Tag Archives: faith

Simply a vessel

Posted on by
Reply

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!

Partners and Pancakes

Posted on by
Reply

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.

T

Simplicity Solutions

Posted on by
Reply

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

Taking my foot off of the gas

Posted on by
Reply

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.

Finally!

Posted on by
Reply

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 by
Reply

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.”

Catching up

Posted on by
Reply

With Thanksgiving I’ve gotten behind on the blog. So let me give you a quick rundown of some of the happenings over the extended weekend.

On Thursday we spent the morning at Mission 911. Mission 911 is around the corner from our church building in the South Bluff Park area of Corpus Christi. Mission 911 offers people the opportunity to get back on their feet with food, shelter, spiritual food and a sense of purpose. Mission 911 had already held their Thanksgiving celebration the week before, so our purpose was simple…hang out and get to know people.

We spent Wednesday evening baking cookies, pastries and other treats for the residents to enjoy. Once we arrived, we laid out the goodies and spent our time getting to know people. I had the opportunity to minister to a man who had been a resident the year before. His wife had left him recently and he arrived that morning looking to connect with the counselor that had helped him in the past. As we talked, he shared that he had given up hope and didn’t know how he could press on. By the time he left, God had done a work within Him. Just as he knew God had brought him up from the depths a year before, He also knew that God was willing to walk with Him through these dark days as well. Our greatest impact during the day was with the neighborhood children. We have been asked to consider starting something for the children on Saturdays and will be praying through that in the coming days.

About 2 weeks ago, the ministry was given a 1992 Jaguar. The car is currently in my driveway and not running, as the fuel system needs some work. On Saturday one of the men from the church and I spent a good portion of the day dismantling the fuel system, only to find out that the fuel pump we had was too large. This week we will try to complete the work and sell the car to further the ministry of Simplicity.

On Sunday, Mike preached his first message. He kept telling me he was terrified, but God spoke through him in spite of any fears he may have had. The video of his message is on the www.simplicitycc.org website under “media.”

Over the weekend, I began working with some e-commerce ideas I have had. I am hoping to develop a business model that can be developed to help support future church planters and ministry leaders. I currently have two websites up and running www.luvmyhog.com and www.healthmartxpress.com. I will be looking to develop a marketing strategy that can be cross pollinated for future use by other planters.

The development of a secular business model has become somewhat of a priority for me, as I realize that the one stumbling block for many potential Simplicity leaders will be the question of supporting their families, since one of the values of Simplicity Church is the use of bi-vocational and self-supporting pastors.

People Matter

Posted on by
Reply

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 by
Reply

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 by
Reply

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.