Lasting. Fruit.

Jesus said we are to bear fruit. But not just any fruit... fruit that lasts.
So when the Alpha&Omega, Creator and Sustainer of all things talks about something "lasting," how long is he talking about?
Is it safe to wager that he means more than a year? A decade, a generation?

From His prodigious perspective, heaven and earth (as they are now) will pass away. So what could this fruit "that will last" be?

I'm going on record as saying people. Nothing more. Nothing less. I think the fruit that God wants in my life (and yours) is the loving, serving, and shaping of people. People that will last (saved by grace!) I'm somebody's fruit. Correction: I'm the result of a lot of people's fruit. And I'm gonna last, by God's power ...for His glory.

So what fruit are you bearing? Those closest to you should not be overlooked. That can be some of the sweetest fruit of all. But don't just leave it there either. Make disciples who make disciples. That's the goal. (Mt.28) That's joy.

A Weopon the devil can't dish..

Raechel here..
Once upon a time a little girl shot an arrow and it hit a tree, the second time she shot an arrow and it hit the fence.. ever feel like that little girl.. aiming at the devil but feel like you just keep missin'?
I do.. we'll I found an arrow that gets him everytime.

Spirit led lovin'! ... what does that mean?
the most powerful times of loving is when someone doesn't deserve it..
the most anointed acts of love is when you feel nothing or anger or hurt...
the most impacting embraces are those you despise giving..

But it must be spirit led... in the flesh is ugh,. horrible.. I once had this girl hug me in a ministry(she was my co-worker) and I felt worse off after than I did before she embraced me..
why is this?
she was motivated by guilt, flesh, and religion...

It was like I needed a shower and I wanted to get away from her as quick as possible.
I would imagine if the Pharisees ever gave hugs they were similar.. all for show. all for them .

I find I do the same thing.. and I have been asking the Lord to teach me deep love.. how to love Him (his body) deeply.
So how has the Lord challenged this request?? showing me the worst of people's side.. hurting, annoying and getting me angry!
Then comes the power of SPIRIT-led love..
Asking the Spirit how to love them and then doing it by Faith.. no fuzzy feelings or desire .. just obedience.
I cannot tell you the times I do this the result I receive.. mind boggling.. it works.. my heart is melted and so is theirs!!
This ticks off satan, he has no idea that the arrow he aimed at us it the same one we will jab into his soul. Ha!
So think of the one who is really driving you nuts or has hurt you and ask the Holy Spirit how to love them.. Only Jesus knows the key to changing us and transforming them by the power of His Love.what a weopon!! - your Rae

Don't hit my kid!

Here's an exercise (if you're willing...):
If you have children
1) I want you to think about them (still as children growing up, for those of you with grown offspring.) Now that you are thinking about your children, I want you to think about somebody else (other than you) raising them.

How do you feel?
.
..
...
....
[**my reaction, maybe yours: sad? chest pains? hard to swallow?]

2) Now I want you to imagine that this other person, who is raising your children, abuses them. Hurts them.

Now, how do you feel?
.
..
...
....
[**my reflex, maybe yours: outraged? gut wrenching? Unable to focus? sit still?]

I believe this may give us some insight as to how God feels....when he sees us giving in to the spirit of the world. (1 Cor 2:12, Eph 2:2, Gal 4:3) Watching that show we shouldn't. Listening to a conversation we shouldn't. Accepting the world's standards as our own. As we subject ourselves to the spirit of this world I believe that spirit is, in a way, "parenting" us. It is shaping our values, influencing our thoughts, and moulding our hearts.

And it is hurting us.

God, our Creator, our "Father in heaven," he calls us his own. We ARE his children. He made us. He loves us. He wants us. And I believe He must feel like you and I feel at the thought of someone ELSE raising our children... and on top of that, hurting our children.

A jealous God? I would be. And a broken-hearted God, too. No wonder the messiah was prophesied to be a "man of sorrows." (Isa 53:3) I must admit... I cannot think of something more sorrowful than another person raising my children and hurting them. (And my children choosing that!)

O sweet Lord. God of Abraham. I don't want to hurt you by putting myself under this worldly spirit. I want your Holy Spirit. Be my Abba, my daddy. Raise me. Show me your ways....that I might walk in them.

one free man

March already!

February went by too fast!

Highlights: We got to spend time with Rae's parents (visiting from Nashville) and my folks, too. We all ate dinner together last week at the ever-popular Souplantation. As I reflect back on it, I can only think "Wow."

God has blessed us with not one, but two incredible families. In a world with so much fragmenting, broken marriages, abuse, bitterness, pain... somehow we ended up with a great gift:
a l o v i n g f a m i ly (...that's still in one piece.)

Whether the same is true for you, or not- Don't forget that you can be that "loving family" to the next generation. God can and will break every generational curse over your life if you let Him.
Jesus wants to make your future so bright... you have to where sunglasses!


Tooth alert!
Enjoy these final photos of that gummy smile. Judah's first tooth just pushed through this week ...and more teeth are on the way!


[Be secure in Jesus! When everything else gets shakey, remember that He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. He loves you SO much!]

one free man

Freedom Writers

Spent this last week under the teaching of Dr. John Lloyd Ogilvie. (He and his team are putting on training courses called "Preaching With Passion" -in partnership with Fuller Seminary. )

When asked by an attending pastor what he would do differently after so many years of successful ministry (pastor of Hollywood Presb., author, radio, television, Chaplain for US Senate, the list goes on), Dr. Ogilvie responded immediately, "If I could do it all over again I would not BLASPHEME God by dishonoring the Sabbath."

Ouch. A sobering chill swept through the crowded room of pastors (who didn't see that "blaspheme" thing coming.)
----------------------------------------------

So today is Rae and my Sabbath. In Genesis it says God rested on the seventh day. "Rested" didn't mean God was pooped out, but that God "ceased" from his work. He stopped. He ...celebrated. Tonight I celebrated a very rare night-out with my wife. We had Rae's sister put the baby to bed and Rae and I caught the 7:50 showing of Freedom Writers.

Not too many movies send you out the doors with hope, but this movie does. If you're willing to invest in others, or as it says in Isaiah "spend yourself for the sake of the poor" - great things happen.
----------------------------------------------
Lots of babies on the way (...including another freeman edition.) What an awesome reminder in the book of Ruth where Boaz steps in as the family redeemer and all the people bless them and their "future descendents." This redeeming act of compassion would shape and shake the world forever. Their son would be Obed. Their grandson Jesse. And their great-grandson David. Wow!

To parents and parents-to-be: Let's be faithful to God, and compassionate to others. And the wonderful things God does in your lifetime might be only a glimmer of what He will do in the life of your child and in the generations to come. Let it be so, Lord!

Quote of the Day

Here's something to think about:

"You can teach what you know,
but you reproduce who you are."

I've been letting this sink in for a couple weeks. Teaching bible studies, leading small groups, discipling other guys- this is all stuff that I've been up to over the last 2 years (or at least year and a half.) There are times I get pumped up because I can feel God speaking through me and I know it's hitting those who are listening. I recognize that I've experienced some things (few to be sure) that other Christian's in my current circle haven't. So I share, and teach, and that can feel great.

But the buzz goes away real quick. What kills it for me most is how little lasting fruit I've seen. I know it's not about having the cooler conversion/sanctification/transformation story, but darn it... why is there not MORE change in the lives of those I influence?! Could the problem not be their unwillingness... but my shallowness? Am I simply reproducing "who I am"?

You can teach what you know, but you reproduce who you are.

Lord, I need a change.

one free man

This one's for WIK

Score on Earnhardt Jr!
DiCaprio.... nice!
Judy Garland (pardon me while I wet myself)
William H. Macy, Dean Cain... REDEMPTION!

Bless you, Chris! Thanks for being my bestfriend.

My look-alikes...

Singer from Depeche Mode,
the actor who wins Jennifer Garner's heart in 13 Going On 30,
the oscar-worthy (and stiffed) "Bill The Butcher" Cutting,
Livin-La-Vida-Loca himself,
and the greatest player in the NBA.

Not bad. (for buck-teeth and big nose)

This is what hungry looks like...

then comes the food...


and a little "tummy time"...



Been a while since I wrote... newborns realy cramp a guy's blogging time. :-)

Rae and I are doing well. We take off to Seattle, WA this week for a conference/event called "Worship&Justice." Judah will be coming as well (his 5th plane trip and he's only 5 months old. This kid gets around.)

Happy Birthday (this thursday!) to our mom, Marie Wulfing. We love you and miss you Madre! Big kisses!
-onefreeman

Encounter God...

This last weekend I went to an "Encounter God" retreat. It was a Friday night-Saturday all day event filled with teachings on Spiritual warfare, strongholds (both good & bad), and then a lot of hands on prayer and deliverance. Cool stuff.

It definitely wasn't "fun." But there was power in God's truth, the power of pure, true light breaking through areas of darkness. If you ever come across this material (by Jim Egli) it's worth checking out. Even more well known is the book "Bondage Breakers" (different author) which covers a lot of the same territory.

One revelation I had that I'd like to share: Unforgiveness. Most of us know that this is not what God wants in our lives. Understanding that Jesus commands us to forgive still doesn't always make it a sure thing, especially because part of what we are feeling is valid. God has wired us to be sensitive to "injustice" and when that injustice had been committed against us, how very aware of it we are. Here's what I learned...

Unforgiveness is us holding a debt against someone. We believe somewhere in our hearts that by holding this debt we will eventually get justice. But you know, what? That's not true. And besides, God says that He is the one who gives justice, and yet God is the very one telling us to forgive. What a dilemma!

Or is it? Here is a freeing thought: What ever debt is owed you, the bible says Jesus has paid that debt, too, on the cross. And what ever has been robbed - a friendship, a father, a passion, your self esteem, your purity- as hard as it is to bare the pain of the loss, Jesus asks you to look to him and see that he has what is needed to pay the debt off! He will give you the friendship, the love, the passion, the esteem, the purity that you so greatly desire, and he will often give it in far greater amounts then we could EVER hope to have received it back from the one we would not forgive.

Then Jesus may even open our spiritual eyes to see that the person who we hold a debt against is literally incapable of paying their debt. The Lord will often show us how depraved and empty our debtor is in the very area we were expecting something back. This revelation might even change your posture from anger to pity. Such brokenness in our world and in the people around us, EVEN in believers. What joy awaits in the wholeness and fullness of our God. He is where we will truly find the debt we are looking for.

In the end, unforgiveness actually "ties" us to the person that has wronged us. And that is pain God has not asked us to suffer. He wants to free you from your unforgiveness. Will you let Him?

Wow Wednesday

I got to lead a friend to the Lord last night. What a high! To actually watch the word of God hit someone's heart and see their face change. Literally seeing the weight of guilt and sin and shame lifted off a man's shoulders, "breathing the free air," tears of joy.

It was a some night!

This man was ready for the gospel. It was just like Jesus said: "The harvest IS READY, but the laborers are few." My friend didn't need me. He just needed anyone who would love him enough to go have a coffee and share Romans 6 and 8 with him. God had done all the work. All of it. I can't give you a reason why, but for some reason... Jesus decided to bless me. He decided to let me in, after all His hard work, he let me step in and reap the joy of the harvest.

God is too good.