Posts by Kevin | Pastor Kevin Sanders

2017: The Year in Review

I’m not highly motivated to write a blog post right now. Maybe it’s writer’s block or a general lack of feeling inspired.

But another year is quickly coming to an end, and I do want to take a few minutes to reflect on God’s faithfulness in our lives.

Church/Ministry

We began this year by implementing a few adjustments in the ministry programing of our church. I had only been the pastor for about 3 months, but God gave me a burden and a sense of urgency for our congregation and its future.

God faithfully led us through these first steps of becoming more effective in reaching our community with the gospel. The overwhelming majority of our members were extremely supportive of the new vision. Words can hardly express how grateful I am for their willingness to embrace change.

The rest of the year seems like a blur as far as the church goes. We started a new small group ministry (part of the before-mentioned changes), had some really enjoyable outreach events (Vacation Bible School, Trunk-or-Treat, etc), and journeyed through three sermon series (the third will be completed next year).

Citizenship

One of our main goals for this year was to acquire Mare Cris’ US citizenship. It has been a long (expensive) process that began back when we were still living in the Philippines–it started with applying for her spousal visa.

We applied for her citizenship while we were still living in Alabama, and moving here in the middle of the application caused a few delays. Our patience was eventually rewarded when Cris was invited to an oath-taking ceremony a few months ago. My wife is now an American citizen!

Expectant Parents

There is one blessing that eclipses all others for 2017: the news that I will soon be a father. I sensed that we would be having a boy, and this was confirmed back in October with the second ultrasound.

Our boy seems to be making his presence felt a little more every day–we jokingly call him our “little kick boxer.” My wife will begin her third trimester as 2018 begins.

We are blessed beyond measure!

God continues to faithfully lead us on this amazing journey.

Plans for 2018

*I have enrolled in the Doctor of Ministry program at Gateway Seminary (formerly Golden Gate Seminary) and will begin in January.

*Our son should arrive some time in March!

Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One who is leading.
—Oswald Chambers

To be continued . . .

I Survived I Kissed Dating Goodbye (Josh Harris)

It’s been a long time since I’ve written anything related to love, dating, sexual purity or relationship issues in general. These topics were once the primary focus of my blog (and led to the publication of two books).

My life is much different than it was during those first few years of blogging. I’m no longer a single missionary living in the “University Belt” of Manila, and I no longer meet hundreds of new college students every year through seminars.

My writing has changed along with my life. I post here less frequently these days, and most of my posts are either devotional thoughts or just updates about life events.

One thing hasn’t changed: questions about relationships are what bring most new visitors to this blog. I see it when I check the statistics (search queries, most popular posts, etc.). I still receive relationship questions from the Philippines and other parts of the world. I’m grateful that what I’ve shared is still helping people who want to honor God in their relationship choices.

I decided to re-visit this topic today after watching a TEDx video by Joshua Harris. For those who don’t know, he is the author of I Kissed Dating Goodbye, a book that has sold millions of copies. Here’s the premise of the book: Josh decided that dating was a completely flawed way to search for true love. He committed himself to a different approach and shared his insights with the world. For better or worse, his writing caused a shock wave in the Christian community.

I read I Kissed Dating Goodbye back in the early 2000’s. I thought Harris made some legitimate points about the mistakes young people were making when it comes to romantic relationships. But some of his advice just didn’t seem practical or balanced to me, and I believe there are much better books out there (see: Top Three Christian Dating Books).

Perhaps the biggest issue with I Kissed Dating Goodbye was not the book itself, but the way some believers applied it. I have encountered some that act as though a 21-year-old wrote an inerrant, universal guide for love, sex, and dating.

It’s now been 20 years since Josh’s revolutionary book was published, and the man who once wrote off dating has been re-thinking his position in a very public (and courageous) manner. He’s been listening to those who were both helped and hurt by his book. He’s now planning to make a documentary based on this experience called I Survived I Kissed Dating Goodbye.