And so we moved to Utah

We had prayed that God would move us west, we prayed God would give us a place that needed to be reached, we prayed and God answered our prayers! Little did we know what was in store for us when we arrived in the beehive state.

The Bible belt was home, people on front porches waving as you pass by, easy grocery line conversations, neighbors who not only new you, but had dinner with you on a weekly basis. The south was much like Cheers for us, you walk in the door and everyone yelled Norm, but we gave that up to do what we had asked God to do. The funny thing is, that right before we left my wife had gotten a call and a job offer in Jacksonville, FL and when she got the job for Salt Lake City, we were in Jacksonville on vacation. Jax would have been easy, but we NEVER do anything easy.

I don’t regret not going to Jax, it would have been easy to start a church there and begin reaching broken, hurt and addicted people. We wanted to experience more! More, reliance on God and less on our own abilities, well, needless to say, we are reaching that goal! Utah is beautiful and though we have not had to deal with that white stuff falling from the sky and sticking to the ground, we can clearly say we are not in Florida anymore!

We have had our challenges since coming here, the water pump and timing belt went out on our only car four days after being here, several home issues, but most of all meeting people has been tough. I am a people person, I can talk with anyone, but this place has been tough! We go to the farmers market on Saturdays and this thing is huge, 475 vendors selling produce, meats, jewelry, and many other items and it’s packed, thousands of people and just getting a hello back makes me feel like I had the longest conversation in my life! Some people don’t need others, I, on the other hand, need to meet people, I don’t need to befriend everyone, I just like to know about people, I look for connections, I want to be able to help people, to serve others and to eventually share my passion for my savior. I will continue writing more about our journey, but for today, that’s all folks!

Start like Jesus, but…..

I have given in to my desire to make more money once or twice in my life, I think we all have. One of my times happened to be when I decided to sale health products for a MLM ( multi level marketing company) that I don’t need to name. I did pretty well for myself, I built a large down line quickly and promoted the products anywhere I could. I lost 30 pounds in just a few months, put on 20 pounds of muscle in less than six months. I actually love the products, but what I didn’t love was how far I was getting from Jesus!

I was building my team like Jesus, but instead of leading people to God, I was leading farther from Him. I bought in to the idea that I could sale the product and work for the church, just like so many others do! It was quick money, good results, and others noticed, but while I was focused on how to develop my team, I was losing the grip on my relationship with Christ!

I believe the church has become the target of so many of these companies today, that its one of the reason people are leaving the church. I can think of several MLM’s that have infiltrated churches locally where I live. Where else can you target hundreds of people at one time and convince them that you can be rich, give more and be healthy. I did it, but just as fast as it happened so did the conviction!

This blog is going to make some people mad, some people may not talk to me anymore, but that’s not my goal. My goal is to be bold for Jesus and someone needs to say it! Churches are not the POS ( point of sale) for these products, they have a place, just not the church! John 2:15 says: So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. The church is supposed to be a safe place and will always have wolves in sheep clothing, but when those who are sheep become cannibals, the church becomes divided instead of united!

Just me, myself and I

My struggles are real, whether its dealing with myself, my children, my wife or this world. I list them in that order, because that’s the order of my stress usually! When its me, it is about my need to please others, putting God on the back burner, or my pride and self reliance to accomplish certain goals. I can be conceited, lazy and struggle with addiction, which can take many forms! Those are just the bad, I could go on to talk about my willingness to put others first, which most of the time means my family takes a back seat! OK that’s not good!

I really don’t need to talk about my kids, wife or the world, I think you can already tell where I would head! So how do I cope with such issues? One way is I have had to learn to say NO (still learning this one)! I usually go above and beyond on whatever I am doing for others, much of the time just because I want people to like me, but I have realized that I am happier when I am pleasing God instead of others. I am also learning to listen more and talk less about me. I have done a ton of different jobs and been involved in many projects in my short 40 years, so its easy for me to chime in and talk about what I have done or been through when in a group. So I have to bite my tongue, literally I bite my tongue. In James Chapter 3 ( https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James+3), James speaks about taming the tongue, I should read it daily to keep myself in check! I have found when I listen, I hear and feel the nudges of the Holy Spirit more, which allows for more discernment and when I do finally speak, its usually more about helping the person, instead of talking about me! Everyday is a struggle, but with Gods guidance and less self reliance, less talking and more listening, I find less struggles and more freedoms!

Whatever it takes

I have some super strong parents, in fact my father and mother are my biggest hero’s! Its not always been that way, but without their constant push in my life, I would not be the man I am today. Much like today, I was rebellious! I did what I wanted back then, I didn’t care of the impact on others, if it was for my benefit, I did it.

I made a lot of bad decisions in my teens and quite a few in my early twenties. I did somethings I don’t even desire to remember or talk about. The one thing that I tried to do the most was push my parents away, I wouldn’t call them for months, I would tell them about lies about where I was and what I was doing during those times, but when the smoke cleared and everyone was gone, my parents were there!

My parents may have not liked me through out this span of time, but they always loved me! Now that I have children of my own (18 & 7), I somewhat understand what they felt, but my wife and I have been blessed, although our 18 year old is rebellious, he is not anything close to what I was! Thank You Jesus! Our 7 year old is going to be a different story, I can sense the rebellious force in him, but no matter what, like my parents, we will do whatever it takes!

Thanks Mom and Dad for never giving up on me!

The Rebellion and the Empire

OK, you probably are thinking about Star Wars, After the video, the imperial march is stuck playing in your head, but have you ever really thought about the difference between the two? What’s a rebellion? What’s an empire? Lets look at the definitions of each as defined by merriam-webster.com :

Rebellion– an effort by many people to change the government or leader of a country by the use of protest or violence.

Empire– : a group of countries or regions that are controlled by one ruler or one government;especially : a group of countries ruled by an emperor or empress.

When looking at these definitions I see words that I have no desire to be remembered by, such as violence, controlled, ruled. I also see words that I would use to describe me daily, such as change, protest, effort, funny they all come from the definition of rebellion. We could say that all of us want change and none of us desire to be controlled or ruled. So how is it that daily we are made slaves to emperor Sin?

We all deal with temptation, and most of us ( insert honesty here) give in, one way or another and temptation becomes sin. See the temptation is not sin, is just the attempt to cause sin, but what if there was a way out of temptation and no opportunity for this empire to gain control. The Bible gives us the answer:

1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. 

You have a way out, we just miss the chance to protest the empire, because we are easily controlled by the emperor and the dark side, AKA our own desire! Much like Jedi, who have been battling the Dark side for millennium, Jesus left us the gift of the Holy Spirit to help us use the force to over come sin. The Holy Spirit is our guidance in our time of temptation, our voice in our time of need! You will become equipped with the Holy Spirit at the very moment you decide to change and give your life to Jesus. Romans 10:9 says,”If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. This is a must to begin your training, it will not be easy, temptation will come at you from every direction. Some will say you weak and have given in to the real dark side, but rest assured young padawan, living by example will slowly show others the truth!   Titus 2:7 says,And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching. May the force be with you!

Tick Tock Goes The Clock

If you are anything of a Doctor Who fan, you understand just what is being said and what the Doctor is talking about. Time is something all of us have and is something we can never get back. When your time is up and life is over, nothing you do can stop it. I remember when I was younger and always wishing I was older, 16 so I could drive, 18 so I could buy smokes (not a good idea to start smoking), 21 so I could drink legally (you may want to pass that by also). Well now at 40, I want it all back, not really, I wouldn’t want to ever have to go through dating again, hated all the drama that came with that, but I do sometimes wish that I would have done some things differently!

I would have liked to spend more time focused on school and less on the party. I would like to have made lifelong friends who would have had my best interest, instead of trying to impress all those who didn’t care a lick about me. I would like to have waited until I was married with the whole sex thing and most importantly have given my life to Christ earlier.  These are all things that I would like to have done, but the truth is that my testimony would be half of what it is if I hadn’t had experienced all that I did. Would I have the same impact on people, probably not, my story would not be the same and neither would I?

We may be counting down our days here on Earth, but we need not worry, if our hope is in Christ, we are promised eternal life. So all the wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff need not be the focus of our lives, instead of trying to get back what’s lost and counting the seconds that are left, try making the greatest impact on those around you, so you too can hear those prized words spoke by Jesus, ” Well done good and faithful servant”.

Looking for love in all the wrong places

At some point in your life you have set through the song “looking for love in all the wrong places”. Or even better heard the joke ” Do you know why cowboys always have poop in their mustache? The answer is in the title! OK, I know some people won’t continue reading this, that’s OK, this isn’t for them!  I heard that joke when I was about 15 and low and behold it was in a Cheech and Chong movie! Now I probably lost a few more with the announcing I watched Cheech and Chong movies, its cool, move along! So what does this song/ joke have to do with my blog? Well since the two of you left reading are wanting an answer, I will tell you.

From the time we are born we start looking for significance and value in who we are. Many of us (me included) look for our character based on how others feel about us. Most of the time we ask or seek praise by who we associate with, the clothes we wear and when the time is right, the car we drive. Many of us get caught in the trap of people pleasing, letting others dictate what we believe and why. We all struggle with bullies, if you or someone else is dictating the emotions, hairstyle, or beliefs of someone else, you are a bully! I threw hairstyle in there due to just about every person that cuts my hair tries to do something else they like with it, I LOVE my hair and may not have many days left with it ( according to my wife)!

Who are you pleasing, maybe a friend, someone who you want to notice you or maybe even your parents ( students, I am in no way telling you to disrespect your parents, but have a talk with them and be truthful if you are in this predicament, your parents want whats best, I know, I am one). We all are trying to find out who we are and what it is that defines us, but the unfortunate part is that we may not figure this out until we are well into our thirties and start experiencing this with our own children. Reading this blog will not change your life, but I do know one way to redefine yourself now, its coming to know that Jesus is the only one who will not bully into change, life change will come through shaping and walking the path that glorifies all he did for each of us.

We all look for love in the wrong places, but the wrongs in our past can hold on to us  and much like a gargoyle sitting upon skyscraper for centuries, those things will be with us and will haunt us, but Jesus can wipe all these bad decisions away! Its not going to be easy, you will always have people who will taunt you for believing in an unseen God( I know, I will get it from a few friends for this blog), but you push on, praying for them, and building new relationships that will strengthen your faith. Your walk with God could be the life changing moment for many whom you never talk to, but many will observe your faith and may come to know the Risen Christ because of it!

Romans10:13

Scripture reassures us, “No one who trusts God like this—heart and soul—will ever regret it.”

Romans 1:20
For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities–his eternal power and divine nature–have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse

Hit me with your best shot

I have learned a hard lesson in the world of cycling and it goes like this, just because you ride a bike doesn’t make us friends! In the past few weeks I have also been learning this same lesson in the world of Church! Just because you know Jesus, this doesn’t make us friends. BOO! I call fail, on my part and every other Christian out there that thinks they are better than a fellow believer. Even more I call out Pastors who think that they are untouchable or better than another pastor. Shame on all of us who are pastors who think they can treat someone like they don’t matter or aren’t worth talking with, due to difference of denomination or size of church or popularity.

If we as the leaders of the church, are going to truly lead the church and reach a broken world, we better think of each other as equals. Paul spent a good bit of his time in chains reaching those far from God, not behind the pulpit masquerading and preaching on what we should do, just to leave the building and stiff the waitress at lunch. How dare we as leaders not make time to get together and pray, even more not reach out to each other for accountability. We speak of grace face to face, but spit words of deceit and damnation behind each others backs. We as leaders of the church need to surrender all we think we hold, our families, our congregation and their tithes, and our popularity race and meet Jesus where we left Him. The foundations of the church are not built upon greed and selfish gain, but love and mercy, remember,  Jesus answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and the most important commandment.  The second most important commandment is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’ The whole Law of Moses and the teachings of the prophets depend on these two commandments.”Matt 22:34-40

We are the church, we should be united, knowing Jesus makes us brothers and sisters, we will not always see eye to eye on everything, but when those who are lost and broken look to the church, they should see a family united and strong and they should desire to belong.

Punk Rock to Church Planter

I still listen to punk, almost daily! I love the sound, I love the nonconforming message that comes from the punk rock, it’s probably the biggest reason I became a Christian and ultimately a church planter. Yea you read that right, punk rock led me to Jesus! I used to think that Christianity was all about conforming, putting on a suit and tie and going to church, telling people how, if they don’t turn, they will burn! Well did I ever get a wake-up call! Jesus may not have used Knox gelatin or super glue and an iron for his mohawk, but that guy was punk before Iggy.

As a follower of Jesus, we are called to not conform, not to be of the world. I was doing this already, I just replaced the drugs with Jesus and found myself in an upward spiral, instead of the steady downward spiral. I didn’t change anything else, God did that for me over time. I have experienced life on a whole new level, in fact, I have been able to share my life story with other punks and watched them become so much more than rebellious teens, they have become an organized voice. As a so-called punk, I wanted to be heard and seen, as a Christian I serve those who are unheard and unseen by the world!

I’ll take the dirt road

I love cycling, all forms, but the dirt and gravel roads speak to my soul. There is nothing like being in the middle of nowhere Florida away from the craziness of traffic and people. I would love to travel the world on dirt roads, but I know that at some point I will have to meet the pavement. Life is like a box of chocolates, just kidding, life is really like the roads we travel. Sometimes we have segments of smooth rolling pavement that flows like a downhill stream, and other days we find that the pavement can be violent with potholes and face climbing mountains and headwinds that seem like they don’t end. Give me either of those days on a bike and I just feel complete.

Now take those same days on a dirt/gravel roads, no matter what you do you are beaten by the unsculpted terrain, but even more complete (at least I feel this way). Most every day I find a way to take the dirt road, it calls to my heart. Some days the dirt road may be hanging out with people who are unmasked and releasing all their pain upon my path, allowing me to travel with them. Other days are like sitting on the side of a rarely traveled mountain road over looking at all that has been accomplished. My rebellious heart is simply quieted by the grace that is provided in all of these moments.