A Life Well Lived - by Neal Hatfield

Remember GOD has a plan for your life. 

The question is have you deeply sought HIM for HIS plan for you.

Remember you can’t have a GODLY life with a closed Bible.

Obey GOD and leave all the consequences to HIM.

When you have a question, ask the LORD about it and do what HE says.

Live by I Corinthians 10:31 and enjoy watching then LORD direct your steps.

When this life is over you will hear your precious SAVIOR say,  “WELL DONE”.

I can promise you it will be worth it all when we see JESUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!      

A Butterfly's Lesson

The following analogy was emailed to all of us staff members here at Uplands by Brother Neal.  It is so encouraging:

The Butterfly's Lesson

author unknown

One day, a small opening appeared in a cocoon; a man sat and watched for the butterfly for several hours  as it struggled to force its body through that little hole.   


It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and  it could not go any further. Then, it seems to stop making any  progress.


So the man decided to help the butterfly: he took a pair of scissors and opened the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily.  


But it had a withered body,  it was tiny and shriveled wings.


The man continued to watch because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would open, enlarge and expand, to be able to support the butterfly’s body, and become firm.


Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a withered body and  shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.    


What the man, in his kindness and his goodwill did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get  through the tiny opening, were God’s way of forcing  fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings, so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.


Sometimes, struggles are exactly what we need in our life.  If God allowed us to go through our life without any obstacles, it would  cripple us. We would not be as strong as we could have been. Never been able to fly.

I asked for Strength... and God gave me  difficulties to make me strong.

I asked for Wisdom... and God gave me problems to solve.

I asked for prosperity...and God gave me a brain and brawn to work.

I asked for Courage…and God gave me obstacles to overcome.

I asked for Love...and God gave me troubled  people to help.  

I asked for Favors...and God gave me  Opportunities.  

"I received nothing I wanted...but I received everything I needed."

"Live life without fear, confront all obstacles and know that you can overcome them."

Selling Out for the Savior - by Neal Hatfield

When we look back on New Testament conversions, we see people who were radically changed.  They sold out totally to Christ.  He became their Lord.  That meant He was their master and they did what He said.

The Scriptures say, “For me to live is Christ” and refer to Christ "who is our life."  That’s what Jesus wants...ALL of us!

Let’s sell out today!

I Just Want to be Clean - by Neal Hatfield

We Must Be Refinded Like Gold

The LORD wants to purge us. When gold is mined out of the earth, it is
surrounded by impurity. They take it and boil it under intense heat and all
of the impurities rise to the top and are skimmed off and the pure gold
remains. Psalms 51:1-13 talks about that. David sees his ugly sin, knows he
has broken the heart of GOD and yearns to be cleaned, purged, and set free.
He cried out things like , blot it out, purge me, create in me a clean
heart. The bottom line is he was desperate about his sin.

Are you there? Do you want that kind of cleansing? The truth is only JESUS
CHRIST can do that. The Bible says we must repent, that means we come to the
place that we hate our sin, confess it to the LORD and then forsake it. When
we are really broken about our sin we not only want to be forgiven but we
want to be changed and not go back to it.  Many times I have prayed "LORD I
am sick and tired of being sick and tired. Please change me".
Maybe your are in the cleansing fire right now, run to JESUS and let him
skim off all the filth and let is HIS purity shine in your life. I love the
kids song: let others see JESUS in you, let other see JESUS in you, keep
telling the story so faithful and true, let others see JESUS in you. I
really do JUST WANT TO BE CLEAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ten Seconds from Stupid - by Neal Hatfield

According to Psalms 51, sin requires a purging. When we are purged, we can walk away clean and free from the load of our sin. When David slept with a woman who was not his wife, he began to feel the incredible pain of his sin. When he was ready to repent to a holy GOD, he blamed nobody but himself. The sin that began in his mind soon consumed him. Listen to what he cried out to the LORD:

Blot out my transgression.

Wash me thoroughly.

Cleanse me.

Create in me a clean heart.

He cried out to the LORD because he knew he had broken the law of GOD. Even though he had hurt Bathsheba, killed Uriah, and consented to the death of some of his great soldiers, he realized the greatest pain he had caused was that he had broken the heart of GOD. That is when real repentance comes for any of us, when we say, "LORD against you and you only have I sinned." The good news is that GOD is always right. The great news is that HE make a way back home for all of us if we will come to HIM broken about our ugly sin. The truth is, we are all only ten seconds from stupid.  Ask the LORD to help you run from sin. Grab on to I John 1:7 and walk in the light of JESUS.

Aren't You Glad There is a Way Back Home?! by Neal Hatfield

Psalms 51:1-13 is so powerful. We see a broken man who is haunted by his sin. I can almost assure you that when David was in bed with Bathsheba, the satisfaction of sex was out of this world. He never thought that this short term pleasure would lead him to lie, kill a man, see his baby die, and so much more. Any way you cut it, sin is ugly. Sin’s pleasures are so temporary, but the results are so eternal.





I have learned a few things about sin in my thirty-one years of knowing Christ.

1.  It is not worth the temporary fun it brings.

2.  If I get too close to sin, my thoughts get all messed up and I make bad decisions.

3.  I realize that I could commit any sin a lost person can, and I need to be honest with myself that I am very weak in many areas.

I am so glad that the Lord makes a way back home for sinners. I love I John1:7-10. Read it, pray it, and believe God wants you to come back home to Daddy.  In my next blog post, we will go even deeper into Psalms 51.

Life is Good! by Neal Hatfield

Wow!  A day in the life of serving Christ; Psalm 37:3-4 is great!  The Lord says to follow Him and He will give you the desires of your heart.

So, here is a day in the life of Neal Hatfield:

• Thursday night, asleep at 1 a.m.
• Friday: rise before sunrise, clean the barn and take care of a horse who got stitches on Thursday.
• Take off for the camp at 8:15 a.m. 
• Ran by McDonalds and ate their great oatmeal with Sue.
• Met a great friend of Uplands Reach who donated a new horse called Black Jack.
• Ran to the bank and got ready for a URCC retreat.
• Retreat group arrived at 1 p.m.
• I got to work and study until 6:30 p.m.
• I headed to the gym to preach to some incredible world changers.
• Finished the service at 8 p.m. and took the group on a night hike.  We climbed about 500 feet in elevation and looked at God’s beautiful creation.
• Got the group bedded down in the bunk houses.
• Hit the bed early that night at 12:30 a.m.
• Could not wait to get up and have another day with champions at Uplands Reach.

God is good and truly gives the desires of our hearts.  Life is good!

What is a World Changer? - by Neal Hatfield

Every New Testament conversion was a radical conversion.  When you see a World Changer like Paul, everywhere he went there was either a revival or a riot.


  A World Changer has a passion to reach this world with the radical life-changing power of Jesus Christ. In 1967, 100,000 young people gathered in San Francisco for an event called the Summer of Love.  It was a major gathering during the hippie movement.  Sadly what many of those young people learned was how to use LSD, smoke marijuana, be sexually immoral, question authority, and turn their backs on the Savior who had been so gracious to them.  


When that summer ended, 100,000 young people invaded the cities of the United States of America and Europe and two great land masses began a downward spiral because so many had turned their back on the Savior. A World Changer for Christ wants to bring this nation back to her roots.  The roots of a nation that loved the Word of God, believed that Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven, embraced his sacrificial death for the sins of all people, believed in His bodily resurrection, and looked forward to His soon return for the Bride of Christ.  


A World Changer sees that their calling is to be a missionary where ever God places them.  Indeed they are an army of radicals whose personal life has been changed by the power of Jesus Christ and they are willing to take His message wherever they go.  Uplands Reach has a passion to raise up an army of World Changers.  These World Changers may bring about one of the last great revivals before the Lord Jesus comes again.

Status: Inspired

Here are some awesome Facebook status updates from 
our favorite preacher, Neal Hatfield: 

January 24th:

Psalms 51:6 The LORD wants us real on the inside. The old hymn says: "Prone to wander LORD I feel it, Prone to leave the one I love, take my heart LORD, take and seal it." I want a life that the LORD is pleased with from the inside out.


January 16th:


 Thessalonians 4:16-18 Maybe today is the day the LORD will come back for HIS bride. I want to live like a bride arrayed in fine linen, clean and white. Revelation 19:8


January 8th:


John 3:30 The battle of my life is surrendering to the one who loves me most. 31 years of trying to follow the SAVIOR and I have never regretted the result. Let me learn from my past surrenders and relinquish my present selfish rights.


January 2nd:


I JOHN 1:9 We all have a chance for a brand new start in 2011. Lets confess and forsake any known sin and allow the LORD JESUS CHRIST to cleanse us and use us in a great way. It feels so incredible to be clean with the LORD. 


December 26th:


John 3:16 What an incredible time to serve and love the SAVIOR. The next great biblical event in history will be the return of JESUS for HIS bride. Can you imagine seeing the SAVIOR whom you have served with all your heart, mind, and soul since you got radically saved. Live with an eternal perspective.


December 20th:


Luke 2:1-7 It is so incredible that JESUS loved us so much that he made only one way to get to heaven. We dont need to be confused, HE made it simple. Its all about JESUS, HIS virgin birth, HIS sinless life, HIS blood willingly shed as HE gave up HIS life, the SAVIOR taking my sin, and the great fact that HE rose from the dead and is alive today! JESUS the real reason for the season.


December 13th:


Luke 2:30 I love to meditate on what it must have been like for Simeon to see the everlasting SAVIOR. It is so cool that I will see HIM some soon day.


December 6th:


Colossians 1:20 Peace can only come from the PRINCE of PEACE. The scriptures say, "having made peace through the blood of HIS cross". Seek JESUS and find real peace.

"Thoughts for a Life That Counts" by Neal Hatfield

I truly believe that seeking the will of GOD for your life is only second to your salvation, these are the two highest priorities in life and eternity. If these two are not right in your life everything else will be failure. I want to share some quotes with you to meditate on as you pray and seek HIS face.

“Faith is not believing GOD can, it is knowing that HE will”-Unknown

“A smooth sea never made a skilled mariner”-Unknown

“Any simpleton can follow the narrow path in the light: Faith’s rare wisdom enables us to march on in the dark.”

-C.H. Spurgeon

“Courage, my heart! Go little by little, for many littles will make a great whole.”-C.H. Spurgeon”

“True greatness does not come to those who strive for worldly fame; it lies instead with those who choose to serve in JESUS name.”- DeHaan

”The most common reasons for not pursuing a dream or goal are fear of failure or the uncertainty of success. If you wait for the perfect conditions, you will most likely never act.”-Ron Edmonston

“When you can’t track GOD trust HIM”-Lester Roloff

“He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”- Jim Elliot

“Only one life will soon be past, only what is done for CHRIST will last.”-Unknown

“If GOD be your partner, make your plans large.”-D.L. Moody

“Something is wrong when our lives make sense to unbelievers.”-Francis Chan

“Every generation has a duty to the next.”-Unknown

“We talk of the second coming; half of the world has never heard of the first”-Oswald J. Smith

“There are no crown wearers in heaven, who were not cross bearers on earth.”-C.H. Spurgeon

“Inspiration may move us to start, but passion drives us to finish.”-Unknown

“Those who turn back will never reach the summit.”-H. Jackson Brown

“Unshakable faith is faith that has been shaken.” -Unknown

“Leaders are not born into the family of GOD, they are made in the refining fires of life.”-Neal Hatfield

“Keep your eyes on JESUS!”-Neal Hatfield

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”-JESUS

"Radicals for Christ" by Neal Hatfield

"Radicals for Christ" is what I would call the World Changers who came to CORE Camp.  We trained middle school, high school, and college age champions to share their faith.

We invaded Appalachian State University on The Rock at the Appalachian vs. Wofford game.  These Warriors shared Christ with as many as they could.  There were over 30,000 attending that particular game.

We then cut them loose to text as many of their unsaved friends as they could and lead them to Christ.  It is so cool to see people get saved.

I believe God is raising up an army of radical young people who can reach this generation.  I can't wait to see what God does at camp this summer.