Author of latest, Life Is___: God's Illogical Love will Change Your Life (2015)
Jesus Is_: Find a New Way to be Human (2013)
Senior Pastor of The City Church, Seattle, Wa.
Wife: Chelsea (co-pastor of City Church)
Children: Zion, Eliott, and Grace
Guest Bio
Pastor Judah Smith on Life and the Love of God
CBN.com
– JUDAH’S EARLY YEARS
Judah Smith has been active in ministry for over 17 years. He began as the youth pastor at City Church in Seattle Washington, where his parents were the head pastors. In 2009, his father passed away from cancer, and Judah took over leadership of the church along with his wife Chelsea. Since then, the church has grown to more than 7,000 in attendance across several campuses. More than 50,000 people listen to Judah’s sermons online each month. Judah has almost 300,000 followers on Twitter, and he is known for his influence on his famous friends, like Justin Beiber, NFL player Russell Wilson, and pro golfer Bubba Watson.
He has known he would preach since he was nine years old. In an interview with Premier Christianity Magazine, he said, “At nine years old, I had a real sense of God telling me that I was going to preach, then at 16 I had a real supernatural encounter with God. At the risk of sounding incredibly spiritual, I saw things in a dream state, visions, some of which have come to pass in my life. We had a pastor friend of ours praying for me. All I remember is that I woke up, probably 45 minutes later, and knew that I had seen scenes in my mind. It was me preaching and leading and teaching. At the time I just wanted to be a basketball player. That didn’t pan out, but I guess the preaching is what God wanted me to do.”
LIFE IS_______.
Throughout the pages, of his new book, Life is_____., Judah urges readers to discover God’s “illogical” love; a love so great, it defies human logic. He aimed to write the book in an accessible style that resonates with the average person. He said, “ When I preach and write, I try to retell biblical stories in a modern language. It’s not a new translation’ it’s a paraphrase. It is my attempt to put myself in the shoes-well sandals-of the original audience.
ABOUT THE BLANK
Life is______. asks readers to ponder the age old question, “What is the meaning of life?” and to fill in the blank for themselves. Judah fills it in with 4 truths:
- Life is to be loved and to love- The order of these words is intentional. Judah says we are first loved by God in such a phenomenal way that we are able to love others. Judah says “an important aspect of God’s love is that “God values us for who we are- no conditions, no caveats, no fine print.”
- Life is to trust God in every moment- Trusting God means not living for the elusive “someday,” but fully experiencing and trusting God today. Judah says we aren’t promised a trouble-free life, but we are promised God’s protection and presence. He says, “Storms happen. I can’t promise that you won’t get wet. I can’t promise that you won’t go through tough times. But I can promise that Jesus is bigger than your storm and that He is with you. The storm will end. The wind will cease. The waves will be still. Jesus will see you safely through to the other side. (MORE)
- Life is to be at peace with God and with yourself- Being at peace with God and yourself requires both understanding that God is the emobodiment of Mercy and Truth, and keeping Him first in our lives. Because Jesus came, peace is ever present.
- Life is to enjoy God- Judah says we aren’t to admire God from a distance. We are to relate to Him in a personal, real way. Judah says, “ What if, today, God wants to laugh with you for a few minutes? What if He wants to go on a hike with you, or talk with you in the kitchen, or go on a break with you at work, or do study hall with you at school? Can you imagine what that would look like?
JUDAH’S INFLUENCE ON OTHERS
Justin Bieber sent out an Instagram picture of Jesus Is: Find a New Way to Be Human and wrote, “So proud of my pastor.” In 2012 Bieber was “named the third most powerful celebrity.” Over the years, Judah has had a great influence on Justin. In an interview with Premier Christianity, Judah said, “His mom came to a conference and heard me speak. She got a couple of my cassette tapes, and would play them for him while he fell asleep at night. When we first met several years ago, he said, ‘You used to put me to sleep with your preaching.’ I said, ‘Justin, that’s not what preachers want to hear. This relationship is not getting off on the right foot here!’” Recently Judah has gotten the opportunity to influence Justin’s life in a more personal way. Judah says, “I’d say we’re very close. I love him dearly, and we talk nearly every week…I think he legitimately loves Jesus and wants to follow him in an authentic way. It’s just processing through the unique context he finds himself in, which, gosh, it’s not easy.”
Judah also pastors NFL player Russell Wilson. The two are very close, and Judah has changed Russell’s life in a positive way. In an interview with the Christian Post, Russell said, “Faith is a big part of my life, and I talk to my pastor Judah Smith almost every day. One thing that he has really instilled in my heart this season is the idea of 'surrender and surround.' Surrender yourself to a higher cause, and surround yourself with special people.”
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