the next chapter

It’s time to let the dog out of the bag: on June 3, my time at Crestview is coming to an end. Crestview is a healthy church with an incredible staff and dedicated ministry partners who have taught me many lessons about what it means to be a pastor. Serving here has been a greater experience than I could have imagined! There aren’t many churches of Crestview’s caliber, so it goes without saying that this decision was many months in the making. And just as I can look back with fondness to what has been, I can also look with eager anticipation towards what will come.

In July, I’m moving to Kansas City to be closer to Lauren. This moment is a long time in coming for us, and I’m excited to prepare for the next step in our relationship! Lauren makes me a better and stronger person with every interaction we have. The chance to live in the same city as her – to be encouraged and edified by her, to serve her, to make new memories with her, to see her grow as a daughter of God – is a profound blessing. From a ministry standpoint, I’m working on a exciting opportunity in KC; I’ll tell you more about it if it works out!

Now that this process is fully in motion, I’ve been able to think about it from a long-term perspective – and the results have been humbling. God has been (pardon the Christian cliche) opening and closing doors for well over six months now. And I can see throughout that time that He has led me to take risks that will (1) prepare me to lead a family one day and (2) channel my passions and align them with my dreams for serving His kingdom. (I will be writing about the latter in much more detail once I finalize my ministry plans.) I have come to a place where I am completely confident that God has control of this whole situation, and I can’t wait to see where He leads!

Thank you for your friendship, wisdom, prayers, and all the other ways in which you have blessed my life. More updates to come!

Genesis 1

Good morning! Long time no blog. This winter and spring I would like to blog through the book of Genesis. Nothing too deep – I’m not pulling out the Hebrew or anything – but rather some observations I pull from the text that teach me about God and/or challenge the way I live for Him.

So we start with Genesis 1, which tells the story of how God made this world come into existence. The five most important things I learned from this chapter:

1. God created. Some of you are thinking, “Yes! We get to hear Kai’s wisdom about how he thinks God created the world.” Well, I am glad to share that with you: I don’t know. I have no idea, and I don’t care to ask until I get to heaven. We were not meant to know how God created the earth (I believe the topic can be answered by Romans 11:33-36, just like Job’s deep questions could be), and if we approach this chapter trying to figure that out, then we miss out on a ton of truths that are more significant and more substantial than that.

   So today, rejoice with me and be in awe of God with me over this fact: God created the earth from nothing.Have you ever tried to bake a cake from nothing? I’m not talking about from scratch… I’m talking about from nothing. Of course, it’s impossible. It’s absolutely incredible to me that God was able to make an entire universe out of nothing. There was no source, no blueprint, no instructions, no store to buy supplies from; God wasthe source, the architect, the artist, the creator. Our universe is so unbelievably complex in every sense, and I am in awe of a God who is simply able to create that.

   Next time you enjoy creation, let it sing to you about the power, greatness, and love of God. (“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” – Romans 1:20)

2. God created us in His image. Man is the crown jewel and final piece of God’s creation. Why? Because He made us in His image and likeness. From the very moment we began growing we had the image of God in us. Let this truth encourage you today! If you are feeling discouraged, incapable, or not good enough, remember that you were modeled after the same God who created our vast universe. Your potential to grow, learn, love, be creative, find peace and make an impact for His Kingdom is incredible!

   Also, let this truth encourage you because every person you meet today is also made in the image and likeness of God. No matter how their past has formed their present, they have the same incredible redemptive qualities you do (even if they are buried pretty deep) because they are made in God’s image. Every person has the potential to love, serve, make an impact, put others before themselves, etc. because they were made in the image of God. Even if the potential has been diminished significantly, no person is beyond hope of ever coming to that point.

3. God rested after completing what he started. (Technically this is Genesis 2:1-3, but who’s counting?) This truth was a big encouragement to me because I am not living a balanced life right now. In order to keep up all my responsibilities, I have too often taken away time for resting and replenishing. Even though Jesus would later say that the Sabbath is made for man (Mark 2:27), it’s good to know that God used – and, in fact, created – that time too. In the age we live in, observing a Sabbath is harder than ever, because there’s always something else to do. But the more we pour ourselves out into our work, families, and the Kingdom, the more we need this time. A little bit of rest (and a little bit of God during that rest) will go a long way.
4. There is evidence that the Trinity has existed since the beginning of time. In the beginning, God created (1:1). The Word, Jesus, was with God in the beginning (John 1:1). The Spirit of God was hovering over the waters (1:2). You’ve probably heard those. But I missed this one – “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness” (1:26). It’s not just a singular God, but a plural – Father, Son, and Spirit, three in one. The Trinity is a concept I’ll never understand, but it supports the validity of that concept (to me, anyway) when I see that all three persons have existed eternally.
5. Be fruitful. What’s the first thing that God did after he created man? He blessed them and said to them, “Be frutiful and multiply and fill the earth.” God’s identity, characters, and desires have been consistent since the beginning of creation. He wanted man – he created man – to be fruitful and enjoy the fullness of life. What a loving Father! It encourages me to know that God wants that for my life and for yours as well. I want to make that happen even more than it is now and I know that starts with praising Him as creator and putting Him at the center.

silo summitting

Crestview’s building campaign is reaching its halfway point, so yesterday we went to our new property to be able to think about how we should celebrate that and encourage people in the church to be faithful in their commitments. It was pretty cool! Every time I go to the property I forget how big 17.25 acres actually is.

My favorite part about this property are the silos. They are the only preexisting structure on the property (although apparently it used to be a part of an airport runway for farmers?). This summer we had Visioneering Studios come out and work with us on designing a master plan for this property. And, what do you know? They found a way to incorporate the silos into the master plan!

As we roamed around the property, I walked up to one of the silos, and it was so cool inside. There are vines covering the outside of the structure and a tree growing inside it; there was even a fire pit people had used somewhat recently. Then I looked up, and the ladder to the top was in great condition, so I climbed it!

Do you see me? The views up there were pretty sweet (I could see Manhattan hill)! This was a fun way to spend my Monday morning at work.