Confessions To Start The New Year Right

Ok, I have been struggling for days how to say this, and how to communicate this to my friends. First, I have to say that what I am about to share is not to get a pity party. I am sharing this so that my friends and family will keep me accountable and on the right track.

For the past few years, I have evolved from a man living with goals, dreams, and determination to a man living in fear. I did not realize this until a great friend sat me down and pointed this out. I did not realize it until he pointed out how I was living and the direction I was going. Living in fear caused me to neglect my relationship with God and neglect my family and friends. It caused me to become a negative person and put my job over everything in my life. It almost destroyed all of the relationships I hold most dear.

I have spent the last few years learning a few lessons in faith, but neglecting my duties as a husband, father, and leader in the church. My "ministry" became the focus of my life, and I allowed it to become more important than everything else. Doing a good job and making money became the driving force of my life. I was more afraid to disappoint the great men that I work with at church than my family and friends. So let me stop here and apologize and ask forgiveness from God, my family, and my friends.

Now, its time to move forward. With the help of my wife and close friends we have put a plan in place. No fear. My wife and I have started to lay out plans that will help us in all aspects of our lives. We have seen several of our friends post their words for the year on Facebook, and I realized that we have never done this. After having discussions and laying out plans, I have to say our word is intentional. We are setting ourselves to be intentional with each other, our finances, our friends, and most important our relationship with God.

This is where you, our friends, come in. We need you to keep us accountable. We just need you in our lives. If you see that we have resorted to living in fear, tell us. If you see us making a dumb decision, warn us. We want to live this year and all those that follow boldly for God, for our family, and with our friends.

Thank you for loving us and standing by us on our journey.

Time to ruffle some feathers. I will not apologize...

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. - John 3:16

Ok, I really didn't want to jump on any bandwagon or share my opinion on this, but I can't hold my tongue any longer. I'm sick of religious zealots that have misinterpreted the Bible and the words of Jesus being the only "Christian" voices being heard. They do not represent me, and I'm sure they don't represent many other Christians either. 

Now that I have that off my chest, let me get to the point and share my opinion on a controversial subject. Remember, this is my own opinion, not one that has been spoon fed to me.

In today's world, it has become popular and politically correct to be gay and also accept the homosexual way of life. Christians seem to go to extremes, and are seen as "gay haters", or some churches and pastors have changed the gospel to accept homosexuality as an acceptable way of life. Well, I hate to burst their bubble, but homosexuality is a sin. That's right I said it, it is a sin. Now, for the other side of the coin. I do not hate homosexuals and neither does God. Read the most popular Bible verse of all time, John 3:16. It doesn't matter what version you read it in, it says God loved the world. I hate to break it to you, but homosexuals are part of the world. God loves them just as much as you and I. The problem is the sin.

Just like every sin that kept me from Jesus, the same goes for homosexuals. Now I don't know all the answers, but I know this, if you accept Jesus as your savior and have a personal relationship with him, you will go to Heaven. I was a porn addict and am still constantly tempted, but I choose not to partake in my sins so I can be close to Jesus. If a homosexual accepts Jesus, but does not partake in any of their sins, I feel they can make it to Heaven. However, they must realize what sins they must overcome to do that. Just like everyone else, they cannot lust for someone, or have premarital sex, etc., and they must face the fact that the act of homosexuality is a sin.

Do not practice homosexuality, having sex with another man as with a woman. It is a detestable sin. - Leviticus 18:22

If a man practices homosexuality, having sex with another man as with a woman, both men have committed a detestable act. - Leviticus 20:13

Sin is sin folks, and according to God's word, homosexuality is sin. Just like I have urges toward my sexual sins, I believe, homosexuals have the same urges for their sins. However, I feel that anyone can overcome sin. So, can a homosexual be a Christian and make it to Heaven? I must first say that I am not God and I do not know his thoughts, but if a homosexual can overcome sin and the sins that the Bible mentions with homosexuality, I don't see why not. Granted, I do not envy them because, I feel, homosexuality could be much harder to overcome than any other sins. Can it be overcome? Sure! Read the scripture below:

Don't you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don't fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people-none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God. Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. - 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

Notice it says "some of you were once like that." Changes can and do happen, and sinners are made right with God. I know I was. I was a porn addict, but even though I am not perfect, I have been made right with God. Plus, I constantly work on my personal relationship with my savior, so I know that people can change.

Let me add this thought right here. I'm not saying that we have to turn homosexuals into heterosexuals. Again, I don't understand God's thoughts or ways. I am saying as Christians we must love homosexuals just as God and his son Jesus do. We have been called to show the love of Jesus to the lost and let Him change them. Whether that means they overcome the unnatural urges of homosexuality and change or stay the same and overcome their sins, all we need to do is show them Jesus and let Him change their lives.

I have worked at jobs with homosexuals before, and I have enjoyed working with them. They are some of the nicest people that I have ever met before. Just because they are not living a lifestyle that I endorse doesn't mean I need to treat them terribly. Now, if they ask my beliefs and opinions on their lifestyle I tell them the truth of the Bible, but I do not treat them like trash. Do you yell at the alcoholic, or gossip, or porn addict, or drug addict, or any other sinner and tell them that God hates them? I hope not. God hates the sin not the sinner. Again I have to say this, we are called to show them Jesus and His love, not point our fingers at them and tell them God hates them. 

I know this is not a popular subject, but we are faced with it none the less. We can either share the Biblical point of view or have others views forced on us. I also know that this is not politically correct, but I don't care. I would rather be right with Jesus than let my beliefs be shaped by non-believers. 

Guess what boys and girls, Heaven and Hell are real places and sin is still sin. I choose to be here and fight. I fight for Jesus. I am here to plunder the gates of hell and help populate Heaven. I want to be here. I want to fight for what is right. I want to challenge you and your thoughts. Most of all, I want to follow Jesus and show his love to others. Show His love to everyone, especially those you don't agree with. If you know someone that is homosexual, show them the love of Jesus. You never know what might happen. You may be planting the seed that brings them to Jesus Christ.

No apologies from me about my opinions. I hope you are challenged. Stay strong. Get in His word. Show His love. Thanks for stopping by and God Bless...

My biggest fear...

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. (2 Timothy 1:7 NLT)

Ok, I have decided to follow the example of my pastor whom I consider a good friend and mentor. I have to face my greatest fears, but in order to do that I have to share them. Honestly, I am scared to death to share these because I don't want to seem shallow or insecure. However, the one thing that is unique about all the staff at DC is we all try to be transparent to everyone around us. So here it goes.

First let me start by saying, I am not doing this as a pity party, to gain friends, or bring more attention to myself. I am only doing this because the message that Pastor Chad spoke this weekend has rocked me to my core, and I don't know what to do about it. All I can think of to do is share my fears so that they are out in the open for all to see, and in some way maybe this will help me face them and grow as a man of God.

My biggest fear is kind of a combination of two fears that feed off each other. Most of all, I am afraid of not fitting in, that leads to a fear of being worthless and vice versa. Let me state right now, I have some amazing friends in my life and I love all of you. However, I have always held back a part of myself and just tried to fit into the mold that I think my friends want. I am always scared that if you knew the real nascar loving, video gaming me, it would make you like me less. So, I don't share enough of myself to grow the bonds of friendship. I am afraid to share me. I don't have any friends that would consider me their best friend because of this fear. It is my own fault and it hurts to no end. Every time I see some of my friends doing things together and I am left outside of the circle, I hurt. I know this is my own fault that I don't have anyone who will just ask me to go do something or hang out. Then when I think about asking someone to hang with me, my fear of not fitting in or being fun enough kicks in and I don't do anything. I am stuck in a vicious circle. Again, I am not asking for pity. I just feel it is time for me to face these fears and become the man I am supposed to be.

Then there is the fear of being worthless. Because I have kept my friends at an arms length, I feel I have to constantly prove my worth by doing things for them. Now, I do love helping my friends and being there for them, but I over do it by committing to too much, just so I can get the interaction and closeness that I am searching for. This also bleeds over into my jobs at church and the fire department. I feel like I have to prove I am worth my paycheck every week, so I over commit to doing things. I end up either not being able to accomplish all the tasks I said I would do, or I don't do them with the best of my abilities and excellence. All the while, my family is at home asking where I am and why I don't have enough time for them.

I guess you can say these two biggest fears of mine roll into one big fear of failure. While they lead to distance from my friends, they also separate me from my family, and I end up failing them.

Please don't take any of what I have said as an attempt to gain anything for myself. God has called me to do some amazing things that honestly I don't know how they will ever happen. I have felt God speak these things to me several times, and Pastor Chad has even confirmed them with me after hearing from God. All I want is to be the husband, father, friend, and overall man of God that I have been called to be. I just know I'm not going to be able to accomplish these things if I can't overcome these fears and insecurities.

So, all I ask is for your prayers. I don't want anyone to feel sorry for me. I am a blessed man. I have God, a beautiful family, and some great friends that I need to grow closer to. I apologize to my family and all my friends for who I have been, and I promise that I am going to face these fears and be a better man. I just have to get over my fears and move forward with God as my guide.

Im sorry if this all seems like a jumbled mess, but i just had to write down what was inside me. Thanks for letting me share.

Salvation really is that easy!...

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9 TNIV)

It is time. Time for the church to forcefully advance the kingdom of God. It's time to realize that we have to get outside the four walls of the church building and reach the lost. That is the great commission that Christ gave us. We have to go into the world and make disciples. We have to get people to believe in Jesus and be "saved".

For too long we have looked inward when it comes to church, and we have focused on who is inside the building instead of reaching those outside. While I do believe the church has to present opportunities for the attendees to grow, our main focus is to get people to confess their sins, believe in Jesus, and then let Him change their lives. We need to let people know that they don't have to clean up to come to Him. They can come as they are: dirty, messed up, bottom of the barrel sinners (I was there too). All they have to do is take one step towards Him, and He will come the rest of the way.

Those who are already saved need to learn that being a Christian is not a spectator sport, and that the church doesn't owe them a handout to Heaven. Once saved, ALL of us are commanded to grow in our relationship with Him, and then bring others to know Him. It is our responsibility to get involved with the ministries of our churches, not wait for a handout from the pastor on Sunday morning. If you are a Sunday morning Christian, you are missing the point and a more than abundant life. God gave us all talents, and WE are responsible for getting involved and offering our talents to the ministry. Get past your pride and quit waiting to be asked. Stop being lazy, and you know if you are. Go and offer your time and talent to move the kingdom forward.

We are in a war, and time is growing short. It is time for God's people to get into the fight and make a difference. Stand up, be a man or woman for Christ. Do what he has called you to do. Shut off the reality tv for a little while so you can read His word and pray. Chase after Him and He will change your life for the better. Then go to those who need the same thing.

Get in the fight! Lets go out and save those who need Jesus. You have been challenged. Now what will YOU do with that challenge...

When did America become Heaven?...

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14 TNIV)

Look at what is going on in America today. Better yet, look at what is going on in the churches in America. Christians have turned the "church" into a building. We worship the buildings more than we do Jesus. Our pastors no longer preach tough, life changing messages, they preach fluff. I would go as far and say that the Jesus they are preaching about is not the true Jesus Christ. The Jesus they preach isn't powerful enough to change someone's life, let alone create the universe. We have allowed our church leaders to turn Jesus into a false idol.

Too often today, the messages from the pulpits of America are all about prosperity, better this, and better that. While I wholeheartedly believe that God will prosper his people, My question is this, when is hell ever spoken of in these churches? Hell is the new dirty word in the church. We don't want to offend people because they might quit tithing (if they even do that), and then how would we pay for that $2.5 million building? So, all we do is tickle people ears so they will keep putting their butts in the seats and throwing money in the offering bucket, but they never get out of those seats. They are so consumed with the American dream that they don't move. Christians today no longer have the power of God in their lives.

As we keep patting people on the back and saying its ok to do whatever they want, we keep sending them to hell. We as the church have failed and turned God's heavenly dream into our own American dream. We have taken power away from God because we are too worried about the next biggest and best purchase to improve our social status. We think if we sit in a chair on Sunday it's ok to do whatever we want until the next time we walk through the doors to our giant stained glass building that is empty of God's presence.

Wake up! It is time to get off the bench and stop being bleacher bums. It's time to stop being spoon fed by leaders that are more concerned with what they have here than what they are building in heaven. We must dig into the word. We must reach the lost. We must pray! We must forcefully advance the kingdom of God. This is war! It's time to get in the game and make an eternal difference. Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Do you want him to wrap his arms around you and say well done, or do you want him to sadly shake his head and say your American dream was not what I had planned for you.

God can and will prosper his people. His seed will never go hungry or beg for bread. But, we have to seek the true Christ that is in the Bible, not the one that is being taught to so many today. Lets seek Him and go out into the world and reach the lost! Lets change the world the way Jesus intended. Let show the lost His love and share the truth with them. Jesus loves all of us and wants to know each and every one of us. The question I ask you is, how much do you want to know the real Jesus?...

Earthly or eternal?...

God is on the move, but where do we go? What do we do next? What is it going to take for the church to see that it is not about big, fancy buildings? Or how much nice stuff we can get? When are people that are saved going to realize that it is no longer about us? If we've been saved, our ticket is punched. We are going to heaven, but we can't just sit down and say forget everyone else. Jesus called us to follow him and to be better than what we were. He commissioned us to go unto all the world. We must reach others. it is all about the lost!

So, why do most Christians hide behind the walls of their church? Why do they drive into their garage and never show Gods love to even their closest neighbors? Why is a Christian in the United States more worried about the American dream than they are the Heavenly dream? The "church" is not about million dollar buildings, or pastors with mansions and luxury cars. The church is the people that follow Christ, and I think it is time we demand that our leaders quit washing down the gospel and slap us in the face with the truth: it is not easy to follow Christ.

Everyone knows that things here on earth are temporary. So why not build up an eternal treasure? I think it's because we can't see through death's veil. We can't see what's on the other side, so we become enamored with comforts here. We have to have faith that what we are doing here is building up eternal comforts in the presence of our all-mighty, loving God! I will endure hardship here in this temporary life so that I can enjoy an eternity of bliss with Jesus. I will do all that I can to take as many people with me that I can.

God please don't let me fail you. Help me to grow daily in my faith in you. Help me to get past my own insecurities and wants to unabashedly follow you and spread your salvation throughout the world. Here I am, send me!

Faith in the wind...

If lucifer and all of the angels that fell with him believe in Jesus, how much more should I believe? While they have seen his glory and power where I haven't, they are afraid of him and I am hungry for him. If they tremble and run away at just the mention of his name, how secure should I feel? He has his hand over me. He has the best intentions for me and my family. He wants to bless me. He wants to use me. So why have I not had enough faith in the past? Flesh just gets in the way. That's all there is to it. When all we can see is this fleshly world and all it's trouble, it is hard to believe sometimes. When there is more bills than money at the end of the month, it is hard to believe. That is why it is called faith. The substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen. My God is like the wind. I can't see him, but I feel his movement and power. He is a refreshing breeze that this stale, stank world needs. God, I pray that everywhere I go that your refreshing breeze and presence go with me. When people look at me, I want them to see and feel you. Jesus, I decrease so you can increase in my life. If God is for me, who can be against me?