Welcome Back Bruins

This week kicks off the Fall Quarter at the University of California-Los Angeles.

All 40,00 students are back on campus, enjoying Diddy Riese (local & one-of-a-kind ice-cream shop) catching movies at the Bruin theater (local cineplex) and generally doing everything possible to avoid the homework that is undoubtedly piling on already.

My co-leader Dustin James (I want to have two first names!) and I helped people move in this past week. It's amazing how some people can be so surprised that someone would want to help them move in! It's also somewhat humorous that some people would rather drag two heavy boxes the length of the apartment complex (in a skirt) than accept help from two handsome young gentlemen...but I digress...

This past week, Dustin, Jeremiah (our other co-leader) and I spent time on campus praying for the students, the staff, other christian groups, the neighborhood of Westwood, and of course, Karios-UCLA. It was a beautiful time spent with God and each other. If we believe God is blessing this new work in Westwood, we must always begin with prayer.

This past Wednesday evening we had our first informal get together for Kairos-UCLA. Simple and sweet best describe it. We had dinner and hung out at Dustin & Jeremiah's apartment on campus. The girl we helped move in even hung out! These kinds of informal hang out times are the first piece of the puzzle for cultivating a community of faith at UCLA.

In an effort to find more pieces for the puzzle, Dustin, Jeremiah, JR (leader of all the Kairos') and I got together earlier today (Sunday) to discuss vision, plans, and surfing. It was a wonderful time of brainstorming and fellowship. I'll let you know more about some of the things we believe God is leading Kairos:UCLA towards in my next post.

Until then, I hope this post finds you well and remembering God's grace in your life.

Peace.

Some Recent & Intersecting Thoughts

I took a walk in Los Angeles a couple days ago. That's a lot like saying I took a walk in North America a couple days ago, it doesn't tell you much about location. Location is something I've been thinking about a lot lately...

The location I happened upon during that walk was a thoroughly-traveled bit of road that, on this particular morning, was closed off to cars and had been re-created as the finishing area for a 5k race.

When I happened upon it, the race was long-since over and various crews were tearing down tents and the like. They were converting the space, pruning back the tented weeds to reveal the area's true purpose, to facilitate travel for Angelinos. I've been thinking a lot about pruning lately as well...

So much in my life over the past few months has centered around ideas of location (changing locations, importance of home, ministry location, etc...) and pruning (relationships, God's growth, identity as a pastor, etc...)

1st Corinthians 10:13 says, "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."

This verse is often quoted in high school purity small groups consisting of hormonal boys. Without a doubt, an application of this verse is sexual purity, but it is so much more expansive than that. God is is telling us that we will not be tempted beyond what we can bear in anything..."no temptation." We will never find ourselves in situations where there is no hope to cling to, or where the tempation to give up on God and his purposes for our lives will ever be validated. We will never find ourselves in situations where there are no ways out. We will not find ourselves anywhere (location) where God is not there to strengthen and uphold us.

This is an idea, or understanding, that has seen some accelerated progression in my life recently. I think that it found a boost when it began intersecting with ideas of pruning. God has been taking dynamite to some old ideas for me lately, he has been cutting away things to reveal more and more who he wants me to be. I haven't experienced revelation and discernment like this since my time as a hosptial chaplain last fall. :)

The intersection where pruning and location met has been my move here to Los Angeles, and everything that has been a part of that move over the last several months. More on that in a later post though, I need some more distance from the transition to speak clearly...

You know, I have never really enjoyed being outside. I'm much more of an indoor guy.

That seems to be changing now that I find myself in Southern California.

Now that I find myself in a garden...being pruned.

A lot to Cover

Howdy,

Well, it's been some time since I last posted. Please forgive me everybody, it has been a wild last couple months preparing for the move out to Los Angeles.

Well...I'm here! I made it! I've been here in the Southland for a few weeks and life has been crazy. I got my new California license the other day, that really drove home for me the fact that I am out here doing ministry in California.

What is that ministry you might ask? Well, I have decided to partner with a group of churches out here called Kairos. Click on the link to the left to check out what they do. Basically, Kairos is a collection of three churches in the LA area (Hollywood, Downtown, & Santa Monica) that seek to be neighborhood churches affecting their immediate local community; however that looks.

I have partnered with Kairos to help launch their fourth local community in Westwood, Los Angeles; the neighborhood where UCLA is located. We are going to be working closely with UCLA and its students, as well as the great community of Westwood. If you would like some more info about my new home, check it out here.

I have a few prayer requests for anyone reading this.

• Strength during this transitional time.
• Finding a part-time job & a place to live in Westwood.
• Finding Ministry partners to equip me financially for ministry out here.

Stay tuned for a much more consistant updating of my journey...

Check out some pictures of my time out here so far.

A picure of me at the legendary UCLA Basketball Arena.

Some ministry partners and I having dinner in Santa Monica, looking suave.

Surprised by the beauty of the beach...and the camera. :)