It's a God Thing! 10,000+

In less than 2 months,  HOPE for the Hopeless has had over 10,000 page views.  Thats a God thing!  May He continue to allow me to be the proof and evidence of His love!  Check out HOPE for the Hopeless, it will inspire and encourage you.

Boy Was I Wrong

     All of the foreign mission trips I have been on have been hosted through RHEMA.  Since our trips are hosted through an outside organization, we get to meet people from all over.  Most of them are from the U.S.A.  Usually there will be some people that you have never met before. 

     One year, I made a huge mistake.  A mistake that taught me a very valuable lesson.  I judged someone by my first impression.  The mission team was meeting in a side room and in walked a younger looking guy.  His hair was shaved all around his head leaving a circle of long hair on top of his head.  He had pulled what hair he did have into a pony tail.  He was wearing baggy pants, like really baggy pants.  At least we couldn't see his boxers.  When he spoke, everything was a joke.  I love jokes I really do.  I love to laugh and cut up, when it is appropriate.  Our morning briefing, prayer, and bible study just did not seem like an appropriate time to me for cutting up.  But for whatever reason, this guy thought everything was a joke.  He never said anything inappropriate, it was just a tad obnoxious.  I couldn't help but laugh though, he was pretty funny.  My impression, "This guy is a thug, he looks like a thug.  He is probably a new christian and doesn't know how to act right yet. Probably his pastor thought it would be a great idea to take him on this mission trip so he can learn to be a better Christian."

     Oh boy was I wrong, dead wrong.  Payaso, the thug, was actually CHAGY the clown.  That morning was the first and last time I saw what appeared to be a thug.  From that morning on, Payaso transformed himself into CHAGY the clown.  He was hysterical! One of the funniest people I have ever met.  CHAGY went ever where we went and shared the gospel through the image of a clown.  When he was done at the medical clinics, he went to the streets, the schools, and even the evening crusaides. CHAGY never quit.  He worked harder than anyone I have ever worked with before.  He was like the energizer bunny, nothing stopped him.  His passion to serve and reach anyone and everyone was relentless.  This thug/clown was more serious about his faith and reaching the lost than all my years combined.

CHAGY

     CHAGY became a role model to me, and inspiration, and example of how passionate we needed to be with sharing our faith.  He was not a thug, he was the humblest of men I have ever met.  He dresses up as a clown everyday and goes out in public so people will look, stare and laugh at him.  When they do, He proves to them that their impression is wrong and that he is a messenger for the Lord. 



CHAGY sharing the gospel outside a medical clinic


     The final night of the crusaids, CHAGY shared his testimony and how he spent his life hiding behind things pretending to be what he was not.  As he shared how God forgave him and cleansed him, he slowly removed his clown makeup, costume, and image.  When he was finished the crowed got to see who CHAGY really was, he was Payaso, a hispanic man who looked just everyone else.  He was a regular guy who had the same trials, struggles, fears, hurts, and worries as every other guy.  CHAGY/Payaso ended up being one of the most powerful evangleist I have ever met.  He has become one of my heroes in the faith, a mentor, and an example of how passionate I need to be.  It was also proof, that God can and will use anyone who is willing.  God does not callt he qualified, He qualifies the called.

CHAGY sharing the gospel with homeless kids
outside our hotel, just before leaving for missions

  
     Check him out on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/payaso.chagy?fref=ts

Matthew 7:1-5 

"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 3 "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.
We are not called to judge, but we are called to rebuke our brothers for their sin.  But until we are right witht he Lord, how can we give directin to our brother?

May my life be the proof and evidence of His love!

John Oliver the Homeless Poet and Painter

     Living on the streets of Granada, Nicaragua is a man named John Oliver.  According to John, he lost his family during a civil war in Nicaragua years ago.  Supposedly, his family sent him to the Caribbean coast for safety when the fighting began.  When the fighting was over, John returned home to Granada only to find his family had been killed.   

     Honestly, I do not know if his story is true.  Sadly, you cannot always believe what someone tells you, especially if they want something from you.  There are people that will tell you what you want to hear just so you will take pity on them and give them something.  I like to believe John has told the truth.

     Here is what I do know about John Oliver, he lives on the streets.     John had become a victim, a victim of rejection.  Society turned its back on him and the church will not tolerate him.  Other street people physically beat John almost every day.  He has tried going to numerous churches, but they have turned him away.  They turn him away because of his addictions and his poor hygiene. 

John Oliver

       John may be homeless, but he is not stupid.  He has an incredible gift with words and memory.  He speaks poems that he has written into his mind about who God is and what He has done.  John has committed to memory several chapters throughout the bible.   I have personally talked with John and I know that he knows who Christ is. 

     I remember one night when we found John outside our hotel.  We called him over to talk.  John just smiled and smiled.  We gave him some food and drinks, which he gladly accepted.  The hotel manager tried to run him off and I said, "No, he is with me."  We even offered him some money.  John said, "I do not want you money, I will only buy stuff I should not buy."  We talked about Christ and what God can do.  John shared what God had done for him and how he loved the Lord. 

     John then began to weep, and then he went on to share how he had become addicted to drugs and alcohol.  He had nowhere to turn when he became homeless.  He became depressed and turned to things he knew he should not have.  His outlets became addictions and his addictions became his demise.  When John was finished, we prayed for him. 

     I bet we visited for a couple hours easy that night.  Then John said this "you guys have made me feel like someone, someone special."  "You have not judged me but made me feel like one of your own."  Then he said, "I want to give you something special."  At that, John sat down on the ground and pulled out some paints from his bag.  He reached into the bushes, pulled out a trashed cigarette poster, and began to paint on the back of it.  John created a tropical scene, similar to what he would see on the Caribbean coast.  When he was finished, he said, "I want you to have this so you will remember me." 

This is the painting that was given to Carri and I.
It hangs on the wall by my computer.  Each time I see it
I say a prayer for my friend John Oliver.

Matthew 25:40

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

Matthew 25:45

 "He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

May my life be the proof and evidence of His love!

We Simply Had No Clue

     The flight we were taking from Atlanta to Managua, Nicaragua was beyond exciting to say the least.  However, none of the passengers had a clue how exciting it really was. That is until after we landed.

     Our flight left from Atlanta a day late in the evening.   On the flight, I sat next to a lady who was on her way to a mission trip as well.  We were sharing stories about our faith.  During the flight, she was making bracelets.  Each bracelet had three beads on it, a black bead, a red bead, and a white bead.  It was cool because I had a few hundred necklaces with the same colored beads plus I a green bead.  I was telling her how I planned to share the gospel using these necklaces.  Every necklace we had was made by a child in our church in the AWANA program.  Not only was this a gospel tool, it was a gift from an American child.

     The black bead represented sin, the red bead represent the blood Jesus shed on the cross for our sins, the white bead represented the forgiveness of our sins, the green bead represented the new life we are given in Christ, and the knot in the necklace represented that fact the Jesus will never let us go once we are His.  The fact that these necklaces were gifts meant that they had to be received, just as we must receive Christ into our hearts in order to have His gift of life.  The necklace could be received by ones hand.  Christ must be received with ones heart. 

     I began to notice that our flight was taking longer than what it should have.  There was also some bad weather, but that did not seem unusual to me.  I had flown numerous times before in storms.  As usual, we were told to stay in our seat due to turbulence, which was normal.

     Finally, we were descending for the landing.  That seemed to take forever.  When we did finally land.  Iit was the hardest, bumpiest, and rockiest landing I had ever felt before.  Falling from the sky may have been a little easier.  Once the plane came to a stop, the pilot came on the intercom and said in a very shaky voice,  "Welcome to Honduras……I mean Nicaragua." 

     We had no clue, but when we got off the plane we quickly discovered that the airport had been struck by lighting and had no power on the runway.  No lights what so ever.   It was nearly 11:00 pm, pitch black outside.  Our flight had been redirected to Honduras, but since we did not have enough fuel to make it that far our pilot was forced to make a crash landing in the dark by instruments only.  I am sure half of Nicaragua's people were outside the airport watching.  I had never seen so many people standing outside an airport ever.

Small group of children in Nicaragua who
not only recieved a necklace, but Christ as well

Psalms 91:1-2

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.2 I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." 

May my life be the proof and evidence of His Love!

God Multiplied our Insignificant Offering

     July 2008, I went on my first mission trip to Nicaragua.   Once again, I was on mission with Ron Herrod Evangelical Association.  I am just saying, I love this mission group.  They go in and host pastor institutes for men who otherwise will never be given the opportunity to learn to become pastors.  These men graduate with a diploma and they are given brand new bibles.  Most of these men have never even had a complete bible let alone a new one.  We also go to the area where these men come from and provide street evangelism, seminars, and medical clinics.  All of this is provided in order to help these men build doctrinally sound churches.  On the flip side, we minister to those in need and then provide them with a church and pastor who will remain when we are gone. 

       Here is what happened during my first trip to Nicaragua.  When we arrived at the airport, immediately we were informed that our flight was delayed.   We were told, there was no way we would get to our final destination that day. Yes, I was upset. We ended up staying the night in Atlanta. 

     That night, in Atlanta, we got word that the team before us made it to Managua.  However, here was a problem; all of the medical supplies were confiscated.  Everything was taken, medications, equipment, all of it.  The sad thing is, everything was legal. All of it was taken out of greed and corruption.  

     One of the nurses with us had brought a suitcase with a few medications in it.  That night our group gathered around for a prayer meeting.  We opened the suitcase up in the middle of the group on the floor and prayed over it.  We asked God to take what we had to offer and multiply it.  We asked that we would be able to deliver and provide for the medical needs of the people He had called us to serve.  

Here we are after praying for what we did have.

     It was amazing; we went through customs without any delay or problems.  What is even cooler, all of our bags were tagged with the very same tags as group before us.  We had large bright colored tags with the mission groups name on them in large bold letters.  They were like flags for everyone to see. 

     Miraculously, God took what we had and multiplied it.  Not only did we have enough meds to treat and care for all of our patients, we had more left over than what we started with.  What began with a half-full suitcase ended up being a full suitcase and a half.  The medical mission team was able to leave more than what we brought in leftovers.

This is the outside of just one of 5 clinics we had that week.
On average we treat about 100-125 patients each day.

Matthew 14:17-21

We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish," they answered. 18"Bring them here to me," he said. 19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

May my life be the proof and evidence of His love!

Pray Continually

     Crossfire is a Basketball Ministry team founded by Randy shepherd and Jamie Johnson.  These guys travel the world sharing the gospel through basketball.  The team consists of former all-star college players and even pro players.  If anyone ever has a need for a sports ministry team, I highly recommend Crossfire.  Visit www.crossfireministry.com for more info.  Tell Randy Bill Butcher sent you.

     While I was in Romania, I met the Crossfire team.  Immediately my first impression was, these guys are genuine and real.  Some of the most humble men I have ever met.  Possessing talent way before their years.  I say way before their years because most of them are older men who play like college students much younger. 

     One afternoon, Crossfire was playing an expo game against the Romanian National team in a high school gym.  My first impression of the Romanian players was, these guys are stoic and mean.  I saw no smile and nothing but fight in their eyes.  As the game began, it was obvious that my first impression was right.  They pushed hard, fouled often and showed no mercy.  The crossfire team just kept playing on, pushing hard back, along with showing mercy. 

Here are the Romanian players marching like
Gladiators just prior to the games start. 

     It was half time when Randy signaled over to a couple of us and indicated that we needed to pray and pray for the Romanian players.  We did, we got on our knees on the sidelines and began to pray.  My prayer is that God would break through the hardness of their hearts and reveal the truth of who He was.  I prayed that each of them would discover Christ this day. 

This Randy Sharing the Gospel at Halftime.

     Randy went center court at half time and without any hesitation shared the gospel the way He always does using a basketball, toothbrush, cell phone, and a bible.  Without skipping a beat, he gave an invitation for those who wanted to accept Christ into their hearts for the first time.  As if it were pre planned, every Romanian player including the coaches all raised their hands.  Then, they all got on their knees and prayed to accept Christ into their lives as their Lord and Savior. 

This is the Crossfire men congratulating
the Romania guys for their decision for Christ 

     The second half of the game was a different game altogether.  The Romanian players were smiling, patting crossfire guys on the back for good plays, helping their opponent up off the floor when they fell, and hugs like that of brotherhood ended the game.

Here is a very short verse everyone should memorize:

I Thessalonians 5:17 pray continually

May my life be the proof and evidence of His love!

Jesus Sent the Rain

     While in Romania on our mission trip we hosted several medical clinics in various villages surrounding the area of Satu Mare.  While the medical clinics were going on there were also people doing street evangelism and group called Crossfire doing basketball ministry.  The goal of all the teams combined was to reach the people of Satu Mare and the surrounding areas for Christ.  At night we were having regular church services and revival services. 

     There was one church in particular that I want to share about.  This Church was in city/village of Carei.  Carei actually has a population of around 20,000 or so.  We had not been to Carei for medical or street ministry, but we did go to lead a church service one evening.  The area we went to was on the outskirts of the city. 

     I remember when we arrived at the church I couldn’t help but notice how hot, dry, and sunny it was.  For whatever reason, I took a picture of the church with the sun glaring behind it.  Once inside, we were greeted with a warm very hospitable welcome.  Before the services began, we met with the elders of the church to discuss the order of services and address any prayer concerns they had.  They asked that we pray for the children.  Apparently word had gotten out that the Americans were coming so several children from the area came to church.  Most of these children had never been to church before.  The prayer request was that these children would discover Christ as their Savior. 

      The answer to their prayer request was amazing to say the least.  I was in charge of the children’s worship service.  We started off by singing worship songs, or at least the kids did.  We had no idea what they were singing, but it was beautiful.  Then some of our teenagers acted out a bible story.  To finish the service, I shared the gospel using an evangicube with the children.  When the service was finished, we had all the children bow their heads and asked if anyone wanted to receive Christ as their Lord and savior.  Every single hand went up.  24 children accepted Christ that day in Carei.  Now you may be thinking “they were children and probably did not know what they were doing.” Maybe, but at the very minimum, a seed was planted into the hearts of children most of whom had never been in church before.  But more importantly, we met with some of the elders at the end of the week.  What they shared is that they had gone and spoke with every child that night.  What they determined is that every one of them knew exactly what they were doing when they said yes to Christ. 

Group photo of the Kids from the Church at Carei

      At the end of the services, the wives of the church elders prepared coffee and deserts for us to express appreciation.  While we were eating and visiting, I was able to share about all the decisions the children had made.  The adults were so excited.  After I was done sharing one of the elders asked if we could pray for rain.  This particular area of Carei was supported by farming.  For the previous several months they had been in a drought.   So we all gathered together and prayed.  At the final Amen we heard and felt the rumbles of thunder.  It was not just moments before that I was outside and I promise you there was not one cloud in the sky.  As we were leaving to return to Satu Mare, you could see storm clouds above Carei raining and everywhere else around the sun was still brightly shinning.  Jesus sent the rain. 

Picture of the Bright sun behind the Church
in Carei before the church services began.

This is the sky that evening as we were leaving Carei

Zechariah 10:1 

Ask the LORD for rain in the springtime; it is the LORD who makes the storm clouds. He gives showers of rain to men, and plants of the field to everyone.

May my life be the proof and evidence of His love!

Surrender and Suffer or Fight?

     There are things that just seem to place a sense of urgency in your life.  These things are usually out of your control.  Tragedies, natural disasters, accidents, illness, disease and such.  When life altering life changing things happen, your perspective on life changes rapidly.  All of the sudden there is a sense of urgency, a desire to move and act quickly.  Huntington's disease was one of those things for our family. 

     It seemed like we were just trotting along in life and smelling the roses, when all of the sudden "BAM!" "Your family has Huntington's disease."  Now what are you going to do.  Your trotting has now become a trap and your roses are now all rotten.  No more rose colored glasses for you guys.  This is not just a season or an event that will pass it is now the rest of  your life. 

     Sure, there is a sense of urgency and a desire to scramble and act fast.  But wait; there is absolutely nothing you can do about it.  That is what most people think.  It is those things when nothing can be done that you actually have two choices you can make.  One choice is to surrender, suffer and let it takes its course.  The other is to fight like there is no tomorrow.  You cannot fight to defeat what ails you, but you can fight to make a difference and make things right in your life. 

     We chose to fight.  We gave our lives to Christ and in doing so; we were called to fulfill the great commission.  Reach the world for Christ that is what we are supposed to do.  It starts in your own life and spreads from there. 

     In the spring of 2007, an opportunity came up for a mission trip to Satu Mare, Romania.  My immediate reaction was this: "We can't afford it, there is no possible way."  Carri's initial reaction was, "I am going."  I was the doubter and Carri was the believer. 

     While we were out jogging one morning, Carri abruptly stopped and said, "If money had nothing to do with this mission trip, would you go?"  "Of course I would go."  "Who do you feel should go?"  "You, me and Mackenzie, without a doubt."  "Then what is the problem?"  "I'll pray about it." "While you are praying about it, I'm going to sign us up." 

     May of 2007, Carri, Kenzie and I went on our first foreign mission trip to Romania.  The cost was nearly $6,000.  The out of pocket expense for us never amounted to more than a couple hundred dollars.   God said go, we said yes, and He provided the means. 

Kenzie's Proof of Life in Amsterdam

Literally a Yellow Brick Road in Satu Mare, Romania

    When God says go somewhere, do not doubt Him.  Why would He tell you to go if He really did not want you there to begin with? 

Proverbs 3:5 

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;

May my life be the proof and evidence of His love!

God Knows Your Needs and He Rewards Faithfulness

     During the Spring of 2010, Carri and I had to make a very difficult decision.  A decision that had a direct impact on our financial future and the stability of our home and family.  Like most people we made our mistakes and as a result placed ourselves in bondage to debt.  I am not proud of it and wish I knew then what I know now.  Never place yourself in bondage to debt.

     The effects of Huntington's disease had taken enough toll on Carri mentally and emotionally, that her job had become a burden to heavy to bear.  We knew that this day would come, and we always hoped that it would be after our children were grown and graduated.  It did not wait.  After a season of sincere prayer, Carri and I both agreed that it was time for her to resign the teaching position that she held at the local college.  Carri had been teaching students to become registered nurses for 10+ years.

     After making this decision, the pursuit started for me to take on another job.  We both knew that if we were going to make it, I was going to have to find a second job.  We also knew that we were going to have to find a way to pay off a huge amount of worthless debt.  Our incomes were pretty much split 50/50.  And yes we were living check to check.  We were about to loose half of our income.

     The first thing we did was to cash in Carri's retirement.  We saw no other option other than bankruptcy.  Bankruptcy was not an option.  We acquired the debt, we were responsible for paying that debt back.  It was hard, but rewarding at the same time.  Cashing in early does not come without penalty.  We lost about half of the money to penalties and increased taxes.  Our financial advisor advised us strongly against cashing in.  She understood the great loss.  In our hearts we new it was the right thing to do.  We had to take the loss in order to better ensure our future but more importantly the ministry God had given us.  In doing so we were able to bring about a piece of mind.  A large portion of the debt we owed had been redeemed.

     However that was still not good enough.  It was going to take more just to make monthly payments and keep food on our table.  I began to work extra when I could for my current employer.   Carri accepted a part time job with a Hospice program.  That may seem like more stress, but it has actually become a ministry for Carri.  She can relate dieing, and has something more to offer.  Her hours are limited, but seem to come just at the right time.  At the same time I was searching for a second job.  It seemed like every option I found had a direct impact on my ability to continue leading our youth group on Wednesday nights and Sunday morning bible classes.

     Needless to say, I became extremely frustrated.  I knew in my heart God had called me to ministry.  If God had called me to ministry then why would He take me out of it because of the need for income?  He wouldn't.  I began to pray "Lord you know my needs, and I trust in you to provide.  committing to a job that involves working on Wednesdays and Sundays in not an option. I refuse to compromise the ministry you have called me to."  Let me tell you, that prayer alone pretty much eliminated every plausible option I had for a stable income.  There was nothing left.  Yes I became stressed and worried.  I did not know how I was going to provide for my family.  I was willing to sell all we had in order to make it happen.  Some things you just can't sell.  Like medical debt.  Over the previous few years and even recent months we had acquired medical debt that weighed a heavy burden.  Like every other debt, we were going to pay back what we owed and still owe.

     I was sincere in my prayer in not compromising the ministry God had called me to.  But I also needed a sign, a sign only from God that I was being faithful and doing the right thing.  Randomly one Sunday after church services, our pastor said he needed to talk to me.  I thought for sure he knew the problems we faced and he was going to inform me that he was going to find a youth pastor to fill my role.  To my surprise he said this "The church affirms your call to ministry and we want to ordain you into the ministry.  We also want to hire you part time.  we can not afford to pay you much, but we feel led to pay you something."  "WOW!" are you serious? tears poured out of my eyes.  Did I really just receive the sign I had asked God for?  yes I did!

Matthew 6:31-34 So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. 

This has nothing really to do with this Blog post.
It is a handmade desert that was prepared and
served to our mission team while we were serving
in Satu Mare, Romania.  It was AWESOME!
it was blessing beyond what we deserved, a special treat!

     Easter Sunday April 4, 2010 I was ordained into the ministry.   It was one of the greatest highlights of my life.  Sure things are tough, but that does not matter.  The investment Carri and I are now making is not in a retirement, not in things that will fall apart and be destroyed.  We are investing in something money can not buy.  We are committed to investing into peoples lives.
 





This is a picture of Hero Square in Budapest, Hungary.
I can't help but imagine Hero square in Heaven.
I can see the Throne of Christ at the center and
all around Him will be piled the trophies and rewards
we have received for what we did in His name while
on this earth.  My reward will be the giving back to
Christ the rewards that He has given to me.



Matthew 6:19-21  "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also

May my life be the proof and evidence of His love!

What Am I Thankful For?

Happy Thanksgiving!


     Today seems to be the biggest day of the year in America that we express our thanks for what we have.  We tend to be thankful for health, wealth, materials, family, jobs, all the good things by our standards.  But what does thanfullness really look like.  Are we really thankful for what we say we are thankful for?  I can not help but feel that sometimes we really are not thankful, but glad.  Glad that we have all these good and great things.  When things are not good or great thankfullness seems to fade.  Do we expect to have the things we have? We are given so much beyond what we really deserve.  We will gorge ourselves on big meals today and then complain about how much we overate.  This Holiday season will go on and by New Years we will complain about the weight we have gained.  Black Friday is coming and people will cuss and fight over the next great thing.  We are not thankful as a people we really are not.  We expect to gain what we want and we think we deserve more.  Today and tomorrow, people all over this world will suffer with hunger, disease, and the fight to stay alive.  While this is happening, we will be enjoying our comfy gorging ourselves on food and anticipating the coveted must have gift for Christmas.  We will spend beyond our means on black friday just becasue we can.  We will be totally ignorant of the fact that every dollar we spend wont go to help someone else in need and every bite we eat is a bite that another starving human wont enjoy. 

What does thankfullness look like?   It looks like a small child who is malnourished because of parasites and does not know when his mext meal will come.  A child who has has a father that wants him dead because he is ill.  A little boy who stands before you and when you say to him, I don't have what you need to make you well.  Thankfullness is that smile he sends your way when all you can do is pray.  He knows that his hope is only found in the Lord and not the temporary pleasures of this world.  He is thankful because someone made a sacrifice so that they could come to his villiage and show him that someone actually cares.  If you were this boy, could you still be thankful?

     What am I thankful for? I am thankful for the thorns in my flesh, and the trials I face each and every day.  It is the thorns and trials that keep my focus on the only true hope that I have.  In my weakness and struggles He is made greater and I am made complete.  It is through need, hurts and pains that He has made me who I am today.I am thankful that the Lord has given me a heart to serve, a heart to reach those who have nothing. I am thankful that He has allowed me to be His hands nad His feet.  I am thankfull that His grace has fallen on me.  I am thankful that I am saved. 




This is Jose Louis(left) and Victor (right).  Jose is the the little boy

I was talking about.  They fled to another part of  Nicaragua because

Jose's father wanted to kill Jose, Victor and their mother.  Jose has a

Disease that will end his life early if he does not recieve the invasive

medical treatment needed.  These two boys were so thankful that I

simply took the time to pray.  They returned numerous times throughout

the day to express their thanks with hugs, smiles and prayers.  Victor who is

only 4 layed his hands on my head and prayed.  He prayed in a way that was

way beyond his years.  He gave thanks to the Lord for sending me and

asked God to annoint me with his spirit so that I could reach the world

with His mighty name.  He asked God to bless me even more because

of my faithfullness to come and serve in his villiage. 

These boys know what it means to be thankful. 

     
2 Corinthians 12:9-10  But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

May my life be the proof and evidence of His love!

What Happens When You Obey God

     After discovering what I felt was God's will, I turned away from the youth ministry norm of entertainment and quick devotions.   When I did, everything changed.  It took some time and serious prayer.  The overhead projector did not seem to matter anymore.  It was cool; we would project the lyrics on a wall and play contemporary worship music over the sound system.  The youth would sing as if they were in a live concert.  The quick devotions became 20-30 minute sermons.  The sermons were always what God placed on my heart and not what I thought needed preached.

     After several months of the same old routine with 9-12 youth, God began to move.  The more I surrendered to His will the more youth He was drawing in to our youth service.  Literally overnight, we went from an average attendance of 9-12 to 20-25.  Over the years, God has continued to bless His youth ministry in our small town.  Most people may think 20-25 kids is really not impressive, and maybe it is not for most towns. For our town it is.  What is more impressive is the number of youth who continue to come every Wednesday night and worship the Lord in a way that is not normal for today's youth ministry. 

     Since May of 2009, God has taken the network of Youth that I have been blessed to minister to from 9-12 to now an average attendance of 50-55.  Actual number of youth that I have been ministering to is over 100. 

     My point is not numbers, numbers mean nothing if all you are doing is entertaining.  What I really want to bring out is the faithfulness of the youth to worship in the way God has called us to worship Him.  When we are within God's will and His plan, He moves.  We should never think that our plan is greater than His is.  We simply do not have in mind the things of God nor could we ever predict or plan His heart's desire.  We simply must come before Him in obedience and submission.  We seek His desire if we are to truly be an ambassador for Christ. 

Flippin FBC YOUTH Group!
some of them at least.

Isaiah 55:8-9 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. 9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

May my life be the proof and evidence of His love!

The purposes of God’s Church

     Here are the things I felt God was revealing to me in His word and through prayer when it came to the purposes of His church.  He wants us to worship Him through praise and thanks giving. We are to grow in our understanding of who He is and how we should live through discipleship.  Others should continually be coming to Him for salvation through evangelism.  The church should be a family and a body that serves that is connected as one through fellowship.  Finally, we are to be the hands, feet, heart, mind, eyes, and mouth of Jesus through missions. 

     It was ironic, after I discovered what I truly believed God desired for our youth group, I came across a book called “The Purpose Driven Youth Ministry. Written by Doug Fields.”  I purchased the book and began to read it.  Initially I expected to find what everyone else was doing.  To my surprise, God affirmed everything He had already placed upon my heart. 

     In The Purpose Driven Youth Ministry book, Doug outlines the purpose of the Church in these scriptures:

Matthew 28:19 therefore, go and make disciples of all nations.  This scripture describes evangelism.  We are to go out and reach people for Christ, leading them to salvation through a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Matthew 28:19 baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  This scripture describe fellowship.  Now baptism itself is not magical, but it is a symbol of giving one's life to Christ.  When you give your life to Christ, you become a part of the family of Christ.  As a family, we must fellowship in order to strengthen our relationships and one another. 

Matthew 28:20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  This scripture describes discipleship.  Discipleship is teaching and learning of the bile.

Worship: Matthew 22:37 "love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This scripture describes Worship.  Worship is not just limited to the music we sing, it is all that we do with all that we have for the Lord. 

Missions:  Matthew 22:39 Love your neighbor as yourself.  This last verse describes Missions.  Mission is simply doing for others.

Church service in Nicaragua.

Evangelism, Fellowship, Discipleship, Worship, and Missions. These are the things we should be doing all the time.  Our lives should be known for these things and not limited to certain days and times.  

May my life be the proof and evidence of His love!

The Search for God’s Will for His Church

     During the time that I agreed to lead our Wednesday night youth and the day I surrendered to the ministry, I was attempting to mimic other youth pastors and their method of ministry.  I really had no budget to work with and not much money of my own to invest.  What I did have I spent on trying to make our Wednesday night youth appealing to our local students.  Honestly, that was an epic failure.    God had called me into His ministry not the ministry of someone else.  My failure was, I was trying to fulfill and mimic what others were already doing.  I was not seeking what God wanted to be done. 

     It is funny how we have it in our heads that God needs all the fancy gadgets and latest technology to reach the lost.  The irony was in what I did have.  The digital projector was broken, I had no laptop, and the youth building was and still is the old church with no pews.  We did have an old pool table, a ping pong table and one basketball goal.  The floors were and still are bare.  The walls are just a plain white with grungy smudges everywhere.  Most youth would walk in and think “really, are you for real!” and walk out.  No fancy lights, no fancy décor, no band, and no cool place to just hang out. What we had was the blah boring bare minimum, a scratchy sound system, and an old school plastic sheet projector. 

     Reality set in after several weeks of leading the youth.  God wants something different than what I was attempting to create.  If He really wanted what I was trying to do He would have provided for those needs.  So what was it that God had planned?

     The first night I led youth, there was 9 students.   Several weeks later there was 12-15.  Obviously something was wrong.  It’s not about the numbers and how many kids you can draw in and entertain.  It is about making an impact in the life of a student for Christ.  If you have a hundred or even a thousand and not one life is reached for Christ, then it is all in vain.  If you only have one and that one life is changed for Christ, then it is all worth every effort you have made.  What I did know is that we had more than one in our community that needed to meet the Lord.  I also realized that what I was doing was really wasn’t what The Lord wanted.  The kids I was ministering to were the kids of parents who had been attending our church for years.  They all grew up in the church and they were expected to be a part of the church.  Not that this was a bad thing, because it was not.  The problem was our youth ministry was bound by the walls and membership of our church.  God never intended it to be that way. 

     I began to pray faithfully, “Lord, what is it that our youth need? How do you want me to lead and minister?”  As I became more faithful in praying and more in tune to listening to God’s voice instead of making sure God heard my voice, I began to hear what He desired.  I began to realize that what God wanted was not entertainment it was church.  I began to see what God’s church looked like.  It had no walls or fancy comfortable interiors.  God’s church was the people.  With that in mind, I began to focus on what we did have and not what I thought we should have.  I no longer sought after the images of other youth groups; I sought after the images of Christ’s church and its purpose.

     God began to put things on my heart and my mind of what He wanted.  It seemed like every time I asked He would respond “Church!”  As I would read His word and pray, I began to realize what Church was suppose to look like and what its purposes were. 

     When we make church what we want it to be and not what God has called it to be it may look attractive and nice on the outside, but in the inside, it is dead.  Tomorrow I will share what God showed me, and how He confirmed the purposes of His church. 

This is the inside of a church in Romania.
On the outside there were rejected, hungry,
sick Roma people (gypsies)  everywhere. 

This is the outside of one of the nicer Churches in Nicaragua,
On the inside I have experienced some of the most spiritually
intense worship services ever.  We also use these churches
to care for and treat the illness and infections of their people

Matthew 23:27 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean.

May my life be the proof and evidence of His love!

Are You or Are You Not Going to Serve Me

     After the mobile MFUGE mission trip, I spent several months debating with God.  He was calling me to youth ministry and I was trying to convince Him that I was not able.  I am certain I had more excuses that there were minutes in the day.  So, the debate went on and on.  At times, I would think ok yes I could do this if I can become more like so and so.  I was always looking at other pastors and trying to figure out how I could mimic their abilities and gifts.  I would always come to the same conclusion; I cannot be that person.  Then I would tell God "see I told you so."

     Sunday February 14, 2010 is the day it all came to a head.  I was sitting in the front pew of the church waiting for the services to start.  Everything seemed routine and normal; there was nothing out of the ordinary.  All of the sudden I began to hear in an audible voice "Are you, or are you not going to surrender to ministry?"  I know it was not an audible voice that others could hear, neither was it an audible voice I heard in my own ears.  The audible voice I heard was coming from within my soul.  I cannot explain it, but I just know it was audible and it came from my heart not my head.  I tried to tune it out, but I could not. 

     Worship music started and I began to sing.  The louder I sang the louder the voice inside my soul spoke.  I tried to ignore it, but I could not.  My heart began to pound in my chest and my voice began to quiver as I sang.  I could not sing any more.  The voice I was hearing spoke something different this time.  When I could no longer sing and all I could do is listen, the music began to fade and God said "The answer is either yes or no.  If yes, I will do great things through you.  If no, I will be finished with you and I will ask no more."  Immediately tears began to stream from my eyes and I said "yes!" 

     After saying "yes!" to God, I went over to our pastor Brother Steve and told him I was surrendering my life to ministry.  Brother Steve smiled, patted me on the back and said, "It's about time."  At the end of the service, I went forward and made my profession of commitment to ministry public before the church.  I never felt so excited about my faith before than like I had that day.  God was not looking for my qualifications; He wanted to qualify His calling on my life. 

     All my excuses were all about me and not about what God could do.  Ministry should never ever be about the pastor or leader; it should always be about God.   God created us in His image and we try to recreate God in ours.  How wrong we are in this thought.  God does not call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

This is me and ministering to an older man
 in Nicaragua with one of my interpreters, Jesus!

I Corinthians 1:25-31 For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength. 26 Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things--and the things that are not--to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God--that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."

May my life be the proof and evidence of His love!