Family Camp in San Diego

Holly, the kids, and I had an amazing weekend in San Diego...we went to a Family Camp through a ministry that Holly gets magazines from called "Above Rubies". The focus of the camp was to encourage dads and moms in their calling to raise children in the Lord. It was such a sweet time of being taught, fellowshipping with others parents (25 families in all), eating some good meals, and having tons of fun together!

In the midst of all the many blessings God showered on us, one really special one was He put this couple in the cabin next to us that was about our same age, had been married about the same amount of time, and have four kids that are five and under. Check out the bottom two picture to see all of us together...Holly and I, along with the kids, absolutely loved this family.

We're more convinced than ever that children are a gift from the Lord and are such a blessing from our Heavenly Father.

"Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; they will not be ashamed when they speak with their enemies in the gate." (Psalm 127:3-5)

1st Baptist Church

This last Sunday morning I had the priviledge and honor to speak at the SB First Baptist Church. Both Holly and Scott went with me, along with the kids. It was so great being with a different part of the body of Christ, in addition to being with many people who are three to four times older than the most of the family in IVC. The first two people I met had been attending the church for over 40 yrs...needless to say it was encouraging to see the faithfulness of people who have loved Jesus for so many years!

The text I preached out of was John 17:18, which is Jesus saying to the Father, "As you sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world." It was a great reminder for all us that we have been sent into the world to love the world, as Christ loved the world.

At the end I showed this video on prayer in IV and had Scott close with a short word:

http://www.ivsod.com/videos.html

Some 1-on-1 Time

We took this picture on our way out of the house before the big 30 celebration. Holly and I went to her favorite restaurant, Sojourner Cafe, that night before the Natural Cafe. It was a no kid night, which was super sweet. Those are few and far between these days & we are thankful when we get one...life changes when you get married, life changes even more after one kid, life drastically changes after having multiple kids.

The Big 30

My best friend, wonderful wife, and incredible momma turned 30 years old last week! Literally, by the grace of God, I was able to pull off a surprise party at the Natural Café in Goleta.

Holly's facial expression was such a great reflection of her heart, as she was filled with a huge smile because of the love that was being expressed by so many friends. I setup a time at the party where people were able to sit in a chair in front of Holly and tell her how much they appreciate her…we love you Holly!

“An excellent wife, who can find? For her worth is far above jewels.”
– Proverb 31:10

Isla Vista School of Discipleship

It’s finally official…the Isla Vista School of Discipleship will be launching its first official year this 09-10 school year. This summer has been full for me in seeing a vision that God put in my heart about 5 years ago come into existence.

Check out the site: www.ivsod.com

Korean Church in IV

Scott and I went to the Korean United Methodist Church on my street today. It was a beautiful experience to be with a different part of the body of Christ in IV, even though the whole service was in Korean. We both felt super honored by their pastor and the church family, they even asked us to join them in the Fellowship Hall after the gathering for lunch. It was great time of being together and eating some tasty spicy Korean soup with white rice.

One of the guys took a picture of Scott and I with Pasto Chiyoung Jeong. This was the first time that I really dressed up to go to church. We realized later we were a bit overdressed, but it was all part of our experience.