Reflections on the LA fires

This past week, we've all seen incredible images of destruction by the wildfires in LA. This one hit close to home for me. The Eaton fire destroyed a community (Altadena) that was very close to where I grew up. Many of my childhood friends had to evacuate from their homes and everything is covered in smoke and ash. It looks like an atomic bomb was set off in the middle of Los Angeles.

The Palisades Fire. Photo taken Jan 7, 2025.

Here in the Bay Area, we are not unfamiliar with the devastation of wildfires. As we grieve for our friends in LA, I wanted to share some pastoral reflections:

(1) Life is fleeting. For many people, the fires destroyed their homes with almost no notice. There was no advance warning. There was no sense of danger even a day before. The overwhelming feeling is just shock and disbelief. We forget how fragile and ephemeral life truly is. At any moment, disaster can strike down our lives.

(2) Wealth is no protection. One of the devastated communities was Pacific Palisades. Everyone who grew up in LA knows this is the place where the ultra rich and powerful live. There were literally $100m houses that went up in flames. Wealth can buy material goods, but it cannot save us from the heartache and ruin of this fallen world.

(3) The only true shelter is God. The Bible says that if you build your life on anything in this world, you are building on shifting sands. The only rock is God. He alone is an eternal fortress that cannot be shaken. Build your life on Him. Psalm 18:2, "The Lord is my rock and my fortress, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and stronghold."

If you would like to make a financial contribution to the victims of the LA wildfires, Reality Church has set up a special fund for this purpose.

2024 Year-in-Review

2024 was our first full year as a church! It was a year of gaining new friends, deepening community bonds, and starting new ministries, like ImagoYouth!

Our annual Christmas party was a wonderful time of food, laughter, and just enjoying each other.

We launched a new ministry, ImagoYouth, for the youth kids of the church. It’s been wonderful seeing their friendships gel.

We had several baptisms. Praise God!

We gained new friends and families!

We had an impromptu wedding. Congrats Will and Steph!

Our AV team continues to make improvements!

The kids love hanging out together after service

Our faithful worship music team

Our Sunday setup team

One of our dear friends and frequent guest preacher, Scott, and his wife Eleanor.

We are filled with wonder and gratitude for God’s faithfulness to our church in 2024 and look forward to all that He has in store for us in the New Year!

Mini-book review: The Trinity

The Doctrine of the Trinity is often set aside by Christians as too obscure or too mysterious to understand, but The Trinity by Donald Fairbairn provides simple and accessible instruction on this most vital of teachings. The Trinity is not just an esoteric doctrine on the nature of God, but it goes to the very heart of the gospel:

1. The Trinity helps us to understand the self-sacrifice of God on the cross. Because Christ and God are one, the cross is not “divine child abuse,” as some critics argue. Therefore, in Christ, God was offering himself. But also, since Christ and God are distinct persons, we can understand how Jesus can cry out on the cross, “my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” This explains why Jesus is not praying to himself when he says, “Abba Father.”

2. The Trinity helps us understand that servanthood and submission goes to the heart of who God is. God is not just Lord and King, but in the Son, submits himself to the Father and goes to the cross as a humble servant. This helps us understand puzzling statements by Jesus like, “I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me.” (John 6:38) If Christ was exalted through servanthood and submission, then greatness comes, not through self-assertion and self-ambition, but humility and lowliness.

3. The Trinity shows us that the meaning of life is love. Since God is Triune (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), God is an eternal community of persons loving and delighting in each other. Therefore, the meaning of the universe is love and friendship, since love and friendship are at the heart of who God is.

Mini-book review: The Case Against the Sexual Revolution

Growing up in the 1990s, it was de rigueur that the sexual revolution of the 1960s was a uniformly positive movement that liberated young people from the outdated rules of traditional sexuality, and that only fussy religious holdouts continued to decry these changes. Well, it’s been a 60-year social experiment now, and we can evaluate the effects with some degree of sobriety and objectivity.

Louise Perry, journalist and writer, on the Chris Williamson podcast

What’s been interesting is that the strongest critics of the modern sex culture are not from religious voices but secular and feminist voices. A slew of new books have been published from this perspective, most prominently The Case Against the Sexual Revolution by Louise Perry and Rethinking Sex by Christine Emba.

In an age of hookup culture, Only Fans, and the #MeToo movement, Perry and Emba criticize the modern sexual culture for being particularly harmful to women. Their argument is that there used to be a “double standard” where men were allowed to be promiscuous whereas women had to be chaste, which was unfair and sexist. The modern world eliminated that double standard by encouraging women to be as promiscuous as men, but that has mostly served the interest of men, particularly rich men. The vast majority of women do not enjoy random sexual encounters, which exposes them to danger and shame. Rather, Perry and Emba argue for a world where men are asked to be as chaste as women, which protects vulnerable women and privileges family formation.

Christine Emba, columnist for the Washington Post, speaking at a conference at Georgetown University

This recalls an even early sexual revolution, one that predates the 1960s by two millennia, in which a persecuted and marginalized group advocated, for the first time in history, for the rights of women and slaves against sexual predation, and a sexual standard in which powerful men were expected to practice sexual restraint and probity.

Happy Reformation Day!

Everyone knows that October 31st is Halloween (more on that below). But did you know that it's also Reformation Day? In 1517, on the eve of All Hallow's Day, Martin Luther started the Protestant Reformation, nailing his 95 Theses on the church door of Wittenberg. After centuries of darkness, the light of the gospel was recovered. Post tenebras lux--"after darkness, light!"

The Reformation was known for it's five Solas, or gospel slogans:

Sola Scriptura. Scripture alone, not church traditions, is the final authority for Christian faith and practice.
Sola Fide. We are justified by faith alone, not our good works or religious deeds.
Sola Gratia. We are saved by grace alone. Human beings are entirely unable to save themselves, but only by God's mercy.
Solus Christus. Christ alone saves--no other mediator between God and man exists.
Soli Deo Gloria. To God alone is the praise and the glory of our salvation--not saints, Mary, or popes.

Praise God that we are saved by Christ alone, through faith alone, by grace alone, to the praise of God alone!

Bible resources for children

I'm often asked for recommendations for Bible resources for children. The good news is that parents have a huge impact on the faith of their children. Praying and reading the Bible with your kids will greatly shape their faith, so that even if they  drift away from the church in their adulthood, their childhood memories often act like a homing beacon back to Christ.

Here are some great resources to read to your children:

The Jesus Storybook Bible. Each story is like a mini-sermon, focusing on faith in Christ. The book goes beyond a simple retelling to show the gospel behind the story. The tagline of the book is, "every story whispers His name."

Children's Bible in 365 Stories. This is a straightforward and faithful retelling of the basic Bible stories in simple language. This is an excellent "first Bible" for children to start reading on their own (ages 9-11). Great illustrations too.

Read Aloud Bible Stories. This book retells Bible stories in very simple language, appropriate for 3-4 year olds. The illustrations are basic but charming. This is a great way for kids to start to get familiar with the Bible.

Often, the greatest benefit of reading the Bible to your children is the benefit to the parents. You'll be amazed how often you are moved to tears by the majesty and beauty of Christ shining through these simple children's books.

Resources for reading the Bible

We live in a unique age when there are so many resources for reading the Bible. Many people find the Bible difficult or uninteresting. But we must make the effort. The Christian faith cannot be sustained apart from the Word of God. Here are some great resources to help you study the Bible:

"Look at the Book" These are YouTube videos by John Piper. They are short, 10-minute studies, where Piper will teach on a single verse. The screenshot is of the lesson on 1 Peter 1:1. Try his series on 1 Peter -- listen to one video a day. You will not regret the investment in time.

Bible Project. These are engaging, short teaching videos on the Bible on YouTube. They have eye-catching graphics and insightful teaching by Tim Mackie.

YouVersion. This phone app is a wonderful Bible resource. They have multiple reading plans (an easy on ramp is the 3-year Bible plan which takes just 5 minutes a day). They have amazing audio narration (the NIV "dramatized" version is pretty well done!). They also have a lot of video resources (most of which are good -- haha). The Bible has never been so accessible.

Epistle of Joy

Paul mentions "joy" sixteen times in the four short chapters of Philippians, more than any other book in the Bible in terms of frequency. Joy is a central theme in Philippians. What makes this all the more remarkable is the setting in which Paul wrote his letter -- he was chained to Roman guards in prison awaiting trial for his life.

Modern life is full of troubles and uncertainties. Despite the great prosperity of our age, people are more anxious and depressed than in any previous generation. The Bible tells us that there is a joy that transcends our circumstances, that can never be taken away from us, and that will continually overflow in our lives--if we possess it. Where do we find this joy? Starting this Sunday, and over the next several weeks and months, we will do a deep dive into Christianity’s teaching on joy. I can’t think of a more relevant topic for our joy-starved culture. I hope you can join us!

One-year anniversary service

Last Sunday was our one-year anniversary service. Praise God! It was a wonderful time of thanksgiving and celebration. The youth kids had another epic game jam. We had several visitors. And we even had an impromptu wedding -- congrats Will and Stephanie!

Imago at one-years-old!

One year ago today, by God’s amazing grace, Imago Dei Church was planted. We had a single vision — that the gospel of Christ should be at the center of everything we do. And in this past year, we’ve experienced abundant mercies and gifts from God:

   • we’ve gained new friends and families

   • we’ve had 3 baptism with several more in the process

   • 3 precious babies were born into the church

   • we started a youth ministry!

   • most importantly, Christ is preached and people are growing in faith

We look forward to what God has in store for us as we enter the second year of gospel ministry.