Ministry Updates & Testimonies

You can't let the enemy steal your joy!

Several times a day I have to lay hands, not not on a friend, a fellow brother in Christ or a family member. Sometimes I got to lay hands on myself and pray myself up out of a spiral. The enemy will continue to tell you that you aren't good enough, or you missed the mark, or you overslept. I needed that this morning --- so as a chronic over sleeper; I find myself in times where I need to pray past that moment and not get stuck in my head that "I suck" or that I am missing a level no one could ever achieve anyway. When that enemy tries to do these things; I need to remember to give myself some grace, put on a song from my playlist and Worship the God who is mighty to save me.

Happy Sunday!

It’s a blessing to get to serve, not have to serve.

There’s something powerful about realizing that ministry isn’t an obligation… it’s an honor. Jesus doesn’t need us — He invites us. He trusts us. He lets us be part of what He’s doing in people’s lives.

Every time I step into ministry, I’m reminded that I’m not “filling a role”…
I’m stepping into a calling.
I’m stepping into grace.
I’m stepping into purpose.

Serving Jesus is not a burden — it’s a privilege.
And I’m thankful He chose someone like me.

Lord, thank You for letting me serve in Your house. Use me today for Your glory.

How exciting it is to be in the House of the Lord this Sunday!
Sunday is coming, and my heart is already full. I’m thankful --- thankful that I get to step into His presence, thankful that I get to lift up the mighty name of Jesus, and thankful for the grace that carries me every single day.

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. 🙌❤️

Holiday Daze, Heavy Hearts, and the Hope That Holds Me

There’s something about the holiday season that hits harder than most people ever talk about. Everyone around you seems to be rushing into the warm glow of Christmas lights and gatherings, but sometimes you’re walking right into a fog. A holiday daze.

For a lot of us, the most wonderful time of the year can actually feel like the heaviest.

When the world slows down, the memories get louder.
The people we’ve lost feel closer and farther away all at the same time.
The empty chairs at the table echo louder than any Christmas music playing in the background.

And honestly, missing family, missing friends, missing what life used to look like, it hurts in a way that’s hard to explain. Grief doesn’t check the calendar. It doesn’t respect the season. It just arrives and reminds you of every hole you’ve ever tried to fill.

Growing up around toxic patterns, chaos becomes familiar. And when you’re brought up in that kind of storm, sometimes your mind keeps searching for thunder even when everything around you is finally quiet. What feels normal to the world can feel completely foreign to you. Peace feels unnatural. Calm feels suspicious. And chaos somehow feels like home.

I wouldn’t wish that reality on anybody.

And in the middle of all that, trying to seek sobriety.
Trying to stay sober when your mind is pulling old patterns back up like they’re comfort blankets.

There were so many times I reached for booze just to numb the ache, to fill a void, to quiet the noise. But none of it ever healed anything. It never truly comforted. It never saved me. It only delayed the pain.

That hole inside me?
Only Jesus could fill it.
Only Jesus could breathe life back into places I thought were long dead.
Only Jesus could look at me in my lowest, in my mess, in my chaos and say:

“You’re still more than enough.”

Even though I struggle.
Even though the holidays can feel heavy.
Even though there are moments I don’t understand my own heart.

He meets me in the daze.
He meets me in the chaos.
He meets me in the grief.
And He reminds me that healing doesn’t make the memories disappear, it just means I don’t have to carry them alone.

If you’re feeling that same weight this season, you’re not alone.
Jesus is still the Prince of Peace, even when your world feels anything but peaceful.

When Christ is truly at the center of your life, everything around you feels it. His presence doesn’t just change you on the inside, it sends out a ripple effect. The peace He gives, the kindness He teaches, the grace He pours into you, all of it flows outward and touches the people around you. The light in you becomes light for someone else.

But when you’re stuck in the dark, when the enemy has a grip on your thoughts or your habits, that sends out a ripple too. What’s inside eventually spills out. Hurt spills out. Anger spills out. Confusion spills out. It affects you and it affects everyone connected to you.

Every day, whether we realize it or not, we’re sending something into the world.

So I ask you, from my heart to yours:

Will you be the light today?

“Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16

"Rise and shine and give God your glory, glory!"

Going to Camp Cachalot as a child - and hearing this song brings back moments that God was trying to get my heart at a young age.

I often pause and wonder; "What If"

What if I was a better son; a better sibling or a friend.

I need to remember that being born again - that I can't get stuck in the past - as we are bought by the blood of Jesus and that our past is forgiven by our ever loving spiritual father. I've been redeemed.

The world will judge you - but there is only one true judge
Friends will condemn you for your past mistakes.

The Lord forgives us - and that I am more than enough.

Happy Monday - and a Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

Romans 12:1-2 (NIV)
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. This is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will.”

We don’t come to church to play around or do something cute. We come to worship with the angels. When we sing up to the Lord, it pleases Him, and blessings begin to fall. You are the worship service. Your life is what God wants. Your heart, your body, your obedience—that is true worship.

Jesus became the perfect sacrifice. Because of Him, guilt, shame, and sin lose their grip. And in response, we offer ourselves back to God. Holy. Set apart. Pleasing to Him.

Cain brought an offering, but his heart wasn’t there. Abel offered himself, and that was true worship. God is always after the heart.

So here’s the question we’ve got to ask:
Am I being shaped by the world, or transformed by the Holy Spirit?

The world is constantly trying to squeeze us into its mold. Culture pushes, pressures, and pulls. Christ transforms. The Holy Spirit renews. If the world shapes your thinking, you’ll be a conformer. If God shapes your thinking, you become a transformer.

Stop and ask yourself: Am I being conformed, or transformed?

Paul shows the difference in Galatians 5. Verses 19–21 show what the flesh produces. Verses 22–23 show what the Spirit produces. One is decay. One is life.

And then Paul tells us to present our bodies. So let’s walk through what that really means.

Your Mind – Philippians 4:8
Fix your thoughts on what is true and pure.
Lord, anoint my mind. Give me the mind of Jesus.

Your Eyes – Matthew 6:22
The eyes are the lamp of the body.
Lord, purify my eyes. Let me see as You see.

Your Mouth – Proverbs 18:21
Your words carry life or death. You choose.
Lord, anoint my mouth so I speak life. Let church start at home.

Your Hands – Matthew 5:30
Your hands carry authority. How are you using that authority?
Lord, I submit my hands and my actions to You.

Your Heart – Psalm 51:10
Create in me a clean heart, God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.
The real you is in your motives. God doesn’t expose to shame you. He exposes to heal you.
Lord, guide my motives. Fix whatever is off in me.

Your Body and Sexual Purity – 1 Corinthians 6:18–20
Run from sexual sin. It affects the body like nothing else. Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. You don’t belong to yourself. You were bought with a price.
Lord, I honor You with my temple.

Your Feet – Romans 10:15
How beautiful are the feet that bring the good news.
Lord, anoint my steps. Everywhere I go, let me carry Jesus.

So here’s the real question for today:
Have I allowed the Holy Spirit to transform me?
Not just on Sunday. Not just during a song. But in every part of who I am?

Worship is more than music. Worship is more than a service.

Worship is your life presented to God.
You are the worship service.

After another blessed week, I am excited for Church this morning. I'm sure Pastor will bring the fire! We are very fortunate to have such a leader with such a Passion for His Mission. God is not done here in the North East. In New England, As It Is In Heaven.

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