Head of the Class

New Blog Site

2008-12-30T00:45:00.002-05:00

I've moved my blog site to: iReid

Check it out TODAY!

TJ

NO, I will not believe that...

2008-11-18T17:07:00.005-05:00

I don't know about you, but one of the biggest struggles of my Christian life is choosing to get past discouragement and believe what God says. This week has been a real struggle, but I really feel like I've been victorious thru Jesus! Lately there has been a fight in me that says, "NO, I will not believe that lie! I believe Jesus."

There have been days this week when I have been discouraged that people I'm ministering to JUST WON'T CHANGE. Ever been there? But God reminded me that it's not by power, nor by might, but by His Spirit that real change comes. I can know for sure that He is working change on the inside, and that eventually it will come to the outside. HE CAN CHANGE ANYONE AND EVERYONE. He changed my life and no one is beyond His reach.

There is a HOPE, and His name is Jesus. Introduce your situation or problem to Him. EVERYTHING CHANGES (including you and me).

TJ

Everyone Building - Nehemiah 3

2008-11-15T22:46:00.004-05:00

Just got done reading Nehemiah 3. At first I started feeling like it was going to be an extremely boring chapter with nothing to really think about. But as I read, I saw the names of so many different families, brothers, priests, and others helping to rebuild the walls and gates in their town.

I began seeing the names of the people in our church. Each person taking responsibility for their part of the wall - rebuilding hope on their street. We will never get there if just our pastor and staff rebuild, but every person in our church needs to believe that they are a builder! And as it says in Ephesians 4 - we build them, so that they can be builders in this ministry as well.

Mad Church Disease by Anne Jackson - The Diagnosis

2008-11-15T19:24:00.006-05:00

The good news? I don't have Mad Church Disease. Whew! I thought it may have been something I ate at a potluck dinner, or gotten it from tainted Communion wafers.

Anne Jackson does a great job in this book of presenting the tough challenges that ministry leaders face without giving people permission to just be victims of their circumstance. I think her heart for this book is really well reflected in Chapter 3 where she says, "We should look at our past as a gift and not a burden. And as such, we should steward it like any other gift we've been given. We need to be grateful for our unique circumstances, not resentful."

She doesn't focus on the disease as much as on getting healthy. Half of the word healthy is HEAL, yet so many people want to get healthy without healing. Part of the book is focused on identifying where we might be unhealthy, but much of it hones in on spiritual, physical, emotional, and relational health. In every one of these four sections she gives Bible verses to base our growth on.

I was most challenged by the physical health section. I am BAD at taking care of my body. I got some really practical ideas for getting better sleep, eating better, and taking time for exercise. It actually challenged me to change my patterns at night to get ready for going to bed. Something simple that will have a long-lasting impact on me.

Now, I'm sure that there are some self-loathing pastors that could use this as an excuse to feel sorry for themselves. But they won't find Jackson patting them on the back telling them it will be ok, they'll find her saying, "But do I wish I had been protected from experiencing that pain? Honestly, no." She pushes us all to stop running from these issues, but to face them head on and be healed. It may hurt to open up these wounds, but it will be worth it.

The final thing that I really enjoyed about this book were the voices of top Christian leaders who have been through some of these "low" times. It is written in an interview format with some great answers! My favorite answer was from a pastor that I had never heard of - Gary Kinnaman - he said about strengthening others, "You realize you have nothing to offer but Christ in you".

I definitely recommend this book to people who may be in a hard situation at a church or just have not dealt with emotions from past experiences. But ANYBODY can get some great principles on how to be more healthy in ministry. Thanks Anne for a great book!

Sleigh Ride Treat for You!

2008-11-14T19:34:00.000-05:00

Enjoy this Christmas treat from Relient K

Relient K - Sleigh Ride from gotee on Vimeo.

Earth Shaking Servants of God - Acts 16

2008-11-13T11:48:00.004-05:00

I wanted to share this devotion. I shared it with our discipleship group last night, and wanted to pass it on to you. God has been changing my life!

Earth Shaking Servants of God – Acts 16
God wants to break chains in us so that we can shake the world.

BREAK THE CHAINS OF SIN – Your Life and Others
18 She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her. 19 When her owners realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. 20 They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar 21 by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.” 22 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods.

• Get sick of sin and excuses – This cannot just be one of our pet peeves. It must be something that you know the Holy Spirit is telling you to say.
• When you break the chains of sin, the dogs of Hell will start to chase you.
• We know Paul and Silas had broken their own chains of sin because 1 Peter 4:1 says, “The person who has suffered in the body is finished with sin”. What chains of sin do I need to break?

BREAK THE CHAINS OF SILENCE – Praise in your hardest times
23 After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully.
24 When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. 25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose.

• Is your earthquake on the inside or the outside? Are circumstances in your life always leaving you shaken? Or is God shaking the chains off you?
• When you praise God in hard times it shakes Hell and shakes situations, instead of letting circumstances shake you.
• Why break the chains of silence? God is listening (Psalm 116:1-4)
• Why break the chains of silence? Other prisoners are listening to you (v.25b)

BREAK THE CHAINS OF SELFISHNESS – Freedom from God is not to just focus on yourself. Freedom from God is freedom to serve and love others.
27 The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!” 29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas.

• Do you think how things may affect other people?
• God has been really dealing with me on this lately – maybe our mechanic needs money more than we do. Are you willing to be used by God even if it doesn’t affect you the way you want?
• Philip 2:4 – Do not be interested only in your own life, but be interested in the lives of others.
30 He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. 33 At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

2008-11-07T20:07:00.002-05:00

Last night, Jess and I, along with the Gancers went to see a special pre-screening of this movie. I came in expecting a decent movie, but left so grateful that we went to see it.

It is the story of two young boys who become friends. One who is a Jewish boy in a concentration camp, and the other who is the son of a Nazi soldier. They have such a cool friendship. As well, the movie does a real great job of showing what Nazi Germany must have been like at that time.

However, my favorite part of the movie was how deeply it made me feel the emotions. It REALLY got through to me.

I know this is kind of a vague review, but I don't want to give away anything about the movie. See it! Check out the preview from youTube below, then GO SEE IT! You won't be disappointed.

Awkward Church

2008-11-04T15:36:00.003-05:00

I think this video really shows how awkward some people feel when they come into our churches.

Let's do our best to love people and show them Jesus - not in a formulaic way, but in faith expressing itself in love.

Holy Spirit, the Discipler

2008-11-03T12:03:00.003-05:00

We had such a great night last night at REPO Student Outreach. We had a hip hop concert to kick off our new Sunday night REPO services. Over 50 people came, and 10 either got saved or rededicated their lives to Jesus. It was awesome.

However one thing that always bothers me is: How are we going to disciple these students? Because Jesus said to make disciples, not just converts.

This morning it just kept racing through my head and I kinda freaked out thinking about it. I came to the end of myself in prayer as I talked to God. He simply reminded me that He is a MUCH better discipler than I or anyone else on our team could be.

He reminded me of Acts 8 where Philip baptizes the Ethiopian eunuch and then the Holy Spirit transports Philip to another place. But the Bible says the eunuch went out with joy, and some traditions say he brought the gospel back to Ethiopia and great revival hit that nation.

God also reminded me that when he found Abraham he was in a polytheistic society, but God talked to him, and told him that he would be his God. And Abraham followed God into the unknown to become the "father of many nations".

The Holy Spirit is a much better discipler than we are! I just need to take a deep breath, trust He will do his part, and then take what He gives us to do.

I'm being discipled by Him too,

TJ

Marriage Thought

2008-11-02T06:25:00.004-05:00

I was reminded yesterday of something that just makes sense in me and Jess' marriage.

WHEN WE PLAN HOW WE'LL SPEND OUR DAYS OFF TOGETHER, IT WORKS MUCH BETTER!

I know this seems simple, but it really makes the difference in how a day goes. Especially because Jess and I don't have kids yet, our day off is a day to focus on our marriage and our relationship with God. So, when we have given God the time He deserves, then the time our marriage deserves should be intentional.

I have been trying to plan these days with Jess, so that we don't find ourselves just sitting around the house watching TV on those days off. But we experience something we both enjoy or something new that we haven't tried before. Or just that we have purpose in what we do at the house.

Just a simple thought, but one that makes a big difference to the connections we make with each others on our day off.

TJ

Some BB King & Bono for Friday

2008-10-31T15:52:00.003-04:00

Gotta love you some BB King & Bono on this classic from Rattle and Hum:

U2 |MTV Music

BTW, I got this video from a great new music video search engine put out by MTV called, MTVMusic.com

Have a great Halloween - we're gonna go meet our community now!

TJ

Living Beyond the Limits by Franklin Graham

2008-10-30T23:05:00.003-04:00

This has been a fairly light read this month, but very inspiring and at times challenging.

WHAT THIS BOOK HAS GOING FOR IT:

Franklin can tell a story! - Just like his dad, he can tell a good story. There were times when I felt like I was there in the midst of war torn countries or in the Oval Office or in the mountains of West Virginia. It just really gripped me and his stories were great.
Pictures in the middle of the book - Not many books do that anymore, but I liked that I could see the faces of the people in the stories he was telling.
Lots of Scriputre - Everything he talks about is laced with Scripture - always great!

SOME DOWNFALLS:

Feels like it doesn't go anywhere - Though the stories and lessons were great, they didn't seem to have a cohesive aspect that led you through the book. Instead they were random stories with random lessons. Made it kinda hard for me to takeaway 2-3 central thoughts.
Not sure what audience it is reaching to - Through the book he switches back and forth in tones between talking to committed Christians and then back to those who don't yet know Christ.

ONE GREAT QUOTE:
"Just as God never closes His eyes, we should keep our eyes open in order that God can help us go beyond the limits of our human frailties. Satan is always trying to rob us of these moments of availability" --- Soooo Good!

Hope this helps. It inspired me with these stories of faith and I found myself praying more as I read this book, both for the people in the book and those around me that it reminded me of.

Help!

2008-10-28T23:37:00.000-04:00

Psalm 121
1 I look up to the mountains—
does my help come from there?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth!

3 He will not let you stumble;
the one who watches over you will not slumber.
4 Indeed, he who watches over Israel
never slumbers or sleeps.

5 The Lord himself watches over you!
The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.
6 The sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon at night.

7 The Lord keeps you from all harm
and watches over your life.
8 The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go,
both now and forever.

Separation of Church and State?

2008-10-25T11:21:00.002-04:00

Ezekiel 43:8 – “The kings made my name unclean by putting their doorway next to my doorway, and their doorpost next to my doorpost so only a wall separated me from them. When they did their acts that I hate, they made my holy name unclean, and so I destroyed them in my anger.”

This is what Presidents and politicians are doing nowadays when they make it a thing about putting God on the ballot. They put themselves up as God’s man. But God is frustrated that they have put their doorway next to His doorway. When they did acts that God hated – they made HIS name unclean.

God’s name has been tarnished when people drag him into politics. I think it’s the same when Christian pastors and leaders drag him into politics as a platform. And when political leaders tout his name and do despicable things – God’s name is mocked among our media and news. God’s name is meant to be HOLY (which means set apart).

When God says to Ezekiel in chapter 43 that his throne is in the temple – He is saying that he is set apart. He will aid the “king” who surrenders to His Kingship. But God won’t aid the White House, unless our leaders humble themselves in God’s House.

I don’t know – is this a biblical backing for the separation of church and state?

Mark Wahlberg Talks to Animals

2008-10-25T11:14:00.003-04:00

Question

2008-10-21T22:32:00.002-04:00

How do you fall in love with Jesus? What do loving conversations look like with Him? What do you talk about with Him? What's your favorite thing to talk with Jesus about?

Just pondering some of these questions today...Got any insight?

TJ

Jihun on the Wii Fit

2008-10-19T22:57:00.004-04:00

DISCLAIMER: Single ladies, guard your heart. Jihun shakin his groove thang on the Wii Fit.

Now for your viewing pleasure:

Random Thoughts

2008-10-18T20:49:00.002-04:00

I have literally been sleeping on and off ALL DAY! I don't know what's up with me. Just haven't been feeling well.

Getting really excited about the REPO Re-Launch! The "soft opening" is next Sunday night, October 26th at 6 PM. We'll be having a Halloween illustrated message.

Then the following Sunday night, November 2nd at 6 PM we'll be having a "grand opening", where we unveil our new REPO logo. It will be a huge party with national recording artist: Mizz Reality (www.mizzreality.com) and special guest E-Dubb.

Jesus is so good to me. I'm constantly amazed at the relationship with Jess, friendships with others, and ministry that God has given to me as a gift.

OH YEAH - Ohio State spanked Michigan State today! Woo-hoo.

That's it. Love ya,

TJ

200th Post

2008-10-17T22:11:00.003-04:00

This is my 200th post on Blogger! The journey started on September 27th, 2007 on Blogger. It was a much different time. Jess and I were living in Toledo at the time. And just since last fall we've moved to Hamtramck, MI. Become youth pastors again of REPO at REAL Church.

I KNOW, I'm a totally different man than I was last September. I thank Jesus Christ for that! I've really tried to give him my life wholly thru confusing times, celebrating times, crying times, and all the times in between. I believe that He is trustworty, and deserves my whole life. He has always been more faithful to me, than I ever have been to him. And as I look back over these 200 posts, I'm reminded He is faithful everyday!!!

Great is Your Faithfulness toward me, God!

200 - now that's cool.

Crisis and God's Judgment

2008-10-16T21:38:00.003-04:00

In my time with God, I’ve been studying the book of Ezekiel. It’s been awesome and I’ve been getting more out of it than I ever have gotten. One phrase that continues to repeat throughout the book, that I’ve been pondering lately is this,

THEN YOU WILL KNOW THAT I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD.

God would say this after he proclaimed the different judgments that were a result of God’s people disobeying Him. Because they wouldn’t obey him before his judgment, he said that his judgment would help them to KNOW that He is the Lord their God.

I can’t help but think that this is what God is doing in America, and has been doing in America for a while. The Bible says that “Righteousness exalts a nation.” (Proverbs 14:34). Even if YOU are living for Jesus, I’m sure we can all agree that America is far from a righteous nation.

So, because we have not obeyed the Lord, and instead turned to replacement gods (sex, money, power), he is once again trying to get our attention. By the way, those same replacement gods were the reason God has judged nations throughout the centuries.

I believe God allowed 9/11 to happen to get our attention, and it did for some. But just because we sing “God bless America” at a baseball game does not mean that we have repented of our sins as a nation. Now if we filled a baseball stadium and repented together, things might be a little different.

I believe God has allowed these hurricanes to come as a result of our choices with our planet, that we might rebuild our cities on righteousness.

And I believe that God has allowed this financial crisis to hit us square between the eyes because we trust in money more than we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

Now, take it to a more personal level, “What does it take for you to KNOW that He is the Lord your God?” Do you obey instantly when you read something in the Word of God? Or are you someone that gets stuck in patterns of sin, because of your own pride?

Know this: God is God. He loves America and its people, but he is unwilling to have them serve other gods till the day they die. He will do whatever it takes that none would perish, but have eternal life (John 3:16; 2 Peter 3:9).

Maybe God’s love for us, is deeper than we give him credit for.

The War We find Ourselves In

2008-10-15T20:24:00.003-04:00

Just got done preaching a message to our students about the reality that we are in a war, and we can choose to either be on God's side or against him (James 4:4). There's no middle ground.

I preached passionately, and was so excited when I got to the point where I talked about Jesus' final victory, when the final war will happen. Check out these verses from Revelation 19:

11 Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war. 12 His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself. 13 He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses. 1516^[e] was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords. From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress. On his robe at his thigh

17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, shouting to the vultures flying high in the sky: “Come! Gather together for the great banquet God has prepared. 18 Come and eat the flesh of kings, generals, and strong warriors; of horses and their riders; and of all humanity, both free and slave, small and great.”

19 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the world and their armies gathered together to fight against the one sitting on the horse and his army. 20 And the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who did mighty miracles on behalf of the beast—miracles that deceived all who had accepted the mark of the beast and who worshiped his statue. Both the beast and his false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. 21 Their entire army was killed by the sharp sword that came from the mouth of the one riding the white horse. And the vultures all gorged themselves on the dead bodies.

_____________________________________

He WINS!!! So smile today, and if you haven't done it yet - join God's army - because He's undefeated!

Smiling in HIS Victory tonight,

Push Past Tired

2008-10-13T20:51:00.002-04:00

I gotta admit - most of the time I get home from work or church, I don't feel like doing much more than watching TV. But that's gotta change!!!

Tonight, Jess and I walked through our neighborhood. It was a beautiful night. It got my blood flowing, and I feel so much better as I sit here tonight.

I'm trying to find many more ways to push past tired, and do what's exciting and worth it in life.

TJ

Celebration!

2008-10-11T19:25:00.003-04:00

So excited about this week and this weekend! We have read the Bible cover to cover from Wednesday at 2 PM until Saturday morning around 6 AM. And now we are going to be celebrating the 4 Year Anniversary of REAL Church this weekend.

So if you're anywhere near Detroit, come check it out: REAL Church

Have a great weekend!

TJ

Live in the Tension

2008-10-06T22:19:00.003-04:00

We hate it when those times come where things are uncertain and our life is up in the air. As I follow Jesus, I'm finding that these times pop up more and more. It isn't too long that I'm feeling 'comfortable' that something pops up and puts me in some sort of tension.

But this tension is way for God to do something that changes us: STRETCHING.

You can't stretch a rubber band without some tension from either way. You can't stretch out before a sports game without there being some tension in your muscles. But what's the benefit of stretching?

Feel more loose (more free with Jesus)
Don't injure yourself as often (stop sinning as much)
Fit more inside of something stretched (more love for others, we become more accessible)
___________ (insert your own)

I'm trying to live more and more in the tension for the sake of the mission of Jesus Christ. In all of this stretching and tension though, we hear the words of Paul echo:

"For God is working in you giving you the desire to obey him and the power to do what pleases Him" -- Philippians 2:13 (NLT)

TJ

The Fall!

2008-10-05T16:58:00.003-04:00

I like that there are different things we associate with each season. In the summer, I went to the beach, saw a Tigers baseball game, went swimming, had picnics. In the winter, we'll be jumping into the snow, digging our cars out, maybe going sled riding, hot chocolate, sweaters.

But probably my favorite season is the Fall. Here's why:

Hoodies
NFL
MLB Playoffs
Changing Leaves
Jumping in leaf piles
School starts
High School Football
College Football
Pumpkin Farms
Carving Pumpkins
Apple Cider
Chili & Soups
REAL Church Anniversary

And we just announced this weekend that REPO (our youth ministry at RC) is moving to Sunday nights! This will enable us to reach more students and do some unique and creative things.

I LOVE THE FALL! That's it.

TJ