My three year old son and I we’re pillow fighting last night. As I hit him once in the head he gave me that proverbial, “OH DAD YA GOT ME” lines like he was “play” dying. He then did a “play” falling routing. Problem was his head smacked into the edge of a hearth on a fireplace. Blood started gushing and I knew at that moment we needed to take him to the emergency room. On our way I held him in my arms and told him that I loved him and that Jesus loved him and he was safe. We we’re going to take care of him. We get to the emergency room and the doctor checks his vitals etc. to make sure there wasn’t a concussion or neural damage. The gash in his head was about half inch wide and three quarter in deep. It was bad. Doc then asked me to hold him down to administer the anesthetic shot to numb the area. Can I say, that as a father, it was one of the hardest things I’ve had to do. Holding my son down while he’s in excruciating pain was gut wrenching. There was no other alternative though. It had to be done or we just leave a hole in his head.
God spoke to me and said, “I had to hold my son down because there was no other alternative.” Jesus would be the medication needed to bind up the sinful wounds in our life and He allowed His Father to pin him down on the cross for our healing. It must have been horrible for the Father to watch his Son go through that. In fact, the Father had to look away. I hated watching my son go through the pain but I knew what the end result would be. Praise God he’s ok and he’ll have a scar bearing the brunt of his fall. Jesus will have my scars for all eternity bearing the brunt of my sin. When I get to heaven I will look at His scars as the most beautiful marks in the world because He chose to take those on Himself for us. Rev 5:6 ..I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain…
Before the shot, the doctor put Miles arms behind his back in a pillow sheet so he couldn’t move. I hated doing this but the doctor couldn’t risk his own hands being cut if they got in the way. MAN this was hard!! I feel sometimes God holds us down in certain ways to administer medicine to those wounded areas of our Spirit’s. Some of us have deep wounds that require drastic measures. The Father, as unloving as He may seem, is pinning us down to inject us with truth and administer the medication. Do you feel like you can’t move? Do you feel like life is going nowhere? Is it painful? It’s because Jesus wants you to be still and know He’s God. He administering His Holy medicine meant to bring you healing.
Lastly, As the doctor stitched him up he was crying but I knew the anesthesia kicked in and could feel nothing. I told him to lie his little head on my chest and rest. HE ACTUALLY FELL ASLEEP. It’s ok for you to rest on the Father as he’s binding your wounds. Rest on Him now. Decide to rest because He loves you. It’s all He wants.
I hope this encourages you..
Monday, November 2, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Need Some Good News?
The past week I was feeling rather depressed and frustrated with my life. I forced myself to open my Bible and start reading. I came to Rom 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. As I read this I was like, “OK God. Yeah. I’ve read this before. It means if someone is Jesus-less in their lives that the Gospel will save them; change them to a whole new life.” After pondering for a minute, and considering my current state, God spoke to my heart and said, “Brett, you need me to save you now, in this life.” It was like a lightning rod went through my soul. He was right. The Good News has the power to save us over and over again right where we’re at. Don’t get confused here. I’m not saying you need to be rescued eternally over and over again. That happens once. What I’m saying is we need the Gospel to get saved while we’re trying to live out this life. I needed to be rescued from myself! So with that, I sat in my cube at work and began to preach the Gospel to myself. (I know, sounds like I’m schizophrenic). You need to preach to yourself sometimes. David did all the time like this….Psa 42:5 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation….So if David can do it then we can to. My prayer was something like, “Lord, I was a piece of trash not worth anything. Yet you chose to lower yourself to me and live like us. You then died a criminal’s death even though it should have been me on that Cross. They buried You but three days later you got up. You did that so every barrier between me and you was destroyed. You forgave me of all my sins; even the ones I haven’t done yet. And you didn’t stop there. You chose to give me your inheritance. WOW God. What a love you displayed.” Can I say that my sorrow turned into joy. At that point It wasn’t about what I was doing but about what He DID. I want to encourage you, if you’re not reborn, get reborn. Give Jesus your life the best way you know how. If you are reborn, get born again, again and experience his life. Love you all.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Freedom from Anger and Confusion
I thought I'd share my story....
I grew up in a divorced home like a lot of teenagers. I was raised by a loving mother and stepfather. My stepfather was an alcoholic making things particularly tough. My stepfather’s combination of drinking and shady business dealings led him into massive debt, driving him to commit suicide. Mom told me he took his own life which plunged my existence into a sea of confusion, anger and bitterness. I needed answers, yet couldn’t find any. At twelve years of age, the only wisdom I knew was to bottle up my feelings and share with know one how I felt.
Jeff’s death forced an emotional growth I was not prepared for. I had to take care of my little brother who was too young to know anything. I used to sit at my Mothers bedside while she poured her heart out and cried. It was the most awful time I’ve ever experienced.
A couple of years later Mom remarried and we moved to Hawaii. I thought, “great! Hawaii was the perfect place to lose these old memories and start over.” This wasn’t the case. My anger began to build like a ticking time bomb. My friends nicknamed me “Mt Sartain”, like a volcano waiting to erupt. The smallest thing would set me off. As a result, my friends and family suffered.
About a year later I received an invitation from my Father to live with him in San Diego and start a new life. As a last resort, Mom thought it best I do this. My grades had slipped; I was smoking marijuana and was hanging out with the wrong crowd. At this point it was a good change.
Shortly after arriving in San Diego my new family lavished love upon me like I'd never felt before. They decorated my new room with baseball pennants and skateboard memorabilia. I was treated as a king. I knew from this point a decision had to be made about dealing with my anger. After a couple of weeks Dad sat me down and told me Jesus loved me; that if I released my life into His Hands he'd give me peace and eliminate my frustrations. I declined that day but couldn’t get out of my head what he said. I sat on my bed that night and said to God, “I don’t know who you are but I’m going to give you this much (as I held up my pinched fingers in the air showing God exactly what he was going to get from me.) And you have to do with what little I give you. Amen!” I didn’t feel any different at the moment but I slept that night like I’d never slept before. I woke up with a peace I can’t explain. Jesus took the table crumb of my life and made it a meal. He took what little I gave him and in return gave me what I really wanted. Peace. The anger was suddenly gone. I was free like I’ve never been free before. I started attending church regularly and joined some Bible studies. I grew so much in those first three years of my faith. I’ll never forget it.
At age twenty two God called me into ministry. I was reluctant as I kicked and screamed to deny HIS call but, couldn’t deny it was His will. You know when God wants you to do something because it’s the hardest thing to do. He gave me Ezekiel Chapter three which says.. And He said to me, "Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak to you." Then the Spirit entered me when He spoke to me, and set me on my feet; and I heard Him who spoke to me. I fell on my knees after reading that passage and gave my life to the Lord once more. Daily surrender is crucial in living for Jesus. I felt a tremendous peace from that time on determined to serve God with all I had. Within three weeks of making that commitment I met my beautiful wife Tara, I landed a job at one of the most exclusive resorts in the world and a missionary from Crete paid my entire tuition for school. I couldn’t believe it!
He sent a good friend, Daniel Wilson, to disciple me. Many nights we’re spent in his one bedroom apartment with commentary’s, lexicons, different translations of the Bible on his floor, searching the scriptures and being blown away by the truth’s discovered about the Lord.
After graduation, Tara and I we’re married and we embarked on a series of ministry opportunities. Over the next six years God showed me what and what not to do. The most valuable lessoned learned was teach God’s Word, book by book, chapter by chapter, verse by verse, as it says in Isaiah 28:10 - For precept must be upon precept, line upon line, Here a little, there a little." I caught the vision for North Carolina desiring to serve under my father. Dad has blessed me as the best Father and spiritual mentor in the world. He’s my hero and other than Jesus, he’s the best example I’ve ever known.
We finally moved to North Carolina in the spring of 2002 and have been here ever since. I’m so excited about Horizon and what God is doing here. He’s changing one life at a time in ways I’ve never expected. He’s richly blessed me with my beautiful wife Tara and four wonderful children in Sophia, Caden, Sage & Miles.
I thank men like Mike Macintosh, Chuck Smith, Jon Courson, Dr. David Jeremiah, Miles Macpherson, and others who God used as vessels to shape me. I’m so grateful.
I grew up in a divorced home like a lot of teenagers. I was raised by a loving mother and stepfather. My stepfather was an alcoholic making things particularly tough. My stepfather’s combination of drinking and shady business dealings led him into massive debt, driving him to commit suicide. Mom told me he took his own life which plunged my existence into a sea of confusion, anger and bitterness. I needed answers, yet couldn’t find any. At twelve years of age, the only wisdom I knew was to bottle up my feelings and share with know one how I felt.
Jeff’s death forced an emotional growth I was not prepared for. I had to take care of my little brother who was too young to know anything. I used to sit at my Mothers bedside while she poured her heart out and cried. It was the most awful time I’ve ever experienced.
A couple of years later Mom remarried and we moved to Hawaii. I thought, “great! Hawaii was the perfect place to lose these old memories and start over.” This wasn’t the case. My anger began to build like a ticking time bomb. My friends nicknamed me “Mt Sartain”, like a volcano waiting to erupt. The smallest thing would set me off. As a result, my friends and family suffered.
About a year later I received an invitation from my Father to live with him in San Diego and start a new life. As a last resort, Mom thought it best I do this. My grades had slipped; I was smoking marijuana and was hanging out with the wrong crowd. At this point it was a good change.
Shortly after arriving in San Diego my new family lavished love upon me like I'd never felt before. They decorated my new room with baseball pennants and skateboard memorabilia. I was treated as a king. I knew from this point a decision had to be made about dealing with my anger. After a couple of weeks Dad sat me down and told me Jesus loved me; that if I released my life into His Hands he'd give me peace and eliminate my frustrations. I declined that day but couldn’t get out of my head what he said. I sat on my bed that night and said to God, “I don’t know who you are but I’m going to give you this much (as I held up my pinched fingers in the air showing God exactly what he was going to get from me.) And you have to do with what little I give you. Amen!” I didn’t feel any different at the moment but I slept that night like I’d never slept before. I woke up with a peace I can’t explain. Jesus took the table crumb of my life and made it a meal. He took what little I gave him and in return gave me what I really wanted. Peace. The anger was suddenly gone. I was free like I’ve never been free before. I started attending church regularly and joined some Bible studies. I grew so much in those first three years of my faith. I’ll never forget it.
At age twenty two God called me into ministry. I was reluctant as I kicked and screamed to deny HIS call but, couldn’t deny it was His will. You know when God wants you to do something because it’s the hardest thing to do. He gave me Ezekiel Chapter three which says.. And He said to me, "Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak to you." Then the Spirit entered me when He spoke to me, and set me on my feet; and I heard Him who spoke to me. I fell on my knees after reading that passage and gave my life to the Lord once more. Daily surrender is crucial in living for Jesus. I felt a tremendous peace from that time on determined to serve God with all I had. Within three weeks of making that commitment I met my beautiful wife Tara, I landed a job at one of the most exclusive resorts in the world and a missionary from Crete paid my entire tuition for school. I couldn’t believe it!
He sent a good friend, Daniel Wilson, to disciple me. Many nights we’re spent in his one bedroom apartment with commentary’s, lexicons, different translations of the Bible on his floor, searching the scriptures and being blown away by the truth’s discovered about the Lord.
After graduation, Tara and I we’re married and we embarked on a series of ministry opportunities. Over the next six years God showed me what and what not to do. The most valuable lessoned learned was teach God’s Word, book by book, chapter by chapter, verse by verse, as it says in Isaiah 28:10 - For precept must be upon precept, line upon line, Here a little, there a little." I caught the vision for North Carolina desiring to serve under my father. Dad has blessed me as the best Father and spiritual mentor in the world. He’s my hero and other than Jesus, he’s the best example I’ve ever known.
We finally moved to North Carolina in the spring of 2002 and have been here ever since. I’m so excited about Horizon and what God is doing here. He’s changing one life at a time in ways I’ve never expected. He’s richly blessed me with my beautiful wife Tara and four wonderful children in Sophia, Caden, Sage & Miles.
I thank men like Mike Macintosh, Chuck Smith, Jon Courson, Dr. David Jeremiah, Miles Macpherson, and others who God used as vessels to shape me. I’m so grateful.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Revelation 6:6
Rev 6:6 And I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures, saying, "A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine!"
After the rapture of the church takes place Jesus will open the 7 seals and release the 4 horseman of the apocalypse. The first horse describes a rider with a bow and no arrows, which I believe to be Antichrist as he'll conquer the world without firing a shot. The second horse, being red, has a sword and war follows him. After him, a black horse comes with scales in his hand which which the Bible always uses to symbolize the marketplace and money transactions (Prov 16:11, Isa 46:6, Jer 32:10 etc). This vs says that a quart of wheat will cost a "whole days" worth of income. Think about that. How much do you make in one day? Now think of your whole days wage buying only one loaf of bread!
SO with that, I'd like to share an article I found regarding the ug99 virus strain effecting part of the world's wheat population. This is no secret yet amazingly I've not seen it in the American media, unless someone else has seen it. Be ready with anticipation for the the Lord's return is near!
http://www.farmandranchguide.com/articles/2008/03/13/ag_news/production_news/pro10.txt
After the rapture of the church takes place Jesus will open the 7 seals and release the 4 horseman of the apocalypse. The first horse describes a rider with a bow and no arrows, which I believe to be Antichrist as he'll conquer the world without firing a shot. The second horse, being red, has a sword and war follows him. After him, a black horse comes with scales in his hand which which the Bible always uses to symbolize the marketplace and money transactions (Prov 16:11, Isa 46:6, Jer 32:10 etc). This vs says that a quart of wheat will cost a "whole days" worth of income. Think about that. How much do you make in one day? Now think of your whole days wage buying only one loaf of bread!
SO with that, I'd like to share an article I found regarding the ug99 virus strain effecting part of the world's wheat population. This is no secret yet amazingly I've not seen it in the American media, unless someone else has seen it. Be ready with anticipation for the the Lord's return is near!
http://www.farmandranchguide.com/articles/2008/03/13/ag_news/production_news/pro10.txt
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Which Way?
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Jesus responded to Thomas confusion about what that “way” was. Thomas was thinking of a location but Jesus was speaking about a person. The way is Jesus. Let me explain. What if my 5 year old son came up to me and said, “Dad, I’m not feeling well. I want to go home and rest.” Would I say to him, “Son, I’m sorry you’re sick. I understand. Now follow my instructions very carefully. Walk out the front door and turn right. Go down Highway 160 till you get to highway 49 and hang a right. Go about 18 miles into town and turn left on Congress Street and it’s the 4th house on the right. Hope you feel better son. I’ll see you at home.” As a loving father I would never do that! I would pick him up in my arms and take him where he needed to go. It’s the same with us. It’s never a destination we need to get to but rather its simply being with and enjoying Jesus and, as a loving savior; he’ll take us to where we need to go in life. Next time you ask yourself, “where in the heck should I go in this job, finances, relationship, etc?” Run to the way, the truth and the life. Run to Jesus and you’ll arrive at your destination. You'll find the peace you long for, being in the arms of your savior who’ll take you to places you never dreamed.
Jesus responded to Thomas confusion about what that “way” was. Thomas was thinking of a location but Jesus was speaking about a person. The way is Jesus. Let me explain. What if my 5 year old son came up to me and said, “Dad, I’m not feeling well. I want to go home and rest.” Would I say to him, “Son, I’m sorry you’re sick. I understand. Now follow my instructions very carefully. Walk out the front door and turn right. Go down Highway 160 till you get to highway 49 and hang a right. Go about 18 miles into town and turn left on Congress Street and it’s the 4th house on the right. Hope you feel better son. I’ll see you at home.” As a loving father I would never do that! I would pick him up in my arms and take him where he needed to go. It’s the same with us. It’s never a destination we need to get to but rather its simply being with and enjoying Jesus and, as a loving savior; he’ll take us to where we need to go in life. Next time you ask yourself, “where in the heck should I go in this job, finances, relationship, etc?” Run to the way, the truth and the life. Run to Jesus and you’ll arrive at your destination. You'll find the peace you long for, being in the arms of your savior who’ll take you to places you never dreamed.
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