I wanted to
take a few minutes to give an update about our journey in ministry and share a
little bit of how God is wowing us with all He is doing. First of all, I go on
staff the first week of April, and I’ll be working 15 or so hours per week with
New Heights Church. This time will be made up of a day in the office, leading a
connection group, various Sunday morning church duties, and connection and
discipleship times throughout the week. I can’t adequately describe how much I
am looking forward to having a block of time set apart each week to do ministry
again. I have really enjoyed working at Brooks Lodden again (I know I know, who
could possibly enjoy accounting work) but my heart isn’t there, my heart is in
ministry. God has been challenging me and growing me and using me in these last
few months, and I’m excited to see what happens when I’m able to give Him more
of my time.
As for New
Heights, it has sort of been a whirlwind. We have done 3 Atmosphere services, 2
Soft Launches, several concerts of prayer, and our Connection group has been
meeting every Wednesday since the second week of January. And, although this
Sunday is technically a Soft Launch (full service but we just haven’t
advertised yet), we are full steam ahead every Sunday from now until Jesus
comes back.
Every Sunday
morning
Paramount
Theaters10:00am
Indianola, IA
In the few
times New Heights has met so far, we have already gotten to see a glimpse of
what God is doing in Warren County and it excites me to know this is only a
little bit of what we are going to see God do. From the adult who was excited
he stayed awake for a whole sermon (even in the comfy theater seats) to the
college students from the area whose faces light up when they hear a
Cornerstone network church and its college ministry is coming to town, we are
already seeing God prepare the way for an incredible movement. What lies ahead
I don’t know, but I know God has big plans and I am humbled that I get to be a
part of it.
As I finish
this update, I have a few praises that I would like to share and a few requests
that I would so appreciate your prayers for. First of all, this season of
busyness is almost over. It has been a long tax season and there are still a
few tough weeks left, but it’s almost over and that’s a huge praise. Brooks
Lodden has continued to be an awesome firm to work for and God has used them to
provide for me and my family, in the past and thankfully into the future. I
learned a couple weeks ago that they desire for me to stay on and work on a
part-time basis well into the future, which is a huge blessing and relief. I
won’t need to piece together a bunch of part-time work to pay the bills but
will be able to work at Brooks Lodden and the church only. Praise God for that.
Secondly,
join me in praising God for the prayer and financial support that has come in
and has been pledged by many of you. While we have not reached our full monthly
support goal of $750 per month, we are over 50% of the way there and have been
blessed and encouraged by many of our friends and family.
Thirdly, we
as a family continue to be blessed by many of our friends and family from the
Indianola Church of Christ. While things were tough at first and some
relationships were broken, there are some incredible brothers and sisters in
Christ at that church that have blessed and encouraged us through this process.
That brings me to a couple requests I would love for you to pray for. Tony has
announced his decision to move from ICOC and they are looking for a new Senior
Pastor in addition to a Young Life Pastor, and I and they would appreciate your
prayers for that. I am praying that God brings in the right leader to help take
that place where He desires them to go, to win more souls in Indianola and
beyond! I look forward to partnering with ICOC in the future as we minister in
Indianola and Warren County.
Finally,
would you please pray for our good friend Lori Meyer? She is a young mom and
closet Cyclone fan that has been battling cancer for a few years now and
recently had surgery. She faces several months of recovery and rehabilitation, not
to mention whatever further treatments are needed. Please lift her up to the
Incredible Healer!
I want to
leave you with the Scripture I’ll be sharing this weekend at New Heights during
our prayer time as we talk about how we can Contribute to God’s story, from
Acts 1:8
“But you will receive power when
the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in
all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
This charge
that Jesus gives to the believers before He ascends up to Heaven is just as
much to us as it was to them. While Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria were all
places and areas in the first century, each of us has our Jerusalem, our Judea
and Samaria, and our ends of the Earth. We’ll start from the end and work
backwards.
To the ends of the Earth: Pretty self-explanatory. Jesus calls us to impact people all over the Earth in some way. Whether that is through short or long-term mission trips, funding missionaries who are working overseas, or sponsoring a child in a third-world country, we are instructed to impact the ends of the Earth for Christ.
In Judea and
Samaria: Now before we all take a trip to the Holy Lands, we must understand
that while Jesus named specific locations, those locations were regions that
were in semi-close proximity to the disciples. He wasn’t telling them you must
go to these regions and these regions only, He was instructing them to impact
the area around them. Being in Indianola, I look at Warren County and the State
of Iowa as my Judea and Samaria, the area that is close to me that desperately
needs to hear the message of grace the only the cross can offer. We all have
Judeas and Samarias around us, and Jesus commands us to be His witnesses there.
In
Jerusalem: This is where we live. These are the people that are closest to us,
and this is where Jesus told the disciples to start. As we seek out how we can
contribute to God’s story, Jesus makes it very clear. Be witnesses of the grace
and forgiveness of the cross and the power of Christ in our Jerusalem, where we
live and who we see all the time.
Contributing
to God’s story can be difficult and scary sometimes but thankfully "we
will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on us”, and that power is more
than enough!
