The Gospel of Inclusion, WHAT?

I just watched a special on Carlton Pearson on MSNBC about his wacked out theology of Salvation and Hell. If you have never heard of it you should check it out, it's pretty messed up.
However, I will say that it has inspired me to grow more in the Lord and in my studies of the word so that if I ever have the opportunity to talk face to face with people who believe in "Everyone goes to heaven", that I can be ready to speak the TRUTH in love.
This has really just opened my eyes to how badly people want to have their ears tickled and live like hell, because according to Pearson's gospel we are all saved at birth anyway.

Check this out. http://www.ondoctrine.com/10pearso.htm

down....down....down

This is how I am feeling today. Mainly because I have a lot on my mind. The one thing in particular that is killing me is that my mother is literally killing herself by drinking her life away. And I'm not sure exactly what to do or if I should say anything at all, again. We have had conversations before, but it's just getting old. She's been this way all of my life and so I grew up with an alcoholic mother and things were not always "peachy" at home, to say the least, without going into all the details.
I guess I'm just angry and feel like its time she grows up. So that's how I feel today and know I think I will go and share some more of my thoughts with some other people. Thanks for the vent.

Light Bulb Moments

Have you ever had one of these moments? You know, like when the light bulb in your minds just clicks on and all of the sudden you get it!! Well I had one of those moments last night as my wife and I were sitting off the beautiful cost of Lake Michigan catching a spectacular sunset (they are the extraordinary here in St. Joseph). It just clicked and there it was. Now, before I tell you the rest of the story I must say that some of you may read this and think, duh! That a fairly common understanding, but I assure you and if I were a betting man I would lay money down that more than half of marriages out there (in particularly men) have this problem within there first five years of marriage.
My wife and I have been through a whole lot in our first few years of marriage, like graduating college, getting our own place, several different jobs, oh ya having an adorable baby girl who is now 5 months old, moved 3 times, and probably some other things in between that I'm missing. The point is, is that we have been through a lot. So naturally things can be stressful at times. Now my wife doesn't deal with stress very well, (she'll tell you that) and on top of that she has just been though a lot. On the other hand, I am the type of guy who really doesn't worry a whole lot and not to mention just the male/female differences in thinking, I just don't have a whole lot of stress in my life.
So for the past several months to a year now we have been dealing with Casey's anxiety and stress related problems. And the other night the light bulb came on for me! I began to realize that I was a big part in contributing to her stress. There are several factors that come into play on how God revealed this to me, so many I don't have the time to list them all, only to say that God is always trying to show us and teach us something about ourselves if we would just listen.
While we sat on that swing that overlooked the lake as the day was turning to night, it was then that the Holy Spirit just spoke to me and said, "Love your wife as Christ loves the church" I mean it was just like that, plain as day, at that moment I realized that I have not be loving my wife like she needs to be loved. Ya, I was doing all the "right things" so to speak, but I wasn't loving my wife with that sacrificial love as Christ gave His life up for us.
Eph.5:25 "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her"
Now, there are plenty of reasons how and why, especially us men fall into this problem in our marriages and not even realize it, and I'm not taking the time here to address all the reasons, but I do want to say that if we want to be men of God then we must first learn to what it means to have healthy families and marriages so that we can leave a lasting legacy for God's glory and for His Kingdom.
Once I realize this, it was like I had a paradigm shift in my mind and now each day I am making a conscientious effort to uphold my wife and her needs above my own and love her with the sacrificial love as Christ loves us and gave himself up for us. Oh, and by the way I believe that this is the main key to having a successful marriage, because in return our wives will love us as they are to, unto the Lord.

Create

"Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me."

God is more than able to make the proud, humble. Read Daniel chapter 5.

Recovered

This past weekend was a crazy one. I put some long hours in at my "tent-making" job Friday and Saturday night, plus some long hours in the ministry, but last night made it all worth it. Last night we had our usual youth small group meeting at the church, where we had a great time with one another and God graced us with his presence in many ways. I spoke to the students about "Who they wanted to be?" and then we talked about "Who we wanted to be as a group?" You know, the kind of things we want to be known as and the kind of things we want to do as a youth ministry.
This was a powerful time for the students to talk about who they would like to be and why. I shared with them how God has a plan and a purpose for them and that as they put their trust more and more on God and less on everyone or everything else they will become more like the people God desires them to be and the people they want to become.
At the end of the night I asked if there was anyone who would like to received Christ into their life as their Savior and Lord and I had one kid raise his hand. So at the end of the night I had the opportunity to take this kid home and share the gospel with him and pray a prayer with him as he accepted Jesus into his life!! How amazing is that! God was working in his heart a few days ago and he felt like he needed to be "one" with God and he wanted to know him personally. God started with his kids father and allow his son to see the difference in his dad and so the kid started coming to church and as a result is now a Christian himself!
I was so pumped last night after all of this that I realized that nothing else really matters (how tired I was) or (how much I have to do this or that), but in the end God is drawing people to himself and I am just a vessel that God uses at times to have these eternal things take place,,,,what a privilege!

The Buzz....

Have you ever been a part of something so big or so exciting that every where you go, you can't help but talk about it. It's like a buzz that happens among people when their excited about something. Its the very thing that is on your mind 24/7. You know I used to catch a slightly different kind of buzz and beleive me it wasn't from being part of some thing or any kind of natural high or excitement. All of my teen age years were wasted by drug and alcohol abuse. I used these substances to escape from life and to hid from past hurts and emotions and I hurt a lot of people in the process. I finally came to the point in my life by God's grace where I was just "sick and tired" of being "sick and tired". I came to realize that there had to be more to life than just partying and living for the moment, because that lifestyle was taking me no where fast. I can remember coming home from long shifts at the factory that I was working at and hearing something inside me telling me that I need to change and that I need to surrender my life to God and to His will for my life. Deep down inside I knew that this was my only hope, God.
All this was taking place in my life at the age of 21, I am now 3 months from my 29th birthday, married and have an adorable little girl named Olivia who is now 5 months old and I can't help but get emotional and cry when I think about what God has done in my life and how I now have a new life in Christ and how God wants that so desperately for everyone. Now early I mentioned the word "surrender" and I think that I would like to comment just a little more here on this word because I believe that it is critical in understanding the point that I am trying to make here in this post and that is simply this, that the joy/peace (or Buzz) that I receive now that I am a follower of Christ comes from a life that has and continues to surrender to God each and everyday. It's quite a paridoxal statement, I know. And so is the Christian life. Someone once said, to find your life you must first must lose it, or to live one must die. And yet another time it was said that you must be born again to recieve eternal life. So this is what I mean when I use the word surrender. The problem with that is that most people don't want to "surrender" or give up their lives, agenda, plans because our humanity says we can do it on our own, we don't need anyone else, God or anyone. The fact is we can't!! And yet we try time and time again, expecting different results.
So, I would invite anyone who is reading this blog to give God a try, test the waters so to speak and I think that if you search for Him with a geniune heart you will find him and not be disappointed. Not to say things will all be gravy so to speak, but as you surrender your life and trust God with it, He will help you in your travels along life's path.
Jesus said in John 14:6 "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

Hidden Face

Our church is under going a 21 day prayer and fast, together, as we seek the Lord's direction for this season of church life. Several members of the church felt that the Lord was leading us in this direction and so after much prayer and presenting to the church this idea of a 21 day prayer and fast, we all agreed it was a go. I suppose I should through this disclaimer out there for those who might think that I am trying to brag or boost of our corporate prayers and fast, I'M NOT, however, I will say that I think its really cool that everyone is on board with this thing and that we are not making it some legalistic thing! There are people even outside the church, from other churches that I heard were participating along with their friends and family members that come to Safe Harbor.
Well enough said with that. We are now into our 5th day of it and we are following a scriptural read through some chapters in Jeremiah and Daniel. In today's reading the Lord showed me something that I never really saw in this light before, so I thought I would share it with you. Have you ever wondered what happens when God allows punishment or judgement for sin to take place, like all throughout the OT?? I sure have. Well this morning I was reading Jeremiah 33 when the Lord opened my eyes to this statement, "The Chaldeans are coming in to fight and to fill them with the dead bodies of those whom I shall strike down in my anger and my wrath, for I HAVE HIDDEN MY FACE from this city because of all their wickedness." When I read those words, the Holy Spirit spoke to me and said, "Only when I hid my face can this take place, because I cannot be part of the horrible things that take place because of the wickedness that has taken place in their lives, I allow these things to take place because they are of their actions." Another words God allows these things to happen because He is God (see Job).
Now that's not the end of the story as most of us know. This chapter in particular goes on to talk about the coming of Jesus and how God will put the law in the hearts of his people. And it goes on to talk about Jesus as the Righteous Branch and the Covenant with David. God always seems to bring healing after the punishment. Jeremaiah is prophesying about the coming captivity of Judah into the hands of the Babylonians and all that will take place during that time. So God is giving them hope in the midst of what is about to take place.
I just found it interesting, it was like a light came on and showed me how and why God allows things like punishment and oppression to take place and that when it does his face is hidden from us. How in your own life has God allowed you to go through some trying times or having not understood why things happen the way they did. Now I'm not claiming to know why God allows ALL things to happen, that is something we can ask on the other side of eternity, but I do know that when judgement and punishment happens God hids his face because he cannot be part of it, He just allows it for His good reasons and purposes.

Monday Sabbath

For the past couple of months now, Casey and I have been making Mondays our Sabbath. Mainly because it fits our schedule and allows us to spend time with our family. God commanded us to in the OT to remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy (Ex.20:8), He told us to labor for 6 days and to rest on the 7th even during the most busy times of our lives, even when we don't feel like we have the time to rest and relax (Ex. 34:21). We see in the NT that Jesus was always being confronted for His acts and deeds on the Sabbath because some had made it ritualistic to their lives and they built a circle of "do's" and "don't" around the Sabbath to keep from breaking it, and Jesus seemed to wreck all of that. Jesus was always about bringing healing, wholeness and life to the people, even if it meant to bring it on the Sabbath. Jesus tells them in Mk. 2:27, that the Sabbath is for man, not man for the Sabbath. I love this, because in essence, Jesus is saying, here it is, its for you to take it and rest. Enjoy and rest with your family and be refreshed in Me, I bring healing, wholeness and life, springs of living water that bring refreshing to your lives.
Beleive it or not, we are more productive in 6 days of work than if we work all 7 days with no rest. Same is true with our money, we are more blessed and much better off living on our 90% than all 100% and I know that doesn't sound logical, but God's ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts!

Thank God today for your Sabbath.

two-fold blog

First things First! I must give a huge shout out to my boys (The Pittsburg Steelers) for taking it to those dogs up in Cleveland today with thier first victory of the season 34 to 7 over the stinky Browns!!! GO STEELERS!!! So as you can see I will be continually supporting my home team through out the season, thick and thin, I am not one of those "fair weather fans". I bleed black and gold!

Secondly, If you have the time, which you should cause it will only take you a few seconds to do this, would you check out the poll at the bottom of this page and respond to the question accordingly. I will be posting these polls from time to time in my research on certian topics that pertain to church ministry and emerging church stuff and church planting. Thanks for taking the time in answering the question.

No Fear

I was having some time this morning before the start of our Fall Leadership Meeting here at the church and I came across a passage of Scripture that struck me and I felt lead by the Holy Spirit to put this out there for the people who need to hear it.
"Since, therefore, trhe children share flesh and blood, he himself (Jesus) likewise shared the same things, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death....because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested."
-Heb.2:14,15,18
To those who walk around in fear constantly, fear no more. The Prince of Peace has conquered all fear and if you believe in him in your deepest being and confess him with your mouth, he will come and begin to take away your fear as you trust him with it.