My family and I recently got back from a couple weeks in Central Oregon—the longest amount of time I’ve taken off since I first started working at Mars Hill 11 years ago. We were very grateful for the much-needed rest, but I really missed my friends and our church. A lot can happen in two weeks, and with all the comings and goings of summer I’m probably not the only one in the process of catching up on the life of Mars Hill. Here’s a slice of recent news:

• On Saturday, ten people got dunked at Mars Hill Downtown’s outdoor baptism event. Pastor Tim Gaydos and his team’s heart for evangelism is inspiring. Every week they have a story of someone meeting Jesus.
• The Ballard campus hosted a beach baptism recently, and posted some great photos on their website. Thirty-three people got baptized at Golden Gardens beach.
• Today our second ReTrain year begins. Over 100 students have traveled from five different countries and 25 states to be trained as missional leaders. I went through the program last year and it was extremely beneficial for me—both in my personal walk with Jesus and in my pastoral leadership of the church.
• We’re scheduled to close on a building in the U-District this week. Please pray. Pastor Matt Jensen and his crew are standing ready to lead an army of volunteers to get the space ready in time for services this fall.
• Pastor Mark’s sermon in Ballard yesterday (which will play online and at the rest of our campuses next week) was personally very convicting. How do we pursue godly greatness without getting proud or depressed by constantly comparing ourselves to others? Don’t miss it.
• Paul Tripp (co-author of How People Change) is coming to Mars Hill Ballard for a parenting conference next month. Childcare is available for the first 100 families who register.
• The Mars Hill Blog is focusing on biblical manhood this summer. There’s been some great articles and stories, such as date night tips from Pastor Mark, Jesus on the job, and what women think of Mars Hill men (Part 1 and Part 2).

I’m grateful to be back in Seattle, looking forward to more people meeting Jesus and seeing them get connected to his people.