"Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for such is the kingdom of heaven."

Everybody knows the first verse of Jesus loves me, but rarely do you hear the second verse that states "Taking children on His knee saying let them come to Me." My family has moved into an apartment filled with children and we have been building relationships with a small group of them and are kicking off a kids study on September 2nd.
We have been asking God to reveal His vision for this community and considered starting a mixed study of adults and children at a community center in our neighborhood but we have been led to seek the hearts of the children exclusively at this time. The Lord confirmed it to me with the title verse of this post and as I recalled a vision KP Yohanna had about the importance of reaching our kids it became very clear. As I shared this experience with my wife and shared the verse with her she had the same verse on her heart during our conversation which brought us more clarity and confirmation. My wife had been anticipating that the Lord was going to answer our prayers for His vision soon and she was right! Praise God!
As I have studied children in the bible I have been reminded that children are our next, and by that I mean our next chance to turn this nation back to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, our next elected officials that will make choices that affect a multitude of lives, our next opportunity to make a disciple. Jesus said that those who enter the kingdom of heaven have been converted and have the faith and humility of a little child. If we receive one little child in His name in like manner as He did it is the same as accepting Christ himself, His passion is so deep that if anyone causes a little one who believes in Him to sin it would be better to have a giant millstone tied around his neck and pitched into the depth of the sea. (Matthew 18:1-6 NKJV)
As I read God's word and see His heart of love, compassion, and desire to see His precious babies reconciled to their God I can't prevent these children from coming to Jesus by not being active and an intentional ambassador of Christ. Please pray for us that we may be given wisdom and interactive ways to teach God's truth.

Gospel In Chains

Here in North Carolina there are over 70 correctional facilities. In Raleigh alone there is Central Prison where they house death row inmates, Wake Correctional housing minimum security unit along with county jail and youth corrections as well. I am serving the Lord in Butner, NC at a youth penitentary housing inmates aged from 19-25. Polk Correctional institution can house up to 1047 male inmates and has a staff size of 545 guards and administrators. Polk is also a close security prison with maximum supervision.

I serve alongside a handful of faithful men from local congregations in Raleigh. One of the the volunteers has been visiting Polk for 20 years sharing Christ and preaching the gospel. I have been visiting the prison for a few months now on Mondays where we do a large group teaching and then about 45 minutes of small group teaching and discipleship.

Polk is the facility where the prisoners come to have orientation and are usually assigned to different facilities closer to there family and homes so it can be very transient and we see a variety of inmates from week to week.

The group size ranges from 20-40 men and we see professions sporadically with many of the men having a Christian backgrounds but limited time of fruitful life towards Christ. There is a need of strong encouragement and exhortation for the necessity of a changed life for true salvation. I met a great young man who had received Christ less than a month ago and was serious about his walk with God and desired to live differently than he did in his past life. I've also met young men who have came to Christ in prison on two or three different occasions, but then when there released the temptations and the enticement of sin easily distracts and draws them from the narrow path.

I can see the battle over these guys souls and have lived the same struggle myself, and I can testify with absolute confidence that life as a Christian can be done through one avenue, the blood and power of Christ.

One sows and another reaps that which he has not labored for. I am sowing friends and trusting the Lord that he'll give the increase in due time.

Work..Work

Thank you all who have been praying for us and we ask that you continue to lift us up. God is working currently to hook up a job for me. I was put through some OSHA training for a job and have an interview for a temp/hire job tomorrow. Please pray for favor for me with my employer and wisdom in job selection. Love you guys

Revelation not Redefinition

Is Jesus the Christ? Has God came in human flesh to redeem His people yet? This was the debate during the time of Jesus. There was a divide amongst the Jews and there still is. Its odd considering that the Jews have the Old Testament that holds the prophecies concerning the coming Messiah. The Messiah must be a man, from the lineage of King David, be born of a virgin, betrayed for 30 pieces of silver, be resurrected from the dead and thats only a few. In Christ all Messianic prophecies are fulfilled. The odds of 39 of those prophecies being fulfilled in one life time is 1 in 549,755,813,900. Jesus, in John 5:39 said " You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which TESIFY OF ME. He declared this to the Jewish elites who where considered masters of the Scriptures.

God's revelation is thorough and clear. This day in age people create God in there own image. He is a god not the God. Most of the time the god people worship is in direct contrast to the Living God. The God of the bible is loving, just and merciful. When we see God's attribute of justness we must accept that He must be a punisher of sin. He would topple from His throne if He let wrongs go unnoticed and unaddressed. People are enraged when you mention consequences for there sins but will in the same breath ask for justice when they've been wronged. Our desire for retribution is a good thing, we understand that wrong is wrong and it should be dealt with. That understanding comes from God. The bible is clear on man's condition, we are sinners. Born into an imperfect world with an inclination to offend God. We all have this issue and God in His love, mercy and justness sent His Son Jesus into the world, not to condemn the world but that the world through Jesus would be saved. The bible repeatedly declares that it is God's pleasure to redeem His creation. He has given us one way and one revelation of who the Father is, in the person of Jesus Christ. We need to decide what will it be revelation or redefinition.

Gone Country

As most of you know my family and I are now living in Raleigh NC. It only took six days and over 23oo miles to arrive at our mission field. I am fond of this area because it is small and friendly, similar to what I've grown up in during my youth. For my wife it is an entirely different culture and speed she's been exposed to her whole life. The weather has been a little cold since we've arrrived. Earlier this week there was freezing rain that left all of our cars with a natural sheet of ice covering the exterior but within a few days it thawed out.

On our trip down here we experienced the colors of winterized plant life, a scene of brown and barren trees, grass that is matted and flat. God gave us seasons mixed through out our year and some are more visually appealing to others.

The first week I have accomplished what I set out to do by passing the driver's test to get a local license and had time to apply for several jobs. I met a sweet brother who's wife owns Powermaster Electric and had somewhat of a job interview where we discussed Christ and church planting. Also talked with a hydraulic repair company who will be coming under new ownership in the next few weeks and are possilby restaffing. Please keep these things in prayer with me that I may have wisdom in my decision. Thanks to all that have invested time and prayer into our live and we'll keep you all updated.

The good news

The living God loves failures. We all fail in the light of the perfect law of God. If we can all be honest for a moment we'd admit that God is perfect and we are not.
Romans 8:3-4 says " For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin; He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Jesus understood our dilema of being unable to rise up to the supreme morality of Himself so He empathized with us by placing Himself in the same weak flesh we are surrounded by and condemned sin in His flesh. It pleased the Lord to bruise Him because by His stripes we are healed.
The good news is that God will redeem His creation and He is adamant about us, His creation, being in His presence for eternity where all the former things will have passed. Revelation 22:1-5 describes heaven as the Apostle John is shown " And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever