Certainty in Uncertainty

As many of you know Jim Bradford our Sr. Pastor at Central has accepted a position as General Secretary of the Assemblies of God. I have to admit it was quite a shock last Wednesday morning when Pastor Jim informed me along with the rest of our Pastoral team that he would be resigning. Hundreds of thoughts immediately went through my mind; what are the next steps, how is this going to effect the church, the staff, our student ministry, my wife and I, and so on and so on. When a sudden change in life happens it easy to become fearful. I think it's a natural reaction and emotion to have but as we have time to process our feelings we have to allow FAITH to replace the FEAR. One of the many benefits of walking with and serving God is to know that he is in control. That He PROMISES to take care of us and provide for our needs. It does not mean that we won't face uncertain times in life but it does mean that we can be certain that God knows all things and that he is constantly advancing His purpose for our lives. I'm not certain what the future holds for Central but I am certain that God does. God asks all of us to walk by faith not by sight and to trust Him during uncertain times. And what's awesome about God is when we live by faith God is always faithful to respond! I believe God has great things ahead for Central and will continue to lead us to accomplish His vision for our church and community. I am blessed to serve with an amazing and strong Pastoral staff that is going to continue to follow God on this exciting journey!

Putting the “ING” in Christmas

It's not only the season "to be jolly" but there are a few other things that we can do. Here's a few.

Tis the Season for…
Remember-ING
Luke 2:4-7
He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee. 5 He took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. 7 She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.

Today I counted that over the Holiday Season I will attend 12 Christmas parties. Even as a Pastor it's easy to lose focus of what Christmas is all about. If were not careful it becomes more about parties and presents then about the birth of the Jesus, the Savior of the world. The Media has wagged a war to take Christ out of CHRISTmas and public school teachers can no longer say things like "Christmas Tree" but have to say "Tree of Illumination". We have to fight back and REMEMBER to keep Christ in the center of Christmas. After all, "He's the reason for the season!"

Appreciat-ING
Colossians 3:15-16
And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. 16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.

This is a great time of year to appreciate how blessed we are. We all have a lot to be thankful for. Here's just a few things that I appreciate in my life: my salvation, my wife, my family, my friends, my job, my church, my health...I could go on all day. When we focus on what we DO have, what we don't have does not seem so important. This Christmas be aware of your blessings.

Giv-ING
Acts 20:35
And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
Matthew 20:28
For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.

The true meaning of Christmas is the GIFT that God gave us in his son Jesus. The most famous scripture in the bible says, "For God so loved the world that he GAVE his only son." When we remember what Christmas is all about and appreciate what we have the next step is to start giving it away to others. Albert Einstein said, “The value of a man resides in what he gives and not in what he is capable of receiving.” What a joy it is to be able to bless other this time of year.

Reflect-ING
Lamentations 3:40
Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the LORD.

With New Year's resolutions just around the corner it's always good to look back over the year and reflect on what's happened, what you've learned, how you've grown, etc. Then it's great to set goals for the New Year on things you want to do and new ways God wants to grow you.

Make the Holiday Season great by putting the "ING" in Christmas!

Time Flys

It really is crazy how quick the time has flown by this past year. It's been a big year for me. I moved to Springfield, MO in August of 2007 to be the Student Pastor at Central Assembly, got married November 10, 2007, and bought my first home August 22, 2008. God has been so faithful to me and has blessed me beyond what I deserve.
Jess and I celebrated one year of marriage just a couple weeks ago and I can't tell you how thankful I am for her. She is my best friend, my biggest supporter, and my encouragement!
With the Thanksgiving Holiday coming tomorrow let me encourage you to take some time to reflect on all the things you are thankful for. You'll be surprised just how many there are and how it can change your attitude and add a smile to your face.

Be thankful for and enjoy all the blessings you have because time truly does FLY!

Holy Discontent

Just been dreaming about the future of Fusion. Andy Stanley described vision as what could be, should be, and will be. I've been challenged today to dream a little bigger. To not be satisfied with where I am personally or where Fusion is as a ministry. I know I can do more and Fusion can do more. And not so that I or Fusion can become successful but because there are lost people that are searching for a hope that can only be found in Christ. We constantly need to challenge ourselves not only to dream but do what it takes to see the dream become reality. There are no limits with God but only the limits we put on ourselves.

God help us to dream big and sacrifice to see the dream become REALity! Amen

Faith and Finances

Faith by definition means to have complete trust in someone or something. As Christians we are commanded to put our faith in God. To trust him with every aspect of our lives. I find it easy to completely trust God with some areas in my life but hard to completely trust him with some other areas. One area I think we all can struggle with is finances. America has taught us to put our trust in money, or as I call it the "Green God." Our culture pulls us to put our hope and faith in our paycheck, stock market, and retirement rather than God.
With the current economic troubles we are facing in America I'll have to say that my faith has been put to the test. I have had to ask myself, "Do I completely trust God with my finances?" Thankfully since I was young my father taught me to always be a faithful tither and giver. I have always believed that if I'm faithful to God He will be even MORE faithful to me. Although my faith has been tested it has remained strong because of those values my dad instilled in me.
On CNN last night they did a report on church offerings going down and how many churches are cutting back in order to keep the doors open. This troubles me. If we really have our faith in God and trust him with our finances our giving should be going UP not DOWN. God desires to bless and take care of us, but this only happens when we in faith obey his word and continue to give even in tough times. We can not be gripped by FEAR but must let go and trust God by FAITH!

Many will say, "I just can't afford to give." But I say, "We can't afford not to give."
Praise God that we don't have to worry about anything because he promises to provide!

Dead Zones

We've all heard over a hundred times the Verizon Wireless slogan "Can you hear me now?". Their most recent marketing commercials are all about the "Dead Zones" we hit in our cell phone service, and with the Verizon Network you don't have to worry about ever loosing your connection. Check it out...



In our most recent sermon series Fusion HD (Highly Defined: a detailed, clear look at our mission at Fusion) I preached to our students on how we "connect to God". One of the biggest responsibilities we have outside of a consistent devotional life full of prayer and God's word is to Keep a Clear Connection. There is nothing worse then hitting the "Dead Zones" in our walk with God. Areas where there is static and interference between God and us. The good thing is that God always gives us great reception and we can always have full "God Bars" when we need them. However, the bad thing is that God gives us free will and we often CHOOSE to bring things "sin" into our life that causes the connection to go bad.

Isaiah 59:1-2 says...
Listen the LORD is not too weak to save you, and he is not becoming deaf. He can hear you when you call. But there is a problem- your sins have cut you off from God. Because of your sin, he has turned away and will not listen anymore.

The old Roman Catholic Bishop, St. Alphonsus Liguori, said "Nothing but self-will can separate us from God." We have to make sure that we don't choose to allow things to bring static into our connection with God. As the scripture says, he can always hear us but we can't always hear him. We can go places and do things that cause the "God Bars" to drop too low. Just like we would do with the dead zones in our cell phone coverage, we have to avoid people, places, and things that cut us off from God. We have to get rid of all the junk and sin that causes us to lose our connection with God.

What are the "dead zones" in your relationship with God? How high are the "God Bars" in your connection with God?

House = Done!

On Friday August 22 Jess and I will close on our first home. We are very excited and can't wait to finally be in it. We looked consistently for almost 3 months before stumbling upon "the one". We are so thankful for how much God has blessed us. I've been at Central now for over a year (hard to believe), we've been married for over 9 months (even more harder to believe), and things can't be going better! I am honored to serve at such a great church, work with such great people, and lead such an amazing student ministry. http://www.studentsfusion.org/

Life is GOOD!

God is always faithful and never fails!

More posts coming soon!