No Words

No words.

I really want to say "thank you." But there are simply no nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs or conjunctions that will do the job. And "thank you" seems so shallow and so ineffective in communicating my gratitude to you. Let me try anyway.

Thank you SO much for the humbling opportunity to be your pastor. You showered me with so much love, grace and encouragement in my role of shepherd. While the past few weeks have been extremely difficult, the Freedom River family has made it an absolute joy. I really appreciate how you gave the "rookie preacher" a lot of rope.

No words.

Thank you SO much for the opportunity to be your worship leader. From the moment I walked in the door, I could sense a passion for worshiping Jesus, especially through music. You made it so easy. You allowed me to take chances and continually pulled for me to succeed. I will always cherish our Sundays singing and praising our Savior together.

No words.

There are a boatload of folks I wish there was space to mention, but I would like to specifically thank a few people...

The Worship Team--WOW! You guys have amazed me for seven years, not only with your gifts and talents, but your heart for Jesus.

Ross Turner--What a friend, mentor and brother in the Lord.

JJ Swick--Always there, never wavering...that's why he's Elder Rock.

Jay Izso--Gotta love a guy who'll speak hard truth with a soft heart.

Ryan Keeter--He loves Jesus and my daughter...a great combination.

Scott Barfoot--Thanks for your endless trust and support.

But most of all, I want to thank the two most important people in my life. First, my wife Debbie, absolutely the greatest wife and partner a man could ever dream of. Baby, you're the greatest.

Finally, I couldn't fathom doing any of this apart from Jesus. My Savior continues to do such amazing things right before my eyes. In the words of the Caedmon's Call song Lead of Love: "How You've made good of this mess I've made is a profound mystery."

See I told you. No words.

In Christ,

Jay

On Your Mark...

The 4x100 meter relay fascinates me. You take the four fastest runners and see how fast they can circle the track, passing the baton every 100 meters. The race is lightning fast, over before you know it. And because of the blazing pace, there is absolutely no margin for error handing off the baton.

That was not the case for both the men's and women's 4x100 meter relay teams at the Olympics in Beijing. Both teams were favorites for the gold, but both teams failed to make it out of the preliminaries. Why? They dropped the baton. Years of training and hard work down the tubes as the batons bounced on the track.

In the book of Acts, Jesus makes sure that He passes the baton of the Gospel off to His followers. We see that, like the starter of the race, He gives them instructions.

On your mark. Get set. Go!

Just before He heads back to heaven, Jesus tells His disciples...

4 In one of these meetings as He was eating a meal with them, He told them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you what He promised. Remember, I have told you about this before.
5 John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
6 When the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking Him, ‘Lord, are You going to free Israel now and restore our kingdom?”
7 “The Father sets those dates,” He replied, “and they are not for you to know.
8 But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power and will tell people about Me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
9 It was not long after He said this that He was taken up into the sky while they were watching, and He disappeared into a cloud. (Acts 1:4-9 NLT)

First He tells them, "On your mark."

Stay in Jerusalem. Like a relay runner waits inside the designated exchange area for his teammater to deliver the baton, Jesus' followers were to wait in Jerusalem.

Once in Jerusalem and waiting, they observe their next instructions, "Get set."

For approximately ten days, our Savior's first followers hung out. Waiting. He had told them to be ready for the Holy Spirit, but they had no idea what to expect. Suddenly, it happened. While they waited in a loft apartment they heard the roar of whirlwind. They saw tongues of fire. Whammo! God baptized all of them in the Holy Spirit. And He gave them power to communicate the message of Christ to a lost and dying world.

"Go!"

This was the signal Jesus told them about. Now, they were to take the Gospel first to Jersusalem. That was convenient since they were already there. And God blessed them as they met in the Temple, shared life together in each other's homes, studied the Bible and prayed together.

It was a great time to be a Christ-follower in Jerusalem. God was adding folks to their numbers each and every day. And the members of this new movement were loved by all the citizens of the city.

It would have been easy to simply stay in Jerusalem. Things were going well. It's comfortable. This is home. But that's not what Jesus commissioned them to do. They were to take the Gospel to not only Jerusalem, but Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth.

God made sure that happened. One of the young church's deacons named Stephen got himself in a boatload of trouble. The Jewish leaders arrested him and had him stoned. Stephen's execution turned the tide of the city against Jesus' followers. Once the toast of the town, now they are a target.

Saul was one of the official witnesses at the killing of Stephen. A great wave of persecution began that day, sweeping over the church in Jerusalem, and all the believers except the apostles fled into Judea and Samaria. (Acts 8:1 NLT)

Did you notice what happened as a result of the persecution? Yup, that's right, believers fled into Judea and Samaria. Anybody think that's just a coincidence? Not a chance. God used the persecution to carry out His plan and purpose to spread the Gospel. If that's not enough proof for you, check out what else Luke writes...

But the believers who had fled Jerusalem went everywhere preaching the Good News about Jesus. (Acts 8:4 NLT)

Jesus would insure that the baton would be passed. The new church may have had a false start and missed the "Go!" command, but the Lord would make sure they hit the road.

As we wrap things up here at Freedom River, God is making sure that His message of grace and repentance is going beyond the walls of our church. While we don't know exactly His reasons in closing our fellowship, it's clear we're to "Go!"

Hopefully we'll run into each other somewhere along the road. Maybe we'll see you in Samaria.

"On your mark. Get set. Go!"

In Christ,
Jay

From a sermon at Freedom River Community Church in Raleigh, NC on September 28, 2008.

Die and Let Live

It just doesn't make sense.

So often in life, we rely on common sense. We do what's intuitive. But there are times when it's best to do what doesn't make sense. We do what's counter-intuitive.

A great example might be our family vacation to Disney World several years ago. A friend of ours moved to Orlando and just loved to be a tour guide when folks went to see Mickey. She gave us the pregrame speech.

With the passion and focus Knute Rockne, she told us, "We're going to get to the park early, ready to go when the gates open. When they open the gates, just about everybody will go to the right. But we're going to the LEFT!"

But her strategy didn't stop there. We would wait in line for a ride and when the doors would open she would grab us and say, "Wait...wait...let 8 to 10 people go on ahead of us...NOW! GO! GO!" And sure 'nuff, we'd be sitting right smack dab in the middle of the row.  Right in the perfect spot. 

She knew what to do, when to go. And many times it was counter-intuitive.

The Bible is chock full of counter-intuitive teaching. 

-The first shall be last. 

-Love your enemies. 

-Gain the world and lose your soul.

Jesus provides us a classic example when He teaches about dying in order to bring life in John 12:20-26. He tells His disciples that we must die and let live.

It all begins when a group of Greeks in town for the Passover ask Philip for an appointment to see Jesus. One of those "have your people talk to my people" kinda moments. When He hears of their request, Jesus' response seems out of left field.

23 Jesus replied, “The time has come for the Son of Man to enter into His glory.
24 The truth is, a kernel of wheat must be planted in the soil. Unless it dies it will be alone—a single seed. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives.
25 Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who despise their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.
26 All those who want to be My disciples must come and follow Me, because My servants must be where I am. And if they follow Me, the Father will honor them.” (John 12:23-26 NLT)

But the Savior was saying, "They want to see Me, huh? Well, just wait until Friday when they see Me on the Cross. Just wait until they see Me laid in the tomb. But most of all, just wait until they see Me on Sunday, the Risen Lord!"

The heart of Jesus' teaching is the counter-intuitive idea of how death brings new life. Like the seed that must die, planted in the ground, brings about new life, so the crucifed Christ must die, planted in the ground, and brings about new life.

Die and let live.

And Jesus asks His followers to do the same. Die and let live.

As Freedom River considers bringing this ministry to a close, we must find hope in the fact that death brings about new life. While we don't have the perspective of time, I truly believe that the dying "seed" of FRCC can bring new life in many ways, to many other churches. It's one of the most counter-intuitive you can imagine. The death of the church actually bringing life.

Die and let live.

I realize that so many of us are struggling with feelings of failure. That's certainly understandable. But research about church planting reveals some very sobering statistics. Depending on your source, 70-80% of all church plants fail. I think that points to the fact that the only real failure is not trying at all.

Is Freedom River a failure? Well, the apostle Paul never led a mega-church. Matter of fact, several churches he planted closed their doors. Was Paul a failure? I don't think so. How about the eleven apostles. Ten of the eleven were martyred for the sake of the Christ. Were they failures? Not in the least. Again, the only real failure is not trying at all.

There is life in death. There is hope in failure. God makes sure that absolutely nothing is wasted!

Die and let live.

In Christ,
Jay

From a sermon at Freedom River Community Church in Raleigh, NC on September 21, 2008.

Calling a Family Meeting

Time for a "family meeting."

Did your folks ever get "the fam" together in the den at the time of an important decision.   Where are we going on vacation?  Should we get a dog?  Sometimes the topic was less-than-pleasant.  Dad has a job offer in another city.  No matter the topic, it was something that impacted the entire family.  

It's time for a Freedom River "family meeting."

As most of you know, the leadership is recommending that the church dissolve.  We're asking the FRCC family, both members and attenders, to join us Sunday after church at Jay Izso  & Linda Craft's home.  We'll eat lunch together and then call the business meeting together at 1:30pm.

I can't stress enough the importance to be at the meeting.  Please do everything you can to be there, even if you can only be there for meeting.  Also it's imperative that we be in prayer for each other and for the decision to made at the meeting.

And since this is going to be a stressful enough situation for many of us, let's approach this in classic Freedom River fashion...dripping with grace for our brothers and sisters.

I also want to say that it has been an incredible honor to be your pastor during such a tender time.  You guys are the greatest.  Thanks for your prayers and support.

In Christ,

Jay

The First Supper

As a seminary student, I study great theologians and philosophers like Calvin, Luther and Spurgeon. I also enjoy such modern day thinkers as Carlin, Letterman and Seinfeld. OK, so they may not be as deep as the previous three, but they are no less insightful.

They have a unique perspective on our language and culture, which is chock-full of goofy words that really don't make any sense. For instance...
-Why is it called a "hot water heater"? Why do we need to heat water if it's hot?
-Why do we drive on a parkway and park on the driveway?
-If we get corn oil from corn, where do we get baby oil from?
-If they call it tourist season, why can't we shoot them?
-Why do "fat chance" and "slim chance" mean the same thing?
-Why is the word "abbreviated" so long?
-Does it bother you that doctors call what they do "practice?"

And we do the same in our faith as well. We use words and phrases that really aren't appropriate. The classic example is what has become known as "The Last Supper."

Actually, when Jesus gathered His twelve followers in the room upstairs, they were actually celebrating "The Last Passover." It's the meal Jews refer to today as the Seder. Just a few hours later, Jesus would offer Himself on the Cross as the ultimate Passover Lamb (1Cor 5:7).

In those tender evening hours with His closest friends, our Savior gathered for what we should more appropriately call "The First Supper." It was at this meal when Jesus boldly offered the Cup of the New Covenant, the long-awaited promise from the Old Testament (Jer 31:31-34).

"After supper He took another cup of wine and said, "This wine is the token of God's new covenant to save you--an agreement sealed with the blood I will pour out for you." (Luke 22:20 NLT)

So as we celebrate the Lord's Table again, let's remember that evening that Jesus gathered His disciples for "The Last Passover." The night they took part in "The First Supper."

In Christ,
Jay

Glorious: Love Is a Verb

Wow, it's hard to believe our "Glorious" series is just about over! Over the past few weeks, we've examined the breath-taking attributes of our glorious God. We've seen that...

-God is Faithful. Our faith is only as strong as what we put our faith in.
-God is Holy. His holiness convicts, cleanses and commissions us for service.
-God is Eternal. As the Great I Am, Jesus is always in the present tense.
-God is Good. Celebrating the Lord's Supper, we tasted and saw that He is good.
-God is Powerful. He has the power to do as He pleases.
-God is All-Knowing. Jesus sees every breath you take.
-God is Humble. And we're to have the same attitude.
-God is Sovereign. The Father sent the Son and now the Son is sending us in His authority.
-God is Near. How good it is to be near God.

And finally...
-God is Loving. Love is a verb.

It's hard to find anyone today who does not play fantasy football. And there is nothing more important in fantasy football than the draft. You pour over magazines, scouting reports, websites and TV shows to glean any tidbit of info that you can use to make the absolute best picks. You want that player who can do the most for you...score the most touchdowns, catch the most passes, run for the most yards.

But in the book of Deuteronomy, we see God make His number one pick in the draft...and it's anything BUT the best player. Check it out.
7 “The LORD did not choose you and lavish His love on you because you were larger or greater than other nations, for you were the smallest of all nations!
8 It was simply because the LORD loves you, and because He was keeping the oath He had sworn to your ancestors. That is why the LORD rescued you with such amazing power from your slavery under Pharaoh in Egypt.” (Deuteronomy 7:7-8 NLT)

God chose the Jewish people not because they were big, powerful, good-looking or lived in a great neighborhood. The Bible says that it was simply because He loved them. Nothing more. And because God loved them, He did something. He freed them from slavery in Egypt.

Love is a verb.

Let's take a look at Five Facts of God's Loving Acts.
-God loves GRACIOUSLY (Rom. 5:8)
-God loves SELFLESSLY (John 3:16, Gal. 2:20)
-God loves CEASELESSLY (Psalm 136:1)
-God loves SACRIFICIALLY (1John 4:10)
-God loves UNBREAKABLY (Rom 8:38-29)

God's love is always in action. That's because Love is a Verb.

What's our response? To live and love like God. Love is NOT a warm fuzzy feeling. It's action, always action.

Love is a Verb.

In Christ,
Jay

From a sermon at Freedom River Community Church on September 7, 2008.

The Home Stretch

Most of you have heard that the leadership of Freedom River is recommending that we dissolve our church. It's interesting that the just about everyone has the same reaction: sad but not unexpected. You can include me in that group as well.

The timeline is pretty simple. We'll reiterate the announcement again this Sunday (Sept. 21st). We'll have our official meeting AFTER church and Jay & Linda's house the following Sunday (Sept. 28th). At the meeting, we'll vote on the dissolution of FRCC. According to our bylaws, this requires a two-thirds majority vote of the members in attendance. We're strongly encouraging all current FRCC members to attend this very important meeting. Even if you're not an official member, we hope you can join us for hot dogs and hamburgers after church.

If the vote goes through, we'll meet one last time on Sunday, October 5th. This is going to be a HUGE celebration of what Jesus has done right before our eyes in eight years of FRCC. Please contact any and everyone you know that has been part of our church family and encourage them to be there. You will NOT want to miss this. We're planning on packing that theater and blowing the doors off in praise to the King.

You guys are great. Thanks in advance for your support, both prayer and financial, as we seek to honor God in this process.

In Christ,
Jay

Catching Up

First of all, I want to thank Justin Wredberg for preaching God's Word at Freedom River this past Sunday. While I'm sorry that I wasn't there to here him, I'm very grateful for the chance to get away for a weekend with Debbie to celebrate our anniversary. Thanks, Justin.

Hope you had a great holiday weekend. Traditionally, Labor Day signals the end of Summer. Vacations are winding down. Kids are headed back to school.

FRCC won't forget the Summer of 2008. It was difficult saying goodbye to Pastor Scott, Pastor Jamie and their families. But we fully support them as they move on to seeking God's will for their lives. That doesn't mean it hasn't been hard. More than a couple of families have moved on. Attendance has taken a hit. And giving is down even more.

The purpose of this update is not to send anyone on a guilt trip. I want to be honest and transparent about our situation. Freedom River is at a critical time. We have "trimmed our sails" financially. Several tough decisions have been made but we must be good stewards of the resources with which God has blessed us.  We're continuing to take a hard look at our expenses.

What can you do? 

1-When you get back from vacation, make sure you join us on Sunday mornings. Your attendance means a lot to those around you. 

2-Support the work of Christ's kingdom at Freedom River through your tithes and offerings.

3-Pray that God would use FRCC to make a huge impact for Christ in our community.   

I'm convinced that the Lord placed us at this particular place at this specific time for a reason. Over and over in the Bible, Almighty God has a habit of doing amazing things when the chips are down.  

Parting the Red Sea at just the right time.

Making streams in the desert.

Turning Friday's dead into Sunday's Savior.

He's up to something here at Freedom River.  I can't wait to see what it is.

In Christ,

Jay