Update

It’s been almost two months since I finished my journey through Acts, and I will be blogging again soon once life slows down a little. Full-time work at Brooks Lodden, part-time work on my own, and helping to start a church is a lot do on top of being a husband and dad to 3 little ones! I am praying through which book God wants me to blog through next, but in the meantime I am loving reading through some other books in the Old and New Testament, I would highly encourage all of you to do the same!

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 Theaters
10:00am
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!