Words of encouragement!

It was an awkward transition to make. Most of the people who were supporting my family and I as missionaries know us well and love us dearly. They know our hearts and our desire to follow the Lord's leading. They understand God, His will, and how sometimes we have our course adjusted by Him. They love us and they are supportive of my new ministry with City Impact.
BUT......
There is still a creeping feeling that pops its head up from time to time. That voice that says "YOU FAILED", "YOU DIDN'T SEE IT THROUGH", "YOU QUIT"......judgment, condemnation, and guilt. This does not come from the people that supported us, the organization we were with, friends, family, or loved ones...it come from the enemy! I don't like letting people down!Sometimes I feel like I have...

Then I get a blessing that reminds me: The Lord is GOOD and I am exactly where He wants me!

The students at ILA have really started to connect to us! Caleb and Faith enjoy going to Sunday Nights. Renee is fitting in well with the HS girls class. I have herd that some of the students refer to me as "preacher". I had the opportunity to cook for all of our  kids and staff last weekend, pasta of course!  I am knee deep in planning an Easter service for our students and working on the curriculum for our next Bible Study. Awesome ministry, perfectly fits....but still sometimes that voice.

Renee ran into a pastor and theologian we know last week... She shared some of those feelings we have sometimes had....He simply replied "That's NONSENSE, you are right where God wants you to be! Michael and you were made for a job with City Impact."

That message also came through in sharing my story with the staff of Tuesday Night Bible Club. Everyone was so supportive and there is evidence of God's leading us to this ministry.

Finally I was listening to the Christian Radio and they were talking about how we are to be faithful to God's calling! We don't look at Abraham as a failure for not going through with sacrificing his son, but rather we celebrate him for the fact he was willing to give up everything for God. God simply changed his direction after Abraham stepped out in faith. Abraham was willing to follow God, even while looking at a deep personal loss. Why? Because he had faith; that God knew what He was doing; that God had Abraham's best interests in mind; that God had a bigger plan that Abraham didn't understand! Abraham knew all of these things, he must have, otherwise how could he have been faithful to what God asked him to do? How could he have looked at his son and said "God will provide the ram". He was not a quitter, God changed his direction!

Just like He has changed mine! Thank you all for the kind words of encouragement!

Feeling Inspired ... or full of info

I have been reading a lot! I mean a whole bunch of reading has gone on in my life....I feel like I have gone back to school. Seriously, the reading list that I have compiled over the past month has about 22 books on it! I now have access to 19 of them, so I need to get a few more and I have completed reading 17 so far! That is not counting the multiple curriculum books I have acquired and researched.

I am becoming more knowledgeable on urban youth ministry and multi-ethnic teaching and all that the church should be leading out in. It has been a wonderful time of discovery and learning. I am getting a clearer picture of how and why City Impact does ministry the way that they do and I'm excited to be apart of it!

Some of my favorites reads-
Beyond Charity by John Perkins
Deep Justice in a Broken World by Clark & Powell
Raising Up Young Heroes by Smith

All of this has confirmed that I am exactly in the position that God has wanted me in. I have had several opportunities to teach/preach to the students at Impact Leadership Academy and I have gotten some great feedback. I also planned and put on one of the biggest ILA events that comes around annually our Black History Month Celebration! With a ton of thanks to Lizzie and Ashley as well as Leadership Team leaders, it was a great night!  Black History Celebration went so well, I am working on planning our next big ILA event an Easter/ Holy Week celebration. I have started writing scripts for the students to perform and I am working on an outline for a message, its going to be an awesome night, I am praying God will continue to bless this ministry!

Why are you here?

Last night was my first official night of running program at ILA. It was a great night and I thank all of the teachers and faithful volunteers who make ILA happen each week.

Some of the highlights of the night included:

*Impromptu game of catchphrase during the hang out time.

*Being "initiated" with a display of my hand / eye coordination.
*Shepherd's Pie!

*GFG Shopping for middle school girls

*Sitting in on High School boys lesson and party time.

I attempted to answer the question "Why are you here?", by giving a message to the students. During that time in introduced myself and gave a bit of my story.  As I talked I began to turn the question to pose it to the students. I talked about all of the highlights we saw during our evening together but came to the conclusion that while all of those things are fun, good, and desirable to do....they in and of themselves were not a satisfactory answer to that question,  "Why are you here?"  The Lord gave me a message that the Gospel was the main reason that we were all there and a challenge to the students to say that they are being equipped to be "salt and light" in their schools and this community. Romans 1:16a "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes..." The gospel calls us to relationship with our maker; then as we seek to become more Christ-like it calls to action. To be a part of God's story, to minister to orphans, widows, and the least of these. God does not need us to minister to them, but rather allows us to be a part of this work.  I am grateful that this was our starting point. I look forward to the work that God will do through these students.

Settling In

As many of you know and for those who do not.... I have started a new position in ministry. I am happy and excited to say that I am the Teen Ministry Director at City Impact in Lincoln. It has been a long journey of seeking out the Lord and following His direction for me and my family. As I said in my last post it has been a long period of refinement. But I am confident that all of these things have occurred in order to bring Glory and Honor to the name of Jesus.
I am getting settled in... in many ways. Our gears have switched greatly, we are going to be in Lincoln for the foreseeable future, we have gone from church-planting to changing Lincoln by ministering to urban youths, but we are still in the service of the Lord.
As I have gone through this process, I look back and know that God's hand has been all over guiding me to this ministry: the unique connections that God has developed have been fascinating to discover and generally make me think only He could have set this up! All of these were unknown to us until after I  started and some came out during the interview process.
Examples you say, here are a few:
* I reached out to a friend I went to Bible school with, he is doing a similar ministry in Omaha, I said we should start a dialogue....he was in my new co-workers wedding.
* My new boss, his sister-in-law and I worked on several dramas at my old church in Omaha.
* He is also related to Caleb's algebra teacher from last year.
* Renee is the care taker and "buddy" of one of my co-worker's son while she is in Bible study at her church.
* My friend Ken was in a life group with another staff member.
* And on, and on, and on.....

I find it amazing that God, in His sovereignty knit together all of these connections. I am looking forward to my new ministry and will be blogging more frequently now that I have things to share with all of you. I have updated all of the other pages on this blog with links to City Impacts webpages, if you would like to get more info about what we are all about, check it out!

Partnership

Partnership

Partnership

I want to express that this is a partnership. I can not serve without you. I also desire to have koinonia with all of you, to pray for you and encourage all of you through sharing God's story in this ministry. Although it is our calling to go, perhaps God is calling you to be a part of this ministry too. 

City Impact is in Lincoln, if you would like to be a part of our team of dedicated volunteers or just see what openings we have need of, you can see that information here at: http://www.cityimpact.org/get-involved/category/serve


My commitment to all of you! 

I will authentically share God's work through the ministry of City Impact.  I will share these stories through my blog, e-mails, and newsletters.  

I will pray for you! I so covet your prayers, but even more so I want to know how I can be praying for each of you. 

I am willing to share our story with your church. While I may not be able to come to your church to teach, I will make every effort to communicate to your local body. I will explain to them how God is working through our partnership. 


Would you consider partnering with us in our ministry?

City Impact has a the vision: To see urban youth, families, and neighborhoods transformed from the inside out by equipping people with the Good News of God’s love and the mission:To share the transforming hope and love of Jesus Christ in urban neighborhoods through holistic youth and family programming and community investment. 

This is a tremendous calling and can not be completed without God's people faithfully giving their time, talents, and treasures to see it fulfilled. We need your help and support to make this vision a reality. Would you pray, then be faithful to the leading of the Lord.

City Impact has great website http://www.cityimpact.org/get-involved/category/give that can help you get invloved with a financial giving. Mike Friend heads up City Impact's devlopment team, his contact information can also be found on the same webpage.

Please mail donations to:

The Last Months.......

Ok....I know that it has been some time and for that I apologize. If you read my last post - "De" or Re construction, you know that my life and plans for my ministry have changed quite a bit in the past few months. It has been a tremendously difficult time for me and my whole family. We are established in God's grace but the wait and trial seems to be wearing on for too long. The uncertainty has moved from unsettling to anxiety to the brink of a complete meltdown. I don't know exactly how to explain all of the circumstances and trials to you guys....but in summary, it has been a long winter!

Yet still I am sure that God's purposes and reasons for this will be for His glory. I am hopeful that He will be honored in all of this. But I (we) need resolution! I feel like I have lost direction, like I am wandering in the desert without rhyme or reason. I have not been fundraising as I don't know what vision to communicate to you all. I have been in process to obtain a position with local youth outreach program but the process is going slowly and we are running out of time due to the lack of fundraising we are running out of funds to live on....which doesn't help the current stress-o-meter. I basically need to know what our field will be, as well as raise a two thousand dollars and/or have a job in the next two weeks or ??????? I am not sure how we will make it work in February, move in with friends or family?  Yet still GOD BE PRAISED! We have been living on support with no health care for six months and have made it thus far. I am worn out and weak, that is when God shows His strength because there is no way possible I should be standing but for the grace of Him!

I read this in Isaiah 30 today and found it fit the situation perfectly. This is my hope for this week, if you are praying for us remember these words.

Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion.For the LORD is a God of justice.Blessed are all who wait for him!

People of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you. Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

Justice, compassion, no more weeping, and clear direction...I am in desperate need of these! 

De or Re Construction

Proverbs 16:8-9 “Better is a little with righteousness, than much gain with injustice. In his heart a man will plan his course, but the LORD determines his steps.”

These verses, these promises and truth of scripture, have been sustaining me the past two weeks. I have had to hold close to these promises as our lives, plans, and calling has been deconstructed around me. It has been extremely difficult but most times, as Christians and leaders, we are called to make difficult choices. These choices look foolish or incomprehensible to those without the grace of Christ in their life, I am not entirely sure that I understand all of the on goings, but another promise of scripture rings true, “Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail they are new every morning.” So, I ask to receive some grace from you as all of this is reveled. We need your prayers and support now more than ever over the past year.

As of now we are officially not going to Rome to plant churches with Avant Ministries. There were a number of factors that went into that decision, some having to do with my giftedness for ministry and what my calling is or should be, some related to our team and a number of issues that we had, and some personal. We are sill missionaries with Avant and are praying about several options for our continued ministry with them and missions. I realize that those are some very generic terms, so allow me to add a little substance to each of those thoughts, however, this will be a synopsis; words are hard to describe the gravity of the last year and how we got to this point. If you have questions please e-mail or call me so we can talk more.

All of you who know me or have worked with me have known that youth ministry is something that I am truly passionate about. I love working with kids and teens to get them pointed toward a direction that will lead to them know Jesus Christ. This was why I went to Grace University, to work in youth. As we walked in faith, God did not allow for a job in that area. We eventually went to missions as we felt God moving us that way, but part of both Renee and I still wanted to minister to teens. We thought that we would just incorporate this into our church planting efforts but we have been informed that is not the most effective way of planting a church. That is not to say that we could not work with teens, but making it a main component of church planting would be difficult. 

Our team was unique in many aspects, most of them made it hard to lead out effectively. We were the first team that Avant ever had go through COP at the same time in July of 2010. By the end of 2010 we had lost one couple and one single from our original team. We did not get that team fully back until August of 2011. Our team training date had been delayed four different times due to the changes within our team structure, another first at Avant. There were personal/spiritual differences that resulted in conflict that was hard to overcome without team training, where most of those things are brought out. We had already been delayed as a team from Jan. 2012 to summer of 2012 and with our team, in general, being new into fund raising or having struggles making benchmarks needed to leave on time; we most likely would have been delayed again.  The potential delay we thought would be unwise stewardship for those who have already been supporting us.

The thought of delay lead to some very personal choices about our family, schooling, and how our kids would operate in a bi-cultural setting. Delaying would have pushed our time on the field with our kids shorter and recently both have expressed interest in coming back to Lincoln Christian for their senior year making the transition to college easier for them, but hard for me and mom three thousand miles away in Rome. I was separated from family during my senior year and had a chance to minister to a young man who also went through that experience; both of which were not great for the overall health of the families involved. After a lot of family discussions we knew delaying would absolutely make that transition harder.

Taking all of those factors into consideration, I made a hard decision to dissolve our team by stepping down as leader. This allowed Avant, our family, and our teammates to move in separate new directions. It also allowed for us to find a need within Avant that fits closer to our gifts and time frame. Please pray for us as we consider the following options, Echo Ranch Bible Camp in Alaska or Black Forrest Academy in Germany as a dorm host family. We hope the LORD will provide clear direction soon, and that by January we can communicate to all of you the direction we will be going. The uncertainty is rather hard but we are clinging to the promises. This is not a deconstruction, but rather a reconstruction.