How to know Jesus

Titus 3:4-7 says, "But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life." It is solely on the basis of God's mercy that we are delivered from the penalty of our sin and the Spirit makes a person new by regeneration, the new birth. Through the Holy Spirit, a Christian grows and matures in character and good works. John 14:6 Jesus said to him (Thomas), "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." Through His death and resurrection, Jesus is the only way to and revelation of the Father. Jesus goes on to say, in vs.7, "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him." For you to know the Father you must know His Son, Jesus Christ. Mark 8:34-35 says, "...He said to them, 'Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's will save it.' " Even though Jesus offers salvation as a free gift to all, He also warned that following Him would entail suffering and hardship. The love of God the Father for God the Son is the measure of the love of the Son for believers! Christ loves believers unconditionally and as believers obey Christ's Word and abide in His love, they come to experience and understand His love for them more and more. John 15:5-17 clearly explains Love and Joy perfected: "As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. These things I command you, that you love one another." The gift of salvation is revealed and given to you through Jesus Christ! Because 'God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life!' (John 3:16) As Jesus offers you the wonderful gift of His salvation and eternal life, believe. Believe His Words, live on His words, and commit your whole life for God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Dear one, Jesus loves you.

Seven Days With Nick

Welcome to Seven Days With Nick! Don't let the title fool you. This section really has little to do with me and everything to do with Jesus. Relationships are crucial during this journey called life, and making a first time decision to ask Jesus to become your Lord and Savior ranks right at the top. It's difficult at best to find just the right way to reach the most people with this message of salvation. I've been going over and over it in my mind. I started replaying my personal encounters. Realizing that I could use my own experiences and transform them into a seven day script, I have designed a life changing guide. If I had it my way, we'd sit down face to face at the quaint neighborhood coffee shop around the corner. You and I would discuss the hope found in Jesus Christ, and also cover the other details of life. We might even become friends and start meeting regularly. I don't want to overstate anything, or put myself on some pedestal, I only want to encourage you to become closer to God. So, with a bit of a twist and some creativity, I've discovered a way for us to spend some quality time together. It's as simple as clicking on the yellow button below entitled, "Are you ready?" Of course, you'll have to use your imagination and go along with the dialogue, but in the end, I pray that you have furthered your walk with Jesus. -Nick

Seven Days With Nick: Day 1

Imagine you've walked into your local coffee shop. As you enter, you look to the corner and I'm sitting at a table that I've saved for the two of us. I sent you a message earlier and have your drink ready. We say hi, exchange a hug and you sit down. As you take a sip of your favorite drink, you see a huge smile come across my face. I can't help discussing what's happened! You've just made the most important decision of your life. You've asked Jesus to be your Savior! I can't tell you how excited I am to be a part of the next several days of this new relationship you have with God. You're going to get to know God in a new way now that you understand that He loves you and accepts you. As we talk, you'll find I refer to God's word, the Bible a lot. This is because the Words are directly from God! In the Bible, in the book of Romans 10:9, you'll find, "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." If you've confessed and believed, then you are now a follower of Jesus Christ. One of the things that continues to impact me is that "it is by grace you have been saved, through faithand this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast," (Ephesians 2:8-9). How great is God that He'd give us such a gift, just because we choose to trust in Him. Now, this decision you made is about a relationship. Because you have a relationship with Jesus you are free from sin and will get to spend eternity with Him. Every relationship takes time to grow and build. Think about one close friend of yours. I'm sure the friendship has grown over time. That's true of your relationship with God, too. You will know Him in a new way as time goes by. Over the next week, I want to challenge you to revisit this website. Each day I'd like to talk about a few simple things that will help you get to know this great God who has saved you and wants to develop this new relationship. Now, that close friend you mentioned, how did you get to the point where you'd count that person as a close friend? I'm guessing there was a lot of talking taking place. Whether you like to talk or are more of the quiet type, we all communicate. On your first day, I'd like to encourage you to talk to God in a similar way. I'm sure you've heard of prayer before and maybe been intimidated. Maybe it just seems so strange the idea of praying, something that only pastors or "super-Christians" do. That couldn't be further from the truth; prayer is for everyone. Let me make this simple. Prayer is talking to God...that's it! All you have to do is think thoughts towards God and He hears them. Whether you say prayers out loud, or simply think them in your mind, He hears. There aren't any lines to memorize or big fancy words required, it's just a conversation. When you're on the phone with your close friend, you probably aren't worried about what words to choose, you just talk.

Approach prayer the same way. The Bible says in James 4:8, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." When we pray we are getting to know God. So, what can you talk to God about? The answer is anything. As a place to start today, I'd encourage you to tell Him about what you're thinking and feeling about the decision you've made. If you're excited, just say that. If you have hesitations, feel free to say that. God isn't going to be surprised or intimidated by what you have to say. He wants to hear it from you. Now I want you to take a couple minutes and pray to God about this decision. Don't worry, I'll wait... I trust you took a couple minutes to start the conversation, as you build this relationship with Jesus. Now, before we meet tomorrow, do these things for me: 1. Call, email or text a friend that you're close to, who has a close relationship with Jesus. Simply tell him/her about the decision you've made and ask to set up a time for the two of you to get together and chat. 2. Get a Bible. If you're not sure about which translation to get, start with the NIV since it's widely used and simple to read. You can also find the Bible on-line at BibleGateway.com, but the advantage to having your own Bible, is that you can take it with you anywhere and make your own notes in the margins. I love highlighting verses that have helped me in different situations in my life. 3. Read the story of Jesus' conversation with a woman at a well. (John 4:1-26) I'm a huge fan of this story. It shows that Jesus is approachable. If you don't have a Bible, click on this link: Bible: John 4 to read it at Bible Gateway. If you have a Bible now, then dive in. The first few pages should have a table of contents that will give you a page number for the Book of John (not 1 John, just John or St. John.) Then go to Chapter 4 in John and start reading. You could even talk to God a little before you read. I want to leave you with one final verse that I think about every time I hear that someone has made a decision to ask Jesus Christ to be Savior and Lord. Luke 15:10 says, "In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." There is a celebration going on in heaven because of your decision. Think about that, a party in heaven! I've been to some great parties, but I think that a heaven party would have to be the best. As your new brother in Christ, let me just say... thanks for giving heaven a reason to celebrate! I look forward to connecting with you again tomorrow. Before you head out the door, we take a minute right there in our corner of the coffee shop and pray together. At first it feels a little strange praying in public, but at the same time it really does feel like it's just the three of us talking at that moment, you, me, and God. After we hug, you grab your drink for the road and head out the door, excited to get started. I shoot you a message a few minutes later thanking you for our time together.

Seven Days With Nick: Day 2

As you get out of your car in the Coffee Shop parking lot, you look at your front seat and pick up that Bible you just bought. At first it feels a little strange to be that person carrying a Bible, but you grab it anyway and head inside. As you walk in, you see me at a table chatting over the counter with the barista. We've been talking about how she goes to school in the area. I demand my hug (you'll get used to that, don't worry.) Then I introduce you to Paige and you join the conversation. A few minutes later she walks our drinks over to the table and says she'll let us get to talking. I turn to you with a big smile and ask about what you've been up to since we last saw each other. So, did you get a chance to connect with that friend we talked about? (Remember, that person who has a close relationship with Jesus). It's important to have that person in your life and to keep that conversation going. That person might have told you over 10,000 things about God and his/her relationship with God in that first 10 minute talk. Don't feel overwhelmed. That person's just trying to fill you in as quickly as possible. The truth is that this is a relationship with God, not information that you simply download. Having a friend to share your journey with makes each step along the way that much better. You'll find as time goes by, those kinds of friendships are crucial. When you make a decision to follow Christ, the Bible talks about how you were adopted into God's family. Those people who know Christ also are like brothers and sisters now. That's why some people use that title in churches, it's a term of endearment and a statement of fact. Anyway, you share life with your siblings, it's just how it goes. God didn't just give us other people for encouragement, He gave us His Word, the Bible. I see you picked up a Bible since we last talked. What'd you think of that story about the woman at the well? It's one of my favorites because here you have Jesus, who is fully God, just hanging out and talking with this woman who was a bit of an outcast. I know there are times when I feel like an outcast. Whether its because of something I've done or I'm just in a bad mood, at times I feel alone. One thing about this story, is that when you understand the culture, it makes this woman even more of an outcast. Two thousand years ago, Jesus being a Jewish man, talking to a Samaritan woman, was a big deal. People just didn't do that. Jewish people didn't hang out with Samaritans. There was a lot of prejudice. And men didn't hang out with women the way they do today. It was a different world back then. Now for a respected teacher to be talking to a lady with a shady reputation (living with a man who wasn't her husband), that was a huge deal! I bring this up because at times I get down on myself. I feel like I am not worthy and He is God. It's great to picture Jesus coming to me and starting up a conversation. That's one of the simple things that I get out of this story. Jesus meets me where I am and meets my deepest needs.

That reminds me, an important thing to remember when you're reading is that you want to get something directly out of the Bible. Does that make sense? Let me explain. When you're reading God's Word, anything that inspires you, fires you up, and makes you think are the very things that should come right out of the verse you have read. So, if I were reading that story about the Woman at the Well and thought to myself, "I like apples," while reading it, I couldn't say to myself, "Ooooh, that's from God." Sure, apples taste good and all, but that didn't come out of that verse. The verse doesn't talk about apples! Or If I said, "Jesus doesn't like water, He says that right here." Well, that wouldn't be really what this verse is saying at all. So when you're reading the Bible, you should ask yourself, "What does this verse say?" Then after reading it again you can ask, "What does that mean to me?" That's why God gave us this written Word, so that we could get understanding out of it. God wants to build this relationship with us and he's given us this book with all different styles of writing as a way to connect with us. If I gave you a book that had many stories about things I've done, and some other letters describing how I feel about certain things, even some poems about me, you'd probably know me a whole lot better after reading that book, right? You can better understand God by reading the Bible. The Bible has different styles of writing. We read a story out of a gospel last week. Let's move over a few books to Romans. That book was a letter from a man named Paul, one of God's major spokesmen, to a church in Rome. Now, this verse is going to cover a rather heavy concept, but I think once you get this, it's going to change the way you look at God. I'm so excited already, it gives me chills just thinking about how great God is and what he's done. Okay, I'm getting ahead of myself. Before we meet again, read Romans 5:1-11. You're going to want to read it a few times because it's heavy. As questions come up, write them right there in the margin. You can ask me, or you can even ask that close friend you called the other day. That friend may not have the answer off the top of his/her head, but you can find it together. So, carve out some time to read that verse. Pray before, asking God to make his word clear. Then don't forget to ask yourself, "What does this verse say?" Then after reading it again you can ask, "What does that mean to me?" Can we connect again tomorrow? After we both check our schedules and confirm the time for tomorrow, we pray together. This time you pray a little. You're somewhat nervous attempting to talk out loud to God, but by the time you say "Amen" those worries nearly disappear. Before you get in our cars, I call out across the parking lot, "Hey, don't forget, God meets you where you are. Awesome, huh?" You nod your head and as you get in the car this time, and put your Bible back on the front seat, it hits you, "I'm loved by the God of the Universe. He meets me where I am." You let out a deep exhale and a single thought resonates through your head, "Thank you."

Seven Days With Nick: Day 3

Your car pulls into the parking lot and you look at the clock on your dash. "Fifteen minutes before our meeting time," you think to yourself. You planned your day so that you could make it a little early and buy our coffees and have our table ready before I arrive. As you make your way inside, you see me sitting at our table with someone else. You approach the table tentatively. I invite you over and greet you with a hug. As you sit down you recognize Paige, the barista from the last time we met. You can tell by the crumpled napkin in her hand and red in her eyes that she's been crying. As you catch her eye she gives a smile with an assurance that you wouldn't expect from someone who has been crying. Paige says, "Well, I needed to get going anyway." You apologize and say that you're early and can excuse yourself. She makes it clear that she needed to be somewhere else a while ago. She shakes your hand, gives me a hug and heads out the door. As you turn your chair to face me alone you start to apologize. Hey, let me stop you right here. There is no need to apologize. I know you feel awkward, but that's just because Paige was in a really raw place. She'd been saying for a while that she was late, so your timing was perfect. You know what, I'm going to ask Paige if she'd mind connecting with us the next time we meet. I think God's doing some great things in her life right now that could give you some insight. So, how'd you like Romans? Pretty heavy, huh. You read the story about the woman at the well, and that's like eating a tasty sandwich. Then you get into Romans and it's like eating a big piece of steak. It's a lot to chew, but totally worth it. Romans is a great book when it comes to some of the deeper things of God. Paul, the author of the book, wrote it to a church that he'd never been to. It was like he wanted to share with the Romans a lot of deep thoughts that he didn't have the chance to share in person. I am grateful that he didn't get to share with the Romans face to face, because now we have this awesome book in the Bible. Now, with that said, it's important to understand that the Bible is God's Word. Take a look at this verse, 2 Timothy 3:16. It's in the New Testament towards the end of the book. Look it up in your Bible. So, that phrase "God Breathed" is important. God inspired Paul to write Romans. When John wrote the Gospel of John, the book you read the story in the other day about the woman at the well, God inspired John to write that story. Now both passages have the style of Paul and John, but they were inspired by God. He spoke through those two men. It's incredible to realize that the book you bought was "God Breathed." This might be confusing to understand, but it's important. Some people may say, "Ehhh, the Bible is good and all, but it has some words that aren't God's." I can't tell you how much I disagree. You may take this concept at face value, and that's great.

You also may have more questions and that's great, too. The important thing to know is that the answers are out there to be found. Someone once said to me, "God isn't scared by your scariest question." That definitely applies here. Back to Romans. Sorry, I got sidetracked. Wasn't that a great part of the Bible? I love it because of how secure I feel when I read it. Here, open up to the passage, Romans 5:1-11. Now there's a lot in there. Right in the middle are some great words about how suffering can turn into hope. I know that when I've felt down and questioned why I was born without arms and legs, that God answered by turning my suffering into hope. Now, that's very encouraging, but that's not why I asked you to read the verse. Do you notice a word being repeated a few times? It's a pretty big deal when you understand it. It's that word "justified." When this verse says that we as believers are justified, it's saying we have a right standing with God. Verse 10 talks about how we are enemies of God. The idea here is that our sin puts us against war. But, then we were justified, made right with God when we turned to Him. Verse 1 in the chapter describes what happens when you give your life to God. Through Jesus, you are given a standing of peace. It's like your legal standing with God changes when you make that decision of faith. So, you are no longer at war with God. There still may be times when you feel at war with God, but when that happens just remember, you're really at peace. Now here's something great, no one can change that status with God. Here, flip over a few chapters to Romans 8:38-39 and let's read this verse together. "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Amazing, right? Circle that word "convinced" in your Bible. Convinced that nothing could get between us and God's love. Imagine over time, all the angels, all the demons, and all creation trying to get between you and God's love, but to no avail. When you think about that word justified, just remember that nothing can change your relationship with God. Next time we meet, I want to talk about the church, so read Acts 2:42-47. Remember to ask these two questions; "What does this say?" and "What does that mean for me?" See you tomorrow! This time as we close in prayer, you find yourself talking more. As you speak, you start to realize that you're not worrying about having the right words, you're just speaking freely about how thankful you are that God brought you into peace with him through Jesus. In fact, when I pray, I simply thank God for our time and that's it. As you give me a hug I say, "Prayer is getting easier, isn't it?" You head out the door and are reminded of Paige. While your brain starts to swirl with ideas of what could be going on with her, you stop and think to yourself, "I should pray." Quietly in your car you take a minute to pray for Paige. A simple thought comes into your mind and as you start your car you feel peace, "Nothing can seperate Paige from the love of God."

Seven Days With Nick: Day 4

You pull into the parking lot about five minutes before we're scheduled to meet. You find yourself sitting in your car and waitiing until one minute before our meeting. Last time, you felt bad getting their early because I was meeting with Paige, and you didn't want to repeat that embarrassment. You take the few minutes to pray for Paige. As you walk in the door of the coffee shop, you see me again at a table and you recognize that Paige is there. You hang back for a minute or two and then you catch my eye. With a smile ear to ear I say, "Hey, get over here, you don't want to be late, do you?" Before you sit down, you grab your drink that's been sitting on the counter. I had them make it when you came in. Day four, and we're regulars who get first class service. Not bad, huh? We greet each other with a hug and then you turn to Paige and shake her hand politely. You make it clear that you can give us time, but Paige says, "No, I stayed here to meet with you." You're taken aback by this and are curious about what Paige wants to discuss. Paige goes on to tell a brief bit of her story. She talks about how she'd made a decision a few years back and was strong in her faith. Then she went through a time, for one reason or another, she'd stop going to church each week. Soon she found herself compromising in little areas of her faith. She prayed less, spent time in the Word less, and as time went by the little compromises grew in depth. Paige explains that when I came into the coffee shop a few days ago and shared what I did for work, she was intrigued by my story. With that, she couldn't imagine going back to church; there was so much guilt and shame, she'd figured that part of her life was done. She went on to talk about some of he conversations she and I had this week. We'd talked about the very same verses from the day before (Romans 5:1-11 & 8:38-39). We are at peace with God and nothing can separate us from His love. Tears start to roll down Paige's cheek as she speaks that truth. You feel a lump in your throat and realize how real that truth is to Paige. She goes on to say that it's great meeting with you and just wants you to know that God is really working in her heart. She laughs as she says, "I didn't just want to be some strange coffee shop girl who was crying." We share a good laugh and before she heads out the door for school, I ask if we could pray for her before she heads out. I look at you as we bow our heads and you realize that I'm wanting you to pray for Paige. For a brief moment, some fear enters your mind. This is your first time praying in front of two people and you don't really know Paige. In fractions of a second this peace comes over you as you remember, it's not about saying the right things in prayer, it's about being honest. You pray sincerely that God would meet with Paige. Hopefully, she'd remember that she can't be separated from God's love. I pray briefly for Paige and within a minute we are all exchanging hugs as she heads out the door.

Powerful, right? God's really working on her heart right now and it's great to see it. I am really excited to see what God does in her life. It's incredible to see someone who is meeting God for the first time, building her relationship and another person who is reunited with God, rebuilding their relationship. It's awesome how that same truth from Romans 5 and 8 could impact you both. There was something subtle about Paige's story that you may have missed, but really stuck out for me. Did you notice what the first step was in Paige disconnecting with God? It wasn't the big compromises, or even the little compromises, it was before that. Something simple happened; she stopped going to church. Don't get me wrong, it's not as if you miss a week of church and you deny your faith completely, it's not that extreme, but it's subtle. When you disconnect from other people who are living lives that honor God, it's very easy to give up on honoring God yourself. Meeting together was really important. Take a look at that story you read yesterday from Acts. Now one thing about Acts, it's the story of how the church got started. The way that the Gospels give an account of Jesus' life, this book talks about the first few years of the life of the church. Now the verses you read were right after Jesus had gone back to heaven. After dying on the cross and rising from the grave three days later, Jesus spent forty days around town showing everyone He was alive. If you look a few verses earlier you can read about that, and how the disciples were confused and just waiting to figure out what to do next. Then this event took place called Pentecost, this was where the Holy Spirit first came to the followers of Jesus. He'd promised the Holy Spirit would come and it did. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 6:19 that the Holy Spirit actually lives in each person who follows God. Now it's important to be clear, you don't become god or a mini-god. The same way my house doesn't become me because I live in it, it's just a place I live. You become a place where God lives. So, the Holy Spirit shows up, miracles are taking place, Peter tells everyone around about Jesus, and now there are thousands of people who have given their lives to Jesus. What does that have to do with the story we read? Well, that's the context and context is very important when you read the Bible. You don't want to read verses without knowing what leads up to them. When you understand what had just happened, Acts 2:42-47 makes sense. Take a look at that verse again. You have these people who witness a miracle, start their relationship with Jesus, and the first thing they do is meet regularly for teaching and time together. Amazing, right? I think it just came naturally to them because Jesus' followers knew that we walk together. So, with that said, it's time for you to figure out what church you're going to visit this weekend. I'm not sure if you approach church with a clean slate, no past experience good or bad. Maybe you've had some past experiences that have you really hesitant to go to church. Either way, it's crucial you find a church home. I'm more than willing to talk about any issues you have and you could even talk with that close friend about some of your hesitations, but eventually you'll come to a place where you're going to church. So, take your phone out and text that friend to see if you can visit his/her church. If you can't visit that church, ask some other friends if they know of any good churches. If that doesn't work, send me an email and either myself or someone in my office can give you some ideas on where to start. Look at some church websites to see what looks like a potential fit. I need to get going, but before I go let me say this, don't be surprised if there aren't fireworks your first time at church. There may not be a miracle that week, and that's okay. You may not fall in love with the music or the speaker and that's fine. The important thing is getting into a place where you can hear from God's word and experience community. Read Hebrews 10:22-25 before our next meeting and we'll talk more about community. Same time tomorrow?

As we end in prayer, we both share with God the sense we have that finding a church is important. After you've prayed and I pray we say our collective Amen and then you quickly say, "OH WAIT!" You immediately bow your head again and pray a simple prayer for Paige. We both ask God to come alongside our new friend. As you head back to your car and the rest of your day, you get a text message, "I was SUPER encouraged that you remembered to pray for Paige. Great to see growing in your Love for God and your Love for People!-nick." The message stays in your inbox that whole week as a reminder to pray for Paige.

Seven Days With Nick: Day 5

The question has been rattling through your head since this morning. Somehow your decision for Jesus has gotten back to your family and you got an interesting email from your cousin. This member of your family can be cynical, and this message was no exception. "So, now that you found Jesus, does that mean you're going to be one of those boring Christians who doesn't do anything fun? Or will you be one of those fake Christians who lives the fun life but then says Jesus forgave them?" This email is rattling through your head. You can't stop thinking about it. Will I be the person who is disconnected from the real world? Will I mess up time and time again? What says I won't be like Paige in a few weeks, totally disconnected from the church? Doubt has filled your mind and as you walk into the coffee house, I can tell something is different. Without sharing the doubt that you are feeling, you share that someone in your family made light of your faith. Hearing something negative like that is really hard. I know that I've had people in my life make fun of me because of what I believe or what I do. But, there is something especially hard about having family say something like that. Did you know there was a time when Jesus' family thought he was crazy? I'm serious, Mark 3:20-35 talks about this time they came to bring him home because they thought he'd lost it. Here he is, fully God, doing the will of God the Father, and they don't get it. Even his own mother who'd heard directly from an angel that her son was God's chosen savior, thought He'd lost it. As a follower of Jesus, there are times when people will think you too have lost it. In spite of this, God doesn't call us to live our faith in secret, he calls us to let it be known that we are His. One of the ways we do this is through Baptism. Baptism is an outward expression of what God has done in your life. The Bible talks about how Baptism symbolizes how we died with Christ and rose with Him when we made our decision of faith. (Colossians 2:12) Jesus himself was baptized, setting an example for the rest of us to be a part of this symbol. Now, I have to make this clear: baptism doesn't save. We are saved by grace through faith, not by the good things we have done (Ephesians 2:8-9)! Baptism is a symbol, just like a wedding ring. I think it's obvious that I am not a ring person. So, if I were married and didn't wear a wedding ring, or maybe lost my ring for some reason, would that make me not married? No way! The most important thing is to understand that baptism is something God calls us to do as a way of telling everyone what God has done in our lives.

So are you interested in getting baptized? It does involve some risk. You may see more family come into the picture to make fun of your decision. That isn't easy. Do you want to stand up and tell people around you that you're a follower of Jesus Christ? Though we may feel isolated from friends and family because of what we believe, we do have something so great within the church and that's called fellowship. Now I know that is a big church word, but let me explain it. Fellowship is spending time with someone who has the same beliefs as you and is encouraging you in that belief. So, when you and I have coffee like this, we're having fellowship. Now, that's become a very churchy word, so I don't usually call people and say, "Want to have fellowship?" But when we meet, that's very much what is happening. Remember Hebrews 10:22-25. What does it say? Basically it says that we are right with God now and meeting with other believers is important. That's it. It uses that great phrase, "Spur one another on towards love and good deeds." That's the distinction between fellowship and just hanging out. When we have a community of believers, we find ourselves "spurring each other on." Have you ever had gym partners? People you work out with consistently? They push you to stay consistent and keep going to the gym, that person is "spurring" you on to work out. Remember the next question we always ask, "What does that mean for me?" I'd say you have to surround yourself with people that are going to spur you on to love and good deeds. So, you should ask your close Christian friend, "How are you spurred on toward love and good deeds?" Your friend may find it in a small group, a Bible study, or something along those lines. Once he/she identifies what it is, ask if you can join. So, next week we can talk about what you find out about some community around you! As I lean in to end our time in prayer, you can't take it anymore. A question has been in the back of your mind since you read your cousin's email this morning. You turn to me, and finally just blurt out the question, "Look, I've got to ask. If nothing can separate us from God's love, if God has forgiven us for every sin in the past and the future, and if we are cleansed from a guilty conscience, then why should we even try to avoid sin? Why not just live it up?" Wow! I can tell that question has been on your mind. That's a GREAT question, we all ask it and I guarantee you, you'll ask it again. Remember that book of the Bible we read a few days ago, Romans? Paul wrote it to a church to reveal the message of God. Well, he covers that very question in Chapter 6 of Romans, so today why don't you read that. As we pray you feel like the cynicism of your cousin got the best of you. Your prayer is short and just asks God to be with us. When it's my turn to pray, I'm excited! I share with God how I'm looking forward to seeing His truth become more clear as the days go by. You head out the door with a glimmer of hope in the midst of an overall down day.

Seven Days With Nick: Day 6

As you reach for your Bible before you make your way out for the day, and you read a chapter of God's Word. God took a simple question of mine and addressed it in His Word nearly 2,000 years ago. This book that you've grown familiar with somehow feels sacred in that moment. You remind yourself that, as far as the physical is concerned, it's just ink on a page. Yet, the content carries a weight far greater. Each time today as you grab the Bible you take a minute to thank God for His Word. You make your way into the Coffee Shop continuing that same prayer as you walk. You share a few words with the barista as you wait for your drink. You turn to me and ask if I'm ever going to let you pay for coffee. My answer is simple, "Not planning on it." You laugh and make your way to the table. As you sit down there is a comfort and familiarity to our Coffee Shop, yet you realize that we're almost done meeting regularly. I remark that you are certainly in a different mood than the last time we saw each other. With that, you open up your Bible to Romans 6 and I can see the underlines, circles around words, and notes in the margins. Clearly you've been spending time in this passage. Words keep pouring out of you as you share what God revealed through this Chapter. Amazing chapter, isn't it!?! That first question, "What shall we say then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means!" I love that verse. It gives two very simple pictures to share reasons why we shouldn't just go "sin-happy" as believers. The first is the idea that when we sin, we are acting dead when we are alive. It's such a ridiculous picture, but it really makes sense. Sin leads to death and you are no longer on that path, so don't even go down that road. The next picture of slavery just points to the consequences. Being a slave to something horrible like sin, certainly impacts someone negatively. I can't help but think, why would I got back to living like a slave when I am free? With that said, you could do it even if it doesn't make sense and the consequence is the abuse you take under that reign. It's not like my status would change; once I'm free, I'm free. But, it isn't good to go back to the old ways. This is a difficult concept to understand. Our justification (legal standing with God) doesn't change, ever. But, when we sin, we slow down the process of becoming more like Jesus. You see between the moment you made a decision for Christ, and the moment that He takes you to heaven, you're in the middle of the process of becoming Holy. Holy is a fancy church word that means set apart. When the Bible says, God is Holy, it's saying that He isn't plagued by sin and death like us. He's above that. Now we are being made Holy and this process that is happening in both of us is called sanctification. Now, we will never be Holy, not until Heaven will we experience what God designed us for, but we keep on in the process while we are here.

So, when we have a belief in Jesus, it changes the way we act. Often people talk about having a belief in God, but there is no action. That doesn't seem to line up. Salvation is us being saved, and we don't work for salvation, we work out salvation. Philippians 2:12-13 gives us a picture of God working in us. This is interesting when we remember that God actually lives in each of us. Amazing! Answering your question from last week, "Why avoid sin?," two reasons come to mind. First, I think of Romans 6 and no longer being dead to sin, a slave to sin. But, now being a slave to good. Second, I think of Paige. In moments like that I can't help but think about the hurt and pain Paige felt. Even though her standing with God never changed, she still experienced deep hurt. That is a consequence of sin. There are times when God will let us step outside of His protection and let us experience pain. I don't share that to point towards fear because I believe that's the opposite of what this is about. Instead, I want to point toward freedom. You aren't going to be perfect, by any means, but you will continue in this process of becoming more like Jesus. Now, during that time questions are going to come up that seem heavy and hurtful, the way they did last time we met. Don't run from that, wrestle with that. Right in the middle of your Bible is a book called Psalms. This book has some phrases that are pretty bold in questioning God. Yet there they are, right in the middle of the Bible. It's as if God is saying, "I know there will be tough times, but I created you to feel the rawest emotion and I want to be there with you along the way." Today, I want you to read the book of Philippians. I know that sounds scary, but it's only a few pages. You're going to find it fairly easy, and this book is full of some amazing truths. We pray to close our time and as you talk to God, that concept of freedom keeps coming into your mind. You tell God that as we pray together. You thank him for the freedom that he bought with his own blood. We exchange hugs and you're out the door. As you put your Bible back on your front seat you are reminded of how thankful you are for that book. Sitting in the parking lot, you open it up to the book of Philippians to check out just how many pages you are set to read. Sure enough it's only a few chapters. You read the first section of verses and right there in the parking lot, a smile comes across your face as you read verse six of the first chapter; "Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Sitting there in your car you realize that God is working on you each day. He's started a lifelong process that ends with you being the realization of what he intended. "All of that from a single verse," you say to yourself, "this is going to be a great book."

Seven Days With Nick: Day 7

Walking into the Coffee Shop for the last time is a bittersweet moment. It's sad to think that you and I won't be sharing caffeine on a daily basis. With that though, you feel like you've really made progress in the process of getting to know God. We greet with the standard hug and you head over to the counter to pick up your coffee. You turn to me and say, "You know, you should let me take you out to dinner or something. You've spent at least $60 on coffee this week." My response is simple, "I want you to now take someone else." Based on the confused look on your face, it's clear that you don't quite understand what I mean by that. I then share how many pastors, teachers and mentors have bought me my fair share of meals over the years. People have poured into me and that's why we're able to have our talks. There's going to come a time when you're mature in your faith and when someone comes to ask you questions about Jesus, you buy the coffee that day. Just thinking about that brings chills. It's exciting to think that God could use you, believe me, I know. As we get started I ask an open ended question about some of the things you've learned that were most impactful. I'm glad you mentioned prayer, because that is a big one. I'm glad that the mystery has been taken away. It really is just talking directly to God. I can tell even in our times praying together, that you're starting to understand that prayer is more than just praying for meals or asking for things. It's a conversation. It's amazing to realize that we have the ear of the creator of the universe, anytime we want. You know my dad is a Pastor in Australia, and being a pastor is a very busy job. Lots of people are trying to get time with the pastor. But even with that, I knew that at any time I could go talk to my dad and he'd drop whatever he was doing to spend time with me. It's similar with our Heavenly Father. We have his complete attention. God is so powerful, so great and yet He's done so much for me. One of my favorite passages in the Bible is chapter 2 of Philippians. Take a look what He says, (Philippians 2:1-11). So, here we have this amazing God, all powerful, and He humbles himself to the point of death. It makes me think about how I can humble myself in what I do, so that I can have an attitude that is "the same as Christ Jesus." Those are the kinds of things that I wrestle with daily, but that's just a part of God working in me. I have definitely enjoyed our coffees, but I need to encourage you with one final thing and that is Church. You really need to make finding a church a priority. As a speaker I've visited hundreds of churches all over the globe.

You have a lot of options even in this town, but instead of just googling your zip code and "church," I think you should be a little more intentional in choosing the church that you find as a home church. It comes down to three things that I think are most important when choosing a church. I put them in order, starting with the most important. 1. Committed to the Bible: This is a church that believes the Bible is God's Word and "God Breathed." They are committed to teaching from the Bible every week. As followers of Christ we stand on His Word, and so your church should do the same. 2. Community is present or possible: Maybe you already have friends who all go to a church where you could connect, If it's committed to the Bible, that's great. Maybe that isn't the case. When choosing a church you want to think about a place where you will be able to connect with other people. If you just go in the door, sit in a service and leave, you're missing it. Remember Acts 2:42-47 shows us that church is so much more. 3. Comfortable: Finally you want to find a place where you feel comfortable. This is a style issue and there are a wide variety of churches for a wide variety of preferences. You may like people in church wearing suits and dresses, or you may prefer a more laid back approach with t-shirts and jeans. You may prefer a loud band or maybe no band at all. All of this comes down to individual taste. Remember, this is the least important of the three. You may find a church that meets the first two things perfectly but there are a couple of style issues you think should be done differently. Let me encourage you to give that church a chance, because you may find that little preference you inititially had really isn't that important after all. Next time, we see each other I'd love to hear more about your new church. It may take time to find the right fit and remember your first visit is just that, a visit. You aren't signing your life away or joining this church forever and ever, just visiting. I'm serious when I say that this is the most important next step. We talk for a while longer about some of the things coming up on both of our schedules. We spend a while at our table praying. Our little corner of the Coffee Shop has become a safe place for us to wrestle with God's Word. We hug each other and as you make your way back to your car, you sit for a minute. You text message that friend to confirm you can visit his/her church this weekend. As the car pulls out of the lot, you realize that there is much more a sense of beginning than a sense of ending. A few days later your friend picks you up for church. While driving you suggest grabbing some coffee before church that morning. Standing at the counter you glance over towards our table which is occupied by a mother and her two children. Covered in Cheerios and juice, this once special space has become just another table. Fifteen minutes later you're walking down the aisle of the church. You have a spring in your step, from the hope you have that this could be your church home. As you ease into your seat, the sound of the band fills the room. The songs are new to you, but the lyrics seem familiar. The band ends its first set and the pastor invites everyone to greet people around them. You shake hands with the people in front of you, and as you turn around you're greeted by a familiar face. You light up with excitement as she realizes it's you. "Paige, you go here? I can't believe you go here!" She laughs at your shock as you introduce her to your friend. As the room quiets down for the next part of the service, you repeat these powerful words, "Creator God loves me. He gave His life for me and He promises to continue to work in me." This morning, in this crowded room, you're surrounded by others on the same journey. They have different paths and distinct stories, but you are all united in a desire to know and love Jesus Christ.

7 Days with Nick - CONGRATULATIONS!

You have submitted this form the maximum number of times (5). Friend, YOU DID IT! You just completed the "7 Days of with Nick" story. I'd like to hear your story, so please take the time to fill out your information below. I can assure you, your information will ONLY be seen by me and the team at Life Without Limbs. I am sure you found parts of Paige's story powerful. The truth is, no matter what your background is, God is writing your story right now. I'd love to hear what God is doing in your life. After clicking "submit" on the form below, you will find yourself at our "Submit Story" page. This is a place for you to share with the Life Without Limbs Community. We want to hear what God's done in your life these last few days. I can tell you that God has used my simple story to further his kingdom and there is no greater joy. Don't doubt yourself, God can use your story on this website. In fact, this is the most powerful part of our website. After submitting your story, you can choose to post it story on your Facebook, blog or anywhere else on the web. As God continues to transform you into His likeness, you may be a part of new stories that you want to share, and our website is a great place for that. Thanks for taking the time to submit your information and share your story. I look forward to hearing from you.