My Life Story!

Good morning this will be one of the longest posts you have probably ever read! It’s the story of my life, the bad decisions and the great decisions! Well I grew up in Abbeville SC my childhood was awful suffered some abuse and went through the divorce of my parents. We never went to church and me and my sister really had no father figure there for us! He went to jail and to this day that’s where he is. So as I grew older I got involved in sex at a very young age as well as drugs and alcohol and I had a huge addiction to pornography. I abused drugs and alcohol for years! Then after graduation I continued to party and be what I always said I would never be a loser! Though I did maintain a job through all of my mistakes I wasted the money away. Then in November of 2000 I met my wife and as we started to date my influences rubbed off on her and we started partying together and of course everything that comes along with partying we did it! Then something great but scary happened she got pregnant with our first child! We were not married and did not even live together. So my lifestyle slowed down some and I started to save for us a place in Anderson. We moved to Anderson when Ethan was 1 and started living together and no we were not married! This continued for a while until my wife got invited to church by her mother! It was New Spring Church in Anderson then they were located at Anderson College Fine Arts Center. So she began to go and I noticed a change in her, she would constantly invite me and I told her I didn’t need church on Sunday that was my day to sleep in! But she was relentless she said Jason this church is different you come as you are. At that time I was still using drugs and alcohol on a daily basis. So finally one day I went to church with her and I must say I was floored at the love shown toward me and my family. I liked it and we started going every Sunday. After a while me and my wife started fussing and she looked at me one night I never will forget it she said I don’t know if I want to continue living like this. She went on to tell me that the message Pastor Perry preached that Sunday “Get right or get out” it was something like that really made her think about the direction we were headed and it was a road of destruction! So she said I want to get married! So 2 days later we went to the courthouse and tied the knot! Then God really started rocking my world! We were picking up my son from his class after the church service and Cherie Duffey whom I Love dearly was standing there and she pulled us to the side and said have you guys ever thought about volunteering with the kids! Wow I was like are you serious we are screwed up people! Then she went on to say we all are so are yaw in for next Sunday we said yes and our lives from that point on began to do a complete 180. I quit the drugs, the drinking, and the porn and really started applying the things I was being taught every Sunday. Then my world got rocked It was in February of 2004 Perry spoke a message of repentance and salvation! You see I thought I was saved because I went down to the alter at the age of 10 during an Easter Sunday and said a prayer! Here’s the thing I did not even know what I was praying or what Jesus did for me, I just went through the motions I even got baptized yep and you guessed it I was just a wet sinner! So after the message Perry preached that day it left me knowing that for the first time in my life I knew I needed Jesus because I haven’t had him in my life! And for once I understood what Jesus done for me and why I needed him to save me! So that night I got down on my knees in our bedroom and give my life to Christ. A week later my wife got baptized and then months went by and then I got baptized! So we continued to teach in the children’s ministry at New Spring and we still do and it’s such a blessing for us! God has told me to do outreach evangelism in our community and were doing it! God has totally transformed us individually and together we are an awesome team. Now we have another child a little girl and yes she is a Daddy’s girl! Here’s the reason I shared my story God has a plan for you and it doesn’t matter how screwed up you are he can fix you if you allow him to. I am still screwed up and I’m an imperfect human being but it’s amazing how Jesus uses the screwed up people to reach others for Christ. If you would like to give your life to Jesus today Pray this “Dear Lord Jesus I know I’m a sinner and I need your forgiveness I believe you died on the cross and rose from the grave come into my life take complete control Jesus I give my life to you AMEN!” If you prayed that prayer you made the best decision of your life! You need to tell someone it’s AWESOME. Contact me and I will mail you a bible and your next step needs to be finding a Church that will love you no matter what for who you are! God Bless and I Love all of you out there! Verse of the day JOHN 3:16-17 have an awesome day love Jason!

My Prayer Pt.5

Hello today is the last part(5) of My Prayer I pray that through these 5 postings you realized we all need to live in a constant state of prayer and pray for each other and ask God for the big things! He said we have not cause we ask not! I am so thankful to have people that I know will and do pray for me, thank you for all of your prayers! Now for the post! Dear Lord Jesus I pray for the lost today! I pray for the people who have never heard your message of salvation and of truth! Jesus please put someone in the path of the lost in the world that will share with them what you done over 2,000 years ago so they would not have to die and spend eternity separated from you! I pray for the Christians out there to step up and lead people to you instead of expecting their Pastors to do it all the time! I pray for the young people of the up and coming generation that their churches would start investing time and money into them instead of spending it all on the church cemetery and trips for the seniors to pick apples! And finally I pray for every person who is searching for answers and life that you would draw them to you and use your people to make an impact in this nation and beyond! Use me Father I'm all in, everything I have is yours and everything I need is here, Father I have you!! AMEN!

My Prayer Pt.4

Father, I want to pray to you today and ask you for the cleansing of my heart and mind! I repent of anything that I have done displeasing to you. Father, please help our country and our leaders make the right decisions! Your mercy is so sufficient and we need it to sweep this nation! We as a country have turned our back to you. We have taken you out of schools and anything that has to do with your son Jesus we won't talk about, we give him the HEISMAN, we make decisions without you! That results in failure every time!!! I pray today that you will begin a work in our nation and put your enemies under your feet and lift up the people who are seeking your will in their lives! I pray for the CHURCH your bride that we would wake up and focus on your son Jesus and his will not our own! Tradition and Religion send people to Hell. Only Jesus Christ can save(John 14:6) He is not a way he is the only way to the Father! I pray for those that do not know you that you would rock their world today! Father help us as Men lead our families and that our wives would feel cared for and loved as you love your Church! I am begging you for a revival to sweep across America! Thank You Jesus for saving me and Thank You for being my best friend and my God I Love You AMEN!!

My Prayer pt.3

What a day awesome church service this morning and afternoon! When is the last time you thanked God for the many things he has did for you? Dear Lord Jesus I just want to say Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!!!! I LOVE YOU VERY MUCH AMEN!!

Prayer Pt.2

Father, sometimes I am drained of strength. Thank You for providing opportunities for me to be recharged by reading your word, praying and spending time with other Christians. Help me discover the reason that I have become spiritually exhausted. Renew my strength and fill me with your abundant power! Thank You Jesus Christ for lifting me up when I felt useless and tired. I Love You AMEN! Verse for today Psalm31:24 "Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, and ye that hope in the Lord."

MY PRAYER pt1!!!

The first posts of a 5 day series named “Prayer is Powerful” Deuteronomy 6:6-9 says 6-These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.7- Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.8- Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.9- Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. My Prayer- Father, I know that you call upon me to teach and raise my children in your truth and light. It is easy for me to tell my children what to do if I think I do not have to do it myself. Father, help me be like Jesus, who illustrated in His powerful sermons with examples of love, compassion, truth, and humility. I want my children to receive good training by examples of my actions. May I demonstrate Your Love in my everyday routine. Lord write Your commandments on my life so they will be a living lesson to my children in your name (JESUS) I ask all things AMEN!

Critics?

This is one of the best posts ever about dealing with your critics! This is my Pastor Perry Noble dang I Love this Guy!
Dealing With Critics - Five Questions That I Ask
I have been a part of several pastors Q & A sessions in the past year–leading some and participating in others–and in EVERY session that I attended the question, “How do you deal with criticism” surfaced.
I will have to admit that I am NOT an expert in this area…I am still learning; however, I believe in order for a pastor (or church leader) to finish well he has to learn how to deal with this issue. Jesus dealt with it, so did the Apostle Paul…we all will. One of the number one factors in pastors leaving the ministry is discouragement…and so here are several questions that I ask when criticism flies my way…
#1 - How Well Does This Person Know Me?
One of the things that we have to learn as pastors is just because someone has a blog or knows how to type an e-mail…that does not make them an expert. (Yes, I put myself in this category.)
I cannot tell you the number of blog posts I have read and e-mails that I have received from people calling me prideful, a heretic, saying that I am going to hell…and those are the nice ones!!!
Pastors, you’ve got to understand WHO is doing the criticizing. People will often act before they think (I do) and make snap judgments on your character based on one line you wrote on your blog or something you said in a sermon in which they did not listen to the entire context.
And…to be honest, those are the people I do not listen to. I can’t! I don’t have time.
BUT…I do listen to those closest to me. I have created an open atmosphere among the leaders here at NewSpring…and behind closed doors I have been both encouraged and rebuked. You’ve got to have people around you who are willing to tell you the truth or this does not work.
AND…I listen to the people in our church, who are neck deep in ministry with us…their opinion matters! But those who don’t know me–I don’t have time to try to convince them I’m a good person…and if I try then they call me arrogant and say I should be more humble. :-)
#2 - What Attitude Does The Person Criticizing Have?
Bottom line, if someone comes at me with a negative, condemning attitude…I write it off. The Bible says that we are called to speak the truth…but we are called to do so in love.
#3 - Does What The Person Is Saying Pass Through The Filter Of Scripture?
DANG…I heard Erwin McManus say this once…and it has impacted me ever since. When someone comes at me with, “I think this,” and, “I think that,” but cannot back up their argument with Scripture…I write them off.
Let me say this–Scripture IN CONTEXT, I have discovered that there are some people out there who can make the Bible say anything they want it to say by misquoting God’s Word.
But Scripture in context…I will listen to that. For example, a few weeks ago a friend and I had some differences and I did not speak to this person for several days. Things were tense because we work around one another. She confronted me on this and said, “The Bible says in Ephesians 4:26 that we are not supposed to let the sun go down on us while we are angry…I would say you have done that.”
I was busted–she was right…she confronted me with a non-judgmental attitude and used Scripture in context…and I repented because I was wrong.
#4 - Is This Criticism Personal Or Shared By Others?
Pastors…here is the truth. We can receive hundreds of e-mails telling us how wonderful the sermon was…and one telling us that we are horrible preachers…and we will ignore the one hundred and focus on the one that was negative!
We all do it–I am the world’s worse!!!
OR–we will fall for the line, “I’ve been talking to a lot of people…and everyone is saying…” And then they will unload their personal agenda on us and say that everyone is saying the exact same thing. Which in most cases is not true. In fact, what I have discovered is that a person who usually says things like this don’t really have a lot of people who will talk to them anyway. Seriously!
And…if it is always the same person saying that “everyone is saying,” but they are the only person who is saying anything…then ask them who “everyone” is–this will usually shut them up!
#5 - Is This Worth My Time?
I used to try and fight every single ounce of criticism that came my way…and I just can’t do it anymore, and neither can you.
Now, there are some things that are worth my time…and I do address issues on the blog from time to time that I feel are necessary.
BUT…what I have discovered is that the majority of the criticism I get simply isn’t worth my time. I am NOT going to change the person’s mind…and “friendly debate” is out of the question…so I just move on.
I am JUST getting to where I can do this. I used to search & see what other bloggers were saying about me…but I don’t do that anymore–and neither should you! It robs your joy!!!
I don’t know if this helps you–but it has helped me. Pastors, we will always experience hurt in ministry. But, if I may use a sports analogy, the players that we most admire are the ones that play hurt and still make things happen. This rung true with me at C3 this past year when Craig Groeschel said that pastors play hurt every week.
Craig plays hurt
Ed Young plays hurt
Mark Driscoll plays hurt
Rob Bell plays hurt
Erwin McManus plays hurt
Rick Warren plays hurt
We all play hurt…but that is a part of finishing well…knowing that it will all work out in the end.
God bless…
About this entry
You’re currently reading “Dealing With Critics - Five Questions That I Ask,” an entry on Perry Noble dot com
Published:
04.11.07 / 8am
Category:
Finishing Well