It's time to celebrate!

The last time I posted a blog i got many concerned calls telling me that life was ok and God was working.  I didn't think my post was especially depressing but apparently it was…. I wasn't ready at the time to tell the full story of what God was up to. Over the past couple of months God has worked in ways that have blown me away, he has worked in spite of me, many instances bringing me to my knees, to a place of knowing I can do nothing but let him work and i can do no work without him.

  After many sleepless nights and arguing with God that he didn't understand, Myself and an amazing group of people have taken the biggest step of faith I have ever personally taken. We planted a Church.  Center Church officially launched March 1… 

The past month has been the biggest blur (i will tell the full story in a future post), there have been some incredibly hard and difficult days and there have also been some days that at the end of the day I am humbled to tears at what God is doing around me.  We have seen people come alive in their passion  knowing that it is given meaning by a purpose, and that purpose is to make the name of Jesus known.  And boy are they making the name of Jesus known!!!!

We get to have our first Easter together this Sunday and I am so excited about the party that we are going to have. We are going to celebrate 3 people who have heard Jesus calling their name and have had their lives changed by him. He has made them whole, He has redeemed them. I don't think I could think of a better way to spend Easter that baptizing 3 of my friends. God has done amazing things in their life and has plans for them that I cannot even fathom.  

One thing God has made more evident than ever to is that the gospel isn't that you go to heaven, you do but the gospel is that Christ gives you the power to live everyday. The gospel is today, the power that brought Jesus out of the grave is available to us today.

Join us Sunday at 5pm at Jo’s downtown and hear all about Jesus and the power that brought him out of the grave, its gonna be amazing!!!!!!  Its gonna be a party, cook out and baptism immediately following the 5pm gathering. 

Hope to see you there!

The last Abyss of my Nature

This year is shaping up to be a great one so far. The things God is doing is blowing my mind. This year is just starting and I am already seeing lives that are being changed by God. It is incredible!
Lately I have been studying a lot about what a foundation in God looks like. How does abiding in Jesus and his power radically change my life and those around me. One of the things that has been on my mind for a while is what does it look like to always bring our “A” game be it leading a church, a small group, or just meeting a friend for coffee. Is it even possible? Now those of you who know me well know that “on my mind means” that I have turned God convicting me of fear and doubt in his sovereignty into a philosophical journey. It’s me trying to find a technical solution while not actually doing anything. I typically turn it into a global problem so it easier to justify not doing anything about it, the problem is too big for me to fix, the cultural and traditions are to engrained for anything to be done or to change.
Let me show you what i mean when I say “A” game.  Every Thursday night I lead a group of people in bible study, worship, and prayer. There are many Thursday nights that I show up and honestly I would rather be anywhere than there at the moment because I know I haven't prepared, not that don’t possess the knowledge of a topic but that I haven’t been praying for the people, the people who could come to know Christ, the lives that could be radically changed in that hour time span. God has been convicting me about, proclaiming the gospel which we are all called to and in the specific purposes he has for my life. Louie Giglio talked about this in an old podcast I listened to, He spent all of a sentence on it, but it was a punch to the gut for me.  My serving, teaching, leading could be the only time a person hears the gospel.  That interaction could be their only shot at knowing Jesus. When I am not using every ounce of my abilities to point a broken world toward life, toward Jesus then I am living in sin.
So how do I bring my best every single time, be it a chance interaction with someone or a planned gathering.  Thats a lot to ask as I look at my calendar it is overwhelming. God you expect me to be at 100% at all those times and even the in between. The answer I keep getting getting from God is Yes, a resounding Yes. Trust me I have been diligently searching scripture for a way out of this, that one verse that says in this situation or this circumstance you can let your guard down. I haven't found one yet, what I have found though is a lot of scripture talking about prayer, an intimate relationship with Jesus, and clinging to his scripture.
In the January 7th reading of My Utmost for his Highest by Oswald Chamber these sentences stood out to me, “When once we get intimate with Jesus we are never lonely, we never need sympathy, we can pour out all the time without being pathetic. The saint who is intimate with Jesus will never leave impressions of himself, but only the impression that Jesus is having unhindered way, because the last abyss of his nature has been satisfied by Jesus. The only impression left by such a life is that of the strong calm sanity that Our Lord gives to those who are intimate with Him.”
My prayer is that I cling to Jesus that the last abyss of my nature is satisfied by Jesus. As that happens I will become more aware of the importance in bringing my “A” game and actually have the power thru Jesus to do that because if I don't I am not sure I can live knowing that someone missed their shot to step from darkness to light, to a redeemed life.  My prayer is that I am able to lay the heavy worship that comes from living a life of meaning at the feet of Jesus one day.

God's Already in Motion Plans

The year is quickly coming to an end, Christmas is just a couple of days away now. Over the past few weeks I have been challenging my small groups to be sure to take some time and reminisce on the past year and then begin to dream for the next year.

As i look back on this past year it was a very good year, it had some moments that I wasn't sure I would make it through along with other moments that were so special I hoped that they would never end. One constant that remained throughout the year and that is very evident in the lead-up to the new year is the sovereignty of God. God has opened up some very cool doors for the first part of next year and the coolest part about it is they are doors that myself and couple of friends have been earnestly praying to see opened. I look forward to getting to be with a great community of believers in Pittsburg TX in January for a weekend. It is my prayer that God uses me, Kyle Shovan and his band very powerfully to communicate the truths of his word and the longings of our hearts to see the Church do incredibly powerful things in the communities that they are in. That is just the beginning of the year. There are already glimpses of even bigger things that God is up to that I can’t wait to be a part of.

There are things that I know God is moving me towards that look incredible but i am already seeing that the road may have a few  bumps and it may not just all fall into place perfectly as much i want it to be smooth but i know my God and i know that he works in ways i will never understand to advance his kingdom. The one thing God continually moves my life towards however is Sabbath and its importance. Sounds easy i can sit and physically rest with the best of them but slowing my mind down is another story it is always moving and trying to plan out how i need to execute Gods plan. In my experience that is tiring and futile. Below is a quote from a blog i read occasionally. It is powerful and very rest giving to me to think about and then truly live this way. 

We Are Called Into God’s “Already In Motion” Plans

Sabbath rest is remembering that God calls us into His plans, He doesn’t call us to create the plans and make them happen.

Be still and know that I AM God. Psalms 46:10

My last post said it had been a really long time since my last post, but this time I can say that with much more confidence, it has been 1786 days since I last posted. Wow almost 1800 days, think about that, that’s almost 5 years. 5 years of life, of joy, of pain, good days, and dark days. I look back on this time and see many things that God has done in those years and it excites me for the future that he has, for the promise of his grace and his promise to finish a good work.

The last post in 2010 talked about direction and purpose, the pursuing of God’s plan for life. There are days that I feel not much has happened or that God has not done much to help me clarify His direction and purpose for my life.  Over the past few months I have with a greater purpose made myself take and make opportunities to slow down and think about a simpler life, not a life that is not filled with purpose but a simpler life where my relationship with God and the pursuing of his calling on my life are a singular focus. One that doesn’t think of all the ways doing this could derail the “normal comfortable life” but how it could make “normal life” so much more fulfilling.  It is amazing what happens when you just sit on the porch and watch the trains go by and think about the big dreams that God has filled your soul with. 

The crazy thing about God is he hasn’t changed a single dream that he has given me since high school. He has however refined the dreams and definitely refined me. The thing about time is that you learn a lot as time passes, you realize how inadequate you are, yet how adequate you are with God. I think it is the inadequacy that I feel that slows me down some days. I become so consumed in how I will accomplish something that I forget that God is at work to move my life towards the things he has called me to be. For me 5 years sounds like an eternity but as I look back it has been a blink. I have learned and experienced more than I could have imagined in this time and the whole time God has been at work moving towards where he has me today for a very specific purpose.

There are some big things in the works for the next year that I am beyond excited about. There will definitely be more about this in future ramblings. As a follower of Christ not everything we are called to do makes sense and even a small change in the normal of life can feel like a huge leap. I plan on writing a lot more in the coming months for a couple of reasons. 1. I enjoy it. 2. Accountability, when I write things down it not only makes me say “I wrote it down I have to do it”, it also lets those reading it keep me focused on the things I say I will do.  Actually I think there are 3 reasons, I want to be able to look back and read the struggles and the good times so that in the end I can see that it all had a purpose. Even if things fail from my perspective I know that in the end, I will see where God has worked and how he has redeemed.

Gods plan for us is usually where our passions, our purpose, and our capabilities intersect. Bob Goff

It's been a while......

So it's been about a year since i posted. Not sure exactly what to write but for some reason i feel that i need to write. A lot has been going through my head lately about God and direction and purpose and how all those relate. I have seen much change some for the better and some for the worse. I have seen death and new life and old lives made new. Even with all the change be it good or bad, true joy has seemed to be just out of my grasp. It has been this elusive place that my finger tips have grazed but never quite grasped. So i question these feelings," is it me am i not worthy", is it other people are they just out to use me and use me until I am wasted away and of use no more.......
Then I begin to ask, “is it me”.... Do i not allow joy, do I push it away, Is God there with a never ending fountain of joy just waiting...waiting for me. …..
I think about my earlier statement about people using me, maybe the perspective of that thought needs to be shifted maybe I am not looking at the big picture. What if we replace the finite people generalization with God, stick with me here this thought is going somewhere I can feel it, I am getting revved up now. What if true joy could be had, not just something longingly grasped for but never found. What if God purposed me purposed you to serve people until the day our physical bodies are used up. What if this elusive thing called joy comes from letting God use me up serving people. See the difference here with this redirection of thought I am now serving God bringing the kingdom of God to earth conquering injustice and saving lives. Has my view been so selfish that I robbed myself of the pure joy that God has.
This now leads me to an entire new set of emotions to work through, like what could have been. How would my life be different, how would the people around me be different. Have I allowed Satan to rob me of life, of true life….. Is this the reason I see no direction in my life just a promise of living in the 8-5 corporate machine. God has more I know he does but how do I refocus, how do I see life through the lenses of God. A friend said this quote to me today as I was unpacking some of this to him,

“Work on the revealed things and He (God) will lead you to what is unrevealed”

Ben Stuart

I am still struggling my way through this statement but it gives me hope for some reason, a sort of joy, a sense of adventure. What has God put right in front of me, what has he revealed to me to do now not tomorrow not later today but now…………

Here I am Send Me

i don't have any words for this just watch, this is intense



Pretty much sums up my purpose, i am daily praying for you guys and myself that we listen to God and have no hesitation to go
HERE I AM, SEND ME.....
The Journey continues...........

Recently I have been chillin in Ephesians, mainly because God all but came out and audibly spoke that this book was where he was leading my college gathering on Sunday nights. As the weeks have progressed I have at times had to force myself to soak and meditate in these scripture. God has revealed some very real and very deep truths to me that have stirred my affections for my Jesus like never before. We are currently looking at the fourth chapter. Paul explains unity in the body of Christ and the impossibility of it functioning as it was designed to without unity. Then we hit verse 17 in the fourth chapter not that everything that Paul has discussed and taught up until this point is not of the utmost importance but verse 17 really helped me to begin wrapping my mind around the basis of my faith and knowledge of eternal life not just the feeling of eternal life and grace.
Ok I know what your thinking right now not 2 entries early I talked about this same thing. Well guess what it only sunk in about half way into my hard head. Yet again as so many times I let Satan in to steal kill and destroy the joy in my life. Luckily this time I was humble enough and one of my best friends in the world was loving enough to reach out. It is not so much that she had brilliant words or a deep theological truth, what she had was love. For once I realized I needed some support and she was there and I am so glad. God used here unbelievably to keep me encouraged long enough for me to seek his scripture and not just go off on my own and try to find a solution. I knew and the prayer of my heart was do not let feelings dictate your relationship with Jesus but every reality around me seemed to be that is how all of life is defined. One thing she did say was better things are yet to come, (not so much those exact words disclaimer in case she reads this I don’t want to get beat up for miss quoting her). I stayed close to those words all weekend and I am glad I did. I was looking over my stuff for Sunday night mind you it was her encouragement that even got me to this point and not running in the other direction of teaching the word of God. For the first time I was able to understand what Paul was illustrating here. He talks to us about what the gentile mind looks like the thought process the root of all our issues. I have always been told believe with your heart and you will be changed. Don’t get me wrong I believe this but that had always left me with, a feeling of was none of it real when I had doubts or didn’t feel that my heart was different.
Here are Paul’s three descriptive of the Gentile aka the non-Christian mind:
1. In futility of their minds
2. They are darkened in their understanding
3. Alienated from the life of God

The because of these 3 “the ignorance that is in them due to the hardness of their hearts”.

Ok lets unpack a little of this “the futility of their minds” what the heck is Paul talking about. I think he is talking about this process that our minds go through where we try to figure out solutions to problems that we don’t even understand. I think we tend to do this as Christians also these are the times that we even with our understanding of God try to take a go at it on our own. We usually end up at the end of our rope in a spiritual and emotional mess, “something radically wrong with our Christian life” to quote Martin Lloyd Jones. We then run back to our God who welcomes and forgives us, our welcome back is not just sure whatever good to see you but a true celebration from a lesson learned. This is where the difference between a Christian and non-Christian becomes evident. The non- Christian has nowhere to run back to they are stuck in the futility of their minds.
The non-Christian has no ability to understand the futility of there minds this is Paul’s next statement. As we have said before we cannot expect a non-Christian to understand the grace of God. God has not opened their minds to his mysteries yet. A Christian has vision and understanding. I am beginning to think a lot of heartache comes from the way in which we choose to use our understanding.
And finally they are separated from life of God, I think I summed this up early the lack of understanding and the futility of the mind leads to a life separated from God. We let that suffice as explanation for now on this third observation Paul has of the none-Christian mind.
How does this apply to a Christian? I think the hardness of the heart is a condition that many Christians suffer from; we have become callous as the later words of Paul say. Our minds are very important to our Christian life, Paul explains this to us here, he shows us that it is not only a change of the heart but of the mind, that is what make s us different form the gentiles.
A change of the mind brings assurance, our faith becomes more than emotion that changes every up and down in our lives. God in his magnificent grace helped me too realize that without a change of my mind I will be useless in life. I will be on rollercoaster that zaps the joy out of my soul. I will rely on youth camp highs that fade, on the opinion of other people and other people’s confusion will affect my soul. It isn’t supposed to be that way. I have allowed it to be that way. I apologize to one very special friend who I neglected severely in one of their biggest times of need. I see how easily Satan can jack with your ministry and your joy. The prevention of this is a mind change no longer dwelling on the things of this world, not taking the easy way, or being in the of but on God, allowing him to change and renew my mind.