07/09/07 UPDATE

Yet another cultural difference - people in Omaha go berserk over the 4th of July. Fireworks are outlawed within the city limits, which doesn't really stop anybody. They go out and buy the really big stuff - like the professional type stuff and do their own shows from their yards. I heard stories of people spending several thousand on their shows! Judging by the skyline, it's another case of one-upmanship. We have a neighbor who went out and bought a ton of them. Everybody on our street gathered around the circle and watched. We're on a hill and as you look down the street, you can see a long way. As far as we could see, there were these huge displays going on. It blew us away. I wish i had a video camera to capture it and post it because words don't do it justice.

Other than that, the big news of the week was our block parties on Saturday and Sunday nights. We knocked on roughly 1200 doors to advertise. The Saturday night crowd was kind of disappointing. There were not as many people and they were all Christians committed to their churches. The Sunday night party was awesome, however. We had 47 adults and 50 kids. Many of them were not churched and we had very productive conversations with several of them. We had nine request more information on the church and several more who were not registered. It was really encouraging and we were excited about the results.

One interesting note was that we met two church planters through our work.

Prayer requests:

We have a team hosting backyard Bible clubs in two neighborhoods Monday through Thursday.
I will be traveling to NYC for coaching.
We have several couples who are considering helping us out. Pray that God will clarify that call for us and them.
Luis Palau is doing a big evangelistic crusade in O this weekend.

07/02/07 UPDATE

Honestly, this last week was a little slow and boring. It's the calm before the storm, because July is going to be crazy. I used the slower week to get ahead for some of the things in July - trying to get my reading done for the coaching meeting, planning the year ahead, etc. I won't try to make the details sound more glorious than they were.

Please pray for us this week as we get prepared for the arrival of another mission team. Technically, it's two teams, but they will be working in tandem. The first one is hosting two neighborhood parties on July 7 and 8. These will be used to promote the work of the second team, which will be hosting Backyard Bible Clubs on the 9-12. Pray for God to prepare the hearts of the people in these neighborhoods.

06/25/07 UPDATE

This week's update is all over the place, so I'll try to keep it brief.

I'm an addict. I admit it. We were given tickets to two games of the College World Series. Awesome! I'm hooked.

Our trusty van gave up the ghost this week. The engine is shot, so I have a really big paperweight in the front driveway. Please pray for us as we consider the next steps in that area.

Our basement apartment it coming along really well. It should be finished on Saturday, except for floor coverings.

Last night we had a cookout to hang out with some of the people who are helping with/interested in the church (see picture). We had 12 adults (2 more had to cancel at the last minute). It was a great time. It seems like people are beginning to "gel" with one another and become more interested in the church. I think any and all of them would be a big help, so we're praying for God's leadership. This week, we're also arranging several "get togethers" with others who couldn't make the cookout. In addition, I meet someone nearly every day who's interested in the church. A lot of them are tickling in from contacts the mission team did a week or so ago. In short, everything seems to be going really well.

Thanks for your prayers, I really feel there impact. When we're hit with what would ordinarily be a very discouraging situation, I've been able to just shrug it off and trust God to handle it. That's totally a grace-of-God thing, so I'm appreciative. Keep it up . . . please!

06/18/07 UPDATE

I had my third church planter coaching meeting last week. I'm really thankful that we got involved there - I think things would have turned out far different if we hadn't. It's probably been the best thing I've been involved with as far as training and leadership.

That kept me out of the loop most of the week. One real encouragement was that I talked to 6 people on Monday who all volunteered that they really wanted to make the service and just couldn't. They are planning to make the July service. I've also secured the worship leader for that service.

The two biggest notes of praise are that it appears we have a location to meet for the coming year. A middle school in the area has approved our application and are sending it to the district. That is great news - I've really been sweating it.

The other thing was a family issue - I've asked you to pray about our schooling options. Homeschooling just wasn't working out and we can't afford Christian schools here. J'line had some concerns about public schooling, but did find one public school program that we all really liked (they have a different educational format). She applied, but the boys were way down on the waiting list and they didn't see any real chance that they would get in. However, we got the call on Monday and they made it. They went and saw it and are pretty excited. We've talked with a lot of people here that say it is basically an underground Christian school.

Anyway, things here are really good. Please pray this week for:

Our "comeback event" Sunday night. We are inviting people who have expressed an interest in the church to a cookout here. It is meant to be a relationship-building time. Pray for the right people to turn out.

Two, continue to pray for our planning and preparations for the mission teams next month and our second monthly service.

06/11/07 UPDATE



Well, I guess the question on everyone's mind is "How did Sunday go?" We had 29 people, kids and all. There were 7 from a mission team, so there were 22 "official prospects." There were several people that I was fairly confident would be there who weren't. We also were so busy that we didn't get to invite all the people that we wanted to. Basically, that is encouraging because there are a ton of prospects to continue developing throughout the summer. This was step #1 in the process, not really the "start." That will come September 16.

I was asked how I felt about the process and I told them "really good." We put that together with basically one week of publicity. Before the next service, we will host 4 more block parties and have time to cultivate many of the contacts we've already made. There's also August to continue that and then an intense time of publicity (including 2 mass mailers) before the public launch on September 16. I think things are going well.

Also, everything seemed to go without any problems, so I think we are prepared for a lot more people. Since there was a small turnout, I have the opportunity to prepare for our follow up, etc. for the next meeting.

To finalize the updates from last week, we had a block party on Friday and had a great turnout. There were 80 people registered and probably more present. We had several really good contacts. The mission team was a tremendous help. They contacted about 1700 homes over the week, did three block parties, and worked without complaint. They were awesome!

I left yesterday and unloaded all of our supplies in the garage. I had a ton left to do, but i turned off the cell phone, unplugged the phone, and took a nap! We have had an exhausting couple of weeks and more on the horizon.

The picture above is of our meeting space. For clarification, the bottles on the lower right are flavored syrups for coffee:)

Thursday update

We re-distributed fliers in the neighborhood announcing the rescheduled neighborhood party. We got a great reception and had the party last night. There were more people, although not a ton more. We gave away a kid's bicycle and they were all really excited about that.

We do have several really solid prospects - as in, I expect them to be there on Sunday. There are also several others that are a real possibility for attending.

we're really excited about it. Please pray for Friday night's party.

06/06/07 UPDATE

Just got home from the block party. The wind was gusting over 50 miles an hour. We pulled up and a small tree (6 or 7 feet) was blown over. We set up the bounce house and started filling it up until the "D ring" we used to tie it down with straightened out in the wind. We used my gas grill to cook and had to put it inside the trailer so it would stay lit. We decided it was ridiculous and unsafe to continue, so we cancelled the games and served the food. We told everyone to help themselves to the food and we'd try again tomorrow night.

In spite of the awful weather, we had 50-75 people show up. Of those, we had several good contacts. At least two of them plan to attend Sunday. They actually sought me out to meet me, so i feel like they will actually come. We also made several other good contacts that are a step towards developing a relationship.

Overall, it turned out to be a success. We plan to let everyone know that we're trying again tomorrow night.

UPDATE

I figured I would update more often this week since things are going pretty quickly.

The team from Arkansas is here. We spent yesterday touring the area, doing orientation - boring stuff. Today, they passed out fliers for the block parties and invite cards for the church. We had a pretty good response for the parties. In fact, it was funny to see kids riding around on their bikes with the announcements to tell their friends. At one area, the teams had kids on bikes coming up and asking for a flier.

We had three prospects surface through the contacts. Pray for me as we follow up with them. Pray for others to respond to the invitations. They contacted just under 1200 homes today. Most of the people were gone, but a few were at home.

Jackson went out with the teams today. He said he wanted "to help." He's also volunteered to help Jacqueline teach the "children's class" on Sunday. It's cool to see them pitching in and helping.

We were supposed to have severe weather tomorrow night, please pray that it will be clear.

Thanks for praying.

06/04/07 UPDATE

We are at a critical time for the work. A mission team is arriving Sunday night to canvas neighborhoods with our fliers and host two block parties. Then, Sunday is our first monthly service. This is really nerve-wracking because we may have nobody show up or we may have too many. I've been praying for 75 and asking you to pray for 75, so we're planning that way.

Last week was a whirlwind of trying to get all the details finalized. We got a lot done, but there's still a lot left. The biggest thing is all the uncertainty. We're trying to get prepared, but there is so much that is unknown. It's pretty exiciting, but also scary at the same time.

I cannot overstate how crucial this time is, so I'd like to ask you to step up your prayers. Please try to do something that will remind you to pray for us each day.

When you do, pray that God will:
1. Create opportunities for us to connect with those He is drawing to Himself.
2. Save those who don't know Him.
3. Draw believers who are not a part of a church.
4. Allow the block parties to come together.
5. Help us prepare for the service on Sunday.
Pray for all the details to be covered.
Pray for the worship to glorify Him.
Pray for me as I preach.
PRAY FOR PEOPLE TO SHOW UP!!!:)

Thanks for all that you are doing for us. You are truly a part of all that is taking place as you pray.

05/28/07 UPDATE

As you can tell by the mid-week post last week, the order of the week was to find a place to meet. I was planning on a high school in the area that would have been a great setup, but they aren't interested in renting to a church. That was fine, so i went with my back-up - a middle school in the area who have been really receptive about us meeting there. However, the district set a policy that no groups can come in during the summer due to construction. SOOOOO . . . we were left with no place to meet through the summer. I spent all week searching the area for some temporary digs. I've found several possibilities and hope to nail something down by Wednesday. Also, we're still trying to find someone who can fill in for us to lead worship on June 10th. Oh yeah, and we're still trying to scrape together the money to buy the equipment we need by the 10th. Oh, and I'm trying to nail down the specifics for the mission team that will be here next week conducting block parties.

Get a picture of what life is like around here? Fun stuff. Actually, it is fun in a wierd sort of way. Despite having nothing pinned down, we have a strong sense that God is in control. I know He is at work in areas that we aren't even aware of. For example, I got a call about a church that is considering helping us out of the blue. I finally contacted a guy about leading the worship (or others who could) and he seemed really interested. God keeps showing up - i read someone describe it as God leaving sticky notes everywhere to remind us that He's working. We're working hard to do all that we can as He leads and trusting Him to come through.

Things have really picked up - we are moving into the "make or break" time for the plant. Next week, a mission team shows up to lead 2 block parties and canvas a couple of neighborhoods with fliers about the church. Then on the 10th, we have our first service. I don't generally get nervous, but I have to admit, I get a knot in my stomach every time I think about that.

Please pray for:
1. A meeting place for the 10th.
2. A worship leader for the 10th.
3. Partners to provide funding for startup costs.
4. Preparations for the mission teams who are coming.

MIDWEEK REQUEST

I have a big request. We've been counting on using one of the schools in the area for a meeting space. I was informed today that the district policy is that none of their properties will be available through the summer due to construction. I realize that God has the correct place out there, but I need to find it - yesterday. Please pray in that regard.

05/21/07 UPDATE

I watched the movie Facing the Giants last week. It was a very predictable story line (you know how everything is going to turn out) and the acting was pretty weak. Normally, I would never admit to having seen a movie like it, BUT it hit me right where I'm living. I really resonated with it and God encouraged me through it, mainly because I totally related with the character and his story.

Anyway, one scene in particular stood out to me. A Christian guy is telling the football coach that God isn't through with him yet. When the coach asks if he really thought God wanted that message communicated to him, the man replied by telling a story. He said, "There were two farmers in an area that was facing severe drought. One of the farmers saw the other returning from working his field and asked what he was doing. The farmer replied, 'I'm preparing for rain.'"

That's how I feel right now. As we've started planning for our first services, all the details seem to be falling into place, except one - We still don't have any people. Things are going according to plans, because we're planning to get people through the mission team that is here on June 3-9 and our first service on June 10. I was just hoping to start gathering some people before then. Mainly, it would relieve my anxiety to see people signing up beforehand. I want to see it, not have to wait for it. I told Jeff and Kelly that I feel like we're preparing for rain and trusting God to bring the rain.

That is my main focus of prayer right now - God send the rain (people). My aim is to do everything I can to prepare for it and trust God to send it at the right time. I know He won't send it if we're not ready and prepared.

That being said, I am seeing His hand all around us as we prepare. All the details seem to be falling into place - they aren't all filled, but they are steadily progressing.

Of particular concern this week, pray for:
1. God to draw people to Himself through our work.
2. Finalizing the details needed for our first service - there's too many to list in detail.
3. A worship leader.
4. Clarity about what to preach for these first services - I'm having an incredibly hard time settling on something.
5. Wisdom as I plan for our mission teams to arrive. I have to reserve places for block parties and other things, so pray for God to give us favor with the right people.

05/14/07 UPDATE

Last week continued to be one of rapid-fire events. On a personal note, two things were really cool. One, Jacqueline and I went to Kansas to see the Dead Sea Scrolls. Two, Jackson scored a goal in his soccer game!

As far as Redeemer goes, there were also several significant events there. I'm continuing to pursue a meeting location. I looked at the middle school on Tuesday. They have a gym and cafeteria available. On Friday I looked at the high school. It's huge (2,100 students) and has an amazing auditorium that is set up like a theatre. I almost didn't look at it because it's so big (it seats 614). At our coaching meeting, they encouraged me to check it out and gave some ideas to "shrink" it. I think it will set up really well. they have a lower level of 200+ seats and an upper level with 400 or so. I think I can put up curtains to seperate the upper half and make it manageable. It also has a really nice sound and lighting system (if they'll let us use them) and chairs. I'm in the process of getting forms turned in, insurance policies, etc. Please pray that this will go smoothly and that God will give us favor with those who are in charge - the principal, vice-principals, and custodians.

The only difficulty is that the auditorium is not available in the summer, so we'll have to meet in the "commons" - a multi-purpose cafeteria, etc. I will have to find a sound system, etc. to meet in there.

I also talked with a potential worship leader this week. He sounds very talented and we have a lot in common. He and his wife are moving to Omaha the end of August. i think he wants a full-time position (understandably) but we talked and he's considering it. Please pray for God's guidance. We need Him to call the right person, whoever that may be.

On Tuesday night I met with the Missions Pastor at Central Baptist Church in Jonesboro, Arkansas. They are sending a team up to help us this summer and are going to adopt Nebraska as a missions partner. He is a really sharp guy who used to be a missionary and now coordinates their church in missions - both internationally and in the US. He said that they are a little imbalanced right now, with a large emphasis on international missions, but not as much in the states. He said his vision is to eventually build to the point that he would say, for example, "We want 10 or 15 of you to find jobs and go to Omaha to help start a church. We're sending you and $200,000 to buy land for a building to get a church started." Wow! Now that's a vision for church planting!

I also traveled to NYC for my second church planter coaching meeting. It went really well. In fact, it is going better than I would have thought. it is providing much needed traction, guidance, and encouragement for me.

The biggest concern right now is stress. i keep having these "AHHHHHHHHH!" moments. For example, on Monday, J'line mentioned mother's day. I freaked out. I think she thought it was because I had forgotten Mother's Day. Actually it was because I realized that our first service is the week BEFORE Father's Day - meaning that I had about a month to get it together. Another example was as we were winding up the coaching meeting. They asked, "So who's having a service before our next meeting?" i was like "AHHHHHHHHHH, I am." Everybody laughed because they are there too.

Please pray for:
1. God to give us wisdom in planning and favor with people.
2. Meeting space - pray that God will give us favor with the people in charge.
3. Worship leader - pray that God will lead us to the right person and that he will confirm it to both of us.
4. God to draw people through our ministry projects, servant evangelism projects, and monthly services.
5. PRAY FOR EVERYTHING TO COME TOGETHER FOR OUR FIRST MONTHLY SERVICE ON JUNE 10. We're praying for 75 people.

05/07/07 UPDATE (PART 2)

I forgot one other praise. I've been trying to get a website up and going with no luck. I called and asked Rick Lamberson for an assist last week and he agreed, so we should have something coming together soon!

05/06/07 UPDATE

Last week was largely one of praises. Since we have adapted our "model" for starting the church, there has been a big change in my focus and clarity. Before, I went from week to week hoping to meet some people who would gather around us and once that took place, we'd start "doing something." Now, we're focused on preparing to do what we believe God has called us to do, when he has called us to do it. In our case, that means launching a church publicly beginning September 16, 2007. Now the question has become, "What has to be done for that to take place?" I'm focused on getting the necessary plans made and securing what is needed. Having said all of that, it seemed that God was busy putting those pieces into place.

This was seen clearly after I emailed our monthly newsletter. One request I had was for partners. I had one prospective partner contact me that afternoon. Another was that I asked that we would find the right person to finish our basement. That afternoon, a guy came and gave us a bid that was about half of the others.

Another praise was on the equipment front. I was given a projector and wireless mic - that was about $1,300. I also spoke with a lady who had some top notch sound equipment that she wants to sell us at a cut rate. Now I just need $3,000! I had spoken with her before - she and her husband had helped start a church in Massachusetts before moving here. In addition to the equipment, she was going to give our information to a few other people.

Our most critical needs remain two things. Both are people related and outside of my control. Both are also a dire need - please make them a special priority. Write yourself a note to remember to pray for them daily, please. One, we need a worship leader. Two, we are going to do the work of connecting with people and inviting them, but God has to draw them to Himself and call him to this work. Please make these a continual request.

This week will also be busy for me. I hope to secure the Middle school as a meeting place and i need to connect with the person in charge (and have little time to do it). I'll also be meeting with a mission pastor to from Arkansas to plan his church's summer trip. I'll also be travelling to New York for my coaching meeting on Wednesday and Thursday. This is going to be an extremely busy week. We have something going every day fo the week.

By the way, if anybody was concerned, we got a lot of rain and wind. There's a lot of flooding in the area. However, we have not had any severe weather or tornadoes.

04/30/07 UPDATE

Whew! Our travels went well, but it sure is nice to sleep in my own bed. We arrived back in Omaha around Saturday at noon to conclude a trip that saw us fly to TN, drive to FL, then back to TN via a stop in GA and finally back to NE. It was a long, tiring, but very rewarding trip. The main purpose was to pick up my mother-in-law, Juanita, and move her out to NE with us. As of 4:50 this afternoon, her stuff is all here and in storage. Now we have to get the basement finished. We extended the trip to see old friends and family, as well as visit with some prospective partners for the ministry.

In terms of benefit to our work, we secured one partner, met with another potential one, and had several other strong inquiries. This is very important, because as we prepare to launch, there are several obstacles that must be overcome and it will take help to get over them. There are several one-time, large expenses that need to be met, primarily for equipment and projects (such as a sound system, chairs, trailer, mailers, etc.). I'll be posting an itemized list seperately to keep everyone informed. Please pray for partners to come alongside us or this will be dead in the water!

Upon our arrival in NE, we hit the ground running (actually it felt like the ground hit us, but nevertheless . . . ). We got here at noon and Jackson had a soccer game at 4:30. On Sunday, we got to attend our church for the first time in several weeks. Man, it was good to be back. I can't understand how people operate without a church home for very long.

After church, we met with Jeff and Kelly to develop our launch strategy. We spent three hours laying out our plans to work towards starting the church on September 16th with 250 in attendance. This is exciting work, but there are several "giants" that God has to slay. This may get repetitive, but these are our biggest needs right now. I'll try to keep you posted on the progress of each one.

1. Worship Leader - pray that God will connect us with the right person.
2. Meeting site - I'll be checking with the local schools. Pray that God will show us another site if this is not the right situation.
3. Partners - We need people to partner with us by providing startup finances and equipment.
4. People - God is in charge of drawing people to Himself. We are going to do our best to make a big deal out of Jesus and connect with people, but he has to be the one to draw them.

04/22/07 UPDATE

Sorry for the delay. We have been travelling and I have had limited access to the computer.

We're in the middle of a swing from TN to FL, then GA, back to TN, and then on to NE! We're currently in Cleveland, TN preparing to load a UHaul tomorrow with my mother-in-law's stuff and head to Omaha.

This has been a great trip. I've made several beneficial contacts and seen tons of friends and family. I'll post a more detailed explanation next week.

In the meantime, remember the BIG TWO:

1. A worship leader.

2. God to draw people to be part of the launch team through our summer activities.

04/16/07 UPDATE

Man, what a week! I had several firsts, or some firsts in a long time:

I took my first trip to New York City. If you haven't done that before, it's an experience unlike anything you've been through before. My meeting was in Manhattan. When you are in Manhattan, you see nothing but delivery vehicles, taxis, and limo's and hear nothing but car horns. I also had authentic New York pizza!

Another first was that I had serious travel difficulties. I sat on the tarmac (in the plane) for over an hour and a half before leaving for Chicago. My plane there was canceled, so I had to fly to Manchester, NH and then NY. On the way back, high winds kept planes from leaving La Guardia so I missed my connecting flight from Chicago to Omaha and had to spend the night in Chicago. Definitely not fun. One cool part of that was that I flew over our old house and ministry field leaving Manchester. i could see all the familiar sights and prayed for God to work there.

A first in a long time was that I preached in a tie on Sunday!:( It was a traditional SBC church and we had some really funny stories of things that happened because we have adapted to non-traditional church and forgotten how things work in traditional circles:)

The reason I went to NY was for a church planter's coaching meeting. I met with 11 other church planters around the country at The Journey Church (www.nyjourney.com). They (Nelson Searcy and Kerrick Thomas) planted Jouney in NY in 2001 with a situation similar to ours. They felt called to NY and went with no help, people, etc. Rather than gathering a core group of believers, slowly cultivating them and then reaching out to the unchurched with them, they started going directly for the unchurched and didn't waste time trying to gather, motivate, and argue with :) Christians. Starting with a core usually leads to a smaller, longer start, which increases the chances of failure. Their goal is to launch with a "large" crowd, which increases your chances of success. This takes place by conducting monthly services for 3-6 months which are used to gather interested people. Along with these services, you use servant evangelism projects, mission teams, and advertising to gather people. Then you have a big launch service which begins your weekly services.

For us, it looks like this: we will have a monthly service on June 10, July 22, and August 19. In addition, we have 3 mission teams coming up during June and July to help us. Our Launch will be on September 16. There is a terrifying element to this approach - what if we do all the stuff and nobody shows up? In that case, September is going to be a very depressing time. Please pray for God to use these events to gather the people He has chosen to put in Redeemer Church. We walk by faith, not by sight, right?

Also, pray for several other things:
1. I am overwhelmed with the amount of things that have to be done . . . yesterday.
2. We have a ton of decisions to make - i need wisdom as I make them.
3. We need someone to lead worship.
4. We need locations to have block parties and other servant evangelism opportunities.
5. We need a location for our monthly services.
6. We need money to provide for advertising, materials for the servant evangelism projects, and equipment.

04/09/07 UPDATE




Well, the big news around here is that our family expanded on Monday. We've been promising the boys that we'd get another dog once we got settled down. Long story, but we eventually were connected with a lady who was trying to place one or her whippets, Mystic. We got her last Monday and the boys are ecstatic. You hear a constant chorus of "Mystic, Mystic, Mystic" everywhere you go. She's a great dog - really calm and great with kids. The funniest part of it all is that when we asked where she was, the lady said, "A town called Crestview, FL." That's very close to where we just moved from.

Aside from that, we froze all week. We've been setting record lows all week and watching as our beautiful plants shrivel up and die.

I had several very good meetings this week. The first was on Monday. Our pastor at Heartland and I started meeting to pray for God to move in Omaha. This was the first of what we hope will be a weekly event. Please pray for us to hear from God during this time. We also had a pastor's meeting where we showed a dvd of what we're doing and had several pastors talk to us about helping. One in particular was encouraging. They meet on the same street that we are targeting, but about 7 miles to the east. He said that all of the pastors in that area were praying for the "area out west" for several years and trying to figure out what they could do there. It was good to hear about God going before us. We also had a great time celebrating Easter yesterday with friends. I hope you did too.

This week we have a couple of key things taking place. One, I'll be flying to NYC for my first coaching meeting. Please pray for God to be at work there, showing me His plans for Omaha. Also pray for safety as I travel.

Second, I'll be preaching next Sunday (and the Sunday after that). Pray that I will hear the exact message God wants to bring and that he will speak through me to bring it.

Pray for strength for us as we enter what is going to be a very hectic period of our lives. Things are picking up this weekend and I'm not sure when they will slow down again. The summer is a key time for us and there is much to plan and coordinate as we move towards it.

Also, pray for our schooling choices for the kids. Although they are doing great academically in homeschooling, I think it would be a lot less stressful if they were in school. They are on a waiting list for a public school which has a special academic curriculum that we like. We are also applying for a scholarship that might help us put them into Christian school. Please pray for the right doors to open at the right time.

Finally, here are some recurring requests:
A worship leader.
A place to meet.
Partners in funding many of the upcoming projects and needs.
God to draw people to be part of the plant.
Our first monthly service - June 10. I'm praying for 75 people.
Our public launch - September 9. I'm praying for 250 people.

04/02/07 UPDATE

Last week consisted of a great deal of planning and preparation for upcoming stuff. I spent a lot of time on the phone trying to set up meetings with interested people during an upcoming "Southern tour." We are coming down to move my mother-in-law to O and are trying to make the most of our time. There is also a lot of upcoming planning to prepare for three mission groups that will be coming up to help over the summer, our three once-a-month services during the summer, and our public launch of weekly services in September. Specifically, i'm trying to track down a worship leader, meeting location, equipment, incorporate the church, design a website, design brochures to give out during our block parties, raise funds to provide all of this stuff, set up meetings with prospects, prepare to preach on the 15th and 22nd, and I'm sure there's other things I'm forgetting to mention:)

Another benefit from our time in Seattle was that J and I spent a great deal of time walking back through our calling to plant a church. God strengthened that calling as we reviewed it. We are trying to consciously focus on the fact that this is God's plan and therefore He is the one responsible to carry it out. We are simply called to remain sensitive to Him and obey as He leads. This week, I've been focusing on that and during my study, God gave me a new verse, Isaiah 41:9b-10:
'You are my servant';
I have chosen you and have not rejected you.
So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strenghten you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Last week was a very encouraging time for me. Friday night, I got to talk with several people who are interested in the church. It is extrememly encouraging to meet new prospects. Also, I met with a pastor who is planting a Methodist church in the area. I wasn't aware of their existence, but I got a card in the mail and contacted him. He told me that the ground here is very fertile and that they are reaching a lot of new people. They are very similar to us in philosophy and style and those methods are working. That is really good news! He is also very cooperative and has the mindset that "there's plenty for all of us to do." Also, we had our record Gathering last night. We had 7 adults! Of course, the three new ones won't be back, but that's ok. They were a couple who's very interested in church planting and are doing all the paperwork for incorporating the church, setting up the bank accounts, etc. The other was our Director of Missions, who stopped by because his wife was out of town and he was hungry, i mean, he wanted to come by and encourage us:)

Here are some specific prayer requests for us this week:
A worship leader.
A place to meet.
Partners in funding many of the upcoming projects and needs.
God to draw people to be part of the plant.
Our first monthly service - June 10. I'm praying for 75 people.
Our public launch - September 9. I'm praying for 250 people.

03/27/2007 UPDATE

We arrived back in Omaha last night at midnight or so. We had a good time in Seattle. There were some rather difficult, trying, challenging, etc. moments, but overall it was good. J and I spent a few days there after the conference was over to see the city and have some time on our own. L was sick the first three days we were gone, but eventually mom and dad had two days without a sick child. They survived and had fun (i think) despite having to carry a plastic garbage can with them everywhere:)

I'll try and post some thoughts from the conference on my other blog and reserve comment here for things pertinent for prayer regarding our situation in Omaha.

First, I was confronted with the utter impossibility of what we're trying to do. I really don't have what it takes and sometimes get deluded into thinking I do. For me, this is actually good because it means that God must come through. If God has called me to do it, then it depends on Him. This lead J and I to spend a long time discussing our call and the many ways God has called and confirmed what we are doing. It became a very productive time as we thought through the numerous ways God called us and confirmed it. We left realizing several things that need to change in us and our approach. I was led to repent of several things like personal pride and focus on God's restoration and the Holy Spirit.

Second, J and I saw some drastic adjustments that we need to make in the work here. Again, most are related to the need to reach unchurched people and forget about actively pursuing churched people. We both feel very strongly that family is our first priority, so we have to make time for one another (and really engage each other in that time). However, we also have to carve out time to build relationships with people and practice hospitality (one Biblical means of evangelism). These adjustments will be very challenging and involve making some big decisions.

Third, I came away with a deeper understanding of the Gospel. This is something God has been working into me for the past couple of years. The Gospel is more than our ticket to heaven. It's more than, "Ok, God wiped the slate clean, now you take it from here and do the right things that will make him proud." The Gospel is that God crushed His Son as payment for our sin. He is proud of us due to the gift of Jesus and nothing else. We are utterly incapable of pleasing apart from faith in Jesus. We are still as desperate for God's grace today as the day before we were saved.

We tend to try and "lower the bar" to something we can meet. The opposite approach is needed - lift the bar to where God places it - perfection. When we do, our first observation will be, I can't do it. This drives us back to God in desperation for His help - which is where He wants us. He doesn't miserly meet out that help, he wants to lavish it on us. In short, its a proclamation that God is for us and wants us to turn to Him in utter dependence - in everything. I don't know, it's one of those things that I can't express clearly but that I know in my soul is a HUGE shift. Check the other blog later, I'll try to work this out some more.

PLEASE PRAY FOR:
God to move here - it's all up to Him.
Wisdom as we plan, schedule, etc.
My first coaching session in NYC on April 12.
God to continue the work He is doing in me. Pray for humility on my part to accept what He shows me, the grace to repent, and the power to persevere.
A worship leader and band.
A meeting location.
Resources for the necessary activities to reach the community.
Connection with the right people as we reach out around us.

EMERGENCY REQUEST

We leave for Seattle first thing in the morning and we have a full-fledged puke-o-rama going on at the house. J'line has been sick for several days and is coming out of it. A. was sick at the first of the week and J. and L. are throwing up as we speak. Mom and dad are obviously excited:)

We're going through an assessment time in Seattle where they determine if we are "fit" to church plant. It will be a stressful time and this will only add to it. Please pray for everyone to get better or stay healthy.

J and I were talking about how this happened the last time we had an assessment too. I don't think it's a coincidence.

03/19/97 UPDATE

Belated greetings! Sorry for the delay, but it is a great day in American history and we've been busy celebrating. 35 years ago, God chose the exact place I would be born and live and it was Opelika, AL. I'm starting to feel a tad old.

This week has been a mixed bag. I've had several times that I got discouraged this week. Mainly, it has come about from talking to Christians too much. Some of you might be offended by that, but it can really get depressing to see how people are so focused on their deal. I expect it from lost people, but as Christ followers, we're called to lay aside our interests for the good of others, so you think some might follow through on that. Sadly, they don't. I realize that even my focusing on that is because I'm upset that I can't get people to focus on my deal! Like I said, it can get depressing.

However, things took a real upturn through all of this. I've been reading and thinking through how to get a church going with so little help. I began to realize that I've been placing too much emphasis on gathering a group of Christians together and then reaching out to others. That has been the primary point of exasperation because few people are interested in giving up the stuff they've got to help others. I've been reading a book (Launch, by Nelson Searcy and Kerrick Thomas). They are leading the church planter coaching group that I'll be participating in. They started a church in Manhattan with nobody but themselves. While I realize that every situation is different, the story gave me a new perspective. Throughout the frustration of the week, I decided that we will focus on following God's plan for this church and trust Him to provide where things are needed. Up to this point, I've really been trusting in my ingenuity and other people. Now, we'll seek to do what He desires and trust Him to fill in the gaps. Are people necessary? Absolutely, but now if someone joins in, I'll view it as icing on the cake, not an essential. It won't be the result of me pouting time and effort into it, but because God has gathered them in. This may not seem to be a drastic departure to you, but for me it is HUGE.

It really got exciting on Sunday night at small group. I was sharing these insights with Jeff and Kelly and they started smiling. Jeff said that they had just said that afternoon that they didn't see why we needed someone else to get rolling, we'd just start with the four of us. He was telling me that they were thinking Paul only had one or two others, so why couldn't we do that too! That was really encouraging because I took it as confirmation that we were on the right track. This marks about 3 or 4 weeks that they've been discussing exactly what I was planning to talk to them about. Those are just weird God moments when that happens.

So, with all of that being said, here's our most urgent requests:

1. We need a worship leader and band. This will become my primary focus for the next several weeks. We can't go public until we have someone who can play and sing. I sho' can't.

2. Financial supporters. We will be needing support for several of the events that will be taking place in the fall, as well as other immediate needs, such as a website, brochures, etc. This is not a plea for personal funding!

3. God to prepare the hearts of the people here. I know that God is already at work. Without that, all of our work is hopeless, so pray that He will continue to prepare the hearts of people for the Gospel. Pray that their hearts will be good soil and bring a great harvest.

4. Pray for our family this coming week. We fly to Seattle for assessment and training on Wednesday and mom and dad are keeping the boys. Pray for safe travel for us and sanity for mom and dad.

Thanks for praying!

03/12/07 UPDATE

Last week was another good one. Praise God on two items in particular. One, I had a phone interview that completed all the necessary items for my church planting assessment with Acts 29. I had someone inquire about their organization last week. If you're interested, here's the website http://www.acts29network.org/. Also, I got word that I've been accepted for church planter coaching. That will begin in April. I'm excited about both opportunities.

We also had Jimmy and Carol Ann Draper visiting our association last week. if you don't know who they are, Jimmy was president of LifeWay (the SBC publishing agency) until retiring last year. They had a pastor's wives meeting Tuesday night which Jacqueline enjoyed. Then on Wednesday, Jimmy spoke to the pastors about things he's learned in 58 years of preaching.

Lastly, mom and dad arrived safely on Saturday night. We didn't tell the boys they were coming so that they would be surprised. I think they almost wet their pants when mimi and poppie showed up.

This week is pretty eventful as well. I would like for you to pray for three meetings in particular. Today I'm meeting with a guy who used to lead worship in a church locally. I heard he was no longer doing that and wanted to get to know him. We'll see where it leads (if anywhere).

Second, I'm meeting with a pastor of the largest SBC church in Omaha. We are discussing how they can help (and if they will).

Third, we are having our small group meeting Sunday night. It looks like several of the other couples we've been working with are going to be able to attend. Pray that it will work out and that God will use it as a time to provide clarity.

Thanks for praying!

03/05/07 UPDATE

I thought i would introduce you to the Cunningham's. If you've been reading this, you probably remember me mentioning them to you. Jeff is a meteorologist for the Air Force. Kelly stays busy keeping Jeff and Jocelyn in line. They have signed on to help us as we start Redeemer Church. They've already been a great source of encouragement to J'line and I and they are excited about all the stuff to come. Please remember to pray for them as you remember our work.

The big news from last week was The Blizzard of 2007. Thursday morning around 5 it started snowing and the wind was whipping. It snowed all morning and we ended up with about a foot of snow. Pretty much everyone was stuck inside.

I'm learning that snow is a big opportunity for me. I wait inside, sipping coffee and staying warm until I hear a snow blower fire up. Then, I put on all my stuff and go outside to shovel snow. There's an interesting phenomenon - everyone on the entire street comes out about the same time and it provides a great opportunity to get to know your neighbors. I've now made the acquaintance of everyone on the circle and found out a lot more about the rest of the street.

We all pitched in to help one guy get his two cars unstuck out of the street so the plows could theoretically clear our street. After that, we all went to clear our drives. I cleared two stips and was about to have a heart attack. Then one of the guys walked his snow blower over and finished it up for me. I then spent the next couple of hours talking to people on the street.

Apparently, we live in an atypical neighborhood. Most people who live in the 'burbs say that they have lived there 5, 6, 10 years, whatever, and barely know the names of their neighbors. We must have moved to party central, because I've met everyone and they are very friendly. We were welcomed warmly and that seems to just be part of the deal. Throughout the summer, they just pull a grill out in the street and everyone brings their own meat for a big cookout. On the fourth of July, one guy makes a run for fireworks and puts on a big display (which forces the ATF agent to leave for the evening so he doesn't have to arrest anyone:)) Anyway, it seems like a pretty cool spot. Pray for opportunities to continue to develop among the people in our community.

This week will be very busy for us. We have something going on almost every night. We're hoping to be able to meet with Kyle and Kim Moeller this weekend. They are very interested in helping us but still have several questions. We've been hoping to meet with them to hopefully make some progress. I'm really beginning to obsess about our need for people to be involved. As I was stressing about it yesterday I read Mt. 9:37-38 where Jesus tells us to pray for God to send workers into the harvest. Please make this your primary prayer focus for us.

Also, my parents are coming this weekend to spend a couple of weeks with us. Pray for them as they travel.

Thanks for the prayers!

SPECIAL REQUEST

I usually post requests for our family and ministry, however, I had a special request today. Ms. Edna Arnold is a lady in south Alabama who has been a part of our prayer team since the beginning. She went home to be with Jesus last week. Please remember her family in your prayers.

2/26/07 UPDATE

We had a really good week this week. For those of you who have been praying for my midweek request about the church planting coach, I decided to go ahead and apply. I sought the counsel of several people, and all of them thought it was a sound decision. As I prayed and thought about it, I felt stronger about the decision, so I applied. I'm awaiting hearing the outcome.

One other thing I've been requesting prayer on was opportunities to share the Gospel. I've been working really hard to solicit the help of believers (more about that later, I think its essential) but I also realize how necessary it is to reach unchurched people. So this week, I've been praying fervently about it. I experimented with several ways to get out and bump into people, start conversations, etc. Well, it really didn't go well until Thursday. I went to Scooter's as normal and had a great discussion with a lady who works there. (If you want to read more about the whole story, you can check out my other blog, but I'll spare the gory details here). It was a great conversation where you know the person is hearing and processing what you're saying. Please pray for her as she wrestles with this - her name is Lisa.

I also had several good contacts with believers this week. As I said earlier, I think believers who are willing to set aside their preferences for the good of others is essential (and also hard to find). I went to check on a building where we can meet. As I talked to her, I found out they are members in an SBC church where they are finding it difficult to connect. They've helped start a church in Massachusetts before moving out here. She said that she thought we were in a good area because she knew of 4 couples off the top of her head who were searching for a church like we were describing. It was encouraging and may lead to some people to plug into the launch team.

We also met with two couples on Sunday night who have been talking about helping us. They are seriously considering it, but they are also struggling to make the decision. Its a big step for anybody to leave behind what they know (friends, family, church, etc.) to go across the country or the city. I shared with them that I don't want anybody doing it just "cause" - because they don't like their church, think it would be cool, or anything else. I want people involved because they are convinced God is calling them to be a part. Otherwise, when it gets hard (and it will), they'll bail out. I actually find people who wrestle with the decision more encouraging than those who say, "cool, let's do it" the first time they hear.

This week involves a lot of preparing for what is to come. I'm meeting with a guy who's helping me file all of the necessary paperwork to get the church "official." I'm also working to finish several of the things I've got to submit for my application to a church planting network. We're being assessed (again) in March, so i've got to finish several papers, surveys, etc. this week.

PRAISES:
We continually find places where God is working.
God is answering the prayers that are being made for the work.

PRAYERS:
Our assessment with Acts 29 (church planting network) and our application for coaching.
Clarity for those we've met as to whether God is calling them to be a part. Specifically, Kyle and Kim, Nick and Kelly, Bruce and Brenda, Al and Mary.
God to show people their need for salvation and opportunities to discuss it with them. Specifically, Lisa, Brad, Mandy, Duane and his wife.
Wisdom for the myriad of decisions that have to be made.

WISDOM

Greetings all! I have a special, mid-week request. I learned of a coaching network for church planters that is meeting in New York once a month, April-September. A friend participated in a coaching network by the same group and i saw dramatic results in him and his church's ministry. I am very interested in the opportunity for learning and assistance and think it would make a real difference. Since 80% of church plants fail, I can use all the help i can get. At our assessment, one of their recommendations was to get a church planting coach. I've tried locally with no success. Additionally, after completing this, it would open the opportunity to coach other planters in our area, which fits my vision of starting other churches in the area.

All of this makes it seem like a no-brainer to me, but the concern is over two issues. is this the best use of my time and limited resources? The use of time is probably the most difficult issue right now. I think it would help focus my work and planning now. In addition, it will lay the groundwork to free up time after the launch by helping me engage others in the work. The major challenge for resources is that it will require airfare to NYC six times and a monthly fee.

I am trying to make wise decisions in this time and I would appreciate your prayers to that end. I'm trying to solicit prayer and counsel for major decisions.

Thanks!

02/19/07 UPDATE

GOD IS GOOD!!! I make that statement totally seperate from anything related to church starting. rather, it was 40+ degrees and sunny yesterday!!! WOOHOO! I never thought 40 would feel so warm. I went for a long run just to enjoy the sun. I have heard many people say this has been the worst Jan and Feb in a long time. It hasn't really been that bad, but it sure is nice to have it warmer.

On other news, you know the housing market is in the tank right? Well, my mother-in-law has a new idea. She's been in the process of retiring, selling her house and moving out here with us. She decided to sell her house by doing nothing. No sign in the yard. No ad in the paper. Certainly no realtors involved. She got a call on Feb 7th from her neighbor about a lady interested in buying. Her neighbor mentioned Juanita's place. The lady (who's 81) looked at it, liked it and brought her son to look at it on the 9th. They closed last Friday (16th). Go figure. The week before she had started to pray for God to send the right person who could buy it and would enjoy it the same way she had. It looks like she'll be here around the end of April. Now we have to get that basement finished:)

I also finished my prospectus last week and emailed it to several people. If you have any interest, email me and I'll send you a copy (can't figure out how to post it here). Please pray that God will use it to show people the need for churches in Omaha and lead them to either help us or someone else in the work. I met with a pastor from Lincoln, NE that is starting a new church and has a vision for starting one church in each of Nebraska's 93 counties. Many of them are very rural and have NOTHING - not like they have a Lutheran or Methodist, but not a Baptist. i mean NOTHING. I have a vision for planting several churches in the Omaha area, so there is a huge need and several opportunities. Please pray for a movement of new churches in Nebraska.

Saturday, I thought I would take a day off and take the family to a fish and game expo. OK, I know it sounds like something I would want to do, not the family, but I think J enjoyed it more than I did. She and the boys watched guys tie flies, talked dog food, watched a seminar on dog training, and sampled several things they'd never tried (elk, duck, pheasant, etc.). The really cool part for me was that there were several people I have needed to talk with that I haven't been able to catch. I think I saw just about every one of them there and had several productive discussions.

One specific request I have is that you would pray for openings for the gospel. We have several people we've gotten to know and are trying to follow up on those. There are a lot of open doors. Much of evangelism in my book involves these repeated contacts, sharing, praying, until God opens their hearts. I am probably most productive with this approach, but we really need a quicker harvest. it has been difficult to meet people lately (they all bunker down with the cold), but I really need wisdom on how to meet them, opportunities to share Christ, and some to respond. Salvation is God's work, not the result of our efforts alone, but concerted prayer to open the hearts of unbelievers moves God to work. You have not because you ask not.

PLEASE PRAY FOR:
Supporters for a church planting movement in Nebraska.
Open doors to share the Gospel - and fruit from it.
God to call those who are to be involved in the Launch Team.

Thanks for the prayers - they move heaven and earth!

For those of you who are interested, both of you, I've created a new blog for my random thoughts, things God is teaching me, encounters, experiences, or anything else I feel like writing about. This blog will remain focused on updates to the progress of the church start, the other will allow me to share other stuff. That way, I can talk about stuff without offending the majority of you:)

http://leecordell.blogspot.com/

By the way, you may notice some changes to this blog. The picture is the downtown Omaha skyline. Also, there is a feed that you can subscribe to at the bottom of both blogs (Suzanne). It will allow you to get the new info when I post it without checking the blog (I think the new Internet Explorer has a feed reader).

02/12/07 UPDATE

Man have things gotten busy! We had a really eventful week that I hope will prove productive. On Friday of last week, I had a meeting that resulted in a guy volunteering to make a promotional dvd for us. The only problem was, I had to have a script written and ready to go by Wednesday night. I also had to finalize my prospectus and prepare to preach yesterday. The DVD really took a lot of time. I hope it will turn out well and give some of you a look at the area.

I had to finalize the prospectus because our Director of Missions had a meeting with a group from Missouri who was interested in helping us and was going to Mississippi to meet with some other prospects. I've also got several contacts that we are pursuing. Please pray for God to pull things together as He sees fit. We need these groups to help with sending mission teams, praying, and financial support. Our salary is being provided but there are a lot of startup costs for equipment, advertising, facility rent, etc.

Preaching went pretty well yesterday too. Thanks for praying.

I also had meetings with prospects almost every day last week. Several doors opened for relationship building and sharing Christ. I also had a significant discussion with two couples who are considering helping us out. We have similar thoughts about church and ministry, so it seemed pretty good.

Again, the frustration is that things don't follow my schedule. For example, I had a follow up meeting with one of those couples for tonight, but something came up for them and we won't get to meet for almost two weeks. I keep having to remind myself that God is in control and things are moving along according to His plan, not mine. I've experienced that before, but in a normal church situation, your "postition" is secure and there are other things clamoring for your attention. Here, everything depends on those contacts working out, so it's a little more stressful.

Please pray for:
God to begin tying up some of these loose ends for us.
Opportunities to share the Gospel - pray especially for Brad and Mandy, Duane and his wife, and Spencer.
God to call those He wants involved in the work. Pray for guidance for Kyle and Kim, Nick and Kelly, Don, and Joe.
Wisdom as we make decisions for everything that has to be done.

2/5/07 UPDATE

It's strange how numbers affect your perception. I told a friend that so far things were going well . . . but then again, we haven't done anything "measurable." For instance, you look at contacts made, plans developed, time spent praying, etc. and those things can look good. The problem is, there's nothing about them that is concrete to evaluate as good or bad. That's why people say you should make goals that are measurable. That way, you know if you met them or not. Well, our first measurable thing is "The Gathering" on Sunday night. The good news is, it's easy to measure. The bad news is, it's easy to measure - you barely need both hands:) it went really well in continuing to develop our relationship with Jeff and Kelly. I had hoped to invite several unchurched people i've met since we were watching the football game, but none were able to make it.
Next week, we're going to work really hard to involve some others and begin praying and preparing for the church launch. Pray that several will respond.

The other bummer from last week was that several of the meetings i had set up fell through. We rescheduled, but it was frustrating that they didn't work out. I did get one to work out and it proved really helpful. There's a couple here who are really excited about church planting. They don't think they're cut out to personally do it anymore due to being "chronologically challenged," but they are very supportive and helpful. I met with Carl on Friday and he is going to help me with a lot of the administrative work - WOOHOO! MAY HIS TRIBE INCREASE!!! Hopefully, that will take several of the less exciting items off my plate. In addition, he has a friend who makes DVD's coming to town and set it up for him to help make one for us. It will hopefully be a promotional piece for those interested in supporting us. It will also have a track for those of you on the prayer team, so that you can see a bit of what we keep talking about. I hope it will work out well. The bad news is, I have to put together a script for both of them by Wednesday night. Oh yeah, and I'm preaching Sunday at Heartland. So. . . this is a busy week.

Please pray for me as I prepare to preach on Sunday and as I prepare the script for the DVD.
Also pray for us as we begin taking care of these administrative items - securing the name, domain name, building a website, finalizing the prospectus, on and on and on . . .
Pray for The Gathering and people we are inviting. Continue to pray for God to call those He wants involved and to connect us with them.

HELPING DADDY BUILD "SUMPING"




Last week I spent a lot of time putting together bookshelves and stuff. During that time, I made a new little buddy - Leighton. The other two were busy with school and since I wasn't "working," he decided to "help" me out. He really just hung around and talked to me and showed me stuff he built with lego's. Whenever i started working on one of these projects, he decided he wanted to help. He'd say, "Daddy, can i help you build sumping." (that's 4 year old for something)

Ok, i know it makes me sound like a loser-dad, but i don't really do well with that. I just want to get the junk done and move on. More often than not, the boys only slow me down and make things take longer. I decided to let him help, though. I realized that he does well when i give him a project and let him go for it. I'd start a screw and give him a screwdriver. He'd sit there cranking on one screw while i did the rest. Then, I'd come back, finish up what he was doing and polish it off. He'd be really proud and tell everybody to check out what "we" built. I really started to enjoy it and snapped a couple of pictures.

A few days later, I was thinking about the whole deal. Suddenly it hit me. That's how things work with me and God. I bust my chops doing stuff to start a church. In reality, at my best, I'm just cranking on a screw that never even gets tight. God puts it all together and then I throw up my hands and say "YES! Look what we built!" Right.

It's cool that God lets us in on what he's doing. We get to know Him better and see things done that we could never accomplish. It's also nice to know it doesn't depend on our abilities, but His power. That's how things really work, we're involved, but He's the one that really does it.

So. . . Daddy, you wanna build sumping?

01/29/07 UPDATE

Yesterday was a very eventful end to a very busy week. We worked like dogs trying to get the house ready for a small group meeting on Sunday night. It probably wasn't the best idea to do it that quickly, but I have been doggedly determined to get something going, even if it was a small something.

Yesterday morning we went to Grace Fellowship Church (I preached there in November). The pastor and I had talked about how they could help. He invited me to come and invite people to help out. He preached and then I spoke for about 5 minutes. I invited people to help in one of three ways - 1) be on the prayer team 2) be a "missionary" to come and help us for 6 months, a year, whatever God led them to do 3) put me in contact with people they knew who lived in our target area. We had several good leads in all of those areas. 2 people asked to be on the prayer team - and one of them was going to have his fellowship group pray for us. Several couples inquired about helping us get started by being part of the launch team. I was encouraged because they mentioned a focus on reaching unchurched people of various walks of life. Several offered their services - technical advice, oil changes for our car, etc. There were also several who gave me names of their kids or friends who might be interested. I was really excited.

It was also a bit strange though. We went to lunch with Mitch and Rebekah (the pastor and his wife) and talked about the leads. On the way home, I told Jacqueline that I felt like a thief. It was really odd. I believe God is going to bless both us and Grace Fellowship through this. I also am committed to doing the same thing for someone else after we get going.

Last night we had our first small group meeting. It was definitely a "small" group meeting. I really only expected two other couples besides us. We were joined by Jeff and Kelly Cunningham. They are the couple I met in the Bible study I led shortly after arriving. We had a good time and they "signed the dotted line" to commit to helping us. It was also good for both of us to spend some time hanging out.

We are hoping to see this meeting grow in the coming weeks. This week the invitations were sent out late because I didn't know if we'd be ready or not. We have to plan a few weeks out to allow people to get it in their schedules (everybody is so busy up here). I currently have about 30 adults on my prospect list (not all 30 realize they are prospects yet, but they'll figure it out eventually:))

Continue to pray for God to draw and call people to be a part of the launch team. I'll be following up the leads from Sunday, so pray that God will speak clearly to me and to these people about the desires and roles He has for them. I also have meetings with people every day this week who are prospects or supporters. Pray for God's leadership in our meetings.

I will be preaching at Heartland Community Church on Feb. 11th, so pray for my preparation.

Finally, my goal for February is to design some type of outreach focused Bible study for unchurched people. I'm not really sure how to do that (what's the best way), so pray for guidance and that God will connect us with those who He is already working on.

Thanks for the prayers - they move heaven and earth.

01/22/07 UPDATE

Well all of our stuff is now inside - we are just trying to get it unpacked. I hope to be able to stand upright again in a few days.

Sunday was interesting. we got 7" of snow on Saturday night, so many churches cancelled their services. Ours was one, so I was able to take some ibuprofen and let them kick in before i had to go out and shovel the snow out of the walk. I decided to make it "purposeful," so I waited until i saw some of my neighbors outside in hopes of meeting them. Finally, the guy next door fired up his snow blower, so I went out to tackle the chore. It worked like a charm - I guess everyone was waiting on teh first person to take the plunge. When you looked down the street, almost every house had someone out shoveling.

I was also able to meet all of our immediate neighbors. The people to our right go to an sbc church here in Omaha. In fact, it was the first one i preached at. They were really friendly and let the boys use their sled and the hill in their backyard - our yard is basically flat. I think they all conspire to make the new people fat. One neighbor brought us a cake last night and this morning another guy showed up with a hot, fresh now box of Krispy Kreme donuts. DUDE, THIS IS MY KIND OF PLACE!

Please pray for us this week as we prepare to have our first Gathering. It will probably be a bit slow since I haven't invited everyone early, but I hope we will have several people show up. We are going to spend the first 2-3 weeks getting to know each other and then begin preparing to see if everyone wants to be part of the new start.

Also, I will be speaking for 5-10 minutes at a local church on Sunday to invite people to join up with us. Please pray for God to call people to the work. I also have to line up several follow up meeting with people this week. Pray that God will be at work in these too.

Thanks for praying!

01/15/07 UPDATE

Sorry the post is late. J hasn't allowed me to put down a paint brush to do anything else lately. She slipped out to the store, so I have a minute:) We've almost finished the painting and hope to move on Saturday. This will be a big relief. It looks like we'll meet our target of having "The Gathering" (our small group time) on January 28th.

One exciting development last week was a phone call from the pastor of a new church in town (Grace Fellowship - I preached there in Nov?). They really want to help us with our start. The funny thing is that they plan to build there church in basically the same place we are targeting. He has already talked to a few people to see if they are interested in helping us and at least one of them is. We are meeting Thursday to see how they may be able to help further.

I'm also slowly meeting our neighbors. So far, I've met Mark our neighbor in the back right. He's a golf pro at a local course (I was praying for a hunting and/or fishing guide, but that will work:)) He has a wife who teaches 2nd grade and two little girls.

There's also Donna. She has three granddaughters who stay with her a lot.

Yesterday I met Alex. He also has a daughter.

It sounds like there's nothing but girls here (till we moved in), but Donna told us they were hoping girls would move in because there weren't that many. I've seen, but haven't met our next door neighbors and they have three kids. Our back door neighbors have 3 boys and one across the street has 2 boys.

I tell you all these details so that you can pray for these people. Ask God to draw them and open their hearts to Him.

Thanks for your prayers. Continue to pray for contacts with believers who are well connected with lost people and with unbelievers.

1/8/07 UPDATE

Last week was really eventful. We closed on the house without any issues. It was incredibly easy - I just filled out an online app, met with an officer once, and it was done!

Two other significant things took place:

One, we went for the final walkthrough of the house. I found some things the previous owners left behind that showed they were active Mormons. This had a big impact on me for a couple of reasons. One, they were doing essentially the same things we're hoping to do. I have to be conscious of that as I meet people, so that we aren't lumped in with them. We have to make sure they understand a difference. That may seem like a clear distinction to you, but it isn't to most unbelievers (and to an alarming number of believers too!).

This may be a little "wierd" for some of you, but I had a sense of wanting to pray through the house before we moved in. As we talked about it later, J had the same sense. I've never done that before, but I just had a sense that we needed to this time - maybe because it is essentially our church for now, our center of ministry, whatever. Once we made this discovery, I really wanted to do that - since it was being used as a center for false teaching, I really want to see it established as a Kingdom outpost. Please pray for us in this regard - especially for our neighbors, that we will be able to communicate clearly the truth of Jesus and that God will reveal the truth to them. Pray that Satan will not be able to use this "confusion" to harm the work.

This all served to underline the fact that this is all spiritual warfare. This is the "wierd" part for some of you, but we really are engaged in a spiritual battle, there are lives and souls at stake, and you play a vital part. Please join me in pleading for the souls of people here in Omaha and against the work of Satan.

The other significant event took place at closing. I had not met our actual loan officer before. The day before our "interview" he fell off a ladder and ended up in ICU, so someone filled in for him. We met for the first time at closing and he asked a lot of questions about the church and how things were going. I didn't even know for sure that he knew what we were doing. As things progressed we talked further and he asked me to keep him posted on the progress. I asked if he was going to church anywhere and he replied that he was, but that they had been discussing a change and that's why he wanted to know more about what we were doing. Again, just another instance of how God randomly draws people together.

Please continue to pray for us in that regard. Ask God to raise up people - believers who are well connected with lost people and lost people who God is dealing with. We've been seeing answers to these prayers, so please keep it up.

As for everything else, we are busy painting and preparing to move in. We're hoping to have our first small group on the 28th.

Thanks for you prayers!

greeting all! just a quickie today. we closed on the house and are busy painting. J'line won't let me have time off to blog, so i'll try to post my update on wednesday. there's more cool news of God connecting us with people.

see you wednesday!

01/01/07 UPDATE

Well, you can tell by the picture what the highlight of this week was! We weren't supposed to get snow, but we got about 3 1/2". The boys were excited to get to see it and use their sledding stuff and snow equipment. It started snowing Sunday morning and really started about 15 minutes before church started. J came in to get the boys and was all excited to get them to see it. They came running back inside all excited and L had a present for me - he brought me a handful of it so I could see it too. They've been sledding, throwing snow balls, making snow angels, the whole bit.

This past week has been both encouraging and productive - although in an odd way. I haven't been "working" as much as I would like. Since Christmas, I've found that it seems like I'm one of the only people in O trying to work! A lot of what I might have hoped to get done, didn't.

However, my biggest concern has been meeting people (especially lost people). To that end, I've been working to build relationships with people here. One was with a guy named Spencer. He works at our bank and helped us open our accounts. We hit it off because he's a huge college football fan, so we were talking about that. Since then, I've been intentionally going to that branch and going inside to make conversation, etc. I really felt like it was a waste of time though, because he told me he lived across the river in Iowa (that would put him on the complete other side of Omaha than we're targeting). On Tuesday, I went in to get some of the stuff straight in preparation for closing and mentioned that we were buying a house. He asked where and I told him 168th St. He said, "Cool, I live at 144th St." (That would be 2 miles away, which is just around the block out here) When I said I thought he lived in council bluffs, he said, "Yeah I did but we just moved a couple of weeks ago." I got his phone number and he told me to call him "when I was having a big party or something." Hmmm, I think my last "big party" was about 15 years ago, but we'll figure something out. At this point, the Darth Vader theme shoud be playing in the background with the Millenium Falcon being pulled to the Death Star by a tractor beam (some of you may have to rent Star Wars to figure this one out - or just ask Mike Dunn if you're in St. Joe). I had a seminary professor use that as an illustration for the Holy Spirit drawing people to God.

Another interesting contact was on Friday. I went to a local lake/park to work on my sermon. My neighbor Brad said he goes there often to fish. I hadn't seen him for several weeks because he and his wife have seperated. We haven't talked since that happened and I've been looking for an opportunity. He teaches school, so I knew he was on vacation and kept watching for his vehicle. I happened to see it, so I put my coat on and took a walk in the rain. I "bumped into him" eventually and we got to talk for a pretty good while. He shared with me some of what was going on and we talked about getting together sometime to fish and I was able to invite him to church.

If you will notice, I asked you to pray for "fruitful contacts" last week. I think these would classify as answers.

Sunday went well, too. I preached at the church where we've been attending. I got some really good feedback, so i think it went well. I even kept it in the 30 minute range! That was really important since the movies start very shortly after church. It was funny to preach in a movie theater - they project the power point on the "big screen." From the front, it looks just like everybody's watching a movie while you're trying to talk to them. Some even had sodas and coffee (no popcorn though - but you can buy it on the way out). We had invited several people to come, but the snow kept most of them away. We did have one couple show up though.

After church we went to lunch with a huge group of people from the church, which was fun. Then we got a call on Monday to hang out with some friends for New Year's so that was cool. Anyway, it was a pretty eventful week considering I didn't feel like I got anything "done."

The big deal for this week is closing on the house. We're trying to get it set for Thursday afternoon since we had someone volunteer to keep the kids. If so, then Friday will start the painting. I am NOT looking forward to that process! Please pray that the closing will go well and we will get all the work done quickly. I'm hoping to have our first "Gathering" (small group) by the end of the month.

Also, keep praying for fruitful contacts. Lost people. Leaders for the work who are well connected with lost people. Opportunities to share the Good News.

Thanks for the prayers. You got it - they move heaven and earth.

12/25/06 UPDATE

Sorry, we're a day late. For some reason, I was preoccupied with other things yesterday.

I hope everybody's Christmas went well. Ours was a little different, but all in all it went pretty well. We got to talk with some friends that we haven't heard from in a while, which was nice. The boys were loaded down with stuff as usual. It's always funny to me how we pick stuff we think they'll be wild about and then they end up liking some random item best. For example, yesterday they got tons of "fun" things that were all wrapped up. We had decided to buy them some plastic sleds (the little disk things and another one that's torpedo shaped) and snow gear (boots, gloves, snow bibs, coats). We layed all of this stuff out on the back of the couch since it was big and utilitarian and we thought they'd just blow by it. (For the record, we have received no measurable snowfall yet, despite all the other areas around us getting bombed. They are saying possibly this weekend.) Anyway, L immediately grabbed his snow boots and gloves and put them on. He hardly took them off all day and had to put the boots in his room last night. Go figure!

There are several things you can pray about this week:

1 - I'm preaching at Heartland Community Church on Sunday.

2 - We're trying to get all the final details finished up before closing on the house.

3 - Pray for fruitful contacts - leaders who are well connected with lost people and lost people.

thanks for praying!

12/18/06 UPDATE

Last week was a significant milestone. J and I celebrated 10 years of marriage. What did we do to celebrate? Well. . . we bought Quizno's and went to a park so the boys could go play on the stuff and we could have a few minutes alone to talk. I know, a meager attempt, but it was the best we could pull off under the circumstances. Where's a Geoghagan girl when you need one:)

We had lunch on Wednesday with a couple who've been involved in several church plants. They are a retired couple who really are amazing. They are involved in tons of stuff - an inner city ministry, on "staff" at their church, meeting with a variety of church plants and planters. Most of all, they are very in touch with ministry in the context of today. It was encouraging to see a couple who are older than we are, put aside their preferences and desires to serve others. As I've visited "younger" churches in the area, I've been amazed at the number of older people present. They often seem very involved and working. Most acknowledge that there is a sacrifice involved - it might not be there "style". i'm not trying to stereotype a certain group of individuals - that's not my intent. I've been challenged by their example because i know it is difficult to set aside your preferences to pursue what is best for the kingdom of God. My prayer is that I'll be open to change as my "methods" and "preferences" are no longer the most effective.

We had a good weekend. Friday night, Heartland Church (where we've been going) had a get together and took a bus to look at Christmas lights, There's one subdivision here where everyone pays people to put up elaborate decorations. it was cool and the boys had a great time. We learned moderation is a good idea for 5 year olds and hot chocolate! We also hung out with some friends after church yesterday. It's really cool when we hang with them because our kids get along great, so we can talk the whole time with minimal interruptions.

For prayers, the main concern I've been having is for meeting people. Pray that God will connect us with people. Mainly lost people who God has been preparing to hear the gospel. Also, for Believers who are well connected with unbelievers. Not finding a good way to do this has been the most frustrating aspect of our time here so far.

Thanks for your prayers. They move heaven and earth.

12/11/06 UPDATE

LOTTIE GETS HER'S TOO!

Well, this is an update to last week's praise. We received another check for $150 - so now the kids get their Christmas and Lottie gets her money too. I hope the last post wasn't misconstued as a plea for more money - that wasn't the intent. It was just significant to me that God provided the boys exactly what they would have had. Anyway, I won't belabor the point, but THANKS!

This last week involved a whole lot of office work for me. I keep getting pushed to plan, plan, plan - which I hate to do. I've been going through a church planting manual and it contained a helpful tidbit for me in this regard. They encouraged an extremely detailed plan for 3 years into the future. That seemed excessive to me, but the rationale made sense. Once you go public with the church, you will be slammed trying to stay on top of things. There will be no time for planning at that point. So, one prayer request is that God will help me focus my thoughts, hear His desires for His church, and be able to articulate all of these things. Oh yeah, and pray that I won't get too frustrated with the process.

My plan is to take the cold months to plan and continue networking. In the spring, we will really start to ramp things up and then kick them into high gear in the summer.

One goal I've got for now is to develop community with those who have expressed an interest in helping. To that end, we had Jeff, Kelly, and Jocelyn over for dinner Saturday night. it was fun. We haven't really been doing much entertaining due to our present living arrangements so it was fun to do it again. It felt like getting ready for small group. it was nice to have a couple over as "friends." Most of our encounters have been more business related. We find ourselves in the situation of trying to break into other people's social networks and such and this is tough. Think about it - you've got your set of friends, so when you have time to do something, you usually call those people. you don't really think, or work to, include others who may not be "in" yet. It's hard to stress too much the importance of intentionally developing friendships with people for the sake of sharing your hope in Christ. I personally believe that building relational bridges with lost people is the most important and effective thing you can do as an ambassador for Christ. Ok, enough preaching.

One last request. We are having the first real struggle since we got up here. In the big picture, it's not that big of a deal, but it does bother both of us. We're entering the Christmas season and don't have any family around. Normally, that wouldn't be that big of a deal because their are friends, church family, etc. to fill in the place. But, we don't really have any of those three options at the moment, so we do feel a bit lonely. Nobody's ready to jump off a building or anything, but we would appreciate your prayers.

WEIRD AND FUNNY

WEIRD

I went to get tags for the Jeep today. In the office there were three windows. I was at one and heard the guy next to me say he just moved up from Florida. I said where and he told me Tampa. I said, I just moved up from the Panhandle myself. To which the guy in the third booth said, I just moved up from Tampa too.

FUNNY

Conversation between Jackson and I:

J - "Dad, have you decided where the church will be yet?
(great, now I've got pressure from the kids too:))

L - (I wasn't exactly sure what he meant, so I asked) "Do you mean where in Omaha it will be located or the specific building we'll be meeting in?"

J - Have you decided where the church will be. (Thanks, that helped)

L - Well, do you know where we looked at the house? It will be around that area somewhere. If you mean what building will we meet in, it will probably be in a school. We'll meet in the cafeteria or some other big room.

J - But I don't like green beans.

L - WHAT????

J - I don't like green beans, so I'd prefer not to have them.

L - We'll just be meeting in the cafeteria, it doesn't mean we have to eat there.

J - OOOOHHHHH, WHEW!!! (As he wipes his hand across his forehead).

12/04/06 UPDATE

Last week was a really good one. We did several things that were really cool. God also answered several prayer requests.

First, things are rolling along smoothly with the house. We had the inspection which turned up no big problems. We're approved for the mortgage - HA! I find it scary how much money banks are willing to "give" you.

Second, we got a "treat" on Wednesday. Some friends gave us tickets to a college basketball game. See the post below for a laugh.

Third, we had a really good meeting with a family interested in the church plant. He likes to fish and loves college basketball, so he should make the cut! They are a great couple - we'll see how God orchestrates things in the future. We told some friends who attempted a church plant that we had 3 or 4 couples who were seriously interested. They said "Well, you've made it farther than we did." We've still got a long way to go though.

Fourth, we had not just one, but two opportunities to do things without the boys! WOOHOO! That's the first time since we moved up here. The church had a parents night out on Friday. They rented a big fitness center/gym with a pool, etc. and the kids had a blast. Then on Saturday, we had the ministers/wives associational Christmas party. Another "its a small world" moment for those of you from G'ville and St. Joe - I was talking to one of the pastor's here. He moved up from Louisville, KY about 18 months ago. He had been the educational associate at Bill Cook's church.

Fifth, I had one of those answers to prayer where you think God is really trying to make a point. (The following details are included just because they made the answer very clear to me, not to imply any need, etc.) We've been discussing finances a lot lately because of the pending house purchase. As we were talking last week, J said "Oh, we won't be getting a Christmas bonus this year." The pertinent point being that the bonus we used to get from the church is what we used to buy Christmas - we didn't "save up" for it. We'd usually get $300 and give $150 to Lottie Moon and spend $150 on our family Christmas presents. When she said that, I realized I hadn't thought of that either and I voiced a prayer to God, something along the lines of "God, would you provide for that in another way." I've been learning to just say a quick prayer to God when something crosses my mind, rather than trying to remember it for later and pray more extensively about it. i usually forget and don't pray about it at all. so, in this case, I shot up a quick request. Almost as soon as I prayed it (almost out of reflex), I then thought about what I'd said. My thought was, "Yeah, right. Like anyone's going to think about that." Well, a few days later, i got an email that said a check was in the mail that was for the kid's Christmas. The amount? $150. I was rebuked (and encouraged). I've been thinking that I hadn't been sharing enough answers to your prayers with you, so I wanted to in this case.

Yesterday we had a very different church experience. We went to a traditional church. Not First Baptist, etc. I mean REALLY traditional. Like 300 A.D. i have a friend who is Eastern Orthodox. He invited me to church Sunday because his son was getting "churched." I had to ask what that was, because the only "churching" I had heard of involved kicking somebody out and his son is only 5 weeks old! Apparently, they have a tradition that mother and child are welcomed back into the church after 40 days. There is a small ceremony where they are presented to the church and committed in prayer to Jesus. It was a really different experience. The entire service is a liturgy that was put together by John Chrysostom (sp?) a famous preacher in the late 300's. They were kind enough to translate it into English, unlike the Greek Orthodox. It was a very different environment. My friend seemed touched that we had come. That was the main reason we went - building the relationship.

Also, pray for our neighbors. I have been looking for an opportunity to share the gospel with them. It seems that they are going through a time that might make them very receptive.

PRAISES
House
God hears and answers prayers - even if we don't think He will.
More good contacts for the core and to share the gospel.

PRAYERS
We need MORE good contacts for the core and to share the Gospel.
God to call people to the work.
God to lead people to salvation.
Wisdom as we plan, prepare, explore, etc.
Pray for things to go smoothly with the house and Juanita's transition up here.