3000 different species of trees in a one mile square radius in the amazon jungle!?! God your crazy awesome! I love it!
“Oh, that we might know the Lord!
Let us press on to know him.
He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn
or the coming of rains in early spring.” HOSEA 6:3
The Secret Place
This is a little late but it has still been on my heart since Fine Arts weekend. That whole weekend was exactly what I needed to get my focus back on track and in line with the vision Pastor Joel has with Anthem. What is sad is that I’ve been listening to a lot of Pastor Pat Schatzline’s podcasts and even his sermon, “Saving Private Pat” before this weekend, so I knew how to rescue myself from the callous relationship I had with God but of course, WHY WOULD I DO THAT!?! It’s disgusting and even nasty to me that I let myself get to where I was… I understand that I’m not the Superman of Christianity, But really Chico? If I’m really the middle school pastor to JV Anthem then yes I might be Superman to these kids. Growing up Josh Purcelli, Dean Purcelli, and Chris Mills were my Supermen, they were everything I wanted to be, and they were the blue print on which I wanted to build my life. I know the importance of role models and mentors. We as Christians easily disregard this fact of life that there are always impressionable minds watching our every way we live. It’s just the way it is, Charles Barkley says he’s not a role model, sir you are turribly wrong! Everyone is a role model, Everyone!
Ok Back to me, I’m going to be real guys, before that weekend my prayer life, being in the word, and my passion during worship was close to non-existent. I plugged into God only if I needed something to teach or a very important prayer request came up. That was my cold relationship with God, That was my relationship with the creator of the universe, that was my relationship with the God of grace who loved me in my sin even when I was a lustful, alcoholic dirt bag only a few years prior! You would think that I, me, CHICO would never take that for granted, but I had! I was just playing some kind of game I think or maybe just being religious I don’t know… but it’s weird how you know everything, but you don’t know yourself! I was dying that’s for sure and I didn’t even know it, I needed rescued, emergency lights were flashing!!! Sirens going off the whole nine yards, but I was calloused to myself and God! I even went as far as to make remarks to my beautiful fiancée that I think I didn’t want to do ministry anymore that I was ready to hand it over and just chill. That is pathetic! Now that I hear myself saying this stuff it just disgusts me so much, being a United States Marine I never quit, NEVER, but here I was ready to quit on God, Pastor Joel, and Anthem, wow I’m a loser for thinking that. I told you I was going to be real guys, good thing God is real too, cuz he made himself super real to me that weekend. Let me show you what God did for me!
Psalm 91-
You who sit down in the High God’s presence, spend the night in Shaddai’s shadow,
Say this: “God, you’re my refuge.
I trust in you and I’m safe!”
That’s right—he rescues you from hidden traps,
shields you from deadly hazards.
His huge outstretched arms protect you—
under them you’re perfectly safe;
his arms fend off all harm.
Fear nothing—not wild wolves in the night,
not flying arrows in the day,
Not disease that prowls through the darkness,
not disaster that erupts at high noon.
Even though others succumb all around,
drop like flies right and left,
no harm will even graze you.
You’ll stand untouched, watch it all from a distance,
watch the wicked turn into corpses.
Yes, because God’s your refuge,
the High God your very own home,
Evil can’t get close to you,
harm can’t get through the door.
He ordered his angels
to guard you wherever you go.
If you stumble, they’ll catch you;
their job is to keep you from falling.
You’ll walk unharmed among lions and snakes,
and kick young lions and serpents from the path.
“If you’ll hold on to me for dear life,” says God,
”I’ll get you out of any trouble.
I’ll give you the best of care
if you’ll only get to know and trust me.
Call me and I’ll answer, be at your side in bad times;
I’ll rescue you, then throw you a party.
I’ll give you a long life,
give you a long drink of salvation!”
After hearing, and REALLY hearing, Pastor Pat Schatzline read this chapter I understood the 911 emergency for my life. Psalms 91 was God saying Chico, I got you, hold on to me, I got you! See I had been letting things separate me from my secret place with God. Busyness, school, video games, Michelle, Myself, ministry anything that wanted my attention I easily gave priority over God. I would give God an excuse and slam the door to my secret place. I was killing my relationship with God, but at the same time I thought I was good, I was leading the middle school ministry and helping Pastor Joel, Going to school, and working on a Christian relationship with Michelle. All of these things should have sky rocketed me to the top of the Christian totem pole right? Wrong! The things I was doing in my life are great don’t get me wrong, there far from the party lifestyle I lived earlier in the Marine corp. But what’s the point if in the meantime I lose my anointing, my passion for God. How much longer could I have kept this up? How much longer before I would have just woken up and decided this wasn’t what I wanted for my life anymore? Crazy right? Can you imagine if God hadn’t stepped into my life at fine arts, I don’t want to imagine that! I remember that feeling of hate and anger always consuming my life, it’s a horrible way to live! Let me re-group guys, ok so earlier Pastor Joel had gave me a stern talking to about really taking myself serious as a pastor to these kids. Michelle followed it up with some encouraging words as well. Then Pastor Pat preached his guts out, and the way he closed the sermon was intense, he brought out the door that led to the secret place! Now I know some of you guys are like so what? What does that even mean? Well if all you get out of this whole rambling of words is this than I’m ok with it. The door guys, the door that I had kept shut and slamming constantly, LEADS TO THE SECRET PLACE! On the other side of that door, God is waiting for you; he’s so excited to spend time with you. God wants to talk, listen, love, heal, bless, and even shield you there. If you hadn’t picked it up from the verse in Psalms 91 nothing can get through that door but you! That’s why it’s a secret place only you and God, your healer know where it’s at! If that doesn’t get you jacked I don’t know what will! A place only for you and God wow wow wow! I Love It! Leaders understand this sometimes the enemy isn’t trying to steal your salvation, he’s trying to steal your anointing and the only way to protect yourself is to constantly be in your secret place! Meet with God, Shut the door and just lock yourself away with the Prince of Peace. So at this point I’m messed up with God and then Pastor Pat does something crazy that I will NEVER forget, Never! He tells the Kids on the count of 3 to point at your pastors and say, “We NEED you!” I’m not really an emotional guy I don’t like crying just don’t, But O my gosh as soon as Pastor Pat said 3 and then I turned and saw Rae Rae, lil Andrew, Athena and some of the others I couldn’t help it just typing right now and recalling that moment I’m tearing up! Leaders our kids need us to be in our secret places too we need to step it up for sure! God Start in me! I Love You! Well that’s what was on my heart love everyone please read and comment and like Pastor Joel said on Sunday STAY SALTY!!!
