The Everlasting June

In so many ways I feel like I have lived a lifetime just in the month of June.  It was at the end of May that I turned in my resignation and let it be known that God was moving me from Borger to a new adventure beginning in Atlanta.  We (the Church) had already planned and baught Mine and Kim's ticket to Ukraine in the month of August so I knew I was staying until then.  So, then as June rolled around we had our plan set and in motion.  I would promote Pastor Shawn as the new Lead Pastor.  He candidated and the Church has voted and he is ready to take my place when I leave.  (He is filling a lot of the role now, as he get oriented to the new responsibilities. 

I told Kim how cool it would be if God would sell this house before we left.  And in the last two weeks God provided a buyer, we showed the house, signed the contract, had our moving sale, moving on Friday, and closing on the 2nd of July.  This presented a whole new set of challenges.  We had to fix the gas leak that the inspector found: Done!  We had to rent an appartment to have a place to live: Done!.  We needed a storage building to store the stuff we don't need in the appartment: Done!  We need to paint the appartment before we move: Almost Done.  And most importantly We had to pack and pack like crazy.  If your wife is like mine you will understand this next statement.  I spent a few hours gathering, combining, sorting, and packing the cleaning supplies that we have in every room of the house.  That is not a complaint, just a reality. 

Kim went Ninja on the kitchen cabnets.  She took care of all the dishes and cups.  See, I've got this thing about buying a new coffee cup from each new place I visit and the Lord has blessed my life with much travel, so, needless to say; I have a few coffee cups.  She packed them all with a sweet, "If we never spend another dime on coffee cups it will be just fine with me.!"  She's probly right but I won't stop: I love my little coffee cup friends.  And now they're all bedded down for the long ride to Hotlanta safe and sound.

Before we really got cranked up tonight Katie came over to see us.  How wiered is that!!!!  (For those of you who don't know, she moved in with the Cooper's where she will be staying as she finishes out her senior year of High School.  It was good to know that she could find her way home if she needs too.  About 30 minutes before Wally World closes Kim yells out, "Where's my stool?"  She got the same reply the rest of them have been getting from me; "I sold it."  "I need a stool."  So, off we go to get there before it closes.  We made it and got back to the house.  So, now I'm sitting at the bar in the kitchen (because we have no table, you guessed it, I sold it) eating some trail mix and blogging with you fine folks.  Isn't life good.  And what in the world will July bring.  Game on!  Game on.

P.S. Oh yea, God gave me a car, but that miracle will have to wait until next time.

Watch the Movement of God

I have always been intrigued by the story of Moses when he asked to see God.  God said he would put him in the cleft of the rock and pass by and allow Moses to see him after he passed by.  What a glorious moment that must have been, Moses was fully protected as God passed by and was able to see him after he moved.  This is much the way I feel during this movement of God through our Church and through my life.  God has taken me and placed me in the cleft of the Rock and in complete assurance and safety I'm watch the Lord as he moves through my life.

Here in Borger, a town that is about 6 miles squared, I chose a motorcycle as my second vehicle.  Katie wanted a car and I didn't want another car payment.  So this was a better option for us at the time.  As I think about Atlanta (or any big city for that matter), I am a bit more concerned with the everyday commute on a bike.  I think it would be more of a recreational vehicle at that point.   So, I have been asking the Lord what I should do.  And low and behold, an opportunity comes up for me to by a Ford Explorer for almost nothing. He put a car right in my lap.  I didn't go searching for a car, he just gave me one.  I was just hanging out in the cleft of my Rock and I watched him pass right by with a car.  AMAZING!!!!  It is obvious that the Lord is working it out for me to sell my bike.  So, I'm not worried about that either. 

Kim and I were having our moving sale and we just asked God to bring the right people to the sale.  We were selling some stuff that not everyone would want it had to be the right people at the right time and place.  Needless to say, we sold it all.  God blessed in more ways than I have time to describe in this blog.  But, one interesting thing did happen.  A lady came to buy some Christmas lights (which we had already sold) and noticed the bike in the drive.  She stopped and took pictures and said, "I have a friend that works at the plant, and he was just telling me he wanted to buy a Honda Shadow."  I'm expecting a call from him on Monday as God just continues to take care of this moving business. 

We have got one week left in this house.  The closing is happening on July 2nd (another miracle of God).  We never put the house on the market people.  God is moving.  I just want to stay in the cleft of the Rock and behold the Glory of the Lord as he passes by.  This gives me such great hope for the future.  As I watch God move, I know that he moves for a reason and I know he has got my entire future mapped out he has proven that to me over and over in the last month.  One of my favorite songs growing up was "His Eye is on the Sparrow."  (I know I'm dating myself).  If God cares for the sparrows of the world how much more does he care for his children.  I don't know what the future hold, but I know who holds the future.  My job is to stay in awe of his wonder and majesty, and watch as the Lord moves right in front of me.  I see him from behind because he is in front, and I just follow in the light of his glory and the path that he creates.  

The Time of Transition

There is a fraise that has been coined for those that know they are going to be leaving a job and going somewhere else: they are called short timers.  Short timers have a hard time keeping there mind on what is in front of them instead of looking forward to the things that shall be.  I must say, fighting the short timers decease is a very real thing.   I am doing my best to stay focused on the task at hand for there is still much to do before I leave.  I feel my role changing as people are starting to look to Shawn for vision and even instruction.  This is a very positive change, but a change none the less.  I find myself focusing more on getting the new Recovery Center up and going and off on the right foot.  We are in the process of finishing all the policies and procedures and the handbooks that will be distributed to the guys coming in to the center.  So I find myself very busy as I am managing these two organizations, but that is good for me.  We are hoping to have the Open House for the community to come by and see the center in the next week or two.  We are looking for people that will partner with us in prayer and support of this new community ministry in Borger. So, if you would like to donate please contact the Church office 806-273-7127 or you can donate on the web by clicking here. (This is a shameless plug, but I don’t mind asking because I know we are going to help a lot of people.)

Kim and I have been busy packing up the house as we are trying to sell it before we leave town.  Kim has been quite the sales person on “For sale in Borger” (basically a huge online garage sale on Facebook).  We have been selling as much of our stuff as possible.  It is a bit strange to see bedroom suits and kitchen tables, and the like going out the door, but in all honesty, I don’t miss any of it.  The girls have started to pack up there rooms which is making the move very real for them.  Katie is getting ready to move in with Scott and Lori (some dear friends of ours) because she will be staying here for her Senior year of High School.  Kellie will be starting her freshman year of High School on August 1st in Georgia ( I personally think it is a crime to start school that early but they do get a few more breaks during the school year). 

With all of this movement, I have been so proud of the Church Body as they have embraced the moving of the Lord and risen to the task at hand.  Sunday is the Church wide vote to see is Shawn Dunigan will become the new Pastor after I leave.  This is a very exciting time for the Church as well as Shawn’s family.  I know that he will lead this congregation in the ways of the Lord according to God’s Word.

A Family of Faith

Every time someone has called to ask me about us stepping out on faith, the question is asked, "How is your family handling this?"  I am so blessed to have a wife and two girls that not only know the Lord but are sensitive to his moving and call.  The voice of the Lord is kinda like love: When you know you just know.  On Mother's day, Kim and I were sitting watching TV and I just looked at her and said.  The Lord is moving us.  I had been dealing with the voice of the Lord for a few days and Kim had asked me at lunch how similar this calling was to the one I received to move to Borger.  When she asked me that I just began to weep because I knew it was the exact same voice.

That evening we jumped on the xbox and video chatted with Mom and Dad and the rest of the family in Atlanta and they were just as excited as they could be.  The girls were at the youth class so I couldn't tell them yet.  I called Shawn and Mickey to the house and told them and we cried together and then shared in some comforting words, as I told him I believed that he was ready.  Then the girls came home.  I didn't anticipate how hard it was going to be to tell them we were moving from the only place they have ever called home.  Katie was 5 years old when we moved here, and Kellie was only 2.  Kellie has told me that her first memory was us pulling up in the drive way of our first house here in Borger.  Needless to say about half way in to the words coming out of my mouth, I got very uneasy about how this deal was about to go down.  For a split second I thought, "They're going to hate my guts. I took a big gulp and finished my spill, and then just stared at them as they stared back at me.  Then with tears in their eyes they agreed, "if this is what God is doing, it will be alright."  I'm not saying they were rocks because I defiantly through them a curve ball, but all in all I was so proud of them. 

We immediately had to address the issue of Katie being a Senior next year.  She said "I don't want to move!" and I assured her that was a decision I would let her make.  I just asked her to pray about it and we would trust the Lord for whatever he told her. (She's still praying about it.)  Kellie was having mixed emotions about the whole deal.  She is a lot like me and loves to try new things and see new places, but know she had some relationships that were going to be hard to give up.  I guess the thing that impressed me the most is that everybody in the family was willing to follow the leading of the Lord in our lives.  There is no bitterness or anger.  There is a bit of anxiety, but that is to be expected in any life changing situation.  We have learned that you are always happiest when you are right in the middle of God's will, and I believe that is right where we are.

I, being the control freak that I am, was even surprised at myself because I haven't been without a job since I was 16 except for a 3 month transition when I switched colleges.  But I just know that God has got this all figured out, and to have my family stand with me in faith is a priceless treasure.  If God be God then serve him, If Bail be God then serve him, but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

The End and the Beginning

I remember the day in October when I pulled into Borger, TX with my family and many of the Church members were at the house waiting for us to help us unpack.  We were sure that the Lord had called us to this place to make some major changes and do some major things for the Kingdom of God.  Being 31, I had not yet learned the timing of God or of a man’s heart to change.  We had a long “row to hoe.”  When God sends me to a place, I know that I am there to stay until he says otherwise.  I have been moved by the Lord on many occasions and become accustomed to digging in for the task at hand.  And now almost 12 years later, I have heard the voice of the Lord again calling me to a new place and a new adventure.  I realize I just skipped over a huge amount of activity as the Lord took this little country Church and turned it into a powerhouse for His Kingdom’s sake.  We have been called “The little Church that does Big things for God.”  I have often thought of writing a book of how God transformed this place, and still might, so I will table all that discussion for now.  Discipleship has been and continues to be our strong suit, and so it should be no surprise that I worked myself out of a job.  I believe God has raised up a man that will lead this Church in the ways of the Lord and into the next era of growth and expansion.  This is a blessing to my heart.  This transition is the way it is supposed to be.  No scandal! No sin! No hard feeling!  No secret board meeting! No running out of town!  Just God’s people watching God at work. (If you are hearing rumors to contrary, don’t believe them.)  The Church is sound and the timing is the Lord’s.  I knew that I was called here for a specific time and task, and I believe we have accomplished the desires of the Lord for me in this place.

I will say this is the first time God has called me away from something without giving me clear direction on where I am going, but just I Abraham I will go and he will show me the land in which I am to dwell.  God has always been so faithful to me, and there is no reason for me to doubt him now.  I am excited about all that God has for Fellowship, and at the same time excited for whatever God has for me and my family.  We will be moving to Atlanta where my family is until we receive clear direction from the Lord.  I haven’t lived in the same town as my family since I was 18.  So, I’m looking forward to spending to time with them, even if it is just a short time.  I would ask that you would pray for direction and clarity in the will of the Lord.  I have not been know for patience which is probably the reason the Lord sent me to Borger in the first place.  I am hoping I have learned to wait on the Lord and seek his face.  I know that he will guide me in all his ways as I seek to follow him.

God Bless.  (to be continued)

A Day in Georgia

If your a Georgia peach, I had to disappoint but that is not where I was.  There is a country just to the east of Turkey that is called Georgia and a boarder city called Batum.  One of our new friends was born across the boarder and so we took her home for her birthday.  There was a two fold plan.  1) Show her a good time for her birthday while showing her the love of Christ.  2) Go and see this beautiful country while getting another stamp in my passport :).  It only took us about 45 minutes to get there and maybe 20 minutes to get through the border.  Those of you that travel will know that is an amazing time to get through the border.

This place was amazing.  Everything was lush and plush.  I thought to myself, someone has been pumping some money into this place, and then I saw all the American company names.  Sure enough, it us.  We, USA, have turned this place into a tourist attraction to say the least.  It was truly beautiful.  So we enjoyed the coastline for a bit and then went and ate some authentic Georgian food.  "Wonderful!"

Now, this is the good part.  We were driving around looking at the bay and then we saw a Church.  We couldn't tell if it was a catholic or Orthodox church, but nevertheless we wanted to see inside.  The front doors were locked so we went around to the back and found a man to let us in.  My Armenian brother asked the man through the Russian interpreter, if he knew of any baptist Churches in the area.  The man said, "Yes, we have a Protestant Church that meets in our basement every Sunday Night."  So we gave the pastor a call and before you know it we are over at his house sitting in his living room.  The reason why this is important is because he also has a heart to reach the Turkish people, and we happened to have one with us that was of the same tribe.  Now we are freaking out as we're watching the Holy Spirit put this thing together.  Then the Ukrainian asked if the Pastor would share his testimony and as luck would have it he had it on video on the computer.  He was a former Muslim and drug addict and Jesus Christ.  As our new friend sat and watch the video and heard the testimony she began to weep and at this point there are tears all over the room.  After the video we shared the love of Christ with her and she said that she was not quite ready.  I'm sure there are family issues that need to be worked out.  (God will do his thing.) 

This was a huge connection for the Armenians and a huge blessing for us as we were able to share our faith with no fear.  As we took our new friend home conversation continued in the car and then she invited us in.  Her husband and kids were waiting for her, because we had kept her out all day.  We ate cake and had fruit, shared pictures and the kids played with my tablet.  The husband told us that there was no need to stay in a hotel the next time we come, because they wanted us to stay with them.  This is a big step, especially since we just let the cat out of the bag. 

I stand amazed in the presence of the all knowing God that is at work around us all the time.  If you could have just seen the look on the Georgian Pastors face when he had a surprise visit from other pastors with the same heart and vision.  It was like we dropped out of the sky for him and he for us.  This is our God: faithful, mighty, all knowing, all seeing, supernatural, great adventure God.

How Majestic is Your Name

The weekend was an amazing time to see the Lord at work. I must be honest with you.  I had some of the greatest adventures of my life on Saturday.  Some I can't share with you know but I will in time.  The mountains that surround us just die into the Black Sea, so there are many beautiful rivers that filter into sea.  So we headed west a bit and began going up into the mountains to find a family that we had met on a previous trip, and on the way we found many village people that were willing to talk with us and we were able to give them the amazing book.  We were stopping all the time so that the tourist, that's me, could take pictures of this wonder place.  I must say this is one of the most majestic places I have seen thus far.  We did find the family we were looking for in a little village closer to the top of the mountain.  They're restaurant had burned down and they were in the process of rebuilding it.  We had a great time talking and sharing stories with them and others that were coming by on the street.  There was an older gentleman that came up to us with a younger man with him.  He stated that he was a Christian and that he came from Armenia.  This was very exciting to us because we know of know Christians in the area at all.  Upon further investigation, he was referring to his nationality not his beliefs, which is very common over here.  We were able to take these two men to the top of the mountain and share with them our hope.  This was truly a blessing to me as the team let me take the lead in the conversation.  The old man then took us to his old Turkish house that was build about 180 years ago.  I wish I had the time an space to describe this place, but you will just have to wait until I get back to the Church.  It was a life changing experience and memory that I will never forget to say the least.

Sunday we got up and went down to the sea shore to spend some time with the Master.  There are no Churches, no fellowship, no place to come together in this area, so we just chose a pic-nic table and began to break spiritual bread together.  It was first international Church of H. yesterday.  We thought we would just relax a bit in the afternoon but the Boss had other plans.  We made a brand new friend at the mall and spent about an hour talking with this man.  We had met his wife earlier and she had brought him to us.  I have no idea how she knew we would be there.  (So cool)  We also had a good strategy session for the future.

O Lord our Lord how Majestic is your Name!!!!!