Jeff Mears | Leadership. Church. Family.

Divine Breakthrough: Hunger for the Word

2012-01-13T06:17:00.000-08:00

Millions of Christians across our nation are fasting right now. We understand hunger! One thing I’ve noticed about fasting is that the first few days are the hardest... and then the hunger goes away.

This is what has happened to many of us when it comes to the Word. We have had a season of consuming it, but we got busy, ignored it, and after a while the hunger for His Word began to subside.

The problem with this, of course, is that we need the spiritual sustenance that the Word gives us. It contains everything we need for victorious living. Consuming it daily keeps our perspective right, our faith high, and our eyes on heaven.

Spend these next 3 weeks in the Word every day. Read some, make some notes and pray through what God shows you. If you don’t know where to start just google the SOAP method of Bible study and start there.

If you will do this it will change your life and your Christian walk. There is incredible power in the word of God:

His WORD heals our disease (Psalm 107:2)
Faith comes by hearing and hearing the WORD. (Romans 10:17)
The WORD of God is living and active sharper than a two edged sword. (Heb 4:12)
Cleanses us (Eph 5:26)
Perfects the Love of God in us (1 John 2:5)

To try to live the Christian life without reading, memorizing and living the Word would be like trying to live on a lifelong diet of water and crackers.

All of a sudden I’m getting very hungry.

Divine Breakthrough: Your Relationship with God

2012-01-12T06:53:00.000-08:00

"But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all your works." Psalm 73:2

Have you ever tried to tune in an old radio that has a manual knob? It’s easy to end up with static, or even two channels on top of each each other. It takes some effort to dial it in, so that you can focus on the one thing you really want to listen to.

There are a lot of other channels vying for our attention. Life is busy. Distractions are everywhere. In the midst of it, God is calling us closer to Him. Past the noise. It will take some effort, but it’s worth it. Psalm 73 says “It’s good for me to draw near God.”

Set aside some time each day during this time of prayer and fasting to focus on Him... it’s good for you!

A few practical things I’ve found that help me “tune Him in” and everything else out:

Put on some worship music (headphones for me because the kids are asleep!)
Do some Bible reading (I’ll post more about this tomorrow).
Share your heart with God (Praise, thanks, needs or just conversation).
Incorporate a journal throughout this to write down what he is teaching you, what He’s done and what you are believing for.

My prayer is that your relationship with Him goes deeper than it ever has before. THIS will be a year of Divine Breakthrough in your relationship with God.

See you tomorrow,

Jeff

Prayer & Fasting

2012-01-07T14:24:00.000-08:00

As we enter the new year many of us face challenges, others are pursuing a vision bigger than what can be accomplished without God’s help, and all of us are in need of a fresh encounter with God.

I am believing for divine breakthrough for our lives and for our church this year.

In 2 Chronicles chapter 20 the people of God were desperate for a divine breakthrough (Check it out here: http://bit.ly/y1wtBM). Verse 4 says their leaders “proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah assembled to seek help from the LORD; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD.” I’ll let you read the rest of the chapter to see the result of their prayer, fasting and worship... Divine Breakthough!

Kristi and I sense in our spirits that God is calling our church to an intense season of prayer and fasting. We will start our fast on Sunday, January 8th and finish on Sunday, January 29th.

This year we are also going to add four weeks of Wednesday evening prayer from 6:30 to 7:30pm at our home (1972 Ainsley Road, 92123) starting this coming Wednesday. Whatever you have going on Wednesday nights... cancel it and join us to seek God!

We will post details about fasting and a few helpful tips on TheCity (cbcsd.onthecity.org) before Sunday morning.

Love you guys and can’t wait to see what God is going to do on our behalf.

An Eternal Hope

2012-01-04T17:43:00.000-08:00

These have been a difficult few weeks for me personally. I have lost two friends who were young -- whose lives were cut short, stolen from us before their time. I have grieved with their families and searched for words to comfort, knowing anything said would fall short.

These past weeks have reminded me of how fragile life is, how temporary is our time here, and how beautiful is our promise of a better and permanent life to come.

As believers we have hope.

We have the hope of an eternal home with our Father, a place with no tears, no death, no mourning (Rev 21:4). We have the hope of a miraculous and loving God turning even the worst of events into something beautiful (Rom 8:28). And we have the certain hope that these promises are true (Num 23:19).

In these next days we will mourn with a family mourning, we will honor and remember the lives of loved ones. But we do it as a people who have our hope in God. When we see the future through the lens of hope it makes life lighter, more meaningful -- it restores our joy.

I love the verse in Romans that speaks of death being “swallowed up in victory” through the work of the cross. Eugene Peterson’s take on 1 Corinthians 15:55-57 paraphrases this beautifully:

“ Oh, Death, who's afraid of you now?” 

“It was sin that made death so frightening and guilt that gave sin its leverage, its destructive power. But now in a single victorious stroke of Life, all three—sin, guilt, death—are gone, the gift of our Master, Jesus Christ. Thank God!”

Death stings for us who are left behind, we’ve lost someone we love. But it does not sting for our dear friends who have moved on from this broken earth to their eternal home. Dan and Matt, can’t wait to see you when I get There.

A Letter To CBCers - ReDiscover Church

2011-06-30T16:56:00.000-07:00

Hey CBCers!
It's hard to believe City Bible Church will be a year and a half old next month. It amazes me what God has done in such a short time -- He’s gathered a group of great people, connected our hearts and changed many lives already. He has used us to feed scores of families, serve widows and orphans, feed the homeless and bring His message of hope to many.

Though It’s inspiring to see what He has done thus far, I’m not yet satisfied. We are called to be visionary leaders, to see something beyond where we are. I see an expansive church that reaches into the city to touch the lives of many hurt and spiritually hungry people.

I believe that reaching more people is a “God idea” for us.

We will be embarking on a “ReDiscover Church” campaign throughout the summer. We’ll be asking our neighbors to join us in rediscovering the power that God and His church can have in our lives.

I have three thoughts that I want to communicate with our entire church:

1. Team! Team! Team!  
Our leaders have been working hard behind the scenes to make sure that we are ready as an organization to reach people and lead them to become fully devoted followers of Christ. This means Kristi and I are empowering lots of leaders and teams to do together what we cannot do alone. For you it means that you should be on a team... no one sitting the bench, everyone in the game! If you aren’t on a team - get on one! Kids! Worship! First Impressions! Follow up! Find somewhere that you can serve the vision of the church our church, to reach people.

2. Reach More People
There are 510,000 people living within a 5 mile radius of the church our church. 84% of them do not attend a local church. They need the hope and community that is available at CBC. We’ve spent the past 8 weeks working through a plan to reach more people. Strategically this means three things:

Opening Our “Front door!” Our church is a great home, but we need to get people through the front door of the church for them to discover it. In 2010 we saw an average of 2 visitors per weekend. In 2011 I want to see 10 visitors each weekend.   

We are the best hidden secret in San Diego! We are going to change that. In the past 6 months we had looked at leasing a dedicated building for the church. As we researched we found that (1) It doesn’t make economic sense for us to move out of the hotel into a traditional building until we grow to be a church of 400-500 people and (2) Our location at the Sheraton is amazing!   

The Sheraton is central, visible and is passed by 250,000 cars each day, but no one knows we are there! We will be wrapping CBC graphics on a 24x13 box truck as a billboard type sign and parking it in front of the Sheraton each weekend and throughout Mission Valley during the week.  

We just hung 15,000 door hangers and will do this again in both July and August. We will be handing out water and touch cards at the beach and we will be using Google and Facebook strategically to reach into the homes of people. By the end of the summer the 510,000 people that live within a 5 mile radius of our church will know where they can turn for hope and community... City Bible Church.

A World Class Sunday Experience. From the parking lot to the “pew” we want people to experience an atmosphere unlike anything they have experienced before. We will be increasing our signage in the street and lobby and adding a stage and lighting. We are building a great “first impressions” team of atmosphere architects. Worship will be strong, the message will be relevant, and most importantly, people will experience the Presence of God.

Follow Up. Within 24 hours we will be following up with those that visit CBC via Facebook and email. We are putting a team in place to guide each person from visitor to being connected.

3. Our Responsibility
The Church modeled in scripture, starting in Acts 2, was an expansive, growing, influential church that reached new people daily. We are called to build this same kind of church in San Diego. This is not something that Kristi and I are called to build on our own or that our leaders are called to build on their own. God has brought you to this church this year on purpose... that you could share in the great cause of building a city-reaching church. I am asking every person that calls CBC home to do three things:

Get on the Dream Team! Find a way that you can advance the cause that God has given us. Our current teams include: LifeGroup Leader, LifeGroup Assistant, LifeGroup Hosts, Follow Up, Administration, Outreach, Prayer, Worship, Audio/Visual, Setup, 1st Impressions, Lobby & Set Design, CityKids, Generation Unleashed, Database Management, Web, Marketing, Creative, Social Media & Hospitality. If you aren’t on a team contact a team leader or email me personally and I will connect you to the right team leader.

Invite people! Grab touch cards every Sunday and invite people to church throughout the week. What we have to offer is life changing! Let’s share it with those around us.

Give! We will have a special offering on Sunday, July 17th for ReDiscover Church. 100% of that offering will go towards the efforts described above under the “Reach more people” heading. I want every person that calls CBC home to pray about how much God would have you give towards this season of stretching out to reach more people. Kristi and I will be giving personally and sacrificially towards this. Don’t count on someone else to sacrifice to build this church, let it be you, let it be me... let’s do this together. My faith position is that we will come together with more than what is needed and hit a home run this summer in reaching people.

Thank you for being a people full of faith and vision. We are so grateful for you... it truly is a joy to be your pastors.

Let’s do this together,

Jeff & Kristi

Mandate: From Darkness to Light

2010-05-28T13:59:00.000-07:00

A blinding light, audible voice from heaven, a specific directive on how the rest of life should be spent. If only all of us had direction given to us as clearly as Paul in Acts 26.

Jesus closes his directive to Paul with this: "I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me. "

Like Paul, you have purpose. The way it's walked out may look different, but in the end it is the same... to turn people from darkness to light, from the power of Satan, to the power of God.

We live in a beautiful city. We have been blessed with great friends and a great church. Now it's time to take it to the streets. Join us this Sunday as we begin our series "From Darkness to Light."

Easter in San Diego

2010-03-31T22:01:00.000-07:00

OUR FIRST EASTER
Join us this weekend for our first Easter service in San Diego. We are meeting at 11:00am at the Mission Valley Sheraton off of I-8. Get Directions

EASTER mEGGa Hunt
Family fun at its best! Thousands of Easter eggs, face painting, egg drop, easter baskets, tons of prizes: Wii, Bikes, Scooters, RC Helicopter.

Saturday, April 3rd
11:00am to 3:00pm
Hunts every 30 minutes
Scottish Rite Event Center
1896 Camino Del Rio South
Off of I-8 across from Target
Look for the 27 ft bunny!

PRAYER & SUPPORT FOR HAITI IN THE WAKE OF DISASTER.

2010-01-13T12:18:00.000-08:00

As most of you know by now, Haiti has been hit with a 7.0 earthquake that has devastated much of the infrastructure and homes in Port-au-Prince. The death toll will likely be high. My Dad (Henry Mears) and the president of MFI, Bob MacGregor) had just left Haiti on Monday afternoon after a week-long pastors conference. Many of these pastors are from the hardest hit areas and need our prayer and support during this time. This is the moment for the church to shine and bring God’s love, comfort and hope to a devastated people.

Pastors Marc and Lisa Honorat are great pastors that we are connected with in Haiti. Their organization, Haiti Arise has been key in the response to the hurricanes that have ravaged Haiti in recent years. They are proven in addressing both the natural and spiritual needs of the people of Haiti. Haiti Arise has feet on the ground in PaP, once we get further communication I will post on my Twitter/Facebook accounts

You may make disaster relief donations at: www.HaitiArise.org

This is our moment to show His love,

Pastors Jeff and Kristi Mears

Day 6 - Faith for those who don't know Jesus

2010-01-09T07:20:00.000-08:00

GUEST BLOGGER: Jonathan Collins

"Now stand up! For I have appeared to you to appoint you as my servant and my witness. You are to tell the world about this experience and about other times I will appear to you… to open their eyes so they may turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God’s people, who are set apart by faith in me.” Acts 26:16-18

These are the words spoken by Jesus to the most popular author in the New Testament, Paul. Many people believe that before Paul chose to follow Christ he was an evil man with a hardened heart. If you look closely and listen to his testimony, this is actually not the case. Paul was not out imprisoning and having Christians killed because he was intentionally evil, but because he was passionate about protecting his former understanding of who God was.

There are many people today who are passionate about things they believe to be good. Mindsets such as “all paths lead to heaven”, the coined phrase “everything happens for a reason”, the bumper sticker “coexist”, and so-on are delivered with sincere hearts. But just as Paul experienced, passion and knowledge do not equal accurate truth.

In a world full of good intentions and difference of opinions, one card trumps them all. A genuine encounter with the presence of God immediately disqualifies any doubt of His existence and His standards for our lives. Just as Paul experienced in a moments time, have faith this week that the undeniable presence of God will encounter those who currently choose not to accept Jesus Christ into their lives. There are plenty of good-hearted people, but only Jesus can set people free from past guilt, current sin, and future devastation.

Pray this prayer for those you know have a heart to do good, but lack the Source of goodness:

Jesus I pray that you make yourself known to those who have adopted a form of Your message, but not Your presence. I pray that just as Paul encountered you on the road to his own agenda, they would have an undeniable encounter with the presence of the living God. I pray that my faith and action would increase to bring what truly is Good News to a lost and hurting world. You promise that those who seek will find and I ask for that to come true in the lives of my friends and family this week. In Jesus name, Amen.

Day 5 - Faith for the Church

2010-01-08T00:07:00.000-08:00

“I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
-Jesus (Matt 16:18b)

The church is what God is building. It is the only organization on earth that is invincible, unstoppable and eternal. Jesus said that even the gates of hell will not prevail against it. I am determined to spend my life building what He is building, investing in the greatest cause on the face of the earth.

It is true that the church is a universal body of believers, but its primary expression throughout scripture is local. Right here. It’s made up of you and me and those that we gather with.

When we look at the picture of the church given in the book of Acts (and throughout the New Testament) we see a church that is expanding, unified, filled with the Holy Spirit. We see a church that builds an amazing community, feeds the poor and powerfully impacts the region. This is the church that God intended.

He has given us the picture of what the church should look like. Do we have faith that He can do it here? Through us?

If not, let’s step up to the plate. Let’s believe in the church as much as God does. Let your faith arise today that He can do this in our church and that He can use you to do it.

Take a moment and pray for our church with me:
“Jesus, I want to spend my life to build what you are building. Help me build a church in San Diego like the church that you have in mind. I believe that we can see the lives of many people transformed and that we can see this city changed for you. I love you Lord, and I love your church. In the name of Jesus, Amen.”

Day 4 - Personal Faith

2010-01-06T22:33:00.000-08:00

“No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.”

Romans 4:20, 21

This is one of my favorite all time “faith” passages. Lord, that I could have faith like this! Unwavering-strong-in-faith-fully-convinced faith. Knowing that God is able to do what he has promised.

It is hard to have this kind of faith if you don’t have any promises to apply the faith towards.

God has given you promises, whether you know it or not. He can give you prophetic promises that are specific to your life, but He also gives us plenty of promises right in scripture. Enough to change our lives if we would believe that they are true.

Take a look at just a few of the things that He has promised you in scripture:

He will never leave you, ever (Romans 8:35-39, Hebrews 13:5)
An abundant life (John 10:10)
He will finish what he has started in you (Phillipians 1:6)
To prosper you (1 Chronicles 22:13, Jeremiah 29:11)
To give you a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11)
That your children will never be begging for bread (Psalm 37:25)
To heal you (Matt 8:17, Isaiah 53:4,5, Mark 16:18, Acts 5:16)
He will supply all of your needs. (Phillipians 4:19)
To give you good things, in this life (Matthew 7:11)
That you will someday dwell with Him in Eternity (John 3:16)

Today let your faith rise up. God has great things for your life. A future and a hope. Now bust out some of that unwavering-strong-in-faith-fully-convinced faith on these promises. He’s willing. He’s able. He will do it.

Pray this faith-filled prayer with me.

I believe you God! I believe you are able to fulfill every promise that you have given me. Help me not to waver in my faith. I am fully convinced that you are able to do everything that You have said You will do in my life. Lord I pray that the good plans you have for me would come to pass. You are able!

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Day 3 - Drawing Near

2010-01-05T21:01:00.000-08:00

"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you" James 4:8a

God desires to be near to you. It has been His plan since the beginning. In Genesis He created Man and was present with Him in the garden. In Revelation 21 we see the completion of His plan - God dwelling with us, his people. It’s what He wants, and has always wanted. He wants to be near to you.

Being near to God is not complicated. It’s not just for pastors, priests and “Men of God.” It’s for you, and it’s simple... you were literally designed for it.

Take some time today to draw near to Him. Here are a few things that I have found help me to draw near to Him, no matter distant I may feel.

Prayer. Just talk to him. No fancy words. Talk to Him like you would talk to the person you trust the most in this world.
Worship. Put on a worship CD, sing along or just sit in silence, soaking in His presence
Read scripture. Read and allow Him to speak into your life with words that He inspired years ago, but are still living, active and powerful today. It’s all good, but I recommend the Psalms, specifically, when just wanting to press into the Presence of God.
Repent of sin (See day one for more on this). Be specific. James says “If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us of all unrighteousness.” Remove anything that is standing in-between you and a Holy God.

That’s it. Nothing complicated. If you feel distant from God, I challenge you to do the things above, daily. It won’t be long at all until you feel His presence closer than your skin.

Take a moment and pray with me that God would draw you close.

“Father, I love you and I want to be close to you. Thank you for your desire to be with me... I desire you too, Lord. Help me push past the distractions in my life and spend time drawing near to you. Draw me closer to you today, this week and this year.

In the name of Jesus,

Amen

Day 2 - Surrender

2010-01-04T22:02:00.000-08:00

" Trust in the LORD with all your heart,

and do not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make your paths straight"

Proverbs 4:5,6

Surrender. Literally, to “relinquish possession or control to another.”

It seems so counterintuitive to give up control of our lives to someone else, to give God our possessions, our relationships and our destiny.

Scripture teaches that we are to “Trust in the Lord with all our hearts and lean not on our own understanding.” If we truly trust Him then the surrender is easy. When we surrender our lives to Him then our path, and our destination, become greater than we could ever imagine or attain on our own.

Today God is asking you to surrender to Him. Not just to surrender one particular thing, but to surrender everything, to surrender your life to Him. This means recognizing that you can’t do life on your own and that you trust Him with your very life.

Take a moment and pray this prayer of surrender out loud, or simply tell God in your own words.

“Lord, I surrender my life to you. All of it. My plans, my future, my relationships. I know that you love me more than I love myself. I know that your plans for me are good. I trust you. Help me to live a life surrendered completely to you. In the name of Jesus, Amen.”

Day 1 - Repentance and Cleansing

2010-01-04T00:12:00.001-08:00

“Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.”
Psalm 51:10

I love Psalm 51. David has just been called out by the Prophet for his adultery and murder. His response is not to defend himself, it’s not to run from God. Instead he responds by writing an incredibly heartfelt song - crying out to God for mercy, forgiveness and cleansing. “Have mercy on me God” he cries “blot out my transgressions, wash me from my iniquity, cleanse me from my sins.”

The language David uses here is a thesaurus of repentance and cleansing: Blot out. Wash. Cleanse. Purge. Restore. Create. Renew. Uphold. This is the language of a man who had sinned against God but responds with a tender heart.

We live in a culture that glorifies sin; sensuality, greed and selfishness. You may not have murdered or caused someone to cheat on their spouse (like David did) yet it’s likely you carry baggage from past mistakes, habitual sin, wrong thinking, the list goes on.

Scripture teaches us that all have sinned. So the question becomes not “Have you sinned?”, but “How will you respond?” Will you hide it? Cover it? Will you harden your heart, will you minimize and excuse? Or will you respond like David did, with a tender heart, seeking to be cleansed and restored.

My prayer for you today is that you would embrace Jesus today with a tender, responsive heart of repentance... adjusting your thinking to His.

As we seek God for this new year I think a great place for us to start is with this same language and same heart as David. Join me and pray this prayer out loud, or better yet, pray in your own words.

Prayer
Father, I repent of every thought and every action that I know has not been pleasing to you. I change my mind from thinking like the world thinks, I set my mind on you... help me have your perspective about my life and my relationships.

I ask you to wash me clean, Lord. Purge every thought that is not of you. Father, Create in me a clean heart.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

New-School “Canvassing"

2010-01-01T20:37:00.002-08:00

Tomorrow we are scheduled to prayer walk and canvass part of our great city with our amazing bright, shiny and inviting flyers.

I have now been looking for said flyers for over an hour. This has involved phone calls, texts, flash lights, closets, and even carefully crawling around inside the church trailer (sorry about the drumset, Trey). They’ve vanished. First, I was frustrated, then inspired. (A normal progression for me). Here is why:

It’s 2010 and we are canvassing new-school, in all of our social networking glory.
Tomorrow morning at 9:00am. Instead of meeting at the Mears home I want you to pour some coffee, sit at your computer and facebook, twitter, even myspace if you’d like, to your hearts content.

Change your status. Let people know how stoked you are about our church and the upcoming launch. Check out Max Bravo’s 2010 status update to see how you can link to people and even the Church facebook fan page straight from your status.
Direct Messages on Facebook and Twitter. Go beyond a group invite. Prayerfully go through your friends list and send a personal message about the church’s launch next week.
Make the CBC facebook come alive! Add a “fan photo”, write on the wall, or... have fun.
Suggest Friends/Fans. Suggest that your friends become fans of CBC San Diego’s facebook fan page. If you are trying to find it, go to Max Bravo’s page and link from there... it’s plastered all over his site (love it Max!). This is huge. I'll tell you how huge on Sunday night. If we hit 500 fans by the end of tomorrow I’m making affigatos for everybody at our Sunday night launch team meeting. You can also suggest Kristi or I as friends.

Alright, I’ll see you on facebook at 9:00am! IM me a shout out once you are online.

P.S. Tomorrow morning I'll post the mailer that we sent yesterday for all to see.

Love God. Love People. Prove it.

2009-11-17T11:13:00.000-08:00

I am capital S-T-O-K-E-D about what our not-yet-started-church is doing for some families in our community next week.

This Sunday, at our pre-launch meeting, our launch team put their money where their collective mouth is. They gave $560 to purchase Thanksgiving dinner for families who otherwise may not have had any turkey, potatoes and Martinelli’s to be thankful for. Amazing.

How can we serve our community during this Holiday season ? Take a minute and share some ideas or something you are already doing.

(PS. I opened up the blog to comments because I am uber-interested in your response!)

This is it

2009-11-17T10:36:00.000-08:00

Love God. Love your Neighbor. That’s it. Jesus, says that on these two pegs hang all of the Law, all the prophets. We are asking God to give us a “God kind of love” for the people of San Diego.

This is not an “I love you man” kind of love. It’s not a feeling, an emotion, or even an intention. It’s action. “For God so loved the world that He gave.” In Romans we see that He “Demonstrated His love.” He was a God whose love was accompanied by action.

No more talk.

No more planning.

It’s time to act.

SERIES: The Ground Floor

2009-09-28T14:55:00.000-07:00

Creation. Salvation. Tab and Temple Dedication. What do these all have in common? No, Not that they sound like an M.C. Hammer Rap from 1992. They are all incredible illustrations of the Biblical significance of FIRST THINGS. Acts 2 paints the picture of another FIRST THING as God’s amazing plan (the Church) is initiated.

This Sunday is a significant first for City Bible Church San Diego. We have our first Pre-Launch service at the Hazard Center DoubleTree at 11am. If you’re in San Diego, join us for the ground floor of something great that God is doing. If you’re not near us, invite someone, update your facebook status, your twitter, or just send an old fashioned email to someone you know in San Diego.

Parade of Miracles - Part 2

2009-09-04T08:12:00.000-07:00

As promised, the parade continues...

Sound system
Our single greatest planned expense in starting public services was a sound system: Speakers, monitors, console, cables, amp, effects, you get the picture.

Last week our neighbor and landlord donated his old band's sound system: Speakers, monitors, console, cables, amp, effects, you get the picture.

CBC sound guru and great friend Brian Lawrence used a handful exclamation points in his text response to the specs I sent. I think we're good to go.

God is providing above and beyond everything we need as we walk in faith and obedience. His will, His bill.

Parade of Miracles

2009-09-03T09:39:00.000-07:00

At our going away party in Portland we spent almost an hour surrounded by our friends, family and leaders as the prayed and prophesied over our family and this church plant. One of the things that was said was that we would soon experience God's "Parade of Miracles" right on front of our eyes. At the time I thought it was funny... when I think parades I think of the shriners in their miniature cars, pelting us all with candy. I digress.

So, as promised, this week I will be posting a very brief look at the parade.

Miracle: We have a location!

We have a place to meet that is amazing and is being rented to us at about 15% of the going rate. It is a beautiful hotel and is right in the middle of Mission Valley. It's also the closest hotel to our house, with two Starbucks in-between (making for a perfect Sunday morning drive to church). You walk in the front doors and see our "mini-lobby" where we have plenty of room for a welcome center, greeters, etc... There is a large connected patio for hanging out afterwards. A room for kids and a great, flexible meeting room that seats about 75. I have looked at nearly every hotel in Mission Valley and can confidently say... this is a miracle place at a miracle price for us!

Stay tuned for tomorrow's miracle post. I promise it'll be good.

Beginnings: The Special-Ops Team is Assembled

2009-09-01T09:19:00.000-07:00

Our team is growing in numbers and unity. Check out the pictures below of our first team meeting in San Diego (4 weeks ago) and this weekend's team meeting. It's the special-ops team... they're here, they're equipped & they're ready to rock and roll.

(Stay tuned this week as I will posting daily details about our team's "parade of miracles.")

Beginnings: Sunday's Pre-launch Meeting

2009-08-27T10:25:00.001-07:00

Team member Jonathan Collins put together this short video highlighting our meeting Sunday Night.

Beginnings: Amazed

2009-08-21T10:25:00.000-07:00

I almost got kicked out of the Mission Valley Library this week.

I was using my MacBook and taking advantage of their free wifi when I encountered a very nice, very curious, very hard of hearing, elderly man. He couldn’t understand how I could have no wires plugged into my computer, and he wasn’t content to leave where I sat without understanding. He was nice and he was elderly, I had to respect him and do my best to answer his questions (even if it meant my library whisper had to become a near yell for a few minutes). He was utterly amazed at how I could “get the internet inside that computer without any wires.”

About 10 minutes later he had brought another 80+ yr old friend over and was pointing at my computer and explaining the amazing miracles of technology to his friend. At 80 something years old this man’s amazement had turned him into a WIFI evangelist.

My question for the day is this: are we living our lives in a way that those around us are amazed by the miracles of God. The first church did. In the famous second chapter of Acts we see the unsaved looking at this new church “Amazed and astonished.” This is immediately before 3,000 of them get saved.

Lord, move through us the way you did the early church, that those who see us would be “amazed and astonished” by You.

Believe With Us For Miracles!

2009-08-20T08:13:00.000-07:00

Our team prayed together last night. As we did, Jonathan pointed out that God had already done amazing miracles for each one of us just to get us in the room together. He has already provided jobs, houses, resources, relationships and more to position us for this great work that lies ahead. None of these miracles were small or natural. And many more are just around the corner.

If you are praying with us, here are a few things you should target right away (i.e today):

- Brad & Jenny Quirie left Portland yesterday for their week long trip to San Diego (Either they are driving really slow or hanging with some family along the way… I can’t remember). Pray for safety for their trip and for a miracle job for Brad that would bring in abundance for their household and the church.

- Taylor Hatfield (One of our team from the Tri-Cities, WA) is here and registered for San Diego Christian College. Now that she is here she is hoping to attend Point Loma Nazarene University instead. Minor detail: The registration cut-off was February 15, 2009. Our God works miracles. Pray that she has favor, is accepted to Point Loma and can start classes on Monday.

- Location. We are believing for the right location for the church. We realized this past Sunday night that 18 people (including kids) in the house can get a little crazy. Pray specifically for the Mission Valley Library for us. The City already told us “No” but we have been trained to push back a little, which we are doing this week. As a wise church planter to New York City once said “There is no “No.” It is a great facility in a great location. Also pray that if God has something better in mind for us He would make it clear to us soon.

Thanks for your prayers! I will update the blog as they are answered.

Matt 21:21-22
“21 And Jesus answered them, Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, Be taken up and thrown into the sea, it will happen. 22 And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”

Beginnings: Acts 2

2009-08-19T08:02:00.000-07:00

The first church did not start with a whiteboard and a strategic brainstorming session. There were no consultants, conferences or colleges laying down the freshest ways to reach culture.

It was the undeniable power of the Holy Spirit. Period. And from there the rest is history. 3000 saved. People added daily. Boldness. Conviction. Community. Miracles. Expansion.

It was the beginning of something that we are still a part of today, almost 2000 years later.

Moses got it. Joshua got it. David got it. The 120 got it. We need the presence of God right in middle of what we are doing. As we are in our own day of beginnings we are asking the Holy Spirit to move upon us in a powerful way.

Prayer. Worship. The Presence of God.

That’s our church plant strategy.

Beginnings: Video Cameras & Napkins

2009-08-18T09:08:00.000-07:00

Andre Crouch was tearing up “Through it All” and “Soon and Very Soon” less than 100 feet from where I at my table with songwriting giants Marty Nystrom & Tim Smith. I was sitting at the CCLI 25 year anniversary Banquet surrounded by many of my heroes and I could only think of about one thing… “He knew.”

I kept replaying in my mind the video footage from the evening’s presentation. We saw the napkin that vision of CCLI was first written on. We saw the first office on its first day (I won’t mention the hairstyles that we witnessed). Over and over the video portrayed things that would have only been recorded had it been known that this was the beginning of something great. He knew. CCLI’s founder, Howard Rachinski, knew that this small beginning would eventually impact the world. At least that was the only explanation I could come up with for the obvious position of faith at the beginning.

Now we stand at our own “beginning of a thing” full of faith and vision. We know that God has called us to build a great church that will powerfully impact San Diego and it’s people. So let’s keep the cameras running and the napkins handy as we build with great faith.

Picture From Last Week's Team Meeting

2009-08-13T13:56:00.000-07:00

CBC San Diego Update

2009-08-13T13:44:00.000-07:00

The Whirlwind
Pastor Jack Louman had a prophetic word over us before we left for San Diego: that we would “live in the whirlwind.” He went on to say that we should embrace the whirlwind. I can confidently say that it has begun, I can also say “bring it on.” we’re ready for more. There is much to do as we look for buildings, meet new people, plan meetings, get structure in place, get our team settled and forge ahead to carve out something new. Kristi and I have felt an amazing peace in our home and lives during this time that we know is a gift from the Lord. Thank you for your prayers, they are working.

Taylor Hatcliff , our amazing administrative love-god-love-people-let’s-do-life-together team member arrived this week. We are excited to get her enrolled in school and put her to work! Kristi and I are so blessed to have Taylor on the team. It sounds like Brad & Jenny may be here within the next 2 weeks or so. We can’t wait to have them here with us helping us build the greatest cause on the face of the earth. It also won’t hurt to have some fellow coffee-lovers here with us.

Featured Team Member| Jonathan & Sandy Collins I can’t tell you how blessed Kristi and I are to have the Collins on our team. It was God’s plan to join our lives together at this moment and for this cause. Incredible.

Sandy
Favorite Drink:” White chocolate mocha… it’s like liquid heaven” Church Plant One-Liner: “Timing is essential, and God knew exactly what He was doing when he put His plan to action by sending City Bible Church to San Diego.”

The Praise
• Taylor arrived safely this week!
• Brad & Jenny found great renters for their house in Portland.
• We had a great pre-launch meeting Sunday night with a powerful time of worship. Everyone stayed late, played pool and had a great time.

The Prayer
• Team. Pray that our entire team gets moved down safely. The right houses, right jobs.
• Location. Pray for wisdom for the right location for the church to meet. We have the AMC20 Theater if we want it, but are seeking God to make sure we get what He has in mind.
• Momentum. Pray for supernatural momentum for us. That we would meet the right people at the right times and that the “buzz” would begin.
• Salvations. Pray that we would see people saved before the doors of the church even open. People are the reason that God has called us to this city! Pray specifically for our neighbor/landlord, Gabe. That his heart would be opened to the Lord and that he would find new life in Christ.

Stay Connected
Twitter: Text “Follow jeffmears” to 40404
Facebook: www.facebook.com/jeffmears or www.facebook.com/kristimears
Blog: JeffMears.com
Website: SanDiegoChurchPlant.com
Email: jeffmears@gmail.com
Snail Mail: 1972 Ainsley Road, San Diego, CA, 92123

Photos from the Send-off

2009-08-04T10:39:00.000-07:00

Our great friend Jay Thomas took some pictures of the send-off night.

http://gallery.me.com/jayt#100022

Enjoy!

UPDATE | CBC San Diego

2009-07-30T13:01:00.000-07:00

Getting Settled
“God is showing off.” This has been our only explanation of all that has happened in the past few weeks. We just unpacked the last boxes and are officially settled in. God gave us a miracle house to rent at about half of what the current rental rate is in San Diego. It is a bona fide miracle. It has a swimming pool, fire pit, giant living room and is exceedingly, abundantly above what we could have hoped or even imagined.

The owner lives in a studio apartment on the property and prayed “God, if you are real give me a sign” the night before Kristi and I called. There is not enough room on this page for me to detail how amazing our relationship with him has been already… God has put us in his life to see him saved!

Most of you will remember that the area of San Diego that God has called us to is Mission Valley. I can walk to the end of our culdesac and look over all of Mission Valley. As you can imagine this has already become a hot spot for our prayer over the city. The house is about 7 minutes from my “office”, the Fenton Parkway Starbucks. This is also the Starbucks where Taylor, one of our team members, will begin working in just two weeks.

Team Feature| Jonathan & Sandy Collins
When Kristi and I began praying about San Diego, I felt the Lord speak to me that many of our “pre-plant” team members were literally waiting for us in San Diego. Without knowing who they were, we began praying for Jonathan & Sandy as well as others that we are yet to meet. Jonathan & Sandy are an amazing couple that have quickly become great friends.

Jonathan
Occupation: Senior Editor for BlueChowder.com and training for the 2012 Decathlon. (And he’ll be mad if I say this but I heard a rumor that he's also officially Zest Soap's "Mr. September")
Favorite Starbucks Drink: White Chocolate Mocha (but opts for regular coffee with a shot of white chocolate to save $2 and get a similar taste)
Church Plant One-Liner: "I am honored to be grafted in to the heritage of CBC and to help build a place where the gospel in action reaches San Diego."

Sandy
You'll have to tune in next week to hear more about Sandy!

The Mears Family | Quotes
Hannah – “This is the greatest house we have ever lived in!”
Judah – “Woohoooooo!” (While catching his first-ever wave on my boogie board)
Jentzen – “I’m curious too, daddy” (a surprising adjective from our 30 month old boy)
Kristi – “I think I like Starbucks’ Extra Bold Sumatra more than Stumptown” (heresy!)
Jeff – “We are not praying wimpily… we are going to dominate this city” (Kristi mocked me all day for use of the non-word “wimpily”)

Prayer Points
• Team. Pray that our entire team gets moved down safely. The right houses, right jobs. Pray specifically for a renter for Brad & Jenny Quirie’s house and health for their family. etc…
• Location. Pray for wisdom for the right location for the church to meet. We have the AMC20 Theater if we want it, but are seeking God to make sure we get what He has in mind.
• Momentum. Pray for supernatural momentum for us. That we would meet the right people at the right times and that the “buzz” would begin.
• Salvations. Pray that we would see people saved before the doors of the church even open. People are the reason that God has called us to this city! Pray specifically for our neighbor/landlord, Gabe. He is a great guy with an open heart. We are believing that his heart would be opened to the Lord and that he would find new life in Christ.

Stay Connected
Twitter: Text “Follow jeffmears” to 40404
Facebook: www.facebook.com/jeffmears or www.facebook.com/kristimears
Blog: jeffmears.blogspot.com
Website: SanDiegoChurchPlant.com
Email: jeffmears@gmail.com
Snail Mail: 1972 Ainsley Road, San Diego, CA, 92123

Photos
The AMC20 Theater from I-8

Our backyard (Did I mention this was a miracle!?!)

The front of our house

The Blog is Alive Again!

2009-07-30T12:56:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who has been tracking with us along this journey on Facebook, Twitter, phone, text etc... We are so blessed to have friends like you.

So, now it's time again to resurrect the blog as a way to stay in touch with all of you.

You can also follow me on Twitter by texting "follow jeffmears" to 40404 and on facebook at facebook.com/jeffmears.

Jeff

Kingdom of Comfort

2008-04-15T11:26:00.000-07:00

Delirious has done it again. “Save me, save me from this kingdom of comfort where I am king. From my unhealthy lust for material things.” These are the opening words of their new album “Kingdom of Comfort.”

Kristi and I have been in a place of “holy discomfort” for months now, trying to reconcile the over-abundance that we have with the poverty and famine that so much of our world faces. Most of us as Americans have unknowingly conditioned ourselves over time to be calloused to the realities of our world in a sort of “emotional survivalism” If we fully embraced the condition of the world we wouldn’t be able to continue to function the way do, if at all.

We have made the decision to remove the calluses… to allow ourselves to wrestle with the contradictions that exist, allowing them to be unresolved as long as it takes without moving them to some ignored back-shelf of our thoughts.

I read through the night last Tuesday, every verse about the poor and the oppressed in scripture. His word does not return void. Here are a couple of the verses that most impacted me:

If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered. (Proverbs 21:13)

He who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses. (Proverbs 28:27)

'Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. 50 They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen. (Ez 16:49)

Lord, give us your heart for those that are in great need. Help us as individuals turn the tide of our overfed and unconcerned culture.

I hope I have caused you some discomfort.

Garbage...

2008-04-09T14:48:00.000-07:00

That’s what the nicer translations of Phillipians 3 say that everything is in comparison with knowing Jesus - just garbage. A truer translation would be dung or poop or… you get the picture.

Knowing Him is everything. Everything.

Seeking Him and His kingdom first is difficult when everything in our culture tells us to spend our life building our own.

Lord, I am asking today for you to reveal to me everything that I am seeking after more than You. I want to know you. Jesus, more than anything, or anyone, I want you.

Everything else is just, well… garbage.

The Flu and the Big Picture

2008-03-27T07:02:00.001-07:00

I woke up this morning at 6:30 without the assistance of an alarm or a crying baby. For me that is nothing short of a miracle. For the first time in months I woke up feeling completely rested, ready to go, it was a strange, unfamiliar feeling. I suppose I could thank the flu for knocking me out and forcing rest upon me these past few days, but I won’t, I know it’s true intentions were much more sinister. Trust me, I know.

As I lay there refreshed I began thinking about big picture things, not the fires of the urgent… another strange and unfamiliar feeling. I thought about starting a worship workshop for children, developing wholehearted and skilled musicians at the ages of 7, 8 & 9. I thought about my strengths and my weaknesses, and the ways I need to adjust these to lead stronger. And I thought about this blog, of how I should be using it as an outlet for my thoughts, to cast vision and to communicate how proud I am of the team around me.

Once I post this I am going to record a few more of these big picture thoughts and determine how to get them out of my “Someday Maybe” file into my “Next Action” file.
The moral of the story: sometimes we get so busy doing the urgent things that we don’t take the time to make sure we are doing the right things. Take a moment. Pull back. Look at your life from 30,000 feet. Who knows what ideas and inspirations will come your way.

I should get the flu more often.

2007-04-06T12:02:00.001-07:00

Jentzen Jeffrey Mears

2007-04-05T19:18:00.001-07:00

Proud Father, originally uploaded by Jentzen Jeffrey Mears.

Jentzen was born on at 9:07 pm on Monday, April 2nd. He is HUGE weighing in at 9 1/2 lbs and 21 1/2 inches tall. He is a future basketball player, I'm sure (and it is no coincidence that he was born on the night of the NCAA national championship game).

I am so blessed with the greatest family a man could ask for. Kristi was, and is, amazing. Our parents, family and friends were there to support us and celebrate with us. Judah & Hannah love this little guy so much.

We are so thankful that God orchestrated each detail of this new birth in a way that exceeed our expectations ... and that we have such a great community of friends and family to share it with.

Welcome Jentzen!

To see more pictures you can go to Jentzen's flickr site here.

Seaside with Skyler

2006-09-30T00:34:00.000-07:00

Random Photo

2006-09-30T00:23:00.000-07:00

I really have to post this just to use this photo in my profile.

Oh Baby...

2006-09-29T22:49:00.000-07:00

New life has begun. As I write this, Kristi is sleeping next to me with a beautiful miracle of life growing inside of her. This little one has a heartbeat, vocal cords and is starting to move it's hands. I know I sound like a three year-old learning for the first time that babies aren't delivered by lanky birds with long beaks (think Dumbo, the movie). But stop for a second and really think about it... the creation of a completely new and unique being is the most common of miracles, making it easy to forget that it is also, without doubt, the most extraordinary.

These first 3 months have been a bit surreal. Kristi and I both have much more happening in our lives than when we were pregnant with Judah and Hannah. I need to make sure I stop long enough to enjoy and appreciate the beauty of this season. I have always said that we need to embrace each season of life with everything we have and enjoy each moment.

What do I enjoy right now? I love the little bulge of Kristi's stomach, serving as a constant reminder that we have another family member in the making. I love how excited Hannah and Judah are to have another brother or sister -- and their argument as to which it will be. I also love the glow that Kristi's countenance has, it is as though every cell in her body is rejoicing.

I hope to post some ultrasound photos along with some additional sappy and emotional thoughts. For now I am going to turn in for the night... 1 of my 3 children has a soccer game in the morning.

Much Love,

JM

I Have Become My Father...

2006-06-09T14:05:00.000-07:00

Hannah is getting her hair cut right now. Unbelievable. I never understood why Dad made such a fuss over Angela's hair when we were growing up. I'm pretty sure that his rule was that it had to be longer than her shoulders. I am also pretty sure I remember Angela crying about this at one point when she really wanted it short (though she may have a very different memory of this altogether).

I have become my father. Hannah and I had a big discussion about this today. I told her I was the boss and that I wanted her to have long hair. She told me that Jesus was a bigger Boss than me and that she was sure it was OK with Him if she had short hair -- how do you respond to that!?!

The conclusion: compromise. It will be below her chin.

To help me through the trauma I have posted a few pictures as a tribute to Hannah's beautiful, flowing, golden hair that shall be no more. Enjoy.

Beautiful Girl

2006-06-09T14:03:00.000-07:00

The Value of Relationship

2006-05-27T20:21:00.000-07:00

I had a dream this morning. In the dream a few friends (who will remain unnamed) came to see me. It was amazing the emotion that I felt, even in a dream, when I was reunited with them. What I was feeling was so strong that it woke me up and started me on quite an introspective journey of thought. For a long time I've believed that relationships are the most valuable thing in life. I've believed it, preached it, journaled it, but recently I've started to question -- am I really living it?

God has blessed me with the friendship of many great people over the course of my life. As I picture this list of people in my mind it is amazing to me how long it has been since I have had any communication with many of them.

I've tried to blame this on a lot of things. I've moved to the "Big City" where the pace is faster and the friends are farther away. I tell myself that staying in touch is just not a strength of mine -- it's just not the way God wired me. Or the best yet... "I'm just in a busy season right now."

But then I realize that if relationship is of the highest value to God (and I truly believe that it is) and that God brought us to Portland on purpose (and I truly believe that He did) then it must be possible to reconcile the two things. That God understood pace and distance when He brought us here. I realize that God is a relational Being and that I am created in His image. That however He "wired" me must be consistent with the Greatest Commandment which is all about a love relationship with God and with people. I realize that the seasons of life, the ones that I use as an excuse, come one after another, converging to create life in it's entirety. I'm no longer satisfied with the excuses.

This isn't a public blog. If you are reading this it is because I call you my friend and because I really want to stay in touch with you. Whether you live in Laos, Mexico, South Africa, Zimbabwe or right here in the Northwest, this is a way that I hope to keep our relationship going strong. I would love to hear from you and how you are doing.

With Love,

Jeff

P.S. I am also going to try to start posting some pictures here soon so you can see how cute Judah and Hannah are getting (Kristi's pretty cute too).

Our Family (All Photos Taken by Hannah and Judah)

2006-05-27T11:27:00.000-07:00