Jelly & Jam

Spiritual Ancestors

2011-02-02T19:19:00.005-05:00

Have you ever asked yourself, "What could I possibly do that matters?" You are not alone. I have asked myself that question more than once. Let me introduce you to nine people who were ALL influenced by another person.

It all started with a guy from Boston.

His name...

EDWARD KIMBALL led a small group at his church when he met a challenging teenager. That seventeen-year-old young man was poorly educated and prone to outbursts of anger and profanity.

His name...

DWIGHT L. MOODY. He became the "greatest" evangelist of the nineteenth century. He was instrumental in the life-change experienced by a young man.

His name...

F.B. MEYER. He became a minister. He mentored a young man.

His name...

J.W. CHAPMAN. He became a pastor and evangelist. He also started an outreach to professional baseball players. There he influenced a young man.

His name...

BILLY SUNDAY. He became one of the greatest evangelists in the first two decades of the twentieth century. He influenced a young man who eventually came back to work with him.

His name...

MORDECAI HAM. He became a preacher. He was preaching when a teenager responded to the invitation "to give your life to Jesus Christ."

His name...

BILLY GRAHAM. He has influenced more people than any other preacher in history. He remains a trusted confidant to presidents and other key influencers. At one of his crusades, a 16-year-old boy responded to the gospel.

His name...

CLYDE CHILES. He answered God's call to the ministry and became an itinerant Southern Baptist evangelist. Preaching a revival at First Baptist Church in Farmington, MO in 1970, a 12-year-old boy walked the aisle and gave his life to Jesus.

His name...

JAY JENNINGS.

Do the best you can where you are, with what you have, for a purpose that is greater than yourself. You can be someone worthwhile. You can do something that matters.

Jason Young deserves most of the credit for the composition of this piece. He wrote this for Catalyst about the spiritual ancestors of Billy Graham. I simply continued the progression after researching my own story.

Do you know your spiritual ancestry?

The Fantastic Four

2011-01-14T16:26:00.008-05:00

The Fantastic Four.

OK, now that I've got all of the Marvel fans' attention. But this time I'm not talking about comic book heroes. I'm actually letting you know of four hard cover heroes you might want to check out.

Over the Christmas break, I get a chance to dive into several books while I'm off work. This year, I had the pleasure of turning the pages on four fantastic works. If you like to read and are interested in outstanding Christian authors who make you think, then you might enjoy these books too.

The first is Mere Christianity. Are you curious about the basics of what it means to be a follower of Jesus? Then check out this C. S. Lewis classic. Believe it or not, this was originally a series of radio broadcasts that Lewis did on the BBC during the dark hours of World War II. If you've heard that Lewis is hard to read, then you don't know Jack. "Jack" Lewis, that is. Mere Christianity is incredibly well crafted and easy to digest.

The second is On Church Leadership. This is a super-fast read by Mark Driscoll. The title says it all. The cover also boasts that it is "a book you'll actually read." If you have any interest in how the healthy church should operate, you can knock out this 94-page wonder in around an hour. You may read it in 60 minutes, but it sticks to your ribs for quite a while.

Batting third is Life and Practice in the Early Church. Don't let the title fool you. Steve McKinion cranks up the Flux Capacitor to see what church life was like back in the first through fifth centuries through the writings of the early church fathers. Pretty quickly you see that they were dealing with some familiar issues. Arguments over worship style. Huge attendance swings at Christmas and Easter. People not paying attention during the service. It's amazing to see how they "did church" still impacts us today.

Last but not least is The Reason for God. I mentioned Tim Keller's book in an earlier post. In the first half of the book, he tears down the arguments against faith in Jesus. The second half makes a powerful case for belief in the Carpenter from Nazareth as the Savior of the world. The last three chapters simply take your breath away. This is a modern day must-read for anyone with an interest in Christian apologetics. I'll almost certainly be re-reading this one in the not-too-distant future.

As Charlie "Tremendous" Jones has said, "You are the same today as you'll be in five years except for the books you read and the people you meet." I'm better for having read this Fantastic Four.

Sorry 'bout that, Human Torch.

My Head Hurts

2011-01-10T19:36:00.004-05:00

Tim Keller makes my head hurt.

OK, not Tim Keller personally, but his book The Reason for God.

Keller is an outstanding writer and Bible teacher. And he is, quite frankly, scary smart. This book takes a powerful look at the existence of the God of the Bible. It's what Christians call an apologetic work. Not because he's sorry for being a follower of Jesus. The term "apologetic" comes from a Greek word in the New Testament that basically means "to make a case for" something.

Keller doesn't shy away from the toughest arguments against the faith. As a matter of fact, he pokes his finger in the chest of Richard Dawkins (author of The God Delusion) and the rest of the Four Horsemen of Atheism.

The Reason for God may be a lofty read with heavy concepts, but it is not a thick read with big words that only a PhD could comprehend. Keller writes in a very approachable manner that anyone interested in the debate can understand.

Tim Keller makes my head hurt. And that's not a bad thing.

Hello Old Blog

2011-01-09T20:49:00.002-05:00

You might want to step back while I blow the dust off this thing.

There. That's better. Hard to believe that it's been nine months since I've posted anything. Not that there hasn't been anything to write. The past year was a pretty good one. A lot to be thankful for.

As we reboot the calendar to 2011, this looks to be a big year. First of all, there's a pretty good chance that I'll finally graduate from seminary in May. Kinda hard to believe, huh?

Well, I don't want to keep you. But I'll do what I can to be a bit more faithful to post in '11.

We now return you to your regular programming...

The God Box

2010-03-06T08:19:00.002-05:00

I spent the morning reading Romans 10-16. After Paul writes of his passion for his Jewish brethren to come to faith in Christ in chapters 10 and 11, he puts the rubber to the road starting in chapter 12. He spends time warning Gentile believers not to get cocky because God has grafted them into His family after cutting off the Jews. This was an act of unspeakable and unimaginable grace on God’s part. He says that the whole reason God offered salvation to the rest of the world is to make the Jews jealous.

In Romans, Paul uses what is rapidly becoming one of my favorite Pauline terms: mystery. More and more (as a result of Dr. Doug Bookman’s teaching) I’m seeing this mystery as God’s offer of salvation to Gentiles AS Gentiles. This was something so crazy, so incredible, so “outside the box,” that it would have been inconceivable to first century Jews. Sure Gentiles could come to faith in Yahweh, but only as Jewish proselytes. In other words, Gentiles could follow God, but not without converting to Judaism first. That meant circumcision and complete adherence to the Mosaic Law.

Paul writes that he doesn’t want his Roman brothers and sisters to be ignorant of this mystery (Rom 11:25). This is something that NOBODY saw coming. This is something that is hard to figure out even after God has revealed it. As a result of this brain busting revelation, the apostle launches off into an impromptu moment of praise:

“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor? Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to Him again? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.” (Rom 11:33-36)

Paul is blown away by this incredible revelation of God’s plan. Gentiles as Gentiles?!?! You have got to be kidding me!!! Yet when he goes back and looks at the OT Scriptures, the evidence is there. The apostle seems to be saying, “Oh, THAT’S what He meant!” This is a classic example of why we can never fully understand and comprehend His omniscience and His omnipotence. Just when Jews like Saul thought they had Yahweh figured out and packed neatly into their box, it exploded right in their hands!

I need to hear Paul’s warning loud and clear. While the Bible presents me with the revelation of who God is and what His plans are, it can in no way fully contain Him. There are no books of theology, seminary libraries, web resources, or software applications that can hold a thimble of who God is. Remember, His wisdom is UNSEARCHABLE and UNFATHOMABLE. I must never lose the sense of holy awe, wonder and worship of the One who descended from heaven to die on a Roman cross for me. Yet He calls me “friend” and “brother.” How is that possible? Because He is unsearchable and unfathomable.

A couple of encounters between John and Jesus come to mind. At the Last Supper, John is resting his head against Jesus’ chest as they eat. Now THAT’S a friend. Some of that is lost in cultural translation. But it’s clear that they are intimately close. Yet in the book of Revelation, that same John sees Jesus and falls like a dead man in awe and worship. We must always remember that the same Savior that allows us to lean on Him in those tender times is also Almighty God, Creator of the universe, King of kings and Lord of lords. As Paul would say, “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.”

In Christ,

Jay

30

2010-03-03T19:17:00.002-05:00

30 years.

Three decades.

I started work at WRAL on March 3, 1980 as the sports photographer. I began my career working with two great sportscasters, Rich Brenner and Tom Suiter. I was only 21 years old and fresh out of Mizzou's Journalism School when I took the job with Action News 5. Little did I know what I would do and what I would see in the next 30 years.
-Bribing my way into the Spectrum in Philly to cover the '81 Final Four
-Michael Jordan & the Heels winning the title in '82
-Coach V & the Cardiac Pack stunning the world in '83
-The 1984 Olympics in LA
-George Bush presidential inauguration '89
-Coach K & the Devils winning back to back in '91-'92
-Living with a family in Russia for a week in '92
-Bill Clinton presidential inauguration '93
-UNC over the Fab 5 for the title in '93
-Shooting for David Letterman in '93
-Meeting Billy Graham in '97
-Easter week in Israel in '97
-Watching the move of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in '99
-Shooting the first documentary by a local station in high definition in '99
-Meeting Pope John Paul & shooting in the Sistine Chapel in '99
-Duke takes another title in Minneapolis in 2000

And while I've been at the Big 5 for all my adult life, I've had several different jobs, one of them three times!
-Sports Photographer
-Chief Photographer
-Senior Photographer
-Documentary Photographer

I've been honored to work with some of the greats in local TV since 1980, such as Charlie Gaddy, Jim Goodmon, Bobbie Battista, Greg Fishel, Jim Axelrod, Scott Hanson, John Harris, John Greene, David Crabtree, Art Howard, Scott Mason and Jeff Gravley. Wow, this list is endless. Sorry if you stumbled onto this quiet little corner of the interweb and were disappointed not to see your name. The oversight is clearly my fault. How could anyone expect me to remember? I can't find my car keys half the time.

For all the great friends I've been blessed to work with, I've also said goodbye to several people who died way too early during my days at WRAL.
-John Hudson
-Al Dunbar
-Dan Wilkinson
-Ron Pittman
-Sean Roberts
-Mark Copeland

I'm now honored to work with my son, Jason Jennings, at WRAL. Jason basically has my old job in our sports office. But he brings SO much more to the viewers. Not only is he an superb photographer, his on-air skills as a reporter and story teller are outstanding. He makes his dad very, very proud.

But I couldn't finish without a couple of words about two people whom I couldn't have done this without. First of all, my wife Debbie. No man could ask for a better partner in life. Especially in my early days at the station, she faced life with two small children as basically a single mom. Just one look at what a great mom our daughter Amy has become is a great example of the amazing job Deb has done while I was off following the bouncing ball. Somehow, someway, she didn't leave me. She's always there when I got home with a hug and a kiss. There is no way to fully express my gratitude to her. Deb, you're the greatest. I love you, babe.

Let me close by thanking Jesus. I gave my life to Christ back when I was 12, but He really didn't get a hold of me until I was 34. It's been a breath-taking ride ever since. Even now, I can look back on my time at WRAL and see his fingerprints all over the place. I'm totally undeserving. I stand here today amazed at His grace.

For the past 30 years, I've been honored to bring our viewers the pictures that tell the story. Thanks for the privilege.

Jay

A Nice Perk

2009-08-12T13:52:00.002-04:00

One of the neat benefits of working here at the Big 5 is the chance to be a guest on Brian Shrader's web show "Live @". Brian was desperately seeking a fill-in guest this morning. So desperate that he asked me to join him.

One of the cool things was being able to give my grandson Markus a shout out on his first birthday!

Check out today's episode of "Live @"...

That's some quality television.

In Christ,
Jay

Is This Really Happening?

2009-08-10T08:51:00.003-04:00

I continue to be absolutely bowled over by the work of God. It seems to happen just about every week these days in the crazy group of folks we call the Church at the Triangle. I'm constantly pinching myself. Is this REALLY happening?

This weekend was no different. Lead Pastor Lee Towns asked me to interview Joshua so we could present his testimony on video during Sunday morning's Experience. So Saturday afternoon, Joshua and I sat down for a quick video shoot. For the next 26 minutes, I heard a man describe in very real, very raw terms what Jesus is doing in his life RIGHT NOW!

The difficult thing was editing it down. What in the world do you leave out of this incredible story? Somehow, someway, I cut the interview down to 3 minutes. I'm honored to share Joshua's story with you.

I'm humbled to say that Joshua is my friend. I just love the way he loves Jesus. And I love what Jesus is doing in His life.

In Christ,
Jay

God @ the Movies

2009-07-11T18:53:00.003-04:00

I'm REALLY looking forward to our "God @ the Movies" series at Church at the Triangle.

Lee Towns will use four recent flicks to illustrate the difficulties of life and how we can apply biblical truth.
-"Taken" (July 12)
-"Slumdog Millionaire" (July 19)
-"Iron Man" (July 26)
-"Gran Torino" (August 2)

It should be awesome.

I'm also excited about the songs we'll be playing over the next four Sundays.

Hope you can join us.

In Christ,
Jay

Changing of the Guard

2009-07-10T17:14:00.002-04:00

First, Tom Suiter. Next, Bob Holliday. WRAL Sports said "goodbye" to a pair of local legends in recent months.

And for many of us, these fellows were friends. They were our eyewitnesses to Final Fours, bowl games, high school football and the Stanley Cup playoffs. They will certainly be missed.

As the Sports Photographer for WRAL from 1980-1986, I would like to share a couple of thoughts about Tom and Bob.

Allow me to crank up the Flux Capacitor to March 1980. I was fresh out of college and starting my first job as shooting sports at WRAL. Tom Suiter was the Weekend Sports Anchor at the Big 5. Tom and I were a team. We went everywhere together.

Whether it was interviewing a newly hired Coach K, a grumpy Ralph Sampson or NASCAR up-and-comer Dale Earnhardt, Tom's enthusiasm and laser-sharp sense of humor was amazing. We laughed our way to and from most of our assignments. And I owe Tom a huge debt of gratitude as he taught me the words to every fight song in the ACC.

Now fire up the DeLorean to 1981. Bob Holliday visited the sports office as part of his job interview at WRAL. I'm not sure Bob knew what he was getting himself into. As he eloquently told us of his sports philosophy, Tom and I played a spirited game of Nerf basketball. Bob never missed a beat as the ball bounced off his noggin and Tom did his best impression of Tommy Heinsohn shooting free throws.

After joining the WRAL Sports team, Bob and I became the new duo. "The Captain" and I teamed up for some great assignments: Daytona, UNC's '82 championship, the Cardiac Pack in '83, and too many great high school football games to remember.

I want to take a moment to address some of the concerns about Tom and Bob moving on (although Tom remains at WRAL for special assignments). They will be missed. No question about it. But their fingerprints are all over the Big 5 Sports team. They have left behind an amazing legacy. Each member of the sports office was strongly influenced by Tom and Bob.

Jeff Gravley. Ken Medlin. Josh Hailey. Jason Jennings. Each of these guys grew up watching Suiter and Holliday, dreaming about the day they might work one day with their TV idols. (As a matter of fact, you might say that my son Jason literally grew up in the WRAL Sports office as he followed dear ol' dad on numerous assignments.) Once here, they learned from these men first-hand.

We miss Tom and Bob. As a friend, I miss having them around. As a colleague, I'm indebted to both of them for allowing me to grow not only as a Sports Photographer but as a Reporter as well. I want to publicly thank both of these gentlemen for everything.

But their legacy lives on. It is not necessarily the end of an era. More like the changing of the guard. Just tune in to the Big 5 Sports tonight and see for yourself.

Jay

2009-07-01T16:36:00.004-04:00

We called it "More." It was truly that.

This past Sunday night, Church at the Triangle hosted our first ever night of worship. Attendance was light at the Royal Event Center. But God's presence was thick in the room. Very thick. I will never do justice in describing what happened. As the saying goes, "You just had to be there."

The evening was a combination of music, prayer and communion. Under Lee Towns' excellent leadership, we entered into times of deep, guided prayer. This was a first for our young church. That seemed to set the stage for an amazing evening in the presence the Lord. This was intimate, heart-changing prayer. The kind of prayer that remolds you in such a way that you leave the room a different person than when you entered.

We're planning another event like this in August. While I'm hoping God moves in a similar way once again, what happened June 28th cannot be duplicated.

Something happened Sunday night. Maybe I should say Someone happened.

In Christ,
Jay

Rattling My Cage

2009-06-15T12:16:00.003-04:00

Ever get your cage rattled?

You know, something happens in your life that is totally unexpected. Out of left field. A belt from the blind side. Never saw it coming. But yet you deserved it. You had lost focus on the main thing and started majoring in the minors.

Then... WHAMMO! God does some serious cage rattling.

Well, that's what happened to some folks who were simply minding their own "bidness" while doing "bidness." Suddenly out of nowhere, this Guy storms in, chasing away their livestock and dumping their cash registers on the ground. You see, these people had lost their focus on what was really important.

Jesus not only did that to the moneychangers and animal vendors in the Temple courts, but He does it to us as well. In the same way that He ferociously cleared the Temple, He upsets the apple cart in our lives. Especially when He needs to get our attention.

What in the wide, wide world of sports is the connection between what Jesus did 2000 years ago recorded in John 2:13-25 and my life as a Christ-follower today? Don't forget that each believer is a Temple for the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 4:7). Jesus will ferociously protect this Temple as well.

Gotta admit, I'm not crazy about this when it happens. And God rarely does it the same way twice. Illness. Death of a loved one. Loss of a job. Major life crisis. The Lord will definitely use these to get our attention back on the main thing. Namely, Him.

I may not like it, but a little cage rattling now and then is really good for me.

In Christ,
Jay

Beach Sabbath

2009-06-12T22:49:00.002-04:00

How often do you ever see the words "beach" and "sabbath" in the same sentence?

Well, that's going on here. We're taking a beach sabbath. My wife and I are taking a weekend away. Much needed. Very much needed.

Since becoming part of the team at Church at the Triangle back early in 2009, I've been serving just about every Sunday. Don't get me wrong. I love it. But it was time for a break. And, let's face it, it's biblical. God calls us to sabbath. And He tells us that He created the sabbath FOR US!

Who am I to disobey my Creator?

So that being said, we're taking a beach sabbath. See y'all next week. Tanned, rested and ready.

In Christ,
Jay

That's CRAZY Talk!

2009-06-12T07:57:00.003-04:00

Do I seem just a little crazy to you?

Kinda out there? Just a bit off my rocker? Honestly, I hope so. And the reason: my love for Jesus. The Apostle Paul said the same in 2 Corinthians 5:13a.

"If it seems that we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God..."

My desire is that I would have such a passion for Jesus and His glory that the world would think I'm at least a little loony. That's because a love for my Lord is so out there, so counter culture, that it does seem crazy by the world's standards.

This week at Church at the Triangle, we're starting a new series called "Crazy," based on that same idea. Curious at what a Gospel-centered crazy looks like? Well, join us for the next few weeks.

We'll also be singing a handful of new songs, so you might want to listen to them before coming. Here are the tunes we're singing this Sunday at the Experience.

Do I seem a little crazy to you? I sure hope so.

In Christ,
Jay

"Home" Music

2009-06-05T21:49:00.001-04:00

We just finished our "Home" series at Church at the Triangle. We set the tone with some great music before and after the Experience. Here's a sample of what you might have heard if you have joined us.

In Christ,
Jay

Experience Sneak Peak

2009-06-02T21:47:00.008-04:00

Here's a sneak peak of Sunday's Experience at Church at the Triangle. We're holding our first outdoor worship event at the Meredith College Amphitheater this weekend...with a picnic to follow. From what I understand, we'll even have a "bouncy house." I might break a hip, but will have to give it a try!

Check out our set list...

Hope you can join us at 10:30am this Sunday morning.

In Christ,
Jay

Sunday's Set List

2009-05-30T21:43:00.001-04:00

Never tried this before. But here's an iMix of the band's set list for Sunday, May 31st at Church at the Triangle. Enjoy.

Jay

The Prodigal God

2009-04-24T15:49:00.003-04:00

Thank you, sir. Can I have another?

These words rang in my head as I read Tim Keller's amazing book "The Prodigal God." This itty bitty 132 page punched me in the gut like Buster Douglas pounded Mike Tyson. With each paragraph, Keller's insights on Jesus' parable of the Prodigal Son landed body blows on my soul.

And somehow, I liked it. In someway, it was good for me. In the words of the great philosopher and theologian John Mellancamp, "It hurt so good." Kinda like a velvet hammer.

Thank you, sir. Can I have another?

In "The Prodigal God," the author points out that we have long overlooked the powerful Second Act of the parable, what Jesus had to say about the Older Brother. He correctly reminds us that the Older Brother is just as lost as his younger sibling. The Older Brother has obeyed his Father in order to get something in return...NOT out of love.

For someone like me that's worked hard to obey the Lord, it makes me stop and wonder about my motive. Am I obedient simply because I want something? Shouldn't the Father's love be enough. Ouch.

Thank you, sir. Can I have another?

Do yourself a favor. Read "The Prodigal God." But be warned. It packs a punch.

In Christ,
Jay

The Woman on the Bench

2009-03-26T14:00:00.006-04:00

She haunts me. I see her wherever I go. Her words ring in my ears. The woman on the bench.

This past Sunday, Lead Pastor Lee Towns played a video called "An Unspoken Plea" in the conclusion of his message. In the video, a woman on a park bench talked very frankly about how we, as Christ followers, treat her. She says we call her "lost," and has no idea what that means. We judge. We condemn.

The woman on the bench asks questions are like daggers through my heart.

"What are you going to do when you leave this building? Are you going to share with me what you've been learning? Or are you going to just bottle it up and pull it out next week for your friends?"

Ouch.

Funny thing. Now I see her everywhere. In every conversation I have with my friends at work. In the car next to me at the intersection. In the eyes of every person I see. There she is...the woman on the bench.

I have to admit that I've had a miserable few days since meeting her this Sunday. Suddenly God is allowing me to see people as He sees them. It's both awesome and awful at the same time.

It's all because of the woman on the bench.

In Christ,
Jay

A Lame Hobby

2009-02-20T09:22:00.005-05:00

Church is a really lame hobby.

I heard Matt Chandler of the Village Church in Dallas say that in his weekly podcast. No truer words were ever spoken! He talked about if church is only a hobby to you then it's really nothing more than weekly Christian version of Halloween. You get all dressed up in your costume and pretend to be something you're not.

Church is a really lame hobby.

I think that's what Jesus was talking about when He said, "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God" (Matt 15:8-9 NLT).

If church is only my hobby then I'm just wasting my time. And yours. Church is SO much more than that. It's folks in community who share a radical and counter culture belief in Jesus and who are on a mission to reach as many others with His message as possible. Church is no hobby. It's a passion. A passion for Jesus. A passion for people.

If that's not what church is to you, then go home. Do something else. Sleep late. Play golf. There are plenty of great hobbies out there. But Matt Chandler was right...

Church is a really lame hobby.

In Christ,
Jay

A Coat Rack Moment

2009-02-05T10:17:00.004-05:00

It was a "Coat Rack Moment." Not to be confused with a Kodak moment.

I've had a couple of them recently. One in a very physical sense. Another spiritually.

The first "Coat Rack Moment" happened a couple weekends ago. I was carrying wood into the house to stoke a crackling fire. Somehow, someway, I stepped on the foot of the free-standing coat rack in the front hallway as I was closing the front door.

WHAM!!!

The coat rack cracked into my forehead and sent me and the firewood sprawling in the hallway. My forehead was cut open like Ric Flair in a cage match. Needless to say, it got my attention.

The second "CRM" was this past Sunday at church. Lead Pastor Lee Towns sermon dealt with "forgetting what lies behind" from Philippians 3:12-14. His basic message...get past your past. As he spoke, I realized that I had some pretty nasty bitterness from the past year that I had never really gotten over. The day before, I received an email that didn't just poke at an old wound, it torn it wide open. Bitterness and unforgiveness boiled over. So as Lee preached his message on Sunday, the Holy Spirit slammed His divine coat rack into my forehead once again.

WHAM!!!

No blood this time...but a boat load of conviction. I've had the chance to confess my sin to close friends over the past couple of days. That's REALLY helped me drain the bile from my life. I needed to confess. I needed to repent. I'm sure there's still more work to do. But I'm thankful that God used this moment to get my attention, however painful it might have been.

A "Coat Rack Moment."

In Christ,
Jay

A New Adventure

2009-01-27T10:43:00.002-05:00

"Well, that didn't take long."

Those were my wife's words when I accepted a position at The Church at the Triangle heading up their Creative Arts Team. And really, who can blame her for saying it? It's only been 3 1/2 months since Freedom River closed its doors.

But when God gets involved, I guess it's really not surprising at all. Looking back at the sequence of events at both the final days of FRCC and what the Lord's been up to at CATT, His fingerprints are all over this situation.

Probably the most surprising thing is that I actually stopped to talk to the two people who had veto power: Jesus and my wife. It would have been VERY easy to blurt out a "YES!" before Lead Pastor Lee Towns ever finished making his offer. But I took the time to pray over the decision and also make sure Debbie was on board.

One reason for the amazing ease of the decision is my growing friendship with Lee. He and I have hit it off from almost our first conversation. We have a very similar view of church and ministry. We read a lot of the same authors. We listen to many of the same podcasts. I'm really looking forward to seeing how the Lord will deepen our relationship. And I'm very excited to serve under someone who has such a clear vision for the months and years ahead.

I'm looking forward to leading worship for the first time at CATT this week. Jesus is up to something. Come check us out some Sunday morning.

In Christ,
Jay

Home Again

2009-01-17T15:54:00.004-05:00

Looks like our church search is over.

Since Freedom River's last meeting on October 5, 2008, my wife and I have been on the lookout for a new church home. We've visited some great places. We've met some wonderful people. We've seen God at work in a variety of cool churches.

But something special happened when we visited the Church at the Triangle for the first time on November 16th. The atmosphere was like no place I've ever visited. More like a cool coffee house. Ever sit at round tables during a worship service before? Well, you do at CATT.

The people were warm and friendly. The band was tight and rockin'. The sermon was biblical and applicable. For all of the other neat places we visited, this just clicked. It was like putting on your most comfortable pair of old jeans. Most importantly, God is clearly at work.

Lee and Carla Towns began laying the ground work for CATT more than a year ago. They launched August 24th of 2008. I mean this thing is brand-spankin' new and fresh out of the box. It still has that "new church" smell!

One thing that has made this even more special is the fact that several Freedom River refugees are also attending CATT.

Deb & I are looking forward to serving Christ's Kingdom at CATT in the coming weeks. What will do? Wherever the Lord wants us.

Join us sometime. Check us out at http://www.churchatthetriangle.org/.

It's good to be home again.

In Christ,
Jay

Job Insecurity

2009-01-09T12:58:00.008-05:00

The headlines and evening news are chock full of downturns, bailouts and layoffs. Seems everyone is concerned about job security.

But let's talk about "Job insecurity." Not job, but Job. You know...the guy in the Old Testament. Yeah, THAT Job. You see, Job had lost it all. Not just his job, but also his health, his wealth and most of his family.

I sat down and read through this amazing book in one reading the other day. What an incredible reminder to me about reading the Bible. So often, I'll check out a verse or two here or a chapter there, but never see the B-I-G picture of an entire book. Not this time. Read Job in one sitting.

For 37 chapters, we read about this once proud man whose life is now nuked. We hear the loving "advice and encouragement" of the three stooges: Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar. We are right there when Elihu lovingly and firmly speaks some sense to this broken man. We read Job demanding a hearing with Almighty God.

And then God shows up. Oh, does He ever show up!

God hits Job with an unending barrage of challenges that start with phrases like, "Have you ever..?" and "Can you..?" and "Do you know..?" The Creator questions him on such topics as geology, astronomy, zoology, biology and philosophy. Imagine the hardest blue book exam times a gazillion. And Job had no idea this would be on the final.

Job is left there...stuttering and stammering. "I am nothing--how could I ever find the answers?" (Job 40:3a NLT).

"Job insecurity."

Interestingly, God never tells Job why he lost it all. And Job is fine with that. After experiencing first hand the awe-inspiring and jaw-dropping power of God, it just doesn't seem to matter. And God drenches Job in His amazing grace by restoring him. "So the Lord blessed Job in the second half of his life even more than in the beginning" (Job 42:12 NLT).

If you ever doubt the power, the majesty, the holiness or the knowledge of God, crack open your Bible to the book of Job. Read it all the way through. I think you'll experience "Job insecurity." And that's a good thing.

In Christ,

Jay

A Heart away from Home

2008-12-30T16:24:00.006-05:00

Ever go some place far away yet it feels just like home? Well, that's how I feel about "The Heart," a wonderfully funky church in Boone, NC.

Over the past few years, my wife and I have dropped in on the folks at "The Heart" on some of our little weekend getaways to the North Carolina mountains. Our first visit just felt right. Do you know what I mean? Even though we didn't know a soul in the place, we felt right at home. We love the people. We love their band. We love the sermons. But most of all, we love the way they love Jesus.

My relationship with the folks at "The Heart" took a couple of giant steps forward in December. Pastor Richard Miller graciously asked me if I would preach while he was out of town. So, I humbly took him up on the opportunity, continuing his series "The Grinch: Enlarging Your Heart."

On December 14th, we looked at enlarging our heart to be more passionate. Using Mark 12:33 as the basic text, we learned that Jesus wants to change our hearts so we would have...
-A Passion for His Presence
-A Passion for His People
-A Passion for His Plan

It was great to be back preaching again. First time since September 28th at Freedom River.

Then two weeks later, the worship pastor at "The Heart," John Hawkins, asked me if I could fill in on guitar. Wow, did that feel good! Again, the first time to play in a praise band since October 5th, our last service at FRCC.

If you're ever in Boone over a weekend, I highly recommend a visit to "The Heart." They meet at Watauga High School and the service starts at 10:30am each Sunday. I don't think you'll be disappointed. Check'em out at http://theheart.us/.

I want to thank Richard Miller, his wife Terri and John Hawkins for graciously inviting me to be a part of God's work at their church. But most of all, I want to thank Jesus for opening the door and making this happen.

Can't wait to see what He's up to next!

In Christ,
Jay

Church Search Part Seven

2008-12-23T18:13:00.003-05:00

As we close out a VERY eventful 2008, some of us are still searching for a new church while others are settling in somewhere. As we wrap up our "Church Search" series, we need to remember one very important fact...

Plug in and get your serve on!

A couple of thousand years ago, Paul wrote about the importance of each believer not only being connected to other believers in a church, but totally plugged in and serving. He compared the church body with the human body and said, "God has put each part just where He wants it" (1 Corinthians 12:18b NLT).

Kinda reassuring, isn't it? God's going to make sure that He has you right where He wants you. The next part is up to you. Find out what your spiritual gift is and then find out how you can use that gift in helping folks at your new church.

Plug in and get your serve on!

Let's take a quick back look at our checklist in finding a new church home...
1-Do they worship the Jesus of the Bible?
2-Do they preach and teach from the Bible?
3-Do they have a passion for reaching people for Jesus?
4-Do they have a passion for discipleship?
5-Do they preach a Christ-centered, biblical Gospel?

We also looked at four books that can help us in the search...
"Church: Why Bother?" by Philip Yancey
"Who Moved My Church?" by Mike Nappa
"More Jesus, Less Religion" by Stephen Arterburn & Jack Felton
"Nine Marks of a Healthy Church" by Mark Dever

I want you to know that it has been an honor to serve as your interim pastor...even in the past couple of months after we didn't have a church. I hope that I've been able to provide you with some encouragement and instruction during this time of transition. I pray for you and your search daily.

And when Jesus does place you where He wants you...

Plug in and get your serve on!

In Christ,
Jay

The Church Search Part Six

2008-12-18T12:25:00.003-05:00

Is their Good News really THE Good News?

As we continue our search for a new church, we really need to make sure that our new church preaches the Gospel.

But pump your brakes, Jay! Doesn't EVERY church that talks about the Gospel, preach the Gospel? Sadly, no. There are a lot of churches out there that preach the Gospel, but it's probably better called "a gospel." Not the great news of salvation in Jesus, but something much less.

Some proclaim a health and wealth gospel, that Jesus died so that you will never get sick and be rich as Rockefeller. Some preach a law of attraction gospel, that if you simply believe something strong enough, you can make it happen. Others teach a do better gospel, that Jesus may have died for your sins to the point of your conversion, but it's all up to you now. That's just a handful of the heresies out there today. Be very, VERY careful.

It would be a good idea for us to listen closely to Paul's warning to the church at Corinth some 2,000 years ago.

"You seem to believe whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach about a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed" (2Corinthians 11:4 NLT).

In his book "9 Marks of a Healthy Church," Pastor Mark Dever warns...
-The Good News is not simply that we are okay.
-The Good News is not simply that God is love.
-The Good News is not simply that Jesus wants to be our friend.
-The Good News is not simply that we should live right.

The Gospel is that Jesus Christ is the one and only Son of God who left the comforts of heaven to live the life we couldn't live and die the death we should have died. We must admit that we have fallen short of God's perfect standard, that we have sinned and turn to Jesus for His forgiveness. When we accept Christ's death on the Cross in our place, He not only forgives us, but graciously adopts us into His family forever.

Now THAT'S GOOD NEWS!!

In Christ,
Jay

The Church Search Part Five

2008-12-10T21:25:00.003-05:00

You need them. They need you.

As we continue the search for a new church home, we need to check out what sort of opportunities there are for discipleship. Let's face it. You need them to help you grow. They need you to help them grow.

-Is the church committed to your growth?
-What's their vision for your discipleship?
-Are you on your own or will they provide you a place to develop?

The best place this happens is in some sort of small group community. That might be a home group Bible Study. Or it could be a Sunday School class. Great preaching is important. But true growth, real growth happens best in small groups. That's where the rubber really meets the road.

How important is community? Well, in the middle of His perfect creation, God took a look at Adam. The first human was the peak of His handiwork. But there was just one problem.

"It is not good for the man to be alone" (Genesis 2:18 NLT).

The Lord was talking about so much more than female companionship for a lonely man. It was obvious that God created Adam for community.

All throughout the Bible, God provides examples of small groups that create greenhouses of discipleship and spiritual growth. David and his mighty men. Paul, Silas, Titus and Timothy. Jesus and His disciples.

The writer of Proverbs made the point. "As iron sharpens iron, a friend sharpens a friend" (Proverbs 27:17 NLT).

As we examine the various churches, let's take a hard look at discipleship. And when we joined, let's get plugged in. Don't forget.

You need them. They need you.

In Christ,
Jay

The Church Search Part Four

2008-12-02T19:26:00.004-05:00

The Great Commission. Or the Great Omission.

As we continue our search for a new church, it's imperative that we select a fellowship that places a high value on evangelism. Before the Risen Christ ascended to heaven, His last words were crystal clear.

"I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:18-20 NLT)

Talk about famous last words.

Notice that Jesus' final command was not just for pastors. Or elders. Or deacons. Our Savior commissioned ALL of His disciples to make disciples. That means you. That means me.

That being the case, it's critical to see how the churches we visit view evangelism.
-Are people trained in sharing the gracious Good News of God?
-Are people encouraged to pray and seek opportunities to tell people about Jesus?
-Is the Gospel clearly presented on a regular basis?
-Are there opportunities for folks to respond God's invitation?

Let's be clear. I'm not saying that every sermon must have an extensive presentation of Jesus death on the Cross. And I don't mean that every service must conclude with a guilt-driven altar call. The Good News needs to simply be part of a healthy church's DNA.

Let's make sure that we're obedient to the Great Commission. And not guilty of the Great Omission.

In Christ,
Jay

The Church Search Part Three

2008-11-25T21:29:00.003-05:00

The B-I-B-L-E. That's the book for me.

Many of us sang that little ditty in Sunday School growing up. But the truth is, we need to take a close look at how the churches we visit view the B-I-B-L-E.

It's easy for church to proclaim that holds God's Word in high regard. That it's a "Bible-believing fellowship." But does the rubber really meet the road? Here are a few questions that can help us as we move through Church Search when it comes to how a certain church views Scripture.

1. Is the Bible seen as the inspired Word of God?
If God has truly inspired the Scriptures, they can be trusted as divine and without flaw. Translations can be questioned. Interpretations can be doubted. But with the Holy Spirit as its source and inspiration, the truth of the Bible is perfect.

For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (2Peter 1:21 NIV)

2. Is the Bible the ultimate standard of truth?
In other words, is God's Word the only truth or is it seen as one of many sources of truth? There is only ONE measure of divine truth: The Bible.

The commandments of the LORD are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are clear, giving insight to life. (Psalm 19:8 NLT)

3. Is the Bible used as the basic source of teaching?
It's OK if other curriculum is used, but is the source of that material scripturally based. One of the clear purposes of God's Word is to instruct His people.

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. It is God's way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do. (2Timothy 3:16-17 NLT)

4. Is all of the Bible taught?
This might be a little harder to determine in a few short visits, but is the church committed to teach ALL of Scripture. Do they avoid hard or difficult passages? Some churches make a point of preaching and teaching through the entire Bible over a period of time. That's certainly something to consider.

"For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God." (Acts 20:27 NKJV)

When you visit, pay attention to how the Bible is used. Is it used to teach during worship? Is it read aloud? Are the songs based in Scripture? Does the pastor use it as the basis for teaching or simply as a launching pad for expressing his own opinion?

And let me know if they ever sing, "The B-I-B-L-E. That's the book for me."

In Christ,
Jay

The Church Search Part Two

2008-11-18T14:22:00.004-05:00

If you're out there "wandering in the wilderness," on the search for a new church, you might wonder what resources might be available to help you.

Well, here's a list of books that I would HIGHLY recommend. They have been a great help to me as we've tried to sort through the maze of local churches.

"Church: Why Bother?" by Philip Yancey

Yancey retraces his personal journey through many of his own difficult questions and doubts about the reasons and purpose of joining a local church.

"Who Moved My Church" by Mike Nappa

In a similar style of "Who Moved the Cheese," Nappa's parable examines how the church is to interact with today's culture. This one is humorous, entertaining and thought-provoking.

"More Jesus, Less Religion" by Stephen Arterburn & Jack Felton

Arterburn & Felton take a look at the damage of religious legalism and "churchianity." This is a followup to their book "Toxic Religion." They call for a return a strong, obedient and grace-filled relationship with Jesus.

"Nine Marks of a Healthy Church" by Mark Dever

Dever examines the characteristics of a healthy and thriving church using nine qualities that are often neglected in today's churches.

I hope these help you in your journey.

In Christ,

Jay

The Church Search Part One

2008-11-09T09:56:00.005-05:00

So, for whatever reason, you're looking for a new church.

Where do you start? What do you look for? What's important? How big? How small? What style? What denomination?

The answers to many of those questions are really up to your own personal preferences. Let's call those "the non-essentials." But as we search for a new church, there are a few things that we must not compromise. We'll refer to those as "the essentials."

First of all, do they worship Jesus?

This question is so simple that it may seem obvious. Let's face it, just about every church mentions Jesus' name in some way. But there are often subtle, yet VERY dangerous views of Christ. Maybe the better question is what Jesus do they worship?

We must remember who the Bible says Jesus is.
The one and only Son of God.
The one and only Savior.
The one and only Way to the Father.
Fully God and fully Man.
Lived the perfect life that we couldn't live.
Died the death that we should've died.
Risen to life so that we could attain eternal life.
Ascended to the right hand of the Father.
Ruling and reigning from heaven.
Returning one day soon for His people and judge the world.

Paul describes Jesus in one of the great passages in the Bible...

Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before God made anything at all and is supreme over all creation. Christ is the one through whom God created everything in heaven and earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can't see--kings, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities. Everything has been created through Him and for Him. He existed before everything else began, and He holds all creation together. Christ is the head of the church, which is His body. He is the first of all who will rise from the dead, so He is first in everything. For God in all His fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and by Him God reconciled everything to Himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of His blood on the cross. (Colossians 1:15-22 NLT)

When we visit churches, let's make sure to check out what they stand for and whom they worship. Research their doctrine and theology on their websites. Ask questions of the pastor and folks who attend.

And, first of all, make sure they worship Jesus. Our Jesus. That's essential.

In Christ,
Jay

George Washington Worshiped Here

2008-10-27T15:40:00.005-04:00

George Washington.

Thomas Jefferson.

James Monroe.

All Founding Fathers of our country. All Presidents. All worshipers at Bruton Parish Church.

My wife and stumbled into this 334-year-old church during a weekend visit to Colonial Williamsburg.

This tiny chapel oozes colonial history. Many of our Founding Fathers worshiped here in the days leading up to the American Revolution. The bell that once rang to celebrate American independence still rings to call worshipers today. Reverend Rowland Jones, who served as Bruton's first rector, was Martha Washington's great grandfather.

Bruton Parish Church has certainly seen hard times, but today boasts a membership of 2,000 that meets regularly in the old brick chapel.

As many of my friends continue to search for a new church home, Bruton Parish points me to the Ancient of Days. The Great I Am. The One who was and is and is to come. Compared to our Eternal God, this centuries old church pales in comparison.

Washington worshiped here...and let's not forget WHOM he worshiped!

In Christ,

Jay

In this day of contemporary churches meeting in such places as schools, movie theaters and civic centers, there is something reassuring

119

2008-10-22T16:54:00.003-04:00

Psalm 119.

The longest chapter in the Bible. 176 verses. Considering the psalmist's focus on the power and importance of Scripture, it seems appropriate. Check out verse 18...

Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in Your law.

The topic probably tested the writer's thesaurus (did they have a thesaurus?). When he speaks of God's Word, he uses terms like precepts, laws, commandments, judgments, statutes.

I was chewing on 119 this morning, when something hit me like a ton of bricks. Three verses that spoke to the benefit of God's discipline in my life. Let's face it, God's good discipline is NOT a real hot topic of sermons and Bible searches. But here's what I belted me between the eyes this morning...

I used to wander off until You disciplined me; but now I closely follow Your word. (Psalm 119:67)

The suffering You sent was good for me, for it taught me to pay attention to Your principles. (Psalm 119:71)

I know, O Lord, that Your decisions are fair; You disciplined me because I needed it. (Psalm 119:75)

The point is crystal clear. God DOES disciplines us...and He does it for a reason. It is good for us. It calls us back to His Word. It's fair. And we need it.

These verses remind me of Paul's words in 2 Corinthians...

For God can use sorrow in our lives to help us turn away from sin and seek salvation. We will never regret that kind of sorrow. But sorrow without repentance is the kind that results in death. (2 Corinthians 7:10)

When you get a moment, crack open Psalm 119. You'll find some of the richest and deepest truth about truth anywhere in the Bible.

In Christ,

Jay

Just as I Am

2008-10-20T12:18:00.003-04:00

If you're a recovering Southern Baptist like me, "Just as I Am" conjures up images of emotional, yet interminable altar calls led by hellfire-and-brimstone evangelists. I can testify to the night I gave my life to Jesus during a summer revival at the age of 12 as Charlotte Elliot's hymn groaned on the church organ.

But over the past week, "Just as I Am" has taken an entirely new meaning. It's the title of Billy Graham's autobiography. The book is massive (784 pages!). But if any person has the material to carry a book of that length, it is certainly Rev. Graham.

The book sat on my shelf for almost ten years (it came out in 1997). I made the decision to dive in last week. I have absolutely no regrets.

Although I'm only 200 or so pages in, I would undoubtedly recommend it to anyone. His stories of growing up on a North Carolina dairy farm are charming. His call as an evangelist and subsequent education are insightful.

But the book makes the jump to warp speed when Rev. Graham begins his 1949 Crusade in Los Angeles. God's obvious hand on Graham's ministry is unmistakable.

Do yourself a favor and read "Just as I Am." I'm not responsible for any Southern Baptist flashbacks!

In Christ,

Jay

The Search Begins...

2008-10-16T14:10:00.002-04:00

Last Sunday was different. Last Sunday was difficult. For the first time in seven years, Deb and I were no longer members of Freedom River. For the first time in seven years, Deb and I were searching for a new church.

We decided to check out Triangle Community Church in Cary (www.tcc.org). We visited there back in 2001 when they were meeting at an elementary school. They’ve since moved into a beautiful new facility.

Honestly, I was fine until we started walking through the parking lot to the front door. Suddenly, I had huge empty feeling in my gut. At first I thought it was a bad bowl of cereal, but soon realized I wasn’t going to FRCC. As a result, I didn’t want to go.

But I did.

Despite the fact that the church is basically in our neighborhood, we didn’t know a soul. Once again, I felt very alone.

The band was excellent. But they didn’t play our songs. And they only played one song that we knew (“Better Is One Day”). And they didn’t play that one our way. Sheesh.

It was hard to get an idea of what their full service was like because they spent most of the hour baptizing folks. Young. Old. Middle aged. It was an excellent example of Christ’s work in their church right before our eyes.

In the end, I was glad to go. David wrote, “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the LORD’” (Psalm 122:1 NLT). Despite all of my loneliness, it was good to be with God’s people. We’ll definitely give TCC another shot in a few weeks. But there are other great churches to visit in the coming months.

I realize that it’s going to be hard for many of us to go anywhere other than FRCC. And I write all this to let you know that you’ll probably have some powerful feelings when you do go. That’s OK. It’s part of the process.

It would be very easy for some of us to punt this church thing…at least for a while. Let me encourage you NOT to do that. Keep in mind the powerful words of the writer of Hebrews: “And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near” (Hebrews 10:25 NLT).

Can’t wait to hear updates of where you guys have visited.

In Christ,
Jay

Catalyst...at Random

2008-10-12T10:30:00.002-04:00

The folks at Catalyst go out of their way to create one of the most creative, off-the-hook, fun atmospheres you'll ever experience. Here's just a few of the things we saw, in no particular order...

The White Carpet.
Auburn's War Eagle.
A cylindrical Jumbotron.
A step team.
A "popper."
Trampoline basketball.
A pentecostal choir.
Cloggers.
A school bus.
A mariachi band.
An elephant.
A donkey.
A pig.
Jeff Foxworthy.
An African children's choir (performing "Sweet Home Alabama!").
Bagpipes.
Lanny Donoho's GHOTI t-shirt.
Acoustic, all-female led worship.
John Foreman of Switchfoot performing acoustically with a cello player.
Cornhole games.
A rap video featuring Andy Stanley and Franklin Graham.
Painting on stage.
Nerf rockets.
White streamers.
Ping pong balls.
A balloon drop.

I'm sure I left out something. Can't wait to see what they have up their sleeve next year.

In Christ,
Jay

Catalyst Day Two

2008-10-11T16:54:00.004-04:00

Back to Gwinnett Arena for Catalyst Day Two.

Opening Speaker Tim Sanders built on the theme from his book Love is the Killer App. Sanders said that "good" is the new "great." He explained that by "good," he means the morally correct thing to do. He strongly encouraged Christ-followers to take Jesus' values to work. The result: "What you learn on Sunday makes you a rock star on Monday."

Sanders gave the example of Timberland employees doing post-Katrina relief work in New Orleans' Ninth Ward. When residents said what they needed most were shoes, a busload of Timberland sales people literally gave the shoes on their feet, right then and there.

Syndicated radio host Dave Ramsey shared his views of leadership and team unity. He explained that the 5 Main Enemies of Unity are...
1. Poor Communication
2. Gossip
3. Unresolved Disagreements
4. Lack of Shared Purpose
5. Sanctioned Incompetence
Ramsey closed his session with a discussion of the current financial crisis. He strongly encouraged us to relax and not be victims of fear-mongering.

Franklin Graham was on hand to accept the Catalyst Lifetime Achievement Award for his father, Billy Graham. The younger Graham passionately pleaded with the crowd to preach the Gospel. "When you preach the Gospel," he said, "there is Holy Spirit-filled power that penetrates the hearts of people." As president and CEO of Samaritan's Purse, Graham boldly stated that this ministry is a means to inject itself into the crises of the world and plant the flag of Jesus.

Author and thinker Ed Stetzer gave a brief but powerful demonstration of statistics regarding unchurched adults in America. First, he said that evangelical Christians often do a great disservice to polls and stats. It's been described as Christians behaving badly...with statistics. Stetzer shared a number of stats that point to the fact that unchurched adults between the ages of 20-29 are consistently more open to biblical Christianity than we realize.

Author Andy Crouch expounded on the theme of his book Culture Making. He said that for years Christians have...
-Condemned culture
-Critiqued culture
-Copied culture
-Consumed culture
None of this has any real impact on changing culture. He said what Christ-followers should do is...
-Cultivate culture (take something good and keep it good)
-Create culture (we are made in the image of THE Creator)

Pastor Matt Chandler was an incredible breath of fresh air. I've never really heard anybody quite like him before. Chandler is the lead pastor of the Village Church in the Dallas area. In his very brief time on stage, he told the story of a young man that accepted Jesus at his church who grew up in the Baptist church. It broke this pastor's heart to think that someone could spend their life in church and miss the Gospel of amazing grace.

Catalyst closed with North Point's Andy Stanley sharing what he called "Recent Random Thoughts on Leadership." He walked through five quotes that have made him stop in his tracks and re-think how he leads his church. They were...
1. "To reach people no one else is reaching, we must do things no one else is doing." -Craig Groeschel
2. "The Next Generation product almost never comes from the previous generation." -Focus, Al Reis
3. "What do I believe is impossible to do in my field...but if it could be done would fundamentally change my business." -Future Edge/Paradigm Book, Joel Barker
4. "If we got kicked out and the board brought in a new CEO, what would he do? Why shouldn't we walk out the door, come back in, and do it ourselves?" -Only the Paranoid Survive, Andy Grove
5. "When your memories exceed your dreams, the end is near." -Michael Hammer

Once again, Catalyst blew me away. With its speakers. With worship. With creativity.

In Christ,
Jay

Catalyst Day One

2008-10-10T06:07:00.005-04:00

Well, a big "howdy" from the ATL (OK, actually it's Duluth, GA in Gwinnett County, but that's not nearly as hip and cool).

I'm here with 12-thousand of my closest friends for Catalyst, a two-day event for young leaders and fresh thinkers serving in ministry. Day One was AMAZING! Thought I would take a minute to give you a snap shot of what's going on.

Andy Stanley kicked things off with a powerful message on Moral Authority. Using Nehemiah 5:6-18, he said that there must be alignment between our creed and our deed. He emphasized that we must have Moral Authority in three areas...

Forgiveness
Family
Finances

(By the way, the parallels in this passage between what was going on in Jerusalem in 444 BC and Wall Street today were scary. Check it out.)

Sportscaster Ernie Johnson, Jr. interviewed William Paul Young, the author of the best-selling book The Shack. Young describes himself as the "accidental author." This book has been the target of a ton of criticism, especially from conservative Christian leaders and scholars. I must admit that I have my own doctrinal concerns and criticism about some of the things that Young said in the interview. But I probably ought to read it before saying more.

Next up was Jim Collins, author of Good to Great and Built to Last. Collins is one of the most respected men in the area of leadership, in business or in the church. It's easy to see why. He said that the most important question a leader can ask is not "what" but "who." A leader must have the right people in place before moving forward.

Yesterday was my first opportunity to hear Steven Furtick of Elevation Church in the Charlotte, NC area. What an energizing and passionate speaker! He said that between God's Promise on our life and the Payoff, there's a very painful Process. Furtick urged us to stay faithful in the small things.

Brenda Salter McNeill is the author of A Credible Witness. She came in to shake things up. She said that God is all about Revolution. He's shaking us out of our comfort zone. Using Acts 1:8 and 2:1-12, she spoke about how the Holy Spirit rocked the disciples world. She urged us to pray, "Lord, shake upo my world by shaking me up."

I was very excited to hear Seth Godin, the top business and marketing blogger in the world. He's the author of The Dip, The Purple Cow and Tribes. This was his first presentation to a Christian group. He talked about Tribes, people gathered together with a common goal. He believes Tribes are the new key to reaching people.

Craig Groeschel of lifechurch.tv in Oklahoma City closed the first day with an extremely powerful message (that's two years in a row that God has used Groeschel to slam me in face with a spiritual 2x4). He talked about "finding It when you've lost It." "It" is that almost indescribable something of God. "It" is NOT a model or a system. To be an effective leader in the church, you must be overcome with "It." He said that to regain "It," a person must ask the Lord to "ruin me, heal me and stretch me."

Coming here on the heels of the closing of FRCC, I was in a very interesting place to hear this message. I feel that He used the last couple of months to break me...in a good way. Coming to Catalyst was part of that healing process.

Day Two on tap. Stay tuned!

In Christ,
Jay

No Words

2008-09-29T16:00:00.011-04:00

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...

2008-09-28T22:17:00.005-04:00

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

2008-09-24T22:01:00.005-04:00

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

2008-09-24T15:43:00.002-04:00

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

2008-09-16T19:49:00.004-04:00

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

2008-09-16T19:21:00.002-04:00

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

2008-09-16T18:46:00.004-04:00

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

2008-09-02T22:56:00.002-04:00

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

154 Shopping Days Until Christmas!

2008-08-25T22:59:00.003-04:00

Well, that headline may have caught you off-guard. Why in the wide, wide world of sports should you be worried about Christmas when it's not even September? That's because it won't be long before we start the 2008 edition of Operation Christmas Child.

Operation Christmas Child is the shoebox ministry of Samaritan's Purse that sends Christmas presents to underprivileged children in desperate situations around the world.

Freedom River has used OCC in years past to touch the hearts of kids half a world away. We're excited to take part again in 2008.

So what do you do? Well, start hanging on to those shoe boxes. Pray about how God might use you to make an impact through this very simple, yet powerful opportunity. If you want more info on OCC, go to http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/index/.

One difference we're making in 2008 is that we're asking our small groups to head up this project. I can't think of a better mission project for our groups as we head into the Christmas season.

We'll have more information for you soon. But remember the words of Jesus who said, "When you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!" (Matthew 25:50 NLT)

In Christ,
Jay

Tell Them Jesus Sent You

2008-08-25T07:34:00.003-04:00

As a member of the liberal, godless news media, I'm often given press passes to cover various events. Presidential visits. The Super Bowl. The Olympics. The Final Four. These media credentials allow me to go places because someone in authority has approved my access.

In the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20), Jesus tells His doubting disciples that His Father has given Him all authority in heaven and on earth. And because of that authority, He is sending them to go and make more disciples.

When they saw Him, they worshiped Him—but some of them still doubted! (Matt 28:17 NLT)

Is that not one of the more troubling verses you've ever read in the Bible?! Why in the world would Matthew include this? If it were left to me to write and edit Matt's gospel, I would have never allowed this one past my desk. But thankfully, the former tax collector was writing under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, not under my less-than-inspired direction.

The doubt of the eleven was real. How do we know? Well, one of them wrote it down! My guess is that Matthew was one of the doubters. This verse also hints at the accuracy of the Bible. It allows us to see an unsanitized look at these men. We see them, warts and all. Just as their doubt was real, so were these men. Let's face it, all of us have our doubts at some point.

Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave His charge: “God authorized and commanded Me to commission you…” (Matthew 28:18 The Message)

But their doubt did not change the fact that Jesus had ultimate authority. Daniel's vision gives us a glimpse of the Heavenly Coronation (Daniel 7:13-14). Let's take a quick look at Six Marks of Jesus' Authority.

1-Jesus is the ultimate TEACHING authority (Mark 1:22).
2-Jesus is the ultimate RULING authority (Ephesians 1:10).
3-Jesus is the ultimate FORGIVING authority (Matthew 9:6).
4-Jesus is the ultimate LIFE-GIVING authority (John 10:18).
5-Jesus is the ultimate CHURCH authority (Ephesians 1:21-23).
6-Jesus is the ultimate INDIVIDUAL authority (Philippians 2:9-11).

So often we struggle with the practical application of Scripture. What do we do with what we've read? Well, Jesus was kind enough to provide specific instructions in Matthew 28 regarding our response to His authority.

"Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matt 28:19-20 NLT)

We are to "go." As a matter of fact, Jesus assumes that we will go. The literal translation from the original Greek says "after going." We're not to sequester ourselves in some bomb shelter or monastery. Jesus expects us to interact with real people in the real world.

We are to "make disciples." Notice it does NOT say "make converts." And this is NOT about forcing people into false conversion. That's a mark of so many false religions. We're to urge or convince others to become a follower of Jesus. Then we are to teach them what it means to follow Him. How can someone ever follow Him if they don't know what to do?

We are to take the amazing message of His Gospel "to of all the nations." Literally, we are "to make disciples from all ethnic groups." His amazing grace is not offered to only people like me. He's calling me to get out of my comfort zone. Reach out to people of every race, nationality and culture.

We do this because Jesus sends us in His authority. We can tell them that Jesus sent us.

In Christ,
Jay

From a sermon at Freedom River Community Church on August 24, 2008.

Must See FRCC

2008-08-19T11:59:00.004-04:00

Every summer, the TV networks announce their new fall schedule. Viewers find out when their favorite shows will be on. We also get a sneak peak at the new sitcoms, dramas and reality shows. With that in mind, I thought you might like a look at the Freedom River Fall Schedule.

Call it "Must See FRCC."

First of all, we'll continue our "Glorious" series for three more weeks. This Sunday we'll examine God's sovereignty with "Tell Them Jesus Sent You." The following weekend we'll take a look at the amazing love of God. Our next guest speaker, Justin Wredberg, will wrap up the series on Labor Day weekend.

Starting September 14th, we'll begin our next series called "Rebuild, Reboot, Redeem." This will be a study of Nehemiah. In this amazing book, the prophet Nehemiah heads up a massive urban renewal project in the ruins of Jerusalem. I truly believe this could be a powerful study for FRCC at a very critical time. Talk about reality TV. This series will take us right up to the Christmas season.

Stay tuned for "Must See FRCC" every Sunday at 10 am.

In Christ,

Jay

The Humility of Christ

2008-08-17T22:04:00.002-04:00

This past Sunday, Freedom River was blessed to have Pastor Stephen Davey share God's Word. Davey is the founding pastor of Colonial Baptist Church in Cary, NC. He's also the host of the nationally syndicated radio ministry "Wisdom for the Heart." And he's acclaimed as one of the nation's top expository preachers.

He preached on the Humility of Christ from Philippians 2:5-8. This passage reveals Five Rights that Jesus Reliquished in coming to earth.

1-The right to LIVE like God.
Jesus was equal with God the Father, but renounced this right. He is the ultimate riches to rags story.

2-The right to ACT like God.
Theologians call this the Kenosis of Christ, literally "the emptying of His hands." Jesus gave up His right to use His wonder-working hands. In other words, He gave up the right to access His own omnipotence.

3-The right to LOOK like God.
Jesus was made in the likeness of man. It's hard to imagine what a step down this was. Isaiah 53:2-3 describes our Savior as physically an average Joe.

4-The right to be TREATED like God.
In this passage of Philippians, Paul highlights the humiliation and torture of the Roman cross. We totally betrayed Him. Yet He still gave Himself for us.

Why did Jesus do this? John 1:12 is very clear: But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God.

In other words, Jesus gave up His rights as God in order that we might receive something that we totally did not deserve. God's grace is truly amazing.

Thanks to Pastor Davey for taking time in his schedule to encourage us with such a powerful word from Scripture.

In Christ,
Jay

From a sermon at Freedom River CC on Sunday, August 17, 2008.

Every Breath You Take

2008-08-17T21:37:00.003-04:00

What's your IQ? Who's the smartest person you know?

According to the Stanford-Binet IQ Test, some of the highest scores are Parade Magazine columnist Marylin Vos Savant (185) and chess champion Bobby Fischer (187). Some estimate DaVinci IQ at 220. But many experts believe that the smartest person to ever live was William James Sidis. Sidis read the NY Times at 18 months. He was fluent in eight languages by the age of eight. The Bible says that Solomon is the wisest human to ever walk the earth.

But all of those pale in comparison to our All-Knowing God. He knows every breath you take.

God gives us an amazing glimpse of His omniscience in 1Samuel 16:1-7. The LORD gives Samuel the assignment of anointing the Israel's next king. Samuel takes one look at Jesse's oldest boy Eliab, obviously a strapping young stud. Samuel's certain this is guy. God jumps to tell the prophet that while man looks at the outside, He looks at the heart.

The Bible gives us Five Facts of our All-Knowing God.

1-God knows EVERYTHING.
Once more He asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, You know everything. You know I love you.” Jesus said, “Then feed My sheep.” (John 21:17 NLT)

2-God knows everything ABOUT THE FUTURE.
“And do not forget the things I have done throughout history. For I am God—I alone! I am God, and there is no one else like Me. Only I can tell you what is going to happen even before it happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish.” (Isaiah 46:9-10 NLT)

3-God knows everything POSSIBLE.
“For if the miracles I did for you had been done in Sodom, it would still be here today.” (Matthew 11:23 NLT)

4-God knows everything ABOUT HIMSELF.
But we know these things because God has revealed them to us by His Spirit, and His Spirit searches out everything and shows us even God's deep secrets. No one can know what anyone else is really thinking except that person alone, and no one can know God's thoughts except God's own Spirit. (2Corinthians 2:10-11 NLT)

5-God knows everything ABOUT YOU.
O LORD, You have examined my heart and know everything about me.
You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my every thought when far away.
You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest. Every moment You know where I am.
You know what I am going to say even before I say it, LORD. (Psalm 139:1-4 NLT)

“I am watching them closely, and I see every sin. They cannot hope to hide from me.” (Jeremiah 16:17 NLT)

“Your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask Him!” (Matthew 6:8b NLT)

Jesus knew their thoughts… (Matthew 12:25a NLT)

The amazing fact is that Jesus not only knows absolutely EVERYTHING about me, but that He still loves me despite what He knows!

There is no reason to play games, no reason to wear a mask, He knows you. He knows every breath you take.

In Christ,
Jay

From a sermon at Freedom River CC on Sunday, August 10, 2008.

Reaching Up, Reaching Out

2008-08-04T22:15:00.003-04:00

Reaching up. Reaching out.

Those four simple words really sum up what some folks call "The Greatest Commandment." When asked what was REALLY most important, Jesus stated very simply that we're to do these two things. "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength...Love your neighbor as yourself" (Mark 12:29-31 NLT).

Reaching up. Reaching out.

As Dr. Phil would say, "How's that workin' out for you?" How's your love for Jesus? How's your love for people? I think that's something we need to continually ask ourselves.

As a general rule, I think we do an AWESOME job of reaching up. This is a church that has a passion for singing His praises and spending time in His presence when we gather. I think we do a pretty good job of reaching out and loving our brothers and sisters in Christ at FRCC. That's great because Jesus said others will know that we're His followers through our love for each other (John 13:35).

Can I be honest with you? I think we've struggled with reaching out to folks OUTSIDE our church family. Notice how I said "we." I'm just as guilty as anyone. We must start looking outside ourselves. Without realizing it, we've become a little "Freedom River focused." And that's not healthy. Hey, it's easy to do consider all that we've been through.

Over the coming weeks, you'll start seeing opportunities to reach out...as a church, as small groups, as individuals. Sometimes these will be chances to share Jesus with folks. Other times it will simply be an opportunity to spread a little salt and shine a little light.

Be praying about what you can do...to reach up, to reach out.

In Christ,
Jay

Jesus Is All the Power You Need

2008-08-03T19:17:00.004-04:00

Power. Nuclear power. Electrical power. Political power. All power pales in comparison to our All-Powerful God.

Nebuchadnezzar found this out the hard way. As the King of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar was one of the most powerful people on the planet. He built his country from a third-rate Third World step child into a dominating superpower.

With a powerful military machine, he bullied neighboring nations into submission. Through an amazing domestic revitalization, Nebuchadnezzar brought his people up from the ashes. He ordered the construction of shipping docks, canals, aqueducts and temples. He built not one, but three opulent palaces. The king actually ordered that his name be stamped on every brick used in construction to make sure all would know of his power.

His most impressive accomplishment may have been a gift for his wife. His new bride was a native of the mountains. Nebuchadnezzar literally built her a mountain in the middle of the capital city, covering it with an amazing array of plants and trees. It became known as "The Hanging Gardens of Babylon," one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

But it all came to sudden end one day when the king walked along the roof of his palace. Daniel 4:28-37 says that a voice from heaven told Nebuchadnezzar that his reign was over. Almighty God cut the arrogant monarch down to size. If that wasn't bad enough, the King of kings humbled the King of Babylon, making him believe he was a cow! For seven years, one of the most powerful persons on planet grazed the pasture like a Holstein!

And after a humbling seven years, a broken Nebuchadnezzar realized God's power and might. "He has the power to do as He pleases." (Daniel 4:35b NLT)

God's purpose was to make sure that we would all know that only God is Almighty. But what does it mean that God is powerful? While we can't comprehend the full scope of His power, five "Power Points" may help us appreciate His omnipotence.

1-The power of God is UNSTOPPABLE.
For our God is in the heavens, and He does as He wishes. (Psalm 15:3 NLT)

"...with God everything is possible." (Matthew 19:26 NLT)

2-The power of God is UNIMAGINABLE.
Now glory be to God! By His mighty power at work within us, He is able to accomplish more than we would ever dare to ask or hope. (Ephesians 3:20 NLT)

3-The power of God is IRREVERSIBLE.
"From eternity to eternity I am God. No one can oppose what I do. No one can reverse My actions." (Isaiah 43:13 NLT)

4-The power of God is AVAILABLE.
"Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in Me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing." (John 15:5)

For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need. (Philippians 4:13 NLT)

5-The power of God is the GOSPEL.
For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes--Jews first and also Gentiles. (Romans 1:16)

Coming to some understanding and comprehension of the power of Almighty God has incredible consequences on our daily lives. Simply put, how powerful is your God? Sadly, it seems that so many of us end up worhsiping an impotent God with an impotent Gospel. If our Omnipotent God can literally speak the universe into existence from absolute nothing, then He is powerful enough to do a great work through us and in us!

John Piper sums it up best.
To be gripped by the omnipotence of God is either marvelous because He is for us or terrifying because He is against us. Indifference to His omnipotence simply means we haven't seen it for what it is.

As Nebuchadnezzar stated so simply 2700 years ago, "He has the power to do as He pleases."

Jesus is all the power you need.

In Christ,
Jay

From a sermon at Freedom River Community Church on August 3, 2008.

Happy Trails

2008-07-29T11:38:00.002-04:00

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

2008-07-27T18:47:00.002-04:00

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

2008-07-22T22:03:00.006-04:00

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

2008-07-20T19:39:00.005-04:00

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

2008-07-15T07:35:00.008-04:00

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

2008-07-13T20:31:00.004-04:00

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!

2008-07-06T21:25:00.004-04:00

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?!

2008-07-01T06:55:00.005-04:00

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

Rock Solid

2008-06-29T15:59:00.009-04:00

A recent survey by by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life revealed both ridiculous and disappointing facts about American faith.

In one of the most absurd stats, one in five atheists surveyed declared that they believe in God. Hmm. Seems like the atheists might want to rethink their entrance requirements. On the other hand, 57% of evangelical Christians hold that many religions can lead to eternal life. What!? It's further proof that we need to have a much better understanding of the foundations of our faith. Or should I say THE Foundation of our faith: Jesus Christ.

That's exactly the reason we're starting our new series "Glorious" at Freedom River. We're going to look at the attributes of God and what impact they have on our daily lives. We begin with His faithfulness.

Over the past couple of decades, a destructive cancer has infected our society. It goes something like this: Your faith is as strong as the strength of your belief. In other words, if you believe strong enough in something, it WILL come to pass. What a huge pile of garbage!! Yet millions of people have fallen for the lie. The real truth...

Your faith is only as strong as what you believe in.

An examination of the Old Testament book of Lamentations reveals a lot about God's breath-taking faithfulness. The prophet Jeremiah is utterly humbled and broken over the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC. Thounsands of people slaughtered. Hundreds of thousands taken prisoner. Thousands more die on a death march through the desert. Jeremiah was on the brink of giving up. Until...

Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The unfailing love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, "The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in Him!" (Lamentations 3:21-24 NLT)

When you read Lamentations, you have a front-row seat for a Texas Death Match between Jeremiah's growing unbelief and faultering faith. And just as faith is about to tap out, something amazing happens. Faith wins! His faith pulls off this incredible "come-from-behind-only-Vince-McMahon-could-write-something-so-ridiculous" victory. His faith wins because of his tag team partner. God's faithfulness. It was Jeremiah's faith in God's great faithfulness that's the difference. Remember...

Your faith is only as strong as what you believe in.

There are many examples of the faithfulness of Jesus in the Bible, but let's look at 8 "Faith Factors."
1-Jesus is faithful to NEVER CHANGE (James 1:17).
2-Jesus is faithful to FORGIVE (1st John 1:9).
3-Jesus is faithful to SAVE (John 6:39).
4-Jesus is faithful to TRUST (Titus 1:2).
5-Jesus is faithful to DEFEND (Psalm 46:1).
6-Jesus is faithful to FINISH (Philippians 1:6).
7-Jesus is faithful to BE THERE (Matthew 28:20).
8-Jesus is faithful to RETURN (Mark 13:26).

As we go through many changes at Freedom River, we need to remember that Jesus alone is faithful. No matter what else happens, He will never leave us.

We must trust in Christ. Jesus is the Rock. He will never change.

Your faith is only as strong as what you believe in. Put your faith in Jesus. He is the Rock.

In Christ,
Jay

From a sermon at Freedom River CC on June 29, 2008.

Eat This Book

2008-06-27T12:33:00.009-04:00

Eat it. Just eat it.

These are words of "Weird Al" Yankovic in his wacky take off of "Beat It." Now, author Eugene Peterson is saying the same thing, but with much less parody, and much more power.

Peterson has written "Eat This Book," that he describes as "a conversation in the art of spiritual reading." Some of you know him as the author of the Bible paraphrase "The Message," one of the more controversial and powerful versions of Scripture you'll ever sink your teeth into.

In his latest book, Peterson discusses our approach to reading the Bible. The title comes from the various instances in Scripture when God serves His Word on a silver platter to a prophet and tells him to chow down. Jeremiah, Ezekiel and John all dined on heavenly scroll.

The idea? The Bible is so much more than a piece of literature, a self-help book or chronicle of history. It's God's revelation of Himself to us. His Word should and must change us. The only way that will happen is from the inside out. For that to happen, we consume His Word, cutting into to bit-sized pieces, chewing it thoroughly and swallowing it.

Once in our system, it changes us internally. Only then will we humbly obey the Word planted in our hearts (James 1:21). Only then does it change us completely, thoroughly, absolutely.

"Eat This Book" is only 176 pages (minus the appendix), but this is anything but a light snack. I nibbled and feasted on this wonderful meal for three weeks. Peterson's observations and conclusions are thick and rich. Often, I would consume a few paragraphs and push back from the table to chew on what he had put on my plate. But it was worth every bite.

And if you are a fan of his translation "The Message," you'll be fascinated as he tells the story of how God moved in his life to create this paraphrase.

I highly recommend Eugene Peterson's "Eat This Book." It's a wonderful appetizer that encourages us to read the Bible with a clean palate. Only then will we "taste and see that the Lord is good." You'll clean your plate and ask for seconds!

In Christ,

Jay

New Beginnings

2008-06-24T20:19:00.006-04:00

There's a small plaque on my desk that my daughter Amy gave to me several years ago. It's a picture of a waterfall plunging off a cliff into a deep blue pool. Below the beauty of the image are the words...

New Beginnings: "In life what sometimes appears to be the end is really a new beginning."

I had been through a tough time at work and she was encouraging her dad as only a daughter can.

Years later, I look at that same picture and it makes me smile. And now it carries special significance as we head out into uncharted territory at Freedom River Community Church.

Sunday was Scott Barfoot's last service with us as Senior Pastor. But it's also a new beginning for him. He's heading on to his new position at Dallas Theological Seminary. Scott was not only my pastor, but he's one of my closest friends. I'll miss seeing him on a regular basis and simply hanging out.

It's a new beginning for me as well. I'm both excited and humbled to serve as FRCC's Interim Pastor. Through service at Freedom River and my ongoing seminary classes, God has been preparing me "for such a time as this." And I'm very grateful that Pastor Scott gave me the opportunity to preach on a regular basis in recent months.

While there are several changes at FRCC, we can be absolutely certain that we will stay the course.
We will stay the course in preaching God's Word.
We will stay the course as a river of God's grace.
We will stay the course as a place people can come just as they are.
We will stay the course as a place that loves Jesus.
We will stay the course.

Beyond that, what's ahead? Well, I'm not sure. I have no doubt that some folks are discouraged. But let remind you that Jesus has this way turning the most desperate situation into something mind-blowing. Check out what God said to the prophet Isaiah...

For I am about to do something new.
See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?
I will make a pathway through the wilderness.
I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. (Isaiah 49:13 NLT)

I've got a funny feeling God is "about to do something new" at Freedom River.

As the plaque says...
"New Beginnings: In life what sometimes appears to be the end is really a new beginning."

In Christ,
Jay

Will & Grace

2008-06-17T20:57:00.006-04:00

Will and Grace.

No, not the "must see TV" sitcom. Not Will, Grace, Jack and Karen. But the Bible with Will, Grace, Paul and the Thessalonians. Thessalonians 5:12-28 to be exact.

We all want to know God's will for our life. But what we really need is God's grace. Yup, you got it: Will and Grace. In the closing verses of 1st Thessalonians, the Apostle Paul wraps up his letter by tying together God's wonderful will and His amazing grace.

In three quick, machine gun verses, Paul pulls the trigger on three rapid fire commands. We're to rejoice, to pray and give thanks. RPG. A US soldier may have rocket propelled grenades (RPGs), but the soldier of the Lord has a full clip of RPGs as well.
-Rejoice
-Pray
-Give Thanks

Interestingly, we're COMMANDED to do each three...and that includes rejoice. His point? That joy, like prayer and thankfulness, is a choice. These three are not based on circumstance or situation. Jesus' saving grace is SO much bigger and SO much deeper than anything that life throws my way. And we can be confident that "God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose" (Rom. 8:28)

Even more importantly, Paul states very bluntly that RPG is God's will for us in Jesus. In other words, what God wants us to do is rejoice in Him, pray to Him and give Him thanks. When we obey His commands to RPG, it deepens our relationship with Jesus. Author Philip Yancey said it best:

“I do not get to know God and then do His will. I get to know Him more deeply by doing His will.”

It would be easy to overlook the apostle's closing sentence to his letter. "May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you" (1Thess. 5:28). What you might read as "sincerely yours" is actually key to the entire letter. You see, "grace" appears twice in 1st Thessalonians. Once in the first verse. And again in the last.

Grace. We say the word so often that it seems to have lost its power, its awe, its mystery. Remember, as sinners, we deserve eternal judgment. But somehow, someway, God has granted not only mercy...but GRACE!!! We've not only escaped the damnation of Hell, but we're invited to the greatest party of all time...the wedding supper of the Lamb! And it's all because of grace.

Rather than ramble on and on and on about grace (and, believe me, I could), let me recommend some reading material. First of all, read the book of Romans. This book has bum-rushed even the most hard-hearted legalist into a life of amazing grace. And while not divinely inspired, three other modern-day authors have strongly influenced my thoughts on grace. "What's So Amazing about Grace?" by Philip Yancey, "In the Grip of Grace" by Max Lucado and "The Grace Awakening" by Chuck Swindoll would be my "triple crown of grace." Check'em out.

But more importantly, experience God's grace. It's His will for you. If you do, you can't help but RPG...Rejoice, Pray and Give thanks.

In Christ,

Jay

From a sermon at Freedom River CC on June 15, 2008.

My Hands Hurt

2008-05-06T12:08:00.000-04:00

Sometimes saying goodbye hurts my hands.

I tend to grip those I love so tightly that, when they leave, God has to tear them from my bony fingers. You think I would have learned my lesson.

Well, it's happening once again. Freedom River's Associate Pastor Jamie Havlicsek, his wife Cara Shey and their brand-new baby girl Emerson are moving on.

The Lord has used them to do some great things at our goofy little church. Their role in the growth and maturity of our Youth is hard to describe. God has also blessed Jamie with some amazing talents, especially in graphic arts and music. With her beautiful voice, Cara Shey has been a huge part of our Worship Team. There will be a huge hole at FRCC when they leave.

But most of all, we'll miss them because they are our friends.

Goodbyes are never easy. Luke writes in Acts 20:36-38 about Paul's tearful farewell to the Ephesian elders.

They knelt.

They prayed.

They cried.

They hugged.

They hurt.

Commentators say it was "considerable weeping" and that they "threw themselves on Paul's neck." Apparently, saying goodbye hurt their hands too.

As followers of Christ, it's OK to hurt when someone you love moves on. We just have to lean on Jesus all the more at times like these.

Still, sometimes saying goodbye hurts my hands.

The Big 5-0

2008-05-05T12:41:00.000-04:00

"50".

It's an interesting number. Half a hundred. It's the number of...

-states in the Union.

-ways to leave your lover.

-first dates in Barrymore/Sandler movie.

-cents in a rapper's name.

-Cardinal pitcher Adam Wainwright's jersey.

As of Saturday May 3rd, it's now my age.

Do I feel any different? Nope, not really. Actually feel better now than I have in years.

Recently, my grandmother celebrated her 94th birthday. Her sister is two years older. So rather than worry about heading to the twilight years, I probably ought to see my life as only half over.

Hey, Moses didn't really get started until he was 80!

Are You Talkin' to Me?

2008-04-30T09:16:00.000-04:00

There he was, minding his own business. Doing his farm chores like any other morning. Making sure he was out of sight of the occupying enemy army. He wanted no piece of that action. Hey, he's a farmer, not a fighter.

Suddenly, he realizes he's not alone. No, it's not an enemy soldier. It's...GULP...the Angel of the Lord! And if that's not crazy enough, the Angel greets the young farmer, "The Lord is with you, mighty warrior!"

"Are you talkin' to me?"

"Mighty warrior?" Gideon thought. "You've got the wrong guy. My name's Gideon, 'fearful farmer.' Not 'mighty warrior.'"

Nope. Gideon's wrong. He is EXACTLY who the Lord is looking for. Because when Jesus is on our side, we always have the enemy outnumbered. Always.

So when you least expect, you might want to look over your shoulder. You never know when the Lord might be calling you, "mighty warrior."

"Are you talkin' to me?"

Maybe so.

Check out Judges 6 when you have a chance.

iLove My iPod

2008-04-29T12:10:00.000-04:00

iLove my iPod.

This wonderful little gadget has opened an amazing new world to me. Not long after getting my first Nano (yeah, I'm already on iPod #2), I realized that this probably belonged in every worship leader's toolbox. I mean, I actually carry around my ENTIRE music library wherever I go. Sure makes praise band practices go much more smoothly. No more "Oops, I forgot to bring that CD with me" excuses.

iLove my iPod.

And as they say in those Ginsu Knife commercials, "but that's not all!"

The iPod has allowed me to hear some of the great preachers of the 21st Century. Every week I hear Andy Stanley, Mark Driscoll, Pete Briscoe, Stephen Davey, Craig Groeschel and John Piper...without ever leaving the state!

iLove my iPod.

iThink iLove my iPod a little too much.

Life Is Hard, God Is Good

2008-04-27T19:36:00.000-04:00

Election season is the season of promises. Candidates continually crank out one promise after another. "I promise to cut your taxes." "I promise to save Social Security." "I promise to protect America from terrorists." "I promise to end the war." It's been said that we should vote for the the politician that promises the least...they'll be the least disappointing!

On the other hand, promises fill the pages of the Bible. Some estimate the number of promises in Scripture at more than 5-thousand. Honestly, that number doesn't matter. The more important number is 100...as in God keeps 100 percent of His promises. God is not only a promise maker, but a promise keeper.

In 1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:13, Paul proclaims three promises. Each of them flowing from the main idea: Life is hard, God is good.

The first is the Promise of Pain. That's one promise in the Bible that we don't talk about very much. I don't hear too many folks "claiming" this promise! Paul sent Timothy to encourage the Thessalonians as they endured tremendous persecution. The apostles writes, "you know that such troubles are going to happen" (3:3). The word "trouble" is the Greek word "thlipsis," which carries a sense of suffering through external oppression. Let's call it "crushing pressure."

Paul say that this crushing pressure is "going to happen." The NASB says "we have been destined for this." The Amplified reads that this is "our appointed lot." The Message renders "It's part of our calling." This crushing pressure is our destiny. It's our divine appointment. It's part of our calling. In other words, it's unavoidable.

Suffering is a mega-theme throughout the Bible. Everywhere you look, people are in pain. A couple of quick examples. Paul and Barnabas tell the new churches that "they must enter into the Kingdom of God through many tribulations" (Acts 14:22). Jesus Himself told His disciples, "Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows" (John 16:33). In both cases, it's that same word "thlipsis." Crushing pressure.

Here's the bad news. Life is hard. We will ALL suffer. Every last one of us. Believer and unbeliever. It's doesn't matter. The good news. God is good.

Next, Paul proclaims the Promise of Perseverance. He worries that the Tempter (Satan) has "gotten the best of you and that all our work had been useless." The Tempter is CONSTANTLY tempting each one of us. Oh, he's good. He knows the best bait to lure and tempt us. But you don't have to give in. He used his best bait on Jesus Himself. But Christ never caved. Ever. And because stood strong, He's right there helping us when we're tempted (Heb 2:18).

This is all part of the process known as sanctification. That's the process each Christ-follower is undergoing. God is molding us into the image of Jesus. And it's a life-long process. It started when God got a hold of your life. It won't end until this life is over. The problem is sanctification is hard. But it's worth it.

Life is hard. God is good.

Finally, Paul proclaims the Promise of His Presence. He refers to "that day when our Lord Jesus comes" (3:13). Jesus IS coming back! It's not a fairy tale. It's no pipe dream. It's not wishful thinking. It's not something Christians made up to get themselves through hard times. A quick survey of the New Testament reveals 23 specific references to Jesus' return. Christ Himself explicity spoke His Second Coming at least 14 times! We dont' know how, when or where...but Jesus is coming back. Paul is telling the Thessalonians to stand strong, hang in there, it's worth.

Life is hard. God is good.

So what do we do with all this? As we said before, will ALL suffer. But we do have a choice. We can suffer alone. Or we can suffer with Jesus at our side, giving us the strength to persevere. As we look forward to His return, should we sell everything, move to Montana and wait on some mountain? Absolutley not! We stay right here and share the love and grace of Jesus with a lost and dying world. And we encourage our brothers and sisters in the family of God to hang in there.

Life is hard. God is good.

From sermon at Freedom River CC on April 27, 2008.

Walk This Way

2008-04-27T18:00:00.000-04:00

Let's go for a walk. And why not? We see walking as a metaphor for life as we step through Scripture. In 1st Thessalonians 2:1-12, Paul gives us "walking lessons" as he teaches the Thessalonians how to "Walk This Way". Hey, he was ahead of Stephen Tyler and Aerosmith by a couple of millenia.

First, we're to Walk This Way with Transparency. Paul writes to the Thessalonians that "we were not preaching with any deceit or impure purposes or trickery" (1Thess 2:3). Apparently, the apostle's critics told the church that it was all just a scam, just some spiritual slight of hand. They charged that Paul had a hidden agenda. He fires back and says nothing could be further from the truth. He and his team were absolutely and utterly transparent when they ministered in Thessalonica.

The apostle wasn't concerned about pleasing anyone except God. As a matter of fact, Paul was more than happy to let the Lord be his supernatural cardiologist. "He is the one who examines the motives of our hearts" (2:4). We're transparent before God. We're transparent before you.

Secondly, we're to Walk This Way with Integrity. His integrity was seen in the way he didn't accept payment from the church for his ministry to them. Paul pulled double shifts making tents, "night and day we toiled to earn a living" (2:9) so he wouldn't be a financial burden to them. He didn't want money to get in the way of the Gospel. The message of Jesus is too important. Paul goes so far as to say "we were pure and honest and faultless" in their dealings with the Thessalonians (2:10).

Thirdly, we are to Walk This Way in Community. The apostle writes that "we gave you not only God's Good News but our own lives, too" (2:8). Paul and his team didn't just show up like consultants, pass along a few pithy comments and move on. No, they invest their lives into this church. As a matter of fact, the word "lives" is actually "psuche" in Greek, which means not just life, but heart and soul as well. He also reminds them "we worked among you" (2:9). Not "at you," not "to you," not "near you." They worked AMONG the Thessalonians, in their midst.

He continues this idea of walking in relationship by writing, "We pleaded with you, encouraged you, and urged you to live your lives in a way that God would consider worthy" (2:12). The phrase "to live your lives" is probably better translated as "to walk around." It's actually the same word the Bible uses to describe Jesus walking on the water. We're to live life on the move.

But we don't walk alone. Jesus promises to never leave us on our own (Matt 28:20). And we are to provide encouragment to one another. I love the idea of encouragement. It literally means "to put courage into someone." It's translated from the Greek word "parakaleo." And it carries with it a strong sense of coming alongside someone when they need it the most. The Holy Spirit is referred to as the Paraklete, the One who comes alongside and encourages.

We're to Walk This Way...TOGETHER! There are no Lone Ranger Christians (hey, even Kimosabe had Tonto). We need each other. God Himself said "It's not good for the man to be alone" (Gen 2:18). Get plugged into a local church. Get involved in a small group. You need them. They need you.

Paul is calling us to Walk This Way...
with Transparency
with Integrity
in Community.

Now, let's get to walking!

From sermon at Freedom River CC on April 13, 2008.

Something’s Gotta Give

2008-03-14T11:18:00.001-04:00

Look around. There’s somebody in the room. Or should I say something. It’s an 800 lb. gorilla of money and giving in the local church. So often, churches approach the topic at extremes. Either they never talk about it. Or they put their people on a HUGE guilt trip.

But let’s face facts. The issue of money and giving cannot and must not be avoided. It also must not be abused. You see, Jesus talked about our money more than He talked about heaven and hell combined.

Paul addressed giving in his second letter to the Corinthians. A year earlier, they had heard of the desperate financial situation of the church in Jerusalem. The early Christians in Israel’s capital were under tremendous persecution. As a result, they were broke and needed help. The much-wealthier Corinthians offered to help. In 2nd Corinthians 9, Paul let’s them know that he’ll soon be heading to Jerusalem, so they should get their money together.

In 2nd Corinthians 9:6-15, God gives us 5 principles for Grace Giving.

I. God calls us to give LAVISHLY (v6)
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. (2Corinthians 9:6 NIV)

Remember: A stingy planter gets a stingy crop; a lavish planter gets a lavish crop. (2Corinthians 9:6 The Message)

God calls us to give LAVISHLY because He is a LAVISH Giver.

Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us… (Ephesians 3:20 NIV)

You can’t out give God!

II. God calls us to give INTENTIONALLY (v7a)
Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (2Corinthians 9:7 NIV)

When Paul writes “decided in his heart,” that simply means that your offering is between you and Jesus. That's why it's called Grace Giving! It's a heart issue. Remember Jesus words in the Sermon on the Mount:

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21 NIV)

We need to make up your mind and be intentional. Plan and purpose to give. That means planning AHEAD of time. Uh oh, there's the "b" word...BUDGET! We need to remember that under the principle of Grace Giving, the tithe is standard or guideline. It is NOT a legalistic requirement.

I invite you to take the test God describes in the book of Malachi.

“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house. Test Me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.” (Malachi 3:10 NIV)

You see, 90% with God goes further than 100% without Him.

Let's be clear about what giving to God is NOT...
-It is NOT “Powerball for Jesus”
-God NOT some divine vending machine
-It is NOT the price of admission to church
-It is NOT a way to pay for music, the sermon, or childcare
-It is NOT tipping Jesus
You CAN’T bribe God. Remember: Jesus looks at heart

God calls us to give INTENTIONALLY because He is an INTENTIONAL Giver.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV)

You can’t out give God!

III. God calls us to give HILARIOUSLY (v7b)
Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (2Corinthians 9:7 NIV)

God calls us to give willingly...not out of guilt. He's less concerned about WHAT we give and more concerned about WHY we give.

God LOVES a cheerful giver. I mean, He's absolutely CRAZY about cheerful givers. The Greek word for cheerful is actually "hilarious". Yup, that's right. Jesus wants us to be hilarious givers.

God calls us to give HILARIOUSLY because He is a HILARIOUS Giver.

He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all—how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things? (Romans 8:32 NIV)

You can’t out give God!

IV. God calls us to give RELENTLESSLY (v8)
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. (2Corinthians 9:8 NIV)

"God is able" doesn't sound very "Almighty" to me. Once again, our English translations don't do justice to the richness of the original text. It actually means that God is AMAZINGLY and POWERFULLY able. Let me take a stab at translating one of my favorite verses in the Bible.

And God is amazingly and powerfully able to overflow all grace and resources to you, so that in all things and at all times, and possessing all that is necessary, you may overflow in every excellent work. (2Corinthians 9:8 Jay’s Translation)

God calls us to give RELENTLESSLY, because He is a RELENTLESS Giver.

And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19 NIV)

You can’t out give God!

V. Be a fire hose of God’s grace (v9-14)
As it is written: "He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever." (2Corinthians 9:9 NIV)

Or as Eugene Peterson paraphrases it in The Message...

As one psalmist puts it, he throws caution to the winds, giving to the needy in reckless abandon. His right-living, right-giving ways never run out, never wear out. (2Corinthians 9:9 The Message)

Here's the scoop. God gives to us so that we can give. We're blessed to be a blessing. Jesus explains the responsibility of being the recipient of divine blessing.

From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. (Luke 12:48 NIV)

VI. God calls us to give SACRIFICIALLY (v15)
Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! (2Corinthians 9:15 NIV)

God gave His one & only Son Jesus ...an AMAZING, indescribable sacrifice!

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 NIV)

God calls us to give SACRIFICIALLY because He is a SACRIFICAL Giver.

You can’t out give God!

VII. God is the ULTIMATE Giver
God is a…
-LAVISH…
-INTENTIONAL…
-HILARIOUS…
-RELENTLESS…
-SACRIFICIAL Giver

You can’t out give Him. He’s an extravagant Giver and He DARES YOU to try to out give Him. Take the 3 month tithe challenge. Pledge to give your first 10% to God for the next three months. I promise you that two things will happen. First of all, Satan will immediately try to discourage you. Secondly, God will bless you in such a way that He'll blow your socks off. Somehow. Someway.

But as my good friend John Logan says, "If you haven’t given yourself to God, He doesn’t want your money." Have you given yourself to Jesus?

God is an extravagant Giver…and He’s making us into His image! And that means He's making us into givers too. God doesn’t need your money. He wants your HEART!

From sermon at Freedom River CC on March 9, 2008.

Expel the Wind

2008-02-23T08:08:00.000-05:00

Well, that title ought to get somebody's attention! While an ill wind may be blowing, it's not what you think. But it is about WHAT you think. Confused? Let me try to explain.

This all started when I went to see a local (Raleigh, NC) production of "Inherit the Wind," a fictionalized re-telling of the Scopes Monkey Trial of 1925. A friend from work was in the play and my wife and I went to see her. While I'm familiar with the main idea of the play and 1960 movie, it had been YEARS since I had seen it.

The theater was wonderfully intimate, but it was soon very apparent that we were on "enemy territory." Of the 150 people in attendance, we may have been the only Christians there. Let's face it, the battle between Creation and Darwin rages hot and heavy into the 21st Century.

Once the play began, the plot took an unexpected turn...well, at least for me. While the script is clearly anti-Christian and anti-Creation, the argument for evolution is a curious one. Bertram T. Cates faces prosecution for teaching evolution in his science class. In doing so, he breaks state law that prohibits the teaching of anything except biblical creation.

His attorney, Charles Drummond, doesn't argue that Creation is necessarily wrong, but that evolution should be allowed into the marketplace of ideas. Students should be presented with more than just one theory and allowed to make up their own minds.

Note this quote from Drummond from the play, "Can't you understand? That if you take a law like evolution and you make it a crime to teach it in the public schools, tomorrow you can make it a crime to teach it in the private schools? And tomorrow you may make it a crime to read about it. And soon you may ban books and newspapers."

Hmm. It's 83 years since the Scopes trial and everything is upside down. Now it's illegal to teach Creation/Intelligent Design in our schools. Proponents of evolution refuse to allow any idea contrary to their own into that same marketplace of ideas.

Suddenly, it hit me. Someone could rewrite the script and turn everything around. A teacher could be on trial for teaching Intelligent Design in the public schools. The town and school board would be in a uprage. This man must be punished! Yet, the defense would argue that we must be open to all valid theories. A 21st Century re-telling of the story would be most appropriate.

Apparently, someone is doing just that. That person would be Ben Stein. He's promoting a new movie called "Expelled." It's a documentary based on how evolutionists are persecuting and black-balling scientists and teachers who don't share their views. While I haven't seen the movie, I have seen the trailer. I'm curious to see what Stein has to say.

A closing thought...Christ followers must not be afraid of science. We don't have to check our brains at the door when we enter the sanctuary. While there are certainly mysteries and unanswered questions regarding our faith (hey, that's why they call it "faith!"), we worship a God who invites us to "Come, let us reason together" (Isaiah 1:18).

Let us "Expel the Wind!"

Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing

2008-01-27T16:37:00.000-05:00

Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing

They say the first step in getting help is admitting that you have a problem. Hello, my name is Jay and I’m easily distracted. Do any of you any of you struggle with focus? I am a “brightest light in the room” kind of guy. It takes so little to steal my attention from the task at hand. I can devote myself to prayer and say, “Dear Lord…oh look, a bird!”

Let me give you an example of what I’m up against. My desk at home is usually a land fill, just piles of papers, books, guitar picks and paper clips. About once a month, I make the decision that for the next two hours I’m going to clean things up. I’ve resolved that today is the day. I begin by sorting through the first layer of papers, throwing some away and filing others. Then I run across a magazine that I’ve hung onto that has an article or two I want to save. I open the magazine to find the articles when an ad catches my eye. “That looks interesting,” I say to myself and notice that it has a website with more information.

I boot up my computer and as it’s spinning up, I remember that I need to send an email to a friend. I open my email and before I can send the note, I notice that I’ve received a note from another friend. Well, I’ve got to respond to that one first, don’t I? You can see where this is going. I can sit down with the best of intentions to clean my desk. And two hours later, my desk is still a mess but I’ve read two magazines, checked my email and surfed the web. Folks, I can head into the kitchen to do the dishes after supper and end up mowing the yard…and I can’t even figure out how I got there! I struggle with keeping the main thing the main thing.

I think many of us struggle with focus in our relationship with Christ. We are easily distracted and lose our focus, especially those of us who are involved in ministry. We are in a constant fight to keep the main thing, the main thing. And sadly, for many of us it’s a losing battle. Today we’re going to examine someone who fought the same frustrating fight. We’ll see what Jesus had to say about keeping the main thing the main thing.

As you turn in your Bibles to Luke chapter 10, let’s set the stage. The Gospel of Luke is the story of Jesus told by Luke the Physician. Before there was Dr. Phil, there was Dr. Luke. Dr. Luke wrote this specifically as a report to person named Theophilis, which means “lover of God”. But he also wrote this to Gentiles or non-Jews in general. The Good Doctor describes this as an “orderly account”. So let’s pick up the story in Luke 10:38-42.

As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a
village where a woman named Martha welcomed them into her home.

Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord's feet, listening to what He taught.

But Martha was worrying over the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn't it seem unfair to You that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.”

But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are so upset over all these details! There is really only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it-- and I won't take it away from her.” (Luke 10:38-42 NLT)

First of all, Martha chose her absence while Mary chose His presence (v 39-40a).
Mary made a choice to…
…Sit at His feet
…Listen to His word
…Take position of disciple
…Know Jesus!

Martha made a choice to…
…Stay busy
…Throw together HUGE meal
…Be “distracted” (Greek perispao)

Second, Martha chose to labor while Mary chose to listen (v 40b).

Third, Martha chose crisis while Mary chose Christ (v 41-42).
Martha created crisis where there was none
Mary kept the main thing the main thing...and knowing Christ is the main thing!

Paul’s main thing...

I once thought all these things were so very important, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I may have Christ. (Philippians 3:7-8 NLT)

David’s main thing...

Take delight in the LORD, and He will give you your heart's desires. (Psalm 37:4NLT)

Jesus’ words...

“And this is the way to have eternal life-- to know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the One You sent to earth.” (John 17:3 NLT)

Our relationship w/JC calibrates all our lives.

3 Ways to calibrate our relationship w/JC
Spend time at His feet
Spend time in His Word
Spend time in His Will

Conclusion: Am I a Mary? Or a Martha?
So each one of us should ask the question, am I Mary? Or am I Martha? Do I choose His presence or my absence? Do I choose to listen or to labor? Do I choose Christ or crisis?

Have we lost sight of the main thing? Have we forsaken time with Jesus because we are just too busy? Ministry is no excuse. We can’t give what we don’t have. John MacArthur warns that we can’t let our service to Christ degenerate into busyness devoid of Christ. I ask again, have we lost sight of the main thing?

Keep the main thing, the main thing. And the main thing is knowing Christ.

Jay

From sermon at Freedom River CC on January 27, 2008.

Mountain Tragedy

2008-01-26T12:37:00.000-05:00

On Thursday, January 24th, three men were murdered in mountains just across the border in Virginia. Investigators found Ron Hudler, his son Fred and their friend John Miller shot to death at the Hudler family farm in Grayson County. The news floored me.

I had the pleasure of spending several days with the Hudlers at their Christmas tree operation during the height of November harvest. We were working on a documentary for WRAL called "The Perfect Tree". Ron and his sons welcomed us with open arms as we continually got in their way during their most crucial part of the year.

It was a particularly special time because my wife and I have a cabin near their operation in West Jefferson. And the people of the town had just elected Ron's son Dale as mayor.

Just two months later, Ron, Fred and John are dead.

As a result, there are wives without husbands. Children without fathers. Mothers without sons.

Please keep the Hudler and Miller families in our prayers.

Jay

Jesus & the Master of the Obvious

2008-01-10T20:52:00.000-05:00

175,ooo. That's the number of new blogs EVERYDAY! 175,000. Makes me scratch my head about why anyone might want to read what I have to say with so much other stuff out there. Maybe no one will. Well, read on...if you dare!

For those of you that tuned in to our previous episode, you might remember that I'm currently reading 2 Corinthians. Just started it really. Chapter 1 is absolutely chock full of juicy stuff.

In 2 Corinthians 1:19, our man Paul writes, "For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by me and Silas and Timothy..." Paul is kinda the master of the obvious, isn't he? If a Christian is going to preach, they're certainly gonna preach Jesus, right? Right? Apparently not.

I'm sorry to say that a quick listen or gander of various preachers would seem to make this the exception rather than the rule. Some wink and smile and tell us that God wants to make us rich...very, VERY rich. And they say the Lord will be happy to do just that if we pony up with a "love gift" of $29.95. Such a deal!

Others pound the pulpit and proclaim a "do better Gospel". Sadly, it's nothing but a lethal legalism. You come away thinking that God is sitting on the edge of Heaven with a lightning bolt in His hand just waiting for us to goof up. ZZZZZAP!!!

Still others tell us that God is there like some sort of supernatural life coach. He's ready to make our lives better if we just give Him a call. Operators are standing by!

Where's Jesus? A quick check of the Bible gives us numerous examples of what preaching Jesus looks like. Over and over in the New Testament, they preach Jesus. Peter did...and thousands repented. Philip did...and he got a free chariot ride. Stephen did...and he got stoned. Paul did...and God changed lives all throughout around the Mediterranean. John did...and he got exiled to Patmos. Even Jesus preached about Jesus after His own resurrection to two guys headed home to Emmaus.

Over the past couple of years, God's provided me with the humbling opportunity to preach His Word. Paul's simple phrase in 2 Corinthians 1:19 is a powerful reminder to those of us who are God's errand boys at our local churches. When we preach, we must preach about Jesus...each and every time.

In Christ,
Jay

1st Blog & 2nd Corinthians

2008-01-05T10:15:00.000-05:00

Well, here's my world premiere into the Blogosphere! I'm been threatening to do this for sometime now. But finally got around to it.

What's the purpose of this blog? We're going to figure that one out together as we go along. I'm sure much of it will focus on my service at church as Worship Leader and occasional Teaching Pastor. Some will be reflections on my own study of the Bible. Other topics may well include my work as a Documentary Photographer at WRAL-TV, my family, sports, music, books, movies and any other incredibly random stuff that runs through my brain.

Will you care? I'm not sure. It is rather egotistical to think someone might care the least little bit about what I have to say about anything. My wife wonders if I've finally lost it and should move back into my parents' basement and take my Star Wars sheets with me. With that in mind, I'll try to keep it short and, hopefully on some level, thought-provoking, funny and interesting.

Why the goofy name? Well, "Jelly & Jam" is a combination of two things. First of all, my nickname is "Jelly Roll." It came from a friend(?) at work about 20 pounds ago. And "Jam" comes from my love of music and my role as Worship Leader at church.

I've recently jumped into a study of 2nd Corinthians. For those who don't know, this is a letter from a guy named Paul to a church in Corinth (southern Greece) in about 55AD. He wrote several letters to them, but we only have two: the books of the Bible we call 1st and 2nd Corinthians.

In chapter one, Paul writes about how God is the source of all comfort. Not just some or even most comfort. ALL comfort. And he says that God will comfort us during our troubles. You can take it to the bank. But when you read on, it's apparent that it doesn't stop there. He comforts us SO THAT we can comfort others.

In just five verses (2 Corinthians 1:3-7), he uses some form of the Greek word "parakaleo." Most Bibles translate it as "comfort." But it can be just as easily rendered "encourage" (as a verb) or "encouragement" (as a noun). I think this may be the case in this passage. To encourage someone is to literally "put courage in" them. It's to let someone know that they can make it in the tough times.

"Parakaleo" is a brother to the Greek word "paraklete," often used to describe the Holy Spirit as the Comforter. A "paraklete" is one who comes alongside, especially in times of trouble. Putting this all together in the context of what Paul has to say, God comes alongside us in our troubles. In turn we are to come alongside others when they face hard times. Kind of a supernatural "Pay It Forward" thing.

The bottom line would seem to be that when we face hard times, God WILL comfort and encourage us...and He'll do it through other believers.

So as we head into 2008, let's not hoard God's comfort and encouragement to ourselves. Let's be ready to come alongside others who are in desperate need of a friend. Hey, God has comforted you. Now it's time to "Pay It Forward!"

Jay