The Journey: Sunday April 22nd

I sit here on a Monday morning instead of Sunday evening thinking about all that God has done along our journey this week.  God has been speaking loudly, challenging me and others on our team and defining many specifics for our next steps.  I will share those in due time.  But this week outside of an awesome worship service with Vertical where Pastor Donnie brought the word about Heaven giving us the truth about what the Bible says and expelling many of the myths that we have always thought.  If you didn’t hear it please go to www.govertical.org and listen to this weeks pod cast as it answers so many questions.  This week FuZion staff also got to go to a great conference on church finances to help us fund the vision and dream God has placed deep inside of us His way and debt free.  We know that is what the Lord desires for us and we give it to Him to accomplish just that.

Our life groups this week God showed us and rocked our worlds.  As we studied the story of Joshua leading the children of Israel into the Promise Land.  This journey was a profound one as they had spent over 40 years in the desert, due to their unbelief,  after being led from captivity and watching God free them from slavery as they saw Him work mightily as they crossed through Red Sea on dry ground.  They are now faced with finally getting to fulfill the promise and dream that God has placed in their hearts & has been talked about for generations.  But they have one more obstacle to overcome.  They have to cross the Jordan River to receive all the blessings and fulfill the promise that God has for them. This won’t be a big problem during any other time of the year due to the Jordan is usually only about 100 feet wide, but God wanted to do what only He can and has called them to cross during the harvest season.  During this seasons is when the Jordan swells to over a mile wide meaning simply that they can’t do it without God.

Read the story found in Joshua 3:1-17.

We all have our Jordan Rivers that we must cross.  I feel as individuals, families and a church that we are faced with our Jordan River.  But we must decided if we are going to settle on the bank of our Jordan just short of the promise of God giving up on our dream and fulfilling the vision God has given us or crossing over into His promise.  Our Jordan is a place that is God ordained, a place of impossibility, of weakness, helplessness, place where self effort dies & the place where we come face to face with our true self seeing our self for who we really are.  It is the dividing line where we are forced to decide are we going to fully trust God or trust in our own efforts.  Why is it so important to cross because crossing over means not only moving from one side to the other but passing over mediocrity.  Crossing over into God’s best!!

As we face our Jordan River there are a few things we must do according to Joshua 3 to cross our Jordan:

1. We must sanctify or cleanse ourselves in preparation for the journey.  This is the first step in the journey due to having to take a hard look are yourself and cut away, let go and allow God to change your life as you prepare to go.

2. We must have a vision of something greater than ourselves.  God has given each of us a vision for what He desires for our lives as well as for FuZion Church.  Having this vision is what helps us keep our focus as we continue along our journey.

3. Next we must choose to commit.  We must totally surrender, become totally dependent upon God knowing that we can’t do it under our own strength and only through Him will we be able to cross.

4. To cross our Jordan we must do it in bare feet.  Simply meaning setting aside all personal agendas, safety and protection that we can provide for ourselves and trust in the Father.

5. The hardest step in crossing our Jordan is that we must do it with wet feet.  God instructed the priest to step into the water before He would stop the flow.  We must take the first step of faith along this journey to see God do His part as He sees us trust in Him to fulfill what He promised.

6. We must trust in God’s perfect timing as to when to cross.  God will always have us cross at the time He will receive the greatest glory.

7. Lastly to cross our Jordan we must be committed to being resilient.  To be resilient we must be capable of bouncing back from challenges and adversities.  To be resilient we must:

a. Focus on the results.  That is why vision is so important because seeing the results of the fulfillment of that vision is what helps us accomplish the task set before us and overcoming those challenges we will face.

b. We must learn from our failures.  If we don’t learn from them we are destine to repeat them.

c. We need to reinforce the God given vision.   Continually remind yourself of what God has called you to so that you keep Jesus as your focus to fulfill that vision.

d. Lastly we must Keep Moving Forward.  We must realize that we are always moving in some direction.  If we stop moving forward toward God and the fulfillment of the vision we are moving backwards.

Take courage as you face your Jordan and know that the journey you are on is worth receiving all that God has for you as  you reach the other side.

Will you stand with me?

After receiving a few comments about my blog yesterday, Why FuZion?, I had several communicate with me that I had nothing to be ashamed of.  I need to share that I am not ashamed of what the Lord has done, is doing and is preparing to do in and through my life.  My prayer is to fulfill His commission upon my life to enlist as many people into the army of God, equip them for battle and take back what the enemy has taken from us.  I have been called to put my heart out there for God to use and to take me to greater depths and heights in my relationship with Him.  This is His church I just get the privilege to lead this awesome church that God has designed and created and He is looking for a others to join me in His army to rescue those who have been wounded and lost.

A mentor of mine shared these thoughts with me -

“Did you ever see anyone at a football game say, ” Well, wasn’t that a nice touchdown, Now, what were we talking about?” We spend mega bucks for sports events, take hours of a day, endure crowds and parking problems, hollar and voice our opinions until hoarse and then want to tell everyone about the game. Duh!!!!!! We cheer a bunch of overpaid jocks, and jocketts, but don’t even think about mentioning the Creator, Sustainer, and Lord of heaven and earth, except on Sunday (maybe).

Like just about everything else in this world, Satan has it all turned upside down. Oh,this is a ‘by the way’. Adam and Eve terminated personal relationship with their Heavenly Daddy; however, Jesus reinstated that relationship and it might be well if some of those sports fans spent some time developing that relationship—it will change their future and daily walk into reality.

No apology necessary for talking about our kinfolks. We don’t have pictures to show but we do have a good family album–the Bible.”

Let me just make it clear who I am:

• I am a soldier in the ARMY of my God.
• The Lord Jesus Christ is my commanding officer.
• The Holy Bible is my code of conduct.
• Faith, Prayer, and the Word of God are my weapons of warfare.
• I’ve been taught and trained by the Holy Spirit.
• Tried by adversity, and tested by fire.
• I am a volunteer in this ARMY, and I’m enlisted for all eternity.
• I will either retire at the rapture, or die in this ARMY, but I will not get out, sell out, be talked out or pushed out.
• I am faithful, reliable, capable, and ready.
• If my God can use me, I am there.
• If He needs me anywhere I am there.
• I am a soldier, not a baby.
• I do not need to be pampered, petted, primed up, or pumped up.
• I am a soldier in the Lord’s Army.
• No one has to call me, remind me, bribe me, allure me, or visit me. I AM NOT A WIMP.
• No one has to send me cards, flowers or gifts. I do not need to be cuddled, cared for or catered to.
• I am fully committed.
• I cannot have my feelings hurt bad enough to turn me around.
• I can’t be discouraged enough to turn me aside.
• I can’t lose enough to cause me to quit.
• When Jesus called me in this ARMY I had nothing, If I end up with nothing, I will still be ahead.
• I WILL WIN.
• My God has and will continue to supply all of my needs.
• I am more than a conqueror.
• I will always triumph.
• I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.
• Devils cannot defeat me, people can’t disillusion me, weather can’t wear me, sickness cannot stop me, battles can’t defeat me, money can’t buy me, and Hell cannot handle me!!!!
• I am a soldier in the Lord’s Army.
• Even death can’t destroy me. When my commander calls me from this battlefield, He will promote me, and I will reign with Him.
• I am a soldier in this ARMY, and I am marching claiming victory.
• I will not give up or turn around.
• I will not be quiet or be silenced
• I will give my all and nothing less
• I will be obedient!!
• I am a soldier, been given my orders & there are people I am being sent to rescue, help, guide, & bring home.
• I am a soldier marching heaven bound, & here I stand.

Are you Bold enough?  Ready to fight?  Willing to fulfill your orders at all cost?

Do you Who You are?

WHO WILL STAND WITH ME? 

(If you will join me and stand – leave your name as a comment)

Why FuZion?

                         Why FuZion?

I have been asked why I am so obsessive about this FuZion Thing.  I have asked if there is anything else that I think about? I have been asked do I realize that the name is misspelled? God has been preparing me to do something bigger than myself since I started in ministry.  He has been grooming me and mold me to be ready to plant a church.  But not church as usual but one that “meets people where they are to lead them into a contagious faith so they will lead others to Jesus.”  As we “create a place for people who don’t like church would love to belong and met Jesus.” That is way outside the norm and something that drives me to see this grand and awesome vision fulfiled.

I have been told that seems to be all that I talk about. Sharing the God given Vision of FuZion and our Purpose.  You want to know why, because this vision and purpose isn’t something that I have leading me to plant a church but it has ME… driving me to be obedient and fulfill His vision to plant FuZion Church.  The more that I move toward Jesus and the fulfillment of this vision and purpose for my life the more excited and focused I become over it.

When we went public with the vision to plant FuZion Church in the Raeford area to reach those families far from God living in Raeford and the surround area, including many active-duty families working on Ft. Bragg. But with each step closer I get to seeing this vision fulfilled and God showing us the next step to take the more I see what its really all about.  He has shown us the importance of why we should become FuZed to Jesus.  So why not  FuZion!!

IT’S ALL ABOUT JESUS! (Scream this out loud as you read it and you will discover just how secret this idea really is because everyone around you will begin looking at you like you are out of your mind).

The Bible tells us in Colossians 1:16, “For BY HIM all things were created; things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created BY HIM and FOR HIM.” If life is all about HIM, then why do we spend so much time thinking about us? It is time to look at FuZion and take our eyes off our puny little lives and look to the One in Whom this life, our world and our universe belongs.

History is not about a story of the world, it is HIStory, a story about Jesus. Think about it like this:

• Creation is not about us and how we evolved, it is about Jesus and how He brought everything into existence.
• The cross is not about religious ideologies, it is about Jesus and His plan to redeem the world from the curse of sin.
• Your existence in this world is not about your plans and dreams, it is about a life that has been established in order to bring glory to Jesus.

It is time for the CHURCH in America to take its eyes off of its programs, preferences and personal agendas and FuZe its eyes on Jesus. This is what FuZion is all about. My desire, along with the other leaders of  FuZion Church is to facilitate an environment that helps people get their eyes off of themselves and become FuZed to Jesus. We want to “meet people where they are leading them into a contagious faith so they lead others to Jesus.”

Want to learn more? Discover why FuZion needs to be a part of our life? Discover why I am obsessed with FuZion? I want to share more with you in a more personal setting. If you would like to learn more and discover Why FuZion then email me so we can set up a time to do just that.

So, what CAN you do? You can join our online community on Facebook by going to our page and pressing the like button.   Then you can share this page with your friends and family and ask them to like us as well.

Look forward to connecting with you and sharing more of Why FuZion!

LET’S BLOW THIS UP FOR GOD’S GLORY!!!

The Journey: Sunday, April 15th

As I sit here tonight thinking of all God has done over the past several weeks I am in awe.  My heart is overjoyed with what He has , is and preparing the way for us to do.  After and awesome celebration last Sunday we have enjoyed our time of fellowship and study in our Life groups this past week.  God’s presence was there in a mighty way.  He challenged each of us to Go Deeper in Him.  He has called all of us into a deeper relationship with Him but it is our choice if we will go to that deeper level.  All of us say we want to have a deep relationship with Jesus but do we really?  Do we really want to give up space in our hearts & lives for Him?  It’s hard to answer this honestly but we know that we don’t want to let go.  For us to go deeper in our relationship with Jesus it will require us to make more room for Him in our hearts and lives.  That requires us to let go of many things for Him to have the room to habitat in our hearts.  But what are we willing to let go of or get rid of so we can give more room to God in our lives?

God has called us to be a part of something that is near and dear to His heart.  That is planting a church.  For us to be able to do that it requires us to more to the next level with Jesus by growing into a deeper relationship with Him.  God has called us to be a part of helping lead His church to reach our community for Him.  We learned this week that we can’t lead anyone to a place we haven’t been.  Which means we have to continually be growing and giving up more space so we can become like the scripture says that “we will decrease so that God can increase in our lives. ”  We should do more than just give Him a little more room, realize we serve a jealous God and He wants it all.  He not only wants all the room you have but more than that He wants the deed to your heart and life allowing Him to lead and guide every area of your daily life.  So the question we were challenged with is “How much more room will we give to God?”

God has also been working on me in many different levels.  He has been blessing me with all kinds of work, fulfilling His promise to take care of ALL our needs as well as pruning me in other areas.  I know that I can’t lead anyone to someplace I haven’t been so God has been making it personal with me as He challenges me and calls me to deeper levels in Him and my trust in Him.  As we continue on the journey of FuZion Church God has been taking me on a journey myself as I discover who I am, who He has created me to be and that He isn’t satisfied with the depth of our relationship He wants more.  He has been leading me through some challenging things which has strengthened my faith, even though at times I failed, He continues to challenge me to be all that He needs me to be.  He continues to challenge me as a leader, teaching me, correcting me and developing me into the leader He needs me to be.  I am so excited and love the journey He has me on because that shows me that I am moving in the right direction as I continue to see Him bless me in ways that I never saw coming.  I continue to move in the direction of the Cross (Jesus) so that I can continue to grow in Him as I lead my family.

I am so excited by all that God has been up to personally, in my marriage, through my relationships, in our home, in my parenting, in my development and in so many other places.  I see Him working mightily in the lives of the people who He has called to stand beside me as we move toward planting FuZion Church.  I want you to know that I love my church, FuZion is awesome and developing into something greater than I could have ever imagined and I look forward to seeing the greater vision of what He has for us.  I not only love my church, I love my pastor, Mike Pitman and I love each person God has called to be a part of our team and family as we prepare to be a part of a life transforming mission to reach people who don’t like church and create a place for them to belong to and introduce them to Jesus.  Thank you so much for your continued support and most importantly your prayers.

We are looking for individuals, couples, churches, small groups or whomever that would join our prayer team to pray for FuZion Church.  If you are interested please email me at fuzionraeford@gmail.com so I can get you on the list and send you a copy of our prayer needs and continue to update you as we see God answer prayers and update prayer needs.  I pray that everyone reading this will faithfully support us in prayer by joining this team to pray for FuZion Church as well as its pastor.  I pray that God will richly bless you this week as you walk in Him and surrender more space in your heart and go to deeper levels in your relationship with Him!!

Learning Along the Way

One of the things that we have been constantly reminded about as we plant FuZion Church is that we have never done this before. Funny how many books you can read, how many podcasts you can learn from and how many messages you can hear. These resources, while hugely valuable, can also make you feel like you know what you’re doing.

But to be honest we don’t. We have never planted a church before. We have DEFINITELY never planted a church aimed at creating a place for people who don’t like church would love to belong and meet God. And in there is the challenge.  Even though we have a great partner in Vertical Church and excellent wisdom and mentoring being shared with us from Pastor Mike Pittman and his staff, God is doing something NEW which means even though we can learn from others and things that are working God has created a new mold for FuZion and we must follow that mold in developing the church that He has envisioned.

As we’ve been working on developing FuZion our goal has not been to do everything as an organized church, but rather, we have been organizing a church. But in our development there have been times where we failed to communicate things that needed to be communicated. There have also been instances where we failed to follow-up with people who were in charge of making things happen. Other times we failed to cover some bases because we thought someone else had it covered.

As we’ve been working on developing FuZion our goal has not been to do everything as an organized church, but rather, we have been organizing a church.

Important thing is that we have learned from these failures. And that’s what we’re supposed to do, right. I think we have failed at times to remind people  that we were in the learning process and mislead people to think that the way we are now is the way we will be when we launch. I CAN ASSURE YOU WE WILL BE FAR FROM THIS. Our heart is that on opening day we will function as if we’ve been doing this for many years – I believe we will do this – we will settle for nothing less.

That being said,  negative feedback isn’t negative at all unless we fail to correct. Feedback is positive – we learn from feedback and won’t improve if we don’t. The reason I’m sharing this is because I believe in transparency, as one of our core values states that we will Be Real & Be True. I don’t wanna act like we have everything together when we don’t and the truth is we are learning and adjusting and becoming a better organization each and everyday.

If we would have stayed on the sidelines and never planted we would have never had to worry about failing. I’m glad we decided to lay it on the line – failures and all.  The question I have is are you going to be a part of helping us prepare for launching FuZion God’s way?

The Journey: Easter Sunday April 8th

Wow! All can I say is Praise the Lord.  This has been an awesome day and week in the life of FuZion Church.  Many of us worshiped together with our parent church, Vertical Church in Lumberton, this morning as we saw God work in mighty ways.  His presence was strong and He was really touching lives.  We witnessed countless numbers of people getting saved and saw 48 people go into the baptismal waters as they boldly declared what God had done in their life.  I had the privilege to  baptize two from FuZion Church this morning which just blow me away.  I know God is and has been at work and can’t wait to see what He has in store for us in the days to come.  All I can say is that I love FuZion Church and every person that makes up the body of who we are.  Today I wanted to celebrate with W.D. & Hope as they have taken the next step being baptized this morning by sharing with you some pictures and the videos of their baptism.  As exciting as getting to be in the presences of God and worshiping Him in real and personal ways I had one come up to me after church asking to be baptized and another just about to take that step.  I am in awe and humbled by all that God has done this past week with our great life groups meeting and hearing the way God is working in and through each of your lives.  I know that God’s vision gets bigger and bigger each day and I can’t wait to see all that He has in store for us as we continue down the journey He has us on.  I would love to list each of people who make up FuZion but I just want each of you to know that I love you, am Godly proud of your decisions to be obedient and be a part of launching FuZion, I am excited and humbled to be your pastor and it thrills me beyond words to see God working in your lives.  All I can say is the best is yet to come.

This is W. D. & Hope as they made the next step in their faith journey.  Check out other pictures on our FuZion Facebook pg.  While you’re there, if you haven’t already, “like” us and join our online community.  I am so excited and look forwarded to what tomorrow brings.

W.D. Baptism from FuZion Church on Vimeo.

Hope Baptism from FuZion Church on Vimeo.

FuZion Church in a Nut Shell

Are you wanting to know about FuZion Church?  Looking for answers to some of the basic questions about who we are and what we believe?  You are not alone.  Many are asking the same questions.  So today I will answer 5 essential questions about FuZion Church.  Click on each question to see the answer.

1.  Why is your name FuZion?

2.  What kind of church will this be?

3.  How will you be this kind of church?

4.  Why do we need another church in Raeford?

5.  What are your core beliefs?  (click on each one to see explanation)

• Love God/ Love All
• Be Real Be True
• Worship ONE
• Speak Life through Prayer
• Each 1 Reach 1
• We are a church OF small groups NOT With.
• Church about Multiplication

I hope you are as excited as I am about what God wants to do in Raeford.  Maybe you want to know more or would like to join the team.  We  would love to sit down and share more by simply emailing us at fuzionraeford@gmail.com.   We would also love if you would connect with us by joining our online community on Facebook by going to www.facebook.com/fuzionchurch and like us by pressing the like button.  If you have any questions please email the pastor at fuzionraeford@gmail.com.