Jason Bedell Online

From my reading this morning...

In Him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding." Ephesians 1:7,8

I think that about sums it up. Man, I needed to read this today. So encouraging.

Jason *over and out*

"You can have a 'successful' church without loving God or People."
- Francis Chan

"Successful" meaning large, growing and popular. Do you think the church in America (or around the world for that matter) is leaning more towards this type of success? Is it truly success? I would say no, because this isn't a popularity contest. It's about eternity. What do you think? And just to clarify, Francis Chan's quote is popped out of something bigger and He wouldn't label that true 'success' either.

Jason *over and out*
[ht: catalyst space]

Did you know you have an inheritance? In my reading today in Galatians 4, we're told that those of us who have given our lives to Jesus are "heirs." When God sent His son to die for you, me, and everyone through history... He changed the game. We at one time were slaves of our own demise leading to death & separation from God (not an inheritance I would look forward to). But, accepting God and His Son's sacrifice brings us into His family. We're now His sons and daughters. "So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir." - Gal. 4:7 And the inheritance you receive is unlike any other.

Man I look forward to Heaven. Words cannot describe it. So in reading this it prompts me to ask the question:

"Are you a slave leading to death and separation- or -are you a son with an inheritance?"

On today's ride in I had a listen to some old favorites of mine, 90's pop-punk/alternative:

Welcome to Paradise by Green Day
There Is by Box Car Racer
Adam's Song by Blink 182
Dumb Reminders by No Use For A Name
Don't Call Me White by NOFX
Infected by Bad Religion
Tiny Voices by Bad Religion
A-OK by Face to Face
Disconnected by Face to Face

Now I don't agree as much now, with some of the angst and anger these groups had then... but, they had one thing going for them. Passion. A rally cry of passion that brought teenagers and 20 somethings out by the hundreds to shows. It was amazing to watch. Imagine what God's people could do if we took His message out with that kind of passion and rallying cry?! Live it and watch how God moves. You'll be left standing in awe.

Jason *over and out*

...wow. Listening to God is tough. As a leadership & staff we've searched after God and heard Him loud a clear, "It's time for the body to come back together." When God speaks, we listen and obey. This past Sunday was bitter sweet for many of us who have been a part of the multi-site journey. We watched 30+ people come into a saving relationship with Jesus and at the same time saw the strain and hurt it put on the body being spread so thin.

Through it all, God has been honored and lives have been changed. When you act on God's prompting, it a scary and amazing place to be. Looking forward to see how God continues to move in the body here at Forefront. And, to see how he will bless Forefront for following His leading. The announcement was done live at Chesapeake, and everyone at the Beach saw this...



Jason *over and out*

I'll be the first one to tell you I am not a big fan of Jon & Kate Plus Eight, but last night broke my heart. Not just for them, but for families all over the country who go through the very same thing. My friend Aaron had some great thoughts from a post on what should come first. Check it out here.

When you have some time, pray. Pray for your family and others who are dealing with difficult times and need to put a focus on God. When He is the glue that keeps a marriage secure, it's an amazing thing.

Jason *over and out*

So, we had some fun with James and DaveTheIntern. In this series, "Commercial Genius" we've be creating spoofs of different commercials we're talking about. This week was Sonic. The premise was these guys were hanging out but every time a song would come on, DaveTheIntern would screw up the lyrics. They brought the place down during service. It was great.

Hopefully it will inspire you. Enjoy.

Today is a jumpstart to a more disciplined life. I want to be a man who stands before God and can say, "I gave you my all. I listened and obeyed. I honored my wife, and I presented your truth to people." Unfortunately, presenting the truth and honoring my wife means I have to open my eyes to something I didn't want to think about... I'm 35 lbs over what my doc says I should be for my age/height/body type. Ugh.

So, it cannot be a diet or an exercise routine- it has to be a lifestyle change. I care about God too much to live with my self-indulgence. I care about my wife too much to have her look at my overweight tail. And, I care too much about my daughter to die early because I didn't live healthy.

And today it begins. No more sodas. No more junk. Just water, juice & milk. Healthier foods and smaller portions. Also, I will be riding my bike to and from work. Almost 12 miles one way. This morning's ride was refreshing and I needed it. I connected with God in a way I hadn't felt in awhile. Stronger, deeper, just praying, listening, hearing his voice. It was great.

Here was this morning's playlist on the ride in:

Disguising Mistakes With Goodbyes by Emery
Promise by Spoken
Say This Sooner by The Almost
Instead of A Show by Jon Foreman
God of This City by Chris Tomlin
With My Own Two Hands by Ben Harper
Death And His Grave by John Mark McMillan
Deliver Me by David Crowder

God definitely speaks to me through music and this morning's playlist was a good one. Until next time people...

Jason *over and out*

Now this is a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon (video below). Respass Family, I am so excited for you. You are such an encouragement. Keep following Him.

We've been having fun during our series, "Commercial Genius." Shot a few spoofs for the Mac vs PC week on Spiritual Gifts. Here ya go-

We've been having fun during our series, "Commercial Genius." Shot a few spoofs for the Mac vs PC week on Spiritual Gifts. Here ya go-

Confession and Repentance is an interesting idea to me. Confession is verbally saying, "I've sinned" to God. "Repentance is turning from that sin and moving 180 degrees in a new direction towards Jesus. And I heard quite a bit about this when I was coming to God and making a decision to follow Him. But once I became a Christian, it was almost taboo in the circles I grew up in. "Yeah, let's talk about all the ways you've screwed up in your life so you can be clean and new in Jesus. BUT, don't talk about the ways you mess up after you accept Him and become a follower of Him!"

Seriously!? That is not at all what God planned and desired for His people. In Acts 17:28-30 "in Him we live and move and have our being," but He has called all men, "all people everywhere to repent." It's a daily action of committing our lives to Him when we confess of the things we've done and repent. When we do this our sins are wiped away, as the Bible makes note of in Acts 3:19, "Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord..."

Now our sins were payed for when Jesus gave His life as a sacrifice for us on the cross. When that price was paid, it's by God's grace (a gift we don't deserve) that we are entering into heaven when we die. But even though those sins are paid for, God wants to hear from us. He desires to know our hearts and listen to us as we turn daily from the temptations of life and draw closer to Him. Confession and Repentance doesn't end when we enter into a relationship with God, it begins there. and from that point should become an ongoing discipline to draw near to God.

There are a couple articles here and here that talk about this more.

Prayer to me is so simple, yet so difficult all at the same time. Prayer is a conversation between you and God. We let Him know how much we love Him, confess our sins, ask for forgiveness, ask for patience, wisdom, understanding, faith to make it through, and continue to connect with Him like we do in our other relationships we care so much about.

But to me it started out really difficult because... I couldn't hear the response! I would pray and pray and talk with God and never hear anything back. The first time I prayed I literally waited for an audible voice. Seriously. I thought God would speak back (like in my head or something) and I would get an answer. Later I came to understand that God wasn't going to audibly speak to my ears or communicate His response via a plane writing it in the sky... but He was going to answer and He always has.

Here are some scriptures that talk about prayer from God's perspective: click here. But, in communicating with God- I fell into some traps. I began to pray in big words, use God's name 85 times in a prayer, pray things I would never say in any other instance... all because that is what I was taught to do. I was taught a formal way to pray and it was the only way according to those teaching me. Much later I learned God cared more about my heart and the real communication we had and not so much about whether I said His name all those times or bowed my head just right with my hands in the right position.

Now, when I sometimes revert back to those things, I believe God still knows my heart now. And as you begin to talk to God and build that daily relationship with Him- He'll see your heart too. And if you say things differently than someone else or talk to God in a more relaxed way... I believe He is excited because you are simply bringing yourself into community with Him.

And, prayer is powerful. There is no doubt about that in my mind. In James 5:16 we hear this message loud and clear: "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." Powerful and effective. When we drop all the chaos going on around us and pray to God and talk to Him about life, joys, sorrows, sins, intervene on someone's behalf, and more- God shows up and does what only He can do... and it's amazing.

We're in this series, "Commercial Genius" and last week we talked about spiritual disciplines. These are not stars on a checklist that get us into heaven- instead, they are practical things we can do to foster a deeper and more intimate relationship with God. We'll be posting a handful of different links, ideas, etc. for you to begin the process for the first time or maybe you've tried, but you want to cultivate it more and draw closer to God.

At any rate, there are quite a few different spiritual disciplines- but let's look at "Fasting." Fasting is simply abstaining from food, or food and drink, for spiritual purposes. Fasting is more than a diet adjustment; it involves spiritual intensity and intercession. Fasting should always be accompanied with prayer, meditation, and Bible study. Fasting was practiced throughout the Bible by kind of a Who's Who of leaders- Moses who led the Israelites, David the king, Elijah the prophet, Esther the queen, Daniel the advisor to kings, Anna the prophetess, Paul the apostle, and Jesus Christ, just to name a few.

Here is a great link on how to fast properly, so as to not hurt your system/body: click here. But also, you need to look into and evaluate your reason for fasting. Is it to have people know you're doing it? Bad reason. Is it to "feel better" about yourself and cross it off your Christian to-do list? Bad reason. Is it to deny yourself things so you can listen to God and hear His heart & will for you? GREAT reason.

God wants to have a close relationship with us, and when we practice spiritual disciplines- we begin to understand God's heart more clearly. And that is a great thing. Here is a list of passages in the Bible that discuss fasting to help you in learning more about this: click here

A couple of weeks ago Carrie and I celebrated the 1 year birthday of our beautiful daughter, Chloe. One year after becoming a parent I realize- I know nothing about being a parent. I do know a few things though:

• You're never ready, don't even play like you think you are- you're not.
• Parenting is an art, not a science.
• Kids are resilient. They roll with the punches more than adults.
• If it's your kid. They are always beautiful. Snotty noses and all.
• She is innocent. But, she won't be innocent forever. This makes me cry.
• Almost daily. Seriously, I'm a weepy mess (we'll keep that between all 300+ readers and me, k?)
  
• She counts on me. She's looking to me for approval.
• She will mold her idea of her future husband by my actions and words.
• That scares me to death.
  
• Our daughter is a gift from God.
• I'm the worst and best dad all wrapped into one.
• And my daughter will love me despite it.

This just walked into my office...

I'm not even going to ask what our Creative Team & Interns are up to. I guess we'll have to see this Sunday.

Jason *over and out*

Been going through the message for Sunday on Spiritual Disciplines. Our S.D.'s are an avenue to point us towards God, grow closer to Him, understand His heart, will & plan for our lives. One of the things we'll be discussing Sunday is "Fasting." Fasting is abstaining from food, or food and drink, for spiritual purposes. While doing the fast, you use prayer, bible reading, and meditation to draw close to God. You can also fast from things like TV, Social Media, Sports, etc. But Sunday we're looking strictly at the biblical example of food and/or drink fasting.

A quote from Richard Foster has been resonating in my head for the last week and a half. Love to hear your thoughts.

"Fasting reminds us that we are sustained 'by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God' (Matt. 4:4). Food does not sustain us; God sustains us."

Have you ever fasted before?
What was it like for you to fast?
How did it help you draw close to God?

Sharing some from my daily reading, here are some thoughts from today's passage...

Have you ever written a letter, had a conversation, or intervened when you saw someone was moving in the wrong direction? I've been the intervene'r and the intervene'ee, and it's tough no matter how you slice it. But, Paul in this passage talks about his letter to the church at Corinth and how he's sorry it brought them pain, but not really.

Verses 8-13 note Paul's pain in bringing them sorrow, but that Godly sorrow leads to repentance which leads to salvation- which leaves no regret. Then Paul throws another route in the scenario. He basically shares, "By pointing out the places you need to change, it will bring sorrow. But, is it a Godly sorrow or a worldly sorrow?" Because unlike Godly sorrow; worldly sorrow "leads to death."

Paul's hurting for them because of the letter was momentary, "Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while— yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance." It was momentary because of the end result. Paul found joy in the end. "Now I am happy," he said. He was joyful because the sorrow led to repentance. A change of heart. A prompting to move closer to God and leave those things behind.

When was the last time you saw someone falling, hurting, in pain, and moving away from God? Have you built a relationship with them? Does it burden your heart to see them in that situation? Does your heart break with the same things that break God's heart? Because God's message of love and life change should be shared with them, so they can see God, see themselves for who they are, and through their sorrow, let go of those things and draw near to Him.

Already receiving orders online. The money raised from these shirts will help great things happen in Vietnam. Get yours on Sunday!

Jason *over and out*

8 months and 5 days ago I stepped into what would be the most challenging thing I would ever do professionally. On October 5, 2008, my good friend Vince Antonucci announced that the leadership had chosen me (with God's leading and after much prayer & searching from both sides), as the lead pastor of God's church here at Forefront. It's been a growth experience for me ever since that day.

After doing ministry over 10 years behind the scenes, it was now God's prompting to be up front. To be the guy who answers the calls. The one who listens to God's voice and directs the staff and body as we move forward. It meant I would have an extremely close relationship with our MPW team (spiritual leadership/mentors), and have guys like Vince (who you know), and Tim, Doug, Brandon, and Chris (who you don't know) to call and ask questions about leadership and how to lead a body of believers to reach out and use their faith for others.

Since then, people have been watching, listening, talking, observing, and wondering...

"Is this guy legit?"
"He's kinda young, I'm not too sure he can lead me?"
"What kind of changes will he make?"
"Is Forefront still going to be my church?"
"What about the music?"
"Will Forefront still be about people who are far from God?"
"What is my place at this church with his leadership?"
"How can he help me be a better Christ-follower?"

Well, I figured the honey moon period is over. The interesting thing is we haven't made a whole lot of changes. Here is what has changed at Forefront since October 5, 2008 to June 10, 2009:

• Program- We changed the program to a smaller more cost effective format, did away with an unused portion of the weekly study and replaced it with a daily Bible reading plan (which we have heard a ton of great feedback about). We've heard about the small print and I totally understand that wen it comes to the Gel Study. We have provided a copy of the study on the website for you to download if you'd like. Or at anytime you call/email the church office and we can send you a copy.
  
  
• Website- We heard the groans from many people (from our church and visitors) that our website was not attractive or user friendly. We changed over to Clover Websites and created a streamlined site for people to access and share with their friends (39 people have visited our church just because they liked our website).
  
  
• Discipleship- After visiting all the Gel Groups I heard the need for discipleship & growth. The idea of growth happens when we as believers choose to feed ourselves. So, we placed a book recommendation section on the site, beefed up the Gel Studies for the leaders, and also have in the works to provide spiritual disciplines booklets on the hub table for free. We also added the Bible reading plan to have everyone going through the New Testament, Psalms & Proverbs during this year.
  
  Another thing we've encouraged our Gel Group Leaders to do is foster a place where true relationships molded around discipleship happen. We want people to be meeting with a couple other guys or a couple other girls outside of Gel Group during the week and spurring each other on through reading their Bibles, sharing struggles, and holding each other accountable. If we just started a "discipleship program" it would fail. You can't mandate discipleship, it has to happen organically. We are trying every avenue in this to allow people to follow it organically through their own personal study and meeting with other Christians and helping each other live closer to Jesus.
  
  
• Music- With the resignation of our worship pastor, we had to look at our options. We wondered how we would get new music if someone wasn't writing it. Before we added songs, we were already doing 3 songs that weren't "Forefront" written over the last two years (My Glorious, O Praise Him, Signature of Divine). We started incorporating music that we felt moved people in worship.
  
  We quickly realized that some of the songs we were doing and the speed at which we were doing it was too much too soon. I as the lead pastor apologize for that. The buck stops here. But with worship (which is not just music/songs), it's not about us. It's about pointing our joy to God. We realized that the attachment of the songs was deeper than just music, it was a connection to God. So we scaled it back. Waaaay back. We've only added to the mix three new songs that have stuck in 8 months, 5 days (Carbon Ribs by John Mark MacMillan, Came to My Rescue by Hillsong United, and You Are Here by Need To Breathe, they also wrote Signature of Divine which people sing the mess out of).
  
  So, we've had a learning curve. It happens to everyone. You start a new thing, you try things out, you see how they fit, and then you take the good and drop the bad. The bigger thing to remember is that we are to worship the Creator of the Universe. The God of Eternity who cared enough about us to send His Son to die on a cross for the sins we've committed (even the ones we haven't done yet). That makes me want to sing no matter if it's an organ and my grandmother singing or a rock band that makes we want to mosh and dance. By the way, we're NEVER adding and organ. EVER. I PROMISE YOU THAT.
  
  
• Auditorium- We moved the drums, bass, and guitarists from the lower stage up to the top stage and left the acoustic & lead singer up front. This gives the stage a more well rounded look and doesn't leave the back stage like a blank wasteland. What we have noticed though is that with everything more at ear level, it has elevated the volume. So, we're getting a drum shield and adjusting the setting to make it work. But, getting it cost money. We've had 45 families hit with either 1 or both bread winners in the home losing their jobs. So, money is tight- but we've got a drum shield and will have it there Sunday.
  

• We had a group of middle school girls collect money to buy hundreds of socks for P.I.N. Ministry
• We had one of our highest attended Christmas Eve Services to date.
• We've sent two teams to Vietnam and one more is prepping to go in July
• We're sending a team to Laos in August
• We're sending a student ministry team of 24 to build 2 houses in July
• Our ladies are hosting a baby shower for the crisis pregnancy center & 25 expectant moms in June
• We've had 2 baptism services 13 people have come to Jesus
• We've just acquired a new office space (moving in June 24-26) that has a 2,200 sq ft area to host bands, do outreach events, food drives, and more.
• And God has mended multiple marriages, aided people to walk away from addiction, and has given a home to those who needed a place to belong and connect with Jesus.

In Mid-July, 6 people from Area 10 Faith Community in Richmond, VA, Michael Kelly, and myself from here at Forefront- will be heading across the globe to share life with the Mien people in Vietnam. We're in the works of doing a water project there (not sure exactly what's in store), but we know the work we're going to be doing there is crucial.

As our last push to get the team there and working on the project we'll be selling these shirts starting Sunday (logo below). They will start at $15 a shirt, but our prayer is people will buy more than one and donate more than the price of the shirt. We have 150+ shirts and once they're sold, they're done.

150 shirts at $15 a pop is $2,250. Our goal is to raise $4,000 with these shirts for the work He is doing there in Vietnam. We'll be selling them at Forefront starting this Sunday. But, if you're interested in supporting and don't go to FF, send: Your Name, Shirt Size, Address to: lisa@forefront.org and we'll hold a shirt for you.

You can send a check made out to Forefront to:
Attn: Vietnam Fundraiser
P.O. Box 2524
Virginia Beach, VA 23450

Once we receive payment, the shirt will be in the mail. But- you need to email ASAP because if you live out of town, shirts will go quickly. We're looking forward to this adventure as the 6th team in this journey to head to Vietnam and share life with the Mien people.

Jason *over and out*

I was sifting through my daily blog reading this morning and came across a post by Seth Godin that made me stop an think. Check out this video from the Sasquatch Music Festival. Guy #1 is dancing and acting a fool. Guy #2 joins in the party and equally has a ball. But watch what happens once Guy #3 jumps in...



Whoa! Being a leader is BIG, scary, and overwhelming at times. Having someone come alongside you in that is refreshing. But seeing Guy #3 jump into the mix gave it validity and momentum. Thus the movement began and people flocked to be a part. All that to dance around in joy/silliness during a concert.

With such an amazing message of love, redemption, and eternity with God the Father. God's church needs more #1's to step up and show their skills to lead. More #2's to show the #1's that they support and trust them... but man, we need the crucial #3's to show others that God's power isn't going away and He's just as strong as He has ever been.

So where are my 1, 2, & 3's? Stand up and make His message known.

Jason *over and out*

Ruuhh Roooh!

I just got my passport back and saw the picture... I leave for Vietnam in a little over a month. I'm pretty scared that this photo and this face won't match enough for me to get in (or out) of the country!

I hate to say it people- but the beard might have to grow back. No one wants me spending 10-20 in a Vietnamese prison camp for putting up a fight at the airport... or do they?! It's a conspiracy people. I'm gonna get to the bottom of this.

Jason *over and out*

I get anywhere between 60-80 emails a day.

• "Join our new Facebook Group ____________!"
• "You have received a direct message from _________ on Twitter."
• "__________ has left a comment on jasonbedellonline.com"
• "Hi Jason, my name is ______________ and I need some help with my marriage."
• "I was in service yesterday, and I am so coming back. It was amazing."
• "I just wanted to let you know the music is way too loud at your church!"
• "I've never been to your church, but checked out your YouTube page, is that what Christians really should be doing???"
• "Pastor Jason, I just wanted to say that yesterday's service changed my life."
• "FWD from Lisa Gollihur: ___________ is interested in getting baptized."
• "FWD: Send this to ten ppl or you'll have bad luck for 5 years."

So in today's message we talked about Spiritual Gifts and wanted to include some info for you to dive into this further. Here are the links to the passages we talked about today:
- Romans 12:1-8
- 1 Corinthians 12:1-30

Also, if you're interested in taking a spiritual gifts inventory; here is a link to a free one that only takes about 10-15 minutes. Think about each questions and answer honestly- it will give you clearer results:
- Link to Spiritual Gifts Inventory by Team Ministry

If you need assistance in finding a place to serve once you take the spiritual gifts inventory, check our our website under "upside down" and click "take action." Someone will call you in the next 48 hours with news on how to get involved. Or you can email the ministry staff person in the area you are looking to serve (emails are below).

Office/Admin: lisa@forefront.org
Gel Groups/Missions/Frontline: dan@forefront.org
Student Ministry: james@forefront.org
Children's Ministry: becky@forefront.org
Creative Arts/Music: justin@forefront.org

Praying for you and how God is going to move in your journey to serve Him.

Jason *over and out*

This is Ayanna (12) and Imani (9) and they went missing near our Ocean Lakes Campus on Saturday, June 6, 2009. During our picnic today a sheriff dropped off these fliers.

UPDATE: Last night on the news, both girls were found. It is definitely great news. As soon as I saw this flier it made me think about what would have happened if my daughter had gone missing. All you parents out there, keep a close eye on your kids, set boundaries, and teach them who to talk to- because you never know what could happen.

Here are a few videos from our series titled, "Broken."
Enjoy.

Here are a few videos from our series titled, "Commercial Genius."
Enjoy.

Here are a few videos from our series titled, "unSTUCK."
Enjoy.

Here are a few videos from our series titled, "Business Time."
Enjoy.

In the Old Testament, the people followed the "Law." It was a long and complete list of do's and don'ts to work through in your quest for God and redemption. Once Jesus came in the New Testament, and turned the tables on the Law- He brought grace & true redemption.

But has the modern church somehow placed a new law or a new idea of "do's & don'ts" on men and women who follow Him?



Loving this song by Derek Webb. Checks me when I get caught in the game of a checklist rather than a relationship.

What someone looks like when they're contemplating life, faith, and trying to figure out how to solve the world's problems? Well, here ya go:

And yes, wearing ridiculously large green headphones & listening to intense rock music is a must.

Jason *over and out*

Listening to this song while tweaking Sunday's message and God is using it to speak volumes to me through it's simplicity. Love it.