Longings

Last week, I had a lot of time to sit, think, pray and spend time with Jesus. I was deer hunting. Considering I didn't see many deer, I had a lot of solitude and idle time because I wasn't looking at deer through binoculars, or getting my gun ready to pull the trigger, or even following a blood trail through the woods. When you sit, in the middle of the woods, it is very easy to connect with God and hear His voice. There are no distractions. It is peaceful. It is quiet. This is a formula for personal renewal.

As I sat in the stand, the Lord quickened my heart with His word from Psalm 42:1. Of all things, this happens to be a passage that speaks of deer. The verse says, "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul longs for you, my God." As I sat and reflected about this verse, there was one principle the Lord was teaching me.

I sat and considered the analogy of this verse. Since taking up deer hunting, I have learned a lot about the habits of these animals. Deer get up from their bedding to eat and drink. They will move for miles in order to fulfill their need of hunger and thirst. Deer are known to settle down near a river because water is a necessity to keep them going. Out of all the analogies the Psalmist could have used here, he used the deer and their longing for hydration.

The Psalmist used this analogy as a description for his own personal longing for the Lord. The Lord used this verse, in my heart, as a barometer for my own passion and longing for Jesus. One of the litmus tests for a person's passion for Jesus can be found in how they treat corporate worship in singing. Is worship a time to read the lyrics to a song or is worship a time to give our all and to exalt the name of Jesus? Is worship a time to day dream about Sunday lunch or do we long for the manifest presence of God? There are many things in this life that can get a person excited in anticipation. I was reminded of the anticipation I was having in waiting for a deer to walk out in front of my stand. I wanted so badly to see a large buck come out. The Lord inspired the question in me, "Do I anticipate being in the presence of the Lord just as much?" This was a convicting question.

God was challenging me to anticipate meeting Jesus each and every day, and especially on Sunday. The description the Psalmist uses is a longing. We all long for something. Some fill that longing with the wrong things such as money, sports, popularity, sex or alcohol. The only Person who can satisfy the longing we all have deep down inside of us is Jesus Christ.

Jesus, in a conversation with the woman at the well, talks about the satisfaction we receive from Him in John 4:14. Jesus says, "Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” Jesus is the living water. Anytime we come into His presence, He will satisfy every longing that we have.

Do you long for His presence?  Do you long for more of Jesus in your life? May we take the example of the deer as we seek to satisfy the longing that we have. Only Jesus can truly satisfy. Seek Him. Spend time with Him. Receive Him. Live for Him. 

My View of Halloween

I have never been a big fan of Halloween. When I was a child, our family was always cautious in going to neighbors homes, because in south Florida, where I spent my elementary years, there were always news reports of people finding razor blades in their chocolate bars. We would dress up and go to a few neighbors homes. However, beyond this threat, was the awareness that I had as a young boy of the evil that accompanies Halloween.

The decorations alone for Halloween are enough to make me throw up in my mouth a little.  Most decorations are centered around death and the devil. There is a house, here in central Minnesota, that leaves their Halloween decorations up all year. They have tombstones, skeletons, witches, ghosts and other demonic figures.  Fortunately, we only pass by their house 9 or 10 times a year. But, when we do, I can't help but cringe and look the other way.

As a follower of Christ I have the belief that "we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers of this world" (Ephesians 6:12). I don't want to expose myself or my family to anything that could allow the enemy to have a foothold in our lives. There is a spiritual battle going on for us, especially if you are a follower of Christ.  If you have decided to follow Christ, this battle will be greater because the enemy will do anything in his power to bring you down. We must stand guard and protect our minds and hearts in Christ Jesus.

I am also against anything that causes anyone to be afraid. So much of this holiday is about making people scream: dressing up as goblins, haunted houses and people jumping out of bushes is totally scary. The Bible says in 1 John 4:18, "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear." We also learn from the same chapter that God is love. What this passage tells me is that Jesus and fear do not operate in the same room.

My impression of Halloween is that it reflects our culture.  Over time this holiday has decayed.  Our standards and morals and values have been lowered because what was forbidden 20 years ago is tolerated today.  We have allowed a little yeast to sneak into the bread of our society.  Unfortunately, what is happening is we are becoming desensitized to evil things.  And what happens as a result is that we push the presence of God out of our lives.

Someone asked me yesterday, "What is your view of Halloween?"  I want to finish this post by sharing my answer. I would say that there are two extremes of people in what they do on October 31: There are those who will sit in their houses, with their lights off and boycott the day.  Then, there are those who will have decorations up, as I mentioned before, and may even go so far as to sacrifice animals (yes this happens). I definitely fall somewhere in the middle and leaning more towards the first extreme. I am all about redeeming anything for the cause of Christ. How will we reach people if we don't go out into the darkness? If we were to withdraw whenever the enemy makes an appearance, we wouldn't be able to go anywhere. Instead, Jesus calls us to be the light of the world. Tonight, is a great opportunity to let our lights shine before others.

Tonight, I look forward to joining others in our church for a Trunk or Treat. This is one event on our church's calendar when we know we will have un-churched people in attendance. I guarantee you, we are not having an occult experience. However, we will be representing our church and Jesus by reaching out to our community, through providing a safe environment for entire families to come play games and get candy. I will also be taking my kids to visit my neighbors. It's one of the few opportunities to go to a neighbors door without it being totally awkward. We will also be meeting those who come to our front door in search of candy.

This is not my favorite day of the year, because of all the darkness that surrounds it, however, it's also not my least favorite because of the opportunity it presents us to represent JESUS.

The Privilege of Prayer

One area the Lord has been teaching me about, as I have been seeking Him for my sister in her battle with Lymphoma Cancer, is in the area of prayer. I have always enjoyed prayer. Prayer is not something that I dread. Prayer is not something that I feel uncomfortable doing. I firmly believe that when I pray, God hears me, and not only does He hear me, but He is working in response to my prayers. Since hearing of my sister´s news, the Lord has taken me to new places in prayer.

When we receive bad news, whether it pertains to us or someone else, we are often moved to pray. For those who have a walk with Jesus, prayer is a natural bi-product of bad news. If someone tells us of a difficulty in their life, we often respond with a very appropriate, ¨I will pray for you.¨ It is up to us then to follow through on our commitment. God hears our prayers no matter how short and He knows the intentions of our heart. However, the Lord has taught me that while short prayers work, God wants to call us deeper in our prayers that we may uncover all the treasures that lay before us as we unite with the heart of God.

Since hearing of my sister´s cancer, I have found myself in a constant prayer. I feel that I am uncovering different areas of God´s heart as it involves my sister´s illness. Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, ¨Pray without ceasing.¨ I have never considered or fully understood what this passage means until this season of my life. 

There are three things that the Lord has pointed out to me from this passage. First of all, we need to have a daily, moment by moment, dependence on God in every area of our lives. As I have prayed for my sister, I realize that there is nothing I can do to make her better. If she conquers this cancer, it´s because God does it. My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness. 

Secondly, this passage has taught me to pray repeatedly. We should always be in a spirit of prayer. Our lives should be a conversation with God. I once heard a missionary say that every day should be a prayer or conversation with God, when you go to sleep you don´t ¨hang up the phone¨, you just say, ¨see you in the morning.¨ I have found myself praying for my sister at all hours of the day. 

The third lesson the Lord has taught me from this verse is to not give up. I love the parable Jesus shares in Luke 18 about the persistent widow. We learn a valuable lesson from this widow about prayer. We are encouraged to continue praying until everything God desires has been accomplished. God is teaching me the importance of lingering with God. We should not pray for someone in order to scratch the request off our bucket list. We should pray and pray over and over until God does something in response to our prayer. We have seen the Lord work in recent weeks in my sister´s life as God has used the chemo to shrink her tumor. I continue to pray for complete healing, pressing in until the Lord has completed His work.

What a privilege it is to pray and talk to the God of the universe. For me, prayer has never been so exciting and faith building. May God ignite within you a passion for prayer. May He take you to new levels in your prayer life and may you understand His heart more fully as you seek His face. Ask the Holy Spirit to ignite your prayer life and see what happens. What a privilege it is to carry everything to God in prayer.

Man Is Born For Trouble

Up until two weeks ago, our family, the Hartleys have been fairly free of trouble. We have faced the death of grandparents, we have experienced serious injuries, we have dealt with a difficult transition in life, but never in our wildest dreams would we think that one of us would get cancer. We have all been fairly healthy over the years.

When I received the call from my Mom and heard, "Fred, we received terrible news today." My heart sunk. I wept over the phone with my Mom. I remember the feeling I had. It was almost as if I was punched in the stomach. I have always been close to my sister. She and I have been together for all but two years of my life. For the first time, I felt vulnerable. For the first time, I thought, how could this happen? This was the most difficult news I have ever received.

As I have processed this news and the reality of my sister's diagnosis, I am reminded of some of the posts that I have written in this blog previously. It was almost as if God was preparing me for this news. God makes it very clear in His Word (Job 5:7): "Man is born for trouble as surely as sparks fly upward." In other words, adversity will come to a person's life and God allows it to happen.

Since God has allowed my sister to experience this disease, and He has allowed our entire family to grieve and experience this with her, then He certainly has a purpose for it. God does not do anything without a purpose. No matter what God has done throughout history, He has had a special plan. At the end of each day of creation, we read in Genesis 1 that, "He saw that it was good." Every person that has ever been created, God says are "fearfully and wonderfully made." These are two examples of the fact that God never makes a mistake. Even in my sister's disease, He has a design, He has a purpose.

In light of that, we as a family have prayed that God would reveal His plan to us. I am also praying, personally, that God will minister to my own heart. Ultimately, we long to see Jesus glorified through this journey that we are on. I am trusting God for complete healing for my sister. In addition, I am asking God to sanctify me more wholly as I long to understand more of God's character through this journey. 

We, as a family, are in the process of being inside the Refiners fire. We are being pressed, stretched and tested through this journey. I am praying that we experience what Job says in 23:10, "But He knows the way that I take, when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold." I want to experience all that God has purposed for me through this journey with my sister. I look forward to sharing these insights through this blog. I want to come forth as gold.

In closing, I want to encourage those of you in the midst of a trial, open yourself to the Holy Spirit's work in your life. May the Lord meet you in your valley. May you experience the height and depth of the love of Jesus. Oh how He loves you and me, He gave His life, what more could He give.

Jesus, show me Your way.  Have your way in me.

Strength comes from Jesus

Challenges in life have their way of creating a variety of emotions. When we experience a crisis, it can cause a person to get stressed, angry, perplexed, hurt, sad and this list barely scratches the surface. Many people will experience the lows of life and turn to the wrong places to satisfy the longing of their souls. The weight of bad news or the stress will cause the average person to crumble.

As you read in my most recent post, last week, our family found ourselves in the middle of a crisis. My sister discovered that she has lymphoma cancer. 

Our family has handled this news fairly well and it is simply because of our faith in Jesus Christ. I don't want to minimize what my sister has been diagnosed with. The reality is that God is in complete control. We rest in His sovereignty and perfect plan. The Psalmist wrote in chapter 46:1, "He is our refuge and strength, our ever present help in times of trouble." If He leads you to it, He will lead you through it. This understanding comes through a relationship with Jesus Christ.

When a person invites Jesus into their lives, they receive an eternal inheritance. This person goes from having nothing to having everything. From being an orphan to having a family. Colossians 1:21-22 says, "Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation."

Then, it says in Hebrews 4:15, "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weakness." Because of what Jesus went through for us, He is able to minister to us in our hurt. When we are in need of strength and encouragement, Jesus is able to be our supply. He gives strength to the weary. Those who hope in the Lord, will renew their strength.

A Call to Prayer

Last Thursday, while I was in St Louis for a youth conference, I received word from my Mom that my precious sister, Andrea, has a large tumor in her chest. It has been diagnosed as an uncommon and aggressive cancer called non-Hodgkins large B-cell lymphoma. 

I want to invite you to join us in prayer as we declare life, peace, joy, health and healing over her. Her situation is serious – very serious. The tumor has already broken a rib and is pressing against her heart, esophagus, larynx, and the four major blood vessels around the heart. The tumor is inoperable, but it is not untreatable.

In the next two days Andrea and her husband Josh will make a decision on the medical treatment. This is a critical time. She needs the wisdom of God and she also needs divine healing.

The good news is that our God is a healer. Healing is not just something God dabbles in once in a while – Healer is one of His names. It is who He is and what He does. He is good at it – the best. The Great Physician. No one does it better than the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

Josh and Andrea wrote a wonderful testimony of faith describing their journey and the exact medical details. Click here <http://goo.gl/7c0ck> if you would like to read more. They will update their progress on this website blog.

I invite you to pray with us for my sister's complete healing. Please join Team Andrea by rising up and joining intercessors around the world as we seek Jesus together for wholeness and health.

Joanna and I can’t thank you enough for standing with us through this most challenging season. 

Hebrews 4:16, "Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."

Don't Waste Your Summer

My most recent blog article was written for parents, which totally left out the next generation. In light of that, I want to share some thoughts that I spoke to our youth group recently in preparation for the summer.

Life is passing us by quickly. I can't believe my oldest son is 10 years old, which means I have been a parent for 10 years. Time is moving too fast. Because of this fact, we need to take advantage of our days. Summer break is a great time for students to unwind from a school year, get a job, take vacations or just enjoy a different change of pace. However, all too often, and this happened to me one summer when I was in school, we get to the end of the summer and we wonder, what did I accomplish that was worthwhile?

As we consider taking advantage of our summer and not just doing a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants summer and wonder what you're doing that's worth while, let me challenge you. Jesus wants to be a part of your summer break and He will help you make your summer a success. I want to share with you 5 different areas of your life where you can invite Jesus into your summer to make the summer of 2013 the best ever.

First of all, spend time in the word and in prayer. Psalm 119:9 says, "How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to God’s word." Mark 1:35 says, "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus went out to pray." Prayer and Scripture study will ignite your passion for Jesus. You can’t have a strong walk with Jesus if you’re not spending time with Him in prayer and digging into His Word. When you spend time with Him and experience His presence, He will anoint you with power. Imagine if every Christian teen were to spend a half hour each day in prayer and Scripture study this summer? Imagine how on fire you would be next school year? Your town would change. Your schools would be changed!

Secondly, obey and respect your parents. Ephesians 6:1 says, "Children obey your parents in the Lord for this is right. Honor your father and your mother -- which is the first commandment with a promise." Obey your parents. It’s pretty clear. When your parents tell you to do something, you should do it right away. Too many children wait until their parents are to the point of nagging them before obedience happens. Obedience is a right away deal! Now, I realize this is difficult for some of you because your parents are not walking with the Lord. God still calls you to obey them. If your parents aren't walking with the Lord, you should make that a priority in prayer and watch God work. As you obey your parents, the home can be a training ground for you in preparation for being an adult. No matter where you end up in life, you will always have authority over you. Learn these lessons now.

Thirdly, build relationships with Christians. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 15:33, "Bad company corrupts good character." I have heard so many youth over the years tell me, Fred, "I can spend time with my non-Christian friends and it won't affect me." You will become like the people who you spend the most time with. If you spend time with Jesus, you will become like Jesus. If you spend time with your parents, you will be like your parents. If you spend time with Christian friends, you will be like them. If you spend time with non-Christian friends, you may have good intentions, but you will become like them. You will be forced to compromise your beliefs for them. Christian friends will build you up. Christian friends will help you stay accountable in your walk with God. Get plugged into a youth group and ask God mend your hearts together. You may be thinking, why doesn't he challenge me to build relationships with pre-Christians? It is important to do so if you intend to share the gospel, but all too often we build friendships for the wrong reasons and we get pulled away from Christ.

The fourth area is to avoid the devils traps. The beginning of Colossians 3 in summary says, "Put to death all immorality. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming." God calls us to a standard of purity. Anything short of that is immorality. With that in mind, the enemy will tempt you to immorality. What are some of these traps? Sleeping with your significant other. Watching Rated R movies. Looking at porn. Playing video games or listening to music that is not appropriate. Let me challenge you to avoid situations where you will be forced to make a decision to sin or not. If you’re at a friend’s house who isn't a Christian and his/her parents aren't at home and there’s beer in the fridge or there’s a rated R movie in the DVD player or they have the Playboy channel: run from it! 2 Timothy 2:22 says, "Flee the evil desires of youth." Stay strong in the face of temptation. Don’t put yourself in a situation to compromise.

Lastly, look for opportunity for service. Ephesians 6:7 says, "Serve wholeheartedly as if serving the Lord, not men." Jesus was a great example of this. He was a servant. He came not to be served but to serve. When was the last time you did something for someone and didn't expect anything in return? Your town needs more kindness. Could you imagine what your town would be like if a group of youth decided they were not going to just cruise through the summer thinking about themselves, but instead they intentionally looked for opportunities to serve those in need? Wow, that would be the best! Kindness becomes prideful if the service is done to boost one’s ego rather than to give God the glory. Open your eyes to the needs around you and seek to meet those needs with the strength God provides. There are many widows and single mom's in your town who could use some help with various jobs around the house.

In conclusion, friends, I want to see you have the best summer ever. The only way that’s going to happen is if you seek to honor God. If Jesus has center stage in your life, then your summer will be the best ever. If you put yourself on center stage this summer, chances are you’ll get to the end of your summer and think, wow what did I do? Live for Christ and you’ll have the best summer ever! Your legacy is not only determined by what you do as you get old but also by whom you are when you're young.

More is Caught

I have many significant roles in my life. None more important than being a Dad to my three children. They are my pride and joy. As a father, my main passion is to point my children to Jesus Christ. I desire for my children to embrace Jesus: to know Him and to serve Him.

Our culture makes my role as a Dad difficult. The world is full of evil. My kids are bombarded daily with temptations that push them to the edge of compromise. The world has become more and more accepting of what was considered out of bounds 15 years ago. Television, movies and the internet promote an accepting of immorality, violence and evil that has taken what is sacred and made it common. As a Dad, I want to protect my children and their innocence. In protecting them, I want to empower them to navigate temptations, on their own, by knowing right from wrong. 

From the day they are born, our children begin to take small steps of freedom in moving out of our care as parents. Every day that we have with our children, we are preparing them for the ultimate freedom of living on their own, which in most cases happens when children go off to college. We must take advantage of our time with our children. 

When I was studying youth ministry, back in college, I learned a phrase that applies well to my mindset as a Dad. One of my professors shared: "More is caught than taught." My children are more likely to grab a principle or truth of God's word if they see me live it out, than they would if I presented some clever devotional lesson. I am not discouraging family devotions, because they are important. As a matter of fact, we have them as a family. However, if I lead a devotion on tithing and my children see my wife and I put our check into the offering plate, that speaks volumes to them on the importance of giving to God what belongs to Him. 

Our children watch us closely. They see how we respond when we're faced with difficult situations. They see how we spend our free time. They observe more than we realize. This puts a lot of pressure on us as parents. The reality is that we will reproduce who we are. In student ministry, I have been around a lot of troubled students through the years. In most cases, the ones who have the biggest problems in their lives are ones who do not have quality examples to follow in their parents. 

If more is caught than taught, then I want to be there for my children and I want to model Christ for them. I can't expect my children to learn enough at Sunday School, Children's church or Awana to suffice their spiritual growth. They need encouragement and inspiration from me. This requires me to spend quality time with each of my children. By quality time, I'm talking about having eye ball to eye ball conversations with them about what is significant in their life. This also means to allow them opportunity to be with me as I make important day to day decisions in striving to live for Jesus. Yes, sometimes this requires admitting my shortcomings.

God calls us to submit to His authority and to obey His truth. When we do this as parents, then we are able to call our children to obey our authority. By God's grace, we will point our children to Jesus as we live for Him.

The Breakdown of the Family

At the core of every community are the families who live in it and create an environment that we call home.  The family has been the core of any community since the foundation of the world.  In Genesis 2:18, we read that God said, "It is not good for man to be alone."  So what did God do?  He created woman and they started a family.  The family was God's design from the very beginning.

Then, as we read in the early days of Israel's history, God established bedrock principles for the family.  Deuteronomy 6:4-7 says, "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.  Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."  Parents are to first of all love and honor God, and then to train their children to do the same.  The end of the book of Joshua, in chapter 24, Joshua is transitioning out of leadership and he gives the people of Israel one final command, "Choose you this day whom you will serve."  Then he makes a remarkable statement, which should be the mission of every family, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

Furthermore, as we look at the teaching of Jesus in the gospels, He makes it very clear that man and woman were designed to enter a marriage covenant for the purpose of starting a family.  Mark 10:6-9 says, “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’  ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”  From this passage we learn several truths:  1)  God established marriage.  2) Marriage is between one man and one woman.  3) Marriage is the instrument for starting a new family. 

In addition, as we read in Ephesians, we gain further insight into how a family should function with the man as the leader or head of the family.  Ephesians 5:22-24 says, "Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything." There are too many homes where the head is missing.

It's sad to look around my neighborhood and see a breakdown of the family.  I see single parent homes, live in boyfriends/girlfriends, children being born out of wed-lock, children being abused, children who are living a rebellious life with no parental authority demanding respect, and this just barely scratches the surface.  Seeing this breakdown, literally breaks my heart.

One of the main factors for this breakdown is because our government has gotten away from Biblical principles.  It all begins as a little leaven creeps into the bread.  As I consider our culture and the breakdown of the family, there are four factors that are contributing to this breakdown.  These four areas in no particular order are: divorce, pornography, abortion, and gay marriage.  Each of these issues lead to the breakdown of families and the breakdown of homes.  Our government has enabled much of these problems.  They have taken what is sacred and holy and made it common.  It has caused the standards of purity and righteousness to be lowered.  In the words of Isaiah, "All we like sheep have gone astray, we have each turned our own way."

It's obvious we are living in what the Bible refers to as the last days.  As a follower of Christ, it's easy to get discouraged as we see this decay happening in our culture and certainly as it pertains to the breakdown of the family.  However, it is suppose to happen.  May our discouragement be reversed as we turn our attention to the return of Christ.  The world will get worse and our children and grandchildren will deal with it much worse than us.  However, the return of Christ is our hope!  Until then, may our commitment to Christ grow strong.

I have come to appreciate the words from a little known book in the Bible, Jude 1:17-13, "But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.  But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.  Be merciful to those who doubt; save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh."

That last verse is becoming one of my favorites. In my words, "Be merciful to the haters. Save others from the fire of hell." As followers of Jesus Christ, may our lights continue to shine. The only solution to this breakdown of the family is Jesus Christ. May our families grow closer to Jesus and to each other. May we reach out to those families who are in need. May we say, as Joshua did long ago, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Jesus is the answer for the world today. Jesus will keep our families from breakdown.

One Week After the Boston Marathon

It's sad to think of all the tragedies that our country has experienced this last year. It started last Summer with the mass shooting in a movie theater in Aurora, CO. Then, last December, we were saddened by the news of the elementary school shooting in Newtown, PA. Then, most recently, one week ago today, we received word that two bombs exploded at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, leaving many people severely injured.  Each of these were heinous crimes committed by people living in darkness.

In previous blog posts, I have addressed the sovereignty of God and why He allows these thing to happen, so I won't spend time with that here. I simply want to address the fact that our world needs Jesus. I am most certain that none of these tragedies would have happened if the murderers were living in Christ. Jesus makes all the difference. He is the answer.

Jesus words in John 10:10 are very clear, "The thief comes to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." Those who align themselves with the thief will walk in darkness. There are many false religions in the world that lead down a path of destruction. Verse nine in that chapter says that those who trust in Christ will be saved. When we make the decision to follow Christ, we receive the Holy Spirit, who will radically change our heart and minds. We will no longer walk in the darkness of sin and death. We will step into the light of Jesus which inspires us to greatness. The blinders come off of our eyes and enable us to see the world as God sees it. We are changed people. The work of the Holy Spirit will bring about the fruit of the spirit which is: love, joy peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Our world is decaying before us. As followers, we know that the world will become a more and more dark and sinful place. We need an awakening. We need revival. We need followers of Jesus who are willing to be salt and light in their workplace. People who are not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Let's reach our neighbors for Christ. Who knows, we may have Tsarnaev's living next door to us.

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

Are we there yet?

Growing up, my family took several long road trips. I spent my childhood living in Homestead, Florida, which is at the southernmost tip of the state, just north of the Keys. In order to vacate in another state, we had to drive at least 10 hours. One Summer, our family drove from Homestead up to Maine for family vacation. Imagine that! As any child would, I struggled to stay focused during the drive. I knew where I came from and I knew where we were going, but the trip grew long. All I could see was the road ahead and the signs, trees and other cars we were passing. As a child, my limited understanding of mileage and time caused me to ask this famous question, several hundred times on that trip: Are we there yet? In other words, when would we reach our destination? 

I currently find myself in a season of life when I have been asking God this very question: Are we there yet? Eight months ago I was serving along side a lead pastor and enjoying ministry as his associate. Little did I know that soon after that, my senior pastor would leave the church leaving me to serve as the only pastor on staff in a church of 150+ people in weekly attendance. This season of interim ministry has been stretching. I have been stretched to fulfill all of the weekly ministry needs, in addition to leading a growing student ministry. At times I have felt in over my head. I have been more than ready for a lead pastor to respond to God's call to serve here. I know where we as a church want to be, but when will we reach our destination of having a senior pastor in place?

The disciples of Jesus found themselves in a similar situation as recorded at the end of Mark 4. They got into a boat to sail across the sea. While crossing the sea, a huge storm moved in. The wind was strong. The waves were so fierce that water drenched the boat. The disciples were stressed and ready to get to their destination. They couldn't handle the stress on their own. The disciples decided to wake Jesus from a nap, and they asked Him to do something about the storm. Jesus responded by calming the storm and then He told the disciples to relax.

What kind of situation do you find yourself in? Perhaps you know the destination and where you would like to be, but right now it is difficult to see the finish line. Maybe you're in the midst of a crises season of life and have been asking God: Are we there yet? Remember that Jesus is still in the business of calming storms. For me, God has given me strength during this interim ministry in being the lone pastor at my church. Trust in Jesus. He wants to calm the storm in your life and help you get to where you want to be.

Stop Doubting and Believe

I see too many Christians living as if Jesus were dead.  C'mon man, there is so much evidence to the contrary.  First of all are the eyewitness accounts of those who were with Jesus.  We read of those in the Bible and other books.  Then, we have the power of the Holy Spirit which came on the day of Pentecost.  Jesus promised there would come a Helper following His ascension the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit now resides in believers and is operational in those who have surrendered completely to Him.  I have seen the Holy Spirit work in my life and in the lives of others, further evidence that Jesus is alive.

Too often we allow our circumstances in life to create doubt that leads to our falling away from our faith in Jesus Christ.  This happened to Thomas.  We read in John 20:24 that Thomas was not with the disciples when Jesus appeared on the first Easter.  Thomas withdrew from fellowship.  Thomas was dealing with the fact that his master, Jesus, had just been arrested and crucified.  He was distraught, depressed and had fallen away from his faith in Jesus.  We know this because when the disciples told him they had seen Jesus, he didn't believe them.  He wanted visible evidence.  Jesus met Thomas in his doubt.  Jesus wasn't turned off by Thomas' doubt.  Instead He proved to Thomas that He was alive.  Jesus told Thomas, "Stop doubting and believe."

Many of us need to hear those words, stop doubting and believe.  Are your circumstances so great, that you are questioning God's goodness and love?  Jesus wants to meet you in the middle of your circumstance.

If Jesus were to walk into the room where you are right now, how would you respond?  I know that I would fall on my face in worship.  This is how I want to live my life.  Romans 12:1 says, "Offer your body as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, this is your spiritual act of worship."  We can worship God with our lives and live in light of Jesus' resurrection, by the power and filling of the Holy Spirit.  

In order for the Holy Spirit to work in our lives, we need to be completely surrendered.  If we're riding the fence of doubt, our witness will be mediocre.  Jesus doesn't deserve a mediocre follower.  There is no room in the kingdom of God for fence riders.  Jesus deserves His followers to be all in.

These are difficult days to follow Jesus.  The government is making it more difficult to hold to our Biblical values and faith.  When persecution comes, our faith will be tested.  Only those who are all in will take a stand for Jesus.

May our lives be empowered by His Spirit, may we be ignited with a holy passion to represent Jesus well.  May we live as if we've just seen Jesus.

Don't Waste Your Life

I led my first funeral last week. I have been to many funerals in the past and have even participated in them before, but I was never called on to lead and facilitate one. Funerals have a way of helping us define reality. There are two truths about life that hit me this week as I processed this funeral: 1) I am not promised tomorrow 2) Neither is anybody else

Our life is but a blip on the radar in terms of all eternity. Here we are 2000+ years after the birth of Jesus. Who knows how long we have left until He returns. The average person lives 70 years. Many live past that, and as I was reminded of this last week, there are many who don't have a chance to reach that average age. We are not promised tomorrow. God makes this very clear throughout the Bible. Psalm 39 says, "Show me, Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is. You have made my days a mere breath; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Everyone is but a breath, even those who seem secure." James 4:14 says, "Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." In my reflections of this truth, I realize that too many people waste their life. I love the song by Christian artist, Lecrae, Don't Waste Your Life. The message of that song has been ringing in my heart this week.  This reality motivates me to live every day as if it is my very last. Because I have a relationship with my Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ, He enables me to live life to its fullest. Jesus died so that I can truly live.  God has given us only one life to make a difference in this world. I want to do all I can to make sure I am on mission with Him. I want to take advantage of every day to grow more in love with Jesus and to seek more opportunity to serve Him. We only live once. We can play it safe when we get to heaven.

The second reality is that I need to do all I can to influence the lives of people around me. There are too many people in our world who are living for themselves. Too many people are settling for less than God's very best. The sad part is, this is true for followers of Christ and pre-believers alike. I personally have people in my life, who have trusted Jesus as their Savior, but they are settling for less than God's best for their lives. In light of this, I must have an urgency to speak the truth of Jesus Christ to them in love. I am responsible to disciple those who are younger in the faith than I am. 2 Timothy 2:2 says, "And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others." As I experience Jesus, then I am able and responsible to minister out of the overflow.

This begs the question: Am I doing enough to influence those who need more of Jesus in their life? May we be all that God calls us to be. Ephesians 5 says, "Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil." Colossians 4:6 says, "Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." May the Spirit of Christ so fill our hearts and our minds that we influence everyone around us by our actions, speech and life.

You've heard the phrase: "Life's uncertain, eat dessert first." Well, life's uncertain, share Jesus first!

Love is Compelling

Love compels us to do crazy things. Today is Valentine's Day. It's amazing to consider the lengths we will go to in order to make our special someone grasp our love for them. On average, a man will spend $170 on items such as flowers, chocolates, jewelry, balloons and cards. It is estimated that over 150 million cards will be purchased and given for Valentine's Day. That is incredible!

It's confession time: I am a hopeless romantic. I have given my fair share of flowers, gifts and cards over the years. One year, I got this idea to create a large card for Joanna. I decided I wouldn't go to Hallmark, but that I would make her a card. I'm not much of an artist, so this card wasn't going to look beautiful. However, I was fairly good at putting my thoughts into writing. Another strike I had against me was that my writing is very close to being non-legible. With all of that considered, I proceeded to cut words out of magazines to form the message that I wanted to communicate with my Valentine. Now, I can't say this was an original idea as I had seen these done before by others, but I had never created one myself. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. It would have been easier if all I wanted to put on the poster was a giant I LOVE YOU, but no, I had at least 150 words that I wanted to communicate. This took a long time!

Now, I know what you're thinking... "Why would you do that?" Here's the short answer: Love compels us to do crazy things. It's the same answer a girl would give who presses the rose pedals, from her boyfriend's gift of flowers, in a book, only to let them attract ants and other critters. Or the boy and girl who talk on the phone or text for hours in the evening before bed. Love compels us to do crazy things.

John 14:15 says, "If you love me, you will obey what I command." In other words, it is love that compels us to follow Jesus. If we are serious about our relationship with Jesus, and we truly love Jesus, then we will be tenacious about knowing Him and doing what He wants us to do.I have talked to a lot of people over years as a pastor, particularly youth, who tell me, "Wow, Pastor Fred, it seems the Bible and a relationship with God is all about rules." They say, "The Bible is too strict." I say, "Yea, but do you love Him?" If you have a lot of head-knowledge about God and you don't have a relationship with Him, then yes, the Bible is a bunch of rules to be followed. But if you have a relationship with God, all of the principles and commands are there for a reason. The reason of these commands are to lead us into a life of holiness and as it says in Joshua 1, "then you will be prosperous and successful." 

If we sincerely love Jesus as He desires, which is with our heart, soul, mind and strength, then we will be willing to do whatever it takes to show Him that we love Him. Every time we do something that is in direct obedience to the Word of God, we are telling Jesus that we love Him. Our obedience is all the proof He needs of our affection, allegiance and adoration. Our obedience is in direct correlation of how we feel about Jesus. The person who is deeply in love with Jesus is also the one who will go to great lengths to obey all of God's commands throughout Scripture. Why? Because love is what compels us.

Power Outage

Super Bowl 47 was filled with drama. Of course, the Super Bowl is much more than the two teams playing for the NFL Championship.  It has become a national holiday.  The game was exciting, most of the commercials were entertaining and Beyonce proved her critics wrong after her lip sync debacle at the inauguration.  However, what overshadowed the Super Bowl was the power outage that came minutes into the third quarter.  Jacoby Jones had just run back at 109 yard kick-off return for a touchdown putting the Ravens up on the 49ers by a score of 28-6.  The lights went off and the New Orleans Superdome was completely dark.

How could this happen?  The whole world was watching this unfold.  Did someone forget to pay the power bill?  Someone suggested the 49ers were trying to disturb the momentum of the Ravens.  The city of New Orleans power company must have been frantically working to get the electricity turned back on.  As players kept loose on the sidelines, the lights gradually returned.  Thirty four minutes later, they continued the game.

As I reflect on this power outage, I'm reminded of Acts 1:8.  This Scripture says, "You will receive POWER when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses."  I know of many "Christians" who are dealing with a power outage.  God calls us to live unashamedly as witnesses of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  We are called to be His witness.  The source of the power behind our witness is the Holy Spirit.  The person who is bold and confident in sharing their faith is one who is completely surrendered to the Holy Spirit.  If we're not full of the Holy Spirit, then we will have a power outage.

I'm sure that many people feel as if the city of New Orleans took a black eye because of the power outage.  What a bummer to have the whole world watching your city host the Super Bowl and then to have the power go out.  Far greater than that, is the embarrassment we are as we fail to be the witnesses God calls us to be.  For those of us who have called upon the name of Jesus Christ to be saved, we have the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit lives in us.  We also are able to pray again and again for a fresh infilling of the Holy Spirit as we become empowered.  It is not a matter of mustering up the courage to share our faith, it is about being empowered by the Holy Spirit and allowing the life of Jesus to speak through you to a world that is lost.

Are you faithful to Jesus?

I have been teaching through the fruit of the Spirit with our students on Wednesday nights. Each week has challenged me personally and I have enjoyed digging into the depths of each fruit. I have been teaching through the fruit because I believe that every Christian should not be so in name only, but we should each be a Christian by the way we live our lives. The fruit of the Spirit should each be evident in our lives.

Each week and each fruit has stretched me, but this week in particular has done an inspiring work inside of me as I taught on the fruit of faithfulness.

What exactly is faithfulness? Faithfulness hinges upon what we consider as valuable or important and then we combine that with our commitment. As humans, we have this incredible ability to "get behind" and be faithful to those things that we consider important. Things such as relationships, our studies, our athletic teams, our employer or even the food we eat. The question that I want to ask in this blog is, are you faithful to God?

God is faithful to us. He has proven his faithfulness to us in so many ways. Deuteronomy 7:9 says, "Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; He is the faithful God, keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commands." God is a faithful God. He promised to save His people from their sins and Jesus came and did that. He is faithful.

The question is, are we faithful to God? At the end of the gospel of John in chapter 21, we read the account of Jesus asking Peter if he was faithful. This is the Peter who walked on water. This is the Peter who denied Jesus three times, after Jesus predicted he would do so. Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved Him. He was asking if Peter's commitment was walking hand in hand with what he valued. Jesus didn't want to just be a part of Peter's life, Jesus wanted to literally be his life.

Faithfulness in our walk with Christ means that we love Jesus above all. As a Christian and disciple, God calls us to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him. Jesus says that we must be willing to give up everything in order to follow Him.

I don't think I've ever mentioned this in my blog, but I really love my wife. I would do anything for my wife. I value her and am committed to her. I strive to be faithful in my relationship with her in keeping my vows in our marriage. If I all of a sudden committed adultery or was looking at pornography, she would question my faithfulness to say the least. If we claim to follow Jesus and yet are unfaithful to Him by putting other things before Him, we set ourselves up for a broken relationship. Our walk with Jesus deserves the same devotion that it takes for a marriage to work.

As a follower of Christ, Jesus wants to transform every area of our lives. When Jesus takes His rightful place in your life, then the rest of life will flow from that. You will be a better family member with Jesus first. You will be a better employee with Jesus first. You will be a better student with Jesus first. You will be a better athlete with Jesus first. Your whole life will improve with Jesus first.

When others observe our lives, will they find us faithful in our commitment to Jesus?  May God empower us by His Spirit to be tenacious in our walks.