His Daughter - Viral Video and Why I love it!

The video was shot on a cracked iPhone and played on an out of tune piano. 

Molly Kate Kestner's first take of recording and the video has exploded. Originally posted on Easter Sunday, it currently has over 6 Million Views and counting. She appeared on Good Morning America this morning so I expect the views to go up again. 

Listen to it real quick. Then check out why I Love it below.

I Love It Because:

The story she tells is very close to many stories of faith or lack there of that I have heard over the years. Too often it is assumed that being a Christian means having everything together, and believing in God so much that everything just falls into place. This myth is perpetuated by evangelical pastors that say over and over again that "God is in Control" or "God has a reason." Their message on the surface gives the impression that the crap going on in the world around me is my fault. 

Instead this song takes the reality of the pain that many have in their lives and says God is big enough for the pain to be real and valid. God is big enough to answer the prayers of even those children whose parents are the ones causing the pain. God is big enough for the parent who wants to show their child a better life. 

Maybe your life hasn't been this rough. Maybe you have never felt the pain of and alcoholic parent. Maybe you have never cut yourself, starved yourself, slept around, or been bullied. Maybe you never felt scared and alone, like you can't make it another day. If you haven't then consider yourself lucky, and be sure you smile at the people you see today. Make sure that you show love to anyone you interact with because they may be at the end of their rope and not even know how to say it.

And maybe you see yourself in these lyrics.

Maybe your prayers haven't been answered yet.

But....

If your one of the people who has seen the grace of God in your life. If God has redeemed one of these pain's for you, tell as many people you can that: "There's a God out there who heard my prayer."

If your prayer has been answered I'd love to hear about it in the comments below. If it hasn't then shoot me an email and I will be glad to join you in praying.

Grace and Peace

Jacob Fields

Lyrics -
"Everything's gonna be alright."
She whispers to herself.
She was only 6 years old that night.
As she hid behind that shelf.
Cause daddy had a little too much to drink.
And mama didn't want her to feel the pain she felt.
But she still felt the pain...

Well 10 years they came and went,
and dad was gone.
So she looked for love in other men.
And tried to act strong.
Broken hearts and Scars in only places she could see.
Cause she just wanted, she just wanted to feel something.

And as she sat there on that bed,
thinking bout what those girls said,
tears streamed down her eyes.
She cried...

"If there's a God out there
Please hear my prayer.
I'm lost and I'm scared,
and I've got nowhere else to go.
I've come a long, long way.
But I'm not sure I can make it much farther...
So if you're listening, could you give a helping hand.
To your daughter."

Well her path started to change.
She reached out and grabbed God's grace.
And finally, she saw a light.
Until that night...
Where she decided one drink was alright, 
and one thing led to another.
Next thing you know, 9 months go by, 
she's a mother.

And as she laid there in that bed.
Stroking that small angel's head.
Tears streamed down her eyes.
She cried...


"If there's a God out there.
Please hear my prayer.
I'm lost and I'm scared,
and I've got nowhere else to run.
I've come a long, long way.
But I'm not sure I can be the best mother...
So if you're listening, could you give a helping hand.
To your daughter."

Well that baby grew into a boy.
Who became her pride and joy.
He loved her like no man could.
And her heart felt peace, cause she finally understood.
God's love.

And as she laid there in that bed,
99 years old.
She grabbed her son's hand and said.
"There's something you must know..."

"There is a God up there. 
Who heard my prayer.
I was lost and afraid.
And I had nowhere else to go.
I had no clue, what to do
And then He sent me you."

So if you're lost and afraid, 
and you feel so alone,
don't worry child,
cause there's a Father who will love you as His own.
Just like he loved his daughter.
Like he loved His daughter.

A Great Day I Will Always Remember

June 3rd 2014, was one of the most inspiring days of my life. Oddly enough it started around 1:30 in the morning.

That is the time in the middle of the night that my Son George woke screaming. Apparently he was cutting a big ol' tooth. When George cuts teeth he gets a bit of a fever and has trouble sleeping, but who could blame him. He got so upset that he threw up a little. After about 15 minutes of my wife and I tending to him, I heard 10 words that were music to my ears. &Go back to bed sweetheart. You have a big day.& 

At that moment, I didn't realize just how true that was. I don't think I will forget that day for a very long time. Here's what else happened.

Why Do I Write About Business Things As A Christian Blogger?

Simply Put, I write about business and money because the subjects have a profound impact on our spirituality and our church communities.

It has come to my attention that some people look disparagingly on the fact that I write about business things occasionally instead of purely writing about theological concepts. I have since shifted most of my writing about making money online to articles on InfoBarrel.com and have held back my promoting of those articles. Now I have an increasing guilt about this subject, because if I am honest with myself business posts are just as important to my online ministry as a 3 Minute Theology about the incarnation. In fact, they may have a more practical and Wesleyan purpose than a purely spiritual article.

Holy Week Devotions - 2014

As we enter into this Holy Week I invite you to devotion. The Journey from Palm Sunday to Easter Morning is filled with emotional highs and lows. We go from a day of remembering and recognition that Christ is our King to shouting “Crucify Him!” in a matter of Days.

This Holy Week I ask that you would take 5 minutes each day to reflect and center yourself on the story of Christ. I have a set of devotionals for Holy Week, Monday to Sunday, which follows Adam Hamilton’s 24 hours that changed the world. I will be posting a link via Social Media each day to the appropriate devotional and invite you to share the link with your friends and followers. This blog post will be a quick place to look for the links to each day so that you can simply tell your friends to check out www.JacobFields.org if you or they are not connected with me on Social Media.

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday
Sunday

*** These were written in 2011 ***

Get updates in your Inbox Email Address

I got an Amazing gift.... but I want you to have it.

I know a student who does not believe in God. All my youth worker friends are just SHOCKED to hear that, I know it. Well, the reality is that the God he doesn't believe in... I don't either. The world has painted him a picture of God that he just can't get behind. 

I know another student who believes that there is a God but whoever that God is has nothing to do with whatever is happening on earth. To him it's more than just free will, God is distant, God doesn't care. 

A lot of things in my life were going wrong when I was their age. 

So why is it that I am able to believe?

It must have been a gift.

3 Minute Theology - "Incarnation" Why does it matter?

For one of my seminary classes we were asked to prepare a three minute talk about a theological word or subject to explain it to a particular audience. The assignment was between 400-450 words, which take the average reader about 2 minutes to read. 

So do you want to know more about the "Incarnation"?

If so it will only take you about two minutes to read.

Sometimes You Just Have to Catch the Frisbee

A man on the phone stands on the sidewalk deep into a frustrating conversation as the perfectly thrown Frisbee falls directly past his left hand.

This was the scene that I witnessed last week outside at Perkins.

What is the conversation about? 

This is a seminary, sometimes people are dealing with very serious things over the phone. One of the primary things we seek to do in life is to be present in the moment in order to enjoy life. We try really hard to pursue happiness and in ministry we hope that we can help people find Joy in living out what God created them to be.

Of course there has to be that element of God, but what if we miss out on Joy in the name of pursuing it?

Footprints of Buddha

Hey Friends,

For my World Religions class at Perkins School of Theology we are required to make blog posts on our thoughts from class and reflections from some movies. Seeing as how I have made a commitment to blog here regularly I figure I would post my thoughts here. Then I am going to link to this post on Blackboard, hopefully this method of contributing my thoughts will be sufficient to my professor.

The Video - Footprints of Buddha


My reflections:
There is something peaceful about Buddhist monks. I cannot quite describe it, but if I had to I would call it a wisdom about life. A wisdom that is applicable to life well beyond that of someone who is Buddhist. From the articulation and explanation of the faith in the video I believe that my observation would be accepted by these monks.

I am Jacob Fields

This post is follow up to my post on Knowing Who You Are. This is what I wrote about who I am the day I figured it out. You may notice that this prose has nothing to do with my job or season of life. This is my authentic self.

I am Jacob Fields.

Knowing Who You Are

“The desperate need today is not for a greater number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people.” - Richard J. Foster 

To live deeply at its core comes from knowing who and whose you are. It is most often simply followed up by the assurance of whose you are, which is that you are created and loved by God. The harder question here and one that is important to wrestle with is knowing who you are.

Great Worship Song

The first time I heard this song was at Aldersgate UMC in Abilene. My friend Daniel Mathis was leading the worship team. I was not quite sure the name of the lead female vocalist but she was really good.

Her voice popped into my head with the refrain "Christ in Me Christ in Me Christ in Me the hope of Glory." as if from nowhere. I had only heard the song once and it was months ago. Come to find out that the song is called "Everything" by Tim Hughes

So I have been adding views like crazy to this YouTube video.

With how stuck this song is in my head and in my spirit I am probably going to have to use my iTunes gift card I got for Christmas to download it. If you want it Click Here.

Unconditionally - Katy Perry

So I have to admit that when Katy Perry first became popular a few years ago I thought that all her music was catchy but shallow. I didn't encourage people to listen to songs like I kissed a girl or other songs that were even more unappealing to me (by way of lyrics and message).

Then about a year ago I came across this video from John Stewart's Night of Too Many Stars and it changed everything.

The Song actually starts at about 4 minutes so you can skip ahead if you already know the back-story.

Listening to it even now that video gives me chills. Well my friends Katy has done it again, this time with the song Unconditionally.

The reasons these songs are so catchy is they speak to the heart of the human condition (admittedly even the over-sexualized songs of hers). Unconditionally is a song that I can only hear from the perspective of God singing to me, because no matter how hard I try to love like that I know that I keep falling short of that Goal and the people I love know that the best.

This new Album of Katy's PRISM is significantly more profound than her others and I would strongly encourage you to use the link above and go ahead and get that into your iTunes.

I really recommend using this.

Hello Friends,

I am an audiophile. I really prefer listening to reading. I get so much more out of hearing something than seeing it and maybe you are like me. Maybe you are one of my seminary friends and are simply reading so much that your eyes are getting glazed over. 

BibleGateway.com has a wonderful free audio bible that is NIV, you can even choose different reading voices.

Try it out http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/audio/

Then let me know if it helped you out by commenting below.

STAND UP - A cry for Peace.

Stand Up, We will Not Be Moved,

Except by a child with no Socks or Shoes.

 - Flowbots "Stand Up"

Today reading the news I see a headline that looks all to familiar in my lifetime.

US Military Stands Ready to Strike Syria

Let me start by being candid here, war breaks my heart.

As a rule I stand against militarism and war. I stand for peace. I stand for loving not only your neighbor but your enemy.

Sure there are instances where even the most holy individuals will advocate war, for example to end Genocide. Which is the primary reason Christians use to justify the need for storming the beaches of Normandy to overthrow the Nazi party of Germany. If you are an advocate for war to end Genocide where are you crying out for intervention in Darfur?

Many people will be upset with this post for appearing political in nature or in opposition to their point of view. Even still, I cannot remain silent in the face of war.

This current conflict we face is one that I have seen and heard the least amount of public opinion on, as if we have resigned ourselves to defeat in standing for peace. Leading into the Iraq war there were public demonstrations and marches for peace. Yet with Libya and now with Syria, all we hear are newscasts on how the world needs so badly for us to step in and take military force, with the occasion conflict line of the opposite political party saying that its a bad idea because it scores them political points with their base.

So join me and Stand Up.

Let public opinion, let opposition to violence rise together with a loud voice in a way that cannot be ignored.

Stand for Peace.

In the words of the Flowbots

"Put your hands up high if you havn't imagined.

Hope that the pen strikes stronger than the Cannon"

Lets let the world know that we the people are not being fully represented by our government when their method of good will for the world comes from cruise missiles and drone strikes.

Stand Up, and let the world see that we love them.
and not by sending them weapons.

The power of death and destruction rests in the power of Fear. We must not fear even death for the sake of love and the sake of peace. When we refuse to fear, we take away the power of destruction.

Stand up!

Stand Against arming revolutions.

Stand for the innocent people trying to live as normal a life they can who are surrounded by gunfire. Stand for those whose roads and bridges are destroyed. Stand for those whose opportunity to educate their children is robbed from them by political conflict of world leaders.

In the words of Gandhi "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win." The pathways to freedom come through the overwhelming voice of the people and not the echoing of empty shells as they hit the pavement, or the roar of a violent mob conflicting with police.

In the words of Jesus "Even as you have done for the least of these, you have done even to me."

Life is a gift. Pray for peace. Pray for life. Pray for strength to Stand UP!





As Always thanks for your time and giving this a read. If you enjoyed it share it with friends, you can do so easily with one of the buttons below. I pray that you will embrace life in the Love and Grace offered to you through Jesus Christ, and that you will always remember Jeremiah 29:11.  – For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, Plans to Proper You and not for harm, Plans with Hope for the Future.

If Metallica were actually the 12 disciples....

Then the song Nothing Else Matters would be interpreted a bit different.

I am going to walk you through the song as if this were true, hopefully it will be a bit entertaining for you.

So close no matter how far
Couldn't be much more from the heart
Forever trusting who we are
And nothing else matters

The disciples had walked with Jesus and had gotten to know him quite well. They had a bit of despair in those days after Jesus was crucified and before the day of Pentecost. By the time they got around to writing this they would have embraced the closeness of Christ with them even if his physical body is gone or they have traveled far from Jerusalem. 

The work they do is purely out of their love of Jesus and relationship with God, it comes from the heart. They are facing significant persecution both from the Jews and the Romans at this point and they must Trust that they are followers of Jesus, followers of "The Way" (this is what early Christians called themselves) and that nothing mattered except doing the work that Jesus set them to be about.

Never opened myself this way
Life is ours, we live it our way
All these words I don't just say
And nothing else matters

Before the coming of the Jesus their hearts were not the same. The Holy Spirit opened their heart in a new way. They are now experiencing Abundant life after 2nd birth having been born of the spirit, they are now living according to the Spirit and another reference to "The way". They really mean it! Jesus is all that matters.

Trust I seek and I find in you
Every day for us something new
Open mind for a different view
And nothing else matters

They have learned to trust in Jesus, they were a bit baffled at first in John chapter 14 when Jesus told them they would be doing even better works than he did because they will still be around doing the work. Everyday they see something new, new believers, new miracles, new abundance in life. They feel enlightened compared to the life they had before, because Jesus is all that matters.

Never cared for what they do
Never cared for what they know
But I know

Those Pharisees... there has always been something weird about them and the way they talk about God. I met Jesus and now I understand how God loves me isn't based on the things I do or the things I understand, its based out of who God is and that he created me and wants a relationship.

As Always thanks for your time and giving this a read. If you enjoyed it share it with friends, you can do so easily with one of the buttons below. I pray that you will embrace life in the Love and Grace offered to you through Jesus Christ, and that you will always remember Jeremiah 29:11.  – For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, Plans to Proper You and not for harm, Plans with Hope for the Future.

Perceptions Matter?

Proverbs 22:1 says "A good name is more desirable than riches, Favor better than silver and Gold"

That is an easy one to memorize friends, you never know when having a scripture in memory will help in difficult situations.

But what is it saying? we are often taught not to care what others think, to live our life and shout things like "YOLO!!!" when we do something questionable. There are so many people that are so hard to please that we should just not even worry about it. Because if someone doesn't like something I do then I can just accuse them of being judgmental  and then they are the ones who are guilty in Gods eyes... Right? Isn't that the way it works?

Lets look a little closer at what this passage says. A good name is more desirable than riches. Most of us work our entire lives to get bigger and better stuff, to build a more "secure" life and we do that by trading time for money as often as possible and for as much as possible. Some choose to invest or own their own business. Either way though we spend a considerable amount of our lives working toward attaining those little pieces of silver and gold. So if we spend that much time and energy on working for money, can we stand to spend a little effort on our perception?

We could have the deepest content of character. But in a moment of silliness or weakness, we could change the way we are perceived by others, and no longer will our words carry the respect they might deserve. It would be great if the world did not operate on perceptions or judgments. But perceptions do matter, and scripture give very clear instruction that we should not run from this fact but embrace it.

In 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 Paul talks about using his freedom in Christ to become "like" others that he may save them. So be careful with who you are and how you are perceived. Be aware that our goal as Christians is to spread the love and grace of Jesus Christ but that no one will believe the message if they view us as judgmental liars.

Everything we do reflects on who we are. So, be careful with what you reflect because it projects to all you associate with. Your friends, family, your race, your gender, your church, your Jesus are all represented by you. Are you adding to your good name? Are you at least trying?

We all mess up and that is OK. The trick is to know that we all do and continue trying to live a consistent life showing love and mercy to all and doing your absolute best to live up to who you say you are.

As Always thanks for your time and giving this a read. If you enjoyed it share it with friends, you can do so easily with one of the buttons below. I pray that you will embrace life in the Love and Grace offered to you through Jesus Christ, and that you will always remember Jeremiah 29:11.  – For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, Plans to Proper You and not for harm, Plans with Hope for the Future.

Baptism Sermon

Message Delivered at Preston Hollow United Methodist Church in Dallas Texas Jan 2012

As Always thanks for your time and giving this a read. If you enjoyed it share it with friends, you can do so easily with one of the buttons below. I pray that you will embrace life in the Love and Grace offered to you through Jesus Christ, and that you will always remember Jeremiah 29:11.  – For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, Plans to Proper You and not for harm, Plans with Hope for the Future.

Epiphany sermon

Since this message was delivered on New Years morning I have had a lot of requests for it, here ya go.
I think this is the only way I am able to host the Audio file of my epiphany sermon for free. If you know of a better way please let me know via the comment section. If you enjoyed this message and live in the Dallas area I would like to invite you to join Preston Hollow United Methodist for worship on Sunday mornings at 10 AM. www.prestonhollowumc.org for more information. If you would be interested in having me speak at your church your camp or any event I would be glad to. Email me at jacobw.fields@gmail.com

As Always thanks for your time and giving this a read. If you enjoyed it share it with friends, you can do so easily with one of the buttons below. I pray that you will embrace life in the Love and Grace offered to you through Jesus Christ, and that you will always remember Jeremiah 29:11.  – For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, Plans to Proper You and not for harm, Plans with Hope for the Future.