What's your story

The fog of insecurity and uncertainty seems to clear for the moment as the sun rises from the east to say good morning, to kiss the earth with the reminder that we have been given another day to cherish or squander. One more day to live, love and share the gift. To be honest the word gift seems almost elementary to use when talking about salvation from a God who owns the universe, created gravity and defeated death, but that is just what it is. A gift that defies all fairness and common logic, a gift that we neither deserved nor earned, but have been offered none the less. A gift unmatched by any other, sure a man can die for another, but to die for the whole world...knowing that the majority would reject your existence and try to completely discredit your deity. Like I said it is an unmatched, untouchable gift… it’s more than just a gift of salvation, but it’s a gift of freedom and life in Christ. I wish this was my constant thought pattern and that my heart yearned for soul after soul to be won the kingdom constantly, but truthfully I find myself blurring the lines of mediocrity and complacency from time to time with a systematic type religion that keeps the boxes checked, but is devoid of passion…. And believe me I need passion to survive. I want a fire to stir in me that brings me to my knees in such reverence and respect for the glory of God. I mean, I want to feel the weight of the work on the cross and be satisfied in the fact that if He never does another thing nor says another word that that bloody cross was enough and that very vacant tomb completely sufficient to sustain me. I want you and I to live in such a sense of urgency that it is though we can smell the borders of hell when we keep company with the lost and with everything we have desire to be the wall between them and that horrible pit reserved for the devil and his angels. I am in no way hoping that you climb on board a evangelistic explosion. We have had enough of those that leave people looking for a new way to share their faith two years later. I am simply hoping and wishing that you would share “your faith” and that being what Christ has done in and through you, the reason why you worship and sing, the reason why you dance or easily overcome things that would typically be tragedy or the reason you have joy unspeakable. If you have no story, no time when God stepped in and took over your story to make it His own then you should consider the possibility that you are lost and need God to save you. The good news is that He has made a way…



Heres a good place to start
“God this is your story… I so desperately desire to be a part of it. Bend me. Break me. Do whatever it takes to let your light shine from me. Reduce me that you and only you may be seen. Save me from this world and it’s passions, save me from myself and my passions, save me from my sin and it’s consequences and let me fall more in love with you every day”

John 3
Titus 3:4-7
Ephesians 4:22-32
Galatians 2:21

Arkansas a looker

We are headed toward sixty-five. Everyone for the moment is still awake… silent, but awake. We have spent the last four days in Berryville Arkansas and to be honest I am sad to be saying goodbye to people I consider family. I want to take a minute and thank Ricky Sowell and his wife Megan for opening their home and sharing the love and hospitality of Christ with us. They are not a couple who speak Jesus with their lips, but examples by exhausting their lives for the cause of Christ. (I’m praying He sends you to China). Jp is for sure the greatest kid in Arkansas and I am blessed to know you guys.
We came for a three-day youth revival to lead worship and share the most awesome thing that has ever been given to us… the gospel. It was glorious remembering it is not about us, but completely and supremely about Him. Times of worship were pretty much beautiful with the presence of God resting like a blanket and the voice of God ringing like a trumpet. I know for me these past few days have been a reminder to not only know Christ, but to be intimately devoted to Him and His call. (The sun is coming up over the Ozarks, I wish you guys could see this). The spectacle of creation here is so much more elaborate than at home. It’s like God wanted to cram a million rolling hills and breathtaking views into one state. Well done.
I wont bore you with talk of turkey houses, horses, ice crème sandwiches and golf, but I will tell you that in all these things I could see the wonder, majesty and uniqueness of our God. I guess you could say it was like taking a step back to child-like faith and in that taking one step closer towards Him. One thing is certain and with this I will close. When you can’t He can, when you don’t He does, and when you need He is. There will be more to come on that last sentence soon, but it’s six in the morning and I had four hours sleep last night so my eyes are heavy and the sway of truck and trailer are about to do me in.
Ricky, Megan, and J.p thank you again for making me part of your family, you guys are truly a valuable part of my life.