Last month, City Church in the Mission turned 2 years old! When we launched the 23rd Street campus on Easter 2010, we committed ourselves to be a presence of God's powerful, transforming love in the Mission District. We endeavored to "love the city more locally" by growing a community to serve our neighbors in this diverse, energetic, beautifully messy neighborhood we call home. And it's happening, as around 225 people gather for worship on 23rd Street every week!  It's happening, as we ...

It's 3:00 AM. And I'm writhing in pain in our hotel bathroom, trying not to wake up Sara and the girls. 12 hours later, and after many painkillers, the pain has become unbearable. Next stop: the emergency room.

I'm shuttled from one room to another, shivering the entire time, vomiting as I go. Relentless pain. Powerlessness. Eventually, surrender. This was not how I planned my family's Spring Break to go.

A cheap version of Christianity sold in many ...

While City Church was getting ready to celebrate in Davies Symphony Hall, I was gathered outdoors on a sunny day with a group of young Chinese Christians. Our celebration was a bit less glamorous. We worshipped on acoustic guitar and ordered pizzas for brunch. But even so, our Easter celebration was a profound event. We were humble participants in the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection with Christia ...

On Easter morning a few days ago I emailed a handful of people and asked them for their prayers. They were all people who dreamed about a church in San Francisco 15 years ago in my living room apartment. We talked about what it would look like to see a church thrive and make a visible difference in the life of the City. While none of us imagined specifically about worshipping in Davies Symphony Hall, we did take seriously a particular place in the book of Ephesians from chapter 3, verses 20 ...

Christ the King,
We rejoice and celebrate that on this Easter day, you came, despite our unfaithfulness to reconcile us to you. We celebrate the sacrifice that you have made on our behalf. We ask that you would transform us into a community of servants, that might see your glory and expand your kingdom through humbly serving the needs of this your city and thro ...

Daily Reading

Matthew 3:13-17

Reflection

John the Baptist was a prophet who prepared people for the coming Messiah. In the gospels, we see him baptizing people as well as sternly rebuking the religious authorities. Then something happens that takes him by surprise: Jesus approaches him for baptism. From John's response, it's ...

Daily Reading

Matthew 27:27-50; John 15:13

Reflection

What does it mean to lay down one's life for another? Maximillian Kolbe was a Franciscan Priest and Doctor of Theology who had dedicated his life to the study of Scripture and service. In 1941, the Gestapo a ...

Daily Reading

John 13:3-17

Reflection

It's tempting in our day to do everything to get to the top. It's been this way for millennia. Brothers kill each other for a throne. Lovers betray one another for a fleeting high. Those in power attempt to gain more control. But not Jesus. Jesus went low. He went for the feet. Whil ...

Meet three of our friends from our partner in South Sudan—Ruben, Nyoko, and Sikili, from left to right. These adorable children are among the over 200 orphans that live at one of Harvesters orphanages where they eat rice and beans everyday!

Hungry for Change challenges us to donate money we would have spent on food and drink over the five day fast on a program of our choosing. City Hope finds it fitting to use the mo ...

Daily Reading

Luke 4:16-21

Reflection

After performing miracles in Capernaum, Jesus returns to Nazareth to explain His mission and, by extension, our own. Using the prophetic words of Isaiah, he lays out the groundwork for what He came to accomplish: release the captives, heal the blind, free the oppressed, and proclaim the co ...