Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Charlie


It is great to have good friends. Charlie is one of my best friends. It is kind of freaky of how alike our lives our. We got married the same summer... well not he and I but we married our wives the same summer. We grew up in the same city, went to the same college, moved our wives both into a similar size 400 sq ft apt, graduated together, got pregnant (our wives that is), started ministry the same time, Faith and I got pregnant when Kylie was 8 months old, he and Jessica got pregnant with their second child when Norah was 8 months old, both have 2 girls and beautiful wives and we try to be good dads and good husbands. Above all else we are both followers of the same Lord.

Kind of weird how similar things are huh? Charlie is a great friend and a great guy. He is a Worship Arts Pastor at Journey Church. I am a Lead Pastor at Awaken Community Church. Our journeys continue to go together. We were able to dream, think and pray for our city together today. I appreciate real men of God like Charlie. Charlie I love you bro. I hope you have a best friend and you guys can dream together and do life together like Charlie and I do.

Sweet pic huh?

Christmas


We had a great time during Christmas. My brother -in-law and I went skiing and snowboarding for just the second time. We went down a double black diamond. Well not on our at least on our face.

It was great to spend time with both sides of our family.

Happy New Year



Deam with me as we walk into '09. Pray that God would do some amazing things.

Monday, December 29, 2008

Is evangelism really that easy? Part 2

Read part 1 first. Part one talks about intentional vs. relational evangelism. Tonight I talked with a girl that I shared Christ with in the beginning of our conversation. She said she was not ready to give her life to Him yet. An hour later in to the conversation (after we built a relationship) she said I think I am ready. She accepted Christ!

Again, both methods work. Absolutely never force the gospel on anyone. Simply share the good news and they will either put their faith in Jesus and repent of their sins or they wont. You just share and leave the results up to God.

Read/Listen

I was feeling a little down and stressed out today and then I listened to this.

Get out your notepad

I am always interested in conversations that Jesus had with the religious leaders. Even the disciples had many conversations with them. One thing the religious leaders had was knowledge. They had much wisdom of the scriptures; well studied.

The crazy thing is in their knowledge they missed the Truth. Listen to this.. In Acts 3:13 Luke says "When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. Out of all of their schooling and education, homework and notes that the religious leaders had taken, taking note of the realization of the true power of God in a believers life was so astonishing to them. Unschooled men took the Pharisee's to school and showed them the power of God in their lives.

Is the power of God so evident in my life? Is it evident in your life? Let us as believers walk so close to Jesus that people would be astonished by the power of God in our lives.

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Is evangelism really that easy?

Is sharing the gospel really that easy? Can you really just start up a conversation and lead someone to Jesus? Yes. Shouldn't I build a relationship with the person I want to share Christ with? Yes.

There is an interesting debate that goes around in Christian circles. It is Intentional evangelism vs. Relationship evangelism. Intentional evangelism is simply starting a conversation up with anyone and sharing Christ with them in a matter of minutes. Relational evangelism says build a relationship and trust with someone and then share the gospel.

Which is right? Both. It does not matter the manner in which you tell people the most wonderful news in the world, but just make sure you do it. I would encourage the intentional group to make sure you love and care about the person or people and share intentionally. I would say to the relational to understand that tomorrow is not promised, so make sure you know when you should share.

Which way do you tell people about Jesus?

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

On Vacation

We just set up shop in Gatlinburg. I am with my wife and her side of the family for Christmas vacation. We are enjoying a week away. I will be out of the blog world for a few days. Merry Christmas.

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Gearing Up

I currently live in the Hamilton place area of Chattanooga. Every time I drive to the Hixson/ Soddy Daisy area I start to dream. I think of the people working in the local Subway. I think of the waiters and waitresses at Logan's. Starbucks, Pep Boys, Wal Mart, Little Caesars, The Rush, Toys R Us... I do not get motivated because of the stores in themselves of course, but I think of the people that work inside each store. A real life. A person. Can you honestly believe that you could walk in that store and change someone's life? Do you?

Think about it, all over the book of Acts life change happened. Why can't it happen today? It can. Someone working behind the counter at Verizon would love to be shown love today. They have a real life, possibly a family, real bills, real stresses, real hobbies, real goals in life... but do they have the real God of the universe. Through love, let's change our city with the love of Christ one life at a time.

Through Awaken we seek to build believers in Christ and reach a community that is far from God. That is our purpose. Our vision is that the Hixson/Soddy Daisy area would be different because we exist. It can happen. Walk by faith and love people.

Monday, December 22, 2008

Faith's Birthday

Today is my beautiful bride's birthday. I love my wife so much.

I bought my wife a CD player and a few CD's for her to listen to. She mentioned she wanted that so it can change the feel around the house during the day. My wife is a stay at home mom, which I believe is one of the hardest yet most rewarding jobs in the world. I hope this small gift can brighten her days.

Faith I love you and am proud of what a great mom and wife you are. Happy Birthday!

Friday, December 19, 2008

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Rough Life

I was talking to a guy tonight and he told me about his rough life. His dad tried to kill him a few years ago and his girlfriend died. Although I could not relate to these life changing events in his life, I could introduce him to The Life Changer.

I shared the love of God with him. He put his faith in Christ and is excited to trust God with the rest of his new life.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Kylie learns about Jesus



Kylie gets so excited about God's love that she punches her toy.

Break

I am looking forword to going on vacation next week. It will be good to reconnect with family, ski and just relax with the fam.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Girls, Set Your Standards High.


Lately I have been speaking with many girls about dating. I have been trying to encourage them to find the right guys and to set their standards high. Listen to this Beyonce song and her view of guys and how she would live life if she lived like a boy.

Ephesians tells us to love our wives like Christ loves the church. That is an extremely high standard. Girls, raise your standards and find a guy that loves Jesus and will love you.

Monday, December 15, 2008

Cocaine


I had an old friend that called me tonight. He has been strung out on cocaine and lots of other drugs over the last 10 years. He wants to turn his life around. He is interested and wants to get involved with Awaken Community Church. We are excited to welcome him, his wife and his baby girl.

The Rundown

The rundown for Awaken...

1. We have an Awaken checking account.
2. We are in the process of getting a 501(c)3.
3. We are in the process of being an official organization in the state of TN.
4. This video is cool.
5. Awaken has a drummer.
6. We estimate about 40 people are excited about our next Awaken meeting (January 11)
7. God is good and worthy of our praise.

Sunday, December 14, 2008

We were adopted


I love how the Bible tells us that we were adopted. God chose us because He loves us. That is a great reality.

The next few months will be trying for our family financially. The church plant takes a lot of time, yet not very rewarding financially. We pray that many individuals and churches would come along side us as we seek to reach a lost generation.

There were two families that decided to adopt our family for Christmas. They new we wanted to honor God with our church plant, so they blessed us with a ton of diapers, lots of formula, a good amount of cash a a couple of toys. We were so blessed. It was so overwhelming to receive such a gift from two families that we do not even know.

We thank God for His faithfulness during times of faith and risk. We also thank the two families that came together to bless us.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Keep up through media

Here are a few ways to keep up with what's going on through media sources:

www.awakencc.org - Awaken Community Church website
www.justindeweese.blogspot.com - My blog
www.facebook.com - Justin's Page
www.facebook.com - Awaken Community Church Page
www.justindeweese.com - Justin's Speaking website
justin@awakencc.org - my e-mail

PORN

I talked with a guy named Brian tonight while I worked at the Hopeline. Brian is 19 years old and in the Navy. He called because he wanted some encouragement because he felt defeated because he is struggling with lust and looking at porn. I encouraged Brian and prayed for him. We talked about practical things he could do to get it out of his life.

Brian thought he hung up the phone, but didn't. I heard a guy in the background giving him a hard time. He said "You called a Christian thing and told them that you were looking at porn?" Brian said yes. Brian told the guy that I prayed for him. The guy totally did not understand and continued to give Brian a hard time by cussing at him and cutting him down.

It is amazing the conviction the Holy Spirit can give. Those that are far from God can't sense a conviction by the Holy Spirit. Here's the deal; if you are struggling with porn or any other area in your life (lying, homosexuality, stealing, gossip...) you need to get accountability like Brian. Confess your sins one to another like 1 John says. Pray for Brian, as there are no believers he can turn to while he is in the Navy.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Who do I Date/Marry?



There is something about relationships that we as humans need. Afterall God is relational in Himself. He is God is the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. He is a relational God. It was also not good for Adam to be alone, so God made a woman that was suitable for him.

When we were made, we were made in the image of God. So you see we are really relational beings; just like our Maker. The number one relationship is a relationship with our Father, our Maker and we get that through Jesus. We also need relationships with one another, but not just anyone when it comes to dating. Just as Eve was suitable for Adam and vice-versa, you need to find someone you are suitable for. Obviously, God has set a little bit of that up for you, by letting you know it does need to be men for women and women for men. Praise God for that, huh?

Now that you know that you need someone, you need to now figure out your standards so you do not just settle for anyone. God has that someone for you. If you decide to marry, He already knows who you are going to marry on your wedding day. Seek Jesus, pray hard, get a good support group of believers around you and do not settle for anything less than what God has for you.

My wife, Faith, did a great job with this. She did not date and she waited for what God had for her. I love and respect my wife so much for that. I love you Faith!

Monday, December 8, 2008

Awaken's First Meeting

Last night we had our first informational meeting for Awaken Community Church. We were excited to see the 17 that showed up. The goal of the night was to cast the vision and purpose of Awaken and see who had the same desires.

Our purpose is to build believers in Christ and reach a community that is far from God. Our vision is that the Hixson/Soddy Daisy area would be different because we exist(big goal, but big God).

Half of the group has committed to the purpose and vision of Awaken while many more are praying if God would have them join our team. We look forward to all that God will do through the lives of our church.

Next meeting, Sunday Night January 11 at 6:00. Starting in January we will meet every other week.

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Why do people stop going to church?

I have really been curious why people stop going to church. I have read the book Unchristian, which is a very good book by the way. It is a must read if you want to understand how to engage a young generation in today's culture.

I have started asking people why they do not go. Many say it is not because they hate church or they are bored, they just say it is because they stopped going and have not been back. I heard a message by Andy last week at RockPoint, which is a great church by the way, and the title was "just ask". I am curious to see how many people that are living life without God would come back to church if they were intentionally invited; if they were just asked. Obviously once they come, you and your church better have something to offer them, namely the love of Jesus.

At Awaken we want to create a comfortable/relational environment for people to come to. I pray as we intentionally ask people to come to our church, we would love them and show them the love of Jesus.

Friday, December 5, 2008

Abigail Video

Abigail

No Wonder the Younger Hate Church

I will turn today's blog over to Shane Craven. I read his blog and loved what it said. Gotta read.

* One reason is the perception that worship is passionless. Young adults just will not tolerate watered down, unexplained ritual or poor quality, half-hearted worship. This generation desires to experience God in wholly different ways than did their parents - with their hearts as well as their heads.
* Young adults desire clarity in a world filled with uncertainty. The lack of a clear, unified vision for our churches is a stumbling block.
* They are also perturbed by constant political in-fighting within the denomination. The church’s tendency to make mountains out of molehills seems ridiculous to this highly practical and pragmatic generation.
* Another thing that drives young adults from our doors is criticism of things of little consequence. Churches that balk at having a young person with blue hair or a pierced nose as part of their congregation are essentially assuring their absence.
* They see it as hypocritical when the church states how important their presence is but does nothing. This is a generation of “doers” and not “watchers.” They do not want to send money to missions as much as they want to be part of a missionary endeavor.
* Validate youth and young adult ministry as a primary calling. Those on the front lines of young adult ministry - youth workers, campus ministers, camping directors - have been made to feel that their ministry is not as important as that of other ministries. They often feel little connection and support from those who stand to benefit or suffer greatly from the fruitfulness of their endeavors in the years to come.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Hey little pimp, you need Jesus


I work at the hopeline many nights as I raise support to start Awaken.

So I get this thirteen year old kid that calls in and tells me that he is trying to decide which girl to date; he's got three to choose from. After I reminded him that he was thirteen, I asked him if he had standards and then asked him what it meant to be a Christian. He said an something that I had never heard before "you believe in God and only date one girl". Interesting thought. I told him that he cannot know God because he is separated from him because of his sin. I told him about the love of Jesus and how he could have hope in him. He said he wanted to put faith in Jesus. So he did.

After he accepted Christ, I encouraged him not to have a "pimp style" dating life, but to honor God and honor the girls he dates. cool kid. great salvation.

Time with Family


My days and nights are busy! Working a lot. God has taught me a lot about spending valuable time with my family. It felt good to have time holding Abigail and playing with her tonight. How are things with your family? Do you have a problem with a mom, dad, brother, sister or an in-law? Try to work on your relationships and enjoy your time together.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

From Death to Life

I love speaking to youth and seeing life change. I was able to speak at Dallas Bay and taught from Romans 11 and 12:1-2. Great passage. To really understand 12:1-2 you need to know what chapter 11 is about. Actually to get the full context need to read Romans 1-11. Nine students gave their lives to Christ. From Death to Life.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Daddy and Kylie Preaching

This is a secret on how I prepare my messages.

Story behind "God of this City"

The story behind "God of this City"

In Pattaya Tailand, there are over 30,000 female prostitutes over the age of 18! (That is not counting the ones under 18, or even the male prostitutes there) While they were walking around the town, a band walked into a local bar there called...."The Climax Club", which was looking for bands to play. They agreed to give it a try and asked how long the owner how long he wanted them to play. The owner said, "As long as your friends continues to buy cokes." So they ended up buying cokes for 2-3 hours.

So for over 2 hours this band sang Jesus over these prostitutes who had no idea what they were singing! All of the sudden this song "came down from heaven," as one of the band members recalls. Then spontaneously they started singing:

You're the God of this city
You're the King of these people
You're the Lord of this nation
You are

You're the light in this darkness
You're the hope to the hopeless
You're the peace to the restless
You are

For there is no one like our God
There is no one like our God

Greater things have yet to come
Greater things are still to be done in this city
Greater things have yet to come
Greater things are still to be done here

check out video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d61LamkXfwkIn