Hotsenpiller.org

Monday Emotions...

2010-03-15T12:01:00.000-07:00

AMAZING SUNDAY!!

It blows me away each week as I sit back and see all that God is doing. This week was no exception. First service was hysterical. With the time change in full effect, attendance was down. I even had people asking me what I did to make people mad :). Second service was equally hysterical as there was hardly an empty seat. Gotta love time change!

Quick thoughts:

* I felt the urge at the last minute of the first service to pitch the Gospel. The only hand I saw go up was from a guy who lifts it every time...I have got to tell him he's all good :)
* Decided to give the gospel pitch in second service and 8 people made a first time decisions to follow Jesus!!!!
* Over the last two weeks 20 people have made decisions to follow Jesus. It begs the question, who does God want you to bring??? Each week God is moving in peoples lives!!
* The band was rocking...I'm pretty sure Gerry pulled out some 80's rock moves on stage. Bring it back, daddy!
* Bag the Basics (care bag drive) is off and running. What's up with POINT LOMA having only one bag.... weak :)
* We had our missions meeting after church. There are about 30 people interested so far in one of the two trips. For more info, contact Josh Carter at Joshua.d.carter@gmail.com
* BUSY. BUSY. BUSY week. Pumped about that!
* My wife woke me up this morning by putting my little man on my chest...PRICELESS!

Final Thought:

This is just a thought...I was noticing on Facebook when you can put Religious Views people often dodge saying Jesus.

Have a great week, love you guys!! Let's keep pushing the greatest cause in the universe forward!!

Josh

Monday emotions...

2010-02-08T15:37:00.000-08:00

Whoa...it's been a while!!! OK, I'm back.

Sunday was AMAZING! There is no other way to put it, I LOVE the privilege of pastoring our church. We are currently in a series called "In Real Time". The idea behind this series is to establish how we, living our busy lives, can live out spiritual disciplines and follow Jesus. This week we studied the discipline of stewardship. The highlights are as follows:

* Stewardship is ALL about asking two questions
1. Is this the RIGHT thing to do?
2. Will I wish I had left this alone?

* To hear more go to - http://www.existencechurchsandiego.com/messages/

* We had a TON of people at church yesterday (second service was crazy). It's absolutely amazing to see people wait outside of church as their friends and family come for the first time.This is what being an INCLUSIVE church is all about! Way to go!!
* We had 6 people make first time decisions to follow Jesus yesterday. AMAZING! As a church we are praying that 50 people make the same decision this year. So far we have already seen 12! So cool!

* Carter literally yelled when we mentioned the Art Show (Friday, February 26, 2010 at 8:00pm till 12:am). I'm guessing he thinks we should all be there :). Grab a friend, put on your best earth tones and come hang!

* The band was a blessing yesterday!! Gerry went off with the Spirit and we followed - what a blessing to surrender!!

* We are starting a ladies kick boxing group!!! I think that's sick!
* We updated the church on some financial needs for 2010 - check out the video http://www.existencechurchsandiego.com/video/index.php Thank you Jason Leppert!

Final thoughts. I love this series. God is stretching all of us! I'm excited for this week - we are going to look at the discipline of reading the Bible. I'm super proud of our church and I love our passion!

Let's keep chasing Jesus, love you guys!!

Josh

Monday Emotions...

2009-10-26T12:55:00.000-07:00

Great and wild Sunday!

We looked this week at the idea of “I Doubt I Need Jesus.” While most would agree we need Jesus for salvation, we often forget and don't fully understand how much we need Him in our day-to-day lives. It ended up being a wonderful topic of discussion!

But before we could get there... We founds out Miramar Rd was closed from 3am to 10am due to a car accident. I got a ton of emails from folks saying, hey I couldn't get to church but I did have a GREAT breakfast!! Classic, I love it!

Highlights from Sunday:

* Our ladies had their women’s retreat this weekend. I heard from everyone it was UNREAL! Way to go women’s leadership team, you guys are STUDS. :)

* We had almost 100 people come to first service. The wild part is, they had to walk several blocks to get to church. It was pretty wild to see people skateboarding in and jumping fences to be here. Cool sight!

* We had a ton of new people at both services. It's always a wonderful experience to see God’s kingdom going forward, one of us at a time!

* Josh Carter announced we will be launching our holiday missional project this coming Sunday. We have some awesome partnerships and opportunities to serve our city!

* Worship was solid. We had the chance to talk openly at the end of second service of how we really want to be a church that worships God. Often it feels as if something is holding us back. We are going to actively pray that changes!!! God is SO worthy of our worship. Amen??

* Chargers won - right on!

* We finished of the last C2C class for the year. My favorite is the third, we talk about values and it always fires me up! We had 180 people go through the class this year. Very cool. Did you go through it? If not, get on it next year!

Final thoughts...

We are in the middle of the last quarter of the year - crazy! I want to remind you that we are going to finish out this year with a bang! We are expanding our facility, serving the poor and including the disconnected in the process. This is an awesome picture of what it looks like to advance God’s kingdom.

Are you a part of the picture?

To get involved, email Shawn at - skexistence@gmail.com.

To contribute financially and support the renovations go here - http://www.existencechurchsandiego.com/giving/

Have a great week, love you guys!!!

Josh

Monday Emotions...

2009-10-20T12:53:00.001-07:00

Great Sunday!!! We took a look at the question, Does God have compassion? I would say this is one of my favorite studies in a long time! In so many ways it was edifying and challenging. My prayer is that we take hold of these teachings and allow God’s word to live through us! If you missed it, check it out at http://www.existencechurchsandiego.com/messages/.

Sunday highlights:

* Felt good to express my thoughts on a subject that I'm quickly realizing is my heart. I'm enthralled with the picture of the church fighting for the least of these!

* It was cool to see so many people share this passion. God is using and will continue to use our church in powerful ways!

* Fall break for Pt. Loma students... lucky!

* Band sounded great, we sang weak! C’mon Existence!!! :)

* Can't believe how far we are coming on the new children’s facility!!! God is setting us up for an amazing future!

* We need your help! Come, paint, make a pledge, get INVOLVED in what God is doing right in front of you!

* C2C went great! Geoff did a great job - so proud of him!

Final thought! Are you making a difference? Are you advancing God’s kingdom? Jump on board, get in a Life Group!

Love ya guys!

Josh

Charts and Sermon links from Sunday

2009-10-14T10:19:00.000-07:00

Sundays sermon link and charts...

http://www.existencechurchsandiego.com/messages/

Monday Emotions

2009-10-12T17:04:00.001-07:00

Great Sunday - God is moving in our church!

I have enjoyed this series SO much. It's been so cool to see folks bringing new people and fight for their friends and families salvation. I want to remind you that every week counts, people are waiting for you to invite them to discover Jesus!

Sunday Highlights:

* Great turnout! I met several new people and several of your friends. It was SO cool to see people come to church that you have been praying for.

* 5 people accepted Jesus Sunday - so cool!

* I felt really good about the message. It was great to hear so many people say they felt more encouraged and fired up to follow Jesus!

* The band was a man down, but you would have never known it! Great job guys!

* I love that we are out of room/seats! In three weeks we will start to expand our auditorium. God is working in our community, be a part of it!

* I have a ton of BIG meetings this week. We have some great stuff planned for the church over the next few months!

* Are you involved in a Life Group? It's the very best way to get connected in ministry!

* I met a new kid yesterday at church. He told me he was 10. He then went on to tell me he was almost as tall as me :)

* C2C was great! Had 50 people. If you missed one, you can still come. Be there next Sunday night 7pm!

Final thought:

I'm really looking forward to this fall. It's been a blast seeing the impact we are making in our community, college campuses, and in our local church body. Way to go on being true Kingdom builders!

Love ya,

Josh

Monday Emotions...

2009-09-28T14:19:00.000-07:00

Very, very good Sunday!!!

We started our new series, “I Doubt It.” It was so great to tackle the issue of, “I doubt there is a God.” This series has the power and potential to bring amazing change to people’s lives. I'm praying we all take the challenge of getting seeking folks to this series.

Thoughts from Sunday:

* Very, very cool to meet several of your friends that are seeking. I think we made a great impact on them!

* Fun to get our college students back. God has and will always use college students in the church to make a HUGE impact!

* It felt SO good to remind people that they are created with purpose not by chance!!!

* The band did great! Peter and Anthony were rocking on Sunday!

* It was really cool to share with the church the financial part of our "new" Chapter 2 journey. On Sunday we saw almost 10% pledged. Way to go church!!

* Every Sunday from now ‘til the end of the year we will keep you posted on the progress. God is going to use each of us in amazing ways!

* I thought the guys did awesome on the announcements... I love their passion and leadership!

* I can't believe in a few weeks we're gonna have a new children’s facility. So pumped for our church!

Final thought:

I always want to remind you that what we do matters! Right now there are dozens of people in your life who need Jesus. Take the big courageous step and invite them to church during this series. LET GOD USE YOU!!

Love ya!

Josh

6 Years!!

2009-09-21T10:41:00.000-07:00

Kinda hard to believe it's been 6 years....

Sunday was a wonderful day. After all the years, months and days of laboring for our vision it's always extremely edifying to see the work God has done through our church. For me, yesterday was so much more than just a date on a calendar. It was a clear picture of "who we are" as a church. If I were to describe the picture it would say things like:

* God first. This is - and must always - be the starting block for not only our lives but also our church. I think we are making great ground on this!

* Others first. This is my BIG DEAL! I think selfishness is OVERRATED! I believe our church agrees and we are making a huge impact in the lives of people that are in need of the basics as well as JESUS!

* Vision first. I love that our church understands the vision of being an INCLUSIVE MISSIONAL COMMUNITY comes before all our wants and needs. The great thing about the church is that we get to give ourselves away!!

* Love first. I love that our church is LOVING! It seems simple but it's not. It's hard to find churches that are filled with kind and loving people.

Final thought… Sunday reflections:

* Great Sunday! We added 120 chairs and almost filled them all! Very cool!

* 10 people made decisions to follow Jesus!! So cool!!!

* The documentary was AMAZING! We will have a YouTube link for you later this week to send out to all your fiends and family!

* Band was great! It's so great to worship as a family!

* How cool was it having the coffee house outside? Loved it!

* Way to go on being INCLUSIVE! I met so many of your friends, family and co-workers! I love that with each passing week we are getting more and more confidence to invite the disconnected in our lives!

*Finally, I want to say thanks to our staff. They worked tirelessly to make this weekend possible. We have an amazing group of men and women that serve and make our church possible!

Love you! Keep fighting to build an INCLUSIVE MISSIONAL COMMUNITY!

Josh

Monday Emotions...

2009-08-24T08:46:00.000-07:00

We were in week six of our "Give Yourself Away” series and the topic was whether any of us have really changed. I started off by confessing after six weeks of studying, teaching and leading this series I still felt many of the same selfish feelings and tendencies. Many agreed that change is a lot easier said than done. So we took our teaching time to take a hard look at why change is hard and what valuable tool God has given us as a resource. If you missed it, listen online!

OK... Highlights from Sunday!

* Great Sunday! We were all pumped to be there and learn. I love when the vibe is hungry to hear from God! What an amazing blessing to be able to gather together and study!!

* Packed house! I love that we're running out of space!! Makes me think, who do you know that still needs to be INCLUDED on this journey?

* My wife sang Sunday.... she's great!!! :) And looks great pregnant!

* Geoff and Josh did a spoof video for the backpack drive. It was funny, cheesy, poorly done and worth every bit of our time! Way to go guys!

* With the above being said... Six days to get your backpacks in!!!! We still need over 200!

* Kids Life had a "what we are learning" post on the tree outside. I love that we are putting a huge value on teaching our kids. Way to go Katie and the Kids Life team!

* I saw a missional leaders’ meeting going on after church. I love how many people are leading our vision. Are you? Are you living out or vision? Remember, GIVE YOUR LIFE AWAY!

Final thought: Six days to get your bags in, September 20th is our church’s six year anniversary. We are doing everything we can to make sure that all of us as a church body can bring people closer to God. Let’s make sure we make the most of these opportunities!

Remember, we are creating a selfless brand of church, be a part of the movement!

Love you guys,

Josh

Monday emotions... on Tuesday!

2009-08-18T11:22:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay, crazy Monday!

Sunday went great! The weather was nice so the warehouse was not a hot box. :) We continued our series, Give Yourself Away, and I felt that we as church responded well. This series has opened up many realties to me and I’m sure many of you could say the same. I find it sobering how much of my life is spent thinking and planning on my behalf and how little is spent seeking God’s will and how I might be able to give myself away. My prayer over the next 6 weeks is that each us refuses to give up on the idea the we really can and are called to give ourselves away!

Sunday highlights:

* Shout out to Becky Bond. Every Sunday she is serving in some capacity in our church. Just a few weeks ago she was getting baptized and now she is living a wildly yielded life to God. So cool!

* Saw a few more bags come in. We still need about 260! If you have your bag, come on! :)

* I can't wait to drop off 300 bags to kids in need, I love that our church gets the fact that we are called to live out our faith not just believe it! AMEN!!

* I'm having a boy!!! Kim and I picked out his name, so pumped!!!

* I had some awesome conversations after church with folks in regards to giving their lives away. It's SO cool to see God working in our lives! I pray that we are ALL feeling the push from God to give our lives away!

* Band was great! How about Anthony rocking the keyboard? I could smell a 1980's Van Halen concert! Great job Ant!!

* We have some really exciting changes that are going to happen in the coffee house - stay tuned!

* All around great Sunday, let’s keep advancing the Kingdom!!

Final thought: God WILL use you! My prayer for you this morning is that you will yield to His will and His power enough to be used! God really does have a fascinating plan for your life.

Stay thirsty, my friends! :)

Monday Emotions

2009-08-10T08:28:00.001-07:00

We continued our series, “Give Yourself Away”, by tackling community. Community is what our vision is all about. We were reminded yesterday that true community happens when we submit to a supreme God and allow Him to fully empower us. Here are some highlights from the day!

* The room temperature was bearable!!!

* We got started with Cold Pizza, our Junior High ministry. If you interested in helping out, let me know!

* We received several more backpacks. Just under three weeks left to get your bag in!

* I got to meet about 10 new people yesterday that all came from people inviting people. I dig that! It reminds me that we know our calling and are living it out. How about you? Are you INCLUDING the disconnected in your life? Do you have disconnected in your life?

* Thought the band did great. I love seeing how many people are involved in that ministry, great stuff! By the way, we need a piano player. You know one? Any good ones....??? :)

* I love how the three guys give the announcements. I think they are doing an awesome job of being clear and convicted about the areas they lead our church in. Very proud of them!

* I can't believe it's August!!!

* Kim and I find out Wednesday the sex of our baby.... what??? I can't believe I'm gonna be a dad!

* Super busy week... Can't wait to tackle it.

Final thought: I'll be praying this week for all of you! I'll be praying specifically that God uses you in clear obvious ways to advance His kingdom. You have a calling on your life and you’re living a life worth giving away.

Love you guys, have a powerful week!

Josh

Monday Emotions....

2009-08-05T14:00:00.000-07:00

We had a great Sunday!!! Click play to hear all about it!

Great thoughts

2009-07-27T15:33:00.000-07:00

Micah Smith went on the trip to Nicaragua with us. Check out his thoughts, great stuff!

http://micahdanielsmith.com/

monday emotions

2009-07-27T11:40:00.000-07:00

We had an awesome Sunday at Existence. To hear how Sunday went from my perspective see below!

Love you Guys!

Josh

This Weekend

2009-07-23T15:41:00.000-07:00

Monday Emotions

2009-07-06T10:09:00.000-07:00

Solid Sunday! I was really encouraged to see so many people make it out to church on a long holiday weekend. We talked about sex, but went further into exploring God’s heart for us. I love that through studying God’s word we can discover how aggressively in all things He is fighting for our hearts – that’s one thing that makes God amazing!

Thoughts from Sunday:

* I had a blast! It was a nice, relaxing Sunday. Had kind of a chill family vibe, as many folks were out of town.

* We had the elders pray over our missions team, still can't believe 19 people are going to Nicaragua! Please be praying, we leave Friday night!

* Three people said “yes” to Jesus yesterday - that makes everything we do week in and week out 100% worth it!

* I know I keep saying this, but the band is just taking us into worship – come on!!!

* We had a meeting after church to discuss our church-wide MISSIONAL drive coming this fall – get ready, it's gonna be AMAZING!!

* I thought the clip Shawn showed on the marriage retreat was great – it's gonna be a great time! Sign up by emailing Shawn atskexistence@gmail.com.

* Had a blast relaxing and watching golf and tennis after church. Pumped for Tiger, bummed for Roddick!

Final thoughts:

It's been a great start to summer and I believe it's only going to get better. Let’s keep fighting for the things God is calling us to. Let’s fight for people’s lives, don't give up on them!!! Let’s keep expressing Jesus missionally and let’s make sure to get in and stay in community, it matters!

Love you guys!!!

Josh

Monday emotion... a bit late :)

2009-06-30T08:21:00.000-07:00

I had a crazy Monday so this is a day late. We have so many amazing things planned for the summer and fall - can't wait!

Sunday reflections:

* AMAZING SUNDAY!!!

* It was SO wonderful to share the big news of our pregnancy with the church, Kim and I felt so blessed!

* I was blown away by how many people showed up Sunday. So many new faces! We are going to run out of room soon, great problem!!

* What's up with the band? They have become so on fire for worship, I love it!!! I love seeing our church celebrate our God and Savior!

* I had a blast teaching on biblical giving. I love that our church hungers for answers and we're not afraid to hear God’s truth. Way to go, I'm proud of you guys!

* How about the inclusive video? I was crying like a baby. I can't stress it enough, that video 100% captures why we do what we do! Geoff said it best. What stuck out to him was, "She invited me.” HUGE!!!

* I was pumped to see our Creative Arts Team working on the art for our next series. It's gonna be an awesome series, can't wait!!!

* Everybody thinks we're having a girl. Hope she's like Kim!

Final thoughts:

Just want you guys to know I feel very proud and blessed. I fully understand the type of church we have and the sweet, generous spirit that exists in it. Thank you for being loving, passionate people, it's gonna be such a joy to raise children around all of you!

Love ya guys!!

Josh

Monday Emotions

2009-06-22T09:00:00.000-07:00

First off, what a wonderful weekend! I was in Denver getting reports on the amazing ministry weekend we had. Below are a few highlights!

Poker:

* We hosted our first ever poker tournament fundraiser with over 120 players, many of whom were disconnected friends and family! Way to go on being INCLUSIVE, it matters!

* We raised $4,000 for the orphanage in Nicaragua!!! How great is that???

* A guy in my LG won, way to go Tim Lawrence! Had to throw out a shout out!

Church:

* I hear it went great! It was so nice to have Shawn and Rebecca back!

* Cool to see dads show up. It's so amazing when children take the lead on bringing their family back to Jesus! Way to go all of you who fought for your parents’ spiritual lives!

* I hear the band did great! I can't say it enough, I love that we are making worshiping Jesus a priority!

* We had 2 new couples come from the billboard, that’s cool! We have seen some great stories and people come from that board. I guess there are many imperfect people out there! :)

My time:

* I went to Denver to be with my brother, it went great! For all of those who were praying, thank you!

* My brother is doing good. There are many tough days still ahead for him but God's good and he's leaning heavily into Him!

Final good story:

I was on the plane coming home last night and I landed the bulkhead aisle seat. For those of you who travel much you know that's as good as it gets (minus first class :)). I was so pumped, it was 10:00 p.m. and I was looking forward to some space and rest. About one minute after I sat down this HUGE clearly military gentleman asked if he could sit next to me. Ugh I thought to myself, come on guy! Within seconds my personal space was gone and my attitude took a dramatic downturn. Ever been there?

After a few minutes I started to get that old fashion feeling like maybe God had arranged this undesired encounter. I politely asked the Holy Spirit to leave me alone and let me rest, no dice! So, I leaned over and began a conversation. A few seconds turned into minutes, and minutes into touch down. God was working!

As we hit the tarmac Ryan (the name of the bulk head seat stealer) asked me if he could get some information on our church. He said he was raised Catholic but still had a ton of questions about God. I gave him our web address and told him that we all look forward to seeing him!

Point: It matters, it matters all the time! People need Jesus and they have questions. The real question is, will YOU do anything about it? Ya, most of the time it's tough and uncomfortable. Most of the time it's uneasy and unplanned. But the reality is men and women are waiting for you to lean across your comfort zone and simply say HI!

That’s my prayer for our church. That we will lean across our comfort zones and direct people to Jesus!

Love you guys, let's be difference makers!!

Cool story!

2009-06-16T09:23:00.000-07:00

Last night at the Commitment to Community class I heard a great story that I wanted to share. A woman came up to me grinning ear to ear celebrating a new job she had just gotten. I asked her about the job and how she came about getting it, her answer blew me away!

She told me that each week when we remind people that if you don't have non-Christian friends then, MAKE NEW FRIENDS! She went on to tell me how her old job consisted of working in a 100% Christian environment and when coupled with church she realized she was lacking non-Christian friends. So, she took an amazing, bold step and literally left her safe job and went into a new environment in which door could be opened to INCLUDE people in the journey of following Jesus.

Hello!!! That’s it! That’s why we do what we do, that’s why we are here on earth! God is calling each of us to take proactive steps towards this amazing calling of INCLUDING people!

So here's the question. If this woman would quit her job and find a new one in order to be used by God, what would you be willing to do? Think on this, don't avoid it and let God speak to you.

Together, let’s advance God’s kingdom!!

Love ya guys!

Josh

Monday Emotions

2009-06-15T08:29:00.000-07:00

Another great Sunday in our series, “Detour to Definitions”. It's been so amazing to watch our church dive deeper into God’s word while at the same time INCLUDING others on the journey - amazing stuff!

* Very cool Sunday - the band was on it, it's so fun to worship God together!
* We had a TON of new people at church yesterday. Way to go on INCLUDING people, as well as welcoming them into
COMMUNITY!
* I had a blast teaching on spiritual warfare and I personally learned a ton too!
* We're doing really well on the missions raffle. If you haven't bought some tickets yet, you still can Saturday night!
* I saw a MISSIONAL meeting going on at the same time as our Nicaragua missions trip meeting - that's GREAT stuff. I love
seeing our church make God’s kingdom a big deal!
* I had a woman thank me yesterday for the “feast” that she partook in at church, still smiling about that one. :)
* Kids ALL OVER! Love it, keep making them - in a Biblical marriage. :)
* I attached a picture that a little girl made for me at school. If this doesn’t warm your heart....

Final thought! I am praying for YOU! This week matters. Your spiritual life matters, be alert! Others’ spiritual lives matter, be alert! The decisions you make matter, be alert! Don’t forget to be great stewards of your lives. You can start by going back to Ephesians 6 and putting on your spiritual armor!

Love you guys - have a great week!

Monday Emotions...

2009-06-08T16:40:00.000-07:00

Sunday was 100% why we do what we do! Below are the highlights!

* 8 people said “yes” to a relationship with Jesus - that's what ALL this is about!
* Worship was AWESOME! The band is doing such an amazing job of leading us!
* We had an INCLUSIVE meeting after church - I love seeing our church gather around the vision and dream of how we can reach more people for Jesus!
* Kids, kids and more kids! I love it. Our church is a great, safe place to include families with kids. Keep INCLUDING THEM!
* I loved the pieces of text we studied yesterday, it was so edifying to me!
* I had a high school kid ask if I would pray for him to have the courage to share his faith with a friend. Hello, how cool!
* How about Geoff doing announcements with a wedding ring on - our little boy is all grown up! So happy for him and his amazing wife Devin!
* We already raised over 500 bucks for the orphanage in Nicaragua. We are going to be able to help them in so many amazing ways! Come Sunday to hear more!
* Quick shout out to Ryan Knight, who did an amazing job editing the video on Sunday! If you want to help with creative arts, email skexistence@gmail.com.

Final thought: I drove home Sunday praising God for allowing me to see first-hand people say yes to Him. It's an amazing sight to see people with tears in their eyes and softened hearts say yes to their Creator. Here's the part that gets me most. Each person was there yesterday because someone INCLUDED them. I think that's what makes my heart race the most. People's lives are changing and God is using us! I prayed with passion and conviction that this would just be the start. So let’s go for it, let’s allow these moments we are experiencing to just be the start!

I truly love you and love building God’s kingdom alongside you!

Monday Emotions...

2009-06-01T11:11:00.000-07:00

Great Sunday! I love both leading and serving in our church. Below are some highlights that fire me up!

* Despite the gloom, people were pumped to study God’s word and worship Jesus - great stuff!
* Felt like I kinda bombed the first service message but second came out just fine.
* Had several people share MAJOR things going on in their life. We really need to be in prayer for our church family. I'm reminded each week how many people are going though real heartache. Take time and pray for the people you know and don't know!
* Met several new people on Sunday. I can't tell you enough how much I believe that God has set people in all our lives that we are to INCLUDE in this process of walking with Jesus. What about YOU?
* I have to say, Dave Keene (our bass player) gets what worshiping Jesus is all about. Thanks for leading us Dave!
* Let’s give some props to Vy Baker, who rocked out the INCLUSIVE announcements - she is as cool as the other side of the pillow!
* Despite the fact that we are taking three weeks off from Cold Pizza, our jr high ministry, we still had about a dozen kids show up!

Final thought: I'm overwhelmed! I'm overwhelmed with what I see God doing and what I sense God calling our church to do. As I look at our church I see how many gifs, talents and non-churched relationships exist. I can't help but imagine what will happen as each of us take greater steps in letting God fully use us! So... let’s take all the possibility and turn it into reality. Start praying, start trusting and let’s start letting God fully use us! Love you guys!

Sunday Reflections...

2009-05-26T09:32:00.000-07:00

Sunday was great! It was so refreshing to get back teaching God’s word and being in the company of great friends. It was a unique week in that our subject matter was biblically defining suffering. On one hand that was a difficult matter as I just lost my sister-in-law, and on the other hand it was very healing to teach God’s heart on the matter. If you missed Sunday's talk you can hear it at http://www.existencechurchsandiego.com/messages/. Here are some reflections:

* Fun to see high energy and a good turn out even on a long weekend!
* We are taking three weeks off from Cold Pizza (our junior high ministry) but we still had 11 kids show up for church!
* I love how many kids are running around our church theses days, so cool!
* Worship was really good - I love when Ben (Gerry's son) leads us!
* I'm really enjoying our current series, I feel like we are all growing a ton!
* It was really cool to see people helping set up and take down stuff after church. I truly believe having a servant’s heart will always create the healthiest churches. Way to go!
* Quick question: How are YOU doing at INCLUSIVE, MISSIONAL AND COMMUNITY?
* Just a reminder the answer to the above question matters for ALL eternity!

Hey, love you guys and can't wait to spend all summer advancing Gods kingdom - keep it up!

Josh

Update

2009-05-19T14:56:00.000-07:00

I want to thank each of you for your prayers and support. As you know, my brother’s wife passed away two weeks ago and we are all still processing her loss. We don't know the cause of her death but we trust God's words will be true when He says that He works all things for the good for those who love Him. I'm confident that my brother and his wife loved Jesus very much and I hold steady to the belief that great things will follow. As I work on this Sunday’s message that was pre-slated to deal with the subject of suffering, I find myself very aware of its reality. Suffering does happen to all people and over the last two weeks God has gently walked me through the process. I want to encourage each of you to make it out this week as we will talk though God’s heart on suffering.

I'll be praying for you this week and waiting in anticipation as God speaks to us all through His word on the subject on Sunday. I love you guys very much and look forward to seeing you all! Josh

Small Steps - Monday Emotions

2009-04-27T12:23:00.000-07:00

Very, very cool Sunday!

This Sunday was one of those days that marked the real power in taking small steps. Five months ago I decided to start training for a half marathon. The process was tough and there were many times when I didn't want to take the small steps of training and eating right. Yet, five months later I ran the race and even beat my goal time, pretty cool!

Two weeks ago we had a baptism Sunday. The night before, I was sure God was telling me to keep the baptism up one more week because there would be even more people needing to take this HUGE AMAZING STEP. I took the small step of saying yes to God and sure enough 20 more people took the small step of signing up to be baptized!

Bottom line this was a Sunday that reflected the real power of taking small steps. The truth is, if you keep taking small steps you will get to the place you need to be and God wants you to be. So... what say you? What are the small steps you need to take in your life? If you listen, God will speak!

Sunday reflections:

* Baptisms were amazing! Josh Carter did an amazing job – so proud of him!
* Shawn taught on heaven and did a GREAT job! We need to talk more about heaven!
* Loving this series! I can tell we are ALL learning so much. That's 100% our hope and prayer.
* I sat in the fifth row on Sunday with my wife – SO COOL!
* Band was great! I love that Dave Keen (bass player) worships God so expressively!
* Our church CAN'T clap and sing. :)
* We announced at second service that we are ordaining Josh Carter and Geoff Francian on Sunday. BE THERE TO SUPPORT THEM!
* We were PACKED yesterday! Keep being INCLUSIVE! Who's on your radar screen?
* Side note... I love my LIFE GROUP! We added three new guys and they're awesome! Are you in COMMUNITY?
* We're talking about HELL this week. Any questions? I bet!!! Come hear what the Bible REALLY says!
* May is almost here, what???

OK... Love you guys! Let’s keep advancing God’s kingdom, you matter in the process!

Josh