Deprived

I didn't grow up in church and I can remember when I first came to Christ and going to church my friends asked me why I decided to do this. It was like I decided to go against them and some actually acted as if I betrayed them. I realized that for the most part I was a good person but good has little to do with heaven and fulfilling God's purpose for my life. I was deprived and I realized it. I needed to find out for myself and not rely on others to find MY purpose. Dictionary.com mentioned deprived as to "lacking the necessities" and I found I was. It was then I found my friends from people I was aquainted with. Nothing makes sense to a non-believer when I comes to committing to Christ. Many told me I would return and that I would "come back." Boy, I am glad they were wrong. 15 years later I am traveling across the nation preaching about the same christ that saved me from the often cold streets of NYC. Here is a thought that I found that made me reflect on the total grace of Jesus Christ:

A man has deprived himself of the best there is in the world who has deprived himself of the Bible.
- Woodrow Wilson

This is why I do what I do. To help others find purpose. Don't deprive yourself of what God has. Read and discover the hidden treasures found only in Him.

Continuously searching,
Tony

Hope

Ever have one of those days? Ones that feel like they will never end and like God is now where to be found? I found a quote that addresses that:

"I believe in the sun even when it is not shining. I believe in love even when I am not feeling it. I believe in God even when He is silent."
- Anonymous Jewish holocaust victim

I hope His hope brings you to a brighter day.

Tony

Our State of Obedience

It's been a while but I just got back from a great retreat at Rock Mountain where I ministered to over 340 teens from the nearby state of New Jersey. God really met us there at the altar where I preached and saw many teens give their hearts to God. I loved it, God show'd off as usual calling kids to serve Him at home, school and their world.

A thought God gave me this weekend as I spoke to several people that I want to share with the blog world is about our "calling." What's cool about our calling is first only God can give it. It comes from one source, God. Our calling is often looked upon as the one thing we will do the rest of our lives. Though it is true that there are a few things that we must do the rest of our lives like "love the Lord our God and love our neighbor as ourselves" but our enviornment can and very well may change but our calling is always to affect this world with the gospel in one way or another and that never changes. As a former youth pastor, I felt like I would do that for alot longer than I did but God kept His purpose with me and changed my...environment. Therefore, our calling is found in our state of obedience to the Lord. If God says go, we go. As Jonah had a calling to go to Ninevah, he wasn't active in his calling until his obedience kicked in and many live like that today. Trying to find their calling without obedience. That will not work. There is no better place to find God than in the middle of His plan for your life. Our calling is found in our obedience. So know today that you don't have to know the rest of your life's details, just know today. His calling will unfold to you in the midst of your obedience. Keep your eyes on Him even when you don't know the WHOLE plan. He's been doing this a while, you can trust Him :) How do we find that? Handle the business God told you to handle today and focus on that alone and let God do the unfolding.

"Don't focus on your UNWORTHINESS because that was taken care of at the cross. Instead, focus on your UNWILLINGNESS for that is what you can change" ~ibid

Focused and Determined,
Tony

The Finish Line

The words “It is finished” are also a cry of victory in the sense that Jesus completed, he accomplished what God had sent him in this world to do. In this sense, it is like the athlete who enters a marathon race with the single-minded intention of both reaching the finishing line and coming in first. It is like the student finally reaching the goal after years of study comes graduation and a degree. It is like the author or artist, who after years of research and struggle finally complete their masterpiece, their most significant and enduring work. It is like undergoing major surgery and recuperating completely. For John the words of Jesus, “It is finished,” are the epitome of Christ’s life and ministry; the words are spoken by the King of kings on his throne, which was the cross. Jesus won the victory over sin, evil and death by willingly, and lovingly allowing himself to submit to these powers. In so doing, he defeated them.

Garth Wehrfritz- Hanson

I'm Back!

Well, I returned from Montana and the 25 below temperatures that I endured while there. I really enjoyed the people I met there but that cold is one to remember. I am a warm blooded creature indeed! Many testimonies from the weekend proved that the gospel no matter where you are from and where you are going means that the gospel IS universal and no respecter of persons. This is truth. Truth is a great thing in the hands of man who so desperatly look for answers.

God's truth judges created things out of love, and Satan's truth judges them out of envy and hatred. ~Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Tony

Life

Sometimes I think of how quickly life comes at me and I think, did that just happen? We are now in the second month and January is history. Life comes at us fast and we must move forward with God's plan for our lives. I leave back to the state of Montana again to do another event out there and am expecting God to move tremendously...I leave you today with a great quote from a deep thinker:

Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards. ~Soren Kierkegaard

Quote note: Martin Luther King, Jr.

I submit to you that if a man hasn't discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live.
Martin Luther King, Jr.