Dream Maker

The driving force of my life has become the hope that everyone I meet will get to know Jesus, the real Jesus. I’m not talking about the Jesus that so many people think they know from a less than casual upbringing in spiritual matters. I’m referring to the Jesus of the Bible. The Jesus that set aside all the glory of heaven and rolled up His shirt sleeves, so to speak, and took on human flesh to interact with and save His creation. God is Holy. He is not like us, although He has made us like Him. Sin entered into the world through the first man and woman turning their backs on God by disobeying His command not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and we have been struggling with that knowledge ever since.

Mankind has not the capability to either discern good from evil fully, or the power to carry it out perfectly. So in order to restore the connection that was lost in Adam and Eve’s disobedience we had to have a willing, sin-free sacrifice as a substitute in our place to take our punishment and renew the spiritual bond with God. Thank God, Jesus was willing and able to pay it all for us. The payment was so great that not only are we freed from the guilt of sin, but in God’s grace (that I don’t think I still fully comprehend) we are released to be all that God intended for us to be. We have been set free to be ourselves. You see, God created us individually for His purposes and His pleasure. God is the greatest of all lovers. No one compares to His tender touch, fondness for us, and wildly exciting love. Yes, I said that, because if you are getting to know the real Jesus, the Jesus that always invited people to “come and see” what the Lord will do, then you already know that God is not boring by any means. If you do not know this Jesus it may be because you aren’t joining Him in doing anything.

You may have noticed that I said, “God created us individually for His purposes and plans.” When I said that I more precisely meant that each one of us is one of a kind in a world with billions of people in it. How awesome is that to really ponder? The Bible teaches in Ephesians 1 that before God ever created anything He already knew us. He was dreaming about us and planning for us. Do me a favor and go outside and just tap your foot on the ground for a second. Well that ground was made by God so that you would have something to walk on. Take a deep breath and remember that oxygen is a creation of God to keep us alive on this planet which He also created, but not until after He knew us. Some might say that this is putting the cart before the horse. Well, not if you are the greatest lover in the Universe. God made the creation after his love of the created (us) more like because of His love of us. He dreamed His dream and then worked His plan to make us happen. I’m sure God loves the work of His hands, but I don’t believe that it was much to Him until we arrived on the scene. We are the objects of His affections and He should be the object of ours. The rest of Ephesians 1 goes on to say that it is God’s dream that we be accepted in the Beloved (God’s Family) and holy and blameless before Him in love. His dream is not complete by our birth into this world, but is finally realized when we come to know the real Jesus as Lord and Savior. Finally realized when we are reconnected to Him spiritually and following Him daily. God does not stop there either. He also has a wonderful individual plan for each of our lives and we will never know it unless we know Him, not just about Him. So remember this week as you live, that God wants to do life with you not without you. He is the Dream Maker and we are His dream. God bless us all and thank you Lord Jesus for all that You are and all that You do!

Sick World, Great Physician

Well it was an interesting day today as far as life goes. I woke up this morning ready to see what the Lord had in store for the day, and now that it is almost over I am certainly surprised by how it played out. I got to church on time and enjoyed the service and the message, but still wasn't ready for what was soon to follow. I knew that my new friend Rona Davis, who has her own radio show on 100.7 the Word, called the Freedom Hour at noon on Sundays was interviewing one of my old friends Brooke who now works for Bill Glass Ministries. I love Brooke and have known her since high school and am so glad to see that God has gotten a hold of her life and is making it count for His Glory.

As Brooke shared her story it took me back to those days in an instant and I was consumed with how all of us start out so fresh and innocent when we are young and naive to the ways of the enemy and his tricks and schemes. The bible teaches us "that the whole world lies under the sway of the evil one." I bring this up because when I met Brooke she was young, vibrant, full of life, and a hottie for sure. She was actually a wildcat as far as most of the girls went around our group. So during her testimony I realized why she had jumped out ahead of the others in the race to supposed freedom from the rules of conduct for our age range, and it was because the year before she was dealt a serious wound to the heart. Brooke was a good girl, so to speak, and in a moment of time a jealous girlfriend and an immature ex-boyfriend started some awful rumors about her that turned almost the whole school against her. I am sure it was a devastating blow to Brooke's beautiful little life at that time. It was the eighth grade for her and what was supposed to be a time of enjoying life and making wonderful memories to last forever turned into a knifing point straight to the heart, the very depths of her soul. Now that I am wiser in the ways of world, I see it for what it was, a strategically planned attack by the enemy through young, revenge filled minds to accomplish the purpose of destroying a young lady's life from the onset. Satan's plan is always to strike the deepest from the closest people in our lives if he can, and it is a most effective technique. I am not in any way making excuses for the decisions that were made in her life from that point on, but let's face it, at such a young age, with such a deep wound, who can't see why things in her life started heading the wrong way. She just wasn't equipped to deal with the enormity of the betrayal and turned away from the only One who is, instead of turning to Him. Sound familiar, anyone?

We live in a sick world. Brooke's story is just one of millions, including my own. Satan indeed is "a roaring lion, roaming around seeking whom he may devour." He is busier than ever because he knows his time is short. Please feel free to tune in to http://www.thefreedomhour.com/ and click on "past shows" to here how Brooke's story like so many others changes for the glory of God and the restoration of the real Brooke Pelt Crow. For it is all due to the Great Physician. Thank you Lord Jesus for all that You are and all that You do!
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Oh, Happy Day!

Hey everyone, I hope all of you are well this week. I had a wonderful week down at the prison and a wonderful day yesterday to top it off with. There are many of you who may not know that I am one of the prison ministers for my church the Duncanville Church of Christ. My partner, Stek Steck, and I are just two of many volunteers from all sorts of Christ-centered churches from all over the metroplex who have come together as a collaborative to be agents of change for Jesus down at the Dawson St. Jail in downtown Dallas, TX. We oversee three faith-based dorms. Two of them are for men and one women's dorm and it is a huge blessing to be able to do what we do, day in and day out.

Well, yesterday we got to go and just be guest at an event held by Prison Fellowship Ministry who is one of our partners that are involved with the Re-entry aspect of the collaborative. They help find the ladies who are getting out housing, jobs, mentors, and necessities as well as maintaining relationships ongoing after their release. It was such a blessing to see ladies that I haven't seen since they were incarcerated and students of ours. It was so cool to see them with their kids and families. All of them doiong well and still following Jesus and the many smiles that were in that room, all of which are an amazing testimony to the glory of God and His power to save and change lives. Let me tell you that I needed that this week. God is so good. He always has that just right timing in our lives to unveil His goodness and to give us that little boost we need sometimes just when we need it. You see, I love what I do for Jesus. I get to be very involved in pastoring, mentoring, teaching, and encouraging men and women in the love of the Lord. But let's face it, ministry work is not like building a house, mowing a lawn, or fixing an engine as far as getting to see the finished work. Don't get me wrong I see God working in the lives of people everyday, but I also see that there is so much that needs to still be done.

I guess because I have never been much of a gardener I don't have the patience to wait for things to grow, but I'm getting there now as I daily seek to be used by God to show these guys and gals that Jesus is better. I have to constantly remind myself and others that we are seed sowers and if you know anything about planting seeds it's that you have to give them time to grow. Well, yesterday I got to see some harvest. I really am glad that God is so patient with us because after all He is the ultimate farmer. We are His harvest and I am so thankful for His green thumb. The bible teaches that there is great joy in the presence of the angels at every sinner that repents and turns to God for salvation which is harvest from the seeds of the gospel of Jesus Christ. So thank you Lord for saving us and Oh,Happy Day!

Major Majority

Hello everybody, I am glad to be able to write again today. I'm a little late this week because I was out late last night sharing the word at a prison in Bridgeport. We had a great time of worship and I really enjoyed talking about our life in Christ with the guys that came out to the service. They were pumped and I can honestly tell you that there is no church like prison church. You would have to have been locked up or at least visiting a service to know what that means, but if you haven't that's okay too.

We talked last night about some of the things that God hates. You know, things like pride, envy, jealousy, lust, condemning others, lying, adultery and some other stuff that we as Christians are supposed to hate also. It is so easy for us to know that God has a great plan for our lives and loves us unconditionally, but we sometimes forget that there are a lot of things in this world that God does not approve of in any way, shape, or form. We talked about how sin hurts people and how much damage it does to us and others as well as grieving the heart of God. Jesus said in His word, "that those who love Me are they that keep My commands." When I remember Jesus saying that, two commands come to my mind right away. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength" and "love your neighbor as yourself." Jesus also said, "that all the law and the prophets hang on these two commands" meaning that love is the total fulfillment of God's law. Love will do no harm to a neighbor and love done in the second mile will bring glory to God and great reward to us.

I heard that on the radio today and it was just what I needed to be reminded that our loving of those who love us is no credit to us. And our doing of good to those who do good to us is no credit to us either because even sinners do the same. No, it has to be in the going of the extra mile that we invade the enemies territory. By that I mean Satan has blinded the minds of the masses to the gospel of Jesus Christ. The good news that God loves all people and that our sins have been forgiven if we will only turn from them and trust in Christ is sometimes hard to convey unless they see our constant steady love aimed right at them. Most people have been so wounded by others who were selfishly seeking to satisfy their own needs that they have built up walls of mistrust around their hearts to keep from being taken advantage of again. Therefore, sin has got them in a corner and it is our job to show the love of Christ to draw them out into the open where the Christian life is being lived.

In the days when the Romans were in control of the eastern world there was a law that said, "that a Roman soldier at any time could come up to you and drop his 50 lb. backpack and you had to pick it up and carry it one mile in whatever direction he was heading." I think Jesus was alluding to this law when He told His hearers, "if anyone ask you to go with them one mile, then I say go with them two." You see, the first mile is required of us and there is no reward for simply doing what is required. The reward comes when we go the extra mile. Loving people and doing good to them while expecting nothing in return, or even meeting persecution because of it is the highest form of love and only accomplished in the second mile. This kind of love makes people sit up and take notice. This kind of love can even turn an enemy into a friend. I know because it is exactly what Jesus did for us on the Cross. The bible says that, "while we were yet sinners (enemies of God), Christ died for us." Again, here we have God just asking us to do what He has already shown us how to do. He has never asked us to do anything that He Himself hasn't done in full view of the world to see. God always goes the second mile.

In our circle of influence God has sprinkled all around us people who need Him. People who are hard to love. You know who they are. I'm willing to bet when you read that statement their faces just popped into your mind. It's no secret they're in your house, workplace, carpool, and family and they are hard to handle. That's okay though because I'll just bet if you were to ask Jesus, that he would say, " so were you before He got a hold of your heart." So remember this week that we are to hate what God hates and love even to the second mile those that God loves. Oh yeah, if you seem to be outnumbered by the "unlovables" around you, don't worry, you and God are a major majority.

All-Access Pass

Hey everyone, I hope you are having a wonderful day today. I certainly am. I've had some quality time getting prepared for this week down at the prison. I teach classes to about 232 men and women over the course of a week so I always like to prepare on Saturday for most of it. I usually get at least Monday through Wednesday covered and have some built in study time in my schedule during the week for the rest. While I was preparing for my Wednesday Bible class at the church, I found what I wanted to talk about today in the first verse of the first Psalm.

The writer of Psalm 1, believed to be King David, under the influence of the Holy Spirit says, "blessed is the person who does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly..." So on hearing that I had to ask myself if that is biblical? Well I believe it is because of other verses like Proverbs 4:23 which states, " guard your heart with all diligence for out of it spring the issues of life" and Proverbs 1:5, "a wise man will hear and increase learning, and a man of understanding will attain wise counsel." The bible also teaches us that the "fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." So a wise counselor is one who fears the Lord and walks in His ways. Now if I am going to be blessed by not walking in the counsel of ungodly people then I will have to be discerning of who is telling me what. Believe me when I say I want to be blessed. I spent enough of my years not knowing God or about His word and I had the life to prove it. Therefore, I take wise words like these very seriously and will not let the enemy steal any more of my life back by devious counsel and philosophies of destruction.

I came to the conclusion that our Father wants us to limit the flow of information that we take into our minds and hearts. We are supposed to be "guarding" the gateways of entry into our spirits. He has given us this gift of discernment that we are to use and continually be honing for future use. A basic definition for "discern" means to "take apart, investigate, look into." The Latin prefix "dis" means "apart" and the word "cernere" means "to sift." The same Latin word yields the words "dissect" and "discriminate." I must be discriminating at all times about what ideas are being presented to me no matter what the source. Especially if it is an ungodly source which is what I want to discuss with you for a moment.

I have a friend named Rusty down at the prison who also teaches the word of God to men and women and he said it like this the other day to our class. He said, "hey guys, your not going to let the guys in the other dorms around here come into this room where you live and dump their trash all over the floor are you? Then why would you turn on that television set and let the world dump its trash into your minds?" WOW! That kind of hits the nail right on the head. Now that is wise counsel from a wise counselor. You see, counselors come in all shapes and sizes in our culture today. In the days and culture when the Bible was written you had to go out of your way to hear someone sharing their take on the world issues. As a matter of fact there weren't just a whole lot of gathering places except for individual homes, synagogues, marketplaces, and temples of false religions. Nowadays though, all we have to do is turn on the radio, Internet, or pickup a newspaper or magazine, or turn on the boob tube and we have all kinds of lunatics, know-it-alls, and so called experts spouting off worthless wranglings of all sorts about a myriad of subjects. I mean it is unending pure, unadulterated trash and the sad thing is that we open up our lives to it with a push of the button. I know that the entertainment Moguls of this present age do not care about godliness. They only care about one thing, money and lots of it. They use sex to sell everything and the bible teaches us to flee from sexual immorality. They exaggerate and lie about products and their capabilities and fleece unsuspecting (undiscerning) people of their money and dignity when we know that we are to speak truth to our neighbors as well as not stealing from them. I heard an alarming fact the other day that went like this. "If you watch normal (huh!) television for just three hours a day, you will have been exposed to over 14,000 sexually explicit images in one year." My Bible says that we are not to look at a person with lust in our hearts which is adultery. We are being saturated with ungodly counsel coming from ungodly writers, producers, actors, and advertisers who fund the majority of it all for the sake of the all mighty dollar. It is enough! It is sad. They are exactly the ungodly counselors that Psalm 1 is talking about and the horrifying part of it is that we are so entrenched in it that most of you will probably say that "brotherdevon has lost it." Well, that's what some of them say down at the prison too, but I keep preaching the word because that is what I am called to do.

As you can tell this is a subject I feel very strongly about. I know that this world is growing darker and darker. The proof is right there on the screen for everyone who knows God to clearly see. I have made a decision to not sit down and let the world form me into its mold. I have decided to renew my mind with the true godly counselor, the Bible. I'm not going to sit down and watch on T.V. the glorifying of the very sins that nailed our wonderful Savior to the cross. I have the Holy Spirit living inside of me at a great price to Jesus and I'm not going to say to Him as we watch trash on the T.V., "oh it's just entertainment Lord, I would never really do any of it, it's just for fun since I don't have anything else better I could be doing." I pray that you to have discerned that the days are evil and we are to be spending our time wisely, not as fools but as wise children of God. So with that I say to you this week, "please be careful of what your watching and listening to and by all means be sure not to give anyone but Jesus an "All- Access Pass." Faithfully, brotherdevon.