Crazy Faith

Ok, the wait is over.  I can't sit by any longer with the tools we have at our fingertips for communicating to the community and the world and do nothing.  If you are a Christian with access to the Internet, you should be taking advantage of the ability to share Christ on the web instead of using it for porn.  Myself and a crazy group of believers have embarked on a journey with unimaginable possibilities... we started a church.  I have been ashamed to tell people that knew me years ago and some people that know me now.  I didn't go to seminary or even finish college so how can I expect to pastor a church?  The same way Moses did.  The same way Joshua, Peter, James, Paul, John, Isaiah, Elijah, Elisha, Esther, Job, Ruth and many others did.  Be called and equipped by God to do what He called them to do.  How hard is it to tell others how I became a believer and lead them to do the same thing?  How did the best message ever, of love and mercy and forgiveness turn into what it is today?  When did we make it about "church" and not about Jesus?  Who makes the rules for following church politics?  When are people going to understand that we don't need the "church" to have church?  I'm not saying that we drop the gathering of believers all together at all.  Lets be honest with each other, the church as a whole in this country is not affective anymore.  Why is that?  Everybody wants to point the finger at someone else.  Churches are fighting with other churches and with each other and we wonder why this country is the way it is.  We are the way we are because we as a church have failed to present the gospel the way it should be.  We have overrun love with hate and mercy with criticism.  We have become a body of hypocrites and liars.  Stop and think of the last time you had a real encounter with God at "church."  I don't mean "this song made me cry," or "the pastor's sermon really touched me."  I mean the real deal, a true blue, blow your mind crazy encounter with the living God!  I can remember several and none of them were in a church building.  The people of God need to wake up and stand tall.  Stop being push overs, closet drinkers, secret smokers, back biting, weak, quiet, directionless people.  We all have a purpose for our life given to us by Almighty God!  I don't know about you but that shakes me to my core!  I am done caring what "church people" think.  I am done trying to play the church games and keep up with the newest politics and procedures.  I am done being a "church" guy.  I officially quit church and dedicate my life to following Jesus.  I know it sounds harsh and some of you are reading this thinking that I am just an angry youth pastor that never got my way.  I'm sorry if you feel that way.  However if thats how you feel now, just wait.  I'm not angry, I'm MAD!  Mad at what the church has turned into.  We have prostituted ourselves out to a political agenda that has nothing to do with the grace and mercy that we preach from our pulpits.  We don't show, we just say.  We are luke warm and we all know how thats going to turn out.  I am not interested in what the popular kind of church is.  I am interested in changing lives... for real!  I am done trying to convince the convinced.  I'm done dancing to someone else's tune.  God has called me to do a job and I will do that job to the best of my ability.  Jesus is real and alive and I dedicate my life to telling others in a way that will reach them where they are, and I know that to reach certain people I will have do say and do things that will make myself and others around me uncomfortable but I am willing to do that for the sake of the call.  Make no mistake, I am a passionate man in all aspects of life.  That passion comes from the fact that Jesus paid the price for the awful and horrible sins I committed.  I am so grateful that He let me live and gave me a purpose and will one day come for me that I have no choice but to act in a way that shows my passionate gratitude.  Christ doing all that for ME???  Thats crazy!  Crazy passion calls for crazy faith.

Just Thinkin'

I recently heard one of my favorite pastors (Steven Furtick) preach on a series called "The Gospel."  He said that he had gone to the Billy Graham library and was inspired by the things that Dr. Graham had done.  It inspired him to make a re-dedication in his own life and he shared it with his church and it inspired me to do the same.  I want to get back in touch with the things that made me want to get into ministry in the first place.  The first time I ever talked to a group of teenager was after a couple of them were actually wrestling in church during the sermon... on the front row.  I got up and sat between them like a mean old man and made them shut up.  That night I went to the youth Bible study and asked the youth pastor if I could talk to the students for a minute.  He should have asked me what I was gonna say first.  I lit those teenagers up big time!  I told them if they were gonna sit in the front (which I started in that same church by the way) then they better start representing the faith a lot better than that and if they didn't, I would move them myself and if the youth pastor or parents have a problem than they can come see me.  This is a message to all pastors, youth pastors, overseers, elders, teachers, volunteers and anybody in a position where they are charged with spiritual oversight:  Stop preaching to tickle the ears of the people!  We don't have to make things so complicated with our own opinions on how the Bible should be interpreted.  Just preach Jesus and get out of the way and let Him work.  People need to hear the truth in love without apology.  We need to forget about upsetting or offending people.  For those of you who choose to simply "do ministry" the way we've always done it are failing and history will loose you in the cracks of time.  People don't write books about those who are average.  They write books about those who were willing to go the extra mile; those ordinary people who God uses to do the extra ordinary.  People like Martin Luther King Jr., Winston Churchill, Billy Graham, Moses, Joshua, and those Christians who gave their lives because they would not deny Christ under such extreme duress.  I don't want to be one of those "cookie cutter" pastors that just does business as usual like its just another job.  It is LIFE to me!  I wake up, and go to bed thinking of the teens of my community.  I don't know about you but, I am going to preach the gospel to the people of our community without compromise, without apology.  

Blogging

Ok, blogging...

I don't know why I set this thing up, I just have to get some things out. Maybe after a few posts, I will chill out alittle. There are so many things pinned up in my head that have to come out or I will explode. Things like: teenage romance, traditional church life, abortion, racism, stupid kids trying to be tough, little girls trying to dress like hookers you know, things like that. Sometimes in life we have to just get the crap out of our heads and get it on paper or shout and scream or something. I wrote a letter that got sent to a lot of people and most of them were really encouraged. Some people didn't get it of course and wrote me back some retarded things that showed their intelligence. The letter was meant for all who read it. It was controversial I guess but, that's what I liked about it. I hope to write some truly controversial blogs for all to enjoy reading and responding with love and hate. This one has no point. I guess I'm just practicing. Well, here are some things about about me: I like playing tetris like games on my cell phone while pooping, I like watching UFC with my old youth pastor, I don't like stupid teenage romance, I hate church but I love Jesus (weird, I know), I dig me some wife time, I desperately want the LIT kids to like me, Winnie the poo is a fag face, fat kids annoy me, as well as smart mouth kids with no home training, I am thinking about punching someone in the face for at least 85% of my day, I am really selfish, and I am bored writing this.