that break the heart of God." Are we burdened by the great commission? Do we weep for the nations?

Answered Prayer In Rwanda

(Josie and I with our host, Pastor Dennis)

Josie and I made it back to Richmond yesterday (Monday). We are still "getting our bearings" as we fight jet lag and readjust to the Pacific time zone. We are still reflecting on our time in Rwanda and all that God did during our time there. We are so thankful for the opportunity we had to be a part of a team from Hallomai and to connect with our Rwandan family!

Before we left, we prayed for a few things in particular. We prayed:
1) That God would use us to be an encouragement to the Church in Rwanda through both our teaching of the Word and our interaction with believers there.
2) That we would be able to build authentic relationships with believers there that would last beyond our 2 weeks there.
3) That we would go as learners - learning all that God would want to teach us there and learning from believers there.

(Josie and I with one of the pastors from the Pastors Family Fellowship, Pastor Dennis)

God answered all three of these prayer requests in abundance! By God's grace I believe He used both our teaching of the Word and our lives to encourage believers in Kigali (Rwanda's capital city) and the surrounding area. God also gave us meaningful relationships with our brothers and sisters in Rwanda, who we hope to continue to correspond with and Lord willing spend time with again. Finally, God taught us so much during our time there. He used our Rwandan family to encourage, challenge, and inspire us.

Thank you for your prayer support while we were gone. We definitely felt your prayers!

There will be more Rwanda reflections in the coming days. You can also check out my two previous posts, "For The Love Of The Game" and "Cross Out The I."

(Blessed, Louisa, Doc Fuder, Mike, and Cheryl)

For The Love Of The Game

During one of our breaks in between sessions at the Unity Conference I got this footage of some boys playing soccer (futbol) just outside of the church we were at. I tried to play a little bit, but my dress shoes and slacks really slowed me down:)

Cross Out The "I"

During the Unity Conference here in Kigali, Dr. Fuder spoke three times on the importance of unity within the body. During one of the sessions he spoke about the importance of selflessness in pursuing unity. He stated that selfishness can thwart and diminish efforts towards unity. He went on to tell a story about a missionary (several years ago) in the Congo. She had been serving there for a number of years, and was having a hard time adjusting to the culture and navigating the culture. Her pastor, who was Congolese, encouraged her to come on a weekend retreat with he and his wife and to only bring her Bible. He encouraged her to get alone over the course of this weekend, to truly seek the Lord, and to see how He would speak to her about "breaking through" in this area of struggle she was having. After a day or two the missionary woman came to her pastor discouraged and said, "I still don't have any answers." The pastor graciously looked at her and said, "Helen you must cross out the 'I'...there is too much Helen in your ministry and not enough Jesus. Cross out the I."

Doc shared that he has never forgotten that story. It has marked his life and ministry. He and his wife Nell try to pray that prayer each morning - "Lord help us to cross out the I today. Give us the grace and the strength to live selflessly in our service to You and of others." It is an expression of Luke 9:23, "And He said to them all, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me."

During our time here in Kigali I have observed our host, Pastor Dennis, serve selflessly. He has selflessly served our team. He has selflessly served the Pastors Family Fellowship (a network of pastors). I watched him selflessly serve the group of widows who are genocide survivors. I really believe that he is "pastoring the city." He has a Kingdom mindset that is so attractive. He loves his local flock (the church he pastors), and he serves them. However, he also ministers throughout the city in order to build up "the Church." I have seen in him what Doc was talking about. By God's grace He is crossing out the I.

I don't think I will ever forget that simple phrase, "cross out the I." As we have served together as a team this week I have been reminded of it. Our team has been amazing. I have been humbled by my brothers and sisters selflessness and humility. I have been convicted of the selfishness in my heart. It's my desire to serve selflessly, but at the same time I love to be recognized for it. I have also felt pride and self righteousness well up in my heart when I think I "know better" than one of my teammates. I have even learned how to cloak my pride in humble sounding words and posturing. These examples have made me realize afresh that there's too much Dave in me and not enough Jesus (cross out the I).

This all pushes me to Jesus, the One who "though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God, a thing to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself bye becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:6-8)." I am grateful for the cross.

April Praise & Prayer

(As of today, April 3rd, we have been married 150 days!! We still can't believe it!)

Praises (We praise God for…)

1) Josie passed her state of California physical therapy exam! (Please pray for wisdom now as we potentially explore other/additional employment options.)

2) We (“the Clarks”) received all of the support we needed for our Rwanda trip!

3) The “Foundations In Christ” class I have been teaching is going well! I thoroughly enjoy teaching every Sunday and the interaction we have in the Bible!

4) We (the other pastors and I) have begun a training program with a missions organization (the Crescent Project) that is helping equip us to reach out to our Muslim neighbors here in Richmond.

5) Our parents, that is on the Clark side, are coming to visit this Easter weekend!


Prayer Requests (Please pray with us…)

1) That Josie and I would encourage each other in Christ and trust Him with our whole lives!

2) For deeper relationships with our neighbors!

3) For relationships to be developed with youth – more specifically I am praying about partnering/volunteering with another organization in the city so that I can coach this summer.

4) a – We own a condo in Branson, Missouri (where Josie lived before we got married). Please keep praying with us that we would find a renter soon! We have had some solid leads, but nothing has panned out thus far.
b – We also own a condo in Chicago. It is now listed for sale! My renter/brother, CW, will be moving out soon. Please pray for its sale!

5) We depart for Rwanda on Sunday April 15th. Please pray for safety as we travel. In addition, please pray for our preparation. Josie is working on a conference workshop, and I am working on messages for the conference. Pray with us for an impactful trip!

We appreciate you guys! Please let us know how we can be praying for you! You can email us at pastordave@lhnchurch.org or ja92777@gmail.com

Sovereignly Situated

We (the other pastors and I) have begun a 6 week training program through a ministry called the "Crescent Project." The Crescent Project's mission statement is to "inspire, equip and serve the Church to reach Muslims with the Gospel of Christ for the Glory of God. It is our vision to see a day when fear is replaced with love and millions of Christians are actively sharing the truth of Christ with millions of Muslims for the glory of God. We do this through prayer, training, local outreach, and short-term trips." We are excited about the things we are learning, and feel burdened to build relationships and share the love of Christ with the men and women who attend the mosque, which is located at the other end of the street our church is located on.

As we began this training I was reminded of a message shared by a missionary in Chicago that connected God's sovereignty in bringing "the nations" to the US with the incredible opportunity we have as the church here to have "beautiful feet" in our own cities and neighborhoods. This message became vivid to me once again last week. Let me explain...

On Wednesday mornings we go to Richmond HS to prayer walk there before the school day starts. We have made it a routine to drop in on a Christian teacher there to pray with him and seek to be an encouragement to him. Last Wednesday we shared with him about this new training that we are undergoing at the church (Crescent Project). He shared that there are new students at the high school who are from Muslim families and who recently moved here from a country in the middle east. I did some research on that particular nation in my "Operation World" book. It is 99% Muslim and is closed (and even hostile) to the Gospel! The amazing thing is that God, in His Sovereignty, moved families from a "closed" country in the middle east to Richmond, CA! It is not illegal for us to share our faith here. It is not illegal for us to offer Bibles to our neighbors here. So God has given us an incredible opportunity to reach out to our new neighbors!


Do you see the connection between Acts 17 and Romans 10?

Acts 17:26 "And He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward Him and find Him..."

Romans 10:14 "How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?"

The great thing is that this doesn't just apply to those whom God has brought here from around the world. God has sovereignly placed us all in unique families, work environments, neighborhoods, and cities. He has given us all opportunities to have beautiful feet. The question is a simple, yet challenging one: do we love our neighbors? More specifically, do we love them enough to share Christ with them?

The Gospel For Every Day Life

We have been preaching our way through a series here at LHNC called "The Gospel For Everyday Life." Aaron kicked the series off with "The Gospel Past" taking a look at what the Gospel did. Specifically he focused the sermonic spotlight on justification (we have been made right with God/declared righteous) and adoption (we have been adopted as sons and daughters of God through Christ). The following Sunday Curtis preached "The Gospel Present" message. He reminded us that we now have the power of the Holy Spirit, power over sin, and hope. Finally this past Sunday, I preached "The Gospel Future," emphasizing the "glorious inheritance" that the Gospel has secured for us (eternal life, glorified bodies, new home & new city) and how it compels us to live with eternal perspective. This series has been really good for me! I have been continually marinating on it over the last few weeks. Let me give you one example...

I recently had a conversation with a man who faithfully comes to our Saturday morning service. I am just getting to know him. I was asking a few questions about his life, and I asked him how we could be praying for him. He shared that we could pray that he would find permanent housing. He went on to explain that he has been homeless for 9 years, and that he goes from shelter to shelter in Richmond, Oakland, and San Francisco. He added that it is especially difficult for him to secure any type of housing, because he has a record as a sex offender.

I am going to be honest, when I heard "sex offender" it made my insides churn (I hope it did not show on my face). However, I was quickly reminded of the Gospel in my mind. If the man I was speaking to is a believer in Christ now, then God doesn't view him as a sex offender now, but instead he has been "declared righteous (justified)" by the work of the Cross. He is now a child of God, loved by the Heavenly Father. Not only that, but he would now have the power of the Holy Spirit which gives him power over the sin that once mastered him. Finally, he has a glorious inheritance to look forward to if he knows Christ.

In addition, it is the Gospel that compels us as a church to actively show mercy to this man. You see we have been shown incredible mercy at the Cross, therefore we extend that same mercy to others. Not only that, we need to welcome him into our church. The Gospel compels us to "welcome him (see Romans 15:7)" as a neighbor and potentially as a brother in the Lord. Finally, it is the Gospel that stirs us to contend for justice on his behalf in his search for housing.

Finally, my internal reaction to "sex offender" reminded me of my own depravity. Although he and I have different stories, I too have done things I'm ashamed of, things I wish I hadn't done. If some of my thoughts were projected onto a screen, I would be embarrassed. I too am capable of wicked acts...BUT GOD.

Romans 15:7 Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

Romans 5:8 But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died or us.

March Praise & Prayer

Here is our March praises and prayer requests via video! We had fun putting this together (we apologize in advance for any corniness that comes through:))!



Please let us know how we can be praying for you! You can email us at pastordave@lhnchurch.org or ja92777@gmail.com.

As we shared in the video, our updated goal for the Rwanda trip is $3,800! To hear more about our Rwanda trip, click here.

Finally, if you would like to listen to our weekly sermons click here or subscribe to our podcast "Living Hope Neighborhood Church" on I-Tunes.

Rwanda Trip

Here is a bit of background information about our upcoming Rwanda trip...



If you are interested in supporting us on this trip, please email me at pastordave@lhnchurch.org and I will give you the details!

Everyone Has A Story

One of my favorite times of the week here at Living Hope Neighborhood Church is Saturday morning. Every Saturday morning we have a worship service at 8:45am, and then we serve breakfast at 9:30am. We make it clear to those who come, that both parts of Saturday morning are optional. In other words, you don't have to attend the service in order to be served breakfast (and vice versa). Interestingly, most of the men and women come to the service faithfully, and then stay for breakfast. Only a small handful choose to only come for the breakfast.

We have a small group of men and women who faithfully serve in the kitchen each week preparing the food for the morning breakfast. Most of them get to the church every Saturday at 6:30am! Some of them come in on Friday to cut potatoes. The faithfulness of these men and women is amazing. At 7am the kitchen staff and the pastors gather for prayer, committing both the service and the breakfast to the Lord. People begin coming as early as 7am to come and get a cup of coffee and to just relax, read the paper, and catch up with people.

As a pastoral staff, we intentionally arrive at 7am, so that we can visit with people before the service starts at 8:45am. Over half (not sure what the exact percentage would be) of the men and women who come on Saturday mornings are homeless. (However, even in stating that we have to be careful not to assume that someone is homeless based on appearance.) From my first Saturday morning at the church back in September to now, I have built some great relationships.

One of the ways we can easily sin in the area of partiality (James 2), is by "lumping everyone together." This happens way too often when it comes to the homeless and/or those who are struggling financially. We make sweeping statements like "they should get a job," "they are probably hooked on drugs," "they choose to be homeless," or "they are just lazy." These types of statements, and the hearts from which they flow, are way too common within the church, even amongst ministries that "target" the least of these. A common critique of rescue mission chapel services is that the preachers speak down at people, and communicate as if everyone has the same story, habits, background, etc. It too often becomes a one size fits all, "get it together people" type of message.

In the 6 months or so that I have been here, and in my outreach experiences with folks on the street in Chicago, I have learned that everyone has a unique story. The question is, do we have the time and the Gospel-fueled compassion to intentionally build relationships and listen to people's stories. I have met several men who find themselves homeless and living at the mission, yet contending for their children and doing all they can to be a father and a provider in the midst of a difficult season in their lives. I have met computer programmers and bankers who life dealt a tough hand, and who are battling to maintain hope. I have met a man who openly shared with me that he battles an addiction to crack, yet whom loves the Word of God and has told me that the Spirit brought tears to his eyes as we sang, "I believer You're my healer."

Ministry can be messy. It is messy because our lives are messy (all of our lives!). Yet if we are truly to be the Church that Christ died to purchase, then we must enter in to peoples pain, struggles, and messes. We do so not as "rescuers" but rather as those who have been rescued. As the Church, we share a common phrase, "but God." I once was this and was headed in this direction...but God!

When we preach on Saturday mornings (and on Sunday mornings), we make it our aim to preach the Gospel every sermon. We try to be intentional to not make the Gospel the "tag on" at the end of the sermon, but rather the very lifeblood of the sermon. It is the Gospel message that non-believers need to hear. It is the Gospel message that believers need to hear. It is the Gospel message that compels us to do justice, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God. It is the Gospel that transforms us from being "partial judgers of men" into a people of compassion, empowered and burdened to love our neighbors and to listen to their stories.