This is it… PLEASE HELP US finish the new album! We've set up a pre-order fundraising campaign at Kickstarter. We need you to play a part! Please click on the above image to see the site, watch the video, and jump in with us… 23 days to go… If we do not raise the needed $3,000 to finish this project in the next 23 days, all the pledges are returned and this recording is shelved once again… CLICK NOW! Yes, I know that these email blasts typically get ignored, but if you were to respond to ANYTHING from me this year, please let this be it! Thank you I realize you get a ton of email – thank you for keeping up with us. We appreciate your support, prayers, and encouragement. Thanks again, Justin, the Fox family, and the...
read moreHappy Fall, friends- I’m back at Biola’s Talbot Seminary for my third and (possibly) final year of grad school at the Institute of Spiritual Formation. It’s been an incredible journey, and I’m on the edge of my seat to see where God takes all this! Our ministry reflects the season, as well, as we wrap up a school supply drive where we led our church in distributing almost 1,000 full backpacks to the neediest, most vulnerable youth in our city and almost 200 Teacher Care Boxes to encourage and support our under-resourced educators. Here’s Heidi’s smile greeting people at our display area – did I marry well or what??! The Mentor Program Last year, we began our mentor program with three mentors on one high school campus. This year, we begin with almost fifty mentors on six campuses! We pair trained, caring adult volunteers with the most at-risk students, individually and in small groups, and the effects and stories coming out of this ministry have been staggering. Check out this video highlighting one of our mentors, other connections to our schools, and first-hand testimonies from the students themselves… Play a part… We’d love your prayers and need your support more than ever! Thank you so much for joining with us on mission in however God directs. Oh yah, and this…a tax-deductible contribution toward a great cause! Just click our PayPal button on the right...
read moreHave you ever wondered about prisons? What’s it like deciding to build one in your town? How do you decide how big it should be? It’s a depressing thought to consider the worst-case scenario for members of your community and the deep consequences and pain of a potentially destructive future. What’s even more depressing is that sociologists tell us prospective prison inmates can often be predicted as early as eight years old. This prediction is not based on a complicated algorithm or complex series of charts, one of the major defining elements is so simple, in fact it’s right under our noses; reading. It has been shown across our country that literacy literally keeps people out of prison. There are city planners who actually decide how big to build their prisons based on the literacy rate of their third graders – this is the predictor, reading. Thousands of our city’s kids live in single-parent, or no-parent homes, sleep on couches in over crowded apartments, and rarely ever have a book read to them. Many are also struggling with English as a second language, making the obstacles even greater. Our churches and schools banded together this month to do something about the future of the children in Costa Mesa, and we called it “Spring Reading.” We purchased and delivered hundreds of copies of Alice in Wonderland, recruited volunteers to read the book to third and fourth graders during a school hour for six weeks, and at the end invited each student to the play for free. It’s been one more huge step in an unprecedented collaboration between our educators and our faith community. It’s been one more way for Jesus followers to be the hands and feet of Jesus to a fragile, hurting world. Jesus shares His mission in Luke 4:18-19, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Good news to the poor, freedom for prisoners… This week, for us, that looks like celebrating with three, full-production presentations of the play “Alice in Wonderland” at The Crossing Church. Many of our students will have read their first book and be holding a free ticket to a professional play for the first time in their lives. If you’re anywhere near us this week, come and join them, along with our family of faith, as we express God’s heart for our city! There are three dates available to purchase tickets for, June 20 and 21 at 7pm, and June 23 at 1pm. Performances are at the Crossing Church, and all the proceeds go to offset the free admission for the kids in the spring reading program. Get tickets here:...
read moreComing up on Sunday, June 3rd, the band and I will take the stage right here in Costa Mesa for 2 hours of music and fun at St. John the Baptist Catholic church! We’ll be playing all the favorites and even including some kid-friendly songs. Come out and say...
read moreROCKHARBOR’s first video highlighting the mentor program… Our response was incredible, and we’ve now trained almost 100 mentors!
read moreIt’s a new year, and it feels like a major chapter in my life and ministry has begun along with it. Here’s just a little backstory to keep you all in the loop. About two years ago, I sensed a calling away from the concert tour life and toward a more local, community oriented ministry. I felt God wanted to grow me deeper in relationship with others, and I was missing my family in big ways, too! I started grad school for a Masters in Spiritual Formation at Biola’s Talbot Seminary and was invited to join our church staff at ROCKHARBOR in a brand new, volunteer missionary role called “City Pastor”. It’s been a wild ride so far, and God has opened some incredible doors! I lead worship now for homeless people at the park, inter-denominational church gatherings, and pastors’ prayer lunches, but beyond the music, I’ve felt an intense burden to reach out to the public schools and the 1,000s of students in our city without direction, proper care, or hope-giving goals. To address this need, I’ve partnered with area churches, principles and administrators, and spearheaded an At-Risk Teen Mentoring Program. We recruited and trained 50 mentors, wrote a 14-week curriculum, and launched 15 mentoring groups on two campuses, reaching over 100 of our most vulnerable, under-resourced teens. More schools and individuals are jumping on board every week now, and I can’t wait to see how this will grow! One student wrote recently; ”Thanks so much for putting me in the Mentoring Group. It is the best thing that has ever happened to me!” Along with our school outreach, my wife and I have felt a call to the Hispanic communities in our city. We’ve been building relationships with these families for years now and through our church’s support, we’ve been able to provide groceries in tough times for our neighbors, or cover a rent payment or a medical bill, but most importantly we’ve had the chance to sit down, hang out, sing karaoke, develop bonding relationships, and have our hearts stretched for others. As I’m struggling to learn Spanish, many of our neighbors are still struggling with English, and the idea came up in our group to host a night called “Share Your English”. We thought rather than have it be classroom oriented, we’d have it at our house with food, conversation, and games for kids – trying a bit to return the extravagant hospitality we’ve received. It was a hit! With the partnership of three other churches now, Share Your English happens once a week at various homes and locations. Here’s a recent quote from an attendee; “(My host) welcomes my children and I into her home as if we were her family. My kids feel so happy there and are proud to be participating with the other children. If I miss class, I feel like something is missing from my week. All that has happened on Baker St. has given me new life.” As you can imagine, maintaining these programs, recruiting volunteers, and providing visionary leadership is a full-time job. Now that I am not traveling as much, receiving offerings and selling CDs, our main source of support has become our monthly partners. Our church, the City Foundation, MIKA, and several generous individuals have jumped...
read moreI just got back, it’s Friday night, and if you ask me, I think this was the most beautiful day of the year. It was 80 degrees…and it’s January! The beach air had a warmth and softness to it with just a faint, delicate breeze. I caught the day at its close; 4-6 pm, an amazingly clear sunset dipping below the crystal outline of Catalina. My life has always been close to the sea. I grew up five miles from the chilly coast of Humboldt County, lived in Santa Cruz and Costa Mesa, and the activities that have oriented me to these locales are permanently etched into my persona. I have become very used to the visual and sensory treasures of the beach and ocean. Almost every one of my solo retreats throughout my life have ended up at the beach somewhere, and almost every time I’ve sensed God speak to me in some way or another on these trips. In fact, I’d say pretty every “big word” I’ve ever received from the Lord has been at the beach. The ocean connects me to God because of its grandeur, wildness, and mystery. Around here, Corona Del Mar and Laguna are my favorite coastlines because of the rocky points and cliffs, and with only two hours and a hectic day, I opted this time for CDM’s “Cove” and the trailing beach walk to the southern point. As I mentioned earlier, the weather was gorgeous and every site was stunning. I walked down the long steps with the fading sun in view and was instantly enveloped by the majestic trees and rocky boulders. The smell is the thing that actually hit me first; flowers, plants, and salt air – fragrances that remind me of childhood and carefree days, which never cease to transport my heart to a peaceful, hopeful place. As I hit the soft shore break and headed south, the sun began to dip in the sky, its golden hues diffusing and spreading across the landscape behind me. The little waves lapped the sand quietly, and I felt the cold dampness under my bare feet. Usually, I’m transfixed by the waves and the way they break on the shore, creating patterns in the sand and leaving behind sparkling trinkets from the sea, but not tonight; tonight my gaze was to the horizon and the darkening deep water against the fading light of day. By the time I reached the jutting, jagged cliffs of the southern point, there was only a few moments of sun left above the waves. I sat on a rough rock and took in the sites. It was like a postcard. Faraway birds swirled in the painted sunset, gentle crashing waves set a slow rhythm, and I began really thinking about God’s faithfulness and all of the hope found there. Something about the beach sets me up to dream, gives me strength to trust again, and settles my soul even in the most uncertain of times. You’d think it might get old, but no – it never does! I really felt refreshed by my time on the rock, and as the sun finally disappeared, I got up and started the trek back. Even with the retired sun, the air was still warm and streaks of yellow and...
read moreMy wife and I live across the street from another country. At least it’s seemed like that to us. Several times through the years, we’ve looked out from our yard, across Baker St., to the densely populated Latino apartment complexes full of life, color, music, laughter, and wonderful cooking, and wondered what it would take to make friends with these neighbors. I wished I could build the “Bridge Over Baker” – it seemed like a mile away. Our kids all went to the same school, but we’d only had brief conversations. Finally, one day, while dropping off our daughter for a birthday party, we were invited to stay for a bit…and we did…all day! We were overwhelmed by the generosity of our hosts, by the lively discussions, the soccer game on TV, and of course, the amazing food. Our friendships deepened, and God has brought us together now with many of the families on Baker St. in miraculous ways. Less than a year later, and I was the one climbing onto a garage roof and holding one end of a piñata string! Through Rockharbor’s partnership and First Fruits, we’ve been able to provide groceries in tough times for our neighbors, or cover a rent payment or a medical bill, but most importantly we’ve had the chance to sit down, hang out, sing karaoke, develop bonding relationships, and have our hearts stretched for others. As I’m struggling to learn Spanish, many of our neighbors are still struggling with English, and the idea came up in our Lifegroup to host a night called “Share Your English”. We thought rather than have it be classroom oriented, we’d have it at our house with food, conversation, and games for kids – trying a bit to return the extravagant hospitality we’ve recieved. It was a hit! With the partnership of three other churches now, Share Your English happens once a week at various homes and locations. MIKA Community Development interviewed one of our students recently, and here’s an excerpt: “Beyond the language learning, Elvia went on to share about the hospitality of her Share Your English host. ‘She welcomes my children and I into her home as if we were her family. My kids feel so happy there and are proud to be participating with the other children. If I miss class, I feel like something is missing from my week.’ When we first met, Elvia shared with me that she and her family did not know anyone in their neighborhood. ‘We saw them, but we didn’t know them. We did not have anyone to help us.’ Now as Elvia was winding down she told me, ‘All that has happened on Baker St. has given me new life. I feel good and important being a leader. I feel proud of my community.'” Watching God bring this vision to reality has been so powerful in our lives. Watching His Kingdom crash into our little corner of the world has truly been a life changer. I can’t read Elvia’s words without getting choked up. I’m so thankful to God for inviting us into this...
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