roasting coffee beans at home

In my life with coffee, there have been several significant hinge moments. The first was being given my very own Mister Coffee maker when I went away to college (thanks to my brother, Rod). I could brew my own coffee in the convenience of my dorm room. Thankfully the water from the sink wasn't toxic. The second hinge moment came when I discovered a coffee grinder and began grinding my own beans - first with the aforementioned Mister Coffee and then with a Krupps machine. The next hinge moment in my coffee story was the birth of the coffee shop and espresso drinks.

Thanks to a friend of mine (Tina), the most recent improvement in my quest for the perfect cup of coffee has been the use of a french press. She came to a Bible study at our house for LifePoint and nearly fainted when she saw me using a regular coffee maker. The next week she brought over her french press and I've not used a coffee maker at home since.

So ... today I'm reading our local paper and there is a story about local coffee roasters. I've been to one -- Caffe Calabria. But what caught my eye was the mentioning of a man who has developed a home roasting machine. It's the Behmor 1600 and it was invented by a local San Diego guy. You can roast up to a pound of coffee at one time.

Now all I need is $300 and a way to find green coffee beans ...

held hostage, the graphic

held hostage

I was a youngster in elementary school when several Americans were taken hostage in Iran. It was the late 1970’s and I didn’t pay much attention to the news. I was drinking coffee, but watching the news was not high on my list of things to do.

But I do remember when the hostages arrived back on American soil after being freed by their captors. I remember watching them and wondering what it must have been like to have been help captive for so long -- and then to be set free.

There are hostages all around us. In fact, you may be a hostage and not know it. Or maybe you do ... but don’t know what to do about it.

The type of captivity I’m talking about is spiritual captivity. Although there are no visible chains around our ankles, the captivity is just as real. That’s why we’ll be starting a new teaching series on March 1 entitled “Held Hostage: How to be set free by the power of Jesus.”

We’ll walk through together what the Bible says about five common battles that have the ability to hold us hostage:

• bitterness
• worry
• addictions
• anger
• lies

The message of Jesus is one of hope and redemption. The power of the Holy Spirit is available to help us overcome the chains that seek to bind us. The Word of God not only offers encouragement but guidelines as well. The bottom line: there is hope.

If you or someone you know struggles with one or more of the above topics, then make sure you’re at LifePoint over the next five weeks.

divine appointments

I've been thinking a lot lately about how to jump start things at LifePoint and have been brainstorming ideas. As I was in the midst of typing out an email to someone about LifePoint, I received a phone call on my cell phone from a young lady who works with Acquire the Fire, a ministry geared towards teens. My first thought -- Uggg, a telemarketing call.

Instead, she simply asked if there was anything they could be praying for in regards to our church. I shared two things and she asked if it would be alright if she prayed right then! Who can turn that down?

I hung up the phone and nearly cried. God's timing is always perfect.

stand up and take your chance

As a general rule of thumb, I’m not a big fan of musicals. There is just too much singing. Of course, that’s why they are musicals. There are a few exceptions to my rule of thumb and among them is “Les Miserables.”

It’s the story of a man seeking to redeem himself for his past sins. Jean Valjean, a former convict, is given a second chance on life by the forgiveness of a priest. Later in the story, Valjean finds himself keeping a promise to dying lady to look after her daughter. This promise takes him to Paris, a city that is in the midst of the French Revolution. Cossette, the daugther, falls in love with one of the Revolutions’s student leaders.

Surrounded by the French Army, the student revolutionaries vow to fight on. The spirit is captured in the song, “Do You Hear the People Sing?”

Do you hear the people sing?
Singing a song of angry men?
It is the music of a people
Who will not be slaves again!
When the beating of your heart
Echoes the beating of the drums
There is a life about to start
When tomorrow comes!

Suffering losses as cannons explode all around them, a single leader steps out and sings:

Will you give all you can give
So that our banner may advance
Some will fall and some will live
Will you stand up and take your chance?
The blood of the martyrs
Will water the meadows of France!

Will you stand up and take your chance? It’s a call to risk, to sacrifice. It’s also a call to experience life in a way that you can never experience by staying on the sidelines.

The path to spiritual maturity is simple: get involved. Get in the game. Start praying on a regular basis. Set aside time to read and meditate on God’s word. Begin inviting people to church.

You’ll experience a new level of spiritual growth.

working for the Man

We returned to San Diego to start LifePoint Christian Church in 2005. In 2007 I began working a second full-time job in order to allow the church time and space to grow without the burden of paying for a full-time pastor. Since then I have worked as the ecommerce manager for Blue Haven Pools and Spas Supplies Direct. I thought I would share a few random observations, for my three readers out there ...

1. Working two jobs is tough. Physically, emotionally, etc. I have a much greater appreciation for those who must work two jobs in order to make a living wage. I also have a greater awareness of the need to be in better physical shape.

2. Working full-time outside the church means less time devoted to church stuff. It's basic math. Working 45-50 hours at a day job means that much of my pastoring must be down at night and on weekends. This includes writing my messages on Saturday, something I never would have done otherwise. It also means that I feel unable to do all the things necessary to help the church grow.

3. Working full-time outside the church can be a blessing. Being an "undercover pastor" in the workforce has its benefits. I get to hear how people really feel about church without them dressing it up because they're talking to a pastor. I also have the opportunity to show how a Christ-follower handles stress, challenges, and opportunities.

4. Being bi-vocational requires a good team of volunteers. Church plants live and die with volunteers. Working outside the church means that I must be able to effectively recruit and inspire volunteers.

5. Working outside the church is a low-cost way to plant in high-cost areas. If a pastor is able to work in the marketplace, it dramatically reduces the amount of seed money needed to start a new church. This can allow for more churches to be started where working capital might be limited.

6. Working two jobs is not a long term solution. Ideally, I would like to be a full-time pastor again. For the church to move through different stages and into greater growth, full-time attention will be required.

7. Wherever I am working, I am working for God. Having been in the marketplace as well as the pastorate, I can see this principle at work in both places. I choose to make the most of every opportunity.

Well, I told you these would be random.

hulu dot com

OK, maybe I'm a bit slow but I finally visited hulu.com today after our drummer at church told me that's where he watched episodes of shows he missed at their regular schedule. Last Monday we flew back from Denver and I was a bit wiped out ... hence, I fell asleep before 24 came on. No worries -- I watched the entire show (and only about 2 minutes of commercials) this afternoon on my laptop. The sound and video were excellent. Next step? Buying an S video cable to run from the laptop to the HDTV. I may be hooked on hulu.

In the spirit of Guy Kawasaki ... I may become a hulu.com evangelist.

wild, random updates

It's been about a week or so since I've last posted anything so I thought I would fire wild and random updates at all of you. Tonya and I went to Denver for the weekend and I was the guest speaker at Mountainview Community Christian Church in Highlands Ranch. You can find a podcast of my sermon on their website (you'll even see a small mugshot of when I had glasses). I preached at all four of their weekend services -- once on Saturday and three times on Sunday morning. Each sermon was a bit different ... I'm never quite sure what's going to come out until it comes out.

Mountainview is a church plant that began in the 1990's and has grown to well over 1,000 people. The founding pastor, Jim Phillips, is still there and the church continues to move forward in reaching people for Jesus.

While in town, we ventured up to downtown Denver and took a few pictures of Coor's field (the home of the Colorado Rockies). Since it was closed, all we could do was take pictures of the outside of the building. Downtown Denver has a lot of public art on display. It's a pretty downtown.

On Sunday night I was able to meet up with an old high school buddy that I hadn't seen since graduation (1987). He's bald now but by choice. We had a good time remembering old times and talking about our lives since high school. We played on the high school basketball team together and our dads would sit next to each other and talk. It was good to be together.

Tonya's parents came out to watch the girls while we were gone. Hannah spent Friday night at the junior high CIY (Christ in Youth) conference in Anaheim. That meant Hope got Nana and Grandpa all to herself, which she thoroughly enjoyed.

I'm going to post a few pictures below that I snapped with my phone. I might post a picture or two of Coors field if I gather the emotional courage to do so.

trolley adventures continue

This morning I arrive at the trolley station, trot up the stairs, and start to wait for the trolley to arrive. Feeling a bit cold (OK, by San Diego standards it was cold), I decided to run back to the car to get my coat. As I'm returning to the station I see my trolley roll off into the distance. At least I was warm while waiting for the next trolley.

So ... when it's time to leave work, I get down to the street (from my 3rd floor office) and remember I had left my coat up in the office. Jogging back up the steps, I grab my coat, and hit the street again. I'm zipping up my coat as I see my trolley rolling off into the distance. In my mind I'm saying, "unbelievable." I guess I could have said it out loud and no one would have thought anything about it since it is downtown.

So ... I wait for the next trolley to arrive, which takes about 30 minutes. When it does arrive, it is a two-car trolley as opposed to the normal four or six car trolley. It's barely started on its route and it's already crowded like a cattle car. And it only gets worse with each successive stop.

Directly in front of me is a lady talking out loud, to no one in particular. My first thought is that she was talking on a bluetooth. Then I notice she doesn't have a bluetooth. Then I try not to make eye contact because the stuff she's talking about is really strange.

But at least I had my coat. And I was warm.

a bit melancholy

Back when my father died, we divided up dad's belongings among myself and my four brothers. This included dad's coin and silver collection. Since 2000, my share of the coins and silver has traveled with us from San Francisco to Atlanta to San Diego. Every now and then I would take it out, look up information on the Internet (because everything you find on the Internet is true), and update a spreadsheet I had started years ago.

Yesterday as I was reading the newspaper, I noticed a three page ad for a traveling coin and jewelry show. I had been considering selling part of the collection -- having just looked up local coin dealers last weekend. So I packed up my collection in an old camcorder bag and went to the show. The buyer quoted prices for the different pieces and then asked me what I wanted to sell.

I hadn't told him where the coins had come from. I sat there for a few moments and then decided to sell less than half of what I had brought. Even then, I was extremely torn. As I left the show, I felt bad for selling what I had saved for so long and had hoped to pass down to my own daughters. I know dad's intentions were to benefit his children and he saved what he had in order to bless his family. Even still, it was a time of mixed emotions. I think I drove home on auto-pilot because my mind was elsewhere.

I was thinking about my dad and my children. I was thinking about the relatively small worth of the coins and silver compared to the immeasurable worth of the memories they carried. I allowed myself a few moments of sentimentality -- or maybe I'm just getting old and weepy. Either way, or a little of both, I'm thankful for memories and traditions and legacies. And a bit sad, too.

man versus food

How do you get a job traveling the country and eating food? That's what I'm wondering as I'm sitting here watching Adam on "Man v. Food" on the Travel Channel. This has become one of our family's favorite shows.

blessings and challenges

Starting a new church carries with it a great number of challenges, some more mundane than others (think bureaucratic paperwork). Church planters start new churches because they actually enjoy change and the challenges that come with it. That’s why so many of us new church pastors are a bit odd.

Just as starting a new church brings many challenges, it also brings many blessings. We get to see a people discover God and grow in their relationship with Jesus. There is the slight but significant change in language, when newcomers shift from talking about “your” church to “our” church.

The greatest blessings always involve people. The lifeblood of any church is her people. Here at LifePoint, we were privileged to start the church with a handful of people we already knew. When stepping out into uncertainty, it’s good to have a few familiar faces to accompany you.

We also have had the opportunity to meet many new people along the way. This has been one of my greatest joys as a pastor: watching God bring people into our church community and then making them a special part of our lives.

Justin and Claudia Gramm are two of those special people that God graciously led into our church. Justin came to us at a time when we were struggling to have good music during worship. From a humble beginning with just one person in the band (himself), Justin helped put together a fantastic team of musicians and vocalists. In a world of uncertainty, I could always be certain of one thing: our music would be done well.

As many of you may know, Sunday, January 25, will be Justin’s last day leading worship at LifePoint as he and Claudia begin to seek God’s next place of service. There has been no falling out or conflict. Life simply has seasons. God brought Justin and Claudia to LifePoint at just the right time and we believe God’s sense of timing is still intact.

Beyond the music, Justin and Claudia have added a friendliness and joy to our church that will be missed. While we will miss them at LifePoint, we can celebrate that they are still a part of God’s kingdom and God’s kingdom will continue to benefit from their many gifts. It’s an irony of the Christian faith that we can mourn and celebrate at the same time.

I thank God for the season we had together.

vote for this dorrito's commercial

My buddy Bobby from Opportunity Camp is in one of the last four commercials competing for the Dorrito's spot during the Super Bowl. Go to www.crashthesuperbowl.com and VOTE for "too delicious." He is the one who winks.

turbo tax commercial

Very rarely does a commercial cause me to laugh out loud but when it does ... I find it on YouTube. Turbo Tax has been running commercials featuring green men from U.S. currency. Here is the one that made me laugh.



"Your deduction needs a diaper change."

podcast updated

I just uploaded the first three messages in our new series at church entitled "Chasing Your Lions," based on 2 Samuel 23:20-23. You can find them here.

more thoughts about the kidney

As a pastor and a Christ-follower, I’m generally not a fan of pre-nuptial agreements. To enter a marriage with a pre-arranged exit strategy seems to undermine the whole “till death do us part” business. In my mind, a pre-nuptial agreement seems to presume failure -- that the marriage won’t last.

Having said that, if you do decide to craft a pre-nuptial agreement, you might consider putting in a few clauses concerning organ donation. Not in the end-of-life-become-a-donor sense. More like: what if your husband or wife needs a kidney and you decide to donate one? Should you get it back if the marriage ends in divorce?

One husband thinks so. Richard Batista, a Long Island doctor, donated a kidney to his now estranged wife back in 2001. After a long divorce battle, he has decided to ask for his kidney back.

I’ve heard of couples arguing over jewelry, paintings, houses, even pets -- but never have I heard a couple argue over a kidney. One of the best lines I’ve read in news reports comes from Lisa Bloom, a legal analyst for CBS News:

“She ripped out his heart, but he doesn’t get to rip out her kidney.”

Pardon me for being insenstive, but that line would make a great country song. You might have to shorten it a bit, to something like: “You tore out my heart, now gimme my kidney back.”

Left to themselves, grievances will only fester into something worse than the original offense. That’s why Jesus tells us to be proactive in settling matters with those who have offended us:

“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:23-24).

Holding grudges and exacting revenge may provide a temporary sense of relief but in the end only do greater damage to ourselves and others.

Put another way, if you give someone a kidney, let them keep it.

kidney follow-up

Writing that last post about the custody battle for the kidney reminded me of something I overheard on the trolley a few weeks ago. Riding home from work I hear this lady say right out of the blue: "Would you hold my liver?" I didn't look because I didn't want to know. Remember, it's the trolley.

kidney: common property

Has anyone else heard about the couple that's getting divorced and the husband wants some of his property back from his soon-to-be ex-wife. He wants his kidney back. It seems that prior to falling out of love he donated a kidney to his wife. Now he wants it back. Can you do that? Here's a blog post from the New York Times.

upcoming message

I've been asked to speak on the topic of "leading through discouragement" in a few weeks. A few thoughts are mulling around in my head ... leaders need to press in to God and press on when things get discouraging. Anyone have any thoughts?

softball draft

Went last night to the softball draft for the 8 and unders for Navajo softball. It was pretty laid back -- no wheeling and dealing. As far as I could tell, no cash was passed under the table and swearing was kept to a minimum. A certain redhead was drafted pretty high, too.