WEED, VISION, AND A BOWL OF LENTIL STEW

i was recently reading an article on how some in congress in california want to pass a bill to legalize marijuana. they were touting the idea that if this bill were to pass we could potentially get our state out of the “red” by increased revenue through high taxation on the drug. sure it may be a few extra dollars today but what will california’s tomorrow look like if this bill was to pass?

in case you were wondering i am highly opposed to this lunatic idea, there definitely is a down side to being high. california would suffer from a massive decrease in productivity which would increase social welfare needs, increase cases of schizophrenia, intense anxiety and other mental illnesses, stoned drivers on our roads and social and relational problems of epic proportions.

way back in the book of genesis a very hungry guy named esau traded his birthright to his brother jacob for a bowl of lentil stew....we may sit and scoff at his stupidity and smirk into our sleeves at his carelessness yet how many of us are guilty of feeding our “right now” at the expense of our tomorrow?

typically we humans suffer from shortsightedness. we can fail to think through and consider the long term consequences of our actions because instant gratification feels so much better. in the 1980’s the song “tomorrow doesn’t matter tonight” became the anthem of that generation...unfortunately they learnt all too late that tomorrow does in-fact matter as they awakened to a tomorrow full of regret and remorse.

the bible says “without a vision the people cast off restraint” lack of vision for your future leads to reckless choices and reckless choices lead to pain and regret. vision beyond our today is so important, when we have within us the vision of a brighter day and a promise of god it is easier for us to make decisions that will propel us toward seeing that vision and promise come to pass.

a god vision for your future empowers you to make right decisions based on principle and conviction not on feeling. that charming guy who makes you feel so good but who you know is just not right for you is a lot easier to turn down if you have a vision of what your mr right looks like. think things through to their end...how will this decision affect my tomorrow? will it enhance my life or impair it? will it move me closer to my vision of further from it?

god has incredible plans for us that are dependant on what we do with our today. when the jacobs in your world come to you with a proposition waving a delicious bowl of lentil stew under your nose consider first what your tomorrow will look like.

the emotionally healthy church by peter scazzero

“the emotionally healthy church should really be titled “the emotionally healthy christian”. out of the 30 plus books that i have read this year this one is definitely in the top few. why you may ask? because it helps you to identify how past relationships and family upbringing has shaped you, and how it may be affecting you right now.

every person brings “invisible” things into every current relationship and situation. these invisible things are unresolved hurts and conflicts we have with others, fears of abandonment or rejection, or how our family upbringing effected us. (let’s face it, many people grow up in dysfunctional family environments). we have to ask ourselves is there any emotional baggage from our past that is affecting us today.

if you really find you struggle with stuff in your personal life or relationships i think this book will help. it forces you to take a good look at yourself and how you respond to and handle things. the catch phrase for the book is "a strategy for discipleship that actually changes lives" and i could not agree more, spot on!

a definite must read for anyone who wants to further their walk with god by dealing with all the baggage of the past! my rating is a 10/10.

what would a birthday be without a party? back in august we turned five years old as a church and we celebrated with a party outside that included a live band, hot-air balloon rides, spinning teacups, bounce house, catered mexican fare, limbo contest, and a dance floor (where we got jiggy with it!).

THIS IS THEIR STORY...

the moment we walked into our first sunday morning service we felt like we were 'home". that is what c3 is to us, a home; a house where we can connect with god and each other, a house of freedom and liberty, a house of grace, acceptance and forgiveness, a house that we can grow old in and watch our children (and grandchildren) grow up and worship god in, a house that is for everyone! god's house! jacob proclaimed in genesis 28:17: “how awesome is this place! this is none other than the house of god, and this is the gate of heaven!”

well, now over 4 years and 2 beautiful children later, we are so excited to be celebrating 5 incredible years with you! not only are we blessed to serve the most amazing pastors and our beautiful friends ps. jurgen and leanne, we also are blessed to serve and do life with the most amazing and beautiful people on planet earth! you!

- mark and summer peterson

as a family, c3 has been the best thing that ever happened to us. i was only dating matt at the time he invited me to the third service ever. we both experienced gods power, i got saved, and we instantly fell in love with the church. we would not be who we are today if it weren't for our amazing pastors jurgen and leanne and the friends we have made in this place. if we could write all the "god stories" we have experienced here at church we could easily fill a book! it's been truly amazing and we are looking ahead and truly excited for what the next five years will bring here in san diego!

- matt and mikala hubbard

i can remember when my wife and i first came to c3 four years ago thinking to myself, “i have found my home.” since then our lives have been radically transformed. god is awesome! but we didn’t just randomly show up to c3 one day, someone had to invite us. i thank matt hubbard all the time for introducing me to the c3 family and ps jurgen and leanne.

- jon and becky heinrichs