Grant Thiessen

wow....it's been over a year but... i really need to get back to blogging... SOOOOOO much going on :)

where does your "church" meet?

"THAT JUST HAPPENED"- $606 BUCKS TO HELP A "BROTHER" OUT....

4 years ago in the middle of my 24th years of student pastoring, God began to work on my heart and really churn some stuff up. here are some thoughts that torched my mind every day... all day. "do you have any close friends who don't go to church?" "are you a part of any people groups that have nothing to do with God, church, or religion" "if you didn't count all the church attendance and stuff you do for Me in the church to church people, what is it you do for Me to all those you live around?". "are you willing to make "BEing" the church to people a priority over "having" church?". these and many other driving thoughts and passions would begin taking me down an unconventional way to view God, people, church, the un-churched, and what my personal call from Jesus was in regards to His kingdom and the world i lived in. i don't mean the call to "Church of God Grant", or "Ordained Bishop Grant", or "Lead Pastor Grant"... i mean, just Grant, the guy from Huntington Beach

one day I saw a group of surfers who hung out at Bolsa Chica State beach, tower 16 (now tower 17 cause they messed up the parking lot when they put the jetty in). i was an "outsider" to these guys and gals, but felt compelled to become one of them. I'll never forget the day Wild Bill said, " hey I've seen you before, what's your name". well, 4 years later I've become an "insider" to this bunch of beach bums (thats an honorable label by the way). that for the most part are not church going folks. oh there's usually a little cussin, and dirty joke telling, and cigar smokin, and checkin out women as they jog by, and debating anything from politics to religion, to karma, to global warming and.... well you get the picture. but really, just a bunch of avid surfers. 

about 3 months into becoming "one of them", it became known that i was a pastor. but to these guys I wasn't a pastor who surfed, but a surfer who happened to be a pastor. some even call me the "beach pastor". well, over the years it's been an honor to just be there for these guys to talk about God, or marriage, or their kids, or whatever hurt, pain, question, or concern they might have in their life. and for the 2 weddings I've done(see pic for one of them, and yes that was the requested wedding attire- board-shorts and tie) and the one thats in the works, I will continue to serve these guys lives. don't get me wrong, I invite them to all my message series, and special events, and leave my flyers on "Billy's table"(the central location of everything). 

In my heart i pastor these people. because i call out their names in prayer. and ask Jesus to take care of the stuff going on in their lives as I hear about it. and i always look for an opportunity to help them see how much Jesus loves them and wants a personal relationship with them. so if being a pastor is like a shepherd caring for his flock, and putting their needs before his own.... then i guess I'm the beach pastor. 

I SAID ALL THAT TO SAY THIS...

last week i was at Starbucks on main street (my second home) and my man Ken (one of my beach bro's)  happened to be driving by and stopped to talk. we gave the traditional hand shake followed by the bro hug. he asked how it was going. i was telling him how i was in the hardest financial trial i had ever been in, and that my hours at work got seriously cut back until the new year started in July. i then began to share the "good news" of how God had helped me by laying my need on the heart of some friends i had in the "church world", and how they had sent me some money to help out. Ken then said, "man me and the guys got to help our brother out". as we parted i didn't think much more about it, but was grateful for his concern. the next day i saw him again at SB which was very random. as he walked up he pulled a bank bag out of his pocket, and on it is said, "collection for pastor Grant". i was shocked as he explained he would be letting all the gang know of my need and asking them all to pitch in to help. 

Sunday Ken called me after church and asked if i would meet him down town. when we met he said all the guys pitched in and even though they all wished it was thousands, they were able to pull together $606 bucks. as i chocked back the tears, and gave him an extra long bro hug, the thought raced through my mind again...."where does your church meet". i guess for me it meets in my home at 11am on sunday. and it meets at Starbucks on main st on any given day. and it meets at Bolsa Chica state beach every day of the week, and some days i get to attend there. 

Luke 6:38 give and it will be given to you, good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall MEN GIVE unto you. for with the measure you use it will be measured to you. 

so let me ask you friend...... Pastor.....church leader.....where does your church meet???

 

making strangers into friends

had a great time today having a bible study with Damien down at SB. my new buddy. i met Damien at the AA meetings i've been going to on Wed. mornings down at the beach. i kinda hangout and pray with the group at the end then pass out my cards that on the back offer a free cup of SB if you'll meet me to hangout. Damien did and now he comes to church regularly and is wanting to win the world for Christ.... get into this folks... there's a lot of strangers out there waiting to befriended. 
 

The incredible blessings of being a part of "CHURCH"...the body of Christ...

with the endless horror stories of all the ridiculous, stupid, ignorant, self-absorbed. arrogant. all about me, worship me, CRAP that has gone on under the heading of "CHURCH"....please know that in the right order, and right mindset, and right attitude.... the church can and should be the greatest blessing of our lives while on this earth...for some reason our perfect God chose us who are imperfect to make up, lead, grow, and BE the church... in it's right place the blessings of being a part of a church are immeasurable to our lives...may we get it right for Jesus sake, for all, are those who he wants to be a part of this thing we call "church"...

to hear more, join me @ Experience church this sunday, 5:30 at my house. 20761 colima ln. HB 92646.... here's a preview...

FAMILY - joining the pack beats being a stray

NEVER ALONE - solitary confinement is the most destructive imprisonment, in any scenario

 ACCOUNTABILITY - the safety and protection of boundaries and answerability

WHOLENESS - "the body's" amazing ability to heal itself

see ya there.... G

Finding Clarity

been wrestling lately trying to find the plan of God for my life and church. much transition over the last year or so here at Experience church. we've really come to a place where we must rebuild a team and relaunch in the near future. the learning curve of that process has been incredible for my life... God is stretching me beyond what i thought possible. didn't realize the reality of what i must become to really be able to build a "church for the unchurched". met with one of the other dads from wrestling yesterday for lunch, trying to begin a friendship with him. he told me while talking and sharing passions back n forth, that i seemed to be more of a "missionary" than anything.... interesting...don't know how that all fits, but i know one thing, and that is as i continue telling people that we must make friends of strangers and win them to Christ, and commit to disciple their lives,,, that i better be leading the way.... nothing hacks me off more than leaders who are supposed to be growing the kingdom, do nothing personally to grow the kingdom....God, i don't know what this church will look like, but i know it must have its main priority in existing for those who are not yet apart of the kingdom, because it's the cause you died for...bring me clarity...

I'm a Christian, but i don't read the bible, i'm not into that stuff...

made a new friend today.... Leah, about 50ish was down at my hangout, SB on main st HB. I walked over to grab the paper from the stand and she was sitting right near it. she was reading a book but cut her eyes my was, and that's all I needed. i said, "good morning" and she replied the same... during some basic small talk i asked her what she was reading, and she said, "oh the greatest book ever it's call the power of now by Eckhart Tolle". i asker to tell me about it and her life's journey (side note-my coach, Sam Douglas says i talk to much and need to use the 90% listen and 10% talk rule).. so i listened. here are some quotes from our conversation....

• "this book is like a bible for living life"
• "this book helps me to not be in bondage to my past but live in the NOW only"
• "it's given me a great spiritual awakening"

i asked her, "have you ever read the bible, because you've mentioned it twice now"?...

• no, I'm a Christian, but ive never read the bible, i'm not into that stuff, just the books Eckhart writes"

I'll be praying for Leah today and the thousands of others in the city who are searching for something spiritual, but looking only in the deceptive direction the devil is throwing their way. and you know why?... because for many of them, it's the only door to choose from.

may we be the senders of spiritual truth today to all the hurting people longing to connect with the one who made them and died for them, but they just cant see it thru all the lies of the evil one. THE RESPONSIBILITY IS ON US, to present the truth of Jesus to them. but don't get stupid pushy and drive people away. we must remember that we're not the convicter, or the savior, but the sender of good news and truth....remember - "if you win them to yourself, you can win them to your God"

welcome to my mission field...

G

a great day with Karen

what a day...75 degrees in HB today. worked from 4-8am then did a little work in the office and then me and Karen spent the day hangin out downtown crusin the sweet 72 chevy, walkin the pier, and eatin at Sharkeez on main st. left the grandkids with Jake.... he owed us one..

man been gone a while from blogging... thnx to FB & twitter... in study today creating a talk about how "WE BELONG TO EACH OTHER".

Utalizing film

what an awsome time last night at the Experience. my message was called "NEVER SURRENDER". it was a look at never surrendering to the attacks against us in life. i used the story of moses when he had to keep his hands lifted in order to win the battle. and the story where the expert sailors who were transporting Paul lost all hope during that storm. i opened with a 5 min clip from "Kingdom of Heaven" where the guy surrenders Jerusalem and then he tells the queen, "your brothers kingdom was in his head and in his heart, and that kingdom can never be surrendered". at the end of the message i played a 2 min compiled clip i made from scenes from "saving private ryan". i added the movie theme song as a background audio and while it played i made this statement.

"Never surrender. When life crashes in on you… never surrender. Life is worth fighting for. If you surrender where will you be then? So even when you think “I can’t do this anymore” it’s really your only option. You can make it through anything if you never surrender… when depression attacks you – never surrender; when you cant find the answer to WHY your even doing what your doing – never surrender; when your sick and tired of all the bad things in life falling on you – never surrender; never surrender yourself to bitterness even though it seams to have you…never surrender yourself to hate, even though it seams to have you… never surrender yourself to arrogant pride even though it seams to have you…never surrender yourself to lust and perversion even though it seams to have you… never surrender to the thought that God is not on your side because He created you…never, never, never, never surrender……" then i went right into a time of prayer as we totally surrendered to God, the only way to be able to NEVER SURRENDER to the attacks in this life..

  church was awsome last night. Pastor Jay from Sanctuary Church came to check it out with some of his guys. it made the room feel good. God has really brought us together and he and his church are providing some great coaching helps. his started in the same litte location we did about 6 years ago with about 40 people. now they run 7 to 8 hundred and he really seems authentic about helping us grow for the kingdoms sake. gota love a guy so passionate for Jesus that after 3 services he would come worship with us and make his kingdom call way more than whats going on inside the 4 walls of the Sanctuary church....wow... God help me pursue more passion to increase my compassion for people you put in my path...