Jigsaw Puzzle

Hey everyone!
Last night we had a gathering with some of the team coming with us to Oregon. It was so great! I love to hear my husband talk about the vision for Catalyst Church. It inspires me and encourages my faith like nothing else.
I feel like we are putting together a Jigsaw Puzzle. We know how we want it to look in the end, and right now we are just trying to find the pieces and put them where they are suppose to be. Its a pretty big puzzle but we have faith that God's hand is leading us and we find our confidence in that.  
I wanted to encourage those of you who are still wondering if God is calling you to be apart of this church plant. Pray about it and ask God. Maybe he will send you to Portland or maybe he will have you serve faithfully where you’re at for years to come. Either way, we’re all called to be apart of this mission, and all of us have a role to play right now. All of us can pray for more people to meet Jesus. All of us can tell more people about Jesus. And all of us can give so that we can reach more people for Jesus.
Please continue to pray for us and for our team. We appreciate it more then you can ever know!

2nd Kings 5

Hi everyone! I know it has been a while since I've posted a blog entree, we have been super busy. But life is back in regular routine so I hope to start putting out a new post every week.
 The countdown has begun!! We officially have 11 months until we move to Portland! AHH! It has been so amazing to see how God's hand has already been moving and providing.

God spoke to me yesterday through a story in 2nd Kings 5. The story is about a great army commander and warrior named Naaman. Naaman had leprosy and needed a healing. Someone told him of a prophet named Elisha who God had given the ability to do miracles. So Naaman went to go see the prophet Elisha. When he arrives at Elisha's house Elisha tells Naaman in vs.10 "Go wash yourself seven times in the Jordan river and you will be healed." now this made Naaman angry and in vs. 11 he responds..."I thought he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy."
I think this story is so funny. How often do we do this!? We have an idea or expectation on how God should move in our lives and when he doesn't do it the way we thought he would it totally freaks us out! The story goes on and Naaman is obedient and washes himself in the river and he is healed of his leprosy.

Today you may be going through something and are having a hard time seeing God in the situation. Know that he may just be working in a different way then you anticipated. Stay obedient and you will see God come through.

Jesus is Building His Church

"85% of churches in America have plateaued or are in decline. This means that churches in America are in a free fall and everyday churches are closing their doors and those who remain open are hanging on by a thread. And in their place God is bringing up out of fresh soil new life giving, life changing, dynamic, Christ exalting churches. Not just more churches but better churches. And thousands of them." -James Macdonald

I read this quote today by Pastor James Macdonald and I loved it so much!  I feel like over time the church has lost its focus on what is really important (which is connecting people to a life changing relationship with Jesus) and instead has put so much of it's focus on upholding traditions and beliefs that have no biblical merit and have no importance when it comes to the truth of eternity. I believe with all my heart that God is raising up new churches that hate religion and are passionate about the message of Jesus.

I love the Church! I believe that the church when represented correctly is God's plan to reach this world. Jesus said He would build his church and I am so honored that I get to be apart of it.

Catalyst Church

The definition of Catalyst is...
An agent that provokes or speeds significant change or action.

 We decided on the name Catalyst Church for the church plant because we loved the idea of lives being changed because of one encounter with a living God who loves them. We know that if we can introduce the People of Oregon to a God who loves them, to a savior who gives salvation and hope, that lives will be changed and the kingdom of God will expand. 
Please continue to pray for us and for Catalyst Church. Your prayers and support are so appreciated and so needed. Thanks guys!

Jesus is building his church!

Orange in Atlanta

Hey everyone! I just got home from an amazing few days in Atlanta Georgia. Me and a few girls from our church were sent to the Orange Conference there. The Orange Conference is a family ministries conference put on by Reggie Joiner (former children's pastor at Northpointe church) The conference is based off of his book "Think Orange". 

The Idea of Think Orange is.....
How do we combine the Heart of the Family (red) and the light of the church (yellow) to influence our children.  Its an amazing concept and was so inspiring for me as I am trying to figure out how our Children's Ministry will look once we start Catalyst Church. 

Here is a paragraph from Think Orange that pretty much sums up the heart of the book and conference.....

"Imagine the difference it will make if every leader, every volunteer, every parent is on the same page, working toward the same end. what if we believed our mission was simply to incite wonder, provoke discovery, and to fuel passion in the heart of every child. Imagine him, and every other child in your ministry growing up with authentic faith that connects them to a better story for their life. That's what happens when you think ORANGE."


If you are anyway involved in Children's ministry I recommend this book and definitely recommend this conference.
 http://whatisorange.org/

Feeling Inadequate?

Feeling unworthy, inadequate, or insufficient?
Welcome to the club! I have this really annoying voice in my head that is constantly reminding me of all my limitations, but the worst part is, is it is all true! I am unworthy to be used by God and I am definitely inadequate! Because at the end of the day no matter how hard I try I still am a sinner just like everyone else.
Both Romans 3:10 and Psalms 14:3 make is very clear, they both say.....
"There is no one righteous, not even one" 

But there is good news! You see God has this funny little habit of using the unworthy, and insufficient. Lets take a look at scripture.

• Abraham, was a liar and a polygamist (Genesis 20:1-3; Genesis 16:1-4).
• Isaac, was a liar also and showed favoritism in his children (Genesis 26:6-9; Genesis 25:28).
• Jacob, was an extortionist and a swindler (Genesis 25:29-34; Genesis 27:1-27).
• Tamar, who is the mother of Perez, was a fornicator and a deceiver (Genesis 38:6-26).
• Rahab, the mother of Boaz, was a pagan prostitute (Joshua 2:1).
• Ruth, once worshipped false gods (Ruth 1:4).
• David, was a polygamist, adulterer, murderer, and poor father (1 Samuel 25:39-44; 1 Chronicles 14:3; 2 Samuel 11:1-3; 2 Samuel 11:14-17; 2 Samuel 13:1-39).
• Solomon, was a polygamist and was drawn away from God by his many pagan wives (1 Kings 11:4).
• Rehoboam, foolishly split the kingdom of Israel and led Judah to sin (1 Kings 12:1-24; 1 Kings 14:21-31).
• Abijah, walked in the sins of his father and was not devoted to God (1 Kings 15:1-3).
• Uzziah, disobeyed the worship regulations of God and was struck with leprosy (2 Chronicles 26:16-21).
• Ahaz, was very wicked, even leading Israel to sacrifice children (2 Chronicles 28:1-4).

What do all these people have in common? This is the Genealogy of Jesus! God chose this family for the savior of the world, the one who knew no sin, Jesus.

There are a thousand more stories in scripture that tell of how God used the broken and unworthy to do something amazing for the kingdom of God.  Because God is not worried about our inadequacies infact when we give God our weakness and inadequacies only then will he be glorified in our lives.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10
"But Jesus said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

So.... yes, by myself I am extremely inadequate But with Jesus I am unstoppable! 

Praise The Builder Not The Hammer

    I was at the park Saturday with my girls. My youngest Madison (Maddie) is two and a half and fearless. At this particular park there is a really big slide that Maddie desperately wanted to slide down, but she realized quickly that she could not climb up the ladder by herself to get to the slide. So, she called out to me "Mom, help! I went over and helped her climb up the ladder so she could get to the slide. Once I helped her up I was expecting her to say something like this... "You are amazing Mom! I never could have done this without your help, thank you!" (okay, so maybe my expectations were a little high) But that is not what happened, instead she yelled out "I did it!!" And as I walked away laughing a thought popped in my head, "How often do we do that to God?"

    How often do we give God's credit to something or someone else? We may not even realize we do it. It may look something like this....You pray for God to keep your kids healthy and safe and he does. But instead of giving Him the praise we give the praise to vitamins and hand sanitizer.  (I am guilty)
  
    It would be like if Adam went out and built me an amazing new book shelf and he used a hammer. And when I came out to see the bookshelf he built all I could say is "WOW! that must have been one amazing Hammer! Thank you Hammer!" And I gave all the credit to the hammer he used and not to him, the one who built it. It is so easy to give credit to the tools God uses every day in our lives and completely forget to give God the praise for giving us those tools.
  
    My chalange to all of us today is to see God through the tools he uses everyday in our life.  Are your kids healthy because of medicine? Thank God for the Medicine. Are you financially taken care of because of your Job? Thank God for your Job. Did you wake up this morning feeling cruddy so you drank an amazing cup of coffee and instantly felt better? Thank God for creating coffee! =) whatever it may be, today remember to thank the One who gives us all good things.