God promised that faith the size of a mustard seed could move mountains. I believe faith the size of 140 million Christian Americans can move Congress!
One Christian Nation is coming soon! Stay tuned!
"He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."
- Matthew 17:20
Monday, November 9, 2009
Sunday, November 8, 2009
One Christian Nation - Christmas Launch
My post today is just a quick update as many have been asking about the status of One Christian Nation. The bottom line is that it is humbling to see what appears to be God's hand really opening doors, pulling strings, molding, shaping and literally laying the foundation right before my eyes. This is a wonderful new experience for me as I'm typically used to never really understanding what God is doing until I'm pulled "through" and I am able to look back and realize how God's hand moved. Historically my life's "vision" has been much like the Old Testament believers that built Ebenezers in order to remind them of what God "did" in the past so they could memorialize God's providence in their lives. Rarely do I believe that God has revealed His plans in a future pace to me because after all, He knows better than anyone that I most often behave as Jonah did.
After 9 years away from the Christian music and publishing industry and after 5 years away from Nashville, I felt it was necessary to "go" and talk and meet with people in the "industry" that will be welcomed resources and potential strategic allies for the launch. So, on short notice I hopped a plane to Nashville where I am now writing this post.
To say the least, I am excited about One Christian Nation. This trip has shown me that this idea that I believe God has birthed is much, much, bigger than Nashville, the CCM industry, me, and any denomination. I believe God is gathering a team to create a "movement" on a scale America has never seen.
And, every time my carnal mind tempts me to tremble at the thought of God choosing me to light the spark, I am reminded by many Ebenezers that at the age of 40, I've been avoiding what God wants to do for long enough.
My trip is going to culminate tomorrow with a trip to Brentwood Baptist Church to hear Pastor, Mike Glenn speak about Mary's response when she realized she was going to give birth to Jesus and she praised God for letting her be a part of something that was bigger than her. Wow! It's often said that timing has a lot to do with success... how's that for timing?
Pastor Mike dedicated my daughter, Madelyn Grace, and leads the church we attended before moving back to Florida. And, Brentwood Baptist Church is going to play a HUGE part of One Christian Nation, I believe, although Pastor Mike doesn't know it yet... at least not until he reads this post.
More details will be forthcoming and please continue to pray as God seems quite intent to use non-theologians like me to spark a revival in our nation and move people toward a renewed desire to be on fire about knowing Jesus.
After 9 years away from the Christian music and publishing industry and after 5 years away from Nashville, I felt it was necessary to "go" and talk and meet with people in the "industry" that will be welcomed resources and potential strategic allies for the launch. So, on short notice I hopped a plane to Nashville where I am now writing this post.
To say the least, I am excited about One Christian Nation. This trip has shown me that this idea that I believe God has birthed is much, much, bigger than Nashville, the CCM industry, me, and any denomination. I believe God is gathering a team to create a "movement" on a scale America has never seen.
And, every time my carnal mind tempts me to tremble at the thought of God choosing me to light the spark, I am reminded by many Ebenezers that at the age of 40, I've been avoiding what God wants to do for long enough.
My trip is going to culminate tomorrow with a trip to Brentwood Baptist Church to hear Pastor, Mike Glenn speak about Mary's response when she realized she was going to give birth to Jesus and she praised God for letting her be a part of something that was bigger than her. Wow! It's often said that timing has a lot to do with success... how's that for timing?
Pastor Mike dedicated my daughter, Madelyn Grace, and leads the church we attended before moving back to Florida. And, Brentwood Baptist Church is going to play a HUGE part of One Christian Nation, I believe, although Pastor Mike doesn't know it yet... at least not until he reads this post.
More details will be forthcoming and please continue to pray as God seems quite intent to use non-theologians like me to spark a revival in our nation and move people toward a renewed desire to be on fire about knowing Jesus.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
One Christian Nation
A few months ago our President, while addressing the Turkish Parliament, claimed that, "America is not a Christian nation." Obviously, this sparked quite a bit of outrage, especially from those that comprise the "Christian Nation." And, when you step back and look at this statement it does make you wonder if America truly is a Christian nation. By all outward appearances or "fruit," I think it is safe to claim we are not. What self-ordained Christian would condone so many of the behaviors, ideologies and beliefs that we as a nation not only condone, but in many ways - including using our tax dollars, support and encourage? So, what does that make us? Are we a non-Christian nation? Are we just a nation? Perhaps we are some of all of these things. Perhaps we are none of these things?
What seems to be argued, debated and verbally sparred over the most often is the notion that our Founding Fathers were largely Christians and intended that our nation be established on the principles, beliefs, and teachings of God's Holy Bible. It is claimed by Christians that our nation was established on a belief that there is One True God and His Son is Jesus and the "instructions" outlined in the Bible should be regarded as "Best Practices" regarding living your life, structuring a society and articulating the most mutually beneficial way to co-exist. Our Founding Fathers, through their writings and speeches almost unanimously point to a strong sense of believing that without God's providence, grace and mercy - America will not succeed. I believe that our Founding Fathers clearly understood that we are ONLY as "free" as the authority to which we are willing to submit. And they willingly submitted their thoughts, prayers and actions to an Almighty God... not, to an Amendment.
So what then does that make America? Well, we're obviously a nation. A well-meaning nation striving for freedom to pursue the dreams and beliefs of the individual. America was built on a belief that with God, all things are possible. That is clearly outlined in every aspect of the formation of America.
America is a nation. Not a lot unlike other nations. We have many of the same struggles, challenges, dreams and goals. So what is the discern-able difference?
Hopefully, the greatest difference is "We The People." Most importantly, it is our understanding that God raises up nations for His will to spread the Good News of His Son Jesus Christ so that through this knowledge, people may be saved by Grace through their faith. It is debatable as to whether the USA is in fact a "Christian Nation," but I'm not sure it can be denied that America has for more than 200 years been the leading proselytizers of freedom through Christ.
Joshua 24:15 reads, "...as for me and my house, we shall serve the Lord." I cannot speak for other Americans but I believe many aspire to this ideal and if so, it doesn't really matter what our President claims or doesn't claim about our nation. What matters is that God is the God of all nations and He is at work in the hearts of His people stirring them to spread the good news of Jesus Christ.
In my eyes we are One Christian Nation and that nation supersedes any geographical boundaries because that nation is founded in the faith that God is the creator of the universe and the Lord over everything that was, and is, and is to come.
The whole world - creation itself, declares the majesty of our Founding Father. That's pretty Christian to me.
Stay tuned as we are in the beginning stages of developing One Christian Nation and much more is still to come. We believe that Christianity is under attack right here in America and it is time for all of us as One Christian Nation, believing in God's providence, to rise up with boldness and declare that God belongs in America!
What seems to be argued, debated and verbally sparred over the most often is the notion that our Founding Fathers were largely Christians and intended that our nation be established on the principles, beliefs, and teachings of God's Holy Bible. It is claimed by Christians that our nation was established on a belief that there is One True God and His Son is Jesus and the "instructions" outlined in the Bible should be regarded as "Best Practices" regarding living your life, structuring a society and articulating the most mutually beneficial way to co-exist. Our Founding Fathers, through their writings and speeches almost unanimously point to a strong sense of believing that without God's providence, grace and mercy - America will not succeed. I believe that our Founding Fathers clearly understood that we are ONLY as "free" as the authority to which we are willing to submit. And they willingly submitted their thoughts, prayers and actions to an Almighty God... not, to an Amendment.
So what then does that make America? Well, we're obviously a nation. A well-meaning nation striving for freedom to pursue the dreams and beliefs of the individual. America was built on a belief that with God, all things are possible. That is clearly outlined in every aspect of the formation of America.
America is a nation. Not a lot unlike other nations. We have many of the same struggles, challenges, dreams and goals. So what is the discern-able difference?
Hopefully, the greatest difference is "We The People." Most importantly, it is our understanding that God raises up nations for His will to spread the Good News of His Son Jesus Christ so that through this knowledge, people may be saved by Grace through their faith. It is debatable as to whether the USA is in fact a "Christian Nation," but I'm not sure it can be denied that America has for more than 200 years been the leading proselytizers of freedom through Christ.
Joshua 24:15 reads, "...as for me and my house, we shall serve the Lord." I cannot speak for other Americans but I believe many aspire to this ideal and if so, it doesn't really matter what our President claims or doesn't claim about our nation. What matters is that God is the God of all nations and He is at work in the hearts of His people stirring them to spread the good news of Jesus Christ.
In my eyes we are One Christian Nation and that nation supersedes any geographical boundaries because that nation is founded in the faith that God is the creator of the universe and the Lord over everything that was, and is, and is to come.
The whole world - creation itself, declares the majesty of our Founding Father. That's pretty Christian to me.
Stay tuned as we are in the beginning stages of developing One Christian Nation and much more is still to come. We believe that Christianity is under attack right here in America and it is time for all of us as One Christian Nation, believing in God's providence, to rise up with boldness and declare that God belongs in America!
Friday, September 25, 2009
The Church of Acts or In-Action?
Relevant, Progressive, Forward-Thinking, and Evolutionary are just a few words that I've seen lately that describe the Christian church. I heard a well pointed sermon this evening from Pastor, Tommy Green (First Baptist of Brandon, Florida). He was speaking at a partner church (Tampa Baptist) about the "Future Church." It was refreshing to hear a sermon that squarely hit the nail on the head without all the linguistic wizardry and sidestepping of the obvious truth that the Church is not in the business of "Cool-Hunting." On the contrary, this Pastor declared with authority that the church is about spreading the truth about Jesus in plain terms so the the Holy Spirit can work exactly the way God wills. He spoke about our responsibility and our opportunity... and I think most importantly about the power and authority in Christ through which we accomplish our mission.
It reminded me of the older days when I was publishing 7ball magazine (a youth focused Christian modern rock/alternative music publication) and I received literally weekly calls from youth pastors across the nation asking me what the, "...kids were into these days." They weren't questions out of pure curiosity, they were more in line with acquiring some sort of secret answer because they wanted to know how to "package" the Gospel more relevantly than they were currently. At that time in my life, they seemed like common sense questions for smart pastors. However, let's take a look at what all our focus on fancy packaging and laser light riddled preaching has gotten us.
Just as one brief example and just to illustrate a greater point I'm using information from CNN Politics' Election Center 2008.
Politics and political parties aside, here are the statistics as recorded:
Born Again Christians voted 74% for candidate "A"
Non Believers voted 62% for Candidate "B"
All voters between age 18-29 (regardless of faith) voted for Candidate "B" 66% of the time.
All Voters between age 30-44 (regardless of faith) voted for Candidate "B" 52% of the time.
Now, as with all statistics, they are just a sample. However, is it just me or is it telling that an overwhelming percentage of young people voted identically with non-believers?
How has the church missed an entire generation of young people? Could it be because the church has been more focused on being relevant than being real? Has the church been more adventurous than authentic? More Hollywood than Holy?
I think the answer is being revealed by God through His Holy Spirit, through His Word and through devoted teachers like Pastor Tommy. People are hurting, hopeless and hedonistic in their beliefs. They need healing, hope and the Holy Spirit... not hokus-pokus. (It's impossible to avoid some alliteration.)
Please don't misunderstand. My blog today is as much a judgment upon myself as it is to any other believer. As I admitted this evening, no one has been a "bigger" modern day Jonah than I have. Perhaps it's my 40th birthday approaching or maturity or just being sick and tired of being sick and tired but I made up my mind that I'm not wasting the next 40 years avoiding what God clearly called me to do decades ago and because of my own rebellion, fear and disobedience, I'm part of the reason a generation of young people are lost and destined to spend eternity separated from God. Pastor Tommy mentioned today that when that final day comes we don't want to be ashamed of what we didn't do for Christ. God is ready to use us mightily... right now. I've run out of excuses... how about you?
I'm personally at a place where I'm tired of standing on the river banks with scores of other concerned believers just watching the bodies drift downstream as we "pluck" them out as fast as we can... when we should be walking upstream, taking on the rushing current and stopping them from falling in to begin with!
There is nothing wrong with being relevant or in meeting people where they are... that's exactly what Jesus does. It is however critical to know that relevance for relevance's sake is meaningless to God. It cheapens the price Jesus paid on the cross. The Good News of Jesus is as real today as at any time in history. It's time the church gets back to the future... the way the disciples did. Let's see Hollywood do that!
Be amazing today.
-Frank Chimento
It reminded me of the older days when I was publishing 7ball magazine (a youth focused Christian modern rock/alternative music publication) and I received literally weekly calls from youth pastors across the nation asking me what the, "...kids were into these days." They weren't questions out of pure curiosity, they were more in line with acquiring some sort of secret answer because they wanted to know how to "package" the Gospel more relevantly than they were currently. At that time in my life, they seemed like common sense questions for smart pastors. However, let's take a look at what all our focus on fancy packaging and laser light riddled preaching has gotten us.
Just as one brief example and just to illustrate a greater point I'm using information from CNN Politics' Election Center 2008.
Politics and political parties aside, here are the statistics as recorded:
Born Again Christians voted 74% for candidate "A"
Non Believers voted 62% for Candidate "B"
All voters between age 18-29 (regardless of faith) voted for Candidate "B" 66% of the time.
All Voters between age 30-44 (regardless of faith) voted for Candidate "B" 52% of the time.
Now, as with all statistics, they are just a sample. However, is it just me or is it telling that an overwhelming percentage of young people voted identically with non-believers?
How has the church missed an entire generation of young people? Could it be because the church has been more focused on being relevant than being real? Has the church been more adventurous than authentic? More Hollywood than Holy?
I think the answer is being revealed by God through His Holy Spirit, through His Word and through devoted teachers like Pastor Tommy. People are hurting, hopeless and hedonistic in their beliefs. They need healing, hope and the Holy Spirit... not hokus-pokus. (It's impossible to avoid some alliteration.)
Please don't misunderstand. My blog today is as much a judgment upon myself as it is to any other believer. As I admitted this evening, no one has been a "bigger" modern day Jonah than I have. Perhaps it's my 40th birthday approaching or maturity or just being sick and tired of being sick and tired but I made up my mind that I'm not wasting the next 40 years avoiding what God clearly called me to do decades ago and because of my own rebellion, fear and disobedience, I'm part of the reason a generation of young people are lost and destined to spend eternity separated from God. Pastor Tommy mentioned today that when that final day comes we don't want to be ashamed of what we didn't do for Christ. God is ready to use us mightily... right now. I've run out of excuses... how about you?
I'm personally at a place where I'm tired of standing on the river banks with scores of other concerned believers just watching the bodies drift downstream as we "pluck" them out as fast as we can... when we should be walking upstream, taking on the rushing current and stopping them from falling in to begin with!
There is nothing wrong with being relevant or in meeting people where they are... that's exactly what Jesus does. It is however critical to know that relevance for relevance's sake is meaningless to God. It cheapens the price Jesus paid on the cross. The Good News of Jesus is as real today as at any time in history. It's time the church gets back to the future... the way the disciples did. Let's see Hollywood do that!
Be amazing today.
-Frank Chimento
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
The Proselytization of Freedom
While we experience an all out assault on individual and corporate freedom in America, I find the parallel with what's happening in Iran to be equally alarming. Here in the states it is becoming increasingly more difficult to discuss our beliefs openly for fear of being accused of proselytizing others. If you don't believe me, ask a Christian teenager in high school that wants to start a Bible study.
Meanwhile, as tens of thousands of human beings take to the streets in Iran, craving freedom, the United States cannot even muster the strength to voice support for their quest to defeat tyranny.
My comment isn't party related because ALL of our government representatives who have claimed our collective microphone and have anointed themselves as the mouthpiece of the American people have stated in no uncertain terms that we should not interfere with the sovereignty of Iran. God forbid! We, the people, are our government and we should demand that our talking heads express solidarity with the freedom seeking people of Iran.
How can a country, founded on the Christian faith, carrying the banner of liberty and freedom and equality for all people, endowed by their creator, stand idly by and pretend we do not condone the uprising by the people in Iran against tyranny? Why can't our elected officials find the spine to spread freedom instead of empty rhetoric and propaganda?
Recently, our President claimed internationally that we are not a Judeo-Christian nation and he is entitled to his incorrect opinion as his statement blatantly contradicts the writings and beliefs of our Founding Fathers. BUT, he didn't claim that we do NOT desire freedom or that we do NOT feel "called" as a nation to spread freedom. So when will he encourage the Iranians to strive for excellence, defeat oppression and seek freedom and equality as they too are realizing that the innate obsession to be free is in fact a God created sense of understanding.
I plan to write all my elected representatives and respectfully demand that they voice their support for the Iranian people.
I'm also going to encourage them to be brave enough to call evil for what it is. As the Iranian President claims the holocaust never happened and that Israel should be wiped off the map, when will our elected spokespersons call him evil? Are they that naive or just so stubborn and misguided that they refuse to embrace the same freedom that provided their election?
I hope everyone that reads this blog will join together and send a message to Iran, our government and the world, that the Americans are the proselytizers of Freedom because we are indeed a Christian nation and because we are endowed by our Creator and tyranny is not an option!
Be Amazing Today!
-Frank Chimento
Meanwhile, as tens of thousands of human beings take to the streets in Iran, craving freedom, the United States cannot even muster the strength to voice support for their quest to defeat tyranny.
My comment isn't party related because ALL of our government representatives who have claimed our collective microphone and have anointed themselves as the mouthpiece of the American people have stated in no uncertain terms that we should not interfere with the sovereignty of Iran. God forbid! We, the people, are our government and we should demand that our talking heads express solidarity with the freedom seeking people of Iran.
How can a country, founded on the Christian faith, carrying the banner of liberty and freedom and equality for all people, endowed by their creator, stand idly by and pretend we do not condone the uprising by the people in Iran against tyranny? Why can't our elected officials find the spine to spread freedom instead of empty rhetoric and propaganda?
Recently, our President claimed internationally that we are not a Judeo-Christian nation and he is entitled to his incorrect opinion as his statement blatantly contradicts the writings and beliefs of our Founding Fathers. BUT, he didn't claim that we do NOT desire freedom or that we do NOT feel "called" as a nation to spread freedom. So when will he encourage the Iranians to strive for excellence, defeat oppression and seek freedom and equality as they too are realizing that the innate obsession to be free is in fact a God created sense of understanding.
I plan to write all my elected representatives and respectfully demand that they voice their support for the Iranian people.
I'm also going to encourage them to be brave enough to call evil for what it is. As the Iranian President claims the holocaust never happened and that Israel should be wiped off the map, when will our elected spokespersons call him evil? Are they that naive or just so stubborn and misguided that they refuse to embrace the same freedom that provided their election?
I hope everyone that reads this blog will join together and send a message to Iran, our government and the world, that the Americans are the proselytizers of Freedom because we are indeed a Christian nation and because we are endowed by our Creator and tyranny is not an option!
Be Amazing Today!
-Frank Chimento
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