A Dream Come True

As most of you know my wife and I were pastors in Las Vegas for many years. Then after 15 years of marriage decided that we must take a step back and take a break from the treadmill of ministry. We moved to Virginia and pretty much disappeared from the world that we grew to love for so long. While in Virginia, the Lord began to heal many parts of our heart that were shredded through years of ministry, personal issues, and relationship deterioration. While we were in Virginia we met some great friends, sought the Lord for our future, and started to discover what next steps the Lord would have for us. During one of the weeks while we were praying and fasting, I awoke from a dream where I was preaching at a church. When I was finished preaching, I went outside to figure out what church I was at. The name of the church was Freedom Fellowship. I then looked to see who the pastor was and came to a startling realization that I was the pastor. I woke up and told Melissa about this crazy dream and then just stored the dream in that place where I ponder the crazy possible ideas that God might be asking of me. Through prayer, good counsel, and seeking the Lord we ended up Reno, NV, where my brother and sister live with their families. We began working at Hillside Foursquare Church with our friends Pastor Louie & Joni Locke and served in whatever capacity was needed. It was during this time that I had the same dream where I was preaching at a church that was called Freedom Fellowship, where I was supposedly the pastor. I did not see how this was going to happen, so once more I shared it with Melissa and a few close friends and then left it alone. In February, the Lord opened the door for me to go back and teach at the church that I pastored at for so long in Las Vegas, NV. I knew that we needed to go back, say thank you, and allow the Lord to seal that part of our life. This was a difficult but healthy process. While we were there, the Lord did wonderful things in our hearts and we truly had a great time with our Las Vegas church family. Do not get confused, there were a lot of tears and difficult situations for my heart and mind, but it also was a time of freedom for both Melissa and I. We love our church family in Las Vegas, but we also know that it is no longer where the Lord is asking us to serve. It was during our time there in Las Vegas that the Lord made it very clear that we were to begin the church I dreamt about. Melissa or myself have never hoped to or thought about church planting. In fact, we would had told you that you were out of your mind if you had told either of us that not only we were going to plant a church, but that we would be excited about it.

There are so many messages sitting in this testimony that will surface over the next many years of teaching. The message that I want to focus on for this blog entry is that God will always bring health and direction. I think of Elijah when he got scared of Queen Jezebel and ran. The Lord met him in the desert, fed him and took care of him, led him to a cave for shelter, and then told him to get back to work. I do believe that leaving Las Vegas was an important step for both Melissa and myself. Many times I felt like I was stranded in the desert licking my wounds and was as lost as I have ever been. But it was during that time the Lord was feeding us and bringing us both back to a place of health. He led us to a place of shelter and rest and now we are standing, refocused, and are looking to our future with expectancy. I personally have never been more sure of who I am and what the Lord is asking of me. Which brings us to the next step of God’s love- He is giving us new directives and asking us to get back to work. We are listening to God’s voice and stepping out into the unknown.

Psalm 27:5
For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock.

We do thank the Lord for each and every one of you who have prayed for us and believed in God’s plan for us over the years. If you find yourself in Sparks, NV, on a Sunday morning please plan on stopping by. The dream that God gave is coming to fruition. The church will be called Freedom Fellowship, and when you come I will be teaching God’s promises for today’s journey.

Any Where... Any Pulpit!

This weekend the opportunity presented itself to go to Las Vegas and teach at a friend’s church. I was very excited to see him and his family and to share a message about the seeds that we sow in our lives to his congregation. I did two services for their church. The first service would be what he called “Street church” and the second was a more traditional church in side of a building. I had no idea what to expect for the street church but my son and I got in our car and drove down to Home Depot to wait and see what we would be doing for that day. Pastor Alex and some of the members of his congregation went around and invited people to come and hear God’s word and eat with us. As the people gathered I was looking for a place to put my notes and bible so I could teach. One of the congregation members said he would be right back with my pulpit. This is when he came running up with a shopping cart and turned it up on its side and created a pulpit for me. We had a wonderful service and I had the opportunity to pray for many people to allow the Lord to soften their hearts and make their hearts fertile for God to grow good things.

As my son and I were leaving we both felt very satisfied and joyful that we were able to take part in this service. This time of teaching reminded me of the scriptures that I read about Jesus and how would walk somewhere and teach along the way. Wherever He found Himself, He pointed people to His Heavenly Father. The evening service was also a neat time of seeing the Lord move, however, the people that we spent time with in the morning keeps coming to the surface of my heart.

Here are a few things that the Lord is showing me through this experience.

1. Do not wait to make a difference. You do not need a building or the ability to pay for electricity to share the truth of Jesus’ word. Simply be available to share those truths that the Lord has shown you.

2. It is important to meet people where they are. If people have to come to church they may never hear about the amazing gift that Jesus has given.

3. The best pulpit just may be a shopping cart. I have spoken for many different styles and sizes of pulpits over the years. I have to say that the Lord did something very special in my heart that morning that we took a shopping cart, God’s word, and shared the truth.

Question for the day
What pulpit has God put in your life that He is asking you to use to share His truth?

Acts 20:24
However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.

Reflection

I had the opportunity yesterday to hang out in downtown Reno, feeding the homeless, giving away waters, doing dramas, and praying for people, with a group of students from a local Christian school here in Reno. I was so proud of them. They each stepped in there and let the Lord use them.

One of the main conversations that we kept having is how this type of outreach is more of a lifestyle of kindness and availability than something that must be planned as an outing. By the end of the day, it seemed that many of the youth truly understood and were ready to see how God might use them on a regular basis.

As I was teaching and sharing about being an ambassador for Christ, the Lord reminded me that I needed to make sure that these are not just words to share but a life to live. Am I being a good reflection for others as I stand for my God?

Here are a few qualities of an ambassador…
#1 Ambassadors treat others the way the person they are representing would

#2 Ambassadors make decisions that honor the person they are representing

#3 Ambassadors understand that each thing that is said affects more people than just the people in their life- they affect anyone that is somehow tide to the person that is being represented.

#4 Ambassadors take great honor in the role they have been given

I pray that as we walk forward and live for the Lord that the world that is looking for a Savior can look to our lives and see a true understanding of how much their Creator loves them.

2 Corinthians 5:20 We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.