A aqaintance of mine was asked back to his forty-year high school reunion. For months he saved to take his wife back to the place and the people he’d left four decades before. The closer the time came for the reunion, the more excited he became, thinking of all the wonderful stories he would hear about the changes and the accomplishments these old friends would tell him.

One night before he left he even pulled out his old yearbooks, read the silly statements and the good wishes for the future that students write to each other. He wondered what ol’ Number 86 from his football team had done. He wondered if any others had encountered this Christ who had changed him so profoundly. He even tried to guess what some of his friends would look like, and what kind of jobs and families some of these special friends had. The day came to leave and a friend drove him to the airport. "Have a good time, and tell me about it when you get back the friend said."

Sunday evening arrived. As his friend watched them get off the plane, the couple seemed almost despondent. He almost didn’t want to ask, but finally he said, “Well, how was the reunion?” “Tim,” the man said, “it was one of the saddest experiences of my life.” “Good grief,” the friend said, more than a little surprised. “What happened?” “It wasn’t what happened but what didn’t happen. It has been forty years, forty years—and they haven’t changed. They had simply gained weight, changed clothes, gotten jobs...but they hadn’t really changed. And what I experienced was maybe one of the most tragic things I could ever imagine about life. For reasons I can’t fully understand, it seems as though some people choose not to change.

There was a long silence as they walked back to the car. On the drive home, he turned to the friend and said, “I never, never want that to be said of me, Tim. Life is too precious, too sacred, too important. If you ever see me go stagnant like that, I hope you give me a quick, swift kick where I need it—for Christ’s sake. I hope you’ll love me enough to challenge me to keep growing.”

Christians and churches need to experience what this man experienced. A close friend of mine went to an ordination service in a church that he had worked in 5 years previous. He said when he went back it was like stepping back in time, that church had not changed one single bit. They hadn't grown spiritually or numerically. How sad. This really does happen to churches. They become complacent and Jesus himself said, hot or cold, he wants to spit luke warm out of his mouth. As a church we have got to move forward and not fall into the trap of complacency because it is very easy to fall into. Just look at churches with 300 members or more who have 2 or 3 decisions a month or sometimes a year. It's not at all healthy, and that certainly isn't the way God intended it to be.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Your faith

Tonight I am starting our new series on the 7 Checkpoints. THe first checkpoint is Authentic Faith. I'm wanting to instill in our young people the kind of faith that Job had. A faith that is not circumstancial. My fear is that this statement is too true for new Christians, "What's happening now and what I am feeling now determine what I believe for now." Circumstancial faith is extremely dangerous. Young people go through all kinds of changes in their lives and the last thing they need is wavering faith.
Look at Job chapter 1:6 - 22, in a matter of hours Job lost all of his oxen, all but one of his servants, his sheep were all burned up, his camels were all stolen, all of his sons and daughters, and after all of this Job fell to the ground and worshiped.
We need to exemplify as Christians the kind of faith that Job showed. We need to show young people what an unwavering faith looks like. Because, if we don't then they are going to base their faith on emotions, feelings and situations.
Job was in great shape, he had great wealth a big loving family and many servants taking care of all of his belongings. Life couldn't get much better for him, and he had every reason to be thankful to God for life and all that he had. However, if his faith had been the least bit circumstancial he would have crumbled half way through his test in chapter one.
So build on your faith, make sure it isn't based on circumstances, and have a great day!

Put it in His hands

The Devotional is titled "YOUR HELPER" and was actually sent to me by Holly Cromwell. Her husband is Keith Cromwell, head coach at Pedro Menendez and he shared it with the team. It goes along exactly with what we have been studying on Sundays.

The Scripture is Philippians 1:19 I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.
Do you ever wonder how people manage their lives without Jesus? I do. The thought of making daily decisions without His guidance is pretty scary.
There was a time in my life when I tried doing everything myself. I made my own decisions and lived by my own rules. And it was short-lived. I remember praying, "Lord, I can't do it alone. I'm yours." I'll never forget the peace, joy and love that filled my heart at that moment. Within weeks, the things in my life that were displeasing to Him were gone--and not by my own hand. He orchestrated all of it.
If you're struggling to do everything and make every decision by yourself, let it go. Jesus is the best coach, friend, big brother, and teammate that you'll ever have. He will never leave you and He'll continually be interceding to the Father on your behalf. Go ahead and turn your entire life--every career decision and relationship--over to Him. It'll be by far the best decision you'll ever make.
I thought that was a good devotion to share.
Be still and know that He is God. That doesn't mean we stop trying, it means we strive knowing that it is in God's hands. We don't have any control over the outcomes of life, but we do have Jesus who wants to go to the Father on our behalf.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!

checkpoints

When I get into my car I look to get on the go. I am a fast mover usually on the go somewhere. I get in, crank the truck up and I'm off. But, something in the top left hand corner catches my eye each time. It's a sticker reminding me when it is time to change my oil. It's a checkpoint that GM has come up with that is a time when it is appropriately needed. During that time the oil is changed, the chassis fittings are all greased and I take the time to check other fluids and mechanical needs.
We all need checkpoints, that is what a man by the name of Andy Stanley came up with a few years ago for teenagers. In his book he lists 7 checkpoints that are pivotal to teenagers growing up in a Christlike manner with good morals and ethics.
This Wednesday night we are going to start going through the 7 checkpoints with our teenagers. The checkpoints are Authentic faith, Spiritual disciplines, Moral boundaries, healthy friendships, wise choices, ultimate authority and putting others first.
Within these checkpoints are spiritual lessons and Proverbs that help illustrate their importance. Our teenagers(and us as adults) need to have the basics that will enable and empower them to live Christlike lives as adults. It is my hope that over the next few months we build that foundation with our new middle schoolers as we did with our past groups. This will be the third trip we have taken through the checkpoints.
Have a great day and thanks for reading!

David vs. Goliath

Yeah, anyone from St. Johns County knows what I am referring to. Tonight is a big, big, big highschool football game. Tonight for the first time ever Pedro Menendez and St. Augustine High square off as undefeated teams. On paper it's a good game ready to be had, in reallity it's still the same David vs. Goliath. But, we all know that Goliath was yet to be tested by someone as small, young and meek as David but what happened? David proved too much for Goliath through the power he received through Christ.
Tonight, we'll see a group of high school students get ready, and fight with all they have to win a football game. It's a game that features two strong Christian coaches with loads of character. It's a game that features a lot of great young men who play because they love the game. It's football in its purest form.
Regardless of the outcome, I'm excited to see so many people from a community come out and support kids. A group of kids that deserve recognition for all of their hard work and dedication. Every day, for 2.5 hours those same kids are working hard, sweating and grinding to get better.
Make sure you go to the game if you can make it, and have a great weekend!

Romans 16:17-18

I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.
Clearly Paul tells us to watch out for people who cause divisions and create obstacles. There are people everywhere involved in every thing that are interested in creating divisions. It happens in churches all the time. Leaders of churches should never act in a way that brings about division. Every move they must ask themselves two things: Is this God's will, and will this cause anyone to stumble. God's will is not division and certainly not for anyone to stumble.
Secondly, he tells us not just to watch out for them but to avoid them. We have to stay away from these types of people at all cost. They are people who are looking for a lot of things in ministry, but not God's will. We do need to be glad that the Gospel is being presented by such people, but we also need to avoid being a part of their divisions. Nothing healthy can come out of a church that is full of division. We must promote unity first and foremost.

Thanks for reading and have a great soggy day!

Stop asking what's wrong

In our youth ministry we are currently studying a secular quote that I found. I've prepared a scripture based lesson for each part of it. It goes like this:
Watch your thoughts, they soon become your words.
Watch your words, they soon become your actions.
Watch your actions, they soon become your habits.
Watch your habits, they soon become your character.
We are on point # 3 this week. I took a look at Paul's words to the people of Ephesus. In chapter 5 verses 15 - 17 he addresses some of these things. Be careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.
We as Christians and especially as Christian adults need to stop asking what is wrong with things. Instead, we need to get in the habit of asking what is good about it. Paul tells us to "make the most of every opportunity."
In that case we must avoid watching things that will bring us down, listening to music that will bring us down, and stop going to places that will cause us to stumble. We are always one decision away from ruining our character and our image in the eyes of other believers and non-believers.
In essence we are some times asking, "How close can I get to sin without sinning?"
The truth is the more we are around it, the greater the temptation will become, and the more likely we are to stumble."
So when faced with a moral decision, stop asking what's bad about it, or what's wrong with it. Instead, ask what is good about it, and how are you making the most of that opportunity by being involved in it.
Have a great day and thanks for reading!

Thirst

I'm sure we've all heard the saying, "You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink." This saying is applied to so many things from raising children to making sales at work to sports teams. As Christians we tend to apply it to sharing the Gospel. We try to share with people, we present the Gospel, we invite them to church and then we get frustrated when things don't go our way. And then we plug the saying in.
The neat thing about sharing the Gospel is that it isn't our job to make them drink. Instead it's our job to make them thirsty. We can't make someone accept Christ, we can't make them grasp the Gospel, but we can make them want to. As believers we need to be good sales persons for Christianity. If we make it something that people want then they will be thirsty, and they will eventually drink. Like so many other things it's all about the perception. Because, perception is reality. If people think your salvation isn't that important to you, they won't see the importance in their own lives.We've got to make sure that people realize the most important thing we possess is our relationship with Christ and everything else is unimportant compared to Christ. Like Paul says, "To live is Christ."
Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Don't get mad, get glad!

Okay so I just dated myself. But, if you know what I am referring to and you picture Mr. Cunningham standing there on your TV holding a trash bag, you're in the same boat with me.
For those of you who are too young to know, there used to be a Glad trash bag commercial on TV. Mr. Cunningham from Happy Days would stand there and watch someone go to pick up a trash bag full of trash, their bag would always break and scatter trash. We all know how aggravating that can be. But, Mr. Cunningham would pick up his Glad trashbag and say, "Don't get mad, get glad."
Proverbs 14:16 -17 say, "A wise man fears the Lord and shuns evil, but a fool is hotheaded and reckless. A quick-tempered man does foolish things, and a crafty man is hated."
Call me a coward but I sometimes like to communicate through email if I am angry or hurt. I like to immediately type out an email to someone who has really got me fired up and save it. I let it sit there all day long and then the following morning I open the email up and before you know it, half of it is deleted or changed and the rest of it has a completely different tone. Problem avoided.
If someone really gets you mad, do your best to return it with a kind or atleast neutral word. Then, when you've had time to really think about it and reflect see what you can do to fix the problem instead of foolishly lashing back. I can think of a lot of situations, especially in churches where this could have changed the outcome for a lot of people and a lot of feelings.
So remember, don't get mad get glad and have a great weekend! Hope to see you on Sunday at Freedom!

Distance

Have you ever heard the saying, "If God feels distant guess who moved." That is so true for us as Christians. God is always right there, He may not make His presence known at times to test our faith and strength, but he never leaves.
It's so difficult to explain to people walking through a tough time in their life. People come to me and tell me how they just feel so far away from God and how they just don't think God is there, or how that is leading them to make mistakes and bad decisions in life.
Deuteronomy 31:8 says, "The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."
If we break that verse down we see first that God goes before us and is with us. He is right there leading the way and walking with us as we go through life.
Next, we see that he will never leave or forsake us. Thus, reinforcing the fact that if He seems distant we are the ones who moved and not God Himself.
Finally, we shouldn't be afraid or discouraged. That is exactly what we feel when God seems distant, discouraged. I find that a lot of people who feel distant to God have caused this feeling by not spending time alone with Him. They have gotten out of fellowship with God and they feel distant.
So stay in fellowship with Him. Know that He is there, and His word tells us He will never leave us or forsake us.
Have a great day and thanks for reading!

To live is Christ, to die is gain

I know those words very well. We've most all heard them at some point in a funeral message or from our studies in the Bible. But do we ever really think about it?
I have to say that I am very close to my parents. I love my daughters and my wife. Selfishly I want to go on living with them.
My grandma was one of the closest people in my life. I would call her almost every night just to let her know how my day had gone. We would talk about sports, racing or school, just whatever was on my mind, grandma knew a lot about it.
It's no secret that my daughters are the love of my life.The highlight of my morning is climbing in the bed with PJ to wake her up. I just love watching them color, play games, watch TV, etc, etc...
But can I truly have Paul's frame of mind. Do I truly think that to die would be gain. I know life in heaven would be far better. I know that being in constant touch with Christ will be amazing, but can I truly fathom that fact when I love my family so much?
So think about that today. How much contact do you have with God on a daily basis? Are you ready to say, "to die is gain"? It's hard to even comprehend the mindset that Paul had, but it is the very mindset we should have on a daily basis.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Turnovers

I watched the Ravens vs. Bengals football game last night. It was actually a better game than the stats show. The Ravens turned the ball over 6 times. Any football team at any level would want to do their best not to turn the ball over at all.
As Christians we have turnovers, brain freezes, fupas' and such all the time. If you really think about it, any time we sin we are reverting back to our old ways. Also, in doing so we are allowing the enemy a chance to thrive in our lives if only for a few seconds.
Turnovers are deadly. They can ruin a football game, and in life they can ruin our character and our testimony. The Ravens ran the ball decently and played well on defense but all Sportscenter talked about this morning was their turnovers.
It's the same way with Christians. If a person spends all their time feeding the hungry, clothing the needy and spreading the Gospel but falters for one minute in a public setting, that is how they will be remembered. They will eternally be the believer that fell, or the Christian that messed up. And just like the Bengals last night the world wants us to mess up, and they are there to snatch it up the second we do.
What should believers do when they see others falter? Galatians 6:1 says, "Brothers if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted."
When we see other Christians fall, we should be quick to pick them up, gently. Instead, in most settings the other Christians are the ones who are gossiping and judging rather than restoring. So, next time you see someone from your church messing up, help them get back on the right path instead of judging or gossiping. Together a football team eliminates turnovers, it's the same with us as believers it takes a group effort.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Prayers

I wanted to just take a few minutes to thank everyone for their support and prayers. We walked away from a ministry not knowing exactly what God had in store for us. Tara and I only knew one thing for sure, that we had a lot of people who would pray for us, and it's through those prayers that we have found a church home at Freedom Baptist Church and now it's official.
We are currently working through the book of Philippians and in chapter #1 Pauls says, "And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance."
Paul is simply saying that the only way what is happening in his life is possible is because of the power of prayer. People constantly tell me, "I don't have much money" or "My health is not that great I can't do much."
I've got news for them. The greatest thing anyone can do for a minister or a ministry is to pray for it. Every ministry exists because of God, through God and belongs to God. So then the prayers lifted up are the only thing that can empower the leadership of any ministry.
All that having been said, Thank you for all of your prayers!
Have a great day!

believing Americans?

I got this email the other day and found it quite interesting.
NBC this morning had a poll on this question. They had the highest
Number of responses that they have ever had for one of their polls, and the
Percentage was the same as this: 86% to keep the words, IN God W e Trust and God in the Pledge of Allegiance
14% against.
That is a pretty 'commanding' public response. It is said that 86% of Americans believe in God.
Therefore, I have a very hard time understanding why there is such
A mess about having "In God We Trust" on our money and having
God in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Why is the world catering to this 14%?
I read the email and was amazed at the numbers myself. Does that mean that 86% of Americans are believers? Well, according to James 2:19, that could be true. It states, "You believe that there is one God, Good! Even the demons believer that--and shudder."
We as believers have to do a better job of presenting the Gospel. If this poll was even remotely accurate there are 86% of Americans that believe in God. The majority of those probably not having a personal relationship with Him, but they believe in Him. So think about that the next time you are a little timid about sharing the Gospel with a non-Christian. Apparently the vast majority of Americans are primed for the Gospel in that they believe in God.
Have a great weekend and hope to see you all on Sunday at Freedom!

the homeless

I have been aware for some time about the homeless situation here in St. Johns County. But, now that I work at the Homeless Coalition I see the problems these people face. I am bombarded on a daily basis by people who are working, who need food or clothing. They work at the labor pools or odd jobs and can't come up with enough money for a first month's rent or for deposits. The problem is getting worse and worse. What can we offer them right now? A 28 bed house for the homeless. The house is overcrowded and hard to even get a night's stay in.
Oh, but the city and the county are working on it. Every time it comes up they come up with more ordinances or more laws that restrict what the homeless can do and where they can go.
At my present job at the Homeless Coalition we have 14 houses all full with families whose parents work a full time job, go through case planning and are learning basic skills to be able to be on their own in a two year period. Several of them have no cable, no phone, no transportation and they are working hard to get there.
Some families are getting ready to move out, one into a habitat for humanity house another into an apartment.
The bottom line is that Jesus told us, the word repeatedly tells us to take care of the needy. Well, we're not doing it here in St. Johns County. So look around, take the time to notice how good you've got it. And if we can get enough wealthy business men and middle class people together we can provide a shelter and housing for those less fortunate.
Every day I have to turn a family away that is about to be homeless because we don't have enough housing for them. So be proactive, together we can fix it and help the homeless beat it.
Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day!

Ever been on trial

For the past 4 weeks I have been on trial for the pastorship of a church who is in need of a pastor. It's very interesting, there are so many questions on both sides of the equation. I had started Truth Ministries and felt that I was following God's leading and then Freedom popped into the picture. I talked with some, prayed a whole lot and felt like this was the direction God was leading me. Because in the end all that matters is God's will. All the other things will fall into place. From time to time I hear things, from gossipping to questioning my abilities that disturb me. My human nature wants to call those people and talk with them and fix things, but after much prayer I decided to put those things in God's hands.
Psalm 46:10 tells us to "be still and know that I am God." That is exactly how Tara and I have decided to handle these things that are causing me to wonder. Just sit back, do all that I am called to do, and let God have it. Some times we work ourselved into complete burn out or exhaustion and then turn it over to God. This time we have chosen to give it to Him earlier.
I would advise anyone who is struggling with any portion of life, or any thing at all to hand it over to God and know that He loves you and more importantly, He is in control. It is truly out of our hands. Life itself seems to be under our control, but it isn't. When driving we are only in control of our own car, not anyone else's. That control can be lost at any time due to brake failure or a blown tire or something else bad.
God is in control and we need to start every morning acknowledging that to be able to face the day.
Thanks for reading and have a wonderful Wednesday!

Luke warm

So yesterday was Labor Day and Tara and I decided to do what a lot of families do on Labor Day. After a few hours of swimming we went home and relaxed and then did some grilling. I must admit I am not the greatest of cooks in any setting. Grilling isn't that good to me either. Well, I stacked the charcoal in a little pyramid and lit it. When I had it all lit I let it burn for a while and as the coals got ashed over I spread it out evenly and then put the grill in place and got ready to cook.
I got the burgers out of the fridge and then grabbed the hotdogs. I put the food on the grill and left it cooking. Unfortunately, I had somehow only got about a quarter of the coals hot enough. So that meant it took me about 2 hours to grill what should have taken almost no time at all.
I started looking at it and thinking about it. What good is a piece of charcoal that isn't hot? If they aren't hot then they are just sitting there occupying space and they don't even help get the food warm.
In Revelation 3:16-17 we read, "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm-neither hot nor cold-I am going to spit you out of my mouth."
As a church there is nothing more damaging than being lukewarm.
The cold church will have about 2-4 new members or converts in a month's time. They are reaching people, but not great numbers of new members because they are only interested in themselves.
The hot church is reaching unnumerable amounts of people monthly and getting them plugged in to ministries and helping them grow.
The lukewarm church is reaching people but not offering them any chance to grow or get involved. They are like the charcoals that aren't lit, they're there, they're warm but they aren't contributing in any way shape or form.
So let's make sure we stay hot, reaching the community with the Gospel each day. Then, upon reaching people we need to get them involved and help disciple them so that they can fully reach their potential in Christ.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!