Bryans little world.

Passion= “any powerful or compelling
emotion or feeling, as love or hate”.

Wow! Two very different and life changing descriptions,
love and hate. Yet they both fall under the same word. Last Sunday I
preached on, “Spiritual Laziness”. And as hard as it was to
preach a message that would challenge some, while others callused to
such messages would just ignore, it was actually pretty easy. I
desire for the church I serve to be a healthy church, so I am
constantly evaluating everything. It is in my bones. My wife, Amy,
tells me that I am weird because I study “church” to the
point that I get bonkers. And it is true. But at the end of the day I
believe with no doubt that it is my calling. And because of that
calling I am always asking God to take inventory of me, and the
church that I serve at. And one thing that becomes very evidently
clear to me is that people have too many passions.

Since passion accompanies many different faucets of
life, it would be natural to accept that we need those passions to
live a very fulfilling life. I am seeing however that when
we simplify our life to a few passions under a single passion then
our life blows up to becoming something bigger than our self. Let me
explain:

What is the first commandment that God gave to Moses?
That there should be no other god before him.

Now I am not going to preach at ya, I am just asking
you to consider the following…

If you were to sit down and divide into slices your
time in any one day of the week, how would that pie look. Would God
have the biggest slice. I believe for most of us, if we are honest
with ourselves, would find that God really doesn’t exist on our pie!
Even on Sunday’s (which is sometimes even a big deal to go) we go to
church. So bang! There is a big 2 hour slice of the pie on Sunday.
But we are typically awake for 16 hours. So even on Sunday the “God
slice” would make up for 1/7th of the pie. Even thought that
slice is bigger than “nearly not there” on other days. Is
it enough?

God had become more of a novelty item in most peoples
life. He isn’t, “the savior”, “the healer”, “the
comfort”, He may have been once in your life. Why? Other
passions.

Yesterday I was so frustrated with the human race. At
least the ones on facebook! The reason for my frustration is because
I seen people spread a hoax that Facebook was going to start charging
for their service. And instead of investigating it, and even looking
at Facebook’s main login screen (which says “always will be
free”), people freaked out! In one hour time I must have seen
that same status update over a dozen of times. I started seeing
people comment on how facebook have lied about this “always
free” business! Well today Facebook stayed free. Did they
collapse to public pressure to keep it free? Nope. Did they set this
up to be a prank on April Fools Day? Nope. Were they just trying to
get people to go to Google+? Of course not. Then why have the fee?
They never were going to do it. In fact the rumors started flying
around so fast that Facebook actually announced that everyone needed
to calm down. It was a hoax.

So the biggest social network on the internet had to
respond to such passionate people that not only believed a lie, but
spread it in the hopes that they would be spared from the evil
membership fee. It was so easy for people to spread such a claim
(falsehood) without investigation or fact checking, but to spread a
truth is like pulling wisdom teeth from people. They don’t want to
come out!

We need a passion readjustment bureau.

If people would focus (be passionate) about the truths
of this world then I believe that we can move mountains in faith.
Facebook moved and they are a mountain. So we should be able to do it
even more so. But wait…..are you passionate about God? Does our
life reflect that passion? If not, then why not? God commands that He
be the first and biggest passion in our life, and then the other
passions fall in line to that. I believe that if we refocus our life
in this way, then mountains bigger than Facebook will move. The
mountains of peoples hearts! They will see and believe for them self,
that God is worth being passionate about. For He is no HOAX.

Let the passionate love that we have for God move
mountains!

So imagine with me that you are standing on the beach in just your swim suit and a boogie board next to your best friend.  You see that there is nobody in the ocean but people walking along the beach.  You see that most people even are avoiding the sand of the beach but are on the pier over the water trying to avoid all of the elements.  Well this is a true story of my best friend Josh and I as we encountered Cayucos Beach on the California Central Coast in July as teenagers.  Surprisingly enough it was really bad and cold weather that day when we decided to do the smart thing and that was to get into the ocean as the waves were high and the movement was great.  Perfect for some boogie boarding!  But because of the cold water and cold weather front everyone else stayed away.  But that was okay to a couple of teens looking for a great time.  And boy did we.  That memory of Josh and I is still one of my most fondest growing up.  It had a sense of adventure that paid out great dividends of fun. 

So when I started to think about the movement of God in our lives for some reason He kept taking me to that memory.  So I prayed further for understanding on why such a great teenage memory and how He moves us is related.  I needed to understand why God kept telling me in my thoughts and in my spirit to keep looking for the answers to this question.  And it finally dawned on me.  More than likely God was waiting for me to close off my expectations and just listen to Him, like how little kids do during reading time. 

So God is like that ocean.   And He will move as He sees fit to move.  Some days He moves with great thunder and presence and sometimes He is calm and glistering but He is still God.  And everyday He is asking His children to jump in and immerse ourselves in what He has to offer us at that moment.  In Mark Chapter 12,  Jesus says, “love the Lord God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence and energy.”  Jesus is saying, “Jump in!! The water is great!” 

This brings me to the next revelation point I had.  And this was that God wants you in the water all the time so He can have His way.  Paul writes in Romans 12, “Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him… fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it.”  My question is how can you respond to God when you are on the beach?  Our churches are filled to the brim with watchers, but God needs the do-ers.  The people who wants to get wet no matter the elements.  He doesn’t even want us on the beach,  but in the ocean, in Him.  Lets look at Romans 12 again when Paul writes, “…Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity.”  These people are the people who are on the beach just watching.  And the crazy thing happens on the beach and that is the mist that the ocean and wind produces.  That mist that can either draw you closer to the water or even send you onto the pier. 

The mist are those whispers from God.  The whispers of forgiveness, grace, and an invitation to have the ”encounter” with Him.  And some people will feel that mist and be drawn closer. Within the mist is what is described in James 4:7-10, ”So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he’ll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it’s the only way you’ll get on your feet.”  And to most they will hear this message and walk onto the pier.  And for a few they accept the mist and jump in the water.  And when they jump into the water they feel that enormous movement of God within their souls.  It first washes clean and purifies and then it accepts and moves you to new levels, to new challenges, to a new life. 

I cannot express the excitment that day back in my teenage years.  It was such a thrill ride to be within the movement of one of the most powerful things here on this earth.  And when you are riding that wave even for a few moments you feel the power, the grace, and connection to something bigger than yourself.  And even though that was awesome and a memory I will never forget, with my best friend right beside me.  There is a moment in my life that shrinks even that powerful memory and that was the day when I seen from the pier a family in the ocean.  My best friends family, to be exact, riding the waves of God and I jumped off the pier and onto the beach.  And while on the beach on Februrary 13th 1994 the mist of God overcame me and I was drawn into the ocean.  And when I accepted that challenge to jump in even though everyone around in my life were still on the pier, I was immersed in God!  And that is the best thrill ride I am still on. 

Yes I have had moments in my life were I chose to take control and go against the movement of God and I found my self on the rocks tearing up my walk and my ride.  But God, like the ocean, is always there inviting us in.  Inviting us to ride again. 

The movement of God can take you to new heights, new adventures, and yes, even new challenges.  But like any good boogie boarder will tell you,  ”the direction is the oceans job, how you ride it, well that is your responsibility to choose.”  And while you ride, God may take you next to that pier where someone else will take notice and jump off and onto the beach and hopefully joins you in the water, in God.

Ride Well Friends!

Pastor Bryan Arabian

3-4-2011

When did I lose sight? When did I lose faith? When did I forget? What am I talking about? God. Yes, God! See when I go through life it is easy to fold under the pressure of conformity. To just be like everyone else, searching and reaching for that “American dream”. But everyday I wake up thanking God for my breath. And I have to fight, everyday, the temptation of conformity. In scripture Paul writes to the Galatia church: “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.” In older translations, “passions and desires of their sinful nature”, is summed up in one word; Flesh. Well my flesh wants me to be popular, wants me to succeed by cutting corners, wants to make money in a greedy fashion, and it wants me to die. See as many girls and even some guys are out buying products to keep there flesh appeal up, I am fighting it. Conformity is normal. But I am called to be UN-normal. I’m called to be extraordinary. I’m called to be a warrior, a hero in the faith. And my flesh drags me. So the struggle continues and will continue until the day I die and meet Jesus in heaven. So how is it that I can deal. How do I deal with a flesh that is out to destroy me? Following. But what am I following? The Spirit. So how does that happen? By building a closer relationship with Him through prayer and reading His words from the Bible. That’s it? Yup. That seems so easy on paper so why isn’t it? The struggle of conformity. Man, I feel like that fictional Batman nemeses, Two Face!

So where is God in all of this? God wants us to be strong in the faith so we can share the Good News of Jesus to all of the world. Jesus did die on a cross 2000 years ago and yes he indeed rose on the 3^rd day. And the power of that resurrection lives in me, and in you that believe. So if given these supernatural powers then why do we not see supernatural results? I for one believe it must be a lack of faith and trust in God. It reminds me of an account recorded in Matthew 17 which was this: At the foot of the mountain, a large crowd was waiting for them. A man came and knelt before Jesus and said, “Lord, have mercy on my son. He has seizures and suffers terribly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. So I brought him to your disciples, but they couldn’t heal him.” Jesus said, “You faithless and corrupt people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” Then Jesus rebuked the demon in the boy, and it left him. From that moment the boy was well. Afterward the disciples asked Jesus privately, “Why couldn’t we cast out that demon?” “You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible. Wow! My interpretation of this is that they 1. Didn’t realize the faith required (which wasn’t much) and 2. The were corrupted by there flesh. This is a shame because we as believers fall into the same trap that the disciples feel into. Which is the purpose for this little note.

We need to realize who our daddy is! He has the power to heal the sick and forgive to forget. He has the power to shake prisons and part seas. He has the ability to break down the city barriers to allow His chosen people a great victory. And we sit on that power. We do have the power through Christ to cure cancer, straighten limbs, and clear minds of nonsense. But this isn’t the first time a pastor has said this! Paul wrote to the Ephesian church in 1:19-20: I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.

So I encourage you to fight the good fight with your flesh. And live like there is no tomorrow. Because even though you may have a relationship with Christ your friends may not, and may not have but only today to hear and accept that message that the Lord has commissioned us to share. God Bless you today and don’t be ashamed to step out of your comfort zone for Christ as He certainly does love you like no other.

This morning in my daily scripture text to members of The Father’s House I asked them a simple question regarding Ephesians 5:8.  The scripture is:  For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.  Ephesians 5:8 (NIV).  And the question was: What does “walk in the light mean to you?”  And the responses’ blessed me sooooo very much that I need to share them.  I have omitted names on purpose and they are listed as I received them so I hope it blesses you like it did me.

Walk in the way you would  know Jesus would expect. How you walk shows people how you live. Show them how you live. Walk in the light always!

Warmth, As I walk in the light I can rest assure that MY GOD will kept me safe and HIS loving arms are always wrapped around ME keeping me warm. And if I continue in His path I will one see the Great One who shined His light  so that I could be one of His beacons & shine for his Glory..

Walking in the light is reflecting Christ. We are mirrors. We are not meant to shine in ourselves. We reflect the light we walk in. The light of Christ… Matt 25:31-46 Jesus says to those [who] will go into eternal punishment, "You did not feed me when I was hungry,you did not give something to drink when I was thirsty, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not cloth me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me."

Am free of my sins.

Walking in truth. Every day- speaking it.

I used walk in the darkness my entire life especially in high school but after I got saved at 17 the emptiness in my heart that I was trying to fill is filled with God and now I feel complete and happy I feel as if I can do anything and I know I can over come anything with Christ and knowing one day you are going to meet Jesus and that he loves you! That is walking in the light.

I would love for you to make even more comments.

I was laying on the couch just thinking about America.  What did make America great?  My mind went into a deep spiral of thoughts and even emotions.  I then thought of patriots.  No not the “New England” kind, but of the patriots of old.  Who are patriots?  I don’t know.  Ronald Reagan may have been the last of the patriots.  Why do I think this?  Well to me a patriot is a person who goes beyond even what his desires are for the better good of America.  I don’t see this in politic’s anymore.  All I see anymore is Republican and Democrat.  Oh and a tea party and green movement.  But where are the patriots?  They have gotten pushed into the “extreme” closet to never be brought out again.  I see a “patriotic” act by senators every once in a while.  But it is rare anymore.  A patriot doesn’t throw leaves in the wind and see where he moves, he JUST moves for the best of the country.  If that is upwind then so be it.  If it is downwind then that is what he will do.  It is called “CORE CONVICTIONS.”  I wish our politicians really had some.

A patriot believes in sacrifice.  That’s right, not looking out for “number one.”  This so goes against our current culture.  We think we are awesome because we can text some digits and add 10 bucks to our bill that will go for relief in another county.  That is good, but is that all?  Where is the helping of the homeless or giving of time into another ones life?  We have been taught, unfortunatley, that we can be okay and allow bad things to happen around us as long as it doesn’t affect us then it really is none of our business.  BOGUS!  When we see a need we need to fill a need the best way posible. That is what patriots do. That’s what will make America great again. Sacrifice, hard work, and more hard work.  Patriots are thrown up as some sort of “Optimus Prime” of our American culture.  But this is not true.  Patriots come in all shapes and form, and is not respected by money or fame.  Only the desire to see our country great again. 

We need America to be great again.  But the direction we are going is more of an European Highbred.  Patriots stand up.  Lead by conviction, and passion.  We need you, I need you.   (continue reading…)

Once upon a time I woke up to gifts under the tree and a warm breakfast and my family excited to see our faces when we opened our presents.  And now it is my turn and even though I still am excited to see Kathryn and family open gifts, I am a bit stressed. Why?  Well I want to be a good host to our visiting family.  I want to make sure we don’t spend utility money and end up with no electricity.  I am hoping that the gifts we purchased will indeed make the recipients happy.  And I catch myself having to stop (a lot more than normal) and remember why all this celebration is occurring.  For my belief is that Jesus Christ was born of a young virgin who would end up on the Cross for my sins and giving me the gift of eternal life.  WOW!  That is a lot to think about.  But the birth is the start of the gift of Jesus.  He was born in the filthiest of conditions.  He wasn’t born in Beverly Hills with the state of the art equipment.  Oh no!  He was born in the stench of a barn.  What humble beginnings to a life full of power, grace, forgiveness, and most importantly love.  For God so loved the world……God gave up his Son Jesus not to condemn us but to love us; So that we could have the option of eternal life with Him.  (John 3:16 paraphrased) This is why I should stop and celebrate.  In my life I know that I am not perfect, and I certainly know that I contributed a few stripes across Jesus’ back, and to think that He knowing all of this would be willing to be born in a stinking barn….. I just want to get this one right.  I love buying gifts but lets remember that it is Christmas time and in this time lets be thankful for the gift in which that young baby was born for. 

Bryan

I have had enough….  I see you, yeah you.  I know that things are not peachy.  I know that you are behind in bills.  I know that your relationships are suffering.  I see that you have turned to things that have just caused more pain after the initial relief.  I see that you are confused about your position here on earth.  I see that you are hopelessly searching for something with substance.  You have been looking for a while now haven’t you?  You see a bleak future ahead, if one at all.  You see your neighbors have it together, your friends have it together, and your extended family looks like they are doing well also.  Let me tell you a secret, they, like you, are hurting also.  You know when you go out in public you put off that everything is okay.  You put a smile on and move around like you don’t have a problem in the world.  Well I will tell you that there are more people like you than there are people who actually do have it together.  I see that you are unhappy, disappointed, and even depressed (yes I said depressed).  I see it all. 

This is what kills me, and actually killed my son.  You needed a savior from all this…. I sent him, my son, Jesus.  Now before you go running off screaming because I used my son’s name and you associate it to some psycho church, give me a chance to explain.  Yes it is true that I God made a way for you to put all your problems in the “Recycle Bin”.  And yes I did this even though I didn’t have to.  And no I don’t hold a grudge for acting out this plan I had.  See you have been looking for a while and every once in a while some “religious” figure would pop in and give you a possible solution and you wouldn’t give him or her the time of day.  Why not?  Afraid?  What do you have to lose but a few Sunday’s or a couple of chat’s over coffee or a meal?  Let me tell you something…. I am real, and I know your problems, and I know how to fix those issues that many people go through.  I have put hurting marriages together all the way to making someone feel special just the way they are.  I have done these things for many people and they have been blessed with such love, compassion, forgiveness, and even answers to questions or problems.  Would you please give me a chance to help you.  I did create you and known you even when you where in the womb.  I even know how many hairs are on your head, or lack of, if your Dr. Phil.  I am a real God.  Not some fake far away God, but a real God that wants to form a relationship with you again.  I am a real God, and you are a real person with some hurts that need unloading.  I will take them and give you in replace a love that you have truly been looking for.  I am a real God.

~God

Authors Note:

If you would like to chat with someone about how you can give God your problems and start having a real relationship with Him please e-mail me Bryan@FathersHouseKerman.com.  I am a real person who has had a share of issues and hurts, who turned his life to God, and hasn’t looked back since.   And I would like to encourage you to give God a real chance before turning Him down.  By the way: I am not a religious guy, but rather a guy with a relationship with God.  There is a huge difference!  Thanks for reading.

Bryan Arabian of The Father’s House in Kerman, Ca.

Are you ready for them?

Hi Kermanites.  I have a simple question for you and I would really like you to respond.  As one of the pastors of The Father’s House I am curious as to what you want/expect out of a church?  There is no wrong answer.  Please e-mail me your answers.  I will keep your name confidential. 

Thanks.

Pastor Bryan Arabian (Life long Kermanite myself)

BJArabian@Kermantel.net or Bryan@FathersHouseKerman.com

Sorry for not blogging more often.  I will try to do better…

Let me start this out by giving a small disclaimer….  I work on this all the time.  I am not the poster child for this.  And I fail badly all the time in this. So what is “this”: Standing Firm.  The scriptures in 2 Thessalonians Chapter 2 says: “Meanwhile, we’ve got our hands full continually thanking God for you, our good friends – so loved by God! God picked you out as his from the very start. Think of it: included in God’s original plan of salvation by the bond of faith in the living truth. This is the life of the Spirit he invited you to through the Message we delivered, in which you get in on the glory of our Master, Jesus Christ. So, friends, take a firm stand, feet on the ground and head high. Keep a tight grip on what you were taught.”  From this scripture I do find a few “between the lines” messages.  First one that I notice right away is the life is not easy.  Whenever we need to “take a stand”, there is always some sort of opposing force out there.  It could be a simple decision or it could be something huge and ugly getting ready to attack you.  Whatever the case there is always a force to be reckon with.   It reminds me of that great song that my father-in-law sings, “As the Anchor Holds”.  If there was no force (wind, waves) then there would be no need for an anchor.  So standing firm is not because we have everything on easy street.  Quite the opposite.  There is this rumor out there that when you become a believer in Jesus that everything will become easy.  Let me tell you the truth of this matter.  It isn’t.  When you are facing problems it is easy to give it to the Lord (and free by the way).  But by being a believer doesn’t make you exempt.  So Jesus knows this but confirms to us that if we stand firm we will get through it.

I have a friend of mine that once told me that, “storms come and go but it is how you stand in them that determines where you faith lays.”  We lean way too much on our own understanding for too many things.  We (and I) need to stop acting that way.  We need to “stand firm” on something.  In my walk in the Lord, I have strayed.  I almost strayed to the point of no return to be honest with you.  But I kept coming up with the question, “Where do I place my future?”.  In my experience, it didn’t matter how far off the path I found myself from living out God’s will for me, He was still there trying to get me back.  And when I found myself strong in the Lord or ”Standing Firm” if you will, I found myself with more of an inner peace and happiness.  So I stand on Jesus.  And as I stand , I realized that my stance needs to be firm (this part is hard). 

The scripture in 2 Thes. tells us that we need to hold tight the things that we have been taught.  You know it and I know it, that it is fun to rebel every once in a while.  And believe me when I tell you that rebelling can be fun, but it is always at a cost.  I need to be firm.  I need to stand on the things that I have been taught.  We all do! We know in our heads what is right and what is wrong.  Why is it some much harder to place that in our hearts and ultimately in our actions?  For me it was the pay out.  Let me be honest.  There was somethings that I tricked myself to believing that the payout for rebelling was greater than obeying God.  But that wasn’t being true to what I believe.  See my answer to the question of where I placed my future came in this form.  I don’t like hot places,  in fact I hate the Central Valley this time of the year, so I know that Hell would not be a place that I want to stay.  That was tongue in cheek.  The real reason is because I have a debt.  I have a debt to pay back to God for getting me this far in my life even though I didn’t deserve a bailout.  He bailed me out of some pretty miserable places, emotionally and spiritually.  He gave me access to Heaven that on my own I wouldn’t have. And so I have this debt.  I want to serve God.  I can’t use him any longer as some sort of convenient 7-11 store.  I choose to stand firm on Him.  How about you?  You know Christianity has this reputation that you have to wear suits to church and have to put a fish on your car after you become a Christian.  That simply isn’t true.  I started to ride a Harley Davidson and I am proud of that.  I am who I am because God created me that way.  I like to make slip and slides down river embankments, and I like to camp.  And I can do all those things and still love the Lord.  I do have to follow what the Bible asks of me, but after Jesus did what He did for me, I am willing to do anything He asks.  Oh, and the payout.  The payout for being a believer in Jesus is Heaven.  An eternal peace, and a place of true living.  And you get to be with the Lord forever.  This is the payout (even though we don’t deserve it).

Standing Firm give us hope, happiness, and eventually eternity if we are standing in the right spot.  Where are you standing?  What motivates your direction in your life, if you have one?  Let me encourage you to seek God, for He is on standby waiting just for you.  STAND FIRM IN CHRIST.

Thanks for reading,

Bryan