He Is...

A couple months ago, my dear friend, Amena Brown, came to Newsong and did this spoken word piece for our Sunday services. She is a passionate preacher and a worship leader through spoken word. That day [9+ months into our wait for a referral] I needed to hear that God is so much more than I can wrap my mind around, fill my heart with, or contain in words.

Enjoy! He is...



Amena travels the country doing spoken word. She'd be an amazing woman to have come to your church, event, or gathering. She's the real deal and an artist of true, gigantic proportions!

Learning from the Next Generation

For my day job, I'm the next generation pastor at Newsong Church. But it's my day job because to the core of my being in believe in the next generation. I spend the better parts of my days dreaming, praying, developing, planning, and cheering for those under 22 years old AND inspiring those over 22 years old to do the same. I can't think of anything more valuable and Kingdom shaping than investing in the next generation.

My friend and our college pastor, Abe Park, just shared this 8 minute TED talk with me. It's by 12 year old Adora Svitak about "what adults can learn from kids". She's wickedly smart, stupendously witty, and painfully wise about what kids have to offer the world. Enjoy!

Struggle Well! Wait in Hope!

A blog friend emailed this to me today and I thought it was so beautiful and spiritually mature. While sometimes well-intentioned Christians want to cover up the pain with spiritual language and slap Bible verses on pain, this is such a deeper spiritually formative way to handle pain and struggle...

"God says, never ignore your struggle with how I do things. Ask every question that rises in your heart as you live in this world. But prepare yourself to struggle even more with My response. You must stumble in confusion before you dance with joy.

Know this: those who live by faith will struggle in ways that those who live to make their lives work will never know. It is that struggle, to believe despite desperate pain and confusion that a good plan is unfolding, that will open your eyes to see Me more clearly. Is that what you want? Will you pay the price?

The price is this: you will tremble in agony as you live in a sinful, self-prioritizing world. You will learn to wait in emptiness and frustrated desire for My plan of love to reveal itself. With confidence in Me and hope in My plan, you will not only feel the pain of living in the valley but also see My glory from the mountaintop of faith.

Only those who struggle in confusion and wait in hope will be strengthened to struggle well and to wait with confidence.

Struggle well! Wait in hope!"

[from 66 Love Letters: A Conversation with God that Invites You into His Story by Dr. Larry Crabb, copyright 2009]