More Baptism Pics

In the last 2 week I have been a part of watching 8 people give their life entirely to Christ...entering in the watery grave and raising to the newness of life in Christ Jesus! I could not be more encouraged by ALL He is doing in our midst right now - lives are being saved, healed, transformed, and set free to do what God made them to do.

"having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead." (Col 2:12)

Jesus Burger - The Book

IVC Presents: Jesus Burgers | Jesus Loves IV

Please be praying as we are in the process of putting together a book about Jesus Burgers. It will consist of how it began, the philosophy behind it, about 20+ testimonies of what Jesus has done and still is doing in IV...our heart is to make Him famous in our land and throughout the nation!

"Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory," (Psalm 115:1)

Love Looks Like...

Sometimes at Jesus Burgers this is what love looks like ...taking care of people who have had too much to drink. Fortunately, this guys had good buddies that stayed with him the whole night. A few of the guys at the Jesus Burger House gave him and his friends a ride home around 1am tonight, as there was no way this guy was going to be able to get home.

Overall, tonight was amazing! Thank you to all those who prayed for us tonight as Jesus yet again did more than we could ask or imagine!

New Creation in Christ

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." (2 Corinthians 5:17)

This is from a baptism that just went down at 6pm today at Goleta Beach...my buddy Jacob Reitzin led our new brother Christopher to the Lord last week...baptism is such an incredible picture of idenifying yourself fully with Christ in His death, burial, and ressurection! Delivered from the old life/nature, set free into the new life/nature! Be praying for our new brother, he is so thankful for what Jesus has done for him.

Jesus Burges - Yay God

God is good, always. This last Friday at Jesus Burgers we saw people get healed, 2 received Christ, and other people got prayer. This is a picture of two guys who had a gnarly encounter with God after we got done praying over them in front of the Jesus Burger House...yay God, doing more than we could ever ask or imagine!

Pray for us tonight as we hit the streets with God's love and feed the city a hamburger of love!

IVC Leadership

It has been said if you are a leader and look back and nobody is following you than you're probably not a leader...ha ha, but I would have to agree. This last week we had an IVC leadership meeting at our house to celebrate all that He is doing in our midst and to touch-base for the coming months. The picture includes some of the ladies in leadership, thankful for these woman of God.

We are super stoked for the Spring quarter, expecting it to be our best quarter yet, which is saying a lot as this year has been amazing!

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him." (1 Cor 2:9)

The Del Playa Men of God

I loves these brother...incredible, honorable, and faithful men of God! Please be praying for these guys as the enter into the last quarter of the year beginning in April.

"How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down on the collar of his robe. It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the LORD bestows his blessing, even life forevermore." (Psalm 133)

Anchor of Hope | Jesus Loves IV

Anchor of Hope | Jesus Loves IV

Get it on iTunes...and check out where Mac is going the next two weeks with Benjamin Dunn & Friends:

March 20-21 Redding CA Wondertastic Worship Fest
March 23 Woodland WA
March 24 Portland OR
March 26 Bellingham WA
March 27 Seattle WA
March 29 - 30 Petaluma CA
March 31 - April 1 Santa Barbara CA
April 3 Santa Monica CA
April 4 Winnetka, CA
April 5 Laguna Niguel CA
April 6 Riverside CA

Baptisms = New Creations in Christ

6 people gave their entire life to Christ yesterday...baptism is the seal of the new covenant that we make with Him. On His end it's the Holy Spirit, forever sealed with Him.

"In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation-- having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise," (Ephesians 1:13)

More pictures coming later this week, God is so good!!! He is mighty to save and to set the captive completely FREE...as believers you've been delivered, baptism is that moment you can always go back to and BELIEVE this regardless of how you FEEL.

"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, Because the Lord has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners;" (Isaiah 61:1)

DP House Family

The Del Playa House family, where Jesus Burgers are served on Friday nights, have a monthly dinner at our home...the ladies surprised the guys with a formal, yummy, and loving dinner. They had fun dressing up as 50's housewives and waiting on each of the guys.

It was a great time together, beyond thankful for the home this year...as a pastor I could not ask for a better home of those that love Jesus, one another, and a city so well.

"Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit." (Hebrews 13:17)

Jesus Loves IV

Nate & Derika Sims have been making videos and posting them on this site...they're videos that brag about what God is doing in the lives of His children...please remember to check them out from time to time on your phone or computer.

We are hoping to have a video section on just "Jesus Burgers" one of these days too...recording a weekly video from that night either from someone in the church or someone that was visiting Jesus Burgers.

IV Newspaper

Mac Montgomery & The Family Band made the IV Newspaper this week...the article is well worth reading! Isla Vista is changing, God is transforming a city one life at a time.

I love the title of this article: Mac Montgomery & the Family Band Ignites Isla Vista.

http://www.dailynexus.com/2012-03-08/mac-montgomery-family-band-ignite-isla-vista/

I Love My Daughter

Yesterday Hope made tons of cards and had the idea of selling them in front of our house...when I asked her how much per card she said $1, but when I returned 10 minutes later she had raised her price to $3 a card. Ah, I love Hope! I can't wait to see what God is going to do with this little girl, so much creativity is in her. And speaking about creativity, I came across this video the other day...definitely applicable to church life too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U&feature=youtu.be

IV HOUSE OF PRAYER

For all those in IV & SB area please remember the House of Prayer is open 24/7 to meet with the Lord and pray on behalf of a generation...God is moving His church to pray, believing that what we ask for will be given!

http://jesuslovesiv.com/ivhop/

"Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you." - Jesus

New Prayer Meeting - Tuesday @ 7pm

A new prayer meeting began Tuesday @ the IV House of Prayer on the ending of abortion in Santa Barbara, the nation and the world. It will be every Tuesday from 7pm to 8pm.

I just read this on someone's FB status today:

65 million + babies have been murdered since 1973 on US soil.

This is not an argument or debate it's a fact that nobody can dispute.

The womb has been turned into a gas chamber and America turns a blind eye.

Statistics are just numbers unless you put a face to them.

It doesn't matter what god you believe in or if you even believe in one if you are human this should effect you.

I love helping other parts of the world but focusing on other nations problems doesn't make ours disappear.

We have the greatest genocide happening in the world right now in our cities and we continue to act like its ok.

Blood is the same inside and outside of the womb and if a fetus is just tissue why can't my fingernails express emotion?

* and the picture above is real - they had to open the womb of a woman to help this child live and when they did the hand of the baby reached out and grabbed the surgeon's finger. When we die are bodies stay here, but our spirit leaves. We are a spirit, even before are bodies fully form. It has been said, "I am a spirit, that has a soul, who lives in a body." I would agree.

Baptism - New Life

"having been BURIED with Him in baptism, in which you were also RAISED up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead." (Col. 2:12)

Death & life are at the core of the gospel message...buried with Him in baptism and raised to the newness of life in Christ Jesus! Gospel means good news and this is very good news for all those who have put their faith in Christ.

This last Sunday a guy named Ian was visiting a friend who lives in IV...he was staying at the dp house and being loved on all weekend. He ended up coming to the gathering on Sunday and giving his life to Christ. We baptized him that night in the Pacific Ocean around 8:30pm, it was amazing! (And I know the picture doesn't look like it was taken at night, but cameras do crazy things these days)

God is good, mighty to save!

Prayer & Prophecy

Every Monday night from 7pm to 10pm in the IV House of Prayer (prayer shed) we pray & prophecy over people who come in...people can sign up in advance, but almost everyone just walks-in.

What as been super sweet is we continue to have people who don't know Christ coming to get prayer each week! The gal in this picture is an amazing sister in Christ named Bridget...she was baptized about 6 months ago and has been growing so much in Jesus! I am in awe of how much God loves people and super thankful to have a place where we can speak His love over His children each week.

Revival

Here is a picture from the Family Gathering tonight...we had an amazing time listening to Bob Weiner, a father in the faith, speak to us about winning souls for Christ! For more information check out Bob's ministry: http://www.youthnow.org/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=65&Itemid=32

* picture taken by Mac Montgomery: http://ourfamilyband.tumblr.com/

Kids = Love

I love this pic...it was from Mac & Braelyn's wedding this last summer.

Mac Montgomery - Album

Mac (IVC Worship Pastor) released his own album/ep today...this album is much different than the first one that he put out a few months ago with The Family Band. Get it on iTunes! These songs are some of the ones we have been worshiping the King with at both the Upper Room & the Sunday Family Gathering lately...God is good, enjoy!

JB's Tonight

Here are two pictures from back in the day...pray for us tonight as we love on the city of Isla Vista. And praise God that our influence over the years continues to grow...God is faithful to what He begins.

"and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel,"  (Ephesians 6:19)

The 2 Have Become 1

Here are two pics from the wedding. It was amazing to watch God perform a miracle right in front of our eyes - a miracle of making 2 become 1 flesh! I will post more pics once I have some, but let's just say that God was in our midst and we all knew it! Marriage was His idea and never ours...and praise God for His good ideas that are always full His love, hope, and care for us!

"AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH;
so they are no longer two, but one flesh." - Jesus

Jesus Burgers

This is the name of the park that Jesus Burgers began at over 10 years ago...the heart behind JB's has always been the same: see a city come to know Christ and experience the love of God.

Once the church secured a home to rent in 2002, on the infamous party street Del Playa, we moved the hamburgers to the front lines...please pray for us this Friday as we cook up seeds of God's love and sow them into hearts of those He gave His life for...our God reigns!

Our Daugher is Getting Married

Holly and I view Krissy (the gal to the far right) as a spiritual daughter that God has given us...over the last few years we have been through a lot together (love is patient & love is kind) with her and we could not be more excited to watch God make her one flesh with Erik Mason this Saturday!

Holly is coordinating the wedding and in it, and I am officiating it...I think our kids are in it too, but I don't really know. Anyways, it is going to be an amazing weekend watching God bring two people into the covenant of marriage!

Our Father is so faithful & good...we could not be more thankful to watch God bring such an honorable man, like Erik, into Krissy's life!

 

Jesus Burger House

This is the view from the Jesus Burger home on Del Playa...and yes that is the ocean that it overlooks. God is so good to have given us this home over 10 years ago to server hamburgers from and to be a beacon of light to Isla Vista. We are in the process of making a video on the home that should be done in the next week or so.

Jesus Burgers

Here are a few pictures from last Friday night @ JB's...it's amazing how much love God has for people! We are currently in the process of beginning a book on the ministry Jesus Burgers - it will consist mostly of testimonies of how His love has been manifested over the years. More information on the book in the months to come, but in the meantime please pray for those contributing to the book.

Tithes & Offerings Box

These pictures are from the IVC tithe box that we have used for the last 3 years...we have decided to move to a Kentucky Fried Chicken bucket (pictures of one these days), also known as Kingdom Financial Contributions.

God is good, super thankful for His provision to the IVC family over these years! Being in a college town, with the majority of the church family being college students, makes the life of faith easy live if you know what I mean. Holly and I are convinced that God has called us to live in IV and do what we are doing...we are honored to serve the King of glory in a city that so desperately needs Jesus.

As of this week it's now possible to give to the work of God in IVC and IV online: http://islavistachurch.org/donate/

"Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work." (2 Cor. 9:6-8)

* Our friend Alexa Wan made the tithe box

Del Playa & Jesus Burgers

I found this piece of wood today in my backyard.

Please pray for the street Del Playa & Jesus Burgers on Friday night. DP is the street that is infamous for the parties and now Jesus Burgers...God is doing a great work, we are honored by all of you who are standing with us in the place of prayer.

I like what Nehemiah said about the work that God had given him in repairing and rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, "I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?" Pray for the church in IV that they don't grow weary of doing good and remain single eye on Jesus alone.

Hope & Joanna

Hope does not have dolls, her sister Joanna is her obsession. She absolutely loves her, almost to death (hence the picture) - thanks for the pic Jessica

Friday Night in IV

Here is a picture of the house across from where we serve the Jesus Burgers every Friday night...picture the loudest sound system you can imagine, now picture a louder one. That is what is going on here, not to mentioned the biggest party on the street. Every Friday night this is pretty much the look, fortunately the DJ plays music that brings a happy party vibe to the street. After the music goes off at midnight, which is a law in IV (crazy you can play music as loud as you want till then), some of the people flood into our house to hang with us and have a Jesus Burger.

Why We Live in IV - LOL

The Word (Jesus) became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood. (John 1:14)

IVC FAMILY HOME GROUPS

Here is a pic from the Wednesday night Family Home Group in SB...we just finished reading the book above together...I love learning, growing, and discovering more of Jesus as a family!

A Longing Fulfilled | Jesus Loves IV

A Longing Fulfilled | Jesus Loves IV

This is from our friend Dani, she use to live at the Jesus Burger House about 2 years ago...super stoked for how God is using her life to love the poor and those who have not heard about Jesus!

"The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to bring good news to the afflicted;
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to captives
and freedom to prisoners;
to proclaim the favorable year of the LORD
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn,
to grant those who mourn in Zion,
giving them a garland instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting.
So they will be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified."
(Isaiah 61:1-3)

IVC Sunday Gathering

Here are a few pictures of the church we meet at each Sunday...the IVC Family Gatherings have been amazing this year! It has been such a blessing worshiping God together, encouraging one another, and teaching each week. We usually meet from 4pm to 7pm every Sunday, which often is still not long enough...I guess we love Jesus and one another a lot!

Deeper

This is part of an email that my (Jason) dad sent me yesterday about this album, "I listened to entire cd again today & really like it. Although, I am not familiar with the songs, they are very strong worship songs that bring you into God's presence. I feel best to listen where you can close your eyes & meditate on Him & His presence."

Amen, I couldn't say it better dad!

Your Love is So Big

Mac Montgomery & The Family Band

Get it on iTunes 

Anchor of Hope

Here is the video Anchor of Hope - it was recorded
last Friday night at the Upper Room

Mac Montgomery's new album comes out 3/3/12

Brotherly Love

One of the main things that impacted my journey of coming to Christ over 10 years ago was spending time with my sister and her Christian friends for 8 months...in 2001 I moved into a home with three Christian guys and I remember being tripped out by how much they loved one another - hugging one another and loving on each other, and they were sober! I mean my friends and I would hug from time to time, but usually after a few beers or so. This new kind of love confused me, as it was so sincere and heartfelt. Later after coming to Christ I cam across this verse, which made more and more sense to me.

"By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." - Jesus

The love of God changes the entire person...Christianity is not about trying to be a better person, it's about becoming an entirely new person by faith in Christ - sharing in the both the death and resurrection of Jesus!

"Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life." (Romans 6:4)

Love Your Neighbor

This picture is from our street...and no we did not do this or anyone we know. The city of Isla Vista thrives when it comes to community - mostly centered around the party scene. Overall, we feel safe in IV - besides a few incidents where random people have come to our door at 3am in the morning drunk trying to get in we have not had any problems. Due to 20,000 people in a one mile square radius it kind of builds a safety into the city where people are looking out for one another.

We love IV and we love the words of Jesus, "Love Thy Neighbor."