Travel Mercies

Just as the title of this book says, this is what we long for and what we are seeking! Sunday I will head off to South East Asia! To learn, to see first hand some of those whom we have been praying for. To walk in their shoes, even if just for a few days. To smell the smells, see what they see, taste what they taste and hear the sounds of a place where the name of Jesus is unheard of. Oh that the Spirit would go before me! That He would move in me and through me! That I would see a miraculous movement by Him in these people before my life is lived out!

Pray For Me as I'm gone for the next two weeks for travel safety and for Kim as she stays home with the boys!

Jeff, Kim, Max, Joshua, Tate

Selecting vs. Recruiting

Yesterday I had the privilege of attending the 4x14x14 Initiative. In short, 4x14x14 is an initiative adopted by the pastors of the 14 largest or leading edge United Methodist churches in the Texas Annual Conference. The idea was that each leading edge church would commit to launch a church plant, multi site, venue or merger by 2014. They would also commit to recruiting 4 people into the collaborative mentoring community (4x14x14).  They would meet at least 4 times per year and at each gathering they would bring in a guest speaker, a virtual who's who from one of 7 areas of ministry. Multi site, Planting, Leadership Development, Multiplication, Mentoring, Missional or Prayer.

In yesterdays meeting our speaker was Chris Mavity. He is on staff at North Coast Church in California. They are one of the churches that pioneered multi site ministry. In yesterday's meeting he was discussing amongst other things how to effectively select, train and keep volunteers.

His talk was incredibly useful and practical information. Way to much to go into in this blog but one of the quotes that stuck out to me was "select your volunteers, don't recruit them." This is a simple difference but one that has long lasting impact on how effective they will be and longevity of their commitment. We shouldn't give help them do a "duty" rather help them fulfill a "destiny" one they were created for and gifted to do.

Tonight we have the first of our informational meetings for our North Campus. The room will be full of potential volunteers. Please pray that God would call and then help us discern where they need to serve. Pray that God would raise up "supper Volunteers' that can head up various ministries and coordinate and lead other volunteers. Pray that God would raise up future pastors who will come to lead these ministries for years to come!

We will then have a identical meeting on the 19th as well pray for the above requests for this event as well.

Praise God! We have signed a contract on our house in Carrollton and have just a few days for it to go through. Please continue to pray that nothing falls apart in the mean time.

Thank You for praying

Jeff, Kim, Max, Josh and Tate

Faith Like A Mustard Seed!

There are a few places we see a mustard seed used to illustrate something or used in a parable in the bible. One of those is when Jesus compares the Kingdom of heaven to a mustard seed in Matthew 13:31-32. 

"31 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”

A second time we see him use a mustard seed is when He says:

“20 He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20

Many use the later to say that if we have enough faith we can will God into doing anything we want Him to do. I am not proposing that at all! God is God and I am not that He should be lorded over by my faith.

The later passage is in response to the disciples asking Jesus why they were unable to cast a demon out of someone when Jesus was able too. Jesus responds telling them that it was because of a lack of faith. I think what often gets lost here is the fact that, faith, as in a response to believing God is Who He says He is and will do what He says He will do, applied to carrying out the will of the Lord is always effective. Jesus had already commanded the disciples to do many things including cast out demons earlier in His ministry. We see this in Matthew 10. So He wasn't necessarily telling them they could do whatever they wanted in faith rather that they could do what he had commanded them to do, in faith, knowing that where he commanded them he would empower them as well.

It is in this spirit that I ask you to be praying this week for us. Yesterday we sent letters to 470 members of Grace Fellowship who live on the north side of I-10 in our target area where we feel God has called Grace Fellowship to minister in. 

In the image above you can see the target area we feel called too marked by a blue box. The dots are Katy ISD schools. The red ones are ones that house church plants currently and the green ones are schools available to use. One of the red dots in our blue box will be moving to the south west of Katy in September with the completion of their church build. Needless to say our target area is unchurched.

We believe God is calling us to reach this area for Him so would you pray with faith that:

1.       Our 470 members living in our target area would receive the spiritual gift of missions and evangelization. That their hearts would be drawn to their neighborhoods and people they live close too.

2.       Pray that God would show favor and provide His perfect location to meet and minister from!

3.       Pray for favor with the community and that God would foster opportunities to develop relationships.

4.       Pray for financial provision to do what He has called us too.

5.       Safety and protection for me and my family spiritually, physically and emotionally.

6.       God will bring the right volunteers to lead as a staff of Grace Fellowship North
    
Pray that God would pour out His Spirit on the 56,000 people who live in our target area! That revival and Spiritual awakening would spring forth.

We have several determining things going down in the next two weeks that affect the above mentioned requests and many will be determined these next two weeks. So please pray with faith over these!

Thanks and Love

Jeff, Kim, Max, Josh and Tate