The Blog

Today was another amazing day, not only was God doing amazing things but we had the privalage to go and minister at another Christ Center chapel service. It is always so amazing to go to the chapel services. We go there and all the kids remember our names and we are all trying to remeber their names, its a lot of fun.

Today was also a special day for Casey because he was given the opportunity to speak at the service and was able to share the message that God has been putting on his heart about service and loving people the way God intended them to be loved. We also were able to do some dramas for them, which everybody knows are always fun. After Casey spoke, Jeff, one of the leaders of the school, tied into some of the stuff that they have been teaching about. He talked about finding the Gold inside of people and not focusing on the dirt. It was a really cool thing, and we got to pray with all of them to find the real Gold inside of people and to be able to find the Gold in each and every single one of them.

After all was said and done, it was a great service and it is always such a joy to go there and see all the awesome things that God is doing in that school and in the lives of the staff and all of the students. Oh and don't forget with every chapel service, it also means we get the most amazing deserts in the whole world.

It is a hard thing to think about but it is a question that is asked a lot. Why do you do what you do. This happens a lot to us in ministry. Maybe its a really good friend or a sibling or even our parents who just don't know why it is we do what we do. It is always easy to say becuase God said so, but do we ever really take the time to sit down and think why we do what it is we do.

As a Masters Commission, it is very easy for us to say we do what we do because we are servants, which we are, but there is so much more to it then that. God has a calling on ever single person. Some people are called into a full time ministry position and some are not, but we are all called to ministry in one way or another. Now if you have read this far then you may think that this blog is for people who are in full time ministry and you are going to get a good reason why you are doing it, when actually it is about the people who do things outside of the church and outside of full time ministry and who love Jesus and are faithful to a church who just want to serve God.

It is so easy for people who are not in full time ministry to feel like they are not doing there part or that they are waisting there life working a day job. One of the biggest things that people overlook is that a day job, a workplace, is one of the biggest mission fields in the entire world. Everybody works. I am writting this blog to encourage those out there to take advantage of the situations that God has given to you. Keep loving God and seeking him but as you go and do then take the love that he has given you and begin to share it with the people you work with.

So many times we see people who are an awesome man or women of God at church on Sunday, but they feel that in order to fit in at work, they need to do all the things that there work buddies do. It is a hard thing to overcome, but remeber, we are all called to be a light into the darkness, so go and light up the darkness.

Over the past few weeks at Crossfire Masters Commission we’ve been talking about sacrifice. One Bible story that received a lot of attention was the story of Abraham and Isaac, when God told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac as a teat of his faith and stopped him at the last minute.

I was reading over that story and something really cool popped out at me. It comes to the part of the story where Abraham and Isaac are about to part ways with the rest of their group, here is what the scripture says,” He said to his servants, ‘Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.’”

He said that they were going to worship. Now, it’s not like Abraham was lying to his servants, or trying to trick them into thinking that they weren’t going to sacrifice, that was obviously their intent. Rather this statement makes clear to us that worship is sacrifice. Worship is more than just music and lyrics, but it is about how you live your life.

Romans 12:1 says, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.” Living sacrifices, a life dedicated to the worship God is characterized by sacrifice. This is something important for everyone to know because what you sacrifice for is a good indicator of who or what you worship.

Romans 1:25 says, “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.” So I leave you with this: What do you sacrifice for? What is it that motivates the majority of the sacrifices you make? Are you worshiping the creation rather than the creator? Who do you worship?

So, it has been a long and crazy week but things are shaping up to look very good. We have made a lot of progress on the remodel of the church and are very excited to see it all come together. We still have a long way to go but we are taking it one step at a time. Looking at what is to come and being ready for it is so important. Although you may not always know what is coming at you, the bible says to be ready in and out of season. We are so excited and ready to see where God is taking us and can not wait to find out where it is.

As we go through all these different things on our way, we ask that you all would pray for us and our church. Another thing to think about as we are going through all of this has been that no matter what the obstacles have been, God has made a way. It is so odd and funny to think about but its true. God is the ultimate craftsmen. So, when you are in a hard time and feel just really down and don't know what to do think about that. God has been from the very begging making and forming your life. He knows all the ups and all the downs, let him be in control and see if you start to notice a difference.

Although the holiday that bears St. Patrick’s name has become simply a good excuse to wear green and a bad excuse for many to drink, the man behind the holiday was truly a man of God. In honor of that fact, here’s a powerful quote from St. Patrick that has challenged us:

“I am Patrick, yes a sinner and indeed untaught; yet I am established here in Ireland where I profess myself bishop. I am certain in my heart that “all that I am,” I have received from God. So I live among barbarous tribes, a stranger and exile for the love of God. He himself testifies that this is so. I never would have wanted these harsh words to spill from my mouth; I am not in the habit of speaking so sharply. Yet now I am driven by the zeal of God, Christ’s truth has aroused me. I speak out too for love of my neighbors who are my only sons; for them I gave up my home country, my parents and even pushing my own life to the brink of death. If I have any worth, it is to live my life for God so as to teach these peoples; even though some of them still look down on me.”

History of St. Patrick taken from http://www.seiyaku.com/customs/crosses/patrick.html

Patrick was born in Kilpatrick, Scotland (other accounts say somewhere in England or Wales), in the year 387 (or 371 by other accounts). He lived a remarkably long life; some sources say he was 73 when he died, others say he was 106, and yet other accounts age him to 122!

Patrick's father, Calphurnius, was from a high ranking Roman family. With this relatively wealthy background, Patrick must have been fit and healthy as a young man, which may have been the reason for Patrick's kidnapping by an Irish gang who sold him as a slave to a pagan chieftain in Dalriada (now County Antrim), the north-eastern coast of Ireland.

For six years, he tended livestock for his master, which gave him plenty of time to pray and exercise the Christian faith his parents had nurtured in him. He grew strong spiritually, mastered the local Celtic language, and also became familiar with Druidism from which later he would convert the people of Ireland.

After six years, he sneaked away and managed to board a ship back to Britain. There, rather than return to his home, he became a student of the bishop St. Germain for some years and joined in his missionary work. Eventually he became a priest and Pope Celestine gave him the task of converting the Irish to Christianity. In fact another missionary called Palladius had already tried that, but was beaten back by the chieftain of Wicklow. Bishop Germain told the Pope that Patrick was the man for the job. Patrick was given a new name by the Pope: Patercius meaning 'father of his people'.

By the time he reached Ireland, Patrick was already about 45 years old. At that age is must have been physically daunting to take on the aggressive Druids. So he adopted a more gentle approach to his mission. First, he went back to the area where he had been a slave. There, he paid a ransom for his own release and forgave his former master for the cruelty he had endured. This must have been good gossip material at the local markets.

Patrick's meek reputation soon spread, so that where-ever he journeyed, people knew this was a gentle man of God and he was respected. Not by everyone, of course. Those in power were afraid that this new religion would weaken their authority and wealth. One such chieftain was called Dichu. On a journey to Slemish, Patrick bumped into Dichu, who saw the saint as a puny man and easy to overcome. Dichu drew his sword to slay Patrick, but his arm froze in mid air! He could not move and begged for Patrick's forgiveness. The paralysis softened and Dichu was converted. Later, he built a monastery on his land. (Monastery - a home for unmarried fathers?!)

This is one of several early miracles attributed to Patrick, and he did not stop there. All his life, this missionary went around spreading the word of God. It wasn't always easy; he had to negotiate several arrests, but he never tired. When he wasn't preaching, he was praying. One by one, he converted the pagan leaders to Christianity, and the people followed.

One day, in 433, Dichu told Patrick that the chieftains of Erin had been summoned to celebrate a special pagan Easter Sunday feast at Tara by Leoghaire, the Supreme Monarch of Ireland. The aim was to muster strength against this new and threatening religion of Christianity. Patrick saw this as a golden opportunity to preach to so many chieftains, and even the king himself. At once, Patrick set off to meet the challenge.

Patrick gave such an impression that from that day forward, Ireland became a nation of people who followed the Christian faith.

One story tells how, at the Easter Sunday feast at Tara, Patrick bent down to pluck a shamrock from the sward and used it to illustrate how the three leaves joined together on a single stem represented the Trinity joined together in the Godhead.

Then there's the lovely story of Patrick's chauffeur, or rather charioteer, named Odhran. In the region of Kildare and Queen's was a chieftain who used to worship Crom Cruach, an enormous demon idol made of stone and gold. Feared by all, Crom Cruach could only be appeased by sacrificing children on Samain (1st November) in return for milk and corn, and the good weather that insured the fertility of cattle and crops. The chieftain was pretty peeved to find out that Patrick had destroyed the idol. He vowed revenge on Patrick and plotted to lie in wait for the saint and murder him.

Odhran overheard this plot, and thought of a plan to save his master.

Before embarking on a journey that would take Patrick into the ambush, Odhran asked Patrick if they could change places for the day; for Patrick to become the driver and Odhran to sit as passenger in the cart. Patrick agreed to this strange request, and they set off.

No sooner as they started, the chieftain's men attacked. They killed Odhran in the cart, believing him to be Patrick. Odhran saved Patrick's life by sacrificing his own. Thus he became a martyr - and we have the basis for another story.

Patrick was therefore able to continue on his mission, through into his old age, converting the chieftains who were then followed by their subjects. In the stone fort Cashel in Munster, the traditional place for coronations, Patrick baptized the Munster king's son, Aengus. During the ceremony, old Patrick leaned on his crosier for support and in doing so, accidentally pierced the young prince's foot. Aengus, believing this to be part of the ceremony, simply gritted his teeth and took the pain like a prince should. At the end of the baptism, Patrick noticed the blood and admired the prince's courage. With the bloodied end of his staff, Patrick drew a red cross on the king's shield, telling him the sign should be a symbol of courage for all to witness.

Patrick is credited with miracles in healing the sick and even resuscitating the dead. He ordained innumerable priests and consecrated no fewer than 350 bishops. He continued his work until he had completed his triumph over Paganism and converted the Irish to Christianity. His work completed, he died around 450 (by some accounts, 461 on others, or on 17 March 493 by yet other accounts. This day gives us St. Patrick's Day.) Whatever the actual year was, Patrick was elevated to sainthood for his Divine supernatural gifts by the local diocese soon after he died. (Cannonisation of saints by the pope did not begin until 993.)

When you take a second and think back on all the things that you have done in your life, what do you come up with. Now, if you are young and don't have a lot of life experience, this will be much easier for you to do. For anyone who has been through a lot in their life, this may be a much harder task. Once you have done this, add up the things that you would call good things and add up all the things that you would call bad things. This may discourage some and others may be encouraged, but when you really take the time to think about it, it is all of these things that make up who you are. God takes you through the good and the bad to build your character.

All of those things make up your testimony. Your testimony is the most valuable thing that you have, that no one else will ever have or be able to copy. Why, because, you have been there, you went through it. So many times poeple look at there life and can't figure out what it is they are suppose to do in life. The truth of the matter is that the biggest thing that you can do in you own life is share what you have been through. Where God has taken you and the things that you have overcome. You never know how many people could be touched by the words that you say. I ask the question, What Is Your Purpose. This question applies to those who want to serve and do something for God but do not know how. Your purpose and what you are meant to do is to just be you and to pour into other people what God has given to you. Let him be your voice and just shine. You don't have to be some big wig preacher to change someones life forever. Not to say that preachers don't change peoples lives. God can use anyone to further his glory. Use what God has given you and learn everything you can.

This week has been an exciting one. Things are moving froward with the church and God is so incredible. Things have been looking up as we ave started to work on the floors and all of the remodel. We have also been blessed with some racks from Circuit City this week. They are going out of business and are getting rid of things for a very cheep price. Our church has always been one to jump at an opportunity, even if it means that we will do the work ourselves. This is a big blessing and will help our church during fireworks tremendously. God is so good in how he decides to bless us. He has chosen to give us so much and more. It is just another testament to how waiting on the God and believing that his is our provider is the only way to live your life. If we were not willing to be obedient to God and be patient then how would he be able to do the things he does. We as a people need to learn to get out of the way and let God do what he does. It may take time but faithfulness is so important in our lives. The things that we call magic or miracles are just the simple things to God. It is time to learn that as a church and as a people God wants to and will bless you when you are obedient. Remember that God works for the good of all things. All things. Get out of the way and let him do it.

There is really only one word to describe this years BTI. Wow! BTI is our churches youth winter camp. It is a time for students to get away for a weekend and come and see God. Our camp speaker this year was just so happened to be a Masters Commission alum from MC USA (The Original Masters program.) His name is Trammel Or. He has been out of Masters for a while now and has devoted his life to speaking to people. He came to camp to deliver a message and oh what a message he delivered.

God took over this weekend and did some crazy things. People, not just students, got something radical from God. They came to camp one way and went home completely different. The power behind the name of Jesus is so incredible and life changing that it blew us all away. There was freedom and bandages broken this weekend. God is so amazing the way that he does things. Trammel definitely delivered a message and that message was Jesus.

God is so crazy, these people that came to camp, came expecting something from him and they got it. We also had just a really fun weekend overall. There was so many things packed into one weekend. All the things from late night movies and bonfires to tubing on the autobahn and even going the regional sports center here in Springfield, OR. Talk about a crazy exciting weekend that will not only push you the the limits physically but beyond the limits that we put over our lives in the Spirit. We are praying that the doors people opened and the commitments made would not just be a camp high but something that becomes a lifestyle.