this life now

seasons...

2011-10-13T07:24:00.000-07:00

It has always been crazy to me how Christ created life with seasons. In due time the flowers bloom. In due time the leaves colors change. In due time the rain comes. In due time the sun rises and in due time it sets. The seasons of nature are beautiful. To be honest when I think of seasons I have always thought of nature, not my walk with the Father. I’m learning that the seasons of life we walk through as believers are of GREAT value. As I have been spending time this morning reflecting on my life over the past years it is filled with many victories and many failures. Many ups and many downs. Jesus has been the only constant through all of these stages of life and just as he controls nature, in due time God positions his children to see and understand him in fresh, new season of life. And that’s exactly where I am right now. I have read, prayed, asked, studied, hurt, been bitter, let go, and overcome all in the past season of my life and as He sends the rain to heal the earth, God has sent a freshness of his Spirit to my life to let a new season begin. To say I’m thankful would be a great understatement. My personal life is healthy. My thought process is pure. The Holy Spirit is granting me favor in understanding scripture. My Family is better than I deserve. My beautiful wife is excited about the things of God. My little girl reminds me of how much my Heavenly Father loves me. God is moving like crazy in the hearts of the people at our church. Our pastor is seeing God move in his personal life and it is very evident in his sensitivity to the spirit to lead our church. My close friends are growing and gaining in new areas of their walks with the Lord. To some of you reading this you may be thinking that there is nothing extraordinary or amazing about the things listed above. And that’s true. Maybe it’s that in this new season of life that I’m in I’m realizing that there is nothing special about the same flowers that bloom year after year but that in a simple moment God could stop that flower from ever blooming again and in my walk He allows me to see things take place in my life and that in a simple moment he could take them away. So while I can, I will rejoice because God has us in specific seasons of life for a reasons and I don’t want to miss why he has me in this one.

“…They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither and they prosper in all they do.” Psalms 1:3

Story behind #HOPE4THEHOPELESS

2011-09-02T08:14:00.000-07:00

The social giant Twitter allows you add # (hash tags) to the end of your tweets to start "trends." People hash tag random and meaningful things alike. So my whole though process was to start a trend with great meaning to me. My hope behind #HOPE4THEHOPELESS is for believers to hash tag their comments with #HOPE4THEHOPELESS as a constant reminder that we called to extend the hope of the gospel to everyone we come in contact with. Since we have the power to start a social media buzz why not start one with great significance. Check out this following scripture in Matthew Chapter 12...15 But Jesus knew what they were planning. So he left that area, and many people followed him. He healed all the sick among them, 16 but he warned them not to reveal who he was. 17 This fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah concerning him 18 “Look at my Servant, whom I have chosen. He is my Beloved, who pleases me. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations.19 He will not fight or shout or raise his voice in public.20 He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. Finally he will cause justice to be victorious.21 And his name will be the hope of all the world.”

Hope for Healing...
Hope for Restoration...
Hope for Provision...
Hope for Salvation...
#HOPE4THEHOPELESS

"Father I believe that your name is the hope of all the world. May that belief become an action and push me to to live like you are the #HOPE4THEHOPELESS"

Eddie

*The Bracelets pictured above are available @ www.eddiebriery.com click on "store"
*Follow me on twitter here.

thanks.

2011-08-19T06:53:00.000-07:00

In my time with the Lord this morning the focus was prayer, prayers of Thanksgiving to be specific. So I thought I would take some time to list things that I’m thankful for:

My Wife Ashley: I’m beyond thankful for having her as my girlfriend forever! She has taught me more about grace than any other thing or person in my life. She has loved me when I was unlovable, forgiven me when I was unforgivable and has challenged me to be a better man of God when my flesh wanted to act like a little boy. I won’t ever be able to fully show her how much I love her but I’m stoked I have the rest of my life to try. Boosie, I Love You.

Gracee: I have waited for you for a long time! I’m so thankful that of all the men God could have chosen to be your Daddy he chose me. Jesus is amazing! Just wait, you’ll see!

My Parents: Thanks for raising me around the things of Jesus. Thanks for showing me that there is reason things are “right” or “wrong.” Thank you for showing me what sacrificial love form parents to supposed to look like. Our entire childhood y’all taught us to put God first and everything else we work out. That has proven true countless times in my life.

Shelli: Thanks for not giving up when your entire world came crashing down. When giving up seemed to be the best option, brokenness pushed you back to the feet of Jesus. Stay there.

Pa-Pa: Thanks for being the example that all Godly men should strive to be. From the time I was a baby boy you showed me that the word of God is the ultimate authority. It is forever rooted in my heart. Thank You. It’s cool to think that if you were still here the roles would be reversed. You’d be riding with me as I traveled the country to preach. Oh the conversations we would have! Sometimes I preach in t-shirts and shorts without fixing my hair but I promise, I will always preach the truth first to myself and then to others!

Mentors: I’m forever thankful for men like Dave Carroll who showed me pursuing Christ as a teenager is worth it. Men like Chip Dickey that showed me that you don’t have to fit into a pre-fabricated mold to do ministry. You have to be surrendered. Men like Warren Jackson who taught me that worship is an overflow of what God is doing in my personal journey with him. When my walk is right my worship will show it. Men like Luke Allen that gave me an incredible example of how student ministry should work and has prayed for me throughout my years of ministry. In some form or fashion these men have had a monumental impact on my life. Thank You.

Friends and Past Roommates: You Guys will never know how much you have blessed me. I have so many awesome young men of God in my life that have without a doubt helped me in my pursuit after the Father. Thank you for asking me the hard questions. Thanks for serving with me. Thanks for striving with me in college to give nothing less than 100%. Christ gave all, so should we.

Heavenly Father may I strive to always live a life that shows you all the reasons I’m thankful for you. Words are insufficient. Use me for your Glory!

Eddie

in months past...

2011-08-02T07:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a year since I stepped away from my last Full-Time job in the local church. The months leading up to that decision were filled with hours of prayer and planning as myself, 3 other guys and our families were jumping out on faith to plant a church in Bossier City, La. The process was amazing. I can’t say that I have ever learned more about myself and ministry than I did during the planting process. It really made me see what I valued most in ministry. It was an eye and heart opening experience and I will be forever grateful for it. Feeling that spending some real time with the Father was best for me at the time I left the church plant to refocus my heart and vision on God’s calling for my life. This decision was just in time to welcome our beautiful little girl Gracee Dawn Briery into the world, she’s 6 weeks old today by the way. So here I find myself in the midst of beginning Fatherhood, a journey of refocusing on my calling and in the middle of an amazing book by Pastor Steven Furtick (Sun Stand Still). To say that my heart was in a moldable place would be doing the work God was doing in me a great injustice. For the first time I was burdened by my own complacency. I realized that “being” and “doing” were worlds apart from each other. Sometimes we have to step away from “doing” and “be” obedient. I was blinded by doing a lot of awesome stuff for Christ but I realize now that through my not listening to the Holy Spirit’s conviction in my life I was being disobedient. My heart, vision, and faith were challenged beyond measure by Sun Stand Still and it has landed me in an incredible place. I trust that God’s plan for my life and my family is perfect. That my service to him will be fruitful and the influence he has given is greater than myself. In the midst of the known and unknown I will pursue his calling on my life. Anything else is disobedience.

Eddie

*I am currently booking speaking events for the fall. If you have any questions please visit my website at www.eddiebriery.com.

new website.

2011-07-24T17:35:00.001-07:00

i'm checking the possibility of adding this blog to my site.