A Time to Give Thanks

This is the time of year to be thankful for how God has blessed us. It's a time of reflection where we take pause to think about what has happened in the past, and to dream about where we might be going in the future. I have a lot to be thankful for as a follower of Jesus, as a husband, as a father, and as a pastor.

I am thankful for the incredible community of Christians who belong to the church at North Way East End. We are currently the smallest North Way campus in terms of attendance, but our campus is filled with passionate followers of Jesus who are longing to live their lives as a part of God's redemptive mission. We are growing in our relationship with God, and we are growing in relationships with one another.

I am thankful for the streets of East Liberty and Homewood that God has called me to. I love urban ministry, and I am blessed to be able to serve as a pastor in such a diverse part of my city. I am blessed to lead a church that values relationships across ethnic and socioeconomic boundaries in our society. I have seen God do amazing things in Pittsburgh, and I am expecting even greater things to come. God is growing us. We are reaching our city.

I am thankful for celebrating fifteen years of marriage with Julie. I am blessed to be able to be a father to Kyra and Sierra. I am thankful for my neighbors on my street in Homewood. I am thankful for my friends and extended family members who bring so much joy to my life. God has me on quite an adventure, and I have amazing people to journey through this life with.

I have many hopes and dreams for this coming season of life. That's what dreamers do... we dream. I can't wait to see what God does in this coming year, both personally and in the church that God has called me to lead. I wake up each day with great expectations for what God is going to do. I am thankful to be able to have hope like that. 

City Transformation

An incredible group of people have been going through Encountering God in the City over the past four weeks at North Way East End. So far we've learned about a theology of the city, we've discussed the differences between compassion, justice, and advocacy, we've sought to understand the various forms of urban missions, and we've developed strategies for leading incarnationally as Jesus did in complex environments.

The discussions have been fun and challenging. God is calling so many people from North Way to be involved in transformational outreach and authentic, relational ministry in our city, region, and around the world. God is shaping our community to be active participants in God's redemptive mission to reach cities. My prayer is that God will continue to empower and equip us for radical living and taking risks for the kingdom of God.

Our final session of Encountering God in the City will be this coming Wednesday, November 20th at 6:30pm. We'll be discussing city transformation. That involves developing an understanding of God's shalom and what meaningful ministry actually looks like in cities. Transformation is a process that takes time and effort, but when it happens it is so worth it. I'll be telling some stories from Homewood and East Liberty, and we'll also learn from stories about people who are serving in cities around the world. Anyone is welcome to attend.

Raising Children to be Involved in Orphan Care

Every year I look forward to the opportunity to lead a breakout session at the North Way Orphan Care Expo. The big event is coming up this Saturday, November 9th. I usually teach on a different topic each year, and this year I'll be talking about raising children to be involved in orphan care.

We live in a culture that encourages us to provide the best things for our children, and to go to great lengths in order to be able to distance them from the brokenness that exists in this world. We seek the best schools, neighborhoods, and other opportunities for our kids. If we distance our children too much from the difficult realities of this world, though, including the national and international orphan crisis that exists, then how will our children grow up to be passionate about impacting the difficult people and places of this world with the profound, transformational love of Jesus Christ?

Just like any other part of life, our children need to be equipped by their parents in order to be prepared for adulthood. In this breakout session we'll be exploring how to empower and equip our children now, at a young age, to make a difference with their lives with regard to caring for orphans. We'll discuss how to catch our children up in God's adventure to redeem the world. We'll see what the Bible has to say about raising children to be spiritual champions, and we'll explore practical examples of how families can care for orphans together.

If you're reading this blog post, I hope you'll plan to attend the Orphan Care Expo and participate in the breakout session. Even if you don't come to my breakout session, the entire event is going to be amazing. God is doing an incredible work through this annual event, and I'm excited to see what comes out of this year's event. I hope to see you on Saturday!