My Boyz

This weekend I had the kids while Holly went down to the OC for a momma conference...Lord willing she will return by 8pm so I can get out to Jesus Burgers tonight!

One of the guys in the ivc family took these pictures on Friday when we went for a walk - thanks An, you're a champ!

Samuel Turns 6

Samuel turned 6 on Sunday! Holly and I could not be more proud and thankful for him, he is such an incredible kid! On Saturday we had a birthday party at our house with the majority of those there being his college-age buddies...you can imagine what the most popular gift among college guys would be (just look at the pictures, he only got 6 of them).

Engagement

Our beloved brother and friend, along with worship leader for the IVC family, got engaged on Friday! His fiance Braelyn just moved up here from Orange County a few weeks ago...this is such an exciting time for the IVC family as couples are starting to get engaged and Lord willing we will have multiple wedding celebrations this year!

More heaven in 2011!

Worship Team

With the growth in IVC this year we had a worship team meeting the other week with some of the musicians in the family...it was good for us to get on the same page and begin to think about how to raise other people up to lead and help out with worship.

Church to me is a family, which is why these kind of meetings are nothing more then a "family meeting" taking care of "family business." I am honored to do life with some incredible and loving people, future history makers of their generation!

* the bottom picture is a bookshelf in one of the guys rooms at the dp house, you've got to appreciate their ingenuity

Jesus Burgers

Jesus Burgers this Saturday night was amazing! The love of God was evident, as it is every Saturday, at 6686 Del Playa...so many testimonies over the years! 2011 marks the 10 year anniversary of seeing these love hamburgers soften hearts and change lives!

On a funny note, this Saturday, Joseph Granado (the grill master and pastor of this night) was home with his wife who was not feeling good...so Justin, one of the guys who lives at the DP House, went to start up the grill with his face kind of close to it. As he dropped a match into it in order to ignite it, the biggest fireball ever came out of the grill practically engulfing him. At the time this was not funny, but now it's hilarious...knowing Justin's personality makes this a lot funnier, but immediately he was like, "Is my beard still there?  Are my eyebrows okay?"...poor guy, he for sure lost some hair by getting a little trim in the front.

Ah, so many stories of love, humor, and the goodness of God from all my years being in IV cooking up these hamburgers.

“A gift opens the way for the giver and ushers him into the presence of the great.” (Prov 18:16)





* Kyle took over for Justin after the episode, helmet and all.

IVC Worship - Jesus, How You Shine

Our friend Josh Morton recorded about 6 minutes of worship on Sunday:

http://www.facebook.com/#!/video/video.php?v=10150389460485122&comments

Family Time

The new quarter has begun and we are so stoked that a lot of the iv family is back, minus some of our SBCC students...more heaven in 2011!

Baby J

Our little man went to the dentist the other day, these pictures crack me up...I love this guy so much!

Family Photos

Our friend Rob Wang took our annual family photos for us this last month, here are a few shots - check out his website: http://robwang.com/2010/12/lomelino/

Derika's Blog - Jesus Burgers, IV, & More

Our really good friend Derika, who has helped plant the church in Isla Vista with us and others, blogs about Jesus Burger's, IV, and her life...she is a good writer, I always look forward to reading her latest entries:

Check her blog out from time to time:

http://derikabrendsel.blogspot.com/

Isla Vista - Winter Break

We returned home from visiting friends in Palm Springs and then family in San Diego Christmas night...I took this picture Sunday morning. If you have visited IV or live in IV you know how rare of a sighting this is, as the streets are almost always lined with cars making it difficult at times to find a spot anywhere on our street.

The majority of the students return back this weekend, we are stoked for another quarter - God is making Jesus more and more famous in our city!

God looks like Jesus

Ever wonder what God acts like, talks like, or thinks like...the answer is simple = Jesus

Hebrew 1:3 says this of Jesus, "And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature..." Jesus wasn't kind of a representation of God, He was exactly like God, an imprint of God - this is why the more we get to know Jesus the more we get to know the Father.

I read this today and it reminder me that Jesus is like God and that God is like Jesus:

Jesus spent his ministry freeing people from evil and misery.
This is what God seeks to do.

Jesus wars against spiritual forces that oppress people and resist God's good purposes.
This is what God does.

Jesus loved people others rejected - even people who rejected him.
This is how God loves.

Jesus had nothing but compassion for people who were afflicted by sin, disease, and tragedy.
This is how God feels.

And Jesus died on the cross of Calvary, suffering in the place of sinful humanity, defeating sin and the devil, because he passionately loved people and wants to reconcile them to God.
This is how God saves.

By Greg Boyd, Is God to Blame? Moving Beyond Pat Answers to the Problem of Suffering

JESUS

Over the break our family was able to witness a Living Nativity in the Palm Springs area...it was such a sweet reminder of what this season is all about = Jesus!

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
(Isaiah 9:6)

* The picture on the man was Isaiah the prophet reading a scroll announcing the coming of Jesus from his book.

Church is a Family

This is part of an update from Francis Chan about his current life situation.  I really like it, as it touches on two important truths:

1. church is not a place we go to, but a family we belong to.

2. the church in America is not the model or the example of how to do it.
 
"Speaking to underground church leaders in China was equally enlightening.  Most surprising to me was their response when I told them about “church” in America.  I did not expect the response I got when I explained how common it is for people to switch churches if they find another with better child-care, better music, or a more gifted speaker.  They laughed really hard.  It was weird.  It was like they thought I was joking.  It opened my eyes to the uniqueness of our situation.  Remember that India and China combined represent almost 40% of the world’s population.  The U.S. represents about 4%.  Too often I have looked at other cultures as being strange.  I forget that we are the minority..."

http://www.francischan.org/#/updates

Post by Jason

He loves us just as we are, not as we should be

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQi_IDV2bgM

"to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." (Ephesians 3:19)

Merry CHRISTmas

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The Sunday Gathering

I took a few pictures before the gathering yesterday while the worship team was getting ready...this first school quarter has been an incredible season of family, love, and growth for the church! God is good - we are so thankful as we see Jesus become more and more famous in Isla Vista!

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

God's Creations Declares His Glory

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse - Romans 1:20

Thank You Jesus

Holly and I are so thankful for our kids...Samuel is almost 6, Hope turned 4 last week, and Jeremiah is 2. Life is full, baby #4 due in May - thank you Jesus!

DP Family Thanksgiving Dinner

The DP House had a family Thanksgiving dinner last night after the gathering...these people are amazing, genuine treasures in the kingdom of God! Please remember to pray for them, as they serve on the front lines living at what is known throughout IV as the Jesus Burger House.

Hope's B-Day Party

Hope turns 4 on the 24th of this month...we had a b-day party for her on Saturday at our house, her only request was no boys besides her dad and brothers. A few extra boys (dads & some younger siblings) came too, but she still had a wonderful day!

The picture above is funny for me as Hope never sucks her thumb, but as soon as all 20+ people started singing she got a bit shy and put it right into the mouth.

10 Books I Recommend

Before I came to Christ at the age of 21 (I am now 30), reading was not my thing...however, as those who know, accepting Jesus into your life and making the King your life will change it in more ways than you could have ever imagined. Reading has definitely been one of those life changing things in my life.

It will be 10 years with Christ this March, and since 2001 I have probably read several hundred books concerning the Christian faith - everything from devotional reading, commentaries, biographies, and much more. God has used the reading of books as a significant way to communicate to me and grow me in Christ.

Here is a list of 10 books I would recommend to all believers, these are in no order of my favorite or greatest significance in my life. Almost all of these are devotional in nature, and most of them I have read multiple times. The best books for me are those that cause me to glorify Him more, know Him more, and provoke me to be like Him more.

And no the Bible is not mentioned, as every believer who has access to it should have it as their most prized possession they own. It's the only book that I have ever read and agree with 100%, as Jesus is the only person I have ever met and agree with 100% (Holly is about 98.7%, as we see food a bit different).

1. Imitation of Christ - Thomas à Kempis

2. Practicing the Presence - Brother Lawrence

3. Humility - Andrew Murray

4. Victory Over the Darkness - Neil Anderson

5. The Final Quest - Rick Joyner

6. The Ragamuffin Gospel - Brennan Manning

7. The Cross of Christ - John Stott

8. Celebration of Discipline - Richard Foster

9. The Pursuit of God - A.W. Tozer

10. Church History in Plain Language - Bruce L. Shelley

* maybe I will post another 10 in a few month, it's ridiculous how many good books I wanted to include on this list

Conference Weekend

This last weekend we had over 100+ people at our house for a conference that began on Friday and ended Sunday...it felt somewhat like a retreat, being at our home and having a few meals together. About 1/2 of the people where from out of town (Kansas City & Orange County). As you can imagine it was a full weekend, especially since from Thursday through Wednesday we were housing lots of people each night...people slept everywhere, outside on couches and pews to inside on the floor and in the kids room (our kids slept with us).

The Kingdom of Heaven Belongs to Children

But Jesus said, "Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."


Our children praying over our friend Brittany from Orange County this weekend.

Prayer 4 IV

On Tuesday about 30 of us went up the mountain to Lizards Mouth to worship Jesus and pray over IV...it was such a sweet time, as 20 students from a ministry school in Kansas City known as IHOP joined us to celebrate the King and His kingdom over our city!

"Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."

My Boyz

I love these guys, it's such a honor to father these boys!

Encouraged - Jesus is good news!

These 2 amazing women of God, Rachel & Allie, were a part of the fellowship a few years ago, both are living incredible lives for Jesus today...this video is the two of them talking about the goodness of Jesus & IVC:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrFMbp1Lxls

Halloween Weekend in IV

Here are a two pictures from the weekend, more to come. God did some amazing things both Friday & Saturday night...several people prayed to receive Christ, others who have walked away from the faith got reminded of Him, and a lot of people got loved-on through variety of ways like a bathroom to use, water to drink, a hamburger to eat, a place to throw up, or a ride home.

Jesus loves, His kingdom is advancing in Isla Vista.