Fran Trascritti Pastors, Seeking God

Why I’m taking a break…

All of us should know how important it is to take time to think, to pray, and to refresh in order to be effective in their daily life. Days off are important. Vacations are important. A period of reset is incredibly important.

At key points in my life, I have been blessed to have taken time to reflect and seek the Lord, and He has always spoken in one direction or another. Time away from the grind and towards the Spirit’s leading is essential, and these past ten days have been especially fruitful.

I’m coming off of a much needed vacation, and God has spoken to me that I need to confess and adjust. What do I need to confess? Here it is: I’m confessing my over-scheduled life, my addiction to screen time, and my lack of deep, meaningful, and worshipful prayer time with the Lord.

My daily grind has been more secular than spiritual, more world than the Word, and though I have taken great steps to not fall into the “flesh trap” of doing ministry apart from the Spirit, I fear that I have been heading there. What’s worse is that after a year and a half of a daily grind to revitalize a church and turn our focus to gospel centeredness, I realize now that the greatest tragedy is the lack of the power of the Spirit of Christ in the work. And apart from Him, we can do nothing.

That’s why I am taking a break. Not from ministry and not from my church, but I’m deemphasizing activities in my life that take me away from the two greatest loves: God and people. This means less screen time, less social media, less TV, and yes, less email, text, and FB messenger. I’m instead replacing it with other things: more activities that involve me seeking to read, pray, reflect, care, share, and love life and those around me. I’ll focus less on postings and more on people. Less on “efficiency.” Less quantity, more quality. More on life. More on eternal life.

My hope is to be better, to be ever more focused on Christ and His abundant life rather than getting sucked into an inferior substitute that the world offers. This is why for the summer at least and possibly longer, I’m disengaging from social media. I’m removing it from my phone, even in some cases, deactivating some accounts.

I ask you to pray for me as I begin again at Beacon Church this week to renew our call to the gospel. Pray for a new focus, for renewed faithfulness, and for a proclaimed future in Christ, both in me and through me.

Blessings,

Pastor Fran

Fran Trascritti bible, culture, gospel, Jesus, Missions

Building on the Foundation at Beacon Church

Years ago, Teresa and I found out some horrible news. The house that we were living in had been renovated a few years before by the prior owner, and for some reason, we began to see stains that popped up on the kitchen floor. The stains grew bigger and bigger, and eventually, we started to see moisture from a wall. Because it looked like it might have been a water leak, I called the plumber and he quickly determined the cause of the problem: an old ice maker valve that had been attached to a pipe in a wall had begun to leak, and when they did the renovation of the house, the drywall was built around the pipe. What a terrible realization!

The leak that came from that pipe dripped throughout the kitchen, soaking all of the interior structure beneath the floor of the kitchen. In other words, all of the supporting studs were waterlogged, causing damage, destruction, and ultimately, danger for our family. Thankfully, insurance took care of everything, and soon we had workers who literally took apart our kitchen and went to the very foundation of the house to put in a new kitchen. We spent most of the weeks throughout the holidays cooking our meals on hot plates and depending on the microwave- even for our Thanksgiving meal! However, eventually, that section of the house was rebuilt, and we had a safe, beautiful place to live in: in other words, the house was better than ever before!

Now let’s apply this example to our church. When our church first began our revitalization journey years ago, some very important structural things needed to be done at Beacon. And God used Pastor Ron and many of you to make these important changes for the greater good of the gospel. Some very difficult decisions had been made, including a name change, building updates, and all this through a pandemic. It was indeed a hard journey to dig deep, get strategic, and lay foundations in preparation for the next steps as a church.

And that’s where we were when I arrived at Beacon Church one year ago. Since then, we have carefully laid a solid foundation of discipleship and fellowship at our church. In fact, nearly everyone in our church body is either in a Sunday morning small group that studies the Bible, or in our Wednesday night Bible study, or is involved in the Big Bible Challenge—and some of you are in all three! We have been intentional about having more fellowship, bonding with one another in love, supporting and knowing one another intimately, and focusing on having community as a body of Christ. These are all important foundational things in a solid, healthy church.

So what’s next? Clearly, we need to build on our foundation of discipleship: evangelism and missions. We currently are thankful that we have guests almost every week at our church, and many return to visit again. Yet there’s a need for our community that we cannot ignore: within a ten-minute drive of our church, at least 100,000 people do not worship anywhere, and many of whom do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. And because we now have the ability to disciple and receive people, we need to shift to focus on creating a culture of missions and evangelism to reach our neighbors. This means that there will be training on how to share your faith, we will be improving our greeter/welcome ministry, our process for guest follow-up will be updated, and we will offer opportunities for you to serve and to share Christ in local, national, and international mission efforts. This includes a planned international missions trip in late summer/early fall (details coming soon).

Church, the West Side of Cincinnati and beyond needs Jesus, and the time is now. We’ve already laid a foundation through God and His Word, and it’s time to continue the build on this as we welcome people into our home. It’s exciting to see this happening before our eyes! I believe that we can be better than ever before as a church, but it will take your intentional effort to fulfill God’s potential in you. I believe that we can see lives transformed, families changed, and the continued presence of God’s Spirit seen among us. Please pray, seek God, and ask him how he will involve you in such a great task as to reach the West side and beyond with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Together, we can do this!

In love and faith,

Pastor Fran

Fran Trascritti ministry, Pastors

Stop Trying to be Famous!

Years ago at a gathering of church leaders, I ran across a young man and immediately could see that he was a guy who was trying to climb the “ladder.” He entered the large lobby, chewing on a piece of gum, hair done perfectly right, clothing in style, and spoke to no one. No one, except those who in his mind, mattered. He quickly climbed that so-called ladder, rose to more influential, higher paying, and well known positions, and appeared to be set. At least from a fleshly perspective.

Years later, this young man would fail morally, losing his ministry position, and falling into relative obscurity. His fall was faster than his rise.

In the Book of Genesis, there is an interesting description of the people post-flood and how they reacted to God’s commands to multiply and fill the earth: Genesis 11:4 (ESV), “4 Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.'”

The people were commanded to fill the earth, but they intended to do the opposite. They were to be a world that would praise YHWH’s name, but they sought to elevate their own. In other words, the Kingdom of God would have to wait, because, after all, they were out for themselves.

Ministry is no place for names to be made. It’s no place for famous people. In fact, it should be the opposite. For a church leader, there’s only one name that needs to be elevated, and that is the saving name of Jesus. People don’t go to my church but Christ’s church, people don’t need to worship their pastor, but Jesus and only Jesus.

Brother, sister, stop trying to be famous. Vanity is vapid and the praise of man is folly. God will not share His glory with you or any other, so move on. Instead, join with me as we seek to go deeper in our walk, loving people who may not always love us, and share what it means to serve a holy God in a whole hearted way.

Pastor Fran

Fran Trascritti bible, Devotional, ministry, Pastors

What Do you Do When Others Attack?

Then I sent to him, saying, “No such things as you say have been done, for you are inventing them out of your own mind.” Nehemiah 6:8 ESV

At this point in the building of the wall around Jerusalem, the enemies of the work resorted to threats, lies, and deceit against the city, the people, and especially, Nehemiah. They openly mocked the work, threatened the safety of the families, sent multiple letters to Nehemiah, and even hired a prophet to try to entice him to sin.

Yet none of these plots worked. At every new threat, Nehemiah resisted and relied on the Lord. Even when the enemies accused him of beginning a rebellion against the king, Nehemiah refuted it and plainly told them, “you are inventing these things in your own mind.” The work continued as he inspired confidence and encouragement in the people. Soon the wall was built, the Temple was protected, and regular worship and sacrifices took place again.

When we are truly doing God’s work in the Kingdom, the enemy is almost certainly going to attack. And it tends to come in waves of strikes, usually in the form of accusations, deceptions, and even attempts at personal smears of the leadership. Opponents of the gospel will devote hard work and energy to divide and discourage the people of God, and good, godly leaders will often experience great pain and suffering. Personally, I have experienced these attacks in the past and I expect that attacks will continue to occur until glory comes. That is, as long as I am not discouraged or dissuaded from preaching Christ.

But, as we did with my last post, let’s look again at Nehemiah’s responses to his opponents. When he was attacked, Nehemiah had a response of encouragement, a word from the Word. He was angry but did not sin. Instead, he stood firm, held to the task at hand, relied on the Lord and His people, and stayed pure as he avoided temptations to sin.

His example should be your example if you are under attack. Here’s a few practical responses you can take:

  1. Run to the Word. Check your motives and walk. Don’t let the accusations have any ground for truth by being in the truth of the Scriptures.
  2. Be confident in your calling. This does not mean to be self confident, but be “God confident.” Stay reassured that God’s calling in you is going to be completed, for “he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil 1:6).
  3. Stay free of temptations and sin. Everyone is going to sin, of course, but it is vital to avoid the intentional sins which so easily plague us. Nehemiah did just that, choosing to stay pure in God’s eyes, whether avoiding sin or even more importantly, being righteously angry and not sinning. You need to be no different in your lifestyle, but when you do blow it (and you surely will) repent and do better.
  4. Respond in a godly, firm manner. The best and only response is a calm, Christ centered response that places the gospel first and ego last. Let God work it out, because, well, He will. The means to again run to God, not standing on your own strength but on His power. This also means, of course, to stay connected with the Spirit in prayer and the Word.

Hope these are useful and helpful. Let me know if you have any other takeaways from this passage.

May the Lord use you greatly, suppressing the enemy and advancing His Kingdom. To God be the glory!

Pastor Fran

Fran Trascritti bible, Devotional, ministry

Got Wolves?

This morning while reading God’s Word, I came across this passage about the opposition that Nehemiah had when trying to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem:

And next to them the Tekoites repaired, but their nobles would not stoop to serve their Lord.
Nehemiah 3:5 ESV

Here’s the background behind this text: God gave Nehemiah a clear vision to rebuild the walls, and the Lord even made a way for Nehemiah to have favor and blessings from the king to do this task. So once he came to Jerusalem, the favor continued as the people as a whole followed him. However, not all were on board.

Along with the two riff-raff opponents, Sanballat and Tobiah, the Tekoite nobles didn’t want to be a part of this work. Whether it was pride or fear as the reason for their passive aggressive behavior, we don’t know for sure, but their opposition was big enough of an issue to be mentioned here in Scripture. We can guess, however, that the nobles (who lived in Jerusalem) probably benefited in some way from the exile. These “wolves within the gates” must have thrived on the instability around them and stood much to lose if the rebuilding failed. In other words, they favored the status quo in order to be in the best position to benefit themselves. Of course, the walls and gates were completed in a short period of time, the city was secure, and Nehemiah began to reform the city spiritually and morally once the city was secured physically.

Just as wolves were among the people, we can also see this taking place at times in the church of today. These sort of wolves are named in the New Testament as “waterless clouds” (Jude 12) or even “waterless springs” (2 Peter 2:17). Jesus, of course warned of those “who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” (Matthew 7:15, ESV). People like this are not of the Spirit but of the flesh, and they see the world through the lens of the physical and the political. They seek to place themselves first, and worst of all, they look at God’s work in the church from a worldly, fleshly perspective. Such people harm and destroy ministries and lives. And yes, they are frustrating and discouraging for these leaders, and for good reason: many a leader has fallen victim to attacks by these sort of wolves, even causing some to leave their God given calling. This should not be so.

So, what should you do? Look at Nehemiah’s example. First, he sought the Lord and His vision. Second, he sought help, brining resources and godly people to implement the plan. He ignored critics, focusing on the work in front of him and praying in the Spirit for protection. When he discerned that there were evil people trying to distract them, he moved forward, knowing that a few fleshly opponents of God’s vision cannot be allowed to hijack God’s work before them. Instead, he prayed, focused, and brought entire families to help complete the work.

And complete it they did. His laser like focus remained until the work was finished. His dependence on God led him to further reforms after the walls were completed. And most of all, Nehemiah finished well.

Finish well. Stay in the Word. Bring others with you. Stay encouraged.

Blessings,

Pastor Fran

Fran Trascritti Devotional, intimacy

The Sting of a Friend…

We used to have close fellowship; we walked with the crowd into the house of God. Psalm 55:14 CSB

Years ago, a close friend of mine hurt me deeply. When I was my most vulnerable emotionally and mentally, this person verbally attacked me, causing me more pain and angst. It was a dark time, a difficult time, and though I have since forgiven that person, I came away with some learning lessons.

The insults of a friend turned adversary stings and stings hard. This psalm is not much different than my own situation, where a friend acted treacherously. What I found was that the pain of a strained relationship haunts and hurts, and it even affected my worship of the Lord. It took a long time and many restless nights to get through it. And that only happened when I forgave.

But what did I learn? First, forgiveness is key. This is a forgiveness that is true and authentic. After all, as believers, we are called to fellowship, to reconcile our differences. We are to forgive, not once, not twice, not seven times, but seventy times seven (or infinitely). And yes, this is hard. Very hard.

But authentic, countless forgiveness is a radical concept, even counter cultural. That’s because it’s different than the world, since the throw away culture of today tosses relationships aside like trash in the interest of self preservation. As believers, though, we must treasure relationships as blood brothers and sisters in Christ. We preserve Christ, not self. We practice peace. We extend radical forgiveness based in the Spirit and truth, something that the world doesn’t normally see or experience.

I also learned through this experience that humility toward others is essential. When I forgave, I got healthy, but even more importantly, I learned more about myself and how I probably also hurt others around me. I realized that I had my own logs in my eye. And excuse the pun, but it was eye opening, for sure!

That said, forgiveness and humility go hand in hand. Paul wrote as much in Ephesians 4:32 (ESV): “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Being reminded to forgive as Christ did is in itself a humbling experience. When we have a posture of humility, forgiveness can happen and we are (hopefully) more careful not to hurt others, and instead look out for their interests (Phil 2:4). We treat others as we want to be treated (Luke 6:31).

We can all avoid being that friend who stings. Even more, all of us can do better in forgiving others. I pray that this is helpful for you.

For me, I am starting a new ministry this Sunday. And in this new ministry, I will commit to being an example to the preservation of loving, godly relationships that glorify Christ, uplift souls, and lead to worship of the One True God. May I be a peacemaker for Jesus.

Pastor Fran

Fran Trascritti gospel, Jesus, salvation

Are You All In?

Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:27 CSB

The gauntlet is laid down here: for those who are to follow Jesus, there is a great cost. Jesus even gives two examples: first, a building (or tower), and second, a king going off to war. In both examples, they would consider the cost first. The same is true for following Christ.

This is not “easy believism” by any means. To bear one’s cross means to sacrifice all, to die to self, to completely change one’s life for Jesus. This means to be willing to do extreme things in extreme days, all for the sake of the call. This means that once Jesus has been received, there’s no turning back.

You are called to a life that is not your own because of the life given to you by Christ alone. This means not having a posture to love both God and the world. In order to serve God completely, you have to be all in. Simply put, it means that you must reject the ways of the world and receive the way of Christ. There is no middle ground here, according to Jesus.

For those in Christ already, are you all in, or are you still keeping a foot in the ways of the world? It’s not too late to change your ways and begin again to live for Him.

For those of you who need to trust in Him, this is a relationship in a new, abundant life! This is because it is Jesus who lived a sinless life, died on the cross for your sins, and rose from the dead. People who receive Jesus receive forgiveness for their sins. This begins a new life in Him, a life that is never the same again.

Where are you at here? Are you all in? I pray that you are.

Fran

Fran Trascritti Devotional

Loving the Unlovable…

If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. Luke 6:32 CSB

Love is never meant to be kept in comfortable, familiar places. Love changes hearts, changes lives, pierces the dark, pierces dark hearts. Love conquers all.

When we love each other, there’s no greater blessing. But when we love those who are difficult to love, there’s no greater glory for God. In a disposable, throw away world, it’s our willingness to take chances with loving others that changes the world. It’s when we risk our hearts that we see that love never fails.

How are you doing in this area? Are you just staying “safe” with who you associate with? Instead, love people well, even those hard to love. Love them so they can see God’s love in You.

Pastor Fran

Fran Trascritti Devotional, Jesus, ministry

A word on worship…

Just a random thought this morning as I read some scripture passages about worship (Leviticus 5 and Romans 9:30-33):

First, let’s remember that the actions of worship are not about what is perfect but about the One who is perfect. In other words, the sacrifices mean nothing if the faith isn’t there. We can do everything right technically, but still miss out completely on a worship that is rich in spirit and truth.

This impacts us today. The worship in the New Testament church should be more about purpose than the pursuit of the perfect. The music might be dated, or loud, or off beat, or the preaching might go long, or the reader might stumble on a word or two, but none of that matters. What does matter is the audience, the true audience, the audience of One. The focus of all worship is to be on God Himself and the declaration that He is sovereign and His people trust in Him by faith.

My prayer this morning: God, do not let me stray in my focus on You, whether in my personal, private time of worship or in a corporate setting. Focus me on You. Keep me set on the beauty and the sacrifice of Christ, His resurrection, His return one day, all for His glory. Amen.

Fran Trascritti culture, Missions

Jesus is Better

For they loved human praise more than praise from God. John 12:43 CSB

The message about Jesus Christ was heard by the people of Jerusalem, and there were some who believed in Him. However, they did not make it public because they were afraid of being tossed out of the synagogue and of being cast out of their society. Being a part of the Jewish society meant that there was a powerful stronghold that was hard to break. John might have judged them harshly here, but truthfully, he is right: their secret faith showed that they loved the praise from man more than the praise from God.

We are no different today. Sure, we all know how toxic our society is, but can be difficult to break past the culture of today. Yet we are called to a gospel that is counter cultural, a gospel that is disruptive in the natural man’s life. Those who believe in Christ are different, and those who follow Christ will see a sacrificial change from the status quo of the present. This is why Jesus told us to count the cost of following Him, because everything changes. And this can include friends, family, preferences, and, yes, our daily lifestyle. All of these are affected because of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Again, breaking free is not easy, but Jesus is better. This means that our life of faith in Christ should be known and not hidden, shared and not kept secret. We believe, not to hide Him away, but to allow Him to change us and to change the world. And yes, while this makes us different, the truth is that we are foreigners in this planet, citizens of heaven, ambassadors who have an assignment to tell others about our place of paradise. This is also why, when we think about this, it makes no sense to try to still hold on to the present day when we have so much better to come in the eternal future. Again, Jesus is better.

Praying that God speaks to you about this. May we all be open to others around us with our faith, and may we be salt and light to others as we share the love of Jesus!

Fran