mmm...delicious!

Sample Blog

2011-05-25T15:17:00.001-07:00

Check this out.
What do you think?

ktm

The Stirring Cafe

2011-05-25T14:15:00.000-07:00

I don’t want to waste my life doing too many things that we will not be doing in Heaven-I ride motorcycles and I cook delicious food.
One of our greatest values at the stirring is becoming family and many of our greatest times with family happen while eating together.
Great relationships are formed in kitchens and around dinner tables.
The Stirring Cafe is definately one of the things I’m most excited about as we move into our new space. Such a great opportunity to eat together and build relationships.
For me personally, this is a new way to live out my leadership calling as a pastoral chef.
With this cafe, we are going to have more opportunities than ever to put Gods love and hospitality on display in this city.

Why Pray?

2011-05-24T11:51:00.000-07:00

Common Question. For some reason so many of us talk ourselves out of prayer.

God is all knowing and all loving. Why pray?

This is a good question; here are my thoughts:

-Jesus did it-Mark 1:35 (now that thats out of the way, here are some other thoughts)
-The first followers of Jesus did it-Acts 1:14 (I know...it's coming)
-Prayer strengthens us-Matthew 26:41
-Prayer strengthens others-Ephesians 6:18-19
-Prayer invites God's supplication-1 John 5:14-15
-Prayer prepares us to make decisions-Luke 6:12-13
-Prayer has the power to break demonic chains-Matthew 17:14

Scripture says that as we pray, the incomprehensible Peace of God will guard our heart and our mind from anxiety-Philippians 4:6-7

Asking questions is great, but actually desiring answers is far greater.

Men and God

2009-10-07T16:15:00.000-07:00

There are moments in life that God turns His subtle voice into a great yell...a battle cry! This is one of those moments. I believe that God has it in His great mind right now to awaken the men of God in this city. I do not know what He knows and I cannot see what He sees, but if He says that there is something happening that we must know about, I do not want to miss out on hearing about it! He has been making some things very clear to me and the men I walk with, and we feel that it is on our shoulders to spread the word to the other men in this city. I cannot wait to see what God begins to do as we all gather in the mountains for 40 hours and follow God as He leads us sword drawn into the battle of a lifetime!

June!

2009-06-07T20:44:00.000-07:00

Such a great time of the year!

AMA Motocross series.

Dusting off the wakeboard.

Backyard barbecues.

Floating in the pool.

Lawn darts.

Camping.

Hammocks.

Slurpies.

San Clemente.

Early morning dirtbike rides.

Sunrises with Jesus.

Ultimate frisbee.

Landscaping projects.

Tan little kids...I love it!

So Good.

2009-05-29T16:10:00.000-07:00

God is So Good. So much better than we expect Him to be!
Two days ago I showed up to work at Tierra Oaks and had a message from The Patients Hospital offering me a job. After looking in to it, praying about it and discussing it with Rebecca, I took the job...no more nights, weekends, holidays...better pay, better hours, better stability, benefits, & future.
So that is all enough to be a huge blessing, BUT today there was a big Corporate Mandated Salary decrease for Tierra Oaks! Seven thousand dollars would have been cut from my annual salary; my new job at the hospital PAYS SEVEN THOUSAND MORE THAN I'VE BEEN MAKING!
Yep...that does it...God is So Good. (what's up with God and Seven's?)

ACTS HAPPENS!

2009-05-21T07:51:00.000-07:00

Our life group has been growing. We had 24 people last Wednesday night, and I would have thought that we would be trying to split the group if we got that big, but God showed me last week how this is just what He is doing on my patio right now. Last week was a great week of people sharing, just being raw, and others encouraging through scripture and praying for them.

SO LAST NIGHT we were 25 people and we, being devoted to each other (fellowship), devoted ourselves to the teachings (of Acts), and worshiped (thanks Jenna...AMAZING), and as we worshiped we took communion; and out of this REAL and AMAZING prayer & healing started happening! People being raw & vulnerable opened up about whats going on because they just couldn't leave that place of God's presence without being changed! So, God's Spirit that is in all of us rose up and started speaking the right words to breath life into those that needed it.

OH YAH, AND A GIRL WAS BAPTIZED! This was her first night at our group. In my pool, in all her clothes, she said she could tell that God has brought her into a new life and she wanted so badly to be baptized there with all of us.

"they devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers." AND ACTS HAPPENED!

wheres the FAVOR at!?!

2009-05-15T00:08:00.000-07:00

It's 12:30 a.m., six hours till eating asphalt cowboy pancakes in the middle of the road with 10,000 fellow Reddingers and God has filled me a little too much with His Spirit...can't sleep. He's got too many things running through my head that I had to come write down:

1. why do so many people say that they believe in God but hate church?
2. why did the church of Acts have so much favor among all the people around them?
3. why do the scriptures that excite me never mention Sunday morning worship services?
4. why does God's Spirit in John & Paul do things that fill people with "wonder & amazement?"
5. why don't we believe what Jesus says about the power of the Holy Spirit like they did?

and more so:

6. why would we ever want to live life without this power?
7. what would that look like in my life everyday?
8. what if I just devoted my life to begging God for ONE of the "fruits of the Spirit"?
9. what would it do to the world around me if I was filled with love OR joy OR peace OR patience?
10.what if we ALL were filled?

Freedom and Favor

2009-05-13T22:40:00.000-07:00

O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.

David LIVED out of worship! He did so many powerful, life changing, going down in history things for God. He let his flesh make some pretty horrible decisions, but he didn't let them keep him down. David was a man of God!

I have lived my life seeking God for 8 years and 10 months. There are some things that most people probably get the first month of living a life with Jesus that for some reason have taken me 8 years and 10 months, but I praise God for showing them to me.

The past few weeks I believe that God has called me to worship Him more. I have answered that call and been starting, and filling, every single day praisng Him. The very first thing I have been doing when I wake up is praising God; sometimes it's a song, sometimes a prayer, sometimes it's a deep breath of fresh 6 a.m. air, but it's all praising our really good God! The past few weeks I believe that God has changed my life.

God is filling me with His Spirit. The Holy Spirit is filling me with peace. The peace of Jesus is filling my life with such clarity. In this clarity God has shown me how to daily live my life, as a chef, as a husband, as a dad, as a friend, as a pastor, as Jesus would if He were living my life for me every moment...because He is!

There will be days God will use me to heal people. There will be days I will speak the truth of scripture into peoples lives. There will be days I will be able to pray with people who don't know Jesus...BUT EVERYDAY, filled with God's Holy Spirit, I can use my words to encourage and breathe life into people! How have I sucked at this for so many years? Yes, there have been many times at work where I have been encouraging and uplifting to my employees and employers, but NOT those super stressful "restaurant" days, BUT GOD wants to use me in powerful ways especially in these crazy times.

God has brought me to a new place of Freedom and Favor at work. I have this freedom to be a positive, encouraging voice in peoples lives everyday. I have this favor with people that God is using to bring Himself GLORY! I am so excited to live the rest of my life as a worshiper!

O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.

Sabbath!

2009-05-11T10:23:00.000-07:00

I'm gonna sabbath my butt off today!!!
IF we didn't just throw the When God Dreams Conference, I would have just completed the busiest four days of my life!

BUT we did just throw the When God Dreams Conference, which I catered for three days, and I would have been so screwed if God wasn't SO GOOD!

ALL of my events went perfect and what is SO much more than that, GOD changed my life in the process, just cuz He is SO GOOD and SO GRACIOUS and SO LOVING!

I'm off to sabbath my butt off!!!

Thanks Aaron.

2009-05-09T21:00:00.001-07:00

I've always known Aaron is the man.
I've always known I love Aaron.
Aaron has always been my great encourager.
Aaron has always imparted such wisdom into my life.

But at the When God Dreams Conference Aaron spoke and God used him to deliver an extremely important piece of an answer I have been begging God for. My heart has always ached for the lonely, desperate people all around me: work, school, winco, motocross track, everywhere (yep, evangelist). But my prayer for years has been for God to give me more clarity & vision & his way of bringing the truth of God's love to my world. Through Aaron sharing this weekend, God tied together all He has taught me about who I am, why I am, where I am, and what I am to be about! This is a good place to be...work was a great place to be today!

My answer: Encouragement...I know...sounds way too simple...there are layers...it has changed my forever!!!

wrestling

2009-05-09T20:09:00.000-07:00

This world is far too lonely
just to comfortably exist
The tears are far too heavy
for creation to resist
Your love is far too powerful
to keep inside my chest
My faith is far too broken
just to let you do the rest

All you want is one to turn to you
sincere when they say “yes”
All you want is one to burn for you
and wait until you bless
All you want is one to yearn for power
flowing through his life
All you want is one to churn your spirit
ever ending strife

choose me

use me

amen.

This weekend...

2009-05-04T17:43:00.001-07:00

I will cook 6,800 dollars of groceries...
I will cook 3,400 oz. of beef...
I will dice 1,600 pieces out of an onion many times...
I will feed 800 mouths...
I will poach 400 eggs...
I will put my hand into a 400 degree box 120 times...
I will walk into a 40 degree box 120 times...
I will fine chop garlic cloves of 60 bulbs...
I will fine cook the breasts of 60 chickens...
I will make 30 cups of hollandaise sauce...
I will kill 15 cups of coffee...
I will kill 15 salmon...
I will work 4 days over 14 hours...
I will work 14 parties in 4 days...

So, what are you doing this weekend?

thanks

2009-05-03T19:57:00.000-07:00

The Stirring 10 am gathering today was off the chain! God wants to so fill us with His Spirit that we would be ruined for living life without it! Then He unleashed the power of EVERYONE and we had a hundred people tear down the church in about 5 minutes! It felt a lot more like church than the usual 20% of the community doing 100% of the work...THANK YOU CHURCH! I love the community of Jesus followers I am part of!

Anyone got a toothpick?

2009-04-30T20:40:00.000-07:00

For the theological meat that is still stuck in my teeth from the Catalyst conference...
Andy Stanley-"plans change, vision doesn't...just cuz a plan doesn't work, don't abandon the vision..."
Guy Kawasaki-"don't define what you do, by what you do"
Jud Wilhite-"what does God see when you look in the mirror?"
Ravi Zacharias-"what you applaud you encourage, but be careful what you celebrate"
Brian Houston-"we can do so much more together (church) than we could ever do on our own"
Nick Vujick-"If God doesn't give you your miracle, become someones miracle!"
Erwin McMannis-"Maybe what I do doesn't change the world, but maybe it just tilts the world in the right direction...what if we all did that?"
Rick Warren-"you cannot win your enemies to Christ, only your friends"
Craig Roscheil-"let the word of God drive your creativity, not creativity drive what you do...preach Christ, He'll do so much more than we ever could!"
Francis Chan-"the church in Acts was un-stopable, church now is so stopable...Jn.6:63'it is the Spirit who gives life, the flesh is no help at all!'"
Perry Noble-"the size of the vision God will give me is equal to the amout of painI'm willing to endure"

still digesting...

swept away

2009-04-30T07:41:00.000-07:00

It's SO good to be swept away.
As people on this earth it seems to be so difficult to try and fathom how truly good God is...so we don't try..."out of sight, out of mind"...that saying is killing us!
But there are these moments where we, with little effort, cry out to God..."come Jesus, come"...and that saying brings us to life!
And what comes "into our mind" comes "into sight" and we get a glimpse of heaven:
"and night and day they never cease to say 'Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!"
"Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created."

Since 2008

2009-03-31T23:48:00.000-07:00

We've been internetless, computerless, tvless, cameraless...pretty much the extent of the technology in the Gafner house has been our toaster BUT we are back! So here's the TOP 10 things I would have blogged about since 2008:

#10. bought & remodled a house...thanks Dan

#9. threw Spiderman a birthday party

#8. spoke at The Stirring "peace is when you can sleep in the storm"

#7. bought my first suit#6. growing really close with a great group of peeps on Wednesday nights

#5. Ryder learned how to eat out of the trash can...so proud...#4. had a sist removed from my neck
#3. cut down 100' tall tree with nothing but the experience I acquired as an 8 year old,

and my new 18" chain saw...thanks Dan

2. Skylar threw her first hot tub party

And the #1 thing I would have blogged about the last 6 months...How much more and more I have fallen in love with my amazing wife and best friend...love you babe!

but God says...

2008-11-13T12:49:00.000-08:00

When I strive for job security...
"seek me first"
When I strive to be a better dad...
"seek me first"
When I strive to husband a deserving wife...
"seek me first"
When I strive to be a worthy teacher...
"seek me first"
When I strive to live up to a calling...
"seek me first"
When I strive to be good enough to...
"seek me first"
When I strive to always be a...
"seek me first"
When I strive to look like...
"seek me first"
But when I strive to...
"seek me first"
But when...
"seek me first"
But...
"seek me first..."
"seek me first..."
"seek me first..."

peace.

scattergories

2008-11-06T11:36:00.000-08:00

If you've never played scattergories, turn off your computer, go to target, buy scattergories, play it, then come back and finish...we'll wait.........

Welcome back.

So last night our life group had some prime rib and blue cheese potatoes and then played scategories and there are a few "answers" that we are in debate about and you the reader are going to be the final word. Please do not take this light hearted; this is serious business...the game is on the line! Here are some semi-questionable answers, let me know what you think.

1. letter "H" category "animal": Hello Kitty and Hairless Cat

2. letter "H" category "language": Hongkongees

3. letter "H" category "people in uniform": Harassers, Hippies, Harold (at the time wearing an army shirt and camo pants)

4. letter "H" category "hobbies": Ho-ing (not like in the garden)

5. letter "H" category "things that grow": Hills (argument="you can make a mountain out of a mole-hill")

6. letter "T" category "school supplies": Teacher and Trapezoid (supply or shape?)

7. letter "T" category "things cold": Temple (but he thought it was "things gold"...really, gold temples?)

8. letter "P" category "tools": Periscope...is that not a tool used to see from under water!?!

9.letter "P" category "desserts": Plum Pie, Peach Pie, Pineapple Pie, Persimmon Pie, and just Pie...do any of those answers score?

10.letter "P" category "farm animals": Pigeons... PIGEONS! ...EVERYONE AT THE TABLE AGREED THAT A PIGEON IS A FARM ANIMAL!!!

this is rediculous.

Too much to say...

2008-10-17T00:32:00.000-07:00

So I'm not gonna talk about any of it...yep, house, church plant, crazyness, if you need to hear more about it cruise over to Rebecca's page; somehow she found time to sneak away and post blogs the last few weeks...

What I am here to talk about is what is REALLY important...POST INDEPENDENTS DAY FIREWORKS SHOW this Saturday night. We will be there at five with a picnic basket, a canopy, a blanket and a deck of playing cards...see you there.

Here's a map...it should help.

REWIND\\DNIWER

2008-09-30T22:41:00.000-07:00

I decided to share my day with you...in reverse.

Go to bed. Take a shower. Post a blog. Carry a box to the garage. Pack a box. Carry a box to the garage. Pack a box. Carry a box to the garage. Pack a box. Repeat...

Nieces birthday party. Church plant phone calls. Stirring staff meeting. Run to Shasta College to sign a bunch of certificates. Crazy good lunch with Nate, Dan, Derrick at The Eatery downtown. Work at the country club (which included Inventory...awesome). Handle some business with some catering accounts. Make amazing black bean & duck sausage soup. Hear that I just got booked for an event in 3 days (which is the day I close escrow). Chat with Nate for a half an hour in the parking lot. Drop Skylar off at school. Tag team getting 3 kids ready with Rebecca. Brush my teath. Go to the bathroom. Put on clothes. Get out of bed because my kids got 2 inches from my face and screamed at the top of their lungs. Drool.

I share this just to share with you how much I love my Tuesdays because they are my lightest/easiest days. I have a good life. I am FULLfilled.

oh how He loves us!!!

2008-09-27T23:56:00.000-07:00

not sure why, but I can't stop watching this tonight...thanks J! Everybody else, check it out and watch it 20 times for yourself! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoC1ec-lYps

September 28th...

2008-09-27T23:33:00.001-07:00

pretty sure this is the day I got married on, weird though, I could've sworn it was a Saturday...

Well Rebecca, I have absolutely NO idea why God chose to take me, as undeserving as they come, and give me one of His favorite daughters, but I sure will continue to thank Him EVERY single day for you!

You have shown me parts of God that I couldn't have understood apart from you. You have shown me how to be in a marriage that is better than any marriage has been before. You have shown me how to be a parent to the amazing kids you have given us.

Rebecca...there are no words...you are breath-taking...I love you.

sorry babe, it's the only picture of us I have on this computer...

SIX DAYS...

2008-09-27T21:24:00.000-07:00

til we close escrow...I know, crazy! It's been a more rediculous forty days than I could ever explain on a computer screen! Since we've been in escrow, the amount of money needed out of Rebecca and I's pocket has gone up THREE times!
So to back up a bit, Rebecca and I started trying to buy a house SIX years ago; we walked into a real estate office in Sacramento and said we wanted to buy a house and the stuffed shirts in the office basically be-littled us to the point of feeling like we'd NEVER be able to buy a house. Six years, and many experiences (financial, relational, spiritual, etc.) later, God decided to give us all we need to get out of debt, fix our credit, and come up with a down payment that we needed to buy a decent little starter home. So we decided to start jumping through the hoops at City Hall to get a Down Payment Assistance Program Loan; it took three months and a lot of work BUT on the day we found what we believe is our "dream home", we got a call from City of Redding saying we qualified for the loan.
Well, since the day we put an offer on this house, they accepted it, and we said let's go for it, our life has turned into the most stressful, running around like chickens with our heads cut off, MESS it has ever been! Like I said, THREE times we have got a call saying we needed to come up with more money and THREE times God has COMPLETELY provided more money! God is UNBELIEVEABLY good and we are just SO thankful to Him for the way He is.
The moral of the story is this...we need help this coming weekend with the following three things: 1.painting 2.scraping popcorn ceilings 3.keeping our kids from falling in our new pool 4.ripping out hidious rose bushes 5. moving really light and enjoyable to move furniture.

Best BBQ EVER!!!

2008-09-27T19:27:00.000-07:00

This weekend marks the SIXTH year of marrital bliss for Rebecca & I! Sometimes it seems like God ACTUALLY knows the desires of our hearts...I'm talkin about the ones deep down there where WE don't even realize they are there. Friday night was a great Stirring BBQ at the Flecks house (thanks for the moist thighs D-Rock). 30 people in a back yard, chicken & apple sausage on the grill, a hundred Dutch Bros cups yet NO kickers, million degree fire pit, Pirates Bootie, and tables & chairs borrowed from Simpson...THE PERFECT SETTING!

Alright, I'll throw it in Reverse for a minute...First year of marriage, I was sitting in a chair at our desk filing taxes and the chair busted FLAT; Rebecca stood over me LAUGHING HER BRAINS OUT and pointing. Second year of marriage, pulled a kitchen chair in front of our bedroom mirror so I could do some curls (I'm pretty sure they were like 90 lb. dumbells) and the chair busted FLAT; Rebecca stood over me LAUGHING HER BRAINS OUT and pointing. 4th year of marriage, sitting on a stool working on something and the stool busted FLAT; Rebecca stood over me LAUGHING HER BRAINS OUT and pointing. Last year I leaned back in one of hour chairs and it busted FLAT; Rebecca stood over me LAUGHING HER BRAINS OUT and pointing.

SOOO...at the barbecue Friday night REBECCA SAT IN ONE OF SIMPSONS CHAIRS AND THE CHAIR BUSTED FLAT; so OBVIOUSLY I stood over her LAUGHING MY BRAINS OUT and pointing.

Happy Six Year Anniversarry Rebecca...paybacks a bit ironic...

Rollerblades & a coffin!

2008-09-20T21:29:00.000-07:00

What a great, crazy, exhausting, fun, team-building, fund-raising, furniture-moving, people-loving, sofa-selling, pizza-eating, coffin-sleeping, roller-blading, parking lot sale weekend! We raised THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS for the church plant selling all of your guys' stuff...there is NO way to thank all of you that donated items and EVEN MORE all of you who helped! SOOO many of you were so amazing this weekend; you all worked SO hard for SO long with amazing attitudes! I have been trying to list all of you that helped and it's just not happening so let me just say this: you know who you are and you ROCK! Oh yeah, PAUL CORBISIERO slept in a coffin in a parking lot Friday night...a CLOSED COFFIN (which sold for $50 at our sale)...he was pretty tired after getting SMOKED by me in our Rollerblade race through the parking lot...Josiah, Devan, Paul I have ONE thing to say...what happens in the parking lot, stays in the parking lot!

Parking Lot Queen

2008-09-19T12:49:00.000-07:00

My wife is rediculous...the good kind. She's been workin her buttox off this week makin thousands of phone calls, posting daily ad's on craigs list and in the paper, making signs, lists, and plans for the Church Wide Parking Lot Sale. She has been pouring a ton of herself into this thing and her heart is amazing. Check out this quote directly out of her mouth...I know, a direct quote from the Queen herself..."this is really more than just a way to make money for the plant, this is a huge opportunity for us to connect with the community and put Gods love on display"...I know, she's amazing and it's sooo true. So come on down to the sale this weekend and lets love on some bargain hunters...

Cowboy Sean

2008-09-16T21:33:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when I put Skylar, my 4 year old, to bed at night she asks me to tell her a story. She doesn't want to hear about baby Jesus or Jack & the bean stock; she only wants to hear a "once upon a time" story about me. After telling her a story tonight about "once upon a time there was a little cowboy named Sean..." I decided to share the top five things people probably don't know about me...

1. I could ride a horse before I could ride a bike. I grew up on a cattle ranch doing everything cowboy...everything.

2. I spent weekends as a kid at the motocross track, waking up to the sounds of motorcycles starting up. My dad has raced motorcycles for 40 years and started me on a Susuki at the age of four...which is two years after I started snow skiing (fun childhood).

3. I have worked 21 jobs: Bartel farms (8 yrs. old), Portwood farms (16-18), Ballys Total Fitness (18), SavOn Drug Store (18), UPS (18-19), Waterski World (19), Surf & Skate (19), Applebees (19), Chili's (19), TGIFridays (20-21), Country Club of Mobile, AL (20-21), AARCO Arena (21), P.F.Changs (22), Celestines Carribean Restaurant (22-23), City Treasure Restaurant (22-23), Bridges on the River Restaurant (23-24), Bella Bru Cafe (24-26), Bella Bru Bakery (25-26), Shasta College (26-28), Tierra Oaks Country Club (26-28), Sean Gafner Catering (24-28)

4. I always wanted to be an architect cuz I loved to draw and was good at math...but then my freshman year I got kicked out of Mechanical Drawing so I decided I would just be some kind of artist, but there was no art school with a football program...so much for that...turns out I'm a cook.

5. Yo hablo espanol...si verdad...no me crea? Pregunta todos personas con quien yo trabajo; todos cocineros y trabajadores en la tierra de donde yo vive para muchos anos hablo ciento percenta espanol.

Psalm 37

2008-09-09T21:45:00.000-07:00

As a church right now we are in Acts and by all means, read Acts...BUT if you have an extra minute or two, pop on over to Psalm 37. IT IS AMAZING and for some reason right now I cannot get it out of my mind! Every conversation that I have been having with people the last week has been crying out for the peace and direction that is in the first seven verses of this psalm..."I don't know what I am supposed to be doing right now" or " this person is getting away with something that is just so wrong" or "I just start to get so worried about ______!" All of these COMMON statements are what God is speaking to in this Psalm; I was gonna get on here and write it out, but I would rather you read it out of your own Bible cuz IT IS GOOD...and I wouldn't want you highlighting all over your computer screen...

I'M BACK!

2008-09-09T21:32:00.000-07:00

THANK YOU PATRICK...For hookin up the computer. I've been unable to blog, comment, or virtually do anything other than gaze from a distance since my last post...there was a little incident with some tea spilling on our laptop...who knew?
Lots of GREAT stuff has happened, theStirring is BLOWIN' UP, we're planting a church, we are in escrow for a sick house with a pool (baptism time), we're learning how to love God, Paul took our busted up Isuzu and made a vehicle out of it again, the list goes on and on...
For all of you who have posted great blogs (you know who you are) that I have not been able to comment on the last month, know that in my heart I posted really meaningful and often whity comments...
It's good to be back, thanks again Patrick, YOU DA MAN!

last nights encounters

2008-08-18T07:27:00.000-07:00

I've been encountering God in all kinds of new ways this summer; I love it, this life that we are designed to live with God is SO much fun when we are actually fully living it! So last night I spoke at The Stirring, speaking about living in this face to face relationship that God desires to live with us. As I'm speaking about encountering God, I have the most GNARLY encounter with God...BOTH gatherings...each completely different yet equally huge encounters! All week coming into speaking my cry to God has been for His Spirit that is in me would connect with His Spirit that is in those that He brings to hear this message that He has put in my heart. While worshiping, before I go up to speak, I once again just ask God to say only what He is saying and not let me say anything that is just from me...in this moment Derrick Fleck comes up to me and says that he just wants to confirm that if I will be sensitive to what God's Spirit is doing, people will encounter God tonight.
So first service there are these moments where I am coming up to these things I have written down that I am planning on saying and it is as if God puts His hands over my mouth...and two of them were REALLY funny stories that I was looking forward to sharing! But I decide, in these moments, to be obedient to what God is doing...it basically just silences me, it ROCKS me & what I am planning on saying...I just start saying what I feel God is saying...it's all chopped up and messy...I get through it and go back to a room and just wrestle with God...TOTALLY ticked at Him...He could've edited what I was gonna say at any point during the week or even just before I went up to speak...BUT NO, He wants to do it as I am up in front of everybody! Well, He confirms that He spoke what He wanted to speak, and doesn't need me to be graceful or funny for Him to get to people.
He convinces me to go up and speak again 2nd service; as I begin speaking, He just wells up in me with His words and His goodness and instead of ever putting His hand over my mouth He just jumps inside my face and says everything that He wanted to say and, even from up front where you really have no idea whats going on, I could just hear God speaking exactly the way He wanted, I think it went twice as long as first service, but God got His way...and His way is GOOD! So good that as I finished speaking and went into the crowd to worship, I spend 10 minutes absolutely just weeping, overwhelmed by Gods goodness!
Pod cast will be up soon, I'm quite sure it will be 2nd service message, check it out!

cheddar, beer & white bread

2008-08-09T19:28:00.001-07:00

I feel there is something that you all should know...I have been holding it back from the city of Redding for 2 1/2 years for fear of ruining you for anything else...but today I unveiled it to my restaurant and I feel that you all deserve something life changing so here it is...my recipe for

cheddar & beer soup:
butter 1 stick
onion, sm.diced 1/2
mushroom, chopped 8 oz.
celery, sm diced 1 stalk
garlic, minced 4 large cloves
a.p.flour 1/4 lb.(about a cup)
chopped thyme 1 tblsp. (or 1 tsp.dry)
chicken broth 1 qt. (4 cups)
half&half 1 pt. (2 cups)
*cheddar cheese 1 lb. (grated)
dry mustard 1 tblsp.
pale ale 1 bottle (12-16 oz.)
salt & pepper to taste

In about a 1 gallon soup pot, high heat, melt butter . Add onion, mushroom, celery, garlic, a sprinkle of salt & pepper & saute til starts to brown (about 5 minutes). Add flour and stir til starts to brown (about 5 min). Add thyme, broth, half&half and bring to a boil stirring & scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon or whisk; reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes. Puree in a blender (or hand held). Whisk in Cheddar cheese. Moisten dry mustard with a little beer (make a beer mustard), add to soup. Whisk in beer and season to taste with salt & pepper (do not cook beer...it'll kill the buzz).

I like to spread some butter on white bread, dice into small squares and toast in 350 oven til brown and garnish soup with it. Minced chives & red bell peppers also a good garnish.

*the stronger the better

Make it, enjoy it, share it, try not to judge all other soups...it's not their fault.

2008 Beijing Olympic Games

2008-08-09T08:29:00.000-07:00

I am 28 years old, so that means there must have been at least 4 summer Olympics in my life...

I must confess that I have never been patriotic enough to get super caught up in the opening ceremonies, our metal count, our 8 year old gymnasts, or how many creative things NBC can make the Olympic rings out of...

When they are on I enjoy the good events: diving, uneven bars, weight lifting, javelin, and of course curling (added to this list will be BMX in 2008)...

Rebecca on the other hand LIVES for the opening ceremonies and EVERY SINGLE event America has ever competed in, ESPECIALLY the 8 year old gymnasts and the 10 year olds that do 73 flips off of the diving board...

Loving my wife, I for two weeks have been making a big deal out of Opening Ceremony night coming up. It's gonna be great, we won't miss a minute, we'll make popcorn, yada yada yada, but secretly rolling my perverbial eyes...

So last night we get our night all lined out. Rebecca makes AMAZING turkey meatballs. The Lance's come over and bring pheonominal ice cream (skinny cows for me). And we embark on a 5 hour journey into the creative mind of some Chinese guy with 10 million dollars to spend on impressing the world...

He succeeded!

The opening ceremonies cannot be explained in a blog...AMAZING!

I fear that I am hooked on the Olympic Games 2008...

I just can't wait to go to work, slice a red onion, and off set the rings accordingly.

Gods Holy Urp...

2008-08-08T19:10:00.000-07:00

So exciting to be caught up in amazing things God is doing! I know there are so many miraculous things that He has in store to do in and through His body The Stirring and I love that He desires to include us in His work of expanding His kingdom. Thank you all that are following Gods call to The Stirring church plant. Thank you all that came to Pauls house Thursday night...questioning...dreaming...praying for Gods heart...praying for Rebecca and I. Thank you Paul for letting forty people fill your house...scratch your walls...park all over your neighborhood.
God is giving us His heart for reaching people in this community and I believe with all my heart that His desire is to fill our new building with people that don't yet know him...with people desiring to learn how to follow Him but need a family to learn with...I believe that it makes God urp in His Holy mouth to think of "christians" filling this building because they like the way we do church better than where they have been going...
As His followers we are called to take inventory of who He as placed in our lives that do not yet know Him...we have got to get with God and beg him for spiritual victories...who is it that He is beginning to call to Himself...what is He calling us to do...we are Gods physical body...we are Gods physical body...I pray that we do not "greive the Holy Spirit" that is in us by not making the most of every moment...

PISMO BEACH!!!

2008-07-24T08:26:00.000-07:00

I LOVE IT!!! I grew up here...every summer grabbin' a beach house or camping...riding our motorcycles on the dunes or surfing, skim boarding or pickin' up chicks, hitting the arcade, Splash Cafe, Moondoggies, PANCHOS SURF SHOP (bigger & bigger every year but same Christian Ragae for 25 years...I love it!), Clam Chowder with sand in it, my crack with sand in it, pretty much all of life for a week with sand in it (especially now that I have kids!), Avila Fruit Barn (always loved it and this is the first year of my life that I actually eat fruit), Pismo Outlets (where you can always find cheap crap you don't need), SLO Farmers Market, PCV, Old Juans Cantina, the Aztec house...the list just goes on and on of stuff that means a whole lot to me and means absolutely nothing to 90% of you reading this blog...so I'll stop.

But one GREAT thing that I have to say is this: as we were packing up to come home Sunday, which is now an 8 hour drive, I said this to Rebecca and I am SO stoked on how true it is...we have such a GREAT life up here in Redding that leaving vacation to come home TRULY was equally as exciting as leaving home for vacation...So for that, thank you (most of you) reading this...seriously...we LOVE our life, our community, our family up here!!!

tunafish & apples update!

2008-07-10T09:35:00.000-07:00

Just throwin this out there hoping to get punched in the throat a little less this week...
9 days ago 241.8...
a little fish...a little produce...a little work out...
today 230.2...Holla!

just a thought...

2008-07-07T22:37:00.000-07:00

Adam (THE Adam) comes into this world and God was sitting there. God welcomed him into His world. He gives Adam the rundown of how things work around here...gives him a lady friend...and puts him to work. As far as Adam can tell God is God. He (and his lady friend) are living in a face to face relationship with God...walkin with him through the garden on the daily.

So then they sin THE SIN (you know...the one we blame all of our problems on) and so this day they expect to see God just like they do every other day, but because they are ashamed of their sin they try to hide behind some fig leaves. I think over time they become more sophisticated and start to weave cotton...then comes make-up...at some point they realize they can use wine if they drank enough of it...some realized they could use money if they pursued it hard enough...some become workaholics...shopaholics...over-eaters...under-eaters...movie buffs...
God Created this world so that He could put man on it and live in this face to face relationship with us, but we have spent thousands of years filling His world with fig leaves, so many that we no longer expect to see him on a daily bases. There was never anything wrong with wearing fig leaves, but we sure are missing out on the type of relationship we are designed to have with our creator...

tunafish & apples...

2008-07-01T22:51:00.000-07:00

thats it...tuna fish and apples...and coffee on wednesdays and fridays...and obviously water...

Rebecca put in our wedding video tonight..I weighed a very fit 185...five years ago...needless to say I went straight to the gym tonight and I weighed in at 241 pounds, I KNOW! REDICULOUS! 241 POUNDS!

Well, I decided I'm done with this...I'm droppin' 41 pounds and you all are gonna see it happen and punch me in the throat everytime you see me until I do.

Meanwhile, I will be eating tunafish (no mayo), fruit and raw veggies...going back to the long lost gym...I will be feeling great and light on my feet...Dan, you are my inspiration.

O.K. Rebecca you are probably way more my inspiration because you just gave birth to our THIRD child and YOU are HOTTER than in our wedding video...I love you and you deserve the stud you married...thanks for your patience.

oxenpoop

2008-06-24T09:22:00.001-07:00

Proverbs 14:4 says, "Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox."

If you are most concerned with things staying nice and neat and clean and safe...avoid things that may become big and messy...but I believe that things getting big and messy are a good sign that some serious harvesting is on the horizon!

this is my answer

2008-06-18T20:24:00.000-07:00

600 bucks...yep, thats what Rebecca and I spend on gas in ONE MONTH! I know, it is really wierd reading a blog where someone mentions how expensive gas is...I'm pretty sure that I'm the first to notice this rise in price. Anyway, I believe that the automotive industry is going to look VERY different in one year from now...our streets are going to start looking very European...

Question: whats this mean for you & me?

ANSWER: 1. I sold my dirt bike and bought one that is "street legal"(watch out!)

2. The Erkle-mobile is now considered a "sweet ride"

3. Your big truck stops making you look cool & starts making you look, well...lost.

4. We'll probably get those gnarly double decker buses...sweet.

5. Chicks are gonna stop shaving their arm pits...not sure why, but it's gonna suck!

Ryder James Gafner

2008-06-13T14:34:00.000-07:00

4:30 pm yesterday...Rebecca has a doctor appointment

5:00 pm yesterday...She calls me & says, "the doctor did something to get me contracting"

5:05 pm yesterday...I ask the obvious question, "are you telling me you messed around with the doctor?"

5:10 pm yesterday...she says, "no."

[why did it take her 5 minutes to answer that?]

10:30 pm yesterday...lots of contractions; we go to the hospital to have a baby

11:30 pm yesterday...lots of contractions; no baby

12:30 am today...lots of contractions; no baby

1:30 am today...lots of contractions; no baby...I have a little gas

1:31 am today...I get in trouble for my gas...sorry babe

2:30 am today...lots of contractions; no baby

3:30 am today...lots of contractions; water breaks

3:45 am today...LOTS of CRAZY contractions; no baby

4:45 am today...lots of screaming with contractions; no baby

5:25 am today...lots of screaming from the baby...thats a good thing!

Welcome to our life Ryder James Gafner...we like you already...p.s.from now on, I blame my gas on you.

Scripture is ALIVE!

2008-06-11T20:29:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 1:17-18 "I pray that God...may give you the spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts be enlightened..."

As we read scripture, and the eyes of our hearts are enlightened, we are receiving a NEW REVELATION! This is not us learning about something in history...
This is GOD speaking to us in THIS moment about what is happening RIGHT NOW as the Holy Spirit unlocks the scripture we hold in our hands!

I think something that sucks about going to church and listening to speakers is that you hear things like "scripture is alive" and "its the Living Word" and you sit back and say, "yep" which for the one speaking it, that is trying to share this revelation of truth, is like scoring a 50 yard, dead sprint, dive through the air, dragging your toe in bounds, ultimate frisbee catch and running back to the guy that hucked it with your hands positioned for the high-10 and he doesn't even see you...

loving living Acts

2008-06-06T12:35:00.000-07:00

Today my cup over-freakin-flows with love for this (church)family that I am in. I could tell you all about how the people in my life group have compassionately rallied around one of our sisters in love...but Acts says it far better than I could...

...Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he(or she) had need.

...There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales

...and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he(or she) had need.

...He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly.

we are family loving living Acts.

Stirring Tonight...awesome

2008-05-25T21:07:00.000-07:00

Derrick Fleck...awesome
Communion Style...awesome
Jenna's Voice...awesome
Nate's Hair...awesome
Announcement Stories...miraculous
Buddy-Nick Came...awesome
Holy Spirit...awesome
Girls That Watched My Kids...awesome
Packed Service Memorial Weekend...awesome
Get to become Who We Are Next Week...awesome
Freakin' Loving Your Church Body...awesome

memorial weekEND

2008-05-24T15:39:00.000-07:00

How I love thee, let me count the ways...

I love that 2 years ago I took my first weekend off from my new job, went to Lassen National Park, and woke up in a FOOT of snow...

I love that last year we did nothing because of the previous years disaster and it ended up being 80 degrees and beautiful all weekend...

I love that we spent this whole week spending time, money and energy getting the perfect site, food, friends, family to camp yesterday...woke up in a DELUGE...packed up and drove home this morning...

and when I say I love...I really mean I love not.

what just happened?

2008-05-21T19:31:00.000-07:00

I came down to my office at 4pm (it is now 8) to look for something on thestirring.org...stumble onto a blogspot (whatever that is)...see my wife's name and of course I clicked on it only to discover that she has a whole blog-life I know nothing about.

As I write this I vaguely remember her at one time saying something about "today...yada yada...blog..." but that's not important...MY WIFE IS HILARIOUS...so is my pastor and some of my friends that I never would have suspected...GOOD FOR YOU GUYS!

So reading hers lead me to reading everybody that I knows and more times than I would have ever expected found myself sitting at my desk laughing out loud which is not something that I do nearly enough and so now I want in!