Aaron Reddin onLife, Liberty, and Pursuit of Jesusness

Many names are used to describe God.  The Bible tells of some of them, this one being my personal favorite.  The provision of God is something that I get to see day in and day out.  I get to see miraculous provision more than most I would dare to say. 

Working in a non-profit arena, things tend to be VERY tight.  Funds that is.  We pretty much have to believe God for all of our supplies.  Being a faith based entity, it is sometimes more difficult to solicit the support and contributions of the community.  I’ve learned to quit trying to do it all and just believe God to meet our needs.  He does.  Always.  It happens every now and then that we will get VERY low on food.  Meat to be more precise.  This was the case as of late, and we had been scraping by with some chicken and mostly hot dogs.  For months.  Food was getting low enough to cause me to become concerned about the situation.  As usual, here comes God, with His provision.   Not just with a few pounds of hamburger, but an entire cargo van FULL of meats and various other food products.  ENOUGH TO FILL EVERY FREEZER WE HAVE!!!!  (which is like 12 freezers!!!!!) 

Jehovah-Jireh…..our provider…..he makes provision where we can’t come close…..his ways are not our ways…..he doesn’t just meet our needs…….HE MAKES OUR CUP RUN OVER!!!!!!  

So I got a call the other day from one of channel 11′s reporters asking if I knew anyone who would be interested in doing an interview for a story on meth addiction.  I told her that I know MANY addicts and would check.  She also asked if we had any counselors who had been addicts as well.  I told her that I was the Director and that I was a 6 year delivered addict.  So, long story short, I did an interview with her today.  As did my intern Justin who faced the horrors of meth addiction at a young age.  She said that most news stories last about 1.5 minutes, but this was an “exclusive” which would be about a 4-5 minute story.  It will consist of my interview, Justin’s interview, and an interview with a doctor.  I know what you are thinking…..”why is Aaron always in front of a freaking camera?”……well I don’t have an answer.  I suppose it goes along with the calling on my life.  The point is that I have super cool TV interview that will air next Wednesday (4/30) on channel 11 @ 10PM.  Watch it!!!

I can’t help but think that this whole “Jesus thing” may in fact be but a hobby to some people.  I mean, some people aren’t cut out for “bad” hobbies.  Are some people drawn to the “good things” of Christianity?  I think some people may be nice, kind, and may have what we might call a good nature about them and they find that they can get involved in Christianity and not have to live alone.  The problem is that they aren’t drawing from the power of Christ.  They are feeding on fellowship with man, and not spending any time at all drawing what they need from God.  This is so dangerous.  It is Biblical to have friends and to fellowship with one another.  But that does not feed your spirit the food it needs to be healthy. 

All too often we draw what we need out of the fellowship fountain, and never seek the guidance of the Lord or spend any time in His presence.  Jesus was very relational himself but he new that in the morning he had to pull away and get his nourishment from the Father.  I think today we spend more time trying to fellowship with friends than we do our Father who feeds us.  We’ve made Jesus a social hobby. 

Things like this really fire me up.  I used to keep Jesus just outside of my circle until I needed him.  Then I might give him a head-nod and hope that he would react to my situation.  Several times in my life, I’ve found myself at the very end of me.  These are the most beautiful moments in life.  This is a chance to see what Jesus REALLY is.   What he can REALLY be to me.  What he can REALLY do for me.  I have fallen so in love with him.  All I want to do is spend time with him.  Alone or corporately.  I just want to see him.  Touch him.  Live with him. 

He is so much more than a hobby.  He is so big.  Let me tell you why Jesus came to the planet to begin with.  1 John 3:8 tells us that Jesus came to DESTROY the works of the devil.  Some of us forget that the enemy is after us.  We cry out to God to help us and to make things easier on us.  But God already came.  And he didn’t just try to make things easier for us.  He DESTROYED the works of the devil.  Now, I don’t know about you, but the enemy is always trying to catch me off guard.  He is always working to get to me.  But I don’t have to live in his bondage anymore.  I don’t have to be sick anymore.  I don’t have to be an addict anymore.  I don’t have to be depressed anymore.  I don’t have to hurt anymore.  I don’t have to give in and then feel the guilt and shame that the enemy tries to attack me with.  JESUS CAME TO DESTROY THESE THINGS!!  Why is it so hard for us to believe this?  Why is it so easy to believe that God exists, but so hard to believe what he says?!?!?  WHY?  

If we don’t learn his word, then we won’t even know the God who we think we are serving.  You wouldn’t marry someone without dating them and getting to know them would you?  So why try and serve a God whom you won’t even get to know?  Is this a hobby?  Or are you finding out who God is?  Who Jesus is, and why he came.  He is so BIG! 

Last statement.  It’s time to quit believing only in the existence of God.  And start believing what he says!! 

I don’t have much to say today.  As a matter of fact, I only have one thought going on today.  A few moments ago my thoughts went something like this:

“What if I could talk to everyone I know at once”

“What if I could talk to the whole world all at the same time”

“What would I tell them”

“What if I knew every person on planet Earth were going to read my blog, at the same time”

“What would I tell them”

“What if I could only tell them one sentence, but I knew that every single person were going to read it”

And then my thoughts moved on, but they shortly came back to this ridiculous thought.  So, as it stands, I don’t know.  As I think about that one perfect sentence that I would tell every person on planet Earth at the same time, I want to know what you would tell us. 

If you could tell us (all the other people on the planet) one thing in one sentence, what would be your perfect sentence?  Leave it in the form of a comment.  Once I decide on my perfect sentence, I will let you know. 

So, some of you know that we want to get Extreme Makeover to come to the Men’s Recovery Center and help us make this place a little more habitable once again.  I hear rumors that Tye and his crew are already planning to come find a place in Little Rock.  This has been heard on the radio.  I can’t find out anything about it.  If you have heard this or do hear it, please contact me so that I can try to get our name in the bucket!  We have begun a video to try and solicit their help.  Thanks to the wonderful people of our church’s creative team!  Chris and Scott you guys are awesome and I love your hearts.  I hope we can find a time soon to continue working on this project. 

We so need help with this place.  We have hundreds of bats living in the ceiling above our chapel where we have classes all morning and service every night, and they frequent our dining room as well.  It’s deplorable and disgusting.  We have water leaks that flood out at least two floors every time it rains.  This place is in sad shape and I worry constantly about the safety of those whom we serve. 

God, I know you have plans for this ministry.  I know you are Jehovah-Jireh our provider and your provision blows my mind every single day.  I’m sorry I doubt you God when we are in need.  I wish I could have faith running over all the time, but the truth is that sometimes I don’t.  Sometimes I wonder if you are going to pull us through this thing.  God I want to restore my faith in you, that you WILL see us through.  That you will NOT let a 60+ year old ministry fall by the way side.  God I know you can pull us out of this ditch and I ask you now in faith to scoop up the Union Rescue Mission and give us the things we need to take care of your people.  Fill this community with the desire to help those who are down trodden.  God, please give central Arkansas an overwhelming sense of urgency to reach out to those in need.  Lord I know that not everyone can take the time to go out and minister to all that we minister to, but God they can surely help us to make it happen.  So I pray this day that you would flood our hearts with love and compassion to see lives restored, rebuilt, and rededicated to you.  God we need the tools to do your will.   Our hearts are more than willing, our hands are ready to work, but our tool belts are empty.  We cry out to you for help in this time of great need.  Please let us know, and be reassured that you will never leave us without your help and provision.  We love you and love to do your work, so let these things be done this day.  In the wonderful name of Jesus, Amen. 

So let me just begin by letting you know that if you missed out on the Unbreakable retreat, you missed out on meeting the one true and living God.  I wrote the other day about getting into the manifest presence of God.  I wrote about the lack of His presence in our community.  I wrote about how it takes hungry people who are seeking His face, to find it. 

I spent some serious time with God this weekend.  I heard from God, God heard from me.  We laughed together, cried together, lived together, and died together.  God showed me some things about himself.  God answered a few questions that I had been asking just last week.  So, one thing I see now is that if we want to get in His presence, we have to take the wheel and drive. 

1.  It’s not a road trip if you are in the car alone.  If you want to go find God, you need to fill your car up with other people who desperately want to seek Him.  (where 2 or more are gathered…..then what?  THERE HE WILL BE)  Find some other people who want to take a trip to go and SEE God. 

2.  You have to be willing to tune up your car.  If you don’t keep your car in good condition, it won’t last on the trip.  If you need an oil change (attitude adjustment) then get one.  If your tires need more pressure (know the word), then air them up.  If you need a new air filter (accountability partner), then find one.  If your car is just dirty then wash it (submerge yourself in the Holy Spirit) then get it washed!  If your floorboard are full of trash, then empty them (sanctification).  Get your car ready for the trip!

3.  You must know where you are, and where you want to be.  If I can’t pinpoint myself on a map, then I can’t figure out how to get myself on the right track.  Listen to the Holy Spirit for correction and guidance.  If I don’t have a destination planned, then I am wandering aimlessly HOPING that God will be on my journey somewhere, and that we might just run into one another.  Awareness is key in all situations. 

4.  You’re never going to get there, if you don’t shut your mouth and hit the gas!  We all want to see changes in things.  We all want to see improvement.  We all want to “get there”, but nobody likes to take the time to drive!  We waste more time talking about what we “could have done” or “should have done”, than the time we actually spend DOING something!  The time to act is now. 

If we want to be in God’s presence and KNOW that He is real and is really among us, then we have to take the keys and DRIVE!  It’s time to stop talking.  It’s time to stop always planning a trip and never going!  Get your cars ready and lets GO!  The only time I remember Jesus telling anyone to wait around was when he sent the Holy Spirit.  After that it was time to GO!!!  Some of us already have the Holy Spirit, so why are we still sitting on the couch?  It’s time to get our cars ready, and go take a trip to the true presence of God. 

Some of the things we spend our time doing now aren’t going to get us very far down the road.  Do you want to get there, or are you content with wandering around hoping to “bump into” God?????

So today I’m trying to get caught up around the office so that I can go to the Real Life Encounter Retreat and not have to worry about what’s going on at the Men’s Recovery Center.  Although I worry about it non-stop regardless!  I can’t wait.  I could tell last night at RL just how excited the students are getting about this weekend!!  Some of them are SO hungry for God!  I love it!  I love to be surrounded by others who just want to be in His presence. 

It reminds me of the book I’m trying to find time to finish by Rhonda Huey (spelling?) called Desperate for His Presence.  It talks about how the body of Christ is failing miserably to be bring the manifested presence of Jesus into our communities.  I want a free-for-all, all out, revival to just bust loose in central Arkansas!!  I want it so bad.  Why should I have to drive to somewhere like Tulsa or Brownsville or some other place to seek His manifested presence?  I look at how hungry these students are for more Jesus and I rest in the hope that they’re hunger is going to invite and welcome the Holy Spirit to fall in our community in a MIGHTY way!!  I hope I’m here when it happens!  It’s coming central Arkansas!!!  Get ready!  I am fully convinced that God is about to sweep through this community like nothing we’ve ever seen!!  Come Holy Spirit!  We want more of you! 

God, I ask you today to fill this place with you.  God, reveal to us the things in our lives that interrupt your presence in our lives.  Show us the things that we need to do, to see you come in all your glory into our community.  Father I ask you to spill the love and compassion of Jesus out like the rains!  Flood our cities and towns with your glory and power and might!!!  Holy Spirit rain down into our lives, relationships, families, jobs, friends and everything else that surrounds us!  Fall fresh in our lives and let us all be submerged in you!!  God, let it be so until all around us we see your face, your glory.  Until the young and old, the rich and poor, the men and women alike can do nothing but submit to your presence.  Let us feed on you God that we would continue to develop and appetite and hunger FOR you!  Lord we want more of you!!! 

Tonight at Real Life we will be working with our new teams for the first time.   I have a team of 4 really good teenagers who I look forward to working with.  They just finished their “basic training” for student leadership and all have some natural leadership characteristics visible.  As their leader, I wish to help them grow those leadership skills on a more personal level so they can continue to be effective for the Kingdom.   I shared with my interns today at the Men’s Recovery Center a message on pretty much the same topic.  This is something that has really been on my heart lately so I chose to share it also with my RL students.  Since I love you all so much too, I’m going to share the basics of this message with you as well.  I hope you enjoy, and I hope that it resonates in your heart as you seek to fulfill the great commission, leading and training other.  I could preach on this topic for a few days but below are just some of the simple thoughts that can be chewed on. 

Heart of a Leader

Psalm 51:1-13

From John Maxell’s Book, Leadership Promises for Everyday:

“All leaders make mistakes.  They are a part of life.  Successful leaders recognize their errors, learn from them, and then work to correct their faults.  A study of 105 executives determined many of the characteristics of successful executives, but one particular trait they shared was identified as the most valuable.  It was that they admitted their mistakes and accepted the consequences, rather than trying to blame others.”

“Most people don’t want to reap the consequences of their actions.  You can see this type of attitude everywhere.  A leader who is willing to take responsibility for their actions and be honest or “transparent” with their people is someone they will admire, respect, and trust.  That leader is also someone they can learn from.”

John Maxwell paints a great picture of how we need to be “aware” of who we are and where we are going.  If we don’t know where we are, we can’t get to where we want to be. 

We will discuss “awareness” many times in the coming weeks.  Our level of awareness can make or break our success as a leader.  But so can the choices we make in either action or reaction to those things we become aware about. 

Another great point he makes is about transparency.  If you present yourself as someone who is above others and super holy (set apart), then you can never connect with them.  If you can’t connect, then you can’t reach or help that person.  It is so important to connect with those we want to lead, that Paul even told us that he became all things to all people so that he may be able to reach a few. 

Sometimes we have to let down the walls we have built around ourselves (image) to allow others to really see who we are, and find ways to connect. 

                        Plumbing problem:  Call a plumber

                        Pregnancy:  Call a mother

                        Car trouble:  Call a mechanic

Others won’t respond to your help or leadership, unless they can already see you as someone who relate to them and identify with them in the things they seek your guidance in.  You have to let people see the real you. 

I didn’t think it would ever come to this…but I have decided to blog.  I really don’t even know why.  I don’t have enough time in my life as it is.  So, you ask me, why do you start a blog Aaron.  Because my friend Chris told me a few weeks ago, hey Aaron, you should start a blog.  I thought about it.  And I thought some more.  And now the rest is history.  I am officially a blogger.  I think.  I don’t even know blog etiquitte.  I don’t even know if there IS blog etiquitte. 

So, if you haven’t seen me lately, it’s because I’m too busy.  I’m also a poor manager of my time.  If you are one of those which I haven’t seen lately, and you are reading that I have started a blog, then you understand completely that I am a horrible time manager.  Oh well.  You are reading it, so I have achieved my goal. 

Peace and Love my children!!!

ABR