When God Closes One Door…

Last night was a tough one for my wife Dawn and I. We closed the church we have led for the last 10 years and while we know that God has something great for us and confirmed that this door was closing, it was definitely bittersweet. We’ve been ministering with the core group folks for over 15 years. They planted with us and they closed it with us. They stuck with us through thick and thin and parting was really, really difficult. It was time and we all knew it, but tears flowed as we locked the doors on New Creation for the last time.

A thousand questions run through your mind at a time like this. A ton of “what ifs” circulate through my psyche but to be honest, none of that matters. God closed the door and I know that God is not always predictable, but He is ALWAYS good. I know God used that congregation to grow us, perhaps me most of all (most of what I share in this and my speaking ministry and nearly everything I know about leadership was learned at New Creation). I know God walked with us through every trial and every victory. I know He used us to touch hearts and change lives and I know that any congregation that receives “my people” receives a blessing. I know they will always be in my heart and I’ve always known they love me and for that I am grateful.

There are aspects of all of this that feel a little unfinished, and that’s okay. Scripture says “He who began a good work in you will carry it through to completion in the day of Christ Jesus.” God started it and God will finish it. This door has closed for us, and I know He is opening another and I believe it will be good, because I know God is good!

In your own life it’s the same way. God opens and closes doors. It’s okay, trust him and be faithful. He began the good work and He will complete it. We should praise Him because He allows us to join Him on the journey.

God is good!

Are You a New Creature?

I did this painting for a recent art show. I know it just looks like a collection of kooky creatures, but believe it or not it comes from the scriptures. One of my life’s guiding verses is 2 Corinthians 5:17 which says “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, He is a New Creation, the old has gone and the new has come.” It’s a verse that speaks to the idea that Jesus can and will transform you life, it’s something I really resonate with and something I have experienced firsthand. Jesus Christ has radically transformed my life and I am a new creation. I love this verse so much that it’s what I named the church we planted.

Well one day one of my closest friends and my mentor in ministry asked me to preach in his church. His church uses the King James Bible and he asked if I would preach from it as well, a request I was happy to honor, but it left me in a strange place and gave a wonderful creative opportunity. The strange place was caused by the fact that the KJV uses a different word. It doesn’t say New Creation. Instead it says New Creature. In meaning, it’s a subtle difference. I have no problem with saying I am a New Creature, because I am vastly different from what I used to be. On the other hand, I was pretty glad I didn’t know what the King James said when I started my church. I’m not sure what people would think of attending New Creature Fellowship.

The other side of it though was a great opportunity. You see I’ve been creating creatures as long as I can remember. At one point I even worked for a licensee of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. When I saw the phrase “New Creature.” My mind was opened to a new way of telling the story. This painting allows me to tell the story of why I painted it, but it also allows me to tell how Jesus made me a new creature. I love it when I get to tell that story.

So here’s the question for you… Are you a new creature in Christ? And if so, how has He transformed your life? How has knowing Him changed you? If you can’t say that Jesus has changed your life, I know this, He wants to. He wants to take the best of you and change the rest of you, you know the stuff that hurts and breaks you. He loves you.

Lastly for my artist friends, try this, create a new creature that shows how Jesus has transformed you and use it to share your story.

Okay so what would you do with these guys?

NewCreaturez.com

I own the Domain New Creaturez.com and I am considering what to do with it. The site has sort of gone up and down and I’d like to make it a worthwhile site for spreading the Gospel. The name comes from the King James Version of 2 Corinthians 5:17. I was considering a creature art/cartoon gallery of some kind, simple and to the point… But I am open to suggestions.

A Thought on Halloween

Christians hold diverse opinions on Halloween. Some see it as Satanic, some see it as harmless and most of us are somewhere in between. I would be one of those people. On one hand the fascination with horror, gore, death and demons is particularly troublesome to me, on the other hand, it is the second most popular “holiday” in the U.S. and that seems to me like an opportunity to do some good for the Kingdom.

Halloween has it’s origins in Christianity. A day for remembering loved ones gone before as well as all the saints and as such maybe it’s not a case for coming out against it or ignoring it, but rather an opportunity for the church to reclaim and redeem. Leave that to your conscience, convictions and what the Holy Spirit (the only Spirit worth listening to) tells you to do. Follow your convictions and do what God says.

What inspired this post was something I heard a good friend say yesterday. She said Halloween is her favorite holiday because she gets to try being someone else. Now some of you may find that cringe-worthy, but I get it. I had a day like that, but it wasn’t Halloween, it was the day Christ came into my life. The Kings James Bible says “If any man be in Christ, He is a new creature…” (2 Corinthians 5:17) Christ came in and made a radical transformation in my life for the better. Of course there are major differences between my experience and my friend’s with Halloween. Her change is temporary, trying on an identity for a short period of time, all in fun, stretching her creativity to explore possibilities (that is the best side of Halloween, isn’t it?). In my case, I hated who I was and what I was becoming and needed a change that would be for good in both senses of the word. The old me needed to go, and I needed to become a new creature. The following two videos are explorations of what it means to be a new creature. Check them out and regardless about what you think and feel about Halloween, use this day to glorify God.

Creative Inspiration: IllustrationFriday The Making of “Toy”

IllustrationFriday.com Project: Toy

The folks over at IllustrationFriday.com posted their challenge for the week and the word to illustrate was “Toy.” I’ve been wanting to produce a toy for some time based on my New Creaturez concept for quite some time, so I decided this week I would design the prototype of it in response to the challenge. This is what I came up with.

To see how the image was made check the video below.

Bible Reading Guide
An important part of following God is knowing what He wants and a great way to know what He wants is to read His Word. Follow this plan and you will finish reading the Bible in a year.
Numbers 2, 3
You can also download your own chart here.