A little over 11 years ago, my wife Wendy and I responded to a calling that, at first, sounded impossible: To start a church that gives everything away. That idea came after we had accepted the Lord’s calling to leave the church we had helped to start only 3 years previously, to plant a brand-new church here in Orange County, CA. The first idea was exhilarating. The second idea seemed impossible. “How will I support my family?” I wondered.... Read more
A passage in Psalm 18 really stood out to me this morning: “With the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the blameless you show yourself blameless; with the purified you show yourself pure; and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.” The conception among most Christians is that God is angry with us and that if we don’t repent then He will pour out His wrath on us. I’m not saying this is completely wrong, but I believe God... Read more
Have you ever come across a verse and said to yourself: “Hmm…this verse can’t mean what it says because that goes against what I’ve been told to believe”? If we’re honest, we probably come across verses like that all the time – if we’re reading the Bible on a semi-regular basis. The other day I came across this verse and it stumped me for a second: “But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by... Read more
It happens all the time. Christians who disagree over a particular doctrine decide that they can’t continue to be friends with another Christian simply because they hold another perspective. It can be a different view of hell, or of the end times, or of the atonement, or of baptism or election. Or, in my case, it can be a different view about homosexuality. That’s why my friend – who I’ve known for over 30 years – called me on... Read more
I have to share a video with everyone about addiction – which is not the subject of this article per se – but there’s something in this video that I want to highlight. Take a look: Hopefully, you watched the video. If so, the key to the video is where they reveal that one of the strongest weapons against drug addiction is community. One great quote from the video is this one: “Human beings have an innate need to bond and... Read more
Most Christians I know fully embrace Judaism. They love the Jewish faith. They use Jewish terms for Jesus and Messiah [“Yeshua”, “Mashiac”, etc.]. They wear the Star of David proudly. They observe the Jewish Passover meal. They even pray for the peace of Israel. But why? The Jewish faith denies that Christ is the Messiah. They refuse to accept that Jesus is born of a virgin. They do not believe that Jesus performed miracles. They do not believe that Jesus... Read more
I recently participated in a debate over the topic: “Is Islam A Religion of Peace?“, but I think we should be asking: “Is Christianity A Religion of Peace?” Why? Because not only does the Bible have twice as many violent references as we find in the Quran – which involve commands about genocide and war, references to dashing babies against the rocks, commands to kill women and children, etc., but because, statistically, White Christians are much more dangerous to Americans... Read more
My wife Wendy and I regularly have to meet with new members, or those seeking to join our house church family, to explain to them what we do and why we do it. This usually involves letting them know that we have no statement of faith, and that we welcome anyone to join us as long as they are seeking to know Jesus better and want to follow Him in their daily life. This means that, at any gathering of... Read more
In this blog I’ll be answering an honest question from someone online who asked me: “Do you believe effeminate homosexuals will inherit the kingdom?” “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind…” 1 Corinthians 6:9 (KJV) Answer: This is a great question, but the answer isn’t a simple “Yes” or “No” since you’ve made so many assumptions... Read more
Dear Pastor Laurie, As someone who has lived in Orange County, California for about 25 years, I am well-acquainted with the annual Harvest Crusade you host in Angel’s Stadium every year. After a local business pulled your ads for the event due to complaints, you took advantage of the slight to swing an interview on Fox and Friends to complain about religious persecution, and even wrote an article in the Los Angeles Times to bemoan “our intolerant culture” and Tweeted... Read more
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