Branded With Love

Have you ever had difficult times in life?
Ever wondered why God would allow you to enter into a rough patch?
Many times, we are able to reflect and understand it- when we’re on the other side. The song is “These Hard Times” by Needtobreathe, off their album “The Outsiders.”

These Hard Times. A Story. from Forefront Church on Vimeo.

Want to listen to the song? It’s embedded for your listening pleasure below.

This is a preview of some of the stuff that will happen this Friday Night at the Aidnow.org Benefit.
Grand Affairs, Va Beach
7-9pm, $10 donation at the door
Email Ann@aidnow.org for more information

Jason *over and out*

Jesus had them (and still does).
You have them.
I have them.
We all do.

So what’s the knee jerk reaction of a man or woman? Fire back.
But, that’s not the way Jesus did things.
When faced with critics, Jesus… quoted scripture, taught in parables, showered them with love (guerrilla style), and/or led them to God’s unbelievable grace.

The next time you’re wanting to fire back at a co-worker, reply in an awful way to someone on Facebook, leave an anonymous comment on a blog, or shoot off a ridiculous email to someone… Just remember: That is not the way someone who follows Jesus acts. Period. Go to them privately and settle things in a loving way.

Another factor to think about is, consider the source. Friends and coaches who speak into your life have invested time, blood, sweat, and tears into building a relationship with you. If they love you, they will not let you do something stupid. They have set-up the foundational relationship to correct you. On the other hand, critics seek to make themselves better by bringing others down. They want to elevate their personal ego. It’s not biblical to engage critics in retaliation. It only provides a public forum for you, and them to show who is more proud in the war of words (or typed words, hehe). Let it go. Shower them with love. If they still keep coming, walk away. Better to spread truth and move on than to continue in a war of words with someone who isn’t going to budge.

There are other people wandering this earth who need to hear the gospel message of Jesus’ hope and love. Let’s get to spreadin’ it, shall we?!

Jason *over and out*

Will Ferrell make me almost wet my pants.
IMO, This skit from SNL has to be one of the funniest things ever.

As followers of Jesus, we need the laugh factor.

I’m not saying following Jesus is a joke, following God is serious stuff. Life and death serious. But, if we’re serious in life all the time, we’re missing a big piece of who God created us to be.

We need to have fun, laugh till it hurts, joke around, play, engage life with a smile. Sometimes that means just letting loose and goofing off. Being a kid again. Something about laughter brings your guard down. It opens you up to others. A good laugh can be the beginning of friendships. In a time of financial troubles, oil disasters, war, and disease- what we don’t need is more seriousness and pain.

Goof off and lighten up.
It will do your heart some good.
We act-a-fool a lot at “Casa de Bedell” and it does our family good.

Jason *over and out*

Dear Satan,

I’m pretty sure you know me. I’m positive I know you. Actually, I without a shadow of doubt know that you know exactly who I am. You convinced me to tell my first lie as a kid. When my parents went to bed, I wrestled with sneaking out at you told me it was alright. As I got older, you paraded girls in front of me and told me if I pursued them like all my friends, “No one would ever know what happened behind closed doors.” The addictions I faced and battled were defined by you as “Fun, exciting, and a way to have people like me.”

You broke my Spirit.

But God knew me too. He knows me. He knew me before I was even created. He knows what I’ll be doing a year from now- 50 years from now. He saved me. His power is real. He put a new spirit in me. Not to replace my personality, but to enhance and complete who He designed me to be from the very beginning. But, somewhere along the way I slipped. Maybe it isn’t necessarily a slip… I guess I’d say- lost perspective. I quit looking in my rear view mirror. I became so wrapped up in the amazing love of God that I completely discounted one simple truth…

You’re still real.

You’re just as powerful as the day you convinced me to lie. I’m older and wiser, but so are you. You know my weakness. My fear. My loneliness. My pain. You know how to hit me just right and knock me down. But, I discounted you. I forgot about you. Well, I didn’t completely forget about you, I just figured I love God so much, that He will protect me (which he does) and I guess I just let my defenses down from time to time. God warned me to take you seriously. He taught me to see you as a smart, stealthy, powerful adversary who wants nothing more than to separate me from His love.

You’re not a cartoon. You’re not dancing on my left shoulder with a little angel on the right one. You’re not George Burns. You’ve been portrayed in such a light that you’re not longer a threat- you’re a punchline. The problem is the threat is very real and the joke will be on me if I don’t listen to God’s wisdom and teaching: “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8).

The good news is that the end of the story is already known: You Lose, God Prevails. I will hold to that truth- and never forget you’re watching… waiting in the wings for me to lose my footing. Lurking in the darkness to press in on my Spirit. God has claimed me, so you can take a trip to Hell. I’m a follower of Jesus and you have no place here. Step off.

Jason *over and out*

Skateboarding is a big part of me. The culture. The community. The friendships.
It used to be very uncommon to find someone who loved God in the skateboarding community. Now it’s a bit easier to find guys (and girls) of faith throughout skateboarding. One site that is taking down the stories of not only skateboarders, but anyone who has experienced life change through Jesus is I Am Second.
I was turned on to this site by a friend and the first video I watched was this one with Brian Sumner.
He’s an amazing skateboarder/athlete. Had no idea this is where life had taken him.
For more info and video visit: http://www.iamsecond.com
While @ the site, if you’re familiar with skateboarding, check out the vid w/ Christian Hosoi.

Jason *over and out*

Photo by Jessica Riehl | www.jessicariehl.com

It breaks my heart.
This boy is in the middle of chaos and looks so confused.
Westboro Baptist Church is touring VA for the next three days.
Their goal is communicating their love for God… through hate.
They are protesting and picketing everywhere.
High Schools. Performing Arts Centers. Soldier funerals. Holocaust Museum.
I received 28 emails asking, “What are we going to do about this in Va Beach?”
Pray. Write. Educate.

PRAY: Pray for the people protesting, the people protesting the protesters, and for the people who come into contact with this mobile circus of confusion. Going out to the protest and protesting the protesters can add to the chaos (and according to an interview with some of the protesters, it reaffirms their ideals &  position). Don’t fuel the fire. Pray for all the people involved.

WRITE: Write the organization. In love, let them know you are praying for them and that God outlines a different idea of love and how to communicate that to people who are far from God.

EDUCATE: Talk with your kids, neighbors, co-workers, etc. Let them know the heart God has for them. When things like this happen in culture, it’s a great way to invite positive conversation about Jesus and let others know God is not like that.

It’s moments like these we have an opportunity to share Jesus and crush people’s misconceptions of God. Praying you get to have some challenging conversations with people about this happening in here in Hampton Roads. Let me know how it goes…

Jason *over and out*

“He stood on a box, yelling into a microphone, and beside him was a coffin with a fake dead body inside. He talked about how we are all going to die and go to hell if we don’t know Jesus.

Some folks snickered. Some told him to shut the hell up. A couple of teenagers tried to steal the dead body in the coffin. All I could do was think to myself, I want to jump up on a box beside him and yell at the top of my lungs, ‘God is not a monster.’ Maybe next time I will.”
- Shane Claiborne

No matter what you do in life, you probably have things you don’t like about your job. Maybe it’s little, maybe it’s huge. But at the end of the day, when work, relationships, people, and circumstances are getting too much to bare… who do you unload on? Who do you let hear all your frustrations so they can help you process it in a healthy, Godly way?

If you’re in ministry, some things seem to be tough to share with your spouse, because you want to keep things confidential… and it could have a negative effect on how your spouse views the church. Check out the thoughts from Perry Noble in a candid interview with Steven Furtick:

Early on in ministry I just unloaded on my wife and I saw the outcome. It wasn’t good at all. I know in life we need to be close, open and honest with our spouses- but, we also need to protect them. If you’re having a difficult time with work, friends, life, etc. “Who are you unloading on?” Sometimes a friend can take the unloading, so your spouse & family can get your best.

Just something I’m working through to draw closer to God. How about you?

Jason *over and out*

Been thinking quite a bit about the idea of blogs.
Why do I do it?
Why have my name in the address bar?
Why have a bunch of “me” for people to see?

So, I’ve taken a turn. Welcome to Branded With Love. It’s still a blog that I will contribute to on a regular basis, but… it’s not all about me. It’s about Him.

God. His story. The one he allows me to be a part of. The reason my family lives the way we do. The reason for the joy in people who have found Him. There will still be family moments, things on Forefront, random silliness. But, Jason Bedell can no longer be the one who gets the credit. It’s the work He does in you and I that should be talked about. The act of Jesus laying down His life for people who didn’t deserve it that should be brought into the lime light.

So, it’s all getting changed up. Because (in full disclosure), JasonBedellOnline.com was about me trying to be noticed. Making it. Being known. Getting a bunch of website hits. It was all about me. It was feeding my ego and becoming how I measured my worth. Now it’s simply a place to share, reflect, and be free. Free to talk about a life Branded With Love.

A life that is all His.

Jason *over and out*