Chronicles of the Missio Dei

The Home at the top of Smith Tower

2012-01-25T09:34:00.000-08:00

I just have to share this. I've told so many guests and friends that I read somewhere how a lady designed a living space for her family at the top of the historic Smith Tower in Pioneer Square and is living there still, and I just came across the NY Times article where I read that! It has incredible photos of what they've done to that space. This building you've seen in LOTS of my pictures, she and her husband and two daughters live at the top triangle of it! NUTS!

-Christy

Today, I walked on the parking lot less traveled.

2012-01-18T10:21:00.000-08:00

Right there in the middle, do you see my snow angel? Walking home from my Women's Discipleship Group this morning I noticed the parking lot on my hill was completely untouched and blanketed white. So I decided to stomp through it, the first footprints to touch the snow! Half way up, I had a sudden urge to fall down in the snow and make a snow angel, it was exhilarating! There is some crazy, swirly snow action going on up here. Hoping to capture some video soon of crazy, snow drivers...we'll see! More pictures posted below.

-Christy

This is the view from my building right now!

Anyone want to sun bathe?! :)

Three Years and Counting!!

2012-01-06T10:41:00.000-08:00

Last Monday, the 2nd, marked our third year of marriage. What an accomplishment by God's grace! For obvious reasons we never celebrate on the weekend prior, so we're leaving today to enjoy a weekend together out of town. This blog post is mainly dedicated to all of you friends and family that attended our wedding and never saw one picture come out of it. You see, after the wedding our photographer gave us 1000 unedited images to sort through, so naturally I put it off...until last Christmas! We wanted to give our poor parents a photo book for Christmas so I set to sorting them and editing the ones we liked. Here's the finished photo book that I created for us that should be coming in the mail today! You might just catch yourself dancing in a photo or two...Enjoy!

Click here to view this photo book larger

Click here to create your own Shutterfly photo book.

Ten Lessons From a Year of Church Planting

2011-12-31T17:00:00.000-08:00

Not a top 10 list, but almost...

1. Only God will satisfy.
2. God is better than comfort.
3. The glory of God is better to pursue than the glory of man.
4. Trust God in change.
5. Fight for time with Jesus.
6. God is a God who does the impossible.
7. Wait on the Lord. His timing is perfect.
8. God provides.
9. Following God on mission is a great privilege.
10.Trusting God at his Word will bring the embodiment of it.

These truths were joyously shared as a group of leaders from our church plant got together and talked about what God has taught us in seeking to bring the gospel to the city of Seattle through the planting of Downtown Cornerstone Church.

-G

Our 2011 Christmas Card!

2011-12-25T06:15:00.000-08:00

From "God With Us" | Spoken Word by Isaac Wimberley

Merry Christmas Texas...

2011-12-23T08:34:00.000-08:00

We're going to Oakland tonight to celebrate Christmas with our CA family whom we haven't seen since May, so we're pumped! However, we are indeed sad to miss celebrating with our family in Texas, eating sausage balls (at least Christy is) and watching the kids (including the old ones ;-) open up the gifts we picked out for them.

Merry Christmas Texas...You're hanging on the front of our tree!

Christmas in Pioneer Square

2011-12-21T14:11:00.000-08:00

The State Hotel Building, built in 1891

Lights on First Ave

Pergola lights projecting red & green

"By His blood, we can sing before His throne"

2011-12-13T07:47:00.000-08:00

I have been listening to this refrain consistently this Advent season and it has taught me to look to Christ's coming. Let it encourage you as it has encouraged me. Lyrics below.

<p>&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://folkangel.bandcamp.com/track/god-with-us-feat-isaac-wimberley"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;God With Us (feat. Isaac Wimberley) by Folk Angel&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;</p>

GOD WITH US

Poem by Isaac Wimberley

The people had read of this rescue that was coming through the bloodline of Abraham
They had seen where Micah proclaimed about a ruler to be born in Bethlehem
Daniel prophesy about the restoration of Jerusalem
Isaiah’s cry about the Son of God coming to them
So for them—it was anticipation
This groaning was growing, generation after generation
Knowing He was holy, no matter what the situation
But they longed for Him
They yearned for Him
They waited for Him on the edge of their seat
On the edge of where excitement and containment meet
They waited
Like a child watches out the window for their father to return from work—they waited
Like a groom stares at the double doors at the back of the church—they waited
And in their waiting, they had hope
Hope that was fully pledged to a God they had not seen
To a God who had promised a King
A King who would reign over the enemy
Over Satan’s tyranny
They waited

So it was
Centuries of expectations, with various combinations of differing schools of thought
Some people expecting a political king who would rise to the throne through the wars that he fought
While others expecting a priest who would restore peace through the penetration of the Pharisee’s façade
Yet a baby—100% human, 100% God
So the Word became flesh and was here to dwell among us
In His fullness, grace upon grace, Jesus
Through Him and for Him, all things were created
And in Him all things are sustained
God had made Himself known for the glory of His name
And this child would one day rise as King
But it would not be by the sword or an insurgent regime
It would be by His life
A life that would revolutionize everything the world knew
He would endure temptation and persecution, all while staying true
Humbly healing the broken, the sick and hurting too
Ministering reconciliation, turning the old to new
A life that would be the very definition of what life really costs
Saying—if you desire life, then your current one must be lost
And He would portray that with His own life as His Father would pour out and exhaust
And Jesus would be obedient to the point of death, even death upon the cross

So just 33 years after the day that He laid swaddled in the hay
He hung on a tree suffocating, dying in our place
Absorbing wrath that is rightly ours, but we could never bear the weight
So He took that punishment and he put it in the grave
And He died
And when I say that He died, what I mean is that He died
No breath, noheartbeat, no sign of life
God is a God of justice, and the penalty for our sin equals death
That’s what Christ did on that cross
Then… On the third day, in accordance with scriptures, He was raised from the grave
And when I say that He was raised, what I mean is that He was raised
Lungs breathing, heart pumping, blood pulsing through His veins
The things that He promised were true
He is the risen Son of God, offering life to me and you
Turning our mourning into dancing
Our weeping into laughing
Our sadness into joy
By His mercy, we are called His own

By His grace, we will never be left alone
By His love, He is preparing our home
By His blood, we can sing before His throne

Jesus paid it all
All to Him I owe
Sin had left a crimson stain
He washed it white as snow

So now we, as His bride, are the ones waiting
Like the saints that came before, we’re anticipating
He has shown us that this world is fading
And He has caused our desire to be for Him
So church, stay ready
Keep your heart focused and your eyes steady
Worship Him freely, never forgetting
His great love for you
Immanuel, God with us

Christmastime in Seattle

2011-12-08T18:28:00.001-08:00

Christmas has come upon us fast my friends! We're already half way into the glorious season of Advent - a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus on Christmas day. Thanksgiving came and went, and we came and went to Texas to celebrate. We're almost done buying our Christmas presents & so excited to give them (sad that we can't give them in person to our family in Texas, but ecstatic to see our family & friends in the Bay)! The Great Figgy Pudding Caroling Contest celebrated it's 25th Anniversary of "Gettin' Figgy Wit it" and the Gingerbread House contest at the Sheraton did not disappoint (once again). We cut our Christmas tree down at a farm! It had a little orange ribbon tied around the top indicating that it was a "misfit" as poor Rudolph imagined he was, so we gladly adopted it for the low price of $20.

This is only a short list of why I LOVE Seattle in Christmastime! It's so charming. I love being in downtown and seeing that giant star shining atop Macy's six story Department Store. It's a blatant symbol pointing to Christ, as it did thousands of years ago in Bethlehem. My prayer is that Seattle's people would see that star and marvel at Christ. Marvel at His Wondrous Love for us. Why did the infinitely powerful God of the universe humiliate Himself to be born in the form of a baby human? Because He is also infinitely loving and chooses to love us selfish Misfits even while we ran from Him. Wow.

-Christy

The Video We Said We'd Post

2011-11-20T22:31:00.001-08:00

As promised in our last post, here is the video from the album we encourage you to invest in--The Attributes of God by Shai Linne and many other gifted contributors. It's of his wife Blair Linne performing a powerful spoken word as an introduction of sorts to the album. The instrumentals are inspiring, the lyrics are God-exalting and truth-packed, the vocals are smooth and there are even children singing on the record. Watch the video then purchase the album at Lampmode Recordings. "Soli Deo gloria!"

shai linne - "The Perfection of Beauty" ft. Blair Linne (Official Trailer) from Lamp Mode Recordings on Vimeo.

How can I know what God is like?

2011-11-11T06:00:00.000-08:00

This month we are teaching the kids what God is like. The big question we're asking is, "How can I know what God is like?" I once read that there were devoted monks that used to walk around in the forest knocking on trees asking, "God, are you in there?" looking to find God and see what He was like. I admire them for their honest search for God, but feel sorry for them in their forest wandering. Thankfully, God has revealed himself to us in the Bible, and specifically in Christ. The answer to the kids' curriculum question is, "He shows me what He's like!" It's true, God has revealed himself in the Bible!

(Now there can be a whole other blog post just on why we accept the Bible's depiction of God rather than other religious writings accounts, but I will just say real fast that the Bible is historically accurate, trustworthy, scientifically backed and absolutely united (no contradictions), and to boot it has vasts amounts of fulfilled prophesies - not to mention Jesus trusted the Scriptures as God's revelation of Himself. All that to say, there's at least reason enough to search the Scriptures to see if they personally convince you. )

The real reason for this post is to urge you to check out a new resource put out by Shai Linne. It is a Hip Hop album that focuses on the character of God. Each song is about one of His attributes. Do you know what God is like? This album is a fascinating listen as well as a tool to learn about what the Bible says about God himself! Learn more about the album here. We'll be posting a video from it soon.

-G

Desktop Background of Seattle

2011-11-06T22:08:00.000-08:00

In an upcoming blog post we are planning to share how these verses have impacted us lately, but for now...enjoy a free desktop background if you wish! This is a perfect way to remember to pray for God's work here in Seattle. Just click on the picture to be taken to the full size version, then right click to "save image as".

-Christy

Reformation Day

2011-11-02T05:15:00.000-07:00

Hope you had a good Halloween and Reformation Day!

In light of Reformation Day, I got together with some guys this weekend to watch the movie Luther. I even made a German Pancake... which I thought was delicious.

October 31st is celebrated as Reformation Day because it is the anniversary of the date on which Martin Luther nailed his reformation writing on a Catholic church's door. He was looking for reformation within the church, a re-commitment to the gospel and a dropping of the many teachings and practices that were not in the Bible. I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite points in his reformational writing called, "The 95 Theses".

31. One who bona fide buys indulgence is as rare as a bona fide penitent man, i.e. very rare indeed.

35. It is not in accordance with Christian doctrines to preach and teach that those who buy off souls, or purchase confessional licenses, have no need to repent of their own sins.
48. Christians should be taught that, in granting indulgences, the pope has more need, and more desire, for devout prayer on his own behalf than for ready money.

55. The pope cannot help taking the view that if indulgences (very small matters) are celebrated by one bell, one pageant, or one ceremony, the gospel (a very great matter) should be preached to the accompaniment of a hundred bells, a hundred processions, a hundred ceremonies.
62. The true treasure of the church is the Holy gospel of the glory and the grace of God.
93. Hail, hail to all those prophets who say to Christ's people, "The cross, the cross," where there is no cross.

You can read through the whole Thesis here.

-G

My Birthday Hike in to the Wilderness

2011-10-31T07:00:00.000-07:00

The weekend before my birthday some friends of ours graciously opened up their beautiful home overlooking a bay to us while they were out of town so we got to take some time away from our busy schedules. It was so nice, not long enough! Giulian planned some fun things for us like ice skating, dinner out & a really great hike. We journeyed to Foulweather Bluff which I have to say is the most insanely preserved and interesting wildlife habitat I've ever been to. Giulian also gave me a 50 mm camera lens for my birthday (!!!) so with new lens in tow we set off into the wilderness and found trees growing out of trees, mushrooms galore, brightly-colored leaves, crabs & even a furry little caterpillar. Enjoy!

-Christy

(You can click the collage to enlarge it.)

Pumpkins, Corn & Mud!

2011-10-24T08:30:00.000-07:00

We visited Craven Farm, a local pumpkin patch & corn maze, with some church fam a few weeks ago and it was awesome! While our group of roughly two dozen was navigating the Alice in Wonderland-themed maze I caught one of the children ask, "Are we ever going to get out of here?" She wasn't the only one wondering...

See pics below.

The Regular

2011-10-13T23:03:00.000-07:00

I talked to a gentleman named Paul today at Zeitgeist, a local cafe where I was working. He's a regular there and I could tell I was sitting in his "seat" because I had barely begun packing up before he swooped in to ask me if I was leaving. "Of course I am now Paul." But he seemed friendly enough so I engaged, "Do you come here often?" We talked about his love for trains, which is why he likes his seat at Zeitgeist, it reminds him of being on a train. We also discussed how more and more people like ourselves are moving into the cities all over the world. Paul was pleased to find out he wasn't the only one noticing that because in his home country of Zimbabwe he picked up on the same pattern - he was really in to patterns. He's a writer and observer who seemed to have a pretty good idea about the culture in Seattle with having only been here for five months... slow down Paul. "These people are all the same," Paul said. You're right Paul, we're all sinners in need of a Savior. Let's talk over coffee again soon, but this time I'll bring my husband. :)

-Christy

Chasin waterfalls with the family...

2011-10-06T22:08:00.000-07:00

Kerry Park overlooking downtown Seattle

My sister and neice came to visit last weekend!!! We were so blessed to have Alicia and Haleigh here, which was also a great excuse to do some really awesome things like visit the Falls we've never seen before, and of course go to the markets that we love (see photos below). It was such a treat, metaphorically and literally as we also spent significant time stuffing ourselves with delicious food. We love you guys, thanks for the visit!

-Christy

One of our favorite artsy markets

Snoqualmie Falls - What a giant!

Capping off the Sunday at Hattie's Hat in Ballard- Mmm mmm!

Steve's Story: Part II

2011-09-26T09:30:00.000-07:00

Many of you may remember this story that we posted some months ago about Steve, a gentleman that we know from the Union Gospel Mission. Well last month we had the privilege of seeing Steve graduate from the thirteen month-long sobriety program at the Mission. It was an encouraging night of much laughter as some of our other friends were being promoted to the next level of the program. If you can imagine, these men have a lot of forces working against them to stay in this program, living at the Mission for a full year - it's tough. So there's a lot of energy every last Wednesday of the month at graduation because the men have a chance to share what God has been doing at the Mission and encourage each other to continue forward.

The end of Steve's program is just the beginning for him however. After visiting family in Texas, Steve's plan is to continue living at the Mission as an intern while attending community college. While Steve was in jail as a young man, he learned sign language from a fellow hearing impaired inmate. He loves the deaf community and is excited to work toward an Associate's Degree in sign language interpretation.

The Seattle Union Gospel Mission has done an excellent job recording Steve's story through video, catch parts I-IV here.

DCC Baptism Video

2011-09-14T10:16:00.000-07:00

You may remember from a recent post that our church just had our first baptisms last month! We wanted to share this video with you that some very gifted folks in our church body put together in order to encourage your faith in Christ. We are greatly encouraged.

"Why should I gain from His reward? I cannot give an answer. But this I know with all my heart - His wounds have paid my ransom!"

Downtown Cornerstone Church - 8.11.2011 Baptisms from Downtown Cornerstone Church on Vimeo.

The Missing Blog Post: Crown Royal and a Suitcase.

2011-09-08T07:52:00.000-07:00

For some reason this blog post was never published. It's dated March 17th, 2010, the week before we left for Brazil, a small tale of mystery that we thought you may enjoy...

_____

I bought a large suitcase for the trip from the Goodwill the other day. It was seven dollars. Ten dollars originally, but it was 30 percent off that day. It is large, black, and leather. Four wheels at the bottom and a latch on the side to attach a string too in order to pull it on its wheels when it gets heavy. Two buckles and two sturdy zippers keep it shut. There were two holes in it but easily fixed with duct tape.

Inside the suitcase were four receipts. Let these receipts take you into the life of "Jack"; former owner of the big black suitcase:

Receipt 1: Dec 18, 1992 - Halls Cough Drops and Aspercreme - Total: $4.59
Receipt 2: Dec 24, 1992 - Two Unknown Items from Walgreens - Total $11.69
Receipt 3: Dec 25, 1992 - One Hotel Room - Total $65.00
Receipt 4: Dec 26, 1992 - Crown Royal - Total $6.24

Thanks for the donation Jack. I hope my next suitcase will be this much fun.

-G

_____

(PS: We still have this suitcase!)

Labor Day Celebration: Rest from your work, because of His work.

2011-09-05T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hebrews 4:10 "For whoever has entered into God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from His."

We are all working! Every day, consciously or not, we are all putting in work for our own self-salvation project. We amplify our good works and justify our evil deeds to be better than the next person or to be seen as innocent in the eyes of our peers. Whether we do good things or abstain from bad things, we are naturally justifiers of self. Often times this self-justifying work is seen by living a safe life, devoted life, purposeful life, moral life, happy life, thrill-seeking life, self-satisfying life, etc. I have found that I can find my self-justifying work load by filling in this blank: "I deserve to be accepted because I _____".

This work is anti-gospel. The gospel calls us to rest from our self-justifying intentions and trust in the justifying work of Christ alone. This is why Jesus says his burden is light. He relieves us from this hard labor of justifying ourselves.

So today, put your faith in Christ. Stop your working. Celebrate the labor of Christ, who lived the perfect life we could never manage to live and gives us His perfect life in exchange for our self-justifying, burdened life. Now we can be accepted because Christ worked for us, not because we worked hard enough to earn acceptance! And because His righteousness is given to us, we can quit our self-salvation project. Let this Labor Day be the day you never work (in this sense) again!

-G

My Father is greater than all.

2011-08-22T11:30:00.000-07:00

2 Timothy 1:12 "I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me."

"What has been entrusted to me" is our salvation, in other words, the deposit we have from God to walk with Him eternally.

"Satan does not venture to suggest this thought in a direct form, that God cannot fulfill, or is prevented from fulfilling, what he has promised... but, by preoccupying our eyes and understandings, he takes away from us all sense of the power of God." -John Calvin, Commentary on 2 Tim. 1:12

My women's discipleship group is studying 2 Timothy and this quote from Calvin about Satan's methods really hit me. It's a daily battle to guard our eyes and minds from being distracted, but we can take heart that our God is strong enough to keep our focus on Him. He IS able to guard our salvation no matter how far our eyes stray, He is greater than all. Amen!

John 10:29 "My Father, who has given them [you, Christian] to me, is greater than all,"

-Christy

I praise you Jesus for giving life to Paul and Derek.

2011-08-17T19:48:00.000-07:00

Pastor Adam of DCC, Giulian & Pastor Bruce

Our church body had the joy of witnessing our first baptisms last Thursday night at the beach! The last summer BBQ culminated with the baptism of six friends in the frigid Puget Sound. It was a special joy for Giulian and I as Pastor Bruce Wesley, his wife Susan, and their daughter Sarah Beth from our sending church Clear Creek Community were able to share the evening with us. What an encouraging evening, it has energized me for days to think about what Jesus is doing!

A very dear friend of ours that we're in community with shared his testimony of conversion five months ago and was baptized, evidencing Jesus' miraculous grace. The next day as I reflected on Derek's story and baptism, I couldn't get the story of the apostle Paul's last days of freedom out of my head.

Two stops on the way to Paul's arrest in Jerusalem stand out in Acts 20 and 21. After speaking with the elders of his beloved Ephesus church plant, Luke accounts that Paul "knelt down and prayed with them all. And there was much weeping on the part of all; they embraced Paul and kissed him, being sorrowful most of all because of the word he had spoken, that they would not see his face again." His next stop in Tyre drew a crowd of faithful disciples, "they all, with wives and children, accompanied us [Paul and Luke] until we were outside the city. And kneeling down on the beach, we prayed and said farewell to one another."

The beach on Thursday reminded me of a pebble-filled beach in the Mediterranean with sail boats painting the horizon, I don't know why, I've never even been there. But I could just envision the sorrow Paul's dear friends experienced as he told them they would never see him again. Years later Paul was martyred in Rome after "proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance." (Acts 28:31)

Men like the Apostle Paul died so that men like Derek could hear and believe the gospel, and for that I am grateful. But Jesus is greater still in that without His death, neither Paul nor Derek could truly live. I praise you Jesus for giving life to Paul and Derek.

-Christy

See my photos from the evening here.

See more photos taken by Leah on our church's blog here.

2011-08-10T13:08:00.000-07:00

I've been off the blog for a bit because my friends Sarah and Heather were in town for five days and just left Monday, what a blast! Heather was my college roommate and maid of honor and is now 6 1/2 months pregnant with her first baby so it was SUCH a blessing to see her! Even though she's slowed up with the bun in the oven, her blog is an awesome resource for all things gospel and kids. Sarah herself is a gifted writer who just wrapped up a year of teaching English in South Korea and now keeps a blog regarding all things gospel and life. We squeezed in lots of fun activities wrapped up by a fun day at Pike Place Market sampling lots of tasty treats. Praise God!

-Christy

God Takes Care of the Birds

2011-07-31T07:46:00.000-07:00

That's what Giulian sleepily said to me the other night whenever I began recounting my worries to him, and it reminded of how God has provided for us tremendously this past month. I stopped worrying and believed the gospel in that moment.

Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? -Matthew 6:26

Yesterday Giulian began a new full-time job as a construction delivery driver!

We are so thankful that God saw fit to give him this job and at the exact right time. It was a quick interview process and we're super excited for the potential that Giulian has with this company, which was voted one of Seattle's best companies of 2006. Even though we have been waiting since November for Giulian to find a full-time gig, God evidently provided for us these past nine months and knew exactly when we would need it. I recently found out that the family I nanny for is moving so I would be out of the job! We had decided to buy a car from my parents with the money from our previous car sales so we would be using a big chunk of savings! We are more valuable than the birds and God faithfully cares for us.

We found out that Giulian got the job right before we left for Las Vegas to meet my parents who graciously drove there with the car we bought, what a sweet relief. Then we had the opportunity to take four days to drive it back making stops in Zion National Park Utah, Bear Lake Idaho, and Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks in Wyoming and Montana! Wow!!! It was actually more like a teaser because we didn't get to spend nearly enough time there. Man it was so beautiful and we just felt incredibly blessed by this trip. We laughed a TON and took our time not to rush the trip but enjoy it, and God certainly used it to grow our love for each other. What a perfect break before this new season in our life begins. Thank you Jesus.

-Christy

UPDATE: Shortly after returning from our trip God gave me a job working for our church, Downtown Cornerstone, in an administrative role! Amen!

Here are some pics from the trip:

With my mom & dad at the Hoover Dam

At Zion Nat'l Park with the exciting trail we hiked- Angels Landing

The Grand Tetons in Wyoming

Grand Prismatic Spring at Yellowstone Nat'l Park

Almost home! Beautiful sunset on the Columbia River

2011-07-29T10:09:00.000-07:00

"I have destroyed myself... If ever I am saved it will be by goodness undeserved and astonishing."
-Valley of Vision, pg. 72
Photo taken somewhere west of the Columbia River Vantage Bridge, WA.

Introducing S.O. the kid!

2011-07-25T08:27:00.000-07:00

We're excited about this new young artist with our favorite label Lamp Mode Recordings! Currently you can download 25 tracks from S.O. for free, such a blessing!

Go get So it Begins his most recent album released with Lamp Mode which we've had on repeat all weekend long, so good! And his previous self-released 5 Solas Mixtape which we're eager to listen to more. Welcome S.O.!

This is God's Beauty, Not Nature's.

2011-07-21T23:40:00.000-07:00

"There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry: 'Mine!'" -Kuyper

Zion National Park, captured by Christy

"Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name." -Psalm 29:2a

Walk Worthy

2011-07-09T16:29:00.000-07:00

The DCC women's group I gather with on Wednesday mornings studies the Bible by reading through the same book of the Bible numerous times during the week to saturate ourselves in the Word, then gathering to discuss how the Word is impacting our lives. We started in Matthew and are now in 1 Thessalonians, usually spending 2-3 weeks on the same book. Reading in this way (combined with our pastor doing a series on Ephesians) has made me notice so many patterns, specifically in Paul's letters, that I had never noticed before.

Primarily I was hit by Paul's constant refrain throughout almost all of his letters exhorting the believers to whom he's writing to walk worthy of the calling to which God has called them.

Ephesians 4:1 "...walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called..."
Philippians 1:27a "Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ..."
Colossians 1:10a "...walk in a manner worthy of the Lord..."
1 Thessalonians 2:12 "...walk in a manner worthy of God..."

Christendom has always struggled with the issue of legalism - working to earn our salvation, or justifying ourselves before God - so often Christians choose to stay away from working at all. But thankfully Paul doesn't shy away from showing the importance of working hard for the call because we have been justified. The difference is between justification and sanctification. Justification is an act that is already finished by God and God alone through Christ's death on the cross. Sanctification is what we as justified believers are now doing in partnership with the Holy Spirit to become more conformed to the image of Christ. This is why the Scripture puts a lot of weight on the fruit of the believer; it's important!

Philippians 2:12-13 says it plainly, "...work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure." Are you actively working out? Are you deciding daily to walk worthy of the call? Praise Jesus for justifying us first so that we can now work out our salvation in joy.

-Christy

How shall we thank him?

2011-07-01T09:35:00.000-07:00

We little know what we owe to our Saviour's prayers. When we reach the hilltops of heaven, and look back upon all the way whereby the Lord our God hath led us, how we shall praise him who, before the eternal throne, undid the mischief which Satan was doing upon earth. How shall we thank him because he never held his peace, but day and night pointed to the wounds upon his hands, and carried our names upon his breastplate!

-Charles Spurgeon

He was between me and the edge all the time.

2011-06-27T14:05:00.000-07:00

Giulian and I begun awhile ago reading through The Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis for the very first time. We're about half way through and one section from the installment The Horse and His Boy has run through my mind continuously since then. Do you have those thoughts? Certain ones over the course of your life that replay in your mind over and over throughout your years. I was just chatting with my neighbor about a crazy event in her life that displayed God's sovereignty, and I was reminded again of the following scene.

The main character Shasta, finds himself separated from the rest of the pack who's riding on horseback to alert Narnia of an imminent attack. He knows where to go but can't find his way because of the deep fog that's set in. Then it happens. For the very first time he is encountered by the mysterious lion Aslan who then proceeds to tell him the purpose of Shasta's life journey. His nervousness ceased and a "new and different sort of trembling came over him. Yet he felt glad too." After a long while of walking and talking, the scene closes:

Instantly, the pale brightness of the mist and the fiery brightness of the Lion rolled themselves together into a swirling glory and gathered themselves up and disappeared. He was alone with the horse on a grassy hillside under a blue sky.

In the next chapter we follow Shasta as he and the army are crossing back over the mountain and we see a dramatic shift in Shasta's normally nervous, self-centered attitude:

The hillside path which they were following became narrower all the time and the drop on their right hand became steeper. At last they were going in single file along the edge of a precipice and Shasta shuddered to think that he had done the same last night without knowing it. "But of course," he thought, "I was quite safe. That is why the Lion kept on my left. He was between me and the edge all the time."

"He was between me and the edge all the time." This is our life my friends. We think we've got it all together, but we don't. We are one step away from peril without the kind, keeping mercy of the sovereign God of the Universe. And for that, I am SO thankful.

-Christy

Child Evangelism in Italy

2011-06-23T12:17:00.000-07:00

We want to highlight for you what our friends are doing to reach out to the kids in their neighborhood in Umbertide, Perugia, Italy. They are German church planting missionaries to Italy and their dedication to and zeal for working for the Lord is a constant encouragement to us. Click here to see what they did last week at their neighborhood park.

Photo courtesy of their blog ItaliaNews

Engaging Children During Sunday Gathering

2011-06-20T21:23:00.000-07:00

We are currently thinking through how to equip parents of kids six and older to teach and disciple their children through the Sunday morning service. Cornerstone Kids is only offered for kids ages six months to six years old because we believe that parents are the primary disciple-makers of their children (Deut. 6:5-9). Kids can learn a mighty lesson by worshiping together with their parents in the service, but we also understand that it can be difficult. For this reason CK wants to partner with parents to create tools for active listening as well as pre- and post-service conversation. Please click below to see how one DCC couple (who are also CK teachers) are currently interacting with their six year-old daughter during Sunday gathering.

-Christy

The girl marks off a box each time she catches the particular word in the sermon. Her parents then have the opportunity to explain to her in age-appropriate words what these theological terms mean.

We're currently working through Ephesians so she uses this color page as a visual. This is a perfect way for her to keep her little hands busy while listening quietly.

She uses a map to learn about the historical location of Ephesus and Paul's journey. This connects what she's learning in school about geography to the historical book of the Bible.

She's given blank paper to draw any word pictures that come to mind. This one is of a man crying because he has sin inside of him, but the sin man is all red because Jesus' blood covers over it. Any drawings are perfect spring boards for conversation in the car or at lunch after Sunday gathering, then her younger siblings are included in the learning experience as well.

Worldview

2011-06-16T13:02:00.000-07:00

Worldview: Your interpretation of reality.

Is Christianity just a set of spiritual truths that has nothing to do with our lives, or could it be something so interwoven into the world that it is the proper lens by which to interpret reality as we know it?

Francis Schaeffer comments:

Christianity is not just a series of truths but Truth -- Truth about all of reality. And the holding to that Truth intellectually -- and then in some poor way living upon that Truth, the Truth of what is -- brings forth not only certain personal results, but also governmental and legal results.

-G

Steve's Story

2011-06-13T00:02:00.000-07:00

We met this guy on the bus the first week we were in Seattle. He had a huge lump of potter's clay in his arms because he was going down to the Mission for pottery class. Now he's our neighbor.
-----

Steve's Story from Seattle's Union Gospel Mission on Vimeo.

Christians: Desire Jesus or Desire Morality?

2011-06-05T14:05:00.000-07:00

William Wilberforce opens his book A Practical View of Christianity by describing the weak "Christian" culture that he witnessed in the 1700's:

If we listen to their [nominal Christian] conversation, virtue is praised, and vice is censured; piety is perhaps applauded, and profaneness condemned. So far all is well. But let any one, who would not be deceived, by these “barren generalities” examine a little more closely, and he will find, that not to Christianity in particular, but at best to Religion in general, perhaps to mere Morality, their homage is intended to be paid. With [True] Christianity, as distinct from these, they are little acquainted; their views of it have been so cursory and superficial, that far from discerning its characteristic essence, they have little more than perceived those exterior circumstances which distinguish it from other forms of Religion.

They desired morality as the end goal of their religious search. Contrast that with the view of true Christian desire from Philippians 3:7-10:

But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Which do you desire, to know Jesus or morality?

-G

Help Rebuild Joplin

2011-05-31T14:23:00.000-07:00

Many of you know about the devastation that occurred in Missouri recently after a tornado wiped out 1/3 of the houses there. If you want to help but you're not sure how, here's a really cool opportunity. Page CXVI is offering all three of their Hymn albums for download for a donation of your choice to the Mystery Church Relief Fund. You can find all the info on their blog here. We recently saw them at a house show and are so gracious for the quality hymns they are producing. Thank you Page CXVI for stepping up to help!

How Hip-Hop Has Served our Home Well

2011-05-27T14:07:00.000-07:00

If you have hung out with us for any amount of time, you probably know well our love for good gospel music. Some seem to think it's funny, some brush it off, some people embrace it. Today I'm going to ask you all to give it a try because it's just so good! Here are three reasons why we are fans of Lamp Mode Recordings and Reach Records.

1. So much truth in so little time.

In Shai Linne's song, In Adam All Die, I have a trustworthy, biblical five minute truth bomb on what the Bible says about man apart from Christ.
In Lecrae's, The Bride, I have a biblical four minute summary on what the Bible says about the Church.
In Trip Lee's, Invasion, we get a summary of the biblical storyline of creation, fall, restoration and consumation in just five minutes!

Ever wonder what the gospel is? Hear Hazakim's summary-

2. Easy to remember biblical truth.

Do you still remember any songs from Elementary school? I do!
Shai Linne put together a great song about the atonement in Q and A form - like a catechism! Listen here-

3. Beautiful gospel expression.

There is something about words, rhyming, hip-hop beats, and the gospel that blend together so well. Here is a clip of a Shai Linne accapella. Tell me thats not great art!

Now go out and get some gospel through Hip-Hop!

-G

Guests & Weddings

2011-05-19T13:13:00.000-07:00

Where have we been?

First, Giulian's mom Mauvianne came to visit for a long weekend, our very first out-of-town guest! It was very encouraging to have her here for DCC's Launch Sunday on April 3rd. Giulian and I were both in Cornerstone Kids, but Mauvianne left the gathering feeling excited for what God is doing in Seattle!

Then, a good friend of ours from college, David, came to town and we had a blast! He was here at the right time because he was able to gather with our church on Good Friday and enjoy Easter dinner together with some of our DCC family! What an encouragement to have him here.

Shortly thereafter we were able to celebrate the very first wedding in our church body! Pierce and Bonnie are dear friends that serve as teachers in Cornerstone Kids, and it was such a joy to share in this special occasion! They had it at a beautiful venue on Whidbey Island north of Seattle which was super cool. Yippee Pierce and Bonnie!

Lastly, we just returned from the CA Bay Area where we celebrated yet another marriage! Giulian had the honor of being in one of his best childhood buddy's wedding as a groomsman. It was an awesome pleasure to celebrate (and we DO mean celebrate!!) the union of Stuart and Madison! God gave us awesome conversation and laughter with many friends during this trip. We're still recovering from our dance high!

NOW, crazy enough, my parents are in town visiting from Texas! May is running by like a whirlwind, but we do hope to send out a newsletter soon. If you aren't on our quarterly newsletter list, then please let us know. It's so encouraging to look back over the past couple of months and all the stories God is weaving together.

-Christy

How God Works Through Prayer

2011-05-05T16:06:00.000-07:00

A man once wrote of his early days in knowing Jesus,

Not many months after my conversion, having a leisure afternoon, I retired to my own chamber to spend it largely in communion with God (prayer). Well do I remember that occasion. How in the gladness of my heart I poured out my soul before God; and again and again confessing my grateful love to Him who had done everything for me--who had saved me when I had given up all hope and even desire for salvation--I besought Him to give me some work to do for Him, as an outlet for love and gratitude; some self-denying service, no matter what it might be, however trying or however trivial; something with which He would be pleased, and that I might do for Him who had done so much for me. Well do I remember, as in unreserved consecration I put myself, my life, my friends, my all, upon the altar, the deep solemnity that came over my soul with the assurance that my offering was accepted. The presence of God became unutterably real and blessed; and though but a child under sixteen, I remember stretching myself on the ground, and lying there silent before Him with unspeakable awe and unspeakable joy.

This man was James Hudson Taylor (1835-1905), who throughout his life continued in this prayer and was part of a movement of over 800 missionaries that joined him in a successful journey to bring Christ to the unreached provinces of China.

-G

One Year Ago Last Week

2011-04-27T13:30:00.000-07:00

About a year ago, Christy and I had an opportunity to visit a unique community in Rio De Janeiro to drop off some donations from an outside local church (there was no local church in this community). A neighborhood deep in struggle with violent drug wars, it was not a safe place to be, not necessarily because of the drug lords themselves but because the police could raid the neighborhood at any second with ensuing cross fire. It awakened us to a deep reality of sin, death, evil and suffering as we walked the streets that looked like a bomb had gone off only days before. We were able to take a tour that you can see below:

Here was my description of the neighborhood in my journal:

It has sewage running through most walkways, trash in lots of areas up to seven feet high, with kids playing soccer right next to it. He shows us a family shack house and they proceed to lift up their flooring to show us the open sewage stream underneath. A lady with a mental handicap lives there. Antonio translates her for me as the mother states that she is only living to help her disabled daughter. They show us a place by the river where seven people were shot and lots of dead people are, as well as where a twelve year old was shot in the head by police.

Jesus promises us He is going to end all of this evil (Revelation 21). He has already started this restoration as his kingdom comes to earth as he works in transforming our hearts (Mark 3:2)- which are more wicked than this (Matthew 15:19). Let's continue to pray for the people of Brazil.

-G

Easter Accomplished

2011-04-24T22:30:00.000-07:00

Jesus died with our sins.
Jesus rose without them.
Jesus is alive.

This is what we learned today in Cornerstone Kids. We worshiped our strong God together and praised Him with a loud voice for making Jesus alive again! It was an awesome time of celebration. We pray you enjoyed the same.

Galatians 2:21

2011-04-23T07:17:00.000-07:00

If righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.

I NEED A SAVIOR

2011-04-22T19:00:00.000-07:00

Why is the Cross important? I can't atone for my sin.

<p>&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://lampmode.bandcamp.com/track/cj-mahaney-interlude"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;CJ Mahaney Interlude by Lamp Mode Recordings&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;</p>

Oh What Wondrous Love is This

2011-04-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

I am seriously excited to worship our crucified Savior with my church fam this evening. It will be a somber evening, I know, but I can't help but anticipate the joy that follows three days later. Oh, what wondrous love is this.

Intellectual Honesty

2011-04-13T14:26:00.000-07:00

Our pastor recently finished a series of sermons on four common questions Seattleites have about Christianity. Topics such as hell, judgment, evil, and the Bible were covered thoroughly. If you are interested in hearing a reasoned response to those topics, click here.

One idea that stuck out to me was that of "intellectual honesty". To be intellectually honest, we must assess our own beliefs and be able to answer questions for and against our worldview. If we refuse to answer questions against our worldview, we are stubborn, and if we can't give support for our worldview, we are ignorant.

What I often see in my interactions is that people have not been intellectually honest (purposefully or not) with understanding the claims of Jesus and thus have a distorted view of Christianity. Could it be that the majority of people who are not Christians have a false belief of true Christianity? Consider what Michael Horton says in his book, The Gospel Commission,

Most of those who have turned to eclectic spiritualities, agnosticism, or atheism today are not reacting against a clearly understood Christian creed... today we are more likely to encounter people (at least those of post-baby boom generations) who only know "Christianity" from TV preachers and political debates.

Lets correct this "mistaken creed" with a clear, intellectually honest, pure, Biblical teaching of the gospel in one hand and on the other hand intellectual honesty from those who have been misinformed.

Here is a question to test our intellectual honesty: "Do you understand why Jesus is good news?"

I have been praying that God would work intellectual honesty into this city so that they would hear and respond to the Biblical gospel. We have seen it and know it is possible, so let's pray for more fruit!

-G

Drink from Jesus

2011-04-06T21:11:00.000-07:00

This has been a really busy season! We arrived here five months ago on November 9th and hit the ground running. Not long after in January we assumed responsibility for our church's Kids Ministry and began working toward the official launch of our church. God was super gracious to us in that process and Launch finally took place last Sunday the 3rd! In general it was an emotional day as we reflected over all that the Lord has done to bring us to this place.

Our next step, Lord willing, is to launch two new communities (small group/Bible studies) at the end of the month in the Pioneer Square district of downtown as well as a neighborhood right outside of downtown called West Seattle. At this point our communities have been forming around geographical locations so we'll be working to build up the Pioneer Square community. God has given us many new friendships in this neighborhood so we're expectant for the potential gospel reach this community will have. God be praised!

"Belief is not merely an agreement with facts in the head; it is also an appetite for God in the heart, which fastens on Jesus for satisfaction... Eternal life is not given to people who merely think that Jesus is the Son of God. It is given to people who drink from Jesus as the Son of God." -John Piper, Future Grace

One important lesson God has continued to teach us during this time is how utterly important it is to drink from Jesus (John 4:14). He is completely steady and true even when everything is vacillating around us. There have been times when we've wanted to throw our hands in the air and give up, but those were simply a challenge to trust in God's sovereign, good plan for us and this church. He is an eternal source of living water that will never dry up and will always satisfy; come to the well and drink from Jesus.

Take a walk with me...

2011-04-01T06:07:00.000-07:00

This is where we live. We walk here, eat here, meet here, and LOVE it here - Pioneer Square. Throughout the week as I'm walking home I see neighbors and friends walk by that I greet with a smile. This district is condensed so it's easy to bump into the same folks during the week. I love that. God gave our church a gathering space here at Court in the Square, a beautiful venue next to an iconic coffee shop. This Sunday, April 3rd, is our official launch celebration! Please pray with us for this neighborhood - that our church would take root here and through it God would bring salvation to our neighbors and friends.

-Christy

*Note: Some shots are from Pike Place Market, not Pioneer Square - love it there too!

Photo Thought

2011-03-29T14:25:00.000-07:00

One day as I was walking by the UGM's Men's Shelter, this stark contrast struck me -

Men without a home passing by a parked sports car.

It reminded me that as Christians we are to seek to reconcile this difference as it says in 2 Corinthians 8:14, "Your abundance at the present time should supply their need."

One Year of Journaling

2011-03-25T20:09:00.000-07:00

This morning as I was cracking my journal open in order to jot down what God was speaking to me through His Word, I remembered this blog post from our Pastor marking the end of his first church planting journal. This prompted me to flip to the front of mine and wouldn't you know I've been writing in this journal now for a year, since March 24th, our second day in Brazil.

The first Scripture jotted down was Exodus 25:8 when the Lord says, "...make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst."
The Scripture written on the same date a year later was John 17:17-18, "Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world."

Praise God that He sent Christ into the world to pay our penalty so that we may dwell in His midst without burning up in light of His glory.

To my birthday boy...

2011-03-20T18:26:00.000-07:00

"Come. Repentance is a good place to be."

2011-03-15T19:03:00.000-07:00

John Piper wrote these words in 2005 regarding the boxing day tsunami, but I think they are helpful for us today as we are overloaded with news of the ongoing crisis in Japan. Let's not despair as though our God is not in total and complete control with a purpose in mind for this earthly tragedy. Let's pray to Him for His sovereign hand of provision to be displayed and for many to repent and place their faith in His eternal salvation.

Jesus said that the minutest event in nature is under the control of God. “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father” (Matthew 10:29). He said this to give hope to those who would be killed for his name. He himself stood on the sea and stopped the waves with a single word (Mark 4:39). Even if Nature or Satan unleashed the deadly tidal wave, one word from Jesus would have stopped it. He did not speak it. This means there is design in this suffering. And all his designs are wise and just and good. One of his designs is my repentance. Therefore I will not put God on trial. I am on trial. Only because of Christ will the waves that one day carry me away bring me safely to his side. Come. Repentance is a good place to be.

-Christy

Interview with a Missionary

2011-03-13T08:37:00.000-07:00

All scriptural references are from Philippians.

Where are you currently living?

In prison. 1:13

Who has come alongside and supported you through this time?

The church. 1:3-5

What kind of preaching do you rejoice in?

The preaching of Christ. 1:18

Do you know why you are still alive?

For the progress and joy of the church. 1:25

What's your life posture?

Humility like Christ. 2:5-7

Why's that your posture?

Because Christ humbled himself for us. 2:5-11

Are you willing to serve and sacrifice?

I am willing to be poured out. 2:17

Are you a righteous man?

No, but Christ has given me his righteousness. 3:9

What's your goal in all this?

To gain Christ. 3:8

Are you sure you can handle anything that may come your way?

Only in his strength. 4:13

Any closing statements?

To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. 4:20

Quick Trip to Texas

2011-03-10T15:46:00.000-08:00

Sorry we've been away from the blog for so long. We took a quick trip to visit family and friends in suburban League City last week and boy were we busy! In fact, we tried to squeeze in so much that we both ended up sick. But we're on the recovery road now and are super thankful for this opportunity to stay connected to our family and our friends at Clear Creek Community Church. We were very encouraged by the vision presented by Pastor Bruce at the Wednesday night gathering and are expectant for what the Lord is doing in the Houston Bay Area. Last Sunday, the day after we returned, we hosted our first ever Cornerstone Kids training dinner. Twelve folks from our church came together to hear the vision of Cornerstone Kids, and God blessed us with a lot of fruitful discussion about what it means to be a God-focused, gospel-centered children's ministry. We're praising Him for providing more workers for CK so now we're just praying for a few more!

God has provided so much for this little church to plant, and we're praying He plants it deep. Recently Pastor Adam spoke on being deeply and vitally connected to the Vine, Christ, and it was a good reminder for us as we continue to work toward building a healthy kids ministry. It's not about us, it's not about the kids, it's about the Vine.

How do you respond when your 12-year-old dies?

2011-03-01T12:37:00.000-08:00

Just read this article and I thought it would be worthy to share. It was written by a couple who lost their 12-year-old son Trent last Friday in a skiing accident. I praise God for his parents for diligently evangelizing and discipling him those ten years before he repented of his sin and asked for the salvation only Christ gives. This is why we, as the church family, come around parents to help disciple their kids. We cherish those sixty some-odd minutes we have each Sunday morning to teach, show and model who God is and what He has done for us through the person and work of Christ. And we pray hard. We pray that each child at a very young age will recognize that they are the worst of sinners in desperate need of a Savior because "we are not guaranteed any number of years in this world," as Trent's parents truthfully declared in the article.

How Do You Respond When Your 12-Year-Old Dies?

What we have asked nearly every person we have seen since Friday is “What if it had been you? Where would you be right now?” We diligently raised Trent up to know his sinful state and taught him what the Word of God says because we know the implications of denying Christ now, and God was gracious to answer our prayers and to save Him. Scripture says that the gospel will go forth with much sorrow and heartache. Please let Trent’s short life be a wake-up call to you. We are rejoicing in the sorrow because we know where our son is and that we will one day be with him again for eternity because of our own salvation.

Chinese New Year

2011-02-23T15:01:00.000-08:00

Chinese New Year just passed and we enjoyed all the festivities that come along with living near Chinatown. We love living in the International District here in downtown Seattle... because we're just blocks away from all the delicious, cheap food! But we have also really enjoyed learning more about this culture that was sort of a mystery to us. Recently we received a new neighbor who's originally from China and just moved here to take a job from Missouri where he was studying for his PhD for four years. It's been very interesting learning about the contrast of his life growing up in China to our lives here in the U.S. The other day we took him to our favorite bubble tea spot to teach him Settlers of Catan. He learned it in like five seconds and loved it! So needless to say, we're very pleased. :) Check out our videos below to learn more!

-Christy

This is the typical dragon/lion dancing you may have seen before. Haven't figured out whether it's a lion, a dragon, or both. That's lettuce they're spitting out.

Now this was something brand new for us. Many of the restaurants had $2 food specials so we tried out a Hong Kong style Egg Puff Waffle and it did not disappoint!

Most talented street performer

2011-02-17T11:53:00.000-08:00

I have no doubt in my mind that Seattle boasts some of the world's most talented street performers (quite literally, as there are performers from around the world), and this guy is definitely among the top. He can be found in the midst of a large crowd at Pike Place Market.

Urban Kids Ministry Space

2011-02-10T22:48:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned before, our church is currently gathering in an underground former antique mall. The kids ministry space was less than adequate whenever we first saw it. However, by the grace of God it has now become a joyful, colorful place where kids come to worship God and learn His truth. See pictures below.

BEFORE

AFTER

GCA Conference Recap

2011-02-05T20:45:00.000-08:00

As you saw here, I recently had the opportunity to go to the Global Church Advancement Conference in Orlando, Florida. We spent four days there learning from the GCA crowd. I went through the track that they call "Foundations" to learn about the basics and beginning steps to church planting. Topics such as vision, prayer, launching, models and contextualization were all taught and worked through with the planters. I was encouraged by the other planters that were there and hearing their passion for their gospel work.

If I were to summarize the theme of the conference it would be the following: That God would be Glorified by his kingdom coming through the church with the gospel. That was the vision and desire of almost every speaker and every workbook. I enjoyed hearing from seasoned practitioners as well as pastors who are 15 plus years into planting who love Jesus and seek the joy of their people. I would highly recommend this conference to anyone seeking to start a church or within the first few years of planting. It had heaps of practical advice and biblical principles to be applied directly to gospel work - in your heart and the hearts of others.

After getting hit with a ton of information at the conference every day, I really enjoyed my time with the guys from our church that went. We had lots of laughs,encouragement and discussions on applying many of the things we were learning to our context.

A special thanks Jimmy for hosting us!

-G

Here are some random snapshots from the trip:

Brad and David on the way home!

Downtown Disney (Stuart will like this one)

A room made especially for David!

Church Gathering in an old Antique Mall

2011-01-26T06:16:00.000-08:00

We meet in the Antique Mall with the red signs at right.
Photo courtesy of artfultouch.info

We have been quite busy lately with the church. Two Sundays ago, the 16th, we began weekly gatherings so things have definitely picked up the pace. On top of that, we found out the week before that we would no longer be able to meet in the space that we had planned to be in till April. So by an act of God's faithfulness, we landed in a historic underground space that Giulian said looked like a giant bathroom. Thankfully we have many talented artists who were able to turn the "giant bathroom" into a fantastic worship space. However, I must confess that I was horrified by the potential kids ministry room. It honestly looked like a dungeon and the running joke is that we could quite effectively teach on the apostle Paul's imprisonment for Christ. But after some carpet was laid and curtains, tissue paper flowers, and colorful decorations were hung it was transformed in to a joyful room to worship Jesus! And that is exactly what we have done. We received numerous positive marks from adults who could hear our kids group singing last Sunday, so I suppose for now we can't challenge the kids to sing as loud as they can anymore. :-D

We are praising God that in our few short weeks at this building the kids ministry has just about outgrown its space! So we ask that you pray with us about moving in to a larger room in the building in the coming weeks. It's quite a task to prepare a historic building for kids because there are many boundaries in the architecture, noise control, and building material that we must address. But we trust that the Lord is in control and pray that He is writing His truths on the hearts of all the little people that walk through our door.

-Christy

Giulian in Florida for a Conference

2011-01-24T18:25:00.000-08:00

They're making sure Giulian's eating his veggies at the airport.
He's gonna hate that I posted this picture but it's too cute!

Giulian and three other guys from DCC, Pastor Adam, David, and Brad, are currently on their way to Orlando, FL to participate in a Global Church Advancement Church Planting Conference. It is a four-day conference where they'll be receiving coaching on how to "start, grow and multiply healthy, gospel-centered churches that result in the spiritual, social and cultural transformation of entire cities and regions." (GCA website) The guys are really excited for this opportunity to bond and to gain a fresh vision for what God wants to do through our church body in its formation years. Fortunately, we made many wonderful friends from Orlando while they came to do short-term mission trips in Brazil, so the guys are being hosted and lent a car by our kind brothers and sisters in Christ there. Praise God and thank you guys for your generosity!

Please pray for their safety and for the Spirit to really move in their hearts giving them a renewed purpose and fresh vision for Downtown Cornerstone in Seattle. Thank you!

-Christy

Opportunity to help the church in Poland

2011-01-21T20:18:00.002-08:00

White means there are NO churches there.

A very dear friend of mine that I met while doing missions in L'viv, Ukraine with CCCC recently moved to a town in Poland called Rabka to be a vocational missionary. One of the means of evangelism they are trying to employ is teaching English. You can help the citizens of this town learn English and Lord willing, know Jesus, by sending my friend Sasko any textbooks and reading materials that you can scrounge up! Poland is one of the European countries that truly needs workers to preach the Good News of life in Christ. As you can see in the map at left, very few counties even have an evangelical church!!

Below is more information from Sasko (check out his blog here). He is super thankful for any support you can give them. If you are able, please send the books to the address below. Books for all ages are welcome.

Book for Rabka!

Our church in Rabka, Poland is very close to opening the Language Center here. We will call it “English Point”. It is going to be the 5th language school in town which means we have to prepare well. At this point only the pastor and I will teach. Hopefully in the fall another couple will join us.

One of the ideas that I had was to put together a small library at our Language Center. Our students would have access to it. And it will also help me and the pastor to prepare the lessons.

I am inviting people from English speaking countries to donate used books in English to our Language Center in Rabka. We will accept any book. But especially we are looking for textbooks and reading materials. You can send one or more books as a regular international parcel.

The books can be sent by normal mail (which is the cheapest way) to my address:

Aleksander Sashko Nezamutdinov

ul. Słoneczna 26-5; Rabka-Zdrój 34-700 POLAND

nezamutdinov@yahoo.pl

PLEASE FORWARD THIS CARD

TO OTHER PEOPLE WHO CAN HELP US!

BLESSINGS!

HAPPY 1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY BLOG!!!

2011-01-13T22:00:00.002-08:00

Today marks one year of blogging for the Giusti family, and boy has it been a ride. In short, God has provided over and over and over again throughout this year and we are SO glad that you were able to share in this journey with us. From Texas to Brazil to Texas again then to Seattle where we reside now, God has been faithful. Over 1,700 visitors from 45 countries viewed our blog in 16 different languages with a combined total of 4,930 visits!! We are humbled that God would use us sinners redeemed only by His grace to play a part in His global story of redemption, and we ask that you continue in this journey with us in the coming year. God is doing a mighty work in Seattle, just as He did and is doing in Brazil, and we would love for you to "sit with us" as well tell you all the things that we witness.

The whole idea behind this blog, if you remember from the beginning, was so that "we can "sit together" and share stories of God's relentless love in our lives." And throughout the past year we have shared countless stories about God's Great Story. Below were some of the favorites.

Most popular blog posts-

1) 1st Day Boot Camp Pics "It was an awesome, very exciting day here at the 1st ever Acts 29 Brasil Boot Camp! It's obvious that God is at work and is bringing unity to the often fragmented Church in Brazil. Men from all over the country came out, seemed like every seat was full."

2) Church Without Walls "I know it's popular to say that yours is a "Church without walls", but when this is literal instead of figurative, it's not so popular. Our church in Sitio did not have all of its walls, so this past Saturday we put some elbow grease into it and started to make things happen... This bullet hole tells the history of this building- execution center turned church."

3) Natural Disaster & Gospel Ministry "We have seen a lot the past couple of days as record rainfall has destroyed many slum communities with flooding and landslides... Our emotions have been stirred as we have surveyed the aftermath of the already poverty stricken communities of Rio das Pedras and Sitio in City of God slum. People are in desperate need... It would be impossible for them to carry such a load without the grace of God, and He has called the church into action in order to address the burdens of the downtrodden. (Acts 20:35; Galatians 6:2)"

One of the favorite videos-
Brazil's first goal in the World Cup game against N. Korea.

Some favorite photos-

What were some of your favorites?

2011-01-10T14:03:00.000-08:00

John Piper: Striving for the Faith of the Gospel
September 27, 1987

Have you ever wondered what tales will be told in the age to come?...We will tell tales of the grace of God in the history of redemption. We will tell stories about God's power and mercy in the lives of his people—especially the people who dreamed and planned and labored and struggled and fought and suffered for the advancement of the gospel. We will talk with sweet tears in our eyes (I think it's only the painful tears that the Lord will wipe away) about the times when we were fearful and gave no witness to Christ, the times when we planned our dream vacations thoroughly but dreamed no dreams about attempting anything great or small for the gospel. And they will be sweet tears because we will remember how the patience of God did not forsake us in those days the way it could have at any moment, but instead little by little, now and then, more and more his patience made us love Jesus Christ so much that we began to strive for the faith of the gospel.

What we will be speaking about in eternity is of chief importance in our lives today. The most minuscule working of God on earth will be amplified in Heaven. Let us pray that God will change our hearts to understand the true depths of His grace in our lives now so that we can begin "to strive for the faith of the gospel" today.

-G

Jumping for joy!!

2011-01-07T23:24:00.000-08:00

This was a time lapse shot.

Giulian and I got the hugest laugh out of taking these pictures during our 2nd anniversary vacation in Victoria, Canada. We were down by the harbor across from the legislature building, which was lit up beautifully! The weekend was so beautiful and we're so thankful to the Lord that He gave us good conversation and great laughs!!

Hooray for two years of marriage!

Flying manikin alert!!

We're thinking about joining the circus.

Our 2nd Anniversary

2010-12-31T21:55:00.000-08:00

We're excited to get away this weekend to reflect on the past two years God has woven our stories together. He is good.

Christmas Photos

2010-12-29T12:44:00.002-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas here with our DCC family. It was a fun-packed couple of days, and we're very thankful for how welcomed and connected we feel already. This team really is like a family. Below are some shots from a snowflake-making party we had at our apartment on Christmas night, so now you can see a little bit of our spot and our great Christmas tree!

PRAYER
The end of Christmas also marks the end of Giulian's seasonal job at Macy's. We are so thankful for the way God provided that job only nine days after we moved here- what a miracle. It has helped us not drain our savings while we look for more permanent positions, and Giulian has connected with a ton of co-workers which has been awesome! So many new contacts. Will you please pray with us that Giulian will find an enjoyable job with a good schedule and enough income to provide for us to start a family soon? He's applied to a bunch of places around the city, so we're hopeful that the new year will bring some follow-up calls. I have also applied to some cafes, tutoring companies, and non-profits and have a couple of leads that I'm praying about. We're excited to get away this weekend for our 2nd wedding anniversary (Jan 2nd)! It'll be nice to remind ourselves how God has provided for us over these past couple of years of marriage, and pray for His continual provision for this new year.

Our living room filled with new friends!

Clara's lovely creation.

Paul with his giant star.

Our masterpieces.

Clara & Khalood's showcases.

What a happy tree. I will miss it.

He has DELIVERED us!

2010-12-25T01:00:00.001-08:00

"Our toil is our atonement and our freedom yours to give, so Yahweh break this silence if you can."

After 400 years of silence, our promised Savior has arrived. Let's remember and celebrate!

Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29)

It was a labor of love

2010-12-21T03:00:00.001-08:00

Just wanted to share this unconventional Christmas song with everyone. I love it. The other night at our church gathering Pastor Adam asked us all to share our favorite Christmas song and this one came to my head first. I'm sure you'll pick up how it's kind of a challenge to the conventional "Silent Night" paradigm by showing the profoundly human entry into this world that Jesus went through. I think it hits its mark beautifully. A couple on our church plant team just had their first baby a couple of days ago, which has given me an even fuller picture of this "labor of love". I hope you enjoy it.

Thank you Jesus,
Christy

Cornerstone Kids Planning Meeting

2010-12-17T02:00:00.004-08:00

These were our ideas, what do you think?

We had our first planning meeting for Cornerstone Kids a few days ago with our new brother Alan. Even though he felt like crap, we still had a great time. During January as DCC transitions to weekly gatherings, Giulian and I will transition into leading up Cornerstone Kids. We're really excited about this opportunity to invest in the city and the church that God has sent us to help plant!

Tomorrow, Sunday the 19th, we're having our final Preview Gathering of the year, Lord willing, before we launch into weekly gatherings on January 16th. These are exciting times. Will you pray for us? Pray for God to bring 50-60 people, including many friends and family that our team have long prayed for. Pray most of all that we could make Jesus look as good as He really is, as Pastor Adam likes to say.

That He may be magnified,
Christy

Christmas Card

2010-12-15T00:24:00.003-08:00

Check out our Christmas Card here: http://eepurl.com/bVhmb

Merry Christmas to all! Taste grace.

And just in case you didn't catch on, the quote at the top of the card is from the song in this post.

Seattle Union Gospel Mission

2010-12-09T17:06:00.000-08:00

"The entire city would mourn the loss of the Union Gospel Mission." -Tim Burgess, Seattle City Councilmember

The Seattle Union Gospel Mission's mission statement is, "To serve, rescue, and transform those in greatest need through the grace of Jesus Christ." And that is exactly what they have been doing for the past 78 years. We had the privilege to serve dinner at the Men's Shelter last week and it was my favorite experience thus far. I sat next to a gentleman who had recently graduated from their year long addiction recovery program, New Creations. Immediately after I greeted him, he asked me with a big grin, "So what do you love about the Lord?" As with a slew of others that have been through the program, God's sovereign plan of salvation through grace is tangible in his life.

The Men's Shelter is located in the Pioneer Square district, which I described here. Each night, over 200 otherwise homeless men seek refuge there in the form of dinner, Word, and rest. They also offer a nightly Spanish chapel. I had a great conversation with a resident in which he related that over half of the Hispanic men that attend do not speak English well enough to get by. Praise God for his providence in giving us an apartment a mere four blocks from the Men's Shelter. I'm anxious to begin serving there regularly and investing in this important work.

Currently, the UGM's chapel is the only "church" in the entire Pioneer Square district. Please pray with us that God would change that by giving DCC a meeting space for the new year in Pioneer Square.

Partnering with you,
Christy

Seattle Snow Photos - Pt 1

2010-12-02T11:19:00.000-08:00

Hey! Here are the first batch of shots from the recent snowstorm we had here. I'm so excited for you to be able to see more of where we live! Thankfully the snow ice melted after a few days and we're back to about 40 F. More pics to come!

-Christy

Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with His heel.

2010-11-30T11:43:00.000-08:00

It's official! We're LIVING in downtown Seattle!

2010-11-22T10:57:00.000-08:00

We got the keys to our new pad on Friday, the same night that another couple from DCC, David and Michelle, got their new place in downtown. God is good! Let me rewind a little bit though... Since our arrival Giulian has interviewed for a few jobs around downtown, one of them being a seasonal position at Macy's on Thursday. We found out we got the apartment for sure on Tuesday, and Wednesday we chased a good lead on craigslist that ultimately got us a bed with mattress, a coffee table, and a floor lamp. So the next day while Giulian is interviewing at Macy's, he and the manager automatically hit it off because the manager is also an alumni of Cal State Fullerton!!! Small world (in God's hands)! So this guy offered Giulian a job on the spot!

After we found out the great news, we decided to go up to the food court and celebrate by eating some Mexican food. Recently, I have been praying to the Lord asking Him to give me passion to invest in other areas outside of the Hispanic community. That is where my heart has been in Texas and I just could not see how it would happen here given our location. However, as we were ordering our food we were able to meet Carlos and Rene, a couple of the employees of the restaurant. They told me (in Spanish) that free English classes for them were far and few between and that they'd love to have one there at the mall before work!

Now it's SNOWING and Giulian had to walk to the bus stop amidst the flurry for his first day of work! It seems like each time we move, God likes to give us an extreme weather welcome present. The snow is so beautiful though, I certainly don't mind. So pure white. I'm trying to let it remind me of the Gospel's power to cleanse me of all sin.

"Jesus paid it all, All to Him I owe; Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow."

-Christy

"It's time for us to stand."

2010-11-16T10:01:00.000-08:00

We want to encourage everyone to go to iTunes and purchase for yourself or someone else the following song, "Actions Speak Louder" by Swoope featuring Lecrae, Tedashii, and Jai (with a snippet from a John Piper sermon). Why? First of all, it's a good song that we know you'll enjoy. But more importantly, because all of the proceeds will go toward building another orphanage in Sudan where needy children will be cared for and the gospel will be proclaimed.

"This past September, a group of 13 from all walks of life including: Reach Records, The Village Church, Red Revolution, Collision Records and HIS VOICE GLOBAL, partnered under “The Village” banner to go and minister to those in Southern Sudan. They ministered through teaching, medical service, music and loving children who were victims of the civil war and now live in one of the three orphanages sponsored by HIS VOICE GLOBAL. Moved by the fruit there and continued need, Tedashii, Lecrae, Swoope (Collision Records artist) and Jai teamed up to do a single to raise awareness and funds for a fourth orphanage in Southern Sudan." -lionsandliars.com

"THAT'S LOVE FOLKS! THAT'S MEGA OFF-THE-CHARTS LOVE!"

We Made It!

2010-11-12T19:58:00.001-08:00

We arrived here in Seattle three days ago on Tuesday morning after spending five days in the San Fransisco Bay Area with friends and family. It definitely didn't seem like long enough but we'll be out there again in May for a very dear friend's wedding!!! We were pretty checked out all day Tuesday due to the lack of sleep and travel, but all day Wednesday and yesterday we have been dedicated to apartment hunting in Pioneer Square. We love this area. It is the historical district with many buildings dating back to the early 1900's. It's just a stone's throw from the downtown core and Chinatown/International District, and despite its recent influx of young, hip folk (like ourselves ;-) it still remains a hub for the homeless. We are pumped about the potential that we have to engage this neighborhood and have already begun a friendship with a local park concierge.

Even in this short time, we've been able to look at seven different apartments! So we ask that you'd continue to pray with us because we put in an application for a six month lease at a place in the Pioneer Square area! God totally provided for us because two fantastic units opened up in this building that were difficult to choose between. We totally hit it off with the manager, she was extremely helpful and patient with us in the process. We should know by Monday if everything's good and we can put a deposit on it so we'll be sure to update you here on the blog. Woohoo! Also please be praying because Giulian has two interviews lined up, and we're planning to submit many more applications this coming week. God is so faithful to us even when we are disobedient to Him at times. "Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever." (Psalm 136:1)

Love and gratitude in Christ,
Christy

PS: The banner above on our blog is a broader shot of Pioneer Square.

Charming Pioneer Square

View Larger Map

"Lord, fill us up and send us out"

2010-11-03T22:06:00.001-07:00

We had the grand privilege of being sent out by our church body tonight. Our pastor and very dear friend, Chris Alston, had us share a bit about what we feel God is calling us to before the elders came around us and prayed for us. It was truly a humbling experience as we are sincerely nothing special. We are only doing anything of worth because of what Christ did for us on the cross. His work of paying for our sins gives us the grace and freedom that we have to move across the country and work for His Kingdom. We are merely answering the call to GO. We are so indebted to Clear Creek Community Church for how you have invested in us, prayed for us, supported us financially, and loved us. We will miss you all and will continue to visit regularly in the future. Thank you!!!

If you're seeing this blog for the first time or if you are just not sure what it is that we're planning to do in Seattle, please check out our latest e-newsletter here and check back to the blog as we'll be posting more on that. We're boarding our flight at 9:35 am tomorrow to go visit Giulian's family in the San Fransisco Bay Area, then it's off to Seattle the morning of Tuesday, the 9th!

Soli Deo gloria,
Giulian & Christy

Update on the Move

2010-11-01T16:31:00.001-07:00

Well, we managed to ship our five boxes of books and dvd's in the mail today. Thank you Lord for USPS media mail shipping! We recently bought an external hard drive (aren't you proud Jenna?) so I have been backing up our millions of videos and photo (not fun but I know worth it). The Lord has helped us to sell some things for a little extra moving cash.

I am exceedingly grateful for the expository commentary on Romans from Sproul that I have been reading recently. It has served to keep my mind focused on the higher things of Christ rather than the comparatively minuscule worries of moving. I've just finished Romans 1 and it has been quite weighty, but I love how Sproul finishes out the chapter by saying, "Thanks be to God that Romans does not end here. The gospel, the good news, is coming." Praise God that He does not leave us in the despair of our sin as in Romans 1:28-32, but uses it to show us the depth of our what our Savior Christ has done.

Side note- I encourage you to check out a recent blog post here from Pastor Adam at Downtown Cornerstone Church, where we will be joining come next week. It is a lovely story of God's miraculous provision.

We love you guys and so appreciate your prayer!
Christy

If we don't win, then I don't know who will!

2010-10-31T16:54:00.001-07:00

Check out Giulian's brilliant (free!) Halloween costume party idea. And this all started with just a handful of balloons...

-Christy

I'm Hungry

2010-10-28T09:23:00.000-07:00

I'm thinking about this guy today. If you want to help feed him (both spiritually and physically) and other children like him in City of God, ask how here.

-Christy

Movie for Christy's Birthday

2010-10-24T19:00:00.005-07:00

I had secretly made this movie and surprised Christy with it for her birthday tomorrow! Enjoy!

G

Unashamed Tour - Houston

2010-10-23T15:15:00.000-07:00

We had an AWESOME time at the Unashamed Tour last night in north Houston! Thanks to Lecrae, Tedashii, Pro, Trip Lee, Sho Baraka, DJ Official, and their team for serving us. Click below to see some highlights of the evening. It was a great time of worship and fun, I can't wait to go to the next one! Maybe I'll drive up to Dallas tonight to catch the next show! Well on second thought... I can't because we're about to go to Mr. Gatti's (haven't been there since I was a kid!) to celebrate my birthday early and my niece Haleigh's district championship in volleyball! Way to go Haleigh!!

-Christy

Seattle, Here We Come!

2010-10-20T20:23:00.000-07:00

Ok friends, finally I've organized all the pictures from our two week excursion to So Cal and Seattle. Hopefully this short slideshow will give you a better vision of our forthcoming mission field, downtown Seattle.

-Christy

2010-10-18T04:42:00.000-07:00

We're excited that our church is doing a new series entitled "Sent" which obviously is very relevant to our current situation as we're praying through being sent by God to Seattle. Yesterday, Pastor Bruce preached an outstanding sermon that gave me much to chew on as I consider how I can apply it to our forthcoming new context. His entire preface really resonated with us. It was about God's story of redemption and how you being a part of a church is not primarily for the peripheral things such as programs, ceremonies, social justice, etc., but for the GRANDER purpose- God's story of redemption around the world. We titled our blog "Chronicles of the Missio Dei" because we recognize that we are living out a story (in Brazil, Texas, Seattle, and wherever!) that is just a part of God's greater story "which is the greatest story ever told." (See here and here.)

Pastor Bruce presented that story of redemption like this: Creation > Fall > Redemption > Restoration. Many churches, he truthfully related, have a tendency to jump over the sticky redemption part and go straight from the Fall to Restoration. They provide all kinds of human-powered solutions for the ugly problems of the world, meanwhile ignoring the new gospel identity that God provides through Christ in Redemption. We love how Downtown Cornerstone embraces Redemption fully so that they can work out Jesus-powered Restoration throughout downtown Seattle. Check out what Pastor Adam thinks about being sent.

Last thoughts on the sermon. Whether or not you're good at it, if you believe in Christ as your Savior, you have been sent as a missionary to your world. It's an impossible task without embracing your new identity in Christ. Stop treating church as a tourist attraction. It is not like Disney World, it's like Fort Hood. You go there for strengthening, refueling, and equipping for the mission. "God's mission is best accomplished not when we come to church [building], but when we leave it." (I added "building" because Bruce clearly explained prior that church is not the place, it's the people.) Thanks Pastor Bruce for allowing God to speak through you! I look forward to the rest of the series.

-Christy

First Ice Cream Cone

2010-10-06T14:17:00.001-07:00

Hey friends,

I feel ashamed at how I've been neglecting the blog lately! So much story has been going on but I've failed at retelling it because we have been so busy. We just returned from an over two week long adventure up the West coast visiting sweet old friends in San Diego and Orange County, then our new friends from Downtown Cornerstone Church (and a few old friends too ;-) in Seattle. I'm really looking forward to going through and posting some pictures and video, but until then I'd like to leave you with one story left untold from Brazil. I can't say it will be the last but it certainly merits a blog post.

This little boy is a friend of ours from the church plant in Sitio - City of God. He and Giulian really made a tight bond so needless to say, it was quite difficult to part with him. However, before we left God blessed us with an opportunity to extend grace to him and take him to the mall. The mirrors were surprising to him and he just couldn't understand why the dolls had to stay in the store windows all day, he thought they were for sale too. Here's a little montage of our fun time together, including his first bite of an ice cream cone.

Love and grace,
Christy

God is mighty in His sovereignty, and He is sovereign in His might.

2010-09-20T12:00:00.000-07:00

Today I reflected on the following characteristics of God in order to praise Him better:

Painting from http://artbymart.blogsome.com/

God is mighty in His sovereignty,

Exodus 9:16 - "But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth."

and He is sovereign in His might.

Exodus 14:27-31 - "The LORD threw the Egyptians into the midst of the sea. The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not one of them remained. But the people of Israel walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. Thus the LORD saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Israel saw the great power that the LORD used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the LORD, and they believed in the LORD."

-Christy

You Have Not Honored

2010-09-09T12:26:00.001-07:00

Daniel 5:23b, 30

You have praised the gods of silver and gold... which do not see or hear or know, but the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways, you have not honored... That very night Belshazzar... was killed.

How many coworkers, friends, family members, people do you know that are sprinting down this same road to death? We must declare to them the good news of the Savior of the world!

Romans 5:8-9,11

God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God... We also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Join us in confessing the reconciliation that was purchased in Christ's death to the world!

Back from the Blog Break

2010-09-07T22:06:00.000-07:00

Hey fam! With all the transition that has occurred recently, we inadvertently decided to take a week-long break from the blog so we could focus on resting and spending time with our family and friends. It has been a really sweet time.

If you haven't read our latest e-newsletter yet then please check it out here. As you know, we've now been back in the States for five days. We arrived back in Houston at 5:30 am last Thursday morning, here were our initial thoughts:

Everyone has been asking us, "How was Brazil?" What a tough question! Our 163 days in Brazil did not unfold as we had imagined they would because God had a much grander plan for us. We are more confident than ever in the fact that God was leading us there to complete a good work in and through us. One of the primary ways we can see him graciously guiding us was by allowing us to meet Adam Sinnett (follow his blog here, you won't regret it). As we mentioned in the newsletter, we'll soon be giving more details about our forthcoming move to Seattle, but for now we encourage you to check out the new website www.downtowncornerstone.org and pray for us as we visit in 2 1/2 weeks, Lord willing. We're planning to take a vision trip on 9/25-10/4 to get to know the church core team, pray over the city, and check out potential neighborhoods/apartments. We are excited!

Our prayerful aim is to create a movement of autonomous Gospel-centered churches in every neighborhood of the city. Through the city, we’ll reach the world. (www.downtowncornerstone.org)

We love Jesus and we love the city. We hope you will prayerfully join us on this journey as we continue to seek God's gospel restoration on the earth. In the mean time, check back on our blog as we reflect on our time of service in Rio de Janeiro as there are still many stories left untold.

We love and appreciate you,
Christy

Final Week at Igreja da Cidade

2010-08-30T21:37:00.000-07:00

Last week, we spent our final moments in Sítio talking about the gospel and celebrating all that God has done during our time here. We have really fell in love with the people there and our heart is to see a strong, gospel-proclaiming, Biblical church take root and transform the community.

Christy and I spend most of the previous Wednesday getting to know one woman in the community named Jaqueline. Her husband is an alcoholic, drug abusing non-Christian. Christy encouraged her that the church (people) are there to walk together with her through these trials. She has two children that attend the church regularly, and one baby who often accompanies her 9 year-old son (pic at right).On Friday we visited the community as usual, but this time we had a little surprise. The kids were enthused to receive tiny presents that our small group mailed to us in a giant box a little while ago. They loved all of them (see video at right) and even some of the moms asked for a sticker! Meanwhile, Pastor Sergio and Ana distributed what seemed to be a million donated diapers to a throng of needy mothers at the church building.

On Saturday, the church threw a going-away party for us as well as Josh and Ana since they are returning to the States as well on the 31st. The church was packed, in our entire time here we've never seen so many people in that room! It was amazing to see around 40 adults in the church service and Lord knows how many children. Ana's home church in Niteroi sent a team, which included a Gospel-sharing clown, to carry out all the festivities. Plus, Pastor Sergio got to talk with a lot of the people who were interested in either joining the church or getting baptized. Saying good-bye was quite difficult, but we all addressed the congregation, encouraging them to look to Jesus, then they closed by praying over us.

Even though we were only there for about five months, it is so difficult leaving this new church when we still have the churned soil underneath our fingernails. We can not help but relate to Paul as he often wept when God called him to leave the newly planted churches he was committed to. We are praying for the same strong faith that he had in the fact that God is in control of the future of all churches and that Jesus is building his church, not us.

Tchau Igreja da Cidade- Sítio da Amizade!

Photo Shoot of our Inn

2010-08-28T22:19:00.001-07:00

Our rent ran up two days ago, but we negotiated a deal with our landlord to let us stay here one more week for free in exchange for some photos of his place. The island and the inn where we live was recently featured in the local newspaper, so he's trying to beef up the biz with a new website. Check out the pics below.
PS: I understand more fully now the task of a photographer to make any location look more, shall I say, favorable. He's lucky I didn't include the picture I took last night of a pile of dead termites that we spent an hour killing. ;-)
-Christy

Leading out from the Gospel

2010-08-25T14:18:00.001-07:00

One of the greatest blessings for me has been a weekly opportunity to pour into some men through a leadership development class I am giving at a church in a neighborhood of Rio called Freguesia. Pastor Michel came to me with a few men that he would like to develop into deacons of the church. I have been working with Pastor Michel these past seven weeks on this class and this week will wrap up my involvement in it as we head out. Thankfully, Pastor Michel will continue the work with the guys as I phase out. We will be praying for their development into leaders, which are greatly needed at this church. I'm excited because I've been invited to preach the gospel at their church gathering tonight. Please pray with us that God will bless it. To the left is a picture from one of the meetings.

I wanted to post the foundation to this training so you guys can get a good idea of what it looks like. Below is basically the mission statement - it is at the core of all the teaching given on leadership. I would like to break it down so you can see what this really means and how it can effect teaching on things such as doctrine, character, manhood and discipleship.

We aim to lead out from the gospel, by repentance, through imitation, for the benefit and expansion of the Church.

"We aim to lead:
Based on the biblical pattern of Elders and Deacons from 1 Timothy and Titus, with the aim of helping others know and enjoy God better through imitation.

out from the gospel,:
Many times throughout Paul's writing he urges people to live sacrificial and holy lives due to the mercy and grace they have received from Christ (Rom 12:1, 1 Thess 2:12). For this, we see how we must align our motives and desires for leadership to be because of the love we have received, and the desire for others to feel it first hand. Throughout the training we have stopped on the gospel to dive deeper into it in order to better understand the depth of God's grace through Jesus.

by repentance,:
Martin Luther famously wrote that all of the Christian life is repentance. Part of that is because there is no growth in sanctification without it. Repentance is a recognition of your failure to believe the Gospel and a placing of your trust back in it. When we say that we lead by repentance, it means if you want to be a fully devoted follower of Jesus, repentance must be your whole lifestyle and not just an acquaintance.

through imitation,:
Jesus clearly set up imitation as the model for discipleship when he said things such as, "Follow me" (Matt. 16:24), and "As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you." (John 20:21) Then Paul shows throughout his writings that this should continue, specifically in 1 Cor. 11:1 when he says "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ." As disciples, we want to live a lifestyle that models Jesus in all of our actions and motives, thereby showing others what it looks like to be a Christian in your context so that they will imitate Christ as well. We want to create a culture of imitation within the church by discipling godly men who follow and depend upon Jesus.

for the benefit and expansion of the Church.":
This leadership class is not to be a seminar to improve merely the personal lifestyles of the participants, rather, it is meant to equip the church with servant-hearted, gospel-gripped men who thrive to support the church in taking the message of Jesus to its community. We are constantly asking the guys to take challenges and risks to lead the people of the church into holiness.

-G

Redeeming Time

2010-08-22T06:52:00.001-07:00

As we finish our time in Rio and prepare for the next season in life, we have had much opportunity to think of what we have done and where God is leading us next. Thanks to a suggestion by a pastor here, I recently read a sermon by Jonathan Edwards on Ephesians 5:16, and he spoke about time in a way that profoundly impacted me.

Our goal as we turn a new page in our life is to make the most of the time in order to advance the gospel and love as high as possible. Join us in completely submitting your life to Christ this year and play a part in His global redemptive story! Redeem the use of your time to leave a legacy for Jesus who will remain long after you and I fade.

An exerpt from the J. Edwards sermon (read the rest here)-

How much may be done in a year? How much good is there opportunity to do in such a space of time! How much service may persons do for God, and how much for their own souls, if to their utmost they improve it! How much may be done in a day! But what have you done in so many days and years that you have lived? What have you done with the whole time of your youth, you that are past your youth? What is become of all that precious season of life? Hath it not all been in vain to you? Would it not have been as well or better for you, if all that time you had been asleep, or in a state of nonexistence?

-G

"Sharing with you not only the gospel but our lives as well."

2010-08-19T22:03:00.000-07:00

This will mark our final week with Igreja da Cidade in City of God. We have been working along with another missionary couple, a pastor, and a female missionary to plant this church. By the Lord's grace, these past five or so months have been a stretching and amazing experience. To give you guys a little taste of what we do each week in this community, here is an excerpt of a document that I developed from 1 Thess. 2:8 that helps guide our practice of visitation.

Some of the key things we want to make sure to do while visiting; when appropriate:

Pray - Ask people how they are in need, what is new in their lives, and that we would like to pray for them to seek God for help.

Learn their lives - Get to know people better, ask a lot of questions, and create a peer-to-peer relationship.

  Share our lives - Let them see our godliness, and our need for a savior as well, as we converse and share how we deal with things as Christians.

  Witness - Share the gospel message and ask for a response.

  Love - Meet needs, share life's joys, and spend time with these people who do not have anyone else to love them.

Photos & Video from Mission Trip 3

2010-08-16T06:57:00.003-07:00

We are very thankful for your prayer support this past week as we hosted the final mission trip that will come during our stay here. It was a total success and we are confident that God used this team to grow and promote the work of the church in Sitio (which now boasts a banner with its name "Igreja da Cidade" Church of the City). Please see the blog of CrossPointe- Winter Park for more stories and video here. Below are some pictures that I captured from a social outreach with children in a low-income neighborhood as well as Day 3 VBS in Sitio, and a video that paints a good picture of their important work in Sitio. Thanks Connection Church and CrossPointe Church- Winter Park for getting out of your comfort zone by allowing God to work through you!

P.S. Last Saturday after these teams had already arrived home, we were able to hand out about 75 hygiene kits that they donated to the adults and children in Sitio. They were ecstatic to receive that precious gift! Thanks again!

***Photos removed: If you want to see/download them, email us.***

Jesus is Bigger Than My Sins

2010-08-10T21:08:00.000-07:00

The following is a guest post from Christy's best friend, Heather Burdette. She is an early childhood teacher at a Christian school in San Diego and super passionate about teaching kids the Gospel of Christ. Check out the rest of her writings at her blog here: www.heatherroseburdette.blogspot.com

Psalm 106 is amazing. It talks about God’s steadfast love even when Israel was rebellious and unfaithful. It has been an encouragement and a beautiful reminder of God’s grace. This part (v36-39) in particular really blows my mind:

They served idols, which became a snare to them. They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons; they poured innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was polluted with blood, thus they became unclean by their acts, and played the whore in their deeds.

The Israelites had become beyond unclean! Their sins against God seem to be the worst of the worst. Not just murdering (as sinful and evil as that is) but murdering children- in the name of idolatry. They were sacrificing their children to demons! How much worse can sin get? Their sin was BIG-there’s no way around it.

Here, anybody caught doing something like that would justly be put into prison if not condemned to death themselves. These would be just sentences for their crimes. It would be right for these things to take place. Concerning the Israelites, God did deliver them to be oppressed by their enemies. But his hand does not stop there. If we read further, God in his grace saved these undeserving, murderous, idolatrous, people (44-46):

Nevertheless, he looked upon their distress, when he had heard their cry. For their sake he remembered his covenant, and relented according to the abundance of his steadfast love. He caused them to be pitied by all those who held them captive.

God did not have to save them. He would have been perfectly just and perfectly good if he had not relented but kept them in their oppression. They deserved that. But God is a gracious God.

In comparison, we have never sacrificed a baby to an idol, but because God is Holy even the “smallest” of sin offends Him and it is rightly punished with Hell. But God is a gracious God. He’s so gracious that he sent Jesus to die for sinners. We do not have to be condemned to hell if we will call on the precious name of Jesus.

As I read this story, I’m amazed at the grace of Jesus. If God relents on a whoring, murderous and idolatrous people then we must believe that there’s no sin bigger than His grace in Christ Jesus-not even sacrificing babies to demons.

This song fits my praise:

Wonderful grace of Jesus
Deeper than the mighty rolling seas…
Bigger than my sins,
Greater than my shame,
O magnify the precious name of Jesus
Praise His name! Praise His name! Praise His name!

Let’s praise His name!

(This song was on the "Village Worship" CD - let it edify you too. It's free. )

Mission Trip #3 Update

2010-08-09T18:51:00.001-07:00

Thank you for praying with us this weekend! Giulian is already feeling better and hopefully will be 100% tomorrow, praise God! Saturday morning the whole team visited an orphanage that none of us had ever been to before and it was awesome! The director began it 12 years ago with one 6 year old boy whose gang-affiliated parents used him to deliver their drug orders until one day he made a wrong turn and was apprehended. Shortly thereafter his parents started visiting him at the orphanage and were both converted to Christ, so he reconciled with them and his father eventually became a pastor. We had the privilege of meeting that boy, who is now an 18 year old man who has graduated high school and consistently comes back to serve at the orphanage. What a pleasure.

Sunday night they participated in the service in Rio das Pedras church. Jay and three of the team members led worship, and Rick, the pastor from Connection Church, shared his testimony and a word for the congregation. The mission team was really wowed by the ardent worship and joy of the people there. Today was an early day but a good one as we again visited somewhere new, a day care/school in a city on the outskirts of Rio called Nova Iguaçu. We really didn't know anything about this place or the people there, but God really used that time of VBS to encourage both the mission team and the leaders at this low-income daycare.

After a long drive and a quick lunch, the day was finished up in Sitio for the first day of VBS which went extremely well (see 2 videos below)! We had approximately 60 excited kids come today, including one little boy that we always see playing naked in the mud who despite many invitations had never been to our church before today. While the mission team played with and loved on the children, Pastor Sergio and missionary Aurora had a sweet opportunity to minister to the 10 or so moms that had also gathered. It was a beautiful picture to see them seated outside the church in a circle studying the Word, while their children were inside laughing and being ministered to.

Please continue to pray for
-The Restore Brazil Meeting tomorrow morning where pastors and church planters from all over the Rio metropolitan area will gather in fellowship, including the three American pastors that are currently on this trip
-The remaining two days of VBS in Sitio and one day of VBS at IPBarra on Wed morning
-Protection and fruitfulness during our time spent in downtown Rio ministering to the homeless congregation tomorrow night

Thanks so much for your prayers. We constantly live and breathe with the beautiful reality as fragile humans in the hands of a Sovereign, Loving God.

"Pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ." (Colossians 4:3)

Happy Wedding Adam and Monika!!!

2010-08-07T08:00:00.001-07:00

Two of our very good friends are getting married today, right now! So since we can't be there to wish them well in person, here's our toast! We love you Adam and Monika and are excited to share our lives with you. Way to go!!! Please join us in praying for them today as they unite in a beautiful display of Christ's love for the Church.

Mission Trip #3 This Week

2010-08-06T13:21:00.003-07:00

Hi friends! Please be praying for us this week as we're receiving a third mission team, 16 people from Connection Church and CrossPointe Church - Winter Park Campus. They just arrived today from Orlando and together over the next 5 days we will be working in an orphanage and a children's program in Dona Marta Favela that we also have not participated in yet, reaching out to the homeless in downtown Rio, giving a 3-day Vacation Bible School in Sitio - City of God where we're planting a church, plus many other events where they'll have an opportunity to share their lives and th gospel. We're excited for this time, and we really appreciate your prayer support, specifically in the following-

-Giulian, who is having flu-like symptoms, to recover fully in time for the VBS on Monday. Even though he's not a translator, he still plays an integral part as one of those that will be making sure the area stays secure and the children are all behaving (which is suuuuuch a help!) He's taking medicine and currently snoring in the other room. ;-)
-The team wouldn't experience sickness related with traveling (always seems to be at least one poor soul).
-Pastor Sergio, an important leader in many of this week's activities, and Ana, the main translator, would kick off lingering coughing/stuffiness.
-Good, dry weather. It's been raining a lot lately and in Sitio we're basically working with tarps and mud.
-Of course, most importantly, that in spite of sickness/weather/children craziness, we would trust God to change, through His Spirit, the hearts of the children and adults we come in to contact with.

Thanks so much for joining us in prayer. We'll be having a couple of very interesting guest posts this week so be on the look-out for that! We just went to downtown Rio last week to visit the museums (click link below to see pics), isn't it beautiful?

-Christy

Municipal Theater

National Library (inside)

National Library (outside)

Federal Justice Culture Center

Church in Vila Kennedy

2010-08-03T09:34:00.002-07:00

This past Sunday evening we had the joy of catching a few buses to go to a favela in Campo Grande (a city on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro - see map here) called Metral. We arrived and were greated by Pastor Alexandre's wife, Adriane, a joyful, servant-hearted lady who never stopped smiling the whole time we were there. We then met a man appearing to be a tight end for the Raiders, who turned out to be Pastor Alexandre, and a very talkative and clever boy with a full head of dark, curly hair who's their son, Heyman. They were very glad to host us and give us a tour of the small favela where the church is located.

He shared many stories of how dangerous and desperate the area was before the police raid two years ago that pushed the cartel out. It was sickening to hear the stories of men who ruled without concern for life, set free to rampage the community. We observed and heard stories of lookout points, judgement houses, makeshift cemeteries, and bandits who rather than bribing the police to stay out, would taunt them to come in so they could have an arms war. Church services were held amidst police shootouts with the gang members finding refuge on top of the sanctuary roof. During that era this church, Nova Filadelfia, was the only one in the community. No one else would step foot on to these two deadly streets that due to the hold of over a hundred Comando Vermelho (Red Command) bandits, came to be known as the most dangerous slum in Rio.

Eventually, the police came in and took over for good, but Alexandre's church knows better. They know that it was God at work through their many prayers that removed them and has continued to improve the conditions in their neighborhood. As we stood outside the judgement house where the gangs formerly decided on executions, Alexandre said in reflection, "This community is our church." I was impressed by their eager faithfulness to see change they have been a part of in the community.

It was pleasantly surprising to see a great deal of young men involved in the church which packed out over 200 seats at the Sunday night service. Meeting the church body was a joy as I preached the Gospel with our good friend Paulo translating. We invited Alexandre to the next Restore Brazil meeting and hope to see him and his pastor friends there to encourage them further as a pastor and church planter. We enjoyed our time there and will be praying for their influence in the community.

-G