More Grace

A Severe Reaction

I'm beginning to realize that I have a severe allergy. I have known this for some time but I had never connected the dots until recently. The revelation came to me recently when I saw a button that said, "I'm Allergic to Negative People." BAM! I knew there had to be a condition that described the 'need to flee' feeling I got every time I was in the presence of negative whiny complaining folks.

Recently I was in a conversation at church with a very agitated person who kept saying, "I know we're supposed to be Christians and act in a Christlike way but..." BUT??? Seriously? But what? After her "...but..." she proceeded to berate, complain, whine and tear down a line of people in one fell swoop. Everything in me wanted to vacate the property and go to my happy place. 

I heard Dr. Mark Rutland, President of ORU, make this statement at a conference last summer, "I have never really had a bad day since the day I gave my life to Jesus." I wanted to stand up and shout when he said it! Why? Because it's exactly how I feel about life! Here's the key for me, God has never allowed me to forget just how broken, lost, miserable and hopeless I was before I became a follower of Jesus.

That has produced an acute and profound sense of GRATITUDE that has not left me in 32 years of walking with Jesus. I have observed and experienced this truth; Truly grateful people are the most positive, happy, content, loving people on the planet. When you are truly grateful for every breath and can authentically comprehend your life without Christ and without hope, then life takes on a wonderful and vibrant quality. Every day is a bonus! 

As for my allergic condition, I will try not to run the next time I'm in a negative person's orbit and I will just start declaring the goodness of God and change the atmosphere in the moment.

Looking for Sabbath in a Busy World

It's Friday and I'm taking a day off to "be still and know" that He is God. It's a day, according to the Bible, we are not to forsake. Think about it, if the One who created EVERYTHING took one day to 'rest" then who do we think we are to refuse a day to rest, restore and recharge?

Here's the dilemma, I love my work. I'm grateful to do what I do and therefore I take what gets done, or doesn't, very personally. On one hand, that's a good thing. I actually care. I want to honor God in all that I put my hands to. However, I must also honor God by walking in obedience to His command to enter into a Sabbath rest.

I know, your life is busy. Things have to get done. There's not enough time in a day to get it all done. One way to look at it is this, if you do not take God's command/gift to rest and take care of yourself, then you will get very little done in a hospital bed or worse, a grave. Not trying to be too dramatic, it's the truth.

As for me, I choose today to walk in obedience and will endeavor to settle my mind and rest my body. Why? One, because God commands it. Two, because I want to be fresh and ready to be used for His Glory.

"There remains, then, a Sabbath‑rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Heb 4:9-10 NIV

Packing... Packing... Packing... Almost There...

We are entering into the home stretch. I have been packing for days on end. It's a lonely enterprise. It's an odd feeling packing things that have been acquired over years into boxes and placed in your garage for loading. It reminds me just how unecessary "things" are. I would venture that I could get along fine if 90% of it disappeared suddenly. It's just 'stuff.' Stuff that is nice to have but not needed for life itself. It just makes me more grateful for God's goodness.

Our final days in Abilene have been such a flurry of activity with getting the house packed that I haven't had much time to think or reflect on our nine and a half years here. Actually, I grieved a few weeks ago when I handed over the reigns of Grace Point to Richard and Donna Brown. I felt the sting of detachment, the emotion of changing relationships and the excitement of a new adventure... all rolled up into a few emotional days. It's called grief and it's necessary.

Today is the final packing day. I'm picking up truck #1 today and will begin loading, that will give me a jump start on tomorrow. Today I will focus on making every thing I do an act of worship to the Lord. Every box moved, every bed broken down, every TV packed will be offered up to the Lord in gratitude and with thanksgiving.

My Best Fasting Experience

It has been an absolutely amazing 5 days of fasting and prayer. The timing of my transition to Bethel World Outreach Center in Brentwood, TN and this fast were literally perfect! We have held prayer meetings Mon-Fri at 6am, noon and 7pm. That's right... 15 services in a 5 days period! It sounds crazy, but it has been a tremendous experience. We culminate tonight with a full on worship and celebration service followed by a church meal (soup, salad and breadsticks) to break our fast as a church family. In order to keep this blog entry brief I will just say that this has been the most fruitful and deeply spiritual fast I have ever participated in. Some words that describe what this week has meant to me are: Jesus, repentance, consecration, purging, ministry, revelation, confirmation, affirmation, grace, peace and a new normal. As I said, these are just some of the words. There are many more but this could turn into a novel! I have felt great physically in spite of the demanding schedule as I have literally felt carried along on a wave of grace. My fast has consisted of water and protein shakes for nutrition... like I said in a previous entry, it's not a hunger strike to manipulate God with my starvation. I have been extremely busy so it's made the food issue negligable. However, I am looking forward to breaking it tonight.

Fasting or Hunger Strike?

Next week I will be participating in an annual churchwide fast at www.bwoc.org, the church I am currently serving. It is from Monday Jan 9th through Friday Jan 13th. There is a lot of excitement and expectation in the air as we prepare to spend five days fully focused on Abba Father. I'm more excited about this fast than most, due to the fact that we are in a the middle of a major transition from Texas to Nashville. New church, new position, new house, new educational method for Rachel, new... everything!

Fasting is not a hunger strike to garner God's favor, it is a deliberate act that quells the static so that we may give our attention to Him. In an effort to acquire something from God we may subtly use fasting to manipulate God into doing something on our behalf. That's not fasting, that's a hunger strike. Perhaps we should take a little time to honestly evaluate our motives for fasting. That may be all the leverage God needs to have his way with us. Consider joining us for this fasting journey. It's a great way to start the new year!

The Road to Nashville

I made my first drive to Nashville yesterday. I logged 13 and a half hours and 850 miles on Interstate 20, 30 and 40. It was actually an easy drive and I did not get tired at all. Part of the reason I enjoyed the drive was due to the fact that I had never driven this part of the country before and that made it interesting and entertaining. I drove from Abilene in central Texas to Nashville in middle Tennessee.

I'm used to driving through central and west Texas and I must confess the scenery can be pretty sparse (yes, I'm being kind). However the drive through east Texas and Arkansas was full of interesting sights. One thing I noticed when I stopped at two Interstate truck stops in Arkansans was how many people were wearing camo... I little scary to be honest. It makes you think back to the movie Deliverance!

Crossing over the bridge at Memphis was beautiful at night and then I encountered snow flurries about 45 miles outside of Nashville. It was a fitting way to roll into my new city. I spent the hours turning my Camry into a Cathedral and enjoying good worship music. I had a lot of time to think, pray, plan and declare God's blessings for 2012!

Transition

Interesting times indeed. I recently resigned my church in central Texas and now we are moving our family to Nashville, TN. I'm looking forward to a new chapter of discovery, growth and ministry. I will be serving as a pastor on the staff of Bethel World Outreach Church in Brentwood, TN. New seasons and new beginnings.

The timing is interesting as it is occuring at the beginning of the new year 2012. I have always liked new seasons, both natural and spiritual. This is no exception. We have served in this church for 9 and a half years. I have sensed God shifting something for some time.

Two words stand out to me concerning this transition: 1) Positioning and 2) Expectation. These two words capture the essence of what this move means for us. God is positioning us strategically for his will to be executed and we are to go with expectation and faith. So, here we go!

Deep End

I have always been an "all in" kind of guy. Whether it was sports, music, driving a fast car, partying, girls, etc. I was always "full on" in life. However, as I have aged I have found that I have been more reserved, hanging back and not as spontaneous or ready to go. That's not all bad, but it's not all good either.

Annette and I have been experiencing a personal renewal of sorts concerning our walk with Jesus and our desire to be the kind of people who not only talk about the kingdom of God, but actually demonstrate the kingdom. It started with a challenge from a friend who quoted Acts 10:38. I was undone after that moment because I realised I was not walking with the same passion, tenacity and faith that I used to.

I did what anyone who loves God should do in a moment like that... I ran to the word of God (Bible) and to the Cross (to die to myself... again). All I can say is God's Spirit flooded onto the dry parched ground of my soul and I was renewed, revived and refreshed!

However, a fire started must be a fire maintained. So we held a little meeting at our home last night. There were 10 hungry people at my house for this little gathering we are calling Deep End. I read Ez 47, prayed and then we watched the documentary Furious Love. We were all touched as we saw that God is moving across the earth with His furious love. We then shared our hearts and our desire to 'swim in deeper waters.' It was an amazing evening with amazing people and an even more amazing God!

Do you want to go deeper? Are you looking to move toward the Deep End? Do you get tired of wading around in the shallow end? Continue to check back as I will be posting honest and transparent observations from our journey into deeper waters.

Swimming,
Pastor Jimmy

A Love Revelation/Revolution

There will always be seasons in life that come and go. It's the ebb and flow of life... rhythms if you will. All of us experience these rhythms and they keep life interesting, exciting and in some cases, frightening. A few months ago I was challenged by a brother in the Lord with a scripture. At the time, he had no idea that he was challenging me to my core, but God was using him to "jerk the slack out of my chain."

The verse he quoted to me was Acts 10:38 "how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him." I was rocked to the core because of the confidence I saw in my brother. Rocked... and ashamed of myself.

I knew I needed to run back to the "Grace Point" i.e. the Cross and seek the Lord. Where did I miss this? How did I move away from the belief that God still moves in power, that God still works miracles and that God wants His Glory displayed and demonstrated through His kids? There was only one thing to do... Repent... and that is exactly what I did. 

All I can say is that I had a Love Revelation that resulted in a Love Revolution! It's not rocket science, it's simply believing that the nature and character of Jesus is to be displayed through us... and in particular... me. From that time all I can say is God has flooded my heart, life and spirit with His love and His power. Some would call it revival, renewal... I call it a revolution. Let the revolution begin!

Renewed,
Pastor Jimmy
Grace Point Church 

Thoughts and Musings... Yeah, I'm Random Sometimes

Up early this morning.  There are seasons in my life when I sense the movement of God in unique and intense ways.  This morning is one of those mornings.  I can either lay in bed, wide awake, or get up and jot my thoughts down and process what I believe the Lord is saying to me.  So, here I am to worship, here I am to bow down, here I am to say that "You're my God."

The Passing of a Dear Friend

A friend informed me that a dear saint in the Lord went home to be with Jesus this week.  The funeral is later today.  I have appointments but will do what I can to rearrange my schedule in order to be there and honor a life well lived.  I met Harold Garrett when Annette and I were planting River of Life Community Church in Brownwood, TX in 98'.  It was a time that was both blessed and difficult.  I had never been a senior pastor nor had I ever planted a church... that's the perfect storm for the school of hard knocks.

Harold used to attend our little church off and on and he would come and visit me.  Over coffee we would have extended conversations about the Kingdom of God and it's implications for life in this world.  I was always struck by his zeal and youthful enthusiasm.  Though he was well into his 70's it was like talking with a 24 year old new believer! 

My first thought when I got the news was, "He's home with his Abba Father now."  I will grieve our loss here on this earth, but will also celebrate his home-going!  Someday, we will see each other again and perhaps we will laugh about our "Kingdom Conversations."

Reconnection

Dr. Jack Taylor has always been a hero of sorts to me.  Back in the mid 80's I was a university student at Howard Payne in Brownwood, TX.  My hunger for all things Kingdom was intense and I was searching for a deeper experience in God.  Someone passed along the book, "The Hallelujah Factor" and I was captured by the author's vocabulary and writing.  It resonated deep in my soul.  That writer was Dr. Jack Taylor.  He was from my denomination and yet refused to be limited by the traditions and norms of our "system."

As I read that book and "After the Spirit Comes" I pursued a more profound experience with the Holy Spirit.  My life was changed forever.  A few years ago I invited Jack to speak at my church and he graciously came and poured life into our congregation.  He and his precious wife even washed mine and Annette's feet before our congregation as a show of honor.  We were deeply touched.

Life happened and I lost touch with Jack.  I even fell into a three year funk (mid-life crisis perhaps?) and my isolation caused me to not put forth the effort to maintain our relationship.  Recently, I was thinking about Jack and his willingness to "Father" this fatherless son and I called him.  Hearing his voice was like hearing the voice of a lost and yet familiar friend.  It was such a joy to catch up and we have committed to stay connected and not let time pass.

New MSCC Website

Check out our new website at www.mscc.tv.  We have changed web hosts and have opted for a more streamlined and simple layout.  I tend to operate by the "KISS" method, "Keep It Simple Saint."

Blessings,

Jimmy