MikeOharaLive the intersection of faith and life

Sunday download

• pre-Sunday action: preached at a porn shop last night.  Well, a former porn shop at Surfers' Church last night in Wahiawa.  My good friends, Tom and Cindy Bauer, founders and directors of Surfing the Nations are doing some incredible, transformational work in Wahiawa.  Go check them out.

• It was a good finish to our "Unshakeable" series today.

• Felt like the message connected.  Bottom line to this series is even though we go through shaking and uncertainty, God is the One who is Unshakeable.

• Hit small groups today in the message.  We experience God's presence in fellowship, so get to a group for processing, prayer, and encouragement.  Man cannot live on Sunday alone.

• Overheard a conversation after church that went something like this:  "Church isn't about Pastor Mike, it's about Jesus."  Yes!!  I love it.  They get it.  GBCK is all about discipleship which means we follow Jesus and help others do the same.

• Mel and Cher did a great job leading worship today.  They are long-time worship singers, but now they're starting to lead worship.  They nailed it!

• Got a call after church from one of our leaders about a GBCK member with cancer that is spreading.  They found it in his kidneys now.  Gotta admit that it wrecked me a little.  Had a good cry and prayer for him.  I hate cancer.  Too many of our people are getting it.

• We gotta respond to this wave of cancer.  Feeling we need to call a special prayer focus.  Can't just take it lying down.

• One of my greatest joys is seeing people step-up in ministry.  I love that ministry doesn't revolve around the pastor.

• Super positive response to the opening of 3rd Cup Café & Venue.  This is our coffee shop that will pour all its profits into the community.  It's "coffee with a cause."  We open in 2 months.  Yeah!

• Please pray for the 3rd Cup.  It's a huge project but things are moving forward.  Super big thanks to Mel Reyes who is helping with the business end of things, and to Pastor Dane and the GBCK staff who are doing a great job helping with the church-side of things.

• Excited to celebrate GBCK's 5th anniversary next Sunday, Sept. 25.  Hard to believe it's been five years already.  Stoked to Pastor Norman from GBC Pearlside come and speak at the anniversary.  To all GBCKer's: Be in the House this coming Sunday!  Bring a friend too.  Let's pack it out!

•  Good night and Good luck!

Cry Baby

I think I cried more yesterday at church than I have in my entire life.

Yesterday we held one very scaled-down service.  We met at 10am except we had no children's church, signs, banners, coffee, hospitality area, or connection table.  There was a small worship team, minimal media, and metal chairs.  We minimized our set-up to give our volunteers a break.  It was one of my favorite services we did all year.

OK, back to the crying.  It started during the last song of worship.  Sometimes the presence of God brings me to tears; this was one of those times.  Then I got up to preach.  The message was mainly about how in 2009 GBCK lived out our core mission which is to develop our faith, deepen our connections, and devote our lives to God's mission.

I got choked up at different times during the sermon as I retraced GBCK's 2009 faith journey.  As I reflect back on yesterday, I think certain things trigger emotion in me:

• Change lives:  I believe every person sitting in those chairs represents a miracle.  Each person is a testimony to God's power to change lives.  Each life tells the story of God's crazy love for his people.
• Pride:  I'm proud of GBCK, and it has nothing to do with me.  I'm proud of how the GBCK community is trying to live out their relationship with God.  I know their struggles, I know their pain, yet they are faithful.  It's a privilege to serve as their pastor.
• The Gospel: Jesus made it possible again to have a relationship with the Heavenly Father, and I want to help others to do the same.  The amazing grace of God is overwhelming at times.

The crying isn't melodrama, it's genuine.  I get embarrassed by it and wish it wouldn't happen at times.

But, at the same time I'm believing for many more opportunities to cry in 2010 if it means more changed lives and the Gospel of Christ spreads.

Reflect and Review

• Moved out of the church house this past Saturday.  It's the end of an era for GBCK.  We're in temporary offices until we can land in something more permanent.
• Completed part 2 of our FAQ series.  We addressed the question, Why do bad things happen to good people?  The honest answer is there is no simple answer.  However, we discussed some "markers" we can look for along the way, especially when trying to navigate the problem of pain and suffering.
• I'm digging our new "Family Zone" at the back of the cafeteria.  We're trying to make it comfortable for families with young children.  We're currently looking for some folding rocking chairs for nursing mothers.
• This was the first Sunday trying out a new volunteer rotation for the operations crew.  Seemed to work well, and hopefully we can give more breaks to the crew.  It's hard work to create a comfortable and compelling environment for people to meet Jesus every week.  Our ops team is outstanding!
• I love seeing how new people are "biting" into God.  You can almost see God working things out in their lives.
• I feel as excited about the church as I did when we first started three years ago.
• With that said, there's lots to do to move us into the next season.  This means higher leadership and change.  Gonna be painful at times, but so necessary.
• I'm going to start carrying a BB gun when I preach.  We had two birds fly into the cafeteria this Sunday.  It's not the first time too.  I'm going to shoot one soon.  (Just joking, don't write me angry emails.)
• The Xchange youth service was great!  Lots of new kids, really inspiring testimonies and music, and as always, choke food.  Don't forget: Chun Wah Kam (across Kapolei theaters, 7pm, Fridays).
• We cannot stop reaching people for Jesus.  God's desire is that none should perish and that all would come to repentance.  Let God's desire be our mission!