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Tomorrow will be my last day at Blue Haven Pools and Spas. For the last two years I have worked there as the Ecommerce Manager for the retail division. You might think I only sell chlorine – and you would be partly correct. Besides pushing pool chemicals, I have overseen all aspects of the online retail operation. Web design and development, SEO, Google PPC, email marketing, pricing, promoting, social media, and even Twittering. During this time I’ve had the privilege of managing four different employees, two of whom I’ll be leaving behind. If I believed in cloning, I’d replicate them.
My boss for the last two years has been the president of our company. Fair, hard-working, and fun. I’ve noticed that I have begun incorporating some of his phrases into my own conversations (”fair enough”). I haven’t incorporated them all. He wouldn’t want me to steal all his thunder.
I went to work at Blue Haven when LifePoint could no longer afford to pay me a salary. Working there allowed me to continue to serve our church. For that, I am eternally grateful to BHPS-SD.
I have learned more about the pool industry than I ever wanted to know. I have also had the opportunity to circulate in the marketplace as most Christ-followers are called to do. A few folks at Blue Haven called me Pastor Ken, but most just called me Ken. What else they may have called me no one will say. I hope I have been able to model the way of Jesus in a way that made sense.
This chapter closes tomorrow. But as is usually the case, another chapter is beginning. From one chapter to the next …
We held LifePoint’s last worship service yesterday and it was amazing to hear people tell stories of how our church had impacted their lives. As a pastor, you’re usually aware of life situations and struggles. What you may not always be aware of is how you are influencing lives. After our opening set of music and communion, we had an open mic time of sharing. Nearly a dozen people got up and talked about the difference our church community had made in their lives. One lady spoke of the “ripples” of influence that LifePoint would have for years to come. I thought that was an appropriate image. By some measures, our time was short (only four years). But by God’s measures, the ripples will extend throughout eternity.
It was humbling to hear how God orchestrated events to allow our paths to cross at critical junctions. One lady spoke about finding us after her marriage of thirty-two years ended in divorce. Another came to us after her boyfriend was incapacitated in an accident. Still another is in seminary preparing to do micro-lending in third-world countries. One young man spoke up and talked about being accepted. Another gentleman, a life-long Christian, spoke about having fun in church for the first time.
The ripples will outlive all of us.
While walking to lunch today I passed a group of PETA folks protesting animals in the circus. One lady was painted like a tiger and hunched over in a cage. After eating a few beef tacos for lunch, I started thinking about PETA and fair trade coffee (I was sitting at Starbucks). I personally like animals. I’ve had pets throughout the years — rest in peace, Skittle. I also enjoy the circus, own leather shoes, and like my steaks well-done.
My issue with groups like PETA isn’t their opposition to animal cruelty but their elevation of animals to the same level as humans. Animals aren’t human; that’s why they’re called animals.
This is where the fair-trade part of the subject line comes in. Fair-trade products/companies seek to pay workers in developing countries a fair wage, rather than taking advantage of them for the companies gain. It elevates humans to the level of, well, human. You might pay a little more for your coffee beans, but the farmer also makes a little more for his efforts.
Working downtown for the last two-plus years has been quite interesting. Just five minutes ago, a man in a top hat and long coat strolled by as I enjoyed my coffee. Most everyone else is in a short-sleeve and shorts. Then there are the “shirtless boxer” sightings: a big-chested man who walks around topless and flexes for people. He even has a Facebook group dedicated to him. I snapped a picture once. Of course, downtown has the usual homeless characters, mostly beneign folks. A few are quite entertaining. A few are quite scary. Just down the street from my office is the Church of Steel, a tattoo and body piercing joint. Pastor Pain and the Deacons of Destruction hang outside on the sidewalk.
I enjoy walking to Starbucks, especially the one with a loft on 5th Avenue. They know I want a tall coffee, no room for cream. Nine out of ten times I’ll get my favorite table by the window.
There are certainly things I won’t miss about working downtown, the baked-in urine smell on 7th Avenue being one of them.
As Lyle Lovett once said, “Adios to Alvaro.”
Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” John 11:40, TNIV
June 28, 2009, will be LifePoint’s last Sunday as a church community.
Join us as we will be celebrating and honoring what God has accomplished during the life of our church family.
Four years ago, a small group of seven people gathered in our living room and we dreamed of starting a new church in San Diego. As new faces began to show up in the living room, we realized our dream was becoming a reality. On September 11, 2005, we held our grand opening and watched as people previously disconnected from God found their way back to Him. People who hadn’t been to church in years, if ever, felt at home. We reached out to the arts community in San Diego and hosted many fine musicians and artists. For nearly four years we shared the ups and downs of life — babies were born, marriages were celebrated, people were baptized, and much more.
During this time, we were privileged to share in the start of two other new churches in San Diego: Citywalk Christian Church in downtown and Momentum Christian Church in Chula Vista. If you are in San Diego and looking for a church home, we would highly recommend both of these churches.
In July, the family and I will be moving to Denver, Colorado, and I will be serving as the Pastor of Spiritual Formation at Mountainview Community Christian Church in Highlands Ranch. Does anyone have a sweater I can borrow?
If you’re interested in reading more about how this decision came about, read this blog post entitled “A New Season in Life.”
For those of you looking for a church home, I’ve posted a few thoughts about what to look for in a new church.
To all who have allowed LifePoint to be a part of their life, if only for a season, thank you for allowing me the opportunity to serve God by serving you.
Pastor Ken
“Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.” John 4:38, MSG
My last teaching series at LifePoint was entitled “My Three Wishes.” I shared the three values I hoped each of our members would come to embody: prayer, simplicity, and worship. Yesterday’s message was on worship and was taken from Isaiah 6. The message concluded with God asking Isaiah, “Who will go for us?” and Isaiah responding with, “Here I am. Send me.”
I closed the message by challenging our people to rethink how they will look for their next church. Instead of looking for one that will serve them, look for a church that they can serve. Look for a place where their gifts and talents will make an immediate impact. It’s tempting to think like consumers rather than contributors when looking for a church home.
With that in mind, here are a few random thoughts about what to look for in a new church home.
1. Christ-centered. Jesus should be preeminent, mentioned often. The goal should be to raise up mature Christ-followers. Three steps to a better marriage is important but only within the context of what does Christian marriage look like. How does living as a Christ-follower change the way I live as a husband or wife?
2. Bible-based. How does the pastor approach the Bible? How often is the Bible used to teach principles? A healthy church has a healthy respect for the authority of the Bible. When opinion or personal preference collides with the Bible, does the Bible take precedent?
3. Action-oriented. God intends his people to be in circulation, serving and influencing our world. Look for a church with dirty hands – dirty from getting involved with their community. There is a time to listen and learn and there is a time to do. A healthy church will not just talk about service and mission; it will provide opportunities to make a difference.
4. Immediate impact. In my experience, the longer it takes a person to get involved in ministry, the less likely it is they ever will. Small churches can be just as difficult to get involved with as larger churches. The barriers are just different. One of the first questions I would ask a pastor or leader is, “How can I get involved?” He should be able to tell you what the needs are and how to go about getting in the game.
In February of 2005, I posted an ad on Craigslist for a new small group study I would be hosting at our house. The theme of the study was “Ordinary Spirituality.” A day or so later I received an email from a lady who wanted to participate and asked if she could come by and pick up the materials.
We spoke for a few minutes the day she stopped by to pick up the study guide. In her late thirties, she hadn’t attended church since she was seven or eight years old. But she was excited about the idea of learning about how to find God in the ordinary parts of life.
When the study concluded four weeks later, she came back for the next Sunday night and the next topic. Soon thereafter she decided to become a part of LifePoint’s launch team. As we prepared for our grand opening, she rarely missed a Sunday night. At our first service, she brought in her coffee cart and served free espressos and lattes — something she did for the first several months of our new church’s life.
In the spring of 2006, five people gathered in our backyard and watched as she was baptized. We celebrated together her decision to become a follower of Jesus Christ.
Though she already had an MBA, she moved to Minneapolis to study for a Masters degree in theology at Bethel Seminary. Her new goal in life: to combine her financial expertise with the gospel of Jesus and work in third-world, developing countries. She is now on the verge of graduating and moving to the mission field.
When she heard about our move to Denver, she sent me a Facebook message which read in part: “LifePoint was the church that got me hooked. I HEART LifePoint.”
In the not-so-distant future, LifePoint’s influence will spread to another part of the globe, to a people much different from us. What Tina found in her life, many others have as well as a result of our church. Though our season of ministry may be drawing to a close, our impact will live on in your hearts and hands.
Here are pictures of our house in Highlands Ranch.
The “curbside” view:
The kitchen:
The dining room:
The backyard:
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