Compelled to Contend: May 2010

Monday, May 31, 2010

Refining Grace

I journaled these thoughts this past Saturday. I thought they may encourage you!

I am sitting in my office. It is quiet. Something there is not much of here on a Saturday at the Hixon house. My precious wife, my three daughters, and my three sons are all enjoying a much needed nap on a rainy Saturday. I wanted to take a nap, but there was freshly washed and folded clothes on one half of the bed. I tried to nap in my chair in the living room, but I could not. I was thinking about my children. About the messed up world they are going to have to grow up in. About what a mess humans have made of it all. And most of all, how can I get them ready for the difficult days ahead? Then I think of my, well, other son. My son whom I’ve yet to adopt. We’ve been approved and are waiting on a precious little boy we’ve named Josiah.
He is a little boy in China whom many in his culture consider an outcast. He has disabilities. (Don't we all?) I’ve never had a child with physical disabilities. All six of my biological children are healthy.
I get afraid. I can’t help but wonder why I have opened my heart up again for a possible heartbreak. I’ve thought I was going to adopt before. I even went to their orphanage and talked to them and held them. We even had three children live with us for 3 weeks whom we honestly thought would be adopted out of the DHR system. They called me dad. Then in a moment. Gone. Tears. Heartache. Brokenness. It was like a death, and no one really even seemed to understand. Rebekah and I were again deeply grieved. It was like a nightmare, but it was real. Why would I want to open my heart up for something like this again? It’s crazy, but I know it is because of the Lord. God is the Father of the fatherless, and He has placed it upon our hearts to try to adopt….again.
Now I’m concerned for Josiah. He has foster parents, but do they know Jesus? Are they preparing him for us? Does he want a mom and dad the way we want him to be our son? Do they feed him enough? Does he get the proper medical care? Questions I ask and then…..I remember.
My heavenly Father has watched out for me for many years before I came to know Him. Long before I was adopted into God’s family, I was in good hands. I should not have lived. Some of my friends didn’t. God came to my rescue so many times before I even realized it. I’m sure that some of the times I can’t even remember, but I remember enough to make me weep for joy and be humbled with a deep gratitude to God for His love for me.
God is taking care of Josiah, and He is in control. He has always been in control, and Josiah doesn’t even know it. God has the best intentions for Josiah and for my other children. He outdoes me in every realm of fatherhood. My very best intentions can’t even come close to the loving care He has for my children. Whether they are up in their room taking a nap or in China waiting on forever parents, God has always been in control. My heavenly Father has been preparing me for this my entire life. The grace that I feel right now is overwhelming. It is difficult and uncomfortable grace, but that is what God uses to refine me. I am reminded that God is on His throne and he has His eye on my boys and girls. He has an army of angels looking at Him and the moment He sends one to my children’s side, all is well. And so, it is well with me.
I prayed. Then I prayed some more. Then I just got still, and the Lord reminded me that He was in charge. I prayed again, primarily that I would trust Him and not trust my wisdom.
My wisdom is so messed up. I get it wrong. I make mistakes and I let Eric get in the way. So I need to trust the Lord more.

So, I sit here in my office with time to think. It is bitter sweet time. A time that I am learning again to trust the Lord. It’s all a part of being refined by the Father, and I thank Him. scheduled

Friday, May 28, 2010

Impact Missions Update

Our Impact Mission Trips will soon be here. M.U.D. Ministries will be hosting four summer mission trips in three exciting locations: Nicaragua, Fort Payne, and New Orleans. There are 400 participants, representing 26 churches and 8 states (Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, South Carolina, Kentucky, & Ohio) that will be attending these trips. We are very excited about what God has in store for us this summer.
All of our summer Impact Mission Trips are designed to accomplish one primary purpose – Spread the Gospel. We want to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with as many people as possible. We will be using Ministry and Construction projects as platforms to accomplish this important task. As we meet physical needs, it will give us opportunities to meet spiritual needs. That is a pattern we see in Scripture. Jesus always met physical AND spiritual needs. However, His primary purpose was spiritual. Therefore, while we want to meet many physical needs this summer, our ultimate goal is to spread the Gospel.
Our first Impact Mission Trip will take place in Juigalpa, Nicaragua on June 20-27. This is our third of five trips scheduled in Nicaragua this year. This team is primarily made up of students. We are excited about giving students the opportunity to be involved in International Missions. Our June Nicaragua team will be working on many projects, including: finishing the Garcia House, conducting Sports Camps, door-to-door evangelism, and nightly revival services. This will be a very intense week. Please pray for our team as they seek to bring glory to God.
Our second Impact Mission Trip will take place in Fort Payne, AL on July 5-10. Like many cities throughout the U.S., Fort Payne has experienced hard times because of recent economic troubles. Many factories which once flourished are now closed. Many people feel hopeless. This will be a great harvest field for our Impact team. Pray for us as we seek to meet physical and spiritual needs in Fort Payne and surrounding areas.
Our third and fourth Impact Mission Trips will take place in New Orleans, LA. New Orleans is our “flagship” Impact Mission Project. We have been conducting mission trips in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina. Over 1,000 participants from dozens of churches have been mobilized to meet the needs of the people of New Orleans. Our first Impact Mission Trip will take place on July 18-24. This trip is made up primarily of students. However, M.U.D. is excited to be hosting our first Church-Wide Impact Mission Trip on July 25-28. People of all ages will attend this exciting trip this summer. Pray for these two teams as they continue to build on a legacy of Christ in New Orleans.
As you can see, M.U.D. Ministries will be very busy this summer. Please be in prayer for our staff as they continue to prepare for these trips. Pray for the cities we will have a chance to Impact with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Pray for the churches who will be participating.
If you would like to be a part of our prayer team for these mission projects, email me at
impact@mudministries.com for a list of churches that will be participating. Thank you for your prayers!!

Are We Living in the Last Days?

Uncomfortable Grace

I have been a student of God’s Grace for many years, and I still can’t wrap my mind around it! I have learned a few things and try to understand, but I am so glad that I have eternity with Christ because I think it will take that long to begin to understand. God is God, and I am only his willing servant.

As I consider God’s grace, I believe that most of the grace we experience on this earth is “uncomfortable grace.”

When we ask for God’s grace today, it is normally very “me” centered--asking for God to give us some kind of relief. When in truth, we need a grace that will refine us. I have had a deeper appreciation of grace over the past several years, and I can honestly say that it has brought about a much deeper awareness of sin. This, in turn, has given me an even more appreciation for grace!

God HAS taken me to places I didn’t intend to go. Like Nicaragua, New Orleans, and even scarier places….like my home town. Just two years ago, I made the statement that after all the heartache of serving on church staff I would not ever do that again. Well….I am now serving as an Elder at New Covenant Baptist Church. I never intended to do these things, but God uses all of these and more to produce in my own heart what I could have never achieved on my own.

When you find yourself in a situation that you didn’t “intend” to be in, remember, God is working in your life and is pouring out grace! Praise Him for it, and trust Him to be with you regardless of how uncomfortable it may be!

Have a great Memorial Day Weekend!

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Pure and Undefiled Religion

"Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world." ~ James 1:27 ~

God is expanding our ministry in Nicaragua, and we are in the beginning stages of some major training for the indigenous pastors in this country. There has been a lot of “mission” effort going on in Nicaragua for the past several years. With that, there are some good things that have happened and some bad things that have happened, as well.
With the doors open for Americans to go to Nicaragua and train pastors, many have taken advantage of that opportunity. Just like in Jude, some men have crept in unnoticed and begun to preach another gospel. There have been some churches that have fallen victim to the prosperity message: if you come to a certain church and give to their cause, God has promised health and wealth. This is so sad because the poorest people seem to be the ones that fall victims to this kind of lie. There has been an invasion of cults into the country, and so many are being led down a pathway of destruction. There also have been ministries that I believe, began with good intentions, that have found how easy it is for them to make money off of exploiting children. Some didn't even begin with good intentions. This really breaks my heart because the children are not to blame or are they a willing participant. Our only option is to take the truth and preach the Gospel. We have been doing this diligently for the past several years, and we will continue to share the Gospel and contend for the faith.
In addition, we have the team that is going in June to complete the house for the Garcia Children. This will have been the largest building endeavor we have ever completed in Nicaragua. I ask you to pray for the Garcia family as they try to live their lives for the Lord in a difficult place. We are in need of some funds to complete this home and give them the items they need like beds, dishes, cabinets, etc.
In August and October we will take more teams to spend time equipping and training pastors and lay leaders. We have 15 new Pastors that will be going through some very strategic training to help equip them to lead their congregations for the glory of the Lord. We are also working with two new orphanages that are in need of our help. We feel that the Lord is leading us to begin a mentor program that will prepare the older children for a transition to life outside the orphanage.
This area of ministry includes working with a home that will be for girls 18 or older who have gone through the program and desire to be helped. We train them spiritually and both educationally and vocationally. This part of our ministry has the potential to break a cycle of living in abusive situations and homelessness. I will share more about this soon. Here are some heartbreaking realities that we are combating in the war against children in Nicaragua.

78% of rape cases in 2009 involved adolescent girls less than 17 years old.
1 of every 4 children suffer from some form of malnutrition.
Prostitution is legal for girls 14 years old or older.
87% of violent crimes—rape, sexual crimes, and assault—are against children.
1 of every 3 girls and 1 of every 5 boys have been sexually assaulted.

When you support M.U.D. Ministries you are supporting God’s work in Nicaragua. He has told us to go and serve Him by serving others. Please consider going with us either this year or next year. God can use you to go and make disciples and stop the cycle of destruction that many children and adults are in. If you can’t go, help us by sending us and offering scholarships for those desiring to be on one of our mission teams to Nicaragua!

I am praying for God's grace in our efforts in Nicaragua. I find myself wishing that I, and those I minister to, had relief or freedom from the hardships in Nicaragua. I find the grace that I find most of the time is a grace that is refining me into the person that God wants me to be. His and His alone!!

Monday, May 24, 2010

Am I Called to be Balanced?

I am still in awe of what the Lord can do! Since God called me to vocational ministry I have had a vision of reaching the lost and equipping the Saints for ministry. God has honored our efforts and there are times when I can’t believe the opportunities the Lord gives us to serve.

I was asked recently when I was sharing with a brother about all that our ministry is a part of. He asked a common question, “How do you find balance in all that you do?” I thought a moment and said, “I probably am not very balanced.” It might sound braggish but I do not mean it that way at all, but I do not find many men in scripture or in Christian history that the Lord was using that lead a “balanced” life.

I am called to give my all to the Lord and that is my desire. When the Lord is finished with me, I look forward to my reward. Being with Jesus and worshipping Him forever!

In a small book called Sacrifice, Howard Guiness wrote this in 1939.

Where are the young men and women of this generation who will hold their lives cheap, and be faithful even unto death, who will lose their lives for Christ’s, flinging them away for love of him? Where are those who will live dangerously, and be reckless in this service? Where are the men of prayer? Where are the men who count God’s Word of more importance to them than their daily food? Where are the men who, like Moses of old, commune with God face to face as a man speaks with his friend? Where are God’s men in this day of God’s power ?

That is living….to serve the Lord with all that I am and to train my children and others to do the same.

People are dying. People who have never heard the Gospel of Christ. That bothers me and keeps me awake at night. Christ is not valued supremely by the majority and someone must equip and train others to take the message of Christ to future generations. If the Lord tarries, the generation to come needs voices of truth that will not compromise or water down the Gospel for the sake of unity. Revival never has brought unity to anyone accept Christians. Jesus gave us the heads up on that truth!

I have learned that the majority is seldom right. The Gospel that I preach and you stand on has been handed down by the bloody hands of martyrs. I thank God for those men. I pray that I will always be faithful to preach the truth.

It seems that many people respect those men of God who stood firm in the faith and they highly esteem them as mighty men of God. Who says that those men are confined to hundreds of years ago?

We are in a crisis in this country because of a lack of spiritual reproduction. We must pray for and equip workers for the field because they are white for harvest. Let us raise the banner of Christ and give our lives for His service!

Recently, I had a man tell me that I took the Bible to seriously. I asked him if he thought that God would scold me for doing that. I received no response. I will tell you, I do not believe that God will chastise us for taking His Word seriously. I think he will honor us for doing that and we will never regret it.

Let the World be balanced and we as God’s Children live for our King as if He is returning in moments. For you know that He could!!

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Health Does Equal Growth

I received a call some time ago that drove me to the Scriptures because something just didn’t seem right. A pastor called and said, “I want you to come do a revival at my church! I need you to come help me grow this church to its full potential. I want to see these pews packed!”
I talked to the Pastor and we did book the revival, only it was cancelled a month prior to the set time because the Pastor left and went to a larger church. The Lord used this to make me look at what God says about church growth. I came to the conclusion that spiritually healthy things do grow, but not the way that you may have been taught to think.
In the Scriptures, you never find Jesus being impressed with the crowds. However, many times large multitudes of people were saved, we read about that in the book of Acts. Numbers however was never the motivation, the Gospel was the focus. The Gospel went out and God added to the Church. In many churches, they have large numbers each Sunday but as many are walking away as are coming in. One preacher said, ‘The bucket is full but the problem is that the bucket has a hole in it!”
I’ve grown up in a church culture that has put much focus on programs and plans. I have listened to church growth guru’s, been trained in slick ways to present the Gospel, and even paid to go to seminars that would teach me a “way” to see the local church top out it’s seating capacity. I have learned one thing that I should have known all along, “If the Lord doesn’t build the house, the builders labor in vain.” Psalms 127
In my search for truth I have found, in regard to church growth, that Spiritually healthy things do grow. Here are my findings, and I am sure that there is much more that could be said on the subject of health and church growth. I hope this encourages you!

Growth and sanctification are evidences of Spiritual health (Psalms 92:12-14)
I. A growth in your knowledge of Christ (2 Peter 3:18). Are you more acquainted with the Lord and His ways than before? I do not know as much about Christ as I should but I have more understanding today than I have had in my past.
II. A growth in love (1 John 3:14). Do you love being around true Brothers and Sisters in Christ? Do you love God more? Are you more devoted to Him now because of that love?
III. A growth in faith. Do you trust the Lord to serve Him more? Are you reserved in your service because of fear of man or are you faithful to proclaim the Gospel? Our confidence is not in anything this world has to offer but in God. Pray that the Lord will increase your faith!
IV. A growth in watchfulness over your life. Do you guard your heart and pay attention to your life? Is it a habit to avoid things that can take your eye off Christ? Be sure to be vigilant in your battle against worldliness.
V. A growth in a contempt for this world (1 John 2:15-17). Do you love this world? I have an increased disdain for this world and all it has to offer. It is trash compared to the riches in Christ!

The Gospel is not a plan, but the “power of God unto salvation” (Rom. 1:16) Trust it and declare it! God will grow you like never before!

Monday, May 17, 2010

For His Glory

We lift up the name of the Lord in all we do and find great joy in writing you about the great things God has done and is doing in our midst. There is no end at our amazement of His character and works, He is the Rock!! The Lord’s work is perfect and all His ways are just. Regardless of which attribute you look at concerning the Lord, you will say, “This is the greatest thing about God!” You will not find anyone or anything greater than He is. We are like a blind man whose eyes have been opened for the first time. He runs and looks at a flower and calls for his family and friends to come look because it is the greatest thing he can imagine, then, before they can get there he has ran to a waterfall and he calls out again. Finally, he just falls to the ground, exhausted in the middle of total perfection.
How could we not serve Him? Is there any reason to doubt Him? If you look at anything about God, you will not find one flaw. He is light and in Him there is no darkness at all! (John 1:5) Every promise, every Word that He has ever spoken, and every thought He has ever had is pure and true. I’m totally dumbfounded at His perfection!!
“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, OR WHO BECAME HIS COUNSELOR? Or WHO HAS FIRST GIVEN TO HIM THAT IT MIGHT BE PAID BACK TO HIM AGAIN? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.” (Romans 11:33-36)
The Gospel is glorious my friend and we do not even think we can comprehend it’s greatness! However, our goal and our life is dedicated to the spreading of it. With so many families in utter disarray and with so many people perishing in the world, we realize their only hope is Christ! Our goal in 2010 is to continue to serve the Lord with great passion and zeal. He is worthy of every ounce of our strength and resources.
I pray that you will find the grace of God this year so amazing that you will joyfully serve Him with all your mind, souls, and strength. Enter in to the Harvest field with us! The work is plentiful but the laborers are few. There is room for you in the field!!
As always, thank you for partnering with us to support Biblical Evangelism, training Nicaraguan Pastors, ministering to orphans, and doing local United States based missions. We could not continue without God raising people like you as a partner. Please know that we are very appreciative of your support and we give God glory for each of you that pray for us!!

Friday, May 14, 2010

Never Give Up

“Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute.” ~ Proverbs 31:8

I love children! I guess you can see that by the picture on this page. All of these children are my biological children. I love them, I believe, more than anyone has ever loved their children. I know, of course, that if you were typing this you would say the same thing about the love you have for your children.
If you have followed our lives, you probably know that we have been trying to adopt for several years now. We have been, quiet honestly, heartbroken through this process. We have had several “bad” experiences and many let downs. More than once I have thought about giving up. I have had every imaginable reason to do so...but the Lord wouldn’t allow me. God kept bringing me back to the fact that He adopted me. I was not a “desirable” child. Rebellious, wicked, selfish, you name it, I was not good! In spite of that, He pursued me and saved me from my deserved destruction.
We exhausted basically all resources in adopting children from Nicaragua. I have a heart for the orphans there and always will. We attempted to adopt from the United States, from both DHR and a adoption service that helped match children with parents. I had almost given up. Then, Rebekah, my precious wife, called me when I was out of town preaching a revival and said, “What do you think about China?” I said, “Not much.” I knew where she was going and I just didn’t want to go through this again. I put it off, but God, wouldn’t allow me to get this off my mind.
I saw this little boy, the called him Nolen. I thought that was ironic, being that is my mothers maiden name and tried not to get my hopes up again. I felt that we would just go through another rejection. We filled out some basic paper work and then we learned that I didn’t make enough in yearly wages to qualify without getting a waiver from the Chinese Government. “Well, that is great.” I thought. The Chinese Government is now going to say, “No. Your rejected.” I was not very hopeful to be honest.
On April 19th, I was heading to preach day #2 of a Revival service in Athens, AL. Rebekah and I had spoken the day before that we probably wouldn’t hear anything for at least 2-3 more weeks. I was trying to keep it out of my mind, and doing a good job of that. Then...as I am thinking on my sermon for the night, the phone rings. I thought, “Every time I get a moment the phone rings.” I saw it was from my home. I answered and I could tell it was Rebekah but she was...well...emotional. I immediately thought it was bad news. I didn’t have good signal anyway, she was saying something that I couldn’t understand. Then it came through, “Do you want to go to China?” I still was clueless about what she was trying to tell me. I said, “Yes. Why?” She said, “WE HAVE BEEN APPROVED TO ADOPT NOLEN!”
I didn’t know what to say. I just couldn’t actually believe someone said we could finally adopt. It took a while for me to believe it was really real. I’m still attempting to come to grips with being accepted. My wife is elated, my children are thrilled, and my close friends are supportive. I am thankful.
I am thankful that God didn’t give up on me. God went to battle for my soul and he was victorious. Adoption is not charity, it is war. I didn’t have a chance for eternal salvation apart from Christ. He came to me and rescued me. He gave me a voice before the Father and He has adopted me into His family. I’m even a joint heir with Him! He is my friend. I am glad He never gave up, and I am glad that I didn’t give up on adopting a little boy.
His name will be Josiah Nolen Junhay Hixon, Lord willing. I realize that I do not have him yet, but I’m not giving up. Rebekah and I are finishing some required readings and paper work, then it is just a matter of time before we get our travel approval. They are estimating us travelling in December or January to China to pick Josiah up.
Here is a quote from Russell Moore’s book, “Adopted for Life,” that inspired me.
“What if a mighty battalion of Christian parents would open their hearts and their homes to unwanted infants—infants some so called “clinics” would like to see carried out with the medical waste? It might mean that the next Christmas there’ll be one more stocking at the chimney in your house—a new son or daughter who escapes the abortionist knife or the orphanage’s grip to find at your knee the grace of a carpenter’s Son.”
As an itinerant Evangelist, I spend a lot of time sharing the Gospel with people that I do not know. I pray for those people and that God would save them before it’s eternally too late. I am also an Evangelist in my home. Training, equipping, mobilizing, and teaching my family to be on mission with God. Please pray that we will be able to go get Josiah. Who is an “undesirable” in his country because he has a few physical problems. Pray that he will come to know Jesus as his Savior and he will experience that moment when God says, “You are now in my family Josiah, you are my son now!”
If you would like to be a part of helping us bring Josiah home, you can make a donating to M.U.D. Ministries with the statement, “Suggested use: Adoption” on the check. It must say, “Suggested Use:” Please pray for us as we move closer to the frontlines in the battle for souls. This conflict is greater than any war fought in history, the stakes are eternal and we are going to stand and battle for truth! Will you be a part of that? I thank God for all of you who have partnered with us and continue to make an impact on eternity!

Compelled to Contend