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My last sermon and my last Sunday in the pulpit

10/17/2014

I never thought I would say this or believe the day would finally come but yes, this coming Sunday will be my final sermon in the pulpit of San Diego Bible Church. Jesus brought us to San Diego to plant a church here and minister to a group of people who would become our family. And, as many of you know, it is always difficult to leave your family! It's not that we are choosing to leave, but know that God is calling us to a new mission field, to new ministry in northern Idaho. My prayer is that what we began here in San Diego will continue for many years to come and that many of you will continue to support this church that belongs to God, so that it will continue to advance the kingdom of Christ in these last days. My wife, my kids , grand kids and my parents, while nesting in their homes up north have been waiting for me to join them before the winter sets in. I want to thank the pastors of SDBC for allowing me to leave and make the long drive north after this Sunday and join them. I am grateful for these men I've had the privilege to serve beside and in whose hands I leave the leadership of the church.

I am grateful for each of you who will always have a place in our hearts and who have been such an integral part of the ministry here God is doing in San Diego. I am grateful for the tests and trials that continue as my family and I walk on faith following God, still waiting for our home to sell here. While I had hoped to write of God's finale in selling our home before we leave, I continue to trust in his perfect timing and provision. Please continue to pray for us as we continue to pray for you. Please continue to pray for Pastor John Miller who will start in my place next week as our "interim" pastor while our search committee continues to discover "PastorNEXT" or what other exciting options God might have for SDBC! By the way, my phone will work even in Idaho and I will make myself available to continue to help any of you, as you continue to grow in your faith as I continue to grow in mine! I have thought long and hard about what I might preach on my final Sunday in the pulpit of San Diego Bible Church. The "Gospel" of Jesus Christ is so simple, yet finds itself under attack constantly in many ways. It was distorted in the early church and it continues to be distorted today! It is no coincidence that we are studying the book of ACTS, where the gospel begins and expands, and yet it is here in this very book where many disturbing distortions of the gospel come from. What better gift could I give you upon my departure then ensuring that each of you has a clear and defensible gospel, which I trust the Lord Jesus will use to continue His work here while we seek to advance His Kingdom up there! Please join me for my final Sunday AND for "The Gospel...Plain and Simple!" Loving each of you with the amazing love and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Pastor Steve and Linda

I am Leaving in Two Weeks

10/9/2014

I am deeply saddened knowing how much I will miss each of you (as I prepare to join my family who are already waiting for me in Northern Idaho) in two weeks.

I will be in the pulpit this weekend and next weekend and then I will be making the trek north, hopefully before fall is over and winter sets in. If any of you might like to help me pack a few things that are left I would sure welcome the help! I know my family and I are certainly called to make this major change in our life because I've never been a snow lover ☺. However, knowing this is what God has called us to makes it a time of excitement as well.

It is always a joy following God on a faith journey, even when the final destination is uncertain, because it forces us to maintain a deep intimacy with Christ and hold on for dear life!

I pray each of you, if at all possible, continues your love and faithfulness for SDBC, especially in this tender time for the church you have each been a part of until she embraces her new senior pastor as our search team is laboring in love to discover the man we pray will take the church to the next level!

I plan to maintain an open relationship with the church here and will be available to any of you by phone. Linda and I would love to welcome you as well to visit us whenever you get the chance to come visit! We will have a room all set up and ready for you during any season!

Please continue to pray that God will sell our home soon as well as Linda's Tahoe and my old green corvette as they wouldn't like Idaho at all!

Most important we covet your prayers for a time of rest and focus to finish my doctorate within a year and the future ministry to come, perhaps another church plant? Whatever the Lord's future revealed will might be.

I hope to see each of you again before I leave this weekend or next and send my love and grace in the name of our Lord Jesus!

Pastor Steve

Updates...Updates...Updates...

9/12/2014

I have a Riddle for you!

James 5 gives an unconditional promise of healing for those who call on the elders of the local church and are anointed with oil. So the question is, "Why don't all believers get healed"? Could it be because the believer doesn't have enough faith, or could it be that the prayers of the elders don't have enough faith? Perhaps the anointing oil went bad or the local church is at fault, or we have the wrong group of elders and they don't really know how to pray, right?

Over the years I have heard many attempts to explain this dilemma and some of the explanations can be quite humorous! Some try to say James is NOT giving an "unconditional" promise of healing, yet the text clearly doesn't support that suggestion! James 5:14-15 Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. The text seems pretty clear, so what is the answer to this serious question?

Let me encourage you to join us this weekend, as I will be giving a biblical explanation to this riddle as we prepare to close out and celebrate this great Book of James we have been studying, with our finale the following week, when we meet the person of Elijah as our special guest, September 20th and 21st.

Update on Pastor Steve Moving to North Idaho

I am getting to talk to many of you about our move and here is what we know so far. Our new home in Idaho is set to close the last week of this month and everyone is excited about the adventure God has prepared for us in a new part of the country. Linda, Debbie and their 5 children including our miracle baby Gabriel will be leaving next weekend (Lord willing), with Rob flying back here and the caravan headed up to the homestead with 3 Penske trucks on Saturday the 20th. This works out to one truck for Rob and Debbie, one truck for mom and dad and one truck for Linda and I. Mom and dad will be flying, as their health doesn't really allow them to make the drive.

I will be staying behind to take care of selling the house and furniture, hoping to join them as soon as the house is finally sold, for which I earnestly covet your prayers!!!! As long as God has me here in San Diego, I hope to continue to be an asset in the pulpit and helping SDBC in any way I can!

WE COULD ALL USE SOME HELP if you have a few hours or even an hour or two this next week, as we finish packing boxes and especially on move day, Friday the 19th of September and maybe the morning of Saturday the 20th, but only if absolutely necessary as the caravan hopes to be on the road Saturday morning! We are having a fire sale on our home if you know anyone interested just hoping to get out what we invested in the home at this point ☺. I will let you all know when God sells our home and when my last day will be as soon as I know, but I intend to maintain an ongoing relationship with SDBC and each of you even though God is moving us up north a bit and know that I love every one of you whom God has allowed me to be a part of your life and you a part of ours!!!!!!!!!

Update with our Search Committee for "PastorNEXT"

The committee is formed and doing a great job moving things forward so SDBC will discover the man who is to be the NEXT Senior Pastor of such an amazing flock. We have lovingly called this process, "Searching for PastorNEXT" and are truly excited to be in the midst of the Lord's work! This is an exciting time as our committee of 10 works together to follow God and a great time also for each of you to be a part of God doing such a huge work within our church! Please pray for this process and please pray for the committee!

Their first task was to come up with a job description for PastorNEXT, which is now posted on the front page of our website. Their next job was to see if any of our superb pastors on staff met the job description they had come up with. After a lot of prayer, discussion and commitment to follow the Holy Spirit's lead, they each collectively determined that at this time and for this role, the man God has in mind for PastorNEXT lies outside of our current church walls.

The committee is already getting resumes' from pastors and the team will be busy prayerfully examining each and every potential candidate, keeping a sharp eye out for the Lord's leading and direction as we move forward as a local Body of Christ. Again, this is an exciting time in the life of SDBC and one I pray you will stay committed to and keep in daily prayer! There will be more updates to come and remember - YOU will have the final say in what happens with PastorNEXT and the future of SDBC! Only after the committee discovers the man they believe is called to this position will they present him to the body of SDBC for consideration. This process may take a season of 6-12 months and when I leave we will most likely enjoy an amazing interim pastor (More to come on this soon).

Once again, only after an opportunity to meet the selected potential pastoral candidate in person and hear him preach from the pulpit of SDBC on two consecutive weeks, will the potential PastorNEXT be brought to YOU for a vote. The vote must be by unanimous congregational affirmation to ensure God has chosen this NEW Senior Pastor to be your New Senior Pastor. I'm excited for the future of SDBC and I hope you are too as we all move forward together following Jesus with a clearly defined process!!!!!

With all my love from a grateful heart as we each continue serving our Lord Jesus together,
Pastor Steve

Truth for Troubling Times

8/8/2014

One of my best friends (Dr. Fred Chay) who is a pastor as well, shared this with me last week and it was so profound I thought I would forward it to each of you.

I think we would all agree we are living in a day when many of us are feeling the invasion of anxiety. The news on any network provides reports of heart breaking and fear producing stories that hit us at the deepest level of our humanity. The border crisis with thousands of children, the bombing of a plane and the death of hundreds, the rockets released over Gaza and Israel, not to mention the corruption and collusion inside our own government. In addition, we are witnessing the increased persecution of Christians in the Far East (China and Russia) and in the Middle East (Iraq and Iran). These are our brothers and sisters who are forced from their homes, tortured and killed because they name the name of Jesus. Add to that the fact that one quarter of the world's population are Muslims who, according to their "scriptures," and their desire, feel it is their duty to ensure that all non-Muslim infidels either be made into coverts, slaves or be killed.

We all have a saturation point, a threshold at which we say, "I'm done!" I cannot listen or watch anymore. Some of us, try to "amuse ourselves to death," doing anything to distract us from the violence that has gone viral on the internet vexing our spirit as the news becomes a virtual and visual reality 24/7.

And so, what does Jesus have to say to His people in times of cultural crisis? "Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God believe also in Me." (John 14:1) The command of the Apostle Paul in Philippians 4:6-7 is designed to guide us in times of personal and global tribulation, trial and personal testing. "Be anxious for nothing but by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard you hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."

The word 'Anxiety' comes from the Latin word for constriction, angina. Like angina of the heart, anxiety of the soul constricts our spirit. When we are anxious we need to change focus from the local situation and fix our thoughts upon the ultimate situation. We must remember we are not alone. Soren Kierkegaard, the "Depressed Dane," said; "Deep within every human being there still lives the anxiety over the possibility of being alone in the world, forgotten by God, overlooked among the millions and millions in this enormous household. A person keeps this anxiety at a distance by looking at the many around about who are related to him as kin and friends, but the anxiety is still there."

The truth is, we are not alone and we have not been abandoned. He is there and He is not silent. We also have the body of Christ. This is why being part of a local Church is important. As the writer of the book of Hebrews instructs - "Do not forsake the gathering together as some have done but encourage one another as you see the day drawing near." (Hebrews 10:25)

The day is near and Jesus will come. So, let not your heart be troubled and do not be anxious. Let us fix our focus on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith who for the joy set before Him endured the cross. Let us endure this day as we see the day drawing near.

"And Lo I am always with you always, even to the end of the age!"

In His love as long as we are here as your pastor and until He comes for us,

Pastor Steve

Law of Liberty

7/18/2014

James 2:12-13 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.

According to James 2:12-13, does God judge and will He judge believers?  YES

And while believers pass out of judgment into life and will never be condemned by God, (Rom. 8:1), they will be judged by the Law of Liberty.  So what is this judgment and how do I ensure that God will give me mercy whenever I am judged?  What is mercy and how does it triumph over God's judgment of believers?

If you are like me you have a lot of questions about this passage of scripture and as well we should.  I don't really like surprises and you probably don't either, especially when we are talking about something as serious as God's judgment of believers.

I hope you join us this week, either Saturday evening at 6PM or Sunday morning at 10:30AM, as I will be answering all these questions and more as we continue in our study of the Book of James.

Until then, continue to show Mercy or compassion and God's love to others at every opportunity, especially those who are not as well off as you are, so that God's mercy will cover you whenever he judges us.

May the Lord cause His mercy to flow out of you toward others as we continue to grow and mature in our faith!

In His love as long as we are here as your pastor and until He comes for us,

Pastor Steve

Before we leave San Diego....

7/7/2014

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Before we leave San Diego....

I first want to share with each of you who I have met in San Diego how much I appreciate your love and friendship for Linda and I, along with our family, over the past 8 years. I really want each of you to know how much we love all of the extended family we have met during this season of ministry in the Southern California area.

Linda and I have been sensing God's direction in moving our whole immediate family up to Northern Idaho and have seen His confirmation one step at a time over the last 9 to 12 months. In the same way that God uprooted us from Arizona and moved us here, He seems to be moving us to North Idaho for a new season of ministry, perhaps the first official church plant of San Diego Bible Church, but only after I finish this last year of my doctorate and complete my dissertation. J

Linda and I truly have mixed feelings...sad knowing how much we will miss each of you...and excited about what God has in store for us in Idaho. We are also aware that many of you have questions about our departure. And, while we don't have all the answers as to what God is doing in our lives or how this will all play out, we do have clarity on some things we can share with you.

The pastors and I will be putting together a search team from the congregation to help find the man God has already chosen to be the next senior pastor of SDBC. I am personally excited about the future of the church and the role you all get to play in shaping it's future. This is a time when God could really grow the church as you all have the opportunity to join together and discover for yourself, who will take SDBC to the next level. If you have suggestions on who should be on the search committee, please let any of our pastors know. If you have any suggestions on someone you may know or have heard of who might be considered as a candidate for my position, please get ready to let the committee know. We will be keeping you updated regularly on the process and how it will work. YOU will determine who the next senior pastor will be, by vote of no less than 90%, after the committee has done it's job of discovery. This process should take approximately 9-12 months, Lord willing, and only in HIS perfect timing. Our pastors will keep all of you informed on any new information as we walk down this road together!
Linda and I expect to be here for a month and perhaps much longer as our home is under contract and when it is sold, we should be leaving soon thereafter, however only God knows if it will actually close on time or if at all, with our current buyer. At the end of the day our final timeline and all future plans will always remain in God's hand, just as it should! James 4:13-16 Look here, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit." How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog-it's here a little while, then it's gone. What you ought to say is, "If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that." Otherwise you are boasting about your own plans, and all such boasting is evil.
With that said, I would encourage any of you to invite ANY past family of SDBC to come and join us for worship on any weekend while we are here, as we would love to see any of our brothers and sisters in Christ, especially those we may have not seen in a while. Linda and I plan on being a part of SDBC for the rest of our lives, even though it looks like God is moving us to another state.
Please join us in prayer for this process. Please pray for the growth of the church during this exciting time of new beginnings. Please pray for our pastors and their families to persevere and for God to protect and bless each of them. Please pray for the pastor who is to take my place and for his family... and for God to reveal him to our committee in His perfect timing. Please pray for Linda and I, along with our family who are following God's leading to Idaho, especially, that He would use us in a great way to further His Kingdom there.
I encourage you to come join us any weekend as we continue to work our way through the Book of James. There are so many lessons for all of us to learn or re-learn from this great book of Scripture and I must say, I have never loved preaching as much as I do, with this text that is so relevant today.

Finally, I thank God for my time in San Diego and for each of you whom He has allowed to become an eternal part of our lives. It is with a heart of joy and sadness, with a song of thankfulness and praise, with a spirit of adventure (for us and for you) and a heart of unending gratefulness,

I send each of you my agape in Christ Jesus...

Pastor Steve

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I'm Back

6/20/2014

Hello my family in Jesus! It is awesome to be back in San Diego after my first ever sabbatical over the last two months and I can't wait to see each of you this coming Saturday or Sunday at SDBC!!!!!

I want to thank our pastors for allowing Linda and I to take this time of rest and rejuvenation and we especially want to thank each of you who have been or are a part of the SDBC family! We have much to do together and I can't think of a better time to be taking our faith seriously than in these crazy last days and I can't think of a more practical book to teach us all how to have a strong faith than our new study starting this weekend!

Linda and I sure do miss you and I can't tell you how excited I am to be back in the pulpit teaching the Book of James! I invite you to join us for an adventure in practical Christian living that provides a treasure of wisdom, especially if you are going through some difficult or challenging trials.

By the way, if you have any friends or family going through a tough time, this will be invaluable teaching, whether they are a believer or in need of a savior!

Remember, for believers, there are two types of Christians, 1) those who are going through tests and trials and 2) those who are about to :). Let me help you learn how to find joy through the trials of life right from the Word of God!

Please plan to join us this weekend for our homecoming and for some down to earth, good old fashion WOOOORRRRDDD!!!!!

Loving each of you with the love of Jesus,

Pastor Steve

Memorial Day Weekend

5/23/2014

All gave some...Some gave all!

Memorial Day is this Monday, May 26, 2014.

Have you ever confused Memorial Day with Veteran's Day?

Veteran's Day is a day set apart to honor all who have served to protect the freedom we enjoy as a democratic republic in the U.S.A. Memorial day began after the American Civil War to honor the Union and Confederate soldiers who died in the Civil War. Now, we set apart the last Monday in May to honor all who gave the ultimate sacrifice in serving our country against those who would try to attack and destroy the values and ideals America stands for.

Speaking of the ultimate sacrifice, Jesus (100% God & 100% man...the only human who never sinned) chose to lay down his life on your and my behalf. Let's be honest, I certainly wouldn't chose to be a sacrifice for all mankind during the Roman Empire, when the Roman military's pursuit in the art of torture, humiliation, and death reigned supreme, but this fulfilled prophecy!

Could it be that God's love reigns supreme, no matter the depth of our depravity? God's love never fails because God is always faithful. We're talking about a type of love that even extends to His enemies: "For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God." (Romans 5:10-11 NLT)

Let's truly honor the men and women whose blood was given for the very freedom we have today. If you know a family that lost a loved one serving our country, thank them and pray for them.

This weekend, we have the honor of Pastor Henry Brown, Retired U.S. Navy Veteran, husband of 20 years, father of 8 amazingly gifted children, and devoted follower of Jesus Christ will give us a powerful message from Philippians 3:12-4:1. Come expecting the unexpected!

Big Changes This Weekend at SDBC

3/6/2014

Sunday services are now combined into one BIG service at 10:30 AM as our Saturday service has become so successful and enjoying a great turnout!
This Sunday is MOVE IT FORWARD week so please reset your clock so you won't miss a minute of our SPECIAL SERVICES this weekend!
Get ready to enjoy a special guest worship team at both our Saturday evening and New Sunday morning 10:30 AM service.
Boot Camp was a great success with most everyone who has been a part of the series experiencing great spiritual change and growth and most everyone is either in a community group or committed to joining one with many new groups popping up around town! For more information on community groups in your area, please contact Pastor Steve (Woody) from our website.
SDBC is expanding our prayer ministry in 10 different ways! If you have a passion for prayer or love evangelism or just love people in general, we have numerous opportunities for you to serve. Please contact me directly or any of our pastors as we are committed to ensuring that SDBC will be a house of prayer! AND, be sure and watch for more information to come soon on new ministries that take very little time, but will have an amazing impact for Christ's Kingdom!In the love and grace of Christ Jesus,

Pastor Steve

Merry Christmas from San Diego Bible Church

12/23/2013

A little girl was wrapping a present for Christmas using layer upon layer of the best paper she could find when her father scolded the child for using too much paper! The little girl explained to her father, all the paper was for her daddy; it was his present she was wrapping, so the father let her continue. On Christmas Day, his daughter, who was SO excited about her gift she had so carefully wrapped, gave the father his present. However, when her daddy opened all the wrapping paper he found nothing in the box.

The father told his daughter that she wasted a lot of paper on wrapping an empty box, but the little girl told her father it wasn't empty - she had filled the box full of kisses for her daddy!

The father learned how priceless presents are, that only a child can see. He ending up keeping that empty box by his bedside his whole life and opened it whenever he needed to be cheered up.

In the same way God has given you the Holy Spirit, wrapped in the blood of His only Son Jesus as a gift. It is a gift that you may not be able to see, but must believe by faith that it exists.

Jesus said in Matt. 21:15-16 But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that He had done, and the children who were shouting in the temple, "Hosanna to the Son of David," they became indignant and said to Him, "Do You hear what these children are saying?" And Jesus said to them, "Yes; have you never read, 'OUT OF THE MOUTH OF INFANTS AND NURSING BABIES YOU HAVE PREPARED PRAISE FOR YOURSELF'?" And again Jesus said in Luke 18:16 "Let the children come to me. Don't stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children.

Through our heavenly Father, the Holy Spirit provides you with all the intangible things you cannot see but so needed in this holiday season - like God's kisses of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self control.

God's gift of Jesus and the Holy Spirit of promise is the greatest gift you will ever get this Christmas or any to come.

This year make sure you don't miss receiving God's gift to you. It's a free gift, but it's the most priceless gift you will ever receive for the rest of your eternal life!

The gift is wrapped as a baby in swaddling clothes, the Christ child born on Christmas day. A child who would grow up to be the Savior of the world, God in a physical human body, Who gave His life to pay for all your sins, Who died on a cross and rose again 3 days later.

This is the good news we celebrate this season. Jesus is indeed the reason for the season. God's gift to all humanity - for those who still believe in miracles and have the heart of a child.

Merry CHRISTmas to each of my loved ones, Children of God!!!!!

Pastor Steve

I look forward to seeing each one of you back in Boot Camp, after Christmas, which will resume Saturday or Sunday, January 4th and 5th.

If you missed any of this series, please check us out on line so you have the chance to get caught up.

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