Pray Pray Pray

Hey everyone,

Will you please be praying for the next step in the youth ministry at Crosspointe.  There are many things that need to happen as i prepare to leave but the most significant is the need to have someone take my place in the lives of these students to teach the Word and share the love of Christ in this community.  Pray that we would encounter the right person.  We have been conducting interviews and making connections.  Pray for wisdom, peace, and confirmation in our hearts and the heart of the man or woman  (or couple) that God is preparing.

Rock the House

This is the name of the new family ministry God has put on my heart to begin doing with Crosspointe. It is purely a ministry for the whole family. The purpose of this is to ignite passion, trust, and communication in families through outdoor activities and Biblical teaching. These are events purely for families. If this strikes you, please be praying for the families that will be participating in the coming weeks, and for the awesome potential of doing ministry with whole family units to grow. Also be praying for ways that this may be transferred to an aspect of ministry in Okinawa.

I love you all. Peace.

June

Well my friends, the decision has been made.  For several reasons.  I will be waiting until after the wedding to begin ministry in Okinawa.  Preparations are being made here.  Continue to pray for a youth worker to take my place, and for the final 25% of support to come in.   Andrea and I are planning to travel back to Okinawa about 2 weeks after the wedding.  Please be praying for wedding plans to come together, and for enough support that we can start making travel plans in advance of the wedding.

I love you all and am so thankful for your prayers, i know that you lift me up continually, i know when you are praying for me and I am so blessed by it.  Thank you!

DRM

Last week on Friday a group of 11 of us went down to the Denver Rescue mission in downtown Denver, to serve some meals and have our eyes opened to the need of people “just around the corner.”  We had a great time laughing and learning and working together.

Between the meals we went and got out own.   Each member of the group was given $.50 and divided into groups each with a leader.  They had to go find lunch with what they had.   “It really made me realize how lucky i am” said one jr high student.   There was everything from begging to careful planning and team decisions involved, and it was a lot of fun.  One group even found a dollar on the sidewalk, and decided not to use it, “Because we really didn’t need it, and someone else could be blessed by that.”  What a cool thing to see.

It has been such a blessing to minister in this community and see God do amazing things in the past few months in the hearts of the students.  Continue to pray, for a youth leader to come and take my place in the next month.

Momentum

Finding it in some places, and looking for it in others.

The ministry at Crosspointe is going going extremely well.  We are engaging the community, God is working in students hearts, and the local body is embracing the youth more and more in preparation for my departure.  These are all things that many of us have been praying for.   God has really blessed what is happening there!

On the other side of my world, I am still sitting near 50% of my needed support.  I am looking toward going to okinawa at the beginning of April to take advantage of retreats and other opportunities to really engage the students there.  As exciting as a new marriage and a new ministry are, i’d rather spread the excitement out, and have an opportunity to be with these students before we get married in June.

Praise God for what is happening in the Firestone community!

Pray for supporters to come alongside through prayer and finances right now
to enable the beginning of ministry in Okinawa this spring.

Pray in all of this that i would trust God to take care of and prepare the hearts of students on both sides of the world.

Training

This week I am at cadence headquarters through Wednesday.  It’s three days of training for missionaries who will be heading to the field this spring.  Connecting with the staff is always refreshing for perspective.   It’s also great to see the house ministry, and the hearts of people that God has called ot the field in different ways, and see that God is doing some amazing things here.

I feel in limbo as the times are shifting.  Wedding 4 months away, leaving a ministry, starting a new one, raising support.  The biggest challenge for me is being fully present wherever I am.  Especially with an overseas fiance.  I have found that prayer is the piece that keeps me on track.  Remembering that it is God who needs to pave th way in each aspect of life, and I need to let him go before me.  IN those times of prayer, I see his heart for the next task, the next relationship, and it keeps my focus where it needs to be.  As always, I love to hear from you, and i definitely covet your prayers.

This week has been the first week, i have been spending large amounts of time on both ministry here, and partnership development. Plenty of split time has meant i need to stay on top of my schedule which can be hard, but it keeps me learning. I’ve been learning that focus and stamina throughout the day depend on how i start the day. So I feel a little like Paul, buffeting my body, though I think my struggles are significantly less than his, I am nonetheless growing through process, and that’s nothing to complain about.

I feel i want to complain about being 5000 miles from my fiance, but again, the growth through process, and the joy of knowing her more and deeper despite the distance is invaluable, and a beautiful thing.

Return to Colorado

Well, I’m back home in Colorado, and getting into the swing of things and preparing for support raising and ministry.

The time in Germany was excellent.  It was great to connect with other youth ministers, and see more of hte heart of Malachi ministries.  It was a really encouraging time, and other than being sick for a few days I had a blast.  It was especially good to see Andrea, and get some time together.  When you’re lucky enough to be marrying a girl like that, it’s exceptionally amazing to be able to see her.

These next few months are going to be pretty intense.  I am praying and working towards being in Okinawa in the next 2 months.  For the purpose of starting ministry there, and having time together with andrea before our wedding.  The more time we have before the wedding, the better, but we are trusting God in this whole process, and whatever may come, we are excited to be doing it together.

To Germany

Happy New Year Everyone!  I trust and pray that God will use you in mighty ways this year, the question always is, will we let Him use us?  My spirit says yes, but my flesh isn’t always so fervent.  Perhaps this year as God’s grace and provision remains constant, my heart will be conformed, if just slightly, deeper into the will of God, and the adventure of life, and marriage, and ministry will grow greater still and my passion will again churn with a renewed vigor.

I can’t think of a better way of beginning such a time as the Malachi Staff conference in Germany.  From Jan 3-17 i will be in Germany, engaging with other Malachi workers at a staff conference in Garmish, Germany.  Pray that God will use this time of rest, reflection and intentional relational time to enrich each of us with truth and encouragement.  Of course I get to see Andrea there, and i can’t wait to see her in the airport.  It has been over 2 months since we have seen each other,, and  I cannot describe to you how much i miss that wonderful woman!

Remember i always love to hear from you, and what God is doing in your life.  Use this blog to comment and disclose words of life and truth.  This also gives me opportunity to respond to, and interact with you.

Thank you all for your prayers and love.  I’ll keep you updated on the Germany journey.  For now, have a blessed and safe new year.

Climbing

Most of you know one of my loves is the challenge of confronting a mountain and the beauty of the outdoors.  Especially here in colorado.  I thought i’d share some of my challenges, and some of the beauty with you.

Have a Merry Christmas