Out of Gas

Posted on January 12, 2009 by Carl

You may have noticed that the intervals between my posts has increased. Life has gotten hectic; therefore, updating the blog has taken a back seat to other things. In the past few weeks we’ve celebrated Christmas, had Christopher home, had Christopher’s girlfriend visit, launched new business ventures and prepared Elishba for her return journey to India.

This past weekend for me was difficult. The Lord continues to mold and shape me in ways that are excruciatingly painful at times. This weekend we learned that our 6th attempt at finding a place of residence in Corpus Christi was down the tubes…now because I don’t have a verifiable salary, weekly paycheck, etc…. This wasn’t a big surprise, when I was a loan officer I didn’t approve loans like that either. My greater challenge came from the question of why, for the past 2 years, we have been unable to get settled. There is always something that stops us dead in our tracks.

So the questions began to whirl in our minds…are we even doing the right thing? One negative thought lead to the next and before long I was ready to throw in the towel, definitely not pretty. One of my advisers keenly observed that I needed full-time employment, another said I needed to trust God as my source, another said not to lose hope I was sowing seed for the future.

In the days of preparing to leave the church this past fall, I had sent out over 40 resume’s without so much as a nibble. The only job offer I received was to run a children’s day care program in Florida. It was during that time the Lord showed Carol and I that He wanted us to live by faith. Towards the beginning of December, He showed me the next piece, starting Simplicity Solutions and off to the races we went. I’m currently in the beginning stages of that process, with expenses outrunning profit for the moment. God has provided every step of the way, the bills are paid and the refrigerator stocked, but in the fog of the moment, I wasn’t seeing that picture anymore. I just saw no current solutions and many current obligations.

Saturday, we went to see a friend who has offered us space in his home if things were to get really dire. While we were there, he asked me the question God had been waiting for….”how are you?” That was all it took to open the flood gates and the tears began to flow. I poured out my heart to him and even admitted that I didn’t know if really trusted God. My friend said something that utterly shocked me…he said, “that’s great, you are right where you need to be.” He elaborated by reminding me of a stormy night when the disciples didn’t trust Jesus anymore. You see, Jesus was asleep and they were in fear of drowning. When they couldn’t take it anymore they woke Jesus up and admonished him for his lack of concern over their predicament. My friend then made this profound statement: “Since Jesus couldn’t calm his disciples down, he calmed the storm instead.”

All of the sudden, I felt my fog begin to break. I had awoken Saturday morning with a song in my head: “My deliver is coming, my deliverer is standing by…” My wife had shared with me that the story of Ruth and Boaz, the kinsmen redeemer, was impressed upon her and wouldn’t you know it as we pulled up to my friend’s house “My deliverer is coming was playing on the radio.” Between the reminders of my deliverer and my friend’s counsel that I was in a great place, because I was out of trust…I couldn’t muster anymore. I was out of solutions, because I don’t have any left. Now is the time that I need to be looking for my deliverer to speak to the storm. My friend also reminded me that God had already given me His vision for the ministry and the business model, but now it was time to mold me in such a way that those things can become reality.

I can honestly say, I don’t yet see the solutions, but I am once again filled with peace that my deliverer is coming. Just in case I wasn’t sure of God’s message for me this week, my devotions are covering the name of God, Jehovah Shalom, the God of perfect peace.

Saying Goodbye to 2008

Posted on December 31, 2008 by Carl

When 2008 began, the journey to Simplicity was the furthest thing from my mind. I had just completed year number 1 in my latest pastorate and was boiling over with excitement with the addition of a full-time worship minister, the first in nearly 5 years. 2007, had been filled with some bumpy road along the way, but 2008 was looking grand.

As the year progressed, the Lord would take me through the deepest spiritual journey of my life. I would spend a week in silence before the Lord, culminating with the deliverance of the most devastating message the Lord has ever had me speak to a group of people. I spent the summer being pressured by others to back away from the proclamations of that message and ultimately watched as all the Lord had declared came to pass in September. By the time it was all said and done the ministry was on life support, the staff were released by the Lord to follow Him in new directions and I found myself asking, “Where do I go.”

The answer to that question had been formed in my spirit some months earlier. The Lord had birthed a desire for simple faith, that was powerful in its manifestation. In a matter of 6 weeks, Simplicity moved from prayer journal to reality. I began to see God moving in and through me in ways, I had been yearning for. I watched as lives changed and God’s love released the prisoner from their chains.

Of course, powerful moves of God do not come without opposition. The hiccups and obstacles have been constant…cars, toilet seats, personality conflicts…yet God remains faithful. With each obstacle the vision is refined and reinforced.

2008 could best be summarized as the refining of my faith. It all began with the question: “Am I the Lord of every kingdom of your heart.” It is ending with the challenge: “How far will you trust Me?”

As Mike and I prayed over the direction of our lives and ministry yesterday, the Lord’s direction was clear. Focus on building the foundation. In this directive are many things that we know will stretch us both further than we’ve been stretched before. In our ears rings the question: “How far will you trust Me?”

Mike and I both sense that 2009 is a turning point both personally and in our ministry call. For my family 2008 was the completion of what I am understanding to be a 7 year crucible of refinement. The past seven years have included surviving a direct hit from a killer tornado, a business failure, financial loss and hardship, a miscarriage, personal trials on every side. A few months ago, my intercessor inquired of God as to why the pressure was great on my life? The answer given to her was that the Lord was making me “unbreakable.” I laughed and said, “If this is what it takes to be unbreakable, what is the pressure I will be up against in the future?”

I look at our world today, and I understand that God needs unbreakable men and women. People who will say yes, in spite of the personal cost. The message of Christ is no longer gladly received and many will choose to hide their light in the heat of opposition.

As we approach 2009, I believe God is opening a door of opportunity for the body of Christ. I believe the difficulties in our nation will once again have people crying out to God for deliverance. It is for this very reason that I believe God is molding and positioning us to be the bearers of the “Good News” we’ve been given.

Simply a vessel

Posted on December 19, 2008 by Carl

Today I have watched as the Lord reached into His toolbox and chose me as His vessel of choice. What a thrill it is to be used of the Master as He goes about the work of the Kingdom.

This morning, Carol and I were talking and she mentioned that she really felt as though the Lord wanted me to spend some time in prayer at the building today. I felt much the same, as I have been wrestling through my own uncertainties over the past few days.

After having lunch with a friend I went to the building and began praying. The Lord led me to deal with some things in my life, most notably my “attitude” this Christmas. This is the first year in my life, that I have not had a Christmas tree up in my home (it is buried in a stack of storage boxes in the garage). This is the first year my wife and I have not trekked out to joyfully purchase presents for our children (finances have not allowed for it). Needless to say, I was having a bit of a pity party. The Lord; however, is always good about bringing me back to reality and today was no exception. He reminded me that I have been ministering to people this week with no roof over their heads and no source of food and no bathroom and no family and no….you get the picture. I spent time in repentance over the “importance” I have placed upon the “traditions” of our family. In reality having our family and having our Savior are simply enough.

As I finished working through that, I went into a time of silent listening. As I was listening, I heard the door open and looked up to see two men entering, removing their hats and looking down at the floor. I learned that they had been living out of a truck at one of the parks while they were doing framing work on the island. Unfortunately, the man who they were working for skipped out with their money and the Marina Patrol was threatening to tow their truck if it wasn’t moved. I offered to put gas in the truck to help them get down the road. Unfortunately, when we got to the parking area, the truck had already been towed.

Both men were horribly distraught and so we returned to the church and prayed. They asked me to take them to a co-worker’s apartment and as I was driving there, the Lord prompted me to ask a simple question: “Have you guys eaten?” I learned that it had been a number of days since each man had eaten, and so I immediately found the nearest Whataburger and ordered these men their first hot meal in days. As we were driving one of the men reminded me of this passage of scripture:

Hebrews 13:2 (NASB)

2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.

Tonight I picked up a man who we met on Saturday during our breakfast at the park. Sunday we were able to find him housing and Tuesday he joined us for Organic Group. When I watched him Tuesday I noticed a conflict going on in his spirit as the Holy Spirit began to move through our time together. Tonight, I asked him about the conflict and he shared a raging battle within, one side calling him the enemy of God and the other calling him a child of God. I told him that at some point in the evening I wanted to lay hands on him and pray.

As we were getting started Mike all of the sudden changed gears. He later shared with me that God told him to go no further with the Bible discussion he had planned, but instead directed him to focus us on the God’s love. As we began to talk about what God was showing us through the Holy Spirit, I again noticed the conflict welling up within this man and the Lord prompted me that I needed to pray over him. I asked him if he could tell me who Jesus was to him? He responded by giving me a historical account of Jesus, so I asked him again, “who is He to you?” He began to stammer and shift, at which point I asked him, “Are you able to say these words: ‘Jesus is Lord of my life?'” He immediately began laughing and said its hard for me to say that. He then laughed again and I asked if I could pray, to which he responded, “Do you what you have to.” As I began to speak the name of Jesus over him, he began to sigh deeply and then he began to weep. Once I had finished praying we sat in silence for a few moments, when he asked if he could pray. I said yes, but I’m going to let you pray from your heart. As he began to pray tears were still visible in his eyes and he made this profession, “Jesus you are the Lord of my life, my Savior and King.” Mike told me later that at this point his countenance had changed. We both sensed that the bondage of this man’s soul was broken this evening.

One of the things I am learning about this man is that he has never had a true friend or even a family. We will be opening our home to him this Christmas and tomorrow I am taking him fishing for the first time in his life. God could have used anyone, but today He chose me. Glory unto His name!

Taking my foot off of the gas

Posted on December 11, 2008 by Carl

This week I have done some evaluation of the landscape of my life and allowed others to speak into life. Out of this has come an awareness that Simplicity is growing fast, but the foundation is not complete. I find myself needing to put the brakes on Simplicity for the moment to get the foundation shored up.

My greatest issue is the monthly provision for my own family and our needs. I do not yet have a sufficient source of income established to effectively provide for our family. If I continue at this pace, Simplicity may grow, but it will not be on solid footing.

I will be holding off on adding any further to Simplicity until I get my family’s needs completely covered. God has given me a business model that will allow me to not only further the ministry, but also support others in the future. As with any new business venture it takes some time to get up and running. I am beginning to see some income generated, but the start up expenses are still out pacing the flow of income.

God has given me an entrepreneurial spirit and He has impressed upon me to maximize that spirit. I look forward to getting the foundation shored up, so that I can continue on with the greater work of the Kingdom of God.

And the hits keep coming…

Posted on December 9, 2008 by Carl

Today started out as one of those days that you really would have just liked to have gone back to bed and gotten up again tomorrow. I’ll keep my whine session brief…basically, the house I own in Pennsylvania and can’t get rid of, is now empty once again, because of the damage being caused by the leaking roof that we lack the funds to replace at this time. Secondarily, the house I’m now living in will be going through an estate sale, so we have to find new accommodations by January 15th and lastly, we will need to revisit our 501(c)(3) status after I came across a doctrinal/philosophical issue that I am unwilling to compromise on with our current parent association of churches.

Ok…enough pity party!

God continues to blow me away with His movement in the hearts of people. This week I have visited by phone with men in Cedar Rapids, IA and Ballinger, TX who will be launching house churches in January and would like me to walk beside them in their efforts. In tonight’s Organic Group I watched the Holy Spirit begin to work on the heart of one of the young men as we began discussing the differences in the new covenant and the old covenant.

Lastly, we began a working relationship with a Bible College in Uganda. I had the privilege of putting together certificates for each of the students that they will be given as they enter the mission field for hands on instruction beginning in January.

Finally!

Posted on December 4, 2008 by Carl

Today, I was finally able to complete the certificate of occupancy process with the city. After multiple inspections, hours of waiting and an open faced toilet seat…we’re finally done.

Tonight’s Organic Group was great. We have been ministering to a family that my wife has gotten to know through contact at my children’s school. This week one of their family members passed away and I showed up a few minutes after her passing. I had a chance to minister to the grieving husband and tonight he called asking if he could join us for Organic Group. I think we will develop a great relationship in the days to come.

Constantly in Awe

Posted on December 2, 2008 by Carl

Walking with God is such an amazing journey. I find myself constantly in awe of His handiwork. The precision with which He conducts the symphony of life is a beautiful thing to behold indeed.

Today of course is no exception. Today I sat down to pay the first of the month bills and as has been the case these past 5 weeks, there was just enough. I’m not rolling in excess, but there was just enough to meet the needs of today.

The two websites that I launched yesterday made a combined total of 10 sales in the first 24 hours of operation, so that was also another praise. I am working on some marketing techniques that tap into my love for writing…in short bursts I might add (perfect for those of us with attention deficit disorder).

Tonight we had a large and diversified collection of people in our Organic Group. One of our group was wrestling with some fears that were born out of a season of testing she was going through. Our discussion led us tonight to the promises of God, how they are so huge and from our perspective nearly impossible; yet, we take confidence in those promises because they are rooted in the very righteousness of God. When this woman left tonight, she was testifying of the weight that had been lifted through the reminder of God’s character and faithfulness.

Tonight I received an email from a pastor in Iowa who would like to begin a dialogue of how to start a Simplicity work in his community.

Excuse me while I go to the fire hydrant for another overwhelming gulp of “Living Water.”

People Matter

Posted on November 28, 2008 by Carl

One of my stated core values is “people matter.” Today we put feet to that value by spending the morning at Mission 911. Mission 911 is a community of hope, help and unconditional love that is located around the corner from our church storefront. Mission 911 did their formal Thanksgiving dinner last week, so we came up this morning to just “hang out” and get to know people.

One of the things that I consider important in my ministry is relationships. I do not want to be a church that shows up throws some money and materials at a problem, takes a few pictures and leaves. So the priority today was to build relationships and look for opportunities for further ministry.

Throughout the morning we got to know some of the local children who enjoyed some intense games of Uno and Monopoly. We got to know a man who has bicycled throughout the Southern US and Mexico. We met a man who was hoping to find housing with the mission. Another man, who a year ago was a resident, returned today in tears as his family had fallen apart in the past few months. I watched as tears flowed from his eyes and ultimately God reminded Him that He was not alone.

The mission has no spiritual activities on Saturdays and there are no activities for the local children. Mike and I will spend time seeking God’s direction as to our role in the lives of these precious people that God loves deeply.

Drinking from a Fire Hydrant

Posted on November 26, 2008 by Carl

Over the past few days I have been explaining these first few weeks of Simplicity as “drinking from a fire hydrant.” The Lord has opened so many avenues of ministry, allowed me to have so many incredible conversations and brought me into communication with so many people…I am simply drenched in the enormity of His goodness.

Today was just another example. This morning I started out with contact from a pastor in Kenya who runs a school for local pastors. He was introduced to me by the man in South Carolina I have been conversing with about Simplicity. This pastor needs to be affiliated with a ministry organization for his school to be recognized by the Kenyan government. I believe this is a need we can easily address for him.

Next I had my final city inspection from the fire department. Tomorrow I will go turn in all of the inspection reports and get the certificate of occupancy on the building.

My next meeting was with the director and founder of the local rescue mission that we are going to partner with. Wouldn’t you know, by Divine design of course, the mission is up a few blocks and around the corner from our church building. The opportunities to bless one another were staggering and Mike was nearly in tears as he got to see the working reality of a dream he has had for 8 years.

I ended the day praying with a Christian business man who is supposed to have surgery on a tumor in the morning that has overtaken his sinus cavities. This man’s heart is to bring Jesus into the world of small business and his affirmation of my efforts was a great blessing. We prayed together trusting Jesus to do the impossible.

I am privileged to have been invited to drink from the “fountain” of God’s work in my generation.

The Weekend in Review

Posted on November 24, 2008 by Carl

Last week, the ministry was given a 1992 Jaguar that needs a new fuel pump and fuel filter. Other than that it seems to be in working condition. Saturday a man showed up at the house and asked if the Jaguar was for sale. I told him that it would be, but I wanted to get it running first. I explained that it had been donated to our ministry.

The man kept asking me what I wanted for it. I told him that I was unsure, but I gave him blue book values and said that if it was running, I would be looking for a certain amount and if it wasnt’ running I would be looking for a certain amount. The man said he would like to buy it, but if it was running what he really would like to do is trade a 1997 quad-cab Chevrolet pickup for it. Immediately, I saw prayers being answered.

Mike and I are both in the process of downsizing our debt loads to become much more fluid and flexible with the ministry. He will be working on selling his car and I am asking the Lord to help me pay down the note on my truck so I can sell it. The Lord impressed upon me that this truck would be a ministry provision for both of us. Since Mike and I both ride our motorcycles for regular commuting, we don’t particularly need a second vehicle every day of the week. The provision of this truck would allow us to both utilize it as needed and would be beneficial in our ministry as we seek to touch lives with the hands of Jesus. The man will be checking back with me next weekend to see if I have the Jaguar running, your prayers and knowledge of Jaguar automobiles are both welcomed.

Since launching Simplicity, we have had the privilege of getting to know a young woman who has beaten an addiction, staying clean for over two years now. She recently completed a job training program and has also come to faith in Jesus Christ. One of the desires of her heart has been to have her husband join her as a close partner in faith. Yesterday we had the privilege of seeing her husband join her in our Sunday celebration. God is so awesome.

One of the ladies who had attended Simplicity our first weekend was having difficulty finding our building yesterday and nearly gave up on coming. On the last attempt, I was able to guide her to the building and this morning, I learned why she was having such difficulty Yesterday the words of Christ set her free from a burden she has been carrying with her for 30 years. Nothing compares to the freedom Christ brings to our lives.

Journey To Simplicity