Radio / Peanuts / Gotta GO!

God is doing great things! Tuesday Daryl Jones came into my office and told me that Spirit 106 out of Fort Smith was looking for a place to set up in Sallisaw to pass out bumper stickers and prizes and what not. So I called and said they could use our parking lot here at Journey and they accepted. Then the lady asked me if there was anything I would like to share coming up with the youth on the air live, and I said "Uh, yeah"! Perfect timing we are starting the split this next week, with Wednesday being the jr. high service and Sunday being the high school service!!! What a great opportunity! I got to get on the air twice and promote our fall vision and Journey church!!! God always knows what He is doing!!! So yesterday before youth I got on the air and talked! How cool is that?

Last night at youth was great, it was our last night together combined and we went out with a blast! Worship was really good and the students really responded. We finished our series talking about purpose. Each week for the VISION. PASSION. PURPOSE series we gave out something cool to remind the students of each element. The first week we gave everyone glasses to remind them to see life through God's eye view and with the right kind of vision. The next week we gave everybody a little heart to remind them of making sure their passion is in the right place (after God) then last night we gave everyone a peanut, that's right a peanut. At the end we talked about George Washington Carver who discovered over 300 uses for the peanut such as: cosmetics, paint, dyes, paper, gas, nitroglycerin, food, plastic, shaving cream, and my favorite peanut butter!!! We said most people just look at a peanut and eat it or pass by it, but George Washington Carver saw it as something more valuable. We said let this peanut remind us that we may be small but God created us for great things and many reasons. Our lives are like a peanut, if you eat it up and waste it, it doesn't amount to much, but if you understand you were created for greatness than you have purpose forever!!! It was a good night!!!

Well, I could talk all day, but I got to get working on the zone and other stuff, so adios!!!

I Think I am Tired Now As I Write This Title, Good Night!

Well it's almost 4am here and I just got home from working on the zone. I am not really tired believe it or not. When I get "in the zone" it is hard to stop until I feel I got more done than I should have. Daniel and I were up there doing as much as we could and we got a lot done! We were painting, cleaning, etc...It was fun hanging out and working together! We still have a lot to do and it will probably take some more all nighters to get it done!

Tonight was our 1st official leadership meeting for our adult youth team. We talked about how important reaching students is and that the level of our ministry is dependent on the level of our leadership. We will never take students beyond where we as leaders are. If we are at a level 7 in our impact then the students will never go beyond a 6, but if we raise the bar as leaders then students will start to follow suit. Everything rises and falls on leadership, in the words of John Maxwell. I completely believe that! The most important people in your ministry is your leaders first, without them you wouldn't have a ministry in the first place. We had 14 leaders show up tonight and express interest to be involved. That is a great start to building a great team! Well, I am tired and we have a big day tomorrow with youth and all kinds of stuff! It was a good day today!

Friday!

Well today I worked on the zone and got a good amount of things done. This next week I am going to have to pull some all nighters in order to get everything ready. We are having our grand opening for our 1st jr. high service September 5th and it is going to be awesome. Then we are having our 1st high school service that Sunday night the 9th. It is going to be great being able to focus on each of these age groups and really impact their lives. God has called us to raise up a generation of passionate followers of Him, and we are on the mission!!! I got home about 7pm tonight and Erin was not feeling well at all. She is still so sick and not able to do much at all. I feel so bad for her, tonight she just wanted to eat but couldn't. She took one of the pills they prescribed her but it actually made her stomach hurt even worse. We are really praying for relief and strength for her. When I got home I turned around and went to Wal-Mart to get some groceries for Zion and us. Finally I got home around 8:15 or so then cooked dinner for us. Erin was able to eat a little bit so that was very good! The pills made her very tired so she went back to bed and Zion and I watched Indiana Jones! Now I am cleaning and doing some laundry. I am getting behind here at the house with laundry, mowing, and taking care of the house kind of stuff, but tomorrow I am going to try to get some things done. I am very tired right now so I am going to go to bed soon and maybe sleep in just a bit tomorrow!

Mom & Dad / Dance Class / Youth / Erin

Mom and Dad came into town last Friday and stayed until Tuesday morning. We had a fun time hanging out, talking, and painting. That's right painting. I taught my mom and dad how to do Bob Ross style painting and they did a great job. They both did their own canvas landscape. I figured it would be a good time for theme to learn. We had a great time with them. They got to experience Zion's first dance class Monday night. Zion was sooooo excited to get all dressed up and start her dance classes in Fort Smith. She has been dancing a lot lately and wanted to do more. It was the cutest thing ever!!!

These last few days we have been working on the zone and getting everything ready for the appreciation banquet. Tonight we had youth and it went good. Everybody is starting to come back now that school is in session. Today Jarred and I visited the high school for lunch and got to see tons of our students, it was awesome!!! We talked about passion tonight and said that whatever you are passionate about will determine where you will end up in life. So it is so important to be passionate for the things of God! We gave everybody a little heart to remind them to be passionate for God and to direct passion in the right way!!!

Erin has still been very sick! We are praying she gets feeling better quickly this is really causing her to not be able to do anything. She has her moments when she feels a little relief, but she is very sick most of the time. It is hard on her to just be at home 24/7 and then watch Zion while she is feeling so horrible. To top it all off I am so busy right now with the zone and trying to get it ready for our kick-off that I haven't been home as much as I should. Be praying for her, she really needs it!!!

Well check out these videos and pics

Food Fight / Monday / Doctor / Youth

Well, Sunday we had the Back 2 School Food Fight and it was off the hook, out of control, awesome!!! We had more food than you could imagine. When we were done we were covered from head to toe! It burned in the eyes, felt nasty, smelled terrible, but was all worth it! We cooked out, played some games and had the food fight!!! Check out this video from the night!




Jennifer Emberton was in town visiting so Monday we took her back to the airport, and I got my haircut. Then we came home and hung out and I cut the grass and cleaned a bit!

Tuesday was our first Doctors appointment for Erin and the new baby. They really didn't do much since it is so early but we got to meet the Doctor and see the facilities. We are having the baby over in Fort Smith, Arkansas. The hospital is very nice and the people were super friendly. We felt very comfortable there. Tuesday evening Chris and Whitney Sharp came over and we ate and hung out. Then Chris, Pastor Tony, Billy and I went to play tennis at the local courts. We had a lot of fun, I hadn't played tennis in a while but it was a good work out.

Tonight we had youth and kick off our current series for the next few weeks called, Vision, Passion, Purpose! We are talking about each element as school starts back up! We had a good turn out and a great service! Things are going well. Tonight we talked about having vision in your life. We all wear spiritual glasses that we view ourselves and the world around us in. We talked about seeing ourselves and our future through the eyes of Christ and His plans for us!!! It was good! Check out the messages from our services out @ journeycurchlive.com under Student Ministry - Messages/Podcasts.

Erin has been terribly sick with the new baby! She really can't move around and do much! She is in a constant state of stomach pain! Food makes her sick and moving around causes the pain to stir up! We are praying that she gets better! I guess everybody's body reacts different to pregnancy. I hate that she has to go through this all day, everyday. Please be praying for relief and strength!!!

Well, tomorrow we are having some breakfast snacks for the students before the first day of school at the church! We are going to pray before school and hang out then carpool them over to school!!! It is going to be an early morning. I have a LOT to do these next few days and weeks with the zone, youth, church, family, and home!!!

Saturday

Yesterday we finished the painting in the cafe and got the frame work up for the half walls! We are moving along now!!! Everything seems to be working out very nice! It is going to be exciting to get it all done and ready to go! Today Erin is having the girls book club @ 3 then we are all going to Olive Garden over in Fort Smith. I think we are taking like 18 people to eat so that will be fun, hopefully we can get in. Tomorrow is the back to school food fight @ 5 and baptisms after church. We have 3 students getting baptized so that is awesome! Last night we had a staff night over at Pastor Jeff's! We all hung out, ate and talked, it was good. Well, I am going to get ready, clean, work on the house and all that fun stuff!!!

Wednesday Is Good!

Tonight was good at JSM! We did worship, and talked about being squeezed! What is in you will come out of you! So when the world and situations squeeze you, what is coming out? If the word of God and the things of God are in you then that's what will come out, but if junk and sin is in you that will be what comes out of you. We challenged the students to be ready this school year to be squeezed by friends, situations and the like. And also to be full of the things of God in our life so when we are squeezed the Godly stuff comes out of us. Tomorrow we are working on the zone with many projects to be done! Also, Jennifer Emberton is flying into town to stay with us for a few days. She is a friend of ours from back home in Indiana! Tomorrow we have a meeting for the servant appreciation banquet which is going to be great! Then Saturday Erin is having the girls book club meeting at 3 here at the house then we are all going to Olive Garden to eat. Then Sunday is baptism Sunday and we have like 4-5 students getting baptized and then later that day the back to school food fight @ 5pm. Is is going to be the largest food fight ever!!! Ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, BBQ sauce, flour, chocolate, hot sauce, and more!!! It is going to be insane!!! Well, I need to clean the car out for Erin tomorrow as she picks up Jenn and then do some more cleaning!!!

Fans, Brainstorming, Lumber & Enchiladas

Today I got in the office about 8:30am and started working on several different tasks! I put a fan behind me, turned it up all the way and it felt wonderful! I love fans they make me very happy!!! Then Pastor Tony and I met with Daryn to brainstorm the Servant Appreciation Banquet August 26th and that was productive. We got some good ideas to present Pastor Jeff and hammered out some details. It is going to be a great night of honoring leaders and pitching vision for the upcoming years of Journey! God is up to great things here in Sallisaw and we want to be on the font lines! Then Randy Butler and I went to Fort Smith to get much, much lumber for the zone. We got 25 sheets of plywood, 60 2x4's, and posts, screws, and various things for several projects for the zone. We have much to do in these next few weeks, but I think we can get it done. We need some great deals to come our way for sound equipment, media stuff and other things, so be praying for sales and money!!! Then we got back and unloaded everything and returned the vehicle and trailer we borrowed. I then went to Wal-Mart to get groceries and finally got home about 7pm. I made enchiladas for dinner, it took about an hour to do, I don't mess around when it comes to my Mexican food!!! Then we all hung out and played and watched some t.v. Now it is time for bed, since I am tired.

Monday's Are Great!!!

Well, today we got up and started cleaning, doing laundry, mowed the grass, Erin painted Zion's stencils, did dishes, payed bills, and now am just hanging out! Tonight we are going to Sean's going away party at Daryl's house @ 7pm. Tomorrow he leaves for his new house in Western Oklahoma. He is a student in our youth group that has really come along way! It is tough to see him go, but we are praying for the best! We are excited to be there tonight and see him off!!!

Monday's are our day of cleaning and working on the house then spending family time together. We really cherish our Monday's together. It usually is the only day that we really secure our time. Saturday's are sometimes free, but you never know with youth events, church stuff, getting ready for Sunday and all that. We try to never schedule anything on Monday's unless we really have to. It is great to know that you have a day that nothing can compete with especially when you are talking about your family, which always comes first!!! I think that too many people, especially in ministry, don't manage their time well, they let time manage them! I am a firm believer in securing your time and making the most of it! You can't create more time but you can manage and use it wisely. With that said I am not a have to always be doing something kind of guy. I enjoy my not doing anything but resting times, as long as they don't become a lifestyle obviously. I try to live by the idea of whatever your doing do it with all your heart! If it is a task, do it well, if it is resting don't focus on other things you think you should be doing, REST for crying out loud! If it is spending time with family, spend it wisely. Whatever you do, do with focus and purpose and unto the Lord! Well, I am going to get back to the laundry and other things before we head out so, adios!!!

Rodeo Time!

We just got back from the Rodeo here in Sallisaw and it was awesome! I had only been to one other Rodeo in my life and that is when I was about 8 or so in Cody, Wyoming. I was chosen from the crowd to chase after a calf and I never got it, how sad! Anyway, tonight we all went to the local Rodeo and watched some of our students ride and watched the competition. The guy who was mc'ing it was great! He seemed like a genuine cowboy. They even prayed before the Rodeo, like a real heart felt prayer and everyone joined in. Only in the bible belt do you see that taking place at a local community event! Zion loved the horses and got to see some of her favorite girls in the youth group riding them, Alex Pierce and Katie Haraway. Well tonight was great and we loved embracing the culture here in Sallisaw!

Today we just hung out and cleaned then went to Holly & Steven's wedding. Then we went to Fort Smith and got some materials at Lowe's and some other things we had to pick up. Tomorrow is the 2nd week of Heartland and I can't wait to see what God does at church with us! Hopefully tomorrow afternoon I can get some time and finish the stage so I can focus on some other projects in the zone. These next few weeks are crucial in getting ready for the school year and getting the zone up and running!!!

A Hard Working Day

Well, today I got up early and headed up to the church to get working on the zone! We got half the stage built today. It took a while to get everything we needed and get everything ready to go, but once we did we started moving on it! Rob Wells helped me out for a bit today and Sarah McLanahan painted the cafe. She did a great job getting all the base coats on the walls. We are going to do a cool circular design on the 3 walls so it will look cool when we are done! I have never built a stage before so this is fun and new to me. We are building a 8ft x 20ft stage and it is going well. I got online and watched some videos on how to do it and now am doing it. Erin helped with coordinating the wedding this weekend at our church and she loves doing that stuff. Zion and I hung out and worked while Erin did the rehearsal tonight. Then we came home about 7:30 or so and ate dinner here and watched National Treasure. I LOVE that movie!!! It is one of my top favorites. Shark Week is on the discovery channel this week so we have been catching that each night a little. Sharks are awesome! Zion keeps going to the potty because she does it by herself now. I think she does it just to do it for fun. Erin has been a little tired lately and is sleeping now and Zion keeps going in and out from the bathroom. Well, tomorrow we are going to the local Rodeo! We have some students in it and it is a big community event. We also have the wedding and some stuff to do here at the house! I want to get painting a bit here soon with Bob Ross but I am waiting for some extra time to do it. Well, that is it and I am tired and probably going to go to bed here soon!