Highways and Byways

Oh how the time has flown by! I can not believe its been since July that I last posted. So much has happened in the last 3 months.

August 2011 - I took a diabetes education class (4 weeks) that was phenomenal. I learned so much throughout these few weeks and I am getting better blood sugar readings at home. Still need to work on diet and exercise, but I finally feel like I'm in control of the disease instead of the disease being in control of me.  During August, I also started back to school to finish my Masters Degree in Professional (Biblical) Counseling through Liberty University.

Whatnot Wednesday

--We had a great time in Orlando last week at Exponential Conference (church planter conference). There were approximately 4,000 fellow church planters. Funny thing, it seems every where we go, my husband knows someone. This time, we met up with a good friend & fellow church planter from Jacksonville. Our son is always amazed or amused (not sure which) and teases Dave when this happens. So, yes, Shane, your dad knew someone there too. :)

Birthday Cake with Icing & Sprinkles on Top

This post has been written on my heart for days, yet I am just now finding the time to write.  We had such an awesome day in the Lord last Sunday, and I can only describe it as your favorite cake with your favorite icing and LOTS of sprinkes on top!

Jesus, Messiah, Lord of All

Tomorrow we are going to celebrate our first Lord's Supper at Lifeblood. We are really excited to be able to share this sacred time with our brothers and sisters in Christ. I even attempted to make homemade unleavened bread! Can't wait to see how it turns out. :)

Pastor Dave will be walking us through the OT Passover and the NT Lord's Supper and how they interrelate and how Jesus is the Passover Lamb, the promise that the Israelites were trusting would come. 

Lifeblood ~ New Beginnings

Wow! I can't believe it has been a month already since we launched Sunday morning services. We had a rockin' New Year's Eve Party & Preview Service to ring in the new year (btw, I cannot believe it is already 2011). So many people at our current church (Carlisle) have been so supportive of Dave & I as we take this next step of faith and start Lifeblood. We cannot thank them enough. I never knew how hard it would be to start a church from the ground up. So many hoops to go through and so many issues to think about. You'd think it would be quite simple.

It's SHOUTIN' Time!

This weekend, God has been so good to me...the encouragement He brought me is just astounding...like He HEAPED it on! Here is how it all started:

At the end of the day on Friday, I came home from work frustrated and down in spirit. As I believe all Christians are called to be missionaries in all aspects of life, I view my work as one of my mission fields. Lately it seems that people are making decisions to reject Christ and all He has to offer them; therefore, I have been sensing some rejection and criticism (not work related, but people related).  I know that it is not an outright rejection of me, but of Christ in me, 
but it still hurts none-the-less and to tell the truth, I have been depressed and really struggling with it lately.

Church Planting Part 2

We got back late last night from Ft Myers...we had a really good time and met some really wonderful people. There were about 16 people who were attending the training and about 6 or 7 seasoned church planters/stragetists who provided the training. The attendees ranged from a Haitian man from Jacksonville who is planting a church for Haitians in Jacksonville; a Black man from Tampa and his brother who just started a multicultural church; a Russian guy from South FL who has a heart for planting churches for Russian people in FL; and several White men/women who are planting various types of churches...one is planting a Cowboy Church for Spanish people in Ocala, several are planting contemporary churches, one is planting churches in gated communities, etc...it was really an eclectic group of people. Dave and I enjoyed meeting and getting to know everyone who was there...it is so cool to meet, get to know, and fellowship with people of different cultures...

Of course, just as ALWAYS knows someone when we go somewhere...wouldn't you guess that Dave would know someone all the way down in FT MYERS!!!!! When I told Shane, Shane just shook his head and laughed. Wouldn't you know it, Dave knew someone from Baptist College of FL there...

The group of leaders/teachers all are church planters with the Florida Baptist Convention and some have also been missionaries...they were really wonderful, totally approachable, and just really have a heart for helping others start churches. They were reluctant to share the details of church plants, because they are very concerned about planting ideas in people's heads...they are totally against copy cat churches...they value individuality and want us to pursue the vision the Lord has given us...There was also a guy from the North American Mission Board who is involved w/church plants...he was also totally approachable and wants to share his experiences and knowledge...we didn't know until he left that he actually has a PhD...

Some of the people there are a lot closer to starting their churches than we are...we are fortunate to have had this course. I totally recommend anyone who is interested in planting churches to attend this training...it has been immensely helpful. Dave and I started to define our vision statement, motto, and I think we have decided on our church name. Also, we have our church master plan started and a beginning integrated master schedule. We are praying about when to set our launch date...

Time for dinner...more later!

Spiritual Warfare (Church Planting - Planning/Formation Stage) Part 1

This has been an awesome week for Dave and I. For those of you who do not know, we have been in Ft. Myers, FL at a Church Planting Seminar put on by the Fl Baptist Convention and the North American Mission Board (NAMB). These guys have challenged us all week...and helped us pull out the vision of how/what the Lord is wanting us to do/how to structure our church plant. That will be another blog...We met some really cool people this week also...that will be another blog...

We have been under spiritual attack since before we left Panama City, FL. Dave and I have learned how important it is to have a group of people set aside to pray for specifics...that we could call at a moment's notice to pray for a specific item. Unfortunately, we did not learn this lesson before we left Panama City on Sunday...this will be something we will have to do next time we leave. We drove through a tropical storm, left our son home alone for the first time, and the stress level was rather high to say the least. Several nights I woke up at 1-2AM and my first thought was "did Shane make it home from work OK?" and so I would call him (yes, at 2AM...but that was about when he got home from work). Of course, he was either at home or on the way home, but it was nice to hear his voice and then chat with him on Facebook. At 2AM...which means I didn't get back to sleep until 3-4AM...but that's another story...

We should have seen the attacks coming and called them out as we went...Instead, we let our flesh get the better of us and we argued all Sunday afternoon as we were packing. We left at 3PM with a tropical storm preparing to make landfall later that evening. We took the "scenic" route to Ft. Myers, which meant we drove through Port St. Joe, FL; Apalatchacola, FL; and around the Big Bend of FL ... right through part of the worst of the storm. Granted it was mostly rainy and windy, but we did see tree branches fall in front of us, a couple of power lines that had been cut and were whipping in the wind, and waves splashing onto the road in some areas from the Gulf of Mexico. Sunday night, we decided to stop in Chiefland, FL about 9PM so that we could get some sleep...we were stressed out from driving in the storm. I wish I could tell you we did the godly thing and spent time in prayer once we reached the hotel...we didn't...we spent the rest of the evening arguing and getting on each other's nerves.

Monday morning we left around 9AM, since the person at the front desk told us we were about 3 1/2 hours away from Ft. Myers...boy, was SHE wrong! I think the enemy woke every living person up along the HWY95/29/19 South and told them to go driving on HWY95/29/19 South during that time...I have never seen SO MANY cars on the road as I did during that time period...needless to say we were NOT 3 1/2 hours away...we were more like 5 hours away...which meant we were an HOUR late for the start of the seminar. Now, for those of you who do not know Dave very well, he HATES to be even a MINUTE late for anything...

Monday night, Shane decided to spring on us that he wanted to get a tattoo on his right arm and a piercing in both ears...the next day! FTR, I am not opposed to tattoos or ear piercings on guys and cannot find any scripture against it...but COME ON! Shane, are you SERIOUS??? You are springing this on me at 2AM??? When I am 9 HOURS away??? I am very grateful that he was wanting our blessing, was willing to talk it out, respected us enough to listen, and has agreed to wait...I'd rather him get a temporary tattoo and fake ear piercings as a trial to see if this is what he REALLY wants to do.

I'll leave you with this for now, the Lord reminded me that as much as I love my son, that HE loves my son even more...and that MY son is actually HIS son...and that I need to relinquish control of him and trust the LORD to direct Shane's path...

Have to go...more later