General

I'm sitting safe and mostly sound at a friend's house in Covington, surfing a wireless connection. Yesterday's travel was largely uneventful, which is what you always want on a plane ride. I connected through Phoenix and enjoyed a wonderful salad and bottled water.One piece of interesting trivia: as I changing terminals in Phoenix, who do I happen to walk up behind but none other than Will Edwards! Will is a San Diego-based musician who plays at Cosmos' open mic on Tuesday. Just a week or so ago I went to one of his shows ... and he has agreed to be the first local artist featured at LifePoint. LifePoint will have a local artist showcase during our Sunday morning gatherings where we will feature the work of local artists (musicians, painters, etc). Will has graciously agreed to perform a few songs at our grand opening September 11 (9:00 and 10:45).So…

As promised, here are a few digital pictures of our new worship facility. Any blurriness is the product of too much coffee.Click here to view a map. The address is 4698 Alvarado Canyon, Suite A, San Diego, 92119. And don't forget ... our grand opening is September 11.

In my role as "pastor of the open mic," I've been able to experience a number of really good artists. Because it's often in a small environment, it tends to be acoustic-driven (which I like) and more personal (which I like as well). The artists tend to get there early and stick around after they play. Since they are much like church planters -- trying to gain as many contacts as possible -- I've had the opportunity to get to know many of them.While it's not true of all artists, there is a growing undertone of spirituality among younger artists in San Diego. It's music with a message, and not the old worn-out "down with the machine" type of stuff. It's about life, making choices, exploring mysteries, and wrestling with doubt. It's sometimes subtle and sometimes not.As a person of faith who believes in engaging culture rather than withdrawing from…

Tomorrow I leave for Atlanta to perform the wedding of the youth pastor from our former church in Covington. The wife and I kids went ahead to visit family and friends, meaning that I've been in charge of the house for almost two weeks. I've concluded that I'm a minimalist at heart -- I've used only two coffee cups, two plates, and the same fork and spoon for two weeks. Don't get me wrong, I wash them in between uses. Most of the time (just kidding).But here's the deal: our launch team for LifePoint uses our house for our Sunday night gatherings. That means I need to get everything in order (i.e., clean) before leaving in the morning. And who knows what kinds of messes our pesky cats will leave in my absence!

It's true ... we have finally secured a place to gather! The physical address is 4698 Alvarado Canyon, Suite A, San Diego. For those of you familiar with Mission Valley, it's on the eastern edge of the valley near Mission Gorge Road and I-8. For those of you even more familiar with the area, it's behind the Adventure 16 and FujiColor buildings. For everyone else, there's always a Google map.Indulge me as I describe it to you. It has high ceilings with exposed pipe and a roll-up door. It's already staged with a complete sound system and projection system. The sound system features a mixer with digital faders. There is a pool table and couch lounge. And, lest we forget the essentials, a coffee bar with stools. Since the seating capacity is 150 people, we will be launching with two services -- 9:00 and 10:45.Look for pictures to be posted…