Partners...In Christ

Last week New Venture welcomed Michael W. Smith, one of the forefathers of Contemporary Christian Music, for a night of worship. But the real “attraction” was something going on behind the scenes.

From Facebook to phone calls, we heard about birthday surprises, anniversary gifts, a sister who gave up her ticket to her little sister years before being surprised with a VIP ticket for concert and meet-and-greet. Talk about payback! It was clear on faces all over the Worship Center. People “remembered” these songs from important times in their lives.

But there was something else, and as the Pastor of this church we call home, this got me the most: The Partners. We call volunteers Partners around here. Though we ALWAYS appreciate our Partners, on this night, they stepped up to the plate when asked to do more than planned, setting up stage equipment and fast, when the crew had to come a day later. New Venture Champions at their best. Labor-intensive work was done with a smile, “serving the Lord with gladness.” Partners worked “as unto the Lord” and never failed to “love one another.” Truly the salt and light we’ve been studying. It couldn’t have made me prouder as a Pastor to call these Partners our church family. Leaders in God’s house.

We’ll celebrate Partners more down the road but: 1). We loved welcoming visitors far and wide – hope God filled your hearts to overflowing, and 2). Partners, we’re nothing without you folks. You showed us AND Him well!! We love you and acknowledge: YOU make New Venture a greater place to be.

Absolutely privileged to be serving Him with you!
Until Sunday @ Celebration!

"Tell the story. Give God Glory” 

Comment here or email mystory@newventure.org

ROOT CANALS, REST, & UNFORGETTABLE STORIES!

Today I had to go to the dentist for an emergency root canal.

The moment I hit that dentist's chair, I slept like a baby through the entire surgery. Best sleep I’ve gotten in a while was sleeping through a root canal (with snoring to boot:)). The dentist said I was an exceptional patient. I think it was more like an ‘exhausted’ patient :) haha.

Not only was it a great sleep, but a fun story (it spread quickly through the dentist's office). Jesus used storytelling as a powerful teaching and communication tool. His stories touched the heart, stuck in the mind, and were relevant to the hearers. I love a good story, how about you?! 

My favorite stories? Are YOUR stories. Particularly what God is revealing in your stories… and showing you in Life! 

I’d love to hear your story. Something your kid learned in Kid’s World? Prayed with a Prayer Partner after a Celebration Service? Big things happening in your Small Group? There’s no doubt that what God’s doing in your life - is no root canal, and definitely won’t be putting anyone to sleep! 

Got a story to share? Let us know. There’s a world waiting to hear!

Enjoying Him with you.

"Tell the story. Give God Glory” 
Comment here or email mystory@newventure.org.

We Do Best...When We Rest

We are at our best when we take time to rest. That is one area I sometimes have to work on. How about you? A few years back, 3 different people, unbeknownst to each other, gave me a copy of Tim Hansel’s When I Relax I Feel Guilty.

A staff member recently told me, “There’s Type A and Type B...but you’re Triple-A!” I'm blessed and grateful for the ministry God’s called me to. I’ve learned how short life is, I love my family and my God. So whether it’s turning in at a reasonable hour at night, sleeping in in the morning, taking “time off” or even walking away from my phone, I don’t shut off…naturally. But I do shut down…intentionally.

There are few things God designed us to need every day: food, water, sleep (rest). Jesus is the BREAD of life (John 6:35), and the source of living WATER (John 4:10) and REST (Mt. 11:28). The 3 things we need every day are symbolic of Him in every way. We’re usually good at the first 2, but how seriously do we take rest?

Take a challenge with me this week and be intentional, purposeful, and faithful not just about the Sabbath itself, but about REALLY resting in Him. Shut down distractions in an act of obedience and readiness for all His promises…and rest. For some of us, it may be the hardest homework you've had in a while! But it’s an investment God can really work with!

Let's give him our best...and rest.

“Tell the story. Give God Glory”
Take the rest challenge and share with #NewVentureChristianFellowship how God uses that in your life. Comment here or email mystory@newventure.org.

Bigger Perspective, Better Plan, Greater Purpose

“My tears have been my food day and night.” (Psalm 43:3) It sounds like a bummer of a beginning to a blog but how many can relate? 100% of believers will go through a period where God seems to go silent, or where we’re going through difficult circumstances “Why didn’t you get me out of the path of this circumstance you brought to my doorstep, or this experience I’m going through? If you love me so much, why does this have to happen to me?” Jesus can use any circumstance as a tool for greater things in your earthly life or to attain eternal life.

I remember years back on one of several trips to Scotland, being met at the airport by the local vicar. As we traveled through boroughs, we arrived at the residence next to a church with a large steeple. In the morning I went for a run and realized after some time, I had gotten lost.  Overlooking the township, I recognized one thing: the cross on the steeple. I realized if I could get to the cross, I could find my way back home! The cross carries with it a message of redemption and life – the opposite of “what the enemy intended” (Genesis 50:20). Christ turned an image of trial and defeat into a symbol of hope and new life through His “Bigger Perspective, Better Plan, and Greater Purpose.”

The word for race in Hebrews 12:1 is “Agonas” (the root word for “agony”) and refers to a marathon. The race you and I are called to isn’t easy – there’s struggle and strain; it often feels “uphill both ways.” But Hebrews 12:3 tells us how to run the race: “Fix Your Eyes on Him.” God reminds us repeatedly, “My ways are higher than your ways,” (Isaiah 55:8-9) and when we fix our eyes on His ways – Perspective, Plan, Purpose – we begin to see a better way through. The race may be challenging at times – but with His promises for what He’s growing in us and the Finish Line we’re headed to, it’s a race worth running!

All for Him!

Heb 4:13, Is 55: 8-9, II Cor. 12:8-9

The New Venture Church Family has been blessed to have a beautiful, modern campus for so many years. Anyone who has stepped foot on 4000 Mystra Way knows of the beauty I am referring to.... but what good is it to have this beautiful campus if we are not fully utilizing every possible opportunity that comes along with having this property? Our location and campus have so many things to offer people other than just Celebration Services. We have concerts, comedy shows, benefit events, exciting speakers, weddings, parties, etc.  It is our responsibility to utilize the campus to bring as many souls into Heaven as possible. And let me share with you about the recent and upcoming events at New Venture Christian Fellowship.

A few weeks back, we had champion boxer Ebo Elder speak during our Celebration Services. What a guy! It was amazing to hear his boxing stories from a Christian, Godly perspective- and we had quite the crowd! The good news is that he is coming back to New Venture on March 24, 2019 for both 8:30 and 10:30 am services. 

Chonda Pierce is a well known Christian comedian who boasts about her Southern upbringing and Southern mentality. She is hysterical!  She will be performing her comedy act here at New Venture on Saturday March 16. Don't miss out!

One of our biggest events of the year is the Miel San Marcos concert which is coming up on March 23. This Spanish Pentecostal worship band attracts thousands in their shows as they speak to audiences from their passionate performances. They even performed at Madison Square Garden in 2017 and were nominated for a Grammy in 2018! This is absolutely one show that you do not want to skip!

Keep an eye out for all of the amazing, exciting things that New Venture has in store for the months ahead!

In Him,
Pastor Shawn

2019 Biblical Leadership & Development class has taken off with a BANG

Our 2019 Biblical Leadership & Development class has kicked off and the turnout so far has been UNREAL! We are currently in week 3 of this 8-week course, and the feedback I have received from this has been so incredibly inspiring. The sign-ups and attendance are at over 100 students as of last night's class. The numbers keep growing and we are loving every minute of that!


This was our first class picture on evening 1:

And THIS was our Tuesday class from this week!

....

But what is it that attracts so many people to this course?  We require an attendance &
commitment pledge from all students and ask that the homework be completed, books to be read, etc. The class is held Tuesday evenings after work hours and I could easily understand why the motivation to go be a student again after a long day at work may not be there.... but our students are COMMITTED and I am so blessed to be able to be a part of such dedication in this Church Family.

The class takes an in depth look at how to become a leader that leads from a Biblical perspective. In today's day and age, I think we can all agree that there is definitely a lack of Biblical leadership in this world. We see it everyday in the news with top leaders, in our jobs with leaders that are lacking, and even in family households where they are not ran by Biblical practices. I believe that since this is such a DESIRED trait to have in all leaders that lead us, we are so eager to learn more about it and adopt the principles in our own lives. We have special guest teachers who are the leaders in the world of sports, business, ministry, and family. The students so far have been craving for more, so the subject matter is definitely one that is sought after as far as gaining an understanding of this leadership style.

We are no longer accepting new sign-ups for this class... but no worries. We will start a new class toward second half of the year! And I expect the next new class to have even MORE interested students that sign up than this class. Don't miss out!  Be sure to keep your eyes and ears open for announcements regarding sign-ups for the next Biblical Leadership & Development.

God Bless you in your week and all that you do.

All 4 Him,
Pastor Shawn

How to have a fresh start

Year after year, every beginning of every January, we hear ourselves declaring our "New Years Resolutions" to the world- and year after year, most of us never make it past the middle of January before we completely forget all about our silly resolutions.  But what has stopped us from following through? I think a lot of what holds us back in life is past events. Sometimes our past is not so pleasant, and maybe it puts us into a negative mindset that prevents us from starting over. 

In John 10:10 Jesus said, “ I came that you might have life and have it more abundantly.” He then goes on to tell us that there is an enemy, called the Devil, whose main objective is to hurt YOU... ME...ALL OF US! Any attempt to start over or even have a happy life will be thwarted by this Enemy. It is a lifelong battle that we Christians will always be involved in. 

But there is good news... God does not care about our past. He wants us to move forward with a fresh start in life. Focus on the NOW and not the THEN. Caving in to the THEN is much easier to focus on because it is what we are used to doing. 

According to a Psychology Today article from 2014, there are 5 ways to a fresh start: 
1. Manage your regrets
2. Deal with your rumination
3. Think about your new goal in abstract terms
4. Adopt the right mindset
5. Motivate yourself

Do you see why I would say that focusing on the NOW is much more of a challenge to do?  But it is the RIGHT THING to do!  Live an abundant life. Let yourself have the much deserved reward of making a fresh start for yourself.  Just remember... God wants you to be happy.

Starting the year off right ... at New Venture!

I am super encouraged by things going on in 2019 already around New Venture. Ebo Elder was with us last Sunday and WOW!!! His topic of "In Need of a Comeback" was so stirring that I am still thinking about it! He called it his "3 keys to YOUR comeback": Perseverance, Perspective, and Power... they are all important aspects of creating your comeback!
If you missed him- No worries, He will be back with us several times in 2019! Lots going on. If you are in the area, join us and make it your BEST year yet. We are. Would love for you to be a part of it.

2018 was the greatest- but 2019 will be the BEST EVER!

What was so great about 2018? There are way too many blessings from 2018 to even count!  We had a BEAUTIFUL 30th Annual Sunrise on the Shore Easter service at the Oceanside Amphitheater.  Thousands attended and the feedback that New Venture received was incredible! We also showed our love and support for our military with our newly added Military Lounge. Food, fun, and fellowship was abundant as we opened up our Connections Cafe to show our gratitude to our servicemen each Sunday after service. During the warmer months, we shared the word of God at our community parks- Barbecue food, music, water activities.... New Venture brought the juice to our friends and neighbors!

Our campus has also been the hub for the biggest Christian concerts in North San Diego. We have been blessed with headline bands and musicians that have allowed our Worship Center to fill up with THOUSANDS of Christian music lovers.

The 2018 Thanksgiving Sunday Supper as well as our Ring & Run were beautifully executed and thousands of souls were touched. What an honor to be able to collectively bless the hurting, as a Church Family.

2019 is going to really be the greatest year at New Venture! Beginning February 5, every Tuesday at 6:30pm I will be teaching "Biblical Leadership Development". Here, we will go deeper with God.
This 14 week course will be something you will be really glad you looked into!
Our Small Groups kick off again on January 20- you REALLY don't want to miss that! Get connected now!
Our Winter Series- FIX YOUR FOCUS- starts January 20 as well. Watch what happens when you fully immerse yourself in God!

I can't WAIT to share what 2019 has in store with all of the New Venture Church Family!

Your friend,
Shawn Mitchell

Make a child's Christmas this year!

2018 has been a year of blessings to me personally and to the New Venture Church Family. For every need we have expressed, we have in one way or another been blessed. One of our current needs is for people to participate in Ring & Run this year.

Our 30th Annual Ring & Run event is currently underway, and I am overwhelmed at the response we have gotten so far. We obtained lists of children who are less fortunate, with their desired Christmas presents. We have over FIFTY children that we will be purchasing Christmas presents for and hand delivering to on December 22.

I cannot even BEGIN to describe the unimagined joy that both giver and receiver will experience when less fortunate children are blessed for this years annual Ring & Run. There is nothing quite like giving to others!

Be sure to stop by the church and take a name off of the Christmas tree. You can either drop the wrapped present off with our Church Office and we will deliver for you- OR you can join us on December 22 at 9 am where we will congregate as a team, review the delivery routes, and deliver these gifts to the wonderful children within the community.

This is one event that you don't want to miss out on! Come be a part of this incredible experience.

Questions? Call Stacey (760) 688-6898

God bless.
Pastor Shawn Mitchell

Be a part of our Thanksgiving miracle!

On Sunday, November 18, from 11- 2pm, New Venture will be hosting our 30th annual Thanksgiving Sunday Supper. We are estimating nearly 1,000 people will be fed, given haircuts, clothing, toys.... the list goes on and on!  It is truly a miraculous event as we watch people come in from all different parts of North County. There is no greater honor or blessing than to be able to serve others.  And we definitely serve that day!

All of the turkeys, sides, clothing, and toys are obtained through donations of residents within the community and our own beloved Church Family.  It is truly AMAZING to see everyone come together with donations and the desire to serve on this day. It takes nearly a whole army to make that day happen.

We as a staff have been planning this for months already- and we still have a long way to go!  The picture below was taken yesterday during one of our planning meetings. Just look at all of the notes all over the place!

We rely on over 100 partners to help serve food, set up, assist in the clothing boutique, etc. I could not be more proud of all of the wonderful people that come together on this day!  If you are feeling led by our Lord to donate food, clothing, toys, or to serve that day, I personally invite you to reach out to our Church Offices to see where you would be of greatest assistance.  It truly is one of our most fruitful, heartwarming events that we do here at New Venture, and I would love to share that joy WITH you.

~ Pastor Shawn Mitchell

The New Venture Family is back!

As you recall from last week's writing, the New Venture Leadership staff spent the past week in Ohio on a Rest and Relaxation retreat. Relaxing is not all that we did... we also spent plenty of time diving into ideas of what the Lord has for New Venture's future!

While it was a FANTASTIC trip, enlightening, spirit-filled... it was sure wonderful to get back to the home Campus. There is nothing quite like being back with ALL of our New Venture family. As you can see below, our staff is already back at work, knee- deep in ministry! We are all so excited for what the future holds for our beloved Church!

Below you will see Xavier- our student ministry leader

Lauren- our receptionist, who is always happy to help you!

Pastor David- our Pastor of Operations- always hard at work, streamlining things for the church.

Charles- Our videographer... filing my next Small Groups video!

The New Venture staff Rest and Relaxation ministry trip

I don't often write about what goes on behind the scenes of New Venture, but this particular week has been action-packed for New Venture Staff.  We have so much ministry going on at the church these days with the upcoming holidays:  Thanksgiving Sunday Supper, Christmas concerts, Ring n' Run... so many ministry events to plan!

This week, the Leadership staff of New Venture took some time to fly to Ohio to visit and stay with one of our beloved Board Member's- Tony Foglio. (Check out the NV staff photo from the airplane!)

Pastor Tony Foglio has been with New Venture for decades now!  The idea behind this trip was to get all of our Ministry Leaders together for some much needed rest and relaxation.  A few days were set aside for the staff to relax together- but it is also a time where we have been able to press the 'reset' button and really come together to discuss the upcoming vision/s of New Venture as the holidays approach.

Working in ministry can be very tiring. Not many people realize the amount of time and work that each staff member puts into their respective ministries. The importance of resetting and not getting burnt out is crucial in order to be successful at doing the Lord's work. That's exactly what this trip has been for NV staff! While we have been pow-wowing for several hours a day- discussing, planning, sharing ideas... we have been able to reset, clear our heads, and pray about the exciting, upcoming days at New Venture.

Remembering the little things that are most important

Today I had the honor of officiating a 'Celebration of Life' service for a dear member of New Venture.  Although I have been doing these types of services for decades, I am still touched by each individual service that I am blessed to be a part of.  The service today stuck out to me for a few particular reasons.

The woman who passed away left behind many family members and friends who all said the same thing: She taught them all how to enjoy the smaller things in life and how to see the beauty of all things.  She was an artist, a creative personality. To see the beauty in a sunset or a night sky is not always easy for us to do as we are all so busy with 'bigger' things in life.

She also was a career hairstylist and therefore spoke to many people every single day. She left a huge impact on all of her clients because she was personable. Taking the time to talk to people has such a remarkable outcome.  Even a simple 'how is the family?' can leave a tremendous impact on someone's day.

Lastly, and most importantly, she was a VERY proud mother. She spent a significant amount of time with her only child and was extremely proud of her. She bragged about her daughter's artistic abilities to everyone. She was positive and would constantly praise her. Everyone that remembered our dear friend said the same thing: that she was a proud mother and a fantastic role model. While we assume, as parents, that we are simply doing our job by having a good relationship with our children- we are leaving much more of a footprint in the world and in lives than we even realize.

Are we hypocrites?

If you ask most people who aren't Christian, what is the one thing that they don't like about Christians, they will probably use words like "hypocrisy", "duplicity", or "lip service". 

As a proselytizing Christian, we are constantly trying to bring others to God.  We talk a lot. We want to bring others to Him. We want to share the good news!!! Therefore, we are oftentimes held to a higher standard in life- morally and ethically.  We are expected to be perfect, seemingly.

And for the most part, it is not that any of us are actual hypocrites or paying lip service... it is simply that we are all sinners and cannot possibly live perfect lives. So when we fall short of perfection, we are sometimes criticized as we live under tight scrutiny by non- Christians.

Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus"

What does this mean for us?  It means that we are NOT perfect and CANNOT be perfect.  We all sin. We are, however, freed by His grace.  That is a concept that should provide reassurance to us.

While we can certainly strive to live a wholesome life, and we can work daily to try to be the best person we can be, we can sleep better knowing that the pressures of life can be given up to God. He does not expect perfection!

The utility of worry... and turning worry into prayer!

Every day, we as humans are worried about something.  Whether it be something 'simple', such as being on time to work, or something more 'complicated', such as realizing that our monthly budget will not get us through to the end of the month. 

One thing we should ask ourselves is this: Does it make sense to worry about the things we worry about?  At the time of concern of a 'simple' worry, we are probably thinking to ourselves, "If I am late to work, I will get a lecture from my boss". While that may be true, you should also ask yourself, "Is this useful to worry about?".

There is a certain amount of worry that makes sense, and then there is also a level of useless rumination. 

According to the Bible, we should always turn to prayer when the anxiety starts. "Don't worry about anything... Instead, pray about everything. Let your requests be known to God. " Phil 4:6

There is a practical approach to worry, and it is the Biblical approach. We have to accept what we cannot change, and we need to be willing to accept as much or as little as God gives us in the present moment. We also have to give to God what we cannot change. In the Bible, Peter encourages us to put our worry into the powerful hands of God. His advice goes completely against what our own instincts are: to control it all, to try and think/act through our problems. We need to remember that we were not made for ourselves. We have to bring our problems to the Lord... and then leave them with him.

Body by Bible

Your body is a temple of the Lord.  We have all heard this quote so many times, but I can bet we never spend too much time actually taking this verse into consideration- and I am as guilty as anyone else!
If we really break  it down... our body is not actually ours.  It is simply an extension of us.  The Bible makes it clear that the Holy Spirit lives in our body.  What does this actually translate to when it comes to how we should live our life and how we should treat our physical self?  Keep it healthy!  Our diets are inevitably one of the biggest ways that we can treat our bodies in the holiest of manners. One way of breaking it down... "Is this something I would want to put into Jesus' body?!"

If the answer is no- skip it! You can apply this any habit or action: Regularly exercising, taking care of your mental and emotional health, choosing to wear your seat-belt in the car (or any other common sense safety measure), etc.

Your body ultimately belongs to Christ.  Treat it accordingly!

Love conquers all!

It is not often that the news puts out any type of happy story... especially one like this!  I found this particular story to be incredibly heartwarming.  

A man from Rochester, New York, Luther Younger, shows how deeply devoted he is to his beloved wife, Waverlee.  This man goes way above and beyond what anyone would expect from an elderly husband.

Luther makes a six mile round-trip every day, regardless of the weather that day, to visit Waverlee in the hospital.  Waverlee is currently suffering with a brain tumor that she was diagnosed with nearly a decade ago. His wife is often hospitalized for weeks on end.  Sometimes Luther even sleeps on the hospital floor next to her bed!

Luther's love for Waverlee begins decades ago.  She helped him raise his children from a previous marriage.  She was strong.  She was his "cup of tea", as he describes. Waverlee's daughter tells news reporters of the strong, unconditional love that Luther has for her mother. Everyone sees it. 

Most people would CRINGE at the idea of making a six mile round trip, on foot, every single day.  But when you've walked through life with someone, what's another six miles? 

What can we learn from Luther?  That love is unconditional. And although Luther's love for Waverlee seems to be unmatched, it is nothing in comparison to God's love for us.  Can you even believe that?!

1 John 3:16

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. "

When life has you shaken up... don't get stirred up!

We all know what it feels like to be shaken up by the daily annoyances in life.  Sometimes they are small things, like someone cutting you off on the road, being late to work, etc... and sometimes the annoyances are overwhelming- your boss is being extra hard on you, family drama, children getting into trouble. All of our problems are taken seriously by God! 

Give up all your problems to God and don't get stirred by them.  It's one thing to be shaken- (ie, irritated, annoyed, etc), but it is another to be stirred (loss of sleep, extra stress, worry, etc), which can have what may be possible long- term effects on your life.

1 Peter 5:7
Cast all your worries on Him, because He cares for you.

When we are a society of such that lives for the moment with instant gratification at our fingertips, we often times lose sight of the bigger picture in life, and therefore can be stirred up quite easily.  If we remember that God is the ultimate receiver of all of our worries, we will be able to manage being shaken much more easily.  Remember: The ultimate goal for ALL of us should be to disciple to others and let God handle the rest.  Be a good person. Do good for others. God will take care of the rest.

Make disciples of all nations!

It is a Christian's obligation to spread the gospel. As Christians, we know this.  It is not enough to simply believe- but it is also our job as Christians is to bring others to Christ.  New Venture is coming up on "Plus 1 Weekend" on September 16 where we encourage our members to bring a friend... or 5!  We feed everyone, take them on a tour, and see what areas of ministry everyone is interested in.  It really is a wonderful time!

MATTHEW 28:19

I encourage all of you to show up on September 16 with your "plus 1".  It really is a great opportunity to fellowship and to grow the body of Christ. You never know what you may learn about yourself that day!  Everyone has special gifts that they have to offer... and for all you know, your spiritual gifts COULD start a chain reaction.  You could be getting more souls in Heaven!