Monthly Archives: July 2007

Just Checking In…

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A few highlights from the past couple of weeks…

- Matthew and Melissa returned home from a great week at World Changers.

- Michael went water skiing/tubing with Keystone.  Maybe I should say he tried to water ski – he never really got out of the water… :)

- Our home air conditioning went kaput this week. The fan motor locked up, and probably needs to be replaced. We have the windows open and plenty of other fans going until we can get it fixed. Our house now feels like a summer open air cabin on the beach. …Except we are in Fort Worth, Texas, it’s really hot and there’s no beach. :)

- Leona broke her tooth.

- On the way to the dentist, Leona had a flat tire.

- I changed the flat tire for Leona, the damsel in distress. :) No sense in her getting all mussed up on her way to the dentist. :P

- We watched the 1956 classic, “The Searchers” this week. Amazing cinematography, and a story that flips sterotypes, racial prejudices, and notions of “good guys and bad guys” on their heads. Not bad for a John Wayne flick from the ’50′s.

- I’ve spent a lot of extra time polishing up our musical, “One Mad Christmas,” and making the preview files and performance license and contract available. We’ve had a number of inquiries about it and there have been quite a few searches for “dramatic musicals” around here, lately, so I thought I’d freshen things up a bit.

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And in other news, Leona and I have been praying about Compass and the restart, and if the vision and strategy will actually be accomplished in the manner and time-frame we originally thought. Is it possible that the vision might be fulfilled by me leading another church in the area to see it become a reality? We’re not sure.

No, we’re not in conversations with another church, but we are far more open to that as a possibility than we have ever been before. If the plan changes, we’ll let you know. Just trying to keep it real, here, folks.

Further bulletins as events warrant….

Retro Post: Usable

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Here is this week’s “retro post” from my old blog:

Sometimes mistakes and disobedience cause consequences that make future ministry limited, or at least redirected. Moses didn’t get to go to the promised land after striking the rock, Elijah was replaced after losing the vision, and a few others like Achan, Annanias and Sapphira lost their lives after direct disobedience.

But God in His great grace has not always made that the case. More often than not, God uses us in spite of our mistakes and our disobedience when we turn back to Him.

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One of the more famous “disobedient servants” in scripture was Jonah.

  • Jonah should have gone to Ninevah. Instead, he went toward Tarshish.
  • Jonah should have been preaching to the Ninevites. Instead, he was confessing to sailors.
  • Jonah should have been in the presence of a king. Instead, he was in the belly of a fish.
  • Jonah should have been the “mouthpiece” of God. Instead, he was vomited from the mouth of a fish.

His mistakes, and even his disobedience, didn’t “get him out” of going to Ninevah. Certainly there are sins that may disqualify us for particular areas of service. But fortunately for us all, our past does not necessarily disqualify us from the mission.

God did something very compassionate and merciful for Jonah.

He did not let him go.

Instead, He continued to command him to go.

Wednesday Weigh-In #8

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Well, after a brief hiatus from the old Wednesday Weigh-in, I was pretty nervous about stepping on the scales. But I must say that when I did today, the numbers were a total surprise….

The Weigh-In:

2 weeks ago: 208 pounds
This week: 200 pounds!! (I thought stress caused you to GAIN weight! But I guess I have been eating less and exercising more over the past two weeks….)

Turning the 20 pack into a 6 or 8 pack:

2 weeks ago: 41 inches 1/2 inches
This week: 40 1/2 inches (Just a reminder: I’m measuring my midsection, not my waist. I’m pretty amazed that I lost an inch! Time to start really working those abs!)

So, to bring things up to date since I started this in May, and also because it’s extremely motivating to me, here are the stats in perspective:

First weigh-in, 5-16-07: Weight: 211 pounds | Midsection: 45 3/4 inches
Progress as of today: Weight: 200 pounds | Midsection: 40 1/2 inches
Totals Lost: Weight: 11 pounds | Midsection: 5 1/4 inches

Nothing like a little good news to brighten one’s day… :D

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Random Updates

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Man, it’s seriously summertime, right now…

Here are a few updates from our world:

* This week, my son, Matthew and my daughter, Melissa are on a World Changers Mission Trip (NAMB) in Andrews, North Carolina. They were given the opportunity to go by our friends at Journey Fellowship and by the gifts from a variety of generous people who paid their registration fees. They are having a blast and making an impact through roofing, painting and doing minor repairs on homes in the community there. Miss them this week!

* While they’ve been away, we’ve had a great time with our youngest son, Michael. He’s never been an “only” child before, and is soaking up some much needed attention. :) My agenda with him this week involves playing video games, tossing the football around, experimenting with “hot wheels” on the stairs, grilling burgers, watching videos, and hanging out…

* Michael’s beginning his transition into 7th grade this year with a new look. Leona and I couldn’t be happier about it… :P

Michael Haircut 1

Michael Haircut 5

* I’ve changed the layout of my office. It’s not as clutter free as I want it, yet, but I’m making great progress.

My Office (changed layout)

* The keyboard is part of my office setup right now because I’m currently working on a soundtrack alternative for “One Mad Christmas.” Although you can actually perform the musical with as few instruments as a piano and a drummer, the lack of a soundtrack recording is still a barrier to some churches. I’ve had more interest in the musical this summer than ever before. Not sure if I can pull off a workable soundtrack with my current set of tools, however….

* My lovely wife, Leona has a slightly new look from a few snips with the scissors. She’s looking more beautiful than ever.

Leona Summer 07 4

* I think I’m going to have to step it up myself in the personal appearance department in order to keep pace with Leona. The astute among you may have noticed that I missed a Wednesday weigh in last week, and (d’oh!) today is Wednesday. If I can gather up the nerve, :) I’ll post it later today…

* No news on the insurance/surgery coverage front. That’s good news for now.

* I’m currently looking for an additional source of steady income. Part of the “unposted” strategy of planting Compass Church involves my securing a second job for a period of time. I’ve had a few possibilities fall through recently, and am now spending a lot of time searching. If you know of something around the Fort Worth area, c’mon, help a brotha out… :P

Ok, that about wraps up this “update overload.” Now back to you…

Retro Post: Obstacles Are Not Always Indicators

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Here’s this week’s retro post from my old blog:

Once you settle in your heart that God is calling you to do something, obstacles (and even failures) no longer become indicators.

Once you are set on the journey, your eyes should stay on the goal and the obstacles you encounter just add drama to the adventure….not a reason for turning back.

If an obstacle is an indicator, it lets you know if you are on the right course.  But if you already know you are on the right course, the obstacles are simply part of the course.

Like the apostle Paul, you can lose the ship without losing the trip.

Ironic Blog Succession

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How about that last series of posts….

1. Where God Guides, He Provides

2. Engage: Unleashing The Power of Prayer

3. Financial Tsunami

:)

Coincidence? No. Ironic? Yes.

End of the world? No.

I’ve gotten great feedback from our “Compass Strategy in Plain English” video, and we are still planning on implementing all of the steps in the strategy. The timing may get adjusted in the process or God may intervene and send us in a different direction as we go, but the main thing for us is following His lead. We are open to His direction.

Church planting is stressful enough without having the extra pressures of weak financial, relational, and physical health going into it. So one of the internal “gauges” Leona and I have set in place is health in all of these areas before going forward.

Strategy or no strategy, my first commitment after God is to my family. Planting Compass is definitely in third place on that one. If that isn’t settled and strong from the beginning, we will have a weak church plant from the outset, anyway.

But where God guides, He provides, and as we are engaging our lives with Him through the power of prayer, we can handle whatever tsunami comes our way. Financial or otherwise. … Ok, I think I’ll leave it at that for now. [I'm kind of diggin' the way that just tied it all together! 8) ]

I’ll keep you posted as we go… :)

Financial Tsunami…

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Whoa.

Leona and I received the disturbing news this week that our insurance may very well not be covering her surgery from back in February. They are now calling it a “pre-existing condition” and coverage is “pending.”

Obviously there are more details, but for now, we’d like to ask those who pray to pray for us and that this will be resolved in our favor.

We’re talking about a bill of about $45,000 or so that would pretty much wipe us out slow us down and put a major delay if not a total halt to planting Compass Church. [Quick correction: Delay, maybe. Total halt, no. Just had a moment of weakness there... :) ]

Fortunately, God is good and He is in control.

Yesterday, Leona and I re-listened to a message I delivered a while back and it was just what we needed to hear. Check it out here: “Strong: Up To The Challenge“

My blog posting will be a bit sporadic over the next week or so…

Thanks again for your prayers!

ENGAGE: Unleashing the Power of Prayer

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Based on a series I did a while back and including new and practical applications, I will be teaching this class as a part of the “Keystone U Triple Header” on Saturday, July 21st, from 12:30-2:30 p.m.

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By unpacking Jesus’ revolutionary teaching on prayer, we will discover how to make key shifts in our focus, fulfill our needs and block our temptations. In the process, we’ll also learn practical ways to apply these foundational principles every day as we engage our lives with Him and unleash the power of prayer.

For more information or to sign up, call the church at 817-481-5900, email angie[at]keystonechurch.com, or (if you’re willling to create a free Keystone account), you can register online.