Simple Thought

Either we are Content are we Covet, Paul said with little or much I am fine. I believe it's because He knew Jesus was the only thing that never Changes, He could rely on Christ with a lot or little! Regardless of what we face we should Be Content with the Everlasting rather than Covet the temporary!

The Next Generation

This picture is of two things, 1.) Our core leadership class of High school students and 2.) The unfinished space for kids ministry at Healing Place Church.
I've been thinking about this photo for a few days now, the next generation, and how the church would look if there was no investment in the future. There is a passage of scripture in Mathew 19:13-15 where Jesus is talking to the disciples about little children and how we can learn from them, children believe with there whole hearts and we must believe like them if we want to enter into the kingdom of Heaven. I believe as we get older there is a tendency to let time steal our dreams, get more complacent, and look for comfort. But there is something about kids, they want to play in the rain, get muddy, take risk's, go after it with everything inside of them. When I look at this photo I think of how beautiful this combination is, the youth who are on fire, and the older who are full of wisdom and knowledge. When the church has an investment in the two without putting them in separate categories amazing things can happen. The youth should learn for the previous generation all that they can so the can make that fire useful. And the previous generation should remember there former passion so that the flame can burn even more now, and use that wisdom to help those coming up. When you see a room like this it cannot be done without both sides. The torch has to be passed, the children of future generations must know about Jesus and grow up in His ways. And the only way to do it is to take that fire and combine it with understanding and you can build some amazing things that God will use for His glory!

The Passing of my Best Friend

Jordan Gautreau
by Barton Pickens on Tuesday, November 16, 2010 at 4:15pm

"In these past few days I've thought over and over again about how I would tell the world about you Jordan. But many times I would try to express to them my words, and I would only speak tears. Like so many others there are many things I could say, so many stories I could share. You are my best friend, and you know all my struggles and fears, and yet you stood with me despite them. I want to tell them this story, it's one I 'll never forget, and one I believe you would want the world to know, now that you are home. About a year ago Jordan called me up and asked me if I wanted to go and see a movie with Him. It was such a funny thing because he had not even told me what the movie was before he began saying, now if you don't want to see it I totally understand. I was laughing because the majority of the time when Jordan and I saw movies together it was just me and Him by ourselves and it was a chick flick, haha. Yes, we watched chick flicks quite often, and when you go to the movies together to see them sometimes it can be quite awkward. I remember Jordan pulling up to my house so we could ride out to the theater together, now this is where it gets good. I walk out wearing a pair of dirty old military boots, jeans I had not washed in a few weeks and a Marine Corp sweater with a fresh military haircut. As Jordan gets out of His car He has on a pair of black chuck Taylor's, gray skinny jeans, a white dress shirt with a silver vest over it, a scarf around His neck, the black hat he always wears, and of course His mountain beard. It was such a funny sight the two of us going to see a chick flick. As we got to the Movies we started thinking how could we slip in unnoticed. Maybe we should go in a few minutes apart, ok txt me what row your on that way i can just come in and sit down, ok, that will work. As we figured out our strategy we realized how cheesy we sounded and decided to just man up and go in together. We had done this before no big deal. After grabbing some snacks we headed in! I have to say as soon as we came around the corner we were the only two dudes in a packed house full of girls, and we ended up sitting right in the middle of them all! You could not have written it any better how funny that was. As the movie went on we laughed all throughout the show, and louder than anyone else. After all was said and done we went back to my house to hang out and eat, talk about life, why the guy should have gotten the girl, and just enjoyed each others company. And this is the memory I want to share. Jordan after a few moments into our conversation looked over at me and simply said, I appreciate you! I know these are not your type of movies but you still go anyway just to hang out with me. I will never forget that. Not only did Jordan live a relentless life for Jesus fully committed to the cause of Christ but he valued those around Him, always telling others how much they meant to Him, showing others how much Jesus valued them through His life and words. I know that Jordan would have been shocked by the number of people that came to His service. He would never think that or say that he impacted that many lives and many more that were unable to come. They all came because Jordan valued them through His service, and we were all impacted. The story He would want me to share with you would be to tell others how important they are to you. Let them know you value them and appreciate them, tell them how much you love them. It is so short the time we have, and let us learn from such a great example like Jordan how to value others. How to show them they matter and that Jesus loves them. I believe this is what He would want told. Jordan, there is so much I want to tell you right now and so much I wish i could say, but I want you to know more than anything how much I appreciate you, and Love you, and miss you. And look forward to the day when we can share our brotherhood once again."

www.jordanslegacy.com

Encounter Yourself

The word Encounter is such a unique word, some of the definitions mean to come face to face, or to confront an enemy, or a conflict with an opposing force. When thinking about this word with yourself it carries a much greater weight to it. The Bible talks about us being two separate people, the Spirit, and the Flesh, but often I think Christians forget we are a soul with a body not a body with a soul. We war so often with these two persons. There is apart of us that See's a child being picked on we want to go and defend them, and the other side of us says oh what will people say or do if I stand up for that child. There is apart of us that says I'm so tired of the same old addictions and I want to be free but another side of us that tries so hard to pull us right back into the same pain we are sick and tired of. Many people will try to put some type of scientific reason or intellectual answer to why this is or justifications other than the what the Bible says but no one can deny these impulses or internal urges. I often find it funny when Parent's wont curse around Children but do so in there absence, as if self admitting that what they are doing is wrong but as they get older truth for them is not truth for the child. Truth cannot be relative or it is not absolute. Encountering Yourself means taking a hard look at what we are in comparison to what Jesus wants us to be. Do we really follow Jesus, or do we really lead ourselves. There are a couple of things that I have been thinking about when it comes to Encountering ourselves. 1. A Big mirror and a small mirror. The Word says what Good does it do for a man to look at a mirror seeing what needs to be fixed and then walks away forgetting to fix anything. I know for myself I often take a small mirror, that way I can only see a little bit, I'm able to move it to the areas that I want to work on and I have control of. I don't have to look at the rest. But I know God wants a big mirror, so we can examine our whole self. We cant avoid the big picture or what we try to hide. We constantly try to achieve and excel so we wont confront the void and emptiness inside, we spend so much time trying cover our mistakes and seem perfect because we don't want people to know that we don't have it all together and that we are tired from trying to always be perfect. We try to always be funny because we want to be the center of attention because we don't want others to know we feel alone and depressed. Encountering ourselves is often a messy ordeal, but Jesus gives us one of the greatest examples of encountering our self than any other. When Jesus goes to the garden in the last hours of His life it's an amazing story of how we Encounter ourselves. 2. Jesus was faced with the greatest decision of His life, do I give up my life like God is asking me or do I go with my flesh and turn away. Often when we face difficult situations no where near the cost of death why do we bail out and run, Jesus could have but instead He decided to obey the Father and face His flesh, and literally crucify it. His word says we are to crucify our flesh daily so that are flesh will not live but Christ will. We are to confront our enemy and war with our flesh, Face it, encounter it and like Jesus say not our will but Father yours be done. Not our will but but Father yours. When we want to be mean not our will but Father yours, let us show Love. When we want to Gossip, Father not our will but Yours let us speak positive and encouraging words. When our flesh man wants to take control Kill it let Gods spirit have control. Not our will but Father yours be done. Encounter yourself! And find out who's will has control the flesh or our spirit. And keep in your mind always the example of Christ. Father not my will but yours be done!!!!

Honor Goes Down

Honor Goes Down

We tend to send honor up.

We turn Ps into VIPs, rooms into greenrooms, and Americans into idols.

But here's the paradigm shift with Jesus.

He sent honor down.

Those who were last became first, those who had least gave most, and those in the lowest seats got promoted.

I saw this on another guys blog It really smoked me , I'll defiantly be chewing on this for awhile.

My Tribute to Dave Ohlerking

In life there are men that we read stories about that have shaped the course of History

Where deeds of bravery have been left in scrolls for all generations to read

Where stories of Compassion have moved countries and nations towards action

stores of faith so strong that the very life given them they were willing to lay down

and lives so full of Love that Fathers and Mothers will lay at night beside there children and remind them of what they have done

many of these men we can only read stories of, and dream of what it would be like to have know them

to learn from them and to have been in the very midst of there bold presence

to have seen with our own eyes that bravery, that faith, that compassion, that Love.

Yes, to have known men with hearts so full of passion that the very earth they walked was carved by there character

to have known men that when they spoke, one word was more than a thousand and anchored itself in the well of our souls

to have known men like this would have been such an Honor, to have witnessed these stories written in person would have been such a priveledge, and to have seen that Love would have been such a gift.

Seven years ago I was blessed with such a gift

Priviledeged beyond words to have seen such a story

and given more than an Honor to have known such a man

If Hebrews had empty pages to fill you could take his life and paint the words

for his life has shaped my story, and for those that have known him they would say the same as well

I could write for days and not put in words what he has shared in life

nor tell a story worthy enough of the one he had written

but I can only say I will never forget his story,

and never forget the life that was written,

God blessed us with such a man,

and graced us all with more than a legend,

Jesus thankyou for such a story,

and thankyou for such a friend!



Dave Ohlerking

Loneliness for Fellowship

As of late this has been a very lonely road, Im not sure when the last time I have felt like this has been or how long ago I have gone thrue a season like this. The funny thing is Im surrounded by many people all the time, my beautiful wife, amazing friends and family but all the same it has still been one of the loneliest times of my life, and I believe there is a very significant reason for this. I have been doing alot of training in the last few months for an event we have been working on to raise money and awareness for the Orphans in Africa, and during this training I can often spend anywhere between 5 to 7 hours by myself a day for 5 days a week, getting mentally and physically prepared. This loneliness I feel in my heart I have often compared to the struggles of Paul, and even Jesus. There are things that God has put in the hearts of His special utensil's that often times the only ones who understand it are them and them alone. It becomes a weight that only they bear and a burden only they can truly understand, not because they are more important to God than others absolutely not, but to me because they are the ones who let down there walls to feel the sting of other people's pain, they let it mark them, they did not hide or shelter there hearts from reality, but they embraced the struggles and drank in the terrible injustice of another persons hurt and sorrows, yes I know we are to let Jesus carry our burdens but I also know that Jesus had a constant burden for the people and we are to have His heart towards people as well. It's amazing how brutal Africa has tormented my heart, I often feel overwhelmed by the movies that play in my mind over and over again from what I have seen and how heavy and sick I feel many times walking through the streets of America knowing I can never turn off the comparison switch in my heart. There have been many times in the last 4 yrs when I have not slept because I cannot stop thinking about the more than 50 million orphans in Africa, and if Im honest it's hard for me to talk to someone complaining about there steak not being cooked just right when I have seen kids that have never tasted anything but rice and beans once a day. I'm just being honest. I think about Jesus and the last moments of His life the weight that was on Him and what He knew he had to finish, no one else understood, as a matter of fact the ones closest to Him all went to sleep but in His heart it was concrete and there was no other way. Ive thought about great men like Martin Luther who stood strong through the great test of trial and persevered and changed history. Yes, there has been great loneliness trying to help 50 million children or simply even one, even those closest to me at many times have been the ones furthest away. The more you let it mark you the more your eyes see differently and your heart focuses on others, your views change from other people what was important no longer is and now what wasent is the only thing that is important. You begin to know the fathers heart and all the things we see as "so important" begin to fade away as so temporary and empty. I get on my bike and ride thinking about them, how can we send shoes,soccer balls, toys, clothes, anything, it's always there. I have seen many people that have come back with such a desire to make a difference and sadly within a few weeks it becomes a distant memory swallowed up in the American dream. We cant be those people, once we have seen it we are now responsible for it, weather it makes us alone or not. But i'll finish up with this, it has been a long test for me to keep faith in what God has laid on my heart trying to bring hope to the children by making people aware, especially when there is such a competition with all other things pleading for peoples attention. With this test in front of me I have been fasting and I have noticed so strongly that when I sit down to get alone with God I'm mean instantly I can see how my flesh trys to go watch tv or go outside or just daydream it's a war to get intimacy with God. I was so convicted by this because it tells me that that is what my flesh is used to being feed, and that's what it runs to when I get alone with God if I had been training my flesh more to be alone with God more daily when I go to fast it would be dead to those things and craving the father. While carrying this weight and knowing what God has placed in my heart my one desire has been to known Jesus in His suffering and loneliness. He is not far from me but is familiar with all our sorrows and troubles. This has carried me, knowing that my Savior has for us endured His loneliness so that we could see His ultimate plan and then we could have fellowship and no more loneliness. I pray that in this season it is not loneliness that we focus on but fellowship, that He suffered to bring us, and once we have fellowship we can share it with others. Especially the children.