Do you HATE God?

This is a real life testimony of Hatred toward God! This is how some non Christians view Jesus! But most of all for some this is reality! You don’t like the thought of even being a Christian or you hate the word Church! Well how does God feel about all that’s happened to you? The truth is he cares! I pray that everyone that reads this that their eyes are opened believer or not! You may feel like this guy did! I pray for you to let God do a miracle in your life! Ask and you shall receive! Thanks Jason! This really rocked me to the core, reality is a beast! What has God ever done for me? I’ve never killed anyone. I’ve never raped anyone. I’ve never robbed a bank or stolen a car. Yeah – I’ve hurt a few people, but they hurt me first! They deserve what they got! You’ve hurt me, God, from the day I was born. I had no father or mother to raise me. I went from foster home to foster home as though I was just a cheap piece of rubbish. No one ever really loved me. Sandy was the only one who ever really loved me, and you let her get cancer and die on me. God, I hate you so much.You even let Molly get ran over by a car. Remember that, God? Molly was my friend’s pet dog, and Molly loved me more than she loved Sam, her owner. Molly would come over and beg me to pet her and play with her. She was the only one I could really talk to. She was the only one I could really trust. She never turned her back on me like everyone else has. And you let her get run over God. You took my only true friend, and I hate you for that too!Remember that time my mom called me and asked if I would meet her at that restaurant? She wanted to see what I looked like all grown up. I waited there at that restaurant, God, but mom never showed up. She never ever even called back to tell me what happened. I prayed and asked you to have her call me and tell me why she never showed up, but you wouldn’t even have her do that!Sandy and me were good together, God. She had been hurt her whole life just like me. She understood me, and I understood her. We had plans to marry as soon as we could get some money together. When I held her in my arms, I felt like nothing else in the world mattered. My hurt would go away and her’s would go away too. You took that away from me God, and I’ll hate you forever for taking her away from me. Why did you have to let her die?I used to dream that she would come to me at night. I swear I could hear her in my room sometimes, calling my name, after she died. I prayed and asked you to let me see her, but you wouldn’t even let me see her, even though I begged you to. I could feel her there sometimes … I know she was there beside me – but you wouldn’t let me see her. You are so cruel, God.Look at the mess this world is in? People killing people over nothing. People strung out on drugs and killing each other for it. What kind of God are you to make people do things like this? Babies starving in other countries and disease is killing people like no tomorrow. People killing people because of their hatred over religious beliefs and people blowing themselves up thinking that you are going to reward them in heaven for it? This is crazy, God, and I think you are crazy too. You’re crazy, God, that’s what you are – mad crazy!And remember that time I went into that church to talk to you? I really wanted to know if you really are real, or people just believe in you because they need something to believe in. I gave you a chance to prove to me that you are real, and nothing happened. I even got down on my knees and asked you to somehow show me you are real, and nothing happened. Nothing! I don’t think you are real, even. If you were, you would answer me right now. Are you a coward, God, or just think you’re too important to let me know you are real or not? Yet I want you to be real so you can know how much I hurt. I want you to hurt just like I hurt. I want you to hurt worse! I don’t deserve to hurt this way. Why did you let me be born in the first place? Just to hurt like this? You are so cruel and mean. Religious nuts say you died on a cross for my sins. They claim you even rose again and went to heaven after you died. Well, if that is so, why didn’t you let Sandy come back to life? Those religious nuts claim you healed people before you died – why didn’t you heal Sandy before she died? She asked you to heal her, but you didn’t. I don’t think you healed nobody. I don’t think you even died. I don’t think you even existed. You’re just a fairytale lie some religious nuts have come up with so they can get money out of poor people. That’s what I think. So you going to send me to hell for hating you, God? How can hell be any worse than the hell I’ve lived my whole life? I don’t want to live anymore, God. I want to get it all over with because I’m tired of hurting. I’m tired of the pain. I want you to hurt like I’m hurting God. You don’t even care if I hurt, do you God?My child …if you could only see the tears I’ve shed for you since your birth, and multitudes like you. If you could only know how much my heart really aches when people start hating me as much as you hate me. If you really knew …My child … don’t you think I knew the heartache you were going to experience before I allowed you to even be born? Do you think I delighted in knowing the hurt and pain you were going to experience during your lifetime? You are so wrong if you think I delight in such pain. Don’t you think I’m aware of how much evil is on the earth? Do you think I’m blind to it? Do you think I’m going to allow evil to continue forever? No I’m not. I have a plan in motion to take care of evil, and I have promised the people of earth in the holy scriptures that I will execute that plan exactly the way I planned it from the beginning. Stop listening to what others think about the bible, and read it for yourself. Find out for yourself what my plan is to cleanse earth of the evil you see around you.Do you realize I gave you a choice to hate me? To love me? To believe in me or not believe in me? Why would you think I gave you that free choice? Because I wanted to make you miserable? Would you have wanted me to make you a robot, and program you to believe what I, your creator, wanted you to only believe? That’s not love. That is control. That would be every bit as evil as any other evil is. True love allows others to believe what they want to believe, not control what they believe. Suppose I had healed Sandy’s cancer. Would that have caused you to stop hating me? I can tell you it would not have. You have hated me from your childhood because you did not have your birth parents to raise you. You worship hate, if the truth be known. Hate is your god, and you don’t even realize it. You demand your right to hate me, and I have given you that right – that choice. You are given the right to hate me for all eternity, and life doesn’t end after you die. It continues forever. I cannot lie either – if you carry your hate into eternity, there will be no changing it. It will only intensify as will the hurt and pain it brings. Many have surrendered their hate to me and you can too, if you only will make the decision to do so before you die. I can perform a miracle in you that you can’t comprehend right now. I can cause all your hate to die and put an appreciation for life in you that is beyond your wildest comprehension. You will begin to understand things like you’ve never understood them before. You will begin to treasure talking to me and trusting me to work things out in your life like you’ve never known before. I am not lying. I am a miracle working God, because I’m God. Yet I will never force you or anyone else to stop hating me. I will not force you to love me. I have given you the right - the power - to continue hating me, or start loving me.You’ll never learn to truly love me until you allow me to begin to help you understand what my Son accomplished for you on the cross. I realize you don’t want to hear this, but everyone will be judged according to how they responded to my Son dying on the cross for their sins. That was decreed before the foundation of the world. I would be lying to tell you otherwise, and lying is never love.Are you afraid to love me, or is it just more enjoyable to hate me than love me? I reveal myself to those who want to love me and please me, not hate me. I have feelings too -- please know that. The choice is yours, my child. I already know what my choice is. I want to think joyous thoughts about you every moment through eternity. I want you to allow me to transform you into a miracle creation beyond anything you can possibly imagine. I want to set you free from hate and fill you with love for your creator. When you pass from this life to the next, I desire that you look forward to seeing me face to face with eager expectation – not shaking your fist at me and venting more anger and hate. What pleasure will that bring me? What joy for any amount of time will that bring you, when you realize that I will not have anyone in my kingdom who hates me. Those who pass into the next life hating me will go to a kingdom where hate is their ruler. If only you would believe how much I do not want you, or anyone else, to go to that kingdom. You have no idea what anguish of soul is until you are there in that kingdom. I desire to have you in my kingdom, where there is joy forevermore and anguish cannot be. Please, my child, turn from you anger and hate … before it is too late. Please.

Move FORWARD!

When you placed your trust in Jesus Christ as your ETERNAL Savior, God forgave all the offenses you committed against him, adopted you in his AWESOME family and gave you an inheritance that he, himself, stands guard over in Heaven for you. God also filled you with the presence of the Holy Spirit, who has energized you for special service to God and ministry to everyone your life touches. This makes you special to God both relationally and functionally. Some days if your in ministry you may feel like giving up or like everything you touch doesn’t go as planned! Press on and move forward like Jesus did, carrying the cross wasn’t an easy task either. He could have stopped every time he got spit on, mocked, beaten and just give up, but his Passion to do what only he could do “SAVE THE WORLD” gave him the very strength to keep going! So when the days seem long remember you are a child of the most high and he reigns over everything. There is nothing our God can’t do, I’m living proof! I deserve hell but he shows me mercy, thank you Jesus Christ! To all my peeps I Love each and every one of you remember ONE GOD, ONE LOVE, ONE WAY(John 14:6) with Love for all Jason!

Personal and Ministry thoughts!

Good morning to all of you out there who may read this! What a beautiful October morning here in South Carolina. I want to just talk about whats going on in my life at the current moment and share some personal things with you. So here we go! As many of you know me and my best friend Matt Beasley started a non-profit ministry called the LOT project about 8 months ago and wow what a road it has been so far. We have seen God move mountains and tear down walls that seemed huge at the time. The one thing that has really rocked my world is the fact that we have a group of people that surround us right now that love God and love people! They are some of the most Godliest men and women I know. The one question me and Matt had when God placed this vision on our hearts was "I wonder who God is going to place in our lives to help us?" Then it was like wow we had so many people wanting to help. God has put what me and Matt call a dream team together, some crazy people that simply follow Jesus Christ and dream big dreams! Let me just go ahead and say this before I continue. I praise Jesus for who he has placed in our lives and we are very thankful for all of you. I was not going to do this but oh well. I am going to list some people who have really bought into the vision and are the ones actually making this thing happen many who have been behind the scenes. Dan and Leslie White and family, Tekedra Blanding and family, Kat Laun and her mom Cathy Spaulding, Andy Gibson, Matts,s mom and dad Mary and Donny Beasley, my wife Amber Ashley, Kerry "BROTHER" Bailey and family, Josh Evans, Hannah Bolt, Brian Narcisse, Josh Cline, Cherie and Shane Duffey, Crystal and Ernie Johns, Sandra Counts and family, Tara Payne, Kelly Anderson, Morgan and Jeremy Cobb, Matt Shulte, Michael Parker, Tommy Cross and family, Matt's Grandparents, Jed and Isaac Aho, Craig Walker, Tabitha Vasalis, Stephen and Elizabeth Carroll, The Wagners, The Coopers, Justins and Ashley Sheffard, All of THE SHOTGUN GUYS, and so many others who give of their time every week to serve the LEAST OF THESE. There is one more group I want to say thank you to and without these people the LOT project would not be what it is. To all of the Newspring Fuse youth that serve every week you guys and gals are awesome and we love all of you, keep following hard after Jesus! You see the one question we had was answered over and beyond what we had ever dreamed. Which leads into my next point when you plant a ministry God will take care of the details just follow him and listen to what he says and do it! Leading a ministry is a hard job but it has a ETERNAL IMPACT! So if God is leading you to plant a ministry just do it and watch God show off! Don't worry about how it will run me and Matt have both been busy, Me with raising a family and working and him with school and also working and it hasn't missed a beat! If ministry ever begins to be about you always being there you would have to ask yourself one question "Is it for you or are you doing it for Jesus?" I am currently taking 8 to 10 weeks off of ministry while me and my wife prepare to have our 3rd child. I am more excited now than I was when we planted the LOT project. Because I know God has placed people in our lives that love God and love people and that this ministry will continue to see growth because we have people that serve Jesus and desire to see change in our communities. I want to praise and thank Jesus Christ for his incredible favor on our lives and thank him for reaching down when I couldn't reach up. Please pray for me and my family while we are getting ready for our 3rd child. Please pray for Matt as he is finishing school and traveling a lot for this ministry. Also please ray for Andy Gibson and Kat Laun as they continue structuring and organizing this ministry. We are a blessed group of people and it's only by God's grace that we get to do what we do! I know this has been a long post but I pray it encourages you. Have a blessed day! Love Jason Ashley

Up or down?

Have you ever wondered how you can be in such a great mood and then one thing just ruins your day. Or maybe you wake up and nothing seems to be going your way. As Christians we can be so pumped up and motivated. Maybe we just seen a life long friend come to know Jesus, we just led someone to Christ, or even we in our own walk got our world rocked by a life changing message. They are many other things that can set you on fire spiritually! But what do you do when things just seem to steal your joy, take away from your life, or maybe you feel like your running on empty? Lets face it life is a challenge and being who Jesus called you to be and obeying him is very challenging but we have to press on. I'm going to share some scripture with you that helps me when i get down and out! Proverbs Chapter 3 Verses 1-10. 1 my son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart,2 for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity. 3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck write them on the tablet of your heart.4 Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. You can continue this reading of scripture in your bible! I hope this lifts you up and gets you in the 66 book love letter he wrote to us! Have an awesome day!!!! Jason

Church and Comfort!

Hello! First i would like to say i hope you are having a great day. I'm going to talk about the Church and comfort. The two words should not be in the same sentence. I f you are trying to reach people for Christ you should never be comfortable while doing it! We have to step out of our comfort zone and reach people! For too long the people inside the church have been focused on their wants and needs and not the needs of the lost. The church should be a place where anyone could come, regardless of there clothes, car, hair, where they live or what they have done in there past. Who has the right to criticize a nonbeliever and talk bad about them when they don't know any different. If there is anyone who should feel comfort in the church its the lost. The Church was not created for people to have permanent seats or parking , how dare people act like its theirs. The Church was created for Jesus Christ to be exalted not for congregations to have a Holy huddle! I'm just sharing some very personal views and pet peeves of mine! Its my opinion and I'm not backing down. As far as youth goes here's one thing that burns me up is seeing a graveyard at a church well maintained and always shining, but the kids have to wash cars or sell donuts to go on youth camps. See the big picture is the people in the graveyard are dead and there decisions have been set. The Youth still need to be reached so why spend money on the non-important things! That cemetery will not change the world. However our youth can make a huge impact. As far as the people that don't know Jesus what are we doing to change that.All throughout scripture the teachers of Christ went out into the dangerous parts of town and reached out to them. So why are we not doing that today. You know what bothers me in the time it took to write this blog 100's of people have died without Jesus thus going to hell!!! That should be enough motivation for the Church! Faith does not require your details when God says do it just do it! This has challenged me WOW! man! I hope you get uncomfortable as well! One Love, One God, One Way!Later Jason!

3, 2, 1, ACTION!

What is the Fifth book of the New Testament? The Acts of the Apostles. It is not the thoughts of the Apostles or the ideas of the Apostles. It is the Acts of the Apostles! Why? Because following Jesus is more than thinking or imagining, it is about doing! Actions bring about results! Have you not acted on something God clearly told you to do? Life is short, now would be a great time to ACT like a Christ follower! Stop having Holy Huddles and start working in the community that’s real effectiveness!!!!

Are you committed?

Good evening everyone! I read this paragraph in a book one time and what can I say “It challenged me!” It went a little something like this. “We live in a day when there is very little if any commitment to anyone or anything! The reason for these actions is there is very little surrender to anything anymore! You see if I surrender my own needs to the needs of others, then I will find myself committed to their lives! Jesus Christ over 2,000 years ago surrendered his entire life for us…. What would happen if I submitted mine back to him?” As I read this paragraph it moved me and made me self examine myself to see if I was truly committed to Jesus Christ 100% not 99%. My pastor said something one time that challenged me as well. He said a 99% commitment to Christ is 1% to short, its all or nothing! You see self examination is very important, it tells you who you are and where most of your time is spent. I personally believe that we as Christians can’t even begin to realize how much God loves us and how big of a plan he has for our life. I also believe in order for us to have the protection of God we have to be under the authority of God! You can’t live like Hell all the time and be committed to Jesus Christ, it’s just not possible! You know I Love people who commit to be on time and actually are! In other words thank you to all who say they are going to do something and they do it! I believe with all my heart God wants even a stronger commitment to his will for our lives not our own! Let’s face it we screw up and mess up all the time! However we serve a perfect and holy God, thank goodness for that! You know as I think about commitment one thing pops in my mind over and over again! If we can’t commit to the little things how can we commit to the big things! When I accepted Jesus Christ as the payment for my sins and believed in him through faith he put a burning passion in me to reach out to all types of people. Though I may get knocked down sometimes, I’m like Rocky I keep getting back up (with the help and guidance of Christ of course). You see he made a 100% commitment to us so when are his followers going to make the same commitment to him! Jesus said you can’t be both hot and cold he would rather you be one or the other. Being Luke warm he said it makes him sick he would spew you out his mouth! Hey he said it not me! So what are you willing to do to change the way you commit to things in life? The way you commit to Jesus, your spouses, your kids and even doing something you said you would do. Commitment is the most important step in life! If you’re not a Christian and maybe you have been mistreated by a church or a Christian let me just apologize for them! Not all churches and Christians act the same. You see Jesus did not come into the world to condemn it he came to save it! Many Churches and Christians would rather condemn people and have a holy huddle inside the church! They try to lead the church instead of letting Jesus Christ lead! Many times the church splits right down the middle because of a lack of commitment to Christ! So I know how you may feel toward these types of so called Christians but don’t let their actions keep you from believing in Jesus Christ! I’m telling you he is very much alive and he has changed my life tremendously! He is the best! If you call on the name of the lord and believe through faith you will be saved! For those who have gotten offended at this post I don’t apologize, maybe you needed to get offended because you lack commitment! For all you non-Christians I want you to know I love you and want the best for you! Jesus is the best oh yes! Have a great Day with love Jason!

When FEAR turns into FAITH!

Life is full of challenges. Job security has become a thing of the past. Soaring cost in medical coverage, housing and other basic needs have created an environment filled with opportunities for worry. Problems of every description confront us EVERY DAY of our lives and generate enough pressure to stress out any normal person. There are 2 questions that you need to ask yourself.I did and its incredible the results! 1. What do you do with your worry? 2. How do you handle your fears? The truth is we all worry and fear things that could happen in our lives. Or we are worrying about a situation we have absolutely no control over at all! I personally struggle with worrying about the stupidest things sometimes! If your honest you do to! Lets take a look in scripture at what Jesus Christ says about worrying! Matthew Chapter 6 25-34 wow these verses rock my world. In Matthew 6:27 Jesus says "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" The answer is no one! Verse 34 says "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" Jesus told us plainly do not worry. The one thing that always helps me when I worry is writing down what I'm worried about! If you see it for what its worth its not worth worrying about! Also talking to someone who LOVES you about a problem or just when life happens is great for you as well. So as you journey through your day look up and remember ONE GOD, ONE LOVE, ONE WAY PERIOD!!!!! Love all of you Jason

CHANGE PLEASE!

Good morning everyone I will be talking about Change today. Pastor Troy Gramling said something that sticks out to me and I would like to share it with you. Change is in the air and happening at record speeds. Many of the changes we face are not within our control, as we have learned in many situations, but how we respond to change can be controlled. This is so true. I like the way Twyman L. Towery compares the stages of change to the stages of grief: DENIAL: Our first reaction is to deny, rather than adapt to and embrace, the change in our life. ANGER: Once we realize we cannot stop the change we become angry that it is outside of our control. If we do not understand where the anger is coming from, we can mistakenly hurt the people we perceive to be initiating the change. BARGAINING: This is an attempt to avoid change by bargaining it away. EXPLORATION: We begin to except that there is going to be change and explore ways to deal with the change. Depression can become a reality during this stage as we give up being able to control the circumstances. COMMITMENT: We except and embrace the change. We begin to see some possible benefits of the change. When I read this it rocked my world. I started thinking about this same mindset people have on Change inside the church. I hear so many people in church talk about other churches and what they are doing! It goes like this: “Did you here what "such and such"church is doing? I can’t believe they are doing that!” It bothers me to hear people focusing so much on other churches, they end up forgetting their on vision for there church. Let’s face it the same things that worked 10 years ago will not work today! We serve a creative God If you don’t think so then look outside. Better yet look at your spouse and your kids! It’s time the church in America gets with it and makes some huge changes. Do not change your church vision, just the way you present the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Make it fun and fresh! We must reach the YOUTH! I believe with all my heart, that should be the focal point in the church! Not the Cemetery or the pointless picking of apples for the Senior Adults! If you just got offended good you needed it. Although Twyman L. Towery was talking about changes in our life. I believe some churches have this mindset about where they go to church. They don’t like change. They make it all about them and the Hell with the lost people! This is my opinion on change within churches, if the Pastor and Staff constantly seek Jesus Christ and put him first in everything Jesus is in control! Jesus said follow him! Are you following him? Does change bother you? Are you making all about you and not Jesus? I know this is a touchy subject and I am not downgrading churches or people. I am simply calling it like I see it! If you get mad great! If you don’t even better! Love You Guys Jason!

Full Follower

Good Afternoon! We have all played hide and seek as children heck I even play it now with my kids! Today I'm going to teach about hiding from your own beliefs and if you do you can't seek God fully! John 3:1 says "There was a man named Nicodemus...a member of the Jewish ruling council...who came to Jesus at night." The one question I had with this text was, Why did Nicodemus come to him at night? Nicodemus came to Jesus at night because he was afraid that others might learn he wanted to follow Jesus. Many people today try to hide and seek Jesus. Because they are unwilling to stand up for Christ, the rarely have an impact on their world for Christ. Jesus said to Nicodemus that unless he stepped out of the shadows and followed him publicly, he would miss out on the joy of following Christ. Jesus also taught Nicodemus that secret followers never experience the full measure of God's love. Make sure you experience the fullness of following Jesus Christ! Be Passionate!!!! Love Jason

Spectator or Participater?

I’m going to get straight to the point with this post! If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your lord and savior you are a part of the body of Christ! We all have a gift, my question to you is, are you in the game or on the sideline? I’m not talking about being on the bench either; I’m saying are you being a spectator. Christianity doesn’t need any spectators! It’s just like a football game there are more spectators than players! You see we live in an important time and the world is in a critical state! We as Christians have a very important roll to play! Are you in the game? Are you reaching out to those in need? The body of Christ has an upward reach in worship, an inward reach in our spiritual nourishment, and an outward reach to people who do not know Jesus! 1 Corinthians 12:12 (NIV) says “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.” The fact is we are all called to do something. Jesus has trained us and equipped us to get in the game! So today score a touchdown or better yet make a tackle!!!!!!! Have a blessed day! With LOVE, Jason

The Healer

Jesus asked,
"Do you believe I am able to do this?"
"Yes, Lord," they replied.
"Because of your faith, it will happen."
And suddenly they could see! Matthew 9:28-30
You gotta believe!
"If you study the healing ministry of Jesus in the Gospels,
a recurring pattern emerges —
again and again,
Jesus looked to see if the sick person was showing faith to be healed.
Healing is "according to your faith." Matthew 9:28-30
Jesus had all the faith and healing power necessary, even to heal blindness.
There were no questions, no doubts, in His mind about His ability to heal these two blind men.
The variable was not Jesus' faith,
but the faith of the men desiring to be healed.
And when Jesus had determined that they did indeed have faith in His healing power,
He cured them of their blindness.
This same pattern is seen in the ministry of the apostle Paul.
A lame man was listening to Paul preaching the Gospel.
During this sermon, Paul looked directly at him,
saw that he had faith to be healed
and called out, ‘Stand up on your feet!’
At that, the man jumped up and began to walk". Acts 14:8-10
Did the apostle Paul have the "gifts of healing"? 1 Corinthians 12:9
Apparently so.
But the healing did not occur until the lame man himself "had faith to be healed."
Therefore,
it is urgent that we grow in faith to be healed.
Jesus’ apostles understood the importance of this.
Luke 17:5 The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!"
Romans 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Faith grows as we focus on Jesus the Healer.
Acts 9:34 records the apostle Peter ministering healing to a lame man.
He simply said to the paralytic,
"Aeneas,... Jesus Christ heals you."
Matthew 8:2-3 A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said,
"Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean."
Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man.
"I am willing," he said. "Be clean!"
Immediately he was cured of his leprosy.
"I am willing," Jesus said.
Let His own words establish the fact that it is His will to heal!
Psalm 103:2-3 Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits
who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases...
Faith for healing grows as we realize that Jesus has provided
both the forgiveness of our sins and the healing of our diseases.
1 Peter 2:24 ...by his wounds you have been healed.
Faith for divine healing grows as we remember that from God’s standpoint,
healing is already DONE — "You have been healed."
Matthew 8:16-17 "...Jesus healed all the sick.
This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
"He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases."
Matthew 4:23-24 Jesus went throughout Galilee
healing every disease and sickness among the people.
Jesus’ will to heal includes YOUR sickness!
He healed "every disease and sickness."
1) Remember that faith comes by hearing God’s Word.
2) Focus on Jesus the Healer.
3) Remember His words to the man who was uncertain about Jesus’ will to heal: "I am willing."
4) Don’t forget the salvation benefits of forgiveness of sins and healing of sickness.
5) Remember that Jesus "took up our infirmities and carried our diseases." Don’t you carry them a minute longer!
6) Any affliction you have can be healed — Jesus healed "every disease and sickness."
7) And thankfully, "Jesus Christ is the SAME yesterday and TODAY and forever". Hebrews 13:8
Jesus healed His people 20 centuries ago, and He is still the same — He will heal you today!" Have an AWESOME DAY! Love you all, Jason

Hand to Hand

I pray this post rocks you and that it challenges you. A Man died and went to heaven. When he met St. Peter he told him how grateful he was to be in Heaven, but he wanted to know how much better Heaven was than Hell. So he asked Peter to let him glance in Hell for just 10 seconds. That a way he could know just how grateful he could be. Peter said OK. When the man looked in Hell he seen a large table as far as the eye could see filled with the best food he had ever put his eyes on. Then the kicker! He asked Peter why everyone around the table were like bones and very malnourished? Peter told him in Hell they have to eat with 5 foot long chopsticks and you could never get the food to your mouth from the table because of the chopsticks being so long. That’s why they are starving to death. So Peter closed Hell up and began to walk with the man through Heaven. Then he took the man into the Banquet room. In there was the same table with even better food on it. Like Fillet steak, poppy seed chicken, shrimp, crab legs, krispy creme donuts (hot n now) if you know what I mean, you get the picture! But the man noticed something everyone around this table was full and looked very healthy! So the man asked Peter “What do these people eat with?” Peter replied, “The same 5 foot long chopsticks!” So then the man asked Peter “how it was possible for the people in Hell to starve but the people in Heaven to be very healthy. When they used the same 5 foot long chopsticks?” Peter then replied, “In heaven we feed each other from across the table. Those 5 foot long chopsticks work if you are willing to serve one another.” This is just a joke but I think we can learn a lot from it! In our own communities people are starving for things like: Love, Security, Feeling wanted and needed, a purpose just to wake up in the morning. I have a real hard time with this because in my home community we have people who are homeless, hungry, and want to change but can’t seem to find anyone to help them! In America we have so much on the table of opportunity with those same chopsticks trying to feed only ourselves. Reach out today feed someone else. You reap what you sow, if you feed others you to will be fed! I have some question and then I’m closing this post out. Are you willing to feed your community? Is your Church reaching out? We as Churches have a lot of resources and a lot on the table. We must serve; it’s what Jesus Christ said we should do!!!! When people with Passion partner together things get done inside the Church and the Community! I am so thankful that I have the resources and energy to do this very thing within my own community! Thank you Jesus, for everything. It’s my prayer that eyes will be opened through this post and people will begin to feed others instead of themselves! With Love Jason

Giving God your ALL!

Let me just say before I write anything we at "The LOT Project" give Jesus Christ all honor, all glory, and all praise for what he did through this family's situation. The very fact that he would choose us humbles me as i write this. It all started when I got a phone call at 9:30 pm on a Friday night from a ministry leader here in Anderson. He said "I have a 28 year old single mom who has been in an abusive relationship. She has a nine year old, a 21 month old, and a newborn. She has packed up diapers, wipes, i hamper of clothes, and she is headed to Anderson. That's all she has. She has nowhere to go". He told me that he had called every program and every woman's home in the upstate and that there were no openings anywhere. Then he said something that at the time made my heart scream. He said "You guys are our last hope. Jason, I know you guys can make this happen". So I immediately went to the Lord and prayed "Use us. Have your way with us. Bring your people, together to make this happen." I didn't know how? I didn't know when? I just know Jesus spoke very clear to me and it literally sent chills from my head to my feet. His exact words to me were "I will give you strength, I will give you resources but you are going to have to step up and lead this situation and know that I've got you." I met the mother and the 3 children at Wendy's off exit 19 in Anderson. Seeing those children and that mom in need broke me to the point that I would do anything to help them and that's what I told Jesus! We took them to a local hotel owned by a friend and put them in a room for five days! With some help from other folks we stocked them with food. Then I began looking for a house. I made 1 phone call and boom we had a house. I was told the house needed a lot of work and that if we wanted to redo it we could. So on Sunday we began working on the house. I called all our volunteers, shared the story and they were all in! Many of them dropped everything they were doing, even their jobs (They took days off from work!) and began helping! The Haven of Rest in Anderson replaced the porch. We replaced all the carpet. The bathroom and parts of the kitchen were redone. We painted and boy did we clean. We were able to paint the outside of the home and even landscape the yard! Then came the fun part decorating and moving furniture in for the family. We got the house finished, which only took 4 days (yes I know our God is HUGE!). Other folks were able to fill up the fridge and cabinets with food, cleaning supplies, dishes, pots, pans, Heck everything! It was one of the most fulfilling things I have ever done, but I assure you it was not easy! I learned several things through this. The most important thing I learned however was that God has surrounded our ministry with people that truly LOVE serving our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! We as a ministry are 6 months old and God is doing huge things. That rocks my world! I pray this story encourages you but at the same time challenges you to get out of your comfort zone and trust Jesus to lead you! If it's God"s will, its God's bill. We all do things like this everyday if we unite as one body!!!! Thanks again to all who pitched in to make this happen. This family's life has been forever changed! Check us out on the web @ www.thelotproject.com. We are also paying this family's bills for a year so get on board and help us help others! You can donate online and it's safe and easy JUST DO IT! Love you all through the LOVE of Jesus thanks again to all who helped, Jason Ashley.

Grace Killers

Yeah, I know the title of this blog seems a little intense already! Have you ever heard the term "grace killer"? I read a book one time and Pastor David Rice talked about the Definition of a "grace killer".This stuck out to me today that's why I’m blogging about it. A "grace killer" is a person that goes to church just to criticize it or try to take away people's joy. That’s sad but it is happening in churches all over this nation. The most common things attacked by these people are Music. We as believers want to worship Jesus and praise him, they however attack the style of music. They say “It’s not traditional” so it will not work and be effective! Wow! They forgot to tell Jesus about this. I believe whatever the music, just worship Jesus and not the music and he can use anything for his glory. These people also attack the Giving within the church. We want to worship Jesus with his money yes I said his money nothing is ours and they want to know everything purchased and try to tell the leaders how to spend it! They love stirring up controversy within the Body of Christ! We want to reach a fallen world for Jesus and they tell us we are doing it all wrong. They simply say this because we don’t do it according to the way they would do it or don’t use the same methods they would use! Last time I checked the Holy Spirit leads us, not man! You see it’s a pattern anywhere there is change taking place and lives being changed for Jesus. These people come out of everywhere trying to destroy the move of God. They don’t realize how deadly this can be. God will not let them get away with these kinds of actions! Grace Killers will fall flat on their faces. They ain't happy so they don’t think anyone else should be full of Joy either! Good news folks keep your eyes on Jesus and forget about these types of people. Life is too short and Hell is to Hot! So tell the world about Jesus and if somebody has something bad to say about you or the way you do it! Dust off your feet and press forward. If you are getting criticized you are doing a great job. Jesus got criticized, beat up, spit on and by the way it was the RELIGIOUS PEOPLE who did it to him! So smile and if you just got pissed off reading this blog, quit "Grace Killing" and criticizing people!

Random

As I sit here thinking of what to write about my mind and my spirit are in total peace. I think about where I was when God saved me. I think about the friends and family Jesus has blessed me with. I think about the ministry God has placed on my heart and the vision he has given me for The Lot Project. I think about how tough life is at times but I rejoice in the suffering this life has to give. I know my God is huge and he is over all things, he is supreme. I feel so loved by Jesus its unexplainable and I want to LOVE others like he loves me. I think about my Father who has been in Prison for many years and will soon be free. I think about my Wife who is carrying our 3rd child. I think about how she LOVES me and how blessed I am to have her. I think about my 6 year old son who is already serving Jesus and understands what Jesus did for him. I think about my Mom who has sacrificed for me so many times. I think about my best friend who loves me and my kids like we are family. I think about the fact that Jesus gave his life for all. I think about my future and I know God has got me and I know his will for my life will be fulfilled! I pray that this City, this State, and eventually this Nation will be surrendered fully to Christ. I pray that Christians will serve like we should and not question Jesus! HE IS OUR PROVIDER AND THAT'S ALL WE NEED! I LOVE YOU ALL and that was a random post but its what was on my heart and mind!

LEADER or GRUNTER?

What is the first thing that pops in your mind when you here the word man? Leader pops in my head so here we go launching right in to the post! That's what the man should do is lead the home and family. We look around our falling nation which is still blessed compared to other countries and we see a Crime Rate that is out of the roof, Abortion is at an all time high, Teen pregnancy is climbing as well as drug abuse in our teens. One question, who is really to blame is it the world or is that just the excuse we use for bad parenting. I'm convinced it's the Fathers not being present in there child's life. See anyone can be a Dad but it takes a special person to be a Father. Someone who is at the kids functions and events instead of Mom having to do it all because the Dad had to close on a business deal. Whats more important? Money or your Children's future. For to long the Dads out there have not been leading. The bible reads in (Proverbs) Train up a child in the way he should go and he will never depart from it. That my friend is the truth but in our culture its not happening because the Dads refuse to lead there family. Here are more scriptures to look up about Fathers. Ephesians 6:4, Luke 11:11, Colossians 3:21. Check them out for yourself. I'm not saying there are not Fathers out there trying there best i know of several and i commend you. Do me a favor sometime this week if you are a Dad slow down get in total silence and think about whats important. Let God speak to your heart. If all the Dads out there started leading and being true Fathers we could change this country with one generation. Love you guys O dont forget to check out our new website @www.thelotproject.com

Whats your TEMP?

Had help from a great friend of mine named James on this post. Good evening friends! I am going to write about temptation tonight so here we go. Luke 4:13 Even when you defeat one temptation, Satan only leaves till a more opportune time which is when you are weaker or a better opportunity to strike presents itself. 1 Corinthians 10:13 No matter what temptation has overtaken you it is common to all man you are not the only one who struggles with it. However it is within human resistance to defeat. God is so compassionate that he will not allow you to be tempted beyond your ability to beat it. But with temptation he will give us the strength and a way to escape. Look at the life of Job. 1 Peter 1:6 We should be glad when we are distressed by temptations it is so the genuineness of our FAITH may be proved. 2 Peter 2:4-9 Even as God spared Noah and his family and saved Lot but destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah he will also rescue his children from temptations. So from now on when you feel overwhelmed by temptations cry out to God with your whole heart and stay on your face in front of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the true example of how to defeat Satan and his temptations. He stayed prayed up and he defeated Satan with his Holy Father's words. So I challenge you to fill up your hearts and minds with God's word. Are you spending time with Jesus daily? Are you running to win? Or are you running barefoot struggling to take your next step. Love you all Jason. Also check us out online @www.thelotproject.com

PASSING IT ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WOW! Its great to be back. I have been taking a blogging break, which is great to do once in a while. I am simply going to just share whats going on in my head and my heart. If you are offended I DON'T apologize. Here we go the other day I received a phone call (Which happens a lot about 130 received a day) and I was disturbed by what I was asked to do. I was told "Jason I just ran into a homeless guy he has no food and he is hungry so I gave him your card" WHAT THE HECK? You mean to tell me you depend on me to do everything? Just because I am a homeless outreach and street minister does not mean I can meet every need!!!!!!! I was not mad or angry in a bad way! I was just disturbed that the person seen the need, had the resources to meet the need and instead of being obedient to Jesus and feeding the hungry the person passed it off on someone else!!!! I truly believe that's the problem in Christian culture...people see needs and instead of meeting them when they have the resources to do so THEY PASS THEM ON TO SOMEONE ELSE!! Ever wonder if that person might have been put in your path for a reason? That's one thing that I love about the church in the book of ACTS they seen a need they met it. No matter what the need was the bible says there were no needy among them!!!! So they set the standard for how we should meet needs on an individual basis and as one body that has many parts. But if the body has missing parts it can not function like Christ intended it too! For too long people have been giving the Lord a half hearted effort! Then we wonder why the Church in America is steady declining!!! IT'S BECAUSE PEOPLE GO THROUGH THE MOTIONS AND DON'T SERVE ONE ANOTHER. People in the church depend on the leaders to do it all when in reality there is only ONE LEADER... THAT'S JESUS CHRIST! We are all commanded to LOVE one another and it's not a suggestion ITS A COMMAND! I will end with 2 questions to ask yourself. Are you serving the needy or passing it along to someone else? Are you serving your home church? I pray in Jesus Holy name that this blog post breaks through to those who read it and I pray for people to have the LOVE Jesus has! Remember ONE GOD, ONE LOVE, ONE WAY!

Building A Team!

Not sure where I got this but its AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Build the team with God leading the charge and with leadership modeling it!
Build the team with patience, perseverance & self-sacrifice.
Build the team with people who are sold out with you for the greater cause.
Build the team with one person at a time, no matter how long it takes.
Build the team with the understanding that people, leaders will fail..but God will never fail
Build the team with the openness to allow others to lead in area's they are better in
Build the team with the expectancy that we are about creating HOPE for people
Build the team with confidence, motivation & encouragement...momentum is essential
Build the team around the cause, vision.
Build the team around relationships that create community for others to engage & connect.
Build the team through constant prayer for God to open doors to meet the right people.
Build the team with realistic goals and achievable benchmarks..and stick to them.
Build the team with CRAZY-FAITH to believe that one-day it will reach it's full potential.
Build the team with the understanding that "Your Not" the only team on the field. Learn how to Play the game w/ others!
Now if you do these things will your team succeed? Not sure, but find what works and what doesn't for your team and work it the best way you know how!

Random thoughts!

As I sit here I am in AWE at the fact that my God has chose me to help lead such an awesome ministry. Folks this week has been a roller coaster its been filled with highs and lows. As I look back at it I would not change one thing instead I acknowledge the blessing of being able to serve God another week. Getting to see God move in my life and the lives of others leaves me speechless at times. This week I have been able to start mentoring a man named James. He is one awesome guy who has had ONE HELL OF A LIFE. But on the 14th of May he asked the God of the universe to come into his heart and since that day he has been following Jesus hard. Getting to spend time and mentor this man is an awesome experie bynce for me. Your prayers for him and for me are much needed.....Thanks in advance for them! I am also excited because on Tuesday we can start construction on the Homeless shelter(BUILDING 302) And with the help of some awesome people hopefully finish the lobby within 2 weeks and then start on the bed sleeping areas! Now for some more random thoughts my wife and children are doing great and the baby in my wifes belly is doing great as well, only 4 more months then we will have our 3rd child. My wife and I have decided(mostly my wife) to wait til its born to find out the sex of the baby which is driving me nuts! I WANT TO KNOW NOW! ha ha Well its late and im off to bed lots to do in the morning much love to all of my peeps! and always remember ONE GOD,ONE LOVE, ONE WAY! John 14:6

"REAL TALK" Story 1

This story from Jasmine is incredible I pray this story rocks your world and challenges you to JUMP OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE!!!!! "Hello. My name is Jasmine Marie Smith. I am 19 years old. I lived on the streets for 3 years. It hasn't always been this way. My mother wasn't a hooker, my father wasn't a drunk. My parents divorced when I was 3. My father died ,when I was 5, in a car wreck. My mother dated many men none seriously until David. She started dating David when I was 13. He moved in with us when I was 14. At first David was really nice. He bought me things. He even went as far as buying me and my mom a new house. But then 6 months after he moved in with us he started beating my mother. He would go to the bar as soon as he came home from work at about 5 and not come home until 1 or 2 in the morning. He would come home and yank my mom out of bed and start barking orders at her. If she didn't do it fast enough he started to beat her. He would beat her until she passed out. Then he would go in get a beer and pass out on the couch. During this time he never touched me. He threatened me but never touched me. I begged my mom to leave him but she kept telling me she loved him and things would get better. She was wrong. They just kept getting worse. About six months after he started beating my mother he started molesting me. He would tie me down and molest me for hours. I told my mother but she didn't believe me. When she asked David he just denied it. This went on for just a little over a year. Then one night he came in and tied me up. But this time was different. This was the first time he raped me. That is when the problems got even worse. He continued to rape me on a nightly basis. About 2 months after he started raping me I found out I was pregnant. I knew who the father was. I didn't know what to do I waited 3 months to finally tell my mom I was pregnant and that David was the father. She called me a slut and liar. She packed my clothes and threw me out. That is when my life on the streets began. The first few nights I stayed in the park across the street thinking she would come for me. She didn't, she still hasn't. Six months after my mother kicked me out I delivered a beautiful baby girl. I delivered her in a phone booth and wrapped her in some of my clothes. I walked the 3 miles to the hospital and dropped her off there. I knew I couldn't take care of her. I knew she needed someone who could but it was the hardest thing I've ever done. I cried the whole walk to the hospital and the whole walk back to the park I was staying in. I had no money, no job, and no roof over my head. I knew I had to find some way to make money. So I started selling my body for money just to get by. I am ashamed now of what I did. I started eating at the homeless shelter and staying in them sporadically. I developed several friendships. The best one was with a girl about my age named Elizabeth. She had a similar story to mine. I remember one thanksgiving we walked together 5 miles in the snow to get a turkey dinner. It was a memory I'll always carry with me. That night was when I met Jordan. He was working in the homeless shelter. He offered to give Elizabeth and me a ride back to the park we were staying in. He took us to our "home". I thought that would be the last time I would see him but he continued to come back. I fell in love with him. He helped Elizabeth and I get jobs. He helped us get in contact with some people who would help us get an apartment so we didn't have to live in the park. He was like an angel. Eventually we started dating. I got pregnant again with his baby. We decided to get married. Six months after we got married I delivered a beautiful baby girl. We named her Ella Grace. My husband and my daughter are my world. Elizabeth moved into the apartment across the hall from me. Not to long after Jordan and I got married she married John. They are expecting there first baby next spring. Our stories have a happy ending but we need to continue to help the needy. Not all stories end this way. That is the reason Jordan and I have started the HTN(Help For the Needy) program. Anybody can make a difference in somebody Else's life if they get out of their comfort zone and just do something."

To My Kids!

I am not sure of the author.... but I want to be like this for my children. This poem will rock your world. *Just for this morning, I am going to step over the laundry, and pick you up and take you to the park to play *Just for this morning, I will leave the dishes in the sink, and let you teach me how to put that puzzle of yours together. *Just for this afternoon, I will unplug the telephone and keep the computer off, and sit with you in the backyard and blow bubbles. *Just for this afternoon, I will not yell once, not even a tiny grumble when you scream and whine for the ice cream truck and I will buy you one if he comes by. *Just for this afternoon, I won't worry about what you are going to be when you grow up, or second guess every decision I have made where you are concerned. *Just for this afternoon, I will let you help me bake cookies, and I won't stand over you trying to fix them. *Just for this afternoon, I will take us to McDonald's and buy us both a Happy Meal so you can have both toys. *Just for this evening, I will hold you in my arms and tell you a story about how you were born and how much I love you. *Just for this evening, I will let you splash in the tub and not get angry. *Just for this evening, I will let you stay up late while we sit on the porch and count all the stars. *Just for this evening, I will snuggle beside you for hours, and miss my favorite TV shows. *Just for this evening when I run my finger through your hair as you pray, I will simply be grateful that JESUS has given me the greatest gift ever given. *I will think about the mothers And fathers who are searching for their missing children, the mothers and fathers who are visiting their children's graves instead of their bedrooms , and mothers and fathers who are in hospital rooms watching their children suffer senselessly, and screaming inside that they can't handle it anymore. *And when I kiss you good night I will hold you a little tighter, a little longer. It is then, that I will thank JESUS for you, and ask Him for nothing, except one more day!

Offense or Defense REPOST!

by John Mason.....Never try to defend your present position and situation. Choose to be a person who is on the offensive, not the defensive. People who live defensively never rise above being average. We're called, as Christians, to be on the offensive - to take the initiative. A lukewarm, indecisive person is never secure regardless of his wealth, education, or position. Don't ever let your quest for balance become an excuse for not taking the unique, radical, invading move that God has directed you to take. Many times the attempt to maintain balance in life is really just an excuse for being lukewarm. In Joshua 1:6-7,9 the Lord says three times to Joshua, "Be strong and courageous." I believe that he is saying the same thing to all believers today. When you choose to be on the offensive, the atmosphere of your life will begin to change. So if you don't like the atmosphere of your life, choose to take the offensive position. Taking the offensive is not just an action taken outside a person; it is always a decision made within. When you do choose to be on the offensive, keep all your conflicts impersonal. Fight the issue, not the person. Speak about what God in you can do, not what others cannot do. You will find that when all of your reasons are defensive, your cause almost never succeeds. Being on the offensive and taking the initiative is a master key which opens the door to opportunity in your life. Learn to create a habit of taking the initiative and don't ever start your day in neutral. Every morning when your feet hit the floor, you should be thinking on the offensive, reacting like an invader, taking control of your day and your life. By pulling back and being defensive usually you enhance the problem. Intimidation always precedes defeat. If you are not sure which way to go, pray and move towards the situation in confident trust. Be like the two fishermen who got trapped in a storm in the middle of the lake. One turned to the other and asked, "Should we pray, or should we row." His wise companion responded, "Let's do both!" That's taking the offensive.

NO GOOD WORKS

John 6:28-29 Then they ask him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?" Jesus answered, "The work of God is this; to believe in the one he has sent." JESUS made a way for us and we could never earn our way into heaven by doing good works. We have to believe in JESUS CHRIST the Son of God through FAITH, that's what saves us. Then we are FREE INDEED! So today live like your a child of God. If you believe in JESUS CHRIST as Savior and Lord you are his and nothing can pluck you from his hands! Let's live everyday as VICTORS AND NOT VICTIMS! Be blessed I LOVE YOU ALL, Jason(I'M IN AWE)

LOVE

Good morning to everyone reading this and if your not your missing out! Nah just kidding! Today's blog is going to be about LOVE I pray this post changes the way you LOVE your family, your friends and more importantly your God. "Love shows the true character of a man, according to the object which he loves more than anything else: for as is the love, so is the man. According to his love, so might you confidently designate the man. If he is a lover of honour, he is an ambitious man; a lover of pleasure, a sensual man; and if he chiefly love the world, he is a covetous man. If a man loves righteousness, he is a religious man; if the things above, a heavenly-minded man; and if he love Christ with a pre-eminent love, he is a sincere man: "Rightly do they love you.," Song of Songs 1:4.
If Christ has our love, he has our all; and Christ never has what he deserves from us, till he has our love. True love withholds nothing from Christ, when it is sincerely set upon him. If we actually love him, he will have our time, and he will have our service, and he will have the use of all our resources, and gifts, and graces; indeed, then he shall have our possessions, freedom, and our very lives, whenever he calls for them. In the same way, when God loves any of us, he will withhold nothing from us that is good for us. He does not hold back his own only begotten Son, Rom.8:32. When Christ loves us, he gives us everything we need-- his merits to justify us, his Spirit to sanctify us, his grace to adorn us, and his glory to crown us. Therefore, when any of us love Christ sincerely, we lay everything down at his feet, and give up all to be at his command and service: "And they loved not their lives unto the death," Rev. 12:11."

CHANGING LANES!

Everyone well almost everyone hates the word CHANGE! However CHANGE is not a bad thing. In our culture its sweeping a lot of people by! The world is constantly CHANGING but we as adults don't like to embrace it! Today I'm going to talk a little bit about CHANGE and how if we take the right steps toward CHANGE it can be one of the best things that we can ever embrace. First I am a firm believer that we will never become who God intends us to be by remaining what we are. It's not enough to be open to CHANGE, we need to pursue it. We should not CHANGE to just run from our problems-we should CHANGE enough to solve them. We should not CHANGE our circumstances to improve our life-we should CHANGE ourselves to improve our circumstances. Let's face it the same old things don't work like they used to. If we continue to turn to the same old things we should not expect great results-we should try something new and expect different results. Don't view CHANGE as something hurtful that must be done-see it as something helpful that can be done. In scripture we see James talk about this in the first chapter verses 3-4. "When your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing." Building our character is a slow process; it happens day by day not overnight. Whenever we try to escape the hard times in life we think we are shortening the process when we are actually prolonging it. It delays our growth and it always ends up hurting us worse if we ignore it. So be very open to CHANGE and be very willing to pursue it, CHANGE is a good thing!I Love You all, Jason

Thank You

In the ministry it is a tough but awesome job and every once in a while we get a simple encouraging letter or even just a sentence to help us along. The day Jennifer sent this to me I was exhausted but her encouragement lifted my spirits! I encourage you to lift your Pastors and staff up on a regular basis! They pour out so much and they need to hear encouraging things to give them more and more motivation to push a little harder! Here is one letter short and sweet that JACKED ME UP! Thank You Jennifer! "Keep it up Jason! I am so proud of you! I remember that it wasn't that long ago you was telling me that you felt God calling you into the ministry but he had not revealed his plans yet.....seems like you are following his will! :-) Thank you for what you are doing to help others! Jennifer Campbell"

Building a foundation at home!

Building a good relationship at home is like building a wall: It’s done brick by brick. And the mortar that holds it together is UNCONDITIONAL, UN-CONDEMNING, UNSELFISH LOVE. The only way you’ll know how good a job you’ve done is when it’s tested by the storms of life. One of the most important keys to succeeding at home is- communication. So: (1) Become creative. Spend time together as a family. Call your spouse during the day and plan date nights. Send her flowers love on her all the time instead of just one flipping day a week! Treat her like Christ treats us. As for your kids, communication with them is also huge! Build your relationships with your children on a solid foundation! Spend quality time with them instead of buying them whatever they want! Stuff will fade but the time you spend with them will never be forgotten! The next thing is one that I will say takes work because it’s so easy for it to work its way in to your family time. (2) Identify communication killers. Internet, cell phones and TV are the worst ones! The average couple spends less than 1 hour a week communicating with one another, and we wonder why the divorce rate is skyrocketing! (3) Encourage one another at home; build each other up instead of tearing one another down! Differences of opinion are very healthy for building a great relationship with your family members if handled right WITH LOVE. The final one is very important. (4) Be conscious of how you interact with your family. You may have unwittingly adopted a style of communication. Stop and consider; do you: (a) retaliate- that has a degrading effect; (b) dominate- that has an intimidating effect; (c) isolate- that has a frustrating effect: (d) cooperate- that has an encouraging effect. If you’re in the habit of using any communication style other than a cooperative one, start working immediately to change it. You’ll have to, if you want to build a good relationship with your family. The most important thing when building family relationships is to keep JESUS CHRIST FRONT AND CENTER IN EVERYTHING! I pray this helps you realize just how important building relationships are! I love you all, with love Jason

THE CROSS

Good morning on this Saturday May 2nd 2009. Only 12 more days until my birthday(27 years old)! Write that down! HA HA.... nah I'm just kidding! I want to talk about the cross and what we have through the cross! Jesus Christ died for all of us and through the cross we have 3 things! (1) Reconciliation. "God...reconciled us to Himself." (2) Regeneration. "Having been born again" (1 Peter 1:23). (3) Resurrection. "Everyone who...believes... i will raise him up at the last day" (John 6:40). Thank God for the cross today! I love you all, Jason!

Planning your goals!

Over the past few years I have learned so much on how to set goals and how to achieve those goals. I found 8 key principles to live by that will help each and every one of us achieve our goals in life. First and foremost it starts with a relationship with Jesus Christ we all need him to guide our steps and light our path. People who set goals accomplish them and people that don't won't accomplish them. With that in mind, build these eight principles into your everyday life. (1) Decide what you want. Of course line it up with scripture and consult Jesus first. "Many are the plans in a mans heart, but it is the Lords purpose that prevails" (Proverbs 19-21). (2) Think on paper. Writing your goals down gives you a visual and allows you to see them and get energized about achieving them. "Good planning and insight....bring.....you honor and respect." Wishy-washy objectives want get you where you want to go. (3) Establish a deadline. Without a definite beginning and ending it makes it easier to procrastinate and that will get you nowhere. (4) Make a list of what you NEED to do. Keep it in front of you all the time, it will give you a track to run on. (5) Convert your list to a plan. Decide what needs to be done first and then do the other things after... like a snowball effect. An organized plan is less stressful than having to carry your goals and ideas around in your head.(6) Act immediately. "Be careful, then, how you live-not as unwise but as wise making the most of every opportunity" (Ephesians 5:15-16). Do something! A mediocre plan that's implemented beats a brilliant one that is not. (7) Do something everyday to move you forward. Build it into your daily life. (8) Have a goal that your willing to devote your life to. Never take your eyes off of that goal. Life is hard at times but through Jesus Christ we can do all things! I pray these steps help you and I pray that you start achieving your goals. I Love you all and you have a wonderful day. Jason

Update on Shelter!

Just going to post a short update! Today we worked in the shelter all day! We had 7 of our youth come and help clean and pour into the shelter it was AWESOME but we learned patients LOL! Folks its coming together! We are getting the floors done on Tuesday then we can start the interior building process. I'm pumped! God is moving in a mighty way, only he could do what has been done through this ministry! We are seeing life change happen EVERYDAY! We have set a goal for the shelter to be up and operating within 3 months but there is no hurry! We want it to feel like home to all who come in! We will start working out of the shelter within 3 weeks! Building relationships, counseling, therapy, and meeting needs in and around our community! We are so blown away at how big our GOD is! Please I ask you all to continue to lift us up in prayer as we continue to serve our Lord Jesus Christ! Love you all!

CHRIST GETS BIGGER!

John Piper wrote this post back in March and it moved me just thought I would share it! I pray you all have a blessed day! Here is a simple exhortation that I have been trying to implement in our family:
Seek to see and feel the gospel as bigger as years go by rather than smaller.
Our temptation is to think that the gospel is for beginners and then we go on to greater things. But the real challenge is to see the gospel as the greatest thing—and getting greater all the time.
The Gospel gets bigger when, in your heart,
grace gets bigger;
Christ gets greater;
his death gets more wonderful;
his resurrection gets more astonishing;
the work of the Spirit gets mightier;
the power of the gospel gets more pervasive;
its global extent gets wider;
your own sin gets uglier;
the devil gets more evil;
the gospel's roots in eternity go deeper;
its connections with everything in the Bible and in the world get stronger;
and the magnitude of its celebration in eternity gets louder.
So keep this in mind: Never let the gospel get smaller in your heart.
Pray that it won’t. Read solid books on it. Sing about it. Tell someone about it who is ignorant or unsure about it.
Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel.... For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. (1 Corinthians 15:1-4)

8 Quarters

It has taken me 4 days to really grasp what happened at Fuse this past week. We had a kid who came up to Michael our bus owner, driver, and let’s just say he is a modern day Noah! The kid gave him 8 quarters and told him it was all he had and he felt strongly that he needed to give it to the lot project for gas for the bus! Folks this was a very humbling experience to all of us at the lot project. Here is a kid who had only two dollars to his name and he gave it all. You know that reminds me of someone his name is Jesus Christ. He too give it all. I got to thinking how I could get my point across to others through what this has taught me. I don’t want this to sound like I am boasting I am just sharing my passion for what I believe in. I will never apologize for passion because Jesus is my passion. So here we go! I want to ask you all some questions “What if every believer gave it all?” Know seriously what if every believer gave it all? What if every believer had eyes like Jesus? What if every time we see a need we take action to meet that need? What if every time God tells us to do something we did it? Reality is this only 2% of Christ Followers tithe and only .004% gives offerings! That’s sad. It’s no wonder our culture is sucking our kids in! Its no wonder teen pregnancy is increasing! Its no wonder gang activity is at an all time peak! It’s no wonder the Church is decreasing in numbers daily and more church splits have occurred this year than any other year in the history of the church! We as believers need to step it up and start giving Christ our all and not a percentage of our leftovers. I pray that all of us act with a sense of urgency and that all of us are obedient as this 14 year old kid who gave it all. I will end with a question I feel we all need to ask ourselves “Are we giving Christ our lives for him to use or are we giving our lives to money for it to destroy?” No apologies Jason! I Love you all!

True Leadership!

The true leaders are people who never set out to be leaders. True leaders don't elevate themselves. Instead, the people elevate them. Some young men make a mistake in ministry by forcefully proclaiming that they are leaders. In fact, they love the power; they love to have authority and control over people because their egos get a boost. But they fail to realize that the power is not for them; it's for serving others!(Matthew Barnett said it all in his book "The Church That Never Sleeps" and I think he said it well!) good night!

WORK

Good Morning to all off you! I pray this very short post will encourage you! In scripture Philippians 1:6 says "Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." So who decides it? Who performs it? Who should your confidence be in? Christ Jesus! I pray today that all of you will be at ease knowing that Jesus who started a work in you will complete it. But we as Jesus Freaks have to listen and obey! Have an AWESOME day and please pray for me and the lot project team as we are taking some big steps of Faith. We all Love you! To my readers no that I Love You so so much and remember DO IT UP BIG TODAY, SPREAD JESUS ANYWHERE AND EVERYWHERE! with much love Jason

Pursue and LISTEN

What up everybody I pray your morning is going great! I am still in AWE of what God did at my home church Sunday, 322 salvation's wow he reigns! It continues to blow my mind how much he loves us. Today I want to write a short and simple post on listening to others and pursuing the work of God. Here we go. So what does it mean for us to pursue the work of God? I believe one thing that answers this question is we need to grow and beg him for his eyes and ears. We need to see as he sees and listen as he listens. Also we need to serve as he serves especially in our relational world. This is one of the key elements to building strong relationships within our communities and within our close friends. I believe If we want to do the work of God, we need to pay attention to people. We need to notice them and observe them. We need to take time to love on them and celebrate with them as we all go through our daily lives. You see we have the power to delight each other's hearts when we notice and celebrate each other. Encouragement in today's world is hard to find or is it? Are we looking in the right places? Are we depending on people to encourage us or are we depending on Jesus Christ to encourage us? Yeah it makes us feel great when someone comes up to us and pats us on the back and tells us great job, but that encouragement only goes so far. Christ can give us lasting encouragement the kind that never runs out. I Love what the Psalmist wrote in Chapter 91 verses 9-16 it says "1.If you make the most high your dwelling- even the Lord, who is my refuge-10. then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. 11. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; 12. they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. 13. You will tread upon the lion and the cobra;you will trample the great lion and the serpent. "14. Because he loves me said the Lord, I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. 15. He will call upon me, and i will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. 16. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation." I don't know about you but that's some encouragement that will never fade. So I will end with these questions. Is there someone you need to encourage, pay attention to, or serve today? I pray this post encouraged you and I Love you all! Thanks for reading, Jason

Running on Empty?

This is a repost! I posted it last year and I feel like I needed to share it again. One to remind myself of how important rest is! Enjoy Love you all! What up everyone! Today during my quiet time today I learned about a story in scripture Luke chapter 8 verses 45-48. In these verses a women reaches out and touches Jesus on his cloak. Though he is in a large crowd he feels this energy comes out of him. He turns and asked who touched me and then an unclean woman fell at his feet and worshipped him. He told her your faith in me has healed you. Then it hit me when you love you get, physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritual depleted. Love takes a lot of energy from you Christ felt this energy leave him in this text. You know you work hard all day. You come home and is it the TV you choose or Playing with your kids? Love is tiring! However it’s the most important thing in you life! Christ is Love! Sometimes the best thing for us to do is stop and rest. Refill your tank and it will not cost you $2.00 a gallon Ha! Ha! I look through scripture and I see Jesus rest he takes a boat across the lake to get away from the crowds! He takes a rest on the floor of a boat! He would go to a solitary place! He rested when needed. See Satan wants you to be so busy and caught up in the motions that you never rest. If you never rest you can’t Love the way you should. My question to you, are you on empty? Are you to drained to Love the way you should? If so rest its important! Love is everything! Jesus said come to him and he will give you rest! Matthew Chapter 11 Verse 28 read it for yourself.

Going Deeper

Good morning to all I am going to be talking about friendship in this post today. Friendship is a key element to establishing great community. Friendship is special and everyone desires someone they can trust and share their lives with. So I am going to start this off with a question. WHAT DOES FRIENDSHIP MEAN TO YOU? I am going to share my personal view on what friendship really means so here we go. I believe that friendship involves a mutual exchange of knowledge, service, kindness, and celebration. I also believe it is a growing commitment among peers to seek and serve each other. Philippians 2:1-11 explains this well. The core of this scripture teaches us to pursue others and sacrifice our own desires and serve others as Christ served us. That goes for friendships as well. We should always listen to our friends and be constantly moving forward in our relationships with them. Offering up our time and ears to them. I had a man tell me one time "We have 2 ears and one mouth for a reason". I believe that to be true as well however, I myself sometimes struggle listening to others. If we would all be honest we all do. I constantly beg Jesus to give me his eyes and ears so that I can listen better and be ready to act on the opportunities he gives me. We all have a choice to build relationships or to let them crumble. I want to encourage you to only listen to people that you know Love You. If we listen to everyone we will be in a constant state of pleasing them instead of pleasing God. I pray this post encourages you but challenges you to go deeper with your friendships and also go deeper with your relationship with Jesus Christ. Read Philippians 2:1-11 sometime today and live by what it says. Remember to establish great community we have to establish great relationships. Love You guys and gals, Jason

Open your eyes!

Good morning everyone. I am going to be talking about being spiritually blind. In John chapter 9 verses 10-11, and also 35-38,39. Jesus has healed a blind man in these verses. I find it funny how the religious leaders demanded the man tell them who done this for him! Anyway that's another story for another time! Jesus said something in this scripture that blows me away. ' I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind!" The last part rocks my world. He is saying we should become blind to our plan and follow his! That's awesome that the creator of the universe would choose us. In this text the miracle is great. Jesus encounters one who has never seen or known light-a blind man from birth- and he gives this man sight and light. After Jesus spit on the ground and made mud, he covered the mans eyes with the mud. What happens next is a sign of how strong the mans faith was. Jesus told him go to the pool of Siloam and wash this off and you will see. So the man had to step up and go! After he washed his eyes he could see i can only imagine the excitement that came over him! He never had to go back to his begging post again! You see in verses 35-38 was the conversion. Jesus gave him a spiritual light also he could now see with his heart. The way to see in this world is a willingness to admit we are blind. The blind man did not argue with Jesus. He acknowledged his condition and his need. He submitted himself to Christ and was OBEDIENT! My question for you is we all have certain things we try to keep in the Dark! What are you trying to keep hid in your life? You see Jesus sees it all you can't hide it from him. Instead of hiding it ask Jesus to take it away and watch him do another awesome and great work! Love you Guys! Jason

God's Dream

If you had to answer in a single word what God's dream for human beings is, what would you say? Consider the word community. Community is not a human invention. It is not a mere social phenomenon. Community is God's dearest creation. It is only within community that there is the possibility of knowing and being known, loving and being loved, serving and being served, celebrating and being celebrated. Because God is community-Father, Son, and Spirit in oneness of being-he creates community. It flows from who he is. When God created the first being, he astoundingly declared his creation to be "not good" because it was solitary; so he created a partner. God's supreme achievement was not the creation of solitary man but the creation of human community. However, because of sin, God's ideal of community often seemed to have been lost. Many times, it hung only by a thin thread of hope. If God were a quitter, it might have ended altogether. But over the rubble of failed human community stands the towering form of the cross. The very shape of the cross suggests the two main transactions that were affected through it. The upright post stands for the restoration of our community with God. God reached down from the holiness of his transcendence above, into the abyss of our human need in order to reconcile us to himself, through Christ. It reflects God's forgiving grace extended to receptive sinners. But the vertical trunk itself does not make a cross: it also requires a crossbar. The arms of Jesus were stretched on that horizontal beam, and his servant hands nailed to it. His extended arms reach out from the crossbar to all who want reconciliation with God in order that we may also be reconciled to one another, forming one body in his embrace of love. Perfect community is to be found at the intersection of the two segments of the cross, where those who are reconciled are reconciled together-where we love God with all we have and we love our neighbor as ourselves. It is where we learn to care and share, to challenge and support, to confide and confess, to forgive and be forgiven, to laugh and weep, to be accountable to each other, to watch over each other, to be servants together. It is the place of transformation. Community. It alone will survive from this world into the next. Then God's dream will be fulfilled when the church is eternally united as a bride to her husband in the Savior's embrace of redemptive love. So, will you be a part of building God's dream? Hey guys when I first read this by GILBERT BILEZIKIAN it rocked me to the core and it challenged me! So, I had to post this hoping and praying it would impact your lives and challenge you as believers. Our community needs Jesus and its up to us to reach out. Love You guys and Gals JASON

Update on Ministry

I want to hit you with a quick update! Ministry went well on Friday we reached out to over 80 people and many accepted Jesus into their lives! We give out food , bags of clothes, shoes, bibles, music, etc.. OK Now for today We had over 25 people on the bus and that's counting 6 new comers from the street! 2 of them accepted Jesus and signed up for Baptism so Praise be to Jesus our Lord! We are constantly seeing the numbers increase each week so Thank You to all our supporters we Love you and want you to know YOU MATTER, YOUR PRAYERS MATTER! We also seen over 35 kids ride the bus to youth group this past Wednesday THAT BLOWS ME AWAY! 5 newcomers and we poured Love all over them as well! Pray for us this week as we prepare to take Jesus Christ to the streets on Thursday! As always PRAISE AND GLORY TO JESUS AND HIS KINGDOM! A special Thank You to Tommy, Matt, Michael and all our other LEADERS you guys and gals make it happen week after week! Love you all Jason.

Values for Spiritual Formation

THE TEN CORE VALUES FOR SPIRITUAL FORMATION 1. Spiritual transformation...is essential, not optional, for Christ-followers. 2. It is a process, not an event. 3. It is God's work, but requires my participation. 4. It involves those practices, experiences, and relationships that help me live intimately with Christ and walk as he were in my place. 5. It is not a compartmentalized pursuit. God is not interested in my spiritual life; he's interested in my life-all of it. 6. It can happen in every moment. It is not restricted to certain times or practices. 7. It is not individualistic, but takes place in community and finds expression in serving others. 8. It is not impeded by a person's background, temperament, life situation, or season of life. It is available right now to all who desire it. 9. And the means of pursuing it, will vary from one individual to another. Fully devoted followers are handcrafted, not mass-produced. 10. It is ultimately gauged by an increased capacity to love God and people. Superficial or external checklists cannot measure it. WOW now that is good stuff. I have applied this teaching to my life and WOW at the result. John Ortberg taught this in a series about 9 years ago called "The life giving power of community. I hope you enjoyed this post. I felt I needed to share it with you guys and gals. I will be writing alot about community over the next few weeks. So check it out as I update and be open minded about what God might want you to learn. Love you all, Jason

Acts 4

Acts Chapter 4 (I have 2 questions WHAT IF? we the Church Cared like the first Church Cared? and Loved as they Loved?) Wrestle with that! Unpack that! Just thought I would issue that Challenge to you guys and gals! Love yah Jason

Digging for DIRT?

I would like to start out today’s post with a question I think we all need to answer. Are you going for dirt or gold? Please! Let me explain. Encouragement is a great thing; we all like it and want more of it. In a very negative world encouragement is hard to locate. It seems like everyone’s out to get dirt on somebody. We see it in Hollywood everyday, it also happens in the workplace and yes even churches all across this country. The fact of the matter is some people would like to see you screw up more than see you succeed! I know it’s sad but these types of people are not happy and they screw up so much they like to see you screw up just to make them feel better! Thank God not all people are like this! There are still people out their willing to look past the dirt to what’s behind it GOLD! You see gold miners often have to drill through tons of dirt to get to 1 ounce of gold. They are determined to find something great! Lets face it we are all not good people, but we all have positive attributes about us! So realize this, we all have gold behind our dirt but often people would rather see your screw ups than your success! Jesus Christ makes no mistakes and when he created you he created something beautiful and he has an incredible plan for your life. YOU HAVE A PURPOSE! So try today to look at the positives in each other; people you work with, family, friends. Look past the dirt “We All Have It” and look for the gold. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 says “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up….” We must encourage not discourage! Let me hit you with a rhyme for one second “You see Jesus is the up not the down. Not the bottom, he’s the top. He’s the left, he’s the right. He’s the go, he’s the stop. He’s the light of the world that never burns out; he’s the author of the book so he knows how it turns out!!!” This rhyme or rap as some would call it is so true. Jesus is the up so look up today. Encourage one another and smile with love in your heart at someone today! Your smile may be the only one they see all day! With love to ALL! Jason

Pharisees

What is a Pharisee? That’s the question I’m going to answer today. During Jesus Christ ministry on earth (which is still at work today by the way) he seen a person or groups of people that kept God in a box of rituals, laws and explanations. These people believed there was no more to be unearthed, revealed or discovered. It was there way or no way. Spiritual fulfillment that led to no questions, no new mystery, and no new promises. Jesus was very clear he doesn’t like this type of thinking. Thinking brings about action. This type of thinking was and still is hypocritical and lacks Love. Pharisees tried to lock people out of the Kingdom of Heaven basically! Jesus despises this type of attitude. He said in Matthew 23:13 “For you do not go in yourselves, and when others are going in, you stop them” You see Pharisees think its all about them and the Hell with the rest of the world! You see the Kingdom of God is open to all who will accept the free gift of salvation. When I say free I’m saying Jesus Christ paid yours and my penalty through his crucifixion. A Pharisee is not Kingdom minded they are selfish, bitter, and if they can’t get the glory it’s considered wrong!! WOW! Did anyone pop in your mind when I said that? You see the Church was created for the lost and it takes change and staying in tune with culture to reach them. You have to meet the lost where they are! As long as it’s biblical and the truth of Jesus is being proclaimed it’s not up to us to say what goes on or who comes in! Last time I checked Jesus Christ draws man to him, so he is in charge of who comes and who don’t, not a committee or a Pastor or a Deacon. There are Pharisees all around us, inside the Church and some Preach behind the pulpit! I have seen racism taught which is non biblical. I’ve seen Pastors speak against interracial marriage that’s not biblical. Moses had an interracial marriage by the way! You get my point, things get taught inside the church that are not of God and those speakers will answer to God for leading people astray. So don’t put God in a box today! Love you Guys and Gals!

Thanking JESUS!!!!!

As I sit here reflecting back on my life and looking at what Jesus has did for me I am blown away. As busy as people are in our society I know they don't thank Jesus enough for what he has did for them so this morning do you need to just slow down and Thank Jesus for your many blessings? I am going to Thank him in this post and I pray you Take the time to do the same. I am not being boastful just simply Thanking and Praising God for all he has pulled me through and the many blessings he has given me! Jesus I want to thank you for my salvation. I want to thank you for going to the cross and paying a price I should have paid. All I deserve is Hell! Thank you for caring enough about me to give me a new start. Thank you for my Family, my Friends, my Wife who is so loving, caring and straight forward and most of all SO FREAKIN HOT!!!. Thank you for an Awesome Home Church where the people are as real as they come. Thank you for the staff and volunteers that pour their time and love into the ministry there. Thank you for choosing me to spread your good news throughout this community and beyond! Thank you for your financial blessings in my Life! I've learned in a hard way Money means nothing unless you tell it where to go! Thank you for being in control of my finances. I screwed them up for long enough! Thank you for my 2 Children I commit to raise them for your purpose not mine. They are beautiful and I stay in Awe that you would trust me to raise 2 of your Children! Thank you for this Nation I live in you have blessed it so much may we turn back to you and acknowledge you as Lord. Father please forgive our country for all our wrong doing! Have mercy on us! I pray we turn back to you. We as a country have taken our eyes off of you! We are taken you out of schools, life and everything else! Our country kills your creation everyday with abortion! We are voting for same sex marriage. We are the number one pornography selling nation in the world! Please help our nation and I pray the Church steps up and starts addressing the issues that need to be addressed. We can't change the world but you can Father I pray for REVIVAL to sweep this Nation! I pray that the people inside the Church get involved in their communities and start doing work. I pray that they will quit expecting the Church Staff and Leaders to do it all! I pray your Church will start working as one body and that TRUE UNITY falls upon Churches all over this Nation! Jesus I Love You and Thank You for everything I am blown away that you have chosen to use the modern day lepers to change this world! Father I pray you continue to use screwed up people to advance your Kingdom! To you Jesus I give all the honor and glory! It's in your HOLY name I pray AMEN!