Brandon Goff

Sermon On The Mount part 2

2011-11-21T12:55:00.000-08:00

Today I will be continuing my series on the Sermon on the Mount. Today is looking at why the Beattitudes are so important in the first place.

I think it's great to see that the first part of the sermon is a list of "Blessed's"... I've consistently seen this in my life as a series of suggestions to help make things better, and live a good life. Maybe a way to make God smile sometimes. But don't you think it's interesting that "Blessed" is used so much? For instance - the first one is "Blessed are the poor in spirit..." - RIIIGGGHHHTTTT! Because I'm so blessed when I'm poor. (I intend to break each one down in a future post) But, I ran across something interesting in Acts 3... Look at this -

Acts 3:26 "For you first, God raised up His Servant and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways." (NASB, emphasis mine)

Am I the only one that sees a major correlation here between Matthew 5:3-12 with the Beattitudes and Acts 3:26 in this specific breakdown of Jesus being sent? I mean let's logically think about this:
- In Matthew JESUS begins to explain a bunch of blessings and why you are blessed in those senses. Don't we all want to be blessed? Isn't a blessing something to build our faith and our trust? Isn't a blessing a way God so proudly gives to us? So, Jesus starts out by outlining blessings...
- In Acts it is described one of the incredible reasons for the sacrifice of Jesus Himself. "...TO BLESS YOU..."
Here's the point: JESUS IS THE BLESSING! Therefore, what Jesus was doing was describing characteristics of Himself, that you can see throughout scripture! HOW POWERFUL IS THAT!?

He was teaching His disciples about His character... when we just thought He was giving guidelines/suggestions, He was actually giving us all an opportunity to see into His character by understanding that HE IS BLESSING! Everything about a blessing is encompassed within the very nature of Jesus!

Why is that important? As we read and take the Beattitudes to become practices in our lives - we are taking the ways of BLESSING or JESUS, and becoming even more like Him. This, yet again, shows us the great opportunities and open doors to love a perfect God!

Oh, how I love the chances to love God that is afforded to me. Although I do not deserve them, I am given the chance nonetheless, and for that - I am eternally grateful! Thank you for allowing me to endulge in the very character of the blessing itself - Jesus Christ!

Beatitudes

2011-11-16T14:08:00.000-08:00

I saw a post on Facebook from a good friend about the Sermon on the Mount... and I decided to go into an in depth study on these powerful, instructional words from Jesus Himself. As I began to read through Matthew chapters 5-7 I couldn't get away from the most basic, heard about instructions at the VERY BEGINNING! Something Sunday School teachers throughout the world teach children, but I don't believe can get into the meat of it all - because I don't think a lot of people GET the meat of it all. This is going to begin a series of blogs on the Beatitudes, I don't intend to make it what you've always heard/read... but to get into the meat of it all. So here goes part 1:

:1-2 > "When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down His disciples came to Him. He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying..."
- I find it interesting here that Jesus sits down, and begins a "sermon" and was seemingly speaking to His 12 disciples, NOT the multitude of a crowd. When we hear the word "sermon" most times we think of a message going out to a multitude of people, at least I think of that automatically. But, in all reality this sermon was not meant to reach to a multitude or a crowd, that was approaching - in fact, trying to visualize this, it seems as if Jesus was getting away from the crowd somewhat with His 12 friends.

- As ministers, which we all are in our own way, we cannot focus so much on being heard by many that we forget to be listened to by some. Jesus wanted His words to mean something, to carry weight, to have promise, purpose, and power behind each one. Therefore, He didn't carefully craft his "sermon" to be heard and enjoyed by many... but he carefully chose His words to be listened to by 12. What's the difference? To be heard, is just that, you are heard. Your voice is heard and recognized, but the words aren't carrying must weight or power. When you are listened to your words matter, they are taken to heart, considered, prayed over, and utilized. Now I don't think there is anything at all wrong with preaching to many - in fact, i will be soon... but I think Jesus was not just "teaching" his disciples, rather He was mentoring His disciples!

- Your congregation, whether it be in a church, work, friendship circles, will hear your voice and message... but hang on to those that LISTEN to your words/message. Go to a mountaintop with them, away from the crowd, and help them understand a deeper meaning behind what you are actually saying!

My next post will be "Why are the Beatitudes so important?" - check out Acts 3:26 - it gives a good glimpse into the importance of all the "Blessed's"!

Boldness

2011-11-09T11:46:00.000-08:00

I was sitting in a meeting for lunch today for a tremendous ministry. I was listening to people tell their stories about how God has worked in their participation of this ministry. It was truly great to hear and awesome to see a glimpse of the hearts of the participants. It's tremendous to see people across denominational lines come together, and share the expanding of the Kingdom. But there was one thing that made me think, although it was innocent as innocent can be.

There was a woman that was talking about talking to a student that she had been teaching Biblical truth to and this student brought up a tough topic and she needed help with: homosexuality/lesbianism. This student was dabbling in the lifestyle of lesbianism, and she needed to talk. The woman talked a little with this girl, and by most accounts (in my opinion) she followed protocol pretty well. But she made a statement that struck me the wrong way. "...it was difficult to talk to her about it because no one wants to breach that subject and I surely didn't..." (this is not exact, but it's pretty close) Now, I can understand the innocence of this comment, but the thing that really struck me was this: others in the room (many of which included pastors) agreed! Why is that difficult for me to grasp? Because they were agreeing to the fact that no one should breach the subject of homosexuality, and the reality that it was discussed that even if we are asked, we should not approach it in a group while participating in the ministry. (Now the ministry is a DYNAMIC ministry, and it should not be discounted because of this.)

Again, I understand and realize the innocence and professionalism in which they were trying to approach the subject... but I found myself getting angry in a sense. Why? Because when are we, as believers of Christ, going to become BOLD again!? I'm not against homosexuals and I don't dislike or hate lesbians. In fact I know people that live these lifestyles, and you know what? I would hang out with them any time the opportunity came available. So, please do not take this as bashing homosexuals or lesbians, but I do take this opportunity to respect/understand Biblical TRUTH! The reality is simple: this lifestyle is wrong and sinful. It doesn't matter how you look at it, and it doesn't matter how you try to spin it - the lifestyle is wrong and sinful. (Leviticus 20:13, Leviticus 18:22, 1 Corinthians 6:9 to name a few)

Again, I love the person; but make no mistake about it - I hate the sin! Now, again, don't be deceived I do wrong, and mess up... and if I continue to live in that sin with the knowledge of the wrong, I'm sinning against the will of God - despite my knowledge and there will be judgement as long as I live in that sin! (Hebrews 10:26-27) But God desires for us to be the best person we can be: encompassed with His love, guidance, power, and grace! There is an incredible reason you were created and He wants to see you successfully complete that reason with Him. But, here's my big hang up today: WHERE IS THE BOLDNESS!?

Acts 28:31 talks about Paul arriving at Rome and declaring the TRUTH of the Gospel with BOLDNESS. 2 Corinthians 3:12 talks about having the HOPE of Jesus Christ we are to be very bold! People here's the reality - where is the boldness of the Spirit that we claim we can attain? When the Spirit of God come and graced the 12 disciples, the boldness in which Peter spoke to those many people was incredible. The power in which the disciples walked the earth after that moment was to be envied. The boldness in which Billy Graham was committed to traveling the world spreading the gospel and the boldness of Martin Luther has been forgotten, and dare I say not desired.

Why are we afraid to speak the TRUTH of the Gospel. As I said in the earlier paragraphs we are followers of Christ. As I recall John 14:6 declares that Jesus is "...the way, and the TRUTH, and the life..." (emphasis mine) So again, I ask: where is the boldness in church? School? Life? Religion? Is it hiding under the bed, afraid of what may await? Is your boldness hiding in the closet afraid of the judgement it may receive? Or is your boldness hiding deep within your thoughts afraid to come out because it may cause question of my "reputation"? Wherever your boldness is - find it... coax it out of it's corner and hiding place... and help your boldness to understand that in order to believe in Christ is to stand for TRUTH... and allow your boldness to show off it's muscles, and don't be afraid... just make sure your boldness is biblically based and not opinion driven.

Will you join me in becoming bold for my truthful God?

I want to reiterate: this blog is not to demean or undermind the ministry in which I was referencing, nor the people that made this statement. Nor is this blog to "hate" on homosexuals/lesbians... this blog is simply for the topic of boldness. Yes, it does present my Biblical viewpoint and understanding of the alternate lifestyle... but I love the person that may be encompassed in that lifestyle!

Relentless Mercy

2011-11-03T12:19:00.000-07:00

Well, we are 2 Bible studies into Radiate Church and I am seeing God already move in the hearts and lives of those attending. I am so honored to be the pastor of this ministry!

Today I was doing my daily study and it is taking me through Nehemiah again - for the 1000th time! I LOVE NEHEMIAH! But I ran across something that I've read 20-30 times before, I'm sure, and it never quite made sense like it did today. (funny how that happens isn't it?)

In Nehemiah 9 you see where Israel began declaring their past failures/sins. You see the stories of ancestors putting God on the "back burner" and not worrying much about following Him. I began to see an overlying theme in verses 27-31. A principle that is such a powerful thing, yet such an incomprehendable concept.

God stuck beside them, even when they didn't want Him to. See they were using God as a security blanket. They used Him simply as something that would comfort when needed, help when called upon, and restore when asked. He was simply someone that was bigger than they were, and was able to be used when they felt the need. (as we know God doesn't command this type of love for Him... he commands a sacrificial love that requires Him to be above all else.)

Nehemiah 9:31 is where it hit me hard: "Nevertheless, in Your great compassion You did not make an end of them or forsake them, for You are a gracious and compassionate God." (emphasis mine)

Wow... The emphasis added part... I began to think about how I relate to the Israelites in this part, and the other tribes represented. How often do I take advantage of God? How often is He a security blanket to me? When do I sacrifice for Him? I mean REALLY sacrifice!? And to think of the words of Jeremiah - "you did not make an end of them or forsake them." wow!

Why in the world do I deserve for Him to stick with me? I don't... it's his creation that does! I personally don't deserve it... it's the fact that He's perfect, and I'm created in His image - which means that there is greatness and goodness locked up deep down inside of me. And because of that - He doesn't make an end of me! For that matter, if you're reading this - there's a reason He hasn't made an end of you too!

Because YOU MATTER! Think about it.

The Life God intended: Salvation/Success

2011-10-06T11:09:00.000-07:00

Wow... we are a little over 1 week away from beginning the small groups of Radiate Church! I can't believe that God has given us this opportunity! I want to start a series of blogs that explain a little of the vision of Radiate Church. You will hear more in depth explanation on October 16 @ 6:30pm. Come check us out!

The mission statement of Radiate Church is: "Introducing People To The Life God Intended"... so what in the world does that mean?

God intended HIS children, His people to live a life that matters. John 10:10 "...I came to give life, and give it to the full." How powerful. This holds many truths and promises that we can't even comprehend.

It is our mission to introduce people to the full life of Salvation! Your life will never be as full as it should/could be without the salvation of Jesus Christ, and the forgiveness of God. God looked into your future, saw a messed up, screwed up past, and decided that Jesus could and would take it all for you. Why? So that you would have the opportunity to be with Him... for eternity! It's a simple concept that's extremely difficult to grasp.

Your life won't be lived to the fullest until you have received salvation. Once salvation is a reality to you - a life that is lived as God intended is a life of success. Colossians 3:23 says to do everything as if you are doing it for God and not men. God demands, and expects success. NOTHING about God is a failure. NOTHING of God is an accident. NOTHING that concerns God can fall short. NOTHING with God is impossible! Your job, your family, your finances, your hobbies, your church...anything that involves God will succeed! What does that success look like? I have no idea? For Moses, it was leading the Israelites out of the wilderness. For Noah it was finishing the ark and saving animals. For Nehemiah it was finishing a wall and rebuilding a city. For Paul it was completing missionary journeys and seeing people come to know God. I have no idea what success looks like for you, but I do know this... With God success is inevitable.

Well then why haven't I been promoted? Why can't I get ahead in my finances? Why are my children disobedient? Simple question: Is GOD at the forefront of it all, or are you and man? What GOD touches does not fail! People have freedom of choice, and some will go against what God leads, but YOU will be taken care of... you will succeed. Why? God promises provision/protection/help... IF you are seeking/serving/loving Him and not man! It's all a matter of the heart.

Again, you will hear more on October 16... however, my next blog will finish up this mission statement and will contain instruction on: Excess, and Loving Others!

(leave us a comment and let's hear from you!)

First Bible Study!

2011-09-30T14:34:00.000-07:00

The time has come to let everyone know when we are meeting for our FIRST EVER for Radiate Church! Here's the details:

Sunday, October 16
6:30pm
Killian Park (Off of Killian Road just off I-77)
1424 Marthan Road Blythewood, SC 29016

We want any and everyone to attend this meeting! Learn about Radiate Church... Why YOU belong there... HOW you belong there... and let's grow together!

This will set off a series of blogs over the next week that will let you know a little of the vision for Radiate Church.

Trust me guys, you DO NOT want to miss this... this is the beginning of something HUGE in the Kingdom. Email me at: radiatechurch@gmail.com for more information!

Can't wait to see you with us on October 16!

LOGO!!!

2011-09-13T15:14:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I unveiled the new Radiate Church logo. I figured I would post it on here and give you the information of the man that created this great logo for us. James Atwood of Faveur created this logo. If you would like to contact him for any needs you may have, please feel free to check out his line of clothing at: www.getfaveur.com or if you would like information on custom orders/logo creation please check out www.faveurink.com - let me know what you think of the new logo!

Transition

2011-09-07T13:41:00.000-07:00

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven..." Ecclesiastes 3:1
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 discusses and drives home the point that for everything within the earth, and for everything God created, there is a season. Seasons are interesting... the weather is different in a season, the growth rate is different, and the reactions to each is different. Plainly put, seasons bring about difference.

God has given me the ability and calling to see things a little differently than just a typical ministry mindset. For years I have dreamed and envisioned huge things. 2 years ago, when God brought my steps in line with Ebenezer PH Church in West Columbia, SC I felt a big picture being painted. Pastor Gene felt the same. To me, ministry is much bigger than announcements, music, preaching, go home and do it all again in 7 days. I believe we are to get fueled up on Sundays and then live the church the other 6 days.

With all of that being said, God has shown Megan and I a new season. I have dreamed for years about planting a church and beginning a new, different ministry. Megan has not always seen the same things I have - which is totally understandable. However, over the past months God has brought her vision for ministry/life into the same alignment as my vision for ministry/life. So, therefore, with that we spent A LOT of time in prayer, worship, and discussion. And feel as if God has led our season to a certain place that will consist of a lot of work and a longer season.

God has chosen to release us to begin a brand new church plant in the Northeast Columbia area - most notably Killian Road/Blythewood. We have HUGE plans/vision for this great ministry. These are things that we believe are not man-made, however, God-breathed. We have been spoken over by MANY people, some that know us some that do not, that we are making a very wise decision and God is going to bless this. This step of faith is met with a mix of emotions.
1- Excitement! : We cannot wait to begin this tremendous kingdom work. It will not be easy, and it probably won't be a matter of a year to see great results, but we truly believe God is going to bless this work! We cannot wait to begin the beginning phase of small groups within the community. We cannot wait to begin our first service. And we cannot wait to equip people to love God and live God! We are so honored, and so pumped for this chance. The church will be contemporary, modern in every way. We will target 20-40 year old young couples, but the church, we believe, will appeal to others as well!
2- Sadness: we are sad to leave our current church/ministry family. We love Ebenezer and the people that are here. They are our family now! We appreciate their hearts and the support in which they have received this news and spoken life into this! I will continue to serve full time through the end of my contract with Ebenezer, and I will love every second of it!
3- Nervous: this is a GIANT step of faith. I'm talking - stepping out of the boat to walk on water faith. We have approximately $100k to raise within our first year of existence, and preferably before our first launch service! (If you would like to contribute contact me!) But we KNOW this is God's plan for our life, and season for our ministry and we cannot wait to see what He has in store.
What can you do? PRAY, JOIN, INVEST... 1- PRAY FOR US! We need your prayers. We are seeking to raise $100k within our first year, and we are praying for God to send us people, and workers, but we are more than anything praying that God will anoint us to make a difference in this generation with the Kingdom! 2- JOIN US! We begin our small groups phase on October 16. I will give you a time and location soon, but pray about joining. If you are interested you may contact me at: radiatepastor@gmail.com. 3- INVEST. What you invest in you believe in. What you believe in you benefit from! If you feel a need to help us reach our $100k goal please do so. Again, you may contact me for more information!

In closing, you will be kept up to date through the blog, our Facebook group (http://www.facebook.com/groups/233740423343049/?notif_t=group_r2j), and our Twitter (@RadiateChurch) account of updates. The church will be called: Radiate Church - "Loving God and Radiating It" Psalm 34:5. If you would like more information, you may contact me at: radiatepastor@gmail.com as well. I will fill you in on vision and goals as deemed appropriate, but just know - God has HUGE things in store for this ministry... things that make me cringe sometimes, honestly... but if I could do it alone, why would I need God?

Judgement

2011-08-24T14:37:00.000-07:00

Over the past several weeks and months I have heard the phrase "Don't judge me!" or "Only God can judge me." A LOT!!! And to be quite honest, it's usually from people that are being criticized for questionable decisions. So, I figured that I would look at and think about the topic of judgement. This may be quite controversial and I realize that, but I'm quite honestly, tired of reading these phrases as a justification of actions. You will be judged... one way or another, so be careful of your choices.
Now, we all know that the final judgement is given by God Himself. We will be judged upon desire, dedication, love, and commitment to Him.But, what about judgement today and with others.
"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." (Matthew 7:1-2, NIV)
Well, well, well... there you go! Don't judge! Isn't that what Matthew just said, and we know that Matthew was writing under the unction of the Holy Spirit which inspires and reveals to us the thoughts and mind of God Himself. Oh, but wait...
"By their fruits you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit." (Matthew 7:16-18, NIV)
Here's what we have: we have one portion of scripture telling us NOT to judge, and then another portion of scripture saying we will be recognized by what we do. Here's what I think on the act of judging based up these portions of scripture.
1- We cannot judge spiritual matters.
As "professionals" on loving God, a lot of times we like to think we tell how much someone loves God by how much they attend church, how passionately they worship, or how fervently they seem to pray. And for us Pentecostals, how loud we are when we say "Amen!" (haha) We seem to think we can tell if they really love God whether or not they dress, talk, present themselves a certain way. The reality is this: We have no idea what someone's heart, spirit, and relationship with God looks like! NO IDEA! They could be new to the whole Christian scene, and may just be learning. Maybe their style is totally different from yours. (notice: I said "different", not "wrong".) No matter what happens, if someone says they love God - we MUST take their word for it, because we have no clue! Because if we judge their hearts based upon our own precedences, then we shall also be judged upon those same criteria... and chances are - we wouldn't pass our own critique either!
2 - We can recognize you by your fruit.
Fruit. It's the product of the very nature of a tree. An apple comes from an apple tree because, well, it's an apple tree! I may not be able to judge your heart, but I certainly can recognize good fruit or bad fruit! YOU are defined by your fruit. If you don't want people to think, say, or recognize you in a negative way - don't feed people bad fruit! If you want people to see you as someone with great potential, incredible love, and great passion - serve good fruit! See the deal is simple: when people get mad about someone "judging" them, it's usually someone that passes their judgement upon the fruit they were just served. If I'm served a lemon, I make a face...why? It's sour and I don't like lemons. To me, lemons are bad fruit and I react to the serving of them. Don't justify your actions based upon "judgement"... simply understand that every decision, every action, and every thought creates a fruit! The question isn't "is someone judging me", the question should be "what kind of fruit am I serving?"
3 - Build a correction relationship.
If you have not earned a voice into my life, then you have not invested in my life enough to correct my actions! Plain and simple. There are a lot of loud mouths out there that love to correct others actions, simply because they love drama. Don't listen to that. I would take some merit in the fact that obviously I served them bad fruit. Is it legitimately bad fruit, or is it just a fruit they didn't prefer? (refer back to my lemon illustration) There IS, however, an exception. There are people I may never meet that have never personally invested in my life... but because of their God given authority, revelation, and position - I will listen. The Bishop of the IPHC - I have NEVER had him take me to a restaurant to pour into my life. But, if he were to correct some of my decisions, I would listen. Why? Because of who he is! I trust him, God trusts him, and my life should be corrected by proven men of God!
So what am I saying? It's simple really: 1- Quit justifying your actions based upon others "judging" you. 2- No one knows your heart but you and God. And those that you reveal those intimate details to. 3- I have to eat/see the fruits you serve. You decide if they are good or bad. 4- Listen to people that invest in your life, and listen well! Surround yourself with people that will direct your life according to the Bible, and God...and listen well!
I hope this clears up some of the "judgement" things. I'm not "judging" you, I'm recognizing fruits. BIG difference! Just because I don't like your fruit, doesn't mean you don't love God, and I don't love you...it simply means that if I do love God, I will do my best to make sure my fruits do line up with God.

Commercials

2011-08-17T14:11:00.000-07:00

In Columbia, SC there's a man that owns several car lots - Jim Hudson. His family are great people. I was riding down the road and I heard one of his commercials, for his newest car lot endeavor - Jim Hudson Ford Town. The name is interesting, but the "saying" at the end of the commercial was the best!

"If you want to be the biggest Ford dealer in town, you don't build another lot, you build a town!"

Wow! Think about the truth of this. What the commercial was essentially teaching - without even knowing it - was the importance of VISION!

A lot of times we prepare for where we are, while thinking of where we want to be. When in all reality, we should prepare for where we COULD be, and think of where we were! As a pastor, it's easy not to prepare for the next place in the vision. It's easy to get so consumed with where I am, that where I'm going is overlooked. For the sake of humanity I'm glad Noah didn't think about this.

In one of the oldest stories in the Bible, we see vision portrayed. Noah was told something by God, and instead of not preparing for the next area of his life and ministry, he prepared... even when it made no sense. When others couldn't comprehend or grasp, he had to prepare. Why? His vision exceeded his current state.

Why in the ministry do we often cease to prepare for what we're striving for, and we instead make comfortable where we are. Being comfortable wasn't in the cards when God called us. Here's the 3 things I believe we, as visionaries, must do:

1. Figure Out Your Vision: Proverbs 29:18 Stop being close minded, and comfortable. Find your place. Find your belonging. What is YOUR purpose? Don't live off the ideas and concepts of others pastors, ministers, or family members. Allow your vision to be unique, specific, and personal. The only way to do that is to get serious about seeking God's face!
2. Commit To Your Vision: Don't compromise! Compromise is easily justified. I don't care how much money someone will give you, or the support they will offer... Your vision was ENTRUSTED to YOU! Stick with it - be confident in it, and commit to it! People will have a problem and a misunderstanding with your vision - but don't give up on it.
3. Prepare For The Vision: If your vision, as a pastor, is to grow your church numerically or spiritually. (and if it's not what is your vision?) My question would be - what are you doing to prepare for the vision? If you have a vision to build a new church building - what are you doing to prepare for that?

God will not bless laziness. If we have sought God for our vision and our purpose, do not hesitate or become lazy in that. Let Him move in your life, and begin TODAY to be prepared!

Just some thoughts from a fellow pastor...

Change of Perspective

2011-07-22T18:38:00.000-07:00

Mindsets. To be honest, I believe that someone's mindset is their greatest strength of their greatest downfall. I don't know anyone who is in between. I do know people that fluctuate between the 2, sometimes it is their greatest asset - then other times it's their greatest downfall. The way we see things determines the way we respond.

I was reading an amazing post on Facebook earlier by my friend Eric Mackey (look it up, AMAZING!) - and he referenced the mindset conundrum as well. See, there's a reason that in Matthew 22:37 Jesus tells us to love the Lord with all of our heart, soul, and MIND. Mind wasn't in there by mistake. There's also a reason that Romans 12:2 is included in scripture. (well, i guess there's a reason all scriptures are in there, but you get what i'm saying)

See mindsets hold us back, or launch us forward. Your mindset is the key to your relationship with Christ, and your acceptance of victory. Your mindset can either keep you in the same quicksand of trials/tribulations of your life, or it can help you find the victory in the midst of the battle.

Jesus spoke directly to mindsets numerous times. Many times when healing someone, He would ask them WHY they wanted to be healed. Why would He ask that? Because He was speaking directly to their mindsets. He knew why they wanted to be healed, and He knew they REALLY wanted to be touched or else they wouldn't come. But He had to get THEM to see their reasoning. He wanted them to understand the benefits of their healing. He wanted the woman with the issue of blood to see that it was her FAITH that healed her. He was renewing her mind, so she could be radically transformed.

Renewing something means to make it new...again! To transform something is to change it - in a radical way. For so long, growing up in church - I was under the impression that all I had to do was go to the altar, pray about it, ask Christ into my life and everything was all good. I had to follow the "rules" and accept the "ways" of life - never to change my way of thinking/realizing things. I believe the reason so many people are still in the same crap they were in before coming to Christ, is because their minds were never made NEW again, and their lives, consequently, could never be radically changed!

As I write this I think of the relearning and transforming of my life over the past 1-2 years. I think of the renewing that has had to take place, including my religious teachings. And to be honest - I'm not necessarily smarter than I was - I'm just radically different than I was. And my MIND is beginning to follow my heart and my soul in loving God... and isn't THAT what will change me... and the world?

Genies

2011-07-20T12:29:00.000-07:00

I remember as a kid watching the popular movie "Aladdin" numerous times. Aladdin was a little blue genie that became a part of the main character's life once he found a golden "thing" (don't know the actual name) and a genie popped out. The genie was able to grant wishes.

I also remember as a kid the popular television show I Dream of Genie. I loved that show. I loved how they could make things happen and would make the coolest things take place.

I was surprised when I found out that 2 Chronicles 1 you see a genie type scenario play out between Solomon and God. It's really quite interesting and worth you time to study and read the entire chapter, because I will only highlight a few parts here.

"In that night God appeared to Solomon and said to him, 'Ask what I shall give you." (2 Chronicles 1:7)
WOW! Sometimes I really wish God would ask me that. I could think of a lot of things. In fact as soon as I read that verse earlier this morning, my mind began to wander towards the areas that I would ask for. A boat, a chance to meet Steve Spurrier, my mortgage to be paid off, my child to be super successful... In fact, YOU are probably thinking of some things right now! But continue reading, because Solomon's response kicked me right in the diaphragm!

"Give me now wisdom and knowledge..." (1:10)
Ouch. As I thought through what I wanted, I realized something after reading this verse - all that I would ask for benefited me personally in some way. But, Solomon asks for wisdom and knowledge, and if you read the rest of the verses and the context of the scriptures you see the reason for the request: to help lead the people that God has given him. It would benefit him, sure, but it would even more greatly benefit those whom he is leading.

Oh that I would come to that heart/realization. I think there's a lot of us that think we have all the knowledge/wisdom we could possibly bear when in all reality - God has placed us in specific/strategic places of leadership and wisdom/knowledge is exactly what we need! I don't believe that Solomon was just asking for a one time blessing/filling of knowledge/wisdom... I believe Solomon was realizing that the type of wisdom knowledge he needed would be a daily process of following God's leading.

All too often God's leading is compromised for our feeling. Don't let your mind overrule your heart, the place of God's residence. See, God is asking us what He could give us - but He wants it to be with the right heart... why do I say that? Check this out:
"God said to Solomon, 'Because you had this in mind, and did not ask for riches, wealth or honor, or the life of those who hate you, nor have you even asked for long life, but you have asked for yourself wisdom and knowledge...wisdom and knowledge have been granted to you. and I will give you riches and wealth and honor, such as none of the kings who were before you has possessed..." (1:11-12)

So, because of Solomon's HEART in the request God not only granted his request of knowledge and wisdom but He also blessed him with even more riches wealth and honor! Here's what I'm learning - the more wisdom and knowledge I obtain through the following of the Holy Spirit, the more I understand true riches, actual wealth, and the definition of honor.

May we all, together, learn to understand the importance of knowledge and wisdom and the incredible consistent process that is included in this!

Lord, give me YOUR heart to teach me the knowledge needed, and the wisdom desired!

Past Battle - Current Protection

2011-06-01T14:52:00.000-07:00

Naturally, as a male, I'm a pretty competitive person. I don't like to lose, and I don't like for someone to show me up. Therefore, I enjoy games that involve competition. Basketball, Football, Baseball, etc. But, I also love war games. I love to build an army of combatants and defeat other armies. It's just interesting to me, I don't know why maybe I'm a nerd. (Don't judge me!)

One story that I have always loved, from childhood, is the story of David and Goliath. Then the aftermath of that battle, where David was actually hated by King Saul, merely because people celebrated David for defeating a giant...yeah that was expected! (not really) But, I ran across something in my study today in 1 Samuel 21 that really made me think and gave me hope.

1 Samuel 21:8-9 are the verses in study here.

David comes into a place of hiding and refuge after finding out from his covenant relationship with Jonathan that Saul was out for his head. He's talking with Ahimelech and asking for some food, since he had to leave in such a hurry, and for weapons. Basically asking for anything of worth that could help him during this journey of survival and even discovery of his new life. And Ahimelech lets him know about the sword of Goliath that was still available. And if he needed it - it was available for us, in which David gratefully accepted the offer.

I thought it interesting that a few chapters earlier, there was an intense battle between 2 armies, and the main weapon of intimidation and destruction for Goliath was his sword. And it took a shepherd boy to come bringing food/water to his brothers to have enough guts to attempt to take on the giant. Why? Because he wasn't afraid because of the presence/power of God with him. But, we see an intense and dramatic battle take place with David and Goliath, and we all know the end result. David beasts Goliath by killing him with a sling and a stone... despite the sword of Goliath.

Goliath had superior armor and weapons, but David defeated the giant. And the sword was kept, I would imagine as a keepsake or a reminder of the battle, and that anything is possible. But, there came a time in David's life, when he would come face to face with the sword that no doubt caused some nervousness and fear in his life. But, this time the sword that caused a series of emotions was different. It was a different set of circumstances, and different establishment of situations... life was different. This time David would find himself being chased by the very man that mentored him for years. David would find himself running for his life, quite literally, from someone that once had all of his trust.

Here was the difference - the weapon that once caused fear, timidity, and anxiety on the part of David, was now about to provide security, reliability, and comfort. The very sword that was once part of David's battle, was now becoming part of David's current protection.

Here's what I learned in this: You may be fighting a battle at this moment. You may be impatient about a promise, you may be fighting with your spouse, you may feel as if there is no person/being/thing that could help you from this pain... and your battle may be consuming your life. And sometimes God wants you to pick up the weapons He's placed in front of you, regardless of size/logic (sling and stone), and let Him defeat the giant. But don't take your current battle for granted, because your current battle could produce your future protection! (Goliath's sword) There's ALWAYS a lesson to be learned from a battle - whether won or lost....

Don't let your battle depress you, let it defend you! You can do this!

Stand Strong...

2011-04-27T12:05:00.000-07:00

As a kid I was easily talked into doing anything! I was just always one of those guys that loved to get a laugh, a shock factor, and a second glance of "I can't believe he just did that!". In college, I ran into deadbolted doors for laughs, jumped off of 3rd story fire escapes, and tackled a security guard out of a golf cart. All of which were not the best of choices, but they accomplished my goal... to get a laugh or chuckle. Not to mention, I thought they were all pretty funny myself. I gave the scripture in 1 Corinthians "All things are lawful for me, not all things are profitable..." a very literal meaning!

As I've grown older I've matured and grown up, naturally. It's a natural progression. As I've worked in the ministry and been in leadership, I've learned a lot about leadership as well. As a young leader, my decisions/ideas were easily swayed or transitioned, simply because I wasn't as confident in my leadership decisions. Now, my above motives/decisions weren't detrimental to me... may not have been bright, but not detrimental. They were simply stupid.

As I read in Luke 23 the story of Jesus being brought before Pilate I see a leader that was trying. A leader that felt as if he had the tools, abilities, capabilities, and opportunities to be a great leader. Someone that had the chance to really lead people well. But, I see a leader that wasn't confident in his leadership skills. A leader that was scared, and listened a whole lot more to people than to God. A leader that was more infatuated with position than with progression. A leader that wasn't worried about doing the right thing, but the popular thing.

"But they were insistent, with loud voices asking that He be crucified. And their voices began to prevail. And Pilate pronounced sentence that their demand be granted." (Luke 23:23-24, NASB)

Their voices BEGAN TO PREVAIL... and he gave instructions THAT THEIR DEMAND BE GRANTED. A leader that is not confident in leading will always give in. That doesn't mean that leaders lead with an iron fist, comparable to a dictator. It means that a leader knows the direction and goal in which they are to achieve, and journey that road with those that follow.

Leaders too often give up. They give in. They give in to what seems to be the demands of their followers. They are FOLLOWERS because they are FOLLOWING your LEAD! Pilate wanted Jesus released, but the people did not. And because of that, the innocence of Christ hung on a humiliating and embarassing cross. The pure innocent Lamb was crucified to a death that only the worst criminals were to partake. Why? Yes because God the Father ordained it this way for our sacrifices... but also because Pilate wasn't a compotent or confident leader.

As you lead today, whether it's your ministry, family, classroom or other area of influence, lead with the confidence that God will not lead you astray. If God truly placed you in your area of influence, He's given you the ability to confidently follow Him, as others follow you! Lead today and lead with confidence. Your family WILL follow and so will others... all because leadership anointing attracts followers.

Watching

2011-03-02T08:28:00.000-08:00

"The word of the Lord came to me saying, 'What do you see Jeremiah?' and I said 'I see a rod of an almond tree.' Then the Lord said to me, 'You have seen well, for I am watching over My word to perform it." (Jeremiah 1:11-12)

Ephesians 1:4 says that we were created in Him and chosen in Him before the Earth was even created. So, WE were created before the very place of our inhabitance. We were also consecrated, or set a part for a specific purpose, before the Earth. What does this mean?

Well, since we know that God's WORDS spoke everything into existence, and set the boundaries of it's limitations and specific purposes, we can believe that the same is true for us. God spoke a word into our hearts/spirits when we were created in order to set our boundaries of our specific purpose.

He tells Jeremiah that He is watching over His word to make sure it is performed well. Wow! God is looking down from above, watching us... not to critique, to criticize, nor to "dog out" what we are doing... rather, as a loving father, to help us perform well our purpose!

See, growing up, my dad only wanted me to succeed. When I had a reason/purpose to complete something He told me to do, he wanted me to do it and do it right. That could be why I have such a desire/passion to accomplish everything with excellence now. He wouldn't look for things I'd done wrong, but ways to make sure I was performing at my best.

God is doing the same with us. He doesn't want to beat us up over something, He simply wants to help us accomplish our task with excellence, and to the best of our ability. Why? Because it brings HONOR to Him, and makes His creation look good.

So, whatever it is that God has spoken into your spirit. Maybe it was years ago, maybe days ago, maybe hours ago... but whatever it is. If you've buried it, uncover it. If you've forgotten it, ask God to bring it back to memory. If it's not important, please make it an object of prayer... because He spoke that into you on purpose. And He's waiting to help you perform it... the way He intended. Just listen to Him.

In Me

2011-01-19T11:03:00.000-08:00

I am a fairly hyper active person. Always have been, however, I'm not quite as bad I once was. Just ask my mom - she's got some stories... on second thought, DON'T ask her. But, being hyper active, I always had a pretty active imagination. I would make toys out of anything, and would play cops and robbers, all by myself if the time called for that. And you know what, I was never really at loss for things to do, or places to visit, simply because all of that was inside of me.

So, essentially inside of me was locked up all kinds of possibilities and opportunities. As a kid I never saw anything as impossible. Sometimes things were difficult, they were hard, and maybe I had to work a little harder to make it happen, but impossible was not in my vocabulary. One time I wanted a tree house, and I wanted to build it myself. I never asked my dad or brother or anyone for help. Me and my friend Chad went out into the woods in front of my house, and began to build a tree house out of BRANCHES! Needless to say it was pretty bad. NOT a good idea... the point is this: I wanted it, and it never crossed my mind how difficult it might be. I just knew that's what I wanted/needed and I did what I had to in order to make it happen.

In life, many times we look at the impossibilities instead of the possibilities. We look at the difficulties rather than the opportunities. Sometimes I long to go back to childhood, merely for the reason of knowing that ANYTHING was actually possible. Maybe it was the covering of protection from parents, or something else. Either way, it wasn't a problem, it was an opportunity. As life goes on, many of us need something or want something, or see something that we are "drawn" to or "called" to, but then the problem/difficulty raises up... and our destination becomes nothing more than something to strive for, instead of something to get to.

"Now to Him who is able to do FARE MORE ABUNDANTLY BEYOND all that we ask or think, ACCORDING to the POWER THAT WORKS WITHIN US..." (Ephesians 3:20)

Yes, God can do whatever He wants, and He can do MORE than we could ever even imagine, however, there's a key part of that verse. "...according to the power that works within us..." What is that power?

"But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you." (Romans 8:11)

What works within us is the same power that worked within Christ when He was actually DEFEATING DEATH! Think about it - it says "...who raise Jesus from the dead..." Why was He raised from the dead? TO DEFEAT DEATH! So, the same power that conquered death, is the same power that can conquer our difficulties!

Does that mean that you will get EVERYTHING you want? Well, if your desires are His, sure... if they aren't, then probably not honestly. I'm just encouraged in the fact that if I believe in the power within me and I know what it can accomplish - then God can do above what I've ever even WISHED! When Jesus returned to His hometown, Matthew says "He didn't preform many miracles because of unbelief..."

In order for God to really rock out and do something greater than we can imagine, I must put myself in places to trust in and believe in the power He's placed within me! It's not about me... it's not about what I can't accomplish, but about what He can. And with Him - NOTHING is impossible!

Will you trust the power within you today? If you haven't, will you pray and ask God to help you trust His power?

Not JUST a Story

2011-01-06T10:06:00.000-08:00

Hebrews 1:3 "And He is the radiance of His glory and the EXACT representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high," (NASB, emphasis mine)

Couple that scripture with:
"In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace." (Ephesians 1:7)
"Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus. by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh," (Hebrews 10:19-20)

I'm in unspeakable awe of what all of that really entails. Just reading the first verse (Heb. 1:3), I had to stop and pause for a few minutes to soak it in... and during my time of soaking in the Word - I began to be overwhelmed by the very words printed in my Bible. It's not that I never understood Jesus before. It's not that I never knew what He represented, it's something about that verse that brings it all home.

Jesus was a man, yes I know that. He was on earth, yes that is understood. But, what I often forget is that He was the "EXACT representation" of God. Not just some man, not just some guy, not just some dude walking around trying to make it. (which He was) - But He was the EXACT representation of God's grace, beauty, forgiveness, love, and mercy. He wasn't trying to achieve that - He WAS that!

And the fact that God chose to bless us with the opportunity for HIM to come to OUR place of life is incredible. Yet, the verse goes on to say that He made PURIFICATION of sins. He didn't eliminate them... He didn't forget them... He didn't throw them away... He made them PURE. Think about it - sin: dirty, grimy, disgusting acts of disobedience covered in disrespect. Yet, God said - If I TAKE them away, it's not love anymore because you don't CHOOSE your love to me, you're forced to it. But, if I leave them and make the PURE to those who love me - then there's a true love and passion...

God's EXACT representation, God's very being was put to death - in a brutal manner - so that we could CHOOSE to be purified through Him. But, couldn't He have done that in a different way?

"For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted." (Hebrews 2:18, NASB)

He sent His very self down to earth for 1 reason: To learn more about us, so He could make us pure. And as He lived our life, as He encountered our culture, and as He loved our loved ones... He realized that purification through death was the way to defeat the fear of death. (2:14)

So, at this point the story of Jesus can't be just a story of forgiveness so I can live my life... but a story of the beauty and grace of indescribable forgiveness so that we can live His life. Today, you have the chance to live with Him and for Him. It's not a decision to be thought about it - it's a decision that must be realized. That through Him my life is made purposeful. And that will never change!

Radical Righteousness

2010-12-29T12:48:00.000-08:00

Righteousness. A religious term, only applicable to those who attend church, sit in pews, and enjoy church music. Right?

Merriam-Webster defines "Righteousness" as: 1-free from guilt or sin. 2- morally right or justifiable.

Good ol' Merriam. He's such a smart guy to know so many words. He'll never know the impact of this one definition on me. It puts the book of Proverbs into such reality and simplicity.

Check out Proverbs 13:
5 "A righteous man hates falsehood..."
6 "Righteousness guards the one whose way is blameless..."
9 "The light of the righteous rejoices..."

Righteousness... it's the idea of being free from sin. It's the act of being burdened no more by the stresses and frustrations of the world, simply because you know God has it all. It's the evidence of grace, mercy, love, and understanding all wrapped into one characteristic. It's pleasing God... and according to Proverbs 13 it's reward is protection, favor, and joy.

You see when righteousness becomes a reality to me, I begin to HATE being around sin and sinful things. I begin to despise having it evident in my life. I don't want anything to do with it. Which in most definitions would make someone a "radical".

My friend Merriam-Webster does it again:
Radical: 1- very different from the usual or traditional, 2- favoring extreme changes in existing views, habits, conditions, or institutions.

So to be a radical, would be to be different... extremely different from the "norm". I think what I am in need of in my life, and in the church across America is simple: Radical Righteousness. When people leave groups of friends, family, and other habits behind to be closer to God we see it as strange or radical. When in all reality, it's the realization of righteousness. RADICAL RIGHTEOUSNESS will cause me to HATE sin and anything associated with it. Which makes Proverbs 13:20 completely relevant all of a sudden. "He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm." Now, it's not so crazy or radical, but it's now a Godly side effect of the covering, favor, and protection that righteousness creates!

Does that mean never associate with sinners? No, how else can we win them to Christ? It means don't WALK with them. Meet them, talk with them, hang out with them, but your steps can't be the same as their steps. Why? Because you now have radical righteousness - and that causes you to be different from the existing views/mindsets.

So, don't even question favor, protection, or understanding from God - if righteousness isn't even something you're striving for. I realized something today. It's ok to be a "black sheep" or to be different from the norm. I don't HAVE to look like, act like, talk like, or be like other pastors, youth pastors, or leaders. I can learn from them, respect them, and be mentored by them... but I don't have to BE them! As long as we are all walking in radical righteousness, who should care who we are anyway? As long as we are who God created us to be.

From now on, I'm me. I'm Brandon. No questions, no apologies, no worries. It's me and God. Radical Righteousness is my destination... God is my process. I love Him - THAT'S why!

Oh Crimson Flow...

2010-11-04T15:13:00.000-07:00

When it's dark... it's easy to hide. It's easy to go unnoticed, unseen, and even uncared for. Or is it?

"Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account." (Hebrews 4:13)

Life is difficult. It's frustrating. It's hurtful and painful. It's confusing. Life is difficult.
But, NOTHING is hidden or too dark for God to see through. Your life, is seen by God... in every way... and He cares!

As we go through life, it's inevitable that something will take place, and offer us some kind of hurt or confusion. Maybe it's financial, maybe it's personal, maybe it's physical... there's a myriad of ways that it could come. But, remember who roams the earth... the enemy. Therefore, the earth will be painful as long as he is roaming it. However, there is greatness in the Crimson flow...

"Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus." (Hebrews 10:19)

We can be made whole again through the blood of Jesus. It's not that we are separated from God because we have difficult times, it's simply that we need to lean on Him even more, because He is the source of our strength. And because of His blood, the Crimson Flow, we can lean upon His strength.

Isaiah talks about seeing God in the throne room in Isaiah 6. He says that as he passed by his robe filled the temple. Here's the kicker: in the days of kings and kingdoms, when a king would battle another king... the winning king would cut off a portion of the losing kings train (the back of the robe) and attach it to his own... making his robe longer. Which gives all new meaning to God's robe filling the temple. That means He's won an awful lot of battles. How?

Oh crimson flow once shed for me
My life I owe my saving king
His blood has paid my ransom fee
Oh crimson flow that set me free

Oh the blood of Christ
It washes over me
(Oh Crimson Flow, Christ for The Nations)

So, an encouragement... don't worry about your day. Don't worry about hardships. Don't fret the small things, nor sweat the large. Because when it's hard, there's a God that desires you to lean upon Him for strength. He's won the battles... His robe fills the temple! Let his robe fill the temple of your heart, and the realization of His love comfort your mind today.

Just live life to the fullest... with God as your center salvation.

{credit to Chuck Barrineau for some of the historical reference here}

I Want Weakness

2010-10-24T13:28:00.001-07:00

"...But on my own behalf I will not boast, except in regard to my weaknesses." 2 Corinthians 12:5b

I hate admitting faults and weaknesses. Maybe it's because I'm human, maybe because I'm male, or maybe because I'm prideful... then again, it could be all of the above. I mean, who really wants to walk around admitting or asking for a WEAKNESS?

"Man, I had a pretty good game at basketball yesterday. I'm getting pretty good..."
"Oh yeah? I'm really bad at that! REALLY WEAK! and I LOVE IT! YES!!!"

Negative... you'll never hear me having that conversation unless it's in a sarcastic manner. But, what if there was something to having a weakness. Trust me, my fingers are shaking just typing that statement, but what if there was? What if somehow through our weakness, it was a good thing? It actually, I don't know, HELPED us?

I was reading through 2 Corinthians the other day and ran across the opening scripture. I found it quite odd actually. I won't boast in anything but my WEAKNESS? I mean, who's gonna brag about being REALLY BAD at bowling? No one! I've always admired, looked up to Paul... yet, this statement somehow caught me off guard. Then as I continued to read, I saw what he actually meant.

"And He has said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness. Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me." 2 Corinthians 12:9

WOW! Here's the deal... it's not just about how great I am at something or how talented I am at a certain thing... it's about how weak I am as well. My talent, desires, passions, and goodness will get me places... and God even desires that we become GREAT in our endeavors... yet, I should still recognize my weaknesses.

In life, it's natural to recognize and appreciate our strengths. That's what we want to focus on, and sometimes we even over commit based upon them. But, according to Paul, if I would recognize and even respect my weaknesses then Christ becomes even stronger in me. Therefore, If Christ is stronger in me THROUGH my weakness, then my strength becomes stronger because of Christ.

So, I struggle in things. I struggle with sometimes listening intently to people, trusting people, shoot, trusting God sometimes! I struggle with understanding reasoning, I struggle with prayer, I struggle with being a good husband. I struggle with the thought of not being a good pastor, or even a good father one day (in the near future!) I struggle with quiet time sometimes, I'm weak in my stress, I'm weak in time management. I know what I'm strong at, and I rejoice in that. But, beginning today, I will also rejoice in my weakness... because just as I'm becoming weak, I am also becoming strong, because THEN Christ becomes stronger than me... and isn't that the goal anyway?

So, GO... Be WEAK... and be strong at the same time... just live your life, and let it please God.

Interrupting God

2010-09-29T07:58:00.000-07:00

Knock, Knock...
Who's Th... INTERRUPTING COW!

Knock knock jokes are popular with kids, and even adults. This is one that I have heard recently, and I thought it was funny. No one likes to be interrupted. Interruptions while I'm talking actually make me slightly mad. It's rude, inconsiderate, and just plain annoying. My mom and dad taught me as a young child, that if someone was talking, I did not interrupt, I simply was to wait on them to finish and then I could join in conversation. That was always difficult for me, given that I'm pretty sure I'm ADHD, which means, I talk... A LOT!

During my study time this morning I ran across a scripture that brought me to repentance and even to tears. Check this out:
Ecclesiastes 5:1-3 "Guard your steps as you go to the house of god and draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools; for they do not know they are doing evil. Do not be hasty in word of impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of god. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your words be few. For the dream comes through much effort and the voice of a fool through many words."

Ok... maybe you need to go read that again, but man did that challenge me. Don't go before God and offer up a sacrifice for others? Don't be so quick to petition a need for God? What in the world? THAT IS PRAYER! Or is it? According to Solomon (known as the wisest man in the Bible) prayer isn't about petitioning for needs, for others, or to talk to God all the time. Prayer is a CONVERSATION, that requires listening. Basically Solomon is saying here: If you REALLY want to draw near to God, if you want to hang out in HIS house... LISTEN!

That's a difficult thing to swallow. That puts a whole new importance on getting time alone with God. It's not just so I can say what I want and it stays between me and God, but because it gets me alone with someone I'm listening to. Now, I'm not saying that petitioning God for things, or praying FOR someone or something is wrong... by all means it definitely is not... however, maybe the traditional thought of prayer being that of a needs session, isn't what prayer is all about. Maybe it's not about listening for an answer to our prayers, but listening for the voice of God in general.

Through God's voice flows anointing and hope!
Check out these scriptures: 1 Samuel 2:3, Jeremiah 1:4-10, 12, 18-19; Nehemiah 2:12; Ezra 1:1; Joshua 6...

These are just a few examples, with MANY others to follow, however, if we see where the voice of God spoke to people, and see the things that they accomplished and were equipped/empowered to do then it only makes sense that THROUGH HIS VOICE FLOWS ANOINTING AND HOPE!

If we are constantly offering our words/dreams/visions/wants, then how do we ever have the time to hear His? And I can promise you this... His are much better! As a body of Christ, maybe we need to stop interrupting God, and allow Him to freely speak to us, and not just on OUR conditions.

Lord, forgive me for interrupting you... speak to me

Taste and See

2010-08-22T13:26:00.000-07:00

Psalm 34:8 "Taste and see that the Lord is good..."

I love this generation. ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT! I believe there is so much potential, passion, and purpose released inside the hearts and spirits of this generation. MAYBE more than ever before. And it angers me to see so many people TALKING about the potential, passion, purpose of this generation, yet not many seem to want to step out and get dirty. Not many seem to have the passion to make a difference, but they will talk about this generation, and not always in a good way.

This generation is full of passion. Go to a football game... go to the local high school/middle school and see the passion for friends... go to a mall... Passion is everywhere. This generation has no problem with passion... their passion is just directed in so many different directions. There's not much meaningful passion being exhibited. Why? Simply because, in my opinion, the older generation has not done much to exhibit positive passion!

Example: We can pack a college football stadium weekly with 80,000 fans, sometimes more. We will go spend $45 for a ticket, $20 for parking, and $20 for a concessions. So in essence we will spend $85+ on a football game, and spend countless hours tailgating before AND after. It's second nature to most of us. I'm a football FREAK! I love football, I love the connection of the fans, I love the atmosphere, I love cheering for something that SEEMS meaningful. Yet, when I look at the big picture, there's not much meaningful in a football game.

The deal is this: We have misdirected passion. We will get excited about someone scoring a touchdown, yet act like it's no big deal when someone enters the Kingdom of God. Why? Misdirected passion. So, what we have done, is raise pathetic passion in believers.

We have made church, Christianity, and Jesus so passionless, boring, and non-relative that we have nothing to have passion about. So, again, I repeat: I believe this generation has the most passion, possibly ever. Passion is exhibited everywhere throughout this generation, just in the wrong avenues. So, what are we to do?

WE must become people of passion, in order to teach others to become people of passion. Passion is more than clapping your hands during an upbeat song, singing loudly, praying faster in order to sound holier, and dancing in front of the church simply to exhibit the Spirit. (all of which are ways to be people of passion) However, it is encompassed in that and MUCH more!

Psalm 34:8 "TASTE and SEE that the Lord is good..."

I believe we have become passionless because we have lost the taste of the Lord, therefore, no one can SEE that He is really good. When I taste something good, my expression changes, my actions change, and I will do whatever possible to taste that good thing again. We are passionless because the God we serve is tasteless.

But, MY God isn't tasteless. My God is the God that opened up the Red Sea, healed a paralytic, and raised Jesus from the dead. My God is the God that sent the Holy Spirit to guide/comfort me, enable men to write a book of love letters for me from Him, and wants me to be presented before Him one day blameless and without reproach! My God is FULL of taste.

I can't be passionless in my actions, my life, my words, or my writings anymore; simply because now that I've tasted how good my God is again, people must SEE that He is good. I need to offer them the fruit of my good God!

So... how do we teach this generation to be passionate about God? How do we encourage them to chase after Him, and follow His leading? WE must taste, and then allow them to SEE how good He really is. Then, they will taste, and an outbreak of passionate tasters of God will be born. The question is... what does your God taste like?

Get Out!

2010-08-01T13:17:00.000-07:00

Ok, so it's been forever since I've blogged. I promise I'm going to try to get better at this! Here's some simple thoughts that are running through my mind right now. Something simple.

Tuesday I am meeting with some of our students here @ Undone220 for something calling Strategic Students. What we are going to do is this, we are going to come up with strategic ways to go out into our schools and spread the good news of Jesus, and increase the visibility of Undone220. I'm excited. You don't think that it's really all that spiritual to increase the visibility of your ministry? Check this out...

Psalm 104:4 - He makes the winds His messengers, Flaming fire His ministers.

Ok, He makes His messengers fire! Yet, HE is THE consuming fire! Check something out here:
WE are His messengers. WE are His sent ones. WE are called to be flaming fire for Him! If that's the case, how do you think we are going to grow? By being in a corporate body together, with one another, SUPPORTING each other through ministry and hearing.

If that's the case, and we are to be fire, and we are to be part of this corporate body, don't you think we should be excited about the ministry/body that is equipping us? More than that, shouldn't we be excited about the God that charges us to be His ministers?

So, to finish this short, simple blog: let's go out and do something about the lost and dying that are out there. That's the goal of our Strategic Students, to do something about it! Not to grow a giant ministry, but to grow a giant God Kingdom!

Just A Read

2010-04-13T10:42:00.001-07:00

Ok, so this won't be MY writings. But, I'm reading "The Dangerous Act of Worship" by Mark Labberton (along with some other books) right now, and I ran across this portion of the book that SHOOK ME TO THE CORE. I think it's a challenge to everyone that wears the name tag of "God Follower" or "Child of God". Read this and let it marinate within you for a little while.... this is for my Undone teens and adults alike!

" At a time when many are struck by the polarization between liberal and evangelical churches in America, it is more striking to see what the average congregations on both sides hold in common: they are asleep. Some seem asleep to God. Some seem asleep to the world. Some sleep on their right side, others on their left, but either way they are asleep. The way they sleep, the character of their dreams, the forms of their sleepwalking or sleep-talking varies. Varied, too, are the words and voices that cause restlessness, making their sleep less than tranquil: inclusivity. diversity. faithfulness. process. power. justice. relevance. recovery. healing. biblical. The words may stir the sleeping, but without enough urgency to demand awakening.
Too much sleep can lead to enervation and, in time, atrophy. A crisis hits - 9/11 or the Asian tsunami or Hurricane Katrina, say - and like waking from a deep sleep or shaken by a nightmare, our churches raise their heads and try to rise to the occasion (if they can figure out what it is!). Before long, the clamor of crisis quiets down, and our desire to return to the safe coziness of familiarity is too hard to resist. Wakefulness demands too much energy or strength that cannot be mustered or sustained.
Some Christians and some congregations seems to have selective wakefulness. After all, we are weary, overwhelmed, insecure, internally longing for hope of our own (never mind the need for hope in the world). We don't see much beyond the edges of our own bed, whether it is culture, economics, race, denomination or class. We know and like our bed. We have made it. We are not inclined to leave it. We are entitled to it after all, since we see it as God's blessing.
Meanwhile, those without a bed - and without a home, food, safety, water, warmth or knowledge of the Savior's love - are not seen or remembered or reached. In light of the stark reality of lost and dying humanity, forced prostitution, bonded slavery, malarial epidemics, HIV/AIDS and human life stripped of its dignity around the globe, where is the evidence that through worship our lives have actually been redefined and realigned with God's heart for justice in the world?"(emphasis: mine)

Holy cow... just think about that one for a little while!

What IS isn't what SHOULD BE

2010-03-18T07:59:00.000-07:00

I LOVE the book of Nehemiah. There is so much leadership knowledge and life knowledge in this book. And I've just begun to read it again, with my student leadership team, and in reading that, I found some things that I really want to share... Feel free to leave comments if you wish...

The first 2 chapters we see in the heart and soul of Nehemiah, the simple cupbearer for King Artaxerxes. But, we see much more than a cupbearer. We see someone that is full of passion, hurt, pain, but more than that... someone that is filled with REALIZATION...

Nehemiah saw the realization of something that most could not see. He saw past was IS, and into what SHOULD BE! Jerusalem was messed up... it was burnt, torn down, and demolished. Most people were looking at Jerusalem saying "wow, I wish this didn't look like this. I wish someone would clean it up..." but no one was willing to do so. No one was willing to get into the city, get their hands dirty and make a difference. But Nehemiah, wasn't just looking at the smoldering remnants of the gates. He wasn't just smelling the stinch of smoke. He wasn't just hearing the cracking bricks continuing to fall because of their weakness... No. What Nehemiah noticed was the gates sparkling with "Welcome To Jerusalem" messages on them. He was smelling the sweet aroma of fruits and perfumes being sold. He was hearing the laughter of children, and the discussions of old men and women talking about the dynamic past of the city. He looked past what IS, and looked into what SHOULD BE!

Nehemiah had the realization that a city that SHOULD BE prominent, fruitful, dynamic IS burnt and destroyed... yet, he couldn't wrap his mind around the thought that it was the end for Jerusalem. He couldn't accept the fact that what IS, is what SHOULD BE! The more he spent time with the Lord, his heart grew more and more discontent with what IS, and more and more intrigued with what SHOULD BE! His passion, desire, hurt, and realization grew greater and greater. And it got to a point, that King Artaxerxes even realized it. As he was taking the wine up, Nehemiah was trying to hide the realization from his actions, but the king noticed it. To make the story short... because of Nehemiah's passion for the realization, the king sowed a seed of finances, time, and provision for the vision of Nehemiah... Where there is VISION there will be PROvision!

This week, I begin a Sunday night series about this generation specifically for adults. And it's no coincidence in God's timing that I am reading Nehemiah at this time. The more I read, the more discontent I get with what IS. The more I research the more I realize what IS isn't what SHOULD BE! The more I study, the more I understand, that SOMEONE has to take a stand, somewhere at some time! The problem is, just like in Nehemiah's time we see people looking at the church, this generation, and ministry, and everyone is saying "wow, I wish it didn't have to be like this. I wish it could be cleaned up..." yet not many are willing to get dirty...

Ministry is dirty, God is dirty, life is dirty, love is dirty... it's all dirty because dirty people need to be clean. We are living in the most influential, technology driven, and loving generation to walk the face of the earth, but they are walking without a destination. We can look at this generation and see the walls, gates, houses, and plants that previous generation have burned, destroyed and left to be cleaned up. We can see the ashes of the gates of what they hear and see continuing to burn with no regard of what comes in or goes out. We can smell the stinch of smoke from the lifestyles that are loved and accepted. We can hear the cracking of walls from the lack of love and appreciation in their lives. But, here's the charge... LET'S REBUILD!

See, I'm leading the charge. I've been a cupbearer for my king, and will continue to simply serve my king (Jesus) for my entire life... and He has seen mine, and some others, sadness, hurt, pain, frustration, and realization of what IS. But, something is happening to me more now than ever... I don't see what IS anymore, I refuse to... I see what SHOULD BE! Just as Nehemiah in the latter parts of chapter 2, I won't reveal my entire heart, purpose, and plan to many because of the power that places in your hands. I will give no one the opportunity to wreck my dream/vision again... but as we will look later in chapter 3 and forward, we will ALL work TOGETHER to rebuild the city to what it SHOULD BE!

But, you know what that means? Getting dirty. We can't jump and act surprised every time one of those ashy pieces breaks off of it's burnt host, and a cuss word slips out. We can't be upset every time we smell the smoke of their environment seep out. We were all dirty once, but we've become so "clean" that we forget what it's like to go from dirty to clean. It's a process. A process that I believe in enough, to invest my life to this generation of young people, to help rebuild what IS, and allow God to make it what SHOULD BE... will you join me?

(Undone220 leadership- this is our charge. To bring in the dirty, and let God make them clean, by using us to love them, and hold them accountable.)

New Find...

2010-03-10T10:48:00.000-08:00

Ok, this is definitely an informational post... so, this is more of a current event type thing.

Here's the deal... today I was looking at Facebook and myself, the church's secretary, and my pastor saw a symbol unlike any other. So, my pastor and I began to research, and this is what we found. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

So... what is it?

It's called a "heartagram". It's made popular by Bam Margera and a band called HIM. Bam loves the band HIM so he wears their clothing and such. Well, everything HIM does has a "heartagram" on it. Let me explain what a heartagram stands for:
Death and love.
It seems to be an ongoing thing that teenagers today enjoy wearing, most likely because of the unique styling of the symbol. Doesn't seem TOO wrong to wear that, however, let's look at the band that made this, and where the thought of the design comes from.

HIM was a band whose original name was: His Infernal Majesty
Infernal is from the late Latin word "infernus" meaning hell. Merriam - Webster defines it as this: "of or relating to a nether world of the dead. of or relating to hell. damnable"
So, basically what the name HIM means is this: Satan (infernal) is a glorified and high above spiritual being and they want to be sold out to him...

Now, all I did was take the name of the band and the meaning of the symbol and break it down. So, there ya go... that's what your kids/grandkids are probably wearing or wanting right now...

We have to step in and make a stand against things like this. It's not all innocent things that they want. They may not know the meaning behind all of it or anything, but there is a dark, spiritual, satanic meaning behind the symbol.

Just hope this helps with current culture!

Renew

2010-02-18T12:20:00.000-08:00

Ok, so it's been forever since I've blogged. SO WHAT!? Just kidding...

So I was reading Romans 12 as part of our New Thru 30 Bible Study the other day, and something jumped out at me. I've read this chapter several times, but as I was reading this group of scriptures jumped off the page, punched me in the face a couple of times, and then sunk deep into my heart.

Here they are:
"Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do no be conformed to this word but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."

Here's the deal with this scripture. When we come to Christ we are to understand that it is a MINDSET change that must take place, which in turn changes our lives. SO, our HEART is cleansed, our MINDS are transformed, and our LIVES are to reflect that? People...living for God IS a works thing, and not just a heart thing! When your heart is TRULY changed your LIFE will reflect that change.
Just like when I get kicked in the shin... my FACE reflects what I'm feeling! My LIFE should reflect what I'm experiencing on the inside. But, HOW?

Paul explains that as well, in verses 4-6
"For just as we have many members in one body and all members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are on body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly."

What? We are to REFLECT what is going on inside of us by this: LOVING EACH OTHER REGARDLESS OF GIFTS/QUIRKS/AGGRAVATIONS! We are to love and support one another. We are to be of the same mind. The reason our MIND is to transform after our HEART is cleansed is to be on the same level with Christ. But, if we are all transforming our minds to be on the same level with Christ, then we are all consequently on the same level with each other! SO WHERE IS ALL THE FRUSTRATION, ARGUING, and DISAGREEMENT in the church coming from? NO TRANSFORMATION! We aren't transforming our minds, we are simply judging others. And verse 3 says clearly

"...not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgement..."

WE have a RESPONSIBILITY to TRANSFORM our HEARTS so we can SHAPE our LIVES in order to reflect the MIND of Christ! And we can't understand the mind of Christ until we focus and are overcome with the Holy Spirit, whom God sent after Christ ascended. (1 Corinthians)

Verses 9-10 "Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor."

THIS IS THE WILL OF THE FATHER THAT IS GOOD, PLEASING, AND PERFECT!
So, we look for the will of God in our lives, and He does have specific actions, careers, and mates that we should choose, but it's really not that simple. God's SIMPLE, PLEASING, GOOD, and PERFECT will is this: LOVE EACH OTHER and SHOW IT!
We can't care about what's going on in their love life until we care about what's going on in their heart. I can't tell them how to date if I can't tell them how to love God!
I'm tired of seeing Christians search for the Will of God, more than they search for an opportunity to share Christ. The Will of God is to SHARE CHRIST while LOVING EACH OTHER! Simple as that!
My life should be shaped, by the transforming of my mind, which is reflecting the experience of my heart!
I'm ready to enter into a whole new level of dedication to the will of God, I hope I'm not alone...am I?

(if you're from Ebenezer, you may be hearing this again. haha)

The Ananias Mindset

2009-12-29T15:57:00.001-08:00

It's been a while since I've posted but I think I will tonight...

I've been reading/studying the book of Acts recently and I just ran across the story of the conversion of Saul to Paul. One of my all time favorites, because I feel like most of us probably have a Saul Experience to speak of at some point in our lives. But tonight my mind and thoughts were turned from SAUL to ANANIAS.

Ananias was the one that prayed over Saul in order to "ordain" him to begin his ministry after his Damascus Rd experience. Ananias was a brave soul. He was apparently completely sold out and reliant upon God for strength, guidance, and wisdom or else I believe Paul may have never have been used as largely as he was. (Obviously, God had this planned from the beginning...) Saul was led by his "cohorts", if you will, into the town of Damascus, where Ananias lived. During the time of Saul's stay, Ananias was spoken to by the Lord about something very important. God wanted Ananias to go see and pray over Saul. This is a terrifying thought considering Ananias was a vocal believer and follower of God, and Saul was a well-known Christian killer, and God hater.

Ananias had the same response I would have, "What!? Seriously!? Have you heard what this guy has done? His reputation completely precedes him, how can you expect me to go see this guy? I'm not ready to die!" (My interpretation) But, God continues to explain His reasoning behind his decision, and tells Ananias basically, "Look, just like you, I created this guy. I have special plans for him. Yes, he's done wrong, and there will be consequences for that, but I'm not done with him. I have plans for him, and part of those plans are for you to go and pray with him and help him out. I've already showed that much to him." (again, my interpretation) Needless to say, Ananias goes to the place where Saul was staying; prays over him, talks with him, and he was filled with the Holy Spirit, the scales that were forbidding him from seeing were released, he was baptised, he ate to regain his strength and then he "immediately began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues..."

And, in case you didn't know, Paul becomes one of the GREATEST evangelists and preachers to ever walk the face of the earth. Now why was I so drawn to Ananias tonight? Because of this: Ananias did not care about how stupid it sounded, how crazy other people might think he was, or even about his own fears... all he cared about was following the clear and deliberate instructions that God had given him to follow. He knew it could be tough...I mean it was a murderer, a liar, a man that hated God and people that loved God. This was a guy that was rough and tough in every way possible. The whole reason he was in the area was because he was on a trip to judge and kill more Christians anyway. Yet, regardless of logic or popular opinion Ananias followed the direction of God and the Holy Spirit, and went to see Saul. And because of that Saul became Paul who was transformed and changed by the power of God, and became crazy about wrecking Hell.

What's the point for you and for me? How many times has God spoken to us and asked us to help a stinky homeless man, or love a poor white man, or embrace a single black mother, or financially bless a lonely mexican husband and we turned and deliberately ignored it? For several logical reasons I'm sure. Such as: We don't know how they will spend that money, or I can't be seen with that person, or they could do it on their own if they really tried, or loneliness if simply a choice. Here's what God spoke to me: Why don't we quit trying to logic our way out of following the directions, and follow the ultimate direction... "Love your neighbor as yourself"? Because if we were honest, if we were in need we would want someone to be just like Ananias and help us out regardless of reputation and circumstance. Who cares if they don't look, act, or talk like us? Who cares if it seems impossible or difficult? If God's given you the dream of vision, GO FOR IT, and support others who are chasing directions from God as well.

We can't follow God and follow people, it's one of the other. I can't let God live in and direct my heart and listen to my head every single time. God speaks in several ways, but we won't know anything about those ways unless we train ourselves to listen, and follow. What is God telling YOU to do today?

Society Haters

2009-11-23T08:58:00.001-08:00

New Moon... A HUGE blockbuster movie that was just released as part of the continuing saga of "Twilight". I don't care for the movie personally, however, it seems as if most of teen girls in America do! In only 3 days in the theaters, the movie is heading towards breaking 2 box office records,expecting to beat out The Dark Knight. The movie is being shown in 4,024 theaters, and in 3 days the total gross for the movie is: $140,700,000... That's right MILLION! But, the "hottness" of Edward is not the only topic of discussion for this movie. I read blogs, Facebooks, and Twitters often (not to stalk...haha) and I've seen a recent trend being spread throughout church communities. So, I pose the question: is New Moon and Twilight treading on the thin line of a "work of Satan"?

There are obvious concerns for religious groups. Blood sucking vampires, scary life altering werewolves. A young woman incredibly wrapped up in the love of these two aliens. However, what is the "work of Satan"? Many say it's the pure thought of evil. That it's a glimpse into the "dark side", that we should stay away from the very thought and existence of evil. Which, I totally and completely agree, that we should. In fact, in Proverbs 6 it is said "If you have been snared with the words of your mouth...do this then, my son, and delivery yourself...deliver yourself like a gazelle from the hunters hand and like a bird from the hand of the fowler." (Proverbs 6:2-5, NASB)

But, let me pose another way at looking at this. Isn't evil everywhere? Think about this: We are chosen of God, born of HIS image, into HIS likeness, for HIS glory; yet there is evil all around. Why? Because of freedom of choice, REAL love! It's not real love if you can't DECIDE to love them, it's simply forced love. So, through that freedom of choice, that real love, we have been given the chance to choose grace and freedom, or an evil path. So, we live in a world where people, born in HIS image choose evil every day. So, by the reasoning presented in that of many Christians with this movie, and several other societal things, we should stay in our homes and never leave. Which is truly not true, because Jesus' last commandment was to "go into all the nations, baptizing in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit." (Matthew 28:19, NASB)

So, is there something spiritually wrong with this movie? My personal opinion: no. It's simply a love story about 2 races that shouldn't even be discussing/talking/communicating, yet they fall in a blissful Hollywood love, breaking down racial barriers. So, if anything, I almost see it as a knock on racism. (which it also kind of reminds me of the Woman at the Well story. No Jesus didn't fall in love with her, but he helped her, and loved her, and helped her change her life, when the 2 races should never have been talking in the first place.) I could see the spiritually wrong point if Edward or the werewolf guy were out there, recruiting others to join them in the darkside in order to grow the dark kingdom or something, but that's not the point of the story. Really, it's not even the subpoint.

So, if we are to stay away from the very existence of evil, what are we to do? Here's what I think we should do, discern our OWN convictions, and what to stay away from, and not push them on others. Look, I believe we at the church have created 2 very unfortunate injustices:
1 - VERY immature, excuse driven Christians: What does that mean? Simple, we've taught Christians that if it isn't a gift wrapped, good looking package, and if it doesn't blare God's name everywhere it's not of God so we must stay away. Well, where does that actually happen? CHURCH! So, we've created people that aren't following God, they are simply following church. (If I just ticked you off, please stay with me, you'll understand in a minute) We've taught people to complain about Twilight, but not stand up against the group of Lesbians forming a group in a local High School, when we can't create a prayer group. Basically, we've failed to disciples Christians on how to "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." (Philippians 2:12b) Basically, we haven't taught people how to use the gift of discernment, or talk to God about their personal weaknesses. It's easier to create excuses.
2 - Church vs. Society: This one is deadly in the state of youth ministry especially. We've created such a culture of "society is bad" church goers, that we've started a mini war. Let me clear it up by saying this: ALL society isn't bad. Some is, some is out to brainwash you and your children; but not all. The Bible says all things were created in His name. Therefore, dance, movies, laughter, was created by Him... Satan just corrupted it. Here's a better solution I believe - what if CHURCH became part of SOCIETY? No, I'm not talking about conforming and taking the bad things and adopting them into church, I'm talking about learning from society. Because, let me tell you something that I even found hard to swallow a few years ago: Society is winning, and society will not leave! Let's face it, our future church is being mesmerized by lights, music, fun atmosphere,and love stories. Is it the TRADITIONAL way? No... maybe it's not how we'd like them to learn but it's a way to teach them valuable life lessons. What if the church took the opportunity to incorporate some of society's "tactics" to draw, used MTV's idea of discipleship (cradle to grave, Nickelodeon-MTV), and implemented their way of spreading the word through creating a buzz.

I realize, this could be a controversial blog today, and I'm ok and prepared for that. My goal isn't to say that any one person is wrong or right... it's to say, that I think we Christians are "more known for what we are against, rather than what we are for." (Mark Batterson, In a pit with a lion on a snowy day) I am against Satan terrorizing our kids, and our lives, but as I recall in 1 Corinthians 6:14 "Now God has not only raised the Lord, but will also raise us up THROUGH HIS POWER." (NASB) It also says later in The Bible,that the same power that raised Christ, is the same power that is within us. So, what does that mean? We have the power to walk away from evil when evil is about to overtake us. It's not that we shun the world, because as we saw earlier evil is everywhere... it's that we stay away from evil that we can't handle at that time,because we aren't at the spritual level. It's time that we learn to discern what we need to stay away from, and what we need to engage in battle.

Jesus didn't stay out of evil society, in fact He was all up in the mix of it. I don't ever want to be so known in my community that I'm against a beer, but never known that I'm for Jesus Christ. Because if the God that raised Christ from the dead also raises us with His power, what I'm FOR will fix what I'm AGAINST! New Moon is probably NOT a tool of Satan used to brainwash your child. However, if you feel your child isn't at the spiritual place to sift through this subject, or if you just have a strong personal convition with this subject, then yes, stay away from this movie; but let's not give Satan more credit than he's due. I will not see it simply because it's not my "cup of tea". (Yes, I did really just say that...)

Let me leave you with this: I'm not for the darkness, and I'm not for everything society does; I simply stand for the thought that we could learn something from society in church, and for the thought that we as Christians don't need to wage war, we need to baptize in love.

(i hope i have not offended anyone too greatly, that was not my goal. God has just been working with me on several things, and this is one that was brought to the forefront of my mind in the past few weeks.)

My personal mission

2009-11-02T13:40:00.001-08:00

With churches, parachurches, and many other ministries popping up seemingly everywhere pastors, ministers, or whatever other name you would like to bestow upon them are abundant. But is that any different than before?
We are all commissioned to go out and "baptize in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit." what exactly does that mean? Those compose the Trinity. Meaning they all represent the Creator, or the Father, or God. So, what do they all encompass as far as attributes? LOVE! Unselfish, neverending, non judgmental, helpful LOVE!
The kind of love the represent is the kind you and I can't fathom. It's incredible, crazy, indescribable love. It's the kind of love that respects a decision, honors a choice, embraces a fault, and forgets a wrongdoing. It's the kind of love that doesn't pay attention to your past or where you've been, but believes in your future and focuses on where you're going.
An insane love.
The word baptize is defined by my friend Merriam-Webster as: "to purify or cleanse spiritually especially by a purging experience or ordeal."
So we are to purify or cleanse people in the name of the Trinity or LOVE! The way we represent baptism today is by submersion. So we purify beginning with an experience of submersion to represent the power of the Trinity. But it goes far above physical submersion.
We are commissioned to baptize people in the Trinity or LOVE! So, while I believe physical baptism is important, I believe constant, neverending, non judgemental, insane baptism of the Trinity is also important. Because the Word doesn't say to stop after becoming physically baptized. Just says to baptize EVERYONE!
So, if we are to baptize people in the name of the Trinity, we are to help purify them with the experience of submersing them in their name- LOVE!
Your NAME is defines YOU! Gods name is love by His characteristics.
So, in saying all that I finish with this. With all the new ministries popping up everwhere, and all pastors coming into the fold- aren't we all pastors/ministers, and haven't we always been? Just because you don't preach on Sunday/Wednesday or make visits, doesn't mean you are excused to judge, hate, hurt, cripple, and be reckless with your words and actions. I commit this: what if you have a more important job because you ARENT "supposed" to?
So, baptize in the name of te Trinity.... Let's help God purify people with the experience of the submersion of the Trinity- insane, crazy, unfathomable, indescribable, non judgemental, forgetful, embracing.... LOVE!!!

Fence Riders

2009-10-21T19:38:00.001-07:00

It's been a while since I've blogged, but here comes another.

Today, as I was washing mine and my wife's cars (taking advantage of the weather), I had my Ipod on shuffle, as usual, and one of my favorite songs came on. "Fence Riders" by Jimmy Needham. As I was listening, the chorus of this song absolutely grabbed my thoughts and my heart like never before the 100 times I've heard it. Read this:

Can I sing about my maker

And have you not roll your eyes

Can I weep about my Savior

And the way He died

I know it don't make sense

To those who ride the fence

But I'm sold out to Christ

So, when this grabbed me the way it did, I began to think and process scripture and things, and obviously began to ignore any other song for about 30-45 minutes. And here's what stuck out to me.

Colossians 3:23-24 "Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive your the reward of the inheritance." (NASB)

I was immediately convicted of judging peoples personal God decisions in their lives. I began to think about all the decisions that I, and SO many others have made, that people didn't like or understand, and even the ones that others made that I didn't like or understand. I mean, the fact of following God and trusting HIM only in their lives was never questioned, I just didn't like the decision, because it didn't make sense, so I automatically wrote it off as "wrong" or "senseless". And I know others have done that to decisions I've made, throughout my entire life, and others.

As I look back on some of those decisions, maybe some of them were weird, strange, or uncalled for, but on each one of my decisions I believed I had heard from the Lord and I trusted and followed that, with ALL my heart.

I recently saw a video online of a man jumping from a helicopter and wrestling a Blue Marlin in the ocean. My first thought was "WOW", and then I wondered "What the heck is wrong with that joker?" He willingly allowed that to be posted online, knowing that people wouldn't like or understand his course of action or his decision to put his life in danger. But to him it made TOTAL sense!

The reason so much judgment is made on decisions for people to do what God is leading them to do, regardless of the "sense" it makes is because: What people do not UNDERSTAND, people often will not WITHSTAND.

Doesn't Christ call us to "Carry our cross", and to "not be conformed to the ways of the world, but TRANSFORMED by the renewing of our minds"? Doesn't that pretty much mean to do what Christ says and don't ask questions? My mom used to always tell me, as an answer to my unending questions of "why?" - "Because I said so." That was enough for me. My MOM told me to! My MOM said that I should do this, she's never deliberately led me astray. I need to listen to her, she TOLD ME TO!

But so often, when we feel God leading us in a certain direction, we weigh it in these measurements: What will people say? Will this "push me forward"? Is this a smart professional decision? Will people get mad at me? Will they really understand? And maybe the whole time we're weighing our options based on man, God is saying, "Because I said so."

Check this out: 1 Corinthians 2:14 "But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised." (NASB)

God may lead us to do some things that don't make sense to man, but are PRICELESS to Him!

SO, how can we not be the "natural man" stated in this verse? Simple: accepting the Holy Spirit in our lives, and let HIM lead us. THEN, we won't worry about what WE think of others decisions, and we won't worry about what others say about our decisions, "because they are spiritually appraised."

You see, when you accept the Holy Spirit of God in your life, and begin to let HIM lead and guide and direct you in new ways,allow HIM to help you grow and understand the KINGDOM of GOD in your life, then you accepting the MIND of GOD!!! (1 Corinthians 2:11)

So, here's my thing: I refuse to judge or pass judgment, conciously, of other people's personal decisions of following God in radical or different ways anymore. I refuse to allow people or circumstances dwarf or question my decisions that I feel God is leading me to make anymore. Because, if they AND I have the mind of God in our lives, who are they, or who am I for that matter, to question someone that clearly follows God in their lives, and is making a decision based on that. By telling someone that the decision they are making by following God is "stupid" or "dumb" or "nonsense".... guess what... I'm saying that I'm closer to God than them, and I have a stronger hold on the "mind of God" than they do. They should listen to ME, instead of the voice of God they've been following all along. NOT COOL!

So all those people that are questioning the decisions that fellow FOLLOWERS of God are making. All of you that have a problem with decisions that your FAMILY, and BODY are making in their own lives, all of you out there that dislike someone making a personal decision that helps them follow God and get closer to Him... stop riding the fence. You can't have the mind of God AND know it all! Because the mind of MAN knows nothing in comparison to the mind of God!

So, again: Can I sing about my Maker and have you not roll your eyes? Can I weep about my Savior and the way He died? I know it don't make sense to those who ride the fence...but I'm sold out to Christ! (Fence Riders, Jimmy Needham)

Any decision you make in your life, whether it's singing about your Savior in a crowd, or if it's weeping about how incredible your God is. Or maybe it's saying "no" to a few things in order to say "yes" to Him even more. Whatever your decisions in life may be.... Don't do it for the glory of man, do it for the glory of God. And your God Family, your BODY, that accepts the same Mind of God that you accept, will understand. The rest- pray they will stop riding the fence! Just make sure you're hearing from God!

(I promise this is not in response to anything in my personal life, or any career changes recently. It's simply something that the Lord laid on my heart, and connected scriptures with. It's a mini sermon that I believe a lot of people need to hear/read in order for encouragement in their spiritual walk. Pass it on/comment with thoughts.)

Regenerating Grace

2009-09-09T11:53:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been reading The Bible and came across a familiar passage, and then upon reading it further and some study you find something in it that absolutely blows you away? Man, I read this and I about fell out of my office chair. This junk is SICK!!!

2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold new things have come." (NASB)

Nothing new there right? Heard it a million times, powerful and life changing but we've still heard it all of our lives. But I decided to look it up in the Matthew Henry's Commentary. And when I did I read this, "Regenerating grace creates a new world in the soul; all things are new."

Ok, so it breaks it down right? This isn't the kicker but think about it a little bit. God loves us SO much, and cares SO much about our promises that He has given us that He is willing to forget eveyrthing from the past and make us new. ALL OVER AGAIN! In order to achieve the promise, we must be willing to sacrifice. (Hebrews 11:17-19) So in order to help us achieve our promises, and achieve the holiness we can achieve with and through Him, we are to be made new! I'm NOT THE SAME PERSON I WAS YESTERDAY!!

But here's the part that took me back: "regenerating grace"...WHAT? So I decided to look up the word "regenerating". I mean, I knew what it meant but I wanted to make sure. Here are the definitions I saw that were most relevant:
- to form again (ok, good one)
- to change radically, for the better (another good one)
- to restore to original strength or properties (HOLY STINKIN' COW)

Ok, so here's really what this verse is saying. You, by being YOU, have dilluted the original function and power of the cross of grace, but IF you will simply come to ME (Jesus) and let ME wrap MY arms around you, quit worrying about other stuff, the grace that I died for, will be restored to it's ORIGINAL strength and property.

The grace that raised Jesus Christ from the grave, the grace, that Saul later turned to Paul, was given after cursing and killing God's people and His name. The grace that Zaccheus experienced at his dinner table; the grace that Matthew the tax collector experienced when asked to "Follow Me". THAT will be restored to it's original strength or property. DUDE, that PUMPS ME UP!!! In order to restore grace to it's original property and strength SOMETHING must die. SOMETHING must pass away.Why? Because WE can't handle the true strength and property of real grace! WE can't understand, fathom, or grasp the reality of it all, but when we allow our flesh man to die, and the spirit man to take over, we CAN grasp it and restore it. SOMETHING must die and be "gone" in order for regenerated grace to become NEW in my life!

Maybe I'm a little behind, and maybe I'm the only one that this pumps up, but I'm telling you I'm jacked up today because of this. Grace can be regenerated in my life, by allowing there to be "less of me, and more of you." Holy stinkin' cow!I love regenerated grace!

Pack Rat

2009-08-25T13:15:00.000-07:00

So, in the midst of flipping through the channels while attempting to fall asleep last night, I ran across a show, I don't even know the name of it. It was about Pack Rats. And this show was all about cleaning up the houses of these people. And man, if you could've seen how messy,dirty, and trashy these houses were you would be surprised! There wasn't 1 square inch of house that wasn't covered in "junk" or "stuff". These people would literally cry while trying to throw things out. It was as if they were asked to sacrifice their first child. It was crazy! I can't believe how they were acting. But, in the midst of that God began to show me some things.

How many of us are pack rats? Not a literal pack rat but a spiritual pack rat? There are so many people that are spiritual pack rats in this life. We take our emotional hurts, mental blocks, spiritual confusions, and we pack it way back in the back of our minds, and every time something happens, we bring that junk back up in the forefront of our minds. Whether it be something someone said, something that we did in our past, or something we allowed to happen to us; either way we have to learn not to be pack rats.

There is so much that God wants to do in our lives and most times the junk that we "rats" pack can keep us from accomplishing the supernatural things that God has in our future. "All things become new", "I am a NEW creation", "Be transformed by the RENEWING of our minds", "Focus on things above not the things of this world"...All of those things talk about one thing...DOING SOMETHING NEW AND DIFFERENT!! But, in order to do that sometimes we need to allow someone (God) to sort through our junk, keep the parts that can teach us something, and throw away the junk!

Don't be a spiritual pack rat let God make YOU new, and RENEW your mind. Don't let someone or something that happened in your past dictate your future. If we completely put our trust in God, and we get to the point of belief in God and who He created us to be, what could really be our limit? HEAVEN! (Thanks Nik)

What is YOUR junk that you've been packing, and you know that now is the time to sort through it and throw it out so that God can use us to our full potential. GOD is our helper, let Him clean us up!

Purposeful Pain

2009-08-10T10:12:00.000-07:00

Reading 1 Samuel recently has completed rocked my world. I have a confession, I've always been pretty partial to reading New Testament books for some reason. Through some recent things, I've just decided to begin studying 1 Samuel and GOOD GRIEF it has ROCKED MY WORLD!!! I ran across some great principles today while reading chapter 12. Now, to be honest, I won't get it all out there because God is still helping me process a lot of it, but MAN it's solid stuff.

1 Samuel 12:8-11 is all about Samuel talking to Israel after the official confirmation of Saul as king. (Saul WAS ordained by God to take over, even during the rough times, in case you were wondering.) Samuel is talking to the Israelites about the trust that he has earned from them, then Samuel began to publicly remember some past times and experiences and Samuel begins to teach them a REALLY difficult and REALLY insane lesson. One thing I like about Samuel is that he was NOT afraid to tell it like it was!

He looked at those Israelites and reminded them of the time that Moses took them into the wilderness, and that God led them there, and God was on the front of their minds. Then Moses, through the guidance of God, found them a comfortable place and they settled there. Then the Israelites began to forget the God that kept them safe, and the vision that led them there! And they began to complain and completely forget about God! Then 1 Samuel says, "He sold them into the hand of Sisera, captain of the army of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the king Moab, and they fought against them."

Check this out: God noticed that HIS people, the Israelites, had completely forgotten HIS visions, HIS direction, and HIS love! Therefore, God had a nice little plan, allow them to be in a situation where they realized exactly how small they really are without HIM! So, when these tribes began fighting against them, they SUDDENLY realized just how small and weak they were without the power, and desire of God in their lives! So, they began to cry out to God for direction, help, and grace again.

Then, God did something else INCREDIBLE! He heard their cries and blessed. SO, they had FORGOTTEN Him, He REMINDED them, then He BLESSED them! Sometimes we FORGET, so we need to be REMINDED, in order for Him to BLESS!!! But check this out: How did He bless? He gave them the 4 things they needed (and we all need) in order to "live in security". (vs. 11b)

He gave them:

1- Godly Vision > Samuel, name means: "Heard of God"

> He gave them a man that is heard of God and in touch with the heartbeat of the Father!

2- Logic > Bedan: A judge of Israel

> Judges are pretty smart people, with a lot of logic

3- Leadership Ability > Jephthah, name means: Mighty Man of Valour, Breaker Through.

> He led Israel out of the oppression of the Ammonites. He was placed in a leadership position to help LEAD the Israelites. It was HIS decision to use his LEADERSHIP ABILITY to better himself, and help a hurting nation. (that'll preach!)

4- Fight > Jerubbaal (Gideon): Name given to Gideon because he defeated the altar of Baal.

> Jerubbaal saw an injustice, got sick of it and did something about it.

God sent the Israelites, after forgetting Him when they were in a COMFORTABLE PLACE NOT WILLING TO MOVE, 4 helpers to cover the 4 sides, so there was NO room for infiltration...

Look at this: To live a life of security with Christ, we must cover all 4 sides of our tribe (our hearts, our spirits, our minds, our families, our church) with these 4 characteristics.

They FORGOT, He REMINDED, He BLESSED!

(dude, that's INTENSE teaching there. Don't worry if it didn't make sense at first, God's still helping me grab it all too. If you didn't get it the first time, read it about 40 more times, God'll help!)

The Nehemiah Project

2009-07-28T11:33:00.001-07:00

I just left Youth Quest 2009 in Greensboro, NC. I had the incredible privilege of being under the teaching of some of America's GREATEST pastors, preachers, and teachers. Steven Furtick, Ron Luce, Chris Hill, and the worship of Steve Fee. Not to mention the great relationships that were formed.

But, something began to turn inside of me during these meetings, that I didn't like. I began to feel a sense of anxiousness, or uncomfortable feelings. Why? Not because these guys did a bad job or said something that I didn't agree with, in fact they brought the HEAT, every single time! Then why?

That was the question I asked myself throughout the weekend, then Monday night (the last night) I realized and understood why. Simply because, the dream and passion inside of me began to twist and turn. Why didn't I like it? Because it had been a while since I'd really felt it MOVE!

I have a dream and passion to speak to teenagers by the thousands, and help them understand what a REAL relationship with Jesus Christ is, and to help them unlock explosive destiny. I WILL NOT STOP UNTIL IT IS ACCOMPLISHED!!!!

So, again, why was that a bad feeling? Simply because it was inside of me, it began to move, and suddenly I realized something incredible...EVERYTHING that has happened and is happening is setting me up for the passions/dreams of GOD!

I realized that a man by the name of Nehemiah also had a dream and a passion that was placed inside of him at a young age and it hurt him to the core. There were times where he would push the dream and passion back and it wouldn't hurt anymore. BUT, there were also times when something would take place, or he would sit under some teaching/leadership that would MOVE that very dream/passion!

And Nehemiah quickly began to see something extraordinary...EVERYTHING that led him, big or small, to serve under the king, was setting him up to complete the dream/passion that God had placed inside of him. And Nehemiah was then, because of his obedience, released to complete BIG things under the name and power of the King of Kings!

But, just as Chris Hill said last night in his service, we need to go to Jerusalem and sit, until we receive the POWER! The power is in the timing, and the timing is the power.

I'm a person that dreams big, and a person that has a big passion. I'm currently a youth pastor, and will be for a while longer, I'm sure (God willing), but I have a lot of dreams, some of which have taken place, some of which will take place.

- Become a full-time evangelist

- Write a book

- Draw a picture for THOUSANDS of God lovers of what a God lover REALLY is

- Plant a church

- Become the best follower of God that I can be

- Become the greatest husband for my wife that I can be

- Become the most fun/incredible father in the world

- Become a mentor and leader to people near and far

- MORE...

I don't dream, wish, or desire these things simply because I want to be "famous" or "known" but because I believe God has given me a gift and a voice and the ability to relate to people in order to use.

I REFUSE to let ANYONE or ANYTHING take this away from me. As Satan will surely try to use whatever means necessary to take it away, I REFUSE to give it to someone or something that didn't give it to me in the first place!

I made a vow last night, God will always direct my steps, perpare my voice, and impart my knowledge. And I will begin taking steps even today, to begin working towards the passions/dreams God has placed in my life! Will you?

Doctors

2009-07-14T11:31:00.000-07:00

1 Timothy 1:8-11 and Luke 5:31-32 are both parallel verses of scripture. Not only are they parallel but they are also incredible challenging.

What if I were to tell you that possibly, just maybe, what we know as church today isn't necessarily what Christ set it out to be.

See these verses have shaken my theology and way of thinking. After reading these something hit me, and hit me hard... what if what I've known and done for 23 years is just the TIP OF THE ICEBERG? What if, just for fun, church today, as it is seen and portrayed is nothing more than a resting place for everything else?

These verses clearly relay a very important and incredible message: I (being Jesus) didn't come for those of you that know me, I came for those who don't! So, where does that leave the ones that do know Him? IN CHURCH! What about the one's that don't know Him? OUTSIDE OF CHURCH!

We've created a culture that believes that church is where you go when you are saved, sanctified, and filled with the Holy Ghost. If you aren't all 3, don't come in until you are. What would happen if each and every church, would take ownership begin to work within the confines of the original church?

Imagine with me, just for laughs, that the church was this:

- An encouraging, inspirational learning place to come weekly with other believers to be FED.

- A place to come and equip each other to do the REAL work.. OUTSIDE of the church!

- A place that didn't care about HOW we reached people, as long as we did.

- A place of desire and passion that longed for the heart of God in order to touch the heart of people?

Jesus ran after and sought God with angst, and power, and might many times during his short stay on this Earth, all for one purpose, to touch the hearts of the lost, and connect them to the heart of the Father.

I don't believe when the church was established it was to be a holding tank of doctor's or a place for people that are perfectly healthy to come and be "hypocondriacts" who act like something's wrong, when if we would simply grab the POWER and RELEASE of God, those problems wouldn't be there anyway.

Church should be an equipping place, not an acting place. We should come here to equip and help others worship, learn, grown, and move... but at some point, it's time to stop arguing and fighting over petty things and get our butts out of our well-formed seats and DO SOMETHING!

I've grown up in church and been involvled in ministry for 8 years now. I've seen/heard/experienced a lot. But, what if, REALLY, church was just the tip of the iceberg?

I think we do an injustice when we make our members and our fellow people believe that the ministry and connection to God is done INSIDE the church, when in all reality, it should be done OUTSIDE the church, and discussed INSIDE the church.

When the Philistines set up to fight the Israelites, and the Israelites lost, the Philistines stole the Ark of God. 5 tribes later, they FINALLY got some divine revelation...if we aren't HONORING God, there is judgment. The Philistines didn't want the Ark in order to HONOR it, they merely wanted to HOUSE it. Judgment was cast for HOUSING, blessings were REIGNED down for HONORING!

My question is really simple for me and everyone else out there: What am I doing? Am I really seeking to work within the confines of the church AND outside of them? Or am I comfortable simply HOUSING the presence of God (Ark of God)? I believe people that are completely RUINED for God, can't help but think, THERE'S GOT TO BE MORE TO IT!

(by no means am I "slamming" or demeaning the purpose of church, I am simply understanding there is more than JUST church as we know it. I believe church is great and important, when connected with the heart as well)

Doing Things Differently

2009-07-10T11:28:00.000-07:00

You know, in the story of Cain and Abel, Cain did something very tricky. He lured his brother, Abel into a field where he could murder and then bury his brother in the field, where he thought no one would know. He said "Hey, Abel, come here, let me know you this. Meet me out there." Then as Abel showed up, little did he know that his life was ending shortly after.

A lot of times, I believe churches and church people do that. I believe we will ask someone to come check out something great in our fields, meet us there. There's great worship, great preaching, great friends, come check it out with me! YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS THIS! And when they come to the "field" or the church, they are left out to dry, not knowing that in just minutes their lives may end. How will they end? They could be shunned, they could be frowned upon, they may not understand something, they may be asked to sit in another seat because "my family sits here every week". I believe churches have become people and places to HOUSE the presence of God rather than HONOR the presence!

What does that mean? That means, we like to come to church and get the goosebumps because the air conditioning is too cold (HOUSING), but when it comes to welcoming/caring/loving someone new or different it's a chore (HONORING). The blessings of God come when we HONOR, not HOUSE! See 1 Samuel 4-6.

I believe that we as a church need to come back together as a BODY not a denomination. We need to unify the means by which we all believe, Jesus Christ, and allow HIM to be our guardian and our love.

People say, "we can't be too seeker", "Atmosphere doesn't matter", "GOD is the draw"... which there are parts of each of those statements that I agree with, I also understand that Joe Blow out walking down the road that doesn't care about God isn't going to be drawn by God, he will be drawn by the HONOR of the presence, exhibited by the relationships, culture, and love in the church and the church people.

I believe we need to all realize one thing: Christianity isn't about perfection, it's about relationship! To have a successful relationship, it takes investment, intimacy, and sacrifice... 3 things I think a lot of us have forgotten. But I think God is calling us back to!

So what will I do? I will refuse to allow myself to simply HOUSE the presence, I will descipline myself to HONOR the presence. I refuse to be so stuck on a tradition that I can't see the importance of people, drawn together by the love of Christ! Whether that means a new song, a different atmosphere, or something else isn't up to me, that's HIS decision!

Never Let Go

2009-05-05T13:32:00.000-07:00

I was watching one of my favorite shows the other day "Dirtiest Jobs" and they were doing a show in Alaska. And as these cars drove on the ice, the ice would break and consequently the cars would sink. Well, somehow, they would be down there long enough for it to ice over, and then the DOT would end up having to remove these vehicles. They showed the process of the removal and it was really interesting.
As I began to think about this just today, I realized something. There's some of us out there who have dreams,passions, desires, and a "push" inside of us that maybe we had forgotten about. Maybe it's been buried or sunk for a while, and maybe it's time for the DOT to remove it.
Nehemiah has always been a great story to me. This guy, A CUPBEARER FOR THE KING, had a dream/passion bigger than him. And it would not let him go. He thought about it, prayed about it, eat/slept this passion, and he even cried about it. It was so noticeably "ruining" him that the king noticed and pursued a conversation with Nehemiah about this. When asked Nehemiah began to pour his heart out to the king, which in turned granted him permission and provided a way for him to accomplish his passion.
GOD removed from inside of him what had been festering and "baking" in his spirit for a while. One thing about it though, Nehemiah NEVER let his dream completely sink, he was just waiting for the right equipment to remove it.
WE (I say "WE" on purpose) need to make sure that our dream never gets sunk in an icy ocean. If it has been, we should "seek" so we can "find" in the frozen graveyard of dreams...

Signs, Signs, Everywhere Are Signs...

2009-03-17T09:08:00.000-07:00

The popular song by The Five Man Electrical Band, (don't ask how I know that), hits a chord with me. It always has.
"Signs, signs, everywhere signs, blocking out the scenery, breaking my mind. Do this, don't do that, can't you read the signs?"
If you think about it there are signs everywhere. Arbys, McDonalds, Payless Shoes, Target, Wal-mart, the local car wash...signs ARE everywhere. But what if there are other signs everywhere, only the can only be seen by certain people. You know, kind of like "I see dead people", except it's "I see weird signs".
1 Corinthians 10:13 "No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it."
That scripture has been turned into a quote time and time again. What if the part of "...will provide the way of escape also..." isn't just talking about hard times, but just life in general. Stick with me.
You know we go through things in life a lot that aren't necessarily "hard" or "tough" they are just, well, situations for lack of a better term. And what if while we are seeking our loving Father for direction, guidance, and such things, he is showing us signs. Signs that only we can see if we are close to our Father and sensitive enough to realize He has a big plan for us, beyond what we can imagine. You know what I'm talking about. That sign that tells you over and over again not to be with that guy/girl, or that sign that tells you that what you're about to do isn't the smartest decision, and God's showing us signs that only we can see.
The deal with signs is really kind of a simple thing though: we can listen to them or we don't really have to. I mean think about it, you see a "Wet Paint" sign, you can touch the wet paint or not. It's your call, the sign is just a warning.
What if the words of the Five Man Electrical Band song "Signs" really does have a spiritual meaning to our lives and our relationships with our Father. So, as we go through life, and if we have a working relationship with Christ, I think it would almost go without saying that it would be incredibly smart for us to look for the signs that are "blocking the scenery and breaking my mind."

Paris Hilton's New BFF

2008-11-10T11:05:00.000-08:00

This week I begin a new series in The Experience called "HIS New BFF". It is based on the new, extremely stupid, series of shows by Paris Hilton called Paris Hilton: My New BFF. There are 18 people, 16 girls & 2 guys, that backstab, talk junk, hate, and despise each other just to get the attention of Paris Hilton, of all people.

Well, as I flipped by this show the other night on MTV and I began to watch the few minutes I could stomach, I realized why I was so disgusted by the show. It wasn't because Paris Hilton had anything to do with it, or even the people that were involved it was simply the idea of what people were willing to do to gain the approval and attention of one PERSON.

Then my mind flipped to the Youth Pastor in me...am I trying to gain the approval of people or of God? Would I be willing to do all of that and more just to hang out with God a little bit? Just to be in His presence for a few moments of my life? And then I asked myself, would anyone else?

We will pay $45 for a Univeristy of South Carolina football ticket, or $9 to go see a 1 1/2 hour movie. We will make the sacrifice of rearranging a schedule just to appease our boy/girlfriends, yet will we do that for the creator of the heavens and the earth?

My pastor said something quite interesting today. "If we won't praise Him, we're dumber than rocks. Jesus said that." After looking at him like he had lost what little bit he had, He said "The Bible says that the rocks will praise Him if we won't." And then it made sense. We ARE dumber than rocks if we don't get it!

I'm concerned by the lack of desire, passion, and action that our lives show towards the God that sits on a throne, and has praises sung for Him every minute of every day, yet He still desires for us to sit in His lap and love Him. He has EVERYTHING, but He WANTS us.

I once heard a quote that went like this, "Happiness is not getting what you want, but wanting what you have." That's the great thing about God. If we are made in His image, and He calls us to a new and higher level of happiness and joy in life, doesn't that mean that He is happy and joyous. If he is happy, by the above quote which I sincerely believe in, then He wants what He has. He has the believers in Christ, yet there is a sense of loving and longing for others that He hasn't fulfilled. God, the Father, creator of the universe longs for YOU and I to be in that relationship with Him.

Yet, we would rather do everything we can to spend time with anyone but Him. My question is: will I do anything I can to spend time with Him? Will I love Him that much? That is a question that can't be answered in a simple yes or no, only in action.

test

2008-11-06T09:58:00.000-08:00

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