***(((Reposted from my FB Notes)***
I had a man tell me the story in this video this morning. And he played the sound byte for me. He was trying to prove to me that Hell exists. Which is unnesasacry. I already believe that Hell exists I don't know in what capacity and I don't know if I believe the whole fire and pitchfork schtick. But my point is. #1 this proves nothing. #2 this story was debunked a long time ago. Dear brothers and sisters in Jesus. The gospel is foolish to those who choose to reject it. Let's not make ourselves look ignorant as well. Apologetics are great. Do your best to prove God. But in the end it is by faith alone that we will stand.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xdkK8WFFWc&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Debunked. http://www.snopes.com/religion/wellhell.asp
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Walking in vision.
****((REPOSTING THIS FROM MY FACEBOOK NOTES THIS WAS WRITTEN JULY 26,2010))****
I am not taking the time to have my wife proofread this so expect huge run on sentences, and an army of grammatical errors.
Ok here’s the poop. For about the past 10 years I have known that God was calling me to be a pastor someday. After several disappointing experiences over these past 10 years, I had pretty much given up on my calling. I had decided that since it still hadn’t happened that it must have just been me and that I was wasting my time putting thought and effort into it. The church I was the youth minister of about 10 years ago, and had gone to for 18 years, had a position open up at one point for the pastor, but when they informed me that I was not ready it I felt as if it may never happen. I truly loved that church, and really wanted to have the opportunity to shepherd them. Years later I had changed churches (not for any reasons related to that) and an opportunity opened up for me to plant a church in a small town near Arkansas in McDonald County. I really wanted to do it, a building already existed and it would have been easy to go into a place where there was already a building that I wouldn’t even owe anything on. It was a church building that my grandpa had pastored when I was really young and the church building I attended church in until I was like 7 years old. So I really wanted to do it. The problem was…it never felt right! I was so annoyed with myself. I wanted to do it, I truly did, but something inside of me wouldn’t allow it! I turned down the opportunity. Years later I visited a church in Nashville called The Anchor Fellowship, with some friends on a random road trip. Over the next couple of years we visited The Anchor several times and I begin to fall in love with that church, it felt like how church was supposed to be…..real. I later made a statement to a friend that we needed a church like that in Joplin, but after discussing it with him it we came to the conclusion that Joplin didn’t need another church. I stopped worrying about my calling, stopped thinking about how it could never happen, and just begin to focus on my relationship with Jesus. I began to get to know Him like never before. I began to understand things about his character that I had never considered. The word that had been poured into me all my life was becoming alive like never before! This caused me to question a lot of things that had been taught to me like “this is what God says” type of things that didn’t line up with his word and what he had actually said. This began to cause some frustration in me about church, about “the church”, and about “Christian people” in general. But the better understanding, of the reality of who Jesus is caused two things to happen. #1 it helped me to grow closer to God in many areas, by helping me to understand the true freedom I have in Jesus, and teaching me the importance of community and relationships. #2 it began to make me very frustrated with “the church” not any particular church, just the church in general. The frustration started with being aggravated over what is commonly referred to as “worship services”. It became increasingly obvious that the majority of churches were calling their Sunday morning concerts “worship” when all it really was, was a show. The worship ministers wanted to see people getting “moved” during the service, the people wanted to have a worship leader that could really stir things up and get their emotions going. “SOMEBODY NEEDS TO CRY!!!” Please don’t get me wrong, I am not (now) passing a judgment on your churches worship.(at least I am trying not too) This is just where I was, I don’t necessarily think I was to far from the truth in many instances, the problem was that it was making me bitter and cynical. Way more bitter than I realized as a matter of fact. As time went on I could barely force myself to go to church anymore. There was a constant struggle inside of me because I still knew that God was calling me, I was just trying to not think about it anymore. I was becoming bitter toward church people, and bitter toward the idea of church. But this was truly a Dr. Jekel and Mr. Hyde thing because despite my bitterness I still loved the church, and still knew deep down that I was called to it. (thank God for my friend Curt a youth pastor who had an open ear and open heart and allowed me to vent to him whenever I needed to)
Every year for the past 3 years I have with my best friends made the 10-hour drive to a little town called Bushnell, Illinois for the Cornerstone music festival. One week of camping in the middle of a field, and watching live music from 12 pm everyday until about 2 or 3a.m. every night. A place where there is way to much metal for me, but a place where I can hang out with friends that I don’t get to see very often, and a place to meet new friends, and discover new bands that I will love forever! The Anchor Fellowship from Nashville has had a stage they set up every year that I’ve gone. They have shows all day like most stages, but in the morning and late at night they have church! So I always try to make it over there a few times during that week. The first night I went out this year was a Tuesday night for the 11p.m. service, and I was ready for it. My friends in the United Harvest Workers Union were playing worship, and the pastor of The Anchor. Josh Stump was speaking. After Stump finished a brief but powerful devotional I felt a need to go talk to him about some issues I was having about a recent decision that had been made where I was wondering if the “right” decision had been made or not…..(there’s no way that sentence made sense). After discussing the reason I wanted to talk to him for a few minutes the conversation shifted (somehow), and the next thing I knew Stump had asked me where I went to church, after a couple seconds of hem hawing, I broke down (messy kind of break down) and told him everything about my frustration with church and how it had become so hard for me to be a part of church. It hurt to say it all out loud, it really did, but at the same time it felt as if a huge weight was being slightly eased. I mean I had shared parts of this story before but this just seemed different. I looked up from the ground and through my tears could see Stump smiling at me. I expected to see more of a look of “oh crap what have I just gotten myself into with this kid” but he was just smiling. His next question to me was a huge and painful shock. He asked me what I was called to do. Now that may not seem like such a big deal but I had literally not put any serious thought into it for probably close to a year, and having it brought up just exposed to myself even more, how bitter I had become.
Long story I know. Sorry. Almost to the end..i promise! Well after talking for some time, Stump told me that about 11 months ago or so God had spoke to him that there was going to be an Anchor church planted in Joplin, Mo. Sooo. Long story shortened a bit here, but here’s the thing, my wife and I are planting a church in Joplin, with the help of our amazing friends of course! The church will be called Solace and will be done in conjunction with Solace Venue Ministries, which is the ministry I have been working with for the past 2 years. (that’s anther story for another time.) God has been quickly, oh so quickly removing the bitterness and cynicism that has built up over the past several years, and has been teaching me that his Freedom that is only found through Jesus, has been given to us so that we may better understand how to love those that are sometimes unlovable to us. To show us that we were granted His love despite our wrongdoings, how are those who we have a hard time loving any different!!???!!
Well that’s the end..or rather the beginning!!!! I am so stoked about what God is doing! We have had our first 2 Solace Church meetings in my apartment, and they seem to be going well! I really sense that God is doing something big with the group of people that are a part of this! And to those of you who are a part of this!...thank you so much! I truly love you guys!!
Josh Evans
July 26, 2010
I am not taking the time to have my wife proofread this so expect huge run on sentences, and an army of grammatical errors.
Ok here’s the poop. For about the past 10 years I have known that God was calling me to be a pastor someday. After several disappointing experiences over these past 10 years, I had pretty much given up on my calling. I had decided that since it still hadn’t happened that it must have just been me and that I was wasting my time putting thought and effort into it. The church I was the youth minister of about 10 years ago, and had gone to for 18 years, had a position open up at one point for the pastor, but when they informed me that I was not ready it I felt as if it may never happen. I truly loved that church, and really wanted to have the opportunity to shepherd them. Years later I had changed churches (not for any reasons related to that) and an opportunity opened up for me to plant a church in a small town near Arkansas in McDonald County. I really wanted to do it, a building already existed and it would have been easy to go into a place where there was already a building that I wouldn’t even owe anything on. It was a church building that my grandpa had pastored when I was really young and the church building I attended church in until I was like 7 years old. So I really wanted to do it. The problem was…it never felt right! I was so annoyed with myself. I wanted to do it, I truly did, but something inside of me wouldn’t allow it! I turned down the opportunity. Years later I visited a church in Nashville called The Anchor Fellowship, with some friends on a random road trip. Over the next couple of years we visited The Anchor several times and I begin to fall in love with that church, it felt like how church was supposed to be…..real. I later made a statement to a friend that we needed a church like that in Joplin, but after discussing it with him it we came to the conclusion that Joplin didn’t need another church. I stopped worrying about my calling, stopped thinking about how it could never happen, and just begin to focus on my relationship with Jesus. I began to get to know Him like never before. I began to understand things about his character that I had never considered. The word that had been poured into me all my life was becoming alive like never before! This caused me to question a lot of things that had been taught to me like “this is what God says” type of things that didn’t line up with his word and what he had actually said. This began to cause some frustration in me about church, about “the church”, and about “Christian people” in general. But the better understanding, of the reality of who Jesus is caused two things to happen. #1 it helped me to grow closer to God in many areas, by helping me to understand the true freedom I have in Jesus, and teaching me the importance of community and relationships. #2 it began to make me very frustrated with “the church” not any particular church, just the church in general. The frustration started with being aggravated over what is commonly referred to as “worship services”. It became increasingly obvious that the majority of churches were calling their Sunday morning concerts “worship” when all it really was, was a show. The worship ministers wanted to see people getting “moved” during the service, the people wanted to have a worship leader that could really stir things up and get their emotions going. “SOMEBODY NEEDS TO CRY!!!” Please don’t get me wrong, I am not (now) passing a judgment on your churches worship.(at least I am trying not too) This is just where I was, I don’t necessarily think I was to far from the truth in many instances, the problem was that it was making me bitter and cynical. Way more bitter than I realized as a matter of fact. As time went on I could barely force myself to go to church anymore. There was a constant struggle inside of me because I still knew that God was calling me, I was just trying to not think about it anymore. I was becoming bitter toward church people, and bitter toward the idea of church. But this was truly a Dr. Jekel and Mr. Hyde thing because despite my bitterness I still loved the church, and still knew deep down that I was called to it. (thank God for my friend Curt a youth pastor who had an open ear and open heart and allowed me to vent to him whenever I needed to)
Every year for the past 3 years I have with my best friends made the 10-hour drive to a little town called Bushnell, Illinois for the Cornerstone music festival. One week of camping in the middle of a field, and watching live music from 12 pm everyday until about 2 or 3a.m. every night. A place where there is way to much metal for me, but a place where I can hang out with friends that I don’t get to see very often, and a place to meet new friends, and discover new bands that I will love forever! The Anchor Fellowship from Nashville has had a stage they set up every year that I’ve gone. They have shows all day like most stages, but in the morning and late at night they have church! So I always try to make it over there a few times during that week. The first night I went out this year was a Tuesday night for the 11p.m. service, and I was ready for it. My friends in the United Harvest Workers Union were playing worship, and the pastor of The Anchor. Josh Stump was speaking. After Stump finished a brief but powerful devotional I felt a need to go talk to him about some issues I was having about a recent decision that had been made where I was wondering if the “right” decision had been made or not…..(there’s no way that sentence made sense). After discussing the reason I wanted to talk to him for a few minutes the conversation shifted (somehow), and the next thing I knew Stump had asked me where I went to church, after a couple seconds of hem hawing, I broke down (messy kind of break down) and told him everything about my frustration with church and how it had become so hard for me to be a part of church. It hurt to say it all out loud, it really did, but at the same time it felt as if a huge weight was being slightly eased. I mean I had shared parts of this story before but this just seemed different. I looked up from the ground and through my tears could see Stump smiling at me. I expected to see more of a look of “oh crap what have I just gotten myself into with this kid” but he was just smiling. His next question to me was a huge and painful shock. He asked me what I was called to do. Now that may not seem like such a big deal but I had literally not put any serious thought into it for probably close to a year, and having it brought up just exposed to myself even more, how bitter I had become.
Long story I know. Sorry. Almost to the end..i promise! Well after talking for some time, Stump told me that about 11 months ago or so God had spoke to him that there was going to be an Anchor church planted in Joplin, Mo. Sooo. Long story shortened a bit here, but here’s the thing, my wife and I are planting a church in Joplin, with the help of our amazing friends of course! The church will be called Solace and will be done in conjunction with Solace Venue Ministries, which is the ministry I have been working with for the past 2 years. (that’s anther story for another time.) God has been quickly, oh so quickly removing the bitterness and cynicism that has built up over the past several years, and has been teaching me that his Freedom that is only found through Jesus, has been given to us so that we may better understand how to love those that are sometimes unlovable to us. To show us that we were granted His love despite our wrongdoings, how are those who we have a hard time loving any different!!???!!
Well that’s the end..or rather the beginning!!!! I am so stoked about what God is doing! We have had our first 2 Solace Church meetings in my apartment, and they seem to be going well! I really sense that God is doing something big with the group of people that are a part of this! And to those of you who are a part of this!...thank you so much! I truly love you guys!!
Josh Evans
July 26, 2010
Wow, I am so good at this.....
Last time i blogged briefly for no reason, and it was November... and i really don't feel like going through and writing right now...lazy. thats how i feel. also screw capital letters. haha. so due to my laziness i am going to repost some stuff i have posted in my facebook notes onto this blog, so that i have them i 2 places...yea idk why. but here goes...those will be the next few posts.
josh
josh
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
McDonalds as an office.
I am sitting in Mc Donalds on Main St. in Joplin drinking a carmel frappe, (yes I know I’m a girl) and using free internet. One of those weird situations where I didnt have time to go home before driving my afternoon route on the school bus but didn’t want to wait around the bus barn for an hour either. I was going to try to read a little and do some bible study but there is a lady 2 booths back doing obnoxious baby talk to her infant child who is also being somewhat obnoxious. Babies are cute to look at but they are best behind a glass wall, unless they’re your own of course, and even sometimes then. Haha. So I decided to write a completely pointless blog. I mean I only have like 5 minutes left before having to be back at work, so I can’t go into too much depth.
I will say this. I have been having a really hard time disciplining myself as of late. Not just in one area but pretty much in every way. For example that frappe I just downed I should never have even purchased. Those things have enough calories to be a whole meal and I’ve already eaten! But not just food, laziness, bible study, laziness, did I mention how lazy I can sometimes be?!?! It is by far my greatest struggle. Just getting my ass up off the couch is way more difficult for me than avoiding porn, or not being prideful! (two other struggles I’ve dealt with) It seems as if I start disciplining myself in 1 area for some reason the others catch on and life just operates a lot better. I think it is because I am simply paying more attention to what I do rather than just vegging out in front of the tv and erasing all free and open thoughts from my mind and allowing some script writer to get me high on a story for 30 min to an hour.
Well that’s all my time, and then some. Re-starting a more disciplined life again today. In all areas spiritual, physical, and mental.
josh evans
I will say this. I have been having a really hard time disciplining myself as of late. Not just in one area but pretty much in every way. For example that frappe I just downed I should never have even purchased. Those things have enough calories to be a whole meal and I’ve already eaten! But not just food, laziness, bible study, laziness, did I mention how lazy I can sometimes be?!?! It is by far my greatest struggle. Just getting my ass up off the couch is way more difficult for me than avoiding porn, or not being prideful! (two other struggles I’ve dealt with) It seems as if I start disciplining myself in 1 area for some reason the others catch on and life just operates a lot better. I think it is because I am simply paying more attention to what I do rather than just vegging out in front of the tv and erasing all free and open thoughts from my mind and allowing some script writer to get me high on a story for 30 min to an hour.
Well that’s all my time, and then some. Re-starting a more disciplined life again today. In all areas spiritual, physical, and mental.
josh evans
Sunday, October 31, 2010
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