by Sam | Dec 24, 2014 | Reflection
Can you believe that 2014 is already coming to an end? Time flies when you’re having fun! This was our first year in existence, and what a year it was. It was truly a year to remember filled with dreams, risks, lessons learned, and excitement for what’s ahead. Without further ado, here’s a recap of some of the highlights from the last 12 months… Worship Gatherings Throughout the year, we had multiple worship gatherings throughout NYC and NJ. We also partnered with various ministries and churches to come together for one purpose, and that was to seek God. Every time we came together, God showed up in powerful ways. It was a tremendous blessing to connect with so many like-minded brothers and sisters through these gatherings. Take a look to see what our gatherings were like here. Blog In 2014 we started a blog to share what God has been doing in our ministry and our lives. We also started a new feature called “FRONTIER”, which highlighted men and women who were taking the Kingdom of God into new frontiers. You can read all of our blog posts here. Podcast This year we started our very own podcast called PURSUITCAST. It started as a way to encourage people and stir their hearts for revival. We have sermon clips as well as interviews with leaders from all over the country. It was a tremendous privilege to sit down with such anointed men and women of God. You can catch all of our podcasts here. Pursuit Apparel One of our passions at Pursuit is to take the Kingdom to all realms and spheres, including fashion. This...
by Sam | Dec 1, 2014 | Reflection
How do we know who we really are without validation? It’s normal for humans to want, to seek, and to need validation. For men we want our identity, our strength, our worth, and our masculinity validated. To know we have something to offer. That we are valuable. That we are indeed men. Yet so often what happens is that we take these questions and longings of our heart and soul to the opposite sex. Like Adam, we look to Eve to offer us validation. So we go to her with our questions in one hand and our hearts in the other. We bring our woundedness to her hoping she can be our source of healing. She might bring relief, but what we desperately long for is healing. A band-aid does not help a deep wound. When we give someone the power to validate us, we also give them the power to invalidate us as well. Tragically what ends up happening is that she is not enough, because she was never meant to be our source. So both men and women are hurt in the process… We need a new source. A bigger source. An unchanging source for our validation. Otherwise we end up going to women in weakness hoping she can validate us rather than going to her in strength with our validation already secure. Ultimately God alone is big enough and secure enough to validate us. A son looks to his father to know who he is and to answer his questions about himself and his own heart. We have a loving God that desires to father us in...
by Sam | Nov 27, 2014 | Reflection
Happy Thanksgiving! We are so extremely blessed. We are thankful for a faithful God who always keeps His promises. A God who invites us into intimacy and partnership for His glory. We are thankful for this region! We are so thankful for those who have gone before us & for those who have contended to see revival with tears & sacrifice. Those who sought God in the secret place on behalf of generations not yet born. We stand on your shoulders. We are thankful for the harvest that is to come! For neighborhoods & cities mirroring heaven on earth. Last but not least, we are thankful for all the love & encouragement from our families, friends, Kingdom partners, & supporters! Thanks for believing with us. The best is yet to come! Revival or...
by Sam | Nov 12, 2014 | Reflection
I remember the day quite clearly… It was your usual summer day in August, and I needed a caffeine pick-me-up. So I did what I normally do, and drove to my local Starbucks. Yet when I walked in I was utterly in disbelief that they had already started to sell their beloved Pumpkin Spice Latte. Now don’t get me wrong, I am a big fan of PSL, but when it actually is autumn and a little cold outside, not when I am wearing shorts and flip flops. Even more recently on the first day of November, I saw that Starbucks had immediately started to push the Holidays. Red cups, holiday drinks, and trinkets galore. It’s not even Thanksgiving yet, but I feel like I need to start thinking about Christmas right now or I’m missing out. That somehow I need to get a head start and reach for things out of season. And that’s what I believe is the “Starbucks Syndrome”… We want what we want now or else. It’s my right to have what I want now. Quicker the better. Rest assure, I have nothing against Starbucks or any other businesses, but I feel like it hurts us when we apply the same mentality to faith. We either try to strive and reach for something out of season or we feel bitter when something doesn’t happen because we feel entitled. Whether it’s a new job, a promotion, a relationship, or even a promise from God, we feel as though we are owed it by God, and we deserve it right now. I believe wholeheartedly that God can act...
by Sam | Jul 31, 2014 | Inspiration, Reflection
Ever have one of those mornings where God is just speaking to you? And throughout the entire day, He just keeps confirming it over and over again through the most random ways? The other day was just like that for me. He was speaking to me that He will never let me down and He will never walk away from me. It was powerful. And that same truth came up as the day progressed. At first it was an encouraging reminder, then it turned into dread. Was God saying this to me because something bad was going to happen? Was He warning me of some unforeseen circumstance that will arise? Was He cluing me in on a time where I would need to clutch onto this? And in that moment I realized something was totally off! Instead of embracing what God has told me, I instantly made it about something bad that was bound to happen. So often my expectations of God and who He is and what He does is “bad”. Not that I believe God is bad, but the way I view life is through the lens of my circumstances and past experiences rather than His goodness. If I say that I believe in a good God and am saved by the Good News of Jesus Christ, then shouldn’t my expectations be good too? The Bible tells us over and over again that He is good and that He only gives good gifts (James 1:17)! Why is believing that so hard for me if I am a “believer”? Instead of saying “uh oh, things are about to...
by Sam | Jul 9, 2014 | Inspiration, Reflection
One of the buzzwords in the church today is community. And why wouldn’t it be? Who doesn’t love the idea of belonging to a group, having friends, and just doing life together? It seems to be only full of positives! Yet community will continue to only be a buzzword unless people learn to truly submit to one another in the name of Christ. Especially when it comes to discernment. In my own life there have been areas where I literally felt like God was telling me two different things. One day it seemed as if God was pulling me in one direction, and the next, the complete opposite. Was I going crazy? Does God constantly change His mind? What I’ve come to realize is that usually when I am emotionally invested in something, it is hard to be objective and to even hear from God without my own filter. This is where community is crucial. Proverbs (11:14, 15:22) emphasizes how in the multitude of counsel there is wisdom. Wisdom seeks out others. Pride says “I know better” and if it’s something personal, who would know better than me, right? Yet humility is being able to present something to others not just for prayer, not just for feedback, but for discernment as well. I’m all for hearing from God and being led by God no matter what popular opinion might be. I’m all for seeking God until you get an answer, but the truth is I don’t have a monopoly on hearing from Him. I need others to correct me, encourage me, affirm me in what I am hearing from Him, and...
