Understanding more of the Father's love

Here at Subsplash, we are all about sharing what we've been learning from God and how we can expand his Kingdom. For me, I've been learning more and more about God's love having been a dad for a little over a year now. When I first became a father, people kept asking me the big question; “How has this changed your life?”. Often times the question would come with a joke about sleep or maybe asking me if I better understood the love of God as a father. At first, I didn’t quite know how to answer the question. There is so much amazing emotion wrapped up in meeting your child for the first time. It’s just different than anything else on earth and I had nothing to compare it to.

As I began to reflect over the first few days and weeks of parenthood, this new reality began to reveal new truths about love, family, and God. How could this little person change everything and open new depths of my heart and soul? I’ve now been a father for about one year and it just keeps getting better. I would do anything for this little guy and I’m wired to protect him, serve him, comfort him, and give him my best each day. After being a dad for a while I thought to myself, what if I  laid out all the things I do as a parent, but removed the fact that it was for my son? I mean, what if you just made a list of all the things we do as parents and gave the details of  who we do it for, but remove the fact that it is for our child? What would that look like? Every day I have to take care of a miniature person who doesn’t speak my language, eats my food, relies on me to change his diapers several times a day, takes up my wife’s precious time and my monetary resources, can’t move and thus relies on me to carry him and then when he can move he goes where I do not want him to go, and who spits up on me at random times. If someone told me that some guy who fit that description was going to live with me, I would not have been too pumped. However, since it is my son, I don’t mind one bit and love him fully, despite the seemingly troubling additions to my life. How cool is that? A child brings so much incredible joy to your life and love just pours out toward them.

All this got me thinking, is this just a fraction of the love that God feels toward us? I believe that God loves each one of us more than I love my son, which is a whole lot. Now, if God loves us to such an incredible level and in turn wants us to not only love him but to love others, what would it look like if we started treating one another with a portion of the love we show to our children? Can you imagine the impact that would have? If I saw my son on the side of the street I would stop to help no matter what, but how often am I willing to stop and help others in need? Maybe it’s a reflection of my own selfishness, but I want and need to strive to love more. After all, there’s clearly a better way and it involves loving others as I would love myself, or in this case, love my son. And through it all I must remember that first God loved me and he gave his only son as a sacrifice that I may live! Now that is incredible. So yes, being a father has changed my life and I’m now even more thankful for the love shown to me by the God of the Universe.

Why We Do What We Do

As Thanksgiving fast approaches I have been trying to pause from the busyness of life to look for evidences of God’s grace and to see more clearly all of the reasons that I have to be thankful. One of the things that I am most thankful for is to be part of the amazing team at Subsplash. I have the opportunity on a daily basis to help equip churches with ministry tools that are being used to forward the Gospel of Jesus Christ as Lord around the world. I love serving His Church! To be completely transparent, one of the questions that has been a companion to my thankfulness is the question, “Why?”. Why Subsplash? Why The Church App?  Why not full time vocational ministry?  Why not church planting or missionary work? How do I know that what I’m doing, and even more importantly, what we’re doing here at Subsplash, is making an impact? The answer to that question is found in the pages of scripture:

“Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

(Matthew 28:16-20 ESV)

When Jesus Christ calls us to follow him, He calls us to be part of his family, part of His Church, and part of His Mission. The only question that remains is how do we play out our part in that mission? Should we all be full-time preaching pastors? Should we all be full time (paid) missionaries? Anyone who has attended Sunday school knows the answers to those questions. The Church is a body, with many parts, and many members and we all can’t and shouldn’t be doing the same thing. Finding out what it is that we should be doing, at an extremely practical level, becomes all about the gifts and opportunities that God has given us. Here at Subsplash, we have the unique opportunity to live in an area where technology isn’t just an industry, it’s a way of life. All around us we see people eating, breathing, living tech. Technology has become so ubiquitous, such an integral part of how we communicate and share information, that it is becoming a language unto itself (even my dog is named after an iPhone app!). As this landscape is becoming more clear, we are also seeing that God is using technology to forward the Gospel around the world. Much like the printing press opened God’s Word to thousands upon thousands of people, technology is opening God’s Word to millions that have never heard the name of Jesus Christ, many of whom live in our neighborhoods. We want to play our part.

At Subsplash, playing our part looks like bringing together men and women that love Jesus and His Church, and have a passion for using their unique gifts and talents to develop, deliver, and support mobile technology tools. These tools are then able to benefit our clients and  delight our end users. Everything that we do is steeped in the Great Commission. From encouraging each other in the office, to praying for and with the churches that we have an opportunity to work with, to laboring over our technology to make it better and better, to making sure that we tip well when we go out to lunch, we want to Glorify God in everything that we do.

I’ll close by turning the spotlight back on myself. Why am I here?  Why am I part of the team at Subsplash instead of doing something else? Quite simply, because the gifts and talents that God has given me have afforded me an amazing opportunity to be part of a team that is carrying out the Great Commission on a daily basis. My hope in writing this is that YOU would be encouraged. Regardless of what you do, it doesn’t always feel like you are doing the Lord’s work, but you are. Whether you work with your hands or work in a cubical, whether you’re a mega church pastor or small church IT tech, God has placed you in a unique position to use your gifts and talents to serve His Church and be part of His Mission. God is giving all of us an opportunity, no matter the circumstance, to do our work with excellence and make an impact for the Kingdom. Delight today in the gifts and opportunities that God is giving you and be thankful for all of His Grace.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

Sola Dei Gloria

Dr. James Dobson's Family Talk

Screen Shot 2012-09-26 at 10.27.49 AM

If you’ve been searching for a mobile app with Christian insight for family and daily living, look no further - Dr. James Dobson’s Family talk has an app! Dr. Dobson's ministry is built around helping families engage with one another and our culture through biblical principles. Now, they have made that content more readily available than ever...

More than 30 years ago, Dr. James C. Dobson set out to support and secure Christian values for families in today's world.  What began with a radio program on a few stations in 1977 grew into a global broadcast phenomenon that was heard on thousands of stations in North America and more than 160 countries worldwide.

Continuing to hear God's call to ministry, National Radio Hall of Fame inductee, Dr. James Dobson now surges forward and continues his threefold passion of strengthening families, speaking into the culture and spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. The centerpiece of the Family Talk ministry is the 30-minute radio broadcast, Family Talk with Dr. James Dobson strategically designed to reach the younger generation with a Judeo-Christian worldview of the family.

Launched in May of 2010 and aired on nearly 700 radio outlets, Family Talk also features Dr. Dobson's son, Ryan, an ordained minister, bestselling author and host of his own show Grounded with Ryan Dobson. Executive Producer LuAnne Crane joins the Dobsons on the air and brings her extensive training, perspective, and a unique touch to the Family Talk with Dr. James Dobson show.

Now, anywhere you roam you can listen to the Family Talk daily broadcast and have access to all of Dr. Dobson’s archived programs.  It’s America’s Family Counselor on-demand 24/7, when and where you need him!  Use the App to view video commentaries, get answers to your compelling questions with our Solid Answers tool, connect with Dr. Dobson via social media and hear from the voices of Family Talk as the staff provides weekly insights on topics that concern you!  It’s practical and inspirational family resources -absolutely FREE- and available for Android, iPhone, and iPad devices. Visit your App Marketplace to download today!

Click here to download!

Dr. James Dobson’s Family Talk App was created with The Church App Platform by Subsplash. Here at The Church App, we want to see the Gospel shared to the ends of the earth. We do this by creating high-quality, customizable mobile apps for churches and ministries.

How are You Spreading Jesus' Name?

cross

It’s easy to be a consumer. It’s easy to be selfish. No one’s perfect, right?

As a Christian it’s all too easy to take our Lord and Savior for granted. Finding new life in Christ has filled my heart with joy that I can share. Jesus laid down his life for me and it changed everything. It's so incredible that I get to be in relationship with the maker of the universe who loves me, forgives me, and walks with me every moment of my life. But, none the less, it's easy to find myself pursuing my own self interest before the Lord’s. We are called by the great commission to share the Lord’s name to the ends of the Earth. When’s the last time that you really took this to heart?

“And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel to the whole creation.” - Mark 16:15

Evangelizing can be uncomfortable. Being a child of Christ means that there are going to be people that dislike you (and your lifestyle). You can’t worship the Lord and also worship the world. If a question with a friend leads to awkwardness, what's the worst that could happen? Awkward moments certainly won't kill you, but sometimes it's harder to live for Christ than to deny him. God puts us in people’s lives for a reason. If breaking through possible rejection to honor Jesus leads to them finding life in Christ, that's absolutely worth it. Ultimately, we need to be Spirit-led and be open to see what Jesus sees.

What are some simple ways you can incorporate this commission into your everyday life? First off, you can pray about it. Pray that the Lord will give you the opportunity to share his good name with fellow Christians and unbelievers alike. This takes a little bit of courage, but that's simply another opportunity where the Lord will provide.

The next step you can take is to practice, practice, practice! Step out of your comfort zone and put yourself in front of people that might benefit from your insight and your witness. Whether it’s by sharing some scripture that resonated with you, some praises you have for the Lord, or anything Gospel related, don’t be afraid to share!

“And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God, but the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God. And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.” - Luke 12:8-12

So invite your neighbor to church, engage with a stranger on the bus, or just be available to answer questions for troubled minds. If you find your joy and delight in the Lord, wouldn’t you want everyone to have that same opportunity?

Faith and Reason: Ligonier Goes Mobile

R.C. Sproul was a freshman in college buying Lucky cigarettes from a vending machine when God decided to change his life. Behind him sat the captain of the college football team, who would proceed to share with Sproul the wisdom of the word of God. After a three hour conversation, Sproul was struck by the verse Ecclesiates 11:13.

In an interview with Christianity Today, Sproul stated that, “I just feel certain I’m the only person in church history that was converted by that verse. God just took that verse and struck my soul with it. I saw myself as a log that was rotting in the woods. And I was going nowhere.” That day, God transformed his life and Sproul began an incredible journey of faithful ministry. Over the course of the next forty years, Sproul would found Ligonier Ministries, the Reformed Bible College, author over 60 books and serve as a faithful minister on the radio and to his church.

At Subsplash, we love talking about technology and how it can help the church spread the Gospel. More specifically, we get excited about building apps for Bible-believing, Jesus-loving, God-fearing ministries. But for us, the completion of the Ligonier app is something special. Scrolling through years of content and articles that dissect complex doctrine and theology has brought us to a humble realization that our iPhone apps are small in comparison to the work of Christ through his faithful servants. The Ligonier app is simply a showcase of the amazing wisdom of God as explained by great teachers like R.C. Sproul, C.J. Mahaney, Alistair Begg, D.A. Carson, Ligon Duncan, and Ravi Zacharias. This app provides a daily Bible devotion, the ability to listen or watch Renewing Your Mind daily broadcast, free articles, and other resources grouped by topic, teacher, scripture or type. We hope that you are strengthened and encouraged by this new free resource.