Unscheduled Breaks

Breaks happen. Sometimes, one break leads to another. In this case, my lovely bride's broken ankle in the midst of preparing for a move. Trying to keep up with my stuff, her stuff, taking care of her, and trying to keep up with my broadcast schedule has proven to be impossible.

I am putting the show on hiatus until after we move into our new home at the end of the month. I just can't keep up with it while packing. I suppose I could do a program, but it would not be up to the standards you've come to expect. There would be little or no prep time and only limited spiritual preparation. In good conscience, I cannot give the Lord a substandard offering. There's no glory for Him in a mediocre program.

The upside is that when we have moved, I will have a new and much improved studio. It won't be called "The Ugly Little Studio" anymore. Over the next few months, I will be making several more updates and improvements. The "Big Boy Mic" will have a new home.

As of right now, I am planning to resume broadcasts after Labor Day. As time permits, I'll keep all of you posted through blog posts. Stay tuned, gentle listener. Jesus' Outsider will be back very soon.

For those of you following the progress of Freedom Church, we will be starting further leadership recruitment once we've moved. It's not just the string of injuries we've been dealing with that has lead to this decision. There are some internal challenges that need to be addressed first. A couple of them will be accomplished by the move. We need a more accommodating space for meetings and gatherings. The new house will provide that space nicely.

For now, my studio/office will serve as the church office as well. We'll be able to use it for more private discussions and pastoral counseling. Privacy is key for most people to be comfortable sharing personal details and feelings. We can also do some leadership and media training there as well. I don't want to be the only media person in the church. In fact, other than the podcast, I would love to hand those responsibilities over to others. It's fun, but there are other things I will need to spend my time on.

Stay tuned, keep reading, updates will happen as we make progress.

Entitlement Spirituality

America is a land of entitlement. At least, that's what it has become. We expect that we will have everything from money, nice things, and even our health with little or no work on our part. I'm generalizing of course, but the spirit of entitlement is strong and its taint affects all of us in ways we may not realize. It has given rise to one of the most destructive doctrines ever concocted in the pit of hell.

Check out this episode!

A Name Emerges

It has been a while since I've had the opportunity to update this blog. Physical infirmity has impaired my writing. It's not easy to blog while laying flat on one's back. I assure you, I tried. The fail was spectacular.

Not long after I started to recover, the Lovely Bride fell and injured herself, breaking her left ankle and spraining her right. This is why broadcasts have been hit or miss for the last few weeks. Even as I write this, she's in surgery having the broken ankle repaired.

Despite the lack of communication from us, God has been far from idle. He has been shaping us and preparing us for the major work that is to come. Prayer and reflection have been a huge part of the last coupe of months. We've been lead to discuss all of our past experiences in the church, both the good and the bad. Our motives have been examined again to make sure that there is no spirit of bitterness involved in the planting and that past hurts have been properly dealt with and understood for the lessons learned and not emotional scars. It's a process we needed to go through in order to be ready to begin.

What the Lord revealed is a passion for the hurting and rejected. We have experienced so much pain and rejection in our own lives that we understand the impact they have on people's lives. It can leave a person in chains, bound by emotional and spiritual scars that hinder all relationships including and especially with the Lord. Often, people bound by these chains feel rejected not only by people but by God. Many of the have been cast off by the church and feel that God rejected them. They are in a prison.

We also have a passion for those trapped in sins that the church often has a hard time ministering to, such as sexual sins, women who've had abortions, criminals, and other similar situations. Many of them are dealing with deep and hidden shame that they only admit to themselves in the dark watches of the night. By day or in the company of others, they put on a happy or normal face, but it's only a facade.

All this and more you've already read here and heard on my program. We really are starting a church for people who don't know how to do church. The unchurched, the dechurched, and anyone else who doesn't feel like they belong anywhere can join us. It will be a safe place for anyone to come and cast off the chains of sin, guilt, and shame and find true freedom that can only be found in Christ Jesus.

From this truth comes the working name for the church: Freedom Church. Our passion is to set people free from their chains and help them find acceptance and liberty in Jesus. This freedom can only come from a right relationship with Jesus through prayer, worship, community, and faithful teaching of the Word of God. The truth of the Living Word will do the work as people come to know Jesus. Jesus accepted and loved the scorned, rejected, and outcasts and through His love and acceptance, their lives were transformed. Freedom comes from transformation of the person through the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Very soon I will be making the framework, the skeleton if you will, that those whom the Lord raises up to help us build the church will help us flesh out. It will be a hidden link on the Jesus Outsider site and my personal page, mikekerby.com. I am nervous but also very excited about what the Lord is doing through us and those who are already eager to help. Several things have already fallen into place and more are coming together each week. Please, even if you're not in the Peoria area, commit to pray for us and those who will come that the work will progress an bring glory to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.

Real Power

Every day we are bombarded with the world's garbage. Sexual immorality, violence, and more darkness are becoming the norms for our society and the church appears powerless to stop the decline. Can things be changed? With real power that comes from a greater source than politics, opinion polls, and protests. Wanna change the world? Here's where you start.

Check out this episode!

Armor Up!

We're told to put on the Full Armor of God but do we really know what that armor is? There's a lot of bad teaching out there when it comes to the pieces of the armor. It's time to cut through the junk and get down to the truth. What did Paul mean?

Check out this episode!

Three Churches

Just before recording, I went for a walk to pray and clear my head. On the route were three churches, each from a different denomination. The Lord spoke to me as I walked and told me to pray for each of them. What the Spirit had to say to them has benefit for us all as it gives insight into His heart. I share mine with you as well. To understand the direction the Lord is sending me and the message He has given me, tune in to this episode. You may find a touch of His call yourself.

Check out this episode!

Beyond!

I'm all about breaking barriers. Racial, economic, denomination, I'll break almost any barrier you got. I'm in favor of breaking the sound barrier. There are some barriers I won't break. Too much danger lies beyond the one that must not be broken.

Check out this episode!