by Craig McAndrews | Apr 25, 2016 | Articles, Testimonies
When you think about the word empty in terms of a feeling, it doesn’t feel like a great place to be. Imagine for a moment if someone you love sat down and described how they felt about something using the term empty. Would you be encouraged? Do you think you would be able to congratulate them on getting to a point where they were empty? Most likely you would respond with an attempt to help or improve the way they feel. However, when it comes to serving Jesus Christ, empty is exactly where He wants us to be. Although this may not be an encouraging thought, emptying yourself for the sake of the gospel brings with it reward and a life filled with purpose and meaning. As my wife and I have pursued growing our relationship with Jesus and engaging in His work with His people, we have recently found ourselves in the middle of a lot of pain and suffering. Sometimes it is big big rock issues such as a broken marriage, health problems, and death. At other times, it’s simply the pain we experience as we watch people make bad choices that lead to frustration and suffering. As we walk with people through these challenges, we find ourselves burdened with their pain and seeking God on their behalf for direction or deliverance. Have you ever found yourself truly feeling the pain of a friend as they suffer? I would suggest this is one way that we suffer for the gospel in the same way the apostle Paul told the Philippians they would get to suffer (Phil 1:29). When we suffer with others, we can often feel emotionally and even physically spent,...
by Ron Hocutt | Apr 11, 2016 | Articles, Testimonies
Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; (KJV) One of the more frustrating things to me is the tendency we have as the body of Christ to retreat to high level statements when what we really need is a kick in the pants. We sit in circles and admonish each other to do things like “…love your wife like Christ loved the church” without going any deeper and looking at what that really means. Being a very black and white kind of guy, I’m seldom satisfied with the high level answer and find myself asking “yes, but what does that look like for me today?” Each of us has to answer that for ourselves and defend it before God, of course, but here’s what I think it looks like to “…love your wife as Christ loved the church….” First and foremost, we know from Ephesians 5:25 and John 3:16 that Christ’s expression of love for the Church was that he died for it, so that’s a pretty good starting point. What does it mean to die for my wife? I think we insulate ourselves from the real answer by another set of high-level, non-threatening answers. “It means we sacrifice for them” or “we put their needs before ours.” Again, these are fine and dandy answers that enable us go on with our lives exactly as we did before convinced that we are obeying the command to “love our wives…” In stark contrast to the statements above, here’s the operative set of guidelines I’ve come up with for myself to determine what it means on a daily basis to die for my...
by Joe Bradley | Mar 28, 2016 | Articles, Testimonies
In the midst of uncertainty all around us, we find great solace, peace, hope and joy in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. One of my favorite all-time devotions is Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest. April 29 – “Certain Uncertainty” is a good one. Chamber’s articulates: “To be certain of God means that we are uncertain in all our ways, we do not know what a day may bring forth. This is generally said with a sigh of sadness, it should be rather an expression of breathless expectation. We are uncertain of the next step, but we are certain of God.” We’ve all experienced uncertainty, but let me suggest, not to the extent that Oswald suggests. Do we wait in breathless expectation for uncertainty? I know, if I’m really honest with myself that I loathe that position when and if I find myself there. Allow me to introduce you to my new friend Curtis. I first became aware of Curtis as I drove by him here in Phoenix, AZ on warm fall day. Curtis was holding up a sign that read: Need Rent Money. I made numerous observations…he was different from many of those standing on corners holding signs. He obviously had a place to live, or he wouldn’t be asking for rent money. He face was without expression. The next day, same intersection I encountered Curtis again, but this time with a different sign: Best Watch Repair at Diamond Jim’s Jewelry. Curtis had gotten himself a job flipping a sign at a busy intersection. Good for him, I thought. His face still without expression. For the...
by Ron Hocutt | Mar 7, 2016 | Articles, Testimonies
Jer 12:5 If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? And if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied three, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan? While wallowing in self-pity, confusion, worry and uncertainty the other day, God reminded me of an eternal truth that’s worth sharing: if you think things are bad for you now, how are you going to react when they really are? Will you remain a man of faith? The truth is that it doesn’t take much effort to knock us out of a trusting relationship with Christ. Look around, however, and notice those who are suffering for Christ in ways few of us could comprehend. Even knowing this, my nature is to always focus on my own troubles and assume them to be excessive, unjust, and unwarranted. If this sounds familiar, I ask you to consider the following: * It is our lot as Christians to be used by Him in any manner He chooses while still believing and trusting in His fundamental Goodness. Even a cursory review of scripture will demonstrate how God used (and in our minds perhaps abused) His servants. Are you willing to be used as these people were used? If not, you have no basis to be assured of your relationship with Christ. * Being a slave of Jesus Christ and “dying to self” means a lot more than we commonly think it does. It means all of you – what you own, think, feel, and hold dear – it all belongs to Him. Everything you are and have is to be used for His...
by Craig McAndrews | Feb 22, 2016 | Articles, Testimonies
I travelled to Haiti with a church group to serve with a team at a pastor’s leadership conference. This was the first of its kind for this group of Haitian pastors and the team who coordinated the event. There was a great turnout, and God was really working on the group who participated. At the same time, He was really working on me. For starters, I had to teach through a translator which is pretty challenging. I knew the process would stretch me, but I had no idea how uncomfortable it would make me. I remember the first time during the talk when I said something to the translator and they simply looked at me with a puzzled face. Turns out what I was trying to say couldn’t even be translated in the local language. There were moments when I had no idea what to say next, but each time God provided words and I managed to get through the sessions without any major problems. God reminded me that day how big of a God He is. The depressing part of the lesson was that God showed me how small I make Him. When I pray my prayers and look at Him through the lens of my own life, I realized I have a tendency to put Him in a tiny little box and lean on Him based on my circumstances. The idea of His bigness escaped me. However, the Haitian people sparked a new perspective in me through the simple act of prayer. I distinctly remember a time when the entire group was in prayer after one of the messages. During the prayer, I could hear the low murmur of the Haitian people...
by Craig McAndrews | Jan 11, 2016 | Articles, Testimonies
The Bible quotes God as saying, “I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.” (I Samuel 13:14). Do you see yourself as a man after God’s own heart? Another way to think about it is in terms of pursuit. Do you pursue knowing God more and drawing close to Him? I don’t know that I ever fully understood what that could be like until I experienced a nearness to God during a mission trip I took to a foreign country. During the trip, I had countless experiences where I was uncomfortable, nervous, and even a bit afraid. In one specific incident, we were serving lunches at an event we were hosting, and due to the size of the crowd, we ran out of food. In this case, the timing was perfect as each of the attendees received a lunch. Myself, and several members from our group were the only ones who did not receive the meal being served. Since we had prepared our own food before we left the house, it was no big deal as we simply ate the sandwiches we brought with us. However, shortly after lunch, one of the attendees asked our team leader why we did not eat the food that everyone else was eating. He specifically asked if we were unwilling to eat the same food that was provided to those who were participating in the event. As you can imagine, the intensity was high when the question was asked given that we did not intend to insult anyone. I...
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