Salt and Light

"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world, A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise you Father in heaven." Matt 5:13-16



Finally got some kool seal on Melissa's roof! Boom!



This morning before the crew headed out to work on some jobs, we prayed through the verses above. This was one of the very first times Christ spoke to the disciples and the crowds. Please pray with us as Christ instructed back in the day, that we recognize that passion for what Christ did on the cross should continue to manifest in our lives and in turn effect the lives of believers and non-believers alike around us for the Gospel. Pray we seek to leave our comfort zones so Christ can realign our priorities from what we think is important, to the fire of true life He has lit in our hearts and that we have a fire under our butts to get out and proclaim Him through our whole being. It doesn't matter whether it is roofing or cutting trees or eating together or playing soccer or sewing or talking. These are all good things, but with passion for the cross and resurrection channeled into God given passion and experience, they can become great things as they point back to Christ alone. That was our prayer today in our hearts, please pray we continue to know the depths of God's heart and character more deeply. Pray we have real hearts for what Lecrae says in the lyrics below and recognize the truth in those words.

Small railings, small task, Christ's love is known. Ain't much better in life than that.

Go Hard or Go Home

Lord Use Me Up

Lord kill me if I don't preach the gospel
I'm still in my 20's, but I'll die if I got to
Already dead, so forget my flesh
I done been crossed over, see the full court press
I'm a full court mess if the Lord don't use me
Running from my trials thinkin everythangs groovy
If the Cross don't move me then I don't wanna breath no mo
If I ain't seeing Christ partner I don't wanna see no mo
Rep every day withouth worrying about bruising
I been to China mayne I seen some real persecution
If you didn't know em would ya life look the same
Can they tell you value Jesus by the way you rep his name?
Man what's the point of living if I'm living for myself
Lord empty out my life before I put you on the shelf

So for God I got Hard I don't' wanna die tonight
It's too many people living who ain't heard about my Christ

 

Go Hard or Go Home

Lord Use Me Up

Just Do It

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Galations 6:9

Man, the past weeks have been interesting. We have been all over the place, attempting to take a step  back and reflect (which is still needed), but God has been clearing saying, Just Do It (hopefully Nike doesn't copyright infringe us). Continue to work and strive to know me more deeply and share it with everyone around you. "Do not fear them, remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, fight for your brothers, your sons and your daugthers, your wives and your homes." Nehemiah 4:14. The fight is continuous and the enemy does not rest. How to fight and maintain continously? Go all out in confidence in Christ. We really  haven't found any other way and don't know any other way.


Lance cutting rafters to jack up and level a roofline

We have been blessed to have done some random tasks like running a ropes course for Rockbridge Young Life Camp two weekends in April and even had the blessing to bury a dog for a homeless woman (ask me later about that story), beginning to see how to use something as strange as that as love. All this while God has blessed us to be able to continue to do home repairs through the hearts and hands of willling brothers and sisters. Two weekends ago Lance was able to repair soft spots and a door for Miss Pearl in Newport. Just this past weekend we were able to partner with a great young kid named Hunter putting up a fence at Family Promise shelter for his eagle scout project, giving the kids there a safe place to play outside! And we tore off 2 layers of plastics and 3 layers of tarps (yes, it makes no sense) from Melissa's roof to begin prepping to put a whole new roof on her trailer in the next weeks.



Crew doin it big fencing at Family Promise (That is Lance's favorite shirt apparently)

Crews from the Hart's and the Gjertson's community groups has spent two weekends serving Chad and Regina who are moving to Texas, but need to get their remodeling done so they could rent their home. God lined up willing workers, loving friends, and wisdom in His perfect plan. Praise God, Regina saw something that those people had in Jesus that she did not. She surrendered her life to Christ today as she prayed with Jim and Jenni (who by the way happened to sit with us at church and are marriage counselers, way cool). Oh and did I mention, they are moving to Galveston, TX where we have connections with a church there. GOD IS SO GOOD. If possible, there would be tears on your computer screen, cause they are on mine, too bad technology can't express that adequately.



Some gentlemen (I use that term loosely) getting ready to help kids safely through the ropes course

Our God has and is currently reconciling this world to Himself through the blood of the Cross. Buildings, communities, families, and individuals. He claims it all. Praise Him with us.

"For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross." Colossians 1:19-20

Wisdom

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do." James 1:2-8

Dan, Melissa, and some of da crisis response boys



Water running off Melissa's roof as we begin to jack it up to level. Ain't much purrtier in life than that.

Thanks for coming back to read up some more on how God is moving in our lives and the lives of those in the Morehead City community. We are wrapping things up at Willis MHP for now. Please pray we finish strong and give God the glory in that community as we work towards fixing the roof on Melissa's trailer. In all God has truly blessed us to be able to use our hands and words to serve our neighbors and spread the Gospel. He has stretched each one of us personally and now it comes down to what we will do about the questions and lessons learned as we transition to a period of reflection and planning to seek wisdom.  Please pray that we seek wisdom from scripture as James talks about in the above passage over the next weeks to dig deeper into the character and will of God. Let us be open and vulnerable to the working of the Holy Spirit in our hearts so that we may continue to serve boldly for the purpose of the Cross.

A good friend of mine reminded me just recently as I was personally struggling with being weary and feeling inadequate.

"God does not call the qualified, but He qualifies the called."

Pray we take that mindset, not as a cop out for laziness or lack of effort, but as a firm reminder of the sovereignty of our awesome God. That He does not require, nor will we ever be, qualified by the merits of our own efforts, but that He has chosen to use us as broken vessels to spread His love To work with all our body, mind, and spirit. And the Holy Spirit will continually guide, equip, and redeem us if we are obedient.

"Now about your love for one another we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. And in fact, you do love all of God’s family throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more, and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody." 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12

Potatoes

What's goin on! Glad to get a chance to fill everyone in on how God has continued to move and make Himself known here and also in each of our lives. As a church we have been studying the book of James. James shoots straight, real straight. God has been using His Word in a living, breathing way to impact us and those around us, but mostly us, funny how He does that.

The past few weeks have been marked by perseverance. Hearts, minds, and bodies have been stretched by long hours, continuous seemingly unending needs, and difficult conversations. But the fruit has been incredible! James was speaking divine wisdom when he said that "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the WORD OF TRUTH, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all He created." We are so blessed to have been GIVEN the Word and been DRAWN TO the Word and then go out using Christ as our example to serve and spread the Gospel to those around us.  

Tree climbing, yes please

Please pray into three things that three wise friends have told me in the past few months. Please pray that these basic characteristics of the Word and God push us to greather knowledge and relationship with Christ and those around us.

1. We need to be consistent to build relationships, more specifically, friendships. Each week we have the OPPORTUNITY to make new friends and share the Gospel. People depend on us as friends, not as helpers. Friends who love Jesus above all. How can we say no. We would not hesistate to be there for a friend, that's what we are doing. Pray for consistency and recognition to view people as people, not things. Pray for strength, energy, and passion as we work Saturday's and go out to serve each Sunday with Unworth Servants. Jesus had no home and spent His ministry among people. He preached to many and invested deeply in a few. We can't do either sitting at home.

So blessed that Jeremy is back from Afghanistan! (check out Alfonzo creepin in the back)

2. "If one of you  says to him,'Go I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,' but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?" James 2:17-18. Nuff said.  



Doin it big! Hot dogs!

3. A friend shared a story about a video in which an athiest recognized that if a Christian truly believes in Hell, and realizes the magnitude of such a place and the repercussions of eternity in Hell, there is no reason not to tell everyone about the Gospel. It would be inhumane not to share the Good News. Such a realization should be so compelling, that we cannot wait to tell people, because we know what is waiting for them. An athiest can recognize the passion that should overflow from such a dismal place, do we? And that isn't even touching on the big stuff, the awesomeness of God which is the true purpose. 



Shannon sharing the Gospel, SO MONEY



If you have made it this far, I would be wondering, why is the post titled potatoes? Well, I have been researching potato farming recently and I have a simple brain. As Christians, we are potatoes. Very simply, potatoes grow from actual chunks cut up from other potatoes that are put underground to face the odds against disease, insects, and drought, and ultimately with sun, water, and the hard work of a farmer, it yields more potatoes. Are we willing to have our mind, hearts, bodies, free time, hobbies, and lives broken and interrupted for those around us, then be assailed by the devil through lies, sin, insults, tempation, and more, so that maybe even just one person can see, hear, and grow in the Gospel through our lives as example that are submitted to, compelled by and controlled by the Holy Spirt who does the real work.

None of this is worth anything without Christ at the center. Pray we are continually reminded that we are "believers in our GLORIOUS Lord Jesus Christ." James 2:1. Praise and thanks for the Cross.

Belated Updates!

"Then I said to them, 'You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.' I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me. They replied, 'Let us start rebuilding.' So they began this good work." Nehemiah 2:17-18


Workin with our new friend Jose

The past few weeks have been incredible awesome, challenging, and completely reliant on the grace and mercy of Christ. All praise to Christ for His pulling on our hearts, breaking down walls, and allowing us to take part in His ministry! Please continue to pray that we push forward with the strength and wisdom only Christ can provide as we build lasting relationships and seek to share the Gospel with those in need all around us. Pray we can reflect the Israelites in the book of Nehemiah that we each continue the work in whatever way God has called each of us to in order to bring glory and knowledge of the Cross in Morehead City. Please pray for the many families we have come to know as friends and the new relationships being built weekly. Pray for the kids at Willis who we have all grown to love so much. Pray God is known and worshipped here with awe and wonder as king, savior, and redeemer.

Some floor - patched! Git it!

Check out the link below for TouchGlobal and be praying for the most recent response efforts in Alabama following the tornados from both last year and just in the past weeks.
http://touchglobal.wordpress.com/2012/03/07/tornadoes-strike-again-in-alabama/

Praise

Please read and pray into the incredible praises from the past few weeks here! Sorry, no pictures! Totally blanked on that detail the past two weekends!

Mike and Russell from Pelican Point were saved by Christ on Saturday.

Relationships built and strengthened at both Pelican Point and Willis MHP.

Alonzo (kid we met at Willis MHP) - went to Saturday Night Life church with Patrick, loved it, and wants to bring his whole family next time.

3 Units at Willis MHP up to code and 3 more will be finished by next Saturday.

Huge steps being taken to look past denominational differences with new connections in other ministries and churches that want to PARTNER together as the body of Christ. No names, no individual praise, no division....only Christ and His Cross in this city.

Multiple non-Christian friends, family members and co-workers have come out to work and see God's will being done. They are confused and questioning why we do this when it seems hopeless and incredibly consuming of personal time by human standards. The Gosepl is being shared in ways we never expected.

Please pray we continue to strive to praise and glorify God here. That we grow as a city and as a Christian community together. And most of all pray that as Paul said in Romans in much more eloquent words that we are confident that what looks good and what looks bad by our human definitions, are all part of God's plan and all part of Him being glorified!

"But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’” Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?" Romans 9:20-21

Straight Money

"Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened. But in your hearts set CHRIST APART AS LORD. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope you have. But do this with gentleness and respect." 1 Peter 3:13-15

Boom! Right in the face. We could write and blabber on this blog all day, but what it comes down to is what God said through Peter in the verses above (p.s and all throughout the Bible).

The past week or so have been incredible. God has raised up workers to serve here in Morehead and we have had awesome opportunites to love on our neighbors. Not just talk at them, but have a purpose, filled with Christ's love, and build friendships! We got to pick up trash and do some minor repairs at Willis last Saturday, which turned into a great time to play some pick up soccer and meet our neighbors. Then Sunday, the Unworthy Servants got to go out and serve food, play some more soccer, and build more relatinships all afternoon. Legit. Pray that God continues to put us in place not where we come to fix, but for the purpose of love and the Gospel. Pray for continued opportunities to boldly take the message of Christ's love through service and testimony to grace. And that we get better at speaking Spanish!

Playin soccer with the neighborhood kids!

 We also got to serve Miss Debbie some more by fixing her roof and cleaning her yard. It was legit. How awesome is our God that over the course of the past months, we have been able to simply be friends and love on Miss Debbie. Pray that she continues to see how awesome God is and that loving her through service is just a tiny glimpse of Christ's abounding love for her.


Roofin it up!

Totally out of left field, we had a number of friends come out who were not disciples to serve alongside us. It was such a blessed to work alongside our friends and show them that we serve a God of action and love, and that is the only reason we do what we do. Everywhere we look around, God is putting people in places to take action for the Gospel, pray we continue to respond and challenge each other. Please pray for Beka, a local high school student who has been able to spend some time with Liz and the rest of the crew recently. Pray that her heart is softened to the message of the Gospel and she recognizes Christ's standard of love is the only standard that she was created to know, enjoy, and glorify.

Liz and Beka doin it big!

Love you guys. Please pray for strength, wisdom, and humility as we continue to stumble through this thing called discipleship in Morehead City! And please pray for Miss Joan, the director of Family Promise, who has been working tirelessly through Christ's strength to organize and equip teams to meet needs within Willis MHP! She is gettin us into the fight!