Jesus Identifies, Confirms, and then Employs!!!


Jesus Identifies, Confirms, and then Employs!!!

I grew up in a military family. I was surrounded by men and women who have served and protected our country. For the better part of the my first 25 years of life, I learned words like honor, code, respect, and valor.
In being around those men and women, one thing I saw everyday was the ability to follow orders that radically changed life’s trajectory. I said goodbye to friends, watches families leave safety and security and learned to deal with good-byes (which aren’t very fun today). I had to learn to trust in the silence of not always knowing or hearing the answer or understanding it.
Then I read this 3 verse passage and realize that all of those lessons learned aren’t just a military family’s mindset, but a set of values learned by ones that truly set out to accomplish the will of God! The desire to set a person helped, a family saved, and city radically impacted through the Gospel of Christ!
“It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise. Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.”
Hebrews 11:8-10 NLT
Abraham desired a city that was set upon the foundations of God! Wow! Abraham was a form of God’s Special Forces…going to a foreign place, setting up a value that was unknown before he arrived, then putting into motion a new way of living.
I desire that! I live in a place that was established as a town in 1764. Before modern conveniences, before modern military practices, before the realization that our world was going to have to go through several revolutions before God would send His Son Jesus back for a His people. So my calling, my passion, and my life’s work is to establish that eternal city right here in Winchendon, Ma.
That means I have to train, study, build trust, pray, serve, obey – I get to live my life in a way that tells everyone I have been placed here for a purpose that far surpasses our ability to understand the natural causes of order and man’s cumbersome path to God. I get to set the peace and love and grace and forgiveness of Christ right in my own town. I get to be a standard bearer for righteousness and for salvation in my little town. Values that go hand and hand with values I learned in the military family of honor, code, respect, and valor.
Would you join me to saluting the Savior of the World Jesus, by longing for the city of eternal foundations, by living your life worthy of the call of our – King of Kings and Lord of Lords – Jesus!
I’m all in, are you?
P.S. To the men and women of our US Armed Services – Thank You for putting your life on the line for our freedom! You truly are the best! I pray for you, I remember you, I Honor you, and I am GRATEFUL for you and your families!

I was recently in a conversation with a group of Christ Followers, the conversation lent itself to going inward as a Christ Follower. The statement was made that we as Christ Followers need to put “Feet to our Faith”. I thought about this statement a lot over the last couple of weeks. Then today, it came into perspective for me in a real and authentic way…

Today, after my family went to church together this morning to “1st Service”, I headed over to a different church across town. 2nd service was at a completely new and fresh church, that I have never been to ever. This visit was inspired simply because one of the young men in my very first small group ever, is now on staff. I was in his world today, not my world. All of a sudden I was back in 1994, hanging with Jr. High kids, showing up at their games, See You At The Pole, hauling these kids from one end of Omaha to the other. It was right today. It was good today.
I got to simply watch one of “my kids” flourish in the ministry that Jesus had given him, using gifts Jesus has given him; simply to spread the Gospel in a different part of our “small” nearly 1,000,000 people Metro-plex! It was awesome! Ironically, the Pastor that preached, used the title – “Defining Moments”. I couldn’t help but think that today was another “Defining Moment” in my journey.
You see those long nights of Jr. High Ministry paid off. This young man is living his dream in worship and music, and he is in love with Jesus as much as ever. My heart left “2nd Service” full and happy; satisfied that my life was and is still being used for the Gospel of Jesus Christ! A quick reminder of what Paul said…
Acts 20:24 (NLT), “But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus – the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God!”
All the small groups, the Sunday School classes, the parties, the all-nighters, the drives, the retreats, the Cokes, and maybe even an ice cream cone or two. They were all worth it . They were clearly the feet to the faith in those early years of serving students in my home church. Good years, strong years; years that I wouldn’t exchange for anything! Years that I am grateful to have shared with some awesomely talented and called students!
Drew, thanks for keeping your feet to the Faith that you learned about years ago. It is incredible watching you do ministry with Passion and Love! I am so proud of you and even more grateful to be able to watch in this time in your life! I Love You Bro!
Jesus, thank you for helping me to learn that sometimes my feet have to log a few miles, but it is worth it – to see Faith walking on! I Love You! Thank you for loving me! And thank you for loving Drew! Thanks for using us both in different ways, at different times; but nevertheless the Faith we share has feet and is still to this day walking!

Thinking of the ageless principle that still rings in my mind, “Quick Down, Quick Up!” No matter what you’re going through, where you are, or how you got there – keep on going! When you stumble and fall, get right back up! Thanks @jeannemayo for unpacking and living out-loud Biblical, life giving, and timeless principles!