Check it off the list (Vacation and the purchase)

I spent last week at Wild Dunes with a ton of family on vacation. I was really excited to go to Charlestone, the beach, and enjoy some time reading. On vacation I read three books. I finished "Vintage Church" by Mark Driscoll, I also read "Reformission Rev" by Driscoll, and read "5 dysfunctions of a team" by Lencioni.

I will blog more about these later, because they were awesome, but a child hood dream came true on vacation.

Ever since I was 12 I would go to the beach and look at surf boards. I have always wanted one, but b/c of how expensive they are never made the purchase. While in Chucktown I met a cool guy at a surf store called point break. He was a skater/DJ who I dont think knew anything about surfing (not that I did or do either). He saw me doing my usual look over the surf board section and offered me any board for $200 dollars off. At that moment I knew that if I were ever to buy a surf board it would be then. I began pricing and found a 6'4 board that with the price break would total $225. It was perfect, my wife walked in the store.

I thought that this is where my dream would end, but she said buy it.
And so after 10 minutes of flipping quarters and playing rock paper scissors against myself I bought it.

We still had one day left on vacation and the wave had been perfect all week, so I went to sleep with dreams of surfing greatness in my head.

The following morning I blitzed the beach like a fat kid blitzing the bar at Golden Carral. People took notice to, I had a surf board, I was a surfer.

Until I hit the water. There was a ridiculous rip tide that day. The waves while they were big were crashing verticle to the beach. I jumped in and for the next hour got pounded by waves. After an hour had passed I felt like Frank Mir following his fight with Brock Lesnar last Saturday night.

My trunks were so drenched with water that they weren't staying up anymore. I accidentally mooned people, they awkardly tried to act like they were not looking, and then after pleading with God for grace I trudged back into the ocean to "catch" one more wave before calling it quits.

20 more minutes later I realized that not only had I not caught a wave, but that my surfboard and the rip tide had worked together to drag me over half a mile down the beach from where I had begun the day.

To make things worse (or perhaps this is where I was saved) my wife and her mom appeared ready to take pictures on the beach with me and the board.

I felt cheezy as mess, but I did walk the 1/2 mile back down the beach with the best looking woman on the planet beside me.

I don't regret buying the board. I look forward to attempting to surf alot in Cali.

However as it stands now, I really suck at surfing.

Thats all for now...
More serious post coming really soon.

P.S. 10 days until Cali.

Hingepoint in 20 words....

Yesterday, Jamie Salmon and I met with Joshua Blankenship. Joshua is currently working on a full branding/website for Hingepoint Church. Joshua is an incredible Graphic/Branding designer, and has a great ability to accurately portray the culture of your church through the web.

During our conversation he asked me to describe Hingepoint Church in 20 words. I loved that question so I decided to share with you the 20 that popped into my head.

Passion
Energy
Excitement
Anticipation
So. Cal Attitude
Direct
Connecting
Moving
Forward
Generous
Growing
Momentum
Life Changing
Powerful
Epic
Generous
Vibrant
ADD friendly
Bright
Loud

If you are in Bakersfield Ca. and this intrigues you then you should definitely come check out our first core group meeting in early September.

If you attend another church give me 20 to describe your church.

Clanging in my brain....

For the last week I have been working FUGE camp at NGU. With that I have not had an opportunity to write for a while, but Jesus has still had His finger all up in my life.

First off is hunger. I am so hungry for Jesus. I am about to flip my lid in anticipation of releasing what He has been preparing in my heart at Hingepoint Church. I have an urgency in my gut for Christ that actually began escalating back in the spring. In the spring I called it going into fifth gear, now I have no clue what to call it. I do know this, I have never felt God's power more active in my life and I have never been bolder about it.

The second is this. I am not a speaker, I am a pastor. My goal is not a neat oration on a weekly basis that impresses, but my target and aim is through the word for people to see a picture of JESUS. Then through the Holy Spirit for people to encounter the very Power and presence of the one true living God. I don't want to be neat or predictable, instead I want to communicate words inspired and given straight from Holy Spirit. Those words are the sharpest. They communicate and hit thousands in a room right at the point of there need. Speakers give good speeches, but pastors deliver the inspired word straight from God to the people, given through the Holy Spirits.

I never want to forget that.

P.S. this only come from time on your face with Jesus. You want words from Him then you have to spend time with Him. No duh statement of this blog, but it is the most neglected, clear your schedule and get on your face.

Finally there is power in Jesus name. Eight more paragraphs could not expound on this enough, instead just check out Acts 5:12-42.

WORD

Hingepoint

Wow wow wow wow...
So there are an insurmountable amount of things that have to happen in order for Hingepoint Church to become a reality and a place for people in Bakersfield to encounter Jesus.

With that said, God is just flat out showing out right now.

Mark and Chris (awesome peeps moving with us) just had there house sell today! Then in the same day Mark received a call from Cal State Bakersfield telling him that they were wanting to have another phone interview with him about a potential accounting job next week!

If Mark were hired that would put two of our church plant team members on Cal State's campus. I believe that a lot of the life blood and passion in the city of Bakersfield is in that place. I cant wait to see how Jesus uses our team and connects us with people on the campus who have a divine calling that they have not even dreamed yet.

Also last night was the first Wednesday in over a year that I did'nt speak at SMU. To be honest yesterday internally sucked. I still don't know what to do with my self, but I got to hear Lee Bryson lead worship at Seacoast Greenville's first Wednesday. Lee is anointed by God to lead worship.

Right now I have to get our core group study material written for the fall. I am jacked up about what God is speaking into my life. If you are praying for Hingepoint please keep praying that God would speak words of inspiration into my life, instead of ripped off imitation.


I cant wait to be in Bakersfield, and all the 100+ degree's of heat.

If your reading this and you live in Cali. email me to let me know. I would love to network with you when we get out west.

russ.chambers@gmail.com

PEACE

Pics from last week SMU

Opening to tonight's message

Jesus is the savior and hero of all humanity,

In Jesus death is defeated

brokenness  is made whole

Hopelessness meets hope

Hate meets Love

Death meets life

Chains are broken

Dead men rise

dead hearts beat.

 

In Jesus people encounter

Truth, love, hope, purpose, and life,

Pain meets glory

Suffering meets purpose

The impossible is made possible,

The imperfect are perfected in Him

 

Jesus name is eternal,

God sent Jesus to die for a debt we couldn’t pay

In an imperfect world Jesus was perfect,

Where there is Hate Jesus brings love,

In the beginning Jesus was there. 

At creations fall He was there

God did not sit idle after our fall

Jesus walked into time and our pain and brokenness

Jesus was the living word of God.

On the cross our rebellion and death was carried by Him.

The third day Jesus rose as the victor of sin, hell, and death.

And in the end Jesus will stand as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Thoughts on a thursday...

Today has been rare... 

For the most part I have been left alone in the office.  This has given me an opportunity to sit, listen, and think.  Here are some of the things going through my head.

Last night we had 140 students at SMU.  During the message I asked for students who had been baptized and received Christ over the last two years to stand.  I have no clue how many stood, but it seemed like a ton (to many to count quickly).  The room erupted in applause.  My eyes filled with tears.  

Today while looking back on that, I realized something.  

God didn't have to do it.  He didn't have to send Jesus.  He didn't have to call me to pastor (He doesn't need me).  

But He did...

He saved me.  He still pours out grace on me, that I don't deserve.  He still covers my weakness, and in power does something significant with my brokenness.  

The last several months at SMU could be summed up with two words...

Desperate urgency.

And He has come in and supernatural done something I felt as if He was wanting to do in the beginning, but never thought I would see.  This has been an incredible journey.  I am thankful that Jesus works and will continue to work in spite of my disfunction.

With that said, I long for the moment that I can preach with urgency and desperation to the people in Bakersfield California.  I can honestly say that I have no clue how I am going to be still over the summer and not preach somewhere.  

But if this is the season that God is calling me into I will listen and learn, and hopefully my urgency and desperation for people to encounter Him will grow even greater.