Better than Jail

Tags

Christian, Christianity, Church, Church Planting, Coastline, Corpus Christi, culture, deputation, God, Home missions, independent baptist fellowship, Missionary, Missions, Pastors, Religion, Religious, Shepherds, south texas

“How’s the work going?” That is the question I am asked more times than not in regard to the church plant here in Corpus Christi, TX. Of course, my answer is always, “It’s going great”. But what does that mean, really? How do you interpret my answer of “It’s going great”? In your mind, does “great” mean problems are non-existent? When I say “great” do you picture people vying for the best seats in the auditorium? Does “great” mean the offering plates are over-flowing, or do you picture the altars filled with people who have rushed forward to do business with God during the invitation? In your mind’s eye do you see multitudes of people accepting Christ as their Savior by my response of “great”? Or do you see our baptistery waters being stirred every week? I’ve never actually asked, but I wonder what my answer of “great” really means to you.

 In reality, “great” is relative. “Great” is only “great” if compared to something not so great. What makes something “great”? Well, I can tell you this. We are not seeing people lined up at the door waiting for a chance to get the best seats. In fact, most times our auditorium is uncomfortably empty. Furthermore, in the four months since we started the church, we haven’t been successful in getting anyone to come to Sunday school, Sunday evening or Wednesday evening services. I can also tell you that rarely does anyone step out of their seat to walk to the altar to do “business” with God after hearing the preaching on Sunday morning. We averaged about 28 people during the month of January of 2013, and of those 28, only 2 people actually tithed. So far, we have only led 6 people to Christ and we have baptized no one. So why then do I answer the question, “How’s the work going?” with “It’s going great”? Because it’s all about perspective!

 The work is going great because I serve a great God! The God of the work is always faithful and rock steady when the work of God is sometimes static and allusive. God is abiding. His word is abiding. As we walk with God, no matter what the day brings forth, it’s better than facing it without God. Therefore, it’s great. The work of God can produce fleeting results and flighty people but even still, a day of witnessing for Jesus with no visible results is far better than a day in jail or sitting behind a vacant building somewhere in this old city with a bottle of wine. Therefore, it’s great. Having the sublime privilege of preaching the word of God to 17 hearers on a Sunday morning with no one coming to the altar is indeed better than a  Sunday spent in bed with a hangover. Therefore, it’s great. To have a wife at my side whose faith in God is real and her love and belief in her husband is constant is beyond great! I couldn’t imagine life where money was not an issue but my wife did not believe in God and her confidence in her husband was non-existent.  The work is great because its premise is the promises of God. Those promises don’t cause me to see the work through rose-colored glasses, but through the window of God’s truth. Those promises have not misguided me to believe that I will be “mega-successful” as man and the world define “success”, nor do they keep the God-given dreams and aspirations of my heart at bay. God’s success is not elusive, but it is not a destination either. God’s success is found in the journey. It is found in the daily and even hourly joys of life in Christ.

 So, the next time you ask me “How’s the work going?”, and I answer, “It’s going great”, realize that I am a man content with serving his great God no matter the results.

 Enjoy the journey. It’s great!

Culture Shock in South Texas?

Tags

Catholic, Coastline, Corpus Christi, culture, culture shock, rosary, saints, south texas

We praise the Lord for His blessings upon us at Coastline Baptist Church. I am very encouraged after having had only three weeks’ worth of services. We had 36 in our first Sunday service. Subtract the folks who came from other churches to help us and we whittle that number down to 23. Still, that’s not a bad crowd for our first service. The second week we were down to 17, but with people showing up who had not been there the previous week. And last Sunday, we had 26 people attend the morning service.

 Some people might be wondering if I am a little discouraged at those results since I set my goals so high before coming here. I set the goals high because I know the results we had in the Pacific Northwest when we employed the same methods, and figured the same amount of work done in the deep South would yield even greater results or, at the very least, the same results. I could not have been more wrong.

 This is what I’ve learned about Corpus Christi since moving here in August. Catholicism here is not a denomination. It is not a religion. It is a culture. The folks here who profess to be Catholic are born into it and live the “Catholic life”. Most mainstream denominations don’t even have Sunday evening or Wednesday evening services. But drive past any of the Catholic churches here (and there is one in just about every community) on Saturday night, Sunday morning, Sunday night, or Wednesday night, and the parking lot will be absolutely packed! It isn’t about religion or faith, or church, or even God, Jesus, Mary, or Joseph. It’s about family and tradition. We met one man who wanted to get his infant child baptized and when he was asked why, he simply said, “Because it’s what my parents want. Because it’s what we do.” This was not a spiritual decision at all. This was a decision based upon family tradition. There is just as much superstition as biblical error mixed into their weekly religious rituals. But because they have deferred all biblical interpretation to their priests, they don’t have a clue that they are in darkness. This is where we come in.

 But contrary to our own expectations and even past experiences, we will not be coming in with Bibles blazing, seeing multitudes accepting Christ on their doorstep after talking with them for a few minutes. Oh, trust me; I could get a hundred Catholics to pray with me next week if I wanted to because these Catholics absolutely do not mind praying. It’s part of their culture. It’s as common to them as having a Rosary hanging from their rear-view mirror. I should pause here to say that we have also noticed a difference between the Mexican Catholics and the Anglo Catholics. So far, the Mexican Catholics have been very respectful and even reverent as we speak to them of our new church plant. The Anglo Catholics are more belligerent. I don’t know why yet. I haven’t been able to get inside their heads to figure that out, but take my word for it, there is a noticeable difference. Then why am I not discouraged even a little? I am glad you asked.

I am not discouraged because now, there is no room for my “methods” or “my experiences” to come into play. Sure, I will still lean on my experience in order to pastor those who do get saved, but, humanly speaking, when it comes to reaching these folks, I honestly don’t have a clue what I am doing. I am trusting in God’s Word, God’s wisdom, and God’s Holy Spirit all the way. So, I prayed to the Lord of the Harvest and asked Him to give me wisdom and to give me someone who could show me how to properly and effectively approach this ripe harvest field. And brethren, that is a prayer my heavenly Father wasted no time answering! So far, the Lord has placed a 75 year old retired Baptist preacher in my path. This man’s name is Bro. Garcia and was formerly a staunch Catholic who was saved at age 38. Despite the fact that his strength and agility betray his age, I never would have guessed he was 75. I would have guessed at least 10 years younger. He loves to talk about the Word of God. He loves to study the Word of God and he loves to share the Word of God with other Catholics or with anyone else who will listen. Just this week he expressed a desire to go knock doors with me so I can watch how he deals with Catholics. He assured me that it is going to be very different from the way we deal with people associated with any other denomination. Hopefully, this will be the subject of my next blog. But until that time, please pray for the lost souls in the dark part of south Texas.

September Report

Greetings Friends,

I’ve been way too busy to try to update this blog, so I’m going to re-post my September Progress report. The only difference is that I’ll post the pictures here son you can see our progress. Hope it’s a blessing. God bless.

September 2012 Progress Report

Our new home address is 6525 Purplewing Drive, Corpus Christi, TX 78414. The mailing address for Coastline Baptist Church is PO Box 8907 Corpus Christi, TX 78468. We will still be receiving all of our financial support through our home church, Heritage Baptist, so please don’t send it to either of the addresses above. I only put those on there in case you wanted to correspond or visit.

What an exciting month August has been. It has gone by in a whirlwind. We were able to secure a 2000 sq ft. store front located at 5115 Cosner Dr. The location previously housed the Grace Bible Church for nearly 30 years. The storefront is owned by a Southern Baptist family who will not rent to any business that isn’t at least faith based. For that reason, the building sat empty for 2 years. The owner has been a tremendous blessing to us already by giving me carte blanc to do whatever I wanted to the inside and by loaning us the use of his trailer to make several trips to the landfill while we remodel the inside. Another benefit of the other units being used by faith based companies is that they are all closed on Sunday and we have the entire parking lot to ourselves.

My wife and I have been working 6 days a week, ten to twelve hours per day removing walls, tearing out carpet, rebuilding walls, putting up sheetrock, taping and floating, painting, etc. You can see all those pictures on my blog, http://www.ccchurchplant.wordpress.com. My pastor, Bro. Crawford and Bro. Kelly Clark, one of Heritage’s godly men (who can build anything by the way), came down and built the platform, baptistery area, electrical work, and framing. They were only here for about 24 hours but worked 17 of those. The next step is to finish painting, laying tile, carpet the platform, put in the sound system and purchase chairs. If anyone wants to help with chairs, it would be much appreciated. We need about $3,000.00 for 100 nice stacking chairs.

I was hoping to begin knocking doors by September 3^rd, but it looks like I’ll have to start next week instead. But I should still be able to get a full three weeks of door knocking in prior to our Grand Opening Sunday.

Once again, thank you so much for counting this ministry worthy of your support. As you well know, humanly speaking, we absolutely could not do this without you.
For souls till Jesus comes,

James & Sim Stone

 

Our New Home Sweet Home!

I can’t believe we are finally here! What is even more phenomenal is the fact that our deputation period was less than 8 months with a few more meetings to go, which will hopefully bring us to 100% of our needed financial support.

Everything has fast-tracked! There are things that have happened that can only be attributed to the Lord! I am so grateful for that because, quite frankly, I don’t want to be a part of a ministry where God is not present and actively working! With rental homes being snatched up as quickly as they appear on the market, the Lord provided one for us unusually fast because we weren’t even living here at the time and really didn’t have time to look around. We only looked at about 6 or 7 and are very grateful for the one the Lord provided. It’s a little more than half the size of our home in Fort Worth, but the down sizing has been rather nice and I think Sim likes not having to clean a 2500 sq ft. home. We’ve only been here two weeks and she already has it looking very homey!

I began looking at commercial property as well. I thought I found the perfect place. It was brand new construction with 2500 sq. ft. of warehouse/office space combined. The problem was it was only engineered for 500 sq. ft. of office space. When we asked the owner to put in drop ceilings in the entire place and add rooms for classroom space, he balked. He was willing to do it, but it meant he would have to re-draw it and purchase a commercial ac unit to handle the load. He said he could do it but it would double the rent and we would have to sign a 5 year lease. I guess that was his way of saying “No way Jose”! That’s ok. I didn’t stress. I know God is in control. That obviously was not the one he had for us.

After being here for one week and working with a realtor, the realtor called me and said she wasn’t going to be looking for any properties for us to rent and she was going to hand me off to someone else, who I have yet to hear from. I guess there isn’t enough money in the rental end of real estate for an agent or broker. So I decided, on a whim, to try Craigslist, and lo and behold, there was the building just waiting for us to rent it! This is amazing. I have to share the story. I promise it won’t take too long.

This building was previously used as a church but had been vacant for the past two years. Why? It seems the owner, who is a Southern Baptist, inherited it from his parents and didn’t want to rent it out for anything that was not at least faith based. When we called, it was a no-brainer for him and me. It’s not quite as big as the other place and only has two extra classrooms but it will work for a year or two. Today, I spent about 8 hours pulling up carpet and padding, knocking down the old platform and some old paneling they had up.

I will continue to chronicle the plant until we get it up and running. After that (I’ll be sure to let you know when), I am going to focus only on one blog. I will continue to reference the church in the other one on a regular basis so you can keep up with us if you so desire. You can find the link to that blog on the sidebar on the right. God bless you all. Keep us in your prayers, as you can see we have a lot of work to do yet before October 7th.

God’s Men

Tags

Christian, Christianity, Church, Church Planting, God, Pastors, Religion, Religious, Shepherds

1 Timothy 1:12 ~ “And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry”

As I look back over the month of June, I am intrigued by the men of God who have been called to pastor the churches where I’ve been. I am at once both educated and encouraged. I am educated because I have a tendency to want to stereotype people within their roles, but I realize that one cannot do that with pastors. I am encouraged because I see God using men of different talents, varying degrees of education, and, in spite of with what I would consider to be limitations, to forge works all over the country for His glory! Each pastor has a different story to be sure, but I thought I would enlist the stories of June’s pastors to serve as the subject for this month’s blog.

I was blessed to be able to present our ministry and preach in six churches this past month. First, I visited the Victory Baptist Church in Baytown, TX. This church’s pastor had resigned just a month or two earlier due to health reasons. Pastor Danny Bezet’s testimony is stellar. I’ve known Bro. Bezet for many years and know that the congregation and the work of God flourished under his leadership. Strong, hellfire and brimstone would characterize Bro. Bezet’s preaching, and he never failed to tell a Cajun joke before every sermon. Many souls came to know Christ as their Savior because God used a Louisiana Cajun to accomplish his own divine purpose. This church is continuing to thrive because their pastor was not wishy washy. I am sure God will provide Victory Baptist with just the right pastor and they will continue to be used by God.

That same day, I left Baytown, TX and drove 31 miles south to the coastal city of Texas City, Texas where Pastor Ronnie Mills pastors the Trinity Baptist Church. I believe Bro. Mills’ story is probably one of the most unique of any pastor I’ve ever met. I’ve known Bro. Mills for about 15 years and have always been fascinated at how God providentially worked in his life to bring him to where he now pastors. The truth is, God didn’t have to move in his heart to go anywhere because Bro. Mills is pastoring the same church where he was saved. In the 1970s, Bro. Mills was a respected and successful vice president of a local bank in Texas City when some folks from Trinity Baptist Church came to his house and invited him to their services. He and his family began attending and before long were saved. In time, Bro. Mills became the associate pastor and Christian school administrator and then eventually became their pastor. Bro. Mills has never been a member of any other church in his life. What a story! When I am around Bro. Mills, his strong leadership abilities and keen business sense are very obvious and noticeable. He is, without a doubt, a Type A, straight to the point and let’s get down to business kind of pastor. And He, by the grace of God, is getting the job done in Texas City!

Next, I traveled to Cleveland, TX where Pastor Thomas Bolton is serving as the bi-vocational pastor of Victory Baptist Church. I was reminded that not every pastor is a full time, full salaried pastor, and not every church planter is receiving outside support. There was a time in our country not too long ago when the term “home missions” didn’t exist, and a man who wanted to start a church in America usually did so as a bi-vocational endeavor. But guess what! God blessed it then and he is still blessing it today. I admire these men who are full of faith and willing to work a secular job to support their families while carving out a work and serving as the shepherd for their little flocks until, God willing, they grow to the point where they can afford to give him a salary and bring him on full time. May God bless every single one of them!

I was then able to follow that with a meeting at the Berean Baptist Church in White Settlement, Texas. This story is the most encouraging of all because their dear pastor, Bro. Buddy Woolbright, who is 76 years old, started this church one year ago! That’s right! I said he started the church! Any church planter knows the amount of work that goes into a church plant, and we know how much physical effort is involved. The fact that God is using Bro. Woolbright to accomplish this is nothing short of a miracle. Bro. Woolbright was a missionary to the country of Chile for years and years. When he came back to the states, I guess he thought retiring meant “re-tiring”, so he just put on a new set of tires and kept on rolling for the Lord! He holds several services each Sunday to accommodate the English and Spanish speaking crowds. It was quite an experience for me to be able to present our ministry and preach to this congregation. I praise the Lord for this brand new work and their hard working, seemingly tireless pastor.

God blessed and allowed me to get back to my roots by being with the King’s Highway Baptist Church in inner city Fort Worth where Pastor Gene Kreig is the pastor. I cut my teeth on inner city ministry in South Fort Worth under my pastor, Bro. Mickey Hollars. Pastor Kreig and the King’s Highway Baptist Church have not forgotten the inner city and are known for their compassion toward the down and outers and the homeless. Pastor Kreig still leads his preacher boys to go soul winning and preach on the street corners of Fort Worth. A guy’s gotta have a big heart and a true calling from God to continue in this ministry week after week, month after month, and year after year. I truly admire this man of God and feel very blessed to be associated with this ministry.

Finally, we made our way to Childress, Texas where Bro. Dan McFarland pastors his home church, Parkview Baptist Church. Bro. McFarland was concerned about the Biblical admonition that a man is not without honor except in his own country and among his own family and was therefore very reluctant to accept the pastorate. But, through much prayer and godly counsel, he truly believed it was God’s will that he accept the pastorate in the city where he was born and raised. It seems to be working out as he has been their pastor now for nearly 30 years!

Isn’t it marvelous how God uses men of such diverse circumstances to accomplish one common purpose? Consider the church you are in. Think about the pastor God has placed at your church. Do you know his story? Do you know his circumstances? Chances are, he won’t think it’s all that spectacular. More than likely, he will simply rejoice in the fact that God would even consider calling him to this eternal work. Your pastor probably wrestles with his own inabilities and short comings on a regular basis, believing that someone else can probably do a better job. But the truth is, God put that man there because He knew what it would take to get the job done. I’d like to encourage you to pray for him. Be an encouragement to him. Let your pastor know that you appreciate how God has used him in your life, because, I promise you, if you have been going to church and sitting under the preaching of the Word of God, your life has been affected. Have a blessed day!

A Summary of May

Tags

Church Planting, deputation, Home missions, Missionary, Missions

A Summary of May

Preaching and Presenting – We began the month of May by presenting our ministry and preaching in Converse, Texas, which is near Austin. We always enjoy going to that part of the state because some of our best friends in the world live near there in New Braunfels, TX. We always make the time to see them when we are there because they are such a joy to be around. God bless John and Ann Cranford for being so faithful to our Lord over the years and for being such a Godly example and wonderful Christian friends to me and Sim.

Challenges of a New Pastor – Later that week, I presented our ministry and preached in a church where a new, young pastor was trying to work through the transition of leadership as the older, former pastor, who is still attending the church, is finding it difficult to turn over the responsibilities. My heart was very encouraged by being around him because he has such a tremendous zeal and love for God and a genuine burden to get more churches started across the country. I am excited to see what the Lord is going to do with this young pastor and this church.

On the Home Front – We seldom attend services at our home church, Heritage Baptist in Haslet, Texas and don’t see our church family very often, but this month I was able to enjoy the men’s monthly prayer breakfast in the morning and then our Sunday school class’ barbecue at one of the member’s homes that same evening.

My Paul – Toward the end of the month, I had the privilege of hearing my former pastor and father in the ministry, Bro. Mickey Hollars, preach at the Berean Baptist Church in Burleson, Texas where Bro. Jason Pugh is the pastor. I praise the Lord for the steadfast, godly examples Bro. and Mrs. Hollars continue to provide for me and my wife as we continue in the ministry.

A Proud Daddy and Anxious Church Planter – On the domestic side, I was blessed to be able to attend the ceremony as my daughter Ashley Stacy was commissioned a 2^nd Lt. in the United States Army Reserves through Texas Christian University’s ROTC program. This reminded me of how fleeting our time on this earth really is. It reignited in me the urgency to get to the field of my calling and get busy winning souls and preaching the gospel till Jesus comes.

MY CUP RUNNETH OVER!

“Be careful what you pray for, because you just might get it!”

I’ve heard that saying before and often wondered why one would pray if he didn’t want God to answer. But what is really meant by that statement is this; “Be careful what you pray for, because God might answer it in a totally unexpected fashion.” And oh my goodness, can I ever testify to that!!! I would like to dedicate this post to tell of one little congregation down in south Texas that God used to be a tremendous blessing to this preacher when a blessing was desperately needed.

Contrary to what some might think, missionaries do not get rich while on deputation. In fact, if the missionary isn’t wise and frugal with the finances he receives along the way, he will too often find himself in desperate situations of his own making. Situations which, in my opinion, God has not obligated himself to work out. But sometimes, even when you are doing everything right, God allows needs to arise. After all, God really can’t answer one’s prayer to trust Him more if the one doing the praying never has a need.

We had just attended a missions conference in Bridgeport, TX the third week in March where God blessed us tremendously with new friends, great fellowship, a new supporting church, and a generous love offering. But with only one meeting scheduled for the entire first week of April, that generous love offering could quickly turn into an average offering provided the next church also gave an average offering. But as it turned out, that generous offering actually turned into a barely-making-ends-meet offering because the next church where I preached gave us an offering that didn’t even pay for my fuel cost to go there and back home. Please don’t misunderstand. I am not complaining. I have been down this road before and realize this is the nature of the beast. This is why I stress wisdom and frugality with one’s finances while on the deputation trail.

I was scheduled to preach the next week, Easter Sunday, at the Open Bible Baptist Church in Yorktown, TX where Bro. Marcus Tankersly is the pastor. When I scheduled the meeting with Pastor Tankersly about 5 weeks prior, he told me they had a small congregation of about 10 or 12 people. Now, I have never let the size of a congregation determine whether or not I would preach for them. When God called me to preach 23 years ago, I determined to preach to anyone and everyone who would listen. I’ve preached to smaller congregations than that in the past and always asked God to simply use me to be a blessing. This time, however, I was tempted to cancel the meeting because I was asked to provide pulpit supply on the same Sunday for a pastor at a much larger church. I was strapped financially and knew this larger church would be able to provide a better love offering than the smaller church in Yorktown. I told the pastor I would consider it and that I would call him back shortly. I talked to my best counselor (my wife), and we both were very tempted to call Bro. Tankersly to cancel or reschedule the meeting, but then the Holy Spirit began convicting our hearts for two reasons. First for making a spiritual decision based upon money. Secondly, for putting ourselves and our physical needs before the spiritual needs of those folks in Yorktown. Shame on me! My God reminded me that if I would seek Him first and his righteousness, then all these other things would be added unto me. So, with the decision made to keep our appointment with the OBBC in Yorktown, I was about to call the other pastor back to let him know I would not be available to fill his pulpit when the phone rang. On the other end of the line was that pastor calling to let me know that he was able to find someone else to fill his pulpit!

Praising the Lord because He confirmed we did the right thing, we headed to Yorktown. Before we left the driveway, we prayed and acknowledged that God was well aware of our financial situation and trusted that He would handle it in His time. In the meantime, we asked God to help us put finances out of our mind and allow us to focus on being a blessing to this small congregation.

We arrived in Yorktown early Saturday evening and were settling into the room which the Pastor provided for us in his modest single wide trailer home.  After supper, the pastor came into the room and handed me some cash to help with our gas cost. He said he at least wanted me to have that because he wasn’t sure what the church could do. I really was grateful that I had recovered at least part of my gas cost (I say part of the cost because I drive an Expedition and it was a 5 hour drive one way).

The next morning Sim played the piano during the services and sang a solo. I presented our desire to start a church in Corpus Christi, TX during the Sunday School hour, and then preached my heart out to all 10 people sitting in the pews. We then had lunch in the fellowship hall and headed back into the auditorium for a brief afternoon service. I didn’t realize it, but the men had a brief meeting between services to discuss a love offering for me, and to my surprise actually presented a check to me when I came to the pulpit. The music director, Bro. Allen, explained that the men had decided to take us on for support and wanted to give us six months worth of support in advance! I unfolded the check and was absolutely shocked at the amount! I won’t tell you how much it was, but let it suffice to say that it is to date the largest one time offering I have ever received!

Open Bible Baptist Church has no idea (unless they read this blog) how God used them to bless our life. God’s timing is always perfect! He is never late nor early! Always right on time!

This episode has truly strengthened my faith in God and has increased my resolve to attempt even greater things for Him than I ever thought possible! I hope it does the same for you!

I want to close this story with two passages of Scripture that I believe would be appropriately placed right here.

For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.~        2 Chronicles 16:9

For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. ~ Psalm 84:11

Spring Fever!

Do you remember sitting in class on a warm, sunny day in Spring, watching out the window as other classes were taking their turn at recess? Remember how unnecessary the work in front of you seemed? And as badly as you would have liked to abandon the work to go outside and join your friends, the stark realization was that in order to have your turn at recess, you had to finish your work, no matter how mundane it seemed.

Some friends of ours went to Corpus Christi during Spring Break and had the nerve to put the pictures on Facebook. I am almost positive they did that just to tease me! The moment I saw them I was a kid again, staring out that window wishing I was already there and not here…doing deputation. Wow! Thanks friend! Now I have a serious case of Spring fever! But, thanks to you, I am also more determined than ever to finish my work here so that I can eventually be there doing what God has called us to do.

Sim and I were in 12 churches during the month of February, presenting and preaching in nine of those. I am scheduled to preach and present in 8 churches through the month of March and, so far, I have 8 meetings scheduled for the month of April with two of those being Missions Conferences. The scheduling and booking of meetings is a slow and arduous task that only intensifies my determination to get more churches started in America. I really feel sorry for the missionaries who have to spend 2 or 3 years raising support before getting to the field of their calling. We have many missionaries trying to fish from the same pond. We need to increase the size of the pond. But that is another issue which I will address either on my other blog, www.jdstonetalks.wordpress.com, or post here next time.

So, in the meantime, please remember us in your prayers. The most pressing need right now, especially with gas prices skyrocketing, is the scheduling of meetings – which is our bread and butter. And, of course, we need churches who would be willing to commit to at least two years’ worth of support so I can begin pastoring full time once I actually get to Corpus Christi.

Ok! I’m gonna stop staring out the window now and get back to work!

Blessings to you all.

My Wife – My Super Hero!

I’d like to take the time and space in this post to honor and recognize the person who, humanly speaking, really is making all this possible. My sweet wife, Sim.

Like many husbands, I have a natural tendency to take my wife for granted. I’m not saying it’s right, I’m just saying it’s unfortunately natural. Well, I’m sure I can speak for most husbands when I say our wives deserve far more praise than they receive! I know mine does! How she has stayed with me for over 21 years after learning the “real me” only the Lord knows!

I was talking with my mother on the phone today and she asked me where we were at this point in our deputation trail (Deputation being that period of time we travel around securing financial support for the new church planting endeavor, which is typically a year or more). I told her we just “moved into” a 600 sq. ft. apartment yesterday and Sim was in the bathroom unpacking our personal hygiene items, and busy trying her best to make this our little temporary home. My mom then made a statement that I hadn’t really quite considered until she actually said it. She said, “It takes a special woman to be the wife of a church planter.” After our conversation, I really began to think about that statement and came to the conclusion that there is so much truth to what she said. But I’ll let you be the judge.

During the 2011 Christmas holiday, My wife, who is a home-body, packed away all her belongings in storage. Knowing we couldn’t fit all of them, she sold some and gave a bunch away. She then had to decide which clothes she was going to carry with her for the next 9 months. But wait! The catch was, she could only take what she could fit into one large suitcase and one small suitcase the size of a carry-on. She then only had one bag she was allowed to fill with shoes. This became a humorous segment on her Facebook page. She ended up with 8 pairs of shoes which included flats, heels, boots, tennis shoes and flip flops. In case you’re wondering, I have four. I have one pair of black dress, one pair of brown dress, one pair of brown casuals and one pair of tennis shoes, and a pair of flip flops. (do those count?) She had to decide which jewelry she wanted to take. She then had to take her entire vanity table and reduce it to the size of a small zipper purse and one small plastic compartmentalized storage box which actually looks more like a small tackle case. If I were to stop right here, I’m sure my wife would qualify for some sort of purple heart having had to endure so much pain thus far. Oh! But wait! It gets worse!

Now it’s time to hit the road! Once I’ve secured preaching engagements across Texas (in the past, it was across the country), I then search out those churches which have mission houses, or apartments, or guest quarters, or prophet’s chambers (as some are fond of calling them). Now, this is a little tricky because those churches which have guest quarters usually have other missionaries calling them throughout the year as well to ask if they might stay there as they pass through the area. That means if I find one, I have to find out how long I’m able to secure it. Sometimes it’s for a few days, other times it’s for a week or two, and sometimes it’s for an even longer period such as the Lighthouse Baptist Church in Grand Prairie, TX where we just moved from. We were in their mission house for a full month! But no matter how long we are there, whether it’s one day or one month, we still must completely unpack the Expedition. We don’t dare leave what few personal belongings we’re carrying in the truck. (Some friends of ours had their van and trailer stolen out of the Holiday Inn Express parking lot a couple of weeks ago, and they had all their personal belongings in the trailer, including visas to the Dominican Republic, and Canadian and U.S. Passports.) But in addition to our clothes and what-nots, we also have Sim’s 88 key, full sized keyboard with stand and seat, and my guitar as well as our portable office. She now has to unpack and rehang her clothes and set up her make up area all over again, and then if we are only there for a few days, she has to pack it all back up again.

There is more to this multi-faceted jewel called deputation. She is forced to do her best with whatever cooking utensils happen to be on hand at each guest house. This is where pure genius comes in.  I think somewhere down the line my wife is related to Mcgyver because I’ve seen her work miracles in the kitchen with things I didn’t even know one could use for cooking. I’m actually serious when I tell you that not all mission houses are created equal. I believe there are churches out there who think the missionary family is so used to cooking over an open flame that they wouldn’t know what to do with proper utensils if they had them, so they don’t even bother furnishing the house with them.

I’ve always wanted to try one of those sleep number beds. They advertise on television that you could take it home and try if out for thirty days, and if you don’t like it, you could bring it back. Now, honestly, who does that? I’ve personally never met anyone who did that! However, if you go on deputation, you get to sleep in every type of bed at every comfort level imaginable! This is where my wife and I both draw the line in the sand. If she can tolerate it, fine! But if not, we figure out a way to use our queen sized air mattress we bought just for occasions like these. Sometimes it’s not possible and we just have to suck it up.

Through all of this, not one word of complaint! Oh, occasionally she will say something like, “I’m ready to be in Corpus Christi now.” But she knows this is a necessary part of what we have been called to do, and she does it with a tremendous spirit and a smile! Even today, as we just got settled into our new “temporary home” she began moving stuff around, setting this here and that there, making it even cozier than it already is. She was doing her best to make it “home”.

Sim, I know you’ll eventually see this post, so I want to say how much I love you for being such a spirit-filled, godly wife. I’ve often said, “Where two won’t, one can’t.” I know if you weren’t 100% behind me in this endeavor, we could not do this. Thank you for allowing God to use us both! You are my Super Hero!

Chocolate Chip Cookies & Boiled Cabbage! Ewww!

Tags

chewy chocolate chip, chocolate chip cookie, white chocolate chip cookies

Oreos, Chips Ahoy, Chocolatey Graham Squares, and Nutter Butters! Would someone shout “Amen!” to variety? Aren’t you glad there’s more than one kind of cookie to choose from? Don’t you get tired of eating the same cookie all the time? I know I sure do! I’m not opposed to an Oreo now and then, and those chocolatey graham squares are tasty, but don’t soak up milk very well. I have to really be in the mood for a Nutter Butter because I’m just not that into peanut butter cookies. But in the cookie world, the giant that stands as King of Cookies and eclipses all others (in my humble opinion) is the mighty Chocolate Chip Cookie! Oh, my goodness! There is nothing like a plate filled with chocolate chip cookies beside a tall, cold glass of milk after supper! They are my absolute favorite!

Now, anyone who knows me will vouch that I am an old, died in the wool, staunch, chocolate chip cookie lover! Of that, there is no doubt. And until chocolate chip cookies start looking and tasting like boiled cabbage or brussel sprouts, I’ll keep eating them. But I have seen some developments among chocolate chip cookies over the past couple of decades that have caused not a small stir among the cookie world. I have even seen with my own eyes and tasted with my own mouth that not all chocolate chip cookies are created equal! That’s right! There are the classic chocolate chip cookies, which are my favorite cause they soak up milk really well, then there are the chewy chocolate chip cookies, and the extra chocolatey, double chipped chocolate chip cookies, and the white chocolate chip cookies, and chocolate chip cookies with nuts (whoever thought of that is a traitor to the cause!), and then there are…I have a hard time even saying this one, but, ok, here goes, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies! Now that borders on getting right outside the cookie camp altogether!

All this rhetoric might seem a little superfluous, and maybe even downright silly, but I figured it was a good satirical way for me to explain my observation of independent Baptist churches as I preach along this deputation trail. Bear with me as I try to make the analogy.

Of all the Baptist churches out there, I am partial to the conservative, independent Baptists. That’s not to say that Southern Baptists, Northern Baptists, General Assembly Baptists, American Baptists, Freewill Baptist, Primitive Baptists, and ABCDEFG Baptists  aren’t Baptists, because I truly believe that many of them or maybe even all of them are adhering to the truths of the Word of God and ministering the way they believe God would have them to. Maybe they are not, but that is between them and God. But nothing satisfies my palate like a conservative, independent Baptist church, so I’m only qualified to comment on these familiar fellowships of believers.

I love the fact that independent Baptists are just that – independent. It gives wide parameters to work the ministry and allows a pastor the freedom to develop the church that God has called him to around the framework of his own personality and philosophy of ministry, which really are one and the same. A philosophy of ministry might say one thing on paper but will always be worked out according to the pastor’s personality and character.

The fact that God calls a specific man to any church ought to create enough incentive for other pastors to let him “do his own thing” within that church. Even if it hairlips Hogan’s goat, it’s none of my business, unless it’s the church God called me to pastor. Now, granted, I’m not talking of going off into heresy or stepping outside of the “chocolate chip” world. But, I’ve seen enough within the independent Baptist ranks to make me appreciate each one. They are all different! Every single one of them. As different as trees, or snowflakes or fingerprints. No two churches are exactly the same! Even if they are birthed from the same body, they are not the same. There are going to be differences because people are different!

So far, I’ve been in churches that enjoy the sound of their orchestras while singing the grand old hymns with symphonic splendor, and I’ve been in churches that use only acoustic guitars while old “Joe” stands behind the pulpit and leads the “sangin” in true bluegrass byte! I’ve listened while choirs sung to the cadence of their pianos or organs or Clavinovas or even to soundtracks. I’ve fellow shipped with pastors who decided to have 2 p.m. “evening” services rather than 6 p.m., and I’ve been in churches that have mid-week service on Thursday instead of Wednesday. I’ve preached for pastors who wouldn’t dare have screens up on the wall, as well as for those who swore by them and couldn’t imagine services without them. I’ve been in churches whose pastors are old school and still bring their written outlines to the pulpit and at the same time I’ve had the privilege to sit down and chew the fat with those pastors who bring their I-Pads to the pulpit instead of even their traditionally bound Bibles. Some pastors will preach against Facebook while others use it as a daily source of encouragement and edification. Some preachers go “calling” while others “visit” and still others go “soul-winning.” I think you get the picture, but I’ll end this list by sharing the fact that I’ve even preached with an over-the-ear microphone one day and the next day with no microphone at all! And alas, I am still an independent, conservative, extreme, right-winged Baptist!

One of the things I’ve learned by being around independent Baptist pastors the past 28 years, and being one myself for the last 20, is that most of us spend our entire ministries trying to figure out ministry. What’s right? What’s wrong? Where is that perfect balance? And just about the time we think we have it down, culture throws us a curve ball which forces us to adjust if we are going to continue reaching an ever changing society.

I’ve determined to focus on just trying to please God in my ministry. I know that if I busy myself trying to please God there will be two areas I will avoid; trying to please the brethren and judging them.

I love chocolate chip cookies too much to stop eating them just because there are so many different kinds, and I found out that those people who enjoy all the other types of chocolate chip cookies felt the same way. We’re all gonna sit back with our cold, tall glass of milk and enjoy our own plate of chocolate chip cookies!