Westside Church

Have you ever found yourself sitting on the toilet thinking, “you know, this would be a great place to eat dinner?”  Yeah, me neither.  But at least one entrepreneur has turned this crazy idea into a huge profit.  The “Modern Toilet” restaurant in Taiwan has its customers going again and again and again (pun completely intentional).  In reading about this restaurant I was reminded of a phrase my mom used when I was a kid.

Earlier this week, Corbett Stubbert and I, along with a few hundred other pastors from the Seattle area, had the opportunity to hear from Greg Lauri of Harvest ministries.  Coming to Seattle Nov 5-7, Greg Lauri will be holding a Harvest crusade at the Key Arena that will potentially draw 36,000 people to hear the message of the gospel.  Greg Lauri is an incredible evangelist with a very inspiring story and a passion for reaching people for Jesus Christ (more about Greg Lauri here).  While I was instantly drawn to Greg and inspired by his story, I have some reservations about reaching people through giant crusades in mass quantities.  I’ve had to ask myself the question, is this something we should get on board with and support as a church?  Here’s a few reasons why I believe the answer to that question is, “Yes!” 

I celebrate advances in technology as much as the next person (will work for Ipad), however, over the last few weeks I’ve been taking a closer look at some of the negative side effects that come along with our beloved progress.  Technology, just like anything else, can be used for good, or evil.  For example, consider the age-old debate about whether or not there is such a thing as Christian music.  The answer – music is amoral and just like binary code it can be used to express something beautiful, or something debase and sinful (to see what I mean check out the imbedded video below).  Sure they’re singing about Jesus, but I question whether or not he still wants to be their friend after they released that song on youtube.

This summer, beginning on May 30th, we will be teaching through the book of James at Westside Church.  I’ve spent the past month studying for this series and the more I learn about this book and it’s author James, the brother of Jesus, the more excited I’ve become about what God is going to teach us through the writings of Jesus little brother James.

Let's be honest, the disciples weren't the “A-team” by any stretch of the imagination.  They were a rag tag group of fisherman, tax-collectors, and zealots.  There wasn't a man among them who could be considered a revolutionary.  In fact, when Jesus was arrested in the garden of Gethsemane, they wilted like flowers in the desert sun.  Peter attempted to defend Jesus when he still anticipated that Jesus would miraculously smite all of his captors, but when it became clear this was not his intention, he ran away.  The scriptures say that all but John and a few of the women were absent at the time of Jesus crucifixion.  John was a teenager who didn't know any better.  The women wouldn't be seen as a threat and were able to be present without fear of harm.   

Many people argue that unless the resurrection can be proved, they cannot put their faith in Jesus Christ.  I would argue that until the resurrection can be disproved, one is compelled to come up with an explanation for how Christianity emerged in the first century, toppling the Roman empire from within, and has now become the world's largest religion showing no signs of slowing down.  How do we explain this?  I believe the answer lies in the reality of Jesus' resurrection.

St. Patricks day is coming!  Seriously, aren't you excited?  I've never really celebrated St. Patrick's day before.  I can't really say I'm a big fan of green beer, shamrock decorations, or bag pipes and leprechauns freak me out! So, St. Patrick's day has never had much appeal to me in the past.  However, this year my wife signed my daughters up for highland dance lessons and guess what?  We're partying Irish style!

This last week we challenged married couples at Westside to pray with each other every day.  Many have taken on this challenge and the feedback we've received so far has been excellent.  It's amazing that something as simple as praying with one another can have such a positive impact upon the marriage relationship.  What's more amazing is that something as effective as praying together as a couple can be so neglected.  Statistically, only 8% of Christian couples pray together on a regular basis.  Obviously, there are some hurdles that we need to clear in order to make praying together as a couple a priority.  So, here's my top ten “Couples' prayer tips”.

Deborah and I just returned from a five day pastor's conference in sunny Southern California.  The trip was great, however, we returned home to a war zone.  All four of our kids have had the flu and on Tuesday, Deborah was hit with it.  It's weeks like this that really test a marriage.  Ironically, we're in the middle of a series at Westside called “The Vow”.  This week I put together a suggested reading plan to go deeper into God's word and explore further his plan for marriage.  Wow, I really needed that this week.

Celebrating one's divorce is all the rage these days.  Sales are skyrocketing for divorce “celebration” cards, divorce party supplies , and divorce cakes.  Yes, the effects of a divorce can be devastating, especially when children are involved, and you may have lost half of your stuff, but what if you could make your friends buy it back for you?  Would that make you feel better?

As a church, we are heartbroken for the people of Haiti who are living through the tragic aftermath of the catastrophic earthquake that hit on January 12, 2010.  As a people, they have inspired us with their great faith and resilience.  We continue to pray for Haiti that God would be "an ever-present help in their time of need".

How many of you have finished Christmas shopping?  Well, I only have four gifts left on my list…..both sets of parents. My mom wants leather gloves, I am getting my dad and Jay’s dad musical ties (not really, but they may be reading this so hush, hush), but what to get my mother in law? Buying Christmas gifts is really bothersome to me because it is so expected.  It makes me feel like it is not from the heart. 

The recent buzz surrounding Tiger Woods little accident over the weekend has peaked my curiosity more than most of the celebrity gossip that is out there.  I could care less about another Brittany Spears meltdown, or the latest appearance of Michael Jackson (is he really dead?), or Jessica and Tony's rocky relationship, but this Tiger Woods story is surprising.  Tiger is the model of perfection.  He doesn't make mistakes.  He has the perfect golf swing that can be repeated under pressure time and time again.  His putting stroke is flawless even in the most pressure packed scenario.  He has the perfect family with two kids and two dogs.  Do I need to mention his perfect bank account, or his beautiful mansion.