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!

"For it is by GRACE you have been saved, through FAITH -- and this is NOT FROM YOURSELVES, it is the GIFT of GOD -- NOT BY WORKS, so that NO ONE CAN BOAST. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared IN ADVANCE for us to do."

This post today is a combination of heart break and praise all at once. It is a mismash of emotions, promises, and glory to God. Please read below the current situation at Willis Mobile Home Park and Morehead City as a whole, and please view it through the Cross-centered lense as the great masterpiece God is working right among us. More updates to come as we push forward.

Due to unsafe conditions, Morehead City required inspections for the trailer parks throughout the city. They have started with Willis MHP and found 16 of the first 26 trailers uninhabitable. Huge deal. This is going to continue throughout every park in the city causing massive reconstruction and homelessness problems.

PAUSE. God is in control of it. He has a purpose. He is breaking this city for a reason. We cannot nor should we even entertain the idea we can physically do anything to prevent this. Please pray we focus on the opportunity to recognize God's supremacy and His plan and praise Him yet again for His mercy and grace on the Cross. This is an utterly impossible task by human hands to fix, and in all fairness, we are not called to fix it. But instead to recognize needs, attempt to meet those needs all for the sole purpose of glorifying God and proclaiming the message of Christ on the Cross. Below is a list of needs and a summarization of what has happened thus far and what to expect, so we can each use the gifts God has given us to serve. We have the opportunity and gift to serve our neighbors! Praise God for that!

1. Prayer walks - we are already pushing teams out to meet the community and simply be there and be friends together and pray together. CHRIST IS KNOWN.

2. Cook outs - every possible Sunday after church we will go over the Willis MHP to fellowship and break bread with our brothers and sisters in need. CHRIST IS KNOWN.

3. Trash Clean Up - teams will go to help clean up trash to make a physical presence known, encouraging those around us that God loves them. CHRIST IS KNOWN.

4. Rebuiding - we are gathering skill sheests and simultaneously working with Family Promise to gather work requests to employ work crews to use physical repairs to show love. CHRIST IS KNOWN.

5. Morehead City Gov't - we are working graciously with the government for solutions that compromise to meet the needs of the citizens and the gov't responsibility to safety, extending that grace to inspectors and gov't workers who are heart broken by this as much as we are. CHRIST IS KNOWN.

6. Community at Large - Morehead City as a whole will see and wonder why in the world we are doing any of this, spending time/money on it, when it seems hopeless. CHRIST IS KNOWN.

7. Homelessness - we must ask ourselves, are we willing to open our own homes to provide food, shelter, and clothing to our neighbors in their time of need? CHRIST IS KNOWN.

8. Giving / Serving - Whether at One Harbor, Morehead City, or friends from all over the United States reading this. Please, if God is tugging on your heart to give in some way shape or form, be it physical labor, donations, materials, tools, or most importantly prayer, answer that call to glorify Him. Visit the church website for ways to get involved and mailing information. CHRIST IS KNOWN.

Please pray we trust and seek God through all this. Praising and glorifying Him as our only goal. Please pray in to the familiar prayer below as we push forward in this opportunity.

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the difference.

Set free from sin and become slaves to God

"Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord.Whaterver you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men" Colossians 3:22-23

I've read that passage a handful of times, but not until last week did God reveal the importance of the whole passage in context. It is about slaves. Not free men who freely choose to do, but slaves who are required to do because their masters are in complete control and God is in complete control. Please pray that the attitude and form that our service takes is not out of a gift we think we can give, but seeking to glorify God through the little things that He calls each of us to do.

We had the pleasure and blessing to see the kitchen rebuild at Family Promise completed today! Praise God for His work and guidance there and it is so exciting that we were able to be a part of that plan for the sole purpose of glorifying Him. Please pray for the ministry that it glorifys God and can be used a tool to draw people to Christ. Please pray though the verses below as well for complete submission to God's will here.

Gettin in it with some glue and vinyl!

The past few weeks God has truly been convicting me of our purpose and viewing Him in right relation. Tonight I was invited to Saturday Night Life church down at Atlantic Beach. I'm just gonna ramble off some of the convicting verses and please pray that as we pursue our neighbors for Christ, we consistently recognize Him as King and in complete sovereign control over everything.

Boom!

" 'I have mercy on whom I have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.' It does not, therefore depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy. For the Scripture say to Pharoah: 'I raised you up for this very puspose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaim in all the earth' " Romans 6:15-17

Ain't much purttier than that

"Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use? Whit if God, choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of His wrath - prepared for destruction? What if He did this to make the riches of His glory known to the objects of His mercy, who He prepared in advance for glory." Romans 6:21-23

Closet for the fridgerator

Continue to pray for us and this community as we view God in this light and recognize He is in complete control. Enjoy some lyrics from Flame about who Christ is and have a great night!

CHRIST IS

KING

LION

LAMB

GOD

MAN

SIN CONQUERER

GRAVE CONQUERER

SATAN CONQUERER

From Morehead City to New Orleans and Back

We had the awesome opportunity to travel to New Orleans, LA to serve with TouchGlobal Crisis Response over Christmas and New Years. Since Hurricane Katrina, this ministry has been reaching out the community to provide for physical needs and a way to share Christ's love and proclaim the Gospel to a city at war.



Miss Valerie's House Before



 We were blessed to work for Miss Valerie hanging sheetrock all week. We worked with Grace Community Church in Howard County MD. They were awesome! God blessed us with energy filled days seasoned with awesome conversations. God opened huge doors in our lives to prayer and community. We got the chance to go on daily prayer walks in the community and reach out through a Block Party cook out. This was a great opportunity to be immersed in the community and tearing down walls in our own hearts by being in uncomfortable situations. Pray this is what we seek here at home. If we are comfortable, something is wrong. Pray God makes us completely inadequate so only His power and wisdom can prevail so our neighbors can see the love of Christ through us.





 The best part of the week was hangin out with our boy James, and 8 year old kid who lived in the house next door and was often left home alone, so he came and chilled with us. He helped us work, we played games, and prayed with him. Being able to give Him attention, both positive and a little discipline when needed, was incredible and something that is easy to overlook. But we praise God for that little chance to do stupid dances in the street and love on James throughout the week.

 

James and Kiersten teachin us how to dougie!



Please pray that as we come home and pick up again serving our neighbors here in Morehead City, that we view God as king and boldly proclaim the grace and love of Christ shown through the Cross and resurrection. This is His city and His people. He created and He loves. Period. The imperfections we see are only part of the grand mural God is painting, He is turning this world at war with sin into something beautiful! We cannot do this, but we are overly blessed to be a part of it. Pray we are compelled to view God in this light and love in that same way He does, both within our church community and the community as a whole.



Playin some football in the street with our friend James!



"The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him" Colossians 1:15-16







December Happenings

Hello again! Just droppin a line to let everyone know what is going on and how God is working throughout Morehead City and the surrounding areas. This week, we were able to complete the first stage of the kitchen rebuild at Family Promise! Praise God for his provision, energy, and wisdom to keep us from screwing it up. Another church is stepping in to do all the caulking and painting and then we will be getting back at it throwing down some flooring. Just this past week One Harbor hosted the families from Family Promise for the week. From everyone involved, it was a truly blessed time to humbly serve and just chill out and fellowship. Ain't much better than that. It was really a humble reminder that holes in sheetrock or cooking dinner isn't what really matters, but Christ's love manifested in a tiny tiny way through it. Because He is good!

Diggin Holes! Perfect Saturday!

This weekend a handful of guys and gals got together to dig some post holes! It was awesome. We had the great opportunity to serve Marcus and his family by helping  build a fence for his backyard. It was so cool to come alongside him to serve and share the Gospel through outward service and prayer. His family was raised tough and is tough with he and his wife both being Marines. They were astounded at the fact that 8 random people from some church would come help build a fence for them. The reality of it is still sinking in as we told them that it is Christ through us. Please pray Marcus and his family can realize that it isn't nice people doing nice things, but Christ on a cross dying and rising again for them!


Marcus gettin some on the auger

If you haven't heard, a group of motivators from One Harbor have begun doing weekly cookouts at Pelican Point every Sunday. Straight money. Walking around, knockin on random doors and inviting people out to break bread together. No strings attached, just Christ's love as motivation. This was my first time, but Patrick was telling us how people are beginning to open up and ask why in the world are you here? BOOM! Right there, Jesus. Patrick introduced me to Miss Lindy who is in dire need of some floor repairs and plumbing help. We will be going back there in two weekends to check it out and hopefully be able to bless Miss Lindy. Please pray for her and her daughter Tatyana who just got baptized at One Harbor. Praise God! 

Really tiny picture of Pelican Point cook out (computer illiteracy)



A couple of us will be leaving this weekend to serve alongside some brothers and sisters doing construction in New Orleans, LA. Please pray for God to grow us closer to Him through this trip and that when we return we continue to use the gifts and passions God has given us to serve Him and His people here in Morehead City. And that God continually makes us feel awkward and inadequate so we step outside ourselves and let Him be in control.

"There are different kinds of girfts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men" 1 Corin 12:4-6

Quick Updates

Miss Debbie's Front Yard and Path!

Just wanted to take a quick minute to update you all on the happenings the past week or so. A medium-sized group was able to go back to Miss Debbie's last weekend to finish the grunt work of the yard cleanup (everyone says small or large group, but never in the middle, now I know why, there is no good way to say it). We still have a significant amount of debris to haul away, so pray for helping hands to assist taking it all to the dump. It was a huge blessing to see the physical progress, but more importantly we can't wait to spend more time with Miss Debbie to build relationship based on Christ's love for her. Please lift her up as she is working and going back to school to get her GED. Let Christ be revealed in real ways in her life and move her to know Him!

Kitchen at Family Promise

We are still pushing forward with the Family Promise Kitchen rebuild/repair. Just last week, the plumber put some unexpected holes in the wall pushing the timeline back, but it ain't no thang! Hopefully within the month sheetrock, painting and trim will be complete and the ministry will have a fully functional kitchen to help teach basic cooking skills to young mothers! Continue to lift up this ministry and our work there, so that God can be glorified through parents and children seeing His love played out in real ways.

More of the Kitchen!

Please pray that we can seek to be more like Nehemiah and the Israelites back in the day. The work we do is truly for nothing if all of our heart, mind, and soul are not focused on Christ. Pray that we are convicted and challenged daily by the love of Christ!

"So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart." Nehemiah 4:6