The prudent see danger and take refuge,
but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.
- Proverbs 22:3
I am blessed to have older children now, and it is very much a blessing to discuss things with them on an adult level, especially if they desire to look at all things from a Biblical perspective. Adult children are so much different than children who are still in their youth. One discussion some of my children and I have had within the last year was about the phrase, “everyone is replaceable.”
Admittedly, this phrase has always bothered me, even before I was a Christian, because it never really rang true with me at all. And I do mean AT ALL. To me, it really seems to be a phrase that’s nothing more than a threat; if you don’t fall in line, you’re replaceable. Is this really true, though? Again, I contend, not at all. I’ll even go so far as to say it is definitely NOT biblical in the least, and sadly, it has greatly impacted the Church and pastors all over the United States of America. Many now seemingly believe this abhorrent phrase to be true. Please think and pray about it. Why in the world do local churches now have HR departments? The R in that stands for resources, not relationships. And isn’t that really what the church should be about? Relationships.
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
- Matthew 22:37-40
Our spiritual life should be about our relationship with God and our relationships with each other, not how I can use and abuse you for my benefit. That is ungodly.
Why do I so strongly and confidently claim this phrase is not biblical and is merely a threat to try and keep people in line? Because the Bible is clear that:
- We are fearfully and wonderfully made.
- We are God’s handiwork.
- We are all unique.
- God has given each of us gifts and talents because he has prepared for us in advance the good we ought to do.
Admittedly, I am sick and tired of seeing people just put “bodies into slots.” We do this all the time now in the American church, and it’s time for the church to stop following the way of the carnal world and realize we need to do things differently – Biblically. There is a right way to do things, and that is God’s way. It’s time for church leadership to own the fact that many of us have bought the corporate world mindset into the church, which is not of God at all. It is carnal.
Again, we’ve all heard it, “Everyone is replaceable.” Let me share with you what I believe is an eye-opening way to see how bad this phrase truly is. When we start looking at people as resources, “cogs” in a machine and not as unique individuals made in the image of God, we truly begin to believe that we can replace others at the same level of impact as before. For instance, if we have someone in a position that is incredibly effective in what they are doing and they are truly gifted, why would we think replacing them with someone with completely different gifts and talents will be as effective and as impactful? It truly makes no sense to me. Let’s use the “cog” idea to understand my concern over this. Why would we think getting rid of someone that is a steel cog and replacing them with a plastic cog would work and work fine? It won’t. Oh sure, for a time it might work and seemingly work well, but over time that person without the right talents and giftings is going to struggle and will start to fall apart like a plastic cog in a machine.
Now, can people grow and strengthen their weaknesses? With the Lord’s help, yes, of course. Sadly, though, it seems to me that far too many of us have bought into the idea of not living in our giftings. I believe it is very important for Christians to embrace who God has created us to be and become. By embracing how we’ve been created by God to live and be, we truly can live out the idea that in our weakness, He is strong. By leaning on God’s design and strengthening the strengths He has given to us, we will be strong in our weakness. Without God, we are weak. In our weakness, He is strong. When we surrender our lives to God, in our weakness, He is strong because we embrace who He has made us to become. Let’s strive to be strong in the Lord and stop being a “cog” in the machine!
Next week, I plan to share why focusing on our God-given gifts and talents is so incredibly important in advancing the Kingdom of God here on the earth.
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“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
- Romans 8:28
Back in 2006, due to a change in leadership in the church I was serving in and a change in ministry direction from that leadership, I believed that God was calling me to leave a very successful youth ministry that I and many others had poured our hearts into for many, many years. It was a very difficult decision to make because the previous leadership I served under had supported us (with their actions, words, and even finances) in training and equipping the students in the youth ministry to go out and speak into other youth around the country for the sake of the gospel.
Not only had we already made trips to other states with music and conference events, but we had been training our team of adults and youth for literally years before this new leadership and direction came into this church. I was even told by the new leadership that we don’t need you going all around the country teaching and sinking into other youth. We need you sinking into our youth here. Yes, this was emphasized by the new leadership that our youth at the church were what mattered. It was incredibly mind-blowing to me because this new leadership said they were all about reaching out to the unsaved and the unchurched. What they really meant was that we are all for reaching out to the lost if it is our idea and not yours.
Admittedly, I was seriously devastated! All of that work, time, effort, and spending of money happened for what purpose? God and I had many conversations over that time.
It’s just one reason why I hold to the belief I do regarding Romans 13 and submitting to earthly authorities. Either God establishes the authorities on this earth or He doesn’t. At that time, I had a serious choice to make:
#1. Stay at the church God had called me to, and rebel against this new direction they believed they were called to go in.
#2. Stay and be quiet while being incredibly miserable, being paid a good wage in order to “take care of my family,” and in doing so, not follow God in what He was calling me to do.
#3. Leave and stay the course with what God was calling me and my family to do.
It was a tough decision to make. Many at that time, and with what seemed to be good intentions, tried to counsel and sway me away from leaving to officially start full-time with Worldview Warriors. They tried to sway me into staying in my position by reminding me I had a responsibility to support my wife and to provide for our 6 children. It was so incredibly difficult inside and outside of our home. However, when is it not difficult when God is calling you to something outside of your comfort zone and much bigger than yourself? So, after almost 10 years of ministry in a wonderful youth ministry position, with much prayer, godly counsel, and tears, I chose to follow God’s leading for my family and me, even though I thought Worldview Warriors, with the support of the first pastor I served under, would be a huge part of this congregation and its ministry.
After leaving this youth ministry position, in June of 2007, I made a very pointed decision to strive to get into the world of atheists, agnostics, and non-believers in Jesus Christ to try and understand better what they believed and how they chose to think. During that same time, I went from working in a very wonderful office setting and hanging out with people in person a lot to working out of a dark, dingy basement by myself for a time. Sometime in 2008 to 2009, I was the only founder left in Worldview Warriors. During that time, I learned a lot about how people think and why they believe what they believe. You see, before God put me on this path, I thought the majority of people would see truth and accept truth as truth once they were exposed to the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Boy, was I wrong! What I have experienced since 2007 has been a whole other experience altogether. I think what has been and is still the most shocking experience on this journey is the fact that many people do not understand the difference between an opinion and the truth. It has been incredibly eye-opening to me because before I was a Christ follower, when I was out searching for the truth, I wanted the truth regardless of where it took me. I didn’t care if what I thought was wrong. I didn’t care if it was uncomfortable, and I certainly didn’t care if I disagreed with it. All I wanted was the TRUTH at all costs.
Today, unfortunately, many people are not really interested in the truth. My experience has been that they want to be right at all costs and want their beliefs, even if they are wrong, to be confirmed as true. Many today desire good gifts and good outcomes even when the truth of God or God’s natural law says otherwise.
This brings me to the title of this blog post and why it is so important. Failing has the potential to be an incredible teacher of how not to do things in order to lead a person to the truth. When a person keeps doing the same thing over and over and not learning from their failures, they are not living up to their incredible potential given to them by God Almighty. When a person is stiff-necked and is unwilling to change their ways to find the truth, that person is just stuck – stuck in misery and stuck in failure. That person can also be stuck in victimhood, instead of victory in Jesus.
Once a person realizes they are stuck in failure and they choose to do something about it, by choosing God’s way over their own, or at the very least trying to do things God’s way, it can be a very freeing day for that person and their life in Christ. Victory in Jesus is right there for the taking if we are willing to grab hold of it and surrender our lives to Jesus Christ.
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As a child, I was blessed to grow up in the home of a railroader who loved his family dearly. Even though it seemed at times that my mother desired to work outside the home, she chose to stay home when my sister and I were younger, well into our junior high years. I had no idea what a blessing this all truly was, nor did I realize the sacrifices my father and mother made for us in many things until I was much older. My father was your typical railroader who was incredibly strong and very mentally tough. Once my mother became a follower of Jesus Christ, my father “knew” my mother was meeting with some other guy at the church she would bring my sister and me to almost weekly. Dare I say, my father seemed quite jealous of this other guy.
In the mid-1970s, on a cold and snowy evening in Minnesota, my father got into a very bad car accident where the jaws of life were needed to cut him out of his car. Near as we can tell, he had fallen asleep at the wheel and hit a culvert head-on. The only injuries he received were a broken collarbone and a gash on the top of his head. Looking back, he probably had a nasty concussion, too.
The only people who went to see him in the hospital were people from that church and the pastor of that congregation. My mother had been going to see a guy at the church… His name was Jesus Christ, and she was learning how to love Him and surrender her life to Him. My father surrendered his life to Jesus Christ in that hospital, thanks to the love not only of God but also because of the example of Christ he saw in the people of that congregation and of Pastor Wallace Henk.
In 2025, at my father’s Celebration of Life service, a dear friend of ours got up and spoke about my father and his love, not only for the Lord, but also about how my father lived in leading people to the Lord. He said, “Frank was just… RELENTLESS!” And that right there is THE word that explains my father well. He was relentless in everything. My father NEVER shut off. Being the son of a man like this was very trying at times. He was always striving for excellence. Whether it was work time, play time, or just relaxing time, he was RELENTLESS! I am thankful for him showing my sister and me the importance of living life for Christ in everything. He was relentless for the Lord.
Years ago, as an adult, one of my disciplers introduced me to something that my father never formally introduced me to, but that my father lived out in every second of every day. He set the example in everything he did. It’s what I am about to share with you: 10 Biblical convictions that every Godly man should teach his family.
Discipleship is so important, especially of a father to his own children. Sadly, it seems as if this is something that many of us have lost the art of doing. In the United States of America and even inside the Church, the breakdown of the family that God has instituted is more obvious and more prevalent than ever. I believe we need to get back to what God has established if we are to move forward as a Church and a nation.
I hope and pray that you will prayerfully consider implementing the following in your own life and in the life of your family.
#1 - God alone is sovereign. The Bible is the inspired Word of God and needs to be the final authority for my life. (Exodus 20:3; Matthew 4:4)
#2 - Seeking God with my whole heart needs to be my priority in my life. I need to build goals around God's priorities. (Exodus 20:4-5; Matthew 6:33)
#3 - My body is the living temple of the Lord God and must not be defiled by the lusts of this world. (Exodus 20:7; Mark 7:21-23)
#4 - The Church I attend must teach the foundational truths of the Bible and reinforce my basic convictions. (Exodus 20:8; 2 Chronicles 7:14; Matthew 7:15-16)
#5 - My children and grandchildren belong to God. It is my responsibility to teach them scriptural principles, Godly character, and basic convictions. (Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 6:6-7; Matthew 19:14)
#6 - My actions must never weaken the Scriptural convictions of another Christian brother or sister. (Exodus 20:13; Proverbs 28:10; Matthew 18:6; Romans 14:13)
#7 - My marriage is a life-long commitment to God and to my wife. (Exodus 20:14; Proverbs 6:32; Matthew 19:6; Romans 7:2-3)
#8 - The money I have is a trust from God. It must be earned and managed according to Scriptural principles. (Exodus 20:15; Proverbs 15:6; Luke 16:11; 1 Timothy 6:10)
#9 - My words must be in harmony with God’s Word, especially when attempting to reprove and restore a Christian brother. (Exodus 20:16; Proverbs 18:21; Matthew 12:37; Galatians 6:1)
#10 - My affections and desires must be set on things above, not on earthly things. (Exodus 20:17; Matthew 6:20-21)
“Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love” (1 Corinthians 16:13-14).
In other words:
- Be on alert for spiritual danger!
- Stand on God's Word no matter what!
- Let your actions then speak! Be courageous!
- Be Strong!
- Be long-suffering, kind, and loving!
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As most of you know, my earthly father passed away in April of 2025. I greatly miss him. Other than Jesus Christ, He is easily the greatest man I have ever known. I am incredibly blessed to call him not only father but friend. Now that he’s in heaven with the Lord, I wish I had given even more of my time to spend with him in person, on the phone, or even playing more cribbage. He truly loved to play cribbage, and thankfully, he passed the love of that game on to me. My father always wanted to preach and desired to share the truth in love with those he knew and didn’t know. I think deep down, he always desired to do something as a father and son in this realm. We did do a little bit together, but not at all what it could have been.
So I am pleased to announce that my oldest son, Ezra, and I will be starting a new podcast in 2026. It will be titled “Falling Apples” – hence the title of this blog post. My son mentioned while recording these editions that, “It sure would have been nice to have Grandpa here to do this with us so we could have the perspective of three generations on what we are going to discuss.” And that brings me to part of the reason for this blog post.
My mother has given me two incredible gifts. One is my father’s Bible. It is loaded with highlights and his own personal notes and cross-references. LOADED! The second gift is one of his personal journals from 2002-2003. There are so many writings in this journal that it is going to take me years to read through them and compile what he has written. This is where my son and I are hoping to receive a gift from him, but also to share with people, like you – a gift that we didn’t know we could give. On “Falling Apples,” we are hoping to not only share what we believe the Lord is leading us to share with you, but also share much of the Godly insight, wisdom, and passion from my father through his writings. We are hoping this podcast will just be organic, real, raw, and very transparent. We currently have a Facebook page for this podcast, so please be on the lookout for new information coming out about this new endeavor.
To finish up this post, I’d like to share one of the writings from my father so you can get to know his heart better.
“CHOICES”
Deuteronomy 30:11-20
Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, “Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, “Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.
See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.
But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.
This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Cherries fruit tastes wonderful, but at the same time, the PIT contains deadly poison – CYANIDE.
Our life and choices we make are not much unlike this fruit; if anything, life is like this fruit. We must choose daily between good and evil, like choosing to read God’s Word and praying (talking with Him). BUT it’s when we choose to do otherwise that we slowly poison our souls, and so slowly that over time we begin to think and justify that what we are doing is OK. Like the cherries, life doesn’t have to be the pits; you see, my choices make the difference.
Choice.
Colossians 2:6 states, “as you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.” “JUDGMENTAL” ME.
We want to have our cake and eat it too. What a saying. A lot of the time, no. Way too often, we attempt to establish our relationship with God by the feelings of mountain-top experiences and move dramatically from one to another. What happens is if these tippy top happenings aren’t a part of our lives, we believe that our faith is weakening (a feelings-centered faith).
Didn’t verse Colossians 2:6 say, “Walk in Him,” a Christ-centered faith?
We need Him in the highs AND lows of our lives. When we do, our lives will become rooted and grounded in Him. Like those things that grow from the earth, their roots need to grow deep to give stability to the plant. Those mountain-top experiences can and are beneficial, but nothing will profit each of us more than our ongoing CHRIST-centered life of faith.
James 1:2-3
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
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Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.
Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil.
It will be health to your flesh, and strength to your bones.
- Proverbs 3:5-8
The title of this blog post is a quote that my good friend Shane Adams says a lot. For those of you seeing it possibly for the first time, it basically refers to the importance of everyone who is a part of an organization or of a group needing to get on the same page in their beliefs before moving forward. “Alignment Before Assignment.” It conveys the idea that when dealing with a group of people, it is wise to try and get everyone not necessarily to be thinking the same thing, but to get them heading in the same direction before giving a destination of where we should be heading. “Alignment before assignment.” This is, in essence, how Jesus taught His disciples, and it is virtually the example of Christ in leading people. It seems that many, even inside the Church, struggle with this idea.
Some of you might be wondering why I write that many inside the Church struggle with this idea. Relating to denominational differences, this is attributed to John Wesley: "In the essentials, unity; in the non-essentials, freedom; in all things, love."
This quote is something I heard many, many years ago while serving under Pastor Derik Hines and Pastor Marc Quinter. It is a quote I learned to embrace as a youth minister. It helped me think through and realize not just the importance of working with all Christians to advance the Kingdom of God, but the importance of embracing our differences in theology and differences in methods – our denominational differences. Though I learned this and attempted to practice this for many years, I had not yet realized how many others struggled with this concept and putting this into practice in their own lives. This is part of the reason we started Worldview Warriors.
At the inception of this ministry, I had no idea about the incredible journey God was about to take me, my wife, my children, and some close friends on. I freely admit that I was naïve, mainly because we had not taken the journey yet. Throughout this time, I came to embrace the very fact that people are people and that not all differences are bad or should be a struggle in relationships with one another. Many people today seem to want to change someone else to be in their “own image” or make that person do their “bidding,” instead of embracing who God has made that person to be with the gifts and talents He has given to that person. Hence, dare I say, many people end up abusing others for the sake of growing their own little kingdom here on the earth, instead of growing the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in Heaven.
I write all of this because for years, I struggled with the very fact that, in my mind, some Christians just didn’t seem to “get it” regarding the importance of advancing God’s Kingdom here on the earth. I have come to realize this was pride and arrogance on my part. I was being incredibly judgmental of others at that time, and I apologize for doing this. I hope and pray that if I have offended anyone that you can come to a place of forgiving me.
Now, with all that said, I have found “my tribe,” if you will, and I have come to realize the importance of the meaning of John Wesley’s words even more than before. This journey we have been on has brought us to a congregation named Evangelical Pietist Church of Chatfield, just north of Bucyrus, Ohio. Two years ago, by becoming the pastor of this small congregation in Ohio, the Lord has brought me much peace of mind in loving God, loving others, and truly striving to live for Him in all that I do.
“It is not enough to have knowledge of the Christian faith, for Christianity consists rather of practice. Christianity should not be docile, but active. We should therefore awaken a fervent love among our Christians, first, toward one another and then toward all men.”
- Philipp Jakob Spener, the father of Pietism (1635-1705)
While understanding the grace that God gives is incredibly important, we also must begin to understand and strive to put our faith in Jesus Christ into action. It’s both/and. It’s not an either/or proposition. In my personal experience, with many people inside the Church, pastors as well as those lay leaders who belong to the priesthood of believers, many seem to believe that it’s one or the other:
#1. The grace of God only inasmuch to where we have no responsibility whatsoever in advancing the Kingdom of God here on earth or
#2. Work, work, work, work, work! In and for the Lord, but work. It’s both/and. We need to be studying, reading, and listening for the voice of God and then putting His word into action. Hear the voice of God and obey. It really is that simple.
Some of you might be wondering how this all connects with the ministry of Worldview Warriors. For years, we here at Worldview Warriors have been about encouraging and equipping students and the saints to Impact this generation for Jesus Christ. Short of the Lord leading us in a completely different direction, we won’t stop doing that. But we know we need to get better at discipleship. We have been encouraging and equipping not only students but their parents and grandparents in being prepared to share their faith in Jesus Christ, and now we are looking to engage even more with small groups and discipleship. This is all still a work in progress, but know that as a ministry, we are seeking the Lord as individuals and in groups through prayer and studying God’s Word for guidance and direction for ourselves and for Worldview Warriors.
What does the future hold? I truly don’t know. What I do know, though, is that this is a very exciting time during this part of the journey. I hope and pray you will come along with us during this amazing time of uncertainty and transparency. Please continue to pray.
Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.
The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
- Psalm 1
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Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
– Romans 12:2
When I was still living in Seattle, Washington, in the 1990s and living my own way, God brought an amazing man into my life who challenged me greatly, both in the way I was living and the way I thought about things connected to life. I was not a follower of Jesus Christ by any stroke of the imagination, but he sure was. Even while my friends and I would be hanging out at the clubs, living our lives the way we wanted, there he was hanging out with us, drinking his Coca-Cola. Even though we were flat-out heathens, he chose to work and live with us, “godless heathens.” Little did I realize how God was going to use this man in my life to help draw me closer to Him.
For about four months, Danny discipled me in the strangest way. He not only lived with us, but he also challenged me in my thoughts and beliefs with a lot of questions. He would always ask me questions like, Why do you think that’s true? Or, how do you know you are being told the truth? Then he would give me something to read up on and dig into. We would then talk about that, and he would keep leading me to Jesus Christ, the Author and Creator of life. In and through that time, I grew in the Lord immensely; I just didn’t know it. I was going to go wherever truth took me, and that journey to truth led me to Jesus Christ.
I have also been blessed to be discipled by many incredible men of God over my lifetime. Their biblical beliefs and convictions have impacted me greatly as a follower of Jesus Christ. At the time, I really had no idea how much this would impact not only me but my family as well. Consciously choosing to take the “narrow path” Jesus Christ teaches on is an amazing journey, but it can also be a very difficult journey. Now that I am an older man, I make certain that when I am about to begin discipling someone, I try to warn them about the cost that this journey will have, not only on their own life, but with human relationships they have as well.
Choosing to follow Christ is not for the faint of heart. He is, after all, I believe, the strongest man to ever walk this planet. If you don’t agree with my assessment, please consider that He took on all of the sin of the world for all time onto Himself. He did this while all of His earthly friends deserted Him, and His Father in heaven left Him. I am in awe of what the Savior of the world did.
Over the past year, I have been meeting with not only a small group of young men, but a small group of older men as well. It’s becoming more and more clear to me about what God is not just calling Worldview Warriors to do, but it’s more and more clear to me about what the Church is supposed to do. It’s time for those who are older to genuinely sink into the younger generations with not only the good news of Jesus Christ but to challenge them to live for Christ in all they do, truly following the example of Jesus Christ. The older generations need to see that many in the younger generations desire to seek and serve the Lord and have much to offer, too.
With all of that said, I am planning to start a discipleship group for young men interested in growing in the Lord, starting on Saturday, October 11, at 10:15 am for 7 weeks. We are planning to meet at Evangelical Pietist Church of Chatfield, located at 3535 Chatfield Center Road, Bloomville, Ohio. If you or someone you know might be interested in joining these young men, you can write me at epcpastor.1@gmail.com for more information and direction. You can also message us on the Worldview Warriors Facebook page.
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It's beyond obvious now, for those paying attention, how much the world has changed, and how much the United States of America has gotten away from the Biblical principles that our nation was founded upon. We are now beginning to finally see what so many of us have been warning about for decades.
We are receiving the consequences of our actions, or dare I say inaction and silence, on many of our parts in the Church. This has brought not only chaos, but much anger in many people inside and outside of the Church. Many are now seemingly believing that they are justified in becoming the very thing that they feared for so many years.
What is that?
They are becoming tyrants or are seemingly choosing to support tyranny in order to get their way. They are forcing others to live Biblically, even when a person might not agree with it. Sadly, many inside the church are now embracing this idea that forcing others to follow Jesus and his ways is good, right, and true.
Even though you might think it's good, it is not good. Jesus never forced people to follow Him. Did he challenge, equip, and educate them? Well, yes. Forcing someone, who is an adult, to do what you want them to do, for the most part, is not good.
It is exactly what I personally have been warning about for so long. I have been encouraging all of us who are followers of Christ to be on the lookout for this within our own hearts. It's why I have had to step back from the ministry of Worldview Warriors for a time in order to try to get my house and family in order.
Discipleship is so incredibly important. It isn't cute, and it doesn't always have a great impact in the short term. But follow the example of Christ and consciously choose to sink into the few in order to reach the many, for Jesus Christ is the answer! I am convinced of this!
So, with this in mind, I would like to share with you what I have been up to over the past two years. After much prayer, consideration, and counsel, I have been pastoring a small church in the state of Ohio, where we have been digging into the Word of God, worshiping, and fellowshipping together. We have been striving to know Christ and are trying to make Him known. We are striving to learn and act in allowing the Holy Spirit to work in and through us. Do we have it all figured out? Absolutely not! However, we have been and are continuing to embrace the importance of discipleship within the body of Christ.
I am convinced that we must follow the example of Jesus Christ when sinking into His people if we are going to see any movement and action for the Kingdom of God in this world. We must have alignment before assignment.
It is time to continue to grow and become mature and complete in the Lord, so we can then act and be doers of the Word, as it tells us to do in James 1:19-25.
Over the past two years, I have been blessed to personally lead a number of small discipleship groups. God has not only allowed me the opportunities to lead young men, but God has also allowed me to be in relationships with many older men and women as well. They have been an incredible blessing to me. I hope I have been able to bless them, too.
God has also given me the amazing opportunity to sink into the lives of many young ladies and other young men to discipline them through a sports ministry that, with the help of others, my family and I started back in 2018. It is called The Senedot Stripes. Why am I sharing all this? Because starting this winter, we will slowly start rolling out opportunities, starting with young men, to join a small group solely focused on discipleship and unity in the Lord. These opportunities will start in the state of Ohio. Things will roll out slowly, but we are excited to see where the Lord will take this. I encourage you to be on the lookout for more details about all of this in the future.
May God bless you, and may the Lord's will be done as I hope we all continue to be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit in each one of our lives.
Jason has been married to his wife since 1997. They have been blessed with 6 children. Jason is the President of Worldview Warriors, and he is also the pastor at Evangelical Pietist Church of Chatfield. He is also the Athletic Director for the Senedot Stripes.
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Read Isaiah 40:27-31.
Today, I would like to share with you about the importance of having a loving Christian supportive father in one's life. As many of you know, my father passed away in April of 2025. I've always known that my father, Frank DeZurik, loved me, but it hasn't been until recently that I've really begun to understand and embrace what this really means and looks like for my life and for his. My father has written so many journals almost every day for years that I don't know if I will ever get through them all. Here's something he wrote back in July of 2003. You'll see that we were on vacation and deciding whether to take a new youth ministry position or not.
Today, Jason is preaching at Becky's church in Minnesota. Neither Becky or Jason and Jaya know I am here. Judy [Frank's wife and my mother] tried to get off work but…
I know we both are praying that the empowerment of the Holy Spirit is upon Jason to preach God's word because someone needs to hear God's message through him. We pray renewed strength upon Jason because we know how exhausting vacation can be, and with Jaya and Jason needing renewed strength and guidance upon their lives, as husband and wife and mother and father in making decisions about whether to take a position in Minnesota or not.
Fathers, if you don't think you matter, you do. Your prayers matter. God not only made you, but He made the children that He's given to you. He has given you an incredible responsibility. Don't just waste your time with the children He's given to you.
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As most of you know, my father, Frank DeZurik, went to be with our Heavenly Father in April of this year. In June of this year we had his Celebration of Life service with family and friends. It was a service of great honor and joy and of great remembrance, and for that, I am so thankful.
This has been an incredible time of pain, suffering, and much mourning, not only for me, but for our entire family. Though it has been hard, it has also been a blessing and a time of refocusing, revitalization, and new life for our entire family. It's almost as if, in my father's death, his entire family line has been reborn! It's almost as if we're getting to know him even more, now that he's gone, than when he was with us. It has been a time of pausing, contemplating, and seeking the Lord in all that we're doing.
This has not only been one of the most difficult times of my life, but it has also been one of the most rewarding times of the life that God has given to me. I am in serious awe and thankful to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
I am beginning to understand why I am the way I am and why I think the way I do, more and more every single day. It is because of the great earthly father that Almighty God has given to me. It's almost as if in my father's death on the earth, he has become even more alive. I cannot really explain it, but hopefully this will help.
Here's just part of an unedited excerpt out of this very notebook:
"Awake the Dawn"
How often I have missed spending time with my Lord in the morning as he wants and desires that I call upon him in the dawning of each day. He blesses me with each new morning, an opportunity to tell someone through my actions or words or both about His saving grace. But I walk in fear of my own strength. All too often I try to express and show others His love and spend little time seeking Him in His Word, seeking him in conversation in prayer... If I don't stay in his word and in prayer daily, it's way too easy to say, "I don't know Him" and yet, How true that statement is because I don't spend the time getting to know Him. You can't say you know someone if you don't spend time with them. He wants us to get to know and understand Him better."
There's much more to this, but my father wrote this back in 2003 on May 2nd. He literally wrote this after reading Psalm 57:4-11. WOW!
I hope you have been blessed reading this.
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On April 22, 2025, the greatest man I ever knew went to be with his heavenly Father in glory. He wasn't a perfect man while on the earth, but he would strive to know his Savior and Lord in all that he did while on the earth. Even with physical death knocking on his door, he strived to be joyful in the Lord, worshipping Him with family and friends all around him in his last days here on the earth. He taught me so much about what Biblical love really is, even though in my youth, I was quite intemperate and unwilling to receive from his words and actions about Godly wisdom.
Typically, as one gets older, though, they begin to realize those who came before them really aren't as foolish as one thought. As I am older now, I realize that his tough love toward me in my youth was a huge gift. He taught me more than anyone in my life about true biblical love. Love is long-suffering. Love isn't always nice, but it is kind. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth of God. Love can get angry, but in your anger do not sin because love is not easily angered. When you do sin, own up to it, confess the sin, and ask for forgiveness of the one you sinned against. Then it's up to the one you sinned against to forgive. If they don't forgive, that's between them and God. Leave it be, and genuinely pray for them.
He taught me the importance of sacrificing and loving the family God has given to you, and to honor them in action and in word. Love always protects, love always trusts, and love always perseveres. Love never fails. I am so thankful for the Lord allowing me to be the son of the greatest man I ever knew – my father, Frank Joseph DeZurik. Why is he the greatest? Because he pointed me to the absolute greatest man ever, Jesus Christ. See you in Heaven.
Born on July 25, 1945, in St. Cloud, Minnesota, he was the firstborn son to Jerry and Mary DeZurik (Gallus) (both deceased). He had 2 younger sisters, Annette (deceased) and Carol, who survives and lives in Zimmerman, Minnesota. He grew up in Royalton, Minnesota. He married Judy Rose Ginter on October 19, 1968, in North Prairie, Minnesota. They had two (2) children together, Jason (Jaya Greenberg) born on May 18, 1970, and Rebecca (Gary Rakow) born on November 4, 1972.
Frank is survived by his wife, children, and six (6) grandchildren: Ezra Frank, Elijah Paul, Anika Jewel, Katerina Rose, Eva Marie, and Theresa Grace.
He started working for the Northern Pacific Railroad in 1964 and retired from the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad in 1999… 35 years later. While working on the railroad in Steele, North Dakota, in 1972, he was nearly electrocuted when 7,200 volts of electricity ran through his body. The Lord was watching over him that day. In 1976, while driving home from the bar, Frank fell asleep, hitting a culvert head-on. The engine of the car was found 25 feet away from the car, and the jaws of life were needed to cut him out of the car. The only injuries he received in this accident were a broken collarbone, a concussion, and a gash in his head. It was at this time, in the hospital, that Frank surrendered his life to Jesus Christ. He never took another drink of alcohol again.
After this time, he started to not only become outspoken about his faith in Jesus Christ but strived to live his life for the Lord in everything he did. In 1978, he was promoted to management on the Burlington Northern Railroad and worked out of the shop in St. Paul, Minnesota. During this time, he was also a part of the music group “The Potter's Clay” with his friend, Lowell Olson. They traveled and performed in churches all around Minnesota.
In 1988, the traveling began for Frank and Judy. With his loving and loyal wife by his side, they began a new adventure together, moving to Snohomish, Washington, for his new position in Seattle, Washington. In 1992, they were transferred to Springfield, Missouri, where Frank could be found at Bass Pro Shop quite often. As he put it, “I thought it was great, as Bass Pro Shop was just starting out.” In 1997, they moved just east of Kansas City to Blue Springs, Missouri, and in 1999, Frank retired from the railroad.
Frank was blessed to lead Bible studies, sing in the church choir, and sing tenor in a 10-man singing group called the “Circuit Riders,” which was blessed to perform in Missouri, Kansas, and even in Pennsylvania. He and Judy traveled to Israel in 2000, to which Frank said, “This was an amazing trip.” He and Judy made mission trips to Juarez, Mexico, and were blessed to build homes and share the love of Jesus while there. In retirement, they bought a lake home near Emily, Minnesota. All were welcome to join him to fish on the lake and help him monitor rogue ATV activity as they jumped his driveway on a regular basis. He loved playing games with the family. Some of his favorites were Cribbage, Rook, and Hearts. Frank was known for holding high standards for himself and encouraging others to do the same. He will be remembered as a man of God who strived to do God's will in all that he did. He will be remembered as a man who loved, in his own words, “This Great Nation.”
He will be remembered as a man who loved his wife with his actions as a protector and provider. He loved his children and grandchildren greatly and will be remembered as a man who showed them and everyone the example of always striving to follow the one true King, Jesus Christ.
A Celebration of Life will be held from 1 pm – 4 pm on Saturday, June 28, at Maranatha Church * 24799 Forest Lake Boulevard North, Forest Lake, Minnesota, 55025. An informal service will be held at 2 pm. A light lunch will be served.
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Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
- James 1:2-4
When I was growing up, I was blessed to have the opportunity to participate on a football team in school. I believe I was in my sophomore year of high school when the following happened.
It was a gloomy rainy day, all day, in October. Growing up in Minnesota, I assure you that it was also quite windy and cold, too. While the weather was not clearing up, many of my friends and I were discussing if maybe perhaps we’d have practice in the gymnasium because certainly our coaches would not put us in the windy, cold, and wet weather outside. Surely, they wouldn’t want to have the possibility of getting sick so we might possibly miss a game! After literally discussing this almost every hour during the school day, many of us had convinced ourselves that we most certainly were going to be inside for the evening practice.
Once in the locker room, many of us were just dilly dallying around, hoping to hear the news that we wouldn’t need to put on our football pants in favor of shorts to practice in the gym. Our coach walked into the locker room a little surprised that many of us weren’t dressed for practice, and he said, “Get your gear on! Practice is starting soon!” We all got our practice gear on and headed outside. Large puddles were everywhere on the practice field. It was cold, wet, and windy. One of our coaches said, “I recommend you just jump in the puddles and get used to it. Stretch out!”
On hearing that, many of the team jumped into the puddles and just decided to embrace the situation. Others on the team gingerly sat down on the cold, wet field, clearly not enjoying themselves. Some complained out loud and chose to sit down, at least for a while. It was one of the most miserable practices I’ve ever been through. Those who embraced it helped the entire team raise their spirit through the situation. Even though our hands became numb and we were soaked to the bone, going through that though helped me and many of my teammates realize we needed to go through that difficulty if we were going to be a team that could be good.
As we went through that and other hardships together, we started to galvanize as a team – not just during football but becoming very good friends. We not only started to trust one another, but we genuinely started to actually like one another. With that said, I am thankful for the coaches that pushed us to do better and to be better. They taught us to change our mindset.
I would not be the man I am today without their guidance and influence in my life. Friends, we need to grow and become mature and complete not lacking anything.
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
- Romans 12:1-2
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Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.
- Psalm 34:14
As parents, we only have so much time with the children who God has given to us. Children are a blessing from God, and it’s high time those of us who are parents and Christians to take this opportunity and responsibility in a much more serious way than many of us have in the recent past.
I believe it is time for those of us in the church who are a part of what is called Gen X, and even those who are older, to stop pointing fingers at those who are younger than us as the problem. We need to realize that perhaps many of them are “The Problem” that so many of the older generations speak of because many of us allowed our children to learn and live in the ways of the world and not grab onto the Christian faith as their own.
For instance, why get upset at them when your child learned at a young age that playing a sport or doing some extracurricular activity on a Sunday morning or on a Wednesday night was more important than going to meet with believers of Jesus Christ in teaching and fellowship? Don’t put the blame on them; take a good look in the mirror. Own your part in their decision to go the world’s way and not God’s way.
I believe it is time to own our part in the younger generation’s tripping up and not living out good, Godly ways. I believe it is time to own the fact that these children may have, in fact, been taught not in the ways of the God of the Bible but in the ways of the world. Why should we be surprised and upset that they have turned out to be “Romans” when many of them have attended the schools of the “Romans” (government-run schools).
I believe we need to set the example of what true humility looks like. I believe it is time for parents and grandparents to own our sin in this area. We need to confess it and ask for forgiveness from God, our children, and quite possibly even from our husband or wife. We need to repent and move on to living out good, Godly ways in all we do. It’s time to own it. By taking it “on the chin” and setting this loving example, we may be dragged through the mud and be called many names, but I genuinely believe that someone needs to lead the way.
So, why not our generation? Why not we Christians?
My wife and I are far from perfect. I can tell you that for my family and me, by becoming vulnerable with my wife and children and accepting responsibility for my part in where difficulty and hurt may have happened, healing can begin. Now, I am not in the least encouraging anyone to accept someone else’s sin as your own. I am encouraging you to own up to your sin and accept the reality of how you may have been sinful. The one you’re speaking and confessing to then has the opportunity to forgive you and, if needed, an open door to admit wrong and sin to you as well. You can then have an open opportunity to forgive them.
Communication is incredibly important. Where there is a lack of communication, negativity fills up that space. If the person you are confessing to won’t forgive or receive your open and honest confession, that is now on them. You cannot force someone to forgive, so please do not anticipate what they are going to say or do in this circumstance. Just allow the Holy Spirit to do what the Holy Spirit can do. Give up control and then surrender to Almighty God.
I cannot tell you that it will be perfect and go how you want. What I can tell you is that Romans 8:28 tells us that God works all things together for the good for those who love Him and have been called according to His purpose. Surrender and let God be God. You are His creation.
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he·don·ism
/ˈhēdnˌizəm,ˈhēdəˌnizəm/
noun
1. the pursuit of pleasure; sensual self-indulgence.
Philosophy: the ethical theory that pleasure (in the sense of the satisfaction of desires) is the highest good and proper aim of human life.
When I was a child, I was blessed to go to Church every single week. As I got older, I also attended a vibrant youth ministry every single Wednesday evening.
Admittedly, it has taken me many years to realize that while church attendance was and is very important, and I encourage it, that’s not really what influenced my life. Back then, what really influenced my life more than anything were friends and the government-run school I attended. I believe it is time for many of us who grew up in the 1970s and 1980s to admit what way of life and lifestyle many of us really were disciples of. It’s time to admit many of us were trained up and put on the road to hedonism.
I am not saying in every circumstance, but in many, many ways, we were directed toward hedonism being the way of life we should pursue. I encourage you to pray about this. Think about and remember the music, movies. Think about the fact that in the government-run schools we were educated in frowned immensely on not talking about the God of the Bible and not teaching His good and right ways. What was promoted and taught? The philosophy of hedonism. I encourage you to pray and truly seek out God’s counsel on this.
Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”
Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning;
for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame.
- 1 Corinthians 15:33-34
As I look back on my life, I realize how much I listened to and allowed the ideas of humans to influence my life instead of hearing and obeying God’s ways to live in this world that He has given to us. Just one example in my life is in regard to the meaning of the word love. The Bible is clear that love is long suffering and love is kind, and it does not envy, nor is it self-seeking (1 Corinthians 13). A friend of mine “counseled” me in the meaning of the word and “helped” me to see that love could mean something else. This person encouraged me to see that loving someone could be having sex with another person I desired to be with that wasn’t my wife to “show” her how much I “loved” her, even though we knew that the Bible taught something completely different. Sadly, I began to see the “wisdom” in this new thought. In essence, this person was trying to convince me to live out the philosophy of hedonism, that “pleasure is the highest and proper aim of human life.”
Think about much of the music children and teenagers were exposed to in the 1970s and 1980s:
“Pour some sugar on me”
“Girls, girls, girls”
“Shook me all night long”
“Talk dirty to me”
“When doves cry”
Those of us who grew up listening to songs like these know what they are about. You’re not an idiot and neither am I. These songs and many songs like them are all about hedonism. It is my belief that it is time for those of us who grew up in that time and indulged in hedonism, and possibly still are, need to confess our sin, ask for forgiveness, and repent – turn away from this way of life.
I think if you’re honest with yourself, you’ll see things in our society and even in the Church now have only gotten worse.
I greatly encourage you to begin to strive to live out for Jesus Christ in all that you do. Begin to raise your children in Godliness and not in the ways of the world anymore. As Christ followers, we need to take Romans 12:2 seriously.
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
- Romans 12:2
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“Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” -John 15:2
In 2015, my wife and I were blessed to move our family out to the country. On the property was a massive lilac bush, and we were very excited to enjoy the blooms we anticipated were sure to come in the future. Well, the first spring, not many blooms came. The next spring even less came. It went this way for the next couple of years. So, I decided in the fall of 2019 that I would prune the bush back quite a bit. This bush was at least 12 feet tall, and I cut all the branches of this bush back to about 6 feet tall. Some people were worried that I might have killed the bush, but I was to the point of attempting to replace the bush anyway, so I thought might as well go for broke.
In the spring of 2020, I don't know if we got any blooms. The next spring in 2021, new growth had happened but not many blooms were found on the bush. This spring, though, there are so many blooms on the bush that they literally change the smell of the air all around our home and their fragrance is powerful.
This got me thinking about our own lives and how God works in and through them. Friends, yes, the Lord will prune and even discipline those He loves so we can have the opportunity to have much good fruit in our lives. But please keep in mind, too, that the Lord has already shown us how to live. At times we need to “prune” things out of our lives in order to receive the good “blooms” that the Lord desires for us to have in our lives.
Please don't get discouraged when you don't see much fruit soon after making good godly decisions in your life. Sometimes, just like the lilac bush in our yard, it takes time for the good gifts to come. So, rejoice in the Lord always; I will write it again, rejoice!
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” -Philippians 4:4-7
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Philippians 4:4-9
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”
Many people have inquired about why I am not posting on Facebook recently.
Approximately three weeks ago, I was contacted by Facebook. Because of the reach of my personal profile, I was told that they were contacting me and others like me with a similar number of followers on Facebook to help “stop the spread of misinformation” and to protect my Facebook profile from “malicious hackers” and “bad actors” by monitoring my account. In essence, I was informed that I needed to agree to allow Facebook to censor information I post if I want to continue to use Facebook.
It is beyond obvious to me now that these phrases are nothing more than code used by Facebook for controlling their users' thoughts and influence as well as stopping information that they don't like. I have been on Facebook since 2007 and have always tried to post true and factual posts and comments. Early on, I had a lot to learn. If I ever posted things that were false or incorrect, at least to my recollection, I corrected those posts with truth and at times apologized when necessary. I think this is just one reason why this comes as such a kick to the mid-section for me.
Over the past 15 years, much ministry and growth of the Kingdom of God has happened. I have been blessed to meet many people over the years and have had the incredible opportunity to learn from many of those people, and I have grown a lot. I praise God for that, and I have many of you to thank as well. This is not just including my Christian brothers and sisters, but also those of you that are non-believers. I do hope and continue to pray that someday you will come into a right relationship with Jesus Christ, the Creator of the Universe, and I hope that is your decision someday soon. Those of you striving to follow Jesus Christ, I greatly encourage you to continue to “work out” your salvation every second of your time here on earth. I am very thankful for all of those, over the years, who have been a part of helping me and our ministry, Worldview Warriors, to equip and expand the Kingdom of God in this way. You are appreciated.
I will continue to do ministry with Worldview Warriors through the radio, internet, conferences, and other events. I will also continue to publish books through the ministry. Worldview Warriors and those connected to the ministry, as far as I know, will keep doing ministry as they have in the past as well.
As for social media, I have started a path of trying to figure out all my options and what the future might look like for me and the ministry. As of right now, Worldview Warriors, Worldview Warriors Publishing, Do Not Keep Silent, Worldview Warriors Fastcast, New Morning Praise, The Way Forward is Back, and the Senedot Stripes will continue to have pages on Facebook. You can also find information about Worldview Warriors at www.worldviewwarriors.org and information about the main radio station I am on in Northwest Ohio, 90.1 FM, at newvision.fm. You can listen to New Morning Praise every Monday-Friday from 6am-8:30am. You can also listen on Sunday nights from 7-9pm to Do Not Keep Silent, www.donotkeepsilent.com. Both of these shows are on 90.1 FM.
Some of you might be wondering why I used Philippians 4:4-9 to start out this post. The truth of the matter is that as believers in Jesus Christ, we are to rejoice in all things. That doesn't mean we cannot be sad, frustrated, or upset, but we must check our attitude and rejoice in all things.
Again, it has been quite a ride on Facebook for me personally, and please note that Worldview Warriors will continue to do ministry and not much should change with the ministry. My family and I, on the other hand, have much to consider and pray about as we move forward. Ministry will still be happening, and I do want to thank everyone who has been a prayer and/or financial supporter over the years. We hope you will continue to support the work God has called us to in order to advance the Kingdom of God here on earth.
If you'd like to donate to the ministry, you can do so online at www.worldviewwarriors.org or via snail mail at:
Worldview Warriors
PO Box 681
Findlay, Ohio 45839
As I finish this post, if you are willing and able, I would ask that you please consider sharing this post on whatever social media you are using to help get the word out about what is happening, not just to me on a personal level but to others as well. I would greatly appreciate the help in getting the word out.
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For almost two years now, I and others with the team of Worldview Warriors have been lovingly warning, patiently waiting, and staying self-controlled with our tongues and actions through the attack on this nation’s foundational beliefs (many based on Biblical truths) and on true Christianity and the Christian worldview. For those desiring the truth, it’s beyond obvious what is now going on in our society. We believe we have been speaking out the truth in love and living it out through our actions, not only to those outside of the Church but many inside the Church who also claim to be followers of Jesus Christ. We have been attacked by many outside of the Church and even some of those inside of the Church.
As a young man back in the 1990’s, I literally chose to go the wide path that Jesus speaks of in Matthew 7. I wanted nothing to do with this God I had heard so much about in my youth. I did not want to follow His ways. Sadly, I dishonored my father and mother back then, but I am thankful that they loved me through it all. To this day, they are my heroes! I love them both so much. So, what helped me realize that I needed a Savior and needed to follow the Lord of the Universe?
Two things:
One, the natural law or special revelation that Almighty God, the Creator of the universe, has put into place. This was and is a very good teacher. God has put this into place to teach us that some things we do have bad consequences and other things have good benefits. This is natural law. Those consequences are there for a reason, and so many people these days seemingly want to get rid of them and put more and more human laws into place. After all, all truth is found in the Lord Jesus Christ, as I began to learn and experience.
Two, my friend back in the 1990’s, Danny Castro, loved me with the truth. He loved me where I was at. Without him loving me like he did, I would probably be in a grave right now and burning in Hell, for that is where the wide path leads – death.
I am here today because of these two things: truth and love.
Since that time in the 1990’s, I have been on quite the journey of understanding the Lord and His ways more and more. I have been trying to “work out” my own salvation, to become mature and complete not lacking anything in the Lord. Do I and our team here still have a lot to learn? You bet we do, just as all people do. Two things I have certainly learned about is the importance of accepting that God Almighty is sovereign, and His providence is real. He’s not just real and in complete control, but He’s active in His creation. Providence (the action of God) can be seen everywhere if you’re just willing to be open to it. He is also incredibly loving and gives each human being free will to do as he or she pleases.
The true freedom and liberty that Almighty God offer are just incredible. When we surrender our lives to the King of Kings is when true liberty in Christ begins to manifest. I greatly encourage everyone reading this to be open to this incredible liberty He offers, not just for you but for others as well. After a year of being discipled by my friend and pastor, Larry Bertsch, he has helped me to realize and accept the very fact that none of us are God; God is God, and He can be completely sovereign while still giving His creation free will. I don’t understand it all, and that it is okay. Why? Because God is God, and I am not.
Friends, I encourage you to stop trying to control others with the fear and shame you put on them. Let God be God, and let the special revelation He has put into place be a good teacher. Think of the times it has taught you. I encourage you to strive to let it teach others, and let Almighty God be the judge.
Life (Existence is Futile) by Klank
You call this life?
It’s not living.
Another phase
Next step
Who’s guess?
What’s next?
Gotta figure out what to do
Another year
Seasons turn
Wheel spinnin’
Gears burn
Won’t believe the hell I’ve been through
You call this life?
It’s not living.
Broken down
Face first
Pushed aside
Eat dirt
Just another day in the life
Bigger bills
Smaller gains
Rents due
Hunger pains
Gotta be something more to life
You call this life?
It’s not living.
With all of that said, we have all been through and experienced 2 years of some serious change. I think we all need to realize that “normal” is not coming back. It’s time to move on. The future is unknown. As believers in Jesus Christ, we have an incredible opportunity to show people the way, the truth, and the life. As citizens of both heaven and the USA with inalienable rights, we have an incredible opportunity to show people how to live freely and freely in Christ. People can either surrender to Him or not. That is up to them. Christ has set us free! This means we are really free. Now hold on to your freedom and don’t ever become slaves of the law again.
Yes, friends, that is for us! That is for you. Now is the time to show people how to truly love others. It’s time to call all of this out for what it really is: idols. They are everywhere.
Let’s be honest with ourselves and with others about how many idols we have made in this nation. So many people are following them and believe that giving power to these idols is actually living. Many seem to believe that mask wearing and vaxxing are the way out of this, even to the point of forcing others to do this. Now, if this virus didn’t have over a 99% recovery rate, I probably wouldn’t make this connection, but the truth is that is the real percentage. We are told to follow the “science,” when in fact many of us are looking at the numbers and are realizing what we were being told by servants in our nation was nothing more than a lie. The truth is that the recovery rate is that high.
If someone might be hurt from this virus, then by all means that person should take care of themselves. Forcing everyone else to live a certain way because of what might happen not only is foolishness, but it is just like bowing down to a 90-foot-tall idol in the book of Daniel in order to not rock the boat. It is the same spirit, friends, the same mindset we’ve been seeing in our society today. Idols are everywhere. Living freely in Christ is not looking fearfully at a virus with over a 99% recovery rate or to a vaccine that, like it or not, seems to not be working in my opinion. I’ll call the vaccine what it looks like to me: an altar to mammon.
With all of the counterfeits and heretical ways of love out there, now is the time to show people that enabling them in their sin through godless government programs and godless government solutions window dressed in “godliness” is not the way. These are idols, too, and I believe most of us know it. Being apathetic toward people choosing to sin and calling it fine is not wise. Being apathetic to those trying to force Christians to accept sin as good, right, and true is not wise either. We absolutely need to continue to love people. We need to continue to show them how loving and freeing the life God has given to them can be, through our liberty found in Christ. But we also need to be shrewd like Jesus Christ taught and lived.
We see this so many times, but it seems many of us have either forgotten this or just weren’t taught it. We see in John 10:39, “They tried to take Jesus again, but he escaped from them.” Jesus chose to be wise and was shrewd in dealing with people who wanted to attack or take Him away and just argue with Him. He chose to not entertain people in their foolish arguments and foolish mindsets. He would just leave and move on. And as Peter so boldly proclaimed in Acts 5:29, “We must obey God, rather than people.”
Get out of the rat race and trying to keep up with the Joneses. Yes, this is all connected. Idols, idols, idols. Stop being okay with being a cog in the machine of the world. Find liberty in Christ! Let’s get back to living. It is for freedom that Christ has set you free. Go live your life. I encourage us all to stop serving idols. As for me, my family, and the Church, you call this life? This “new normal” is not living.
Writer’s note: I am not against proven vaccines or taking medicine to travel. I am discussing this current vax, so please don’t read into what I am absolutely not saying.
Go check out other writings from Jason:
Are Your Actions Following Jesus Christ?
Get Your Mind Out of Your Phone
Lead Me, Follow Me, or Get Out of My Way
Just Cheat a Little
The story with this is satire, but not these pictures; these pictures are real and actually happened. You call this life? It's not living. It's time to live in the freedom we find in Christ.
This is straight up judgement, friends – judgment over something that is not a sin. Please stop guilt tripping people and let's live our lives.
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