When did we forget?

This post may make you mad... I apologize for that in advance but I feel like it needs to be said... I hear so many ppl call themselves Calvinist, Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians, Pentecostal, and so forth... I feel like this is so pathetic! When did we forget that we are Christians? Followers of Christ! Now don't get me wrong... I don't think its horrible to ask/tell others what denomination you are but when the main focus is about what denomination you are and not on the fact that we are Followers of Christ & in this thing together there is something wrong! Now the biggest problem with this is how when we have our minds set on our separate denomination we miss out on truly being the body of Christ! We as believers are called to the same ultimate thing and that is found in Isaiah 42 “I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles,⁷ to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness." And yet we get so comfortable in our own little building where WE GET ALL SPIRITUALLY FAT HEADED ON OUR THRONES OF SELF SATISFACTION! And its absolutely ridiculous! Everyday ppl are dying and going to hell and we just sit around as to say "Who Cares..." I'm not trying to just beat you down but what I am doing is calling us all to action! There are so many churches and so many lost ppl yet we fight for the ones who are already in the seats... There is something wrong with this picture... Why not work together instead of against... Its not easy for me as a Christian... Its a daily struggle... And I know I'm not the only one! We all need support, Encouragement, & Accountability... When was the last time you asked someone how their Relationship with Christ was doing? I don't remember the last time someone asked me... And this is sad... I don't ask others as much as I should either so I'm not just getting on you! We all have those areas we need to work on! But let's take this one very serious! Your Fellow brothers & sisters need you! They need your friendship and your love... More ppl then you know drop out of the ministry everyday & I think that if we just gave some encouragement & started to Love them as Christ Loves us the number would be much different! I Love You Guys! Encourage & Be Encouraged! God Bless!

My past few days

I have been good the past couple of days! God has been doing big things in my life! He works in the coolest ways! He may not always bless me in material ways but He def blesses me with the fruit from the work He has in trusted me with! So I have been feeling over whelmed with all I have to do in the next couple of weeks and months... There is just alot to do! The new year brings new things... This year is bringing good things but still very over whelming... And this time is truly beautiful because this shows us how much we need Jesus! I need Him to guide my very path! With out His guidance I'm lost! God has also been showing me how real the spiritual battle is! Eph 6 the best place I have found in the bible about spiritual warfare.. Now I have felt very attacked  the past week or so... Satan tries to distract me & put horrible thoughts in my mind... He has come to kill, steal & destroy (John 10:10)... Last Saturday on my way home I had to just scream at the enemy... I yelled @ him at the top of my lungs for about 20 mins and it felt great! I had to let it out... We must fight him! This battle is so real... We must fight! Our sword is the WORD! I will not give up! And I pray that you will not also! He is worth our effort! Check out this video! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWNJL15Q4SI    Be Encouraged! I Love You!

Self-Contol

I was watching a program for men the other day an they were talking about self-control! It was exactly what I needed! One thing they said was "how can you resist sexual temptation if you cant even resist an extra cheese burger." Now this does not only work with sexual temptation but in all aspects of our life! I do not have the best eating habits & exercise habits and I know it is not ok! God calls our bodies a temple... Basically meaning a place to worship! I have to get it in order! We all do! If we are going to live sold out for Christ we have to get all aspects in order! I love to eat! Ice cream is my favorite! And I could at it all day & I have... But this has to stop! I'm not overweight but I'm not healthy! I do get some exercise but not enough! We need to give God our best, not our leftovers! Check out Genesis 4... It has to do with giving God our best! He gave us His best! Let's do this! He is worth it! This week let's commit to everyday exercising for 30 minutes and also praying for 30 minutes straight! Let's get quite before God! He wants our attention! Be Encouraged! Share Jesus with someone this Christmas season! People are very receptive! Love You Guys!

By Your Side

Sometimes it gets so hard! Sometimes it feels like everything is falling apart, and maybe those things that we see are... We can feel like giving up so often... We feel like its not worth it! We loose friends, family, jobs, money, cars, houses, etc. We say how can this be happening to me? I'm a good person and I deserve better then this... I want a wife and kids so bad and sometimes I feel like I'm owed that but the truth is that God has already given us all we need! No person, amount of money, possession, sex, drug, drink, whatever will ever satisfy us... We will always want more bc they only give us temporary fulfillment! God tells us all through the bible that He loves us, and that He is there for us, and most importantly in John 10:10 Jesus says "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." You see He sent Jesus so that we could truly live! The Bible is truth and God is real! Yet we an go through our everyday life and act like He is not... This Christmas is a great opportunity for us as Christians to tell somebody about the life that Christ wants to give us! Its not do this do that... Its "look at what Christ has done" He has paid the price! Let's stop gratifying our sinful desires and start living our lives through Him! He does not need us but He wants to use us! That's Beautiful! Let's start praying big prayers and making ourselves available for God to do Miracles! I Love You! Be Encouraged! Check out this video!  By Your Side by Tenth Avenue North

Thanksgiving

I had a great day yesterday with Amazing Family & Friends! Food was great! We did a game where we went around the circle & said what we were thankful for! It was great to give thanks for what we have been given! I hope that this blog is encouraging for you! That's the goal! I want my life to be an encouragement for your walk with Christ! I tend to complain quite a bit but I want to turn that to encouragement for others! It gets tough bc we are always being attacked... Lets encourage one another! We are in this together! Not a competition! When was the last time you were way to encouraged in one day? I thought so... We roll together! Let's do this! Be Encouraged! I Love You Guys!

Before I Die

The top 5 things I would like to do before I die:
1. Get Married
2. Have Children
3. Visit all National Paks in US
4. Speak in front of thousands of ppl
5. Write a Book

Depressed

This last week has been rough for me... Yes I do feel like I am depressed... I have struggled with depression in the past when I was younger but it has been a long time since I have been... I don't know why this is happening but I feel like it is an attack from the enemy... I don't really want to do a whole lot and I have been up and down with my emotions lately... I have had thoughts of inadequacy, I don't even really want to read my Bible, and I have felt like I want to give up... The fact is that I have to keep fighting, I can not give up! I can not let myself just sit home and do nothing... I have to get up, get in the word and continue to follow Jesus! He is worth it! We all have times when we hurt... Times when we want to give up... We have feelings of inadequacy... But we must know that those are attacks! You can not give up! Jesus is worth our Perseverance! As Christians it does not mean it will be easy... But its so worth it! Please pray for me that this will pass by... And if it doesn't I will still follow Jesus! I will not let my emotions dictate my relationship with Christ! I live bc of the truth of the gospel! I believe what the Bible says! And I will fight to spread the truth! Jesus Persevered and bc of that we are able to live! We have live through Christ! He is Truth! Fight the good fight! I Love You guys! Pray for me as I pray for you! We are called to encourage one another! Encourage, & Be Encouraged!

Numb

I was talking with a friend recently & he was telling me about his stuggle with sin and about how God has released him from the bondage! This friend has been struggling with pornography for years... Now he told me that it was not a problem to the sense of looking at it everyday but it was keeping him from walking with God whole heartedly! The other night he made a fire and he got out all of the stuff he had and he was at the table going through it bc he was going to burn it... He was going through it putting it in 2 diff piles one to burn and one to keep when he stoped and said 'what am I doing?' He told me he told himself 'if your just going to keep some just keep it all bc your missing the point.' Around that same time a friend knocked on the door and after covering the stuff up he awnsered and as they were there talking he felt led to share with them about this and he told them he needed their accountability to burn all of it! So they went outside and through it all in the fire! As the friend was getting ready to leave they said 'let's make an agreement to have houses that we can invite Jesus into!' What they didn't know is that he still had one magazine hidden and when they left he went and got it and burned it and he said that at that point he felt free! This friend told me that he has never felt better in his whole life and he feels like he is realy walking in step with the Lord now! As we started talking about this there was one very important point I got out of it! It  was that he was numb to the sin in his life... The moment after he had burned everything he started to become convicted of all kinds of different sins he was commiting... Little things like stealing toilet paper & paper towels out of public bathrooms... Something that does not seem to big but it was still wrong... You see for so long he was bound by this sin... The sin had hardened his heart to everything else in his life! The sin had glassed over him... He would justify his actions that were not right... And this is what sin will do to all of us if we do not confess! We must first confess to God, but we also need to find someone in our lives that we can trust to tell them about our short comings so that we can be held accountable! God gave us others so that we can be in community! Your pride will tell you to hold it in, the devil wants it to stay inside bc he knows that it will eat away at you! I dont care if you struggle with sexual immorality, cutting, suicidle thoughts, innadequacy, bad thoughts, whatever it is you have to tell some one so that you can start to heal! You are BEAUTIFUL! Jesus loves you more then you can ever know! You are not damaged just bc you have made mistakes! God looks past those cuts & see's beauty! I dont care if you have been raped or have had sex with more guys/girls then you can count... YOU ARE NOT DAMAGED GOODS! GOD WANTS TO HEAL YOU! Those thoughts are tricks by he devil... God wants to trade those thoughts for praise & glory! If you just give it all up to Him you will be free! I know it's easier said then done but you have to do it! He is the Way, the Truth, & the Life! Trust Him! The only one that can save you! I Love you guys & I'm praying for you! Be encouraged!

P.S. went to BBQ House today and they asked me if I wanted 2 extra sandwiches... I said... You already know! I was pretty excited! God Bless!

Thank You

To all those who have and who are serving in our armed forces... Thank You! I truly look up to all of you! I pray for you & you families & I Thank God for you! God Bless You!

God Is Working

I would like to tell y'all about how God has been working in my life lately... God has been teaching me allot about Grace but even more about His Faithfulness! Everyday is a struggle for me... I feel like Romans 7:15-20... I desire to please God with my whole heart... With all of my actions, thoughts, and activities... Yet I constantly fall... I sometimes feel like I'm a failure, like I'm incompetent... And then God assures me that I'm right... Bc with out Him I'm hopeless! With out His guidance I'm like a blind man in a corn field! And with out His Grace I have no hope... I was rocked at church Sunday bc of this... Bc I desire to please Him yet I miss it so often... And I hate it bc He is the love of my life and bc I love Him I want to obey Him! And Sunday night I was talking with a friend and I asked him if God will eventually just give up on me and all He told me was "Look back through the bible." And as I look through it I see others who struggled also... David for example is called a man after God's own heart... He sleep with this woman and then killed her husband... And that is just striking the surface! You see it's not by my actions or my works that I'm saved! There is nothing that I can do to earn Salvation... It's bc of God's Grace, which is Jesus that I'm saved! He has offered Himself as the sacrifice so that I can be looked at as righteous by God Almighty! This is Beautiful! And second He has been really teaching me about His Faithfulness! I was talking with a friend today about what God has been doing in each others lives and he told me that God has been so good and that he is so blessed and what not and when he was finished I asked him "What if you lost everything tomorrow? The wife, kid, job, house, everything but that clothes; then how good would God be?" And at first he looked at me as if I was crazy (as I also would have). Don't X out yet there is a really good point to this! I have not lost everything by any means, but right now in my life I'm loosing more then I ever have before. And for the most part it has to do with money. I have seen my bank account dwindle down day by day and it stinks yeah but it's not everything. Now when I asked my buddy this question I also said all I'm saying here... Now the point I'm trying to make with this is that 'God's Faithfulness does not rest on what He does for me today, tomorrow, or yesterday! It rest's on Calvary' -Brad Bird... The point is that God is the same Faithful God weather I live in a mansion or a box! Nothing can hinder who He is! I have always said that I understand that but I don't think I ever fully have until I actually have had to go through a tough time... We can get in trouble when we only look at God as good when we have everything and when we don't really have to depend on Him! Bc there will come a time of trouble and if we don't know Him for who He truly is we will crumble... I have seen it happen to countless people and it breaks my heart! Through my time of trouble I have been able to give more $ and more of myself to God then ever before! I have less but I feel so much better! If He does provide more Praise Jesus! If He doesn't Praise Jesus! Don't give up! Be Encouraged! Let's continue to fight! We have Hope in Jesus! Don't place your dependency on money or others... Place it in God alone! He is Faithful! Seek to Encourage someone tomorrow! Your words can go along way! God Bless!

Church Sunday

I dont know what it was Sunday but God rocked me... I broke down... I am so blessed to have been choosen y God to do what I am doing right now! I dont deserve it at all... I have done a lot of bad stuff that should keep me from doing what Im doing today... And I still do stuff that should disqualify me... Yet God looks at me as righteous bc of Jesus & only bc of Jesus! And to me that is absolutly Beautiful! As I look through the bible I see countless stories of those who are not qualified yet God extends His Grace! I pray that this is enouraging for you! Bc no matter what you have done... God wants to use you! You are not trash... You are a jewel! He loves you and wants to do great things through you! Dont give up! Fight the good fight! You will be rewarded! I pray that you will persevere in your time of trouble! Christ is worth it! God Bless You!

Leadership Camping Weekend

I took the youth to Hunnington beach state park this weekend! It was so much fun! We were a little bit cold but it was still a blast! Its so awesome to be with the youth for the weekend and to see them want to step up and take charge! I pray that this will carry over into everyday! We meet some boy scouts who were also camping and two have really inspired me! Steven and Cody are both in the 10th grade and they are two young men who are really seeking out God & how to follow Him better! Talking with them was awesome! It gave me a fresh wind! I love students! This is the life! It may be hard and I may want to sometimes give up but its all worth it to keep persevering! Christ is worth all my devotion! Thank God that He persevered! That He did not give up! With out His blood my life is meaningless... He is Worthy of all my Praise & Honor!

Preaching @ Coastal

Last night was great! I feel like the points I was tring to make came across very good! I got some really good feedback from it also! The band rocked and so did the everything skit! I feel so honored to have been able to be apart of such a great night! I was thinking on the way to CCU about how amazing it is that God has brought me from such a low place in life to where I am now! God is so good!

CCU

Getting ready to go on stage & preach @ Coastal! Getting excited! Pray that hearts will be set free from the bondage of sin!

FAKE

So I have real hard time believing someone is a Christian when they only seem like it when we @ church... I know this post seems very legalistic but come on... Its so easy to say the right words & walk the right way... Its hard for me to believe that someone is truly a Christian when the music they listen to is dirty, the words coming out of their mouth are dirty, and they are drinking @ the bar or with intent to get drunk... Now I'm not condemning bc I'm also not perfect I just want Christians to wake up! We are called to be an example! How does it look to others? It says in the bible that you will be known to be a follower of Christ by the fruit you bare... Ref. Matthew 7:15-20; John 15:8; Galatians 5:21-23... Now don't go using the whole sanctification thing on me... I get it! I know that we are not perfect but that our salvation is continually being worked out... But that is not an excuse! We are called to be the light of the world (ref. Matthew 5:13-15)! We are co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8) & Philippians 4:13 says "I can do everything through him who gives me strength." & also that we can have Faith to move mountains (1 Cor 13:2)! This should get us so excited! Instead I see luke warm & lazy Christians... I'm not saying I'm perfect by any means... I'm so far off! If we let God catch us on fire for the Gospel everything would change! Instead of others running from the church they would be running to it t get what we have! DC Talk said:
"The Single Greatest Cause Of Atheism In The World Today Is Christians Who Acknowledge Jesus With Their Lips, Then Walk Out The Door And Deny HIM By Their Lifestyle. This Is What An Unbelieving World Simply Finds Unbelievable."
This is sad we serve the one who Created EVERYTHING! Who came & lived a sinless life and was crucified on our behalf & rose again! Let's act like it!

Tuesday Morning Encounter

So yesterday morn 2 young guys came to my door @ about 10am... They are jehovah's witnesses & as I find out later they are both 17 yr old... They gave me some magazines and what not and we looked @ some scripture and I asked them some questions about what they believe... & we rly did have a good conversation... They were very nice and respectful & they were very nice to be around... I must say that this is also what scares me about these guys is how nice they are bc I found that they are very kniving... Not bc they are bad ppl bc I do not believe that but bc they have been lead astray & have been taught to come at others in this way... Now when I seen them coming I was very excited to see them! And when I found out how old they were Iwas even more thankful & I truly feel like this was ordained by God to happen! Im very glad I have learned alot about them through studying bc if I would not have I would of been lost as to what to say, but I felt confident bc of the time I have spent learning abount their beliefs but more importantly the tme I have spent in The Word Of God! So I have invited them back this next Tuesday & we will be talking about the Trinity! Im excited to see them again! Please be praying for them, both their names are Joey... View this site for some begining knowledge about them... http://www.religionfacts.com/jehovahs_witnesses/beliefs.htm... Please do not only use this site though... shoot me a message if you have any other questions or other resources I would recomend! Thank You for your prayers!

Post on Youtube

"this sounds just like a bible story. I've been going to church every sunday for the past 4 months and each time i go, i realize how much more false it is. I've asked "god" with all my heart to show me some kind of sign, and if he did I would dedicate my life to him, a sign that i could understand and know for sure it was him. yeah, not gonna happen. you guys have fun with your little confidence boosting imaginary friend, ill be over here in the real world."

Posted on the video about the student who stands up for their faith... Broke my heart... Thought I would share...

The Beginning

Very excited to have finally started this! My prayer is that this will be a blessing to you! Thank You for going along on this journey with me!