Friday, March 17, 2017
Friday, January 1, 2016
Significance
Wow.
That is one of the only words I can muster up for how 2015 was. It started with a trip to Redding, California to see the Happy Hales and go to Bethel Church. That trip in itself was the beginning of one of the greatest years I have ever had. The year ended with me being surrounded by some of my closest friends, worshipping Jesus, laughing till we cried, and celebrating the promises and faithfulness of God.
Throughout the year I had many highs and many low, like we all do, but one thing never changed. This one thing remained with me each step of the way, that one thing is the faithfulness of Jesus. No matter what I was facing at any certain day God had ordained my steps and knew the path I was walking. Yes, there were days I cried and there days I laughed, but no matter what my emotions were feeling, God never changed. He stayed the same. Faithful and true. Fulfilling promise and after promise that he marked out for me many years ago.
The highlight of my year, as most of you know, was getting the honor of being able to serve the Children's Ministry Worship Team and kids of World Outreach Church. A promise God had laid out for me before the foundations of the earth. Before the waters covered the ground, before life flourished on this very planet, God had ordained this year and the many ups and downs, just for me. He ordained it for you too. Before anything, He was. He was planning. He was articulating. He was marking out a plan just for you. Picture your life as a map and God has a blank canvas to write on and He is eager. He opens the canvas and furiously begins writing plans and ideas that He has for you. The great thing about this is that your plan is unique. Your plan is one of a kind. There is no one in the entire world with a plan like yours. Your trials and your victories are unique. Your steps go in different directions than anyone else's and that was all ordained by God. I picture God furiously writing at this canvas with pure joy in His eyes and an eager smile on His face. He is excited to make your plan. He is excited to see you walk each step.
Did you know that The Lord sings over you? (Zephaniah 3:17) You wake up in the morning and he is excited to watch you take your steps for the day. He walks eagerly with you and loves to watch you succeed and jump for joy when you get a victory, and He is always the first one there beside you when things don't go the best. He is the first shoulder to cry on.
His faithfulness never changed through this year and it never will.
I learned something this year that has pushed me more than most anything in my life. For most of my life, my purpose has always been about me. What could I do to better myself. What could I do to be the best I could be. These things are not bad necessarily, but I was missing an important piece to the puzzle in my walk with the Lord. Others.
I always had a heart for God's people, especially young people. For some reason Jesus gave me a huge heart to want to see them succeed, but I still had the selfish piece in the back of my mind of "well what is this doing for me?" It was a sad place to be. Constantly trying to prove myself and live up to standards that I couldn't always live up too was a hard thing. In this past year though, my thoughts switched from what could I do for myself, to how can I better others. Starting my own ministry at the church began to show me what it means to truly love others. I always knew that I was supposed to love others, but I never really knew how. This past year Jesus began teaching me how.
All of the sudden I was not worried about myself and what I was getting, but instead I was focused on what others were getting and what I was giving. It was a major shift for me in my heart. I enjoyed giving and helping others more than I enjoyed getting from them. Jesus began to teach me how loving others is just like loving Him. I needed to give others my time, my energy, my love and all the while Jesus was telling me that this is what it should feel like to love Him. Mind blowing. I always knew, as a believer, that you were supposed to give your time and attention to Jesus, but I didn't fully understand it until my heart flipped in the physical realm. When my heart flipped in the physical realm, it flipped in the spiritual realm.
So, that is just a taste of something God taught me this past year. It's not about me, it's about His kingdom and His people.
This year the Lord has put the word "Significance" on my heart. I believe the Lord wants to do something significant in my life and in my ministry, but I also believe this word was given for those around me as well. Just as much as he wants to do something significant in my life, He also wants to do something in yours.
2016 needs to be a year of significance. This does not need to be a year that just leisurely passes by, no, this must be a year where we chase after the things of God. Where we let His love overtake us and where we love Him unconditionally.
God has great and mighty things in store this year for you. Open up your heart and let Him in. Let Him do something in you this year that is unlike anything you have seen or experienced. Jesus desires to fulfill His promises in you. He desires good things for your life. He loves you more than you know or could imagine.
Here's to 2016. A year when God does something better than you and I could have ever asked for or imagined.
I can't wait!!
Love you all.
Austin
PS- Enjoy some of my favorite pics from this year :)
That is one of the only words I can muster up for how 2015 was. It started with a trip to Redding, California to see the Happy Hales and go to Bethel Church. That trip in itself was the beginning of one of the greatest years I have ever had. The year ended with me being surrounded by some of my closest friends, worshipping Jesus, laughing till we cried, and celebrating the promises and faithfulness of God.
Throughout the year I had many highs and many low, like we all do, but one thing never changed. This one thing remained with me each step of the way, that one thing is the faithfulness of Jesus. No matter what I was facing at any certain day God had ordained my steps and knew the path I was walking. Yes, there were days I cried and there days I laughed, but no matter what my emotions were feeling, God never changed. He stayed the same. Faithful and true. Fulfilling promise and after promise that he marked out for me many years ago.
The highlight of my year, as most of you know, was getting the honor of being able to serve the Children's Ministry Worship Team and kids of World Outreach Church. A promise God had laid out for me before the foundations of the earth. Before the waters covered the ground, before life flourished on this very planet, God had ordained this year and the many ups and downs, just for me. He ordained it for you too. Before anything, He was. He was planning. He was articulating. He was marking out a plan just for you. Picture your life as a map and God has a blank canvas to write on and He is eager. He opens the canvas and furiously begins writing plans and ideas that He has for you. The great thing about this is that your plan is unique. Your plan is one of a kind. There is no one in the entire world with a plan like yours. Your trials and your victories are unique. Your steps go in different directions than anyone else's and that was all ordained by God. I picture God furiously writing at this canvas with pure joy in His eyes and an eager smile on His face. He is excited to make your plan. He is excited to see you walk each step.
Did you know that The Lord sings over you? (Zephaniah 3:17) You wake up in the morning and he is excited to watch you take your steps for the day. He walks eagerly with you and loves to watch you succeed and jump for joy when you get a victory, and He is always the first one there beside you when things don't go the best. He is the first shoulder to cry on.
His faithfulness never changed through this year and it never will.
I learned something this year that has pushed me more than most anything in my life. For most of my life, my purpose has always been about me. What could I do to better myself. What could I do to be the best I could be. These things are not bad necessarily, but I was missing an important piece to the puzzle in my walk with the Lord. Others.
I always had a heart for God's people, especially young people. For some reason Jesus gave me a huge heart to want to see them succeed, but I still had the selfish piece in the back of my mind of "well what is this doing for me?" It was a sad place to be. Constantly trying to prove myself and live up to standards that I couldn't always live up too was a hard thing. In this past year though, my thoughts switched from what could I do for myself, to how can I better others. Starting my own ministry at the church began to show me what it means to truly love others. I always knew that I was supposed to love others, but I never really knew how. This past year Jesus began teaching me how.
All of the sudden I was not worried about myself and what I was getting, but instead I was focused on what others were getting and what I was giving. It was a major shift for me in my heart. I enjoyed giving and helping others more than I enjoyed getting from them. Jesus began to teach me how loving others is just like loving Him. I needed to give others my time, my energy, my love and all the while Jesus was telling me that this is what it should feel like to love Him. Mind blowing. I always knew, as a believer, that you were supposed to give your time and attention to Jesus, but I didn't fully understand it until my heart flipped in the physical realm. When my heart flipped in the physical realm, it flipped in the spiritual realm.
So, that is just a taste of something God taught me this past year. It's not about me, it's about His kingdom and His people.
This year the Lord has put the word "Significance" on my heart. I believe the Lord wants to do something significant in my life and in my ministry, but I also believe this word was given for those around me as well. Just as much as he wants to do something significant in my life, He also wants to do something in yours.
2016 needs to be a year of significance. This does not need to be a year that just leisurely passes by, no, this must be a year where we chase after the things of God. Where we let His love overtake us and where we love Him unconditionally.
God has great and mighty things in store this year for you. Open up your heart and let Him in. Let Him do something in you this year that is unlike anything you have seen or experienced. Jesus desires to fulfill His promises in you. He desires good things for your life. He loves you more than you know or could imagine.
Here's to 2016. A year when God does something better than you and I could have ever asked for or imagined.
I can't wait!!
Love you all.
Austin
PS- Enjoy some of my favorite pics from this year :)
Saturday, November 7, 2015
The Importance of the Presence
Hello friends!
I pray this blog post finds you well.
This blog post today is a lesson I taught to my wonderful worship teams at World Outreach Church. Recently The Lord put it on my heart to teach our kids at WOC about the presence of God. It is something we always hear, but yet so hard to understand.
Let me explain.
We always hear about the presence of God and how amazing things happen while in His presence. We always hear about how God's presence is holy and unique and set apart. Those are all very true statements. Here was my dilemma in the matter. We say those things all the time and are always telling the kids we led worship for about it, but did they ever understand it?
There is a strong difference in hearing something and understanding something. Take that statement to heart. You can hear a lot of different things throughout your life, but never understand how or why they do what they do. For example, I can hear a machine working, but because of my training and knowledge I usually have no idea how that machine works. I can hear my car speeding up, but because of my knowledge, I do not know how it speeds up and what parts work together to make it happen.
That is exactly why I wanted our team to teach our kids about the presence. Here is the funny thing though... We will never fully understand the presence of God. Mind blown, right? God is so infinite and all knowing, that we as humans will never fully understand all the things that happen in the presence of God. Here is the good news though, we can teach about what we do know.
What we do know is that in God's presence people get healed. In God's presence people get set free from addiction and lies. In God's presence people are made new. In God's presence people who have previously been broken and depressed are filled with joy before your very eyes. In God's presence we have a connection to the throne room of Jesus Christ and in the presence of Jesus, life change occurs. That is what happens in God's presence.
Now, for some biblical story time!
I took this story from the teachings that the 4th through 6th graders are getting at WOC (and also from the bible). They are going through a lesson about positioning yourself in the light. They are talking about how it is important to position yourself in Godly things so Godly outcomes happen. I read this and immediately thought about worship. I thought about how it is so important for us as believers to position ourselves in the presence of God. When we seek the presence and ask for more of the presence, we get it. God says seek me and you will find me (Jeremiah 29:13). The notion here for us is the seeking part. We have to chase after God. Jenn Johnson, a Bethel Music artist, once said in a video I watched that our relationship with God can sometimes be like hide and seek. God does not hide from us to punish us, no, God hides so we can seek Him. Wow. God desires for us to run after Him, to chase Him, to look for Him in every aspect of our lives. He desires for us to seek Him.
Mind blowing. Now, does God always hide and wait to be sought? No! Some of my most amazing experiences with God happen when I am least expecting them too, but it is because I try and seek him each day, he will just drop blessings in whenever he feels like it. Know this, He is a gentlemen and He will never go where He is not wanted. Therefore, you have to seek His presence and invite it into your life for life change to happen.
Now, to the bible story. In Mark 2 we meet a man who is paralyzed. You probably know the story. Jesus was preaching in a house and there was no room inside. People were crammed into every crevice and part they could cram into. So much, in fact, that they were spilling outside of the house. So, the paralyzed man needed life change and he knew Jesus could provide it (his friends also knew this). The men dug a hole in the roof of the house and lowered the man on a mat right in front of Jesus. The man was healed because of his faith and the faith of his friends.
We all love that story! Thank you Jesus for how you heal us when we are most undeserving. This story is one I could tell you backwards and forwards, I even had hand motions to it from the time when I worked as a camp staff member at New Frontiers. In all the years I had heard that story though, I had never thought of it like this. I never looked at it from the presence of God point of you. This ties directly into the lesson the children are getting on the weekend, so I just had to share it. That man who was healed, and his friends, knew that the presence of God was powerful and important. It was not enough to set the man outside of the house and hope that he would get healed, there was something about putting the man right in front of Jesus. They knew that if that man got right in the presence of God, he would get what he needed. Once I read that from their lesson, I was wrecked.
Here is why...
While that man had to dig a hole in the roof to get to the presence of God, all we have to do is accept Jesus and His presence goes with us! The presence and power that made this paralyzed man walk lives in US.
The point I am wanting to make is this... Whenever you walk into a time of worship, you are entering the presence of Almighty God. When we enter that presence is when life change occurs. You can get life change by bowing down in worship and surrendering to Jesus. Because of the work that Jesus did on the cross we have access to the presence that heals, renews, refreshes, and makes new. We have access to that whenever we need it! All the time, everyday! So why are more people not getting healed, set free, and made new? Because we as believers usually do not understand (back to this word again) the power that lives in us!
When we understand this power and this presence, the enemy has NO power over us. The work on the cross made sure that we will never go without our Jesus. We will never be alone in times of trouble. All we have to do is understand that the presence of God is powerful and that it is with us always.
I am praying for you and the work you are doing for the King. May this strengthen you and empower you to chase after him!
-Austin
I pray this blog post finds you well.
This blog post today is a lesson I taught to my wonderful worship teams at World Outreach Church. Recently The Lord put it on my heart to teach our kids at WOC about the presence of God. It is something we always hear, but yet so hard to understand.
Let me explain.
We always hear about the presence of God and how amazing things happen while in His presence. We always hear about how God's presence is holy and unique and set apart. Those are all very true statements. Here was my dilemma in the matter. We say those things all the time and are always telling the kids we led worship for about it, but did they ever understand it?
There is a strong difference in hearing something and understanding something. Take that statement to heart. You can hear a lot of different things throughout your life, but never understand how or why they do what they do. For example, I can hear a machine working, but because of my training and knowledge I usually have no idea how that machine works. I can hear my car speeding up, but because of my knowledge, I do not know how it speeds up and what parts work together to make it happen.
That is exactly why I wanted our team to teach our kids about the presence. Here is the funny thing though... We will never fully understand the presence of God. Mind blown, right? God is so infinite and all knowing, that we as humans will never fully understand all the things that happen in the presence of God. Here is the good news though, we can teach about what we do know.
What we do know is that in God's presence people get healed. In God's presence people get set free from addiction and lies. In God's presence people are made new. In God's presence people who have previously been broken and depressed are filled with joy before your very eyes. In God's presence we have a connection to the throne room of Jesus Christ and in the presence of Jesus, life change occurs. That is what happens in God's presence.
Now, for some biblical story time!
I took this story from the teachings that the 4th through 6th graders are getting at WOC (and also from the bible). They are going through a lesson about positioning yourself in the light. They are talking about how it is important to position yourself in Godly things so Godly outcomes happen. I read this and immediately thought about worship. I thought about how it is so important for us as believers to position ourselves in the presence of God. When we seek the presence and ask for more of the presence, we get it. God says seek me and you will find me (Jeremiah 29:13). The notion here for us is the seeking part. We have to chase after God. Jenn Johnson, a Bethel Music artist, once said in a video I watched that our relationship with God can sometimes be like hide and seek. God does not hide from us to punish us, no, God hides so we can seek Him. Wow. God desires for us to run after Him, to chase Him, to look for Him in every aspect of our lives. He desires for us to seek Him.
Mind blowing. Now, does God always hide and wait to be sought? No! Some of my most amazing experiences with God happen when I am least expecting them too, but it is because I try and seek him each day, he will just drop blessings in whenever he feels like it. Know this, He is a gentlemen and He will never go where He is not wanted. Therefore, you have to seek His presence and invite it into your life for life change to happen.
Now, to the bible story. In Mark 2 we meet a man who is paralyzed. You probably know the story. Jesus was preaching in a house and there was no room inside. People were crammed into every crevice and part they could cram into. So much, in fact, that they were spilling outside of the house. So, the paralyzed man needed life change and he knew Jesus could provide it (his friends also knew this). The men dug a hole in the roof of the house and lowered the man on a mat right in front of Jesus. The man was healed because of his faith and the faith of his friends.
We all love that story! Thank you Jesus for how you heal us when we are most undeserving. This story is one I could tell you backwards and forwards, I even had hand motions to it from the time when I worked as a camp staff member at New Frontiers. In all the years I had heard that story though, I had never thought of it like this. I never looked at it from the presence of God point of you. This ties directly into the lesson the children are getting on the weekend, so I just had to share it. That man who was healed, and his friends, knew that the presence of God was powerful and important. It was not enough to set the man outside of the house and hope that he would get healed, there was something about putting the man right in front of Jesus. They knew that if that man got right in the presence of God, he would get what he needed. Once I read that from their lesson, I was wrecked.
Here is why...
While that man had to dig a hole in the roof to get to the presence of God, all we have to do is accept Jesus and His presence goes with us! The presence and power that made this paralyzed man walk lives in US.
The point I am wanting to make is this... Whenever you walk into a time of worship, you are entering the presence of Almighty God. When we enter that presence is when life change occurs. You can get life change by bowing down in worship and surrendering to Jesus. Because of the work that Jesus did on the cross we have access to the presence that heals, renews, refreshes, and makes new. We have access to that whenever we need it! All the time, everyday! So why are more people not getting healed, set free, and made new? Because we as believers usually do not understand (back to this word again) the power that lives in us!
When we understand this power and this presence, the enemy has NO power over us. The work on the cross made sure that we will never go without our Jesus. We will never be alone in times of trouble. All we have to do is understand that the presence of God is powerful and that it is with us always.
I am praying for you and the work you are doing for the King. May this strengthen you and empower you to chase after him!
-Austin
Friday, October 2, 2015
Rags to Riches
Hello friends!
I pray this blog post finds you well. I pray that Jesus is doing things in your life that are far beyond anything you could have ever imagined. I know for me, God is doing some great things! Wow. He is so faithful!
This blog post is coming at such a timely point for me and I hope for you!
The title of this post is "rags to riches." This post came to me a few days ago during a worship time.
To start off this entry, have you ever had a time in your life where you feel like everything you offer God is not good enough? Ever had a time where you feel like what you are offering God is trash compared to what others can offer, or compared to what God deserves? Well the Lord put that on my heart to share with you all and for myself too.
I was worshipping and asking God to show me what He needed me to tell his people and what he needed me to hear. In the midst of the plea to Him, he showed me something so cool and so real that I could not help but share it with you.
In this image I got, I was worshipping the King and had my hands straight up in the air, but after a second of me just worshipping I realized that I was holding trash in my hands up to Him. I was so ashamed by it and was asking myself why I was offering trash up to Jesus. I thought that everything I was doing was great and so well thought out and all that jazz, but then I realized that it was not... Here's the catch of the vision, as I was holding up the trash to Jesus he waved his hands over mine and the trash turned to diamonds. Diamonds. Wow... I was in awe. What did this mean? Well.. I have realized that it means a few things.
First, we as Christians try really hard to clean ourselves up for God and try to show Him what we do well. We try to come to God and say "Look what I did God!" The catch here, though, is that no matter how much we "clean up" or how many great things we do in our week, without Jesus it's nothing. We as sinful humans can try and try and try to do everything we can, but without the blessing of God and the anointing of God it is not nearly to the capacity that it could be.
The second piece involves worship as a whole. When we offer our "trash," our sin, up to God, he takes it away and replaces it with truth. The truth being that we are children of a king. The truth being that we are enough. The truth being that when God sees us, he doesn't see our trash, but instead he sees the diamonds that Jesus gave us when he died on the cross. When Jesus died on the cross for us, out trash was taken away and replaced with beautiful diamonds that never end. We were washed white as snow and were told that we were royalty in the kingdom of God. We went from a people who were lost, hurting, and broken, to kings and queens, and sons and daughters of the one who saves, the one who loves unconditionally, and the one who tells us we are the apple of His eye.
Friends this is so important to understand. Your good works do not make you a diamond in God's sight, while he loves when we do good things and further his kingdom, it does not save us and cleanse us. What saves us and cleanses us is the blood of Jesus. The blood of Jesus is the one thing that takes our trash and replaces it with beauty. The blood of Jesus is what moves the trash aside and makes us focus on the purity we were given but did not deserve. The blood of Jesus is what tells us that we were created to do unique things, we were not created to be just like someone else. You were created to be YOU and no one else. You may look around and see all the good things others are doing and think that you are just lifting up trash to God compared to them, but God is saying that you just need to open your eyes and see that your trash can be diamonds in His eyes. If you have consulted the Lord and gotten his anointing, then never think that what you offer to God is trash compared to others. You are unique and the things you offer to the kingdom are much different than the things someone else offers. Always remember that! There are so many interpretations from this one image, it's crazy!
So, rest in the fact that when you feel like all you are is trash, when you feel like that the best you can offer is never good enough, know that Jesus sees you as a diamond. He sees you as beautiful and worthy. He is a good father. So good.
Till next time friends!
Austin
I pray this blog post finds you well. I pray that Jesus is doing things in your life that are far beyond anything you could have ever imagined. I know for me, God is doing some great things! Wow. He is so faithful!
This blog post is coming at such a timely point for me and I hope for you!
The title of this post is "rags to riches." This post came to me a few days ago during a worship time.
To start off this entry, have you ever had a time in your life where you feel like everything you offer God is not good enough? Ever had a time where you feel like what you are offering God is trash compared to what others can offer, or compared to what God deserves? Well the Lord put that on my heart to share with you all and for myself too.
I was worshipping and asking God to show me what He needed me to tell his people and what he needed me to hear. In the midst of the plea to Him, he showed me something so cool and so real that I could not help but share it with you.
In this image I got, I was worshipping the King and had my hands straight up in the air, but after a second of me just worshipping I realized that I was holding trash in my hands up to Him. I was so ashamed by it and was asking myself why I was offering trash up to Jesus. I thought that everything I was doing was great and so well thought out and all that jazz, but then I realized that it was not... Here's the catch of the vision, as I was holding up the trash to Jesus he waved his hands over mine and the trash turned to diamonds. Diamonds. Wow... I was in awe. What did this mean? Well.. I have realized that it means a few things.
First, we as Christians try really hard to clean ourselves up for God and try to show Him what we do well. We try to come to God and say "Look what I did God!" The catch here, though, is that no matter how much we "clean up" or how many great things we do in our week, without Jesus it's nothing. We as sinful humans can try and try and try to do everything we can, but without the blessing of God and the anointing of God it is not nearly to the capacity that it could be.
The second piece involves worship as a whole. When we offer our "trash," our sin, up to God, he takes it away and replaces it with truth. The truth being that we are children of a king. The truth being that we are enough. The truth being that when God sees us, he doesn't see our trash, but instead he sees the diamonds that Jesus gave us when he died on the cross. When Jesus died on the cross for us, out trash was taken away and replaced with beautiful diamonds that never end. We were washed white as snow and were told that we were royalty in the kingdom of God. We went from a people who were lost, hurting, and broken, to kings and queens, and sons and daughters of the one who saves, the one who loves unconditionally, and the one who tells us we are the apple of His eye.
Friends this is so important to understand. Your good works do not make you a diamond in God's sight, while he loves when we do good things and further his kingdom, it does not save us and cleanse us. What saves us and cleanses us is the blood of Jesus. The blood of Jesus is the one thing that takes our trash and replaces it with beauty. The blood of Jesus is what moves the trash aside and makes us focus on the purity we were given but did not deserve. The blood of Jesus is what tells us that we were created to do unique things, we were not created to be just like someone else. You were created to be YOU and no one else. You may look around and see all the good things others are doing and think that you are just lifting up trash to God compared to them, but God is saying that you just need to open your eyes and see that your trash can be diamonds in His eyes. If you have consulted the Lord and gotten his anointing, then never think that what you offer to God is trash compared to others. You are unique and the things you offer to the kingdom are much different than the things someone else offers. Always remember that! There are so many interpretations from this one image, it's crazy!
So, rest in the fact that when you feel like all you are is trash, when you feel like that the best you can offer is never good enough, know that Jesus sees you as a diamond. He sees you as beautiful and worthy. He is a good father. So good.
Till next time friends!
Austin
Sunday, September 6, 2015
Remaining Faithful // Exciting News!
Hi friends!
I hope this blog post finds you well. I pray that God is moving in your heart and in your life and that you are noticing growth. We never want to remain stagnant in our faith. There is no bottom of the barrel with God, there is no limit with what He can do in and through you. I pray that thought grows deeper and deeper within you, that God always has more!
I am SO excited about this blog post today. You may have been noticing that I have not been posting as much, well I am here to tell you why... I have been super busy with life in general lately. School has started so I have been trying to get my bearings with that, but that is not the main reason. Most of you know that I work at World Outreach Church in Mufreesboro, TN. I love it with all my heart. It is a place where God is moving and breathing and transforming lives. I am honored to get to be a part of the ministry there, but recently my role has changed...
Those of you that know me know that I have been working with Pastor Tim Posch and Caleb West helping run the Student Ministries department. I loved working for them and working in SM! The lives of students are being strengthened like never before. Students are beginning to realize who they are in Christ and who Christ has called them to be. They are beginning to form their own faith and make it unique to who they are in the season they are in, not to mention they have a lot of fun doing it! It has been a blessing to me to get to be a part of the ministry that has been taking place in that area of the church, but now it is time for me to move on and run my own ministry! I am excited to announce that I have officially taken over the Children's Ministry Worship Teams at World Outreach Church.
Those of you that know me know how exciting this is for me. Over the past few weeks I have began to take control of the team and now I can officially announce that I have the honor of leading the team. Those of you who know me and have seen me grow up, have seen me go through so much transition and most of that happened on or because of this worship team. It has held a special place in my heart for almost 10 years now. I started on the team as a young 6th grader who was not sure about Jesus or worship, but Lori Nellist saw something in me that sparked her to put me up there on the team. You know, God works is very funny ways. At that time in my life, I was a quiet and shy kid who did not want any attention to be on him, my how that has changed! haha. God knew the plans that he had for me though and I was lucky enough to be able to hear His voice at the time and understand that even though it made me uncomfortable, that it was what I needed to do. So, I jumped off the cliff of worry and said yes to the plans that God had.
Never in a million years would I think that I, the quiet and shy young boy who didn't know who he was in Christ and didn't know his worth in Christ, would have led worship for thousands of kids and traveled to other states to lead kids in His presence. If you would have told me that 10 years ago I would have passed out and jumped ship, but God knew what He was doing.
As I grew and matured, I began to recognize my calling and what The Lord was doing in my life. I began to see the things He had in store and began to recognize my worth as a child of the ultimate Father. Around my junior year in High School I knew that God had called me to be a worship leader.
So, what to do with that knowledge now... You ever have a time where you know God has told you something and you want it to happen right then and there? Well.. That was my dilemma. I had my calling and I just wanted so bad for it to take off and go! BOOM. That did not happen though... But I remained faithful. God opened door after door to me because I remained faithful. If you are going through a spot where you feel like God is not responding or you are not getting your next step, do not worry... Remain faithful where you are and God will open doors for you.
So, I remained faithful to Him and he opened a door. If I would have tried to jump in the door when I wanted too, then everything would have been all wrong. I was not mature enough, I did not have enough wisdom, it just was not the right time. God knew what He was doing. You may be going through a time where you feel like you are ready and you feel like it is your right time, but do not force it. Forcing things to happen in the kingdom of God means that you are out of alignment with God. God is never late and is never early, He is always right on time. See, I struggled with this for awhile though... I did not see the big picture. I saw what I wanted to see right then and there, not what God wanted me to see. God wanted me to see that He was grooming me for such a time as this. He was training me subconsciously without me even knowing, so that I could do the job I am doing today. He was always preparing me for the calling. He never stopped preparing me for the calling. God is preparing you for your calling. Even if you are a little older (I am not saying numbers, because I think you are as young as you feel), but even if you are older God is not done with you. Ask Him what your next step is. You may think you have accomplished all that you are going to accomplish with God, but I promise that there is always more!
So friends, I am ECSTATIC to see what God does in this season ahead on the Children's Ministry Worship team. I believe an outpouring of the spirit more than we have ever seen is on the horizon. I am ready, the team is ready, and the kids we lead are ready. This season is going to be a fun one! God has amazing things in store! I am honored and blessed to get to be a part!
With joy, excitement, and love,
Austin
I hope this blog post finds you well. I pray that God is moving in your heart and in your life and that you are noticing growth. We never want to remain stagnant in our faith. There is no bottom of the barrel with God, there is no limit with what He can do in and through you. I pray that thought grows deeper and deeper within you, that God always has more!
I am SO excited about this blog post today. You may have been noticing that I have not been posting as much, well I am here to tell you why... I have been super busy with life in general lately. School has started so I have been trying to get my bearings with that, but that is not the main reason. Most of you know that I work at World Outreach Church in Mufreesboro, TN. I love it with all my heart. It is a place where God is moving and breathing and transforming lives. I am honored to get to be a part of the ministry there, but recently my role has changed...
Those of you that know me know that I have been working with Pastor Tim Posch and Caleb West helping run the Student Ministries department. I loved working for them and working in SM! The lives of students are being strengthened like never before. Students are beginning to realize who they are in Christ and who Christ has called them to be. They are beginning to form their own faith and make it unique to who they are in the season they are in, not to mention they have a lot of fun doing it! It has been a blessing to me to get to be a part of the ministry that has been taking place in that area of the church, but now it is time for me to move on and run my own ministry! I am excited to announce that I have officially taken over the Children's Ministry Worship Teams at World Outreach Church.
Those of you that know me know how exciting this is for me. Over the past few weeks I have began to take control of the team and now I can officially announce that I have the honor of leading the team. Those of you who know me and have seen me grow up, have seen me go through so much transition and most of that happened on or because of this worship team. It has held a special place in my heart for almost 10 years now. I started on the team as a young 6th grader who was not sure about Jesus or worship, but Lori Nellist saw something in me that sparked her to put me up there on the team. You know, God works is very funny ways. At that time in my life, I was a quiet and shy kid who did not want any attention to be on him, my how that has changed! haha. God knew the plans that he had for me though and I was lucky enough to be able to hear His voice at the time and understand that even though it made me uncomfortable, that it was what I needed to do. So, I jumped off the cliff of worry and said yes to the plans that God had.
Never in a million years would I think that I, the quiet and shy young boy who didn't know who he was in Christ and didn't know his worth in Christ, would have led worship for thousands of kids and traveled to other states to lead kids in His presence. If you would have told me that 10 years ago I would have passed out and jumped ship, but God knew what He was doing.
As I grew and matured, I began to recognize my calling and what The Lord was doing in my life. I began to see the things He had in store and began to recognize my worth as a child of the ultimate Father. Around my junior year in High School I knew that God had called me to be a worship leader.
So, what to do with that knowledge now... You ever have a time where you know God has told you something and you want it to happen right then and there? Well.. That was my dilemma. I had my calling and I just wanted so bad for it to take off and go! BOOM. That did not happen though... But I remained faithful. God opened door after door to me because I remained faithful. If you are going through a spot where you feel like God is not responding or you are not getting your next step, do not worry... Remain faithful where you are and God will open doors for you.
So, I remained faithful to Him and he opened a door. If I would have tried to jump in the door when I wanted too, then everything would have been all wrong. I was not mature enough, I did not have enough wisdom, it just was not the right time. God knew what He was doing. You may be going through a time where you feel like you are ready and you feel like it is your right time, but do not force it. Forcing things to happen in the kingdom of God means that you are out of alignment with God. God is never late and is never early, He is always right on time. See, I struggled with this for awhile though... I did not see the big picture. I saw what I wanted to see right then and there, not what God wanted me to see. God wanted me to see that He was grooming me for such a time as this. He was training me subconsciously without me even knowing, so that I could do the job I am doing today. He was always preparing me for the calling. He never stopped preparing me for the calling. God is preparing you for your calling. Even if you are a little older (I am not saying numbers, because I think you are as young as you feel), but even if you are older God is not done with you. Ask Him what your next step is. You may think you have accomplished all that you are going to accomplish with God, but I promise that there is always more!
So friends, I am ECSTATIC to see what God does in this season ahead on the Children's Ministry Worship team. I believe an outpouring of the spirit more than we have ever seen is on the horizon. I am ready, the team is ready, and the kids we lead are ready. This season is going to be a fun one! God has amazing things in store! I am honored and blessed to get to be a part!
With joy, excitement, and love,
Austin
Friday, August 14, 2015
Celebrating The Process
Hello everyone!
Wow.. Long time no post, huh? Well life has been a little crazy recently... Hopefully I can share some fun info with you soon! So be on the lookout!
I pray that you and your families are doing well. God has been on the move in Tennessee I know for a fact! I pray that you have learned new things this past month and that your relationship is stronger with Him than ever!
I have missed writing, but no fear I have a blog for you today! This one came to me a few weeks ago and I have just been trying to find the time to sit down and write it. Luckily, today seems to be that day!
So... here we go!
Close your eyes... (after this sentence of course) and picture a huge celebration. Whatever a celebration looks like to you. Maybe it is a birthday party, maybe it is Christmas, maybe it is a concert. Whatever being happy looks like to you!
Got that image? Good! Hold onto it...
Recently during a time of worship I kept getting a vision of someone splashing in puddles while it poured down rain. I remember days when I was younger and it would rain and all you would want to do was go and splash in the puddles and get soaking wet. Now when it rains all I want to do is sleep... Oh I feel like an adult saying that. Anyways, think about that time when you were younger and you were splashing in puddles in the rain while your mom yelled at you to come inside so you don't get the flu. This vision to me brings back a time when I was celebrating. I was so happy to be soaking wet, I did not have a care in the world. All I wanted was to be outside enjoying everything that was going on around me. I did not care about anything except having fun.
In life we all go through times where we need God's help. I have been going through a time over the past few months where I needed God to show me direction. I kept asking and asking. I got some pieces here and there, but never anything concrete until one day BAM. God placed something in front of me that he wanted me to take and run with. My point here is that I went through a time where I was constantly asking from God. I needed Him to do this and this and that for me, but I never once sat down and celebrated Him. I never sat down and thanked Him for the things he was doing. I never sat down and thanked Him for the process He was taking me through.
We must "surrender to the process." I understood that and said "ok, great I get that. I'll just wait it out." God, on the other hand, wanted to take me deeper into that thought. I can't just surrender to the process, but I have to celebrate the process. I have to celebrate what He is doing, even if I do not understand why he is doing it. Surrendering is one thing, you can surrender to anything, but surrendering and then celebrating the process God has you in is a completely different thing. Now, I am not saying that everything God takes you through is going to be flowers and sunshine and rainbows, because it will not be, but God knows what He is doing. So, in the hard times, celebrate that he is grooming you for what you need. Celebrate that you do not know every step of the process. Celebrate the fact that you are being raised up as a child of the King of Kings. He has not forgotten you or abandoned you. If you are following Him with your whole heart, then celebrate the hard times. Thank God for these times of uncertainty. They aren't meant to tear you apart, no, they are meant to make you stronger. To increase your faith. To increase your trust and ultimately shape you for who you are created to be.
So, come back to the image of your celebration. Got it? Never lose that. In the hard times, celebrate God. In the hard times, throw a party because God is on your side!
Until next time friends!
Austin
Wow.. Long time no post, huh? Well life has been a little crazy recently... Hopefully I can share some fun info with you soon! So be on the lookout!
I pray that you and your families are doing well. God has been on the move in Tennessee I know for a fact! I pray that you have learned new things this past month and that your relationship is stronger with Him than ever!
I have missed writing, but no fear I have a blog for you today! This one came to me a few weeks ago and I have just been trying to find the time to sit down and write it. Luckily, today seems to be that day!
So... here we go!
Close your eyes... (after this sentence of course) and picture a huge celebration. Whatever a celebration looks like to you. Maybe it is a birthday party, maybe it is Christmas, maybe it is a concert. Whatever being happy looks like to you!
Got that image? Good! Hold onto it...
Recently during a time of worship I kept getting a vision of someone splashing in puddles while it poured down rain. I remember days when I was younger and it would rain and all you would want to do was go and splash in the puddles and get soaking wet. Now when it rains all I want to do is sleep... Oh I feel like an adult saying that. Anyways, think about that time when you were younger and you were splashing in puddles in the rain while your mom yelled at you to come inside so you don't get the flu. This vision to me brings back a time when I was celebrating. I was so happy to be soaking wet, I did not have a care in the world. All I wanted was to be outside enjoying everything that was going on around me. I did not care about anything except having fun.
In life we all go through times where we need God's help. I have been going through a time over the past few months where I needed God to show me direction. I kept asking and asking. I got some pieces here and there, but never anything concrete until one day BAM. God placed something in front of me that he wanted me to take and run with. My point here is that I went through a time where I was constantly asking from God. I needed Him to do this and this and that for me, but I never once sat down and celebrated Him. I never sat down and thanked Him for the things he was doing. I never sat down and thanked Him for the process He was taking me through.
We must "surrender to the process." I understood that and said "ok, great I get that. I'll just wait it out." God, on the other hand, wanted to take me deeper into that thought. I can't just surrender to the process, but I have to celebrate the process. I have to celebrate what He is doing, even if I do not understand why he is doing it. Surrendering is one thing, you can surrender to anything, but surrendering and then celebrating the process God has you in is a completely different thing. Now, I am not saying that everything God takes you through is going to be flowers and sunshine and rainbows, because it will not be, but God knows what He is doing. So, in the hard times, celebrate that he is grooming you for what you need. Celebrate that you do not know every step of the process. Celebrate the fact that you are being raised up as a child of the King of Kings. He has not forgotten you or abandoned you. If you are following Him with your whole heart, then celebrate the hard times. Thank God for these times of uncertainty. They aren't meant to tear you apart, no, they are meant to make you stronger. To increase your faith. To increase your trust and ultimately shape you for who you are created to be.
So, come back to the image of your celebration. Got it? Never lose that. In the hard times, celebrate God. In the hard times, throw a party because God is on your side!
Until next time friends!
Austin
Friday, July 17, 2015
Piercing The Heart
Hello friends!
I pray this post finds you well and that you are excited about what The Lord is doing in your life.
Let's get to it friends!
So, a couple weeks ago the Lord gave me another vision that I have been waiting to share and I figured that now would be a good time to do it. I am still trying to piece this one together myself, so go along on this journey with me and we will figure it out together.
The vision started as just a heart in a dark room, nothing was around it. It literally looked just like a heart that you would draw on a piece of paper but in the vision it was 3D. It looked real and it was beating. I felt as though I could almost touch it from how real it appeared.
At first I thought that this would be all the Lord was going to show me, but there was more.
After the heart was by itself for a minute, an arrow came out of the dark and pierced the heart and went right through it and out the other side of the heart. I was so confused as to what this could mean or what God was trying to say about that. I had so many questions. Why this image, what do I need to hear from it? Then he added more onto the vision; after the arrow had went through the heart a dark figure came out of the shadows and the arrow hit the figure and pinned it against the wall. The figure was squirming and trying with all its might to get away from the arrow and get to the heart, but it couldn't. The arrow had the figure pinned to the wall, the figure was trapped and defeated.
Can you see now what everything in the vision was? Here, I will explain because it took me a minute to understand.
The heart is obviously our heart. Yours and mine. The arrow is the word of the Lord and the shadow figure (to me at least) represented the devil.
Our heart is something that has to be so guarded and looked after, but the battle is not on our own, the battle for our heart is being fought by the king of kings. The arrow is the word of God. We must allow the word of God to penetrate our hearts, the word of the Lord is what we use to fight the enemy. The word of the Lord is what the enemy cannot overcome because the word of God is truth and it brings power with it.
The enemy has a hold on this world, yes, but we as believers can easily take control with the word of God, because while Satan does have a hand on earth, we have been given power through Jesus Christ to pin satan against a wall.
The verse Hebrews 4:12 came to my mind and it says, "God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one is impervious to God’s Word. We can’t get away from it—no matter what." The word of God can cut through the deepest parts of our heart, the parts that no one sees. It cuts through and corrects the parts of our lives that no one else knows about, only the word can convict us and point out our flaws. Did you know that God speaks through his word? Have you been through a time where you just cant seem to get an answer from God? I know I have and I had to learn to go to his word and read the truth to get the answer that I needed.
His word says that men will dream dreams and see visions from the Lord. That is where I seem to be learning most about the Lord is through the visions he gives me, but those visions are just reinforcements to what he has already written in his word.
So, to wrap it up here. You need the word of God in your life. You need to let the word of God into your heart. Let his word penetrate your heart and find those areas that are keeping you from everything he has. Once you let the word penetrate your heart, then you can use that word to pin the enemy against a wall. You notice in the vision, the arrow had to go through the heart before it pinned the enemy against the wall. The truth is, we have the keys to the defeating the enemy, we have the keys to the kingdom, which is the word of God.
Our key to defeating the enemy is the word of God. I encourage you to spend time in his word and to let it into your heart, after that happens you will gain more tools for overcoming the enemy and the situations that you face each day.
Be encouraged and renewed family!
Blessings.
Austin
I pray this post finds you well and that you are excited about what The Lord is doing in your life.
Let's get to it friends!
So, a couple weeks ago the Lord gave me another vision that I have been waiting to share and I figured that now would be a good time to do it. I am still trying to piece this one together myself, so go along on this journey with me and we will figure it out together.
The vision started as just a heart in a dark room, nothing was around it. It literally looked just like a heart that you would draw on a piece of paper but in the vision it was 3D. It looked real and it was beating. I felt as though I could almost touch it from how real it appeared.
At first I thought that this would be all the Lord was going to show me, but there was more.
After the heart was by itself for a minute, an arrow came out of the dark and pierced the heart and went right through it and out the other side of the heart. I was so confused as to what this could mean or what God was trying to say about that. I had so many questions. Why this image, what do I need to hear from it? Then he added more onto the vision; after the arrow had went through the heart a dark figure came out of the shadows and the arrow hit the figure and pinned it against the wall. The figure was squirming and trying with all its might to get away from the arrow and get to the heart, but it couldn't. The arrow had the figure pinned to the wall, the figure was trapped and defeated.
Can you see now what everything in the vision was? Here, I will explain because it took me a minute to understand.
The heart is obviously our heart. Yours and mine. The arrow is the word of the Lord and the shadow figure (to me at least) represented the devil.
Our heart is something that has to be so guarded and looked after, but the battle is not on our own, the battle for our heart is being fought by the king of kings. The arrow is the word of God. We must allow the word of God to penetrate our hearts, the word of the Lord is what we use to fight the enemy. The word of the Lord is what the enemy cannot overcome because the word of God is truth and it brings power with it.
The enemy has a hold on this world, yes, but we as believers can easily take control with the word of God, because while Satan does have a hand on earth, we have been given power through Jesus Christ to pin satan against a wall.
The verse Hebrews 4:12 came to my mind and it says, "God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one is impervious to God’s Word. We can’t get away from it—no matter what." The word of God can cut through the deepest parts of our heart, the parts that no one sees. It cuts through and corrects the parts of our lives that no one else knows about, only the word can convict us and point out our flaws. Did you know that God speaks through his word? Have you been through a time where you just cant seem to get an answer from God? I know I have and I had to learn to go to his word and read the truth to get the answer that I needed.
His word says that men will dream dreams and see visions from the Lord. That is where I seem to be learning most about the Lord is through the visions he gives me, but those visions are just reinforcements to what he has already written in his word.
So, to wrap it up here. You need the word of God in your life. You need to let the word of God into your heart. Let his word penetrate your heart and find those areas that are keeping you from everything he has. Once you let the word penetrate your heart, then you can use that word to pin the enemy against a wall. You notice in the vision, the arrow had to go through the heart before it pinned the enemy against the wall. The truth is, we have the keys to the defeating the enemy, we have the keys to the kingdom, which is the word of God.
Our key to defeating the enemy is the word of God. I encourage you to spend time in his word and to let it into your heart, after that happens you will gain more tools for overcoming the enemy and the situations that you face each day.
Be encouraged and renewed family!
Blessings.
Austin
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)