Why church plant in SoCal with GBC Menifee? – part 2 of 5

If you were to come with me to Southern California and we hiked up the mountain beyond Bob Hope’s house (or better yet, flew up by helicopter since the mountain is over 10,000 ft. high), you would be looking out over a huge area with several valleys and beyond that the Pacific Ocean. You would see major freeways running like arteries through millions of houses and seamlessly connecting three major areas: San Diego, Los Angeles, and Riverside or the Inland Empire (see below). If it was a clear day and you looked closely, you could see Hollywood and Beverly Hills where so many of the rich and famous of this world have built their careers and their palatial homes.


But you could also look out and see an area called Menifee where two major freeways converge. In that place there is a group of people assembling together with a very different mission than the one that captivated me as a boy and captivates so many others. That group of people is Grace Bible Church in Menifee that we are privileged to minister with. They believe and practice the truth of Ephesians 3:20-21 “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.”

Our goal isn’t to become rich and famous. Instead we are committed to “Live for the fame of the true God.” We believe that Faithful followers of Christ will glorify God by knowing His unique greatness, valuing this above all else, and living to make it known to others.

As Christians, we know that we need to “Live for the fame of the true God.” But we often fail to realize that living for God’s fame doesn’t just happen. As a result, we often fail to effectively live for God’s glory. Therefore we need to plan for it and even be strategic: aiming to spend our lives glorifying God in the best ways we possibly can.

Ever since I was saved, God has increasingly changed my desires and dreams from living for my own fame and fortune to living for God’s fame. My wife Alicia has joined me in this pursuit, and we have done our best to make a plan to do that. In making that plan, we have attempted to consider God’s right place, right priority, and right people for us.