Prison Update

So, yeah I am starting to get accustomed to the new world inside the prison walls, all the while trying not to get to comfy and let my guard down. My heart really goes out to those guys though, many of them are so lost. I saw the church crew of inmates going back to their rooms yesterday, there were about 10 of them...out of about 3,000 inmates! Hopefully there are more that I just didn't see...doubtful, but hopefully. The stories are still coming, but you get used to it after you are around it day after day.
Anyways, God has really opened some doors to witness. They have not been easy, but sure enough they were opened to me. I like a good challenge from time to time anyways. Keep praying for me, that God would protect me and put words in my mouth...He is the only one that can wake up and change the human heart, and even at that, they have to be willing to listen.
Linds and Seth are coming tomorrow. I am really excited about it, and can't wait to see them. Keep praying, and God bless!

Prison Adventure Recap

OK, so the first week was as action packed and impacting as I thought it would be. Here are some highlights:

-One inmate attacked a female prison guard and tried to drag her into his cell with him...you can pretty much figure out what he had in mind.

-There was one fight really close to us, but by the time we could get to the window to watch the guards had it broke up.

-I found out that the remaining 5 of the famous "Texas 7," that escaped from prison a number of years ago and were not caught until they made it to Colorado, are in the prison. They are held in the death row area.

-Some of the inmates are in that prison for the rest of their lives, so they really don't care what they do to you.

-It is really sad to see all of the young inmates that will be in that prison, staring at the same walls for the rest of their life...incredibly sad and depressing.

-It seems that most of the prison guards have to be a little loco to handle the insane situations they are put in.

-Inmates will make a "shank" out of absolutely anything...and I mean anything!

-When surrounded by hundreds of VERY dangerous inmates, it can be an intimidating situation even with a guard at your side. But you kinda get used to it.

I will have more stories and highlights in the near future I am sure. Some of the stories I don't need to tell due to the nature of them. Keep praying for me, God is really opening some great doors to witness...hard situations, but great opportunities.

Palunski Unit Prison

Today was my first day on a new job that I will be working for a month or so. I am actually doing some electrical work to a Death Row prison facility called the Palunski Unit. It was quite an experience! I was literally in direct contact with people serving life sentences for capital murder, child rape, and all sorts of wickedness. It is a different world in such a big way. I will try to keep everybody updated on my experiences as frequently as I can. Please pray for me, for God's protection and that I can somehow be a light in this dark place...and when I say dark I mean it.

Great Communication Tip

All communicators, preachers, or wanna be's...go read this.

A Halelujah Moment

Our little boy, Seth, is FINALLY sleeping through the night...uninterupted...after nearly two years...Thank God! Seriously! Now all I have to do is train myself to stop automatically waking up in the middle of the night and this phase will be history. Bitter sweet.

Passion

Yesterday I began to pray that God would help me in my public speaking and gift me in an even greater way to be able to take any group of people at any given time in any given mood and effectively lead them to the place He wanted them to go. The very first thing He spoke to me was about passion. Always, always, always speak with passion and never back up from it.
Passion has always been one of my strong suits, and it is a huge part of my personality. But, what do you do when people are reluctant to follow, or give their life to Christ when you witness, or get on board with the vision? Something that we must refuse to do is to let such reactions douse our flame with water. Our passion destroys reluctance because it is contagious and it brings people to a place of decision. Passion pierces through complacency and mediocrity. Passion is on one side or the other, it is totally sold on something. How can we speak life and direction into people if we are not sold on it and fired up about it ourselves? People follow passion, it spreads like wildfire. Whether it is from the pulpit, on a street corner witnessing to a stranger, or at home leading our family devotional time, everything we do must be fueled with passion...it makes what we are saying believable.

Things Are Picking Up

God recently "shook our cage" here at The Crossing. We had poured most of our energy into planning and had neglected deep, prolonged times of prayer for the church. Yeah, God wasn't real impressed. Don't get me wrong, the structure is definitely needed, but prayer is the necessity. Every since we have really made prayer the utmost priority things have really been picking up...bigger crowds, breakthroughs, and so on. With that said, please continue to join with us in prayer as we continue this journey that God has chosen for us. Thanks so much!

Just Enjoy the Ride

I am a firm believer in spiritual authority, especially parental authority. So, when my parents speak something into my life I don't just pass it off. I try to apply myself to it and pray about it to see just what God is trying to speak to me through my spiritual authority.
With that said, my mom sent me a text this morning and it just said, "read Ecclesiastes 8:14-17." I have been going through a difficult time without a lot of answers, so it was exactly what I needed to hear at the moment...guided by a good combination of the Holy Spirit and a mom's intuition. It broke me away from my scheduled reading for the morning, but God knew exactly what I needed to hear today.
That Scripture reference talks about how we get all tied up with the "big questions" of life. We let hard times and hard questions challenge our faith when they are meant to sharpen our faith. The passage goes on to say that not even the wisest man could comprehend all that goes on under the sun. So, why should we bog ourselves down with questions that we will never know the answers to? Why don't we just trust God and be content with the hand that we have been dealt? Why don't we just enjoy the ride with the hope of knowing that God is in control and He has a good outcome in store for us?
Here's the bottom line, don't waste your valuable time by trying to over-analyze everything. Everybody has questions, and everybody experiences hard times...you aren't alone. Give it all to God, trust Him. Count your blessings and enjoy the ride.

Impressionable

I have hair like a brillo pad. It's true. To let it grow out would be embarrassing at best. So, I keep it cut short and always use gel. But, there is a catch. If I let my hair start to dry after I get out of the shower for any more than about 10 minutes...it's too late! At that point it is back to the same old stubborn mop it was before I loosened it up with some conditioner in the shower. It is a very small window of opportunity.
Same principle applies with new Christians. We have a very small window of opportunity to impress upon them sound doctrine, because if we don't, it is inevitable that they will be influenced by other myths and ridiculous ideologies and theologies. They are like play-do in the hands of a child, or clay in the hands of a potter. If not done anything with right away, they will harden up by the surrounding elements and shaping becomes difficult to impossible. Discipleship is crucial, and early discipleship is absolutely essential. Just a thought.

Looking in All the Wrong Places

Two nights ago, Seth woke up in the middle of the night (his regular routine) and headed off towards our bedroom crying and looking for us. What he didn't know was that we decided to sleep on the Guest Room bed, which is right next to his room, instead of our own that night. So, he runs to the other side of the house to our bedroom looking for us and we weren't there. Poor child, he was probably feeling pretty lost and confused until I could orientate myself and lumber down the hall to catch up with him.
In many cases, we do the the same in relation to our walk with God. We wake up in a lonely and scary situation and we begin to look for God...and maybe, just maybe, you have found yourself feeling eluded by God's presence in the midst of your darkest hour. Could it be that the Lord is simply closer to you than you thought? Waking up in a dark and scary place can be very disorientating. Maybe, you are lost, looking way out in the mystery of the "cosmic nowhere," when all the while God is right at your side...the foot prints in the sand beside you. Could it be, that you sub-consciously didn't even think God could be close to you in your unstable and embarrassing situation.
God definitely keeps things interesting, and you may not always find Him in the same place or in the same way you did before...but, one thing is for certain, He is always there and maybe He is closer to you than what you thought.

Fresh Wind Fresh Fire

Pastor Zach gave me this book to read by Jim Cymbala, the Pastor of Brooklyn Tabernacle. The book is great for dealing with the ideaologies of the "fruits and nuts" of Christianity right along with challenging the lethargic heart. Great book on one of the foundational truths of Christianity...prayer. If you haven't already read it, you should.

Over-Eloquence and Under-Empowered

Lots of preachers and lots of "Christians" tend to fall into this category. When someone lacks true power from the Holy Spirit, they tend to try to cover up their weakness by a human attempt at eloquence. To this "jelly-back" approach, Paul summed it up well in 2 Timothy 3:1-5 (emphasis on verse 5)..."1 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!"

Hope Fulfilled

Proverbs 13:12, one of my favorite Scriptures, states, "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life." God really spoke to my heart a couple days back about this very truth. In essence, the Lord told me that the reason I get frustrated and angry at different levels in my life is because I perceive that situation as an end-all. It was a watershed moment for me. The root of my "sickness" or "frustration" or "anger" was the simple fact that I wasn't operating in hope for a greater tomorrow. It was a behavioral error for me, a learned behavioral error. What a lack of faith!
I believe that if we are going to truly be joyful and at peace in this life, we have to hope. Hope roots us in joy and peace. Without hope, we get discouraged, depressed, and defeated. With hope, we conquer the mundane, we shatter the status quo, and we turn common mindsets into eternal ones. Hope deferred makes our hearts sick, but a longing fulfilled brings life to our dying situations. Truly, Christ has satisfied our deepest desperate longings through the Cross and His resurrection. Just believe.

U and R Follow Up

So the Unplug and Recharge was awesome! We slayed some deer and just had a good 'ol time around the camp fire. Much thanks to Pastor Zach for letting me borrow his "super cot." It came in handy despite the fact that the wind nearly blew my tent across the lake! Just 8 more months until next year's deer season. I am counting down the days! I guess until then my golf clubs will have to come out as the source of recreation and recharge for me! Bitter sweet!

Unplugging and Recharging

I will be out for the next two days. I am going to my favorite place on the Earth to unplug from everything and recharge my batteries for a little while. No phone, no computer, no agenda...just me, Jesus, a couple of friends, and my favorite activity in the world...deer hunting! Should be refreshing!

Understanding Humility

One aspect that helps us to come to grips the necessity of humility is understanding the reality of our outcome. Scripture says in Matthew 23:12, "And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. There is a day coming when God will level the playing field. It is inevitable, it will, in fact, happen. One of the main reasons we are pompous and arrogant, is because we are ignorant to this very principle. We must understand that our desire to be seen and heard is a wicked gesture that robs God of the glory due to His Name. Our desire for power and control is the very same thing that will land satan and his whole clan in eternal punishment and torture.
Everybody wants to be important and regarded as revolutionary, but we must yield to the One who is able to lift up and tear down. It boils down to trust in God or trust in ourselves. But, God is faithful and reward openly those who bless Him privately. Let us hold unswervingly to the humility that glorifies God, and that edifies humanity collectively. Our day is coming soon, and our outcome in Christ is certain.

Ordination Process...FINALLY!

I have started the ordination process with the Assemblies of God. Not long after I gave my life to Christ I was called into ministry and began my journey through the credentialing process. I barreled through the Certification and Licensing levels, and followed that up by an abrupt halt on my third level. I think I just got busy with life and ministry and put my studies to the back burner. I recently got a second wind though, and now I am on the threshold of a one year process of interviews and tests to become Ordained. I should have done this two or three years ago, but better late than never! Won't be long now...can't wait to finish it up!

Straight Hate

I just watched an episode of Dr. Phil about how you should raise a transgendered child. It was a sad reminder of the ridiculousness of worldy wisdom and reason. They basically had the stage split and on one side was psychologists that believed this was a scientific problem and people should embrace it, and on the other side were psychologists that believed heterosexuality is the natural way and you should coerce the child away from transgendered behavior. The people that thought transgender was scientific were livid at, and totally hardened towards, the people who believed in heterosexual relationships.
Obviously, Jesus taught heterosexual behavior is the right way and everything else is demonic activity. The truth is that the child needs to be set free from the demonic possession over his life. The "hot-headed" mom and "misguided" psychologists wouldn't hear anything else than what they wanted to hear though.
This Scripture came to my mind as a result of this show...
18 “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. 21 But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 He who hates Me hates My Father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father. 25 But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’ John 15:18-25
So yeah, let 'em hate. Absolute truth remains.

Peaceful Moments

So, I was in the midst of another "fast-paced" morning, and on my way back to the house I really felt impressed to just go out by the lake in our subdivision for a moment. I had lots of stuff to do, but I figured I would just stop by for a second. I pulled up overlooking the lake, turned off the car, and just sat there for a few minutes not doing anything but just enjoying the moment. It was definitely God trying to slow me up for a minute to enjoy life. No big revelation...just peace. Sometimes we get so enamored with what we are doing that we never realize what we are missing. Try to take a moment today just to stop and enjoy life. Sometimes it just takes a moment to get things back on track.

A Refreshing Day

Today was pretty awesome. I got to go golfing for the first time in about 6 months! Me and Pastor Zach tore it up. My game was still on amazingly enough. It truly is crazy how much just getting out and getting your mind off of things helps. I highly recommend that to everybody...schedule some rec. time before you wreck yourself...for real.

The Wilderness Before the Commission

From Moses, to King David, to the prophets, to the children of Israel, to the disciples, to Jesus himself...all of these are examples that the wilderness comes before the fulfillment of our destiny. Moses did his time as "an alien in a foreign land," (Gen.2:22), David spent time in the wilderness at the cave of Adullum (1 Sam. 21-22), the prophets all had their moments of exile and preparation, the children of Israel spent their 40 years meandering around the desert, the disciples had their moment from the crucifixion of our Lord to the day of Pentecost, and Jesus even spent time in isolation in Nazareth and in the wilderness before He set out to save the world. So, what is it about the wilderness that is so beneficial?
Here are some facts that I have learned and reasons that I believe God sends us to the wilderness preceding a great work for His Kingdom.
1. Isolation.
When we are alone, we are faced with the reality of ourselves. Point fingers all you want, sooner or later you'll have to examine yourself. Isolation also diffuses all other voices and brings clarity of and focus on God's voice alone.
2. God takes illegitimacy and makes it legitimate.
3. Preparation for the magnitude of the call.
The bigger the job, the more materials, skills, and drive it will take to effectively complete it.
4. Desire
We always want the things we can't have, and we always take care of the things we have to work for.

That's just a few raw thoughts off the top of my head. If I think of any more I will be sure to list them. Hope it helps!

Little Man Communicates

Yesterday was the first time my little man communicated to me with a word...rightfully used. Lindsey has taught him to say "hot." Good word to know! So yesterday when his lunch was to warm he looked at me and said "ot, ot!" May sound like a small deal, but it was huge as a dad! It was one of those firsts.
I can see how God feels when we communicate to him...our exact feelings, without missing the purpose with "off the wall" randomness.
In that same vein, here is a good Scripture for the day: 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

Resolution or Intention

Resolution: NOUN: 1. The state or quality of being resolute; firm determination.

Intention: NOUN: 1. A course of action that one intends to follow.

In many cases we make New Year's Intentions instead of New Year's Resolutions. I think the problem is most likely a heart issue. The bad problem we want to change hasn't taken a devastating toll on us just yet. When the problem magnifies we tend to make that intention resolution then. It is a whole lot wiser and less stressful to go ahead and make the change while it is a mole hill...before it turns into a mountain. So go ahead, get some accountability and make this year the one you've been waiting for!

Less is More

Simplify...streamline...pray....leave the rest up to God.....Less is more.