Hey, RVA friends – I’ll be serving as adjunct faculty this next school-year at Richmond Hill, facilitating a 9-month course on vocation and discernment. Would love to have you join us! Are you in a questioning period of your life? Do you sense God leading you in new ways, but not sure what next step to take? Is there new vision being birthed in your heart? Why not give God some intentional time this next year to really dive in to where He might be leading you? Through community, study, retreat, and reflection, you’ll be given the space and tools to hear God’s voice and direction in new ways. You won’t regret it! To apply, sign up here Gatherings will be held on Tuesday nights at 7pm. The deadline is June 1 – but there’s some wiggle...
read moreWhy Lent? Our lives are busier and more distracted than ever. It is becoming more and more difficult to hear the often still, small voice of God in the midst of a chaotic culture. We need practices that enable us to pause, to listen, to unclutter our minds and hearts, to see clearly in new ways. A smothered plant cannot grow – it needs light and air. What is it? Lent is a 2,000 year-old practice of setting aside the 40-days (plus 7 Sundays) before Easter as an intentional time of confession, simplicity, fasting, and communion with God. It is a time before the resurrection to identify with Christ in His temptations, trials, and sufferings on our behalf. How do we do it? We will join the Church around the world in observing Lent this year from February 18th to April 5th.We invite you t0 consider what discipline or exercise God might be inviting you toward in this season. What discipline might help you get in touch with your need for God, for the cross, for grace? What do you need to loosen your grip on…that may have its grip on you? Is it fasting a meal and choosing to pray during that hour instead? Is it fasting from social media, TV, or sweets? Or is it adding something intentional to your schedule, like a daily prayer or service project? What might feed your soul and nurture the life that God has planted in you? Let’s see what God has for us –...
read moreThis is may be quite last-minute for some, but NEXT THURSDAY I will be facilitating a retreat for pastors and church leaders. It’ll be held from 10AM-3Pm on Jan. 29th, at the beautiful Still Waters Retreat Center. $30 covers lunch, the facility, and retreat materials. This event is being supported by an inter-denominational organization that I partner with called Church Resource Ministries, and it’s especially designed as an opportunity for leaders and pastors to get some space, rest, and silence in order to hear God in fresh ways. Come out and join us! Sign up...
read more1. Present and open your heart to the Lord and intend to learn from Him. Prayer of Presenting: Lord, I am here; I present myself to you. Open my heart to the truth of what is going on in my life. (Rom. 12:1-2) 2. Consider as loss all things that could tempt you to find gain outside of Christ; consider as loss all things in comparison to Christ. Detach from potential idols of the heart, both good and bad things, that your flesh might be tempted to find its identity in outside of being in Christ. Open to the truth of these matters and talk to the Lord about this, whether you struggle with these matters of the flesh. Prayer of Detachment: At the core of my spirit, I am not a successful person or a failure, a wealthy or poor person, someone who needs to be honored, a good person or a bad person. At the core, my identity is not being a good or bad student-professor, a father or mother, a husband or a wife, a daughter or a son, a kind person or angry person. I am not a … (Confess any idolatry) 3. Affirm to your soul and the Lord your true identity in Christ, that being in union with Christ, no longer condemned but accepted in Him, is your true self. Be open to the truth at this moment, whether this is truly what you experience or not and talk with the Lord about this. Prayer of Attachment: I was created for union with God. I came into the world in sin but longing for perfect love. I am now clothed with Christ’s righteousness, with full pardon from guilt and full acceptance from God. I am precious in God’s eyes. God calls me His beloved. That is who I truly am. (Confess any unbelief) 4. Resolve to keep your heart and mind attentive to the Lord. Be receptive, silent and still. 5. Hear the Word of God – end your time pondering a short verse that you can memorize and quote a few times in a reflective, meditative way. Example: John 15:5. “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do...
read moreFarrah filmed a short video documenting our move day last fall, from a teen’s point of view, and I’m honored to share it. We’re so grateful for our adventurous kids. This has been quite a year!
read more“A Cross-Country Trek” Well, I didn’t actually walk from California to Richmond, but sometimes it feels like it. My family and I often wonder if we’re on a different planet amongst the beautiful, tree-lined streets and friendly people of Virginia. I am a California native and have lived there for all of my 40+ years (except for two middle school years in Bangkok, Thailand – but that’s another story). Commonwealth Chapel has a rich history as a church in the Richmond area, a new campus in Chesterfield, and a founding pastor with a west coast connection. He’s been a friend of mine for over 20 years, but it still took an act of God to pry us from the sunny, 70 degrees of coastal Southern Cal and plop us down on the opposite side of the country. We’re here though, miraculously…and enjoying the ride. Fall was beautiful and also challenging as we saw the leaves gathering in our yard and struggled to collect them all with our sandy beach tarps. Winter was amazing, too, and my kids could not believe that school was actually cancelled due to weather – it was like Christmas morning all over again. Spring has been a joy with the changing colors and intermittent thunder storms to keep things interesting. I check my weather app now like a teenager on Instagram. People often ask me what is most different about the two locales, and although my answer often fluctuates from day to day, I’m settling more and more on the idea of space. The simple answer is that there is just more space here, and space changes everything. Where we lived in California, a postage stamp sized house costs 1/2 a million dollars, two-hour waits at restaurants are common, a parking spot is like finding treasure, and traffic jams are the norm – people are crowded, cramped, pressured, and territorial, but space allows you to breathe deeper. Space allows you to stretch out and enjoy your surroundings. Space releases you from having to fight for your place in the world. On moving day in our new neighborhood, we met so many nice neighbors we thought we were dreaming! So many people had time to stop, talk, help, and welcome us. They were genuinely interested in us. Their sense of space wasn’t threatened, and their time wasn’t rushed. They had space on the street and space on the clock. We feel this breathing room everywhere we go. We love the welcoming, open feeling of Cafe Caturra, Sweet Frog, and Urban Farmhouse. When my family and I explore Robious Landing or Belle Isle, we are struck every time by the open parking spots, the uncrowded trails, the friendly people…the space. It’s going to take some getting used to, but thankfully we’ve got time. This year, our church is offering a wide-open invite toward finding the space to explore faith. The Alpha course is the perfect place to bring your biggest questions and your curiosity about the meaning of life. It’s a no-pressure environment where everyone is welcome, everyone has a seat at the table (free dinner by the way!), and a parking spot is guaranteed! You can find out more about Alpha online. The class will be located at Commonwealth Chapel 233 North Courthouse Rd, N. Chesterfield,...
read moreIf you happen to be in the VA area, please make every effort to join me for this restful Saturday retreat! This will be an “unhurried day with Jesus” complete with guided prayer times, helpful instruction, worship, sharing, experiential activities, and lots of free time (+ a canoe!). It will be from 9:30am-3:30pm on Saturday the 28th at Still Waters Retreat Center in Chesterfield. $20 covers lunch and retreat materials. “What will this look like and what will we do all day?” Glad you asked – we’ll start with light refreshments, some singing together, some brief instructions, schedule overview, and a short teaching to set up the first group session from 10-10:45am. 11-11:50am will be a second session done on your own with optional prayer suggestions and spiritual exercises to experience. Panera lunch, debrief, and fellowship will follow, leading into another group session from 1-1:50 (a unique worship experience with the Psalms). The last solo session will be from 2-2:50 with more optional prayer suggestions and spiritual exercises to experience. We will gather back together one last time from 3-3:30 for sharing, debrief, and a last group prayer. There are no mandatory sessions (except the first one for info and instructions) and you will be free to follow the Spirit’s lead throughout the day…to read, to rest, to sleep, to paddle, to listen, to wander, to be carried along by the “unforced rhythms of grace.” Directions and more details will be given at sign up, so please jump in with me!...
read moreThere’s a lot of talk out there about “self-care”, avoiding burn-out, and leaders leading themselves well. God’s command of Sabbath made the top-10, after all. Sometimes it can be confusing as to what personal steps need to be taken, but here’s a fun, quick test to gauge where you might be at. Look at the chart above and put an X on each box where you have a commitment, work related or otherwise, even if it’s just an hour. If your week’s schedule changes frequently, consider looking back at last week and filling it in that way… The goal is try and carve out at least 3 blocks with no X’s where you are “unavailable” and able to connect and be with God and others, unscheduled and “off the clock”. 15-18 X’s in a week is a healthy balance, but more than that is too much… And, while you’re considering this idea of Sabbath, space, rest, and what to do with the free time you’re blocking out, check out this quick, short blog post on the power of...
read moreI had the awesome opportunity to speak to college students recently. InterVarsity is a vibrant Christian community on the downtown Richmond campus of VCU, they just began a study through James, and I tackled James 2:1-13 on the subject of “Favoritism”. Here’s a bit of my outline and notes. I also used a diaper with chocolate mashed up inside it for an illustration…but, I guess you had to be there for that! There are two sides to favoritism: 1. lifting up the rich and influential 2. putting down the poor and less capable A. LIFTING UP THE RICH We can’t be a “respecter of persons” giving special attention to the rich, powerful, and influential. (V.1-5) – Aren’t they the ones who are exploiting you? (v. 6-7) – Aren’t they taking you to court? – Aren’t they making fun of your “name”? God sees us differently; the ground is level at the foot of the cross / we all need Jesus equally… Let’s not treat the “cool” people better! WE’RE ALL EQUAL!!! B. PUTTING DOWN THE POOR 5 Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor. Again, God sees differently. WE ARE NOT THE JUDGE, HE IS! Every single person is a child of God, a divine creature… Matt. 5: 3 Blessed are the poor in spirit,? for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek,? for they will inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,? for they will be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful,? for they will be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart,? for they will see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers,? for they will be called children of God. 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,? for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “The last will be first, and the first will be last.” The Great Reversal. I closed this section with one of my favorite C.S. Lewis quotes on the subject. Check it out… “The load, or weight, or burden of my neighbor’s glory should be laid daily on my back, a load so heavy that only humility can carry it, and the backs of the proud will be broken. It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilization—these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit—immortal horrors or everlasting splendors. This does not mean that we are to be perpetually solemn. We must play. But our merriment must be of...
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