Dad woke me up one morning with 1 Chronicles 6 on my mind. Since then, Liz and I have been diligently seeking Him out as to what it meant. He has since revealed to us at least two things as a result of that seeking. The first is that we would be provided a “city of refuge” through which to assist our less materially blessed (for whatever reason) brothers and sisters, which has turned out to be Homes of Hope, where I have recently been blessed to become pastor. The second is that in relation to my particular calling to full-time ministry, He is my provision. In other words, for the most part, our financial blessings are going to come through my wife’s work as an attorney. In revealing this and through us growing in accepting it, my wife and I are also simultaneously growing in our understanding of what it means that He has been and is continuing to make us “one.” As a result of all this revelation and Fields of Grace being His ministry, here are some changes He has revealed for us to make.
As you are reading this, any and all donations asked for from this moment on are going to be for the specific purpose of any local and/or global outreaches He lays on our hearts to pursue as we continue to do the work He has for us in our continuing and growing partnership with Homes of Hope and Delivering Hope.
All three of these organizations are driven by people with a heart for Dad and the family and, as a result, either currently are or are working on becoming 501c3, with Homes of Hope already having it and Delivering Hope and Fields of Grace working on it. This basically means that in addition to contributing to Dad’s work through these organizations, all donations will also be for non-profit and, as a result, tax deductible. In the end, Dad has joined these three parts of His body and their functions together for the benefit of the flow of blessing that is to come out of them as one.
With that, please check out all three to see what we do, bookmark, follow, and pass on as led to, continually pray for us, and please contribute through prayer and/or tangibly as led to. Thanks!…..and may Dad continue to bless you all richly!
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
So How Does One Really Get Right with God?
39One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!”
40But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die?
41We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.”
42Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.”
43And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23
The above Scripture occurring while Jesus was being crucified is one of my favorite stories in the Bible because it shows how truly easy it is to get right with God and, conversely, how easily we often mess it up by making it seem so difficult.
Just as Dad’s tremendous love for this thief prompted Him to utilize Jesus to snatch him from the clutches of the enemy in his last dying moment, so I had the honor of Dad utilizing me to do the same for my grandma at the age of 80, who then went on home with Dad a couple years later.
In grandma wanting to know what she needed to do to get right with God, the first thing I asked her was if she believed He was real as opposed to our world being an accident, to which she replied yes. She demonstrated this belief through her desire to be right with Him, just as this thief did in verses 40-42.
The second thing I asked her was if she knew she had done things in her life she shouldn’t have done. She didn’t have to tell me what they were for God knew, but simply acknowledge she had, which she did very similar to how the thief did in verse 41.
The third thing I asked her was if she wanted to be forgiven for those things she did wrong. I didn’t ask her if she felt she deserved to be forgiven, but if she simply wanted to be forgiven if she knew she could be. Of course, she said yes just as the thief both acknowledged what He deserved, yet still pleaded for Jesus to pardon him in verses 41-42.
I then told her it wasn’t an accident she sought forgiveness for in being our Creator, Dad if you will, God placed in our hearts a desire to be right with Him and that all she has to do is ask Him and He will as the thief both demonstrated and asked for in verse 42 and Jesus granted in verse 43.
I then proceeded to tell her that if she, without having to fully understand it, nonetheless believed all this, then she was right with God and upon passing from here to there, would spend eternity with Him just as Jesus promised the thief in verse 43. She paused for a bit to absorb it all and then through tears, asked me if it was really that simple, to which I told her yes. I then told her that in the days ahead if she shared this with anyone and they tried to make her doubt the authenticity of her decision, to just remember the story of the thief on the cross to continue to embrace the truth.
If you are reading this and have doubts about your own relationship with Dad, it isn’t an accident. He is using this story to remove that doubt. If you are reading this and believe it, without having to fully understand it all, He is using this story to tell you He loves you and that your faith has made you right, just as it did this thief.
Now, if you want to grow in understanding and, as a result, deepen your relationship with Dad, there are three things you can do to assist you. The first is to talk to Him daily which is what prayer is. The second is to listen to Him and one way to begin to grow in hearing and recognizing it is Him is reading His word everyday in the Bible. Finally, ask Him to lead you to a healthy church that will help you grow in Him as well. If you come to Him with a sincere heart in all this, your relationship with Him will grow.
This is my “evangelism” story I share with anyone who may ask me how to get right with God, so I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did sharing it.
I have one last thought I wanted to share about my grandma. Her health deteriorated shortly after she got right with God due to bone cancer, to the point where she was completely bed-ridden when she passed on. Amidst her fear of dying, I reminded her of where she was heading and this reminder allowed God to instill a peace in her she carried with her until He walked her from here to there. Given the hard life she bared here and her physical state upon departure, combined with knowing where she went and trying to imagine what she encountered and the transformation she went through upon getting there, I have enclosed a link to a song that reminds me of her every time I hear it. With that, again I hope you enjoyed the read, feel free to share as led, peace, and may Dad continue to bless you all richly!
Saturday, February 19, 2011
The Bottom Line: A Forest and a Tree
I am Dad, and I do not change. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already destroyed. Ever since the days of your ancestors, you have scorned my decrees and failed to obey them. Now return to me, and I will return to you,” says Dad.
“But you ask, ‘How can we return when we have never gone away?’
“Should people cheat Dad? Yet you have cheated me!
“But you ask, ‘What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?’
“You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me. You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says Dad, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test! Your crops will be abundant, for I will guard them from insects and disease. Your grapes will not fall from the vine before they are ripe,” says Dad. “Then all nations will call you blessed, for your land will be such a delight,” says Dad..... MALACHI 3:6-12
Is this REALLY possible and what might it look like if, in doing our part, Dad were to throw open the flood gates of Heaven to the point of us having no room for all the blessing. Let’s envision it for a second in regards to money and the problem of poverty.
Imagine this writing as a court setting. The prosecution, the Enemy, has claimed nothing can be done about poverty. The defense, Dad, claims the opposite such as in Scripture above. As in a trial, the defense only has to prove reasonable doubt. So in this defense, I am not saying we will totally eradicate poverty, but rather, COULD WE…..reasonable doubt. To present this possibility, I will present the United States as exhibit.
When I was in sales, I was told nothing is as convincing as numbers. Therefore, I will resort to those to provide this defense. I also admit that as numbers can be questionable at times depending on who you ask, nevertheless, remember I am only presenting reasonable doubt potential. Given that…..
The current U.S. population is nearly 311 million with an average household size of 4 which gives us roughly 78 million households. The average household income is $22,000. The percentage of households considered to be living in poverty is nearly 10%, but this number is realistically higher as nearly everyone knows how far an average household income of $22,000 goes in today’s economy for a household of 4.
With the numbers above, if we took up a collection controlled by honest people and every household gave 10% of their income to it, the total would be 171 billion, 600 million dollars! If we were then to divide that evenly into amounts of $22,000 and then redistribute (I know, that is a dirty word in the American vocabulary today;-) it to the households living in poverty, we would nearly wipe out poverty itself. With some of the households already having some income and, as a result, not needing the full $22,000 to come out of poverty, we could virtually wipe out poverty across the board and this is just in the U.S. Imagine if the whole world caught on to and participated in this concept!
Now again, I know this is idealistic and probably won’t ever happen, but I am just presenting the potential that it could happen…..reasonable doubt, to rebuke the enemy’s claim of impossibility in defense of Dad’s claim in the Scripture above.
Now with that being a vision of the “forest”, lets take a look at one of the “trees” of the forest. My wife, Liz, is moved by Dad to go to Ethiopia in May to serve as a small part of the solution to poverty in that country. $2500 will get her there and allow her to take extra to assist in purchasing medical supplies and such while there. If in between now and then, 100 people will respond to Dad moving them to donate $25 to the cause, that stirring on the part of Dad in Liz can become a reality. Of those who read this, many can give the $25, some more, some less, all can pray and spread the word, and everything counts.
The site where you can donate is also offering some neat gifts in exchange for support, so you can even get something tangible out of it in addition to being a part of a relief effort on behalf of our Ethiopian brothers and sisters. Stirrings and interactions as such are often what prompts Dad to throw open the flood gates of Heaven. Read the Scripture above again and think about it.
In conclusion, both a forest and tree concerning poverty has been presented as possible. With that, I ask you as a child of Dad’s upon reading this to meditate on it, pray, listen to what Dad is stirring you to do…..and then do it!
With that…..the defense rests.
“But you ask, ‘How can we return when we have never gone away?’
“Should people cheat Dad? Yet you have cheated me!
“But you ask, ‘What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?’
“You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me. You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says Dad, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test! Your crops will be abundant, for I will guard them from insects and disease. Your grapes will not fall from the vine before they are ripe,” says Dad. “Then all nations will call you blessed, for your land will be such a delight,” says Dad..... MALACHI 3:6-12
Is this REALLY possible and what might it look like if, in doing our part, Dad were to throw open the flood gates of Heaven to the point of us having no room for all the blessing. Let’s envision it for a second in regards to money and the problem of poverty.
Imagine this writing as a court setting. The prosecution, the Enemy, has claimed nothing can be done about poverty. The defense, Dad, claims the opposite such as in Scripture above. As in a trial, the defense only has to prove reasonable doubt. So in this defense, I am not saying we will totally eradicate poverty, but rather, COULD WE…..reasonable doubt. To present this possibility, I will present the United States as exhibit.
When I was in sales, I was told nothing is as convincing as numbers. Therefore, I will resort to those to provide this defense. I also admit that as numbers can be questionable at times depending on who you ask, nevertheless, remember I am only presenting reasonable doubt potential. Given that…..
The current U.S. population is nearly 311 million with an average household size of 4 which gives us roughly 78 million households. The average household income is $22,000. The percentage of households considered to be living in poverty is nearly 10%, but this number is realistically higher as nearly everyone knows how far an average household income of $22,000 goes in today’s economy for a household of 4.
With the numbers above, if we took up a collection controlled by honest people and every household gave 10% of their income to it, the total would be 171 billion, 600 million dollars! If we were then to divide that evenly into amounts of $22,000 and then redistribute (I know, that is a dirty word in the American vocabulary today;-) it to the households living in poverty, we would nearly wipe out poverty itself. With some of the households already having some income and, as a result, not needing the full $22,000 to come out of poverty, we could virtually wipe out poverty across the board and this is just in the U.S. Imagine if the whole world caught on to and participated in this concept!
Now again, I know this is idealistic and probably won’t ever happen, but I am just presenting the potential that it could happen…..reasonable doubt, to rebuke the enemy’s claim of impossibility in defense of Dad’s claim in the Scripture above.
Now with that being a vision of the “forest”, lets take a look at one of the “trees” of the forest. My wife, Liz, is moved by Dad to go to Ethiopia in May to serve as a small part of the solution to poverty in that country. $2500 will get her there and allow her to take extra to assist in purchasing medical supplies and such while there. If in between now and then, 100 people will respond to Dad moving them to donate $25 to the cause, that stirring on the part of Dad in Liz can become a reality. Of those who read this, many can give the $25, some more, some less, all can pray and spread the word, and everything counts.
The site where you can donate is also offering some neat gifts in exchange for support, so you can even get something tangible out of it in addition to being a part of a relief effort on behalf of our Ethiopian brothers and sisters. Stirrings and interactions as such are often what prompts Dad to throw open the flood gates of Heaven. Read the Scripture above again and think about it.
In conclusion, both a forest and tree concerning poverty has been presented as possible. With that, I ask you as a child of Dad’s upon reading this to meditate on it, pray, listen to what Dad is stirring you to do…..and then do it!
With that…..the defense rests.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Delivering Hope Homeless Outreach
Then God will turn to those on the left and say, “Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. For I was hungry, while you had all you needed. I was thirsty, but you drank bottled water. I was a stranger, and you wanted me deported. I needed clothes, but you needed more clothes. I was sick, and you pointed out the behaviors that led to my sickness. I was in prison, and you said I was getting what I deserved.”
Then they will reply, “Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?“ And he will answer, “I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.”…..Matthew 25:41-45.….Richard Stearns Version, CEO of World Vision and author of the book The Hole in our Gospel(pg. 59).
There is a lot of misconception regarding homelessness in Ross County, Ohio and everywhere for that matter. The sad, but true, reality of this statement reared its ugly head when I recently learned that one officially reported count stated there was one homeless person in Ross County (yes, as you are choking and coffee is spewing out your nose in disbelief, I said one). In response to this comes the emergence of the Delivering Hope Homeless Outreach.
On Friday evening, March 4, 2011, and every Friday evening following, a group of us are going to meet at a common place with various food and material supplies. We will then head out to various homeless camps throughout Ross County and deliver these supplies for no other reason than to show our homeless brothers and sisters we love them. If you are reading this and have a heart for something like this, there are a variety of ways to get involved.
First, you can pray for this outreach as led to. Next, you can donate either monetary and/or material supplies to support it. You can mail monetary donations marked for the Delivering Hope Homeless Outreach to the mailing address on the Delivering Hope website or click on the designated donation button on this site to donate online. You can also email someone on the Delivering Hope or this website for details on where to donate other non-monetary items. Below is a list of items commonly needed by our homeless brothers and sisters:
Tarps and tents
Sleeping bags and blankets
Heavy Coats, carharts, and rain ponchos
Work, hiking, or winter boots
Hoodies and sweatshirts
Men’s and Women’s sweat pants and jeans
Men’s underwear and insulated underwear and socks
Women’s brief underwear and insulated underwear and socks
Heavy gloves, hats, and snow pants
Duct tape and bungee cords
$5.00 gift cards to fast food restaurants(so our brothers and sisters can legitimately sit in the establishment with a cup of coffee and/or food and warm up)
Batteries
Flashlights and lanterns
Battery operated alarm clocks(some of our brothers and sisters work)
Food items-Vienna sausages, apples, oranges, snack packs of crackers with peanut butter or cheese, candy
Personal items-Razors, soap, deodorant, tooth brushes and paste, lotions, lip balm, tissues, toilet paper, women’s body spray, combs and brushes.
Finally, you can bring all your supplies and join us to go out to the camps. You are invited to do one, a combo, or all of the above. If you feel led to get involved in this outreach opportunity, please contact us on either site for more details.
Then they will reply, “Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?“ And he will answer, “I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.”…..Matthew 25:41-45.….Richard Stearns Version, CEO of World Vision and author of the book The Hole in our Gospel(pg. 59).
There is a lot of misconception regarding homelessness in Ross County, Ohio and everywhere for that matter. The sad, but true, reality of this statement reared its ugly head when I recently learned that one officially reported count stated there was one homeless person in Ross County (yes, as you are choking and coffee is spewing out your nose in disbelief, I said one). In response to this comes the emergence of the Delivering Hope Homeless Outreach.
On Friday evening, March 4, 2011, and every Friday evening following, a group of us are going to meet at a common place with various food and material supplies. We will then head out to various homeless camps throughout Ross County and deliver these supplies for no other reason than to show our homeless brothers and sisters we love them. If you are reading this and have a heart for something like this, there are a variety of ways to get involved.
First, you can pray for this outreach as led to. Next, you can donate either monetary and/or material supplies to support it. You can mail monetary donations marked for the Delivering Hope Homeless Outreach to the mailing address on the Delivering Hope website or click on the designated donation button on this site to donate online. You can also email someone on the Delivering Hope or this website for details on where to donate other non-monetary items. Below is a list of items commonly needed by our homeless brothers and sisters:
Tarps and tents
Sleeping bags and blankets
Heavy Coats, carharts, and rain ponchos
Work, hiking, or winter boots
Hoodies and sweatshirts
Men’s and Women’s sweat pants and jeans
Men’s underwear and insulated underwear and socks
Women’s brief underwear and insulated underwear and socks
Heavy gloves, hats, and snow pants
Duct tape and bungee cords
$5.00 gift cards to fast food restaurants(so our brothers and sisters can legitimately sit in the establishment with a cup of coffee and/or food and warm up)
Batteries
Flashlights and lanterns
Battery operated alarm clocks(some of our brothers and sisters work)
Food items-Vienna sausages, apples, oranges, snack packs of crackers with peanut butter or cheese, candy
Personal items-Razors, soap, deodorant, tooth brushes and paste, lotions, lip balm, tissues, toilet paper, women’s body spray, combs and brushes.
Finally, you can bring all your supplies and join us to go out to the camps. You are invited to do one, a combo, or all of the above. If you feel led to get involved in this outreach opportunity, please contact us on either site for more details.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Urgent prayer request for Egypt
Greetings all! I received this from a regular prayer chain I am a part of, have permission to pass it on as led, I believe things as such are why Dad blessed me with a pulpit as such, and so here it is. For all those who can and will, please read and pray in agreement and feel free to pass it on as led. Thanks and may He continue to bless you all richly:-)
We are all watching historic events in Egypt. We've prayed for years for the Muslim world, keep praying this through.
The World Evangelical Fellowship (WEF) has added: The WEA communicated to the Evangelical Fellowship of Egypt (EFE) its concern over the current unrest in the country and asked how the WEA community can effectively pray. The EFE confirmed that the church all over Egypt is united in prayer for the country and called on the church globally to pray with them. Since our contact with EFE, the situation has become more violent and unstable.
Nobody knows what the changes in Egypt will be, but evangelicals in Egypt know that God is in control. Though they are a small minority, they are deeply committed to being good citizens and contributing positively to the future health and development of their nation. They are praying for:
* wisdom for all leaders in Egypt – both for the present government and for the future leadership of the country,
* safety of the young people in Tahrir Square – some of them are Christian, some of them are Muslim. The Christians believe strongly that most Muslims and Christians are united in their common concern for the welfare of the nation,
* peaceful change,
* positive outcomes that will benefit the country as a whole, and will bring glory to God,
* positive impact on the region and the wider world as a result of the change in Egypt.
Some years ago, the Evangelical Fellowship of Egypt (EFE) developed prayer networks nationally. In recent days, they have contacted these networks to urge them to pray. Christians (evangelical, Coptic, Roman Catholic) are uniting in prayer in homes all over the country for the welfare of their beloved nation.
The WEA calls on the global Church to join them in prayer, as this situation unfolds – the WEA remains deeply committed to the Egyptian Christians and to the nation’s present and future religious liberty.
Thank you, God bless, Ron and the 30-Days team.
We are all watching historic events in Egypt. We've prayed for years for the Muslim world, keep praying this through.
The World Evangelical Fellowship (WEF) has added: The WEA communicated to the Evangelical Fellowship of Egypt (EFE) its concern over the current unrest in the country and asked how the WEA community can effectively pray. The EFE confirmed that the church all over Egypt is united in prayer for the country and called on the church globally to pray with them. Since our contact with EFE, the situation has become more violent and unstable.
Nobody knows what the changes in Egypt will be, but evangelicals in Egypt know that God is in control. Though they are a small minority, they are deeply committed to being good citizens and contributing positively to the future health and development of their nation. They are praying for:
* wisdom for all leaders in Egypt – both for the present government and for the future leadership of the country,
* safety of the young people in Tahrir Square – some of them are Christian, some of them are Muslim. The Christians believe strongly that most Muslims and Christians are united in their common concern for the welfare of the nation,
* peaceful change,
* positive outcomes that will benefit the country as a whole, and will bring glory to God,
* positive impact on the region and the wider world as a result of the change in Egypt.
Some years ago, the Evangelical Fellowship of Egypt (EFE) developed prayer networks nationally. In recent days, they have contacted these networks to urge them to pray. Christians (evangelical, Coptic, Roman Catholic) are uniting in prayer in homes all over the country for the welfare of their beloved nation.
The WEA calls on the global Church to join them in prayer, as this situation unfolds – the WEA remains deeply committed to the Egyptian Christians and to the nation’s present and future religious liberty.
Thank you, God bless, Ron and the 30-Days team.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
What are you doing with your life?
Music for Meditation
This is a summary of a message I had the honor of sharing at Gideon’s Army the morning of January 26, 2011. It was inspired by a combination of a message our pastor shared entitled Why We Don’t Have Cable and my own personal Dad time. At the end of his message, our pastor posed the question that is the title of this spin-off. In this I share what I believe the general God-given purpose of our life is, that Jesus exampled what, why, and how to live it, and that by following His example, we can live it as well. As Dad’s children, no matter what the specific calling on each of our lives looks like, all of us are universally called to live it with and for Dad for His glory, our sake, and the sake of our other brothers and sisters (aka the rest of humanity). And no matter what secondary brand of gas we put in our tanks of motivation to keep us living out this life, if our primary source of motivation isn’t love for Dad and the rest of the family, we will eventually run out and tire of trying to live it.
Jesus clarified He was living His life for Dad in Scripture such as John 5:19. He stated why He was doing it in Scripture such as John 3:16 in that it was out of simple, yet genuine, love for Dad and the rest of the family. He then further clarified who we should be living our life for through stating who His brothers and sisters are.
He then shared how He was empowered to live out this life. Investigating this concept addresses the controversial question of if Jesus could have done anything else other than what Dad told him to do. My own relationship with Dad up to the point of this writing has me answering yes, believing this doesn’t take anything away from who Jesus is, and provides us with even greater hope of being able to answer His call to follow in His footsteps.
Before I dive into why I believe this, I feel led to clarify a few things. I am not saying Jesus sinned as the Scriptures make it very clear He didn’t. The Scriptures also make it clear that He was not born with the inherent sin as we are since He was divinely conceived by God. I am also not sharing this to argue theology as I no longer feel a need to do so. Concerning two of the biggest sources of influence in the area of theology, if the extreme Calvinists have it right then I know Dad chose me to be His son and if the extreme Wesley-Armenians have it right, then I know I have chose Him to be Dad. I personally do not believe the answer to this question is either/or but a beautifully graceful combination of both, but that discussion is for another day.
Now that that has been addressed, why do I believe Jesus had choice? I believe He had to have choice in order to genuinely know the plight of humanity as Scripture declares He does. In Philippians 2:5-8, we are told that even though Jesus was indeed, God in the flesh, He set aside His Godly attributes in order to know what it was like to be a human limited in areas such as time and place. He did this willfully and by choice. Believing this then poses the question of how Jesus performed the miracles He did.
The way He was empowered to do all this is best illustrated through His baptism which also serves as an awesome illustration of the trinity as well. In Matthew 3:13-17, we see Jesus as God the Son, submitting His human will to God the Father and, as a result, being empowered by God the Holy Spirit to do everything God the Father wanted Him to do. This free submission of His human will to Dad’s is then demonstrated in Scripture such as Matthew 3:15, Matthew 4:1-11, Matthew 26:39, and Matthew 26:52-54. Most of these presented Scriptures demonstrate Jesus clearly submitting freedom of choice to Dad and it is seen in Matthew 4:1-11 by posing the question, if Jesus didn’t have the potential to sin, why would Satan have bothered tempting Him?
Finally, Jesus not only demonstrated why and how He lived His life of love for Dad and us, but that we can as well. As a matter of fact, not only did He promise in John 14:12-31 that He’d send the Holy Spirit to assist us in doing it, but that through receiving it, we have the potential to do even greater things than He did. Now how is that for both an invitation and a challenge?
And with that question is where I end. I pray Dad that for both everyone who reads this, and for all the rest of your children everywhere, that you would empower us all daily to live this life of love you’ve called us to walk out for your glory and the sake of all our brothers and sisters, which is ultimately for our own best sake as well.
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