Going back to Cali...

It's been a while since I posted last. Busyness and travels were a big reason for the silence.

Yet, don't let the silence suggest that all is quiet on the support-raising front.  My recent trip to California was a tremendously encouraging and exciting trip.  There were three churches that are very excited about the opportunity for a church plant in Bakersfield.

First Baptist Church in Kingsburg, CA
Providence Community Church in Vacavile, CA

Sovereign Grace Church in Bakersfield, CA

All three have made a commitment to seek the Lord as to how they can help our church planting efforts. We are getting closer to hitting our support mark and eventually to Bakersfield.  Please continue to pray for us. We are "itching" to get to Bakersfield but know that it will be in the Lord's timing.

 

The Expected Unexpected

Really, we should expect the unexpected moments when God brings a source of encouragement our way.

That's what happened to us earlier this week.  We are in Ohio. A wedding this weekend and an opportunity to share with a church about mission bakersfield.  This is our 436th trip this summer/fall...well it feels like it anyway.

Wednesday afternoon at 1:30pm we were able to join a small weekly Bible study at Calvary Evangelical Church in Van Wert, OH. Laura grew up in this church. We got married in this church.  The group of 10, 90% of which were well above the 65 mark, all came in with their Bibles and walkers in tow.  We sat down opened the Bibles and studied Ephesians 3:14-21. 

Now I have led plenty of these type of studies in the past; with youth, with my peers, with a wide range of adults and now with some seniors.  They were soaking it up. Not because of some amazing gift of the teacher but because of their love for the Word of God.  They weren't looking for "what it means to me" or "what can I get out of it"...they just loved to study it and to follow the study up with prayer. They are there every week, studying the Bible together and praying for the church. Remarkable. 

We prayed for us, for our support raising and for our church planting efforts. Nothing eloquent, just earnest. I loved it. My wife loved it. We left encouraged...and we should have expected it!

We All Need a LIttle Gas...

So for the past two weeks, Charlotte has boasted quite an ominous distinction: 4 out of 5 gas stations have no gas.  Which of course means, you either see this: 

or you see this atrocity:

What does this mean for us? We simply have to adjust. Cut down the driving to only what is necessary and avoid the temptation to "panic". This is good practice to have because life as a church planter's family will bring the experience of situations beyond our control. Will we adjust our lives accordingly and keep our trust in a sovereign God, or will we panic and make bad decisions...like waiting in a line for an hour just because our gas tank is half full?  

With gas prices and shortages, with a struggling economy and a perceivable inept government (I hate pork, but that is for another post), it is good to know that we don't serve the American dream but a Sovereign God. 

Proposition 8: The California Marriage Protection Ammendment

Protect Marriage is a website that is calling for a "yes" to Prop. 8 in California. The website explains the proposition and why a "yes":

About Proposition 8

Proposition 8 places into the California Constitution the same language that voters already passed by 61% of the vote in 2000. This is necessary to overturn an outrageous California Supreme Court decision that overturned Proposition 22. 

California voters passed Proposition 22 in 2000 by more than 61%, saying that a marriage in California is between a man and a woman. Earlier this year, four activist judges based in San Francisco wrongly overturned the people's vote, legalizing same-sex marriage.

Vote YES on Proposition 8 to overturn the outrageous Supreme Court decision and restore the definition of marriage that was approved by over 61% of voters. Proposition 8 is NOT an attack on gay couples and does not take away the rights that same-sex couples already have under California’s domestic partner law. California law already grants domestic partners all the rights that a state can grant to a married couple. Gays have a right to their private lives, but not to change the definition of marriage for everyone else. 

Voting YES on Proposition 8 does 3 simple things:

1. It restores the definition of marriage to what the vast majority of California voters already approved and what Californians agree should be supported, not undermined.

2. It overturns the outrageous decision of four activist Supreme Court judges who ignored the will of the people.

3. It protects our children from being taught in public schools that “same-sex marriage” is the same as traditional marriage, and prevents other consequences to Californians who will be forced to not just be tolerant of gay lifestyles, but face mandatory compliance regardless of their personal beliefs.