A few weeks ago I once again received a call to join the staff at Concord Baptist Church. Soon after moving to Jefferson City and beginning my tenure here I was asked to preach on a Sunday night service. Given the nature of this pastorate I jumped at this opportunity. Much like last time I preached found myself not feeling comfortable with any of the subjects that came to mind for to preach. You see, for me, if I am going into an environment where I do not necessarily know/ understand the culture I try to prayerfully seek a subject that the Spirit leads me to say, and this time it interesting. As I was walking through the halls of the church hearing, shaking babies and kissing hands I began to hear some Christianeese (or the language that is spoken in churches that isn’t always translatable anywhere else). The phrase that I heard was the famous “Preach the Gospel and if you have to use words”, attributed to St. Francis of Assisi which I blogged about here. At that moment the Father spoke to my heart and I had to change my subject. In order to finish this message I found a new haunt (Coffeezone) in downtown and plodded away until I was finished. This sermon was for not only for me but as I soon found out for many people in the attending audience. I pray that it is half of the blessing it was to me in preparing it.
an open letter to NTR
** Now that we getting settled here in Jefferson City and I have some thoughts I wanted to get down on paper. I apologize that it has taken me so long but here they are.**
Dear NTR family,
I wanted to take the chance, through this letter, to bid goodbye to each one of you. I want you to know how much you have meant to me and my family over the last few years. Through you I have learned much about my weaknesses and strengths. I have had my faith challenged, my pride exposed, my eyes opened, my heart pricked. I have shed many tears for you, and prayed for you each by name. When I left I said that I would never forget a single one of you and I was completely serious. NTR is one of the most unique places I have ever worked, in so many ways. Like every other restaurant I have ever worked in we are a dysfunctional family, but a family at that. The stories, the fights, the celebrations, the achievements, and the [vivid] memories will not leave my mind and for that I wanted to take this time to thank you. I wish all of you a very bright future and know that I love you each much more than any of you will ever know.
Soli Deo Gloria (Glory to God alone),
Jon C. Nelson
Fire and Gold
**Once again I’m out of the office for another week but I wanted to provide you with some food for though by a good friend of mine named Pastor Brad Mann. I had the privilege of working Pastor Brad in my time at Westside Family Church as he serves as their Speedway Campus Pastor. He is an amazing man and I really hope that you enjoy what he has to say to you today.**
If you are like me you wonder why you have to endure times of struggle or strife? I mean, life should be easier as a Christ follower, right? Do you ever wonder why sometimes God doesn’t seem to answer your prayers the way you thought He should? I’ve been asking these questions a lot lately. Although, I am a firm believer that God has a purpose for every situation or circumstance and that He does answer every prayer we pray, I still wonder what in the world He is thinking most of the time!
Six years ago at the age of 28 I was diagnosed with melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. Not only was this a major surprise, the timing seemed way off to me. I had just been called into my first full-time ministry position and my wife was 6 months pregnant with our son. I mean, how could God allow this to happen? He knew that I had work to do. He knew I had a pregnant wife to care for, a little boy that was going to need a “daddy”, let alone ministry duties that needed to be tended to. What was He thinking? What was He trying to do?
Then, I recalled praying a dangerous prayer years and even months before the trial. It was a prayer, I prayed often. It was simply, “God, make me more like you. Make it less about me and more about you.” Not a bad prayer, right? You’d think with Him being God that He could just choose say the words and it would be done, right? Well, He could…but, He chose not to do that with me. He chose to use the struggle of that time to change my heart and give me a better perspective of the life He had given me. How could God change someone’s heart for the better in the midst of suffering? It’s a mystery to me, but He most certainly does. I’m reminded of what Job said in his Old Testament writings. One of my favorite verses is found in Chapter 23, verse 10 where Job says, “But He knows the way I take; when He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” Gold? Gold is a good thing right? Gold is desirable and valuable, isn’t it? In my study of this passage of scripture, I also decided to research gold. Gold is one of the world’s finest resources and has one of the greatest values of all elements. When it is found raw, it does not have much value due to it’s impurities. However, when the goldsmith gets a hold of it, he puts it over an intense fire in order to draw out the impurities. This is known as the refining process. The key thing for the goldsmith to remember is to only keep the gold over the fire until he can see his reflection in the element. It is only after the refining process that the gold has its greatest value due to having the . I think this may be what Job was trying to say in his writings. In order for our lives to have the greatest value for His Kingdom, He has to draw out the impurities or sin in our lives.
Why does it have to work this way? I have no clue! I may never understand this side of heaven because my ways and my thoughts are not like His (Isaiah 55:9). However, I can experience a peace in the midst of any “fire” when I am truly resting in His promises for my life. Even as I write this, I am enduring yet another “fire”. Several months ago I was diagnosed with testicular cancer and will undergo chemotherapy treatments to try and rid my body of a disease. There have been times of confusion, uncertainty, anxiety and every other emotion that comes with a diagnosis like cancer. However, my faith remains in Him who is more than able to take care of my every need. My trust is in the one who has given me a peace that goes way beyond my understanding (Philippians 4:7).
I continue to rest in the promises He has revealed to me through this recent “fire”, but I also draw hope in what the Apostle Peter said in 1 Peter Chapter 4 as he spoke about our sufferings here on this earth. In verses 1 and 2 he says, “Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin. As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God.” My prayer is that this “fire” and every other “fire” I have to endure from here on out will burn away the “Me” so that He can be more clearly seen.
What side are you on?
Well if you have not figured it out by my silence lately I have been overly pre-occupied with moving our family to Jefferson City. I have had many thoughts and ideas that I would love to share with you but I just don’t have the time to write them down but I have asked a friend of mine named Coleman Barbour. Coleman was a classmate of mine at Midwestern and a former co worker at Westside Family Church. Over the years Coleman and I have grown close and I have had the chance to see him grow into a man of God that honors God and his family. I pray you learn from him as I have over these last few years.
So recently I heard the kingdom of God compared to medieval earthly kingdoms and my mind went wild. See I am somewhat of sci-fi and fantasy geek so I was immediately lost to everything else that was said in that sermon, but I still think it was a good thing. As I began to flesh out the analogy in my mind I realized how deep and complex it is. After a while I realized that it didn’t stop and that it wasn’t really an analogy. God has chosen to reveal himself to us as King since the beginning.
In Genesis He sets himself up as king of the universe by speaking it into existence. The same way that a king says that a man will live or die, God says to the universe to exist or not exist. At the root of this idea is rule and power. God refers to Himself as the rejected king of Israel in I Samuel. I think that the idea of a king is something that we in the USA don’t really get, but imagine you are in a medieval style kingdom. In a kingdom model, people give allegiance to a king. Well imagine a kingdom full of usurpers. Everyone committed treason to the throne. See, a good king would normally sentence all the rebels to death and/or exile. So that is just what happened. Now imagine that this king, being good pursued you as a rebel, sentenced to death. His knights come riding on horses and you can only hide in shadows, stealing for your own survival from the king. You run and hide, but they catch you in an open field. You are taken to the castle and hanging from the wall is the corpse of the prince. You know the king is in an outrage at the death of his son. They throw you at the feet of the king and he draws his sword. He raises it to strike and you know it’s over when you feel the cold kiss of metal on you neck. Then, you feel it on the other side. “Rise” says the good king. You rise and he calls you a knight. He gives you lands and even more so he calls you child. “How?” you ask. You find out that your debt has been paid by another one’s death; the death of the Prince. You now have life and a royal inheritance. And all this because the Prince died in your place.
The stories are all true. The king is mighty and awful, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t good. So given the two choices, inheritance or banishment, which do you choose? Where does your allegiance lie? Do you go willingly to the good and mighty king or do you live in fear and run from him forever? It’s all about where your allegiance lies.
Even nature sings
This world is messed up in magnitude, but there is a more amazing God who has invited us to know him, linking arms with us that we might be amplifiers for the beauty of Jesus to all peoples.
He is not only a global God — he’s a galatic God. He is bigger than anything we can imagine. We don’t have a clue, really, about who we are dealing with. The universe was one of God’s thoughts.
These are some of the thoughts that Pastor Louie Giglio shared at the Desiring God 2011 National Conference. His text was from Psalm 148: 1 – 5
Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens; praise him in the heights! Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his hosts!
Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars! Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens!
Let them praise the name of the LORD! For he commanded and they were created.
In the message he helps up to remember that God tends to direct our attention to things greater than us to lead us to worship. We don’t understand the expanse of the worship that constantly surrounds the throne of God. I hope that is short clip from his message will help you to realize the heavens are already doing what God is calling us to do everyday. Enjoy!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IB835wkz1Tc&feature=related]
Checkmate: Same-Sex Marriage Advocates Now in the Game
Since the endorsement by our President of same-sex marriage I have heard some of the most frustrating, and mind numbing arguments. Honestly, between this issue and the attachment parenting article in Time Magazine, I’ve almost completely checked out of social media. Everyone has an opinion and wants to make sure that it is not only heard but known to be right though most of them (on both sides) are unintelligible. This changed a few days ago when I was redirected to yet another article concerning this subject. This article [finally] looks at this from a unique perspective and shines a light that will [hopefully] get both sides of this debate thinking.
Many are debating the moral and social obligations of the Black church in the wake of President Obama’s recent endorsement of same-sex marriage. The details of what should be the appropriate reaction of the media-crafted monolithic “Black-church vote” are being hotly debated, and well they should be; this is good political discourse. However the limited focus of these debates seems to ignore a much larger picture.
Many wonder about the timing of this announcement. Some have pointed out that it was all too conveniently issued on the eve of Obama’s $40,000 per plate re-election fundraiser among the super rich who might favor such a move.I believe this timing touches on the fringes of the picture we see, yet to gain better perspective we must first reflect on the 2008 election. In the months following Barack Obama’s announcement of his candidacy, Hillary Clinton – with the anointing of the Democratic establishment – was well on her way to being “in it to win it.”Then we saw a great reversal at the Iowa caucuses, transforming Obama from a Black candidate driven by politics to a mainstream candidate driven by a movement. This caused a convergence of multitude paradigm-shifting factors, resulting in a tipping point. Even African American Democrats who favored Hilary experienced this paradigm shift – a shift that was completed with the South Carolina primary. The rest is history.
A cultural movement will always trump politics when they go head to head; this is culture vs. politics. The “marriage equality” advocates seem to have learned this lesson, but those who advocate for traditional marriage are, like a needle on a record, stuck in the groove of an ineffectual political approach.
With Obama’s recent endorsement as we approach the 2012 election, it seems that the order of the day will be politics vs. politics. This time, there is no euphoric movement on the horizon. In this light we can understand Obama’s pronouncement as a matter of political calculation.
I am mystified by the shocked reactions emerging from various quarters, since as early as 1996 Barack Obamais documented as stating,
“I favor legalizing same-sex marriages, and would fight efforts to prohibit such marriages.”
As the dates add up, his talk of “evolving” now seems a ruse.
Without a movement to ride, perhaps Obama felt the need to assemble a winning coalition. He took for granted the Black vote, in spite of their traditional opposition to same-sex marriage. Given the alternatives, perhaps he reasoned that Black folks would “get over it” and still choose him. After all, why buy the cow if you can get the milk for free? Likewise, he counts on the liberal/left vote. It seems to me that this well-timed endorsement of same-sex marriage was aimed at shoring up the enthusiastic support of the LGBT community, with its considerable wealth and clout – a community that was beginning to show signs of antipathy towards him.
In my perspective, same-sex marriage is not the ultimate issue. What disturbs me more is that today’s politicians and judicial activists presume that they can redefine stabilizing institutions that have survived for millennia merely for the sake of short-term gain. Their hubris is rooted in the notion that they are wiser than all the generations that have preceded us. It is this calculated approach that will “fundamentally transform” this nation from a government of laws into a government of men. In such a society, power is applied according to the impulses of flawed leadership. The winds may blow in your favor today, but tomorrow they may tragically reverse, with no recourse.
If our institutions can be redefined at whim for political gain, it makes us all – Black, White, gay, straight, liberal, conservative, or what have you – into pawns in a game in which there are no rules.
You wanted equality, same-sex advocates? Congratulations. You are now a vulnerable piece on the chessboard – just like the rest of us.
I would love your thoughts…
Dr. Carl Ellis Jr. is a cultural analyst, theological anthropologist, minister, husband, father, son and world traveler. If you would like to read more from him please checkout his blog at http://drcarlellisjr.blogspot.com/
So you want to live together before marriage?
Over the last few years I have had the distinct privilege of performing multiple weddings, but before that process begins I ask the each couple does some “pre-marital” sessions with me to prepare them for what lies ahead. Between my pre-marital sessions and working in a “secular” workplace (though I do not believe there is a divide between sacred and secular, but I digress) I find that both “Christians” and non- Christians are moving in for a myriad of reasons.
- Financial/ our current economy
- Sexual (though unstated if you are “Christian”)
- Simple try out (i.e. test drive marriage before purchase) and many more.
In these sessions we talk about the Biblical perspective of cohabitation, and (not surprisingly) I see and hear that sliding into cohabitation is more normal than not. Whatever the reasons there has been a substantial increase on cohabitation according to a recent New York Times article,
Cohabitation in the United States has increased by more than 1,500 percent in the past half century. In 1960, about 450,000 unmarried couples lived together. Now the number is more than 7.5 million. The majority of young adults in their 20s will live with a romantic partner at least once, and more than half of all marriages will be preceded by cohabitation. (emphasis added)
The article goes on to state that,
…nearly half of 20-somethings agreed with the statement, “You would only marry someone if he or she agreed to live together with you first, so that you could find out whether you really get along.” About two-thirds said they believed that moving in together before marriage was a good way to avoid divorce.
But that belief is contradicted by experience. Couples who cohabit before marriage tend to be less satisfied with their marriages — and more likely to divorce — than couples who do not. These negative outcomes are called the cohabitation effect.
I have to admit, it is a little frustrating that we as pastors are constantly derided for giving people “antiquated” information about sex, relationships, and life in general all because our source of truth happens to be the Bible. Yet, once again God turns out to be smarter than all of us, imagine that. As a society our thoughts on certain subjects, especially revolving around sex, are “evolving” but Biblical truth does not. Continually, as research and science are compiled the findings come back around to agreeing with those time honored truths.
I do not exactly know where you stand on this subject, obviously I have my opinions tempered by the truth of the Bible. I will admit that amongst the pressures of todays society it is not easy adhere to Biblical truth but an infinite God instructed us for His glory and our joy versus finite man coming up with our “truth” and eventually coming to His conclusions.
I would love to know your thoughts below.
The stare down
I took little man to his crib the other night and but before I put him down I decided to spend a few minutes with him just rocking him and praying over him. I honestly could not repeat the prayer but I soon found myself staring into a pair of big brown eyes.
To be honest I was lost in that moment. He didn’t look away, he didn’t even blink, he just stared right at me and I my heart melted right there. There is NOTHING that pleases a father more than when he has the undivided attention of his child. In those few moments I felt SO connected with him.
Walking out of his room up the steps I felt the Lord whisper to me, “Hey, that is what I want with you! Not some ritual, but an intimate connection.”
From time to time I get caught up in “having a quiet time” just to say I had one? Sure, a verse or two will stand out to me but if I am not careful I will forget that my time with God is not about a spiritual to do list, it is about a connection a connection that I need and God wants.
God doesn’t want our lip service He wants our undivided attention. Let’s be honest this is SO hard in today’s society. Everything competes with our time with Him, especially technology. I just know that what I experienced with my son was real, and it is being used in my life to show me that I need to take my walk with Him to the next level!
In Luke 5:16 the Bible says that Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed, [rough] translation, He got alone and locked eyes with the Father! We see this again in Mark 1:35 and the direct result was direction and power. Even in His darkest hour (cf. Matthew 26:36-45) we see Him praying one of the most unselfish ever recorded in history. Translation, when we lock eyes with the Father there is nothing that we are not willing to do for Him!
My prayer lately has been that I will have my eyes locked, focused on Him! It blows my mind that He wants that and I know I need it! I never want to merely offer God lip service, He knows my heart. My desire is to lock eyes with Him and then to do whatever He asks.
How about you?
may his days be few
I don’t talk a lot about politics on my blog or in my life. Honestly, I am not a fan of either political party, they both seriously get on my nerves whenever I think about them. Please don’t get me wrong, just because I don’t talk about it doesn’t mean I don’t care about politics. I just choose not to obsess over it, especially in this phase our nations history because I believe there are much more pressing things to deal with.
Politics is important to me because it involves policies and policies, ultimately, impact people. We have no choice: we must be engaged in our civic responsibilities and affairs.
Let me be clear, I am a staunch independent, I have voted on both sides of the aisle. When it comes to political parties I try to urge people to not be fooled, swayed and seduced by the powers to be. That being said I was reminded of a conversation I had with a friend over coffee a few months back. As we sat across from each other he was telling me of his upcoming missions trip to a undisclosed place we began to talk about things that we were praying for in our lives and how we could be praying for each other. He revealed that he was recently struggling with the dialogue of Christians towards our president. He asked me this question:
I wonder what would happen if we prayed for the President just as much as we complain and blame him for all our problems?
This conversation was months ago but I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. I honestly can not fathom the burden and weight of his job and the ‘calling’ of the Presidency. In many ways, we ought to commend the courage of all those who step into leadership – on any level – including but not limited to the highest level. We can criticize all we want about our current presidential candidates, but we must acknowledge them for their courage to be in such vulnerable positions.
You see, it doesn’t matter what your political leanings, affiliations, and affections may be. I’m always amazed by those who would quote 1 Timothy 2:1-4 as an encouragement to pray for our leaders but we hesitate when it’s someone we disagree with and instead start quoting Psalm 109:8
“May his days be few; and let another take his office.”
(Side note: I honestly might scream the next time I see this out of context bumper sticker in reference to our president, but I digress.)
Here is what I know, President Barack Obama is:
- a husband
- a daddy
- our President
- proclaimed Christian (only God knows his heart)
- a representative of a people group (African Americans)
- [arguably] the most influential and powerful man on earth
- a human
You may agree or disagree with his policies and/or decisions. You may be a Republican, Democrat, Tea Party or Coffee Party, but it doesn’t matter. The next time you find yourself complaining about him or preparing to slam a policy please lift a prayer for him. His marriage, his daughters, family, strength, conviction, courage, wisdom, safety, and peace.
A Crucifixion type love
I hate getting Facebook inbox messages. Here’s why, I already have 3 email addresses that I use for various reasons and those are hard enough to keep up with let alone adding another one. As a matter of fact I almost dropped Facebook all together when that started adding email addresses to the site. That being said every once in a great while I have some meaningful conversation through my inbox or someone sends me a video that will turn my day upside down. The other day I received this link from my wife from a local spoken word artist named Brent Rice. I honestly don’t know much about him but I have heard of Alea Lovely, a local videographer and photographer, who shot this video.
After watching this video I ended up watching it over and then once again and every time I was challenged in a different way. Given the caliber of this work I will defiantly be looking for mare content by this artist in the upcoming days. Here is my wish for you, no matter what your relational status I want you to experience and pursue this type of love. It’s a standard that I [personally] may never achieve but my aim is firmly set that way.
Please enjoy this video….
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7E9doP6EtHk]
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