Is it broken?

How great is the love of a mother? Its so great that she is willing to suffer so that her children will be happy. This very great love was displayed by my wife this weekend.

Nathan is coming to visit and one thing he loves is Mello Yello. So we bought him a case when we went shopping Saturday night. Me being a dad and having little to no love just tossed it in the garage but Denise decided she wanted it to be cold for her baby... this was the beginning of woes.
As she picked up the case to load them into the refrigerator the bottom broke open and all the cans started pouring out all over her toes. This was the result:

Actually these pics were from Sunday night. Saturday night was bad, I made her endure an ice bath and elevate her foot. Sunday morning she still couldn't put any weight on it which ruined our plans to go to the beach after church. So Sam and Selina and ALL the kids came over and we watched the live stream in our tiny place. She was good all day on Sunday and kept it elevated so by Sunday evening she could hobble on it a little. Praise the Lord! Today she can walk around pretty well and will be able to come with us to Montgomery to pick Nate up tonight.

God is good!

The vision sharpens

Have you ever had a season in your life where you lived in a certain book of the Bible? The last year and a half was one of those seasons for me. I have been living in the book of Joshua. It started with a men’s inductive study in Joshua and then moved on to another 6 months in Joshua as I led teacher devotions at Fayetteville Christian School. Finally in the last month before we left for Alabama I read thru Joshua as part of my thru the Bible morning devotions. I can’t tell you how many times in this last year that God has spoken thru the words He wrote in Joshua to me in my daily situations and once again I am hearing Him speak to me from this powerful text.

If you asked me a few months ago what my vision was for the church God is going to raise up in Enterprise I would have said the standard Calvary Chapel party line

“To teach thru the Word, equip the saints and give them an opportunity to serve.”

That still is my vision by the way, but in my prayers this last few weeks I have asked the Lord:

“Why did you bring us here?

There is no shortage of churches here. According to the City of Enterprise website there are about 20,000 people here and a little over 20 churches listed on the various web sites, which I am sure is not exhaustive.

“Is there not a remnant here? Is there not one faithful church here?”

God didn’t answer that question, but he did remind me of two stories from Joshua.

In Chapter 14 we read about Caleb. He was one of the original 12 scouts that spied out the land and one of 2 (Joshua was the other) that gave a good report. Moses promised him in Numbers 14 that “the land his foot had trodden will be his inheritance” and so Caleb asked for the mountain where he knew the giants lived. Caleb was 85 yrs old when he made this request. I love this story because Caleb is an inspiration to me. He is fearless and strong, even in his old age because of his faith and he is not afraid of a challenge. He doesn’t ask for the beach front property on the Mediterranean Sea or the fertile river valley; he wanted the mountain where the giants were living in fortified cities. That mountain would one day be called Hebron which means “fellowship” or “communion”.

After we arrived here I met a man who is part of a “group” that we would consider to be a cult. He is a wonderful person and I like him a lot. I felt like God told me he would be delivered from that cult and would walk in the light. I am not an expert on cults, I am not really even sure what this group believes but I do know one thing about cults; they train their people to argue effectively with Christians. In a way they are like those giants on Caleb’s mountain. They are strong in what they believe and they are well fortified in their little groups. They are not easily drawn out or dealt with. I think most people are content to leave them alone but Jesus died to free them from their chains and darkness. I don’t know how to approach them or argue with them but that is not what God is calling us to do. Part of what we are here to do is to tear down those strongholds thru prayer and shine the light in so they can see the way out. I am also concerned for those who call themselves Christians but are bound up in legalism. They are in a similar place and God brings them to mind when I am praying.

In Chapter 17:14-18 there is a story about the sons of Joseph. They wanted more land because they were a numerous people but they couldn’t expand because The hills near them were covered with forests that would take a lot of work to clear and the valleys they were near were still filled with Canaanites who had iron chariots. They wanted a place to expand that was easier to settle in. Joshua told them in vs. 18 (if I may paraphrase a bit) if you want more land then go clear out the forests and drive out the Canaanites. I think God is telling me something similar. God didn’t bring us here to come in and set up a church in an area that other people have cleared and secured. There are areas here that no one is ministering in because it’s difficult. There are people here that no one is reaching because they are a challenge. I don’t know all the details yet, but I do know that we are not here to build on anyone else’s foundations or squabble over anyone else’s sheep.

Don’t think for one second that I know how to do this but God does and He will show us how.

As our eyes look out over challenging terrain our prayer is… Lord, give us the determination to clear out a place where we can sow Your Word. Give us strength by Your Spirit to face the Canaanites and their iron chariots. Establish us upon the mountain that was a fortress of darkness guarded by giants so we can fellowship with You.

Welcome to the new blog

I have moved all the posts over, but unfortunatly all the comments stayed back at the other blog.

You may want to re-register if you want to comment. I am not sure if this blog will send email notes about new posts (I should probably go find that out...)

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this blog format better, I know I do :)

The Bible study will begin June 25th (6-16-08)

Now that we are settled, we will start our first Bible study in the book of John on Wednesday evenings at 6:30 pm.

We will be meeting at Sam and Selina’s to begin with, but will move it to the coffee shop when it is up and running.

Sam and Selina
156 County Road 681
Coffee Springs, AL 36318

or click here for a map.

Please pray for us as we begin to see the vision God has for us in Enterprise unfold.

Prayer requests (6-16-08)

Please pray that we would have favor this week with the Coffee County Health Department and the City of Enterprise engineering department as we have to submit our plans for thier approval so we can pull our permits for construction.

Its funny that last friday in my devotions I was reminded to be in submission to the governmental authorities and that if I am doing right I have nothing to fear. So I don’t want to fight city hall or bring any beaurcrats to thier knees, I pray that we will humbly do everything necessary to be in compliance with all the codes and regulations that are established.
We did get a small wake up last week when we found out that construction would be slightly more extensive than we had anticipated. The health department said we had to have a bathroom “in” our store for our employees that was under our exculsive control. We will also have to rip up the carpet and put down tile for sanitary reasons. These are added expenses that we were not counting on. Fortunatly the Lord knew this would be an issue and His plans and provision remain intact.

Let me testify of my God’s forsight (Can I get an AMEN? We are in the south y’all) When I first heard we would need a bathroom I went into panic mode, cost aside that would be another 50 sq. feet I was going to loose and I only have 900 to start with. Well, when I arrived at the shop to talk about changes with our contractor, our landlord Mr. Ellis was there. He listened to what the health department was going to require and said. “Oh, did I mention that the Lawyers who are in the suite behind you are moving to the suite beside you, so If you want you can add that bathroom right here in the back corner. That way you won’t lose any square footage for the coffee shop.” NOW can I get an AMEN? What used to be the lawyer’s waiting room will now be my employee bathroom. No fuss, no mess… at least until they start jackhammering up concrete to install sewer drains.

God is so Good!

Construction begins (6-7-08)

We are moved into the townhouse and mostly unpacked so in my prayers I asked the Lord “what can I do to get this coffee shop started?” I heard him tell me to go take some measurements, make a layout plan and figure out what to do to get the permits and licenses I will need. So I wrote these things down and a few mins later I got a call from Max Ellis, the owner of the building we will be leasing space in. He asked if we could meet at the building to talk. I assumed he wanted me to sign a lease and pay the balance of the deposit. As usual I need to stop assuming.

I showed up at 10am and there was Mr. Ellis and his contractor Tommy. We small talked for a bit about the move and adjusting to Alabama. Mr. Ellis then changed the subject and said, “Tommy is here so he can head up the construction that we need to get this place up and running.” Next thing I know, we are taking measurements and laying out plans for how the coffee shop will be set up… just like God told me, only I didn’t know the contruction would be starting so quickly. Later that day we were meeting with the electrical and plumbing contractors to get the specific power and water requirements. The best part is that Mr. Ellis is paying for all the construction up front, he told me he would roll the costs into my lease and I could pay it back to him that way. I was blown away. I still havn’t signed a lease or paid anything more than my deposit. God is just doing it all and I am very thankful. I can’t wait to see what else He is going to do with this coffee shop… and the church He will raise up around it.

We are still praying for guidance and provision concering the coffee making equipment. We are also praying for Tommy and his crew as they work, give them safety and skill. We also need God’s wisdom and guidance as we apply for permits and licenses; and his grace in compliance with building codes and inspections. I am also praying that we will be a good witness to Tommy and Mr. Ellis.

God is so Good, We worship and praise Him in the spirit of Joshua 23:14:

…and you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one thing has failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spoke concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one word of them has failed.

Our new address (6-4-08)

Praise the Lord, the uhaul is unpacked. We got the keys to our townhouse late yesterday afternoon. (disclaimer: not all these pics were taken on move in day... actually none of them were but just work with me here ok?)

Welcome to 134 North Springview Dr.

Here is our new "hood", would it have killed them to leave a tree or two?

Just as we opened up the truck to start off loading it a pop up storm started dumping torrential rain on us. I had to laugh! So we praised the Lord in the storm and spent the next two hours inside putting away the few things we got off the truck and completing our move in inspection.

Our garage/storage unit.

Finally the rain stopped and we got back to unloading everything.

The "Man Corner"

The living room

Denise had this awsome idea about buying couch covers instead of new couches. It was kind of a no brainer, $100.oo for covers or $1500.00 for new couches. Anyway, when they arrived we quickly found out that "one size fits all" is not always the case but with some cut, cut, staple, staple, tuck, tuck we got them looking pretty decent.

The Kitchen

The dining area

I want to thank the Lord for a few of our new neighbors (Bobby, Anwar and Basil) who graciously helped us offload a few of the heavy items. My two mighty girls helped me with the rest. We finished up at about 10pm and headed back to Sam and Selina’s for a late Taco Bell supper before showering and crashing.

Our new address is:
134 North Springview Dr.
Enterprise, AL 36330

Unfortunatly our Verizion cell phones don’t work very well down here so I suspect we will be getting new cell numbers withing the next week or two. I will update the home page when I get my computer up and running at the house, Sam doesn’t have dreamweaver on his.

We have arrived (6-2-08)

After a longer than usual drive down (11 hours instead of the usual 9) we pulled into Sam and Selina’s house on Saturday the 31st at 10pm central time safe and sound. Praise the Lord! We spent our first Sunday in Alabama enjoying the Sunday morning service at Calvary Chapel Emerald Coast via the internet and resting. Monday morning we will be securing our rental place and runing some errands. Lord willing we will move in on Tuesday and start the next chapter in our lives, setting up shop in suite C of Ellis Plaza.

Boldly Going!

Prayer Requests (5-31-08)

Please pray for the following:

1. Safe travel, I am very intimidated by this huge moving van and car dolly.
2. Help unloading when we arrive, or for super strength for me and my mighty girls.
3. Provision and direction as we get this Coffee house up and running. I pray God’s Spirit will give me the skill and forsight to know how to do something I have never done before.
4. Most importantly, what is the next step in getting this church planted? I have lots of ideas but I want His guidance.
5. Comfort for Denise and Rebekah as we adjust to this new place and home.
6. Protection and wisdom for Nathan during his senior year at Fayetteville Christian School back in NC.

We are so thankful for all the prayers of our friends and family and smile as we remember you all in our prayers.

Moving day (5-31-08)

It’s Saturday morning, today is the day we finally step out into the adventure God called us to almost 5 months ago. The Uhaul is packed, Nate is moved in at the Thayer’s house and the papers are all signed for the closing on Tuesday. We have said our sad goodbyes to so many of our friends here in Fayetteville and were sent out with hugs and blessings. We will miss Fayetteville because God has blessed and grown us here; but we have set our faces like flint to go to Enterprise. It’s a scary thing to leave your home for the unknown, but God reminded me not to set my eyes on the things I don’t know, but to set my eyes on Him, who I do know. We praise our God and worship him this morning for calling “such as us” to do this new thing. He is so good!

A change in plans (5-27-08)

We had the best time in Alabama 2 weeks ago. We went back down thinking we would find a rental place so we wouldn’t have to move our things twice. We had also started thinking that we would look and see if perhaps the Lord was leading us to a different location for the coffee shop. Denise and I weren’t sure why, it was kinda like the story of Jonathon and his armor bearer in 1 Sam 14; we thought, lets just go and see.


Well, as we were driving around with Denise’s long list of rentals to look at we had to pull over to enter an address into the GPS. We were driving along Rucker blvd (which is the only road in Enterprise that goes to… you guessed it Fort Rucker) and we pulled into the parking lot of Ellis Plaza which had a For rent sign in the window of suite C. Denise said “you should call the number” to which I replied “Naa, lets keep looking". I wasn’t immediately impressed with the property - boy was I wrong. Denise insisted I call so I hopped out into the cool rain and peeked into the window as my cell phone rang. I spoke with the owner who said he could meet us there in a few minutes. Since we had some time to kill we entered the building for a look-see. The inside was very nice. The other tenants in the building included one of the largest Real Estate Agencies in Enterprise and a small Law office. Denise decided to go talk to one of the agents that was a friend of a Sam and Selina’s while I continued to look around.

Ellis Plaza... Calvary Chapel Enterprise?

I noticed that the building has a double door entrance and many offices and even a large conference room. It also has an empty 2nd story. When the owner, Mr. Ellis arrived we went and looked into the suite we were interested in leasing which was perfect for our coffee shop. It was even on the end so we could put in a drive thru if we needed to, though routing the traffic could be tricky. As we were discussing the details of how the lease would work, Mr. Ellis said “Hey, let me show you this…” He walked me out to the back of the building and showed me a large, unused warehouse. It was like the sun coming up at dawn as my brain finally connected all the pieces. Not only was this building perfect for the coffee shop, this building had everything we needed to house a Church. As I stood there telling the Lord “Tell me NO now Lord… this is too perfect” I looked out the large warehouse door and notice a huge empty field right behind the building. I looked up at Mr. Ellis and asked him “Do you own that field also?” He smiled and said “yes I do.”

Suite C, the new location of Boldly Going Coffee shop...

I wonder if he has a price in mind to sell that building for… since I strongly suspect that the Lord intends it to be Calvary Chapel of Enterprise in the near future. He is so good

Why Obey? (5-7-08)

In my devotions this week I came across two passages (Deut 28, Psalm 78) that made me want to give a short testimony of God faithfulness to our family and why we are choosing to obey Him in this season of our lives. Deuteronomy 28 talks about the blessing of obedience and the curse of rebellion. Psalm 78 talks about the value of remembering God’s past faithfulness and passing that on to our children. This testimony is for those who ask “How do you know it was God?” or “How can you be sure?”

Back in 1995, I was in the process of changing my job in the Army. I had been a Military Policeman for 6 years but I wanted to do something different so I went thru the training to become a Chaplain’s Assistant. The school was up at Ft. Monmouth, NJ and I was away for about 8 weeks. When I returned I was transferred to the 82nd Airborne and eventually found myself assigned to the Division Artillery Chaplain section. There was Chaplain Griffin, Staff Sergeant Wooten, Chaplain Albertson and me. I loved it.

About a year later I ended up back in New Jersey to attend another school, the Basic Non-Commissioned Officer course, which I would need to get promoted to Staff Sergeant. During my two months there I heard from the Lord. He very specifically told me that I would be shown an opportunity to enter into the ministry and I was to take it. I knew this meant that I would be getting out of the Army. I had 7 years in service at that time and would have 10 yrs in service when my enlistment ended. I called Denise to tell her and she said God had told her the same thing, the same day. We knew this was Him. We didn’t know when or what but we kept our eyes open. Three years later the opportunity came. We were invited to come on staff at Calvary Chapel in Fayetteville as the church administrator (that what you call the church secretary when it’s a guy. It wasn’t exactly what I was expecting. The pay was less than half of what I made in the military and there was no health insurance. On the plus side I would be able to live in the church parsonage and we would be given free tuition at Fayetteville Christian School. At first my heart was torn. Was this the opportunity? Was it wise to step out and take such a low paying position? How would we live without health insurance? I got mixed advice from those we sought counsel from and didn’t find any comfort there. It came down to this… were we going to obey the Lord and take our chances with him or seek safety in the hands of the US Army? We chose the Lord, and in Oct of 1998 we joined the staff. We have never regretted it.

God is so faithful. We loved our time in the parsonage. I could walk to work. Nate and Bek could walk to school because Fayetteville Christian School shared the church property with us. My job in the church office was fantastic and God used me to get all the church’s files and finances straightened out. We had lots of opportunities to minister. In the first year I went from church secretary to overseeing the administration of the whole ministry. I oversaw Sunday school, Nursery, Scheduling, Planning, Logistics, Admin, Men’s ministry and home fellowships. The only thing I didn’t do was teach on Sunday morning and counsel. As hard as it was at times, I wouldn’t give up those experiences for anything. By 2003 I was ordained and my title changed to Asst. Pastor. Everything was very good… then God chose to start the next phase of the plan.
The main problem at Calvary Chapel in those first years of the new millennium was sharing space. We had two ministries on our 11 acre site and our Christian school was growing far faster than the church was. We clashed about everything. Pastor Joey and I often mused about what it would be like to just be a church and deal with church issues. That musing turned to prayer which turned to God leading. We had to make a decision. Would we follow God, sell the property, give up our safety and security on Ireland Dr. and move out to build a building we didn’t have the money to build on property we didn’t yet have or stay and continue to clash? I remember having a long talk with the Lord in the backyard of the parsonage. We had such a perfect situation there. Why did we have to step out in faith again? Well we did step out and God proved Himself faithful as He always does.

I remember one very specific incident that God used during that time to get me thru the uncertain days while we were building the new church. In December of 2003 Denise and I had purchased a home, since we would have to move out of the parsonage anyway. God was so gracious to us, I didn’t think we could ever find a better house than the church parsonage but God never ceases to amaze me with His blessings. On the first morning I woke up in the new house, I remember sitting in the sunroom, reading my Bible and thanking God that we were given such a nice place to live. I told him “I can’t believe I get to live in such a nice place”; He told me that I would sit in the new church building and say “I can’t believe we get to worship in such a nice place.” God reminded me of that promise to comfort me many times during the next few years, especially when we were short of money and I didn’t know how we would ever finish the building. But true to his word; in March of 2005, on the day before the final inspection, I was sitting in the café of the new building waiting for the fire alarm guys to finish working. I started looking around at everything God had done and the words God had spoken to me two years prior came pouring out of my mouth. My eyes welled up with tears as I said “I can’t believe we get to worship in such a nice place.” God is faithful!

Now, 3 years later we are ready to step out again. God has spoken to Denise and me and told us what He wants us to do. Yes it’s more challenging this time but is there any question in my mind about what we should do? No. God has shown us that He can be trusted, even when we don’t fully understand the how’s and why’s.

We are signing a contract (5-7-08)

I know its been a while since our last post but…

Praise the Lord, after only 3 weeks on the market, we have accepted an offer and will be going to the Lawyers office on Thursday to sign a contract to sell the house. We are selling to a wonderful young couple with two kids. We had been praying that the Lord would send us a buyer who would love the house like we do and be blessed in it. It was so fun to see them walk thru the house. The look on Wendy’s face reminded me of Denise when she saw the house for the first time. We are very excited that this couple is buying it. Here are a few things you can be praying for over the next 30 days as the closing date approaches.

1. That everything goes smoothly with the sale process (inspections, appraisal, paperwork, red-tape…)
2. That God would bring His peace and blessing over the house
3. That God would preserve the house for Wendy and Robert, protect them from things breaking, pests moving in, pools flooding.

Thanks for your prayers…

The Announcement (3-1-08)

Pastor Joey made the announcement of our departure in a rather unique way last Sunday. He was leaving that morning to go on the annual Fayetteville Christian School senior missions trip, so he video taped the announcement and we played it that Sunday Morning.

Sad Day (3-7-08)

Today was my last day in the office. It was kinda bittersweet to have to pack up my books, take down my pictures and clean out my office. I took my first load home thursday, heavy stuff like books and files. Today was mostly clean up, patching holes and painting over them. I printed and folded my last bulletins, deleted my email account and “sterilized” my office computer. I’m gonna really miss those dual monitors.
I still have to go in tomorrow (Saturday eve service) and make sure the everything is covered since Pastor Mike is out of town and I will be playing escort for a guest speaker next week. I will also continue teacing Bible 101 on Wed evening and high school Sunday school until I leave (or get replaced).
Nathan asked me if I was still “Pastor Stephen?” I told him yes, but I won’t be using that title for a while… I’ll just be Stephen until God raises up the church we are going to start in Alabama.

Barista 101 (3-19-08)

I started my training to learn the inns and outs of making and running a coffee shop last week.

Welcome To Cactus Creek Coffeshop in Raeford, NC

Ground Zero, where the Noobie Barista gets his baptism by fire... err steam.

Day 1: I spent the day with Mike Birkey who owns Cactus Creek Coffee. We started with a partially dissasembled expresso machine to show me the guts (yeah it was gruesome) and all about how it works. I took in most of it, but the really important parts were the safety shut off valves, the wrong noises one can make and why, the gagues and what they mean. From there, we went into the serving area to see how espresso is made, what it should look like and how much should be in each drink. We had to make a few things and unfortunately drink them (yum!), I also learned about fraps, smoothies and syrups (again learning about quantity to ensure consistancy). Our last stop was in the roasting room. In here I learned all about the different coffees he roasts and how they are roasted. I even got to roast some (well watch actually.) We talked about a few other things, I asked a bunch of silly questions and then Mike sent me on my way. I feel like I can intelligently discuss coffee now - great job Mike!

Na, I'm not really working here, I couldn't get Sandra to take a pic while I was working.

Day 2: My day started early as I showed up at the Raeford Rd. Cactus Creek location. I met Sandra who is “The wo-Man” (as far as making coffee is concerned). She walked me thru a few things and then BAM people started coming. I learned to make so many things that morning I didn’t think I could possibly remember it all, but it was fun. I quickly noticed how she seemed to have a relationship with many of the customers, they would discuss things that are going on in their lives and with their children. I can see how this business will open many doors for ministry. I throughly enjoyed my first day.

People drinking coffee I made, we dragged the dead and dying out before we took the picture

Sandra the Master Barista. Mike may have trained me, but Sandra showed me how things REALLY work :)

Day 3: and on have been more of the same, learning a few new techniques each day and seeing how the business flows, I am amazed at how quickly time flies by. I think I am getting close to being able to take the ball and run with it… Lord willing we will be up and running before I forget everything I have learned.

I wanted to take the time to thank God for hooking me up with Mike and Sandra. I can’t believe how much time and effort both of them have invested into learning this business. To this day I have not paid a dime to Mike, I havn’t signed any contracts or made any commitments. Mike Birkey is a great businessman and Christian brother.

Oh, and his coffee is fantastic… go to his website or his store and buy it up.

Prayer and fasting (3/29/08)

Greetings friends,
I have it on my heart to start praying and fasting over a few things now that the time is getting short for us to move down to Alabama.
I learned alot about prayer and fasting this last year at CC Fayetteville. I hate to admit that I havn’t been much of a “faster.” I remember when I was a new Christian I tried a 24 hour fast and got very sick. I realize now that I was under the impression that God would be impressed if I showed Him how much I could suffer. Well I suffered alright. Back then I didn’t understand fasting, I didn’t understand the purpose of fasting and I wasn’t seeking God about anything in particular… it was just a ritual and God squashed it. I went many years before I considered fasting again. Last year Brett (one of our Elders) found a tape series by Dr. Charles Stanley on the purpose of fasting and prayer and shared it with us.
Here is a link to that teaching.
I was blown away. Now that I was armed with knowledge I joined my brother elders in fasting and prayer and this time everything was different. I didn’t get sick, I heard very specificlly from the Lord and we were drawn together and had unity to act with one heart in obedience to the Lord. It was fantastic.
In this spirit I wanted to ask if there were any brave souls who would like to join us in praying and Lord willing fasting for the following things:
1. Very specific guidance on exactly how to start this ministry in Enterprise. Starting a Bible study is the obvious first step but if there is any guidance on what day to hold it, where to meet, what part of the Bible to start in and anything else the Lord wants to do that we are not thinking about; these are the things we want to hear.
2. Pray for the people who will be involved in the new work in Enterprise. Pray that God would draw those who desire to hear the Word, worship in Spirit and truth, fellowship, build close abiding relationships and serve the Lord.
3. Pray for the people that God will raise up (eventually) to serve as worship leaders, nursery and sunday school teachers, elders, deacons and whatever other ministries He will use this part of His body for in Enterprise.
4. Pray for guidance and provision to purchase and start the coffee shop which will be our “tent making” while He raises up this new work. I want it to be all He wants it to be. I want to walk step by step with Him and not get out in front (in the flesh). I need patience, I want so much to get started but He has us waiting on Him at the moment. I am sure this will all make sense in the end, help me to be obedient and rest as we wait on His perfect timing and plan.
5. For our Kids, we need guidance on whether we should homeschool Bek or enroll her at Enterprise HS. We are also waiting on the Lord to show us clearly how to handle Nate staying in Fayetteville.
6. We are also seeking guidance and provision as we sell the house here in Fayetteville and finalize the myraid of details necessary to move.
Thanks so much for reading this and for praying with us. If you would also like to join us we will be fasting on Wednesdays (perhaps other days also as the Lord leads.) Please feel free to post here (or email me privatly) if the Lord puts any specific things on your heart as you pray.
finally, I wanted to share these links with you which have some great guidance from a friend and former Pastor at CC Fayetteville on planting a new church:
Church Planting Pointers Session I
Church Planting Pointers Session II
Church Planting Pointers Session III

Pics of the coffee shop (2/26/08)

Here are a few pics of the coffee house we were planning to buy. Obviously we didn't end up buying it. So why did I move this post? Mainly so I could practice putting up a post with pics. Looks cool eh?

The Front Window:



The main dining area, yes that pattern is painted on the floor.

This is the serving counter

Behind the counter, I know you have always wondered what was back there

Prayer Requests (2/27/08)

1. Pray the Lord would go before us and prepare the way. Prepare hearts for His Word, give us favor as we purchase the coffee shop, show us where we are to live and what school Bek should attend, or should she be homeschooled?
2. Wisdom about the finanacing of the coffee shop purchase, I have a peace about waiting on Him to provide, but that organizational side of me wants to be “doing something". Show me the next step Lord.
3. Provision for the sale of our home, give us peace as we seek you on the means to take care of the second mortgage. thank you Lord for providing Matt and Stacy to buy the house, I pray their house will sell at just the right time.
4. Leading in the many tasks, we feel overwhelmed at the multitude of things that need to be done, I know that is not from you Lord. Help us to know what we should be focusing on now and what can be done later. We want to be in step with you not running around like chickens with our heads cut off.
5. Nathan, show us how you want us to handle him staying in Fayetteville. Who should he stay here with? How will the relationship between him and his host family work out? Is it your will for him to come with us? If so, please work in his heart to make that decision on his own.

A Little History (2/26/08)

I thought I would give a little background into how we got here:
I have been an Assistant Pastor at Calvary Chapel Fayetteville, NC for 10 years, I love my job, it still blows me away that I can get paid to serve the Lord. I love serving with my Pastor and friend, Joey VanDeusen. I even love living here in North Carolina. I think I would have been content to continue being an Assistant Pastor for the rest of my life. Until the inevitable happened…
A few years ago Pastor Joey seriously hurt his back. He spent a few weeks in the hospital and had a few surgeries… he also had an extended period of recovery at home. He was out for a few months. I had covered for him in the past plenty of times but usually only for a week or two while he was away on a mission trip or out of town for the weekend. When it hit me that I would be “the pastor” for an indefinite amount of time while he was recovering I was overwhelmed. I love teaching, but I had never had to do all of it. What if someone needs to be counseled? What if a funeral needs to be performed? Who will do all the visitations? These were all things Pastor Joey did while I took care of all the administration and different programs. I cried out to the Lord to give me the ability to do whatever came up… and He did. I found that I really enjoyed ministering to people, much more than I did just crunching numbers, running schedules, buying supplies and the myriad of other random things that need to be done around the church. God was showing me that my time as an Assistant Pastor was going to come to an end, but I kept that to myself, like Mary I treasured these things up in my heart.
Last year Pastor Joey had to take a sabbatical for about 6 weeks due to health reasons and I had to be the Pastor again. This was a very difficult time in the ministry of Calvary Chapel Fayetteville. The Elders and I had to really seek the Lord in a way we never had to before. God is so faithful, He carried us thru some very intense warfare and He brought peace and unity in the midst of the storm.
God is so good.
It was also at this time that I finally voiced my desire to “eventually” be a senior pastor. The reaction amongst my brother elders was interesting. One said “Um… ok well I’ll pray God leads you in that.” Another of my brothers told me “No, you don’t have a pastor’s heart, you are an administrator.” That’s not exactly the reaction I expected. I was crushed. Did I miss something? God ministered to my heart a day later and reminded me that I don’t work for men but for Him and that I don’t need mans approval or permission to pursue His calling. That was freedom! It helped me to put down my fears and just serve him in the place he had me.
By September 2007 Pastor Joey was able to return to the ministry, our troubles were not quite over but he was healthy and we were glad he was back. It was such a strange year; we went from his health problem to serious financial problems. It was thru this that God decided to start moving. We had no problems paying all the church’s bills, but we did have trouble making payroll at the end of each month. We prayed, we fasted, and we even talked about getting part time jobs. We finally had Troy Werner from Calvary Chapel Lynchburg come down to give us some counsel. He said not to worry about the finances, this happens in every ministry from time to time. But there was one issue that needed to be fixed; we were overstaffed.
I found out later that Joey and the Elders started seeking the Lord for the solution to this dilemma. Then one day, in late Jan 2008 Pastor Joey called me into his office and told me that my last paycheck would be in August. He said that he and the elders thought that now was the time for me to step out and start seeking the Lord about my desire to start a church. In his words this was “a nudge out of the nest.”
Let me hit the rewind button now and go back about 8-9 months to a dream that I had about some dear friends of ours that moved down to Ft. Rucker, AL back in 2006. In the dream I was just hanging out with them, it was great! When I woke up I knew that the Lord wanted us to go down there and start a Calvary Chapel. I shared the dream with Denise and we decided we would pray about it, you know like “that would be nice to do someday.” It seemed inconceivable that the Lord wanted us to go NOW… We have two kids in High School and next year would be Nathan’s senior year. We have bills to finish paying off. In short it wasn’t a convenient time. I am learning that convenient isn’t in God’s vocabulary.
It was a bit of a shock when Joey told me I only had 7 paychecks left. But because of the dream, I knew almost immediately where I was supposed to go. The next question was, “Ok what am I supposed to do to feed my family?” Again God had prepared me ahead of time. I have wanted to start a coffee shop for years, but since I had a full time job I never acted on it. The next day as I was praying about what to do God reminded me of the coffee shop Again I shared this with Denise who said “Ok, are you sure you don’t want to just get a job?” After a little prayer on her part she was on board too. A day or so later Denise was checking out the Real Estate websites to recon the housing market in Enterprise and low and behold there was a Coffee Shop for sale just down the road from Ft. Rucker.
Now, when people ask me, “Are you sure this is the Lord?” my reply goes something like: “I told my wife that I would be out of work in 7 months and the plan God gave me involved, selling her house, leaving at the beginning of our son’s senior year, moving to a small town in Alabama and starting a new business which neither of us have any idea how to run;” to which she replied “Ok.” If you have ever wondered what Sarai was like just look at the picture of my wonderful wife. I dont know of a greater confirmation that God is guiding than when both husband and wife have a peace and are in agreement about everything God is calling us them to do . Praise the Lord.