To Axiom Church

To Axiom Church


I know that many of you are struggling with my decision to resign as pastor. Please know that this did not come easy. I allowed you, the congregation to see some of the struggles that I was having. Most pastors would never do this. They would suffer, pray, argue and debate alone. I trust you enough and hopefully created an atmosphere that shouted, “It’s okay to not be okay.” I have known for some time that God had called me out of Axiom but I was arguing with God. I was trying to barter with God. I was trying to convince Him that all I needed was a few weeks off. I did not want to leave.

I want you to please understand that God calls men to a ministry and God calls men from a ministry.

There have already been people trying to make more of this than it is. I want to put a stop to the rumors that have surfaced, mostly from outside of Axiom, that there was an issue. Please know that there were not any underlying issues. The only issue that Axiom Church continues to face is finances. However, God has been gracious to permit the church to pay the existing bills. There is no debt Axiom, only rent and utilities and insurances. The entire staff is volunteer.

As with any body of believers there will always be things that we are all not 100% in agreement with. Ours was no different. With that said, we always handled these appropriately and moved on.

I absolutely LOVE the staff of Axiom. They have always been and will continue to be some of the closest dearest people I have ever met. I always appreciated the heart of our Leadership Team. I have loved the way that they have pulled together, had open discussions and 100% in agreement or not, once the decision was made we moved forward as a team that focused on the ministry and mission at hand.

Melissa and I will continue to pray for and support Axiom in every way. It is still the church that I would want to be part of as pastor or not.

I am asking you for a couple things. Please do not buy into any rumors that are contrary to what I have written here. They simply are lies that are meant to hurt and destroy. The person(s) that spread these are not working as a God agent, but rather for the enemy. Please continue to support the staff and leadership team at Axiom. Please pray for the establishment of and people on the pastor search team. Please don’t stop attending Axiom just because God has called me away. Ask yourself, “Has God called me away from Axiom?” Do not react out of emotion. If any of you reacts out of emotion or “won’t come back” because I am leaving then you would clearly be out of the will of God and will miss the many wonderful blessings that God has in store for you and Axiom Church. Just as He leads a person to a ministry position, He also leads the members of the congregation to that ministry.

You are needed at Axiom. You have been equipped, by God, with particular skills and gifts that are needed as part of His plan, His mission, and His vision for Axiom and our community.

Please don’t disappoint me. I have taught you better than that. More importantly, please don’t disappoint God.

I love every one of you.

Ray

Sunday Night Thoughts

What an amazing day the Lord gave to us today!! Beautiful weather, beautiful moments, beautiful blessings!!

As I write this I am still in awe of what happened today at Axiom Church. I am nearly speechless.

• As always.... I was so amazed at our band. They are awesome! I even liked the change up that Dan decided to do during the 2nd service. It was also great to have Lisa back up there singing!
• We have the most amazing volunteers at Axiom!
• Do you have a favorite pair of underwear?
• Today's message was incredibly hard to preach but absolutely necessary.
• The Apostles new what it meant to be committed, sold out, and absolutely SURE of where that stood in Jesus!
• It was great having my dad and Patti in the services today. They have been in the Florida for the winter.
• Sometimes I wish I could preach blind so I didn't have to see people struggle with the message of the message.
• I'm glad I wasn't blind at the invitation. I was so moved when people stood in both services to give their lives to Christ.
• 7 People today gave their lives to Jesus and asked Him to be their Lord King Savior!
• 4 People were Baptized!
• There was a tremendous crowd today at Axiom. I was told that we were completely out of parking spaces, over flowed across the street and in the lot next door.
• I stopped back by the church after going out to lunch and had an AMAZING impromptu conversation with a family that just happened to stop by, and they are considering coming to Axiom. We spent over an hour and a half talking.
• Life Group is where real life change will take place. Get in one!!!
• Remember to do you 10 minutes with God!
• Don't forget to invite that "person" to Easter Services.
• JESUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• We need to talk less about Axiom and more about Jesus!!
• If we can control the outcome then God is not in control!!

So much more running through my head, but gonna shut it down and enjoy my family the rest of the night!!!

Peace Out!!

Sunday Night Thoughts

I love preaching God's word! I told Melissa the other day that it is the one thing that I do that I love the most. However.... I have struggled so much in putting together the messages for this series. Yesterday was one of the toughest, weirdest messages ever, and I don't know why! I was preaching out of James and about James. After the 2nd service I told Melissa that I just wanted to forget the day. But here is what I know:

• God takes what seem like "bluk" and uses it to draw people to himself. We had 2 people accept Christ yesterday.
• That always excites me and it should you too!!!!
• James didn't believe Jesus was the Son of God, at first, either.
• Talking to family about Jesus and church is really hard.
• Sometimes our trials is God's way of maturing us.
• There is joy in the victory.
• James says to put up or shut up.
• James was an incredible leader.
• James had a perspective on life that I wish I had.
• James died like a man.... on his knees in prayer!
• James was known to have knees like a camel from spending some much time praying.
• I loved our band. I loved having Bill step up and sing and play.
• It was awesome to see many first time guests.
• I love the growth that we are seeing.
• Our parking lot team is having a hard time finding parking places for everyone, but that's ok, we'll find more parking places!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• Baptisms in 2 weeks!!!!!!

Sunday Night Thoughts

I struggled so much yesterday and today in preparation for the sermon. I thought it was all done earlier in the week but I just felt like something wasn’t right. The more I studied and prepared the more I struggled. I sent out a message to our ministry leaders last night asking them to pray for me to know with certainty what I should do. Then late last night, or early this morning rather, I knew to change the message. No real study time, no real preparation...

I was as curious as how today was going to go as the next person.

Week after week our band steps up and does a great job. I loved the worship set today. I heard so many singing “Amazing Grace”. I also heard several people commenting how much they enjoyed it.

• I have heard from people all day about the message. Glad I changed it. It was God moving.
• I know preachers say this all the time but.... I feel it, I know it, GOD is MOVING at Axiom Church. Thank you Jesus!!!!
• We were never meant to be a Christian by ourselves.
• If you think you can stay home and worship God and be an effective Christian... YOU ARE WRONG! (If you think you can debate that..... bring it, but on one condition....when you lose, you start coming to Axiom.) The only exception would be for folks who can't get out due to illness or age, etc...
• If you claim to be a Christian and don't have a home church, don't attend weekly, you are going completely against God's desires.
• Christians that are skipping out on church are selfish. They are only intersted in what's in it for them and forget that maybe they might be the one to help minister to someone else. God does have a plan for you!
• Saying "I love Jesus but can't stand the church", is incredibly offensive to God. It is like saying, "I really like you, but can't stand your wife."
• We need each other.
• I can tell how someones life is starting to take a down turn.... they start skipping church. When we skip, we tend to drift from God. If you have missed church for 2 weeks or more and your only excuse is, "I'm tired." You are drifting....
• Worship is a lifestyle... not just Sunday mornings.
• Even the Disciples got scared sometimes
• They were real and honest with each other.
• They prayed for each other.
• They held each other accountable.
• They encouraged each other.
• Why have we turned church into a place where you have to wear clothes you don't like, and lie to everyone about how you are really doing? But at the local bar you can be comfortable and honest?
• God is bigger than whoever is messing with you. He is sovereign.

Spiritual Warfare

I was very hesitant to share this post because, well…many reasons…

I’m always a little hesitant to post anything on spiritual warfare. It can give the wrong impression. It usually draws a crowd. There is always someone wanting to debate it. It brings about a lot of questions. Most Christians don’t have a clue and think we are talking about something they watch on “Ghost Hunter”. It is highly misunderstood.

People ask me if I really believe in angels and demons and the devil and this whole spirit stuff. That’s easy, YES!

Several weeks ago I really felt burdened to call Axiom church to prayer but I put it off. Why? In my experience, when I have done this in the past, it has brought on a Spiritual Warfare / Attack on the people in the church. I always wonder if they are prepared? Have I prepared them? Who will become casualties of war. But right now the Holy Spirit is speaking to me like never before and unlike any experience that I have had in years. I knew when this began to happen, that the war was on. What I failed to realize was that the war had been raging for several months already. And like many pastors and Christians I was so far out of the will of God and out of touch due to some things in my life, that by the time I realized it, I was already ensnared and had missed the start of the war.

This is not my first time, not my first dance when it comes to spiritual warfare. I don’t talk much about it because it puts too much attention on Satan.

But in this case, we need to address it because you need to be prepared.

So, let’s cover a few basics.

1. Spiritual Warfare is real

I have confronted and been confronted many times by demons, people under the influence of Satan, etc… I am retired law enforcement and seen many things in my career. I have investigated cults, sacrifices, etc… I have come face to face with things that are nearly indescribable. I have looked into eyes full of Hell.

I have also been confronted since retiring. A few years ago, I was pastoring Center Pointe Church and things were ROCKING! God was moving, people were fired up and serving, and as a church, I felt like we were running on all 8. People were getting saved like crazy and the church was growing. It was an amazing time. Then things changed.

I had returned from a conference in Portland Oregon. It was one of those times when I felt closer to God than ever before. There was a man that had spoke over me, prayed over me, spoke in a prophetic way that I had never experienced. Not long after returning I knew that the war was on. There were rumblings and grumblings, men and women of wisdom, that knew how to handle those things, now fueled them. Satan had openly declared war on Center Pointe.

I’ll never forget being confronted by a person that walked up to me, someone I did not know, they looked me in the eye and said this, “My master is going to kill you.” Coming from my background I thought that maybe this was someone that I had arrested or a family member of such. My response was, “Bring it”. The person looked into my eyes and I into theirs. It was at that moment that I knew something more was happening. I asked, “What do you mean?” They replied, “You know”. I didn’t, so I asked again. This person started to laugh, never breaking eye contact, and said again, “You know”.

Obviously I am alive, but within a few months for all intents and purposes the ministry of Center Pointe Church was dead. A vibrant ministry… gone. Hearts crushed. Hopes gone. Friendships destroyed. Reputations damaged. It seemed as if satan won that battle.

It felt like death…

You know the rest of the story. A new plant was the result, with amazing people, lives being changed, community being built, lost being found, hungry being fed and God being praised and worshipped. God wins the war.

2. We can never take Spiritual Warfare lightly. The “enemy seeks to devour”. Meaning it doesn’t give up. The battle is on. However, we cannot fight this with arrogance or pride but by being on our Spiritual Knees. Prayer is the most effective weapon for use in combat Spiritual Warfare. Secondly, we must take responsibility to read God’s word and to learn His character. To know how to fight. third, we do not retreat. We have got to invite people, we look for needs that need met. We reach out to those that feel unloved or unlovable.

3. We do NOT run from it or worry about it. We prepare for it. We are in the hands of the MIGHTY GOD Jehovah. The enemy has tasted defeat and knows that it is his ultimate cloak.

4. Do not be intimidated by a loser. He lost it all on the day Jesus arose from the grave.

5. Be prepared. It will happen to you at some point. Keep it all in perspective. DO NOT let him cast doubt upon you, your calling, your salvation, the person you are becoming. DO NOT let him bring the past to the present. When he reminds you of your past, you remind him of his future. Call on heaven to send mighty angelic warriors to come to your spiritual defense.

Here is why I believe we are experiencing this now. I feel like God is about to do something huge in our church…and the enemy is trying his best to distract you and me. The enemy is getting desperate. The days are growing to a close. I am praying like never before for a protection, a covering for you all like I’ve never asked before. I need you all to do the same for me and my family. I ask you to do the same for all the ministry team leaders and for each other. Satan will come after the leaders and their families. He’ll go after our marriages and our children. This I know for a fact. Please cover them in prayer.

The larger the ministry grows, the harder the attack.

Axiom, this is not a time to step back and evaluate. This is a time to attack, it is a time to go on the offensive…let’s pray like NEVER before…let’s INVITE like never….let’s tell our God story like NEVER before…

Let's worship

Let’s Worship

For a long time I have been thinking about “worship” music. In all fairness I need to give some of my background. I grew up in a very traditional setting, piano, organ, hymnal. I listened to and sang Southern Gospel for years. I still love it but I learned to appreciate and love other styles as well and now I pastor a church that is has a very contemporary music program. I am a huge encourager of modern worship music. I even encourage our band to instill some secular songs sometimes to emphasize the message. (Don’t write me about singing secular music in church, it’s a battle you won’t win. Besides, tell me how a song gets saved.)

I can probably sing most every song in the hymnal found in Baptist churches all across the world and never look at the words or the notes. And I am up on most modern, contemporary songs as well. And frankly, can sing most Sinatra, Buble’, Pink Floyd, Eagles, and virtually every good 80’s tune without looking at the lyrics too…

My concern is a simply complex one. At some point in the past 20 years the songs have become more “I” focused and less focused on Christ. I won’t list any specific songs here and I don’t intend on offending anyone. I have a growing concern about the lyrics that are found in the majority of modern “worship” songs.

My guess is that there is a blurring of the line between what is a worship song and what is a song of encouragement. I have absolutely no problem with a song being one that lifts the spirit and encourages someone to grow closer to God, or to help in a troubled time. But those aren’t worship songs. I submit that a true worship song focuses upon the glory of God, the gift of Jesus, the moving of the Holy Spirit…. Not our response to them.

I believe that we are running a risk of being high minded or haughty or just thinking too much of ourselves when the music is sang as “look what I am going to do for you God”. It’s not worship if it is about us.

Alex and I were discussing this and I said to him that I wish there was a way to take most of the songs in the hymnal and re-write the music that goes along with them. He said that they were meant to be played and sang slowly. I know they are beautiful in their present form, they are like art, but were written to be sung in a style that is contrary to current modern music. I know that some artists have been able to transition some of the songs and I LOVE THEM. The message in so many hymns are theologically accurate, they are Trinitarian, they are worship and teaching at the same time. All across the world, the most favorite worship songs are the ones that speak of God’s glory, His redemptiveness, His grace. These are the ones with staying power because they touch that part of us that will worship God even when we don’t want to. They are the ones that our soul brings out in our memory when the days grow long, the nights are the darkest and despair begins to set in. Our soul wants worship Him. We were created to worship Him. It’s in us to do this. That is why true worship music stays for so long and others become part of hits of the past CD collection.

Why are so few lyrics written like that these days?

Why is much of the music that is being written and performed in churches written to be performed by a lead singer and doesn’t lend itself to congregational singing? Are we moving away from corporate singing? We do try to congregationally sing many of the moderns and they do have their own beauty but most would admit the most beautiful moments occur when the guitars slightly quiet and the drums slightly quiet and the piano slightly quiets and the voices of the redeemed are lifted high in unison to the Glorious One. Singing in appreciation for the salvation that was purchased for us by His own blood. The tones of held back tears quivering in our throats as we become aware of our own sin and His perfect righteousness. The unheard words of our hearts going up to our Father’s ears. That is worship.

I pray we see a resurgence of authentic, original worship music begin to drive what we do on Sundays. I pray that what we do on Sundays will be a continuation of what we do Monday through Saturday.

Let’s Worship.

Sunday Night Thoughts

Sunday was the kick off to our new series “Sons of Anarchy”.

The stage props look awesome! Did anyone notice that the back wall is covered in a chain link fence?

The band was fired up!! They sounded so good, like always. I think Dan was incredible on the drums. I love seeing people take the gifts and talents that God has blessed them with and use them to worship Him and to lead others to worship. It was awesome having Bill join in. That extra guitar is really noticeable! Melissa, Kaitlin and Christine sounded great. Alex just consistently, week after week throws it down. He is definitely one of the best guitarist anywhere around.

It was fun getting out of my comfort zone. I hadn’t sung like that in a long time. I was very nervous, it had my heart beating! And I think it will be a while before it happens again….. I don’t want to torture you all too much.

Thank you to all the ministry team, the volunteers, everyone serving…. You all are awesome!!

I am looking forward to the music this week as we contrast it with this past week and it is more worship focused.

We opened up this series studying Simon Peter. We all are so much like him. Experiencing ups and downs in our faith walk. One moment we are walking on water and the next we are scared and crying out, “Jesus, save me.” BUT, no matter where Peter was in his walk, and even though he betrayed Jesus, Jesus’ love never lessened or left Peter. I think that is a message that all of us needed to hear. I think it is a message that we should carry with us and share with others that we meet this week. Who do you know that needs to hear that?

Please be praying for this coming Sunday, and all who are serving, all who will be attending, all that will be invited…. And most of all prepare your own hearts to worship our King, our Risen Saviour!