Velocity Pastor

When Jesus is quiet…

velocityreborn — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 22:07:26 +0000

Trying to keep up with blogging is hard. I am wanting to blog more and more but I don’t want to force stuff. I would rather write less often and more valuable stuff.

Jesus has taught me a valuable lesson. He taught me in a not so fun way but I have found his truth in the midst of the circumstance none the less. After moving a few weeks ago now my wife is still working in South Jersey so instead of taking a two hour commute there and two hour commute home everyday she stays with her parents for three nights of the week. It is terribly lonely and terribly hard but when we come back together and spend friday and saturday I just want to be with her. I don’t care what we do or where we go. I am so excited to be with her and value that time so much more than I did before.

Enter Jesus…God is teaching me through this situation that the times where I feel he is silent doesn’t have to do with me but with Him. It has nothing to do with sin or distance from him. God simply wants to create hunger, a yearning for that time with him, and a new appreciation for the work Jesus did. Learning this lesson sucks but it is worth it. My wife and I are growing closer and longing to spend more and more time with each other. God removed the guilt for me that we sometimes feel when he is silence and taught me to crave him all the more in those times of silence!

If you feel God pulling away or seeming like he is not answering don’t get frustrated with yourself, don’t get angry with God, or church but appreciate and long for the moments when he does speak and he does answer! He is faithful!

Exciting Stuff…

velocityreborn — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 14:06:10 +0000

Just in the midst of loving life and God more than ever. Blessings upon blessings keep coming in. I enjoyed reconnecting yesterday at the District Office and being challenged by Fabian and Pastor C. I love it! Today I am presently blogging but when I am done with all of the updates I am going to make a packet for the parents for Youth Convention and am beyond excited for youth convention!

The theme this year is “This Changes Everything” and when they say this they mean Jesus! The promo stuff is outstanding and the convention is going to be off the charts exciting! Desperation Band is leading worship and Scott Gibbons is preaching! Not only that but we are tailgating before hand. I am so looking forward to Jesus changing and messing up Velocity’s young people…this is not about a weekend but the beginning of a movement that is going to shake the state!!! Wow!!!

Laying in bed…

velocityreborn — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 01:51:53 +0000

I love first of all that I can blog from my phone. It is way cool! As I was sitting here in bed my wife and I both reading my brother called me and emailed me a song he wrote with a good friend of ours my man Everest! The song was awesome and I am so pumped for the worship night coming up this October with them. They are the best. Anyways it got me thinking after church tonight and the song they wrote and all that Gods kingdom and church are growing. They are on the move, more creative then ever, more passionate than ever and I am grateful and humbled that Jesus picked me to lead his church at this time in history! What an honor!

It’s official!

velocityreborn — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 13:12:08 +0000

Samantha and I are moved in to our new home in North Jersey. We are so excited and can’t wait to see all that God has in store for the church, its young people, and us! God is so good…

Hit that wall…

velocityreborn — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:30:42 +0000

Have you ever had such a great sermon idea that you were sure was bullet proof and then God just shattered it. I have been working on a new series for the youth at church and the ideas are well thought out but I was trying to write my first sermon last night for this sunday and I got about half way into and I erased the whole thing cause I knew it wasn’t from God. Although it was great information it lacked that God factor. It was coming from my mind and not my heart. I am going to spend some time with God today and let him put something into my heart. Its better to be silent then to speak without His words. I never want to give a sermon I think is good but I want to get in my prayer closet and hear a word from heaven…

Just an encouragement to any pastors out there: People don’t need your opinion, church psychology, or a nice message. They need a word from heaven that God deposits into your heart.

This song is inspiring…

velocityreborn — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 03:05:23 +0000

Not your typical song you would expect a pastor to listen too but after spending two years working with teenage boys in the prison system you learn to listen to a lot of things that don’t fit your lifestyle and don’t necessarily match up with your values because those kids live and die by that music. I learned early on in working with them that you never disrespected an artist (even jokingly) partly because they like the music but more so I found out later because of the strong gang ties to certain rap artists that they liked. Now I am not saying I know anything about this artist or any of that but what I do know is listening to this song makes me think I can achieve anything… Click the link below to watch the youtube version of All of the Above by Maino featuring T-pain…

Video

Working hard

velocityreborn — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 17:29:51 +0000

Today has been a busy day…just shooting off a quick one up here. Running around cleaning, making final preparations for the move on Saturday. Somebody pinch me I am really moving to North Jersey!!! Appreciate any of your prayers as we start this new season in life! I love my wife! She is my #1 fan and best supporter anyone could ever ask for!!! Especially as we venture out into a world with a whole lot of questions left unanswered…walking by faith following Jesus!

Up early but its all good…

velocityreborn — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 11:46:28 +0000

This morning is such a reminder to me of Romans 8:28, “God works all things together for good for those that love God…” As my wife and I prepare to move and enter a whole new world 2 hours away from our parents, family, and friends God is putting all the pieces together. I am not frustrated or stressed. Jesus is working it all together. We needed someone to rent our place or buy it and we have had a few people want to come see it. I am certain God has the future owner already picked out. Samantha and I had no desire to paint our new house and were just going to settle on the colors that were there when Pastor called and said someone would be willing to paint it if you pick out the colors. Samantha needs a job transfer or a new one up where we are moving and I am supremely confident that Jesus has that worked out too. You see it is one or the other. Either God is on the throne or he is not!

Psalms 127 “Unless the Lord builds it those who build it labor in vain”

Proverbs “A man plans his way but the Lord directs His steps”

I could go all day, verse after verse story after story. God has been running this show for many many years and has done perfectly so far…I am sure that God has me and God has this! The question is, do you trust him more than you trust yourself?

The treasure is in the field!!!

velocityreborn — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 21:52:40 +0000

Up early this morning and was watching Jetzen Franklin one of my favorites when it comes to TV preachers. He was preaching a message out of Matthew 13 about a treasure hidden in a field. He kept repeating the line “Your treasure is in the field” and my wife kept saying it over and over in a southern accent trying to get me to laugh by predicting when he would say it. It was fun and we gained a few laughs. However, as the day progressed I thought about a field and harvesting, and all the other Christian cliches we attach to them when God hit me with a truth.

Everyone saved or unsaved has purchased a field with a treasure.

Like Matthew 13 the man discovered a treasure hidden in a field and was willing to sell all he had to buy the field the treasure was in. Everyone has purchased a field with a treasure in it. Even people that aren’t saved and don’t care about the treasure or the field have purchased one. You purchase them with your time, talent, tithe, and testimony! The question doesn’t become do I want to be in the field or own the field but which field do you find yourself and what treasure are you digging for? The truth is as Paul said, “You will reap what you sow”! Your in the field and digging for something…

Some people don’t know what to look for, others think they know and don’t, still some know and don’t pursue, and others have it but are lazy.

My questions for the day are: What field do you find yourself in? & What treasure are you digging for?

What’s up…

velocityreborn — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 15:18:03 +0000

This is something I did on myspace for a while and have wanted to have my own blog and now I do. I hope you enjoy the insight, sermon illustrations, leadership teachings, and all that God is doing in me and through me. On my blog page I plan on sharing with you the fun and not so fun moments of life. IF you will join me in this blog experiment hopefully we can journey together…