Welcome to An Open Journal…

Hello, and welcome to my new blog!  To those of you who were readers at my old site, thanks for making the trip over here to WordPress.  For those who are new readers, I’m honored that you took the time to check out this site.

 

I’ve named this blog “An Open Journal”, and that’s exactly what I intend for it to be; a place for me to put some of my crazy thoughts to paper, and for you to read them once they are there.  You’ll see a variety of different posts here…some writing, some music, some pics & video.  Basically this will be a collection of sights, sounds, and words that move me, or just strike me as funny :-)

 

It’s an “open” journal in that, I’d love for the posts here to start discussions among the people who read them.  A good portion of what’s posted here will concern Christian life, spirituality and ministry.  I’m a firm believer that “iron sharpens iron” (Proverbs 27:17); so, I always welcome your thoughts and comments; let me know what you think!!

 

One quick disclaimer…I may write about some controversial topics from time to time.  Concerning scriptural or spiritual subjects, if anything you read here falls outside what your pastor teaches, please disregard it!!  Listen to your pastor’s teaching, and submit to his leadership…for he watches for your soul. (Heb. 13:17)  Also, know that I am submitted to my spiritual authorities as well, and they will have blessed and given their approval to all that you read here.

 

If you’d like to subscribe via RSS, just click on the orange button to the right of the menu bar, then bookmark the feed page that opens.  You’ll then be notified of new posts as soon as they become available.  If you are a new reader, leave me a comment to let me know you stopped by…I’d love to hear from you!!

 

Thanks again for reading my blog.  Best blessings to you all…

 

 

-Jereme

 

Of Tortillas & Gratitude…

The girls and I are in Austin, TX…here for a week…Jill is visiting her family, and I am enduring the heat.

 

Usually, the first thing that happens when I get to Texas is the rapid consumption of large amounts of tex-mex (which is not to be confused with “mexican food”…tex-mex is a cuisine all it’s own).  So tonight, we will be meeting Auntie Tiff for dinner at Pappasito’s.

 

It may be hard for some to understand my addiction to, and desperate need for, tex-mex…especially if said person did not grow up in central Texas, then relocate to Tennessee.  While we’re extremely happy in TN, there are approximately two things that we miss about TX:  Auntie Tiff…and tex-mex.  You see, the population in Texas is 36% Hispanic…the population in Tennessee is 3.5% Hispanic.  You do the math…  3.5% = no tex-mex.

 

Jill says she misses the tortillas the most.  Texas tortillas are not like other tortillas.  For starters, they were made less than 2 weeks before you purchase them at the store.  In Tennessee, apparently folks think you are supposed to age tortillas like cheese or wine…this is not a good idea.  Second, Texas tortillas, the really good ones, have a very fine coating of flour on the outside.  This is a sign that they are homemade…you want that flour on your tortillas, trust me.

 

But freshness is really the key when it comes to tortillas.  People in Tennessee must think I’m nuts, watching me as I’m sifting through the packages of tortillas, pressing on them to see which ones are the softest (the soft ones are freshest).  One of the things I never really noticed about Texas (until I was subjected to 14-day old TN tortillas), is that in Texas, most grocery stores have a dedicated “tortilla lady”.  Her sole duty is to make fresh tortillas every day.  You can always buy a tortilla that’s literally “hot off the press”.

 

Today I thought about the tortilla lady, and how much I always took her for granted when I lived in Texas.  I barely noticed her when I had all the fresh tortillas I could want.  But now that the tortillas are gone, I miss her like she was part of the family.

 

This proves two things: 

 

1) I am sometimes a selfish individual, who does not appreciate what he has until it’s gone.

 

2) Familiarity is the enemy of Appreciation.

 

And it makes me wonder how many other things in life I take for granted, but would miss if they were suddenly taken from me:  Oxygen, Socks, Toothpaste, Paper, Remote Control, Soap, Virgil’s Rootbeer, Computers, Luggage, Air Conditioning, Freedom, Chairs, Friendship, Trash Bags, Light Bulbs, Straws, Door Knobs, Doctors, Pillows, Prayer, Rain, Sight, Scripture, Forgiveness, Caffeine, Reading, Refrigerators, Grocery Stores, Paved Roads, Running Water, Etc, Etc, Etc, Etc………….

 

It is easy for blessed people to long for what they do not have…and forget how much they’ve already got.  We all have a “tortilla lady”…things that we love, but do not necessarily appreciate.  Until they are gone…….

 

We have much to be grateful for.  Think about it…

 

 

 . . . 

Simplicity

Been thinking a lot lately about what’s next…  Change is definitely in the air.  Seems like everyone is feeling it.  There’s lots of speculation about what it will be.

 

I’m not sure what to expect.  One thing I do feel is that simplicity will play a large part in what God does next.  Seems like sometimes we get in our own way, and I think He’s going to help change that…

 

Why?  Because He has always been about getting rid of the red tape between us and Him; He has always wanted to simplify the relationship…that’s what He died for.

 

Sometimes less is more.

 

 

. . .

Win Souls, or Make Disciples? Revival Pt. 3

In my last post on revival, I submitted that although it is a legitimate scriptural concept, revival (or at least our concept of it), is largely misunderstood, and very often distorted/misused.

 

I think the reason for this is very simple: people.  If a revival occurs, it is made up of two main ingredients; The Spirit of God…and people.  Now, if a distortion/error/mistake occurs…it certainly isn’t coming from the Spirit of God…which only leaves one option: people.  

Thank You…

 

Taking a minute to say thank you to God…

 

For the moment I’m living in right now; for twilight in Tennessee, watching the fireflies wink…

 

For the most wonderful family a man could ever ask for; a beautiful, loving, precious wife…and a baby girl that could not be more perfect.

 

For community, and great friends that live just down the road…

 

For allowing me to be part of an incredible ministry team that bears much fruit for Him…

 

For allowing me to enjoy the incredible gift of music, and playing it for Him; for allowing me to live things that I’ve dreamed of since I was a kid…

 

For just being Who He is…and caring enough to hang out with me here in the twilight, watching the fireflies wink…

 

 

. . .

A Few More Hidden Gems…or, “Revival Pt. 2″

I began writing a couple of weeks ago on a subject that has been almost constantly on my mind lately.  After posting the first entry, “A Few Hidden Gems”, I thought I should explain myself a bit before going any further.  Revival appears to be springing up everywhere, and it seems that I am not the only one who has been thinking a lot about it.  After talking with numerous friends and ministers, reading blogs & articles, and watching a few TV programs, I keep running into two basic views on the revival movements that are taking place in various locations around the country…    

June 4th…

 

On June 4th, God changed everything…

 

On June 4th, God changed me…

 

On June 4th, I really saw Him for the first time…

 

On June 4th, I realized how small I am, and how Endless He is…

 

On June 4th, I experienced true worship for the first time…

 

On June 4th, I saw what can happen when Heaven & Earth meet…

 

On June 4th, I experienced what Christianity without religion can be…

 

On June 4th, I saw the difference that one man can make…

 

On June 4th, I saw lives transformed for all of eternity in one instant…

 

On June 4th, I stopped wanting to be a preacher, and started wanting to please Him…

 

On June 4th, I caught a glimpse of the Kingdom…

 

. . .

Since June 4th, I am no longer satisfied with church as usual…

 

Since June 4th, hype no longer moves me…

 

Since June 4th, I understand that the Fruit of the Spirit is more important than the Gifts of the Spirit…

 

Since June 4th, I have realized that Reformation is mightier than Revival…

 

Since June 4th, I see that people are not running from God, they’re running from us…

 

Since June 4th, I better understand how tragic the fall of man was…

 

Since June 4th, I love God more than I ever thought possible…

 

Since June 4th, I know what it is to long for Heaven…

 

Since June 4th, I know that He longs for us…

 

Since June 4th, I view the world through different eyes…

 

Since June 4th, I will never be the same…

 

 

 

A Few Hidden Gems

I recently had the privilege of hearing a great message at a local gathering here in Nashville.  The speaker was Rick Joyner; he is a pastor, teacher, and founder/leader of multiple ministries.  It was the first time I had ever heard Mr. Joyner speak, and it turns out that he is a wealth of scriptural knowledge and wisdom, particularly on the subject of revival in the church.

 

It seems that there is a resurgence of revival in the church as of late (it is interesting to note that the word “revival” is not used in the Bible).  Never the less, we must find a way to describe things, and the basic premise of revival does occur in scripture, so I don’t have a problem using the term.  Depending on your denominational background, the word “revival” may mean various different things, but a good, basic definition would be “an extraordinary movement of the Holy Spirit, producing extraordinary results, in which many lives are committed or re-committed to God, and He visits His people in a special way; touching their hearts and deepening His work of grace in their lives.”  

 

This is the first of several entries that I will be posting on the subject of revival; I welcome your comments/thoughts on all of this.  A lot of things can come with revival, both positive and negative.  During revival, it is important to keep things in their proper perspective; remaining open to anything that God may want to do, while maintaining our focus on it’s ultimate purpose…to bring people into relationship with God.  So, I thought it would be cool to share a few quotes from a respected leader, who also seems to be somewhat of an authority on the subject of revival.  Here are a few “hidden gems”…

 

 

“Revival is only one small part of the work of God.”

                                                    -Rick Joyner

 

 

“If we don’t love the still, small times alone with Him more than the glory, miracles, and great services…we have missed something.”    -Rick Joyner

 

 

“When the anointing level goes up, the accountability level goes up.  What you get away with in the Outer Court, you won’t get away with in the Holy of Holies.”    -Rick Joyner

 

 

Church Sign…

 

 

Yep, that’s duct tape…and if you know what’s under the tape, you know why this is funny…

 

(thanks to Jody and his cousin for this pic)

 

 

Reality TV

Watched one of those TLC reality shows with Jill tonight; the one where they find a needy family and remodel/rebuild their home.  Even though reality tv isn’t usually my thing, I have to say it was a great show.  The family on this episode was from New Mexico, a pastor, his wife and their four children.  The pastor and his family had sold their nice home in Colorado several years ago, and moved to the ghetto in Albuquerque, NM.  Seems their ministry is bearing some really good fruit there, and so the folks from this tv show decided to help them out and bless them with a new home in the process.

 

Needless to say, the new house rocked; but not only did they build them a new home, they renovated their old house and turned it into a community center/homeless shelter…and bull-dozed all of the crack houses on the next street.  Very cool…  So, all of that really got me thinking, and a few things really struck a chord in me.  First, how cool and real this pastor was…I mean, he pretty much did what Jesus asked the rich young man to do in Matthew 19:21. Sold everything he had and went to minister to the poor.  And there he stands in the middle of this unbelievable house that God has just blessed him with, and he’s just stunned by this chair in the living room.  So happy with it, “I’ve never had a chair like this before…this is awesome.”  Surrounded by 3,500 square feet of rockin’ house, but he’s happy with just the chair…I’m pretty sure that’s why God decided to give him the whole house to go with it.  What a great guy; the world could use a few more pastors like him.

 

Second, I was reminded of how much God cares about people; the hungry, the thirsty, the lonely and the hopeless.  So much that he said, “whatever you do for them, you have done for Me.”  Not only that, but he calls them His brothers…the hungry, the lonely, the sick…He calls them His brothers.  Even the “least of them”… (Mt. 25:40) 

 

I also realized how very blessed I am, and how good God has been to Jill, Jules, myself and Dodger.  While we are far from wealthy, we don’t lack for anything.  We definitely have more than we deserve.  And seeing all of that tonight just makes me wonder if I do enough for others…if I’ve done enough for His brothers…even the least of them.

 

 

. . .