COURAGEOUS CHARACTER - 2.26

Have you thanked Him?
Have you praised Him?
Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?
Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?
1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)
1-3The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat. - Teddy Roosevelt.

My good friend and Xenia Board of Education VP Arch Grieve shared that little quote as the foundation for his remarks at my son Ian’s induction into the National Junior Honor Society last night.

Not sure if you are familiar with the criteria to be a member but they ask from its individuals academic achievement, Citizenship, leadership, service and CHARACTER.

And while Ian is a “character” most days, I found that little quote from Teddy and Arch a wonderful challenge to examine OUR CHARACTER this morning.

Are we critics or combatants?
Do we dare to fail or fail to dare?
Are we willing to serve in the arena we have been called to as CHRISTIANS or too timid to try?

Realize that GOD asks us to demonstrate HIS character in our arena of life and that is not one that is timid or fearful but BOLD and COURAGEOUS for HE is WITH US!
Joshua 1:9 (NIV)
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.

And friends it is the CHARACTER of CHRIST that we are to boldly emulate everyday!

JESUS was love personified. Therefore we should love.
JESUS was peace personified. Therefore we should be peacekeepers and makers.
JESUS spoke TRUTH. We should strive for the same.
JESUS was ALL IN every day. We should be as well!
Romans 8:15-17 (MSG)
This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike “What’s next, Papa?” God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what’s coming to us—an unbelievable inheritance! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we’re certainly going to go through the good times with him!

So embrace CHRIST’S CHARACTER today!
Step into the ARENA. Be BOLD!
DARE!
EXPERIENCE the ADVENTURE!
GOD is with you!

You won’t regret it!

I love you all!
Freedom Church

ACTIVELY LOVE

Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)

1-3The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

I made another new friend this week.  He works for our Ohio Governor.  He is in the “faith office” of the Governor.

Now I know what you are thinking.  “There is a faith office”?

Yes. It is true.

Conrad stopped down so I could share with him our work at AHOP FREEDOM CHURCH and its affiliates (JEREMIAH TREE, SKBOH, AND FREEDOM RECOVERY).
But as we talked our conversation quickly moved to “THE NEED”.

From February 13-17 (5) folks died from heroin laced with horse tranquilizer in Springfield.  I lost a dear FREEDOMER to the same combination.

One of my recent FREEDOM girls, a treatment candidate who was released from jail so she could enter one of our treatment partners, was pronounced dead from an overdose on the 17^th because she detoured to use “one more time”.

As a State, (8) are dying daily to overdoses from opiates alone.

The dealers are ruthless. The drugs are impure, laced with all sorts of things to improve the kick, to keep the addicted, addicted.

A dear “FREEDOMER and AHOPPER” has a bed and hope waiting for him in Hamilton yet continues to run and hide from the help.

Today’s DISPATCH is a simple request for prayer and action! I normally don't get overly preachy with this little daily forum, but today, I am moved to encourage, implore, and hopefully motivate!

 

My friends it is time to put down denominations and silo affiliations and wade into the mess!  

 

People are dying! I was interviewed by a magazine in Colorado yesterday. My interviewer's best friend's son, a 19 year old, is dead from heroin.  The NEED for action and intervention is everywhere.

We have the ANTIDOTE! It is JESUS!

We have FREEDOM to SHARE! It is JESUS!

We have an ANSWER for these ANSWERLESS QUESTIONS our bound friends are facing! It is Jesus!

The time for apathy is over.

The time for “sitting in the pew and ignoring the problems are over.” Governor Kasich via Conrad

Love cures people - both the ones who give it and the ones who receive it. - Karl A. Menninger

We need to start ACTIVELY loving.

We do. I receive 3-7 calls a day from parents, spouses, addicted friends, and new seekers of help. They are desperate.  They are in DARKNESS.

They NEED wise, CHRIST FOLLOWING folks to help them discover the "LIGHT OF THE WORLD"!

So today, as we head into another weekend, pause and pray for the addicted, the bound and the confounded.  

Pray for workers to come along side those joined in the battle.Yes. the problem is GREAT but our GOD is greater!

Job 37:5 ESV

…he (GOD) does great things that we cannot comprehend.

Psalm 147:3 ESV

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

But we need to ACT!

Christ has no body but yours,

No hands, no feet on earth but yours,

Yours are the eyes with which he looks

Compassion on this world,

Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,

Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.

Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,

Yours are the eyes, you are his body.

Christ has no body now but yours,

No hands, no feet on earth but yours,

Yours are the eyes with which he looks compassion on this world.

Christ has no body now on earth but yours. - Teresa of Avila

 

Will you ACTIVELY LOVE today?

I love you all!

Have a BLESSED WEEKEND!

Freedom Church

INCONVENIENT COMPASSION

Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?

Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)

1-3The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

I sat through some “interesting” education yesterday.

My Jeremiah Tree Men’s Program Manager Kip and I went to OhioDAS in Columbus and attended a Recovery Resource Housing session.  Why I say interesting is that it is rare that a “State” organization and a “church” organization get to share the same space let alone potentially the same opportunities for funding.

But it is true!  And it could be a game changer!

Be in prayer for my brother Kip as he takes the TREE's lead to provide more opportunities for our addicted to find housing, help and JESUS!

But I mention the program and our visit not just for prayer but to share something a little disturbing.

One of the presenters from another County who was efforting to open a 5 bed/2 bath RECOVERY HOME was met with 200 angry opposed constituents, an adversarial community LLC action group, a potential lawsuit, and a concerted and financially backed effort to block the process.  It is likely the “good work” and the help will be denied because those “constituents” found this sort of compassion “inconvenient” for them.

Who is our neighbor again?  That saddened me.

But I too was challenged recently that compassion isn’t always convenient. Sometimes I miss my mark as well. That is true.

But compassion is our calling as CHRISTians! 

We have a glorious example to follow.

Mark 6:34 (ESV)

…he saw a great crowd, and he had COMPASSION on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd

Matthew 23:37 (CEV)

I (JESUS) have often wanted to gather you…as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings.

I will quickly admit, some days I am guilty of letting my compassion suffer because to share it would be inconvenient.  I will admit that.  Not proud to do so. But today, I want to encourage us both.

Extend compassion.  Have the heart of Christ. Is someone hurting around you?  Extend a gracious hand.  Pull them close with a warm hug if you can and if appropriate.  Maybe all you can offer is just a text message of encouragement a FACEBOOK EMOJI with a smiling face, or a “thinking of you” voicemail.  Don’t hesitate. 

Clearing the closet? Someone could use those jeans.  Retiring the bedding?  Why not donate that comforter, it is awfully cold.  

You are getting my drift.

Let’s never become as those constituents in the unnamed county and forget our calling to compassion.

“How would your life be different if…You stopped making negative judgmental assumptions about people you encounter? Let today be the day…You look for the good in everyone you meet and respect their journey.” ― Steve Maraboli

Even when it is "inconvenient."

 

I love you all!

Freedom Church

REFINING

Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?

Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)

1-3The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

The first one asked, "Why so much confrontation recently in my life?"

He struggles with anger.

The next asked, "Why is what I do never SEEM to be good enough to people?

She struggles with approval and co-dependency.

The third was trying to make sense of the incarceration, the time away.

She struggles with control.

God understands each of their challenges.  God understands each of their hearts.  God wants to REMOVE those things from them because they BLOCK their relationship with Him. So GOD has allowed OPPORTUNITIES for DEVELOPMENT in those areas. He is refining them.

In my case GOD knows those areas in life that need refining and in the last few weeks I have been placed smack dab in the middle of situations and circumstances that press me to address those issues.

I am conflict adverse, so GOD has allowed for healthy conflict in my life to get me to trust Him more.

GOD knows my ego can be problematic, so humbling opportunities have surfaced.  

GOD knows my heart is easily skinned and swayed for the wrong reasons and He is pressing me to be more discerning.

Truth is, we all are being refined daily.  The process is no fun sometimes, but necessary to reach our FULL POSSIBILITIES in CHRIST.

Therefore we have to be open to the “instruction”.

ROMANS 12:2(MSG)

...readily recognize what he (GOD) wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

And while this development can be trying and can be painful, GOD disciplines the ones He loves and He wants us to reach our very BEST!  So that means we have to “get rid” of those things that DON’T look like JESUS!  That means we have to PRESS THROUGH the trials IN FAITH knowing that they are FOR A PURPOSE and our FAITH will be REWARDED and GOD glorified if we do.

1 Peter 1:6-7

…tests have come to prove your faith and to show that it is good. Gold, which can be destroyed, is tested by fire. Your faith is worth much more than gold and it must be tested also. Then your faith will bring thanks and shining-greatness and honor to Jesus Christ.

Maybe you had a day like mine yesterday.  A day where your faith was pressed, your demeanor challenged and your patience tested.  I pray you handled your refining better than I.  I didn’t exhibit much faith or much humility. Just being real.  It wasn't a banner day for Pastor Greg.

Thankfully today is a new day to do a new thing!

But if you did, REJOICE!  

GOD is doing a work in you and HE isn’t about to quit until the work is done.

Philippians 1:6 (NLV)

I am sure that God Who began the good work in you will keep on working in you…

 

So rejoice in the refining!

I love you all!

Freedom Church

"MO" ON FREEDOM

Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?

Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)

1-3The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

I have a friend, Coach Mo. We are not close friends, but we are a more than acquaintances.  He is very interesting fella with a even more interesting job.  If you follow him via the social media feeds, he is all over the place; college basketball arenas and NBA ALL-STAR weekend just to name a couple.

Without question though he is INSIGHTFUL, ENERGETIC, CARING and INVESTED!

I would relish a little more time with Mo.

And like me offers a little daily devotion, a little snippet of what the Lord is saying to Him or an encouragement for the readers along his distribution channel.  And late last week his Coach Mo “moment” I will call it, struck a chord that I thought should be passed along to you my “FREEDOM” DISPATCH followers.

You will immediately see why…

How to Use Freedom 

"You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature. Rather, serve one another in love." Galatians 5:13

 

Many would argue that the best way to play basketball is in free-flow, where the ball is shared freely, all players make meaningful cuts, and multiple scoring options occur on about every trip down the floor. How to get there is the trick. When play is either too scripted or too selfish, this free flow is lost. Selfish ambition and the need for control gets in the way. All too often this happens. Teams that handle freedom the best often succeed the most. All team sports seem to battle to find the right balance in the call to freedom.

God's Word teaches us that life should be lived like the way good basketball is played. God calls us to be free, to break free of binding constraints that too often keep us from being real, open, humble and honest before God and others. We get stuck in performance traps instead of getting real. Our offense breaks down and lacks flow. We fake it to make it. It's no way to live. 

We need the freedom He gives to get flow.

Still there can be huge error in our drive for freedom. The Apostle Paul warns us that freedom's purpose cannot become the indulging of our sinful nature. In an attempt to break free of scripted, 'fake-it-to-make-it' living, we cannot prove our realness by intentionally sinning. This is the wrong use of freedom. It clogs up life. No real beneficial flow comes from indulging our sinful nature.

 

Use freedom for right reasons. As seen in today's text, the key to living in freedom is letting go in loving service. One is truly free when one has nothing to protect, nothing to hide, when one can freely serve others in love. To serve others in love is why God calls and coaches us to freedom.

Heed the call. Use freedom well.

Love God. Serve others. In love.

 

Maximum effort.

Heart for others.

Glory to God!

Coach Mo

 

I love you all!

Freedom Church

BECAUSE OF CHRIST

Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?

Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)

1-3The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

Colossians 1:22

God has made you his friends again. He did this through Christ’s death in the body so that he might bring you into God’s presence as people who are holy, with no wrong, and with nothing of which God can judge you guilty.

I closed yesterday’s DISPATCH with this little passage but thought it merited repeating today.

GOD has made you HIS friend.

He did this by offering HIS BEST, HIS SON for you and me.

By doing so HE opened a continuous conduit to HIS PRESENCE, HIS GUIDANCE, HIS OPPORTUNITIES, HIS BLESSING, HIS FRIENDSHIP AND HIS LOVE.

By doing so He freed us from guilt, pressure and shame.

Romans 8:1 (PHILLIPS)

No condemnation now hangs over the head of those who are “in” Jesus Christ. For the new spiritual principle of life “in” Christ lifts me out of the old vicious circle of sin and death.

That is remarkable!

I love the way this translation describes that life of guilt; a vicious circle.  A circle of “am I saved or not”, “have what I have done this time siphoned GOD from me for good?” type questions.

Yet that passage from Colossians and that familiar refrain from Romans deals with those types of questions for good.

Because of CHRIST there is NO condemnation.

Because of CHRIST we are FRIENDS of GOD.

Because of CHRIST GOD's presence can be pursued and embraced!

Because of CHRIST, death can't sting.

Because of CHRIST GOD’s love flows freely, continuously and eternally for those who believe!

Lamentations 3:22 (ESV)

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases…

Therefore we should be exuberant in our service unto Him!  Amen?

We should be grateful for each day to walk in friendship, freedom and grace with Him! We should gladly take the charge to minister to those around us, encourage the troubled and intercede for the broken.

“When we truly understand what it means to love as Jesus Christ loves us, the confusion clears and our priorities align. Our walk as disciples of Christ becomes more joyful. Our lives take on new meaning. Our relationship with our Heavenly Father becomes more profound. Obedience becomes a joy rather than a burden.”  ― Dieter F. Uchtdorf

 

So thank HIM for loving and FREEING you today!  Pursue and serve Him because He does and has!

"...you are freed up to serve, love, and give thanks without guilt, worry or fear." ― Francis Chan

Get to it!

Have an awesome weekend!

I love you all!

Freedom Church