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.

A Melancholy Heart

This morning I woke up with emotions of joy, sadness, and a longing to press forward. I had a dream that involved many of the youth, men and woman that the Lord has brought into my life and allowed me to teach and train over the years. There was joy because I was able to see some of the wonderful things that were now being accomplished because of the seeds that were planted in their hearts, through our relationship and how they have grown. There was also sadness because some of those seeds did not grow properly and some of those people in my dream were struggling and making bad decisions. I remember in my dream beginning to cry. I truly cared for these people. Each of these decisions they were making were showing the world the condition of their heart. Then before my dream was over, one of the youth that I pastored for some time stepped forward and encouraged me by showing me his life decisions. I found those tears of sadness began to be tears of joy and I felt a pull to step forward and make sure that I planted more seeds.

This was an interesting dream because as much as I have dreamed in the past and the Lord has used these dreams to speak to me, I can never remember feeling these emotions before.

I do not know where you are at or what you are doing but please allow my dream to also encourage you.

#1 Remember that the Lord puts each person you come in contact with there and you have an opportunity to plant good seeds of who the Lord is.

#2 Not every seed planted will grow correctly, but the Lord sill continue to guide and prune each of those people’s lives. He cares for them enough to give His life and has a great plan to bring wholeness and redemption.

#3 The actions we partake in give those surrounding us a very accurate view of the condition of our heart. Work on the heart and the actions will change!

#4 Keep pressing on! If you have had disappointments, do not allow them to stop you from doing what God has asked of you!

#5 Do not allow yourself to stop caring for people as a defense mechanism. Sometimes when we get hurt it is easy to shut down and not allow people within arms reach. While you and I are still alive we have a responsibility to point people towards the only place to find hope- Jesus Christ. This can only be done if they are close enough to see what is really happening in your life.

It is weird because I am still being touched by a few of those emotions that I felt in my dream. For those of you who have allowed me to speak into your lives over the years, I thank you for the trust and pray that there have been good seeds planted that have pointed you toward your Creator. If it seems your life is not where it supposed to be, it is never to late to run to the Lord and allow Him to once again shape and direct your life. I believe the emotions I am feeling are just a small understanding of how God feels towards each of us. He has great plans for us and I encourage you to run to Him. If you feel lost, I hope you are comforted by the fact that the Lord is with you, just waiting for you to turn and surrender once more.

Matthew 18:10-14
"See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. "What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.

True Wisdom

John 8:9
At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman standing there.

This is such an amazing story and I think it is significant to point out that this is not parable or a story told by Jesus to cause people to think. This was an actual true-life account of just one of the situations that Jesus encountered while on this earth.

The story begins when these Pharisees found a woman caught in the act of adultery. Yes, this whole scenario is a bit strange, if she was caught, then where is the man that she was with. However, to continue with the story they dragged her in front of Jesus in order to find a way to trap Him in His message of love, hope, and mercy. The Pharisees knew the law stated that she was to be stoned to death and had every intention of seeing it fulfilled. It is important that we do not get stuck on the sin of adultery. Yes, adultery is a very difficult sin to deal with that has far reaching repercussions but if we were to equate sin to poison it doesn’t matter which brand of poison is chosen as it will all bring death. How did the Lord deal with all of this sin? The sin of adultery of the woman and the sin of pride and arrogance from the religious men were all sitting before Jesus awaiting His judgment. He took a moment and wrote in the dirt. No one knows for sure what He wrote. I wonder if He drew a cross, wrote some of the Pharisees sins, or maybe just needed to put Himself in a time out in order to respond to these Pharisees, as He should. After looking up from His doodling Jesus made one statement that would cause the whole group to disperse.

“If any of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”

Then Jesus went back to drawing his picture in the dirt.

This is where we see Jesus’ words break through the hard hearts of these religious men. Scripture tells us that beginning with the older ones each of the accusers dropped their rocks and walked away. Now why do you think the older ones were first? I see only one true reason for this response- they have lived longer and have had time to realize their own shortcomings and sinful moments.

After all of the accusers left there was only one person there who could throw the stone with a clear conscious and He chose to die for the woman’s sin instead of allow death to rule. Jesus did tell this woman to go and sin no more.

So what lessons of wisdom can we walk away with from this story about Jesus and His love for you and I?

#1 Jesus is very serious about the love and forgiveness He has for us

#2 Do not be so quick to pick up stones and throw them at others- we all have much more in common than we like to admit

#3 Jesus’ love does not give us the freedom to do what we want- He made it very clear that the woman was to go and sin no more

#4 The freedom Jesus gives is to be able to walk forward in a peace that only comes because He gave His life away

#5 Notice the story does not say that the woman picked up the rock and began stoning herself to death- she accepted Jesus’ forgiveness as should you and I


Dear Lord,

Please help us understand, accept, and embrace your love and forgiveness. Protect our heart from becoming arrogant and judgmental. Fill us with your Spirit to the place that if we are cut open that we will bleed of your love and mercy. Thank you for your love and for being patient with us in those moments where we take our eyes off the hope that you created for us as you gave away your life.

Amen

In God's Time

At this they tried to seize Him but no one laid a hand
on Him because His time had not yet come.
John 7:30

During this life there will be moments where we find ourselves basking in the radiant sunshine only to turn the corner and feel entrenched in the darkness of shadows. There are lessons to be learned during each of these stages. However, it is crucial to our existence that we have the understanding that in both situations our God is present and unchanging.

On many occasions the Bible speaks of situations where the main characters in the story were about to be killed, maimed, and wounded, but the Lord did not allow the destruction to befall them. Scripture after scripture speaks of times with Jesus where He was able to walk untouched through the crowds of those who desired to harm Him. Other examples are Daniel, Gideon and his army, King David, the three brothers Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednigo and many others. Have you ever thought of adding your name to that list? That long list of heroes of the faith, that though they were human, loved their God and served Him valiantly. Adding your name to that list has nothing to do with the word hero or the rush of pride that comes with that title. The ability to add your name to that amazing and miraculous list has everything to do with our God and His most wonderful love. In truth, there is not one person mentioned in scripture, besides Jesus, that deserved the love that God offered them. They each had sinful desires, moments where fear overtook their faith, acts of disobedience, and a tendency to self-destruct. Our God did not look at them and disqualify them. Instead, He took their weaknesses and used the person in spite of themselves. Their name is on that list because God made it so and made the decision to love the unlovely.

Though I hope this conversation brings you to a sobering realization of what we are really made of, there is not a stone of judgmentalism hidden behind my back waiting to be launched. This realization should bring each of us to our knees and remind us of our need to run to our only hope. I am so thankful that the Lord has placed my name on His most protected list. This doesn’t mean that the lion’s cannot devour my flesh or that I will not be burned in the fiery furnace. But it does assure me, that like Jesus, there is no one or nothing that can overtake or consume my life until the right time- which is God’s time. And when that time is to come it will not lead to destruction but to a perfect graduation.

Scripture also gives us many examples of God’s people laying down their own desires, painful moments, scarred memories, and ultimately, their very lives, to follow and honor their God. As I have grown older and served the Lord, my biggest fears are not found in the possibility of losing this life or the pleasures that surround it, my fears are wrapped up in the idea of whether God is or is not in control. On those days where I can bask in the rays of His presence and I am able to sense His guidance, my fears are subsided and I can raise my head high. However, on those days where the voices that are hidden in the shadows keep screaming my name and the waves of fear seem to be rising higher than the foundation I am standing on, my faith begins to crumble. As I read out of John today the Lord reminded me that my life is in His hands- even in those moments where my worries have blinded me to the truth of His overpowering protection.

Whether you feel that your life is basking in the sun or walking ominously through the shadows, nothing can steal you away from the loving arms of God. Run to Him! Allow Him to renew your hope and give you strength. He is an amazing God with an amazing plan. The shadows that may seem to be controlling your life may only be there to remind you how desperately you need the sweetness of God’s embrace.

You do not want to leave too, do you?

Has the Lord offended you?

Are there questions that have gone unanswered?

Have you been pushed to the limits of your faith and understanding and had to make a decision to still hold on?

In John chapter 6, Jesus finishes sharing a difficult teaching for his followers to understand and many people begin deserting him.

Verse 66
From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

This is a very strong life statement. What happens in someone’s life that would cause them to make a decision to turn and run from the Messiah? There is a part of me that has always thought these people must be crazy. However, once life begins to take more than you were you were ready to give and you find yourself standing on ground that is foreign, it usually always seems like a good time to run. The Bible guarantees that we all will face these types of struggles in one fashion or another. So, then how do we stand strong during some of the hardest times in life? How do we follow the admonition of Ephesians 6 that tells us to keep standing and ward off the enemy?

I believe we find the answer in verse 67 and 68 of John 6.

You do not want to leave too, do you? Jesus asked the twelve. Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know you are the Holy One of God.”

The disciples did not even think of running anywhere else because they were sold out and had nowhere else to go. This doesn’t mean they were stuck with Jesus, but that they put all of their stock in the person and message of Christ. This is a way of serving the Lord that is not lived out very often. Most of us trust the Lord, but have a plan B, and C- just in case he doesn’t come through. There is a big part of who I am that has always relied on my own skills and ability to get me through if the Lord didn’t function like I thought he should.

This pride has been my folly. This pride assumed many things over the years that were nothing but seeds of destruction. I long to be like the disciples and when the weather shifts and life begins to get scary I have nowhere to run but to God.

If the Lord allowed the worst to happen and then asked me
“You do not want to leave too, do you?”
that I would be able to say in response,
“Lord, to whom shall I go? I have placed all my hope in you and trust you for my survival.”

Thought for the day
It is safer to be in the most difficult storms resting in the arms of God than to be sitting in what may seem like a safe harbor far away from God.

Dear Lord,

Thank you for your guidance and for your word that reminds me of who I am and who I need to be. Forgive me for my pride. Please continue to strip me of anything that does not allow me to place my whole trust in you. I know the safest place I can be is in the "Lion’s Den" with you sitting next to me.

I love you Lord,

Kristopher