Exciting Times

Posted on January 3, 2009 by Carl

These are certainly exciting times for me. Tomorrow we will have our first baptism service since launching Simplicity. I will have the privilege of baptizing 3 who have put their faith in Christ. We will be conducting the baptisms at Emerald Beach along the Corpus Christi bayfront.

This week, I finally got my dealership materials to begin the primary businesses of Simplicity Solutions. Simplicity Solutions is the for profit enterprise that will be used to support my family, fund the work of Simplicity Church Network, help church planters develop businesses to support their families and create businesses for those trying to get on their feet.

After much searching I narrowed down my MLM ventures to four companies that offer a wide range of product:

Amsoil – Synthetic oils and lubricants for automotive and industrial applications
Aggrand – Organic fertilizers and supplements for agriculture (part of the Amsoil family)
Amway Global – They’ve moved beyond soap and granola bars and now partner with mainline stores such as Office Depot, Barnes & Noble, etc…
Commission River – Primarily focused on telecom and internet technologies, can be operated e-commerce or traditionally marketed.
Fuller Brush Company – Based in Great Bend, KS (where I began my investment firm in 2001). Fuller Brush manufactures commercial/household care and cleaning supplies.

In addition, we are running a number of e-commerce sites through both Commission River and Amazon. These include:

The Fone Store – Cell phones, upgrades and service through all of the major carriers
International SIM Cards – Allows you to use your cell phone overseas(144 countries) with high competitive per minute rates

Cardparison – Compare current rates, features and offers from multiple credit card issuers
Anglerz Supply – Fishing tackle and supplies
Luv My Hog – All things Harley Davidson
HealthMartXpress – An online health and wellness shop, along the lines of the corner drug store

The latter three e-commerce sites are affiliate stores of Amazon.com. Sales made through these stores generate a commission for the sale. Additionally, any product offered on Amazon.com can be purchased through these sites and also generates commission.

Those who are interested in supporting our ministry in an ongoing manner can simply become customers of the products and services we sell. Carol and I began this business enterprise by seeking the Lord’s guidance for the portion that was immediately His. We be giving the first 30% of revenue from Simplicity Solutions to the Lord for the furtherance of His work.

Please feel free to contact me if you would like more information on the business model, product catalogs or to place orders.

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.

Partners and Pancakes

Posted on December 13, 2008 by Carl

As I shared in my last post, the Lord gave me a business model that does nothing less than make my heart leap with excitement. There are four main things that this model seeks to address:

Providing for missionary pastors
Furthering the spread of the gospel
Meeting the physical needs of others
Giving an opportunity for those getting back on their feet to work

The Lord led me to use network marketing and affiliate marketing as the primary vehicles, because we can help a struggling person move from unemployed to employee (dependent upon a company) to business owner (controlling their own financial future).

I shared this concept with a room full of friends on Friday and everyone got excited, the ideas began flowing and we all agreed that the Lord had just birthed a Kingdom venture.

Today we went to South Bluff Park to make breakfast for the homeless. South Bluff Park is home to a large transient population and is primarily known for the drug dealing and prostitution that takes place. Our group had the pleasure of cooking up pancakes and ended up feeding about 20-25 people throughout the morning. Many quickly grabbed their food and moved on, while others stayed and allowed us to build relationships.

There is a battle going on for the heart of our city. I am convinced that we will never see Corpus Christi transformed until we see this part of the city transformed. The sweeping move of the Holy Spirit is necessary for the bondage of addiction to be broken.

Simplicity Solutions

Posted on December 12, 2008 by Carl

I am developing a for profit business model called Simplicity Solutions that will be used to help fund the church planting, benevolence and other ministries of Simplicity.

Simplicity Solutions is a conglomeration of MLM and Affiliate commerce ventures that will be used to provide an income for new church planters, people getting back on their feet and the lead pastors for the Simplicity network.

Simplicity Solutions…Life Shouldn’t be Complicated

Mission: A for profit corporation that is in business to create financial funding for the furtherance of the Great Commission through Simplicity Church Network and its affiliated ministries.

· Purpose

o Bring Christ into the Marketplace

o Use commerce to fund the work of the Kingdom

o Give the servants of God a means to support themselves

o Give the lowly a tool to improve themselves

· The Model

o A business of businesses

§ Utilizing ecommerce and MLM strategies

· Creates ownership

o Profits used to for:

§ Financial provision for Simplicity Church Network pastors and their church planting efforts

§ Seed money for church plants

§ Ministry projects

§ Reinvestment for further profits

o Creates a tent-making role for church planters

§ Constant contact with the unchurched

o Creates a place of work for those needing a fresh start

· Goals

o A complete support solution for church planters

o Support for Kingdom work worldwide

o Providing employment opportunities for those getting back on their feet

You can join in on the action as well as we will be looking for affiliates for our the different businesses and people to market product. This is also an opportunity for you to make some additional income as well. The primary thrust of these businesses is marketing, although some of these offer a traditional sales model.

Here are the first few pieces of Simplicity Solutions:

ProMedXHealth

Advantage Nutritionals

Cognigen

Eniva

Reverse Phone Detective

USFreeads

Cash Making Powersites

Unlimited Game Download Website

Homemade Energy

Hearing God’s Voice

Posted on October 24, 2008 by Carl

Today started out as a bit of an emotional/spiritual crash day. I received an email this morning that twisted the things God has placed upon my heart and took dead aim at my obedience to His leading. Being misunderstood is never easy and Satan doesn’t miss the opportunity to exploit these occasions either.

I was reminded of an event early on in Jesus’ ministry that seemed to mirror my experience this morning:

Mark 3:21 (NASB)
And when His own people heard of this, they went out to take custody of Him; for they were saying, “He has lost His senses.”

God is good, He doesn’t let me wallow in self-doubt very long. This afternoon I had lunch with a close friend who allowed himself to be God’s vessel. As He spoke God reminded me that my life is lived out for an audience of One. The understanding, support or approval of anyone else must come a distant second. Later this afternoon, I prayed with a group that I meet with on Thursdays and the conversation turned to our ability to hear God’s voice. One of the men in our group made this statement that I found to be very dead on: “Our ability to hear God’s voice becomes much sharper, the further out on the limb of faith we go.”

On a different note, I finally got the lease to look over and will be formalizing it tomorrow or Monday.

This weekend I will also be putting up some additional pages on the website for both the Simplicity Network and Simplicity Church – Corpus Christi. My wife will be out of town this weekend, so I will be PTA dad tomorrow.

It is simple

Posted on October 11, 2008 by Carl

Yesterday we went to look at the building that I want to use for our first Simplicity church. This building was formerly used by a church planter I had begun to develop a relationship with, who was unable to remain in ministry for personal reasons.

The building is a store front with 1,000 square feet, a bathroom and a platform. The carpet is fairly new and the walls have been painted in the not so distant past. The lease is $600 per month with a $600 deposit. Carol and I both felt this was the place (and I’m a firm believer in “beauty from ashes”).

Elishba, our Indian ministry intern who is living with us commented: “It fits, it is very simple.”

The landlord is supposed to fax the lease to me this week and I am trusting the Lord to provide for the deposit and first month’s rent. Currently all of the expenses are coming out of the Willis household budget, so hopefully we’ll have some donations coming in soon.

Congratulations!

Posted on October 2, 2008 by Carl

Congratulations! You’ve just been invited to join me on a journey from vision to reality. Over the past 9 months, God has impregnated my soul with a yearning that could not be quenched. A passion for a simple yet powerful expression of faith.

That passion has now become fully developed and the birthing of a dream is close at hand. I hope you will find inspiration, vision and an unquenchable desire for a new move of God in our generation. For me these things are rooted in the simplicity of Jesus Christ.

This blog is a documentary of my journey, my ideas, my successes, failures, fears, doubts and victories. Thank you for taking the journey with me.

Carl

Journey To Simplicity