Much has happened in 1 year..

It’s been over a year since I last posted anything on this blog. Reading all of my old entries, I’m pretty sure myself then would never have expected to be where I am at today. Much has happened over this past year. Through the ups and downs, the good and bad, the victories and losses; God has been gracious through it all. This is one thing that I can always say, even after a year of silence: God is gracious. He has ordained things to happen to me that proves His love for himself, and love for His own. Praise be to God that I gain anything in this life other than personally receiving His justice!

Since last time I posted, some significant things have happened.
I have (in order):
-Been engaged
-Been to “Resolved”
-Been a groomsmen
-Lost weight
-Started the plant of Hope Church of San Mateo
-Left Lighthouse
-Gotten married
-Gotten promoted

In this blog, I will briefly describe each significant event.

Engagement

On March 27th, 2009, I proposed to Emily, and she said yes. I’m not lying. She did say yes. Lets just say the engagement is a long story and it would be best to direct you to our “wedding website” where I explain in detail how I proposed:
Proposal Story

Resolved Conference: SIN

In June, I went with the College and Young Adults ministry of Lighthouse Bible Fellowship to the Resolved conference in Palm Springs. This was the first Resolved that I went to. It was a rich conference. Not in the sense of expensive (though, the light show during music was pretty cool), but in the sense of content. The theme was sin – based off of one of Jonathan Edwards many “Resolves.” Rather than me explaining my perspective on the content that was preached at this conference, go here, and listen for yourself.
Probably the most interesting part of experiencing this conference was experiencing it with the group from Lighthouse. This was the first major event I had experienced with Lighthouse. It was actually refreshing to do things differently than I was used to. Thanks to the Elders, all of our hotel rooms were paid for. I’m guessing they agreed with the content being preached. Our hotel was connected with the conference center. That made things pretty nice.
The day usually consisted of: Waking up, cleaning up, driving down the way to Starbucks (they loved my discount), separating the guys from the ladies and praying/discussing the previous evening’s conference, going to the morning session, grabbing lunch, hanging out (time to do whatever; discussion, swimming, reading, etc.), going to the evening conference, get late night dinner after, meet as a group, play some board games, sleep. I enjoyed being with the Lighthouse crew. Though, I have to admit, I did miss “my first love.”

Groomsmen.

Matt and Laura Crockett were married on my birthday (July 19th, 2009). It was such a God-honoring wedding. I enjoyed being with Matt and the other groomsmen on the week leading up to the wedding. That was a pretty memorable week, actually. Anyways, the wedding was spectacular and the Lord was put on display!

Weight Loss.

Exactly 100 days before my wedding, I promised to God, myself and Emily that I would be devoted to becoming healthier. I started to consistently work out, and eat healthier. Obviously, a main motivation was getting to my “fighting weight” for my wedding. Previously in the year, I attempted to lose weight (see “Master Cleanse”) and succeeded to some degree. Though, I wanted to reach my goal of going down to 185lbs. At the start of my 100 day weight loss journey, I weighed 219lbs. On November 14th (my wedding), I weighed 183 lbs. I succeeded in my goal. Now, I have gained some back, but, Lord willing, I will never be above 195 lbs. (I’ve been floating around 190ish for the past couple of months). I’m pretty proud of only gaining about 10 pounds after getting married; considering I’ve heard the ol’ story of “Eh, your married now, you’re bound to get fat.” Now that wouldn’t be a God honoring, or “highly esteeming my wife,” mindset now, would it?

Hope Church Of San Mateo

In October of 2009, many had left their previous church home with a similar passion and desire to start a new church that centered around the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Long story short, these men and women have a God ordained calling to start a church where Jesus is preached, with a body of believers devoted to loving and cherishing the gospel which has been entrusted to them. I have been apart of this process and have constantly been blessed by the fellowship of fellow brothers and sisters with a common mindset of a a healthy church, true evangelism, and Jesus Christ as supreme joy. I plan to blog more regarding my church throughout the future.

Lighthouse Departure

I had quite a blessed time being a member of Lighthouse Bible Fellowship, even if this time was short. This church will always be close to my heart, and my wife’s heart. In fact, my wife became saved at this church. When I left First Baptist in June of 2008, I was immediately welcomed into the church of Lighthouse. I had a year-long history of meeting with Pastor Ken, of Lighthouse, on and off, previously. He is a man I will always respect and love. His love for the gospel of Jesus Christ and his devotion to the purity of the church is so evident. I am reminded by his true joy in Christ, daily.
It was hard to leave Lighthouse. I was fed week after week with the expository preaching of God’s word. I was encouraged and convicted week after week by fellow brothers and sisters. I truly was apart of a biblical church, and loved every minute of it. God had other plans for me, and though it was hard at the time, it is evident that God has me exactly where He wants me.
I spoke with Pastor Ken, and the elders about my departure a couple of months before leaving. Expecting somewhat of disappointment, I was pleasantly surprised that they were excited and encouraged that the Lord would give desires to further his kingdom and start another church that was centered around Christ to fellow brothers and sisters. Immediately, they announced that Emily and I would be leaving to continue in our church plant journey. The body of Lighthouse prayed for us, and were excited to see where the Lord is going to lead. I had some more time of service with music and youth before God took me out of Lighthouse to be where I am at today. During my time at Lighthouse, I was shaped and continued to see reality all the more. I will always be fond of this church.

Marriage

On November 14th, 2009, I woke up at 6 am, with only 4 hours of sleep. Today was the day I would be married. I meet up with my groomsmen to enjoy a nice Ihop breakfast before we embarked on our short journey to Fremont. I got to Lighthouse, took pictures with my groomsmen, had the ceremony (my wife was beautiful), took pictures with my wife, had the reception, and left for our honeymoon the next day. All I can say is, if there is such thing as luck, I would most definitely have it. But because God is Sovereign, I can say that God is gracious to me by giving me the best wife ever. I love Emily and am excited to spend the rest of my days with her, serving Christ. There is much detail to the wedding day and the week leading up to it, but I will spare my little fingers the typing for now.
For now, know this: I’m married.

Promotion

The week after I came back from my honeymoon, my district manager came into my previous Foster City Starbucks store and had one last meeting with me before my promotion. He spoke to me of the good news and on December 28th, I was moved to the Carlmont Village Starbucks as the assistant manager. Let’s just say that God had perfect timing with helping my wife and I out right at the beginning of marriage. I am enjoying my job as an ASM thus far. If things are going according to plan, having my own store won’t be too far off. If that’s what the Lord wants, I’m ready for it!

Since these things have happened, the Lord has been good to Emily and myself and has been leading men and women to continue to plant Hope Church. I am excited to see where God directs the church, as well as Emily and myself.

I plan on not waiting a year before my next post. I don’t know what will happen though.

In His Grace,
- Patrick

Master Cleanse.

As most of you already know, I did the “Master Cleanse” for a 72 hour period. 

It was, actually, not too bad. My body became adjusted to the lack of food, the lemonade mix, and the constant ‘bathroom runs.’ One good thing about the Master Cleanse is that during the final day, I was all the more motivated to start working out again. The 72 hours was a perfect refreshment period to get rid of some uneeded toxins in my body, shed a few pounds and become more marrier about the times to set apart in each day to devote to running and, now, possibly even lifting.

I would be lying if I told you that the Master Cleanse was the perfect time of meditation on the “things of God.” Not that I didn’t rely on Christ during the process; this is not the case. Rather, I would have liked to have less focus on “I” and all focus on Christ.

The question during the 3rd day that came across my head the most was “What’s the point of this?.. Even if I do last 10 days, what am I personally accomplishing?” When the answer was one like this: “I’ll be all cute,” then you can expect another response was of repenting. And I did.

Even though there was a time of focus on “Tucker” rather than Christ, I did learn a few good lessons through the Master Cleanse. Wow! Was one of them. “Wow what?” You ask. Well, Wow!. I cannot believe how dependent we all are on food. Duh. We need it to survive. How much more important is Christ than that sandwich? So much more.

Remember, this is the sinless perfect God who was a ransom for the sins of His people. He bore the righteous wrath of the Holy, perfect Father. He was punished on that tree. The death – the wrath – we deserved for all of eternity was experienced by Christ. His blood was shed for my soul.. His blood was shed… for my soul.
Christ’s blood. God’s blood.
Christ is more important than anything I will ever eat. I must get this through my head every single time I rely on food. During the master cleanse, the reality of Jesus became all the more evident.

I need thee Oh God.
I need thee every hour.

…

Be in prayer for me so the condition of my heart remains pure and honoring to Christ.

Sno Cal ’09

Most of you already know that I will be going to Sno Cal ’09.  I am very excited to worship the Lord with some old faces (well not literally old) this year.
I wanted to update you all with possible songs that will be introduced
So, get on itunes and check ‘em out.

1. God With Us (MercyMe)

~ (The pre-chorus goes: “Like hinges straining from the weight”.. Because this original pre-chorus does not fit the song, a more appropriate pre-chorus that we will sing is “Like a prisoner who’s been set free.”

2. From The Inside Out (Hillsong)

~( a better recorded version is by the artist Kristian Stanfill)
-The 2nd verse goes:
“Your will above all else, my purpose remains:
The art of losing myself in bringing you praise.”
A better re-write to understand our purpose better (which is, may I add, not involving “losing” ourselves; for this could have multiple meanings) would be:
“Your will above all else, my purpose remains:
To honor you sovereign King; Your gospel – my praise!”
-Also, make a note of the pre-chrous as well.
it goes:
“My heart and my soul, I give you control.”
We have no right to make such a claim, because the statement “I give you control” couldn’t be further from the truth.
Ephesians 1:11-12 states:

“11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined b according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.”

Notice that “He works all things according to the conusel of His will.”
Yes, this includes our hearts and our souls.
He’s in control for His glory.
How amazing is that?
Read that chapter.. you’ll see how Him being control fits with “Your will above all else, my purpose remains: to honor You, Sovereign King; Your gospel – my praise.”
It’s all about Him – the Sovereign of Heaven and Earth – being honored and presented as glorious; through the living and preaching of His gospel.
So, let us embrace the glorious truth that He is fully in control.
And let us sing:
“My heart and my soul, You have all control!”

3. Jesus, Messiah (Chris Tomlin)

4. I will Rise (Chris Tomlin)

(Tomlin’s definitely got it down with His theology, melodies, and music!)

 

If you all have a chance, I encourage you to check out the songs. They are great, and, with the neccessary changes, they are Christ centered. 

I love you all!

-Patrick

Foster City: The Safe, Crime Free City.. Or is it?

I worked today from 2pm-9:30pm.
It started off as a normal Saturday afternoon.
I did the shift change with Blanca.
After Blanca left, I was left with 2 other Baristas (Lillian and Mike) for app. an hour and a half.
3:15 rolls around and a borrowed partner, from another store, comes through the doors. Her name is Veronica and her shift is at 3:30.
Knowing Veronica from previous times before, I greeted her with: “Hey, I didn’t know that you were the borrowed partner today.”
- “..Yeah, Blanca called me in. I’m going to make a drink before I start working.”
“Sounds like a plan!”
3:30pm is the time.
Veronica starts…time to send Lillian on her 10 minute break.
All the breaks go through awesome. We are doing great on everything that needs to be cleaned and ready for the night/morning. This is called “pre-closing” at Starbucks.
Before I knew it, it’s 5:15pm and Lillian is off.
Cool, I already gave myself a lunch; the only breaks that are left are Mikes lunch and Veronicas lunch.
Mike goes.
Then Veronica goes.
I stay in the back and wash dishes and if Mike needs help on the floor, he’ll call me.
“*There aint no mountain High enough.. Aint no valley low enough.. Aint no riv-*”
“Did you take my wallet?” Veronica interrupted.
“Uh, what?” (I really didn’t know what she said.)
“Did you take my wallet?” She shouted.
“No…did you take mine?” I halfway joked.
“This is not funny! Where is my wallet?!” …

This is where our story begins.
What happened to Veronica’s wallet?
Nobody knows.
Maybe, you too can be a detective and help us solve this case.

The only thing worse than slipping on a wet floor at Starbucks is slipping on a wet floor while looking for a wallet at Starbucks.
Veronica did not suffer from this.
I was the one who slipped and fell.
Why?
The “river was wide enough, and wet enough, to keep me from getting to you babe.”
The song just had to be playing.. still playing… still playing.
Not the way I want to remember the song, but nonetheless, let us look for the wallet.
Running to the car.. Maybe it’s there? Nope. (Veronica was all over the place)
Ask Mike?
Yeah.. a.. No.

20 minutes passed and there still is no sign of the wallet.
I went out the side door and used the restroom, and came back with a breakthrough!
I used the side door.
The side door!
That couldn’t have been it.. could it?
Would a person in Foster city have the guts to use the side door of a Starbucks to steal a wallet?
I tried running the way it could’a happened in my head.
“So you’re telling me that in the multiple 3 minutes time frames that I am in and out of the back room, someone went around to the side door, came in – knowing that there was a possibility of more people being in the back room, or knowing that at any given second I could go to the back – and looked around, found a purse pushed in a hidden corner, took the time to open it, look around, took a wallet, walked out of the room and out of the store?”
That seems pretty gutsy, bold, and really odd.
In fact, what are the odds of that happening?
Especially in the City of Foster City.

She called the police to file a report. The police women finally came and asked me.. *Uh hem* confidential questions, that I cannot disclose here. *

The rest of the night, I was on the lookout.
Was it that asian guy?
Nah.
That middle age women?
Nah.
That dude that just purchased a latte with Veronicas license sticking out of a wallet?
Nah. That guy was too nice.
Okay… so the last one really didn’t happen.
But there is a really good lesson to the last statement.
Just because your nice, does not mean you wont go into the back and steal something.
I think it was a regular customer who has been watching us for a while and knows our system with when we are in the back.

What do you think?

The Lord Sovereignly knows.
That’s a good thing.
Maybe I should have told her that if she had more faith, then she wouldn’t need to worry about her money because then she would just be receiving checks in the mail.
Hm.
I disagree with that point.
And on that note,

-Patrick.

For Whom Did Christ Die?

A couple of nights ago, after work, I hung out with one my buddies who used to work at Starbucks with me. Andrew is his name and being a security guard, is now his game. He is a fellow believer. We’ve definitely built up a friendship, that I hope will continue to grow, even though we no longer work together.
The reason why I think we’ve clicked in such a way is for many reasons, actually.
Reasons like:
1. (The obvious one) He’s Christian; so we have a common devotion to knowing Christ more, and seeing His name be proclaimed “great.”
2. We both are “jokesters” from time to time.
3. We both like to just kick it, with no agenda in mind.
..And the list goes on.
With all other reasons as to why we get along so well, there’s one reason, at least with our friendship, that keeps us growing together.
…

We agree to disagree

…
What do I mean by this?
Do I mean that I agree to disagree with him on the matter of adultery, or stealing, or lying?
Of course not. If those were the continual patterns of his lifestyle (adultery, stealing, etc) with no remorse, nor a longing to be like Christ more and more, I would
1. lovingly come up to him and tell him that his lifestyle is wrong (speaking to him about the glorious gospel), and if he continued to live in that way, I would not be around Him as much as close friend. and
2. He probably would not be a Christian – which would be going against one of the reasons as to why I love to hang out with him in the first place.
No No No.. When I say that we both agree to disagree, I’m saying that we both have a common agreement to not get angry with our differences in

what we believe about God.

You see, among other things,  Andrew is an arminian.
How shocking right?
The majority of the the church holds to the doctrine of “I have a free will to choose God; He didn’t make robots.”
What makes this person different?
Well, He listens to my point of view (or actually the Bible’s point of view) – and I, to his.
And, I so desperately long to see Him grow more in the fullness of who God is – with Christ’s gospel, His sovereign grace, being central.

Anyways, I got done with work and we finally had a chance to sit in his car, with the heater on, and talk life. It did not take long before the things of Christ were mentioned.
I made a point that Andrew questioned. Or actually, it was a point that He had never heard before that interested Him; for it made sense.
The point was this:
We do not repent in order to get salvation. We repent because God has so moved in our heart, that the sins we once loved we now hate – for we long to be more like Christ.
So pretty much, repentance is not needed for aide in salvation. To say this is to say that Christ’s death is not sufficient. Christ finished salvation for His people.
In a sense there has been 3 different points that “salvation” was finished; based off of your perspective.
1. He finished it before the foundation of the world.
2. He finished it at the cross.
3. And finally, and the most accurate answer to when we are saved is:
He will finish it – save us – when He takes all of His children home for eternity.
Long story short:

Repentance is evidence of salvation; evidence of God removing a stone heart and giving a heart of flesh. Yes, if there is no repentance, there is no salvation, but, we repent not in order to receive salvation. Instead, because we are saved – because Christ bore the wrath of God in our place – we repent.

At this point, Andrew knew that I believed something different from the mainstream American church..and I was more than happy to share that with him.
I went to the heart of the matter. It is the doctrine of the reformed faith that arminians have the hardest time accepting. It was the hardest for me to grasp at first, but now it’s the doctrine I most embrace.
Looking into his eyes, with the street light glaring in, I posed this question:
“If Christ died for every single sin of every single human being who has, or who ever will live, then why isn’t everyone going to be spending an eternity in Heaven with Him?”
A mumbled word came out of his mouth.
*Hesitation*
“Well, it’s because God gave man a choice. Because of the cross, everyone has the ability to choose Him. He did die for everyone, but man has to believe in Him, and trust Him in order to be saved.”
….
(And this started the conversation of the Doctrines of Grace with Andrew.)
Notice His response. Right before I posed the question, I was speaking about repentance, and how men and women, who are already saved, repent. This made sense to Andrew. But not when I posed a question that implies that Christ’s death ransomed, not all people, but only an elected group of people.
Andrew and I had a long night of talking, and some resolution came, but for the most part, we agreed to disagree. But here, I want to describe the importance of The doctrine of Limited Atonement (or particular redemption)

First, what are the Doctrines of Grace?
A simple acronym may help:
TULIP

Total Depravity (man is so sinful, he cannot save himself)
Unconditional Election (God chooses man unconditionally)
Limited Atonement (God died only for His elect)
Irresistible Grace (His grace is irresistible to His elect)
Perseverance of the Saints (His elect will endure to the end)

Limited atonement is the doctrine I now most embrace because it is making a point about our God. The point is this:

God is successful in saving His people.

The words of Jesus state
“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10)
Let me ask you this, if God was a substitute – a propitiation – for all men, and we know men are in hell and will be in hell, then was Jesus just joking? Was He lying?
Maybe He didn’t mean that He was truly going to SEEK and SAVE the lost (his sheep that have gone astray – his elect).
Or maybe, and this is the worst yet, Christ did not succeed in what he promised, and there are men in Hell, covered with the perfect blood of the Son of God himself, suffering the eternal wrath of the Almighty Father, even though they had a substitute (Christ) who bore God’s wrath on the cross.
So I worship a God that couldn’t succeed on the cross?
That’s what you are telling me?
“Oooh.. no, that’s not what I mean”
..Then what do you mean?

That is not the King of all Kings that I worship.
I worship the one who promised salvation for His people.
The one who succeeded on the cross 2000 years ago.
The one who bore the holy and righteous wrath of the Father, as a propitiation, for my sins.
The one who said it is by grace, that I am SAVED.

Because of His death, I am not “savable.”
To say I’m “savable” is declaring many wrong things.
But two pop out clear in my head.
1. God is a weak begger who could not fully save people and is ringing His fingers in heaven – worried – for people to make a choice for Him – and if they don’t He’ll be weeping for all of eternity because man’s will superseded God’s will of having an eternity with Him.
2. I am not saved fully by grace, but it is the work of my repenting and believing in Him that I am saved.
And we go in a circle with point 2. Remember Andrew?
I stated that repentance is and only can be after salvation. Why?
If you believe in salvation by grace, then this has to be so.
Grace, to be grace, is absolutely free. There is nothing that you can do at all to obtain it. It has to be sovereignly given to you.
Who is salvific grace given to?
Ah, only those Christ has died for.
He did seek and save the lost, but the lost arent the ones people normally think of. The lost he died for, are the elect. The ones that were supposed to be lost from the foundation of the world; so ultimately, they would be found by Christ.
The amazing thing about His grace is that, I, a God hating sinner who deserved His eternal wrath, can now walk away free. Why wouldn’t I repent? Why wouldn’t I want to know this God more? Why wouldn’t I  want to have the very thing which accomplished salvation for me (Christ on the cross), be the very central thing in my life that keeps me going? I love Jesus, and thank Him for His death on the cross for all of those who would believe, and long to be with Him for eternity.

So, for whom did Christ die?
His people, those who would believe, the elect. However you want to put it, this is what’s true.

May God sovereignly grace you with joy for Him in all aspects of life!

-Patrick

Another Day

So today was chill.

Woke up to the sound of Paul Washer’s voice proclaiming:

“I want you to know the southern baptist convention can drop dead, if it hasn’t already…”

What a great alarm. You feel so motivated, even at 8:30am, to get up and read, preach, and live the gospel – with Christ being fully sovereign.

Ah, how nice it has been to get today off of work.

No waking up at 3:45 am to be in a 4:30am.

Can’t complain!

(I actually don’t do a whole lot of morning shifts anymore. I’m more of the closer. I would say 60% closing, 40% opening.)

So, Dave came by at 9ish and we got some Stacks morning goodness with the daughter (his daughter.. duh). We did the usual; talk theology and the gospel.

Why speak of anything that does not center Christ as supreme?

And then continued the usual with the usual at the CAD house. And you all know how it goes from there..Kickin’ it in the dark room with some background music/a sermon by john piper.

Aaaallriiiight!

Good times.

 

Eventful day?

..Not in the slightest.

Good day?

of course.

Actually, it was a golden day.

Till next time,

-Patrick

Why Blog?

To jot down my daily activities?

..Yea..

To reflect on what I’ve been learning through life?

..Sure..

To give feedback and reflect on what I’ve been learning in God’s word through personal study, and in church?

..Sounds good..

As the answers began to unfold and I gave myself more reasons as to why I would blog, the main reason finally came out. It was the same reason why I should do anything:

For the glory of God. 

We should be joining the apostle Paul in declaring the glory of God in even the most “minor” parts of our days. (1 Corinthians 10:31)

Even if its only the “5 minute snack,” our purpose and point of that “cheesy cheeto” is to thank the one who gave it to you and to proclaim His goodness.

(Or you could just go super Jonathan Edwards and not even eat the cheeto because, well.. that cheeto probably is not the best thing for you as it will hinder your ability to maintain suffcient energy to fully study God’s word… But thats another topic!)

But anyways, since God has graced me with the oppportunity to use the computer, I should be doing all that I can for His glory on the computer. 

And when is the fullness of God’s glory expressed?

Through His marvelous gospel!

So, I hope and pray that my time on this blog will be in devotion to Gods glory. Hopefully men, women and children will all see God’s working in my life, due to His sovereign grace – which has set me free! He has opened my eyes, and my lips are filled with a new song of praise to the King of Kings! I pray the proclamation of His gospel through this blog would be clear and that all would be encouraged!

Until next time,

-Patrick