for this week

Hey All. I am preparing for a 6 day vacation and won't be around this Sunday, but I wanted to encourage you all with a few things. Last night we had a dinner at our house for those who are new to our community and it was really energizing to see God at work and growing our community with some fun, unique people—who are teachers, engineers, construction workers with lots of different passions and dreams—many who are new to following Jesus. It’s great and this means that God wants all of us to reach out and help connect and network together!

So with that I wanted to encourage you to come to Sunday at 6 and hang out at La Tartine afterwards. I have to tell you some cool news that happened last Sunday we had a sweet time at the cafe. We had an impromptu music session and the owners, Andrew and Monique, were stoked to have quality music and people hanging out in their place. God is at work there. I humbly ask that we as a community take the opportunity to love those that are serving us by 1-making an effort to hang out at La Tartine every week, 2-introducing yourself to the owners, baristas, and all of new people who have joined our community and 3-making good use of the time in the cafe by REALLY getting to know people with good conversations and initiating prayer with each other. One of my favorite things to see is people praying together afterward outside of the cafe in the parking lot or on the sidewalk. I love that.


PCC's Compassion and Justice Learning Community starts SUNDAY Sept.30th. Each week we will interact with the Bible, literature, and audio/visual media focus on significant local and global issues. We hope to engage compassion and justice issues intentionally and strategically through unique experiences. Our Purpose is to build a community of believers who are interested in learning together, discussing together, praying together, and humbly serving together as we demonstrate the love of Jesus to the least of these in Redwood City and beyond. We desire to live out our Christian mandate to LOVE GOD and LOVE OUR NEIGHBOR.

You can choose to participate in one of the following learning communities:

11am which meets in room 22B (fellowship center)

4pm which meets in Fireside Room.

In our first meeting we will be reviewing the following:

Purpose of C&J Learning Community

Desired Outcomes

Commitment

Class Structure

We will also share a dynamic video and have time to reflect on Isaiah 58.



For more information check out the C&J blog at http://compassionandjustice.blogspot.com

Please bring a Bible, journal and pen to each class. The book fee is $35.


Also today is the day some of our PCC friends (David Bromberg, Kirsten Devlin, Matt Nightingale to name a few) are taking of on their East Euro mission. Watch their trip and pray by checking in on this site:
http://www.pcceuromission.blogspot.com/



If you are on our mailing list, you should be receiving our calendar for October and November this week. There are significant dates and events for you to know. A coaching workshop at PCC 10/5-6. A date change for the Deep. It’s on Friday, now, October 12th at the Fallon House. A Bible Trivia night on Saturday October 20th. And Hallowed in San Jose Saturday October 27th-anteractive, art, music, film and poetry.


See you soon,

Tony

Conference take-aways

Just got back home this week from a great conference in Dallas. It was great to learn and getaway, but also great to be home! There's no place like home!

I had a great time with LEADNOW, an organization geared toward twenty and thirty somethings and leadership of our generation. The above video is a snippet from last year's event--(I already bought tickets for next year)--but it gives you the general feel to the experience I had! I had a good time of refreshing in my personal relationship with God and some affirmations of what is already happening in our are ministry. Here are some take-aways that affirmed and challenged me!


-Create (less programs) and be creative (with art, music, space, film, etc)


-Tell Good stories. There is no easy 1,2,3 answer to the Christian life. It's hard, messy, and like growing a tree. Jesus is not a product we can sell with an infomercial. Bullet points do not always have an impact. Christian candy like testaments, christian t-shirts, and screaming on a bullhorn don't ALWAYS work either. My responsibility is to be in relationship with people.

--Technology is good I should use it but be careful that it doesn't take me away from actually interfacing and communicating with people.

--Love people everywhere, know them, hang out, pray and get out of the Christian Bubble. I should know my neighbors, baristas, the poor and downcast in my community. I should be willing to dialog with people who are different and disagree with me. Christianity is not meant to be a debate.

--Create a place where people can be real--and elevate a culture that welcomes questioning and confession.

--Invite, Anoint, train, partner, and discipline leaders to lead.

--Major on God--and the core truths (don't waste time and petty arguments that aren't fundamental--and don't be self-righteously judgemental with those who disagree.

--be humble

--LOVE GOD AND LOVE PEOPLE


Earth shattering revelations? Not completely but challenging nonetheless. Hopefully if you are around me and this great community God has called us to, you will also be a part of living these things out!

Feeling Love

I am becoming so sappy. Seriously, I have always been in touch with my emotions which hasn't always been perceived as the "macho" thing but, hey, I am proud of it. But I must admit some of this sappiness is getting out of control. Connecting the dots leads me to believe being a husband and father is to blame! What's the evidence? Well, when I am away from my family at work or traveling on a trip I am constantly reminded of them. I hear a song, a sound, see a picture, and/or sometimes a smell triggers me(don't ask). Lately I am finding myself instantly tearing up within seconds. It can happen any where and in the most random places like walking through a mall or in a drive thru--I'm toast! My vision blurs as my eyes well up and I'm warm all over. Just today I caught a glimpse of a commercial with a young family like mine and I felt like I just got hit in the gut out of nowhere. BAM! And to be honest--I love it. I love this sappiness. because I love my family and it makes me grow in love for them more to think about then and actually feel something..and that something feels good!

The real truth is that whether we are husbands, wives, mothers or fathers-it doesn't really matter. It's just being God's creation that does. What I love about God is that he created each one of us to be whole emotionally and to experience the full range of emotions in healthy ways. We "feel" because we "believe." I well up (or cry lets be honest) because I believe my family is a great gift that I enjoy and I believe they love me and make my life better. I feel because of what I believe. And just think how great we "feel" when we truly believe God loves us! Think on that for a while. Read God's word. You and me are created and loved by God. We are in relationship with God. Just being human (created by God) entitles us the opportunity to experience the depth of love and all the gooey craziness that comes when we have feelings as a result. If you are reading this, I hope that you are engaging in the opportunity to feel what God wants you to feel as a result of believing and letting him in to live in you. I hope you, too, are getting all gooey and sappy when you catch a glimpse of a picture or hear a song that reminds you of God and his love for you. Read John 14. (Jesus said those who love him will be loved back by him and his father and that they will LIVE IN US!) He is thinking of you, loving you, and ever present with you all day long wherever you are (Psalm 139).

PS.

My wife made this as a blog post for our family's blog and it was so cute I had to pass it on to our community!

A few of my favorite things by Isella Rose

I love reading a good book...

standing up (ok, with a little help)...

watching the world around me...

having a good laugh...

gnawing on things...

wiggling my legs...

exersaucin' (thanks for the loan, Natalie Stewart!)

....and snuggling with my daddy.

More to come as I grow...

Rob Bell coming to SF

11/12/2007

My 3rd anniversary! We will be celebrating by going to San Francisco.

Stories. God. Relevance.

Wanna come? Get your tickets by clicking here:

ROB BELL TICKETS!

INVITE YOUR FRIENDS. THE TOPIC WILL BE GREAT FOR THEM.

My Opera Debut

and NO it wasn't singing, obviously.

I sometimes get random acting jobs. Last weekend I had a "live performance" gig. It was sponsored the the BRAVO! CLUB, a young Opera appreciation club. They really want the "young people" to come out to the Opera. Well, last night was San Francisco's fall premiere of SAMPSON AND DELILAH of all things and they hired actors for a faux film set for the Opening Night Pre-Show Gala. It was quite a show of tuxedos, diamonds, red carpet, fancy hoers devours, the whole nine yards. We had to entertain hundreds of people as they mingled and drank their champagne so they wouldn't get bored waiting for the Opera to start. It was actually a lot of fun!



I played the famous movie maker Cecil B. DeMille (Ten Commandments, Ben Hur, Sunset Boulevard). It was definitely an act of God that I got cast because if you google DeMille, you'll see I look NOTHING like him. But turns out he was a Christian and a very influential man in Hollywood. In fact, by God's providence I got a piece of mail from the Hollywood Prayer network this very week with a quote from Demille himself. Totally God-ronic. It was like God was giving me a great gift! I felt honored to play this man and get this opportunity. AND I had fun and got to improvise with the crowd and was stoked to get some food for my creative hunger!

"I have found the greatest power in the world is the power of prayer"
Cecil B. DeMille

Sunday nights..this fall 2007

After Sunday at 6 HEAD OUT to HANG OUT in downtown Redwood City.

La Tartine is a new cafe opened right in the heart of our great city. It's perfectly located by burritos, pizza, and movies! The perfect hang out! Right across from Century 20 with free validated parking off of middlefield! I have connected with owners-Andrew and Monique and they welcomed us to come and hang out every Sunday night. They even said we could bring in some live music sometime. So after Sunday at 6 this fall bring yourself and your friends to hang out and connect with others over some good java--make friendships and grow other relationships!

La Tartine



This must be more than just drinking coffee. Cause life (and our times of being community) is more than that! It's about listening and asking questions. It's about bringing people to the table who have never been before, and helping them (spiritually speaking and physically speaking) get a drink! It's about praying together and caring for people as Jesus did. Being good news. Some great new people are coming to our community in search of connection. Connection with people and with God! I am seeing that we have fantastic opportunities right now! I hope that we can all engage in God's best for us!