Revived

Psalm 119: 156
Lord, how great is your mercy; let me be revived by following your regulations.

I can't type enough to explain what God is pushing 20+ young adults to do in Siloam Springs Arkansas. I have been a part of hype, I have been a part of name it and claim it, I have been a part of people talking for the sake of talking about Gods so called will... BUT... I have never seen anything like what God desires for New Life Tabernacle in Siloam Springs Arkansas.

These young adults I am talking about are the foundation of something amazing. The challenge is keeping a firm foundation. When one part of the foundation is weak, the others pick up the weight till it's fixed. See the problem with most "ministries" is exactly that. When 2 or 3 parts of the foundation get weak nobody picks them up. In fact more and more of the foundation weakens till the whole thing collapses. Then all the weight, favor, responsibility, hard work, growth, potential, future completely scatter into a million pieces.

I look at these huge ministries around the world and I realize the foundation got stronger by the day. Even when one part was weak, because the foundation grew so much that that one little section was so minute it didn't phase the rest of it. These amazing ministries didn't just say "well we have a great starting point, and great leadership so lets stop here", instead they kept growing it, kept building it, kept adding on to it and because of that God continued to give more.

So here we are in this small town of Siloam Springs but with this abnormal number of talented, loving, able, willing young adults. This my friends is the start of a firm foundation. With this I am honestly scared to think about what could happen if they can keep the finish line in mind. Let this post be a memory of the day I saw it so clearly. Let it be a memory of the beginning of greatness.

Scatter brained? Yes thanks for noticing... more to come!

Brad

Dream Big

Lastnight I challenged our young adult group to dream big for the kingdom. I explained how often we dream for selfish reasons like cars, homes, career, relationships. Many times we dream about things that we may very well never achieve or posses. There are some cars I dream about driving that I may never own. Why do we limit our dreams to what we can do on our own. If I want that car then I am going to have to this, and I am going to have to do that. Dreaming for the kingdom should be easy. Its not longer a case of "I" but a case of "GOD". The dreams we have, the visions we have, the passion we have comes from God. If we dream of reaching the lost in South Africa then its a case of dreaming for God and working with God to achieve it. If we dream of a church packed full of people all we have to do is include God in the equation and its suddenly achievable. See, thats the beauty of living for God - No matter what the skeptic, the world, your friends say... with God it IS possible.

I know without a shadow of a doubt that if you can make a group of people in a church understand this concept... there is NO limit. If I can get 35 or 40 young adults to understand that we are the body of Christ and each of us have a huge role that we must fulfill... you better watch out! God is just looking for some people to say "here I am God, use me". When we say these simple words we must be ready for the second part. For God to use you. He doesn't want to use you to do one little thing, he wants to blow your mind! So if your telling God to use you, don't be surprised if he gives you a dream that seems to big for "I".

What are some of your dreams for the Kingdom?

Brad

By Invitation Only

I was watching a concert on TV the other day with a very famous artist. The concert was in a really small venue and was titled "By Invitation Only". It got me thinking about the church and about what I have the privilege of being a part of week after week. I wonder how often we sit through a church service where God restores us, forgives us, inspires us, etc... or when have a family experience with our fellow church body, when we work together to help somebody in need. So we do all these amazing things to help each other and to help those in need and we experience the family atmosphere in a church service where God does all those awesome things for us... BUT!

How many times do I unintentional go through my week and completely forget to share what God means to me. It is amazing the opportunities I pass up on unintentionally, but sometimes intentionally. I know a lot of people in our church alone who would have never came to Christ if it was not for the invitation. Somebody got to know these people, showed them the love of Christ, and invited them to a new way of life. Not everybody hits rock bottom and just decides to try out God. Think of the people you pass every single day just looking for a way out.

In short: Don't forget the people who will only find Christ by Invitation Only...

Brad

Kent Morris

The title of this blog is simply a shout out to Mr. Kent Morris! He has been giving me a hard time about my lack of blogging, so this one goes out to you KM.

The Ordinary 12:
This week I was reading through Matthew and took a closer look at the 12 Disciples. I am always amazed at how they would drop everything they were doing to follow him. It reminds me of how even the most ordinary person in this day and age can be used by God. I look over the awesome group of people in my church and wonder how many of them are really seeking the will or calling of God. I see some who come fairly faithfully to church but they have little involvement in the church. I wonder what God might really want to be doing with each of them. Check out 1 Corinthians 26-29. I love this passage, it defines me, it defines most of us. God is not looking for the best looking, smartest, tallest, most athletic, most popular person... He is looking for the willing. So how many excuses can you come up with about why you can't? Check this out!
So I hope wherever you are, whatever ministry you are or are not a part of... allow God to turn your ordinary to extraordinary!

BH

Brother Barry Would Be Proud?

My pastor gave me the opportunity to preach at Church last Sunday. I was really nervous for some reason. Typically I can speak to 100 young people every wed night without a drop of sweat. If you have ever had to speak to youth then you know how hard it is. The adults were much more into what I said, but it was still difficult. I didn't screw up too much but I really learned a lot for my future opportunities. If your interested in listening go here. The title is "The New Perception". Nothing that will change your life. It was just some findings and statistics from a few books I read. Till next time...

Oh if your wondering about the title... just go here

Brad

Post Election

So the election is over and I just don't feel like I got my moneys worth. It ended sooo fast! Ok I'm joking... I am SOOOO glad it is over. I have not been on here in a while due to the time factor. I had some disappointments when the nominations were selected by both parties, and had some disappointments as the President Elect was announced. I, like Kenny Liles noticed a lot of negative criticism from all my friends who were not supporting Obama. I would like to remind you that just because a man is named President does not mean he can change everything that we stand for as Christians. The constitution says "We The People..." and we still have a voice. There is a reason for our State Representatives. How many of you have every actually emailed your State Representative to let him/her know how you feel about a topic on Capitol Hill? We as a Christian nation need to remember that the outcome of this election is a wake up call. The vote was won by the young voters. That tells me that we need to do a better job of raising a young nation with morals and understanding. So Youth Pastors like myself have to take that to heart and understand the importance. I do not want to dictate a society that may not be Christian, I want to reach a society that isn't Christian. I am tired of the Christian community trying to tell Americans how to live. Jesus was a friend to everybody, no matter what they believed. He didn't go after them, they came after him. So don't decide the world is going to end now, instead be a voice like never before. Stand up for your beliefs, and reach a lost nation. Not Religion... Relationship.

B-Rad

Vince Lichlyter

If you have never heard of Vince Lichlyter you need to check him out. He was the lead singer of the Christian rock band "Jonah33". They recently ended an 8 year journey and he is now working on some acoustic stuff. We invited him to come lead worship last Wed and I had no idea what to expect. WOW! That is all I can say. He is blunt, funny, talented, genuine, and just overall awesome. He has been there with the best of them. I think what impressed me the most is he kept the attention of 80 young people ages 12 to 19 from all walks of life. From throwing out gum that he hated to the Jr high kids to singing a random song that he labeled the worst song of all time... he did great! He was very to the point and challenged the crowd to get real with God. Stop acting like everything is ok and that you have everything under control. So to sum it up... You need to get this guy at your Church or event. You WILL NOT be dissapointed! Check out some of his stuff here.

Brad