A few of our favorite places

As promised, some pics of mine and Dave's favorite places. When we first moved here, Mike and Deby took us for ice cream--at the King Kone. They have the BEST soft serve ice cream ever--for cheap! We learned last week that they are closed on Sundays, but I must say its worth waiting for. As a matter of fact, Dave and I went and got ice cream tonight--Yum, yum! The King Kone is just down from my hospital and it is so tempting to get ice cream on my way home.

Now this next place is one of my favorites because it makes me laugh. This has been my favorite intersection in town since we moved here. As I was driving through our residential neighborhood on my way to work, I saw this sight. Right in the middle of the neighborhood are these two newspaper stands. The thing that kills me is that if you can see the street behind them, you'll see that it is a dead end! I'm not sure who's bright idea it was to put these stands in a neighborhood on a dead end street, but maybe they know something I don't know. Or maybe they just knew I needed something to smile about as I drove by.

Constant reassurances

It's really late and I have to work the next two days. Expect a longer post on Friday. But for tonight, let me just say that God keeps reminding me that He brought us here.
If you've scrolled all the way down to the bottom of the blog, you'll find the quote that I keep telling myself. It isn't scripture, but is basically a paraphrase of God's promises in His Word. I had a really tough day at work Saturday even after working as hard as I could. I was so down. Today God provided me reassurance that He's responsible. I got some very good comments today at work. (More to come on that later...) He has a plan for me. He wants what is best for me. My obligation is to devote myself wholly to Him.
Please pray for me. I want to be wholly devoted. Maybe it sounds selfish, but I want to keep myself devoted if for no other reason but so that God will be responsible for me. Don't misunderstand me. I want to be devoted because I love Him, but in the spirit of full disclosure, I love that He is willing to take control of my life and the things that are allowed into it.
I hope you are willing to be fully devoted too.

Stay tuned and keep in touch. I'm loving the comments that people are leaving! Keep them coming! It keeps me blogging to know that people out there are reading.

Lad

PS - More pics to come this weekend (when I'm not working)

Disillusioned Farming

The other day, we were talking to Mike. We were discussing how different it is to be part of a non-established church. Mike made a comment that is so true. He said, If we were talking to an experienced farmer and griped that we had planted seed two weeks ago and didn't have anything to harvest yet--that farmer would think we were crazy! But the same is true of our church plant. We really began about two weeks ago "planting seed" in Hot Springs. We are disappointed that we haven't harvested any, but we have to be realistic too.
The Bible says that some plant and some water, but God gives the increase. That is a very freeing but very difficult thing to accept. My natural tendency is to think we should work harder, meet more people and then have an immediate and large harvest. We really should be trying to meet more and more people, but we cannot disillusion ourselves into thinking its that hard work that brings people into our church plant. God promises to take our efforts and at His pleasure, turn them into a harvest.
Please pray for God to do just that--increase our church through our efforts and forming relationships with people and desire to make more and more disciple-makers!

The Hot Springs "space needle"

I promised pictures of Hot Springs. Unfortunately, I have been busy with stuff ever since. What stuff, you ask? Changing the oil in the car, I found the donut shop in town (Viva la Spa City Donuts), I've cooked three times in the last week, I harassed the landlord and maintenance guy until they got my dishwasher fixed (the fix ended up being a new dishwasher--okay by me), and...oh, yeah....there's that thing called work.

But I can share one picture with you. I think this is a cool thing to see in Hot Springs. They call it the mountain observation tower, but I think it would be better named, the Hot Springs Space Needle. Right at downtown, you can turn and wind (and I mean wind) your way up the mountain. Near the top, there is this cool "space needle". Haven't been up it yet but maybe soon. Right now I've just got the ground view.

Tonight I'm very tired. I worked today and got a lot of good experience, but I'm worn out. I came home and put together a hodge-podge supper (taquitos, fries, grilled cheese sandwiches, and leftover peas and leftover broccoli from supper last night). Now I'm ready for bed!

For all you Judson girls--Good night, Sweet Dreams

The Journey of a Thousand Miles...

Sometimes I think we lose sight of the rest of that Chinese proverb. In following God's call to Hot Springs, we want to see people come to Christ immediately. We want our small group Bible Studies to grow by leaps and bounds from Day 1. But technically, all God requires of us is to tell others about the good news of Jesus. The Bible specifically says God gives the increase--not us. It gets discouraging to hear "No" over and over again. But we know God called us here and if we dedicate our selves to His mission for us, then our success will have to be measured in Kingdom terms. Unfortunately, Kingdom terms means we may never see those successes here on Earth. Don't get me wrong, we're not quitting! That's not even an option! But this is a very different environment for us. We all came from traditional church backgrounds--established churches. So just the four of us for church seems a bit odd. Satan would love to get a little foothold in this issue and pull us WAY down. Pray for continued motivation for us. Pray for the many unbelievers in Hot Springs.

Over the next few weeks, I'm going to try to post some pictures of Hot Springs and its beautiful sights. The picture in my blog title is from the top of one of the mountains overlooking downtown.

And this is a view of the Arlington Hotel from atop the mountain. It is a historic, but beautiful hotel. Al Capone was known to stay there when in Hot Springs. There is even one of Al Capone's cars in the lobby (pic to come in the following weeks). Downtown Hot Springs is an awesome place with little shops everywhere. You could definitely spend a day just roaming through the streets and checking out the sights.

Meet Mike and Deby

Many of you have heard us say we've teamed up with Mike and Deby, but most of you have no idea who we're talking about, so let me introduce you!

This is Mike. He's been a pastor and church planter for many years. He also worked with Reach America doing church revitalization consulting. Mike is the senior pastor of our new Garage Church. Mike is into motorcycles and cars. He spent last week teaching Dave a little about detailing cars. Mike introduced the vision for the restoration of Hot Springs.




And this is Deby. Deby is a school teacher and loves kids. She shares my new found interest in quilting too. Deby is really one of the coolest people I've ever met. She seems quiet and reserved when you first meet her, but when you get to know her, she's not what you'd expect. She's way fun to hang with and I love having her as my friend.
Deby also has the most powerful hand mixer I've ever used. The other night I was mixing up tea cakes at their house and the mixer grabbed my spatula and pulled it all the way through the beaters--and my fingers went with it! Needless to say, it knocked the bark off my index finger. I don't think anything is broken, but it sure is sore.

We have been spending a lot of time with Mike and Deby so that we can build our team even stronger. They are wonderful mentors to us, but even more--they are our friends!

A Timely Word

Today, Lad and I read from Proverbs 15:23 (NLT) "It is wonderful to say the right thing at the right time!" Well, those words could not be more appropriate for what is coming in the next few days. Tomorrow I get to fill in preach at a small church in our association. I always am a bit nervous but, for some reason, I am more nervous when it is a new place to speak. This church has agreed to help our church financially every month. Somehow, my preaching is our way of saying "Thanks!" Let's hope I don't reverse their giving and they require me to pay them for the opportunity to preach... Well we'll see.
Then this Tuesday, I will preach the funeral messages for a dear friend from Ebenezer. His death was a surprise, at least to me. Pray for this family. As Solomon said, "It is wonderful to say the right thing at the right time." I pray that the God of all comfort will comfort these in their time of need.
Lad has been working nearly everyday at the hospital so the apartment is still not completely finished. The things left to do need a woman's touch. I help, but she is the brain behind the beauty. Can't wait to have all of you over when we finish.
We sent out our first report this week to our dedicated prayer partners. If you did not get one and you would like to be one of our fifty families who pray for us daily, then let me know. We will try to get our info to you quickly.
We continue with our small group meetings this week. There may be some fluctuation with our times as we gather folks to come. We are farming our area, making contacts and beginning relationships that we hope will lead to our ultimate goal: restoring Hot Springs.
Thank you for your prayers.

First day in a new Hospital

I started my new job today. It went pretty well. All day long, the other nurses were saying what a day it was and how rough this floor is. WHATEVER! Apparently they've never worked on a floor like I worked. I'm sure they have bad days too, but the call light didn't go off ALL DAY like it would in 30 minutes back home. The things they were complaining about, I thought nothing of. I'm choosing to have a positive attitude about this floor regardless of what they say.
Thank you for praying for my first day.

In church news, Dave and Mike meet with Tim Wicker, the church planting strategist for Arkansas Baptists. Pray for safe travel but also an effective meeting.

Nothing much else to tell. Just know that God is blessing us right when we need it. He is SOOO good.

Stay tuned and stay in touch.
Lad

Like Kids at Christmas

Today we got our cable internet hooked up. Coming from our rural Mississippi dial-up--THIS IS AWESOME!!! Most of you have had high speed for years--well, we haven't. We really are excited about it. I keep telling Dave, "look how fast it is". It really is cool.
I had orientation at work today. It was fine, just slow paced. Tomorrow I hit the floor for my first "real" day of work. I'll work the next two days then off over the weekend.
My apartment is still a wreck and I got home today and just didn't have it in me to work on it. Dave and I spent the afternoon driving around. Since I got lost on the way to work AND the way home from work, I figured it would be smart to figure out my route this afternoon. I have found the way to work without getting on the main, busy, redlight filled roads. That's a huge blessing. I'm only ten minutes from the hospital which seems unreal since I had been driving 45 minutes one way. I miss my big hospital back home, but I'm sure in due time, I'll settle into this new hospital, new routine, new people and new EVERYTHING!
This week, our goal is settling and rest. Then we hit the ground running.

I've noticed that many of you are following our blog! That's fantastic! If you're lurking, please add yourself to our Prayer Partners/Followers. We'd love to know you're lurking around.

Our prayer needs:
1. REST for this weary couple.
2. The many unbelieving residents of Hot Springs.

Stay tuned and in touch.

Just a little glimpse into our move!

I have gotten so many text messages from lots of you who are asking how our move is going. And honestly, I'm too tired to answer all of them. So I'm hoping that if you texted me, you'll read this and get an update.

What Dave said about the apartment is so true. It is so much better than the one she originally showed us. This one has a dining area, a laundry room (instead of open laundry closet, and a much larger kitchen. Apparently, this is the wheelchair accessible building, so doorways are wider and the floor plan more open. Let me tell you--that made moving in so much easier. All our stuff doesn't fit, but overall I'm super pleased. There is room in the kitchen/dining area for my pantry and my dining room table (minus any leaves). The balcony patio is large enough that my deep freezer fits out there with NO problem. Isn't God good to bless in these small areas!! They were affirmation that He really does take responsibility for me if I stay wholly devoted to Him.

Thank you to all of you who prayed for our move! It was very uneventful. One of our friends from our church in Mississippi came with us to help us move and he was such a blessing! There's no way we could have done what we did without him. We also had a guy from another local church show up to help. I've never seen a truck unloaded so quickly!

I took a couple of before and after pictures for you. I meant to take a picture of the apartment stacked to the ceiling with boxes, but I was too tired and apathy took over. Sorry! But I can show you the before and what it looks like right now. Hope to post lots of pictures now that we have high speed internet and can upload them in less than 6 hours. :).

This is the kitchen. It is twice the size of the kitchen in the other apartments. My pantry is on the other side of the refrigerator

This is the dining area. It is just off the kitchen.

And this is now. It is a mess! Boxes and stuff everywhere. At least we can find the floor in some areas. And it will be put together soon.

Stay tuned and in touch. I'll be posting more updates soon.

Alive and Well (but definitely STIFF)

Whew! Moving is done. Truck unloaded, turned in, and paid for. You know Lad has been fretting about the apartment. Well, the apartment we got is not the one we looked at. It is so much better. Last week, we were praying that God would let us enjoy living so much closer to each other. Last night I told her, I really like this apartment better than I thought I would. And she agreed. I love little answered prayers like that. My wife has been such a great support and blessing in this whole move and transition to this point. I could not have asked for a better gift from God than her.
A few months ago, Mike and Deby Prince took us to a lookout point over Hot Springs and we prayed for this city. We want to see a city that has never really been under God's leadership restored to a Mighty, Awesome, Forgiving God. Then as we drove home, I remembered a song I had heard at teen camp and for me, it has been my theme song for this move.

You are God of this city. You are King of these people. You are Lord of this nation. You are.
You're the Light in this darkness. You're the Hope to the hopeless. You're the Peace to the restless. You are.

There is no one like our God.
For greater things have yet to come, and greater things are still to be done in this city.

Every time God answered another of our prayer requests (for job, housing, sold houses, bought houses, finances, timing, helpers, etc.) we would praise God for his plenteous blessings. Then I remembered the words. "Greater things have yet to come, and greater things are still to be done in this city."
And I would be overwhelmed by the reality that God was only letting us see a tiny part of what he could do. And the questions I was left with were these, "God if you can take care of these obstacles that I think are so impossible and you can still do greater things yet, what more will we see? What all can You do with the surrendered lives of 4 nobodies like us?" And I stand in awe as I realize, "There is no one like our God!"
I feel we are on the verge of something great. It has nothing at all to do with the people involved but with the God who is mighty to save a city and it's families. Can God still change WHOLE CITIES? (i.e. Ninevah) If that is to happen, Satan will notice. We need your prayers now, more than ever before.

Moving: T minus 12 hours

Tomorrow is the big moving day. The truck is packed except for that piddly little stuff that really doesn't fit anywhere. If you've ever moved, you know what I'm talking about.
Today was our last Sunday to worship with our current church in Mississippi. It was hard to say goodbye. They are some very special and caring people. We couldn't ask for a better church family.
The final verdict on the housing issue is.....drum roll please....the apartment. Several different things came up that made both of us feel like the apartment is the right choice. It'll be small, but we're both thinking we'll enjoy our time there. God is continuing to supply our needs. He's super good at that!
Right now, we are putting together our prayer team. Our goal is 50 individuals or families who will commit to pray for us daily. We will send this group of people bi- or tri-weekly reports on the goings on and events of The Garage Church. We know that this is not something that everyone will be able to commit to, but some of you are serious prayer warriers who will lift up the needs of the ministry as well as Mike, Deby, Dave and myself. If you're interested in being on this prayer team, please contact me and let me know. We're not quite to the 50 people/families mark yet, but we trust that God will supply pray-ers for us.
Please pray for our safety as we travel. We're leaving at about 5:30 in the morning and headed to Arkansas.
We're going to have a lot of figuring out to do. Lots of logistics to work out. But I'm confident that God will provide answers in His time. All we have to do is listen and obey.

Our prayer needs:
1. Safe travel
2. Strength and endurance to finish this move.
3. An opportunity to share our faith through this move
4. The many many unbelieving residents of Hot Springs, Arkansas

Stay tuned and stay in touch,
Lad