Summer in So Cal

So you're interested in checking out Long Beach, CA? This place is awesome. Not just on the beach, but in the city with all the ethnic flavors of the most diverse city in the U.S. and right next to the OC (Orange County for you living out of touch with the TV world). You'll get eclectic coffee shops, tattoo covered bikers, hand holding alternative lifestyles, homeless needing love, college students wanting spiritual movements, poor looking for hope, projects, high rises, multi million dollar homes, luxury cars, broken down beaters, wax covered surfers, and tropicana coverd bodies, and some of the best views in So. Cal. You'll see it all.

Not only do we get to live in the Beach Plaza Hotel with our own pool but you get to do that with 40 others students and staff. This is a great community to grow in, learn about God, learn on how to trust Him every moment of your day and figure out how to walk with Jesus and minister to others all the time. We're going to free up your project schedule to allow you to connect with other project members, those you work with in LB, play with in So. Cal so that you can deal with the tension of "growing faith where life happens." You'll be equipped and trained to plant spiritual movements at work, on a near by high school or university, or just where ever God is calling you to spend time, pray, serve and love others and share the Gospel. God is moving and we just need to be ready to His Spirit's prompting and direction.

How does the Gospel apply to every aspect of our lives? Not just in Christian activities or events or in our daily quiet time. But also in how we relate to others, deal with our own laziness, sin and issues. How does the Gospel apply to how we relate to authority figures, the church and ministering to non-Christians? It isn't just about sharing it and running back to our Christian club. We're going to break the walls down and let the Gospel flow, change us, grow us, stretch us and impact those around us. The Gospel is where it is at in Long Beach.

We'll be networking and partnering with local traditional churches and church planters to insure our movement efforts are not just about us and about the summer. We want God to truly transform Long Beach and build the Kingdom of God here.

Check out last year's facebook group to get some insights, feedback and meet those who have gone before: 2006 Long Beach Project Facebook

You can also join this years 2007 Long Beach Project Facebook Group

Drop us a note or a comment on what else you need to know. Don't go alone, but bring a friend to go on the journey together.

Keep fighting the fight

Long Beachers,

It has been almost 2 months since you guys left beautiful California. I left you all over 2 months ago. Wow, has time flied by and has so much happened.

Last night after watching 2 episodes of Lost (season 1), I was lying in bed and tons of thoughts and memories came to my mind. There was so much I learned this summer about life, God, my walk with Him and ministry in general. I’m so grateful to go on that journey with you. I praise God what He taught me about trusting Him, hearing from Him, waiting on Him and how that plays out in ministry and planting movements. I also realize I have so much more to learn.

I find myself here in Mexico City with a huge magnanimous challenge before us to want to find significance in what I do and how I do it. Each day I want to hang my hat on something that I did for God, a web site, a conversation with a student, a phone call, sharing the gospel, etc. I so want to go back to a way of life where I can find acceptance in what I do for God, not in what I am in God’s eyes. I struggle with the same things we were learning this summer. Often I want to move ahead and say it was such a good summer and now back to normal. But I don’t want to live that way. I want to keep moving along, letting God change me, show me how to live after Him, show me how to live among the lost, listen and respond.

We are also challenged with being in a new area to start a spiritual movement in our neighborhood, not just on campus as part of “ministry”. We want to take the things that we learned this summer and not just call them good and done but to keep moving ahead in Prayer, finding pockets of people, being present and available with our friends and neighbors to see what God is doing and trust God to raise up a person of peace. I believe more than ever that ministry, walk with God, seeing Him move is all about “Growing Faith Where Life Happens.”

Thanks for being part of something that I believe will change the way CCC, the Church and missions will experience God and his Kingdom work. Don’t stop. Keep moving ahead in Faith. Keep encouraging each other to live for God and not for others. Keep fighting the good fight. Keep praying, listening to the Spirit, letting go of our cultural Christianity and grabbing hold of what God wants for you.

I pray our paths will cross again. I pray that some of you will join us again in LB next summer to share your experiences with others. I pray that some of you will take what you learned and head down to the biggest city in the world to plant spiritual movements. I pray that you all will lead the charge ahead on your campuses. Don’t quit, don’t settle, don’t get comfortable.

See many of you at DCC 07 in Denver.

Steve

Email to staff and students

Here is a recent email sent to our staff and students:


Good Morning from Long Beach. It is less than a week that we'll all be together here at the Beach Plaza Hotel. I'm sitting looking out over the morning haze over the ocean and praising God for His goodness, greatness and faithfulness.

The staff team arrived last night and we spent some time praying for you, Long Beach and just plainly asking God to have mercy on us. We all have come from different places and different situations in our walks with God and we all want to be like the Blind Beggar in Luke 18:

He called out, Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!?
Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, Son of David, have mercy on me!

We have nothing to bring to the project. We are all broken dealing with our issues. We are hurt by others. We are scared out of our minds. We don't know what to expect. We don't have all our support yet. I know how you feel. I have been there too. We could put on a facade and not let anyone know how we feel. We could fake our way through but in reality we should all be shouting, "Jesus, Have Mercy On Me!"

That's where we want to start and that is where we want to live this summer. Our common place will be broken at the foot of the cross. Not in strength. Not in charisma. Not in talents. But in humility seeking Christ. Pray this week that Jesus will have mercy on us.

In the next week we need you to email Ethan.rietema@uscm.org your travel plans and a quick status update on support and where you're at. Please do that immediately. With some of you we don't know how you're arriving or when. We're looking forward to seeing you and don't want to lose you in this big city.

Also, start reading the Gospel of Luke. We're going to be reading the whole 24 chapters each week and we ask of you to seek the Lord this week by asking Him to reveal truth to you in the Gospel. Please have the whole book read by Saturday.

Most importantly again, please be praying, "Jesus, Have mercy on us." God is good. He is answering prayers. He is responding, "What do you want me to do for you? Then the beggar said, "Lord, I want to see."
Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has healed you." Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God.

Praying with you,

Steve, Joanna and Ethan
Categories: LongBeach

Looking forward to meeting you

In case you were confused:

Hi guys, Steve and I have been praying for you as you prepare for the project. It's been fun to read your bios as you send them to the group email list.

Recently, a computer glitch happened at Crusade headquarters where emails were sent out to all of the project applicants letting them know they were accepted to projects, even if they weren't. Rest assured that if you have been contacted by either Steve or I and have received the "Welcome to Long Beach" packet by email, that you are accepted. We look forward to meeting you!

Hopefully you've started working on developing a team of ministry partners to support you financially and prayerfully this summer. Don't leave this to the last minute! Now is the time to start inviting people to support you this summer. If you have questions or concerns we're here to answer your questions.

Trusting God - by faith, not by sight

Hi friends!

I have loved seeing the Long Beach Summer Project develop from vision, to plan, to reality. What a thrill it's been reading many of the women's applications for the project. We now have a full roster of twenty awesome women and lot's of great guys. God is putting the pieces in place to influence the community of Long Beach and our own lives this summer.

I know many of you are as excited as I am to see what God will do. In the midst of the excitement, some of you are freaking out as well. It's been wild to hear many of you say, "I feel called to go to Long Beach, but I'm totally scared."

It's totally normal to feel anxiety when you approach a new situation. The Bible is filled with stories of people dealing with their fears as they followed God. It surprises me how many of their fears are similar to the fears I face today...

1) Maybe I don't have what it takes

2) Maybe God won't provide

3) Who am I to think I can make a difference in God's kingdom?

As we follow God by faith, not by sight, we will regularly run into situations where our own talent, resources, or confidence are not enough. God wants us to depend on him so that his power and grace shine brilliantly through our weakness and need. The apostle Paul describes how the Lord reminded him of this truth, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." (II Cor. 12:9)

For me, that's what makes the Long Beach summer project so exciting. We are trusting God to do what only He can do - change people's lives. None of us has the talent, influence, or resources to do that on our own. When I forget God's promise to empower and provide I freak out (and trust me, I can freak out with the best of them), but when I trust in Him, I find peace and confidence.

I don't know about you, but I can't wait to see what God will do this summer. Praying expectantly as we trust God together,

Joanna

Info has been sent

Today is the day, if you have been accepted to the project, that you received an e-packet of information, tools, and resources regarding the summer project. We're excited to have you.

I want to encourage you to read through the entire packet over the next few days and start working through it.

I also would like you to join the http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LBProject2006/ by sending an email to: LBProject2006-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. I believe by doing that you can join the email list and be part of the web site. I have posted the same packet on that site.

Let us know if you have any questions. We'll be sending out within the next few weeks an email with the current roster. We're still praying for a couple more gals and about 7 guys. Join us in praying that God will make Himself clear to us now and throughout the summer.
Categories: LongBeach

Our Fears will Kill Us.

Okay, our fears won't necessarily kill us but they will keep us from doing many things that we know are awesome, great and also from God. I was reading and an excellent book (highlighted in the right column: The Insiders) last night and the authors talked about fear. Fear is the root of many comments and questions that we have. For example: I"m not comfortable among non-believers. I don't know enough to do anything like that. Where would I find the time? I'm not that qualified. I don't have it together myself in order to do that. Who am I to be connecting with others when I need so much help my self. Maybe you have your own list of questions about support, leaving home, sharing your faith, meeting new people and getting a job that are really pointing to a deeper heart of fear.

How do you move from Fear to Faith?

1. Be Transparent about your Fears. Read I Corinth 2:1-5
2. Ask God for the words you will need. Read Eph 6:19-20
3. Accept your Fear as an opportunity. Read 2 Corinth 12:10

There will be many things starting now and continuing through the rest of our lives that will cause us to fear. Let's bring them to God and see what the power, love and grace of God can do in our lives.

"I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death."
Php 1:20

Categories: Evangelism, LongBeach, God