Alive 08

The past few days I went to our annual Winter Retreat in Covington, Ga at the FFA camp. It is always a great place for our youth to get away and experience God!!

This is the first youth retreat I ever went on 6 years ago when I really had no idea what I was doing. I was leading my first small group with kids from another church, which even scared me more. I had been a Christian for a year and a baby in knowing Him. What was scary in the beginning turned out to be where my calling to youth ministry began..Woo Woo. I had the time of my life and while I shared with these kids, scriptures came from know where to me and loved them more than I thought I could. I loved sharing God’s word with others, how he affected my life, and who He is. During that retreat I heard(Yes, I said heard) God speak to me and tell me that I would serve Him by being a youth pastor and serving kids. It is too much for me to think about that day and not get emotional at times. How glorious!! I shared at the retreat, then at my own church, only to be brought on staff 4 years later.  This is a special retreat in my heart and kinda where it all began.

Well back to now, we took over 100 students and leaders up with us this year. It was Amazing. God never ceases to amaze me with the way he moves. We talked about the weeds in our lives and the spiritual dryness we face. We talked about our dry bones becoming Flesh and God’s breath of life He can breath on us if we are willing.

I am blown away at what kids face today from what I faced growing up. The sex, the drugs, the peer pressure…etc…etc. I faced some hard stuff too, don’t get me wrong, but it seems so much deeper and accessible now.  I saw kids struggle with identifying these problems; to knowing problems they were facing and talking about what we can do as brothers and sisters together. Some kids with such willing hearts to see God move, to others who weren’t sure if they could fully surrender and trust God yet.

Saturday night was our ministry time down front and I saw God moving through hearts from the youngest to the oldest.  It was so much bigger than myself and I loved it.  There was much laid down on the alter that night.  I personally had the privilege of leading 2 kids to receive Christ myself.  There were also others who grew up in church and said earlier that night they never had that experience that others talk about, but thought they were saved.  After the ministry time, they went back and said “If they weren’t saved before, they knew they were now”.  Praise the Lord Jesus Christ.  For some it was a time of refreshing, and others a first at seeing God work and being able to just talk about there lives.  I am humbled and in awe of my God.  Not one person in the whole world at those moments could make me flinch and doubt the belief in my God.  The spirit was very thick.

We came back from this retreat with more a part of the body of Christ, a body unified, encouraged, and strengthened by God.

That all being said I just want to say THANK YOU JESUS.  I am forever grateful to be a small part of what God is doing and how He is changing lives.  Please celebrate with me and the angels in heaven as we will all never be the same again.  Please pray for roots to be deep and seeds to be watered and planted.  We serve The Lord of Lords and King of Kings, The Beginning and The End, and The Author and Perfecter.

Go Jesus,

Justin

Big Love

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:17b-19

Here Paul is writing to the Ephesians and is praying for them.  This is just awesome to me.  He is longing for them to try and capture this amazing love that Jesus has.  How wide, how long, how high and deep is the love of Christ.  When is the last time you have just stopped!!! And I mean Stopped!!! and thought about that Love.

I can get so busy serving God, and not enough time loving God and letting Him love me back.  His love for me humbles me.  I am in utter awe of how He loves me(us).  For me to STOP, and remember his love, puts life in prospective.  It not only humbles me, but energizes me to serve out of the overflow of his love for me.  How can I not love Him when He loved me before I even knew Him.  And it’s love that surpasses all knowledge!!  My finite brain will never truly comprehend this love.  It’s overwhelming!

I guess my challenge to you and myself is STOP!! Breathe!!  Receive!!

I know most of us have heard this, we just don’t usually practice.

Justin

Whose Your Enemy?

Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

I have really been thinking about this verse lately.  It seems to be on my mind more and more.  I keep thinking about how much God loves me and how he demonstrates His love for me!!  It’s amazing!!  Especially the fact He allowed his son to die for me!  For Me. For ME!!  I just don’t understand why God loved me enough to allow his son to die for me.  It is overwhelming to think about.  I was  messed up, no good, going nowhere(even though I thought knew everything) kid and Jesus died on a cross for me.  Why??  I didn’t really care what God thought. I remember telling God to stick it where the sun doesn’t shine.  I hated God, but even though he knew that about me, He allowed his son to die for me?  His grace is too much for me.  I thank God for his grace, but I am very humbled.  I am in utter awe at times.  My words will never do justice.

Roman 5:10 For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!

This is the other part that just gets me.  Before God showed his love and Christ died for me, I was an enemy of God.  Before my relationship with Jesus, I was his enemy.  I don’t know what I thought, but it is hard for me to imagine not being on God’s team and fighting against Him, instead of with Him The truth is I only cared about me, not God.  I served myself and what I wanted.  I never want to have God as my enemy.  Yet, while I was an enemy of God, He still loved me!  Isn’t that just the coolest ever.  My God is everything to me.  He is the reason I live.  He didn’t have to save me.  He didn’t have to make a way for me.  He was justified in judging me as his enemy, but he didn’t.  The wrath of God could have come down on me.  Praise God for his love & patience!!!  He gave me mercy and grace through his son Jesus Christ.

My enemy is now Satan and my flesh. Who is yours? Are you an enemy of God?

Romans 5:8 says while we “were” sinners.  “Were” means in the past tense.  Jesus died while we “were” sinners, so we could eventually be sinners no more.  I cannot wait for that day to come!!

Justin