Addicted? No Way...

What's amazing to me is how many years I "struggled" with my addiction before I was willing to admit it was an addiction. I called it a "problem", an "issue", something I was "struggling" with...but that word ADDICTION stood out to me. Surely I couldn't be an "addict". An "addict" was someone who had to check into a rehab clinic or get some serious help. An "addict" was homeless and out on their own. There's no way I could be an "addict" because I was still able to "manage" my life on my own for the most part...or was I?

Wow! I'll never forget that day when it finally hit me - I AM POWERLESS OVER THIS "ADDICTION". I can't do it on my own. There has to be Someone who can help me. I hope there's Someone more powerful who can rescue me. That was the day I started getting better. The day I finally felt enough pain to force me down a path of recovery. The day when I was finally able to say, "Hi, my name's Dave, and I'm an addict." We won't start getting better until that day. The day we completely surrender control of our lives to God...the day we ultimately determine that we can't handle life on our own. We need God's help and we need help from other people who can come alongside of us and offer healing. I'm so grateful for that day...and I want to live TODAY out of that gratefulness and thanksgiving!

Cleveland Indian Fans Unite...It's Playoff Time!

Growing up in Cleveland, Ohio I couldn't help but become a Cleveland Indians Baseball Fan. And now it's my favorite time of the year - October! Time for the playoffs! Just think Indians fans...we get to watch all of our favorite players actually COMPETE IN THE PLAYOFFS! You remember them don't you? All those players who "weren't good enough" to play for the Indians: Cy Young Award Winner Cliff Lee will pitch the Phillies into the playoffs, Manny Ramirez will strike deep for the Dodgers, Victor Martinez will carry the flag for the Boston Red Sox and of course yet another Cy Young Award winner CC Sabathia will pitch for the hated New York Yankees. I'm sure there are many others out there who weren't good enough to play for the Tribe who we will all get to see in action for many other teams throughout the playoffs too. This is my favorite time of year! Who knows, maybe we'll get to see Eric Wedge or even Mark Shapiro leading some other teams to the playoffs in the not too distant future as well huh? C'mon Tribe Fans! It's time to UNITE! This should be one of the best playoffs ever - so wake up from your season long depression and open up your eyes to all the optimism growing all around us...after all, what have we got to lose?

Where Has Ambrose Been?

Where Has Ambrose Been?

Last July 8, my family and I left for our first sabbatical in 18 years of full-time vocational ministry. BridgeWay was kind enough to extend this incredible gift to us as a way to help us re-charge our ministry batteries and re-fresh our souls. I can’t thank them enough! These past 8 weeks have been amazing. God has done some very cool stuff in our souls and we are coming back to ministry more excited than ever, but different than we’ve ever been. Let me share some of our time with you:

• July 8-13 I taught LABS for 1000 high school students at DCLA in Washington, DC. I taught with my son Josh and Becca Parker. They did an amazing job teaching their friends how to BE, LOVE and SERVE Jesus with their entire life.
• From there, we left for a whirlwind tour of the east coast and New England. Typical of the Ambrose Family, we ate our way through the whole thing…
• In Baltimore we had world famous crab cakes on the Inner Harbor.
• In Philly we had cheese steaks at Cosmi’s Deli on 8^th Street. A bit off the beaten path, but the best in town. We also enjoyed all the famous sites including The Liberty Bell and Independence Hall.
• From there, we were off to New York City where I got a traffic ticket for blocking an intersection and was pretty much in a foul mood from that point on. I did manage to enjoy Times Square and the Statue of Liberty while munching on some New York Style Pizza and Cheese Cake.
• After NYC, we headed up to New England stopping along Cape Cod to do some family genealogy for my wife along the way in Barnstable, Norwich and other cool towns.
• Boston was our next stop and one of our favorite cities. We ate our way through The Quincy Market, had some Clam Chowder and saw all the beautiful spots in this city. We plan on returning someday just Melody and I. It was a clean, friendly place and the whole family loved it!
• Our next stop was Plymouth Rock, which is very underwhelming. It’s a small rock in the water. That’s it.
• Then we left for Maine. We had some friends invite us to stay with them for a couple days and when their Pastor heard we were coming, he made arrangements for us to stay in a house right on the edge of the ocean. It was amazing! He also bought 10 lobsters ($3 each) and cooked them up for us one night. We ate like kings! God is good.
• While we were in Maine, we stopped at Quaddy Head Lighthouse which is the farthest eastern point in the USA and the spot where the sun comes up first each morning in America. We also took a quick trip into New Brunswick, Canada while we were there.
• After leaving Canada, we drove up one hour north of Bangor to see Melody’s Aunt Betty who lives in Enfield, ME in the middle of nowhere. She’s a kind lady and we enjoyed our short visit with her.
• Then we left for a long drive across Maine, New Hampshire and into Vermont. Some great friends from church grew up there and their parents still live just outside of Waitsfield. They allowed us to stay at their apartment in the middle of nowhere for a week. We did nothing…together. We prayed, read a lot, played games as a family and just rested up. It was exactly what we needed.
• After that very quiet week, we headed to Cleveland, Ohio for a family reunion at Mohican Campground with the Ambrose Family. Of course we stopped din Buffalo, NY at the Pearl Street Brewery for a bucket of wings. In fact, Josh managed to eat wings in every city we stopped at on our tour! He said the best ones were in DC at Fodo Restaurant believe it or not.
• After a few days with my family in a campground, it was time to get back to Fishers so the boys could start school on August 12.

Since then, I have spent a week of silence at Gethsemani in Trappist, KY just listening to God, reading my Bible and journaling. I asked God to refresh my heart and make me into a spiritual man of prayer and encouragement. He challenged me and excited me to return to ministry and share some of what He’s been doing in me and my family with our church family at BridgeWay.

Melody and I have also spent some time just talking and praying together (since the kids have gone back to school). We have taken some long walks, worked out at the YMCA and just enjoyed being with one another hanging our in our yard gardening or whatever.

God has drawn my heart closer to Him during this sabbatical. He has drawn my heart and Melody’s heart closer to one another through some great, long talks together. He has also refreshed our family and prepared us to re-enter vocational ministry with a completely different perspective! After all, what good would it be if I just returned to BridgeWay the same tired, stressed out person I was when I left right? I’m excited to return to ministry after learning a few new things from God…

1. This is not MY ministry, it’s His. I cannot care for it more than He does. I cannot manipulate people to want to change or pursue a relationship with God, that’s the Holy Spirit’s job.
2. I have a life outside of ministry. I am not my ministry. My identity is a child of the King of Kings. My relationship with Him is my first priority. My family is a huge priority in my life, my relationship with my wife and kids…my relationship with friends is what matters right after my relationship with God.
3. God has called me to be a man of prayer and encouragement to others. He has called me to teach and coach and lead other young leaders who are excited about their spiritual life. I’m super-excited about this!
4. Another thing God has been putting on my heart is how He wants me to teach some more practical classes on spirituality at BridgeWay. He wants me to travel with some people on spiritual retreats and encourage them along in their spiritual life. In order to do that, I must continue to spend time in prayer and Bible Study myself. I’ve had lots of that kind of time on my sabbatical and have heard Him whisper to me very clearly.

I “officially” start back on Tuesday, September 8, but my heart has already re-engaged and I couldn’t be more excited to share life with all of you who call BridgeWay your church home. Thanks for allowing me this time away. It has helped tremendously. It has helped me want to stay in ministry. It has helped me fall in love with Jesus again in a whole new way! I know there will still be difficult challenges I will have to fight through. Ministry is a spiritual deal and we have a real enemy who wants to discourage us and destroy us, but I have seen the vision of what god wants for my life and I am re-energized! Thanks again for your support. The staff and other volunteers at BridgeWay who “covered” for us while we were gone are amazing people and I hope to return the favor someday in whatever way I can.

Have a great Labor Day weekend. I’ll see you soon!

Dave Ambrose

Christ-Centered Community

Tonight I sat down for a meal with an old friend and some people I had never met before. They brought fresh lobster right out of the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Maine. We cooked them , cleaned them and then ate them together...and in the meantime, we shared stories together, laughed together and realized we had one thing in common: Jesus Christ. Because of Him, we could enjoy a great night together. He holds us together. He shows us how to live. He is our Center. Thank-you Father for this incredible life you have given me...and thanks for people made in yoru image who can become friends for a lifetime.

What's a Sabbatical?

My family and I will be heading out for a "Sabbatical" on July 8. The Elders at BridgeWay have graciously given me six weeks to rest, reflect and remember who God is and what He's doing in my life and ministry. Not everyone gets a sabbatical, so I know how lucky I am...and I can't tell you how much I appreciate it.

Typically, Melody and I have served in churches for about 5 or 6 years and then got so burned out on ministry and everything that comes iwth it, that we just left for another ministry thinking things would be better - or at least different somewhere else. I wonder what would've happened if I had taken a sabbatical instead of just leaving? Maybe I wouldn't have had to leave...

I've never had the privilege of taking a sabbatical in all of my 18 years of full-time Christian ministry, but I gotta tell ya - I need one. I can feel in in my soul...Now I certainly don't want to sound like a complainer, but life in the ministry can get pretty crazy at times...my schedule can get pretty wild. I love what I do in ministry...there's just always a lot of it! I know some people joke about Pastors only working on Sundays, but for the past 18 years, I've probably worked on most of the other days too...Not just speaking or performing weddings and funerals, but praying for people going through major life challenges...counseling people who are thinking of throwing in the towel...challenging people who have relaly messed up and encouraging them get back on track. In short, a Pastor's job is to shepherd people...to guide them, protect them from the enemy and help them become more like Jesus. And this can be a 24/7 job. But in order to do a good job with all of that, a Pastor has to spend time with Jesus Himself!

So this is what I'm doing with my sabbatcial starting July 8:

• Melody and I and the boys are going to travel over to Washington, DC where I'll be speaking with my son and Becca Parker at DCLA for over 5000 students form all over the world.
• Then we're going to drive up the east coast together and see my sister and her family as well as a few other great cities (New York, Boston, Philly) along the way.
• We're going to stop over in Maine to see some "kids" who used to be in our youth ministry back in 1991 when we first started out in life. They own a lobster boat and want us to share some "lobster hunting" with them for a few days.
• Next, we'll drive over to northern Vermont where a great family from BridgeWay is allowing us to stay in their "cabin in the woods" for a couple weeks where we can just be quiet, pray and take some long walks in the woods just to think and learn the importance of being still again.
• Then we'll head back toward Indy and stop in Cleveland, Ohio for a Family Reunion. Cleveland is God's Paradise here on earth ya know?
• Finally, once we get back to Indy, the kids will get back to school, and I'll have a chance to read the Bible, rest, take a few long prayer walks and take my annual pilgrimmage to Gethsemani Monastary (www.monks.org) in Trappist, Kentucky just to learn to fall in love with Jesus all over again in the silence and solitude of the monastary.

Melody and I will also have a great opportunity to recharge our batteries and invest in our marriage again too. We're both hoping God will meet us and help us re-charge so that we can return to ministry at BridgeWay and continue pouring ourselves into all the great people God leads across our path!

I want to thank all of you for providing this opportunity to yoru pastors and staff at BridgeWay. It means the world to us. We would appreciate your prayers while we're gone too! Prayers for safety and refreshment...along with prayers for God to meet us along the journey.

I'm preaching this Sunday July 5 at BridgeWay and then we'll be gone until after Labor Day...so I hope you have a terriffic summer if I don't get to see you before we leave! And I hope you'll take some time to pursue Jesus in your own way too this summer. It's the most important thing you could be doing with your time.

God Bless! Have a Great Summer.

Dave Ambrose

Another ACL Injury

Four years ago I had my ACL in my left knee replaced with a hamstring tendon by Dr. Kolias at OrthoIndy in Indianapolis. I started playing hoops again and really enjoying myself...that is until June 15 when someone undercut me at the local YMCA while I was going in for a layup. I had no where to land and my right knee buckled and I blew out my other ACL as well as damaged my miniscus pretty badly.

Off to OrthoIndy I went again, but this time Dr. Kolia was on vacation...so I saw Dr. Patel. After x-rays and an MRi, Dr. Patel confirmed that I had blown out another ACL. At first I was a little angry at the guy who undercut me. I was a little angry at God for the timing of the whole thing (I have to speak at DCLA in two weeks and then head out on a 6 week sabbatical). I had just finished taking care of my wife - who was recovering from her own surgery...and now this! C'mon God...can't I catch a break?

But then it hit me...even stuff like this is part of God's plan for my life. Somewhere in the middle of all this, he has a plan for me and my family and He wants me to learn through it all...He wants me to learn to trust Him even more. So this is an opportunity - it's an opportunity to learn to listen and slow down. It's an opportunity to allow others to take care of me (which is much more difficult than I ever imagined...). It's an opportunity to reflect on my life and see what God wants for me in the middle of it all.

So I went under the knife this past Tuesday, June 23. I had an allograft (cadavor) ACL replacement with major miniscus repair. It was a 2 hour surgery. The hospital was great! They gave me medicine to handle my nausea that I tend to get under anesthesia...and I didn't experience ANY side effects (besides saying a few crazy things). I had a nerve block in my leg too - that was interesting. My knee cap jumped involuntarily along with my toes...pretty weird. The next thing I knew, I was in the recovery room.

I've been working hard since then. I've got my Constant Passive Motion Machine (CPM) up to 110 degrees - as high as it will go - and its only been 4 days. At my follow up appointment, Dr. Patel sais I can't put any weight on my knee for two weeks! That's much different than my first surgery where I was putting weight on it right away. It's been pretty interesting as I've researched this deal on the Internet...some Docs say put weight on it right away, others don't. So for now, I'm using my crutches, trying to strengthen my leg and staying off of it for the most part. I have a full leg brace I wear when I get out for anything, and I have to wrap my entire leg in saran wrap when I get in the shower. It's been a much slower last few days to say the least, but I'm trying to see God in the middle of it all.

Its been great to have so many friends stopping by to check on me as well as a trememndous life partner to take care of me and encourage me along the way. Melody and my boys have been outstanding. I just hate feeling like a liability as I lay here and recover. I just want to walk, drive and get back to "normal" ya know? Whatever "normal" is...

Jesus, thanks for helping me through this. Thanks for what you're doing in my life by slowing me down. Help me trust you as I walk through this recovery process.

Slowing Me Down

Last Monday I was playing basketball and tore my ACL in my right knee. Back in 2004 I tore the ACL in my left knee and had it repaired...looks like I've got another surgery coming sooner than I expected. I'm supposed to leave for a sabbatical at work starting July 8 through Labor Day and I'm questioning God on the timing of this injury. I gott be honet, I was pretty depressed on Tuesday as I thought it all through. I love playing basketball. I'm not that good, but I love to play and get some exercise with a bunch of other guys. Why would God allow something like this to happen now? I had a lot of plans for the sabbatical...hiking, walking, etc. Now what do I do? Or maybe God was trying to tell me something. Maybe He was trying to slow me down some. Or maybe it wasn't God at all. Maybe it was the enemy trying to foil my plans. How do you tell the difference? Or maybe it was just my own stupidity...trying to play hoops with a bunch of twenty-somethings when you're 41 isn't the smartest idea in the world is it?

So where do I go from here? I'm thinking about convincing my doctor to do the surgery this week so I can start down the recovery road, but who knows...

One thing I know: God and me are good. It took a few days for me to chill out and listen to what He wanted to say to me, but I think I got it. He's saying: David, I'm God through the good and the not so good. Trust me. I will never leave you or forget about you. I love you David.

I think that's good enough for me.

Faith and the Swine Flu

Wow! There sure seems to be a lot of attention on the Swine Flu this week huh? It's a real shame that people all over the world are being affected by this thing and I hate that some are even dying. But this whole deal got me thinking about my life and where I put my trust. Is my trust in hand sanitizer? Is my trust in staying out of public places or refusing to shake hands? Or is my trust in the Lord Jesus Christ? I want to believe that Jesus is in control over every part of my life...even if I happen to catch some horrible disease someday. This world is under a curse and only jesus can set it right in the end. But for now, all I can do is trust Him and stop worrying about all the little things that I run across every day. Fear can drive me to withdraw. Fear can keep me up at night. Fear can paralyze me. That's why I have to learn to put my faith and trust in jesus for every part of my life, every single day. Lord, I love you and I know that You are ultimately in charge of this universe. I trust that anything you allow to come my way, you will use for my good somehow, because I love you and I trust you. Help me during my times of doubt and uncertainty. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

The Only Thing We Have to Fear is Fear Itself!

Fear has gripped our country. People are afraid of the economy, terrorists, pan flu and lots more. But what do we really have to fear if we place our faith and trust in Christ each day? The Bible says, "Perfect love casts out fear." What do you think that means exactly? If I center myself in the love of God and find my identity in Him, does that mean I have anything to be afraid of? And how do I continue to trust when everything else seems to be crumbling down around me? Lord, give me the eyes to see and ears to hear what you are trying to say to me today. I want to trust you, but sometimes it's just so difficult...

JustLife.TV Strategic Content Release Starts on FaceBook

This week (Feb. 23, 2009) was the first week of our Strategic Content Release on FaceBook! Each Monday a new video will be released on the JustLife.TV Fan Page followed by our weekly podcast release each Wednesday. I'm excited to see the positive message of JustLife.TV making a difference already! Our Fan Base has increased from 30 to over 100 people in the last month and we're hearing some exciting comments from people who are being impacted by the message. It's evident that God is at work and doing some exciting things in the lives of people who are interacting with the www.justlife.tv website. Help us by joining the JustLife.TV Fan Page yourself on FaceBook and tell yoru friends about it by writing something on yoru own personal FaceBook Page. We believe the Good News that justLife.TV teaches can make a major difference in this world and we are already seeing it in action!

Pride, Humility and Learning to Listen

I was praying at an All-Night Prayer Vigil my church was hosting and God clearly communicated to me. It wasn't something I relaly wanted to hear, but it was nothing but clear! He said, "Get over yourself Ambrose! This is not about you. This is about what I'm doing in and through you. So let me work. Step back...watch and see what I want to do. Humble yourself before me. Take time to listen. I love you David." Then God's Spirit directed me to Psalm 131 and guess what it was all about: You got it...Pride! And stilling and quieting my heart so God can speak. And that's really what's most important anyway right? Learning to listen to God...getting quiet enough to hear...and humbling myself enough to respond to His voice by obeying what he says...

This is Going to be a Great Year!

Well the holidays are finally over and now the recovery begins. I need to recover from the cookies, the nutroll, the fruitcake. I need to recover from too much time with the "extended" family. I need to recover from not exercising for a month. I need to get back in the swing of things again. I'm looking forward to the New Year. I'm hoping it will be a bit different from last year. I'm hoping the Stock Market will come back. I'm hoping Uncle Sam will bail me out of all the credit card bills from the holidays. I'm hoping gas won't hit $5/gallon this year. I'm hoping our new President inspires people to optimism. But most importantly, I'm hoping I can focus on a few things this year and really see some cool things happen. I'm hoping to focus on my spirituality and my relationship with Christ. I want to see Him do some amazing things in my life this year. I want to see Him use me to serve and love people more than ever this year. I'm also hoping to focus on my family this year. I want to be a great husband and father. They're the most important ones in my life anyway! And finally, I want to focus on simply BEING this year. Being God's Child. Resting in His presence. Basking in His love. Learning to wait for Him in every single moment of my life. If I can do that, this is going to be a great year!