Rest
Posted: Apr 25, 2011 in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

I don’t know why, but I’m not very good at freeing my mind of responsibility and just relaxing. I’m not a big fan of surprises, I like to have a plan; having a plan means you always have to be one step ahead and be thinking what the next play is gonna be. Lately God has been teaching me about surrendering my down time to him; to not be thinking about the next “big thing,” but rejoice in the here and now.

In my job (If you can call it a job) I travel a lot. When I’m speaking to people I feel I’m doing what I was born to do. Especially when speaking to students in a packed out gymnasium, that’s when I’m most in my element. The adrenaline is pumping, there’s laughter and tears, and God is moving in lives. Seeing that student that was once broken give their life to Jesus–that’s the most amazing feeling of accomplishment anyone could ever have. I go to these events and give my all. I go home exhausted knowing I gave everything to those students. I’m great at the event and I’m great at exhausting myself. To tell you the truth if I’m not exhausted I don’t feel like I did my job.

The thing I’m not so good at is resting and recovering from the event. I find that I come home usually in a grumpy mood. I’m exhausted spiritually, mentally, and physically. My lovely wife is always there with a smile to welcome me home. My poor wife. I arrive home drained from speaking, lack of sleep and from conversations with students and I just collapse.

For the longest time I would find myself coming home and immediately jumping into the next big project without taking a day to replenish myself physically, mentally and spiritually. I thought I needed to be like the Christian Terminator destroying my body then bouncing back without any recovery. I felt guilty if I didn’t get right “back to work.” Sadly, I was just fooling myself and not only was I suffering as a result of not resting, I was causing my wife to suffer as well.

When you look the words weak or weakness up in the bible it appears 74 times. In the New Testament its most often talked about by a man named Paul (known as Saul of Tarsus). In 1 Corinthians he speaks to the Corinthians saying, “I came to you in weakness-timid and trembling.” He says that he did this so they would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God. Trusting and relying on the power of God…hmm…now there’s a concept. It’s easy for me to rely on the power of God when I speak because quite frankly I know I would be speaking nonsense without God’s Spirit. However, it’s not that easy for me to rely on God’s Spirit to refuel after a week of ministry. I find myself going into a funk. I’m tired and grumpy and I drink caffeine in an attempt to push past the weakness. I’ve finally come to realize I need to allow my body to come down naturally from this spiritual high and the best thing for my body at that time is REST. Pretty simple isn’t it? Writing a whole blog like this to say all I need to do is rest!

A few weeks ago my wife sent me a video from Mark Driscoll, Pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Seattle Washington. It was titled “What to do After the Big Day” and it sparked this blog I’m writing to you now. In it Pastor Mark speaks very candidly and honestly about what I’m speaking about here. As I watched it struck me: “Oh man thats me!” I’m attaching the video to this blog (Click on the text at the bottom “The day after the big day”) and I hope it speaks to you as it did me. I hope you take time to rest and refuel yourself. Do you always find yourself saying how busy you are, how you need to take a break but you needlessly keep plugging away? Drop your pride, realize you’re human, take time to get refueled by the word and REST. But don’t just stop there. List each of the areas in your life that you feel you need to get under control. One of the things I’m trying to do is get on a better sleep schedule. I often find myself up until the wee hours of the morning because I can’t shut down my brain, then the next day I’m exhausted.

Although being weak isn’t fun, I thank God for my weakness because in my weakness he is made strong! I need to learn to rely on his strength and not my own. For those of you who, like me, feel the pressure of being all things to all people, please realize you’re human. I pray you find rest in your soul and in your body. I leave you with 2 Corinthians 12:9 where the Apostle Paul says: “Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.”

May we all learn to rely on Gods grace!

Much love!

Jason
The Day after the big Day!

Speaking in Ireland!
Posted: Mar 20, 2011 in Uncategorized | Comments Off

Hey everyone! I hope this letter finds you well! I want to give you a quick update on my ministry here in Ireland. I arrived Friday the 18th after 12 hours of flying and hit the ground running speaking in a boys prison. The students in the prison were there for everything from robbery to murder. During one of the assemblies one student said in his Irish accent, as tears filled his eyes “Oh man I knew they were gonna bring someone in here to make us cry!”

The Irish people are very quick witted and during my assembly I speak about masks and how we wear masks to conceal our hurt, insecurities, and pain. I ask them if I can take off my mask and show them who I really am following it up by telling them my story. In this particular assembly when I asked them if I could take off my mask one student replied, “I’d rather you not you’re already quite ugly!” When the Irish make fun of you I’ve been told it means they like you but Im still wondering about that!

Yesterday I spoke in a church plant in Crumlin, where a young lady came up to me after the service and said it was her first time at this particular church. She said she was HIV positive and the night before she was contemplating ending her life but felt she needed to come hear me speak. She said she was motivated by my story and it helped her realize that her life was still worth living. I love hearing stories like this! As hard as it was growing up, it’s all worth it due to stories like that!

The storms of life are rough, but what if the purpose of the storm is to help someone else through their storm? Is it worth it?

I appreciate all your prayers and support! This week I’ll be speaking in 17 schools all over the country. Pray for strength, pray for God to open up the students hearts so they can hear his truth. Im very blessed to be doing what Im doing.

Much love!

Hurts so good!
Posted: Oct 5, 2010 in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

A little over a month ago I had sinus surgery.  I cannot express to you the pain I experienced recovering from this.  I have to be honest, if I would have known how much this was going to hurt and how uncomfortable the recovery time would be, I wouldn’t have done it.  I’ve always had major sinus issues and continually had sinus infections.  Hacking, coughing, snorting, sniffing, blowing–you name it and I have done it.  My poor wife has had to put up with all of the above and has learned to sleep through a hurricane other wise known as my nose!  I went in about 5 months ago to an Ear, Nose and Throat doctor. This guy, being a specialist and coming highly recommended, scoped my nose, putting a light and long tube up my nose probing around.  As my eyes were watering and I’m trying not to choke he brings the scope out and says, “Oh man! You got some nasty stuff going on in there!”  Ok time out:  It’s never good when a doctor that’s spent his life specializing in examining holes other doctors refuse to look into says, “Oh man! You got some nasty stuff going on there!”

After my summer traveling I went in for surgery.  I remember feeling somewhat nervous being put “under” and all.  There I was stretched out on the operating table in a dress that wouldn’t close in the back and a paper shower cap on my head bathed in bright light and I started thinking to myself is this really worth the humiliation?  The anesthesiologist gave me something good and said I would be sleeping in no time.  I remember whatever he gave me made my rear end itch and then I said, “You know this room is really intimidating, with these bright lights and stuff.  Oh well, you guys do a good job, ok?”  And I was out.  When I woke up in recovery all I remember was I couldn’t see anything and the nurse kept telling me that I was making a mess because I was coughing up blood everywhere.    For the next seven weeks I was blowing the most hideous, smelly, crusty stuff you can imagine out of my nose.  It got to the point where after I would give birth to this alien out of my nose I would run to my wife and beg her to look at what I just accomplished!  Every guy knows what I’m talking about.  Ladies here’s some advice, if a guy ever goes to the bathroom and asks you to come look at something don’t go, it’s never good.

As painful as the recovery time was I have to say it was well worth it.  I don’t remember the last time I was able to have 100% breathability through both nostrils.  I hardly ever get a headache anymore.  As I was recovering and blowing this crud out, I kept asking myself, “Why the junk did this doctor not pull out all this stuff when he was in there!”  I was at times very frustrated thinking that a couple days after the surgery everything would be great and I would be completely well; little did I know, it was going to take seven weeks of nastiness before I started feeling better.

James 1:2-4 says “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.  For you know that 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.”

In the message version it states that we should consider it a “sheer gift” when troubles come our way.  A gift!!  What!?  Did I hear that right?  We should consider all the heartache that life brings, all the “nastiness” the recovery if you will a gift?  That means I should consider my abusive upbringing a gift from God…it’s kinda hard when you put it like that.

The only way to get rid of the infection and the nastiness of our flesh is to put ourselves through the fire (1 Corinthians 3:12-13) and when we go through that fire it will reveal whether or not we have what it takes.  It will reveal if we have cut corners through the trials of life or whether we have faced our trials head on.  I’ve used every kind of nose spray you can think of; I’ve used decongestants; I’ve been on antibiotics, but all those things were temporary bandages, getting rid of the pain temporarily, but never fixing the problem.  The problem was fixed when the doctor put this scope in my nose and then went in my head and cut things away that were not supposed to be there.  That’s what life feels like sometimes doesn’t it?  It feels as if God is cutting things away in our lives, trimming the fat, the infection, and it’s not until we surrender our desire for a Mickey -Mouse-Disney-movie-perfect-ending fantasy to Him that He will truly be able to move in our lives.

We have to stop wanting the temporary patches of life, we have to start welcoming the trials that God brings our way, knowing it’s the trials that will keep us standing firm in our faith when the winds blow and the storms come.  Knowing that it’s through these trials that we will find ourselves and see who we really are and, better yet, see how great our God really is.

A while ago I was talking on the phone to my father.  For some reason I said, “Dad I want to thank you for the abuse, because I’ve been able to help a lot of people, and if my life wasn’t like that as a child I don’t think I would be as effective as I am.”  I didn’t say that out of animosity, but I truly meant it.  We have two choices when trials come our way, we can either get bitter or better.  We can try to prolong the inevitable of what we know is coming by patching it up with bandages or we can welcome it knowing God is in control and he will direct our paths (Proverbs 3:5-6).  There is nothing more rewarding than going through that trial and coming out the other side realizing you have what it takes to survive.

I think that’s how the Apostle Paul got to the point where he could write 2 Corinthians 6 with an honest heart. He was beaten with whips and rods, he was stoned, shipwrecked and left for dead and yet the guy surrendered everything.  He basically got to the point where he knew it was going to hurt but made the decision that this life is only temporary and his pain and these trials wouldn’t last forever. He was confident and that one day this life would pass and he would stand before God with precious rubies, things that mattered because he was put through the fire and he came out a man, a man that didn’t forfeit his character or integrity to shorten the trial, but pushed through it, welcoming it, knowing that it was that trial that would prepare him for his future.

I had a kid come up to me after the assembly program from this last school tour I did in Wisconsin.  He said, “Jason last night I was going to end my life but something told me to come today and hear your story, I’m glad I did because now I know I can make it.”  I’m really glad I made it through that trial in my life as a kid, I’m glad I didn’t cut a corner and although very painful learned what I needed to learn through it.  It was because of that trial in my life that someone else could see that God was real (2 Corinthians 4:8-10).  What are the trials in your life?  Are you using different “bandages” to temporarily patch you up, trying to avoid the unavoidable and lessen the pain of the trial?  My prayer is that each of us would cling tightly to Christ and embrace the trials that come our way knowing that He is going to use those trials to strengthen the faith of someone else and ultimately lead them to Him.

“Hurts so good, come on baby make it hurt so good, sometimes love don’t feel like it should come on and make it hurt so good!”  -Hurts So Good, by John Cougar Mellencamp
Much love!

LOST
Posted: May 25, 2010 in Uncategorized | 3 Comments

This past week the television series LOST concluded its six year run.  Some thought the ending was great, some thought it could have been  done differently.  I was undecided at first, but eventually leaned toward respecting what the writers came up with.   Whatever your thoughts were, most all can agree it was a dynamic, heart-pumping, captivating plot!  I was amazed by the many emotions I experienced as I realized how attached I had become to these fictional characters.  After the final episode concluded and I sat listening to Jimmy Kimmel crack jokes instead of interviewing the cast, (which ticked me off!) I sat staring at my TV. waiting for them to come back with something about starting a new season.  I’m thinking, “It can’t be over!”  As the reality set in that there would be no ”next season,” I began to go through the 5 stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression (reflection, loneliness), and then, finally, acceptance.  I did wallow in self pity for a while wondering what I would do without Jack’s mood swings, James’s sarcasm, Hugo’s humor, Sayid’s skill to make anyone squeal through torture, and Kate keeping all of them guessing which one she really liked!  I thought to myself, “What a great series!”

The whole premise of the series was each character finding their purpose, each of them trying to find meaning.  I talked to some people about the ending and saw some of the status updates that my friends had posted.  Some were confused, and some didn’t like the ending.  I spoke to one of my friends that said, “Last night I wasn’t a big fan of the ending, but I’m beginning to understand it more, and I like it now.”  The only ones that could give LOST its ending were the ones that gave it its meaning–the writers.  The writers explained that they knew how the story was going to end long before the last episode ever took place.  As much as we all fell in love with the characters, the writers were the real heroes; they gave the story meaning, along with those cliffhanger moments where we couldn’t wait until the next episode.

I’m reading a book by Donald Miller called ”A Million Miles in a Thousand Years”.  In his book Miller talks about how ultimately our lives are one big book written by God.  He speaks of a time he went to a conference where this big name screen writer was doing a lecture on how to create a great story.  The guy talked about how the key ingredient to a great story is conflict, and without conflict your characters will have no meaning, people will become disinterested and stop reading or watching.  He went on to say, “You put your characters through hell!!”  By putting them through this “hell” you capture your audience and leave them wondering what will happen, you leave them wanting more.  No one wants to read or watch a story that’s perfect, they like drama.  They like to see the character go through hardships.  With that said, no writing team understands this concept more than the writers of the television series 24.  There is no fictional character in the history of TV. that has been through more “hell” than Jack Bauer.  This man saw his wife murdered, he’s been captured and tortured by the Chinese (who pronounced his name, Jack BOWA), hunted by every mercenary there is, betrayed by close friends, and has died at least twice!  Come on!  If that isn’t putting your character through “hell” I don’t know what is!  I’ve been a faithful 24 and LOST fan since their beginnings and if the stories were perfect, with perfect people, I probably wouldn’t have kept watching.  The reason?  Because I wouldn’t have been able to relate.  They captivated me with their imperfections and their quest to find a purpose.

Our lives are one big book and God is the writer, he’s continually writing away at the story and putting his characters through “hell”, but  why?  Is it because he’s some sinister God that likes to see his kids suffer?  No, quite the contrary, it’s because He’s the master writer; He’s creating conflict and adversity so when (and if) we work through it we become better for it.  So at the season finale everyone stands to their feet and gives a standing ovation, as tears roll down their face, completely blown away of how someone could over come so much adversity.   I can see it now:  The angels are up in heaven sitting in their comfy chairs of the theater eating their popcorn (or mana), waiting for the next episode of JASON MAUPIN to air!  What will happen this time?  I would like to see the teaser for that!  Ha!!

I have to be honest, there are times I don’t know what He’s writing, or even if I like what He’s writing.  There are times where I wonder if He has “writer’s block” and forgot about my story.  Or that he’s already written this we need to move on!  There are times I feel like Jack Shepherd from LOST. I ‘m frustrated at where I’m at; wishing life would “throw me a bone!”  There are times I wish I could skip the heartache, the pain and drama and get to the good stuff.  But it’s the heartache, the pain and the drama that makes it interesting and keeps the ratings up.  I guess I’m just happy He’s still writing about me, that my season didn’t get cancelled or worse my character didn’t die.

I’m not a believer in purgatory (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purgatory) but I’m a believer that all of us go through struggles, trials, and hardships.  I believe we will continue to go through these struggles, trials, and hardships until we learn the lesson the writer wants us to learn.  Once we learn the lesson, we’ll move on to the next chapter.  I need to trust the writer more…I need to trust that He knows best, I need to learn the character He has created me to be, I need to “Let go” as so many people told Jack in the series LOST.  I need to be content in this chapter of my life and stop trying to skip ahead, knowing that it’s this chapter that’s grooming me for the next chapter.  At the end of my life I want to look back and say, “That was a great series!”  I want to enjoy life, not worrying all the time.  I want some action, adventure, some drama, and romance (with my wife of course).  I want my story to be interesting and I believe that everyone has the right to be the hero in their own story.  The tough thing to swallow is, if we want to be the hero and not an extra on the outskirts we have to go through “hell.”

Proverbs 19:21 says: “You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.”  The bottom line is the writer is the one that knows best.  We can detour from our purpose as Jack Shepherd did several times in LOST, and give ourselves more heartache than if we had just stuck with the script.  Or we can surrender to the writer’s hand knowing that we may not be a big fan of the ending but after a while we’ll realize why “that” happened and why He chose “that” ending.  After all, the writer is the one that gave the story purpose in the first place, so why wouldn’t he know how to end it.  To all those who like me are struggling to play your role, play your part, play it well, remember to stick to the script; when you’re in a dramatic part or some major turmoil is going on, learn what you need to learn so the page can turn and the story can move on.  Be encouraged that every dynamic, heart pumping, captivating, story only comes through blood, sweat, and tears.  Be encouraged that if you persevere through the scene-even though you may not agree with how it’s scripted- you will win the hearts of many and be chosen to star in many more roles to come!  This may sound crazy but I want to thank the series LOST for opening up my eyes to the wonders of a story, my story.  I may not like every line of the book or series Im in but I do know I want to keep reading and watching, waiting in anticipation for the ending that one day will come.  And although I may not get 13.5 million people to tune in to the “season finale” as long as the Writer is there and He is happy, then I’ve done my job.

Much love!

Hard work!
Posted: May 1, 2010 in Uncategorized | 5 Comments

Hard work never killed anyone but why take the chance?  Seem like that’s the mind set of a lot of people. Sure, people working hard to pay the bills and feed their family is a given but that’s not the hard work I’m talking about.  I’m referring to goals and dreams that people have but are too afraid or too comfortable to make them happen.  If you asked an elderly person what they regret in their lifetime almost 100% of the time they would say, something that they didn’t do rather than something they did.  They wished they would have spent more time with their family, they wished they would have started that business, they wished they would have saved more, or laughed more or loved more…they wish.  Should of, would of, could of, but they didn’t.

I hate regret.  When I was little my brother wanted our mom to take us to a haunted house.  She said she would take us if I agreed to go.  Gee thanks mom for leaving it up to me.  As all young siblings know it’s only a matter of time before you buckle under the pressure of your possessed older brother or sister.  After about an hour of me saying no, no and no.  I finally agreed to go.  The whole ride to the haunted house I remember my brother behind me whispering in my ear, “A werewolf is going to eat you!  Werewolves like chubby boys like you!”  I tried to hold my fear in but when we pulled into the parking lot and I looked to the exit I saw a drooling, howling werewolf chasing two grown adults out of the haunted house!  I couldn’t hold my fear in any longer…matter of fact my fear came out in the form of vomit as I launched it all over the dash of my mom’s new car.  Needless to say I didn’t go into that haunted house.  Seems like for years after that I had to put up with my brother telling me how awesome that it was and how I missed it.

I vowed then at the age of six never to miss out on anything again!  God calls us to things that seem impossible.  God called Noah to build an ark; he called Moses to part the red sea; he called David to kill a giant; he called Abraham to leave his home and go to another land; he called Sara to have a child in her old age; and he called Jesus–his own son–to die on a tree.  Each of these things were hard, extremely hard, and I bet at times when Noah was building that boat or Moses was leading those people, doubt would creep in.  I bet they wondered if they did the right thing or if it was worth it.  I think its funny how we think when we’re doing what God called us to do there should be no resistance and every door should just come flying open!  Tell that to the Apostle Paul… shipwrecked, beaten, left for dead.  Was he out of God’s will because things were tough?

Too many people take the easy road because it’s all they’ve ever known.  They wouldn’t admit it but it’s easier to stay with what they’ve known than to take a blind step of faith and maybe fall and go through years of hard work.  We build our kingdoms with our blood sweat and tears and when God calls us to something else we have become so attached to what we’ve built that we resist the call to start over. We begin to ignore and neglect the voice of God and rationalize and justify why we don’t need to do what he’s asked.

If there’s no cost, there’s no dream.  My personal dream of being an evangelist and motivational speaker has not been easy.  It’s taken hard work to be we’re I’m at today.  It’s taken sacrifice, not just on my part, but on my family’s part.  Sometimes I ask God why he couldn’t just call me to be a youth pastor or better yet, a regular “Joe” that works a secular job, attends church and pays his tithes faithfully.  I know I wouldn’t be satisfied as a “Joe” because it’s not what God wants for me.  I know I would regret it, and one day when I got to heaven it wouldn’t be my brother telling me what I had missed out on—it would be God who would show me all the things I could have done if I would have trusted Him more.

I’ve learned people call you crazy when you do what God wants.  They don’t understand it, they in some way might even be jealous because they wish they could have the faith that you have and trust as you trust.  Just a few weeks ago my wife was offered a worship leader position at a promising church where she would be compensated very well.  The church we attend now cannot afford to pay her for her amazing abilities and it would have been so easy to accept this position.  The thing is it would have been easy, convenient, and financially wise.  A secular person might say “this is a great move for the both of you financially and corporately!”  But, that’s not where God called us.  He’s called us here, and being here takes work–hard work–but as cliché as it sounds, hard work does pay off.

I hope I never get so settled in my dream that when God calls me to the next dream I don’t go because I’m afraid of the hard work.  What’s the dream that God’s given you?  Are you afraid of the hard work it’s going to take to get there?  Don’t live in regret!  Get your hands dirty and reach for the impossible knowing that if God calls you He will equip you!!

Much love!

HERO
Posted: Feb 26, 2010 in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

I like super heros! My favorite superhero is Wolverine, I don’t know why…maybe because he has knives that come out of his hands and he rides a motorcycle. Im finding out that you don’t have to fly, run through walls, or be some freak of nature to be someone’s hero, all you have to do is care.

I just finished a two day school tour up here in Wisconsin. I was called up here because a student committed suicide about three weeks ago. I had many thoughts about how this week would go but nothing could prepare me for what happened. This week has been incredible! I Spoke to 1,300 students in five schools and 50 students gave there lives to Christ! Many people were touched by Jesus… words cannot do it justice. So many people are hurting… One girl came up to me at a school and showed me several scars on her arms where she had been cutting herself, she couldn’t deal with the pain inside so she would cut herself, the pain on her arm made her forget about the pain in her heart. One girl took me aside after the assembly and told me she was suicidal because a close relative had molested her, another girl said she had been selling herself for sex. One person emailed me anonymously and simply said, “I can identify with your story and I want to thank you for being so real, it helped me understand that if you can make it I can make it.” It was addressed: “to my hero” Its amazing what can happen if we open up and allow God to use our pain for someone else’s gain.

You don’t have to go far to see hurt. I know around the world kids are hurting and we constantly send money over seas to help. I applaud that, but please don’t just send money as an excuse to ignore what happening in our own country. Take time to get involved with the people right next to you. There are people that live in our communities that need the love of Jesus. You might think to yourself “I don’t have a story.” Everyone has a story! Ghandi a spiritual leader once said “If Christians acted as Jesus intended them to act then all of India would be saved! I like your Jesus but I don’t like your Christians.” Jesus’ message was simple, it was four words “LOVE” So many times we pass the obligation to someone else, what if there wasn’t someone else? What if there was just you? And Jesus’ message of love was dependent upon you. Will you be that love? Will you be someone’s hero?

THE ONE
Posted: Dec 31, 2009 in Uncategorized | Comments Off

I moved from the East coast to the West coast about seven months ago.  Life on the East coast is quite different than life on the West coast.  People on the East coast have a very fast pace of life.  Everyone’s always hustling and bustling around, always busy doing something.  Sometimes I think they don’t even know why their busy.  When you live that way for a long time you start to feel guilty for not being busy–you feel you need to at least look like you’re busy.
 
I was a part of a discipleship program called Masters Commission for about nine years.  I went through the program for three years then was hired and went on staff for six more years.  My time in the program was invaluable. I learned a lot; one of the most important things I learned was a good work ethic.  I accomplished things I never dreamt I could do, but because I was given the responsibility to do it I was able to do it.  One time I remember working for a youth event called “Kingdom Bound.”  Kingdom Bound was a kind of Christian “Wood-stock” (minus the drugs). Several stages were set up in a huge field and about 50 different Christian bands would come and play throughout the weekend.  Obviously those stages didn’t just get set up by themselves; no, they were set up by Masters Commission students.  We ”slept” at a local camp (we worked from about 5am to about 2am loading bands in and out–not much time for sleeping!)  Cool thing is I got to meet the Newsboys, Third Day, Rebecca St. James and a bunch of other Christian singers and musicians.  We would wait for one band to finish and then get the next band loaded in and ready to play in 15 minutes.  We worked that schedule for two straight days. And then after the last band finally finished playing, the real fun began!  Our job now was to tear everything down.  Everything included ten stages fully equipped with state of the art lighting, trussing, and speakers.  Believe me when I say that nothing–and I mean nothing–associated with staging stuff is light. All of it is bulky, awkward, and heavy!  We worked from 5 am in the morning to 5 am the next day–24 hours straight!  I have never, ever, been that tired in my life!!  One of the girls working with us even started to fall asleep standing up!
 
When working in the ministry, one thing you need for sure is a strong work ethic.  But at times I wonder if   our work keeps us from having a close relationship with Christ.  In Ministry we are often event oriented.  We move from one event to the next, to the next. Events are great, don’t get me wrong.  A lot of planning on how to reach and save the lost goes into events.  We just had one for our Church here in Arizona. We hosted an event called “Movie Night at the Park” where we showed the movie “Polar Express” for Christmas.  About 200 people turned out, most of which had either never gone or had quit going to church.  It was a great event!  Events aren’t bad but sometimes we can get so wrapped up in The Event that we forget about our purpose for the event: REACHING PEOPLE.  
 
I’ve done it myself; I get tunnel vision, becoming so focused on getting each detail right that I miss opportunities for ministry all around me.  Have you ever read the book “The Screwtape Letters,” by C.S. Lewis?  It’s written from the eyes of a demon called Screwtape.  He’s writing letters to an apprentice demon teaching him how to deceive people.  I was thinking the other day, “man, we (Christians) are so fooled.”  We are out hustling and hurrying, trying to plan our next event.  And in all of our busyness, we’re passing by people and God wants us to stop and minister to them.  But we miss the opportunity because they’re not part of the plan; they’re not part of our event, our agenda, our whatever. What they are to us in that moment is an inconvenience.
 
Have you ever been talking to someone whose attention is elsewhere?  When I first started out in ministry I was at a convention and began a conversation with another evangelist.  I was asking him questions, picking his brain, wanting to learn from him.  Yet the entire time we talked he kept looking over my shoulder. I went away with the feeling that I was just an interruption, just a blip on his radar, while he was searching for someone “more important” to come along.  I remember feeling like an appetizer being picked at while he waited for the main course to arrive. Even though I know I’ve been guilty of treating others similarly, I hope I never forget that feeling. God help each of us not to get tunnel vision in pursuit of our goals, our tasks, our events that we miss what Christ has in store; that we not forget that He is to be the main course.
 
Yet, it’s so easy to do!  We work so hard planning these events so that thousands of people can come to know Jesus but we glance over the one with a need who stands “in our way” because they have nothing to do with the event.  WOW!!  The Devil isn’t stupid.  I can just see him down there with his pitchfork orchestrating a bunch of busy little Christians so focused on doing their busy, godly work–all the while missing God’s more immediate and more important purpose for them.  “We’re doing it for the Lord!”  Even though your intention is to please God, please make sure you’re not missing the “little things” in your zeal to finish your quest.  Slow down, take a deep breath. 
 
Often it’s like we’re trying to earn our love and acceptance from God.  Most people know my story.  I was raised in a very strict home with a father who was mentally, verbally and physically abusive.  I spent my childhood trying to earn his love and acceptance.  One thing my dad appreciated was hard work.  I remember one Saturday when I was a kid spending three hours on my hands and knees scrubbing the kitchen floor.  I scrubbed and polished tile by tile, making sure I could see my face in each one.  After I was done I asked my father to come and see what I had done.  I remember the feeling I had from his approval along with a feeling of accomplishment.  I would have scrubbed for 4 hours or even 4 days for that feeling.  The cool thing is we don’t have to scrub any floors for God’s acceptance or approval.  In fact in Isaiah 64:6 it says we are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind.  That may sound discouraging but it’s quite the opposite. We should be encouraged to know there is nothing we can do to earn God’s love; all we can do is accept it.
 
Make the time to take a deep breath in the midst of your planning.  The next time you get annoyed by someone interrupting your hard work, stop and take time for that person.  Truth is they probably don’t care about your event, but wouldn’t you make their day if you were totally interested in them?  What if you took time to silence your cell phone, look them in the eye and ask them “So how are you?”  Growing up, that’s a question my youth pastor never failed to ask me: “So how is Jason?”  It meant the world to me, and after asking the question you could tell he really wanted to know.  It’s about PEOPLE, not about the events, not our busy agenda, not the next text message, or the next …next.  It’s about the One.  THE ONE.

Out of control!
Posted: Sep 29, 2009 in Uncategorized | Comments Off

The journey to your destination.
Posted: Sep 1, 2009 in Uncategorized | Comments Off

So this guy’s on his way to a really important meeting and the train is late to pick him up. He’s really ticked off ’cause this meeting could mean a really big promotion for him. As he’s waiting for the train, he looks around and sees everyone else without a care in the world. Kids are laughing and playing, parents are joking–no one seems to be worried that the train is late except for him. It frustrates him that everyone else doesn’t seem to mind so he stomps his foot, huffs and puffs and grumbles in a loud voice, hoping someone will see his frustration and catch on to the fact that the train is late. Some people acknowledge his frustration and it begins to make one or two others angry as well. The rest couldn’t care less, they’re having the time of their lives! An hour and a half past the scheduled time the train finally arrives. The conductor says all aboard and begins taking people’s tickets. The frustrated man, along with his converted frustrated clan, push their way to the front. After a cutting remark to the conductor and a nasty look to a smiling little girl, he takes his place in his seat. He pulls down his shade and folds his arms wishing he could make time go faster. For the next two hours all he can do is grow angrier and angrier at the ignorantly oblivious passengers. They’re looking out the window, pointing at the sites, laughing and enjoying the ride. All the angry man can focus on is how he will not be happy until he arrives at his destination. He won’t have to deal with these people, he will finally get that promotion, he will finally make his mark in the world. The final minutes seem like hours and as the train finally pulled into the station, he jumped up and excitedly declared, “at last, we’re here at my final destination!” Pushing his way in front of the passengers he jumped off the train and fell flat on his face. As he picked himself up and looked around he realized this place wasn’t all that fun. He realized it was the journey that would prepare him for this destination if only he had taken it in. This time the man was not angry, but instead he sadly wished he could turn back time. He wished he could go back to the that station and not be so impatient. He wished he would have enjoyed his surroundings and smiled at that little girl, he wished he would have opened his shade and marveled at the magnificent sights and scenery. But it was too late; the journey was done and the destination wasn’t all what he thought it would be. He wasn’t ready for his meeting; he wasn’t prepared for this new place because he didn’t take in the journey and learn what it had to teach. The other angry passengers looked at him with hate. He made them miss their journey because of his terrible attitude. He never thought the journey would be the lesson he needed to learn, he never thought the journey would prepare him for his final destination. The man was hopeless and felt deep remorse for how he caused others pain. He wished he had another chance to make things right, to start again. He went to his meeting and pulled it off but didn’t get the promotion he wanted. The next day he went to the station and waited for the train to arrive. When the train was late he began to grumble, and it was like dejavu. He huffed and puffed and kicked and stomped, angry again that he wasn’t at his destination. How quickly he had forgotten the pain he caused and the lesson he didn’t learn– that the journey was what would prepare him for his final destination.

Awhile ago I watched a movie called Click, starring Adam Sandler. This movie, as with most Sandler movies, has its crude parts. However, it did make a great point and I was really impressed with Adam Sandler’s acting. It tells a story similar to the one I told above about a man who is so eager to get to his destination and will do anything to get there. He neglects his wife and kids and becomes a workaholic. When time doesn’t move fast enough for him through a series of events he gets a remote from a weirdo scientist played by Christopher Walken. This remote is amazing! Or is it? It not only controls the T.V. but it controls EVERYTHING else! He’s able to pause, rewind and fast forward through the boring parts of his life. What he doesn’t know (it’s always the things we don’t know) is that the remote has a memory and remembers the things that you don’t like and fast forwards them for you automatically. Before he knows it he’s 65, divorced and his kids have turned into workaholics just like their old man. At the end he’s lying on his deathbed wishing he would have enjoyed the journey and not had been in such a rush.

Six years ago when I started Elevate Industries I was passionate in wanting to win the lost. I knew God had called me and was going to open up the flood gates and in no time I would be speaking to stadiums full of people. I wish I could say it happened like that! Actually, it all started at an alternative school of about 15 kids. I spoke my heart out and then I waited for the next event, and then I waited….then I waited some more……then some more….then, you guessed it, waited some more. I knocked on doors (figuratively speaking) called people up and then…… I waited! Come on God what the heck is this! You called me! You told me I would be used by you to win the lost–where are the stadiums!? Where are the huge crowds? I remember one time speaking to a youth group in Wisconsin of about 10 kids. I booked about 8 services in Minnesota and Wisconsin and rented a car and drove from place to place. With my flight, car rental, food, (I like food), lodging and gas, it averaged out to be $90 per place just to cover my expenses. At this one particular place in the middle of Nowheresville Wisconsin after I spoke, the youth pastor came up to me handed me the check and said “Im so glad you came! We have such a hard time getting people to come to this little church and speak.” I thought to myself “I’m just glad there were people!” I thanked her and put the check in my pocket without looking at it, as I still do to this day. Later when I was at the place I was staying (I know you’re thinking he’s a big time evangelist so he probably stayed in the Ritz Carlton or something! Nope, my friend’s parents’ basement, the price was right and the food was good!) I looked at the check and it was for $50. It felt like I got the wind knocked out of me. Here I am giving my best and I was going to be going back home only to look at my wife and say, “sorry honey, we actually didn’t make money on this trip, we didn’t even break even, we’re in the hole about $400!” It wasn’t that bad I actually ended up coming out on top $200 and that was for two weeks.

What happened to the huge crowds, the stadiums…yeah tell me about it. Needless to say the first two years on my own were pretty discouraging. In the first year out on my own I spoke to 10,740 people. Of those 10,740 people guess how many of them were in stadiums or huge crowds? A big fat 0, none, niente, nada, and however else you say it in every other language. I had to fight for those 10,740 people, I had to pound my fist on the ground till at times it was bloody for those 10,740 people, and you know there were times I would start feeling sorry for myself. I would doubt my calling, I would wonder if I was really cut out for it. There were times I wish I could have fast forwarded till I was speaking to the stadiums. Then I came across a short but yet powerful verse in Luke 16:10 that says: “Unless you are faithful with the small you will not be trusted with the larger.” I’d read that verse before ,but now it actually meant something to me. I remember God speaking to me when I was on a four-month sabbatical, not by my choosing but because I didn’t have any place to speak. I was feeling sorry for myself and God said, ‘Hey, why don’t you use this down time to prepare for the stadiums?” Have you ever had someone tell you something and it’s totally obvious and after they tell it to you, you feel stupid for not figuring it out yourself? Yeah, well that’s how I felt. I climbed down off of the feeling sorry for Jason shelf, dusted myself off and began to prepare for the greater things God had in store for me. I started not to worry about the bookings and instead began to get ready for what God would bring. It’s amazing because when I got my mind off of “I gotta get places to speak!” and instead focused on “I need to be ready for when God gives me places to speak!” doors opened up! Instead of praying “God please provide financially!” I began to pray “God open up the doors so I can win the lost!” I changed my perspective and overnight my outlook changed.

I no longer think about what’s next. Don’t misunderstand, I prepare for what’s next but I live in the now, learning what God has for me so when I get to the next I will be ready! I’ve known several people in my life that are never satisfied–they are always wanting higher pay or a bigger home, more of this or that. They are never content and you know what? They never will be. I’m so blessed to be used by God to speak to his people, Tomorrow God may choose to take it all away, but Im fine with that because it’s his dream that he has entrusted to me not my dream. Learn to be content, learn what God has for you now, to prepare you for the later.

Much love!!

Be the change you want to see!
Posted: Jul 30, 2009 in Uncategorized | Comments Off

Since the arrival of my first ever Elevate Shirt, I have been even more challenged by the quote on the front, “BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE.” The quote is by a man named Mahatma Gandhi. He is considered by many to be the “Father of India.” I remember a movie a while back with Kevin Spacey and Haley Joel Osment called “Pay it forward” it was about a little boy that took on a class project to see if he could do something nice for someone and have them pay it forward to someone else. What does “BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE” mean to you? What is the change you want to see in the world? I get tired of hearing a bunch of old farts on the news always blaming someone for something. No one likes to take responsibility for things, everyone wants to point the finger at someone else. What if we all took responsibility, and became the change we wanted to see? Even though I do not fully agree with all of Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophies, I think thats a great quote! Tomorrow, try to be the change you want to see.