God – Page 15 – Thoughts from a Crosseyed Jesus Freak

Bible in 90 Days reflections (Day 8)

So, if you are on schedule with us, reading through the Bible in 90 days, today was probably the hardest to get through yet. Day 8 is basically the first 14 chapters of Leviticus, describing in vivid detail how each sacrifice was to be carried out. Paul tells us in one of his letters to Timothy that all scripture is important, and it is. But that doesn’t mean that it is always easy to see what the benefit is.

Leviticus is a book that describes the OT law, which is something that we, as NT Christians, are not under anymore. Of course there are parts of it that are beneficial to us, but we are under the new covenant. We aren’t required to do the sacrifices that are described under the old covenant. In fact, that is what Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross led to. He became the only sacrifice that we ever need.

As I read through the vivid details of all the sacrifices for different things, and what is considered clean and unclean to eat, one thought over powered everything else. Knowing that this is just the first part of the laws that are laid out that will take us through the rest of Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, I couldn’t help but have this one thought just keep circulating over and over again in my head. While there are plenty of things that we can take from reading through the OT laws found here, the biggest thing that I can take out of them right now is the overwhelming appreciation for what Jesus did on that cross, 2,000 years ago, because not only was He the perfect sacrifice for our sins, He makes it possible for us to not have to live under the OT law! There is freedom found in Christ. The law ultimately is used to show us the need for Jesus and what He offers, because even under the law of the OT, no one is worthy of a relationship with God. Thank you Jesus that we don’t live under the OT law anymore!

God, Ministry

Outreach (January 2015 Newsletter Article)

So, we are in a new year. It’s almost unbelievable that 2015 is already here. Whether you missed the last Sunday of 2014 at Central or not, I want to recap a little about our year in 2014 and highlight a couple of things we are looking forward to in 2015, one of which we did not talk about last Sunday. I love the new year. It’s a great time to start something new, and build on what happened over the past year. Or it can be a time for a fresh start, forgetting what happened in the past year. But I don’t want to forget what happened in 2014. There was some struggle and hardship, but there has been a lot of good that has come out of all of it as well. Kelley and I got to meet our new faith family and get welcomed to a new church better than we could have ever imagined. Thank you for that Central! We are here for the long haul and look forward to working with you to reach the community in Carlsbad for years to come!

We talked publicly about some of the plans we have for Central in the coming year last Sunday, and I want to recap some of them, and let you in on another. We want to focus on spiritual maturity in the year to come, and plan to do this a number of ways. This includes an emphasis on Bible study, in fact starting January 1 many of us are attempting to read through the Bible in 90 days. We also want to emphasize our Sunday school and Bible study programs. Our sermon series for the year will be concentrated around the idea of spiritual maturity. And we also announced that in the fall of 2015, we will be launching a church wide small group program. We are excited about all of this, and we feel that God has His hand in all of these plans.

Along with spiritual maturity, we want to focus on outreach to our community, specifically to those that are not attending church somewhere. This is what I want to draw your attention to now. I had it in the announcements of the last newsletter, but wanted to highlight it in my article this month. Valarie Waddle is in the process of beginning a stay at home moms group for moms in our community. This will be a group designed around encouragement for moms but it’s also going to serve as a potential outreach for Central Christian Church to our community. We don’t have many stay at home moms in out church right now, so many of these moms that Valarie will be reaching will be unchurched moms. What better way to reach out than providing a support group with other moms. We want to support Valarie in this effort, whether we see any actual growth in our attendance on Sundays or not. This is where you come in. First, we ask for your prayer for this effort, but also, if you know of any stay at home moms in the community, let Valarie or myself know, so that we can reach out to them. Let’s start reaching our community for Christ, one person at a time.

Because of Him, Kraig B.

Christian Living, God, Life, Ministry

I Love My Church

I’ve been the preacher at Central Christian Church for just over two months now, and there is only one thing that I can really say at this point…I LOVE MY CHURCH! Over these first two months, we have started getting to know one another, as well as started really looking at where we want to go as we try to impact the community of Carlsbad, NM. In other words, we have started the vision process of seeing where we are and where we want to go. Things are already starting to pick up momentum, and I am extremely excited about where we seem to be headed. One of the first things I wanted to capitalize on was the feel of family. I introduced the idea of our congregation thinking of itself as our “faith family” This wasn’t an idea that I had come up with. Our church in TN called itself a faith family, but I felt that we could adopt that and see immediate benefits from that. Man, have I not been disappointed.

During some of our vision presentations during our recent sermon series on the life of Joseph, I taught on and described what it meant to be a family in respect to our congregation. Basically, there were four things that were stressed. 1. We Take Care of Our Own, 2. We Don’t Fight, 3. There Should Be a Culture of Mentorships/Apprenticeships, and 4. All Are Welcome. After presenting these ideas in a sermon a couple of weeks ago, I have been able to see some of these coming to life. Over the last couple of weeks, I have heard and seen people in our congregation refer to our church as our “faith family”. People are starting to buy in, and I love that we look at each other as family.

The best indication that people are buying in to some of these ideas actually took place today. A family from our congregation had their car break down about three blocks from the church on their way to Sunday School this morning. The word got out that this had happened, and another family offered to try and tow their vehicle for them, back to their house. After church was over, while my wife and I were having lunch together, I got a text that just brought a huge smile to my face. Not only did this guy go to help a member of his “faith family” by towing their car, he actually took the time to see if he could figure out what was wrong with the car. And he was able to not only figure out what was wrong, but he was also able to fix the car at no cost and get this family back on the road. WE TAKE CARE OF OUR OWN!

Did I say that I LOVE MY CHURCH?!

Christian Living, God, Life

It’s Friday in the World

You see it more and more in America. Christians are coming under attack from groups trying to silence us. Click here for one of the latest examples I have found of groups trying to silence Christians. Individuals and organizations are being told that they cannot publicly speak about their faith and relationship with Jesus. And the more this happens, the more shock and surprise I see from my fellow Christians. I include myself in this category of surprise at times. But should it really surprise us that the world hates us for standing for our beliefs and our relationship with Christ? The more I think about it, the more I think we should be surprised when we aren’t being attacked for our beliefs. Why should we be surprised if we are not being attacked by individuals and organizations? If we are truly living the way Christ has called us to live, and we have the ongoing, life-changing relationship with Him that we should, then we should expect to be attacked.

Jesus himself tells us that the world will hate us. Since it is Good Friday, I have been reading through the Gospel accounts of what is known as Holy Week. This includes the events that take place between the Triumphal Entry the week before Jesus’ crucifixion and His resurrection and ascension. Today, my devotions led me to the Gospel of Mark, reading chapters 11-16. While reading through the Holy Week account from Mark, this thought hit me again like a ton of bricks. I have often said that as American Christians, I’m not sure that it is a good thing that we don’t face some persecution or attacks from others. Not facing persecution can make it easy to just go through the motions, which leads to a faith that may not be a true faith. Then I came across what Jesus tells His disciples (and us) in Mark 13:9-13. He states, “But be on your guard; for they will deliver you to the courts, and you will be flogged in the synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them. The gospel must first be preached to all the nations. When they arrest you and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but it is the Holy Spirit. Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all because of My name, but the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.” (NASB translation, italics added by me for emphasis).

So, according to Jesus’ own words, we will be hated by all because of our relationship with Him. Our lives should look so different from the rest of the world that they should realize that something is different. If we are not just going through the motions of Christianity, and are actually living out a true relationship with Christ, then the world is going to notice. And the world won’t necessarily like what it sees in us. The article I linked to earlier shows that an organization is after Clemson and Dabo Swinney, but what I was struck by the most were the comments by readers bashing what Swinney is doing at Clemson in sharing his faith. But in all reality, this shouldn’t surprise anyone that this is taking place. All of this means that being a true Christian is not always going to be an easy life. Jesus never promised easy or safe, but He did leave us with a great promise recorded at the end of the Gospel of Matthew. After His resurrection, He left His disciples with a command in Matthew 28:18-20, including a promise that should make a true relationship with Him a beautiful thing. It states, “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.‘” (NASB translation, italics added by me for emphasis).

This means that we will face darkness in this world, especially if we are living in a loving relationship with our Savior. But He promises us that He will be with us, and those that endure will be saved. We face the darkness of Jesus crucified on Good Friday. This is a somber day, but as one of my favorite college professors would say when talking about trouble in this world, “It’s Friday, but SUNDAY’S coming!” (Jon Weatherly).

God, Life

Thankful, No Matter What

Note: I reference II Timothy throughout this post, but do not quote any of it here. To read II Timothy online go to; http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Timothy+1&version=NIV

Life hasn’t been easy recently. It rarely is actually, but for some reason, I am going through a season of life in which things are really difficult. Complaining is really not something that I find beneficial, and it is not what I am trying to do here. I also realize that others are experiencing greater hardships than I am right now. This is not meant to make light of their situations. What I am trying to do, however, is put down in written form what I feel that God is trying to teach me through this season. There are a lot of things that He teaches through difficulties, and I hope that whoever reads this can relate to what He is teaching me.

In fact, I think the lesson has always been in front of me, but I just couldn’t see it. Things have come somewhat easily in my life compared to what others have had to endure. Sure, I lost my dad to a heart attack as a teenager, but other than that, I really haven’t dealt with many hardships. As I’ve stated so often on here, I feel called to vocational ministry, and I think this season now may just be another tool that God is using to teach me how to be more successful in the role that He is preparing me for. He is trying to teach me to rely on Him above everything else. Also, He is trying to teach me to be content, thankful in all situations, and also to be able to have empathy and compassion to those experiencing hardships in the future.

These lessons are found throughout Scripture, and are vital in a role of ministering to people in a local congregation. Paul writes at length about each of these things. It is something I have grown up knowing, but I am hard-headed enough that even though I know the lessons in my head, I see that I may have to go through this season of difficulties to truly apply these lessons to my life. This epiphany dawned on me just Sunday.

While in Sunday school, we looked at Paul’s second letter to Timothy. This letter to Timothy is believed to be the last words that Paul ever recorded. He is near the end of his life, and these words are his last chance to impart wisdom to his beloved Timothy. His words, in this light, carry a great deal of weight. What would you expect to hear from someone who is awaiting a trial in Rome, under house-arrest, and knowing that your life is almost certainly going to come to an end soon? In human nature, I would not expect to see what Paul chooses to be his final message. Paul chooses to tell Timothy to be truly thankful throughout any situation in his life. One of the most interesting ways that Paul does this is to tell Timothy first that he is proud of being in chains for the cause of Christ, and then imploring Timothy to join him in suffering for the Gospel. Wow! That is contrary human nature.

How is Paul able to make this statement to Timothy, and what is it saying to us at the same time? To answer that, it is necessary to look to some of Paul’s earlier writings. He answers this perplexing problem for us throughout his writings. That makes sense, as again this is arguably his final recorded words. Paul is simply tying everything together and telling Timothy to be thankful and content…and here is how you do that. First, in his letter to the Romans, Paul states, “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.”(Romans 12:3 NIV). The first key is to not think too highly of yourself. We, as Christians, have all been given faith and we are to work together.

Being content is the first key, but it really isn’t that easy to become content. Paul again shows how important contentment is in Philippians 4:11-12. It reads, “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” This time, however, he leaves some instruction for how to become content. Philippians 4:6; 13 reads, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God…I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” So, it is through thanksgiving in all situations, a strong prayer life, and relying on Christ, who gives us strength that we can become content.

This is where God has really, really been working hard in my life. Learning how to be content has proved difficult, but in all honestly, I think it has finally clicked. Even though life has been difficult recently, at least with finances and earthly goods, I have become very thankful for what I do have. God has blessed me with His grace most of all, but He has also blessed me with a loving wife, strong family, great friends, a community focused faith family that I get to serve in leadership with, and so many other blessings. Even through difficult times, I am learning to be content. That doesn’t mean that I won’t continue to strive for what I think that God is leading me to do, but it does mean that I am working hard to not let my circumstances change how I feel about everything that God has blessed me with. I have learned to truly lean and rely on God, because I honestly don’t know how else I would be able to handle how life is going right now without just letting go and trusting God.

I want to go back to II Timothy again for a moment. Paul has told Timothy to be thankful and content as he is, but again, Paul knows what fate is waiting for him. While he has told us in other letters how to be content, knowing his situation makes me think he has to have another reason to be able to be thankful and content here. Philippians seems to hold the answer to this as well. Specifically, in Philippians 1:21-26, Paul states, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.” Paul knows that he is about to get what he truly desires. He knows what awaits him after death, and he is ready for that. His focus is on Jesus and not earthly things. That’s the key. That’s how Paul was content, and it is how I am trying to be content.

I know this life is temporary, and I have so many great things in store for me once this life is over. While I am still here, I will continue to pursue God’s call and lead in my life, but I know that no matter how difficult life gets, I have eternity with Christ to look forward to. Keep your focus on Jesus. Become Cross-eyed (Hebrews 12:2) by fixing your eyes on Jesus, and learn to be thankful and content. I have been resistant to apply this in my life, even though I had the book knowledge on it, but join me in trying to apply it to our lives. This is especially important the more our society becomes consumer driven, but that’s a whole other post for a later time.

God Bless.

God, Life, Ministry

Can’t We All Just Get Along?

Recently, I have been seeing a growing trend of Christians not being able to get along with each other. This is not something new, but it seems to be coming back on a more prevalent level. In all honesty, this is something that has been happening since the Church was founded on the day of Pentecost. The problem is that we cannot truly follow our call to be the Church if we are not unified. Unity is essential in God’s plan for us. How else are we going to be able to complete “The Great Commission” found at the end of the book of Matthew?

Unity is something that I have always strived for in my relationship with Christ. All the bad-mouthing and in-fighting that we see among Christians does nothing to really help the cause of Christ. In fact, it hinders it greatly. Again, I know this is really nothing new, but it seems to be growing a very fast rate. And it needs to stop. I am not trying to single anyone out in this. Most of us have been guilty of this at some point in our lives. Some of us struggle with this on a daily basis. Even though I am not singling anyone out, I think it is important to show some examples of what I am talking about.

A few weeks ago, there was a church conference, Strange Fire, held in California. Strange Fire became very controversial, especially toward the end of the conference. In fact, if the conference wasn’t officially trending on Twitter, I would be very surprised. During the last night of the conference, my Twitter Feed was absolutely full of tweets, both supporting and denouncing the conference. I had not heard of the conference before that night, but it did not take a lot of effort to find out the basis and general teaching of this conference. It was a conference based around John MacArthur’s book Strange Fire: The Danger of Offending the Holy Spirit with Counterfeit Worship. From what I could find, this basically boiled down to one group of Christians that think the gifts of the Holy Spirit like speaking in tongues ended with the death of the apostles calling another group of Christians that believe those gifts still exist false believers. I’m not going to get into what I believe about those gifts here, but I don’t see the benefit of calling another Christian out because they believe something different from you, and it doesn’t really seem to be a salvation issue.

On Facebook, I am a member of a few different groups, mainly revolving around the Christian Church/Church of Christ churches. The Restoration Movement is what I have always been a part of, and it really seems to me that it is designed around unity. In one of those groups, however, there was a gentleman that on a daily basis would pose scenarios that were based on half-truths, and then he would go on to pose a question. These questions, for the most part, were basically attacks on todays Church and/or ministers that invest their time trying to lead others to Christ. When others would post answers to his questions that were anything against his idea, he would become very defensive and state that he wasn’t interested in going back-and-forth with the person that was making a point against him. It was almost as if he were just trying to start controversy and division. (He has since either removed himself from the group, or the admins removed him).

These are just two examples that I have seen, and I know that there are many more that I could reference. I think that gives us a good place to start, however, and I don’t want to get bogged down on the problem without looking to Scripture for the solution. In my last post I wrote about Ephesians, and I briefly touched on the subject of unity. Well God continued to rock my world tonight as I read Philippians. Paul has a lot of mind-blowing things to say in this very short letter. One of the many topics I found tonight, and a huge chunk of the letter, deals with unity in the body of Christ. Philippians 2:1-19 speaks to unity and why we are to have unity. You can go to http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=philippians%202:1-19&version=NASB if you wish to read the text. He also has a lot to tell us about unity in Philippians 3:20-4:2. It reads, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself. Therefore, my beloved brethren whom I long to see, my joy and crown, in this way stand firm in the Lord, my beloved. I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to live in harmony in the Lord.” We are to be unified under Christ, because we as Christians all have the same fate awaiting us. Our citizenship is of another place, and that should unify us all under Him.

I know there will always be debates and disagreements. That’s natural, and not necessarily a negative thing. They become negative when it causes Christians to state that other Christians are not really Christians. And it becomes a huge problem when our fighting causes non-believers to be turned off to God. We should be living in such a way that we are drawing outsiders in, not driving them away. Christ died and was raised from the dead for all. How dare we drive some away, simply because we don’t know how to get along with each other and show God’s love through our interactions with one another.

God, Life, Ministry

Rock My World

Recently, I have been abundantly reminded of my calling or leading in life. God has called me into full-time ministry. While that used to be specifically youth ministry, now it is working with adults, either as a senior/preaching minister, or as some kind of associate/discipleship minister. The struggles of life sometimes make it hard to remember this calling, especially since it has been a while since I have been on staff at a church. He is trying to teach me something before He leads me to this next ministry. Remembering this calling is vital to staying patient and staying on course. As I said, it is easy to forget, but I have had a great reminder.

Two weeks ago, Crossroads Christian Church ordained Nathan Hall. Attending his ordination service brought back so many vivid memories of my own ordination at Crossroads six years ago. In fact, it brought back so much emotion and so many memories that I actually attended both services of his ordination, instead of going to Sunday School. This was a great event in my life, and I pray that it will be a great and memorable event in Nathan’s. Attending his ordination reminded me that I have been set apart for ministry. While that hasn’t completely panned out yet, some of the charge given to Nathan rocked my world, in a great way. Curtis Booher gave Nathan his charge, but it was almost as if he was speaking directly to me as well. The final point that Curtis brought out was that we (the Crossroads leadership and congregation) were not setting Nathan apart to start a life of ministry. We were/are setting him apart to FINISH well. How one starts is important, but finishing well is even more important. That gives me a lot of hope and drive for my future in ministry.

The ordination of Nathan was a couple of weeks ago, as I stated earlier. So these thoughts have been floating around my head for about that long. It wasn’t until my daily devotion time today, however, that the completion of my world being rocked came to fruition. In my daily quiet time, I read through the book of Ephesians. This isn’t something new for me. Ephesians is a book that I have often read and been really challenged by. But something was different today. It was as if Paul was speaking directly to me, and no one else. Now I know that isn’t the case, but Paul’s message became real and tangible for me. Chapter Four is really where this started. Paul states, “Therefore I , the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.” (Ephesians 4:1-6 NASB).

Paul goes on to talk about how we all have different callings. Some are called to preach, some as apostles, some as prophets and so on. What struck me was not only that we all have callings, but that these callings, if done correctly, lead to unity of the Spirit. Find you calling and pursue it. He also states that not only do we all have a calling, but that there are correct and incorrect ways of following that calling. We need to walk in a manner worthy of our calling, and he lists doing this in humility, gentleness, patience, tolerance for one another in love, and diligence, all to preserve the unity of the Spirit.

The rest of the book has a lot of great things to say to us as well, especially about the dynamics of the family relationship and how that is mirrored in the relationship of Jesus and the Church, but more on that at a later time. For now, passionately pursue God and His calling for your life, and let’s find unity among all Christians!

God, Life, Ministry

Outrage?

I recently read an article describing the seemingly growing persecution of Christians in the Middle East and Africa (http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/09/27/a-global-slaughter-of-christians-but-america-s-churches-stay-silent.html). In this article, there seems to be outrage from a few about the apparent lack of outrage from American Christians and American Churches in regards to this persecution. While I agree that we should be doing something, I’m not sure that anything we do will stop this persecution from happening. In fact, I have to think that there are only two things that will stop Christians worldwide from being persecuted. Christ’s second coming is the first and best option. The second, is to become like the majority of Christians that aren’t currently being persecuted.

What do I mean by that? I believe we have become so apathetic in our faith and relationships, and that is why we are able to avoid persecutions. We are fitting into the world too much, and because of that, no one on the outside thinks it’s worth the effort to try to make us stop living for Christ (if we are really living like Christ). Jesus taught his disciples that they were to expect persecutions. In fact, he stated that they would be persecuted because the world had persecuted and would continue persecute him. John 15:18-25 states, “‘If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20 Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21 They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. 24 If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. 25 But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’”

I am not trying to say that we should be silent about persecution around the world. What I am saying, however, is that we should take a long, hard look out our own lives and try to figure out why we are not necessarily facing persecution ourselves. I love religious freedom. I love that this country was founded with the idea of being able to freely worship without fear. But I also strongly believe that if we are living in relationship with Christ the way we should be, then we are going to look so much different from everyone around us that we will be persecuted. Whether we have religious freedom or not. Maybe it won’t be to the extent that we are currently seeing in the Middle East and Africa. It may not even be facing death (yet). But we should be so different from those around us that people are either asking what we have in our lives that cause us to look so different, or cause people to lash out at us because of our differences.

Christianity was a radical movement when it started. It challenged the cultural norms of the day. The problem seems to be that now we, as Christians, try to make Christianity mainstream and fit into the culture. There are good things about this, but when our central message is not so much different that any other social club, then we are not going to draw attention. We need to be relevant in our culture, so we have to change the way we present our message, but we also need to be focused on the central message. A growing, changing, and deep relationship with Christ is a must. And when we have that relationship and it is changing us, the world becomes uncomfortable with that. It draws some people in, and it pushes some people to lash out against it. Either way, it makes people pay attention and doesn’t allow us to slip through this life unnoticed. Matthew 5:14-16, “14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

So, what should the churches and Christians in America be doing about the persecution popping up in the Middle East and Africa? I think we need to lift this group up in prayer for strength and courage. I also think we need to take a long, hard look at our faith. Are we making people around us uncomfortable because we are truly different from the world around us, due to our relationship with Christ? Or are we being tolerated because we aren’t living out what we say we believe? Our lives should be a sermon for people to see and a Bible for people to read. Sure, we will make mistakes and not always live out what we believe, but we should grow from that. Outrage? Yes, we should be doing more for those around the world. But our true outrage should maybe be about the way we are living and conforming to the world. (Romans 12:2 “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.“

God, Life, Ministry

It’s Been 10 Years?

My home church in Gray, TN is coming up on its 10th anniversary. November 20, we are going to celebrate the 10th year we have been ministering with and to the community of Gray, and it’s been a great 10 years! One of the things that the church has been doing over the last few weeks is sending out a daily e-mail called “Milestones and Memories–Crossroads 10th Anniversary”. This is the heading that they use on each of these e-mails before the actual subject each day;

Each day leading up to Crossroads’ 10th anniversary, we will be posting an event or milestone that we have shared as a congregation over the past 10 years. We hope that by looking back, you will be encouraged by the way God has blessed us and that you will be inspired to “Join the Journey” as we look to the future.

It’s been really cool to read these memories on a daily basis. Our church has done so much over the last 10 years and it has really impacted the community. It’s really nice to be able to reflect and see where we came from, how much God has allowed us to grow and use all of those memories to project what God has in store for us over the next 10, 20 or 100 years! God has blessed Crossroads with great leadership and they are constantly seeking God’s will in prayerful consideration for the future.

There is a lot we can learn from this process of looking back over Milestones and Memories, and the church is doing just that. But there is so much we can learn from that same concept in our own lives. These daily e-mails have really got me to thinking a lot about my own life. God has called me to a life of ministry, but how can I use this concept of looking back now to help me with what God has called me to do with my life? It’s made me realize that I need to make a conscious effort to do meaningful things now that will help me towards the goals and dreams that God has called me too. It has also made me realize how important even the small things are. Even small things, if handled correctly, can become Milestones. So I have some questions for you that I am trying to answer myself. Take some time and think through these. With God in control, how are you helping yourself in the process?

What am I doing on a daily basis that is worth looking back on in a few years? What am I doing that will help me achieve the goals that God has given me? How am I using the gifts that God has given me to help reach out to the community I live in and the world in general?

God Bless!

God, Life, Ministry

It’s Never To Late…

Titus 2:1-8: “You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine. Teach the older men to be temperate, worth of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance. Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In you teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.”

Mark Batterson has become one of my favorite authors. In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day was an incredible read. I have just recently started reading his second book (for the second time), Wild Goose Chase. While Batterson has a lot of wisdom in both of these books, he really has challenged me with a couple of thoughts from Wild Goose Chase. He states, “It’s never too late to become who you might have been.” and later in the same chapter, “I don’t care how old you are, if you’re still breathing, it means God isn’t finished with you yet.” What encouraging thoughts. God has a plan for us and we can never be too old. That’s what I took out of the passage above. Paul has a lot he is saying to Titus here, but I really picked up on the fact that he is challenging Titus to challenge the older men and women to mentor the younger men and women. He is saying that God has a purpose, even if it is teaching the younger generation how to live life the way God intended. That’s all well and good, but it is easy to fall into the trap of thinking, well I have my whole life ahead of me. I’m young, God won’t use me until I’m older because “It’s never too late to become who you might have been”. Then we read Paul’s words to Timothy.

I Timothy 4:12: “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.”

This is the thought that hit me the hardest. This passage from I Timothy has long been a favorite verse of mine because I like to work with teens. I use this verse to tell them that they can be used by God. What struck me is that I have my own doubts about being used by God. I have recently been feeling the call to preach full-time; to become the Preaching Minister at a church and to also, one day, have the opportunity to preach across the country. But doubt creeps in. I only have a degree in Biblical Studies with an emphasis on Youth Ministry. No church is going to bring me in to preach full-time. I forget the words from I Timothy and what they can mean in my life, not just the lives of the teens that I am blessed to work with. Batterson goes on to write, “In my experience, God loves using us before we feel like we’re ready.” How true is that? I think part of it is Satan playing on our insecurities, but I think it’s also God saying, you can’t do it on your own. But with Me, you’re more than ready. It’s God’s way of showing His power through us. And that’s an encouraging thought.

God Bless.