I can’t tell you how much I miss you guys! Thanks for caring so deeply for my family. Your love is life giving. I've been gone too long.

And thanks to David, Dylan, and Nate who shot me texts here and there. They arrived just in time…like while I was in a van, staring at giant confederate flags, exhausted from night of low ticket sales and an unhappy promoter. You guys made me smile. 

I’m grateful that my travels allow me to see the body of Christ in macro. I’ve met awesome believers doing incredible things for the kingdom. We’ve had wonderful devotions and fellowship in the tour van and often stream Pastor Eric's messages. It’s awesome.

My tour.

I’ve just returned home from my first headliner tour, promoting my latest album Crimson Cord. I hadn’t done this before and it was risky. The idea came from time with Bob Goff (he’s incredible). Last year he challenged Alma and I to hunt down complacency in all areas of our lives. Our walk with Christ, our relationships, and our careers. He told us everyone needs a mountain to conquer. A mountain that will force you to lean deeper into the Lord and His faithfulness. He said “Find a mountain. If you can’t find one, make one.”

My mountain.

I knew right away that I needed to book my own tour, but I was scared. When you’re the headliner and you don’t sell tickets, you don’t make money. And if you don’t make money because no one is buying, you don’t have fans. And then I’d have to question what have I been doing with the last 2 years of my life. The Crimson Cord Tour would be my mountain.

So I arranged a 7 city tour and now I’m back. It’s almost finished. LA and Phoenix are all that’s left. Unfortunately, the turnout has been mediocre. Jacksonville and Orlando were packed out. Nashville was good. Dallas, Little Rock, and Houston not so good. It’s going to be hard just to break even financially.

My real mountain.

You know what I’ve learned? I place my value as a person in my platform. If no one comes to my shows, then I act as if I’ve failed as a man. This tour taught me that no amount of ticket sales would satisfy me. It’s all vanity, grasping at the wind. I’ve made an idol out of my ministry.

My mountain wasn’t booking a tour. My mountain was conquering my craving for man’s approval. I’ve been seeking outside validation from people who can’t please me enough. Who can’t ultimately settle once and for all my value as a man or an artist. People I’m called to love, not necessarily be loved by.

I’ve learned I have a Father who purchased me with His Son’s life. What further approval do I need?

Congrats Dan. We love watching God establish your new life with Emily here in the USA.

Last Sunday Chris shared the story of his life before and after he became a christian. And although his transformation over the years is dramatic, the pictures don't do it justice.

The Chris we know and love is still the punk rocker from OC, but his heart and soul is barely recognizable.

He is a new creation.

This is a powerful reminder of how unhelpful it is to size up your friends and family and try to guess who would be more receptive to the message of forgiveness through Jesus. You just can do it. Try and you may overlook guys like Chris.

As J.I. Packer has written, "You and I will never write off anyone as hopeless and beyond the reach of God if we believe in the sovereignty of his grace."

A friend of sinners.

Chris said that it was a friend who shared the gospel with him over the years. He was faithful to speak and God was powerful to save.

May God rid us of our prejudices and give us the courage to speak. May God fill our church with the unlikely ones.

Randy was only with us a short time and now must move on to Tucson, AZ for employment. We'll miss him and pray God blesses him as he goes. But before he leaves, Randy has a last word of thanks and encouragement.

I'm writing to express my gratitude and love for you, Sovereign Grace Church.

I moved from St. Louis to Orange for a new job in the summer of 2012.  I left behind all my friends and family, all the comforts of home, and started anew. It was very stressful and difficult time in my life.

When I went looking for a church, I found you by entering church into my phone. That was it. I had no other leads. But I knew right away that I had found a new spiritual home. 

The first Sunday I was greeted by Nate Adams and others who made me feel like I was important to them. What a feeling! And the sermon spoke to my heart and brought comfort and peace to my soul.

It didn't take long before I started to truly understand the heart of the church. You are a place of acceptance, deliverance, compassion, and guidance...driven by the love of Christ. I was challenged by your teachings and doctrine to better understand who I am in Christ.  And I am forever grateful for my spiritual growth while with you. I am leaving a different man than when I arrived.

Thank you for being here for me. I'll never forget you and cherish our friendships. I pray God sends you more people to welcome like you welcomed me.

Last Sunday we paused during our service to thank God for Chris. He and his family have been here since the very beginning and their ministry to us is irreplaceable. And it's right to thank God for them.

Affirming God's grace and character in someone not only refreshes the person, but honors God.

Chris has set a wonderful example of what it means to be a leader, in this case as our Worship Leader. Humble, joyful, faithful, never grumbling or complaining, always encouraging and inspiring faith. Today, as other men take over his remaining responsibilities on the music team, they inherit a church full of people who love to sing. Thanks Chris. We thank God for you.

Last Saturday the Relate 2014 Conference wrapped up on the outskirts of Phoenix AZ.

There were 4 different speakers and 5 sessions during the conference. CJ Mahaney and Bob Kauflin were 2 of those conference speakers. One of the more impacting messages was given by Rich Richardson on the Christian life as pilgrims. Keep an eye out for that message to be made available at their website.

We were 1 of 13 different churches represented at the conference, so there was a great variety of young adults there.

It was a good time to sing together and to sit under God's Word together! God met us there!

Here are some more pics from the conference:

Our annual Money Management Course begins February 3rd. Registration closes this Sunday.

I’m one of those people who asks for forgiveness more than permission. I let my intuition be my guide, pursue whatever I want and jump in without a parachute. And this translates into some pretty exciting adventures.

I like to bet the farm.

The problem is that my personality also tends to make me resistant to important things like consistency, discipline, steady income, and savings. I was raised to take risks and expect rewards. But when the rewards didn’t come in like I expected, we ended up in debt.

We were struggling to pay the rent and trapped in a terrible cycle. The debt didn’t honor God and our response to our situation only made it worse. Money problems were leading to marriage problems.

Drastic measures.

We moved in with family. I got a job (ok, this one isn't so drastic). We came up with a plan. And we joined the Money Management class.

Here’s why taking the class was better than trying to fix our money troubles alone.

• I learned everyone needs grace to change.
• I learned my friends have inspiring stories.
• I learned I could enjoy Jesus more when money doesn’t get in the way.
• I learned how to talk about money with my wife.
• I learned there is no magic pill.

Money Management was a huge blessing and is still bearing good fruit in my life. I highly recommend it!

Jason and Christine's new member testimony from last Sunday...

Our story begins back in college, where we met and dated and were married. That church was theologically solid and we had a network of Christ-centered relationships that sustained, encouraged, and challenged us spiritually.

We didn’t know how good we had it.

After our wedding, we moved to Long Beach and began searching for a new church. We wanted to find a church as soon as possible, and so set to work using the 9Marks church directory. We drew a ten-mile radius around our home and, in God’s providence, Sovereign Grace Church didn’t make the cut.

We made our list.

On our first try, we visited a church twenty minutes from our house. We loved the preaching and the people were kind toward us and so we decided to stay. Not knowing anyone, we figured that in time we'd experience the same kinds of community and relationships we had enjoyed in the past.

However, a year and a half later and it still wasn't happening. God was teaching us how dependent our spiritual well-being is on being part of a local church. We decided to start searching again and a friend recommended you.

God had a plan.

We initially assumed you were too far away, but by this point we were ready to try anything. As it turns out, our drive to Sovereign Grace is almost exactly the same as the drive to our previous church. Double the distance, equal in time. God had hidden you from us for a reason.

Our first Sunday began by welcoming new members. Scott and Rachel shared a testimony of how quickly they were integrated into meaningful relationships. When describing how purposeful everyone was in reaching out to them, Scott said “we probably just had big targets on our backs.” We were struck to the heart.

That same Sunday Lucas and Geneva invited us to dinner, Les had written down our contact info, Grace invited us to lunch, and Pastor Eric had answered some insanely specific and probably annoying questions.

And you didn’t stop.

Before we knew it, we were in a small group designed to build relationships and promote fellowship. We could share and pray with others. We could enjoy life together. We could focus on Christ and keep the emphasis on Him, not our minor theological perspectives and disagreements.

Thank you for welcoming us. We thank God for you.