Happy Trails

The scene is a motion picture classic...our cowboy hero riding off into the sunset.

And now we get to experience it first-hand at Freedom River.  Pastor Scott Barfoot has saddled up and is headed down the trail to Texas.  It's "westward ho!" for Scott, Debbie, Davey and Joel.  Next stop, Dallas and Scott's new position at Dallas Theological Seminary.  

It's hard to believe it's been four years since he came riding to our rescue like the US Calvary.  And what an amazing four years it has been.  When the Lord brought him our way, we were struggling without a pastor.  And many of us remember how Scott faithfully guided us through our facility crisis in 2007 that eventually brought us to our wonderful new home here at North Hills. 

Scott says that we might see him around for a few more days.  Debbie and the boys will probably be here just a bit longer before joining Dad in Dallas.  Do me a favor, when you see them, say "thank you."  Let them know how much Christ has done not only in your own life but in the life of our church.  God has truly blessed us through Pastor Scott's leadership and friendship.  

Scott, thank you.  You've become a great friend and mentor.  Thank you for your investment in my life.

As one man leaves, another will soon come riding into town.  Have confidence that God has already selected our next Senior Pastor.  He'll arrive in the Lord's timing and not a moment too late.

And as our gallant hero rides off into the sunset, I can hear him say, "The adventure continues, bro."  Those words were never more appropriate!

In Christ,

Jay

As Good As It Gets

I LOVE the Food Network.

Paula Dean cookin' country-style. Bobby Flay grilling goodies. Rachel Ray working 30-minute miracles. And my personal favorite, Guy Fieri checkin' out drive-ins, diners and dives.

Do I watch them for the recipes? Oh heavens, no, I don't cook. But I do EAT! But that's the problem. I sit in front of the screen and drool over all these mouth-watering meals. And when it's over, I'm still hungry...REALLY hungry. I see, but never taste.

That's what so many of us do in our walk with Jesus. We watch other people experience a delicious life with Christ, but never experience it for ourselves. Psalms 34:8 rings the dinner bell and invites everyone of us to "Taste and see that the LORD is good."

"Good" is such an undervalued word in 21st Century America. It's come to mean the bare minimum. Something that is acceptable but nothing more. But in the languages of the Bible, "good" is well, GREAT! At various times "good" means beautiful, expensive and delightful. It's also an expression of a superlative. To be "good" is simply...the best.

In other words, when King David writes in Psalm 34 that "the LORD is good," he's inviting us to "taste and see: our great God is simply the best."

Scripture gives us Five Facts about God's Goodness.
1-God is good (Matt 19:17). Don't miss the obvious. Jesus Himself is good. As a result, He's the standard by which we measure the goodness of anything else.
2-God performs good (Ps 119:68). Because He's good and does good things, we can put our faith in Him with full confidence.
3-God approves good (Gen 1:31). When our good God calls something good, He's giving it His divine stamp of approval. We can be sure it's good.
4-God supplies good (James 1:17). If it's good, it's from God. He's the source. This should cultivate an attitude of gratitude.
5-God is the ultimate good (Ps 73:25-26). We're all seeking something. We're all created with a "God-shaped vaccuum" that only Jesus can fill. Most of us spend our time seeking a "what" to fill that need. In fact, what we really need is a "who."

The only way we'll every really know God's goodness is if we actually "taste and see" what life with Jesus is really like. Let's stop living vicariously. Jesus is not calling us to a "Food Network faith." He's inviting us to join Him at the table for the greatest meal we'll ever enjoy. John Piper says we must "savor the Savior."

Taste and see that our great God is as good as it gets.

In Christ,
Jay

From a sermon at Freedom River Community Church on July 27, 2008.

The Search Party

Ever watch a movie or TV show where they sent out a search party? Yeah, I thought so.

Well, we're sending out our search party from Freedom River. No, no one's life is in danger and Timmy didn't fall down the well. We're sending our search party (or should I say our Pastor Search Committee) on a mission of finding our next Senior Pastor.

The members of the PSC are Mark Blotzer, Kate Forgeng, JJ Swick and myself. We hope to add one more member to our merry band.

While it's certainly a daunting task to find the next man to lead Freedom River, we have to understand he's already been picked. He just doesn't know it yet. You see, God already knows who it is. The PSC simply needs to find out who that is.

Please be in prayer for our search party. Pray that the Lord would guide us as we begin to post our opening around the country in various ways. Pray that He would speak to us clearly as we receive resumes in the next couple of weeks. Pray for our next Senior Pastor that God's hand would be on him and protect him in this process. And most of all, pray that God's will be done and His name lifted high in the search process.

And we want to hear from you. Please let us know what you would qualities you would like to see in our next Senior Pastor. Drop me a line at jay@freedomriver.org and I'll pass it along to the rest of the gang. Your input is key to the process.

I know I've said this before, but let me say it again: I am NOT a candidate for the position. I will NOT be upset when God brings us our next Senior Pastor. I'm praying that he arrive sooner rather than later!

One reason I think the term search party is appropriate...when the search is over, we're gonna PARTY!!!

In Christ,
Jay

Jesus Is Always in the Present Tense

Two little words. "I am."

With just two little words, Jesus blew the minds of Jews at the Temple in Jerusalem. With just two little words, Jesus announced His ability to travel through time better than Marty McFly, Mr. Peabody, Bill & Ted combined. And He did it by simply saying, "I am."

"Before Abraham was, I am" (John 8:58).

Jesus used those two innocent, seemingly innocuous words to announce that He was "The Great I Am" (Exodus 3:14) Jesus was there in the beginning before time began (John 1:1-2). As the Alpha and Omega (Revelation 1:8), He not only created time, but had total control over the clock.

You see, Jesus is always in the present tense. Always.

As we know, Jesus eventually stepped out of the throne room of heaven and into the river of time. For 30-some years, the Creator of time was subject to it. He grew up from baby to boy to man. He aged. And when the time was right, our Savior gave His life on a Roman cross.

It was there, outside the city walls of Jerusalem, that Jesus created the greatest time warp the universe has ever known. The Lamb of God died once for all time (1Peter 3:18). In doing so, Jesus punched a hole in the fabric of time and reached back to offer salvation to our first parents, Adam and Eve. At the same time, He stretched forward through space and time to you and to me. He took on all sin for all time. He died once for all.

How was this possible? Jesus is always in the present tense. Always.

As a result, I believe Christ is calling us to do the same...live the in present tense. We're to check the bags of yesterday's regrets at the foot of the cross. God is crystal clear when He says, "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See I am doing a new thing" (Isaiah 43:18-19a). He also doesn't want us to be terrorized by tomorrow. "Don't worry about tomorrow...each day has enough trouble for itself" (Matthew 6:34).

The late missionary Jim Elliot summed it up best when he said, "Wherever you are, be all there."

I've heard it said that Jesus was crucified between two thieves: yesterday and tomorrow. The thief of yesterday steals the joy through regret and keeps us from enjoying today. The worries of tomorrow steals our joy through worry. That's not why Jesus died. Not in the least.

Jesus is always in the present tense. Always. And He's calling us to live in the present tense as well.

And it all started with two little words. "I am."

In Christ,
Jay

From a sermon at Freedom River CC on July 20, 2008.

Time after Time

Ever since I was a kid, I've had an incredible fascination with time travel.

Whether it was a book like HG Wells' "The Time Machine," TV shows like "The Time Tunnel" or "Star Trek," or the uber-popular "Back to the Future" movies, I wanted to know what it might be like to travel through time. Admit it, you really wanted to hop in Dr. Brown's tricked out DeLorean and crank up the "flux capacitor"!

(On the other hand, my wife Debbie would list "time travel" as one of her absolute turnoffs. There's nothing like the mention of "the time space continuum" to set her eyes rolling and her feet to leave the room!)

So what in the wide, wide world of sports does all this have to do with Jesus? Honestly, just about everything. You see, over and over the Bible describes God as eternal. When I start to think about it, it makes my head hurt. What are the implications of a God Scripture describes as "everlasting to everlasting" (Psalm 90:2)? Even the Lord Himself said to the Apostle John, "I am the Alpha and Omega--the beginning and the end...I am the One who is, who always was, and who is to come" (Revelation 1:8).

Join us this Sunday as we continue our series "Glorious" with a look at the eternal quality of God. I think you'll see that it has huge implications as we live our day-to-day lives. We might even fire up the DeLorean to 88 mph!

In Christ,
Jay

Spiritual Luminol

Ever watch "CSI"? How 'bout one of the true crime shows like "Forensic Files" or "48 Mystery"?

No matter the detective show, you can almost count on them using Luminol as part of any murder investigation. Luminol is a chemical that reacts with the iron in blood. The chemical reaction, called chemiluminescence, causes any blood to glow blue-green in the dark.

Luminol allows investigators to see blood at a crime scene that is invisible to the human eye. In a very similar way, God's holiness acts as spiritual Luminol. It allows us to see our sin that so often is invisible to us. What is hidden from our normal sight is blatantly obvious when He shines the marvelous light of His holiness on our lives.

In Isaiah 6, the Lord allowed Isaiah a glimpse of the heavenly Throne Room. The Apostle John tells us that Isaiah actually saw the preincarnate Christ seated on the throne (John 12:41). This breath-taking encounter with the Holy One changed the prophet's life forever. The Lord's awesome holiness had three lasting impacts on Isaiah.

First, Jesus' holiness CONVICTS. Like spiritual Luminol, His utter holiness reveals our own disgusting sinfulness. Isaiah quickly realized that he was unworthy of being the presence of the One the seraphim declared to be "holy, holy, holy."

Second, Jesus' holiness CLEANSES. Once the prophet admits his own sin (and the sin of the people he serves), the Lord cleanses him. One of the seraphim pulls a chunk of white-hot charcoal from the altar and supernatually sterilizes Isaiah's lips. It's a great reminder that Jesus is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse us of every bit of unrighteous if we confess and repent (1John 1:9).

Third, Jesus' holiness COMMISSIONS. After convicting of his sin and then cleansing him, the Lord commissions Isaiah for service. It's interesting to note what happened when Jesus said, "Whom should I send as a messenger to My people? Who will go for Us?" Isaiah didn't hesistate. He immediately threw his hand in the air and eagerly volunteered for duty. "Lord, I'll go! Send me." And the prophet didn't even know what the assignment was!!!

It's a reminder that Jesus is looking for volunteers who are willing to serve Him no matter what. God asked Abram to "go to a land I will show you" without giving him the exact location using Mapquest, Google Maps or Tom Tom GO (Genesis 12:1). When Jesus recruited His disciples, He simply said, "Come, follow Me" (Matthew 4:19).

Jesus' holiness convicts.
Jesus' holiness cleanses.
Jesus' holiness commissions.

He's inviting each of us to join Him in His work, "Who should I send as a messenger to My people?"

What's YOUR answer?

In Christ,
Jay

From a message at Freedom River Community Church on July 13, 2008.

Hello, My Name is...GOD!

The more time I spend with my wife Debbie, the more I find out about her, and the more I deeply I love her. After 32 years of marriage, I continue to discover new things about her. And when I do, I just appreciate and love her all the more.

So...why do we worship God?

That may sound like a silly question, but seriously, what makes God deserving of worship (or as the Bible says "worthy of praise")? How well do we really know Him?

It's kind of like my marriage. The more we discover about Him, the more amazed we are, the more humbled we are, the more we love and worship Him. That's exactly the reason we've taken on the new series called "Glorious." Over the next few weeks we'll examine the breath-taking qualities of our Lord.

We began with a look at His faithfulness. We must never forget that Jesus is the Rock! This past Sunday, JJ Swick brought us a powerful message about Christ's Second Coming, or "the Glorious Apprearing" as Paul described it (Titus 2:13).

In July and August, we'll take a look at God's holiness, His eternal nature, His goodness, His power, His all-knowing ability, His sovereignty and His ever-presence. As we come to understand more about our Lord, the deeper we'll love and worship Him.

Sunday, I invite you to join us for a look as we investigate the holiness of Jesus. What does it mean that He is holy? What impact does that have on my faith? What impact does that have on my life?

Curious? I sure hope so. See you Sunday for part 3 of "Glorious."

In Christ,
Jay

What Happens NOW?!

Many of you are wondering what's ahead for Freedom River. There are plenty of questions.

How long will Jay be the Pastor?
What does Interim Pastor mean?
Are we looking for a Senior Pastor?
If so, when will we have a FULL-TIME Senior Pastor?
Does Jay want to be the Senior Pastor?
Won't he be upset if he doesn't get it?

These are just some of the questions that folks have been asking in the past couple of weeks as Pastor Scott prepares to move to Dallas and I step into the pastoral role. Let me take a moment to make a few things clear.

First of all, the Elders and Governing Board have asked me to serve as our Interim Pastor for a period of three months (basically July, August and September). At the end of three months, we'll pray and see if God wants us to continue. If so, we re-examine our situation in another three months.

As Interim Pastor, the Elders have charged me with very clear duties. I am to preach God's Word on Sunday mornings. I will be the liason between FRCC, the theater companies and North Hills. I am also the "single point of contact" for other issues of ministry that might come up. Most of the time, I'll be delegating these issues to others. If it's something we can handle internally, great. If not, God has provided us with numerous contacts and resources outside the church family to make sure His people are being shepherded. I am NOT resigning my position at WRAL, so this new way of ministering is essential. And I think VERY healthy.

Yes, we are looking for a new Senior Pastor. The Elders and Governing Board will be announcing the members of the Pastor Search Committee very soon. Stay tuned!

When will we have our new Senior Pastor? Well, that's really up to God. Many times, the pastor search process can take months. But as we saw when the Lord brought Pastor Scott to our door, it can happen much, MUCH more quickly. Be praying for our next pastor. We don't know his name, but Jesus does!

Let me be as clear as I can about this: I am NOT a candidate for the Senior Pastor position at FRCC. While I am humbled and honored to serve in the interim role, I don't sense God's call on my life to take the next step into full-time pastoral ministry. As some of you know, I'm currently enrolled at Shepherds Theological Seminary in Cary. I still have two to three years before graduating. I currently don't see taking that leap until then.

No, I will NOT be upset when the church calls it's next Senior Pastor. I'm hoping it will be soon, very soon. I'm looking forward to stepping back to my role as Worship Leader once he gets here.

Let me close by saying what will NOT be happening at Freedom River.
We will NOT sit around and lick our wounds.
We will NOT pout and feel sorry for ourselves.
We WILL "stay the course."
That means moving ahead with the mission of being a river of grace to everyone we come in contact with, the North Hills community and the city of Raleigh.

While we will miss Pastor Scott, Pastor Jamie and their families, our true Shepherd isn't going anywhere. "I am with you always," Christ told His disciples before returning to His Father (Matthew 28:20). This is Jesus' church. And He is faithful to see us through. "Great is His faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:23).

I'm going to use my blog as one way to communicate with you. You can check it it out at http://jellyrolljam.blogspot.com/. Feel free to email me at jay@freedomriver.org if you have any questions or concerns.

I love you guys. But most of all, He loves you and wants His best for you.

In Christ,
Jay