City Impact Conference- 2016

This morning we rushed out of the door, loaded up the kids and headed to one of the most dangerous parts of the city. As we drove the Tenderloin we talked with our kids about what was about to happen. We shared that we might see people who are far from God. We talked about watching where you walk and how to talk to others. I'm not sure they had any clue what they were about to experience.

You can tell someone about the Tenderloin but until you've experienced it for yourself it's hard to realize. The smell of urine and feces on the sidewalk can be horrid. The sights of men and women sleeping on the sidewalk can be hard to handle. Watching people use drugs, at 10 am, is quite the experience. But there are also some great people. Many smiles. Lots of dogs. And wonderful people serving the area in Jesus name. People who are there to intervene in Jesus name.

We parked the car and began heading to the conference. No more than two blocks into the walk (we only parked three blocks away) I witnessed my first drug deal. It was two young men looking to score a bag. The first man they approached didn't have what they were looking for. As I heard them ask to score, I wish I would have stopped them and told them where this lifestyle would lead them.

Just a few short steps away we made it to the conference. I was able to hear John Ortberg speak and he is amazing; it was very inspiring! Worship was next and followed by an interview. Afterwards we went to our service site. It was a quick introduction and then right off to serving. Our girls went out to find a place to serve while I got Isaiah situated (Charity was already working registration). Sophie and Leah found the Tattoo table and were working alongside a young lady name Kiley (I think) who was so amazing to them.

Now these girls didn't just sit there and beg to partake in the carnival. These girls served other kids their age. They prepped the tattoos. They helped to put the tattoos on. They picked up the trash when it fell on the ground. They asked kids their names and gave out hundreds of tattoos. They sat in the hot sun and served their Savior by loving on other kids. It was so precious to see. At one point, as I thought about serving with my family, I almost shed a tear because it was so precious.

The time to serve came to an end and we decided to head home early so we could prep for my speaking engagement next week. As we talked about the time serving it was great to hear the girls thoughts. It was fantastic to see my wife so fully of joy. Charity said, "We should do this every weekend!"

When we got in the car looked at me and said, "Daddy, next year can we come here again and do the same thing?" She got it! My kid got it! It reminded me of the words of Christ:

"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45

When you think about your life, is there room to serve? Many people are serving already but maybe you could find a time to serve with your family and find the joy our family did.

Fabulous Family Friday's /// 2016

For the last few summers our family has done what we call Fabulous Family Friday's. The name pretty much describes it all.

What we do is fabulous (and fun)

We do it as a family

It happens on a Friday (it's my day off)

This summer we came up with a list of what we want to do this summer. Most of the fun we have planned is something we have never done as a family. I say most because when we sat down to come up with this list, as a family, Sophie and Leah both immediately asked to go to the waterpark again. The waterpark has been on the list every summer. The first summer it was our first time going. The next summer they had to go again, so we go again this summer. To be honest, I love the waterpark with my kids. I wish they would ride more waterslides but just chilling in the lazy river with them all day isn't a bad way to spend your Friday.

I was hesitant to share our list with you. Not that I think you will text me and try to join in on the fun, I think you will respect this is a family building memories in the summer together. I feel like this is a personal part that I wasn't sure if it would help to share.

Then it hit me, "Why wouldn't I share the list?" I bet there are tons of families out there that need to have some more fun together this summer. The family fun isn't just because we have kids. The family fun is for building our marriage also. I want my kids to see how much I love their mom. I want my kids to see Charity and I laughing together. I want our kids to see us kiss and smile. I also want to have a rad time with my kids. I want to laugh with them, buy them treats and take silly pictures.

So let the Fabulous Family Friday's begin. I can't wait for tomorrow!

Munchery

With recently having a baby we have been overwhelmed with how many people have brought us food! Many times people have texted to see if they can bring lunch, our church set us up on the meal ministry and others have brought over a warm cup of coffee in the morning.

Something a little different was an email I received from some friends. It was a gift card to "Munchery". To be honest I didn't know what Munchery was before getting the email but it sounded like had to do with food so I was in!

One afternoon Charity and I were ready to use the gift card so we jumped on munchery.com to see what was on the menu for the day. After registering for an account we started grazing and salivating over the dinner options. There was a problem; we were too late! We had to order by 2pm and it was 3pm. We had a few more days of the meal ministry taking care of us so we decided to wait until later.

While waiting I received an email letting me know that my first meal would be free! You heard me right, free! I thought maybe and entree and salad. Earlier this week we jumped online, at lunchtime, to order dinner. We both chose and entree, added a salad, got some sushi and dessert. When I went to check out the entire order was free. I was shocked! Even delivery was free. We checked out and waited for dinner to arrive.

When it arrived I have to confess that it was good! The food arrived promptly when it was scheduled to. It was great to heat up the oven and pop the meals in while eating some sushi and salad. The portions were just the right size for us (we don't eat a huge dinner).

The part that won me over was the special touch. In our bag was a handwritten note to our family along with an extra cookie. It was a small thought that made a huge impact. I began thinking about how we've lost the touch of  a handwritten card.

Overall I would recommend Munchery and we will be ordering from them soon!

Chasing God- Book Review

Title: Chasing God 

Author: Roger Huang

Publisher: David C. Cook

Pages: 244

Quotable: "The hunger for money and security was being replaced by a hunger to set people free."

Last year City Impact gave this book out at our church. I took a copy and it sat on my shelf for many months, just sitting collecting dust. Then for some reason I was looking for a book to read; something not too heavy but a light read. I grabbed it a week ago and couldn't put it down. This rarely happens to me.

The book starts out describing the pain Roger saw in the Tenderloin district in San Francisco. He quickly turns to the immense pain he dealt with as a child growing up in Taipei... but the story is far from over. Rodger grabs your attention and then shares openly and honestly about the pain and struggle of his life. He shares about beatings, meeting his wife, meeting his Savior and the radical call to go into the city.

Most people in San Francisco are looking to get away from the Tenderloin, God called Roger to the Tenderloin!

If you are looking for a book that is going to reveal the grace of God, the honesty of a Christ follower and seeing the radical work of God at play I encourage you to grab this book and open it. Once you open I have a feeling you will be like me and find it tough to put down.