wes is working on making his feet beautiful

why is porn so intriguing

2009-11-09T16:50:00.002-07:00

it's been a long time since i have posted but i thought i would start back up. i don't know, maybe it's more for me than it is for anybody. i'm sure most of these posts aren't viewed by, what i like to call, people :-). either way it's something i feel like i need to do for me and want to get consistent again.

i was moved today after watching a video on shelleylubben.com of porn stars who have died. it's about a 7 minute video and most of the porn stars died from a suicide overdose, gun shot wound, jumping off a building, or during a scene in one of their movies. i sat moved by it and felt completely heart broken while watching.

i started to think to myself why is porn so intriguing ? why have i struggled with it? why do most guys, if not all guys, want to watch it so bad (this includes christians, ministers, and regular ol joe? i have my own perceptions and answers, but it seems more complicated than just saying, "guys are just guys and we like naked woman". although "guys are just guys and like naked woman" why is porn soooo compelling? there is obviously a need that is being met in the heart of the viewer that keeps him (or her) coming back. let's not forget the spiritual side of this issue too. i am sure that the enemy isn't just sitting by idely concerning porn. clearly "he" is not as statistics show that 50% of ministers are addicted to it. as many ministries have tried to spring up addressing porn, (freedombeginshere.org, xxxchurch.com, shelleylubben.com, jcgirls.com, hookersforjesus.com) the church still hasn't taken this epidemic head on. and until it does it will still be the most devastating thing hitting the church other than apathy.

i know i haven't reached a level of strength that keeps me "holy" all the time, and i know that i am only human. i know that i am "a guy" and i know that if i don't keep myself accountable to my friends that i can and will fail, and have failed.

one thing i know for sure is that God loves peoeple, God loves those who are addicted to porn, God loves those who chose to stay where they are at, and God loves the people on the video screen. and until we let the love of God compel us to reach out to those who are addicted, again the church will have lost an huge spiritual battle. thank God there are ministries like freedombeginshere.org that hits this issue head on. it's far to late to not bring this up now.

if anything people are struggling and can't stop. more importantly those who face addiction do not want to be addicted and, for most, don't know how to be free.

i will talk through this and see if we, if I, can't uncover the answer to the question, "why is porn so intriguing". i am no expert on addiction other than being a guy trying to find these answers. one thing is for sure i will do my best to help others fight through this highly hidden issue the only way i know how, with mercy and grace! thank God for his love and his mercy.

peace

sex trafficking stats, eye opening to say the least

2009-01-09T10:46:00.002-07:00

Sex Trafficking
Standing Against Global Exploitation (SAGE) is a San Francisco based organization that provides information about and resources for victims of trafficking, sexual exploitation and violence, and individuals involved in the sex trade and those thinking of or having left prostitution.

The Protection Project was created by Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) to establish an international framework for the elimination of trafficking in persons, especially women and children. The web site contains information about trafficking throughout the world, featuring country reports with statistics and maps of trafficking routes, as well as profiles of survivors. There is also a referral system that includes listings of trained service providers and resources for helping U.S. victims of trafficking.

The Coalition Against Trafficking in Women is a non-governmental organization that promotes women's human rights. It works internationally to combat sexual exploitation in all its forms. Their website offers research and documentation of international sexual exploitation as well as links to international and national organizations offering support to trafficked women.

Captive Daughters is an organization based in California that is dedicated to brining national and international attention to the wide spread problem of sex trafficking of children.

Polaris Project is a Washington, DC based non-Profit organization that is focused on combating trafficking through local, national and international grassroots efforts.
The U.S. Department of Justice Trafficking Hotline1-888-428-7581Donna Hughes, chair of the women's studies program at the University of Rhode Island,has written a number of papers dealing with issues of trafficking. They are available for download from her website: http://www.uri.edu/artsci/wms/hughes/pubvio.htm

Vital Voices is an international organization dedicated to helping women participate in the process of building democracy and preventing sex trafficking and other human rights violations all over the world.

Articles and Reports
The US Department of State's "Tafficking in Persons Report, June 2005""A New Commodity in Kosovo" - new finding in report by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reveal sex trafficking in Kosovo."Boys Will Be Boys" - International peaceworkers create demand for prostitution in war torn countries (from the BBC). The International Organization for Migration (IOM) published a report entitled Shattered Dreams: Report on Trafficking in Persons in Azerbaijan (Adobe PDF format).

im convicted, guilty as charged...

2009-01-06T10:30:00.005-07:00

if i could imagine what God would say to me in the midst of a mistake or a sin i am committing it wouldn't be pleasant, after all He is God, Judger of all, the final word "if you will". after reading scripture you can easily see that God is a Holy God and doesn't tolerate sin, ever! in fact the old testament if full of God judging sin and most of the time it doesn't look to good...take noah for example...to preserve the human race God literally flooded the earth to purge the wrong so that good could continue.... (side note) the earth was warned for over 100 years about the coming flood, so even God in His judgement was giving people a way out ahead of time, an ark...BUT when it comes to my mistakes, i feel sometimes shameful, guilty, even ill at times because of where i've aloud myself to be. and when i look at God's holiness, how in the world will i ever live up to it...i can't! and according to the bible my sin has to be judged, i am convicted of my sin, guilty as charged...i am and never will be worthy to be close to God, after all my sin is always going to prevent me to come...God and sin will never mix and, well, there are no exceptions to this rule...so what do i do, do i just sulk in my self depreciation and worthlessness...sorry to say, sometimes i do, i have to be honest...BUT i am reminded of some truths that Jesus reveals in scripture...of all those things and with all that said there is one remaining factor that stands in the way of my guilt, shame, mistakes, SIN...it is the only thing that protects me from the wrath i deserve from my mistakes. not only does it protect me, it presents me innocent, shows me clean, no sin, perfection...it's the blood of jesus, the sacrifice jesus made at the cross...

revelations 1:5 says 5and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood--
colossians 1:13-1413 For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

i am released from my sin because of jesus...i am not guilty anymore...jesus took my guilt, my sin, my judgement and nailed it to the cross when he died...but he didn't just die, he ROSE again securing my friendship with God, and now God lives in me, so when i sin God sees himself. when God sees me he is reminded of what he did through Jesus...therefore God only sees what he has made me to be, free from sin, free from guilt and shame, and free to be his child!

here is a song that i found yesterday...it's a great song and encouraging...it's by aaron keyes , go to his myspace and listen too "your not guilty anymore" ...great song for prayer and reflection of who we are...listen to God says "you're not guilty anymore"!!!

thx God, you love me so very much and you made a way for me, you are my Father...i love you for what you have done for me...

got an interesting email from worship net

2009-01-05T07:43:00.004-07:00

Jeff merry with Worship Net Arizona sends emails out weekly, he sent this one a few weeks again and it was a great reminder of who we are...simple short email with a great devotional in it...here it is with some "wes" injunctions...

with the economy the way it is it's hard not to think of where you are in your finances...have you thought about your credit score lately? and yes i hate that stupid commercial, you know the one "im thinking of a #"...hate it!!! with that said what do you think your credit score is? not your financial one, but your spiritual credit score. if you were to rate yourself regarding your relationship with Jesus today on a scale of 0-850, where would you score? got it? now check this out...

we have received the righteousness (made right) of God through faith
Rom. 3:22we have been raised with Christ and seated in the heavenlies.
Eph. 2:5-7we have received the indwelling presence of God.
1 Cor. 3:17; 6:19we belong to Christ.
Rom. 7:4we are a new creation.
2 Cor. 5:17

today as a believer, your spiritual economy and or credit score is determined by what Jesus did for you and not what you do for Him. so your score is 850!!! today and everyday! the good news is that we no longer need to try to increase our credit score with Jesus, it's already 850. that frees us up to be His ambassadors. his representatives in every relationship, circumstance, and event we face every day. (John 20:21) we have been sent by Jesus just as Jesus was sent by God to help, reach, and be a light to this world...2009 isn't a year to stay where we are...2009 is a year of new perspectives as old as the bible, you've all ready got it, so help people, reach people!!! jesus is the reason for the...EVERTHING :)

quote of the day is:
being a christian isn't thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less...moto for 2009? what do you say?

some interesting quotes, check em out

2009-01-02T16:51:00.002-07:00

weird music but some great quotes...either way i am, in my heart, getting consumed with reaching people with the love of God...all those that are around us who don't know how amazing God is, those who have never heard...

God you have my heart...

here am i (send me); great song!!!

2009-01-02T10:32:00.004-07:00

a foundational scripture i have lived by is found in isaiah 6:8... Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here I am. Send Me!" - Isaiah 6:8, this scripture is the bomb diggety scripture of who i am and want to be...with that said, i am always looking for songs that can inspire this concept isaiah was seeing when he said this...songs that provoke a consecration to the will of God concerning reaching people...anyways

here is the song... it's by matt papa "here am i (send me)" ... this song is great!!! check it out

peace

If there were only 100 people in the world

2008-12-30T12:00:00.007-07:00

If there were only 100 people in the world

Want to understand why world missions are so important?
I’ve found this backgrounder helpful in putting the need
for world evangelism in its proper place:

If the world’s population were reduced to 100 people…

57 would be Asian

21 would be European

8 would be African

2 would be American

30 would be white

50 would be malnourished

80 would live in a below-standard

70 would be unable to read

1 would hold a university degree

(source: “The 10/40 Window”, by Piper Black)

i read this and think to myself

"we have such a great opportunity to help and be the Gospel"...

what is descipleship, exactly?

2008-12-30T07:06:00.003-07:00

found this article online researching evangelism, i thought it was interesting.

the basic concept is evangelism and discipleship are hand in hand and you can't have one without the other. all tho i could agree with that statement i am not convinced as i believe that reaching people with the gospel and or bringing people to jesus who are lost has far greater eternal value than discipling someone on how to live as a christian. either way i liked the article and thought it was still very good and needed...here it is;

What is discipleship, exactly? Tuesday, June 10th, 2008
This week we’re thinking once again about discipleship. What is discipleship? The call to discipleship is laid out for Christians in Matthew 28:
Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
That’s a pretty ambitious command—how are we to understand it today? In an overview of discipleship, Richard Krejcir elaborates on the questions raised by this Bible passage:
Is this a command, or a suggestion; does it mean we are just to evangelize and let people find their faith on their own, or does this mean we are to lead others and teach the precepts of the Scriptures and the character of our Lord? Does it require obedience and action on our part, or are we disciples just by being a Christian and being in a church on Sundays?
Read the full article for Krejcir’s answers, and his ideas about what discipleship means for the church. One of his central points is the artificial distinction Christians tend to make between evangelism and discipleship—discipleship, we are inclined to think, is just the training and education of people are already Christians, right? Krejcir argues that evangelism and discipleship are not only closely related, they’re actually just two aspects of the same activity: bringing people closer to Christ. It’s a view echoed in another article, “Why Must Evangelism and Discipleship Go Hand in Hand?” by Jerry Root.
So as we think about discipleship this week, consider that the definition we often use for it might not actually account for everything that we’re called to do as disciples of Jesus Christ. We’ll back back tomorrow with a few more good articles and links about what it means to make disciples in Christ’s name!

this is great, if you think God can't use you just remember

2008-12-24T10:59:00.002-07:00

my buddy brad recently put a posting up on his blog http://www.reachscottsdale.com that i thought was great...

when you think you can't be used by God because of who you are remember...
Noah was a drunk
Abraham was too old
Isaac was a daydreamer
Jacob was a liar
Leah was ugly
Joseph was abused
Moses had a stuttering problem
Gideon was afraid
Sampson had long hair and was a womanizer
Rahab was a prostitute
Jeremiah and Timothy were too young
David had an affair and was a murderer
Elijah was suicidal
Isaiah preached naked
Jonah ran from God
Naomi was a widow
Job went bankrupt
John the Baptist ate bugs
Peter denied Christ
The Disciples fell asleep while praying
Martha worried about everything
The Samaritan woman was divorced, more than once
Zaccheus was too small
Paul was too religious and killed christians
Timothy had an ulcer…
AND
Lazarus was dead!

What do you have that’s worse than that? So no more excuses!
God can use you to your full potential. Besides you aren’t the message,you are just the messenger.

one of my favorite passages of scripture!!!

2008-12-24T07:47:00.004-07:00

“But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:” - Ephesians 2:4-8

if there was 1 scripture that has always reminded me of what i have, who i am, and who i belong to, it would have to be eph 2:4-8...all i can say is God loves people, regardless if they are of another faith, if they have murdered someone, if the are horrible parents, if they are homosexual, if they are preachers who judge, God simply loves us...and i am glad for it. one of the hardest things in the world to do is to love unloving people, good news is it is possible. we are commanded in the Bible to "love thy neighbor as thyself." God never tells us to do something impossible. if God tells us to do something, it is possible to do. God expects us to love others. so on the flip side i can put my faith in what God has given me, His love...it's so easy to love like he loves if we let him love through us...i can actually love people of other faiths, murderers, bad parents, homosexuals, and preachers who judge...i can love people, i do love people because God through me loves people...

just reminding myself of how much he loves me...

peace

another unknown worship guy...

2008-12-21T15:29:00.005-07:00

here is another worship leader i randomly
found on itunes by doing a search for
"here am i send me", after listening i
liked what i heard...he is a completely
unknown however his music gets you...
check him out...

mattpapa.com
http://www.myspace.com/mattpapa

my new favorite worship leader

2008-12-17T19:58:00.004-07:00

ok, so i am always looking for new worship leaders for new and old songs, and in some chance i might find someone that gets it...a worship leader that has a real passion for ministry and the people he is leading...for the last several months i kept hearing about this guy named jason upton ...not by one person but several people. i, of course, am so on it all the time. so i immediately looked him up ummm, well, not really!!! actually i forgot about him and i was reminded once again of his ministry and worship albums this past weekend while visiting home NC...so, yes i finally took the plunge, made the effort, made the journey up the mountain, i got crazy, i did this amazing thing called a google search for jason upton. yes i know, intense yet intriguing. i also did a search for him on youtube and godtube and found some great footage of live events he has done. after watching several videos i became instantly became a fan, and now have gotten several songs off of itunes.

ok so here's the deal...this guy can get really intense, almost weird at times so be ready for it...BUT, i can't help but be drawn to his REAL passion for leading people into the presence of God, it isn't a show and of course he has a great voice...below are a couple of links to get you started...here you go...

father of the fatherless

http://www.1200ftbelowsealevel.com

http://www.jasonupton.net

peace

seeya

this is long, always enjoy apologetics

2008-12-10T08:14:00.010-07:00

this is a pretty long but good read if your into apologetics...i mostly just put this on here because i didn't want to forget the link and or what it was saying...and i wanted to show everyone that christian are superior to all other relgions :) just kidding...well, we are more awesome than all others...i must say!!!!!

got this from http://www.atsmail.org/ a christian tracts company. i talked to a representive there and thought there site was good. below is a very long read but i thought it was good...

Is the Bible a trustworthy, supernatural book? Or is it an antiquated collection of folk tales and superstitions?
Many people reject the Bible, dismissing it as full of errors and therefore unreliable. So they ignore its message and say it has no relevance for them.
Is there any evidence to back up the claims that the Scriptures are true? Suppose you were in a court of law where the Bible was on trial. Could a defense attorney bring forth any evidence to support the view that the Bible is reliable? Actually, there are a number of pieces of evidence that can be examined. Here are several.

Evidence from Prophecy
No book other than the Bible has ever given precise predictions of future events (prophecies) hundreds of years in advance, predictions that were fulfilled exactly. Far from vague generalities or general guesses like those given by fortunetellers, the prophecies in Scripture contain explicit details which no human could possibly devise on his own. Imagine trying to come up with the name, ancestry, birthplace, and kind of death for a person who would be born in AD 2800. That would be humanly impossible! Only God could make such predictions and see them carried out perfectly. But that is exactly what we have in the Bible. Jesus’ identity, name, birthplace, triumphal entry, betrayal, suffering, death, and burial—all were foretold in the Old Testament seven hundred years before He was born.
If only 48 prophecies about a person were fulfilled, the odds would be 1 in 10157. That’s a one followed by 157 zeros! And Jesus fulfilled more than 300 prophecies!
God’s prophets also predicted the downfall of many nations—Ammon, Edom, Moab, Philistia—and cities such as Babylon and Nineveh.
About 150 years before Cyrus, king of Persia, was born, Isaiah predicted his birth, gave his name, and told that he would release the Jews from captivity (Isaiah 44:28). And Josiah, one of Judah’s kings, was named 300 years before he was born (1 Kings 13:2). Only God could have revealed these facts, a clear indication of the supernatural nature of the Bible.
Prophecy, then, stands up in court as a strong witness that the Bible is true!

Evidence from Archaeology
Critics have questioned many of the Bible’s historical statements. Yet archaeological discoveries in recent decades have turned up evidence that proves them wrong.
For example, the Bible refers to the Hittite people 36 times. Since no record outside the Bible had affirmed their existence, objectors said the Bible couldn’t be trusted. However, excavations in Turkey have now shown that the Hittite Empire was extensive.
The Ebla tablets, discovered in Syria in the 1960s, include the names of Ur, Sodom, and Gomorrah, cities that Bible opponents said did not exist. These tablets also dispel the notion that since writing was not practiced in the 1400s B.C., Moses could not have written the first five books of the Bible. Yet these tablets were written about a thousand years before Moses! The Bible’s references to the many Assyrian kings are accurate. Archaeologists have uncovered Assyrian artifacts that record the names of all these kings. Certain customs recorded in Genesis are also noted in the Nuzi tablets found in present-day Iraq.
So again and again archaeology gives strong court evidence that disproves the claims of the plaintiffs of the Bible.

Evidence from Impact
Read the Muslim Koran, the scriptures of Hinduism, or the writings of Buddhism, and you will find no satisfactory answers to the questions: Where did the universe come from? How did the human race originate? What is wrong with the world? Why is there suffering in the world? What is the answer to people’s sense of guilt? How can people live upright lives? What will happen to the world? Only the Bible answers these questions. Only the Bible gives an answer to people’s grief, loneliness, sadness, bitterness, and hatred. Only the Bible tells what is wrong with the human heart and gives a solution. Unlike any book written by a mere human, the Bible can transform people’s lives, make people good inside, and give them peace, forgive- ness, and purpose.
Countless numbers of people through the centuries have been rescued from despair, despondence, and distress by the message of the Bible. This book has given hope to the spiritually hopeless, life to the spiritually dead, deliverance to the spiritually enslaved. No other book in the world can make such a claim.

Evidence from Science
Does the Bible have scientific errors? Many people think so. But the Bible is accurate when it addresses various aspects of science. Take water, for example. It evaporates from the ocean, collects in clouds, and falls on the earth as rain or snow. This cycle accords with what the Bible says in Job 26:8; 36:27-28; and Ecclesiastes 1:7. But for centuries scientists did not understand this phenomenon.
Up until only a few centuries ago people believed the earth was flat, but several hundred years before Christ Isaiah wrote of the circular shape of the earth (Isaiah 40:22). And centuries before that, Job had said that the earth is suspended on nothing (Job 26:7). In 1628 William Harvey discovered the circulation of blood in the body. Yet long before that, the Bible recorded the fact that the life of living beings is sustained by their blood (Leviticus 17:11).
Here stands yet more evidence for the defense of the Bible.

The Defense Rests Its Case
Prophecy, archaeology, impact, and science—this huge body of evidence gives testimony that the Bible is God’s reliable truth. If the Bible has mistakes in history, science, or geography, we might wonder if it is reliable when it discusses spiritual subjects. But because it is trustworthy in physical matters, it is also dependable in religious issues.
The Bible’s central message focuses on the problem of sin—and God’s answer. Jesus died on the cross to deal with sin. In fact, He carried our sins on the cross so that we may have salvation by trusting in Him as our Savior. Because the Bible is trustworthy, Jesus Christ can be trusted. He said, “I am the way the truth and the life” (John 14:6). That is, He is the way to God, He is trustworthy and true, and He offers us spiritual life. By trusting in Him, you, like millions of others throughout history, can find salvation and peace in Christ.

Here’s how to become a Christian:
1. Acknowledge that you are a sinner who God love dearly and wants a relationship with you!
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
2. Believe that Jesus Christ died for your sins and was resurrected.
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). “Christ died for our sins...he was buried...[and] was raised on the third day” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
3. Turn in faith to Jesus Christ by praying a prayer like this:
“Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am sinful and I need your forgiveness. I believe that You died and rose again to pay the penalty for my sin. I now receive You as my Savior. Please forgive me and give me eternal life. Amen.

Written Roy B. Zuck

In Your Face Evangelism, Does it work?

2008-12-08T15:21:00.007-07:00

first of all let me say that i am always for getting people saved any way possible and i might even get flamed for saying that but if interested read this link first. it might mean more to you regarding why i am posting. i read today of some big named preachers promoting soul winning camps that show how you can go out and just be in peoples face with the real truth of their situation. i have heard them say that some of their tactics are very upfront and don’t pull many punches. they often claim that they just walk up to people on the street and ask them do you want to go to heaven or hell. they claim that some walk away and some respond. here is my problem with this type of evangelism.

this method is designd for people who are identical with these preachers personalities. it really is a personality driven approach. the reason these guys can stand on a bench in the middle of town square is they were given that type of personality from God. it is a blessing to have, but not everyone has that. the real problem I have is that, they often look at people who don’t do this , like they are spiritually broken. if you don’t get aggressive in your approach than something is wrong with you. if you don’t have 100 bible studies a week your sinning, more on this later...sorry so long for not posting

mr. president

2008-09-17T14:45:00.002-07:00

pretty good song. i sit a listen sometimes to try and get the bottom line out of a song...i take away from this song a since of care for our leaders in government...why in the world would anybody want to be the president of the united states? especially right now!?! i do feel like there is a mess to clean up in washington and whether obama or mccain is elected i am praying for them and hope the right man gets in...and sorry democrats sometimes the right man is a republican...sorry republicans sometimes its a democrat, either way it's not my job, as a christian, to be angry either way, rather it's my job to pray for my leadership and this song reminds me to do that...anyways i thought this was a pretty good song and wanted to share it...

McBama 08

seeya in a few days

uh...this is true!!!

2008-09-16T17:05:00.002-07:00

here is a video with ed gungor, a pastor in tulsa ok, articulating reaching people in a very understandable way...even practicle. this was a very simply put and very well said. i related with about everything he said and thank God i realize now that full time ministry isn't getting a paycheck from a church or a ministry, rather full time ministry is a way of life. it's what i am not what i do...i have worked for churches. i have worked for ministries. i have been paid extremely well and have been paid very little for my work "in the ministry" but when it comes down to it working with a bunch of christians in a christian environment, talking about christian stuff is not minisry!!! yes you can minister in those environments of course but just because i work "in ministry" doesn't mean i am in full time ministry. ministry is serving people, sharing the gospel, helping those in need...whether someone is paid for it or not doesn't dictate it. well put ed, well put!

all i got for now...peace!

i love to see this...there really is nothing better

2008-09-12T16:54:00.003-07:00

so uh some friend of mine...well, acquantinces that i have known for a long time recently sent me an update on there website that i thought was really challenging and rewarding to see. the site is http://www.globalventures.tv and there names are john and martine smithwick . they are relentless at going to unreached nations and i love it. i was recently asked by them if they could use some of my songs about "reaching people" for an upcoming reality show that shows real life evangelism and of COURSE i said yes. it's why i wrote the songs...i was super blessed by some of the videos that had on there new globalventures.tv page and wanted to share it with you as well...i sat and watched a few of them with tears in my eyes watching people come to jesus. man! it really is the best thing to see. when 1 person comes to jesus man all of heaven rejoices. when someone who doesn't have any hope of hearing the gospel because they are unreached and someone like john goes i have to sit back and ask myself how can i help? what can i do to further the gospel...i hope the video below touches your heart like it did mine...

peace seeya next time!

thoughts from a fallen champ

2008-09-11T15:46:00.002-07:00

most of you know how mush of a crazy MMA or mixed martial arts fan i am...one of the best was found dead last week while on a desert excursion all by his self...this is a link to a news page that talks about it...he was a former UFC middle weight champ, and i was surprised at some of the things he said in this video that was filmed a few weeks before his death...

back in the studio

2008-09-09T06:34:00.003-07:00

finally back in the studio. i am recording 4 "full productions" songs. at this point i am really happy with the way things are coming out. and it is going very fast where as before it took, it seemed, forever to get something done...not only that but the songs seem better and more thought out than before...the songs just seem better. i think the biggest thing is i am not going into it blind like before. i knew what to expect therefore it has made it easier to get things done quicker. i am really excited about the songs i am doing and i can't wait for you guys to here what we have been working on. for the most part most will know 3 of the songs because we do them at church, but to hear them with full production on a cd is exciting to me...i will probably make this small project some sort of an EP and send it off to some labels, you know, see what happens. either way i am glad to be recording again.

peace out

like a good neighbor

2008-09-08T10:53:00.005-07:00

ok so i haven't posted in awhile...and i realize that you can get busy and not make it a priority. not that posting on a blog is a huge priority but i do enjoy it and wanted to get going again...the whole reason i started this blog was to keep myself accountable and to share my walking out of witnessing to people...you know, talk about telling people about jesus without reservations!!!

so the other night i had to get something out of my car around 1030 at night. this would be a walk to my car that would open up a door, uh not a car door...wow that was stupid, ok nevermind, anyways... it would be a walk to my car that would mean more than getting something. so my neighbor who we've known since we lived where we live was sitting outside taking a late night smoke and of course i said hello as normal...got what i needed to get out of my car, walked past her again, and again said the normal seeya...then the door opened wide, somehow a question was raised about my church and next thing you know i am sharing the gospel with her...i was simply talking to her about jesus taking our place, and that God is not mad at us...as i was just getting done sharing 2 other neighbors showed up and interupted (not on purpose) the conversation...because of it i really had no way of praying with her at the moment. although tonay and i would have made a it a point to finish that conversation, pray with her...none the less my neighbor asked about our church. i gave her the information and went back home...

sunday rolled around and incomes my neighbor and her daughter who is 6 years old. my wife pulled her in and had her sit next to her during service...long story short mark one of my pastors gave an invitation to receive jesus at the end of the message...my neighbor raised her hand and prayed the prayer...prayed the prayer of salvation...yes she in fact asked jesus to come into her heart!!! this my friends made so happy because we have been planting and watering "if you will" for months and to see it walked out on sunday was really a wonderful thing...my neighbors for the most part know why we are in scottsdale and why we moved here...so 1 by 1 they are hearing about why i am here and who i believe in...thank God he is faithful...

below is one of my favorite hymns and i have always loved singing it. this whole thing with my neighbor reminds me so much of this song and how jesus paid it all...seeya next time...

man what a sobering message...

2008-07-20T16:10:00.002-07:00

if you can watch the whole thing it will definitely remind us of the work ahead of us as the church. i am so inspired about reaching people. hearing this message i am reminded of how much i love to see the lost, those who don't know jesus, reached. at the end of my life i want to say that i lived to see this world reached with the gospel...what a great and wonderful job we have!

just found this interesting read, hmm might be an idea

2008-07-13T21:15:00.003-07:00

found this article surfing the internet and thought it was interesting. sounds like we might need to revisit this idea. although it didn't bring the results they intended it's still something we should always be pursuing, reaching people with the gospel, bringing people to jesus! take a read...

In 1972, Campus Crusade for Christ had a huge evangelistic conference in Dallas, TX called Explo ‘72. Attendees were equipped and sent home with the vision of sharing the Gospel with every person in the United States of America by 1976. Though it did not happen, the campaign did “reach” millions with the Gospel.

Phase One of the project was to wear buttons and have billboards and newspaper advertisements that read: “I Found It!” (’it’ meaning eternal life). Phase Two involved trained volunteers making millions of evangelistic telephone calls. Those who prayed with the volunteers, were “visited by the volunteers, given follow-up literature, and encouraged to join a Bible study group in their neighborhood.”

By the end of 1976, 6.5 million people had been contacted, and 536,824 people had indicated they trusted Christ for salvation (60,000 of those joining the neighborhood Bible study group). It was estimated that 50 million people saw the television special that went along with the campaign! Amazing stats...seemed quite effective at “reaching” the United States with the Gospel.

“Though the campaign’s statistics seemed, good, the campaign drew criticism from experts on church growth. Win Arn noted that few of the converts actually joined local churches. For example, in Edmonton, Canada, 1,700 workers from 63 participating churches recorded 1,009 decisions for Christ. Only 250 of those people actually attended one Bible study, and not a single person became a church member as a result of the campaign. In Indianapolis 823 volunteer made 28,976 telephone calls. These calls produced 1,665 decisions for Christ. However, only 242 attended a Bible study, and only 55 became church members. Of these, 23 were transfers from another church. Therefore, the net gain in membership in area churches was 32”

Now this is singin!!!

2008-07-06T17:37:00.002-07:00

So my wife and I were looking for the duet that whitney houston and cece winans did back in the 90’s and found this video. oh man I love this stuff…especially when Shirley ceaser comes on towards the end…some of the greatest singers of our times…just good ol church music…it reminds me of the days when I was the only white boy in the choir I was in and was having a great time just praisin God…

there is no RQEASDWSA in team...

2008-06-03T13:56:00.004-07:00

so, i have been having this thought for a few weeks...and yes some of you are saying to yourself right now "wes doesn't have alot of brain up there so why would he be having a thought (singular)", for those of you who feel that way i hate you and i hope your hot water heater breaks when you take your next shower! for those of you who are still reading this i commend you :) and will always love you forever and ever...

my thought is this...it's really deep too by the way...

why are we not working together if we are on the same team...

this statement can be applied to my marriage, to my church, to my family and friends...but, i have mainly been thinking in general on where i need to be a team player with my fellow jesus freaks?

the thing that i know is this, if the church as whole doesn't work together to reach people we will stay exactly where we are at...we got to many churches and egos for pastors that we have become less effective at reaching people...it seems we are more effective at staying segragated...and the result is being average churches with average christians...doing average christian things poorly...

"they shall know us by our love" is almost a lost cause...the world sees christians and churches as a bickering, jealous of each other group of people not working together and that is sad...we are quick to pounce on that pastor or christian who is found in a mistake...we have a hard time restoring people and showing mercy when it's needed most...some might strongly disagree but jim baker comes to mind...instead of fighting for our own we disowned a fellow christian and used him as a pedistool for our morality...and i ask the question "did jesus ever do this" the answer is NO...further more NO one came to christ because we stood up for christian morals...they shall know us by our love for one another!

ok and i get it on holy living so don't think i am disregarding what God says but my point is still true...

all i am saying is i am on your team, whoever you are...if you're a fellow jesus freak, lover of God, minister to people, and you call yourself a christian then we are spiritually connected and i refuse to talk bad about you and i refuse to not offer myself to help when i can...i am on your team...

ok all i got

Benjamin Franklin once said we must all hang together, or assuredly, we shall all hang separately. and if we hang separately wes says "this would just suck a hairy mole on your left butt cheek" hanging separately that is = not cool man! a lyric in one of the greatest songs of all time (cough cough) is "we're all in this together"...

word to your mommies...

i met this guy josh today...he is in rome

2008-05-16T06:36:00.002-07:00

so i met josh today, he is planting a church in Rome GA. i read a quote on his blog that was dead on!!!

" I don’t think it’s the Church’s responsibility to legislate or force change. I think it is the Church’s responsibility to Be the Change. We should be doing whatever we can to bring the Kingdom of Heaven to Floyd County. I, personally, think the best way to do this is not to go in and try to change a church and all it’s habits, but to model change, by launching a movement that Makes it Simple for People to Connect to God and Each Other. The best days for Christ’s Bride in this Community are ahead of us."

to get more of what josh is saying go to joshtalks.com, it's a great blog by the way.

is there anything better, probably not

2008-05-04T14:12:00.005-07:00

ok so i am a sucker for this. i can't think of anything i would rather hear than hearing people in another country worship God...when i close my eyes and ponder the places i have gotten to go its not hard for me to shed a tear. the thing that sticks out to me the most other than seeing people getting saved is hearing a native of that country worship in there language. priceless!

from the looks of it this looks like an african choir and they are singing in english so you can make out the words a little. hearing them sing easily takes me to a place of worship...to a place that reminds me of reaching people, and to a place that i live for!

here is part 2

2008-04-28T22:16:00.004-07:00

louie giglio has to be one of the greatest speakers of our time...he has a way of expressing God and who jesus is...it's no wonder that half of the great worship songs we have been singing over the past 10 years he had a hand in writing or co writing with some of the greatest worship leaders of our day...

in this clip he talks about a molecular protein that holds our bodies together called laminin. to the left is a picture of a real laminin protein that is in our body right at this moment. it will make since after watching the video. amazing!

great quote i just read today

2008-04-23T09:33:00.001-07:00

Christ's strategy is to scatter His people throughout the world between Sundays, penetrating society's structure from within. They are the true ministers of Jesus Christ in the world. Rightly understood, every believer is in full-time service for Jesus Christ. That movement is a lay movement, and the church's impact is the aggregate of all the laity's impact as they carry out their common tasks between Sundays.

been on my heart for a long time

2008-04-22T12:35:00.006-07:00

you may have noticed in the last month i put up a picture and information on my side bar under the heading for unreached people groups. there are a number of reasons i decided to add this...not just to make more clutter on the side of the blog (it just looks like clutter and i wanted to show you that i am technologically savvy, i can add code to this blog).

a few months ago i really started refocusing on and began praying for unreached people groups around the world on a personal level, probably more than i ever have...not only just praying but asking God where should i send money and what country should i fly too...where can i get even more involved with unreached people groups?!?! further more i have been asking God who is sitting next to me that needs you, who is ready...so i ask, i prod, i pray with those around me...sitting in the cubicles around me...who is unreached around me that is at my job, could the guy NEXT to me...

i enjoy praying and learning about different cultures, different people groups, and reading the stories and prayer requests of missionaries around the world ministering in to these groups that are unreached. but even more importantly than what i enjoy is God answering there prayers - prayers for missionaries, pastors, christians ministering, struggling, discipling, teaching, and reaching out to the lost around them and abroad...seeing people hearing the gospel and seeing their deaf ears and blind eyes opened because of the love of God...my ultimate heart is to see and send missionaries to regions and people group who have never heard the gospel and do not have a bible in their own language...getting the gospel to everyone from our neighbors next door to our neighbors in indonesia...

there are several great resources to learn from and see prayer requests of missionaries and for people groups and countries that have little or no christian influence.

The Joshua Project: a site highlighting the people groups of the world that have the least christian presence in their midst and to encourage pioneer church-planters among every ethnic people group. this is a great site that give facts but is low on inspiration but very good none the less.

The International Mission Board: the SBC mission board has a page on the website devoted to prayer for people groups, missionaries, urban centers, strategic ministries, unengaged peoples, and countries.

Operation World: is a great resource to learn about countries, but their primary purpose is praying for the countries of the world.

i'm sure there are many other ग्रेट sites, these are just the ones that i happen to be familiar with। i encourage you to add global prayers to your daily prayer time and then after you pray GO...

unreached people stats: muslims...pretty eye opening

2008-04-21T13:04:00.004-07:00

i was looking online today and reading about evangelizing unreached nations, found these stats...they are pretty eye opening. man what a great opportunity the church has to reach people...my job is to help people see the need then go and do...i truly believe this is the greatest job of the universal church, reaching every known human with the gospel of jesus christ!!!

There are more than 1.2 billion Muslims in the world, about 21 percent of the world's population (up from 12 percent in 1900), with the highest annual growth rate of any religious group (2.17 percent).
There are 42 countries in the world with a Muslim majority, and another 40 countries with a significant Muslim minority.
Of the 10 most populous countries in the year 2000, four of them are predominantly Muslim (Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nigeria), and two more have significant Muslim populations (India and China).
Muslims make up 41 percent of the population of Africa, and 25 percent of the population of Asia.
The Muslim population in Europe has grown to more than 14 million, and in the U.S. to between six and eight million. Both populations are increasing steadily.
Muslim countries are troubled in many ways:
- 42 of the 66 nations that place significant restrictions on religious belief are Muslim.
- 60 percent of the world's poor are Muslim.
- 80 percent of the world's refugees are Muslim.
- 15 of the top 20 nations on the Human Rights Watch List (nations who abuse human rights) are Muslim.
Muslims make up the largest block of unreached peoples on earth:
- There are 3,700 unreached Muslim people groups.
- 78 percent of the untargeted peoples in the world are Muslim.
- 51 of the 100 "gateway cities" of the 10/40 window are predominantly Muslim.
- Since the inception and spread of Islam, during which the Christian church suffered serious losses by conversion to Islam and was virtually wiped out in many places, the church has never made significant inroads anywhere in the Muslim world.
- Fewer Christian missionaries work among Muslims than among any other people in the world. Currently the ratio is about 2.7 per million, representing a mere 1 percent of the globe's entire missionary force!

i was thinking today alot about this

2008-04-16T14:09:00.005-07:00

man! i have been so lucky to have felt the love of God in my life...i have learned to love myself and be comfortable in my own skin because of knowing and feeling the love of God...God is my LIFE...my natural response of God loving me has been a love for others, easy i guess. it's a love that has caused me to feel love for others who shouldn't be loved or people i don't even know...i find myself drawn towards others needs because of God's love. i have got to see God do some amazing things through me because i let him...and it all stems from knowing him and feeling his love for me...that fact that we have access to him and his love causes my heart to be thankful and excited knowing i have Him as my father...i have access to God because of jesus and access to his forgiveness when i screw up...access to his provision, access to his healing, access to his passion for me...an awesome feeling!!! it got me thinking about the job of the church...

i try to imagine sometimes living without that access or not have access to feeling God's love...even further, never hearing the gospel of peace...about what God did through jesus... the truth is i probably can’t imagine living in this life and never hearing the gospel or ever having access to God's love! knowing what i know about him almost breaks my heart thinking about it...why? because i have always had it, even since i was a little boy. all my life i have had access to churches from multiple denominations that offer services in various styles that are great, uh including my own church E3 (shameless plug). what is awesome about living in the usa is i have access to true and relevant followers of jesus who preach, teach and witness in a language i understand. i have access to the bible in dozens of translations, what it's like 50 translations or something like that. i have access to God as my savior, friend, healer, provider...i have access to HIM, thank GOD!!! i have sat, pondered, talked about, sang about, thought deeply about something for alot years and for many in the world today access is not a right to them. in fact access to God is a gift. if this is true, then what am i doing with it (the gospel)? it is my job as a believer to give those who don't have access to the gospel a chance to hear, get it, or at least have a choice to reject it...that's my job as a christian...and when i love people like God loves me i feel extremely compelled to give, work, live, bleed, and pray for others to get a chance to hear of God's love and what jesus did at the cross...give them a chance to have access like me...

God is stirring my heart even more lately about this truth and what i can do about it...please pray, give, work for, and love those who don't know jesus yet and for nations who have yet to have a chance to hear...everyday i post an unreached people group and i pray for them...i pray that God would stir in the hearts of his people a passion for those who have yet to hear, in the usa and in unreached parts of the world where the biggest needs are...ultimately my heart is to get to, send others to, reach those who have never heard...join me in loving people...getting Gods heartbeat for the lost and the hurting...GET YOUR BEAUTIFUL FEET ON!!! dath's rite!!!

just my thought for the day and i had to write it...peace yall

perspective on unreached people groups

2008-04-14T13:41:00.003-07:00

searching online, thought it was a great idea about adopting and unreached people group...it is something that i believe in so very much and pray that the church will catch a glimpse of what it means to reach an unreached nation or people group...jesus did say that the laborers are few and i want to be so committed to seeing this world come to jesus...

here's the link

adopt an unreached people group

peace yall!!!

democrat compassion forum; last night

2008-04-14T07:49:00.006-07:00

i tell you i was pretty impressed at alot of the answers from last night. CNN had a "compassion forum" where each democratic candidate were asked direct questions about there faith...in case you missed it here is a video of hillary clinton being asked "why does a loving God allow innocent people to suffer"...i will have to say that i was impressed with her answer...she didn't just quickly answer it and move on rather she answered it with great perspective...whether you are a democrat or republican her answer was all inclusive and the responsibility of helping people is a job for us all!!!

who knows who i will vote for this nov but this was a good insight on what the democrat candidates had to say about there christianity...

corporations taking over church music

2008-04-13T22:23:00.004-07:00

this guys videos are really funny...i found him on youtube and found myself laughing at everything he does...check out this video...but watch his other ones too!

in case you missed it

2008-04-13T00:46:00.006-07:00

well in case you’ve missed the it this past week...american idol closed out it’s “idol gives back” evening with a performance of one of the top praise and worship songs of all time, “shout to the lord”. this song was made famous years ago when worship leader darlene zschech recorded it on the “shout to the lord” album for integrity music. it’s now one of the most popular worship songs of all time, and tops the most popular worship songs of all time as the #1 praise and worship.

that’s big news. i will say i was sorta bummed because they took out the word “jesus”. the opening line should be “my jesus, my savior”...and instead, they sing “my shepherd, my savior”. wimpy?!!! BUT...

i’m blown away that this song was on american idol. i have no idea what the motives were, what deals were made, but one thing is for sure, even with the lyric change, I praise god that his name was glorified on what appears to be the “biggest tv show on the planet”. and if you watched the results show they then added "my jesus". so that was a pretty amazing moment for that song and for tv. i pray it somehow reached 1 of the 70 million people watching...

if you missed it, here it is...

sorry but i am crying laughing right now; please forgive me

2008-04-10T15:48:00.003-07:00

most of you know me and know that i would laugh at this...forgive my 13 year old mentality but seriously i am crying laughing at this video...some of these are ministers i grow up listening too, and by no means am i disregarding who they are or what they have done for God but hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

so i met this lady, it was hard to here

2008-04-09T20:30:00.003-07:00

so i am just going on with my day...
all of a sudden...

i was stopped in my tracks by someone i randomly met today...after hearing her story i was completely floored and realized this was no ordinary meeting...

her name is irrelevant but her story went something like this...she's about 60 years old, her husband died in the early 90's, didn't date for many many years, was encouraged to sign up for one of the popular dating sites, met prince charming on there who was a working musician...less than a year later gets married to prince charming. at first life was amazing and all seemed well. prince charming was what she had been looking for.

the story progresses...after a time prince charming started back up his business again, adult photography. for some reason he also felt ok to put the pics of the woman on the walls of there house for show. in less than a year he took all of this ladies money leaving her broke because the business wasn't doing so well and the working musician wasn't making what she thought he was. wait there is more, he slept around on her passing on 2 std's in which one is not curable...ultimately destroying the marriage and pretty much her life. ok take a breath...it was almost surreal this story and at times it was hard to understand her talking because of the tears and emotions she was reliving in front of me...

i sat there hearing her story in complete awe, but the funny thing is i wasn't to surprised. i have heard this story more than once...different names and different people but similar scenarios. i found myself incredibly interested in her story because i wanted to help her...i realized that i do have the answer in jesus. God is there always to guide the words and give someone life through you...i am so glad i met her and that God put her in my path...needless to say by the end of the conversation she was laughing and was ministered too.

it almost seems that God gives us open doors everyday if we are looking for them. we come across the paths of people who need jesus...He lives in us for others. and He can live through us if we will let Him...i am glad God entrusted me with this situation and i am confident that God moved in her life....

ok i'm done
going to bed good night

invisble children; if you've never seen please go and do

2008-04-09T20:28:00.001-07:00

if you have never watched this movie please get it. it's amazing to be apart of something bigger than you...

i've got these friends

2008-04-08T05:50:00.006-07:00

so this is freakin cool, i never before in my life have i ever witnessed to or had jewish people around me like i do now. just went out to dinner last night with one of my wifes friends who will be visiting the church and i have a team member from work that is jewish coming to service...and these are really great people who are strong in there faith and faithful to there upbringing. i have to appreciate that but its definitely on my heart to see them come to Christ, become a messianic jew (chrisitian) or someone who says yes to jesus. i mean they aren't my project at all, they are my friends which is even more of a reason to see them come to christ! just thought it was weird that out of nowhere God puts these people in our path...i thinks it pretty cool...we are becoming really good friends and i think it's great that they are both open to the gospel...my friend from work is still not sure but is open with me as a friend...and i am proud of him for being bold enough to hang and even come to a service...i am convinced that when we hear the good news about God's love and what jesus did for us in its true form it is difficult to say no...God is that good!

why i live

2008-04-07T10:38:00.004-07:00

i have been thinking alot lately...i am always in a constant evaluation of my life and where i've been and where i am going. i can look back at the last 12 years of my life and i am thankful for the experiences i have had, some really really good and some really really bad, but all beneficial...

i want so much, regardless of my good and bad experiences thus far, to help people and make my life count for people. i have recently been thinking of some moments i have had helping people how they have changed me. and to this day they remind me of who i am.

it's been a few years back but i remember coming home from work one day (long story short) and seeing 2 homeless guys coming down the street where i lived...it's as if i couldn't help it, my emotions are filled with compassion and reaction. my first instinct is to one tell them about jesus but two, help them with food or transportation, whatever. one was pushing the other in a wheelchair. the guy in the wheelchair was so drunk he didn't know where he was at. i stood there by my car and in my heart i want them to desperately have a normal life. i know i couldn't give that to them but i still felt that way. they looked really hungry as i assume most homeless people who are bone skinny are. i asked them if i could by them some food. the one that wasn't drunk asked if i was going to get the cops, i reassured him that i wasn't. i told them if they stay there i will go get them some food. i got in my car, drove to the nearest grocery store and bought them some food. when i got back they, thank God, were still there. my heart is overwhelmed at this moment because this really is all i could've done...i prayed with them to receive jesus, gave them there food, and said goodbye. they strolled on down the street to never be seen again...i often wonder what happens when you do something like that...where are they now, i guess i will never know. but one thing i do know is i was born for that moment in time, it was what i am living for!

all i can say is i am not trying to become like jesus to this world. i am not trying to figure out what jesus would do...He, jesus lives in me, therefore making me like him...i don't have to work or pray for it. and if i make myself aware of jesus in me i can't help but give love and compassion to someone. after all the church is the only jesus this world will ever see. i could be the only jesus someone like those homeless guys will ever see. i am getting more stirred than ever before to help people, love people, see people get saved and come to the greatest love of all...see them fed, help etc...

for those who have read this far i am really writing this for me. it reminds me of who i am and why i exist. it reminds of why i live and who i live for...i am constantly looking for open doors to give someone the gospel, to help someone move there house, to be a blessing to whoever needs something...this is why i live and this why i am here! for people...

songs that are inspiring me rignt now

2008-04-03T12:54:00.003-07:00

leeland: tears of the saints

jesus culture: oh how he loves us

united live: all i need is you

hillsongs: none but jesus, lead me to the cross

tim hughes: take the world

chris tomlin: take my life

kristian stanfill: jesus paid it all, beautiful jesus

uh reach out and reach someone...barna study shows

2008-03-28T12:38:00.000-07:00

a barna study shows that the number of unchurched people in the US is now near 100 million. that means that it is time for christians to get to work. not to say that everyone who does not go to church regularly is lost, but how will we know unless we ask them. time is short. many of our friends and neighbors are on the fast track to eternity...with no condemnation behind it i ask the question to myself where do i need to say something...and who do i need to say it to...everyone has someone on there heart usually 5 people they work with or are friends with...what is stopping you from saying something...the great commission (mark 16:15 go into all the world) does not give us the option of hoping that someone will say something. a real reality is people are dying without Jesus. SO there is no greater feeling than seeing someone come to christ!!! and we have so many relevant ways to make church relatable, the gospel easy to understand, i mean for the love of God the gospel is relevant! who doesn't wan't to live guilt free and have your heart cleaned out...how FUN and awesome it is to see people come the know the LOVE of God!!!!!!!!!!!!!

here is the barna report...

Over the past decade, the unchurched population has remained stable at one third of the Americanpopulation, the latest Barna Group survey showed. The Barna study found that 33 percent of adults are classified as unchurched – people who have not attended a religious service of any type during the past six months. The statistic has remained relatively the same since 1994 when 36 percent were reported to be unchurched.

Still, the unchurched population in numbers is staggering. An estimated 73 million adults are presently unchurched. The number nears 100 million when teens and children are added to the population segment. That also includes an estimated 13 to 15 million born-again adults and children. On its own, the unchurched population of the United States would be the eleventh most-populated nation on earth, the Barna Group noted.

Some people groups are notorious church avoiders, the study found.
Political liberals (jesus isn't a republican by the way "my input' not apart of this report) were more than twice as likely to be unchurched (47 percent) than political conservatives (19 percent). Single adults were also more likely to avoid religious services (37 percent) than married adults (29 percent).

Those least likely to be unchurched are residents in the South (26 percent) while residents in the West (42 percent) and Northeast (39 percent) remain the most church resistant.
The study also found sexual orientation is closely related to church status with 31 percent of heterosexuals classified as unchurched compared to 49 percent of homosexuals.

not that everyone who doesn't go to church is not a christian but if you have a heart for reaching people with jesus then this should leave you very uncomfortable...we have job to get done, it's a great job, fun job, the best job, loving and reaching people with that love, GODS LOVE...

AND SCENE...peace

beware i am going to invite you to church

2008-03-27T15:35:00.000-07:00

in my completely informal and non scientific study of people i know and work with have no church affiliation. a poll data reveals the following troubling “fact”: most people have never been invited to church.

in retrospect this isn’t that surprising, because, before now, i hadn't invited most of the people at work around me to church, so why would i assume that someone else had? and i’m a worship leader, for pete’s sake.

i can understand why this happens. you don’t want to come across as that pushy church guy, so you don’t ever bring it up. your church is kind of weird, and the pastor (not my pastors) makes really terrible puns, and he sometimes still likes to make everyone hold hands in the service. also, we "relevant" church folks like to point out that the church is not the whole of church, and we should best de-emphasize the worship service at every opportunity so we can look normal and not weird. and for the most part i am realizing that this is not necessarily wrong but certainly isn't right either...

so what is right? i have found out it’s pretty simple, OPEN MY MOUTH…finally i start to get it. i probably have invited half my co workers to church and on a personal level with them talked to them about jesus, but it wasn’t that long ago I kept quiet until someone asked about what i do...

before, in my life, i may have catered to much to being normal so i'm liked rather than categorized as the christian guy. don't get me wrong i am extremely passionate about seeing people come to jesus so here my heart, my desire to be normal is stemmed from a heart for people so i could reach them in the work place...and i am by no means ashamed of the gospel so please don't comment about me being ashamed...and if you think i am you are missing my whole point...

i’ve decided i’m not going to make peoples’ decisions for them anymore. church still can be weird. i often make bad jokes. there are sometimes odd people there and people who don’t always have the best social skills... some of our language is different, but that’s us and that’s church. i figure people like to be invited to stuff. even if they have no interest in ever actually going, people like to be included and it opens the door to say something about jesus, the gospel.

i have thrown caution to the wind, so here goes…

i love Jesus, and i know that he is good news for the world, and because i love Jesus, i try to love the things jesus loved, and one of those things is the church. it’s weird and messed up and often wrong, but that’s who we are...more importantly the church is the HOPE of the world "if we will be"...i choose to be!!!

anyway, you wanna come to a church service with me?
and we can go to chipotle after. Promise!!!

hit play, sit back and listen; you will be changed!!!

2008-03-24T16:26:00.000-07:00

it’s not my fault okay. the fact that I may possibly bring myself to severe hearing loss and vocal strain due to this song as my voice is all ready tired from leading worship this sunday. BUT it’s impossible to sing this song soft. although it’s possible to listen to it softly, it’s just pathetically WRONG to do so and you in fact may not love God if you play this song soft :). this is one of those "meant to be cranked freakin loud" songs.

i blame noelle and brad … they are the ones who exposed me to this incredibly anointed song from jesus culture, a ministry out of Bethel Church in Redding, CA. please go buy the album on itunes , search kim walker "we cry out". i just bought it and i must say this is one of the best worship albums i have heard in a really long time...thank you kim walker for this remake as your version is way better than the original, no offense john mark mcmillan..but dude she just brought your song up about 100 levels!!!

the arrangement is powerful. they actually sing the chorus after the first verse, but as far as I’m concerned, the shift into overdrive happens around 3:10 in the song where kim walker takes it up an octave and belts this chorus over and over. i sat on my couch balling my head off experiencing the LOVE OF GOD again. i am truly and deeply moved by how much HE loves me. and it only reaffirms my heart to get people knowing the real God who loves them!!!

confession: I could totally do without the “sloppy wet kiss” line in the 2nd verse. although I can appreciate the creativity of the writer because i would've never thought of that line myself, the analogy doesn’t work for me and, well, is kind of weird. no, i’m not opposed to that kind of reference, or i’d surely tear “song of solomon” out of my bible …it just doesn’t work for me, but whatever. i can't wait to do this song at our church, but i'm not sure if that lyric will fly, so, i’ll either change the 2nd verse, or change the lyrics a bit .. i hate to scrap the verse because “I don’t have time to maintain these regrets when I think about the way He loves us ..” is an AMAZING lyric!

thank you noelle again for showing me this song. thank you GOD for showing me once again that you love me so much...i am truly in complete awe of what you've done for me and how much you have made me feel your unwavering love...it is my life's goal to give this love to other people...and i will live the rest of my life displaying Your love to others...

oh how you love us!!!

the 10/40 window, what it is and should i care

2008-03-24T12:10:00.000-07:00

one of the most untalked about subjects in churches on sunday, reaching an unreached people group. 95% of the groups in the 10/40 window are unevangelized. this not only is alarming on many fronts but to myself, what am i doing to reach these people. this video was really intriguing to me. just a reminder that there is so much more to be done globally for the kingdom of God. this is our opportunity as believers to seek out those who are reaching the unreached and help them financially and prayerfully...maybe even ourselves, doing something for these people...

anyways...its just something that is #1 one my heart...as much as i like to have fun i will never forget the job jesus gave in mark 16:15. there is one ultimate job that God has asked us to accomplish and that is to seek and save those who are lost and don't know Him and His unconditional love...

peace

God hates fags? wow he must hate fat people too!!!

2008-03-10T18:14:00.000-07:00

this is the perfect example of something that is wrong with the church...now, let me first say there are so many things right with the church after all i helped to pioneer one in AZ...i believe in the church and fully see that the church is the hope of the world...and i am by no means trying to expose someone or some ministry who feels a certain way...so my heart is only to focus on the this particular video as it was very intriguing to me and it brought some interesting questions, SO...

i pose the question, if God hates gays then he must hate the fat preacher who, is condemning towards homosexuals, for over eating at a buffet? i mean, you don't see any christians outside of the sizzler picketing against the sin of gluttony...think about it, we have more fat people than ever...when you look at the state of america and unhealthy lifestyles that americans live you can clearly see that gluttony is a much bigger epidemic of sin than homosexuality...so it's puzzling to me...does God also hate people who speed since speeding is breaking the law...does God hate everyone who complains because the same scriptures in corinthians that talk about sexual immorality bring up murmuring at the end of the scripture verse...even more i would say that complaining is even more of an epidemic that gluttony is because i would say everyone i am around clearly complains everyday...SO why does God only pick on homosexuals...

don't get me wrong i do not condone the act of sin as a homosexual lifestyle is according to the bible immoral...and sin clearly has consequences that the bible talks about but this post isn't about that...it's about us as followers of JESUS and people who call God our father being a light to the world. and to clarify, we are not the light that exposes sin...rather we are the light that exposes the unconditional love of jesus...we are the light that exposes the complete acceptance of God...we are the light that exposes the goodness of God that leads men to repentance...

john 3:17 says that jesus doesn't condemn the world...
romans 5:8 say while we were still sinners christ died...
john 3:16 for God so highly valued the world he gave his only son...
1 john 3:1 we are called the sons of God

ephesians 3:18-19 8 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

i actually completely, with everything that is in me, 100% flat out believe that GOD LOVES GAYS...GOD LOVES FAT PEOPLE, GOD LOVES SKINNY PEOPLE, GOD LOVES MUSLIMS...GOD LOVES COMPLAINERS, GOD IS LOVE AND GOD SIMPLY LOVES PEOPLE!!! and, well, so should we!!!

so very simple, HE LOVES YOU

2008-03-08T23:31:00.000-07:00

my uncle ricky gave me this worship album about 4 years
ago from his church in NC...the album wasn't that popular
however it had one of the most powerful moments i have
heard caught on a live worship album. it is one of the
greatest words from God i have ever heard...if you listen
to the whole thing you will see what i mean...i lost that
album but thank God for the wonderful wonders of youtube...
someone put it on there. the video is geared toward woman
but you get the picture...the greatest truth i have ever gotten
ahold of is let God love you first and then you can love Him
and others back the right way!!! GOD LOVE US!!!

10 EVANGELISTIC PRODUCTS GAURANTEED TO WIN PEOPLE TO JESUS, ok yeah right???

2008-03-08T10:06:00.000-07:00

ok so i found these on a friend of mines blog and i had to post them up...
this is just classic!!!!

#10.

Jesus "Action" Figures

This line of figurines represents Jesus being
kick-butt at a variety of activities...

#9.

Armor of God Pajamas

These days, for a child, sleep is a constant
battle with the forces of darkness.Now you
can help your kids defeat darkness with the
Armor of God pajamas.
It is thought to be the ultimate test of a
man's faith when he can enter battle
with nothing but a cushy pajama shield.

#8.

Lookin' Good For Jesus Mini Kit

Lookin' Good for Jesus Kit: Contains a mirrored
Jesus statuette, body cream (with sparkle!) and
a folding mirror compact.
The top of the package, adorned with eerie
looking cartoon women staring googly-eyed
at the Lord, says "Get His Attention"...
seriously this is one of the weirdest one of
them all!!! and did I mention that this is
really being sold!

#7.

Jesus is My Coach

We don't know exactly what the designer of
these statues was going for, probably some
kind of After School Special about believing
in yourself or not abusing drugs. or maybe
its giving your little sportster a trophy with
Jesus on it. Nonetheless, when they designed
the "Jesus is my Gymnastics Coach" statue,
they were either the sickest people on earth
or so genuinely clean-minded, they couldn't
conceive of the thousand and one horribly
offensive jokes you can make seeing this thing,
HORRIBLE.

#6.

Jesus Holiday Specs 3D Glasses

I don't even know what to say!!!!

#5.

Praise Workout Circuit Training Video

Pick up the Praise Workout Circuit Training
Video so you can trim down to the sweet
beats of inspirational worship music.
Be sure to invite your sinning overweight friends
to come and workout as this is a sure way to be
a witness for Him...If all other workouts have failed,
this has to work as it puts God on your side.
If this fails, you're almost definitely going to eat
your way right to hell. Make sure you pick it up
today...

#4.

Grapes of Galilee Wine

Haroz wineries gives us the Grapes of Galilee wine,
from vineyards rightin Jesus' old neighborhood. The
crops are even irrigated with waters from the river
Jordan where Jesus was baptized and where, in 2008,
raw sewage is dumped. Who knows, Jesus Himself
may have eaten the great, great, great grandfather of
the grape that got pressed into the wine you're drinking.
AND if you’re going to get drunk with friends why not
use grapes from the Holy land as a witness while you
pouring the wine...

#3. Testamints

Makes your breath smell heavenly...ever tried to
witness with your breath smelling like Hell while
talking about going to heaven...well NOW you have
Test a mints...when you breath on someone they
literally want to get saved...and if you are trying to
reach people with the love of God, well, you better
make sure you have a Test a mint in your mouth...

#2.

Bibleman Video Game

Now, you too can kick butt for the Lord in video
game form. When your heathen friends come
over to game and before you put in Halo or Tour
of duty (games that rock!), you must put in Bible
Man "A Fight for Faith...this will draw them in,
AMEN!!!

#1.

Dog Nativity Set

Well, when you want to witness to your animal
loving friend this nativity scene is sure to bring
them in, to the kingdom that is...Make sure you
have this set , for sure, next Holiday season...by
the way i said Holiday because Christmas is now
offensive...and of course why would I want to
offend somebody for saying CHRISTMAS!!!!!! That's
not Godly...

ok so this was pretty ridiculous but i
had to post it because of the sheer stupidness of
it...and we wonder why people think christians are
weird...i am glad jesus wasnt weird, in fact he was
the exact opposite...he was relevant in all areas...
yeap that’s right, the good news about who God is
and what he did for us through jesus is still relevant
without some sort of gimmick!!!

all i got for now...

peace

evangelism linebacker; and,well, i wasn't sure at first

2008-02-21T16:57:00.000-07:00

the evangelism linebacker was freakin hilarious...it reminded of another blog or post i read the other day...

several weeks ago my buddy brad put up a post on his blog that put out the challenge "the "great commission (mark 16:15)" or the "great commandment (Matthew 22:39)", or something like that...and after reading his post i wasn't sure how i felt...i didn't disagree at all and in fact i agreed with everything he said but i felt myself getting a little testy with that comment "the great commission (mark 16:15)" or "the great commandment (Matthew 22:39". i wasn't sure at first if it was downplaying the great commission and to be honest i had to ponder it for awhile...but then something happened that helped me see that the post was right, i met my neighbor matt...he lives about 3 doors down from our condo...i would say he is probably 25ish or so and has been walking his dog over the past year around the complex. i never had met him until last week. he was pretty cool and had a pretty cute shitzu and i have a pretty cute yorkie poo, so there you go...two really tough guys with their chick dogs, awesome!!!

in my conversation with him i was trying and or looking for a way to say something about jesus...and i felt desperate to be a witness and see him come to Jesus...as we talked i started to feel frustrated that I couldn't find an open door to win him to the lord...then i remembered brad's blog...he made the comment "are we trying to win someone or are we trying to love them"...if i had to answer that question honestly i would have to say i wasn't loving him rather i was waiting for him to give me that one sweet chance to win him...and i again recalled the "winning someone" rather than "loving them" comment...

i had to step back, check my heart, and realize that my zeal to win someone should only follow my heart and love for them, not the other way around. i look at the scripture "love your neighbor as yourself" and i see a great underlying command and that is giving people the gospel and giving people the real Jesus...i realized after seeing that scripture that the "great commission" and the "great commandment" are synonyms...one can't live without the other. By loving people i am compelled to give them Jesus. By loving people the great commission is fulfilled because of God's heart in me to GO (to the world)...by loving people i am compelled to be bothered by whole nations not knowing Jesus...and loving people let's me be myself and be a friend to my neighbor, by loving him the door will open for me to give him the gospel...for whatever reason there wasn't an open door with matt, and as much as it bothers me to not know if he has said yes to Jesus i know i can't throw it down his throat. It bothers me enough to make sure that next time he is outside with his dog, I will go back to him again...and again...and again. He will know that I care about him because he is my friend and not my project. I will pray for an open door to say something...and when that happens i gladly and boldly will walk through that door...because I love him.

i guess all that to say that the evangelism linebacker was funny but that approach doesn't and well, never will work...

word to your moms!!!

the pissing preacher (is pissing in the bible? i never knew)

2008-02-19T07:42:00.000-07:00

uh this video just simply made me remember why preachers frustrate me at times. i sat there an watched it laughing trying to figure out if this was real or not...but then i heard the few amens and realized "crap this is for real". i even looked up the scripture and sure enough, "1 kings 14:10 Therefore, behold, I will bring evil upon the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam him that pisseth against the wall"...wow, i found the other passages as well...it's crazy what the bible has in it...hahaha

the one major thing that i have noticed over the last 15 years of church and ministry is that when we see a well meaning preacher standing in his pulpit yelling about some sorta of sin and or soap box he has, it usually means its what he or she is dealing with the most. in other words, it's like the preacher who gets up and says not to do the very thing he can't stop himself from doing when he is by his self or where no one can see him. or the tv evangelist preaching against sexual sins and then gets caught having an affair. unfortunately i have seen and been around men and woman of God who have fallen while condemning someone else while they are fallen (fallen means, getting caught doing something you shouldn't be doing) and for the longest time i have been shouting from the mountain tops "preach the GOSPEL"...the gospel isn't a soap box to stand on and pick on a particular sin or group of people who are sinning, it's the good news about how God redeemed man through jesus and because of this redemption we now have the ability of God in us to do the right thing...and when someone messes up we have the grace to forgive and restore...that is what God is and who He is in us if we will let Him be!!! we don't have to preach what we are against but we can preach, talk, communicate what we are for...and i am for the Gospel...God has made peace with man. Sin is no longer the issue rather identity is now the issue...when we know who we are in jesus sin is easy to walk away from!!!!!!!!!!!!!! God loves us so very much...more than we will ever know!

i find that when you have someone who screams "HOLINESS, LIVE HOLY OR GOD CAN'T USE YOU", that person usually isn't that holy when no one is watching. and really that statement is not true...because if it was God couldn't use anybody. he couldn't have used moses because he was a murderer and a complainer, he couldn't have used samson because he was a fornicator or was having sex with an ungodly woman who wasn't his wife, he couldn't have used king david, a man after His, God's own heart, because david was a liar, murderer, adulterer, cheater, and he even tried to cover up his sin too before getting caught. if holiness or "pissing sitting down" was the issue then none of us would qualify...that's why i believe so strongly in teaching and preaching and talking about "WHO WE ARE IN CHRIST" rather than "who we aren't and how we better try to be". the world needs to know God and that salvation comes through His son Jesus and because of jesus you are now qualified, accepted, worthy to be called His child. this is what frees people from sin and gives them the strength to live holy. i am not sure "standing up to piss" is what God is saying right now...or maybe He is and i am just totally misunderstanding salvation and reaching to the world with the love of God. yeah that's probably true...

this is true about me, i would never want to sit in the seat of the scornful judging a preacher for what they feel God is giving them to preach on but i do challenge preachers to sit down and listen to what and how they are saying it. is what i am preaching about coming from a place of love for people, is what i am saying going build up someone and give them the courage to go on and live right? condemnation doesn't produce God's ability in someone to do the right thing rather it hinders it. jesus never pointed his finger and yelled "we have men sitting down to piss today and i am the Son of God and i pee only the way God's pee's and that is STANDING UP, GLORY". however you do have jesus pointing his finger to religious leaders and telling them that they were a bunch of judgmental snakes...you also see jesus turning and reaching out his hand to a woman caught in adultery and giving her the strength to not sin anymore, forgiving her, showing her acceptance...we have jesus when he was on earth challenging every religious duty that was listed under the law and on the other hand forgiving a ruthless criminal hanging next to him on a cross. He was and is the living gospel...what he does is what i do!!! you don't have scripture of jesus ever condemning the world, rather you do have him standing up against church people for being judgmental...does jesus have a standard for holiness? yes, but the way he preached was different from ours. he actually gave a sinner the right to call God abba or father first. he established the relationship with God, told people who they were and who God has made them to be, THEN, they had the ability and strength to change there behavior, and maybe that was peeing sitting down, maybe someone really struggled being a "standing up to piss" kind of a guy...really, maybe!!!

in closing this preacher struck a good nerve in me that had me look inside and make sure that what i am saying is out of love and not out of being right...it had me thinking i guess.

hmm, i had to write about this too because, well, maybe i feel guilty...i sit down when i pee...ask tonya...

peace

joshuaproject.net

2008-02-14T23:05:00.000-07:00

wow what an eye opening site...the best i have found on the web about the great commission and unreached people groups!!!

jesus, friend of sinners

2008-02-14T21:31:00.002-07:00

its been a while and i am glad to be blogging again.

for several weeks i have been really thinking and pondering the life of jesus and who he was to people especially when he walked on this earth...i read this scripture the other day "matthew 26:50 jesus replied, "friend, do what you came for." and after reading and hearing it, it blew my mind. matthew 26 is the chapter that has jesus at the last supper and getting betrayed by judas. and here jesus, knowing what is about to happen, calls judas a friend.

think about it...the words "friend do what you came for" were directed at judas when he came to betray jesus. and like i said jesus knew judas was going to betray him yet, in the midst of betrayal, jesus still had enough love in him to call judas "friend". for GOD'S sake!!! judas basically gave him up to die for money...how crazy it is for judas to betray jesus in this manner and jesus have the nerve to still call him friend...i mean was jesus being sarcastic...? the word "friend" in matthew 26:50 literally means in its original language 1. a comrade, mate, partner 2. a kindly address 3. friend, (my good friend)...wow, so in context of this scripture jesus was literally addressing judas as a "good friend" or "comrade"...

when i sit and think about jesus and who he was i am humbled by his love for us. it's as if jesus was telling us that even if we betray him, turn our back, deny him, he will still call us friend! this seems sorta unfair...it's unfair because it almost sounds as if i can be a prick and you can be a good christian, pay your tithes and yet we both are still called friends of God...i can almost find it hard to believe but then i found more scripture...luke 7:34 the son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a "friend" of publicans and sinners! Matthew 11:19 the son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and "sinners." ' But wisdom is proved right by her actions." so jesus is a friend of sinners hmm, i looked up the word "friend" again in these passages and for the greek scholars out there the word "friend" means:
1) friend, to be friendly to one, wish him well
a) a friend b) an associate c) he who associates familiarly with one, a companion
d) one of the bridegroom's friends who on his behalf asked the hand of the bride and rendered him various services in closing the marriage and celebrating the nuptials
after looking this up you can safely say that jesus is calling drunks and tax collectors companions. and here you have judas betraying jesus, and jesus being accused of being a gluttonous person because he is hanging with sinners, it starts to become clear on who jesus was trying to reach...who he was trying extend himself too. i wonder if we could learn something here...and yes i know he came for everyone but that's not my point...i am in my on heart searching to see who he had his focus on...

so in conclusion i found a specific pattern in the life of jesus that is found in the gospels...jesus the son of our holy living God was a friend to people who betrayed him and to people who sinned alot...why was jesus accused of being a glutton and a drunkard...it's because that was who he hung around, that is who he associated with. don't believe me, read the gospels and you tell me who he hung around most other than his disciples...on the flip side who was jesus most frustrated with? you might be suprised, and well, that's another post at a later time...jesus was a real friend and he didn't put a condition on whether or not he was befriended back.

a clue, jesus hung out with sinners and yet was sinless while the church is to afraid to engage sinners because of sin. it really is time to quit being afraid of the world and it's sin and start reaching out without sinning, uh, it can be done...jesus did and if he did so can we...not only can we but i believe jesus called us to it. the bible says that God isn't willing that any should perish and it's time the church take it's rightful place and love people even when there's betrayal...what would jesus do? HELLO WE KNOW WHAT HE WOULD DO so let's start DOING WHAT JESUS DOES and that's love people and let God love them through us with no conditions!!!! wow, loving with no conditions hmm we can do it...

peace my peeps...

bono speaks to congress

2008-01-17T16:56:00.000-07:00

it's amazing to me that bono has to be a voice about the world when most of the church is quiet...thank God he is using his celebrity to do something and make a change...it made me think "how come this doesn't burn in our hearts"...we're ok to casually go to our sunday morning services and just work our jobs, never giving a thought to the hurting...this video really challenged me to keep pushing my heart to help people...where do i need to expand me, and my heart?

The Office

2008-01-13T16:32:00.000-07:00

sorry, been almost 2 weeks since i last posted...you all need to calm down about it and get off my back for not posting sooner :).

so uh i recently jumped on board, i’m completely on the band wagon now...yes the band wagon is this tremendous phenomenon called "the office". michael scott is probably the greatest most hated boss of our time and i absolutely am hooked on this show. it took all my nights up this last week as i am trying to catch up to season 4…just finishing season 2 right now...

there is a character on the show who plays her part so well, named angela martin. she consequently is the "christian" character. i have to laugh because she is typed cast as most movies and shows portray christians, the very judgmental, bible verse quoting, plain, hypocritical, with no personality christian. although i find myself laughing out loud at some of her antics, well mostly michael scotts , i can't help but feel a little bummed about her characters portrayal of christians. remember, hollywood is portraying what most people feel that christianity is...a very judgmental, bible verse quoting, plain, hypocritical, with no personality religion, but it isn’t that at all. well meaning judgmental christians for decades have made it hard for those of us who love jesus to be an effective witness. they themselves are like angela martin. preachers get up on national tv and say hurricane katrina was God judging new orleans because of its horrible sin…and that's just one of 100's of examples of well known preachers saying stupid stuff like that. by the way, last time i checked God flooded the earth way back when noah was still alive...God said he would NEVER flood the earth again back then, so either God is a liar or he is not. and well uh yeah God wasn’t lying FYI. GOD DIDN'T JUDGE NEW ORLEANS. he judged new orleans when he judged Jesus on the cross, when he judged everybody. Jesus took our judgment, Jesus saved us from judgment. he took it for us. on and on and on my soap box i go!!!

in my office at work if i say i am a christian or "worship leader" at my church i immediately get typed cast like angela martin on the office. because of this i have to show people that i am normal almost always before i just completely open up about what i do and who i am and my love for God. am i ashamed or scared to talk about jesus? absolutely not, but it seems that when i say i am a christian or open up about my church i am all of a sudden a mean judgmental person or weird. this is why i choose, at work, to let people see me as i am, not as they think i would be in there mind. now everyone around me certainly knows i am a christian but they also know me as the crazy guy or goof ball who likes to have a good time too. they have seen me pray with fellow coworkers out loud but because they know i am real i now get a chance to be a light to them. they aren't closed off by me saying jesus and the biggest reason is because they have seen me be me. ironically i have allot of christians on my team, and thankfully they aren't weird, actually they are the most popular people on my team and the best in sales (for the most part)...pretty cool.

luke 19:10 says "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost". jesus came and was the light and then passed it on to us when he left planet earth. yeap, continue that light. this light is a light of love and acceptance and that God has reconciled man "the Gospel"...it's awesome, the more i get closer to God the more tolerating and accepting of people i am. NO i didn't say i overlook the wrong someone might do but i am allot more forgiving when i am close to jesus...truth be told jesus is allot more accepting than we are. the more i dig into His word i can see a recurring theme in the new testament...and that is God paid a price through his son so that man could be accepted by God. this is the Gospel.

one of my favorite scriptures ever is john 3:17 and it says "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved".

in closing...that scripture frees me from having to be the type cast christian hollywood makes me out to be. if jesus didn't come to condemn anybody then that frees me up from having to condemn anybody and who am i to judge anybody anyway...like i don't have things i could be judged for too. what it does do is it frees me to be a light and to seek and save (jesus is the savior, i can’t save anybody) that which was lost. i guess my ending thought is jesus had sinners all around him that loved and accepted him as there friend, do you? or are you another angela martin proving Hollywood writers and most people’s point of view of a christian right?

peace

my surrendered feet

2008-01-03T07:18:00.000-07:00

this past weekend i went to vegas with a couple of friends to watch the greatest sport ever, that sweet mma promotion "the ultimate fighting championship". if you've never watched please get a couple of friends to fork over 40 bucks and watch a pay per view, you want be sorry...this trip was great trip for me because its been awhile since i have gotten to simply hang out with my closest friends and not have any responsibility, plus it was vegas...and yes you can go to vegas if you are a christian and actually have a good time without going crazy!

one night sitting in a bar outside of the 2nd city comedy club my buddy brad brought up a challenge for all of us sitting there...up to that point we had talked about reaching people with God's love and giving the gospel to those around us. we had talked about experience after experience of what we had been through and or done regarding reaching people with God's love...the challenge was this "let's take 1 year and be relentless with our faith, step out and do what we think and or what we feel when see someone in need. be bold and share with those around us the gospel...taking the time to be bold and walk over and talk if you will"...in the process we would blog about and keep each other accountable to what the scripture say in mark 16:15 and what jesus said about giving Him to the world...reach the lost and hurting...this was a good challenge and we were all up for it!!!

i think the reason this trip was good was really not because of the fights (silva vs liddell, simply amazing) rather it was 4 guys (5 guys but martin had to leave early) talking constantly about being responsible for people, loving them...matter of fact the first night, well morning, because we didn't get there until 2am, we were sitting in the excalibur casino sitting by the 25 cent slot machines talking about helping people...martin started talking about a person he prayed for in india last year that literally had a day to live...he talked about going into a hopeless situation not really knowing what to do and or how to pray...as he was talking the tears came...marc talked about praying for a baby in haiti with hydrocefalie (swollen brain) and how you almost feel helpless even when you may have some sort of truth regarding what God can do...and again tears came. i sat there soaking in the conversation and really feeling what they were feeling, i've been there too...and maybe you don't have the answer but does that mean you stop trying to help people, or stop praying for God to change things, NO it doesn't...i guess my point is i was surrounded by guys who actually care, who actually want to do something for this world, who actually want to bring a person in contact with jesus...and who want to see the injustice of humanity stopped!!!

with all that said, for the next year i am blogging about my experiences i have regarding evangelism, reaching people with God's love, and stepping out... romans 10:15 is one of my favorite scriptures and i am surrendering my heart to the cause of christ...and will be writing down thoughts, failures, wins, and experiences of what God is going to do this year...seeya

peace