Coffee Shop/Deli

A few months ago John Crissman called me unexpectedly and told me about the possibly of the UK Wesley Foundation starting a coffee shop/deli. John thought it could also be a space for the church plant/ministry. I called the Foundation’s director, Bill Hughes who is a Methodist Pastor. Bill was excited about the new church and the possibly of collaborating. Since that time, we began to dream about what can take place. Down the street from the Foundation is a corner store. The store was shut down due to shady dealings taking place. Bill started talking with the owner about renting; he would call him every other day. The holdup was that the owner could not get into his own building because the previous tenants placed a lock on it. Therefore, there were some legal problems we had to wait on to be sorted out. Anyway, Bill called me today and told me to come down to the corner store. The owner was meeting inside with a prospective tenant who wanted to start a pizza shop. We were not worried because we knew God had opened the door for us and that His will was going to be done. Once the man left, we talked to the owner about renting it and told him our vision for the store and the community. Bill told him he was going to write a check for the first months rent…and like that, the building is ours!!! Once we stepped outside, we talked with the man who wanted to start the pizza business. He also was a Christian and said, “I don’t wanna be in the way of what God wants to do…I’ll find another place to rent.” I believe this only confirmed what God had placed on our hearts.

Our next steps will be cleaning up the old place and probably painting which means I will need some volunteers.

I'm weird...I know it

Within the last 10 years, I have discovered another one of my passions to be weight training and nutrition. I was into fitness even before joining the Marine Corps. I have become more serious about it within the last few years. I have always dreamed about competing in a bodybuilding show but never thought I had the discipline. Before the end of the New Year, I decided one of my goals was to compete in my first bodybuilding show. I decided that I needed someone with a lot more expertise so I have been working with a trainer at the Lexington Athletic Club. The trainer provides the workouts and nutrition and my job is to follow…easy, huh? not so fast! I have made some drastic life changes in the past 9 weeks. I have given up caffeine, refined sugar, and fast food. Instead, you will see me carrying around Tupperware of chicken and tuna…yum:-) The awesome thing about it is that I have lost 26lbs without doing an ounce of cardio, which is one thing that I hate doing! The weird thing about this bodybuilding pursuit is that it has helped me significantly in my spiritual life. If I can say no to refined sugar, caffeine, and fast food, then I can say no to areas of sin through the power of the Holy Spirit. As I have dedicated myself to working out and eating right, I have seen myself more dedicated to prayer and Bible reading than in my whole life.

I know many of my friends think I am strange for doing this, but if Aaron Mansfield can make cheese as a hobby than I can do bodybuilding!

The New Muscle Beach

Muscle Beach has been known where the renaissance of modern bodybuilding took place thanks to the likes of Arnold, Franco Columbu, Frank Zane and host of others. Venice, California provided the perfect scenery for outdoor lifting/athletics, sun tanning and swimming. Modern bodybuilding and the current fitness revolution we have seen is much attributed to the cult classic Pumpin Iron (1976). It stars a charismatic 28 year old by the name of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Arnold agrees to this documentary as they follow him on his journey to his sixth Mr. Olympia title. The fame of this documentary placed bodybuilding on the map and started the fitness revolution of the 80s, 90s, and today. The fitness revolution has grossed billions of dollars since the making of this film.

Prior to the Pumpin Iron documentary bodybuilding was seen as plain weird. They fit in with the artists, freaks, hippies, and transvestites. They lived in such a diverse atmosphere. Part of the reason that attracted me to the Chevy Chase/Woodland Park area for planting the church was the diversity. In my opinion, it could be the new Muscle Beach of sorts. Not that there are bodybuilders lifting outside, but the diversity of the population makes it a unique culture.

Once, Twice, Twenty-One Times A Charm

A little over ten years ago, God began to give me passions for His service. One of those passions was evangelism. I never thought I would be a pastor because I always felt God was calling me to travel as an evangelist. Therefore, I decided to become a Methodist pastor because I would be traveling every few years anyway! When Aaron arrived at our church, I thought he was a bit crazy to say the least. He would go visit people door to door and invite them to church. Aaron is not the most tactful person when it comes to his evangelism style, but it works for him, so who am I to criticize. When I heard Aaron was starting an evangelism team my eyes lit up. I knew that God wanted me to be involved. When we were meeting together as a group there is one fact that I will never forget, it takes roughly 21 invitations to a person before they receive Christ. What does that mean? We cannot give up when it comes to our personal evangelism. Even though I may receive a rejection, I could be number one or two on the list. You maybe number 20 or 21. People’s receptivity levels are different based upon their circumstances in life. Listen to what the Apostle Paul states in 1 Corinthians 3:6-7:

“I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.”

A Major League Baseball player as hitter is considered successful if he hits over a .300 batting average, which is only 30% of the time that they reach base, which means the other 70% he fails to get a base hit! The difference for us is when someone receives Christ it does not matter all the previously “failed” attempts because they were not failures but merely planted seeds.
I am learning it may take many invitations before an individual comes to our community dinner and maybe many more before they receive Christ. The good news is that God is long at work in the hearts of His people before we ever interact with them. God is at work in a person’s life whether they know it or not. Our mission is simply to be vessels in delivering this Good News!

Surfs Up!

Rick Warren gives an illustration that really captures what one of our goals should be. Warren tells of how surfing is of course popular in California. For gym class the students have the option of taking an intro to surfing class. They are provided the proper gear and training before they tackle a big wave. It takes a lot of skill and practice to surf. However, surfing really cannot be done if there is no wave. Nobody ever says to a surfer to produce a wave. It's challenging enough just to surf on one. I think many times we try to create the wave instead of waiting for it and riding on top of it. The only one that can produce this wave is God. We must recognize when God is moving and then join in. No person can produce a revival or move of the Spirit. We are only along for the ride. Praise God that He uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things!

Three Moves in One Week

The month of December is usually a busy month for just about everybody. It was busy for me than other reasons besides Christmas shopping and traveling. About two weeks ago, I moved into an apartment close to where the church plant will be located. I got a great deal on a one-bedroom apartment. It is an old place with tile floors (which is good because of Rocky’s accidents) and has an elevated throne room that everybody enjoyed. Jason and Tawndee live right around the corner at the Americana Apartment complex. Abigail’s mom, Debbie, moved into their apartment complex the day after I moved and Abigail moved three blocks down the street from us earlier that week. A few other people might possibly join our church planting efforts that are already living close to us. We will be starting community dinners soon as a way to build relationships with the people we meet in the area. Please continue to pray for us all as we try to get to know our neighbors.

Happy Birthday

We have been going to Charlie Brown’s for dinner on Wednesday evenings since the summer. We would often sit outside and the servers would bring my puppy, Rocky, a dog bowl. We have made friends with many of them since then. Before I took off for Tampa, Florida one of our favorite servers told us that her 21st birthday was coming up. She said that she was going to Charlie Browns because they were going to serve her free drinks. She asked us to come and join her. So we showed up at like 10:30 pm on a Saturday night. It was a very late night. However, it was worth it. It was somewhat sad because none of the girl’s friends showed up except her boyfriend. She was grateful we were there. We wanted to support her and take care of her if she was going to drink too much. She literally only weighs 80 pounds! I was proud of her because she did not give into the peer pressure that many of her co-workers were trying to place on her. By us showing up to her little birthday celebration, we have intensified our relationship with this girl. God keeps teaching me that if we are willing to show up and get out of the way He can do His thing. Even if that means showing up to someone’s 21st birthday party where you know they are going to drink and possibly drink in excess. She was going to do this regardless if we showed up. I have realized we need to cast off the “conventional” ways we do evangelism. It is more than stepping outside the four walls of the church and stepping inside the dark places where the light is dim. We were not the first presence of God to show up Saturday night at Charlie Browns. God was working in our little server long before we came on the scene. This scenario brings into question everything I have ever learned about evangelism. Are we willing to go to places where other Christians might not want to go or feel comfortable in going? Are we like the chief priests and Pharisees who hammer people like Jesus and the disciples who commune with “sinners and tax collectors?”