ROLLIN’, ROLLIN’, ROLLIN’

Posted on December 11, 2013 by Black

In 2006 we built our dream house. We built it with our growing family in mind…..plenty of bedrooms and bathrooms, a playroom, a school room, a pool, a pool house, and most importantly full of a lot of love! You see, we were planning to retire here and have a place our children and grandchildren could come back to for years to come. Again, we were building our dream home.

Well, the Lord was in the process of pouring the footings (or lack there of) for our new home! It is a good thing the Lord did not invite me in on this building project because I would not have been an easy sub-contractor to deal with! “Lord, are You sure this is enough square footage. Lord, this thing has wheels. Lord, the walls are like two inches thick. Lord, really, where are we going to put everything? Uh…You are joking right!?” I mean, this is not what my family had in mind when we were thinking of a home to live in. And we were definitely not thinking about living from church parking lot to church parking lot! God, You cannot be serious! Or, Could He?

Serious indeed! Last week I flew to Buchanan, MI and picked up our ‘new ride’. Wait a minute….I meant our ‘new home’. Or is it a ‘ride’? Oh yeh, it is both! Come on Lord! Seriously! YEP! So here we go on our new journey with our new ‘home/ride’ in tow. We will be traveling from church parking lot to church parking lot preaching the revival message to families. We are serving with Life Action Ministries. It is amazing how our Lord has taken us from the desire to live in a large house for our ‘large family’ to living in a house on wheels. We are in awe at His molding our hearts to follow Him for His glory. Now hear me out! We are not beginning this journey with naivety. We are very aware that this journey will be tiring and difficult. We know that we will face great trials. We know that our family will be under attack. It has already begun. However, we are also learning that our God is bigger than all of this. We are learning that this new journey is all about Him and we want to be right where he has us. No where else!

So, “Ho Ho…Ho Ho, on the road we go!” But, we will not go unless the Lord goes with us! And He has promised us just that! Family, hang on! Cuz the Lord has a ride (home?…whatever!) in store for us!

You can see our schedule on our ministry page!

Shane Black

WE HAVE DISCOVERED FULL-TIME MINISTRY IS NOT FOR OUR FAMILY!

Posted on December 9, 2013 by Black

Our family originally surrendered to full time ministry in October of 2010. We were attending a Life Action Summit in our home town when the Lord revealed to us that He wanted our family to begin full time ministry serving with Life Action Ministries. We felt like that within a few months we would be on the road to Michigan serving full time. Well…..the Lord had something else, entirely, in mind.

A lot of time has gone by since that original moment of surrender. We have been on a long and seemingly slow journey. We have spent many days and nights wondering what was going on. Our thoughts and concerns have been as follows…….”I mean come on, we surrendered ‘our all’ Lord. Why haven’t You seen to it that everything falls into place on our time schedule? You called us, right? We have a vision of what everything should look like and when everything should take place! Can’t You see it too, Lord? What is the issue here Lord?”

Well, as the Lord took us on this ‘long and seemingly slow journey’ He had a lot that he desired to show us. I would ask you to go back and re-read our thoughts and concerns again. Do you see any problems? Did you notice the pronouns? We…..our…..us……we……! All of our concerns appear on the surface to be about the Lord’s involvement in this process. However, below the surface you will see hearts that were only concerned about ourselves…..our surrender, our time schedule, our vision, our issues!

You see, we felt like we had it all figured out. And we did in our feeble, finite little minds! But, God wanted us, mostly me, to see a very important truth. Are you ready? Here it is! Ministry is not for us…..ministry is for the glory of our Great, Wonder Working God! God needed us to see that…. yes, He does have everything worked out….yes, He does know the time schedule (He made it for crying out loud)….yes, He does know what we surrendered and what we did not surrender….yes, He did call us….yes, He does have a vision…..and yes, He sees everything…..and most importantly it is not about us! Rather it is about HIM and the advancement of HIS Kingdom. Which means it is about you as well! All of you! Everyone reading this blog! And everyone that will never read this blog! God’s ministry in our lives is about you!

What an honor! Our Lord has invited us to go on His journey with Him! We have an opportunity to see our God do things that are far greater than anything we could ever imagine! Things that we cannot explain away with our abilities and giftedness! Things that will leave us saying, “But GOD!” Things that will impact His Kingdom for eternity! Do you get it guys?! We get to be a part of something that is much, much, much bigger than our little family and our comfort and our wants and our conveniences! We get to be a part of history making! We get the opportunity to see God leave a blazing fire burning in our path for the HIS glory!

As I close, I would say one more thing…..”Look out across the horizon and watch for the ‘Fire of our Lord” burning brightly, and then come join Him.” You see, He may want you to be a part of something that is all about Him!

Shane Black

What If We “Really” Went To Church?

Posted on November 24, 2012 by Black

Have you ever thought about what church would look like if we really came to church. I know what you are thinking right now, “‘Came to church’? I am there every time the doors are open!” Sunday after Sunday…Wednesday after Wednesday…meeting after meeting…event after event…we are ‘at church’. You are ‘at church’, but the question that must be asked is …..how many of us really come to church? I mean, I know we are there, but are we “really” there?

This question has become a haunting question for me for some time now. However, it became much more real when a member of our church was giving a testimony of the struggles going on in her marriage. She began to tell how the struggle had been going on for a while, but her family kept going to church Sunday after Sunday as if nothing were wrong. Then she shared how her and her husband talked to their children about the struggles they were facing in their relationship. Through this conversation a statement was made by one of the children, “We have gone to church for years thinking that we and everyone else had to be perfect.”

There you go! Finally! Someone said it out loud! We have gone to church…thinking everyone had to be perfect, but knowing that we were not! Oh, we are at church, but we are not “really” at church. Rather, what happens is Sunday after Sunday, we get our messed up selves ready, we gather up our messed up families, and we all get in the vehicle and go to be with our church family that is perfect. So in order for us to fit in with all the other “perfect” people, we put on our “perfect” mask right before we get to the “perfect” church and we ‘do church’. And many of us do church really well. You can ask anyone. Our family has it all together. I mean just look at us, we are here every Sunday, our children behave, we are friendly with everyone, we smile and laugh, we have it all together. Anyone would tell you that. Really? Looks that way…but what is going on behind the mask?

Can you relate to this scenario? This is a very real scenario in families all over America. We have bought into the lie of Satan and many times the lie of the church that we have to be perfect. We have to be like all the other families that seem to have it all together. It is safer if we just go to church and leave our messed up lives at home tucked deep into the back of our closets. This makes church life so much easier, right? The problem is….. this is not what God had or has in mind for His Church. God desires for His church to be a vibrant community of believers using the gifts that he gave us to build each other up and in the process bring glory to Him! Guys, we cannot live in community when we choose to go to church, but not “really” go to church. We are all so busy covering up our messed up lives that we do not even realize we have brothers and sisters that are messed up as well. And here is the great part….God has brought them into our lives because they need us! He has equipped us to minister to them in a way that no one else can as effectively as we can. More great news……this works the other way around as well! God has these people in our lives because we need them! We need each other involved in our messed up lives. God promised that He would build His Church. In his sovereignty, He has orchestrated a perfect symphony of lives into local bodies of believers, so that we can live in community…. building each other up….creating a song with our lives that sings a praise chorus that points each other and the world to HIM! And, are you ready for this? When we are truly communing with each other…really living life with each other…no longer hiding in the darkness of the lies of Satan…our messed up lives become washed by the grace of a loving and compassionate and healing God! Our messed up lives create a melody that only God could orchestrate!

So…what if tomorrow, we all decided to “really” go to church? I mean, we get our messed up selves ready and we gather up our messed up families…..but this time we take our “REAL” family to church. The family that has decided to be “real”. The family that has decided to stop hiding behind the mask and just doing church. The family that is willing to be ourselves. The family that is willing to admit that we are F.I.N.E……Fouled up, Insecure, Neurotic, and Emotional. Church just might get a little messy tomorrow! But you know what? I think God wants to come and mess us up! The truth is….this will never happen until we decide to “really” go to church! How about you? Are you ready to bring your messed up self tomorrow and have some messed up church? I am ready and I think it is the only healthy and healing choice we can make!

I need You, Lord! I desperately need YOU!

Shane

Do I Need Revival?

Posted on October 6, 2012 by Black

Revelation 2:1-5

In Revelation 2 we see our Lord taking a journey through the church of Ephesus. This church had once been a vibrant group of believers deeply in love with Jesus. They had maintained doctrinal purity, they had kept themselves from the practices of the world, and they had a great enthusiasm for service. However, over the years that had abandoned their first love.

Jesus says in vs. 1 that “he walks in the midst of the seven lampstands” or churches. Can you imagine, with me, this picture….our Lord slowly making His way through the churches and he stops, He looks intently and he takes notice. Jesus observes each church and he evaluates their walk and their life. Jesus looks past all their wonderful programs….all the activities….all the ministries….the great buildings….the great pastor….He looks past their church face. Jesus evaluates their heart! You see, the church of Ephesus had gotten so caught up in doing the good things that they had taken their focus off of the Great Jesus Christ. They were not guilty of spiritual immaturity they were guilty of spiritual infidelity.

Let me ask you….what if Jesus were to take a journey through your church or your home and evaluate your life? What would He find? Have you abandoned your first love? Let us look at five warning signs that you or I have abandoned our first love and are in need of revival:

1. I no longer love reading the Word of God

Is the Word of God alive to you and powerful? Heb. 4:12

Do you read and meditate on the Word of God? Ps. 119:9-16

Are you having personal times of devotion? 2 Tim. 3:16-17

Do you crave God’s living Word? 1 Pt. 2:2-3

Are you as much in love with the Word of God as you once were before? Are you willing to drive across town to sit under the preaching of the Word of God, but you will not walk across the living room to pick up the Word of God to read it?

2. I no longer enjoy going to church and serving God

You remember it so well…..there was a time in your life when you could not wait to get to church, but slowly you have began to go less and less. Now it has become easier to come up with an excuse not to go. Or maybe you have began to eliminate Sunday nights or Wednesday night prayer meetings from your schedule of worship.

Is it necessary for you to be entertained in order to be drawn to church?

Do you long for the fellowship and company of God’s people?

Does going to church still create in you a sense of excitement and joy?

3. I have started being entertained by sin

We must be willing to admit that we have abandoned our first love when the things that used to be blatant sins to us are gradually becoming ‘not so bad’. This can happen so gradual that we do not take notice of it initially. The things that used to be black and white have slowly faded into grey. Does this describe you?

Do you keep your mind free from books, magazines, or entertainment that could stimulate fantasizing thoughts that are not morally pure?

Are you continually engaging in gossip?

Are you conversations and behaviors pure and above reproach?

Is there any relationship, practice, or habit in your life that you would be ashamed to have publicly exposed?

Is your private life consistent with what others think of you?

Has it become difficult for you to confess sin?

4. I have developed an unforgiving heart

All of us have been victim to some type of hurt at one point or another in our life. Maybe you have been lied to, a promise has been broken, you have been neglected by someone, a violent crime has been committed against you, you have been falsely accused, you have been cheated or stolen from, you have an alcoholic family member, you have been publicly humiliated, you have been abused….and the list could go on and on. Does this describe you? Sure it does. We have all been victims. As you reflect on the ways you have been hurt do you find that each time you think of the person involved you are still angry?

Do you have a secret desire to have this person pay for what they did?

Do you find yourself telling others what this person did to you?

Are you unable to thank God for this person?

These are all symptoms in the life of a person that is unwilling to forgive the hurts committed against them. As Jesus examines your heart, does He find unforgiveness?

5. I am no longer burdened for the lost

Do you remember a time in your life when you prayed fervently for your lost friends and family members? A time when you cried out to God that He would save them? When was the last time you went to the Throne of Grace on behalf of a lost soul? In Exodus 32 when the people of Israel made for themselves a god of gold God was going to destroy the people because of their sinful and rebellious hearts. However, one man (Moses) was willing to intercede on their behalf. In vs. 32 Moses prays this to God, “Yet now, if You will forgive their sins — but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which you have written.” Moses was saying, in essence,….”God if you are going to send any of these people to hell….save them and send me instead.” WOW! What a heart for the lost! Does this describe your heart? Anything less is an indication that your heart needs a revived love for the lost.

Do any of these “five warning signs” describe you? Well there is good news coming….Jesus gives us the solution. Look at vs. 5….

We must remember: Remember what it was like when you first trusted Christ and your love for Him was fresh, pure, and unrivaled.

We must repent: Agree with God that your love for Jesus is not as warm as it once was, and that other loves have taken His rightful place in your life.

We must return: Invest the time and effort necessary to re-establish an intimate, loving relationship with your Lord. Then you can respond to Him in loving adoration and obedience.

Are you all together right with God? Has there ever been a time in your life when you were closer to Jesus than you are now? Do you need revival? Let us be a people that allows the Lord to examine our hearts and then respond to Him in obedience.

Lord we need You! We desperately need You!