He Makes All Things New!

Okay so some of you have been waiting for this news, I promised I would share it but it had to be the right time. I am about to be married! Karyn Joy is going to be my bride and I get to be her husband!!! I realize that we are not young in age by numbers but don't tell us, because you would think we are about 30 years younger than we are! We are joyful people for sure, but when God delivered this immense blessing/miracle in our lives well, we are humbled and full of great thanksgiving.

Here is the scoop for those of you who do not know our story. We both have been married before and they did not end how either of us wanted. We met about 6 years ago and fell pretty much head over heels for each other! However, God is more concerned with making us holy than happy and we must have needed some extra doses of suffering to make that happen because over the course of these 6 years there have been job changes, career changes, financial hardships, health issues, and on again off again times with each other, but never a green light from God. I can honestly say that God spoke to me to not let go of two things. One was full time ministry and the other being Karyn. Neither of these were idols, and I can tell you there were some pretty raw and honest discussions, intense prayers sessions, times of fasting and digging deeply into God's word and holding on for dear life. We certainly made it our goal not to run ahead of God (dangerous)and not to lag behind Him (just as dangerous) but to walk in step with Him. Sometimes that means Him taking much away from us to truly get our un-divided attention and He did.

A passage from Psalm 71:20-21 describes my last 7 years or so..."Though you have made me see trials, many and bitter, you will restore my life again, you will bring me up from the depths and restore me to a place of honor once again." If you un-pack those verses they can be pretty hard to swallow but if you trust in Him and His deliverance than when you receive His promises well let's just say CELEBRATION!!!! "Every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father above!" We can't wait to be one, we can't wait to help each other know God better, serve Him, and help others discover God and His offer of salvation through Jesus. We can say for sure that the years of suffering were worth it for they truly brought us to many places of surrender. I can also say these years were worth it because Karyn is worth fighting for and because I believed God even when it looked like I should have given up and moved on. He clearly makes all things new!

I am now serving in a church I LOVE and I have the woman I would do anything for! Thank you God for discipline, faithfulness, just enough mercy for each day and grace in abundance!!

Staying in Shape or Getting in Shape

Confession time!! Got your interest didn't I? I was a highly competitive athlete for many years, wrestling from 4th grade all the way to the college level, I was a fairly good runner afterward and I have always stayed in pretty good shape. I laughed at those who said age would do funny things (bad) to you. Then it happened! I got way out of shape. There are reasons I can give but honestly they would be weak excuses and sad alibis. I moved from Florida and missed my favorite running and biking routes, I had no ocean nearby to swim in, and here in North Carolina there seems to be a law against shoulders on the sides of roads, so running and biking seems very dangerous. A day of lost exercise slipped to the next, I worked lots of hours at my new job and justified sitting in front of the TV after a long day. Then what to my wondering eyes appeared on my body but belly fat, atrophied muscles, sore joints and a core section that reeked of middle age!! For the first time in my life I can say I am overweight and out of shape. So what do I do with this new found, and much hated state I find myself in?

Spiritually speaking many can find themselves out of shape so to speak. It's not hard since we know that "we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against rulers, authorities and principalities of this dark and evil world." Ephesians 6:12. How do followers get out of spiritual strength/shape? Probably just as easy as I did physically. We get lazy, distracted, even bored, we stop looking for opportunities to share our faith with those we come in contact with, we stop being hungry for reading and applying the Word of God, and we end up "praying without ceasing" (a rather poor excuse we use) rather than making time for our "prayer closets" to have uninterrupted, passionate and intimate prayer time. Before you know it, it's been a long time since you last "met" with God and you have atrophied spiritually. You find your way into non-public sin and your soul has gone un-noticed and un-attended. But here is the great news!!!!

No one is beyond the outstretched arms of God. He is always there for you and I. It takes one step on our part, (surrender/repentance). Then it takes iron sharpening (see Proverbs 27:17) and before you know it the fire is burning strong and steady in your soul and it flows out of you to those around you.

I am doing the grunt work to get back in shape physically and it will take effort, consistency and others to encourage me, but I am determined to get there AND STAY THERE!! Spiritually speaking, you can do the same thing. It will take effort on your part, consistency and others to encourage you, but with the power and help of the Holy Spirit you can do it and you can STAY THERE!

Believe me, I know first-hand that it's a lot easier to stay in shape than to get there!!!

Mile Markers and Water Marks

Last week I was driving home from South Florida (more on that in my next blog I promise), I decided to take a detour off of I-95 about an hour North of Jacksonville to St. Simon's Island, Georgia. The summer before my Senior year of college I lived there learning ministry skills, hard core discipleship training and sharing the great news of Jesus Christ and His incredible offer of forgiveness and an abundant/meaningful life. It had been a long time since that summer (I won't tell you how long, but it's a long time). So when I crossed the bridge to the Island I got excited, I reflected on many of the friends I gained, the lessons I learned and still use today, and the things God spoke and did in my life. It was a very significant summer for me. I was a fairly new believer and I was surrounded by spiritual giants, they proved to be so encouraging to me and a great example for life and ministry. I believe God started to really write on my heart that full time ministry was what He was calling me to, and as I look back I see how much He used the St. Simons experience.

But as I drove around nothing looked the same, I got lost, the Island had sprouted buildings, businesses, vacation homes and properties everywhere. It didn't look or feel the same! I found the old Lighthouse, a great reference point and today it is open to tour and climb (I did). I found the Pier, but that was re-built and didn't look the same nor did the downtown area. I couldn't find the original buildings we did our meetings and outreaches in, nor the houses we all shared. There were 30 of us college students plus the staff who led it, and some great lay people who supported and worked alongside us. I know God used that summer as a mile marker/water mark for my life and see that He marked me there. And another really cool thing was that all these years later that ministry lives on, much bigger than the one we started. Today, over 1,000 students meet at "The Gathering Place", where students gather to worship and find true life through Jesus Christ. Churches that were once territorial now run this and many, many lives have been transformed through it. I wonder how many of us that participated that summer are still impacting others for God's Kingdom? My guess is that it's probably 100%.

Thank you God for the people who showed patience and grace to me and taught me so much about being passionate, focused, reaching and pouring into seekers who become believers so they fall so deeply in love with you that they turned around and did the same for others!

Finding a great fit!

Blue jeans, love them! But not all jeans fit the same. Levi's are cut one way, than there are jean styles, slim fit, straight leg, low rise, loose fit, boot cut, you name it there is a style out there. It used to be you had to break them in yourself, and by the time they fit so comfortably, they started to rip. Today, you can actually buy them ripped, and it costs more!

You have to wear them for them to fit the best, and when it comes to people in Life Groups, the same is true, they come in all styles, age oriented, singles, divorced, married only, men's, women's, parents of teens, recovery groups, groups for spiritual seekers, Bible Study, book study, topical, sermon based, neighborhood, and the list only grows. The reality is that groups take time to "fit" right, you can't start a group that is broken in! That would be nice, rare for sure, it takes time to bond, get real, get honest and then get real honest. Sometimes it takes a trial in a group member's life to bond people, but time it does take.

If you are in a group, is it all that you hope it to be? Probably not, but I ask you, "are you being the best group member you can be?" As we look in the Acts 2:42-47 we see that these people were fully devoted to one another, not sort of devoted. They ate together in homes daily, they shared communion, studied and were taught the word of God, they prayed together, they shared with whomever had need (do you even know the material needs of those in your group?). These early believers had a radical group life, and the result was they had glad and sincere hearts, they even had the favor of un-believers and nearly everyday people were converting to Christianity because of the message of Christ, and the group life of those believers. Getting along and loving others takes time, grace, love and effort, but you can't do it just by attending a worship service, serving others or even tithing. We need each other, I need you and you need me! Isolation and cocooning is not Biblical nor wise! Jump in and start a group or join one and remember it takes time,grace, love, effort, honesty and you being the best member there is!

Passion for the Christ

It's become a tradition each Good Friday to watch the movie "The Passion of the Christ",it's very emotional for me, and it always points to some amazing realities. Jesus paid it all! When this travels from my head to my heart/soul than I cannot help but be compelled to be with Jesus all of the time, to praise Him, worship (worth-ship) Him for who He is and thank Him for what He has done. And it's all out of gratefulness, It became for me a passion to do anything for Him, and to share this great news with others and help them understand Him better!

I am so thankful I "Got it" at the moment of salvation (right before my 18th birthday), but where and why is there a disconnect for so many others? Why is Jesus and church just another thing in their lives? How did that happen? I think the answers "Fire Insurance", your Get out of Hell Card is one reason. People are told that Jesus paid it all and all you have to do is confess your sins and you will be saved, and you will go to Heaven instead of Hell. But rarely does that person "Get it", because we have moved onto the next not yet saved person and "win" them to Jesus. Christ's sacrifice cost Him everything, true, salvation is free but that's not the end of it all! Immediate follow up, we call it discipleship is a must!!! Another reason people don't "Get it" is because living for God is a lot harder than living in the world and seeking comfort and pleasure!

In Luke 8, Jesus shares a parable about 4 seeds, the first seed the birds got to, the second seed fell on rock and no roots could grow, the third got choked up by all the weeds that stole the sun and nourishment of the soil, and the last seed went deep into the soil, produced fruit 100 times more than the seed that started it all. Jesus goes onto to explain the story. The seed is the word of God, the first seed represents those who hear God's word but the devil robs it from their hearts so that they end up not believing it to be true. The seed that lands on the rock, represents a person who receives the word of God with joy, even excitement and they may even follow God for awhile but when trials come and tests them to the core they look to some other way of getting through the crisis other than trusting in God. Everyone faces trials, it's how we get through them that matters, and in desperate times people without strong core beliefs can lose direction and turn to whatever else sounds right. The third seed represents those who worry, don't trust God truly, the ways of the world seem better to them than the ways of God (that's most people I believe). They love the here and now stuff more than they love the one who loved them enough to die for them. They end up with many mistresses! We know God says He is jealous for us and will have no one or nothing else competing for His love or He just leaves us to ourselves. And of course the last seed represents those who "Get it", they are compelled by His love, no one has or will love them like He loves them and that becomes their life. It's an amazing offer, complete and absolute forgiveness, un-conditional love, an opportunity to live the adventure of serving and representing God, and of course we get a place in eternity with Him once this life on earth ends. Who in their right minds would turn this down? FAR TOO MANY!

I want to say to anyone reading this that no matter where you are right now in your relationship with God - IT'S NEVER TOO LATE!!! God promises that no one is beyond His outstretched arms of longing embrace for you. Seriously, no matter what you've done, or what's been done to you, God longs and waits for your return. His love for you and I is absolutely passionate and when we finally "Get it" ours becomes that too! "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you."

Together

This weekend I had several wonderful experiences and they all had to do with relationships and God in the midst. There are so many so called experts out there on Twitter, Facebook and Blogs (like me right now). Some are merely theorists, who can talk a good talk while others are true practioners. I really love information, but only IF it leads to TRANSFORMATION.

I am relatively new to the church I serve, and I have been busy scheduling as much time as I can with our people, maybe that's one of the reasons I have put on about 10 pounds since moving here, meals with people. But I don't want to sit in my office only writing training manuals and strategizing, as good and necessary as those tasks are. I am called to BE WITH people!! I love Southbrook Church, we have a very passionate and Godly Pastor in Rob Singleton, and his family, a staff that is united and practicing our Core Values, and a congregation in love with God, and many people finding God weekly. Ours is not a sit on your hands kind of church. Over the weekend I performed a funeral for someone I did not know, but knew the daughter-in-law and was honored she asked me to preside, (weep with those who weep). I also heard of the death of a man whose son and wife I am getting to know, again (weep with those who weep). After a meeting at the funeral home on Friday I decided to visit our Monroe Campus for Family Night at Vacation Bible School. What a great time watching that team serve and lead with excellence (rejoice with those who rejoice), I did my best to stop and chat, say hi, or talk with as many as I could because relationships matter. I am so grateful God created me so relationally!!! I need my down time mind you, but I get I energized by being with people!!! After VBS, I wanted to go support our Weddington Student Ministries team as they kicked off their Summer Tour, I got there a little late but people were still hanging around, so I had another opportunity to build more relationships. I even got introduced to a potential key leader who is chomping at the bit to use her gifts for Life Groups.

Sunday, (Father's Day) was a full one, but so rewarding. I believe strong relationships occur because of bonding experiences and not just by hanging out, but it takes one for the other to happen. After helping lead our FUSE Volunteer Pump Up at 8:15, and then going to our Worship services where our people literally nailed their "UNLESS" list to the cross, I was invited to our Executive Pastor's house for a quick (for me) Father's Day meal even though they had extended family over. (I was truly honored,thanks again Kush's), we had some more bonding, but I had to cut it short, but for good reason as I had signed up to serve with our great team for the monthly serve at the Charlotte Rescue Mission. There were like 20 of us instead of the usual 8-10, (on Father's Day no less). We worked hard, side stepping each other in order to serve the men who are trying to find their way to God and overcome addictions. It was so wonderful to watch our folks dive in and serve so well and begin to bond. Many of us did not know one another until right then and there, but we do now!

Being in other's lives is what it's all about, isolation is never good. In fact it's deadly! Now because I am a people person, I am lucky in that meeting new people energizes me, I know I am not the norm, so for you who get anxiety attacks at the thought of meeting new people, can I just say that rarely will you be disappointed, out of 10 people that you meet, one or two may even become a life long friend, or for a season, a very significant someone. Whether it's weeping with those who weep (at a funeral), or rejoicing with those who rejoice by encouraging Ministry Team Leaders, or serving alongside the saints. We need each other!!! Today is a great day to reach out to a long lost friend, mend a wound, seek forgiveness, give it, thank someone who made a difference, or perhaps invite someone new along for the journey of doing life together. The role model is Jesus, full of compassion, truth, love and mercy, and he didn't give theory!! He walked daily with real people, getting dirty as he walked hard and dusty roads to meet people's felt and real needs. He made a lot of time to build relationships, we should do the same, the rewards are incredible our lives richer for it!

The Joy Factor

Joy is missing in our world today and it's no wonder! Natural disasters happening around every corner, nearly everyday. People losing their homes, possessions and being completely displaced. The job market is of course terrible, college students are no longer able to find jobs in their field of study that they just invested a whole lot of money, time and effort on, they are just happy to find a job. Not to mention those adults who have been outsourced, replaced, or are over qualified, replaced by someone who can live with a lower salary. People are popping prescription drugs at incredible rates because their stress levels are so high and exercise too low. I see joylessness played out in checkout lines as people are so inpatient, and put out with everyone talking loudly on their cell phones oblivious to those around them. On the road people seem to drive as if they are entitled to drive however they want and act out with road rage like never before. Courtesy and kindness are nearly extinct. Happiness of course is totally related to circumstances...

JOY has nothing to do with circumstances and it is NOT a personality trait! In Galatians 5:22-23 we are told that the results/benefits/fruit of having the Holy Spirit in our lives is joy. It comes from God! You cannot manufacture it, you either have it or you don't and that means you are either walking in step with the Spirit of God or you are not.

As a follower of God and while I am living in the extreme times I am, I want JOY to overflow out of me! I want this to be true for two reasons; one for me, I need and want to walk in step with God's Spirit, and so I can thrive and not just survive. Secondly, I want the people who are suffering, discouraged, angry, sad, lonely, needy and at the end of their hope to experience what I have. I want JOY to overflow out of me! But I must walk in step with the Spirit. How do you do that? That's what I will write next time, but for now I challenge you to examine your life, an easy way to know if you are walking in step with God's Spirit is to ask yourself and even others if Joy is consistently a part of your life.