Hello My Name Is:

Mike. I am the pastor of Calvary Chapel Jaco, the blessed husband of a lovely and beautiful wife, and the thankful father of three girls and a little guy. I love Jesus, my family, ministry, and missions. My family and I have lived on the mission field of Central America since 2005. We are planting a church in Jaco, Costa Rica. Prior to that my wife and I served in youth and young adult ministries for 8 years in our home church. Before becoming a pastor, I made a living as a licensed plumber.

You can read the story about how we became missionaries here. (Link takes you to our family blog)

You can see what our ministry is up to here. (Link takes you to our ministry blog)

What You Can Expect From Pursuing REAL

Pursuing REAL is a blog for all Christians. It is about the Christian’s ongoing walk towards: REAL depth with Jesus, REAL influence for Jesus, and REAL likeness to Jesus. By sharing impacting content, this blog will equip and exhort you to “press on towards the goal” of a relevant, effective, authentic, life.

I typically post two times a week. You can subscribe to my blog, if you want to be sure not to miss anything.

Why I Started This Blog

Let me be up front with you. I am not an expert in any of these areas and in no way have I arrived. I do not write this blog as someone that has it all figured out. I am learning daily. Living on the mission field has caused me to reflect a lot on what it means to be REAL with God and people. This is about my walk towards that kind of a life. I realize that there are many people like me. People that desire to live a REAL life and are in the process of figuring it out. If that is you, then you are in the right place. As I learn and experience life, I want to transparently share these things with you. My hope is that you will feel comfortable to do the same thing. After all, we are in this thing called life together.

The Verse That Says It All:

12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. 16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained. 17 Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. (Philippians 3:12-17)

 

What’s With The Name?

Why “Pursuing REAL”? Where does it come from? As I thought about starting a blog, I wanted it to be true to who I am. I desire to have a deep relationship with Jesus Christ and to have an impact on my community for His glory. There are many ideas on how to do that today. I believe that in order to be effective for Christ we need to be relevant to the culture around us. But the danger is when we seek relevance at the expense of authenticity. By that I mean, authenticity towards God and His word. Therefore, I believe that in order to truly be effective in this life we must be both relevant and authentic. This enables us to live REAL lives before God and people. So, this blog’s name comes from the idea that we are in Pursuit of a Relevant, Effective, Authentic, Life.

Contact Me!

I’d love to connect with you. Here are some ways you can contact me.

Comments:  I love to interact in the comments section. It’s super easy, you don’t even have to register.

Email: You can reach by email. I’m kinda slow at responding, but I will get back to you.

Twitter: I love twitter! You can find me at @pastormikel.

Facebook: My Facebook page is here. Leave a comment and don’t forget to “Like” the page!

About The Categories I’ve Chosen:

A life that is going to be REAL starts here. We have to be making forward progress in our personal walk with Christ. Here you will find content that will help you do just that.

Reflecting Christ in our families, that’s the goal. Here you will find content about living a REAL life in the family unit. Marriage and parenting, difficulties and blessings. It’s all here.

We are all leaders of something. In our work place, in our families, in ministry. We are all having an impact on the people around us. Here you will find content that is about becoming a better leader.

Jesus called all Christians to be a part of Missions & Ministry in some capacity. He has sent us into a community with the commission to reach it with the Gospel. Here you will find content about accomplishing that commission.