New Year's Resolution

I became a father this past year. As I watch my boy change, grow, and face this world with wonder and curiosity each day, I am compelled to become the father and man of God he needs me to be. This year I hope to turn a new page in my walk with Christ. The four words I want to mark my Christian walk this year are: purity, love, discipline, and integrity. I have struggled in these areas the most in my time as a Christian and it has showed in my walk. How can I truly affect others for Christ when my own walk is the antithesis of who Jesus is?

This year I want to walk in purity. I want the guarding of my eyes and my heart from the lusts of this world to be my priority. As men, there are so many temptations surrounding us daily, beckoning us to sin, and yet I believe that in Christ we have all the strength we could ever need to stand strong. Our purity, not only affects our body but our families, our friends, our admirers, and most of all the Holy Spirit, who resides in our heart. We must become men of purity and rise above the jokes and stories in our workplaces, protect ourselves from those who believe men are programmed for infidelity, and fight against the lie that pornography doesn't damage our souls.

This year I want my life to be marked by love. As you read about Jesus in the Gospels, one thing I notice is how so many people are drawn to Him. I believe this is because Jesus lived a love that most people had never encountered before. His life was marked by compassion, healing, and truth. Whenever he convicted a heart, I believe he did it in love. Most people realized this and opened their hearts to this genuine Man of God. I want to live this kind of love. To not live in judgment, prejudice, and narrow perspectives but rather to open my heart to seeing each person as a child of God, worthy of love and compassion.

I have always struggled with being disciplined. I am a jack of all trades and master of none because I did not have the discipline to see the hard things through. Though lack of discipline has marked my past, I do not want it to mark my future. I truly believe that I can do all things through Christ and yet He requires me to trust Him and allow His strength to be utilized in me. I worked very hard in the last few months of 2012 to maintain a nightly bible study and pray journal. I was able to stay mostly consistent and saw the fruits from being disciplined in that area. I hope in this new year I can continue this trend and grow that much closer in my relationship with Christ.

Finally, I hope to live a life of integrity in all I do. This is very much tied to the other three traits I hope to improve this year. One of the definitions that I read on integrity referred to it as the opposite of hypocrisy. Ask just about any non-Christian in America why they aren't a Christian and you will usually hear something about hypocrisy. I want my life to be marked by a genuine walk with Christ. Whether someone likes me or not, I hope they would at least be able to say that I have a genuine walk in my Christianity. I am portraying Christ to the world and there was no hypocrisy in Jesus or His ministry.

As I walk in this new year, I hope to relay all The Lord is teaching me in these areas. May each one of you be blessed and uplifted in your own relationship with Christ this year. In this time of resolutions, be careful not to get caught up in the resolutions of this world (losing weight, saving money, working less, etc.). Not that these things are bad, merely that I hope you will put more focus on eternal applications than worldly ones. My hunch is that all your worldly goals will work themselves out in the process of growing closer in your walk with Jesus. May you all have a blessed and happy new year."!

Blessing,
Greg

Following God Even When You Struggle

Following the river where ever it takes me.

Last night my wife and I sat down to dinner and talked about a calling to international missions in Spain.  We talked about our friends who our there, the people group we are going there to reach, and where our hearts are right now.  As we examined our own hearts, we realized that we have a long way to go in our walk with Jesus.  There are so many things we need to be doing and we always feel we could be closer to the Lord.  The thing that I have been realizing lately is that many people in many different stations of life including missions, ministry, and lay ministry feel exactly the same way.  The fact is that each Christian is a sinner saved by grace and each one of us will have our failures, temptations, and weaknesses in our Christian walk.

The real question is does this make us any less a child of God or any less able to serve as a child of God?  Well if our Christianity relied on our works or a consistently perfect relationship with Jesus, then I would say that many of us would be ineligible for in service for the kingdom of God and in imminent danger of hell.  The beauty of Jesus Christ is that our salvation rest solely on His actions.  We have been saved because He died with our sins on Himself and then rose again with the keys to hell because He lived a sinless life.  Our only input into the equation, is our repentance and acceptance of the salvation Jesus offers us.  "For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son so that whosoever believed in Him would have everlasting life."  John 3:16.    

So our Christian walks are completely hinged on the powerful works of Jesus.  Paul put it this way in Galatians 2:20, "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."  Knowing this we can walk in strength because Jesus lives in us.  When we walk in Christ and fully trust in the grace He has imparted to us, we are able to find strength in our daily walk with Him.  In John 15:5 Jesus say, "I am the vine, you are the branches; he that abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit; for without me you can do nothing."  Even our love comes only from Him as is shown in 1 John 4:19, which says, "we love because God first loved us."

I hope that each of you will know that even in your struggles and failures, Jesus is still with you.  Each of us struggle with sin and temptation every day.  Even Paul, arguably one of the greatest evangelist in human history struggled with his daily walk, which is evidenced by Romans 7 where Paul firmly establishes his own wretched nature and inability to overcome the sin within himself.  Paul does not end with his wretchedness though he continues on into Romans 8 where we see the saving and transforming power of Jesus in us.  I love Paul's conclusion at the end of chapter 8 saying, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?  As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
    we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

I say all this because the Lord is teaching me that He can use me for great things even with all my imperfections.  I, as a follower of Jesus, can no longer use the failings of my flesh as a reason I can't answer God's calling on my life.  None of us are perfect!  Yet through God's enormous grace, He still uses us for great things in His kingdom if we are faithful.  If the Lord is burdening your heart for a ministry (local, career, international, or otherwise) today, I hope you will find the courage and faith to accept His calling on your life today.  Trust Him who is faithful to give you everything you need to accomplish what He calls you to.  Stand up in faith and walk boldly for Jesus today, no matter where He leads you.  I leave you with the words of John saying, "For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world— our faith.  Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?"

Blessings,

Greg

3 Ways to Take Your Thoughts Captive

My little son deep in thought ;)

2 Corinthians 10: 5b says, "take every thought captive to obey Christ."  I listened to a sermon by Matt Chandler today on this verse and it really got me thinking about the thoughts I allow to enter my mind.  In the sermon I listened to, Matt was talking to college students.  He gave an illustration of how none of them would want their thoughts displayed before the whole assembly because they would be shamed by the thoughts they have.  As I thought about this illustration, I realized that he was completely right.  This was both an incredibly humbling and freeing realization.  


It was humbling because I know there are tons of thoughts that go through my head on a daily basis that I would be ashamed about sharing publicly.  It is incredible how little sin thoughts can pepper our day.  Even as we seek to walk in Christ daily, we each still end up with judgments about people, lusts, material dreams, and sinful desires.  Acknowledging that this is true, is so important in beginning to take each one of these thoughts captive.  We are able to take these thoughts captive by instantly surrendering them to Jesus.  As we continue to do this, He works to sanctify our heart and brain freeing us more and more daily from these thoughts.  


It is freeing because it helps us know that we aren't the only one with sinful thoughts.  These sinful thoughts in your head do not mean your unsaved though it is always good to make sure you have a right relationship with Christ.  All Christians suffer from sinful thoughts to some degree.  We have all thought things that would horrify others around us and even horrify ourselves at times.  Each one of these thoughts are remnants of our sinful flesh.  When we became saved in Jesus, we are instantly justified before God and presented as pure but we will spend the rest of our life being sanctified through Christ, which means we are becoming more and more like Christ daily yet are not a perfect image of Christ yet.  This is why Paul had to talk about taking our thoughts captive because we will each still battle with sin, in some form, on a daily basis.  Through this struggle, we grow in Christ and learn better how to surrender and take captive everything with His help daily.


I have found three things that help me best take captive my sinful thoughts daily.  First, I memorize scripture.  Scripture helps us to identify and battle the sinful thoughts in our head.  Also, scripture keeps our head full of what is right and true and gives our brain less room for the sinful thoughts.  Second, I try to communicate with the Lord constantly.  I don't mean that I am on my knees and praying while forsaking all other tasks, though there is a time and place for this type of prayer, but what I do mean is that I am constantly relying on the Lord for my strength and direction each day.  When I am surrendered to Jesus and seeking His will for each day, I find that my heart will be focused on what is right and true.  Lastly, I confess the sins of my heart to my brothers in Christ and my wife.  By confessing the thoughts and sins I am wrestling with, I am able to kill two birds with one stone.  First, by confessing, I free my heart from the shame the devil tries to ensnare me in through my shameful thoughts.  Second, I receive encouragement and prayer from those I confess to, which helps to strengthen me against allowing the thoughts enter my head again.  


If you struggle with sinful thoughts and words racing through your head and heart, I hope these three lessons learned in my own life will help you walk more in the freedom of Christ daily.  I highly encourage you to get a friend or family member you can discuss your struggles with to help you in your battle against sinful thoughts.  I pray that your relationship with Jesus would be strengthened and that your heart and brain would be more surrendered to Christ daily.


Blessings,


Greg

Greater Love Has No One Than This

There are times that it is easier to blame the tragedies of this world on anything and everything than to realize that we are all sinners.  In some ways, I feel shame for blaming media for the shootings in Aurora.  There are so many times that I teeter back and forth on whether certain media is okay to participate in or whether we should run very far from it.  I guess the argument could be made quite succinctly for why indeed we should not participate in many of the forms of media around us.  Many Christian movements in the past have made the argument that we should essentially hide from the world and keep our hearts from encountering any sin.  Ultimately, I believe this is more a cowardly position than biblical position.  

In the Bible, Paul says in Romans 12:2, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."  It is very easy to speak that verse and come up with all types of things that it means including isolating ourselves from the sin of the world but I don't think we are doing the Bible as a whole justice by taking that stance.  Paul also said in 1 Corinthians 9:22, "I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some."  When you combine these verses, we begin to see that Paul did not mean for us to isolate ourselves from the world and yet he was adamant that we not conform to it.  

Now let's build on Paul's words with the examples of Jesus.  Jesus loved being around sinners so much that the Pharisees accused him of being one.  His response to them in Matthew 9:12-13 was this saying, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”  Jesus also actively went to Zaccheaus and told him to come down so He could go to Zaccheaus' house.  Jesus did not condemn the adulterous women but rather told her to go and sin no more.  Jesus spoke to the samaritan woman at the well.  Jesus told the parable of the good samaritan, which spoke of religious leaders passing by an injured man due to not wanting to be made unclean and yet a samaritan man, who was considered an outcast in Jewish culture, had enough love and compassion to tend to the man and pay for his hotel stay and cost to be healed.  

Jesus and Paul were not afraid of getting down and dirty in the pursuit of reaching people for the kingdom.  I, all to often, try to avoid being uncomfortable by being around sin.  I do not enjoy spending time with someone who does not listen to the Christian music I listen to or watch the clean shows I watch or speak the clean language I speak or live the clean life I try to live.  Am I greater than the Son of God??  I am not.  In writing my last post, I realized that avoiding everything that could be conceived of as sinful and unwholesome was more for my own comfort than my concern for the souls around me.  

Though I know not all would agree, I believe the new testament makes it clear that reaching people for Christ involves stepping out of our comfort zone and into others sin filled lives to be able to show them Jesus' salvation.  I do not believe that Jesus or Paul sinned as they ministered to people but they were willing to walk beside them in the sinner's world to speak truth to them.  Ultimately, I believe this is what Paul was talking about in Romans 12:2.  It is not necessary to conform to the sinner's world to reach the sinner but it is necessary to walk with the sinner, maintaining the pure walk of Christ, to have the opportunity to speak truth to a sinner.  

Yesterday, I chose to watch the last installment of Batman: The Dark Knight Rises.  At the end of the movie my friend and I spoke about the souls around us.  We spoke about how easy it is to condemn their actions and judge them.  It is much more difficult to see them with the love Jesus has for them.  It is much more difficult to acknowledge that each person around me is a soul worth reaching even if I have to participate in uncomfortable things to be able to share the truth with them.  Everything in the life, as a Christian, should be centered on Christ and sharing the truth of His salvation with as many people as possible.  

As the stories of the victims of the Aurora shootings continues to unfold, we are beginning to see glimpses of Jesus' love in people who may not have know Jesus.  There were many acts of love lived that night by people giving their lives to protect those near them.  There are glimpses of God in each one of us Christian and non-Christian alike.  Are we willing to risk our lives that someone else may come to a saving knowledge of Jesus?  Would we have given our life to save another in that theater?  Would you have given your life for a non-Christian in that theater so they would have another day to know Jesus' love and mercy?  Jesus said, "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends."  Do you love the people around you enough to walk beside them and tell them the gospel even if it means being uncomfortable or the possibility of death.  I hope so.

Blessings,

Greg Ivey

Cool Waters on a Hot Day

Blessings While Living for Christ

I am so thankful for the many things God is doing right now in my life.  It has been so incredible to see Him grow the following to the blog.  I am looking forward to seeing the miracle of my son being born soon!  We have finally taken the first steps towards career missions.  We have found a church that is faithful to teach the Bible, who love on us like family, and in whom we find so much joy to attend and be a part of.  God's blessings are so immeasurable!

As I think about all God has been doing in the life of my family, I have realized that God moves so much more when we move also.  In Matthew chapter 24-25, Jesus talks about the end times and then continues to talk about how we are to act till those times come.  The main themes Jesus brings out in these chapters are: being prepared, being steadfast even when it feels like you can't go on, and to beware of false prophets and teachers who come in His name.  We are to live this life dependent on Jesus.  We cannot forget who we are living for and that this life is only a vapor.  We must live for the eternal.  We must seek the truth of the eternal in the Bible.  We must walk towards the day we are face to face with our Savior and Lord.

I know I have said this many times but we cannot get wrapped up in the things, ideas, and pleasures of this world.  We must walk everyday like it is our last.  We must live our lives like Jesus could come in the next moment.  We can't keep wasting our lives on silly things.  We can't keep wasting our lives living for ourselves not when there are so many people who have never even heard about Jesus Christ.

Now I know how completely counter culture these words are but I hope anyone who has read the gospels would understand that following Jesus isn't exactly swimming in the mainstream.  You are following a Savior who was crucified for His words and actions.  The people of His time couldn't even wrap their heads around what He was saying.  Jesus was completely counter cultural.  If you find yourself like everyone else around you, it is time to take a serious look at who you are in Christ!

I grew up during the time of DC Talk and the song Jesus Freak.  I have to say that I love there song especially the part talking about John the baptist.  Jesus, the disciples, John the Baptist, and Paul, were all counter cultural for their time and almost every single one of them died for their passionate faith.  They LIVED for Christ.  They BOLDLY shared Him with others.  They WILLINGLY died for Him.  When you examine those last three sentences, can you see yourself in any of them?


Many have said, "It has been 2000 years.  Jesus must have been lying because He isn't back yet."  The thing that is most interesting about that statement in that in the chapters Jesus speaks directly to it being a long time before He returns (24:13, 36-44, 48; 25:5, 19).  He spoke specifically to enduring till the end.  2 Peter 3:8 says, "But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day."  Just because Jesus has not come yet does not mean we can be lax about following Him.  Jesus said that not even He knows the day or time when He will come back.  How can we live our lives so selfishly when He could literally descend upon this earth before you even finishing reading this blog.


I do not write these words to shame anyone or make an argument for works reliant salvation.  You are saved by the grace of Jesus alone.  Beloved, I must tell you this though.  If you can read both Matthew 24 and 25 and not be moved, then you need to check your heart.  If you read these chapters and cannot see yourself in any part of them, you need to check your heart.  Jesus made it clear in both these chapters and other parts of the Gospel that He will turn away the "Christians" He does not know.  


Here are a few questions you might think about in qualifying where your heart is in relation to your love of Jesus.  When I speak about Jesus coming in soon, does your heart leap for joy at the prospect or instantly rebel against the idea and hope I am wrong?  Are you more worried about being prepared for your Saviors arrival or fulfilling your bucket list?  Does your heart break for the non-Christians around you or are you satisfied with ministers, missionaries, and the extra talented laity to reach them?  Do you help your brother or sister in Christ when they are struggling or are you to worried about your own woes?  Jesus speaks to each one of these questions in these chapters and the rest of the Gospels.  


I hope you will take the time to check your heart and your relationship with Jesus.  Do you know truly Him?  More importantly, does He know you?  I hope you will take these next few weeks to freshen up your reading on Jesus by looking through the Gospels.  I pray you will not look for the easy verses and words of Christ but will also take the time to work out his difficult words, like the ones in Matthew chapter 24 and 25.


Blessings,


Greg

The Loving Kindness of Jesus

This whole day has been a wonderful day.  I was incredibly moved by the service this morning, especially the song service.  The Lord moved in a powerful way inside my heart through the words of each on of the songs sung.  Words like: "Lord I want to be like Jesus in my heart" "Draw me nearer to thee Lord" "Lord make me willing to thank thee for the tears and the heart aches that caused me to pray."  Each song spoke deeper and deeper into my heart challenging me to walk more passionately for Christ and yet wooing my deep love and desire for Jesus.  I could've rested in those songs all day long.

Then our pastor spoke on Moses during the sermon today.  He spoke about Moses parents and the choice they made to save him and put him in the basket in the Nile.  He spoke about God's provisions for Moses and how God saved Moses by having him raised in the very court that sought him dead.  He showed a clip from the movie The Prince of Egypt depicting the mother's tearful prayer to God to protect her baby as she put him in the river Nile.  He spoke about killing baby's in the times of the old testament and killing babies through abortions today.  Each piece of the sermon pierced me deeply as I put myself in the place of the parents of Moses, as I considered the shear cruelty of abortion and infantcide, and thought about the powerful provision and saving power of God.

Tonight our other pastor spoke on Ruth and the hebrew word hesed.  In our language hesed speaks to loving kindness.  This is a loyal faithful love that goes beyond what is expected.  Hesed is perfectly displayed through what Jesus did for us on the cross.  He provided something for us we could never attain on our own.  He loved us beyond what we deserved.  He chose to die and take on all our sins and rose again conquering death so that we who believe, look to, trust in Him will have everlasting life with Him in Heaven.  I strongly recommend you take the time to understand the word hesed and it's use in the Bible, specifically starting in Ruth and the love shown by Boaz.  Through better understanding hesed, you will have a better understand of God.

Finally tonight, my wife and I decided to sit down and watch a movie to close out the night.  We decided to watch the movie Letters to Juliet.  The movie was about finding true love even if it was fifty years ago.  The idea that true love last forever and is always worth pursuing at all cost.  I have to say that I absolutely agree with the idea of true love but I believe there has only been one true love and it was demonstrated in Jesus Christ.  Though love is truly a wonderful thing and there is great peace and joy found through marriages, friendships, and family, Jesus is the only love we will find in our life that will fully and completely satisfy us.  Jesus' love is eternal and will last even past death.  Jesus' love will be the only love we experience in life that will absolutely never fail us 1 Corinthians 13:8.

Do you love Jesus?  Do you desire to be like Jesus to be nearer to Him?  Are you willing to be thankful for tears and heartache?  Jesus loves us so much.  I am so excited to know and be known by such a wonderful loving Savior.  If you do not know Him tonight, I pray that you will seek Him.  Please contact me because I would love to share and tell you about Him.  Please don't go another moment without fully accepting Him into your heart and living a passionate life of drawing nearer to Him.

Christian, don't go another moment without sharing this wonderful Savior with those around you.  I pray for boldness for you dear brother and sister.  I pray that the love you feel inside for Jesus would do nothing but overflow to those around you.  That you would have no choice but to share Him with those you love, with those you know, and even with those you don't know.  Beloved, I pray you would never be silent or keep this precious life giving truth from anyone due to fear or embarrassment.  Trust the Lord to give you the words you need.  Trust the Lord to give you the courage you seek.

Blessings,

Greg

We have created a fundraiser through youcaring.com to help us overcome the first obstacle in our way, which is our student loans.  I hope you will check out our fundraiser at Road to Freedom for Proclaiming Christ.  If you can help us, great!  If you know someone else you believe would be willing to help us, please share the link with them.  If all you can do is pray with us as we trust God, wonderful!  Thank you so much for your support through this blog and your prayers.  To learn more about our calling check out my blog Road to Freedom for Proclaiming Christ in Spain

Mine Was the Boat

Yesterday, my pastor read a poem written a while ago about the life of Peter with Jesus.  I was touched by the poem and wanted to share it with each of you.  Peter is my favorite apostle, probably because I resemble him so much.  I am so thankful that Jesus chose Peter as an apostle because I feel like there is hope for me if there was hope for Peter.  If you have not taken the time to truly study Peter in the Bible, I encourage you to do so.  It is so wonderful to see the change in Peter's life through the influence of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.  Though pieces of the stumbling Peter are in most accounts of his life, Peter went all to do great things for the kingdom through His submission and passionate love of Jesus Christ.  I hope you will enjoy the poem.

Untitled

I owned a little boat a while ago.
And sailed the morning sea without a fear,
And whither any breeze might fairly blow
I steered my little craft afar or near.

Mine was the boat
And Mine the air,
And mine the sea,
Nor mine a care

My boat became my place of nightly toil,
I sailed at evening to the fishing ground,
At morn my boat was freighted with the spoil
Which my all-conquering work had found.

Mine was the boat
And mine the net,
And mine the skill
And power to get. 

One day there came along that silent shore,
While I my net was casting in the sea,
A Man who spoke as never man before.
I followed Him; new life began in me.

Mine was the boat
But His the voice
And His the call
Yet mine the choice.

Ah! 'twas a fearful night out on the lake,
And all my skill availed not, at the helm,
Till Him asleep I waked, crying, Take
Thou the helm---lest water overwhelm!

Now His the boat
And His the sea
And His the peace
Over all and me. 

Once from the boat He taught the curious throng
Then bade me cast my net into the sea;
I murmured but obeyed, nor was it long
Before the catch amazed and humbled me.
His was the boat
And His the skill.
And His the catch
And His my will.

Masterpieces of Religious Verse, Edited by James Dalton Morrison

Can you like Peter say that Jesus' will is your own?  Do you rely on Jesus for peace?  Do you acknowledge that all you have is not your own but His?  Have you answered Jesus' call?  I hope you will take the time to read this poem again and consider how it applies to your life and your relationship with Jesus Christ.  I hope you can come to the same conclusion this author did.

Blessings,

Greg

  My wife and I feel an intense calling on our lives for missions and full-time ministry.  We have created a fundraiser to help us overcome one hurtle to us being able to go to the mission field.  I pray that you will take a moment and check out this link.  I thank you for your consideration and ask that you seek the Lord's guidance in considering contributing to this fundraiser.  Thank you.

You Caring

Simply Incredible

I cannot believe that our little boy is going to be here so soon!  Last night our young adult group helped to empty out the baby room so we can paint it this weekend.  I am hoping that this room remodel turns out to be a one weekend job and not a full month job like our bedroom.  Especially considering Sammie would probably be here before then, lol.

Last night, I laid my arm over my wife's belly as she slept.  This has become sort of a ritual for me.  It is my moment to connect with my son at the end of the day.  I always hold my arm on her belly long enough to feel him move.  When I did this last night, he pushed his leg out at me.  I was actually able to grasp his little leg through my wife's belly.  It was so amazing.

I still cannot wrap my head around the miracle that is going on inside her belly.  Our little boy is preparing for life.  He is wriggling around in the womb building up strength.  He is waiting for the Lord's green light to enter this world.  The Lord is finishing up the last pieces of development so he will be able to face the harsh challenges of this world.

Right now he is safe.  He is protected inside my wife's body.  He is fully depending on her to survive.  He is relying on her strength.  He does not have to feel hot or cold because his environment is perfectly suited for him.  He does not have to worry about sustenance because my wife is sharing hers with him.

For you formed my inward parts;
    you knitted me together in my mother's womb.
¹⁴ I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
    my soul knows it very well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
    intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
    the days that were formed for me,
    when as yet there was none of them.
Psalm 139:13-16


As a soon to be new parent, I cannot imagine a passage that brings me more peace.  All my joy completely rests in my Lord and savior who is forming every sinew of my little boy.  I would not want my boy to be in any other hands.  As I wait for the day I will meet him, my longing and anticipation at that day grows.  I can feel a deep love building inside of me for someone I have never met.  The grace of God abounds!


Blessings,


Greg  
   

My wife and I feel an intense calling on our lives for missions and full-time ministry.  We have created a fundraiser to help us overcome one hurtle to us being able to go to the mission field.  I pray that you will take a moment and check out this link.  I thank you for your consideration and ask that you seek the Lord's guidance in considering contributing to this fundraiser.  Thank you.

http://www.youcaring.com/fundraiser_details?fundraiser_id=3437&url=roadtofreedomforproclaimingchrist

Hope Unquenched. Hope Undeterred.

My glowing pregnant wife and I

There have been many times in my life when I have not understood what the Lord is doing.  I have spent many hours wondering if I made wrong choices or missed certain callings.  Did I not listen to Him as He led?  Was I supposed to take another direction?  Did He lead me here to this place or is He just making the best of my own mishandling of His will?  For those of you who believe in complete sovereignty, I am sure you are saying that I am exactly where I should be because I can never be outside of God's sovereignty but there are times I just don't know.

Me and close brother in Christ

I feel so very deeply in my heart that my life should be immersed in active, full time ministry and missions.  My every moment should be lived reaching, teaching, and preaching the gospel of my Savior to the lost and the fold.  My heart desires to be in Spain with my brother, his wife, and their daughter to sweep the nation of Spain for Christ.  My heart desire to sing His praises at the top of my lungs with the fullness and completeness of my soul.  I am never more at peace than when I am in direct ministry for my Lord.  I have never seen my wife more at peace than when I am leading for the Lord and we are sharing in ministry together.

My wife and I ministering to migrant children

For the past couple weeks, my wife and I have been taking birthing classes.  As I consider this tiny life that is about to be here in our arms, I consider who I am and who I want to be to my child.  I spend hours thinking about the witness I am going to give to my son and future children.  Will he see a man who was 100% sold out for Christ or a man who always desired to be 100% sold out for Christ?  Will he see a father who loved and led his mother with the love and leadership of Jesus or will he see a man who never quite loved his mother the way the Bible leads me to love her?

Worshipping on a youth trip

I look at the debt we have acquired through student loans, mortgage, car loans, and more.  I keep wondering how we are ever going to climb out of this debt we are in.  We have worked hard to climb out of poor financial choices made early in our marriage and yet we have so much farther still to go.  I want so much to live in full time ministry and yet there are so many times that I feel I will never escape this burden I'm buried under.  Am I using this burden as an excuse or is this burden being used to teach me complete faith in Him?

Me with a couple of the horses at my job

I don't in anyway want to minimize the many amazing things God has put in my life.  I am so thankful to be at the job I am at.  They have been a life saver to me in the way they have loved me, taught me, and enabled me to be a part of ministry while also learning service.  I am so thankful to have remembered what it means to truly worship again through my job.  I feel like I have been able to worship freely and completely before Jesus for the first time outside of the piano in my home through leading chapel.

My son Samuel

I am so thankful for the unexpected blessing of a young adult ministry I never even dreamed of.  The Lord has blessed me with young adults who truly want to live for Him.  I have been so inspired by their commitment to learning and growing in their walks with Jesus.  I have been blessed by the conversations I have been privileged to have with them.  I have been touched by getting a glimpse of the mighty way God has been working through each of them.  I have been challenged by the opportunity to touch hearts that are distant from Him.

Oh the family pictures of yore

I am thankful for a church that honors God in their music, their preaching, and in their love.  My wife and I have had a hard time finding a church that met our needs since we moved here.  I am thankful for what we learned from each church since we have moved here but my wife and I have been missing out on the love and fellowship of people in our life station.  It is so wonderful to relate with someone who understands where you are and being able to also share a common love of Jesus with them.  I have enjoyed learning, fellowshipping, and growing throughout the short time we have been at this new church.

My wife's family

Finally I am incredibly thankful for my wife, who is carrying our son, and the wonderful love she has showered over me.  I shutter to imagine what my life would've been without her.  She has made me a better man in Christ through her strong faithfulness, love, and grace.  She is going to be the most wonderful mother to our child and I am so thankful that we are embarking on this adventure together.  I am also thankful for the wonderful brothers in Christ the Lord has surrounded me with.  I never believed that I would ever meet a friend who loves me the way these brothers do.  I honestly never believed brothers like this could exist but God showed me His love through them.  I also am so thankful for a Godly family that prays for us, encourages us, and actively loves on us.  I would not be here to day or even writing this blog if it were not for my family.  They raised me in the truth of Jesus and are the ones who laid the foundation for me being the man I am today.  I can't imagine my life without each one of these dear people that constantly remind me of the love God has bathed me with.

My wife and I with my best friend and his wife

I want to end this blog praising God because He is surely good!  I am thankful for every opportunity I have to proclaim His name and I am hopeful that one day I will have the opportunity to minister for Him in full-time ministry and missions.  I look forward to the day that I will get to minister next to my brother in Christ in Spain.  I look forward to the opportunity to preach and worship within a church the Lord has lead me to or given me the opportunity to speak in.  Until the day these hopes come to fruition, I will continue to be faithful to Him daily.  I will continue to be thankful for each opportunity He gives me to grow, to lead, and to minister.

Blessings,

Greg

My wife and I feel an intense calling on our lives for missions and full-time ministry.  We have created a fundraiser to help us overcome one hurtle to us being able to go to the mission field.  I pray that you will take a moment and check out this link.  I thank you for your consideration and ask that you seek the Lord's guidance in considering contributing to this fundraiser.  Thank you.

http://www.youcaring.com/fundraiser_details?fundraiser_id=3437&url=roadtofreedomforproclaimingchrist

The Deep Healing Waters of Jesus

I started my day like any other.  I woke up, got ready for work, and arrived on time.  I had plenty of things to do today and spent the morning trying to take care of the many tasks on my roster.  As the morning continued to slip away, I decided to go down to the kitchen to get some water.  I noticed worship music gentling calling from the living room.  I drank my water and continued to work on the tasks I had inside the house.  I passed the living room multiple times as I checked the furnace filters, the thermostats, and changed some light bulbs.

As I went past the living room, I noticed that more people than usual were attending the worship chapel and each person was doing something different as they enjoyed the music and connected with Christ.  Each time I passed the living room, I felt a draw to join in.  I frequently join in the chapel sessions but not the worship sessions.  So i continued my work trying to ignore the longing that was compelling me to join.

After about 20 minutes of attempting to ignore the desire of my heart, I decided to quietly slip into the living room, sit down, and write in my notebook as I enjoyed the worship album playing in the room.  As I sat down and began to write, a flood of emotion flowed from my heart.  My heart began to pour out onto the notebook in the form of a prayer.  I had not talked with God for a few days maybe even a few weeks. It was time and my heart knew exactly what I needed to say.

My heart had been drawing me to join the worship.  My heart had been longing to reconnect with my Lord.  The Holy Spirit knew my need though I myself had not perceived it or maybe worse had been running from it.  To help deepen and explain the significance of today, I want to explain my daily routine at work for the past few weeks.

I have spent quite a lot of time outside mowing, trimming, weeding, mulching, and so much more.  During this time, I put on my headphones, which are hooked up to my iPhone, and listen to podcast sermons from pastors I respect and admire and Christian music I enjoy.  I have probably listened to over 30 hours of sermons in the last week on Jesus and walking an authentic Christian life.  Now I can't say that I didn't not pray or speak to God in conviction during some of these sermons but I can say that I did not humble myself and give to God all I had been holding in my heart.  The silence of my blog recently has spoken to this condition in my heart.

When I sat down in that worship, I finally took the time to connect with where I was with Christ and was able, through the Holy Spirit, to identify my desperate need to reconcile with Jesus and lay my burdens, worries, and struggles down before Him.  As I sat there quietly in the back of the living room, I was able to truly pour out my broken and contrite heart before the Lord.

The Lord helped to facilitate my healing even further through my best friend, Jono, who spoke even deeper into the need of my heart through the daily texts we share.  I opened up and confessed also to my best friend and accountability partner the state of my heart and my need.  We both dove deeply into our desires to serve and live passionately for Christ.

Through this whole process, I found a peace I have not felt in a while.  I was able to breathe deeply and fully in the certainty and joy of Christ.  I could feel the Lord reconnect my heart into Himself.  I could feel my heart submit to His reign.  The rest of my day has been filled with the peace and joy of knowing that I have a God who knows my heart's need so much better than I do.  I can rest in the knowledge that my Lord will lead me to still waters whether I know I need them or not.

Where is your heart with Jesus tonight?  Have you been listening to all the Christian songs, reading the Christian books, intently enjoying the Christian sermons, and living a good looking Christian life and yet still finding your heart distant from Jesus?  Sometimes we can cover over exactly what we need by filling our lives with all these things and yet not humbling ourselves before the Lord.  Have you laid your heart, your sins, and your burdens at the feet of Jesus tonight?  Don't hesitate to do it tonight.  The cool waters of our Lord are abundant and sweet!  Don't resist the call of the Holy Spirit who is drawing you to make your path straight tonight.  Dive in my brother and sister.  Dive in.

As a closer, I would love to hear from you about how the Lord has drawn you to himself recently.  I would love to hear ways that you connect with Jesus daily.  I would love to here how the Lord used this blog to restore your heart today.  Feel free to comment on the blog or on my Facebook account.  I would just love to be able to share in the many way Jesus has spoken to, blessed, and uplifted each of my readers.

Blessings,

Greg

My wife and I feel an intense calling on our lives for missions and full-time ministry.  We have created a fundraiser to help us overcome one hurtle to us being able to go to the mission field.  I pray that you will take a moment and check out this link.  I thank you for your consideration and ask that you seek the Lord's guidance in considering contributing to this fundraiser.  Thank you.

http://www.youcaring.com/fundraiser_details?fundraiser_id=3437&url=roadtofreedomforproclaimingchrist

A Weekend to Remember

I have to say that I had one of the most amazing weekends this week.  I truly couldn't have asked for this weekend to go more smoothly or be more impactful.  My weekend started out with Mel and I attending a marriage conference hosted by the church we are attending.  I truly couldn't have guessed how much more connected and apart of our church I would feel after attending this conference.  I really feel quite honored to have so many new friends and be given the opportunity to get to know each person in a real way through the conference.  The speaker was also truly wonderful and I hope that I can't take the words he imparted and infuse them into my daily marriage life.

I was also incredibly convicted this weekend by the words of the speaker at the marriage conference.  There are definitely some areas in my marriage that could stand to be improved.  Finances would definitely be the main one.  My wife and I have struggled financially ever since our first day of marriage and I believe that it has been due to my lack of discipline and unwillingness to make the difficult choices when it comes to budgeting and cutting expenses.  I really saw how these actions have affected our marriage and how getting this area under control could help us achieve the goals we have for ourselves and our marriage.  I repented of my sin in this area because I was not truly trusting the Lord with the money, possessions, and tools He has given us.  Mel and I are now going to be more proactive about budgeting together and holding each other accountable in our financial decisions.

Saturday evening, one of my best friend's, Mike, came up and hung out with Mel and I.  We had a great time hanging out and catching up Saturday night and going to church on Sunday morning.  The real fun together began Sunday afternoon when Mike and I removed an old rickety fence from the back yard.  I have to say that I was incredibly grateful for the strength of a marine while carrying out that task.  After ripping out the fence, we both were ready for a much deserved nap before our big night.

The real reason my friend came up was to attend a Switchfoot concert on Sunday night.  Mike and I have now seen four Switchfoot concerts (three together).  It is something we have both enjoyed doing together over the years.  This time we had the opportunity to meet the band and that was pretty cool.  On top of that, I have to say that this concert was, bar none, the most incredible Switchfoot concert I have attended to date.  It was so much fun!  We truly enjoyed singing at the top of our lungs to each and every song.  Some of Jon's songs are so powerful and I truly felt like I was in a worship concert at times as I sang out to Jesus through the conviction of certain songs.

After the concert was over, Mike and I found out that Jon Foreman, lead singer of Switchfoot, was going to be performing an after concert at a little cafe up the street.  I have to admit that directly after the concert was over I felt like I was in a bubble.  I am pretty sure I have some hearing loss from last night, which is of course a prerequisite of a great Christian rock concert ;).  Anyways, after our ears recovered, Mike and I proceeded to go to the cafe to see Jon perform alone on an acoustic guitar. When we arrived to the cafe, Jon was already surrounded by a large crowd of people.

Mike and I got as close as we could and relished in the beautiful songs he sang but there was something different about this concert because Jon was singing his own music and not Switchfoot's.  As he sung, I noticed that his lyrics were even more overtly Christian than the lyrics from his band.  The songs He sang were new to me and felt like they were the witness of who he is in Jesus.  I got to hear and see his heart last night.  In attending all of the concerts I have for Switchfoot, one of my greatest desires has been the desire for Jon to stand up and give his witness and boldly speak out for Christ.  In that intimate after concert, I got to see his heart and soul.  It was there that he was able to share his heart and passion for Christ overtly.

There are so many times in my own life where I feel like I have failed Christ as I am critical of areas in my life I could have been more overt for Him.  Last night, the Lord showed me that what matters is how my heart shines in both my big and small moments of life.  If I truly live Christ in all areas of my life, then He will be boldly shown in even the most normal parts of my day.  My witness for Him lies in the authenticity and passion of my heart.  He showed me this in multiple ways this weekend through the conviction of how I spend my money, through how I act when I am around strangers, and through the heart of a man who happens to lead Switchfoot and yet is first and foremost a follower of Jesus Christ.

Thank you Lord for the blessings of sight.  Thank you for how you gently teach me more and more each day.  As I look back and see how much You continue to transform who I am to who You are, I am humbled and encouraged.  Thank you for never giving up on me and continually teaching me how to thrive and not just survive.  Amen

Blessings,

Greg

My wife and I feel an intense calling on our lives for missions and full-time ministry.  We have created a fundraiser to help us overcome one hurtle to us being able to go to the mission field.  I pray that you will take a moment and check out this link.  I thank you for your consideration and ask that you seek the Lord's guidance in considering contributing to this fundraiser.  Thank you.

http://www.youcaring.com/fundraiser_details?fundraiser_id=3437&url=roadtofreedomforproclaimingchrist

Heart Gardening 101

My garden right now is a wreck!  I have not tilled it, prepared it, or even planted it for this season.  It is filled with a grand assortment of weeds and mostly overtaken by dandelions.  In order for me to have any hopes of fresh fruits and vegetables in my garden this year, I am going to have to put in a large amount of hard work to get it back into the shape it needs to be in for planting.  I have quite a job ahead of me and I have been avoiding it for the last couple weeks because I know I am going to be exhausted, aching, and dirty once I am done.

My garden was not always this way.  For the past few years I have done a good job of preparing it for planting and successfully gathering quite a bounty.  I know what my garden is capable of producing and I can instantly remember all the wonderful sights, tastes, and smells from my gardens of years past.  I long for my garden to be like the years before but know that accomplishing this task will be both challenging and worth while.

Sometimes our own lives are like my garden.  We have great times of fruitfulness and bounty and then other times where we let ourselves go.  There have been many times that the garden of my heart has been desolate and filled with the weeds of sin and the world.  Sure, I still had a fruit or vegetable plant here or there but none of them produced what they were capable of and some even where snuffed out by the weeds surrounding them.

Each day is an opportunity to prepare, care for, and cultivate our soul.  We are given the choice to plant the seeds of wisdom from the Bible in our hearts or the seed of sin.  We can choose to shine the light of the Holy Spirit on our heart, which will bring growth and nourishment, or we can cloud our hearts with things that don't matter and have no eternal value.  We can water our hearts with Jesus' living water or starve our hearts by filling it with the tainted waters of the devil, which may appear clear and pure and yet will always leave you wanting and leave you needing more than when you started.

Are you on a path that will produce the fruits of the Spirit in your heart or is your heart being strangled and tangled in an abundance of weeds?  Jesus spoke of the parable of the sower in Matthew 13:1-23.  In this parable He talked about some seed falling on the path and being scavenged by birds, some falling on hard ground and being scorched by the sun because they had shallow roots, some falling amongst the thorns and weeds and being choked out, and those that fall on fertile ground.  Of the seeds that fall on fertile ground Jesus said that some seeds would produce thirty, some sixty, and some even a hundred times what was planted.

As I consider my own garden, I have learned that how I take care of it determines the harvest I have.  I have to provide good soil, proper water, a proper amount of sun, and even make sure that the plants don't get over crowded by weeds and similar plants.  There is so much more that also contributes to the bounty of my garden and much of it depends on my input into it.

In my blog last night i spoke about Faith or Works, in this parable Jesus shows how they go together.  The seed that falls on fertile soil is given life and you will notice that Jesus did not talk about the seed produce nothing.  The life is faith and is what you are saved by but the produce is the works that are created through your life and faith.  I hope you will allow the Lord to prepare your heart today.  There is so much blessing in the fruits He will create in your life.  Paul speaks of the fruits of the spirit in Galatians 5:22-23 saying, "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control."  May you see these wonderful fruits in the garden of your heart and in the example of your life this year.

Blessings   

Greg

My wife and I feel an intense calling on our lives for missions and full-time ministry.  We have created a fundraiser to help us overcome one hurtle to us being able to go to the mission field.  I pray that you will take a moment and check out this link.  I thank you for your consideration and ask that you seek the Lord's guidance in considering contributing to this fundraiser.  Thank you.

http://www.youcaring.com/fundraiser_details?fundraiser_id=3437&url=roadtofreedomforproclaimingchrist

Faith or Works?

Faith or Works?

As I sat on the mower and mowed most of the property at my job today, I thought about faith and works, which our Christian community as a whole seems to struggle with.  Depending on who you talk to and what type of Christian faith they have been raised in, you will get a whole variety of answers about being saved in relation to faith and works.  Some say that faith alone without any other change in the person's life is all that is necessary to go to heaven.  Some say believing in Jesus is important but your works are what get you to heaven.  Some will say that being a good person is the only thing that matters.  You will even hear from time to time someone say that neither faith nor works matter because God is too loving to allow anyone to perish.


I am always perplexed by the shear magnitude of interpretations people can come up with utilizing the same Biblical text as their evidence.  In a world that is highly resistant to the idea of absolute truth, the world's contention is that each person is right to have and believe their own truth.  I personally believe the Bible wasn't created so we could all find our own separate truth and way to heaven.  I believe God created the Bible through men as a way for us to know the one way to eternity in Heaven.  Though many would disagree with this statement, I believe the Bible is perfectly created as a instruction manual on how to live life with God and for God allowing us to find complete joy and peace in God.


The main passages dealing with being justified in Christ through faith or works are as follows:  

• For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. Romans 3:20
• For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. Romans 3:28
• For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” Romans 4:3
• And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness. Romans 4:5
• You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. James 2:24
• For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead. James 2:26

These verses represent the battlegrounds for many Christians who argue for why they are right about their belief on either side of the faith or works argument.  The problem with this is that James in no way refutes what Paul says in Romans.  He just adds to Paul's argument about justification.  James is not arguing against being justified by faith.  He is only saying that in being truly saved your genuine faith will produce works.  This can be seen as James speaks about true faith and fake faith in the full passage of James 2:14-26.

As I was thinking about this concept, the Lord laid on my heart an example of what James is talking about in terms we can understand.  Say I told my wife I love her and yet did not show my love in anyway.  I refused to encourage her, want to get to know her, have any desire to hang out with her, or allow her to get close to me without being repulsed.  On top of all this, I spent time hanging out with other girls, hugging everyone else I met, giving people praise, and always jumping at an opportunity to hang out and get to know other people.  

Now on the other hand, I tell my wife I love her and spend the rest of my life trying to learn new ways to show her.  I love spending time with her and learning about each facet of who she is.  I am happy to take the time to craft a wonderful expression of my love.  I am more than willing to announce my love for my wife on the nearest mountain top or park bench.  When people look at us together they can see how passionately in love I am with her.  


Though I said I loved my wife in both scenarios, which one do you truly believe to be real love?  The works are not what makes my love true but are in fact evidence of my true love.  It is in my actions that the love within me is visible to others.  So what James was talking about at the end of chapter two is the difference between saying you have faith and living your faith.  The works do not save you but they are a natural out crying of the genuine faith you have.  When you have true faith just like when you have true love, you just can't keep from living out the implication of this glorious belief inside you.


So just as Paul says in Romans you are indeed justified by faith alone but as James expounded upon your true faith will indeed produce works in your life.  So I ask you today.  If you profess to be a follower of Jesus and have faith that Jesus indeed is the savior who came to this world lived, taught, died, and rose again, can you see natural culminations of works in your life as an outpouring of this faith and love you have towards Jesus?  If not, I hope you will take some serious time to examine whether you truly know or have faith in Jesus at all.  If you discover that your faith indeed is genuine, then never let the devil keep you from living your faith daily.  If you discover that you have never truly known Jesus, I hope you will take a true leap of faith today and allow the Holy Spirit to work a true change in your walk and heart.


Blessings,


Another good resource on this topic is Are we Justified by Faith (Romans) or Works (James)?.  In the article on Carm.org the author goes much deeper in explaining the issue than I can.  

My wife and I feel an intense calling on our lives for missions and full-time ministry.  We have created a fundraiser to help us overcome one hurtle to us being able to go to the mission field.  I pray that you will take a moment and check out this link.  I thank you for your consideration and ask that you seek the Lord's guidance in considering contributing to this fundraiser.  Thank you.

http://www.youcaring.com/fundraiser_details?fundraiser_id=3437&url=roadtofreedomforproclaimingchrist