Jesus > Religion.

Yeah…this pretty much sums it up.

Baptisms at Mars Hill Bellevue

If you’re a pastor Christian, and baptisms don’t move you in a profound way every time you see them, something is disconnected.

For the last 9 Sundays at Mars Hill Bellevue we’ve had at least 1 person get baptized, some of which I’ve had the privilege of being in the tub for.  Absolutely beautiful stuff.  Too beautiful not to share.

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Twenty Reflections On My Twenties

As I start this post, I have 20 minutes of my twenties remaining.

I’ve spent the last hour or so thinking about what I wanted to be doing when I turned 30.

I considered running down to Lake Washington and jumping in.  That would certainly be memorable, as the current temperature is 39 degrees.

I thought about getting one last work out in, but a combination of thoughts (“That seems really vain” and “That’s probably not going to make a difference”) led me to veto the notion.

So here I am with a simple goal:  I have 20 minutes to list 20 memorable things from my twenties.  If all goes according to plan, when I click “publish” the clock with say “12:00″ exactly.

Ready….Go.

1. I fell in love with the Bible.
2. I went deep sea fishing with my dad and my brother.
3. I backpacked across Scotland with my bride.
4. I hurt a lot of people, sought forgiveness from a lot of people, and received forgiveness from a lot of people…even myself.
5. I played with Jamal Crawford and Nate Robinson in a Seattle Summer Pro-League game. (There’s video proof out there somewhere.)
6. I tricked Emilie Vallerand into becoming Emilie McCormack.  (Biggest win of my life.)
7. I heard doctors tell my pregnant wife she’d never meet her child…twice.   Then welcomed a beautiful, healthy boy into the world…twice.
8. I watched God take a small bible study of 12 students, and turn it into a family of over 300.
9. I experienced the joy of realizing you really believe the things you say you believe…in the midst of suffering.
10. I watched a high school senior girl believe the Gospel enough to confess her sins to several hundred of her peers at once, and witnessed the revival that resulted.
11. I listened to “Jesus Died in Our Place” by Mark Driscoll, “Jesus + Nothing = Everything” by Tullian Tchividjian, and “Are There Two Wills in God” by Matt Chandler at least 20 times each.
12. I stood next to my brother, and my brother-in-law on their respective wedding days.  Honored.
13. I attended the midnight premiere of High School Musical 3.
14. I embarrassed myself in front of good friends by losing my composure while meeting one of my childhood heroes, Warren Moon.
15. I realized that it’s not just a phase; 14 years later, I still can’t get over this Jesus who saved me.
16. I concluded that my father is the best man I’ve ever known or will ever know, and no one displays the reckless, faithful love of Jesus better than my mother.
17. I started to realize just how broken I am, and just how loved I am in the midst of that brokenness.
18. I started writing nearly a dozen books…and finished none of them.
19. I learned that if you are rich in relationships, you are rich indeed.
20. I realized that my Jesus will always be bigger than I think he is, and that is very, very good news.

The clock now says “12:18.” (Nearly doubled my 20 minute limit.)

My 30′s have officially begun.

And already the trend continues; I deserve nothing, yet he insists on giving me much.

Grace on top of grace, on top of grace.

That’s what it’s all about.

That’s what it will always be about.