Tag: Authentic

Posted on

Life Connections Farewell: Celebrating its Spirit and Impact

Every chapter has an opening and a closing, so it is with Life Connections, the church that started out of our home in 2002 and the one we stepped away from in 2022. Acts 13:36 says, “For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep, and was laid among his fathers and underwent decay;” Life Connections served its purpose, for its generation, and will leave an indelible mark on eternity. As Pastors Phil and Annie Daigle closes its chapter today, September 22, 2024, we look back on the incredible impact Life Connections had on families, its community, central Indiana, and the world.

Its vision, its values, and its impact was like none other. It was a New Testament church, one that mirrored the early church that started in the book of Acts. At the same it modeled how to be relevant and connect with current culture. It had a unique niche. It served the community of Fishers, Hamilton County, and families from across central Indiana. It was known for at least two important dynamics. Its community impact and its prayerful commitment to being a Spirit filled and led community. In its early years it was a regular part of the Freedom Festival and parades. As it grew it became known as the place where families could bring their kids for a myriad of events. More importantly, it became a place where people felt safe to bring their families to learn about Jesus and experience His presence. It was a place that wasn’t about religion and rules. It was not another copycat of the latest fad religion, but a place where they and their families could experience the Spirit and grow in God in a likeminded community of others that were on the same journey.

Life Connections was about service. That DNA would show itself yearly as people came out of hibernation after a cold and snowy winter. Life Connections would welcome hundreds of kids and families at its annual Bagels and Bunnies Easter Egg hunt, a free breakfast and a photo with the Easter bunny. 

Summer would bring X-treme Camp, a VBS, that was like no other. The camps were highly interactive, with lots of zany variation, and the famous, X-treme Camp Obstacle course. Whether it was the Amazing Race, Space Jam, or Wipe Out, over 1000 kids participated in Life Connections X-treme Camps.

Winter would bring Breakfast with Santa, donuts, cookies, coffee, and of course, a free picture with Santa. Through the years Life Connections gave away thousands of free pictures with Santa. We can’t count the number of tears we’ve seen, the “thank you’s” we’ve heard, and the lives that were impacted by these events.

In addition to those major events Life Connections became the place to be each June when we were privileged to host the Fishers Strawberry Festival. There were tons of bounce houses, mascots like Boomer, Rowdy, and even the Chick-fil-a cow showed up, along with crowds of people from all over central Indiana. Nothing said summer was here like a biscuit topped with ice cream, strawberries, and a big dab of whipped cream. The festivals revenue never went to Life Connections, instead monies went to missionaries, helped churches who been impacted by extreme weather events, and other areas where we saw need.

Life was about serving those less fortunate. So many were grateful for Bagels and Bunnies and Breakfast with Santa, but Life Connections went further. Life Connections gave away hundreds of Thanksgiving meals through the years, provided Christmas gifts and meals to families yearly, and partnered with the city of Fishers to provide bags of food weekly to needy families. Life Connections served its community… it served its generation.

Life Connections was a place where you could expect to experience the presence of God. It was a unique church. It was Spirit led without being eccentric. It was progressive yet valued its past. It knew while it was imperative to relate to its world, it had to be a place where people could experience what the apostles and the churches of the New Testament experienced. It shunned the legalism that stymied so many Spirit-filled churches yet valued the power and the liberty of the Spirit.

It was first and foremost, a place of prayer. It valued very strongly the words of Jesus, “my house shall be called a house of prayer.” It was a place where God’s presence dwelled, and His Spirit was welcomed. Done decently and in order as the apostle Paul commended, people came to Life with wonder, “what will God do today?” Miracles took place, lives were transformed, and families strengthened. Life Connections strived to model the “house of prayer” principle individually, as families, and as a church corporately.

Life Connections was multicultural, a place for all people. For some time, Sunday worship included the 10 a.m. worship service, an Indonesian service at 1 p.m. and a Hispanic church at 6 p.m. In addition, to serving the nearly one dozen different ethnic groups that attended, we had translation equipment that allowed us to serve the Indian and other cultures along with an interpreter for the deaf community.

Life Connections knew how to laugh and have fun. Whether serving at one of the many community events or engaging at one of the many church “family” events, few churches knew how to have fun like Life Connections. There were more memories and friendships built at events like Life’s Annual Chili Cook-off than one could ever imagine. Lifetime friendships were made around a campfire, on a hayride or during a trash talking corn hole tournament. Whether it was the Christmas Gathering at the Hudson home, a bible study, a party that someone hosted with good food, or even if it was before, during or after a service, there was always the sound of laughter at Life.

Life Connections was a place that valued God’s Word. Life Connections taught about, lifted up, and pointed people to Jesus. It was a place that was careful to preach and teach the Bible in right context. While the Sunday services were inspirational and inspiring, bible studies and the series taught were dedicated to building a strong relationship with God and having fellowship with others. Whether it was a book of the Bible, a practical perspective on a social or current issue, or a series on a book by Jentezen Franklin, Kyle Idleman, or Greg Groschel, people grew in their knowledge of God’s word, and in their relationship with Jesus.

Life Connections was a place that valued the Spirit-filled experience that took place in the book Acts and what was the only experience and dynamic of the New Testament church. We tried to emulate that dynamic. It was a Spirit filled and Spirit led place. It was not a religious institution, not a doctrine, but a place where you could safely experience the Spirit. It was early on that we discarded the label of a denomination and took on the atmosphere as a place of healing. If you wanted to find a discarded label you could find it at Life Connections. There were those who were Catholic, Jew, Baptist, Methodist, and Pentecostal, the list could go on, but once you came to Life you became a person. A person who knew that everyone was broken, everyone needed the blood of Jesus, and everyone was growing, some more quickly than others, but everyone’s progress was celebrated. It was a place where you could be real, fail, heal, and grow without judgement. It had a unique vibe and was a distinctive place for many.

Life Connections was a spiritual hospital, not a nursing home. In a hospital there are a lot of sick people trying to get better, a lot of people serving, doing their best to help people get better, but still human and understanding that nearly every situation needed a touch from God. Life Connections never exploded in numeric growth but literally thousands of people passed through its doors through the years, at its height in early 2020, nearly 400 people called Life their home. Generally, we only saw about 70 percent of those though, unless there was a crisis, it was Easter or Christmas. For a while it bothered us, but we will never forget a moment in a prayer service as we were struggling with the issue that God spoke to our heart and said, “I’ve called Life Connections to be different, it is a hospital. I trust you to let Me heal people and you to let them go.” So, it has been, many, thousands who came through its doors over the past 20 years. Unfortunately, some died spiritually, others decided to move into a spiritual nursing home, but were excited that most were healed and moved on to greater ministries or became an integral part of the church community and helped others heal, grow, and impact the world.

In closing I go to Life Connections beginning. Our mission statement was simple; “Connecting people to faith, family, and friends.” As with the passing of an individual, we say farewell to Life’s physical presence. We know its influence, impact, and spirit will live on for generations. People will forever remember its love for the Spirit and its high values of passion, excellence, and integrity. There will be families who will pass down the Word that was taught, values instilled, and experience of the Spirit for years to come. There are friendships that were made that will last a lifetime. Though it is no more, it will forever be. Mary and I count it the highest of honors to have served the Kingdom of God in Fishers, Hamilton County, and central Indiana at Life Connections. We will forever be indebted to an unnumberable host of people who ran along side with us, brought vision and ideas, creativity, gave, worked and served, cried and prayed… who believed in Life Connections. If you were ever a part of Life Connections in any way, thank you.

How do we say farewell to Life Connections? I guess the best way is the way I would close each Sunday service. If you’ve been there you know it well. So, for one last time…

     The Lord bless you, and keep you;

     The Lord make His face shine on you,

     And be gracious to you;

     The Lord lift up His countenance on you,

      And give you peace.’

                                  –  Numbers 6:24-26

Preach Always, If Necessary Use Words,
Jon & Mary Hudson

 

Posted on

Impacted…By a Man in a Feed Sack

He was one of my influencers. His effect on my life didn’t come from meeting him, only by my perception of him from afar. In fact, I never met him, never shook his hand, or had an opportunity to talk to him. Regardless, I would say he was one of the most impactful people in my ministry. One of my hopes had always been to get an opportunity to meet him, but unfortunately, he passed several years ago, and I never got that chance. I only heard him preach a handful of messages, but each time there was a gentle, kind, and humble spirit that resonated from him. The intersecting moment came for me at a young minister’s conference I was attending in Louisiana. As the conference unfolded, some messages stirred my heart, others inspired my spirit, but it was the message by James Kilgore titled “Glory Robes or Sackcloth” that would change my life. As a young man I thought pastor Kilgore was old, but at the time he was probably only in his mid 50’s. He was somewhat short, had silvery white hair, and spoke with a classic southern drawl. What grabbed my attention this particular evening, along with 3000 others, was two things. First, as he stood to speak, he came with such humility as he made his way to the podium. He almost appeared to be uncomfortable as he stood before the crowd, and it was evident that he was burdened by what God was asking him to share. The second thing that overwhelmed me was the moment in his message when he put on a long fuchsia robe. Without much fanfare he began to speak about how he was afraid many ministers were living and ministering for glory robes. Today we would call it building our brand. Wearing the right clothing and shoes, running in the right circle of friends, projecting the correct social media impressions, preaching the latest trendy ideas. He wasn’t angry, no arrogance or condescending attitude, he was broken. When it would have been easier to preach something popular, he chose to preach the burden of his heart. He spoke of how authentic ministry must be about building Jesus’ kingdom, not ours. Forever I will remember him repeating the phrase, “oh, how we love to wear the glory robes,” but then he would follow up with, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” What happened about halfway through his message is what has forever been branded on my heart. He stopped and disrobed from the beautiful fuchsia robe, put on a feed sack, and for the remainder of the message, he preached in that simple sack. He wept and cried as he talked about how he and his wife had sacrificed so they could share the gospel. He shared how early in their ministry they often lived on very little. He told how the two of them would fast. He would fast every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and his wife would say,”well, if you’re going too fast, I am too. He spoke about going to small churches who couldn’t pay them and how sometimes they would have little or no food. He spoke of starting a church from basically nothing, and helping people who he knew would never be able to repay their generosity. He cried as he talked about those who were broken and they had helped, only to be betrayed once success came their way. He said, in the end it was worth it all that some might know Christ. At some point it was too much for me. I didn’t need the end of the message, I crumbled to my knees. That night I wept for over an hour, when I rose from the ground, I was empty, there were no more tears to be cried. I made a commitment, I wanted to have a ministry like James Kilgore. Sometimes the emotion of the moment wears off and you go back to life, moved but not changed. This would not be the case after this message. I returned to the college in Jackson Mississippi where I was working. Every night for a week I would go to my office and listen to the message. I still would weep, overwhelmed with conviction. During the week I would spend evenings praying for hours, pleading, and promising God I would minister as a man in sackcloth if he would use me. God granted that request, and for 35 years Mary and I have had the privilege of living out James Kilgore’s message. We’ve lived simply. We avoided drawing attention to ourselves; never seeking the limelight. We’ve lived to put others and the kingdom ahead of ourselves. We’ve prayed and fasted unceasingly, only longing to see a sovereign move of God. We’ve cried and wept enough tears to fill pools. We built a church and served the people; rich, poor, educated, uneducated, and every culture. We cared for those who had, and those who didn’t, it didn’t matter. We loved and smiled when we were hurt, forgotten, and abandoned, and we’ve given when we didn’t have enough for ourselves. When we walked away from pastoring, we knew it would come with great loss, but also knew that the Kingdom had to be above our ministry and our future. Many were shocked when they heard the news, but know this about Mary and I. A long time ago we heard a message and decided we would be ministers in sackcloth. We made a commitment that above all, it was souls that would be important, and His Kingdom would be our priority. As I mentioned, James Kilgore never met or spoke to me, but from a distance his humble life forever changed mine. Maybe when we get to heaven, we’ll get to meet him and tell him the story, but for now I share it with you. Why? Because it’s important to realize you are impacting someone by the life you live. You may never have a conversation with them or share a dinner, but you’re being an influencer. Understand the life you are living, the story you are writing, what you are doing, may be impacting someone in a far greater way than you could ever imagine. James Kilgore, thank you for your influence from a distance, I am forever indebted.

Pastor Kilgore’s Message, Humility: Glory Robes or Sackcloth

* This blog is a part of a series called the Tribute Series, My Influencers.

Posted on

Asbury. Absorb it. Bring it Home.

Asbury. For decades it’s been known as a place of prayer, a place of revival, a place where God visits. Yesterday we took a drive to be a part, to experience a sacred move of God. As soon as we stepped on to the campus, we felt a different atmosphere. The line to get into the building was subdued, a reverence, a quiet hush, we were entering into something like we never had. As we entered Hughes Hall, we knew we had entered a different realm, something we had never experienced before. I didn’t want to see or be seen. Instantly, I wanted to set down in my seat and fade into the fabric of the authentic and genuine presence of God, and I did. I didn’t need to speak nor hear or be heard, I simply needed to listen. Listen to the voices, listen to worship, listen to the piano…listen to the Spirit of God. In this room there are no organizations, religions, doctrines or creeds, there is one focus, Jesus. In this room it doesn’t matter what ethnicity you are, the color of your skin, your social or educational background, what you are wearing, all that matters is Jesus. We are from different states and nations, but we are one in passion, a hunger, and it’s all about Jesus. The focus is not on miracles, signs, or wonders. There is no one pushing, prodding, or commanding you to worship or respond in a certain manner. While well known Christian leaders are showing up, they are not being recognized or acknowledged, they too fade into the fabric of what is happening. There is a pureness in the room, a clean desire for God’s presence. One phrase describes the rooms atmosphere, a hunger to be in God’s pure presence. The petitions of prayers aren’t about asking, simply praises of adoring, adulation, and about the wonder and splendor of the magnificent God we serve. If there is any request, it seems to be, “God forgive us of our sins.” There is no schedule here, in fact there seems to be no time. There was a beginning, but at the moment there seems to be no ending. The next song isn’t on a piece of paper and there has been no preparation, the moment is feeble and simply follows the flow of the Spirit, like a river flowing without boundaries. There is no pressure to stand or sit, no command to raise your hands or shout, just embrace the Spirit as it is speaking to you. In this place you feel humble, small, and insignificant, God is here, and He is being high and lifted up and His train is filling the temple. If one is not comfortable, not at home here, then you won’t be at home in heaven. No man, no person is the focus. There is no fleshy singing, no singer by action or by talent is saying, “look at me.” No keyboard, guitar, or bass player drawing attention to themselves, there is a unity of focus, the glory is going to Jesus and Him alone. Even as I write it feels so unsacred, but a scribe, an author, must write down what is happening today, so we don’t get lost in living in yesterday. This generation must know of these events and of a living God. Today, here at Asbury, as in heaven, so on earth, all glory belongs to Him who sits on the throne. This is what church across America should look like. This is what America needs. Please! As they are pleading at Asbury, bring the experience to your heart and home. Our world is starving for more than an hour and fifteen minute Jesus appetizer, more than a manipulated move, or a lifeless experience. Asbury is a cry from a world hungry for an authentic experience with God.

Posted on

Make Room for Suddenly

The book of Acts covers from the ascension of Jesus to the death of Simon Peter and Paul. During the Acts timeline, Paul writes 13 books, 14 if you are of the belief that he is the writer of Hebrews. Simon Peter and James write another three, leaving just five books written after the Acts of the Apostles ends around 70 A.D. Nearly every epistle needs to be read through the prism of the book of Acts. The epistles are written during Acts to saints, people who have experienced the only Spiritual experience found in the 40 years that the book of Acts covers. I mention this because there is a word that catches my attention throughout the book. The word is suddenly, and depending on the version you read, it’s found over a dozen times. Luke wants us to know that much of what people witnessed in the book of Acts happened suddenly. It wasn’t planned, choreographed, or manipulated. The Spirit moved indiscriminately, at its own discretion, independent of any groups, agendas, or schedules. As we’ve started our sabbatical, we’re taking the opportunity to visit churches, something I’ve longed to do throughout my pastorate. I wanted to visit churches with different dynamics, see their systems, experience their services, and get a taste of their vision and passion. In some churches we’ve seen incredible vision, experienced great worship, and heard profound preaching and teaching, but left feeling like there was no room for the Spirit to have its liberty. Great experience, incredible talent, amazing messages, but no room for a “suddenly.” An hour to an hour and fifteen minutes and it was on to the next service or next week. In other venues we’ve left feeling like we were being hyped, manipulated, almost as if they didn’t need a “suddenly,” they could create a move of God on their own. Sing a song fast enough, repeat the chorus a dozen times, have a few timely key changes, and boom! A move of God. We left those services feeling like this was their Sunday routine. A lot of show, but not much substance nor dynamic growth happening in their lives. Different in style, but still no room for an authentic “suddenly.” In nearly every venue we’ve felt sincerity, God’s love, and a desire by each church for people to see Jesus and experience His presence. After some of our recent experiences, I returned to Acts to see when “suddenlys” happened. What I’ve found is that “suddenlys” happened in times of where prayer was the focus, “suddenlys” happened without scripts and programs. “Suddenlys” came without hype or manipulation and happened when people took time to seek God, were praying for His will, and were more concerned about God approval than what a crowd might think. As we’ve visited different church communities, we’ve heard this hunger communicated by others, “we just want to find a place where God’s presence can be experienced freely yet authentically.” Today, more than ever I’m sensing we need less polished, programmed, and planned church. We need less hyped-up, manipulated, and self-created services, and more desperate desire for a “suddenly.” We need more of what John 3:8 says, “like the wind blows. . . so does the Spirit.” Structure is invaluable, being relevant is critical, and doing things decently and in order should be properly balanced, but at the end of the day we need more divine intervention and more indescribable but undeniable. I pray that pastors, churches and more importantly, in each of our personal lives, we begin to desire more “suddenly there came a sound from heaven.”

Posted on

Who Are You?

In Acts 19 there is a story that we as Christians should take note of. The dialogue opens with a few men acting as if they know Jesus and have His power, trying to cast out an evil spirit. Hindsight allows us to see the sham that is taking place. Speaking to the evil spirit that possesses the man, the powerless man says, “I solemnly implore and charge you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.” The phrasing of the man reeks of something missing. The response of the evil spirit to the powerless Christian imposter says it all. The spirit says, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” With that question the spirit physically attacks the man. The spiritually empty man runs from the house in fear with wounds and stripped naked. This story shouts a warning to people who profess to know Jesus but have no relationship with Him. Its people who act the part and say the right words, but their life is more symbolism than substance. Know this, those living symbolic Christianity eventually get exposed. You may not be assaulted or stripped naked physically, but an empty life eventually becomes visible to those around you. Paul warns Timothy of this in 2 Timothy 3 when he tells him to watch out for those “who have a form of godliness but deny its power.” Today I challenge you to be more than professing Christians, to be a person who has the true power of God. What does it require? An authentic relationship with Jesus and the power of the Spirit that was promised by Jesus before His ascension and experienced by the early followers in the book of Acts. Who are you? A professing Christian or a Christian who is living in the power of the Spirit. Regardless of what you say, your life will expose the truth.