This is Me

Have you ever felt misunderstood as a person? That people have the real you confused with somebody else entirely? For years I've chosen to simply deny this kind of mentality in an effort to subdue the trend of depression I battled years ago in my young adulthood... but recently? Recently I've been somewhat perplexed by this idea that it just might be possible that people often  misunderstand me.

I'm not entirely sure why, but I felt motivated to share some things about myself with the blog-sphere in hopes that it might help you, and others, see me for who I believe I truly am. You may like what you read. You may not. It may confirm your suspicions or it just might dismiss them. Whatever the case - I feel compelled to share my heart.

I grew up in a Christian home. My parents loved me deeply and offered me all they could afford in hopes that I might grow up to be a man of God. When I was a teenager I fell in love with a girl I had hoped would become my future wife. It would seem my plans were heading the right direction. But God soon showed me He had other plans.

To keep it short and sweet, my attempts to rule my own life brought a roller-coaster ride of terrible depression, drugs, alcohol and reckless consequences into my young and sinfully arrogant life. I had a crushing wake up call which nearly cost me my life and freedom. I had no where to go but to turn back to God for answers which led me to the Teen Challenge program. I spent a year in the program which stripped me of most of my freedom; offering me sobriety and an appreciation for little things like clean clothes, food, and toilet paper. God was my strength to get me through.

While I was in the program God changed me. As I began to read the Bible, I quickly came to realize I was not at the center of the universe - but merely a dust-sized particle of severely limited value to serve in willful submission to the Almighty Living God. As I began to live for Him, I found life made a whole lot more sense. This gift of liberty would soon become my passion for others.

After Teen Challenge I went onto Bible College where I received my BA in pastoral ministry. There, I met and fell in love with with my darling wife Kate who has graced me with an absolute treasure of a daughter. The Lord has been so gracious to me in spite of my seemingly endless list of flaws and weaknesses. Truly I am undeserving of all the blessings I have in Him today.

It was through my wife I was introduced to The Salvation Army - this would be the calling that God would place on my life for full-time ministry. The idea of sharing the love of Jesus Christ through practical acts of service became the heartbeat of my life's mission. I see no greater cause in this whole world but to win people into the loving arms of Jesus so they might spend eternity with Him.

As I grow in my love and service to God, so does my love for His word each passing day. I know the Truth of God's Word reveals the path of salvation for all mankind (John 3:16-17). I know that He is loving, patient, faithful and true; not wanting anyone to die but to turn away from sin (2 Pet 3:9). He is also holy, righteous and just - and will judge everyone for what they have done whether good or evil in this life (2 Cor 5:10).

So... eternity is no trivial matter to me; it is a matter of life and death forever. When eternity is on the line - the few short years spent in this world are far too short to play games with the grace of God. For those who live in rebellion against His will, I am compelled by God's great love to call you to repent from sin and turn to Jesus Christ as your loving Savior. He offers you a life of hope and holiness by the power of the Holy Spirit to guide you.

For those of you who do call on Jesus as your Lord, I am driven to remind you to live according to God's holy commands as we will all have to give an account for every thought, word and deed in this fleeting life. We must be careful to be holy as our Heavenly Father is holy (1 Pet 1:15) and not serve as a stumbling block to others, causing them to sin (Rom 14:13).

The world and the devil want you to believe that life is all there is and that eternity is just a fantasy. They want you to believe that God's grace has you covered so you can live in sin without any concern of judgment to come in the life after. They want you to believe God's word isn't trustworthy; that its full of flaws and inconsistencies so you might resort to your own code of morality. They want you to believe anything but the Truth of God's Holy Word so you might suffer the fate of eternity alongside the wicked in Hell. But I love you too much to ignore you. You can count on me, whether you like it or not, to speak the Truth of God's Word as He has offered it for mankind - because it has personally set me free from a path leading to sure destruction.

When I warn you of sin, it is only because I love you enough to make you aware of very real danger. Its because God has no concern about your feeling comfortable while wandering about in the cross-hairs of His wrath set on sin. Its not about trying to stroke my own ego or parade around in some kind of self-righteous robe with God-ordained privileges; I am neither perfect nor will ever claim to be. Its about God's desire to see you live life as He intended for you - free from the bondage and misery of sin. Don't be angry... this is me - I am just a messenger.