Sacred Digital: Chuckk Gerwig

We start a new series THIS Sunday I'm stoked on it! This Sunday Ill be exploring some of the reasons God feels so distant sometimes. Anyway, here's the official new series blurb.

“The Wall: demolishing the barriers betweens ourselves, God and others.”

We all have barriers that get in the way of deep, honest, intimate relationships with our families, friends, God and the unconvinced. Join us at Elevation as we explore how to tear down the walls that separate us from others. Expect gratuitous Pink Floyd references, exposition of God’s Holy Word and the usual mixture of humor, honesty, the unexpected and kickin’ high energy worship.

I just heard the best message I've ever heard on why church gatherings are worth getting up for. Listen in online to this great podcast: "Why do we go to church?" from a great preacher, Morris Proctor

Other news, my friend and partner in ministry, SCBC Executive Pastor Mark Schwenne will be leaving our staff as the Elders feel our church can't support an executive pastor position at the size we've become. Mark will be answering God's call to seek a place where he can be an Executive Pastor elsewhere.

Pray for SCBC as we journey through another big staff loss! Pray for my pal Mark as he heads out into uncharted waters. In the meantime, why go to church??? Listen in to Morris on the subject!

God made sex. Sex is GREAT. When you get religious leaders not getting enough GREAT sex things like this happen.

I like Paul's thoughts... 1 Corinthians 7: 2 But since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband. 3 The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. 4 The wife’s body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husband’s body does not belong to him alone but also to his wife. 5 Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 6 I say this as a concession, not as a command. 7 I wish that all men were as I am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that. 8 Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I am. 9 But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion. --The Holy Bible : New International Version.

I'll be advocating great sex this Sunday night at Elevation as we explore- The Wall pt #2: Barriers Between Us, Friends and Family

Free is good, free is a nice thing indeed, free is ...well almost nothing in Santa Cruz other than the disc golf course. BUT::: "Free" is the next series at Elevation, (coming next month). Free: the series will be an exploration of Christian freedom and responsibility; are we free to repetitively sin and be forgiven without guilt? Are we free to drink, smoke, kiss labradors on the mouth (see pic above), and eat rancid ceviche from an old tire laying on Seabright Beach? What does it really mean to "stumble a brother or sister" and how do we avoid this? How do we live free while pursuing holiness and living a life that makes Jesus get smile lines on His wonderful face? Come see.

Other cool FREE thing = check out Hulu (Free Tv online) it ROCKS - ht: Laura Rodgers

On the iPod: Spoon - "ya ya ya ya ya"

This Friday is Good Friday. This FRIDAY will be this week's OFFICIAL Elevation worship gathering INSTEAD OF Sunday night. We'll gather with the whole scbc body in the main auditorium, I'll bring the message, Omar will co-lead the worship, there will be a choir (even though me no likee chiors so much) and a small orchestra. I hope there's a piccolo in the orchestra, I'm not sure why but I hope there is. We should be kind to piccolo players I'll bet most got the snot kicked out of them in high school and now know jujitsu as a secret weapon... Anyway, this should be a unique evening for us all. Services will be at 5pm and again at 7pm

In other important news my partner in crime, worship guru Omar Spence finally ended his 18 year sabbath from motorcycling and bought a cool black Harley Night Train yesterday - so we are now the official biker pastor duo. Elevation is biker-friendly and non-denominational, even KawaSuzukaHondahas are welcome, let's celebrate diversity with grace.

Ah! less conventional church settings make me happy. I've been really loving the look and feel my wife and her team have been putting together at Elevation - Thanks Honey!