Living – Page 8 – John Markum

First Egg Hunt from LifeCity Church!

Posted on April 24, 2014 by johnmarkum

I wrote this earlier to all of the parents and families who came to our Easter egg hunt Saturday, the 19th. 56 families (150+ people!) came out for our egg hunt! We look forward to being a church that continues to engage families and bring community together…

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Dear friends,
Wow… wasn’t that fun?! We had an amazing time with our first ever Community Easter Egg Hunt! This wouldn’t have happened without the hard work of several volunteers, and we’re so grateful to all of those who committed time to making this event so successful.

This event is the first of many efforts our new church is organizing to bless our community and show the love of God. We know that you may have different preconceived ideas of “church” depending on your personal experiences. So I want you to understand something about LifeCity Church – we love this community! No matter where you are today with faith, God, or church, LifeCity is a place where you can feel at home.

Our church officially launches in September, but right now we are meeting every Sunday, 10:30am at Montague Elementary School, right here next to where we had the egg hunt. This means you can visit us any Sunday morning and see if LifeCity Church could be a place for you and your family to get connected. The same care and organization we put into our children for the egg hunt is exactly the way we treat children on Sunday mornings. We call it KidsTown, and we know your kids will have a great time there!

Let me give you four more reasons why you should consider checking out our church:

Relevant. We know what life in the South Bay is like! We get the pressures and demands of trying to balance work, family, and finances. That’s why we teach in a way that makes a difference in your weekday, not just a guilt trip on Sunday.
Casual. There’s no dress code. We trust that you know how to dress in public. So relax and come to church in sandals and board shorts for all we care! We’re more interested in what’s happening in your life than in your wardrobe. And if you feel compelled to “suit up” anyway, we’ll still let you in.
Upbeat. One of the things we say all the time about our church is “We speak life!” So we try to keep our church exciting, positive, and encouraging even when dealing with tough life issues. You should leave our church more encouraged than when you came.
Engaging. We don’t believe in pressuring people to do something they’re unsure about. So when you decide to take your next step, we’re ready for you! We have small groups, volunteer opportunities, and a vision to impact the entire Bay Area. Get involved however you would like.

Whether or not you ever visit LifeCity Church, you and your family matter to us just the way you are. From my family to yours, if we can ever do anything to be a blessing or encouragement to you, I hope you’ll know that you can turn to us. We’ll keep you in the loop about future events that we’re hosting, and perhaps I’ll see you and your family on a Sunday sometime soon.

Blessings,
Pastor John

Looking Back – Moving Forward

Posted on January 4, 2014 by johnmarkum

“This is what the LORD says: “Stop at the crossroads and look around. Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it. Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls…” Jeremiah 6:16

Happy New Year! 2014 is officially upon us. I don’t know about you, but 2013 was one of the best years of my life.

– I said goodbye to the best sending church in the world.
– I made the biggest, most anticipated move in my life.
– My family was joined by 6 other friends and fellow ministry partners.
– We began the groundwork of launching a new church in the San Jose, CA area. Continue reading “Looking Back – Moving Forward”

“Over-The-Top” Love

Posted on December 5, 2013 by johnmarkum

“But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; You are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overtake you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the Lord your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior…”
Isaiah 43:1-3

So my youngest daughter learned quite awhile ago that a “million” was the biggest number she could think of. So anything she perceived as much more than she could count was simply labeled as “a whole million!” So we get to use this on her in fun ways that make since to her rough means of estimation. Even now, my favorite way to tell her how much she means to me is to say, “Kali, Daddy loves you a whole million!”

God consistently speaks to His people with the same kind of over-the-top language. Clearly, God understands our insecurities and doubts! And yet, more often than not, He doesn’t seem as frustrated with us as He does reassuring. You see, God understands our fears and longs to replace them with confidence in Himself – we refer to that confidence in God simply as faith.
Because of that, God tends to use these over-the-top descriptions such as this one in Isaiah 43 to make one thing clear: God doesn’t break His promises.

I know that as you read this, many of you may feel like you have been drowning, figuratively speaking, or like you have been burned by some circumstance you had to go through. Heck, you might be going through such events in your life right now. “Where was God then?!” I know the feeling, and quite frankly, I’ve been there too, trust me. As a pastor, I often am required to carry burdens that I must bear in silence. Things that were not right for me to share, or that I would be unable to receive outside help for anyway. I’m certain that many of you know just what that’s like.
But God did not promise that we’d never go through a storm, fire, or flood. His promise was not that life would be easy, but that He would see us through the circumstances of life’s difficulties. Always.
In some ways, the trials and struggles we endure are the best part of our stories – they give us milestones to mark God’s presence in our lives. I’d rather experience God delivering me through unbelievable odds, than to have a care-free life. Because we all know there will be trials, this promise motivates us to lean hard into God’s grace, the only thing we possess that consistently sees us through each mess life throws at us.
And God makes it clear that in the face of impossible obstacles, “we are more than conquerors through Him who loves us and gave Himself for us.”

By the way, that comes from another place where we see God’s over-the-top promises. Romans 8:38, 39 tells us that,

“nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The Kali Markum translation? “God loves us A WHOLE MILLION!”

Rest in God’s promise to love you no matter what! If you’ve never opened yourself up to God’s love, consider beginning a relationship with Jesus today. You can trust Him. He’ll never leave you. Put your full faith and confidence in His over-the-top love.

Blessings,
Pastor John