What Happens NOW?!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In Christ,
Jay

Rock Solid

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

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

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

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

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

"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!