I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter. Jesus died and was resurrected for all today. Remember that wherever you are in life, you have a hope that cannot be taken away from you. Cherish that and share it. People will mock you, hate you and in some parts of the world kill you because of that. Remember they hated Him first.
A Balance
Greetings.It’s been a long time since my last post and I just know that everyone has been waiting with bated breath just to gaze in amazement and the words I bring to you. I’m joking of course. No I’ve had my fingers in a few different pies lately and I don’t see that easing up anytime soon (more on those projects later). I hope to start posting more regularly but that’s to be determined by my schedule. That being said I write to you folks tonight to ask opinions on something.
There are many different church models going on around the country. Super attractional, missional and house seem to come to mind. Some churches depend on a great sunday morning where the teaching is a mile wide and an inch deep and others drop and hour of painstaking biblical exegesis that make you feel like you’re in a N.T. Wright lecture. I’m not here to bash any one way. I have my problems with both. My church is very missional. We are a very young church with young energetic blood that is constantly participating in projects around the area. We may be a little weak on the theological side (upward) side of growth but we do a really great job of trying to live the Gospel out in community (outward). There are also the other churches that focus mainly on upward growth and do virtually nothing in the community. What do you guys think is a great way to balance this out in church community? What are some ways to balance this out in our personal lives? comments welcome.
Im still alive
Sorry I haven’t posted in a while. I deliver packages for an express delivery company and as you can imagine I’ve been very busy and that will only get worse as Christmas gets closer. Hope to post something new soon.
Cheers,
Josh
Love Gave Food
“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink…”
Matthew 25:35
I’m very excited about some awesome things that are going on in my community this year during the Christmas season. This year the wonderful men and women of God that I have the pleasure to serve next to are up to something BIG. HUGE.
1 in every 5 children in our city do not have enough food to eat at home. There is a local program called Backpack Buddies that seeks to put an end to children going home to no food. Essentially every Friday afternoon a child in need will be sent home with a backpack full of food to get them through the weekend.The problem is that with Christmas break coming up they will be away from school and a regular meal for two weeks. Our church is teaming up with other local churches around the Charleston area as well as another church in Mississippi to provide food for these children that will last them two weeks.
Help be a part of the solution
Here is how you can help. Pray, pray, pray and then pray some more. This is a huge undertaking and we will need much prayer. Volunteer. If you are in the area, able, and willing, sign up to volunteer through the link below. Give. If you feel led to give you can do so through the link as well. Here is the link and thank you for the prayers and support. http://lovegave.com/food/
I’m Josh and I Approve This Message.
“Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.”
Psalm 146:3
I’m not a very political person anymore. At one time I was though. I listened to all the talk radio shows (from both sides). When I became a believer I was directed towards the “right” political party that I should support. These are the candidates you should support. These are the talk radio shows you should listen to. These are the bumper stickers you should have on your car. I eventually just got burned out on the whole political thing and just gave up on the entire mess.
I know great Christians that are very political. I’m not here to try to scorn any believers for being involved in the political process. I just want us to evaluate who we are campaigning for. Man or Jesus? I know an awesome Christian woman who spent a great deal of time campaigning for a particular candidate during the last presidential election. When you spend more time and effort trying to convert people’s political ideals than you ever have for changing hearts to Jesus I see a problem. A big one. Jesus didn’t call us to be advance mans kingdom. You see, politics involves compromise. And often times we are faced with having to compromise our beliefs in order to support a particular candidate. One candidate may be pro-choice, another may be overly willing to go to war. I don’t care how good you are at “lawyering” scripture into justifying war. It’s wrong (If you need clarification on this read Matthew chapters 5-7). I digress. The point I really want to push is summed up in this verse “I know, O Lord, that the way of man is not in himself, that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps.” Jeremiah 10:23. Yet we insist on directing our own steps and ever since the Israelites asked to have a king we have seen what it’s like to be ruled by people other than the Lord.
So stop and seek first the Kingdom of God. Seek first to campaign for the salvation of souls. When you vote, vote according to your convictions but always remember who the true King is and where your heart lies.
Sing
“Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth”
Psalm 96:1
I have played music in bands a lot in the past 15 years. I love music. Metal, Indie, classic rock, pretty much everything. When it comes to worship I love the old stuff. I like some new praise and worship but mostly I’m old school. As far as contemporary Christian music on Christian radio I find it insufferable. But that’s just me and please take no offense if you are a big fan of the contemporary stuff. However, the Psalm clearly says to sing a new song. So whether your singing from the Chris Tomlin hymnal this morning or belting out Charles Wesley, sing to the Lord and enjoy your Sunday.
Trials Are Lurking
Around every corner lurks another trial waiting to be faced. At least it seems that way right? Whether we want to or not, we wake up everyday with some trial to be faced. This could range from our inner fleshly desires we struggle with to outside forces like financial struggles, people and…more people. As I meditate on this I realize that most of our trials in life are caused by people. However, that is another blog for another day. Today I want to tackle how we face these trials in prayer and faith.
I have a good friend that is currently incarcerated. I have been helping him deal with his situation for the past year. A situation we have both grown and learned from. In the beginning I told him it was going to get a lot worse before it gets better. And it did. I reminded him of what Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for the good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” He knows this (he was a pastor at one time) and when I remind him of this I feel like I’m essentially saying, “take this verse and call me in the morning.” But there are times when I simply have nothing to say. Times when all I could do is weep with him and simply…be there. And this is where God is right? There. Here. Now. Then. In the future. When we face our trials God is there by us weeping when we weep and rejoicing when we rejoice. We are not alone.
James tells us to “Count it all joy” when we face trials. Really James? Because this trial that I’m facing really sucks. But that is the beauty of the whole thing. God knows we will not face trials in vain. In the end we obtain better Christian character, endurance and a peace that surpasses all understanding. Wow! what an awesome God indeed. We are to continue in fervent prayer with faith during these times. Knowing that in the end God will make us “perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” We are called as friends to comfort those who need comforted. Pray with them. Weep with them. Rejoice with them.
Jesus offers hope in life’s troubles that the world doesn’t. So what if trials are lurking? Let them come and allow God to refine us in “the furnace of affliction”.
Things I Promise You
I’m really loving writing again. I’m new at this whole blog thing so I still have a lot to figure out. My goal is to be a “Barnabas” of the blogging world. And by Barnabas I mean a person that encourages and uplifts you. I want to ask questions about faith but not to the extent of chasing down rabbit holes. I love asking questions about faith but I know where to draw the line and simply say, “my little human brain cannot come of with any plausible theory. Perhaps I should just trust God and not ask anymore questions.” I will not bash The Church. I may not agree with some of the things we do. I may even question them at times. But I will never let this become a blog that bashes The Church. I will never bash other believers. Do I think some high profile pastors say some boneheaded things sometimes? Of course. But they are my brothers none the less and I will not make this an outlet to publicly ridicule or admonish them. Jesus didn’t call us to blog critically about one another. So as I continue to embark on this writing journey may I offer words that bless, encourage and build you up. Feel free to ask me questions anytime. I hope to post a cool discipleship tool soon. I just have to figure out how to put graphics in a post. Thank you guys for reading and following.
To God be the glory
“Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!”
Psalm 115:1
God is amazingly good and has blessed me with a wonderful family and community of believers to fellowship with. I just wanted to give a shout out to Him this morning. I hope you guys have an awesome day worshiping the Lord.
Gracious Mess 