Bigger than a building

This week we had our Churches Bigger than a Building kickoff. It was on our new property and we had a roasted pig and a pepsi truck come and sponsor the event. Yes it was a pepsi truck. It helps to know someone. I need to get to know someone at coke. But i digress. The church had the weeds mowed all but a outline of the church and a cross. The building looks kinda small but in comparison of our current property it fits our entire property into the new building. It is BIG! For the program we had three testimonies of Kelcy, ross + charity and Polly. They did a great job. Del McKensy was our honored guest. Paul wrapped it up with the story of where we have come from and a glimpse where we are going.

Polly was the one that surprised me. Polly like she said "Has the gift to gab." She read her testimony and the surprise is she talked about sacrificial giving. To set an amount to give and stay to it or to give till it hurts. We set an amount and it has been hard to stay to that amount. I really am glad that we have. But it hasn't been easy. We are still going to be able to live and we are not going crazy. We are only going to eat one meal a day and it is ramen but we can eat. I am just kidding we are stretching but not till a break.

The ground was dusty, the sun was hot, the shade was small and flocked to, but our church turned out in droves. 250ish were in attendance. It didn't seem like that many probably because the property is so large.

Where I am at in my head with the new church is I am starting to think about the decor in the youth room and how big it will be. Space to do all the things that we want to do and room to grow. Sunday school today was insane! We had 48 parents and kids in class today. It was our kick off of our Generation Change class. Which goes hand in hand with what the church is doing the Treasure Principal.

God has provided so much with this all. He has provided the money for the land, a peice of property that came in under budget and even small things like a beautiful day yesterday. It rained today which is needed but glad it was today not yesterday.

Blog phone

40 Days of Blogging

Over the last few years I have not blogged. I have kinda forgot about it and have put my time towards different things. I enjoy blogging and sharing my thoughts but life is busy. I thought that I would spend some time before Cassie gives birth to our child in March and start this habit again. So over the next month and a half I will be writing about life as a future dad, daily experiences, life as a youth pastor and things God is teaching me.

I would like to just share today about how excited I am to be a dad. I have been watching parents more closely lately. Seeing how they deal with parenthood. We have started thinking of names for our baby. I personally like the names Rainn Coats, Leather Coats, and Fur Coats. LOL not really. It is funny how people come up with names. My dads side of the family has a tradition to name the middle name after the OBGYN. It is kinda personal and I think it is kinda funny. I know people name after family members and even people that have had significance in the life of the parents. Some people go off of the meaning of the name or the way it the name rolls off the tongue.

What I am most excited about is holding our child, teaching it, playing games and watching it grow. It is going to be a big adjustment but the closer it gets the more I am excited.

Kids will be Adults

I read a article today that was discussing how the state of Idaho is going to start paying high school students to graduate early. As you can see from my lack of blog postings I don't get passionate about much but this one i think worth it.

Students are so often encouraged to grow up early. The media portrays high school students in the light that they are adults and they can make make grown up decisions. Don't get me wrong I am all for people acting their age and taking on more little by little. I am sure students are all for this. Just students are all for lowering the drinking age and the driving age. The way I see it the way things are set up now it is just right. At 16 students can drive. At 17-19 they graduate from High school. At 18 can gamble, smoke and enter the draft. At 21 they can drink alcohol. These ages were chosen based on developmental stages in youth, decision making abilities, and I am sure that they have something that they can look forward to.

Here is my rant for the new year. If you would like to check out this article click the link below.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hMyjdWG670FdForgcXMTVOa4MY1QD9E7AU780

Tuesday with Street car, VBS, and Worship

We traveled on the street car across town. Our objective was to start a conversation with someone in hopes of talking to them about Christ. We got  on the street car and on our way I sat next to a teacher from one of the schools. I asked if these were her kids. She got on with 5 5^th grade students. She said no. She said that she was a teacher. She said they were on a “field trip.” The grades were in last Friday so they had to watch the students for 3 days. She told me about New Orleans and about Katrina and where she went during it. She  told me about Marty Gra and to get a good margarita. I continued to pray how we could make it a spiritual conversation. It didn’t arise. She mostly talked about herself and New Orleans. We never talked about my job. I have found that it can be a conversation killer when I mention that I am a youth pastor. But I am praying for Gina and hopes that she will come in contact with someone else. The rest of the group didn’t have much luck talking to anyone but it was a good reminder that we are going to enter back home where it is hard to talk to others. So we talked about that and found that we have more courage to talk to our friends because we know them.

 

VBS was another day of basketball, football, and beauty salon. We had three more students come. Still recruiting the older guys. They are the ones that happen to come because we think that there are others that are still in school. Our VBS has really turned to be more of sports evangelism than VBS. It has been fun to hang with the guys and to get to know them. Jon had a really significant conversation with a guy yesterday. He told him what we were about and what we were doing. He was really receptive and understood it. It will be interesting if he comes tomorrow and if the makes a decision for the Lord.

 

Worship was amazing. The students really connected with Christ and what he is doing in there lives. They all said that it was the best worship that they have ever had. They all said that they didn’t want to leave in two days. They were so stoked after the songs.

 

During debriefing of the day worship was there high light and then we gave the letters that there parents wrote them. They all were really moved by what there parents wrote them.  The idea that they could read something from back home made them a little homesick and also a little emotional getting words that they haven’t heard since we have been gone. 

Prayer VBS Wall

We walked around the VBS sight and prayed for the neighborhood. During that time we were able to go to a few houses of people we met last year. We found Ronnie, tiger and paw paw’s house. We knocked on the door and tiger came to the door but didn’t recognize us so he didn’t come out.  It was warm walking around and was hard to stay focused and positive attitude. I gave a wager to our team that anyone that didn’t complain about the heat, I would buy them dinner. So since Sunday jon and kelcy are the only ones left of the students.

 

For VBS the students that came were mostly jr high and high school students. But there were a few 5 year olds. Glenn came and walked up to me and said “I remember you from last year.”  It was so good to see a familiar face. Ron and Kuran came as well. I asked Glenn if Ronnie and Paw Paw were coming but he said that they were in Texas with there mom.  We got a game going of basketball and then we realized that if we were to start VBS the high school boys would leave. So Eric from Ohio said why don’t we challenge the top 4 guys to a game of basketball and if they win they can leave but if we win they have to sit down for 20 minutes with us and here our VBS stuff and we would give the water. We knew that we were over our heads but we also knew we had a slim chance. Long story short we beat them 10-4. So they stuck around and heard out VBS skit and our memory verse.  Since we beat them we got some street cred and were able to talk to them about the story and about what they thought about it.  And I haven’t played since last year here.

 

So right before dinner we went to “the wall.” Which is a wall to one of the canals. At the wall they feed homeless people and we were able to sit down and talk with them. We didn’t eat so that we wouldn’t take away from there food. All the students grouped up and went and talked with people. Cassie and I were left. So we went over and started to talk to a Mexican man named Tommy Lee and a white lady named Cheryl. We talked about Katrina, and about them being in and out of jail and why they are homeless. During this time I continued to pray “God how can I minister to these people. I will even give them my shoes if they need them.” During this time Cassie continued to pray for boldness. And it came when Tommy lee said he had beat up his brother and we went to Jail and received Christ and then became a pastor. Cassie asked “So you would say that you are his turning point so what is stopping you from changing.” He didn’t really respond and even changed the subject.  Then we prayed for them and Tommy Lee asked about my t-shirt. I told him I got it at goodwill last year here.  (It was a Hurricane Relief shirt and on the back it said Hurricanes Blow. ) So here was my answer to prayer. I wressled with the thought of I live this shirt, it is really sweaty and if I were to give it I would break the AIM dress code. But I decided to give it anyway.  So on the way home and when we got back to the KOC I got some really funny looks. But then I explained.  

Sunday in NOLA

Today was a great day! We were able to go to Lakeview Christian church. This is the church that we were able to attend to last year. But this year they were in there new building. It was really nice. The message from Pastor Kieth was One Nation Under-Fathered. It was a great message that convicted many full of statistics on the affects of a nation without fathers. 

We did our head to head where I met with a boy named ryan. I felt called to encourage him and how his heart was heading the right direction. He was sold out to God. I could see that he had some birth defects but I could see that he was stoked for being here and for following after God. I also felt called to share the scripture that man looks at the outward appearance but God looks at the heart. He broke down crying and said that this was exactly what he had been asking God for answers his whole life. To know why he was made this way and what does God see him like. I was stunned and then it was time to stop. 

We took a tour of New Orleans. Just a few facts about places in New Orleans. 80%ish of Lakeview is rebuilt. About 30%ish of Gentily is rebuilt and still 10%ish of Ninth ward is rebuilt. 

We just got back from prayer walking around Old School where we are going to be doing VBS. We gave out 10 or so flyers for VBS. To kids that we didn't see last year. So who knows who we will see tomorrow. But we are excited to see what God does through us.  

Our sleeping experience is cots in the middle of the main room. The girls are upstairs. For some reason my laptop mirrored the image so cross your eyes and you will get it. Yes those are my sick feet. Kelcy is tired from a long day and the adjustment to the time change. 

Hopefully there isn't two of the same picture. 

It is a good day.