Ever feel like you're at a cross road in life and you need to make some major decisions that will determine the outcome of your future. Yeah I'm there. I wish there was some sort of logic I could put this equation of a life into and it would pop out the most logical answer and we would take it. But as I've found if I'm able to accomplish whatever it is on my own then God seems to go the other direction. Which makes sense because if I could do it then why would I need God, right? Well we're "home" over winter in Kalamazoo, MI. I can't say it's one of my most favorite places to be but it's "home" for now.
I've found myself with a lot of time on my hands as I search for a job until February. In that free time I seem to be taking a step back in my life and analyzing what seems to be most important in life: Car, House, Job, Family...Jesus. It's interesting because at first I thought of the first things on my short list then Jesus. But as I'm waking up when I want and accomplishing the little tasks that make the house run and my wife happy, I'm finding more and more that first part of the list is seeming to fade and Jesus is becoming more and more the entire list! I know that sounds cheesy and very much a preacher answer, however it's true. I am not fixed on income (although it's nice to have), a house, cars, starting a family. Rather I'm finding myself looking more towards the Savior who laid His life down for me.
Now don't get me wrong it's not as though I was not fixing myself on Jesus before, but it just seems to be that I am wanting MORE. I find myself often in the company of men and women who know the scripture much better than me and seem to be very intelligent. I'm not saying that I'm a dumb man or even middle of the road, I'm smart. Not brilliant, but smart, smart enough to realize when I want MORE of something for the right reason.
I'm finding that I'm wanting more of Jesus in my life because I want my relationship with Him to grow. I want to be more sensitive of His voice. I want to know when He's speaking to me and when it's Satan. I want to know where He is wanting me to go and what He is wanting me to do. I am wanting more of that and I know that the only way to grow deeper with Him is to read scripture, pray, search for answers not because of a study, or because of a sermon. But because I want to know Him more.
I want to be able to see Jesus in the falling snow, blades of grass, in the wind and all the natural beauties that are around me all the time. I want to be able to see Jesus in every aspect of my life and take the time to do that. When is the last time you stopped to smell the roses, not for the smell, but to smell what He might smell like in them? When is the last time you stopped to watch the sunset or sunrise to see what was created by God in the beginning? Let's take time to realize these things and to have a want inside of us that yearns for Jesus because you want your relationship to be better.
Mind you everything I've said above is a late night/early morning rant and I'm probably going to be after this, but it's my heart and it's out there. Bottom line is that I love Jesus and want to love Him more. Would you join me in this effort to love Jesus like you've never loved Him before?
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Planes, Trains and Automobiles Part 2
So we get on the train in Fargo but not before we were unable to bring all of our things we had packed with us. We also found out that the train going to Cincinnati didn't allow for checked bags so the bigger things we would take with us wouldn't be able to make the entire trip. So we ended up with the plan to take the train to Chicago, after rearranging things, and then get a rental car in Chicago and drive back. Well while we were on the train I called to check and see how much it would be to drive back and it was something crazy like over 2,000. So we booked a flight from Chicago to Nashville, then Nashville to Columbus. Now there is a direct flight from Chicago however we couldn't get that one because we wanted to make sure we actually got on the flight and it was leaving earlier. So as we arrive in Chicago off the train of interesting people from a room that a man of my size should never sleep in. We got a taxi which was the most normal thing of the trip because nothing really went crazy with it. We arrived at the airport and while we were at the ticket counter the lady made sure that we were going to go through since there was an outside chance that we would not get on the flight. As we got on the plane I am normally scared to death of flying but this time I was so tired I just didn't care.
Ok so this has taken long enough to end. We got home, got a rental and then bought our minivan and lived happily ever after. So now it's done and I can move on to more important blogs, with more important topics like say...Jesus!!
Ok so this has taken long enough to end. We got home, got a rental and then bought our minivan and lived happily ever after. So now it's done and I can move on to more important blogs, with more important topics like say...Jesus!!
Friday, August 14, 2009
Planes, Trains and Automobiles Part 1
So after a crazy good camp in Crystal Springs, ND we were staying with Scot and Crystal in Valley City, ND. We were going to leave on Saturday at around 6 or so in the a.m. to head to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore to camp. Now when we're leaving at 5:50 a.m., on a Saturday, in Valley City, ND we got hit from a guy running a stop sign!! THE ONLY DRIVER IN VALLEY CITY, ND, POSSIBLY THE ENTIRE STATE FOUND THE SIDE OF OUR CAR WITH HIS!!!
It was kinda interesting because we had just prayed for traveling mercies and for God to watch out for us and then not even 5 minutes later we got hit. We are both ok (at least from the accident), however my car Rosie is not. She was totaled and now resides in North Dakota somewhere. I'll have to say she was a great car and did everything that we wanted her to do.
So as we were gathering what to do in the midst of the craziness of getting hit that early we were lucky that we were only about 12 blocks from our good buddy Scot's house. So we texted him but got nothing, which we shouldn't have at 5:50 in the AM. So the policeman drove around the corner and got his pickup truck and drove us and our entire car full of stuff to Scot and Crystal's house. Where we proceeded to make home base for the next weekend.
Now in normal cities the auto body shop would be wide open on a Saturday...however in Valley City, ND there is no auto body shop open on Saturdays. So the fun continues. So we contacted out insurance company about the whole thing and the waiting began. We couldn't do anything since there would not be anybody available til Monday morning. Oh and did I mention that Scot gave us a cold?? Well it might have been somebody from camp, but it's more fun to say it was Scot.
So as we're feeling like death and looking not that far behind I got a call from the local pastor to preach at Valley City First Church of the Nazarene. Which I gladly accepted because I love to preach...so it worked out well. So as we're waiting on Sunday we are trying to formulate a plan that makes sense and won't cost an arm and a leg. We checked on rentals out of Fargo, but that would be a ridiculous amount of money for the time and miles we needed the car. They were going to charge something like $2 a mile outside the region for us to use it. Um I don't think so considering we're driving 18 hours away.
So as Monday morning rolled around we are trying to figure out what to do not only to get us home, but our entire car full of stuff home as well. Mindy found that Amtrak would be a good option and that they would let us take 3 checked bags and 2 carry-ons, which we would probably be able to do. We told both insurance companies that was what we were going to finally do. This train departed at 2:30 in the morning so we had to ask Scot how good of friends we were considering we would need a ride at about midnight so we could get to Fargo on time. The train we were taking would be from Fargo to Chicago, then Chicago to Cincinnati...so we thought...
It was kinda interesting because we had just prayed for traveling mercies and for God to watch out for us and then not even 5 minutes later we got hit. We are both ok (at least from the accident), however my car Rosie is not. She was totaled and now resides in North Dakota somewhere. I'll have to say she was a great car and did everything that we wanted her to do.
So as we were gathering what to do in the midst of the craziness of getting hit that early we were lucky that we were only about 12 blocks from our good buddy Scot's house. So we texted him but got nothing, which we shouldn't have at 5:50 in the AM. So the policeman drove around the corner and got his pickup truck and drove us and our entire car full of stuff to Scot and Crystal's house. Where we proceeded to make home base for the next weekend.
Now in normal cities the auto body shop would be wide open on a Saturday...however in Valley City, ND there is no auto body shop open on Saturdays. So the fun continues. So we contacted out insurance company about the whole thing and the waiting began. We couldn't do anything since there would not be anybody available til Monday morning. Oh and did I mention that Scot gave us a cold?? Well it might have been somebody from camp, but it's more fun to say it was Scot.
So as we're feeling like death and looking not that far behind I got a call from the local pastor to preach at Valley City First Church of the Nazarene. Which I gladly accepted because I love to preach...so it worked out well. So as we're waiting on Sunday we are trying to formulate a plan that makes sense and won't cost an arm and a leg. We checked on rentals out of Fargo, but that would be a ridiculous amount of money for the time and miles we needed the car. They were going to charge something like $2 a mile outside the region for us to use it. Um I don't think so considering we're driving 18 hours away.
So as Monday morning rolled around we are trying to figure out what to do not only to get us home, but our entire car full of stuff home as well. Mindy found that Amtrak would be a good option and that they would let us take 3 checked bags and 2 carry-ons, which we would probably be able to do. We told both insurance companies that was what we were going to finally do. This train departed at 2:30 in the morning so we had to ask Scot how good of friends we were considering we would need a ride at about midnight so we could get to Fargo on time. The train we were taking would be from Fargo to Chicago, then Chicago to Cincinnati...so we thought...
Thursday, August 6, 2009
The Spirit Moves on the Dakota Teen Camp
So this past week has been crazy awesome as far as camps go! It has been such a good week for the movement of the Spirit. There is a sense of openness about the kids and counselors there that was incredible. The first night was good and there were a few kids that responded.
The second night came and the altars were flooded and even if the kids didn't come to the altar they were responding in their seats. I did not want to squash the movement of the Spirit so I would not say a closing prayer and end it. I would step in and pray for a continuation of what was going on every once and a while and battles were won, victories claimed and Satan lost that night for sure! Just when you think that night couldn't get any better one of the counselors felt the Lord impressing upon him that we should have a baptism service right then and there! Since there was a lake and we had ministers there we obeyed. That night 26 counselors and kids were baptized and it was a tremendous act of Christ upon us! We were excited to see what else God had in store with us!
The third night Jesus wasn't finished with what work He had started. The altars were so filled that you could hardly walk through to the stage. We did not leave the service until around 11:30 p.m. We were excited for what Jesus had for us the last night and couldn't hardly hold the anticipation!
The last night we had a sorta open mic thing where people could get up and tell how God is working in their life or something that happened at camp. It was very interesting to see how God was molding the teens and counselors. We all loved to hear the stories that were told and how somebody else's story sparked a memory. We had worship and I did not get up to preach until 11 p.m. I can truly say that's the latest I have ever stepped into the pulpit. I preached and gave the invitation to respond and they did! We did not leave the service that started at 8:30 until around 1 a.m. It was incredible and I can look back at the Dakota Teen Camp as a milestone of my life and how the Spirit moved upon the open hearts of a generation! What A Jesus!!
The second night came and the altars were flooded and even if the kids didn't come to the altar they were responding in their seats. I did not want to squash the movement of the Spirit so I would not say a closing prayer and end it. I would step in and pray for a continuation of what was going on every once and a while and battles were won, victories claimed and Satan lost that night for sure! Just when you think that night couldn't get any better one of the counselors felt the Lord impressing upon him that we should have a baptism service right then and there! Since there was a lake and we had ministers there we obeyed. That night 26 counselors and kids were baptized and it was a tremendous act of Christ upon us! We were excited to see what else God had in store with us!
The third night Jesus wasn't finished with what work He had started. The altars were so filled that you could hardly walk through to the stage. We did not leave the service until around 11:30 p.m. We were excited for what Jesus had for us the last night and couldn't hardly hold the anticipation!
The last night we had a sorta open mic thing where people could get up and tell how God is working in their life or something that happened at camp. It was very interesting to see how God was molding the teens and counselors. We all loved to hear the stories that were told and how somebody else's story sparked a memory. We had worship and I did not get up to preach until 11 p.m. I can truly say that's the latest I have ever stepped into the pulpit. I preached and gave the invitation to respond and they did! We did not leave the service that started at 8:30 until around 1 a.m. It was incredible and I can look back at the Dakota Teen Camp as a milestone of my life and how the Spirit moved upon the open hearts of a generation! What A Jesus!!
Friday, July 31, 2009
Open Air Preaching Part 2
...and then I preached.
Just kidding, I'll post the remainder of it tomorrow.
Just kidding, I'll post the remainder of it tomorrow.
Open Air Preaching Part 3
...the time got closer and closer and I had no sign of my friend and I was getting worried and starting to question the whole situation again. But there was just this reassurance of God speaking to me that if He says He will do something then He goes through with it. It was a calming feeling knowing that it was going to be Him speaking and not me although I was going to be the vessel His voice would be heard. As the clock struck 1 I looked up and there was my friend who had come down, I thought there would be others there by now that said they would come. However there was nobody besides him. As he approached me with his lunch box in hand and grin on his face I felt encouraged! The verse "Where there are two or more gathered in my name there will I be also." If nobody else was going come, we were going to have church!! We both went over to grab the pulpit and bring it over.
As I grabbed my Bible and watch I set it down on the pulpit and stood behind it and knew there was no turning back now! I was praying the entire time as my heart was about to beat out of my chest. I flipped open the Bible and as the pages made the noise that only Bible pages make when turned I knew I was in the absolute will of Christ. I read the verses and prayed for His Word to be anointed. I started in and had this hint of nervousness in my voice as I was just looking at my friend and basically talking to him and trying to be louder but the frog in my throat would not allow me to do it. I know I missed certain points that I normally would say, but they were more for the "enjoyment" of the congregation than the actual "meat" of the sermon. As time went along people started to come and gather around. I got a few Amens and the people who were there just tried to ignore it. However you could tell they were wondering what is this loud guy up here talking about.
I didn't want to come across as condemning, but at the same time I wanted to have the fire and unction of God's word on my tongue. As I continued on in my sermon I began to have the frog in my throat go away and spoke with authority and boldness, not of myself but of God. I noticed that the crowd began to grow and the quote that I heard over and over in my head was "You never have to advertise a fire." from Leonard Ravenhill. I didn't notice the exact number of people that were there but if I were to guesstimate it I would say around 30-35 people were there. As I was preaching the feeling of nervousness left and as I entered into the closing prayer I knew that God had been there and spoke because I was moved inside as well.
After I finished up saying the prayer the people who were there clapped and seemed as though they were saying "it's about time." I walked over to my buddy who was there and we both smiled. I gathered my things that I had brought down and a couple of people came over and shook my hand and told me "Thank You." Then the security guard came over to me and in a very stern tone said, "As much as I enjoyed that, you can never preach here again." To which I replied, "Well you don't have to worry about that because I'm outta here in 2 days." I kinda felt like Wesley for a brief moment. Although nobody threw rocks or a brick at me lol. I went up to my cube and put my things away and just relaxed as I was exhausted.
I was talking with a guy that was there and a friend of my buddy and he was telling me that he was talking with the security guard and she was there about half way through the sermon and could have gone up at any moment and tried to stop me. She had started up there to say something and froze when he said that I had freedom of speech. She had mentioned something at the end of the sermon about letting me finish but I was not sure what she was talking about. I am sure that she was supposed to come in and stop me right away but the power of God so descended upon that place that she was paralyzed and speechless. So God had allowed me to finish and declare His word. What a Jesus!
As I look back on this experience I realize that if God calls and we answer that no matter how uncomfortable it makes us feel that He will take care of the details. I am not sure if anybody received Christ that day but I do know that seeds were planted. My friend went to get some veggies after it was all over and people were talking how some guy was in there preaching the gospel. My friend piped in and said yes he did and you should have been there. I hope and pray that this starts something at Chase whether it be a movement or just thoughts just as long as it drew some closer to Christ. May Jesus be glorified in all we do!!! I never thought I would see the day where I would open air preach at Chase, but again I'll say it, Christ called and I answered. I pray you answer any call in your life that He is putting upon you!
As I grabbed my Bible and watch I set it down on the pulpit and stood behind it and knew there was no turning back now! I was praying the entire time as my heart was about to beat out of my chest. I flipped open the Bible and as the pages made the noise that only Bible pages make when turned I knew I was in the absolute will of Christ. I read the verses and prayed for His Word to be anointed. I started in and had this hint of nervousness in my voice as I was just looking at my friend and basically talking to him and trying to be louder but the frog in my throat would not allow me to do it. I know I missed certain points that I normally would say, but they were more for the "enjoyment" of the congregation than the actual "meat" of the sermon. As time went along people started to come and gather around. I got a few Amens and the people who were there just tried to ignore it. However you could tell they were wondering what is this loud guy up here talking about.
I didn't want to come across as condemning, but at the same time I wanted to have the fire and unction of God's word on my tongue. As I continued on in my sermon I began to have the frog in my throat go away and spoke with authority and boldness, not of myself but of God. I noticed that the crowd began to grow and the quote that I heard over and over in my head was "You never have to advertise a fire." from Leonard Ravenhill. I didn't notice the exact number of people that were there but if I were to guesstimate it I would say around 30-35 people were there. As I was preaching the feeling of nervousness left and as I entered into the closing prayer I knew that God had been there and spoke because I was moved inside as well.
After I finished up saying the prayer the people who were there clapped and seemed as though they were saying "it's about time." I walked over to my buddy who was there and we both smiled. I gathered my things that I had brought down and a couple of people came over and shook my hand and told me "Thank You." Then the security guard came over to me and in a very stern tone said, "As much as I enjoyed that, you can never preach here again." To which I replied, "Well you don't have to worry about that because I'm outta here in 2 days." I kinda felt like Wesley for a brief moment. Although nobody threw rocks or a brick at me lol. I went up to my cube and put my things away and just relaxed as I was exhausted.
I was talking with a guy that was there and a friend of my buddy and he was telling me that he was talking with the security guard and she was there about half way through the sermon and could have gone up at any moment and tried to stop me. She had started up there to say something and froze when he said that I had freedom of speech. She had mentioned something at the end of the sermon about letting me finish but I was not sure what she was talking about. I am sure that she was supposed to come in and stop me right away but the power of God so descended upon that place that she was paralyzed and speechless. So God had allowed me to finish and declare His word. What a Jesus!
As I look back on this experience I realize that if God calls and we answer that no matter how uncomfortable it makes us feel that He will take care of the details. I am not sure if anybody received Christ that day but I do know that seeds were planted. My friend went to get some veggies after it was all over and people were talking how some guy was in there preaching the gospel. My friend piped in and said yes he did and you should have been there. I hope and pray that this starts something at Chase whether it be a movement or just thoughts just as long as it drew some closer to Christ. May Jesus be glorified in all we do!!! I never thought I would see the day where I would open air preach at Chase, but again I'll say it, Christ called and I answered. I pray you answer any call in your life that He is putting upon you!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Open Air Preaching Part 1
Well at Chase today at 1 o'clock something out of the ordinary happened. There was a sermon preached in the back of the cafeteria by the big screen TVs. That somebody was me. I had wanted to preach in the "open air" for quite some time, but didn't know when and where to do it. Well since my last day at Chase is on August 1st (in two days) I figured why not? What is the worst they could do to me, ask me not to do it, or tell me to leave? I'm already leaving so I wasn't too worried. This is a rare thing that anybody preaches, in fact I've never seen anybody do it in my five years of working here. I've never seen so much as a Bible Study at Chase. So needless to say it was something that was WAY outside my comfort box, but if God calls you have to answer.
So I had planned on doing it today at 1 p.m. and had told some people but not advertised a lot since I knew they would have security or something there to try and stop me. I had a good friend of mine try and tell as many people as he knew that were Christians to come down. So he let them know the time and place and I let a few people know. We had been planning this for over a month and were very excited about it. I know several people were kind of questioning whether or not I would actually do it and one of the biggest doubters was myself. It was a bold move and you just don't see "open air preachers" anymore. I was not sure how the message would be received but I knew I had to do it. Besides, it's not job to convict, or make you receive the message, but rather to present it.
So as I woke up this morning I knew that it was the day and had been praying the night before for a divine movement of God. I wanted more than anything for Jesus to be seen and heard. While I was at work and watching the minutes turn to hours and the hours roll away I began to question whether or not I was really supposed to do this. I prayed, "God are you sure about this? I mean it is a really bold move, maybe we could do something more subtle but still get the message across. I mean some people are questioning whether or not it is the right thing to do..." I just kept getting the same feeling and response from Him, that I was not to concern myself with what men think or want, but rather to concern myself with what He wants.
My good friend and I went down in the morning and had scoped out what would be the best place to preach. We had said that the sides would more than likely be the best. I was going to get the pulpit that was there and pull it over to the side and start preaching. So the plan was set and I was ready to go. I went back upstairs and worked while watching the clock and it reached 12:30 p.m. and I headed down to sit and pray over the area I was going to preach at and make sure we got seats close to where the pulpit was going to be. As I went down there the cafeteria was packed and the TVs were turned up loud with the news. I sat there and opened my Bible to the text I was going to preach from and took out my sermon notes and looked over them one more time and prayed. I prayed for the Holy Spirit to prepare the hearts of those who were going to be there, my heart and for His word to be heard...
So I had planned on doing it today at 1 p.m. and had told some people but not advertised a lot since I knew they would have security or something there to try and stop me. I had a good friend of mine try and tell as many people as he knew that were Christians to come down. So he let them know the time and place and I let a few people know. We had been planning this for over a month and were very excited about it. I know several people were kind of questioning whether or not I would actually do it and one of the biggest doubters was myself. It was a bold move and you just don't see "open air preachers" anymore. I was not sure how the message would be received but I knew I had to do it. Besides, it's not job to convict, or make you receive the message, but rather to present it.
So as I woke up this morning I knew that it was the day and had been praying the night before for a divine movement of God. I wanted more than anything for Jesus to be seen and heard. While I was at work and watching the minutes turn to hours and the hours roll away I began to question whether or not I was really supposed to do this. I prayed, "God are you sure about this? I mean it is a really bold move, maybe we could do something more subtle but still get the message across. I mean some people are questioning whether or not it is the right thing to do..." I just kept getting the same feeling and response from Him, that I was not to concern myself with what men think or want, but rather to concern myself with what He wants.
My good friend and I went down in the morning and had scoped out what would be the best place to preach. We had said that the sides would more than likely be the best. I was going to get the pulpit that was there and pull it over to the side and start preaching. So the plan was set and I was ready to go. I went back upstairs and worked while watching the clock and it reached 12:30 p.m. and I headed down to sit and pray over the area I was going to preach at and make sure we got seats close to where the pulpit was going to be. As I went down there the cafeteria was packed and the TVs were turned up loud with the news. I sat there and opened my Bible to the text I was going to preach from and took out my sermon notes and looked over them one more time and prayed. I prayed for the Holy Spirit to prepare the hearts of those who were going to be there, my heart and for His word to be heard...
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Chase Is Getting Jesus!
So this coming Thursday I'm going to be preaching in the cafeteria of Chase Bank. This is where about 3,000 people generally eat. Not all at once but it is the cafeteria where they can go. I'm excited and anxious to see what happens. I do not plan on holding anything back when I preach just because of my surroundings. I'm praying for clarity on what sermon to preach. I don't care which it is, I just want people to hear Jesus. I'm going to be doing this at 1 EST on 7/30/09 so if you think of it pray for Jesus to bring His consuming fire! I have been praying for quite some time about this and feel that this is the perfect opportunity. I just hope that Christ will be revealed in and through this. I have some Christian friends here at work and they're excited and hoping that something will spark and start something. So I ask that you pray and pray without ceasing!! We are asking Holy Spirit Fire to come down upon us and consume anything that is not of Jesus. I will write something afterwards to let you know how things went. May you be heard, seen, felt, and known Jesus!!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
What to Pray For
As we are preparing to take our leap of faith into full time itinerant evangelism I am being asked what can people pray for us for. As I thought of this question a list began to form in my head:
Safe Travels
Money
Meetings
Safety
Comfort
Peace
Joy
Happiness
Good Crowds
Excellent Services
Great Internet Cafes
Good Communication (you try riding with somebody from Illinois to Maine and not kill them)
and the list could go on.
But as I thought about each of these I noticed a common theme with them. They are all very selfish requests and requests about Me and Mindy. Although I do want these things I don't want them to get in the place of Jesus. If anything comes before Christ in my life then it's sin. I don't want to sin nor do I want people to sin while praying for me. So I guess I'm going to alter my prayer requests that we want. Here is the list:
1. Jesus
2. see # 1
3. see #2
4 see # 3
All I want people to pray for me is JESUS!! Jesus will provide the first list if I seek Him and if He doesn't then i don't want it anyway. I want Him and Him alone. It says in Matthew 6:33 that we're to seek God's Kingdom FIRST and then the rest of the stuff will be added. Now it seems to me that the focus of our life needs not to be on our Santa Claus prayer list, but rather we should be single minded and have one focus...JESUS. If we do that then God will take care of the rest, but if we focus on the other things then we are living for ourselves. We are living for the second part of the verse.
So my request is not that you pray for list # 1, but rather that you pray for list TWO. List two may have trouble, toil, tribulation in it, but I don't care. I want to be stretched and grown in Jesus and how do you think I'll do that?? It's never an easy prayer to pray however we must if we are to grow.
May I pray, live, eat, breath, speak, sleep all for Jesus!!! Jesus must be the focal point of our lives!!!
Safe Travels
Money
Meetings
Safety
Comfort
Peace
Joy
Happiness
Good Crowds
Excellent Services
Great Internet Cafes
Good Communication (you try riding with somebody from Illinois to Maine and not kill them)
and the list could go on.
But as I thought about each of these I noticed a common theme with them. They are all very selfish requests and requests about Me and Mindy. Although I do want these things I don't want them to get in the place of Jesus. If anything comes before Christ in my life then it's sin. I don't want to sin nor do I want people to sin while praying for me. So I guess I'm going to alter my prayer requests that we want. Here is the list:
1. Jesus
2. see # 1
3. see #2
4 see # 3
All I want people to pray for me is JESUS!! Jesus will provide the first list if I seek Him and if He doesn't then i don't want it anyway. I want Him and Him alone. It says in Matthew 6:33 that we're to seek God's Kingdom FIRST and then the rest of the stuff will be added. Now it seems to me that the focus of our life needs not to be on our Santa Claus prayer list, but rather we should be single minded and have one focus...JESUS. If we do that then God will take care of the rest, but if we focus on the other things then we are living for ourselves. We are living for the second part of the verse.
Solomon didn't pray for riches, wives and everything he had. He prayed for wisdom, and the filling of the Holy Spirit. Then God seeing that he was not being selfish gave him all of the riches and wives he had. He made him known through all the world. Obviously I am not wanting riches or wives (I would go nuts with more than one!). But I am wanting the wisdom of God FIRST!
So my request is not that you pray for list # 1, but rather that you pray for list TWO. List two may have trouble, toil, tribulation in it, but I don't care. I want to be stretched and grown in Jesus and how do you think I'll do that?? It's never an easy prayer to pray however we must if we are to grow.
May I pray, live, eat, breath, speak, sleep all for Jesus!!! Jesus must be the focal point of our lives!!!
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Mourning, Rejoicing, and Everything in Between
So last week I was the speaker at a teen camp and it was awesome! I saw some guys I went to college with and it turns out they love Jesus now too. It was really funny because we all said we were jerks in college but all seem to want to be friends now. So that was pretty awesome. The food was pretty good there and everybody at the camp was so friendly.
There was this one activity called Dorm or Dump of the Day. We would go into each room and determine whether or not it had a chance for Dorm or Dump of the Day. Now the criteria was 1. Temperature 2. Odor 3. Organization 4. Bribe. Now the most important part of it was really the bribe, they could leave behind $, snacks, soda, or whatever for this bribe. So the bribe could push you from being so so to winning. Now if you were the dorm of the day then you got to go through the lunch line first, but if you were dump of the day you had to go and clean your room before you could go eat. So it was pretty fun.
In the mornings I did sort of a narrative character study sort of thing. I told the stories of Elijah, Noah, Abraham, and Moses. It was an interesting time and a little out of my comfort box because I am an expository preacher. So it forced me to take a different angle which was a good thing and I feel as though I grew from it. The kids seemed to like it because of the costumes I had on during it. I told the stories in the first person and it was interesting to try and get into the mindset of each one. I even grew my beard out, which I still need to cut off since it itches. Mindy had a good idea that I should have done, but to put baby powder on my hair and beard to look like an old man. That would have been awesome for Noah especially!
I preached twice and about sweat through my clothes completely while doing it. I don't know what it is but I seem to sweat a ton, even if I'm not doing something active. I even used to sweat a lot when I was skinny. I must have large pores lol. The other nights I didn't preach we went to Logan Campground to hear Billy Huddleston and a missionary speaker from Ukraine. Both very good and I am pretty sure the teens liked them. There was a good response every service and I was so happy about that!
Well it was Friday about midday and we got word that one of the teens, Jake Walls, had fallen while doing the hiking elective. We were not sure of how bad it was and we just thought it was like a broken bone or something, but it turned out it was way worse than that. He was up on a large rock about 50 ft and fell. He was unconscious but his breathing and heartbeat was strong on his own. Well the guy who was heading up the hiking elective is a fire fighter and an EMT. He was at the back of the line to make sure nobody fell behind and once Jake fell he was the first one there. The wierd thing is that everybody in front of him never saw him go past them, but yet he was there already when they came down the trail. He said he just went down the trail. God was at work.
They took him to a local hospital and worked on him there, but realized they needed to transport him to Children's Hospital in Columbus. They put him into an ambulance after doing 3 transfusions on him and gave them 3 more to do on the way there. I'm pretty sure your entire body only has 6 total transfusions. They were able to reach the hospital but shortly after he passed away.
It was a sad day as we had to tell the youth group from our church this news and be there for comforting. I wanted to cry too, however I knew in this circumstance I needed to be the strong one. It was amazing how strong some of them were though, one boy in particular spoke up after about 1 minute and said "Guys. He's with Jesus." Wow, I know I would not have thought to say that as soon as he did if my best friend died. The campus we were on had a somber tone to it as all of the students sort of realized that he was only 15 and that was too close to their age to ignore. Earlier on that week he had lead a girl from the youth group to Jesus and testified that God was calling him to do something. He said that he didn't know why God would use him and how he felt so unworthy of such a calling.
We had several grief counselors come and helped the teens from the youth group walk through some emotions that were going on. Then we had everybody get together in the chapel and the grief counselor walked all of the kids through what had gone on with the kids from our youth group. Then we opened up the altar to anybody who needed to pray, cry, or whatever. They were so flooded you couldn't even reach the platform. It was good because you could tell they needed to release some of the stuff that was built up inside. Well at the end of that we took the teens from our youth group home to be with their parents.
It was a tough day from the point we found out on. We prayed so much for Jake and his parents and the teens who were close friends of his. I think one of the hardest things was not knowing what was going on. But then again at the same time I was one of the first ones that knew anything. I don't know which was worst, knowing and having to not tell, or not knowing and wanting to. Either way it was a horrible day. As I step back and look at it though I know God has a plan. I may not always know the plan He has, however I do know that it is perfect. I do love the fact that in his last days Jake was leading people to Christ. I would love to be remembered like that.
Please pray for the families involved, the counselors that were there, the teens, camp directors, and pretty much everybody at the camp. We need your prayers as we work through this and process what happened. It is sad to have a life so young, 15, taken, but if it is what God wants then I cannot fight that. I hope that the kids will take a life lesson out of this that life is fragile, and we never are promised our next moment. We must live accordingly.
There was this one activity called Dorm or Dump of the Day. We would go into each room and determine whether or not it had a chance for Dorm or Dump of the Day. Now the criteria was 1. Temperature 2. Odor 3. Organization 4. Bribe. Now the most important part of it was really the bribe, they could leave behind $, snacks, soda, or whatever for this bribe. So the bribe could push you from being so so to winning. Now if you were the dorm of the day then you got to go through the lunch line first, but if you were dump of the day you had to go and clean your room before you could go eat. So it was pretty fun.
In the mornings I did sort of a narrative character study sort of thing. I told the stories of Elijah, Noah, Abraham, and Moses. It was an interesting time and a little out of my comfort box because I am an expository preacher. So it forced me to take a different angle which was a good thing and I feel as though I grew from it. The kids seemed to like it because of the costumes I had on during it. I told the stories in the first person and it was interesting to try and get into the mindset of each one. I even grew my beard out, which I still need to cut off since it itches. Mindy had a good idea that I should have done, but to put baby powder on my hair and beard to look like an old man. That would have been awesome for Noah especially!
I preached twice and about sweat through my clothes completely while doing it. I don't know what it is but I seem to sweat a ton, even if I'm not doing something active. I even used to sweat a lot when I was skinny. I must have large pores lol. The other nights I didn't preach we went to Logan Campground to hear Billy Huddleston and a missionary speaker from Ukraine. Both very good and I am pretty sure the teens liked them. There was a good response every service and I was so happy about that!
Well it was Friday about midday and we got word that one of the teens, Jake Walls, had fallen while doing the hiking elective. We were not sure of how bad it was and we just thought it was like a broken bone or something, but it turned out it was way worse than that. He was up on a large rock about 50 ft and fell. He was unconscious but his breathing and heartbeat was strong on his own. Well the guy who was heading up the hiking elective is a fire fighter and an EMT. He was at the back of the line to make sure nobody fell behind and once Jake fell he was the first one there. The wierd thing is that everybody in front of him never saw him go past them, but yet he was there already when they came down the trail. He said he just went down the trail. God was at work.
They took him to a local hospital and worked on him there, but realized they needed to transport him to Children's Hospital in Columbus. They put him into an ambulance after doing 3 transfusions on him and gave them 3 more to do on the way there. I'm pretty sure your entire body only has 6 total transfusions. They were able to reach the hospital but shortly after he passed away.
It was a sad day as we had to tell the youth group from our church this news and be there for comforting. I wanted to cry too, however I knew in this circumstance I needed to be the strong one. It was amazing how strong some of them were though, one boy in particular spoke up after about 1 minute and said "Guys. He's with Jesus." Wow, I know I would not have thought to say that as soon as he did if my best friend died. The campus we were on had a somber tone to it as all of the students sort of realized that he was only 15 and that was too close to their age to ignore. Earlier on that week he had lead a girl from the youth group to Jesus and testified that God was calling him to do something. He said that he didn't know why God would use him and how he felt so unworthy of such a calling.
We had several grief counselors come and helped the teens from the youth group walk through some emotions that were going on. Then we had everybody get together in the chapel and the grief counselor walked all of the kids through what had gone on with the kids from our youth group. Then we opened up the altar to anybody who needed to pray, cry, or whatever. They were so flooded you couldn't even reach the platform. It was good because you could tell they needed to release some of the stuff that was built up inside. Well at the end of that we took the teens from our youth group home to be with their parents.
It was a tough day from the point we found out on. We prayed so much for Jake and his parents and the teens who were close friends of his. I think one of the hardest things was not knowing what was going on. But then again at the same time I was one of the first ones that knew anything. I don't know which was worst, knowing and having to not tell, or not knowing and wanting to. Either way it was a horrible day. As I step back and look at it though I know God has a plan. I may not always know the plan He has, however I do know that it is perfect. I do love the fact that in his last days Jake was leading people to Christ. I would love to be remembered like that.
Please pray for the families involved, the counselors that were there, the teens, camp directors, and pretty much everybody at the camp. We need your prayers as we work through this and process what happened. It is sad to have a life so young, 15, taken, but if it is what God wants then I cannot fight that. I hope that the kids will take a life lesson out of this that life is fragile, and we never are promised our next moment. We must live accordingly.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Letter of Resignation
Well today I gave my letter of resignation to my boss and it felt pretty good. I have been waiting for around 3 years or so to finally fulfill God's call on my life into itinerant evangelism. I am excited as my wife and I will pursue His will and will be stretched and grown into what He wants us to be. I'll put my actual letter I gave her below. Please keep us in your prayers that God will move and reveal Himself to us!
7/6/09
Chase Bank 3415 Vision Drive Columbus, OH, 43219
Dear Mrs. Sanders:
I regret to inform you that I am resigning from my position as Default Reconciliation Senior Analyst for Chase Bank. My last day of employment will be August 1, 2009.
I will be pursuing my call to itinerant evangelism and look forward to the new chapter of my life, even though I will miss my job and Chase Bank.
In Acts 20:23-24 it says “I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given to me-the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.” I must pursue this even though tough times are facing me because of the unique and distinct call upon my life. I pray that you will do the same in your life because He is holy and worthy to be praised.
Thank you for the support and the opportunities that you have provided me during the last few years. I have enjoyed my tenure with the company.
I wish you and the company all the best. I do hope our paths cross again in the future.
Sincerely,
Nicholas B. Jones
7/6/09
Chase Bank 3415 Vision Drive Columbus, OH, 43219
Dear Mrs. Sanders:
I regret to inform you that I am resigning from my position as Default Reconciliation Senior Analyst for Chase Bank. My last day of employment will be August 1, 2009.
I will be pursuing my call to itinerant evangelism and look forward to the new chapter of my life, even though I will miss my job and Chase Bank.
In Acts 20:23-24 it says “I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given to me-the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.” I must pursue this even though tough times are facing me because of the unique and distinct call upon my life. I pray that you will do the same in your life because He is holy and worthy to be praised.
Thank you for the support and the opportunities that you have provided me during the last few years. I have enjoyed my tenure with the company.
I wish you and the company all the best. I do hope our paths cross again in the future.
Sincerely,
Nicholas B. Jones
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Update on Life
Mindy and I are getting ready to take not just a step, but rather a leap of faith. She will be quitting her job as will I and we will be going full time in iterant evangelism in August. It is exciting and we are anxious to follow God’s will. We know that He will provide and we are eager to see how that is fleshed out. We are thankful for everybody involved with CSIM and the encouragement and support that they provide us as we answer the call on our life. We have both grown in Jesus and been stretched and molded to look more and more like Him. We will pursue Him with every mile we drive, sermon we preach, and prayer that we pray.
Tremendous things have been happening in the revival meetings that have been held. One in particular the Spirit so descended upon the place that once the altar call was over people did not want to leave. We then began to sing songs to Jesus for an hour and a half after the service was normally over. Another church experienced the true meaning of community when revival happened and the entire church got in on it. Lives were changed, souls were won, and morale renewed, Jesus was revealed.
Please pray that throughout the next chapters of our life God will continue to stir us in a unique way. We want nothing more than to reflect Him in our words and also in our lifestyle.
To follow where we are at and the movement of God in our lives visit www.pilotministries.com
Tremendous things have been happening in the revival meetings that have been held. One in particular the Spirit so descended upon the place that once the altar call was over people did not want to leave. We then began to sing songs to Jesus for an hour and a half after the service was normally over. Another church experienced the true meaning of community when revival happened and the entire church got in on it. Lives were changed, souls were won, and morale renewed, Jesus was revealed.
Please pray that throughout the next chapters of our life God will continue to stir us in a unique way. We want nothing more than to reflect Him in our words and also in our lifestyle.
To follow where we are at and the movement of God in our lives visit www.pilotministries.com
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Desensitized
I was recently asked a question..."Are the hearers of these words being desensitized to the impact that is capable if only they would listen to the words?"
This was my answer to this question:
I think that too often we play church and seem to go through the motions. It is as though we are putting on a show on Sunday morning and everything has to be just perfect. However this says to me that the Holy Spirit can move as long as He follows the schedule. We have seemed to get off track with allowing the Spirit to move, not only in the way we worship, but also in the way we preach. We have become wimpy preachers and don't allow God to speak Truth to our people. We try to soften up the raw Truth that the scripture is. There is no unction or conviction when we preach. So are the hearers of The Word becoming desensitized? Well yes, but at the same time we are allowing them to become that way. I would love to be in a service where the Spirit actually moved and nothing went according to plan. That would be truly awesome and unfortunately it's seldom seen. I obviously am getting worked up about this, however this is the kind of stuff that matters to me, I want to hear Truth and have my toes stepped all over. I want conviction in my life, and I don't want to come on Sunday to hear a sermon about God. Rather I want to come on Sunday to meet God face to face. May the speakers of The Word not become desensitized to Him and may the hearers of The Word never stop seeking His face.
This was my answer to this question:
I think that too often we play church and seem to go through the motions. It is as though we are putting on a show on Sunday morning and everything has to be just perfect. However this says to me that the Holy Spirit can move as long as He follows the schedule. We have seemed to get off track with allowing the Spirit to move, not only in the way we worship, but also in the way we preach. We have become wimpy preachers and don't allow God to speak Truth to our people. We try to soften up the raw Truth that the scripture is. There is no unction or conviction when we preach. So are the hearers of The Word becoming desensitized? Well yes, but at the same time we are allowing them to become that way. I would love to be in a service where the Spirit actually moved and nothing went according to plan. That would be truly awesome and unfortunately it's seldom seen. I obviously am getting worked up about this, however this is the kind of stuff that matters to me, I want to hear Truth and have my toes stepped all over. I want conviction in my life, and I don't want to come on Sunday to hear a sermon about God. Rather I want to come on Sunday to meet God face to face. May the speakers of The Word not become desensitized to Him and may the hearers of The Word never stop seeking His face.
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