a look back at lifepoint 2007

It’s hard to believe we’re winding down another year. Though I know that minutes still have sixty seconds and a day is comprised of twenty-four hours, it sure seems like time is moving faster the older I get. Or maybe life is moving at the same pace it always has but my reflexes are just a bit slower.

The story of the past twelve months has been an interesting one. As the story unfolded, the evidence of God’s presence was on every page.

LifePoint celebrated her second anniversary, a feat not shared by every new church start-up. In church planting terminology, we were a “parachute drop.” That means we started without the benefit of mother church -- in fact, we started with a handful of people who simply wanted to follow a dream of starting a new church.

Much like a child learns to crawl, then walk, and eventually run, we have gone through our own growth spurts as a child. Numbers only tell part of the story; you can’t quantify things like renewed hope, forgiveness, and friendship. Numbers are important to the extent that they reflect individuals who are encountering God and giving their lives to Jesus.

Are we everything as a church that I had hoped we would be? Yes and no. We are far from perfect; if you’re looking for the perfect church, you’ve stumbled in to the wrong place. But when you serve an infinite God who can do the impossible, the opportunities for future growth remain as limitless as God.

I believe as much today as I did back in 2005 that San Diego needs more churches like LifePoint. I also believe that San Diego needs a healthy, growing LifePoint. We cannot become complacent -- or God forbid, defeated -- when so many of our friends and neighbors do not have life-changing relationship with Jesus.

As your pastor, I pledge to you that I will seek God’s direction, listen to his voice, and try to model his values within our church. Will you join me in this adventure?

healthy start 08

We've made a few changes at Blue Haven and one of them is our new "Healthy Start 08" section. As you might guess, it includes helpful information about getting in shape. We thought it might be timely now that the new year is rolling around ... and so are most of us! Rolling around, that is.

One of the more interesting features we added to the Healthy Start section is a body mass index calculator. It uses information published by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition to help determine your optimal weight based upon your height. Note: it does operate on the honor system :-)

rock on, with bagpipes

As some of you know, I dabble in the t-shirt business. I thought I would share with you my best-selling design. It says "Rock On" and features a bagpipe player. I'm pleasantly surprised to find out that there are a fair number of bagpipe lovers out there. Click here to see all of my Rock On bagpipe shirts.

Save 20% on Holiday Stuff

Note: you are about to read a shameless plug.

Over at my day job -- Blue Haven Pools & Spas Supplies Direct -- we have created a holiday clearance section where every item is 20% off. These are items that we have stock and are ready to ship. If you're looking to buy your favorite blogger a gift, you might consider The Tingler ... it looks painful but I'm sure it feels fantastic!

les miserables on the street of san diego

As I'm returning from lunch at Quiznos (I highly recommended the Prime Rib and Peppercorn sandwich on Rosemary Parmesan bread) I pass this homeless fellow carrying his bags, etc., and his portable radio. In my younger, more hip days we called them boomboxes.

What is this fellow listening to? A song from Les Miserables -- "On My Own," the solo by Eponine.

Click here to read more about "On My Own" on Wikipedia.