Jarrod Jones

Speaking in Texas for two straight weeks in front of 3 packed camps.  An underlying theme has arisen not only in my preaching this week, but within me.  I said to the people, “You complain of being bored in your life.  Bored with “church.” Bored with Christianity. Bored with Jesus.  Have you ever considered that Jesus is bored with you?”  Indeed, I believe if anyone is “bored” with Jesus, it’s because their life is boring to Jesus. In other words, there is no risk, no adventure, no sacrifice, for the sake of the gospel in your life, and therefore you are bored… and boring.

I’m in this with you. I have found myself in meditation, reflection, and prayer this week asking the Lord Jesus if He’s bored with my life. I’ve asked if He’s bored with my family. And I’ve asked if He’s bored with the Church He’s called me to Pastor, Grace Community (due to my potential “boring” leadership)?  Does my life, and the Church that He’s entrusted to me, keep Him on the edge of His seat in suspense to see what Spirit-led, crazy God-dependent, risk and sacrifice that I, my family, and Grace, is going to take for His glory and the sake of the lost and broken?

Is your life keeping Jesus on the edge of His seat?

Or is He bored with us?

God have mercy….

My last two blogs dealt with how while in Alabama I came to a renewed sense of how much I missed my family and hometown friends. But I wasn’t finished…

My final thoughts following Bama is about how excited and thankful I am to be pastoring Grace Community Church, Washingtonville, NY.  I greatly enjoyed Bama, but my thoughts and prayers were not far from the Grace family.  While in Bama, I would reflect at different times of the day about what the staff would be doing, who was meeting, what small groups that I knew about were happening.  The Sunday I was away, I was praying for Matt as he preached, Ryan as he led worship, and all of the staff and volunteers who were laying it on the line to welcome people with the joy of Christ and the hope of Christ, whether they were parking cars, greeting at the doors, tidying up the bathrooms, stocking the cafe, or brewing the coffee.

I thought about the new friendships God has granted Christie, me, and the boys with other families at Grace.  And how thankful I am for those friendships. They are growing more dear to us by the week. I got emails and texts from some of those friends while in Bama encouraging my heart in Christ.  The friendship connection and intimacy didn’t happen overnight in Alabama, and neither will it here. But I delight in the journey with these new friends as God draws us closer to Himself and to each other.

I compare my relationship with Grace Community Church with my relationship with Christie after we first met.  With Christie, right after we met, I knew that God had brought us together. I proposed to her three months later. I loved her. I was committed to her.  At the same time, we had a lot of growing together in that love and commitment. It was beautiful at times, rocky at times, scarey at times. But God was in it, He sustained us, and we’re having a blast. It’s the very same with Grace Community Church.

I reflected on how God is moving so powerfully at Grace.  People being saved by God’s grace through faith. People growing in Christ and repenting of sin. The love and warmth and joy that is sensed so powerfully among us.  Indeed, that is the testimony we hear often… how loving and warm and accepting the people of Grace are, and that we preach the word and give glory to Christ! The growth that God is granting us has been overwhelming–literally. As I shared a few Sundays ago. It’s as if God is blowing His Spirit’s wind into our sails, and we’re working hard raising sails, lowering sails, shifting sails, and so forth trying to keep up! Growing pains are just that–pain. But a glorious pain.

Wherever God is moving powerfully, that is where I want to be.  And God has gifted me that opportunity. I reflected on how I’ve prayed for years that God would bring revival in the Northeast and if he would allow me to be a part of it I would be honored. I prayed that if God called me to pastor, that I wouldn’t have to tell anyone, that I would never have to send out a resume’, that He would drop it in my lap, and that He would send me to the Northeast (Read about “The Journey To Grace” here). God answered that prayer spot-on.  And I believe in my heart He is going to answer my pleas, and the pleas of Grace, to bring revival to Orange County, the Northeast and beyond. I truly, truly, do.  Prayed specifically for it with the Elders and staff at 6:30am today.

Following Bama, I was reminded of how much I missed friends and family. It was the first time I had slowed down long enough to let it settle in. At the same time, I was affirmed of how thrilled and overjoyed I am to be the Lead Pastor of Grace Community Church, Washingtonville, NY. And as we departed Bama, I could not wait to hit the ground running back into God’s work here.

Greater things have yet to come….

Well, the days are passing by since our trip from Bama and my “initial” thoughts aren’t so “initial” anymore. But I’m committed to see this through so here’s another thought…

(The gang from top left to right-  Chris and Rachel Callahan, Christen and Ryan Sparks, Ashely and David Spurling, Greg Blevins, Chuck Andrews. From bottom left to right–me and Christie, Julie Blevins, Lydia Andrews.)

I miss my Bama friends, specifically our former church “small group.”  We did life together with four to five couples for seven straight years.  We laughed together. We cried together. We studied Scripture together. We prayed together. We served one another. We vacationed together at times. We had our share of conflicts.  When our group began seven years ago it was just us couples and no kids. Seven years later, there is a brood of 16 kids among us! We were family. We were loyal to each other, and to our Church family as a whole, no matter what. We held each other accountable. We experienced community in Christ in the deepest sense of the word. It wasn’t uncommon for our Thursday nights to end at 1:00am.

……………………

(Only experienced campers will know what this picture means! (From left to right: David Spurling, Greg Blevins, Your’s truly, and Chuck Andrews.))

The fellas and I had a yearly camp outing to a self-named place, “Privy Point.”   Most of them were hunters. I’m a reader. So they’d hunt. I’d read, and stoke the fire.  I feel feminine sharing that. But I read and stoked the fire in a primitive, manly, way. :)  I’ve laughed to the point of nearly throwing up with these guys. We made commitments to one another to display to each others sons what it looked like to be a man, and a godly man. We shared good times, bad times, played horse shoes, shot guns, dogged each other out, shared personal, marriage, and parenting struggles, talked about Jesus, Scripture, and prayed together.  And what the girls did while we were at Privy remains a mystery to me to this very day.

Then there’s Chuck and Lydia Andrews.  Years ago, early in our relationship, we committed to spend time with each other one night a month.  We connected to hang out and let our kids play together. But after the kids were put to bed, we got into the hard stuff. We asked each spouse questions about how we felt our marriages were going, the struggles we had with each other, the conflicts that seemingly couldn’t get resolved.  There was an encouraged green-light between us all that we could ask the hard questions and give honest answers. We shared our deepest hurts and fears about work, finances, marriage, parenting, life, and family. We prayed together and talked about the hope of Jesus in all that we faced. Those nights sometimes lasted into the very wee hours of the morning.

It was great reconnecting with the gang while we were home. They are all doing well and have a couple of new families in the group, and more kids on the way!! Wow. I’m kind of glad we’re out of there (J/K).  Christie and I rejoiced that they haven’t skipped a beat, and we all still feel like family.  Indeed, they are missed. I was originally going on mission to try and get them all to move to NY to be a part of the Grace Church family. They would fit in so well to the same kind of community and joy of our Church.  But they would leave a gaping hole in our former church back home, and in many other lives. So… I’ve let them off the hook.

My family took a trip to Alabama a couple of weeks ago for vacation/visiting. Amidst hanging out with family and friends, I re-discovered and re-examined some things. Thought I’d share…

1) I love and miss my family.

It was such a joy to be with my mom, dad, sister, brother-n-law, and nieces.  My family is crazy and hilarious. Dad and I have the same goofy sense of humor so we kept each other rolling. My sister, Tyree, unveiled to me the “I’m on a horse” Old Spice Commercial which has forever changed my life. And my niece, Mattie, has picked up a double-portion of my and her Poppy’s humor. She too made my face hurt laughing with her self-choreographed dance and song of “Poppy’s baby, Poppy’s Baby, Poppy’s Baby.” I know you readers don’t have a clue of what I’m talking about… and it will need to stay that way lest you have us all committed, or at the least call Dr. Phil.

Though it was good to be back in NY, it was very, very tough leaving the fam. Tears. Josiah cried for his Mimi later that night when he went to bed. That, my friend, was a bummer. Tidbit (our chihuahua) was manically happy to see us so that helped a bit. But we miss our fam.

Like a broken record, I urge them to move to NY. Because it’s beautiful here. And NYC is an hour-ish away. And because Boston is only few hours up the road. And because Grace Community Church rocks. And because we’re here. Sounds convincing to me.

More to come later….

I’d usually reserve this for a personal email/printing to our Grace family, but I wanted to post it here.

It’s my off day–Monday. I’m supposed to be unplugged from technology. But following the Easter Services this weekend, it’s hard to stay “off.”  I want to testify to His goodness and answer to our pleas. My heart is full over how God moved so powerfully this weekend through Grace.  We took over the Washingtonville, HS auditorium Friday night and Sunday morn expecting God to do something special. And He surely did.

To put this in perspective, I have reflected that this happened in the Northeast. Even Grace members have shared with me that Orange County, NY feels “dark and oppressed” spiritually. I have sensed this, and that’s why I love it here. I have a vision and dream of one day Orange County, indeed all of the North East, worshiping Christ. A dear brother shared with me (a brother who was saved from drug addiction and is now a radical follower of Jesus) that he pleads for the day Orange County will be the next Bible belt! Ha (I’m not sure that will be a good thing though, being from the Bible belt :)).

USA Today reported in an article a year or two ago that New England is the “most godless” place in the Country. I don’t think Orange County, NY is considered part of New England, but we’re neighbors. And again, I think the Grace crowd will agree that we’re on par with the same.

That is why I rejoice to testify to God’s answer to our pleas and His favor on the work of our hands, that Grace Community Church’s Easter Weekend had close to 2000 people in attendance. Sunday morning 80+ people , young and old, repented of sin and gave their lives to the resurrected Christ. I put the “+” sign by the 80 because our deacons and others shared that with all the people responding to the gospel, they “lost count”!

I love that, especially in light that the Revelation 1 glorified Jesus was preached and not some fluffy feel good, easy believism, “gospel.” I have always refused that temptation, and by God’s grace, I always will. And God has always honored it.

I heard we had 4 people embrace Jesus as Lord and Savior at the 7:00am Sunrise Service (lead out by our Pastor of Connections, Matt Reed)!! When does that ever happen??? Why would any North Easterner unbeliever go to a 7:00am Sunrise Service? Answer: God’s divine appointment, and God’s favor.

I don’t know the words of appreciation that I can come up with for the volunteer staff that took on the coordinating of other volunteer staff. The number of volunteers that took Friday through Sunday to load and unload rental trucks of equipment and resources… the off-duty Grace police-officers and volunteers who helped lead traffic in and out, along with the volunteer workers who worked in the parking lots… the Kid’s ministry teachers, all the teenagers serving, all the greeters that left no visitor unloved and undirected, all the deacons who labored wherever they were needed…. and the volunteers who just jumped in and served wherever there was a need… All were just flat out amazing. When people love Jesus and commit their lives to the vision God has given to a local body of believers, the impossible unfolds.

The Grace team–the staff. Words can’t express what the team has laid on the line to make the services happen with excellence and glory to God. Blood, sweat, and literally… tears. The hours, the prep, the labor, the coordinating, the pleading with God for strength, for help, for provision  (and this is on top of the challenges and changes we’ve faced in trying to keep up with growth and ministry needs in the day in and day out of ministry). I love them all dearly. It’s an honor, a joy, a privilege, and a thrill to labor in the gospel closely with them.

Yes, God moved. The staff and volunteers who stepped up with their time and sweat… all with a passion for Christ, and a passion “To Reach Orange County for Christ and to make Fully Devoted Followers of Jesus.”

And the prayer warriors. Those who fasted before God, and pleaded with God, in private and within groups that He would be glorified, that the gospel would ring out, and that many would flock to Him for salvation. The pleas that went on for weeks. And the groups that came and prayer-walked the school grounds, the school halls, the school classrooms (and even bathrooms!)… wow. God heard… and God moved.

What a resurrection day!  And now comes the Grace Women’s Conference this weekend. Our Grace Women’s Conference was moved to the High School and tickets were SOLD OUT nearly two weeks ago, and has a waiting list to boot.  The HS auditorium can only sit 753 people. So 753 women will come to hear the gospel, be discipled, and be empowered. The Grace volunteers and prayer warriors for this is just plain stunning….

God will continue to move as we glorify Him, preach the gospel, plead with Him, love each other, and stay committed to the vision to “Reach Orange County for Christ and make fully devoted followers of Jesus.”

This favor of God shown us Easter weekend was not a destination whatsoever, but another marker (albeit a big one) as we seek Christ, and labor to see O.C. NY’ers worship Jesus.

Greater things are yet to come… in this County, into NYC, and into the world…

Woo-hoo!

jj