Welcome to the first actual post of the Pastor's Blog, and thank you so much for spending a few minutes to read these few thoughts that our gracious Lord has instilled on my heart.

As some of you might know, I absolutely LOVE Christian rap and hip hop. In particular, my favorite artists are all a part of a group called the 1-1-6 Clique. This group composed of Lecrae, Tedashii, Trip Lee, KB, and Pro are absolutely the best of the best when it comes to this genre in music. The thing in my mind that separates these guys from so many others in Christian music is that they NEVER compromise the content of the message while staying ahead of the game in music stylings. Simply put, these guys preach to my heart on a level that not many can attain.

This week I was further blessed when Tedashii released his third album, Blacklight, on Tuesday. In a video posted on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRBfQRTZpX0) Tedashii discusses the theme behind the album. He mentions in the video that he sought to make an album to encourage his fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to live with the end in mind. Upon hearing it, that phrase really stuck out to me. Do I really live with the end in mind? Before I can answer that question another must be asked: What does the end hold?

Hope. That one simply word is what all believers have to look forward to. Revelation 21:4 says, "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." Think about that with me for a minute... no pain, no sorrow, no tears. The Word says that our God, the Creator of the universe will personally wipe the tears from your eyes, and promises us a new beginning. There should be no question of what happens after, because it really doesn't matter. Think about what life without fear, pain, or sorrow. Our minds literally cannot conceive it. From the second we were born, we entered a world dictated more by fear than by joy. Simply turn on the nightly news if you don't believe me. However, God will cleanse us of every single thing that weighs us down. These things that keep us from living our lives the way it was intended at Creation. God redeems us, restores us, and breathes new life into His children.

Knowing this incredible, but very simple, truth should give the motivation to push and go harder than ever before.  Living with the end in mind means that under any circumstances, no matter what the costs, I will be ready to go hard. In America we are used to living life on cruise control. We go from event to event, holiday to holiday, and nothing ever really changes. Often it seems that only MAJOR national catastrophes (such as what occurred on Sept. 11) can seemingly shake us out of our shell. We then stand up like and flex the tremendous muscle that our military carries, get stirred up as a nation, post signs that say "In God We Trust" seemingly everywhere, and eventually fall right back into the same mind numbing stupor that held us captive before, with little or no traces of the "change of heart" that the country experienced. Living with the end in mind is simple we need to be ready to share the faith that exists in our hearts with other people, and not just be ready, but to actually do so. 1 Peter 3:15-16 say "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to anyone who asks to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander." Living with the end in mind means no longer settling for the mundane. It's time to wake up and step up. As many of you are aware of, our last days are swiftly approaching, and yet we live as if we have all the time in the world! Living with the end in mind means it is time to DO something with the incredible gift that the Lord has given us. No excuses, it's time to go hard or go home, and if you are questioning whether or not you can harder the answer is yes. Jesus lived life by God's will so completely that society killed him for it, this is what we should aspire for. To be so immersed in God's will that the only way Satan can stop you is to try and take you out. It won't be easy, but the glorious hope that God promises is the finish line. How are you going to cross?

Young and Unashamed

Adam Jividen

 Thank you so much for checking out the new website and Pastor's Blog. We will continually be updating and making this site better. We are seeking to provide the best page possible, and would love to hear suggestions and new ideas. There is so much to check out and more will be added to the site continually, so please check back often. Further, we are hoping to have a new blog posting up approximately once per week, hopefully providing another tool for our pastoral staff to connect with you. We are extremely excited about the direction of this new site and believe that it will be an incredible tool going forward as we seek to reach out to our community in a greater way. 

In Christ

Pastor Adam