Who are you

Early this week a friend of mine and I went to North Carolina to be apart of an event called "THR3E". I was absolutely blown away by the excellence and passion of Elevation's team. The entire time I was just trying to keep up with the wisdom and knowledge that was being distributed at this event. By the end my hand was beginning to "pass away" and I didn't even get a say in the matter. 

Even though it was extremely easy to be impressed by all the mechanics of this event, I had to make a decision before the event even started that I don't want to be impressed but instead I want to be imparted to. It always amazes me that when you begin to ask God to impart something, you really need to buckle your seat belt because He will absolutely take you on a spiritual ride.

Even though there are many things that I have "learned" from going to "THR3E", there is one specific item that had been "imparted" to me. This item became as certain as a 1 million candle power light flashing on your face in the middle of the night. God spoke to me at 10am on that Tuesday of the event. He began to ask me "who are you?" I was offended, ashamed, and even hurt. God you say who we are. So many thoughts began to flood my "mind", but I soon realized that the questions shouldn't have been directed to my mind but rather to my heart and my spirit.

You see we as pastors, leaders, and even just as the church body are so quick to become someone else, somewhere else that we are unintentionally screwing-up the custom work that God had already pre-planned and has already initiated. We as the body of Christ need to get out of our "identity crisis". Watching Pastor Steven and his team at Elevation Church doing what they did best helped create a forest fire in my spirit. I soon realized that Elevation's success comes from their tenacity to be "who they are". Often times are ministries began to suck because we refuse to be who God has called us to be! 

I believe God is asking everyone of you... "Who are you?" Now you can be offended and direct that question and all the other questions that are forcefully entering your mind right now or... you can allow God to separate you and your ministry from the "costume" that you have been trying to fit into. How glorious would Christ's church be if we would just be who God has created us to be? 

Let's create the pace

Andy

Fighting a Good Fight

It's been a while since I've been in a good fist fight. If you have ever been in a fist fight you will never be able to forget it. Your body becomes tense to the place of nausea. Your senses become so sharp that you feel like some kind of "Super Hero". And seconds feel like hours.

Although it's been years since I've had a physical fight, spiritually I'm getting in some good fights every week. I love it where I can only win if I keep swinging. In the face of adversity people often ask what do I do Pastor Andy? I always say "Keep swinging!"

I wonder how often we could have won a past fight if we would have kept swinging? If we would have kept praying, started fasting and didn't stop short, walked by faith and not by what is initially seen? If we would just commit to get into a "good" fight and just keep swinging... we would be become a glorious church, a faith-filled generation, and even a "more than conquerors!

Lets Create the Pace

Andy