The first step is always the hardest...by Tony C

Stepping out on faith can be a scary think for Christians. True? I mean...we truly bleieve what we say we believe, yet there are those moments when letting go to God seems like great advise for others but only them. This week your Kingdom Bloggers are sharing personal stories of stepping out on faith and how those situations turned out for each of us.


I don't think it's a secret I have a passion to minister to young people. To be honest, that's what really got me started into blogging a few years back. I felt God tugging at me to share my story with young people. After fooling around with a website call Stick with Jesus for about a year, I realized that I was technically in over my head and stepped back to focus on a smaller, more localized scale. I was thinking Charles Stanley scale and apparently God was looking more on the level of Bill Warden (who had been my spiritual mentor at church as an older teenager).

God put me where He needed me. For over two years, I've been teaching a college-aged Sunday School class at church. It's a group that extends past the 12 or so that attend regularly on Sunday mornings to a number around 25 that I maintain regular contact with each week. Perfect situation.

My passion for this group is born from a period of falling from the path at their very age in my own life. Sadly, that is the norm and not the exception. Statistic show that over 70% of young people will leave the church before the age of 23. That's an absolutely heartbreaking statistic for any Christian, but I know from personal experience just how devastating being in that statistic is for the young person who falls. Loneliness. Fear. Anxiety. Joylessness. It's all there. Worse yet...those states lead to depression, alcohol and drug use, promiscuity and denial.

I'm going to get real personal for just a minute. I cry for these 25 young people I feel God has charged me with...on a daily basis. I cry, pray, text, Facebook message, tweet, Heytell...then call and pray some more. Daily. I constantly walk a fine line between being available and being intrusive. Concerned and not condescending. Loving and not judgmental.

I have my own teenager entering the statistical danger zone in less than a year. She's a great kid with a lousy sense of choice-making from time to time. Just like I was at her age. God has charged me as a father to provide a pious example to my family...to be a leader. But I know in my heart it will take more. My mother is a godly women who, without a doubt, spent countless hours praying for her black sheep. I'm very thankful for that fact, but I know it so often takes more.

Young people need mentors. Someone to take an active interest in their life for no other reason than the love of Jesus. Mom and dad love you because...well...they're mom and dad. But a person outside the family is a completely different component in helping keep up a young person's self-esteem and focus on the business of the Kingdom. The big picture stuff that truly matters on an eternal scale.

Naturally, I would love for my circle of influence to expand beyond a few dozen at a time, but that is not for me to decide. Maybe God has a single young person in His plan for me that through my efforts of shining His light...that young person comes to know Him much closer. To go on and make a difference for the Kingdom. The thought brings tears to my eyes and fills my heart with a great joy.

Until I hear otherwise from Him though, I'm going to treat each and every young person in my charge as potentially that one, single soul. Please remember our young people in your prayers today.

Mission Statement of Jenna Vick Silliman

I am a woman that is led by the Holy Spirit whose passion in this lifetime is to see God’s abundant life and love manifested here on earth; to carry the fire of God and to shine for Him. “Our God is a consuming fire.” (See Hebrews 12:29.) I have been called "A Divine Arsonist" and I agree!

I am blessed to be a wife to Cliff, a mother to eight awesome children, and to be a writer, a communicator, and a dancer and flagger for worship and intercession. Dancing in the Holy Spirit has become a passion and a ministry in an of itself, but it is not my sole mission in life.

First and foremost I am a seeker of God’s Kingdom of joy and power in His Holy Spirit. His Kingdom is within us, here and now, heaven on earth—eternity has begun! Jesus said, “This is eternal life, to intimately know God.” (See John 17:3.) I am a worshipper of the One God, the Almighty King of Kings and Lord of Lords. I love Him with my whole self and enjoy unbroken fellowship with Him, giving Him thanks and rejoicing always. I am His little girl and I trust my Papa God. I delight in knowing Him and hearing His voice and He delights in me and hearing my voice. Day by day I seek to know Him more and know His Word. 

I love to soak in His Presence, like basking in the sun!

My life Scripture verse is: 

“You show me the path for my life; 

In Your Presence is fullness of JOY, 

At Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore.” 

This verse is in the Bible two times, in both the Old and the New Testaments. 

See Psalm 16:11 and Acts 2:28.

 I am a devoted follower of Jesus Christ and I live in the power of His Holy Spirit, His anointing, His calling. As Jesus did, I do. As Jesus prayed, I pray. I am a prayer warrior; my prayers are powerful and effective. Like Jesus, I am a mediator, a connecting link, between people and Papa God and the destiny He has for each one. Like Jesus, I am a revealer of truth, a storyteller; I share testimonies, parables, spiritual awareness, and Bible stories—as the Spirit leads. Like Jesus, I am powerful. He said we would do far greater things than Him; therefore I will heal the sick, raise the dead, destroy the works of the devil, and perform miracles just like my Lord and King. “As Jesus is, so are we in this world.” (See 1 John 4:17.)

I am a creative person with unlimited potential because all things are possible with God. I am a living epistle, a letter, to be read by anyone. “Always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks about the hope you have.” (See 1 Peter 3:15.) I am ready, willing, and able to do whatever Papa God tells me to do.

I am a minister and I live to make God’s truth known. I live by the awesome seven ‘F’ words that I preached on at Deep River Church: Focused, Faithful, Fulfilled, Free, Fearless, Fun-loving, and Firey! I believe the words of John Wimber, “There is only one ministry and that's the ministry of Jesus. If you find out what He's doing and participate with Him, that's where you'll find what you're made for and with it you'll find joy.”

I AM ALL OUT FOR JESUS and on fire with the good news of great joy, abundant life, and healing for all! Carpe Diem…Seize the day! GO FOR IT!

www.TheDanceOfLifeWithJenna.blogspot.com

Hey Tony C...there's absolutely nothing wrong with My plan.

I've written extensively about my passion to minister to young adults, and the fact I believe that to be my true calling. That doesn't mean, however, that while the mission has been clearly stated, my execution has at times not struggled.

After I finally started listening to God and received my marching orders, I was...like most people...eager to get started. On my bed stand to this day is the brainstorming journal where I logged my ideas and plans to fulfill the mission I was beginning. Pages and pages of thoughts and expansions of those muses are crammed inside. About halfway through the journal, on a single page, circled numerous times for effect, you find the words:

WEBSITE- STICK WITH JESUS!!

From that point, all the following notes revolve around developing that single idea. A website dedicated to providing information for young adults struggling with issues of faith or looking for information about the Christian faith.

Awesome.

I spent much time in prayer asking for more direction and, more importantly, blessings for the project. After several month, the crude website went up and began filling with information. Day and night I combed through online forums and chat rooms plugging the site at every chance. While I was extremely proud of stickwithjesus.com, the traffic count I has originally target never came close to transpiring. So, I prayed even more.

The site putted along for almost a year with the daily traffic count never breaking the 200 hit mark. What had I done wrong? Why wasn't this working? Did I misunderstand God's plan for me?

My passion had overridden my reason in this case. First off, I wasn't formally trained for website design, so my site never had the look or feel that it should have to appeal to my target audience. Secondly, mush can be said about the limitation of the proverbial army of one. Don't take that wrong. God could have easily overcome my personal limitation. So, why wasn't He? Finally, the realization that launching a big website might have been more about me and less about glory to Him.

I'm a stubborn person. There. I admit it. So, I stepped back and looked for another avenue to reach out. At the time, MySpace was all the rage. I learned all I could learn about this new social media site and put up a page. Next, I started blogging and sharing my thought from that page.

Almost immediately, the response to my page took off. I started connected not only with Christian youth all over the world, but I made some very meaningful connection with young people in my own backyard.

As social media became THE buzzword of a generation, I was smack in the middle. Blogs, Twitter, MySpace, Facebook, YouTube and more! It became clear to me that my role wasn't to stand out in a crowd among the internet billions, but rather to blend and mingle while sharing the goods news with that same crowd.

God has blessed me with a job and the temperament to fulfill this roll. A part of my day, every day, is connecting with someone in His name...just like now. The target group I believe He challenges me to minister to are, by far, the largest group I reach. Not the only group mind you, but now I have resources in the form of other mature Christians who have their own personal journeys to share that may more easily relate to someone I'm in contact with struggling with their faith.

From this role, I've been invited to teach and speech in a number of different venues. I've been able to share resources and encourage others in the ministry as they counsel young adults. I have the privilege to teach a Sunday School class for college-aged young adults. Starting soon, I will be branching out to local radio in a daily devotional/encouragement piece centered around my blogging experiences and stories.

Absolutely none of these blessings are about me! God is moving through SO many people these days. Just look at the tremendous writers I'm blessed to share with on this blog that just continues to grow in quality, as well as, quantity of readership!

I'm just so thankful for the small part He has for me in the building of His glorious Kingdom...Hallelujah!


* Pastor Mark Harris is running the domain Stick With Jesus now and doing a great job. Check his site out, as well as, his Facebook page. God bless you brother!

The best time spent all week...

I have the tremendous blessing of teaching a Sunday School class where I attend church. The class is also comprised of the age group I have a passion for ministering and teaching...that group of young adults either in college or just entering the work force.

In previous post, I've explained the reasons this demographic is so important to me, and God provided a means for me to serve where my heart happened to be. The teacher I followed a couple of years back set a tremendous precedence for this class with his diligent approach to helping students in the class click on that light bulb. Reach that a-ha moment of understanding.  His mentoring helped me develop the same diligent approach and also established the principle in me that God's word and preparation can make an eternal difference in the life of a young person struggling in their spiritual walk.  His influence, council and encouragement are every bit as vital today in that cause.

Because it seems to appeal to the age group, we don't used a fixed curriculum and planning publications. Each calendar quarter, we established a direction for the coming months of class. That may include a detailed look at a particular book in the Bible, person, or even a subject matter from an apologetics point of view. We've tackled world religions, women of the Bible, the Book of James and recently a closer look at the Twelve Disciples of Jesus.

While I often use outside sources to frame the context of our subject matter, the vast majority of my study comes in the Word. As I methodically prepare for each series and then each individual class, I can spend as much as 12 to 15 hours a week reading and referencing what the Bible says. Often that research will take me on a completely unexpected path of study, and I most always end up discovering a point or two that have failed to register in previous readings of the same Scriptures.

I absolutely love that about God's Word!

For the sake of focus, I try to stay away from studies or topics outside of my class preparation subject. On occasion, I have taken on a question or subject matter at the request of someone. A few months back, I participated with two other instructors in a series presented on Wednesday nights called Essentials. My segments included the basic biblical and historical facts concerning both Jesus and the Bible. While I was temporarily overwhelmed time-wise with research for both the series and my Sunday School class, the blessings were even more overwhelming, and quite frankly...have changed my life.

Not everyone is called to teach. I understand that God blesses with different gifts. But, we are all called to share, and that, in essence, is a form of teaching and requires study and research for each Christian. While you may never write a position article on the concepts of sola fide or free will, your understanding of the grace, mercy and love of God as presented in His Word are why He has you where He has you at this moment. Always be ready to share.     





"...I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

We live in unprecedented times...


While that may not be the most of profound statements, there's a gravity to those words that no matter how hard one tries, you just can't escape.

Not since Adam and Eve were cast out of Eden has communication been more instantaneous in the world. Of course with a population of less than 10, Adam and Eve didn't need sophistication. Just a loud voice.

Today, news from anywhere in the world can be instantly shared with anyone who possesses a media access. Internet, fiber optic, 4G and good old broadcast waves all constantly stream information to a starved culture hungry for more of the very latest.

The church is always talking in metaphoric language about catching the next wave of ministry opportunity. Stuff about methods changing but the message staying the same. Okay. I'm all in with the concept of staying fresh and focused...but where's the rest of Christ's body?

There are some tremendous social media ministries in the name of Jesus that give me great inspiration and hope for our commission as Christians. Tell the world about Me.  Unfortunately, those seem to be the exception and not the norm. Why?

I live in a relatively small town, in a small state that is chock full of churches. They're everywhere! Praise God for that fact. However, I fail to see the fruit of churches that open the doors on Sunday morning and night, again on Wednesday and call it all good. Did I miss something in the Bible?

Now don't get me wrong.  Edification is an important role of the local church, and personally, I love fellowship with the congregation I chose to join. But, we are called to spread the Word and are blessed to live in an era where that has never been easier. We don't even have to leave our homes!

I blog (duh). Facebook. Twitter. YouTube. YouVersion. Digg. Stumble. All in His name. I post my home church worship services online. Tweet messages. Use Facebook and Twitter to encourage. Enlighten. Learn. I try to be the proverbial sponge in the sea of ever-flowing knowledge. I scour websites and share the ones I find creditable and warn against ones I don't.

Daily I communicate with Christians all over the world. Literally. I share their stories and exchange information. Recently, I've been asked to speak about my online experiences. Hallelujah! There's no hesitation because it's for His glory.

My profession (read job) puts me in contact with a global community. Sometimes I connect with people of like faith...sometimes not. Thank you Jesus! My prayers of opportunity are answered nearly every single day. I can be the light I'm called to be. Be my Facebook friend? That's where you will find out exactly how I feel about the greatest story ever told.

Want to hear about what Jesus can do for you? Just follow my Twitter, Facebook, Kingdom Bloggers...

Please do as I teach...not as I've done.

I don't think it's a secret I have a passion to minister to young people. To be honest, that's what really got me started into blogging a few years back. After fooling around with a website call Stick with Jesus for about a year, I realized that I was technically in over my head and stepped back to focus on a smaller, more localized scale.

God put me where He needed me. For about a year and a half, I've been teaching a college-aged Sunday School class at church. It's a group that extends past the 10 or so that attend regularly on Sunday mornings to a number around 25 that I maintain regular contact with each week. Perfect situation.

My passion for this group is born from a period of falling from the path at their very age in my own life. Sadly, that is the norm and not the exception. Statistic show that over 70% of young people will leave the church before the age of 23. That's an absolutely heartbreaking statistic for any Christian, but I know from personal experience just how devastating being in that statistic is for the young person who falls. Loneliness. Fear. Anxiety. Joylessness. It's all there. Worse yet...those states lead to depression, alcohol and drug use, promiscuity and denial.

I'm going to get real personal for just a minute. I cry for these 25 young people I feel God has charged me with...on a daily basis. I cry, pray, plead with Him to spare them pain, text, Facebook message, tweet, Heytell, call and pray some more. Daily. I constantly walk a fine line between being available and being intrusive. Concerned and not condescending. Loving and not judgmental.

I have my own teenager about to enter the statistical danger zone in a few short years. She's a great kid with a lousy sense of choice-making from time to time. Just like I was at her age. God has charged me as a father to provide a pious example to my family...to be a leader. But I know in my heart it will take more. My mother is a godly women who, without a doubt, spent countless hours praying for her black sheep. I'm very thankful for that fact, but I know it so often takes more.

Young people need mentors. Someone to take an active interest in their life for no other reason than the love of Jesus. Mom and dad love you because...well...they're mom and dad. But a person outside the family is a completely different component in helping keep up a young person's self-esteem and focus on the business of the Kingdom. The big picture stuff that truly matters on an eternal scale.

Naturally, I would love for my circle of influence to expand beyond a few dozen at a time, but that is not for me to decide. Maybe God has a single young person in His plan for me that through my efforts of shining His light...that young person comes to know Him much closer. To go on and make a difference for the Kingdom. The thought brings tears to my eyes and fills my heart with a great joy.

Until I hear otherwise for Him though, I'm going to treat each and every young person in my charge as potentially that one, single soul. Please remember our young people in your prayers today.  

What's God's up to?

When I read scriptures like Psalm 139:13-16, Jeremiah 29:11, 1 Corinthians 12:4-27 and Ephesians 2:8-10, it's clear that God creates us as we are, and gifts us to be used in His work.

For as long as I can remember I've always wanted to help people. Be it a kid in my class at school that others picked on, an old person in a convalescent home that never received visitors, hungry children in a third world country, or even someone whose story I'd hear on the news. My heart has always ached when I hear of someone's pain, and I've had an intense desire to do something to make it better.

That's why I went into the kind of work that I do. Since 1980, I've always worked in some kind of human services job. I'm drawn to the disenfranchised.

Also I've always been especially interested in helping women. I don't know if it's as simple as the fact that since I'm a woman I'm more inclined to understand women. Or if it's because I was born in 1960 and grew up under the influence of the women's movement. Maybe it's because of the fact that if you look throughout history, all over the globe, you'll be hard pressed to find anyone more universally oppressed than women.

So when I thought about this week's topic of what would be our dream, or ideal, ministry I was a bit stumped. Initially I thought about how there are hurting people everywhere and God's repeatedly provided me with jobs, and ministry opportunities through local churches where I've lived, to reach out in ways that He created my heart to desire. Then I thought about the word "ideal" or "dream" opportunity some more and thought how cool it would be if I had the freedom to openly share the gospel as as well? What would it be like if I daily got to lead hurting people to Christ and then help them individually grow in Him? That would be over the top exciting! Those few times in my life when I've had the opportunity to help someone who was new in her faith to learn and grow have been among the most rewarding endeavors I've ever experienced.

I'm grateful that in my current church I have the opportunity to serve yet, to be candid, it's super rare that I ever get to work in this context with a new Believer, or to invest in a person, one on one, like I get to invest in my supervisors at work. So, if we're dreaming here, that's what would really do it for me.

Yet, I know God is in control of all things. So I choose to try to remain open to Him and sensitive to what He wants me to do each day. I also choose to trust Him that if I "miss it", that He is more than capable of showing me the error of my ways and getting me back on His path. I choose to stand firm in the knowledge (even when I'm as confused as I've been in my job situation and frustrations that I've shared about for the past couple of years) that He does have a plan for my life and it's His plan that I want more than anything else!

You're a Minister, Not A Spectator! - Tips for Partnering With God

So, you want to serve Jesus? I certainly hope so, I know I do!

I spent a major part of my Christianity in an "everyone gets to play" church atmosphere. Sure there were limits, but we were all trained to pray for others, teach basic doctrine, evangelize, and flow with the Holy Spirit. (HERE is more on that.)

This week, we didn't really have a topic, so you'll just have to stop by Kingdom Bloggers each day to see what you get! 

There are probably a few things that you should know before you get into ministry. The first is that it takes faith and might not go quite the way you envisioned. We have an adversary who is seeking to devour us, you can be sure of that. We also struggle with our flesh, along with the damage that has come to us from our sin, and the sin of others against us; we are not all that healthy.

Even Paul suffered as he partnered with God to take the kingdom back, as he was buffeted by the devil.

In Luke 22:31,32, Jesus warned Peter that Satan would sift him like wheat. But, Jesus had prayed for Peter; and Peter would eventually be restored to minister to the brethren. Though Satan would try, he didn't destroy Peter's destiny.

Possibly you just want a peaceful existence and you do what you can at your local church to serve others. I know I did. However; when you and I got saved we joined an army: the Army of God. Regardless of whether you chose to engage or not, there is a battle, and here are your marching orders.

Matthew 11:12 From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force. KJV

Beyond what the devil is doing, and will continue to do until the end of time, there are some things that we can do to enter into a partnership with God that is effective and fruitful for the Kingdom.

After 30+ years as a believer, here are some things that I have learned about serving God. I hope you'll find them helpful. I have spent a considerable amount of time in church as a spectator showing up for services, meetings, home-groups and Bible studies - but Jesus asked us to serve Him, isn't it time to get out there?

-1 Random meetings (divine appointments) with Christians on the street have produced more ministry invitations than I ever had from attending a local church. 1 meeting turned in to 2 trips to Brazil where I ministered 2 or 3 times a day for weeks. The other was a guy I just decided help bring his belongings up to a third floor apartment; that "chance" encounter gave me 12 months of preaching and ministry engagements. You are the church, and wherever 2 or 3 come together...

-2 If you are going to choose a church to be a part of, find out what their vision is. They may have a heart for evangelism, a heart for pastoring and healing, or a heart for revelation. If your personal ministry vision is something that is unlike theirs, KEEP looking, keep asking God. If you are ready and willing to be used, then you'll need to be some where that can happen.

-3 Assess your ministry and spiritual gifts and see how they might fit into your local church. You and God need to work out your calling. It's worth the meeting to say to leadership, this is on my heart, and this is who I am, can you use me? I'd really like to serve Jesus here. You just might be the person they are looking for to lead a ministry.

-4 Ministry can easily flow out of relationship - and should! Have gatherings at your home and allow anyone to come. I tried home-groups, marriage groups and movie nights. God is about small beginnings-- don't despise them.

-5 Character and humility is essential, but not required. When God does use us, it is easy to get all big on ourselves. It happens, but don't disqualify yourself. Look at the credentials of Moses, Paul and Gideon.

-6 If you need a mentor or an equipper, press those that can help you. I had some wonderful experiences carrying the briefcase of a highly regarded minister. Another time, I drove a big name minister around my region for 4 days. I took him to dinner, carried his stuff, dropped him at meetings and at the hotel. I learned so much from that time.

-7 Prayer and fasting are different for each of us, just make it personal with God.

We often share personal stories here on KB, and here is a short one. While I was in the hospital a few weeks ago, there was a male nurse that came into check my vitals. I felt the Lord wanted me to pray for him. Trust me, I wasn't looking too good. It had been a few days since I had a shower, I had a myriad of cables connected to the heart monitor along with 3 IVs - not a very spiritual sight.

"Are you a Christian?" I asked.

He looked surprised, "Yes, I am."

"Could I pray for you?"

More surprise - "sure."

And so I prayed, asking Jesus to bless him in his work, and his family and children. I asked God to pour out his love on them, and touch his finances.

"How did you know I had a family?" he asked, a bit choked up.

"I didn't, God did." I replied.

He looked like he wanted to give me a hug, but it was certainly not possible. So he touched my hand and said, "God bless you." 

How you start the race is rarely how you finish...

Be prepared to fish when you go looking for worm cans to open...

I found that out about 4 years ago when I started spending time on Yahoo Answers. Maybe I was looking for a fight...hard to say...but I loved getting into theological debates with atheist and agnostics who would invade the Christianity section and start bashing away at the 'ignorant religious people.' Some of my aggressiveness wasn't a bit Christ-like. Okay. None of my anger was very Christ-like at all. I lashed out from my own guilt that I had failed to let go of when I pleaded with God to forgive my years of tarrying in darkness.

The website I had created (stickwithjesus.com) was rudimentary at best and the obvious first efforts of a website design novice. Lots of information but not a cohesive core or even theme. My goal was to convince those who had strayed away from Jesus the error in their chosen path. After all, I had been there myself. So with a website, a mission and a passion, I started venturing into online conversation on a near nightly basis.

Funny thing you don't realize when you hit the forums and chat rooms with an agenda...everyone else there has an agenda too! Very few people are actually searching for answers because they believe they already have them. Ahem. Guilty as charged. But even after coming to that conclusion several weeks into my self-proclaimed ministry, I refused to let up. It was almost an addiction...no...it WAS an addiction!

My email inbox was almost constantly bombarded with love and/or hate messages. I wasn't being a very good steward of God's light. I also wasn't finding very much joy in my endeavor. But somehow, I convinced myself I was His warrior. A champion for His cause. Yet I knew in my heart something wasn't quite right.

While scrolling through my emails one morning, I came across one from a fellow with an Asian looking name. That wasn't unusual in itself, but the Subject Box really caught my attention- WHY DOES GOD LOVE ME? I proceeded with the normal security precautions and scans. No attachments...just text. When I opened the email, the body of the message was very brief and broken English asking why God would love someone who has nothing to offer in return.

Although it's very hard to explain, in that very moment...I was broken.

Nghor was sincerely reaching out to a born again child of God. He was actually looking for answers about God and His plan of salvation for man. The email couldn't have been any more effective in changing my online direction had it been a Cease and Desist Order. I carefully weighed my options for a response. After a prayerful day of asking for guidance, I knew what God wanted from me...

There is nothing I can offer God that begins to repay the love He has shown to me. Nothing. What I can do those is be obedient to His Word and share with other people what God's love has done for me...personally...my testimony. God's plan for me is unique, as is His plan for you. Through the course of a dozen or so emails, I explained to Nghor how I had come to realize my plan and to accept that it was also a work in progress. He always responded with questions. I always answered to the best of my ability after thoughtful prayer and study in Scriptures. Nghor had access to a Bible and that helped.

Our online relationship lasted a little over two months. To this day, I don't know if Nghor ever accepted Christ as his Savior. I'm okay with that too. That wasn't in God's plan for me in this situation...as far as I know. He used a lone cry from the wilderness to do a little loving discipline with me. By sharing my testimony and reaching out to Nghor, He reiterated that His love is about choice. He graciously chose to give it...we must humbly chose to accept it. Debates and discussion may have a place in the grand scheme of things, but even the simplest minded child of God can witness to someone else by reflecting His love and the effect of His love in their life.

I try to be a much better steward of the Light these days...

We can do this My way or My way...you chose.

It's always hard to pinpoint that moment when inspiration becomes action for me...

I've always been one to jump in both hands and both feet. When I wanted to learn more about business, I bought one to see how things really work. That's why I'm convinced I'd be an awful Texas Hold 'Em poker player. First hand I had a good feeling about...all in! People usually don't last long in the game doing that when I watch tournaments on ESPN.

From many previous post, it should be obvious I have a heart for ministering to that group of Christian young people just leaving the nest of mommy and daddy's home. Statistically speaking, many move away from their faith during this time. Since I was once in that statistical group, it was easy for me to empathize with this particular path.

God called me to get busy, and in typical Tony C fashion, I immediately connected the demographic I would be ministering to with the internet. Wouldn't young people always online doing young people stuff? So I set out to create a website for all the fledgling Christian youth to flock to and experience revival...

Not so fast.

After coming up with a site name of stickwithjesus.com, registering, building, mapping the site, writing content and spending countless hours promoting it...I was lucky to get a dozen hits a day. Then came MySpace (here) and email promotions. There was a point when I would stay up every night and engage people on Yahoo Answers to promote the site until the early morning hours. Still, a good day was 20 hits.

Effort wasn't the problem. I was just trying to reach too wide an audience right out of the gate. I knew this was what God was calling me to do, but I hadn't waited on the answer on exactly how He wanted me to go about this ministry. After spending considerable time and resources, I pulled the plug on stickwithjesus.com at the beginning of 2008 and took a step back to retool. What was I doing wrong? Why wasn't this working if God was in it?

Well obviously, the problem wasn't God...it was Tony.

I didn't know how to build a website. I had to teach myself. I didn't know how to market a website. I learned through trial and error (mostly error). I was an amateur writer at best. Let me twist a very popular cliche and state- There's no I in God. Only God in me...and the body of Believers. My efforts would require God's timing and as much help as possible from other Christian brothers and sisters; therefore, I wouldn't be the Moses of a modern internet exodus by young people back to God.

In September 2008, my blogging experience began after a prayerful night of asking His direction. This felt right. Soon I was connecting with more and more Christians online through email, blogging and Facebook. Contact with other Christians became consistent then routine. People at church started reading my blog post and offering encouragement. Again, it all felt right. The moment of God's endorsement, in my mind, came at the beginning of this year when a friend and blog reader ask me to consider taking over as teacher for his Sunday School class...the college-aged class!

This is where I wanted you.

Now I regularly remind said class that patience is a Heavenly virtue...just trust me on that one.

You Can Pull the Plug But...

I remember it like it was yesterday. I heard the voice of the Lord. It wasn't the first time, but in some respects I was as surprised as Samuel. As I look back, surely it was the most important time. I had just given a talk about study on a men's retreat. I teach a lot like it write my Kingdom Bloggers blogs; I use a lot of personal stories to go along with what God is showing me. Just to know stuff in the Bible doesn't do much for me. Knowing God and seeing the verses of the Bible come alive in my life, that is what matters to me. When I was done, I was be congratulated by one of the deacons. And God called me to ministry.

This week your Kingdom Bloggers are going to write about failing in ministry, and later returning to it. Or, I think that's what Tony meant when he introduced the topic.

The call to ministry is exciting, but when God decides to use a knucklehead like me, the time on the potter's wheel is well - long. Of course there is the initial surge, and I ended up getting support from my local church and the Episcopal Diocese of CT. I started seminary classes. I thought it was all planned out. Ha!

I have written about some of the chapters of my life on this blog. After things in CT fell apart, I move to MA. Fast forward to this past Summer, and we arrive at the resurgence. It has only been a few months and God is at work in my life opening some new doors.

The Christian life is a journey. None of us really know what is next. Without a relationship in which we talk to and hear from God, our faith is reduced to hoping that God hears us. As I approach another flat spot in the race of life, I am starting to feel those some feelings I had so many years ago: expectation, excitement, and joy for the work that God has personally called me to do. I have lots of ideas about leadership, but most importantly, I want to hear God and do what he asks.

As the Lord restored David to his position as King after his fall, God has allowed me to minister in spite of my many failures too. With all that is behind me, I am glad that I am ministering, and not running for office!

Some time soon, I am going to be teaching a class about the 5-Fold ministry and the spiritual gifts. It is my passion, and it is who God has made me.

How about you, what has God called you to do? Are you doing it?

So Father...let's do this Your way.

I posted on Kingdom Bloggers last December about taking over the college-aged Sunday School class at church. Although there was both excitement and anxiety about the new venture, I must report a little over 8 months later that the experience has been one of the greatest blessing God has ever given to me.

Each Sunday, our church's bulletin has a call for help to fill several open positions in different ministries. I can't begin to tell you how this breaks my heart. The church I attend has well over 300 members, but in typical fashion, it seems that there are a handful of people that do the work required by the church's called ministries. Even more heartbreaking is the fact I know we are in the norm and not the exception when it comes to this problem.

How can this be?

A little over a month ago, I requested to speak before worship services to the Sunday morning crowd. I shared my angst over the open teaching positions, but I also shared what a tremendous blessing it had been to work in the Sunday School ministry. I was honest about my anxieties and reluctance to take the class because of the time commitment then joked about my epiphany and realizing the awesome teacher I was replacing was also the Vice-President of a Fortune 500 company...how could I be any busier than him? I poured it out and poured it on strong. When finished, a sense of accomplishment came over me as I headed back to my drummer's throne tucked away behind the piano.

Those same positions are still open today...

We are truly creatures of habit, and attitude is as much habit as anything else about us. While it still bothers me to open the bulletin and continue to see the request for help going unanswered, God has helped me focused on what He has me doing. Each Sunday, I come to class prepared and ready to challenge a group of young adults who need to question and understand why it is they believe what they say they believe. I stay involved in their lives throughout the week. When they hurt or struggle, I pray for them and hurt with them. When the celebrate yet another milestone or accomplishment, I praise God for them and celebrate with them. I can't even type this paragraph without tearing up thinking about the awesome blessing each and every one in the class is to me personally.

Maybe that is a much more effect way to motivate others to get involved. I know not every person has a talent or aptitude to teach. I don't have the talent to sing or work in children's church either. Jesus teaches extensively about the Church being a body made up of different parts...each with a role to fill.

So, I will continue to keep on keeping on with what I have been called to do. I will do so with my very best effort and attitude. I will stay involved and interact with my students with love and compassion. I will share with others what a tremendous blessing and privilege it is to be a small part of the Body working for the Kingdom. I will reflect all credit and glory to the One who allows me said privilege.

And if by some chance that rubs off on somebody else and motivates them to pick up the slack...praise be to God!

A few of the gang with a picture message for an absent fellow classmate. The small red head in the back is a special guest...

It's OUR Turn

I am going to skip the retreat this week because I have been thinking about other things this week. Yesterday, a 95 year old woman passed away early near the break of dawn. There will be no coverage on CNN or Fox of this death. She will have a small obituary in a newspaper that no one heard unless you live in Waynesboro PA. 

She was the lifelong friend of my mother who I am sure was there to greet her when she entered heaven's gates. She was a very small woman but with the grit and determination of women and men much larger than she. I met her several times as a child. I knew she had been the maid-of-honor at my parents wedding, causing the wedding to be late. She'd come to visit it us occasionally in Brooklyn. In retrospect, I wonder why it was so seldom. An hour on the subway separated these two girls from Waynesboro living in Brooklyn. 

I also knew she was the one who invited my mother to church when they were girls, living on Wayne Hill. I would hear of the three large families living there, the Potts', the Calimer's, and the Bumbaugh's. The Calimer's and Potts' were pentecostal in a town that still wasn't sure what to do with these holy rollers. Soon my mother became a holy roller too and she would long the steep hill up and down to go to church. 

Some day, I need to tell the story of the spite fence and my mother's trip to NYC to work for Jewish people in Flatbush. But not today.

Today, I want to share what I shared yesterday on my own blog, Sounds of Hope. A saint of God has gone home. Heaven noticed. I noticed. Saints of God are leaving us every day, every hours. They need us to fill their places. 

When I was a child I used to hear sermons of hell

      Someone would say they saw it

         The vision of people falling into a fiery pit imprinted on my soul

             I’d wonder and fear, cry and repent…

                    Now I only think of another line, the line of saints going home

I see them in line, in robes of white with sparkling crowns

      As they near the throne, they stop and bow

            They bow as they have always bowed, before the Lord of Lords

I see my godly mother and father, flawed and imperfect made whole by the blood of the Lamb.

      I see them together again, worshipping their Lord

             They gave there best, they gave me life, they gave me LIFE – they gave me

Jesus

I see my Sunday School teachers and Pastors of my childhood

     I see so clearly their imprint on my life – a heritage of holiness and faith

              I see those I only saw in photographs, my grandparents and my mother’s childhood pastor

I see the saints from Waynesboro that formed my mother’s faith

     I see especially the one at the end of the line who entered heaven’s portal this morning

        So many are there to thank her for her life, witness and faithfulness.

            I see her family gather round her, what a heritage

               Her friends join in the joyful reunion, 

                     the Pott's

                     the Bumbaugh's

                     the Calimer's

                     the girls of Wayne Hill.

Just like the late night reunions by the street light

            They join together under the light of the Lord

They giggle, hug, and laugh, they are home. Home at last.

I see them; I see hundreds of them –

I wonder who is teaching the Sunday School now.

              I wonder who is sharing God’s love through a smile, a touch, a card, a song…

                   Do you see them? 

I see them

I see them as they briefly leave the worship of the throne and look at us

They are looking to see if we are coming behind them.

I wonder will we hear well done, good and faithful?

ONLY ONE LIFE WILL SOON BE PAST

ONLY WHAT'S DONE FOR CHRIST WILL LAST

Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Ox

May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed. Psalm 20:4

I work in a satellite warehouse and some days I make deliveries to the main facility. It is there where I see a Brutha in Christ and we try to get caught up on each others lives in a few quick moments depending upon how pressing the work is. We will dialogue about the kids, wives and Jesus. Steve and I used to get together and pray after work, so we will also take prayer requests from each other. Depending upon how urgent the prayer is, we may pray right there.

Mind you, Steve is a pretty laid back guy, very humble and a great worker. I tend to be a little bit more vocal and more willing to chat than he will be. I am the one who will start up the prayers and afterwards say goodbye with a "Love you, Bro!” and a slap on the shoulder.

Steve is also a great servant. I wanna gloss the Brutha as "Ox" because I have known very few others that are as great of example of a servant as Steve. But Steve just doesn't look like an "Ox" and I think it would embarrass him being called "Ox" knowing how I intended it. (For those that know the Steve I am talking about, can you tell I wanna get the nickname 'Ox' to stick, so help me out here and holler 'Ox' when you see Steve.)

When my family and I moved to CR, Steve loaned me his lawn mower because by the time we moved in (which Steve helped with) the grass was way too tall for me to cut down with my manual lawn mower. As I was nearing the end of the hay baling, the arm on his mower snapped near the deck. I told Steve about it when he came by to pick it up, because that is just the type of guy he is, I told him I could fix it and he refused saying he would take care of it.

The next summer my wife was having a yard sale and she made it very clear that the straggly weeds that withstood the onslaught of my furious manual lawn mowing needed to be cut down. So, of course I hit up the guy whose lawn mower I had previously borrowed and broken. I stopped by his house after work to pick up the mower, this time refusing his offer to bring it to me. Not only did he loan the mower to me, he filled it up with gas.

Steve is an awesome dude who is willing to help anyone. I could tell about the time his work day ended with a jerk coworker dumping on him and on his way home he helped out a stranded motorist on a cold, rainy day by running person to the other side of town, only to get to his driveway when his wife called his celly and asked him to run to the grocery store. And he did all of this without complaining. I could also tell about the time, he and his wife babysat my youngest son on a couple of hours notice so I could accept the dare from another Brutha to get a tattoo on my tongue. Or the times he...I guess I could continue to give examples of Steve's generosity and willingness.

I didn't write this to just hype up a great friend and a great man of Jesus, I wrote this because of what I realized about Steve today. For months now, when I have seen Steve while making a delivery, I have seen in my mind's eye Psalm 20:4 written across his chest. "May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed." I have told Steve this and encouraged him to pray even bigger. I have encouraged Steve pray for relationships restored, kids and grandkids serving the Kingdom and anything else he could think of every time I would see in the Spirit Psalm 20:4 stamped across his heart.

It was today that I understood why I kept seeing this. See, Steve is such a servant, so unselfish that he is a reflection of Jesus. And because Steve is like Jesus in his willingness to esteem others better than himself  that also he prays like Jesus. Steve prays for the things that are eternal, Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Gentleness, Faithfulness and Self Control. (Galatians 5:22-23) Because Steve gives up his time, convenience and comfort to help others, he mirrors what Jesus did by giving up the His place in heaven to become flesh and serve all of humanity by dying for our sins. And just like with Christ's service in which people take for granted what He did, I believe there are people who have taken for granted what Steve does. And similar to Jesus, Steve just keeps serving and loving people has Holy Spirit gives opportunity.

Please don't misunderstand me, Steve ain't Jesus! He can't pay the price for his own sins let alone anyone else’s. Steve is far from perfect and I have heard him tell me that many times. Not out of a false sense of humility or insecurity, but out of a desire to be better.

I believe it is because Steve truly has the heart of a servant that God will give him the desires of his heart and make Steve's plans succeed. Steve isn't praying from the mind but praying from his heart, a faithful heart that is submitted to serving Jesus by serving others. This is the reason God will answer Steve's prayers and it will be the reason "We will shout for joy when you are victorious and will lift up our banners in the name of our God." It is also the reason why I say to Steve, "May the LORD grant all your requests." Psalm 20:5

Spreading God's love may only require using your fingertips...

I came to Twitter reluctantly. The benefits of 'micro-blogging' my oft drudged daily routine to solicited followers seemed...narcissistic. Maybe there's still truism in that initial feeling, but I'm also sold on the fact that social networking mediums are a powerful force in our world today.

When I originally wrote this piece, the future course of Iran was playing out in the streets of Tehran...history in the making. With the media blackout imposed by the reigning power, news was finding it's way to the rest of the world via Twitter, Facebook and other such mediums. The U.S. State Department requested that Twitter delay a scheduled maintenance outage mid-week so the flow of information would continue. Just typing State Department and Twitter in the same sentence would have been completely incomprehensible to me a year ago.

For those of you resisting the fad, Twitter is a web-based social networking service that allows users to 'tweet' 140 characters at a time to their followers. According to a recent front page Time magazine article, Twitter is changing the way we look at our world. Some would say it already has... Most of you know I try to stay on top of the latest trends in internet innovation. My motivation is really quite simple, if it draws the interest of people...Christians need to be there with WWJD bracelets on representing Christ. As I've stated in numerous blog post, the internet is only evil because evil people are there. Evil people who need to know about the love of God...even for them.

So now, like my fellow blogging buddy Katdish and Matt among others, I'm a Twitterer (?). Katdish just calls us Twitter ho's, but I don't think that's a sanctioned title by Twitter. I'm tweeting about daily task and thoughts, prayer request, good articles or blogs I've read...any number of things each day. I must say it's quite liberating in the fact that I have yet another daily opportunity to witness for God. I receive prayer request daily from people which I add to my daily prayer list...sometimes taking a moment to stop and pray the minute they're received.

At the risk of sounding Pharisee-like, I think it's important for Christians to acknowledge our piousness to the rest of the world. After all, Christ hung on a cross in a public spectacle that changed the world as it had never been changed. I'm not trying to undermine the importance of humility by any means, but people need to know they are loved and cared about by Christ and Christ Followers. If one tweet can show that love and bring another soul to heaven...color me there.

Twitter or Facebook may not be your thing and that's perfectly okay. Just don't avoid them because of the negative stigma we often place on internet based application as Christians. God needs to be all over the world wide web too...

The "Net"- Matthew 4:18-19

Last Saturday night my dance ministry " On Eagles Wings" had the awesome privilege of ministering for an Apostles birthday celebration..It was an awesome time in the Lord..There was a mime team, an anointed choir and lots of men and women of God helping to usher the magnificent presence of the Lord into the house!!!!..I had the opportunity to connect with other God loving individuals...The Apostle said from the pulpit..Hey, I'm a Christian and yes, I'm on Facebook...Everyone laughed out loud and started pointing at each other...(He was full of life..)I thought to myself..How awesome it is that Christians are storming the net with ministry opportunities, prayer requests and there testimonies and journeys with the Lord...Satan does not have the upper hand!!!!!..The Body of Christ is getting real and becoming very evident via the internet..I have used the internet as a means to preach and teach the gospel, restore broken relationships, tell the struggles and triumphs of my life, and bring glory to God... I love being able to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries with people from far away...Online ministry??It just doesn't get any better than that..The Glory of God being revealed from nation to nation, city to city, by just the click of a few buttons.....

I'm A Techie!

To say that I thrive online is an understatement. I’ve had the same AOL email since the early 90’s. I still use it. I will probably be forever known as Joyce8888.

My love affair with computers and the internet started with a Tandy Radio Shack computer that my husband had in his office as a high school Vo-Ag teacher. I would go to his office and copy dos codes so that I had a crude program that would tell you what day of the week any date in history fell on or something like that.

I bought a Timex Sinclair computer that hooked up to my television.  It cost a mere $99.95 at the Katz Drug Store. I think it played a few games after you enter dos commands. This was done every time you used it.

I’ll bet most of you didn’t know that in the early history of the PC you could save your programs to a cassette tape. I’d sit for hours to copy codes and save them to a cassette for my husband. Computers and I have a long relationship.

Eventually I moved on to 5½-inch floppy disks. Does anyone else remember when you had one with the program and one for data? I preferred WordPerfect but my husband’s office used WordStar so I would go help him again with documents with the two floppy disk method.

Eventually we graduated to 3½-inch disks. I gave them up a long time ago but my husband still has to have a computer with a 3 ½-inch drive.  My first experience with emails and messaging came from Prodigy an early competitor to AOL.

I’m a techie. I may not fit the profile, but I am.

David did a nice job of summarizing how the internet is used for ministry and fellowship. I would be lost without it. I live in South Dakota where I have very few friends or even acquaintances. I have no church family. I have little social interaction. My virtual world is the best I have right now. It saves me from insanity.

With a few strokes on the keyboard, I can have prayer and conversation. I can download a sermon or listen to praise music. I like old hymns. On YouTube, I can find just the hymn to drag me out of my melancholy. In the early days, I learned about revival in such places as Toronto and Pensacola. I started praying for the same thing to happen in my church. It did.

My first major experience with ministry online came in the mid-90’s. I was searching for information about Muslims, particularly ministry to Muslims. Somehow or other I started email conversations with a person in Europe who had a website Answering Islam. Through this, I was asked to moderate a support group for non-Muslim women in relationship with Muslim men. The group was to be known as “Loving a Muslim” or LAM for short.

I remember the day I sent out my first email to the group of two. Quickly, almost miraculously, the word spread. We grew quickly. Young women dating an Arab, married women with children, all with a unique bond. We were Catholic and Protestant of every variety. We saw some women rescued from bad abusive marriages. We counseled young college woman who were dating Muslim men. We explored the concepts of muta marriages and the differences between Sunni and Sh'ites. We were built up in our faith.

The first Ramadan we shared we cried and we laughed as we dealt with the complexities of this month of fasting. Along the way came 30-days of prayer for Ramadan. I would love to open up those emails and know that people around the world were praying.

I loved this group of woman. They were my dearest friends and sisters. In this group was a woman whose story I will never forget. She is a woman with a husband who is harsh and difficult. Harsh and difficult people are found in all cultures and religions, but this man is a Muslim. 

She went by a pseudo-name, as she feared her husband would find out she was part of group. Many of the women did. I never did. Her story started as a Hispanic Catholic girl. She grew into a woman and married a Muslim. She went with him to his country and converted to Islam. She was a practicing Muslim for many years.

One day a group of Jehovah Witnesses came to her door. They reached out to and she converted again.  Her husband now had an apostate for a wife. In some parts of the world, she could be killed for such a thing. Now as part of this loving group of women on LAM and because of God’s drawing her, she was having second thoughts about the JW’s.

She would often say that none of the evangelical churches she now tried to attend loved her or checked on her like the JW’s.

Selah (pause and think about that)

She had no Bible other than her JW one. She was afraid of her husband. She was afraid to have a Bible in her home. She had no money to buy one.

I purchased a Bible for her and sent it to her. To her it was the most precious thing she had ever owned. She kept it in her purse. One day he opened her purse. She was standing there and waited for his anger to explode.

It didn’t. Miraculously, God hid it from his sight. He never saw it. God proved to her that He had her protected.

LAM still exists but I’m not part of it. My days as moderator for LAM were some of the best days of ministry I’ve known. I’ve moved on to other forms of ministry, including this blog.

God is alive and well in cyberspace. You can literally reach the world.

Be ready to put you head where your heart is...

What were my resolutions last year? I know I blogged about resolutions on Tony C Today. That's the problem with resolutions...it has become cliche to laugh about breaking them.

Maybe the very concept of waiting until a new year begins to alter, add to or eliminate a facet of your life that's important enough to dwell upon paints a complete picture. If it's that important... shouldn't you start now? What will delaying until a specific date to start really accomplish?



So a few months ago, I agreed to accept a new responsibility at church that is in concert with a topic I'm consistently harping about while I'm on the soapbox. After a lot of prayer and self analysis, I agreed to teach a Sunday School class. But not just any Sunday School class... I would be taking the college-aged Sunday School class. An age group that weighs on my heart.

Statistics clearly show that nearly 70% of church youth will leave the church by age 23... 70%!! But, I remember I was in that 70% and the pilgrimage my spiritual life took as I wandered in the dark for a number of years. If I can help just one young adult avoid repeating that quest, keep just one from turning from God... the effort would be a small way to honor God for never forgetting me.

It just so happens that the start of my new role coincides with the new year. I'm a fairly organized individual and already juggle a number of hats, but adding one more shouldn't throw a wrench in the works too bad... that is, however, if the bar hadn't been set pretty high. My predecessor has been a remarkable teacher. He took the class through the book of Genesis this year that resulted in the discovery of layer upon layer of revelations for the class members. I sat in a number of classes and was amazed at the complexity of the first book and how all the stories I had heard and read through my entire life all point to God keeping His promise and the gift of salvation.

I have a challenge ahead. This might sound like a resolution, but I'm looking at it as more a vow... a vow to never take my new responsibility lightly or for granted. If there are a dozen or only one person in the class, I vow to give my very best effort... or better. Please hold me to it through your prayers.

Thank you Lord for giving me this opportunity. May anything and everything I present reflect your will, your desires for the souls of this class. Thank you for the Godly man I follow and all that he has done for this class. Please continue to touch and guide him as he moves to even more responsibilities in Your church. I will never fail to stop and give You all the credit and the glory for what You do. In the name of a perfect Savior, Amen.