My Convictions about Youth Ministry --Part 3

Value #7: Everything must flow to the bigger picture.  This value of mine transcends every aspect of ministry, but it is so important when it comes to youth ministry as well.  I've had the honor to connect and speak at many different churches and one thing I've noticed over my years is the "transition model" of ministry.  Every church starts out as a "family" model; this is the stage where everyone knows everyone, the pastor is like the dad or grandpa of the group, etc.  The second stage is the "corporate" model.  Now don't get offended by the name because it's a very much needed stage.  This is where structure is introduced into the church and policies are issued to help things grow and run smoothly; the pastor is started to be viewed more than just one of the guys; he is now the leader and visionary of the church.  The final stage is Kingdom.  The pastor is usually operating much like an apostle with all the previous characteristic visible.  The church is committed to the great commission and community transformation; it's not to say they were not before, but now it's evident in everything they do.  This principle is all through out the Bible.
Youth ministry should be the same.  If ever a youth group starts to operate and function like a separate identity from the rest of the church, then it is not flowing to the bigger picture.  In fact, as a youth pastor, I've discovered that you have to make every effort to insure everything you do promotes and keeps the "vision of the house" as it's center of focus, because if you don't then by default you're creating a "church mutiny" without even knowing it.    May I suggest taking a look at the Relevant article here to go deeper in this topic.

Value #8: The Journey of faith takes time, and students can minister now.  Ever notice the gap between Moses killing the Egyptian and the burning bush experience?  Or how about Samson sleeping with Delilah then the Spirit of the Lord comes upon him?  These are just a few of many verses that mess me up.  (in a good way)   These stories are not in the Bible to conflict with the process of righteousness, they are in there to remind us that discipleship is not an A then B then C Sunday school process.  We have to disciple right where people are at.  I'm not advocating that you take the teenage guy sleeping with his girlfriend and put him in your youth band, but I am saying to be aware of ways to bring teens into a closer relationship of Grace and Righteousness through disciplining where they are currently at.  I take great comfort in seeing Jesus do this with his disciples and many times at the end of the day they still did not get it.  It's a process.



I hope you enjoy them and would love any feedback.
Yours for His Kingdom,
Vince

My Convictions about Youth Ministry --Part 2

Value #3: Small works better than big. I've had the opportunity to be a part of and lead "big" youth ministries. One of the common misconceptions is to focus on the "bigness" of ministry and lead with a big mindset.
Now let me interject, this is not a ploy to discredit big ministry or to criticize youth groups that get big. After all, "healthy things grow." In fact, it's quite the opposite, your ministry SHOULD get big; the time it takes is up to you.
I'm simply stating that the bigger something gets, the more important it becomes to break it down into smaller groups, activities, etc. The bigger a group gets the less involvment from individuals you'll have. Not everyone enjoys concerts or camping or video games or football; for example, have you ever seen the way a group interacts when there are only 6 in it, compared to the way a group 25 interact? In the smaller group everyone participates, speaks up, gets involved. In the larger; just a handful will.
The larger your group gets, the more you will work at finding ways to make it personal and connected. May I suggest thinking small.

Value #4: Knowing God is more important than knowing about God. I will be the first to admit this is takes a lot of work to make a reality. Maybe it's just me, because I enjoy "teaching" aspect of ministry. But the truth of it is, we have a great canyon between knowing and experiencing God. Here are a couple of thoughts: Everything we do should point to God, even our lingo about Jesus. I've seen far too often we put such a heavy focus on Christ that we neglect to finish the journey. Hear me, I'm not saying do away with Jesus! Absolutely not!!! I'm saying we must not fail to connect the dots, that the reason why Jesus came was to restore us unto our Heavenly Father, God. We must continue to teach about God, but also put a high focus on sensing the presence of God; linking what we do to why we do it.

Value #5: Humor greatly enhances ministry. There is no hiding the fact that I personally like to have fun. But this value goes far beyond my personal preference. I believe humor should be a vital part of youth ministry; and not just reserved for a video or drama in the service. Humor is more than a funny drama or telling jokes in your message. It's the overall atmosphere of joy that is echoed in everything you do. There is something disarming and attractive to a ministry that can successfully infuse humor into ever service. Let me add one thought to this value; it should show up in every service, not just the special ones you plan for. A key damper in the service is to be asked several times the phrase, "are you having a good time?" or "are you glad you showed up?" They will let you know with their feet over the next few weeks. The only "person" we are trying to convince when we ask, "are you having a good time" over and over is ourselves.

Again, I hope you enjoy these and that they maybe even help. I'll post more tomorrow.
Yours for His Kingdom,
Vince



Missed Part One? Click here.

Comes Down to This

"Integrity has high influence value."

We must be aggressive in making sure our integrity stays at a high level. I love how my father-n-law says it, "Integrity is the things I tell you before you find out the hard way." So true. Because of the age we live in we have the awesome ability to connect with people from all over the place.
The last couple of months I've been talking to a lot of friends long distances about some issues concerning where they live, and throughout the converstions it boils down to "lack of integrity."

Has nothing to do about salvation, perspectives, viewpoints, or even theology. That's important to recognize; because one can say all the right things but actions will always speak louder.

I believe it's easy to sit back and say, "well, I have integrity so this is pointless." True. We all have some level of integrity, the key is to look for way to grow it. Yep! Have more!

Too often we can appear to lose or even completely have lost our integrity. We see it in the news of people we once respected and now no longer do because of some action that violated our trust towards them.
That's why we must "tell before it comes out the hard way." It may be hard to do, but not near as hard as building from lost integrity. In these times, high integrity is attractive and worth following. I think of many of the men and women of God in my life that I have surrounded myself by and although we may not agree with methods, viewpoints or even theologies, I respect them in the highest regard because they live with the uttermost integrity.

Wisdom from a Child

"Daddy, what did you want to be when you grew up?" My six year old daughter asked me.

"Well, for a while, I wanted to me an architect and build things. But then I thought about pursuing acting to become an actor." (mainly due to my drama friends in high school)

"What's an actor?" She responded.
"You know a person who you see on videos and movies. But I really found out what God wanted me to be when I started pastoring." I replied.

"It sounds to me you do all those things; you built a house, churches and us beds and you're in lots of videos and you pastor lots of people." She responded.

Hmm... A people builder, media engaging Pastor. Yes, that does sound about right.

I'm currently putting together information that I will release in January concerning the next steps in our journey as we follow God.
If you'd like to receive an information packet about our next steps and pray with us about it, email me at ministry@vincefarrell.com

Yours for His Kingdom,
Vince Farrell
www.vincefarrell.com

Outside the Apple Box Thinkers

Today my family and I enjoyed a wonderful time at the "Apple Festival" in Lincoln, AR. It was about an hour away from where we live; and with clear skies and the weather resting at 68, it was perfect.

There's a question I had pop into my head over and over again as we passed the many display tables. Here it is.
"As a Pastor of a church, what would I do here to stand out from the rest of the booths, to be a blessing to people?"

I say this because I saw two, maybe three church booths that were there. They were selling things. One even had a little basketball hoop set up for kids to play.

So if you would, send my your thoughts on what would be a blessing to people in this type of setting while helping to set a positive image for the church and it's members.
I'm asking for "out of the box" suggestions because I do not consider selling items as a way of accomplishing the goal. (My opinion, not saying it's right or wrong; just not my way of thinking)

*Please note, I am not a Pastor of a church-----not yet ;)

Props to Brad

So here I am looking at my blog thinking of what to type when my friend, Brad Post, just posted his blog thoughts.

Several weeks ago I wrote about the difference between "membership and partnership"; Brad's post particularly caught my attention because it reflects some great thoughts concerning the heart of honor.

I met Brad online through blogging and got to meet him and his family in person a couple of months ago when they were traveling from Atlanta to Oklahoma. They were kind enough to make a pit stop in Alma, AR so we could connect.
Check him out on Facebook, his blog, or follow him on Twitter.
Below is his post. I hope you enjoy his blog as much as I do.

Welcome VS Honor
I shared this with our Welcome Team this morning from Turning Point Church at our VIP meeting which was inspired from a conversation I had earlier this week with Larry Brey from Elevation Church from a blog he posted. It covers the difference between welcoming someone and honoring them. This would relate to anyone in church, in business and at the house.

There is a huge difference when we welcome someone into our house, church or business and honor them. Welcoming is great and people feel a sense of security but honoring someone is totally different.

The difference in our Welcome Team:

• For our Greeters: is not just handing them a bulletin and saying welcome but if it is their first time and they have children walk them to the children’s check in, talk with them during the process.

• For our Parking Team: it is a difference from just waving at them and actually opening the door with them.

• For our Ushers and Sanctuary Greeters: it is a difference in saying showing them where the coffee is and making it for them or showing them an open seat and actually taking them to it.

Try this phrase when you see a client, friend or co-worker this week, “It is an honor to see you today.” There is such a greater impact than saying anything else. I used this a few times this Sunday and had a few people look at me like “wow” or they were just looking at me like I was crazy..one of the two.

Connecting the Dots

My son, who just turned four, loves the activity--connect the dots.
When he was younger the game was simple, with only ten dots for him to draw a line to one another to connect.
Now he's on the pages that have up to thirty dots for him to draw a line to connect.

And because he is our son, he has a double dose of "perfectionism." He get's real upset when he realizes that he went the wrong way and connected the wrong dot.

But you should see him when he connects them all properly.
He comes running to me to show off his work of art.
That's awesome! As I take the wonderful picture from his hands to admire.
He beams with pride.

Our life should be a beautiful picture that we can run to God with and say, "look Dad!"
The devil knows this; it's why he tries so many times to get us to miss the dot moment.
What is a dot?
A dot, for us, is a moment in life when you or I have to make a choice or decision.
We choose wisely---a successful connection of the dot to another in our lives.
We choose poorly---we can get off track, make a bad testimony for ourselves; even do some serious damage to our lives, and more than likely we have to go back and retake that "dot moment"---because our heavenly Father loves us that much, He lets us "re-draw."

2 Peter 1:5-9 (NKJV)
But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, ⁶ to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, ⁷ to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. ⁸ For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.

Before I share what I believe are some great "connecting the dot" helpers, please note that the end of verse 9 echoes what is mentioned in the beginning of verse 5.
In a nutshell it tells us, "if you have been saved by grace because of Jesus Christ, then you should be growing in your faith. The elements that are listed, pay attention to and use them in partnership with the power of the Holy Spirit, already in work in you."

Here are three quick thoughts from this scripture that I believe will help us, "add to our faith" and successfully connect the dots in our Christian walk.

1. Practical Biblical Teaching: "But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge... " We need to be diligent to learn the Word of God. But not just so we can be a spiritual "know it all." But because it's a key to growing our faith. It's a compass to give direction when we're "on the dot" and need to know which way to go. Biblical knowledge works hand in hand with the Holy Spirit to help us make the proper decision.

2. Private Disciplines: "to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance," This is not my strongest area. However, I've noticed when I give special attention to the "things I don't want to do--but do them anyway" then it becomes easier and easier for me to do them and for me to do a better job at connecting the dots. There seems to be less mess and more beauty.

3. Providential Relationships: "to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. Upon doing some study into this verse, there seems to be some distinction between just "brotherly kindness" and "brother kindness love." In short, the latter is what Christ said the "second greatest commandment is like the first." This is the real rubber meets the road Christian living, but before you can get there you first have to have practiced a lifestyle of showing some "brotherly kindness" to those of like faith.
If you have siblings then you know the fighting is. It's probably why it hurts so much when it happens in the Church. But the point here is that you and I need fellow brothers and sisters that we love enough to be real, honest, loving, truthful, respectful, and compassionate towards; especially if we're to take that love to a word that does not know Him. Providential relationship is one that will always bring you closer to Christ; helps you connect the next dot, even if it hurts. Which means not every Christian friendship will be on that level, and that's okay, but you and I need the people in our life that know how to live "brotherly kindness."

Hope you enjoyed these thoughts and hope they help you when you find yourself on a dot and needing direction to make the next line a successful one. If you have any Biblical revelation on this subject, drop me a line, I'd love to here it.
I'm sharing this message in a couple of weeks to a wonderful youth ministry called, Ignited. God is doing amazing things in the church. Their youth are running around five hundred in weekly attendance and is filled with young men and women who love God and are making difference in their town.

Make beautiful pictures, connect the dots.

The Difference

I'm here in Mexico, and tomorrow I get the honor to speak to hundreds of Pastors in the morning service.
The theme of the conference is called, "Making History." While at the same time there is a special service to honor my father-n-law, Dale Yerton, for his 40 years of ministry to Mexico.
Here is what I feel in my heart to share.

The Difference
I've always looked at my relationship with Dale as a Paul/Timothy relationship. He truly is more than just a spiritual father; however, it was when we were ministering in Peru together that the Pastor introduced us as "Moses and Joshua."
That phrase has echoed in my ears.

What could I say to a group of pastors who many have served for years in their churches, some just starting out?
What words do I pen to drive home the theme, "Making History"?

I've chosen to look at two major time frames in the life of Moses. When it comes to making history, Moses sure does take the top of the list. But the thing that I want to point is when he was first "called into ministry" and when he "exits the ministry."

Think about this: Moses was the first person ever called into full-time vocational ministry.

Many people up to this point loved God, lived for God, did great things for God; however Moses was the first who had the responsibility to "pastor" people.

Question: What will be the difference between you making history and watching history being made?

The Beginning
When called by God Moses gives five excuses or reasons why he can't be the one. We all do this. Each time God gives Moses the answer. I'll paraphrase, you can find this in Exodus 3 and 4.
1. Moses, Who am I?
God, You're the one I'm with.
2. Moses, Who are you?
God, I AM, so don't worry about it.
3. Moses, What if they don't believe.
God, I turn dead things alive, I'm not worried about unbelief.
4. Moses, I'm not adequate for the job.
God, are you saying I make poor choices?
5. Moses, Is there anyone else you could send?
God, I know the value of relationships, I'll give you a helper.

In the midst of all this, God asks Moses a question, "What is in your hand?" Moses responds, "a rod." After this God does a miracle.
Two things about this. 1. When God asks a question its not because He doesn't know the answer, and 2. God never does a miracle to "show off."

The rod represented 3 things about Moses: his identity, his income and his influence. It's as if God is saying, "Moses as long as you hold on to that which is in your hand it will remain dead, but if you give me your identity, your influence, your income, I'll make that thing that is dead, become alive."
It was after this Moses's staff is forever called, "The Rod of God."

The Difference? Will you hold on or will you give over?

The End
There is so much I write about this but I want to keep it short, so here I try. This happens in Numbers 27:12.
God tells Moses, "your purpose in live will be completed, even though you won't get to go into the promise land, your people will. You're going to die here, they will enter the land."
Point---When a man of God dies, the plans of God do not.
We all leave some day. It may be by death, resignation, firing, etc. The plans of God will continue after we're gone. So who (to pastors) are you going to hand the torch to?

Moses only has two requests, (found in verse 16-17) 1. God you decide who it should be. It's amazing that Moses didn't bring a list and say, "here are some that I've been looking at, what do you think?" He simply says, "God whoever you want, I want." 2. "Let him be a person with the people." Someone who is a people person, good with people, someone who doesn't shy away from being there in the midst of the people." It's not to say that administration skills or teaching, preaching skills aren't needed but it's not the main thing.
God tells him it will be, Joshua.

Why Joshua? What's the difference between Joshua and anyone else. Up to this point only two were qualified, Caleb and Joshua. (ten spy ordeal) But we see that it was Joshua that served Moses from his youth. Joshua knew the heart of Moses and had been with Moses as an armor bearer. I think this has great significance in the Kingdom.
I think it's the difference worth paying attention to.



Footnote: This is in my heart, I see it in scripture, I think it's one of the greatest mistakes we as leaders/pastors and young leaders make. There is a difference between success and significance. Pastors you must think beyond your years. I thank God for Willy George in waking up a church in the 90's with the understanding of "turning the hearts of the father to the children" youth movement. But it must not end there. We need some spiritual fathers turning their heart to some spiritual sons and let God pick who its going to be after you're gone.

For those of you who know me, you know I enter a lot of "youtube" video contest. I got a rude awakening with one of the contest. In the detail entry it said, "if you're old, you can't enter." I laughed and clicked on it, to discover no one over the age of 25 was allowed to enter. Now I'm 33 and not old, but you know what? Yea! Probably some truth in there.

If you're a Pastor in your 30's, now is the time to start fathering as many as you can.
If you're a Pastor in your 40's, it's not to late, but you do have one day less than you did yesterday!
If you're in your 50's, and your not fathering, shame on you because you're not seeing the big picture. You think you're in your prime, and you're not. (don't confuse prime with relevant)
If you're in your 60's and your just starting the process----you're probably just looking for someone to keep doing what you did. Keep everyone happy, don't rock the boat, after all you've been successful---keep the success going, right? Nope, here's a truth, your predecessor will most always be different than you. (and that's good)
Past this, you should be enjoying watching your sons and grandsons in the church lead.

(ok, think I've offended everyone with the above, so I'm done now)

Ummmm.....

I admit it.
I'm terrible at blogging.


My wife Lora, is awesome at blogging. She works hard at it. Reads and leaves comments on most of the ones she follows.
It's almost a full time job.


I keep up with several blogs, and try to be faithful in reading them. Commenting is another thing.
Some of the blogs I follow post every other day or so.
Some post daily!


I admire them all.
Me? I just post when I've got something worth saying.
And to be honest that's the scary thing about wanting to plant a church.
There's a part of me that thinks; "how in the world am I gonna come up with a message every week?" Clearly there are thousands of Pastors who do it and have done it for many, many years. I've spent eight years in ministry preaching weekly. Five of those eighty speaking about three times a week.
And there is my concern. I've been guilty of information overload.

I've often said, "the way pews got their name in church is by people sitting in them and soaking and then souring----pew!"
I look at things in life and think, "what things did you hear about the first time and got it, and started doing it right then?"--Honestly, not too many.
There's got to be a different way to "do" church in a way that reflects the personality of the leader. Right? Does every church have to be the same four song line up, shake hands, offering, preach, go home, repeat a few more times schedule?
I'm not calling for a church revolution....I'm simply asking, does a person have to fit that mold to become a pastor?
Discipleship is a process. One that I personally think can be done in a different way than what has been patterned for years. One I hope to be able to articulate the closer I get to launching a new church.
When? I don't know.
Where? I don't know.
But as God gives clear direction to His will, I do know this, it will be worth blogging about.

Sailing Again Vlog

Small Groups

Website

Well, Ive been working on getting a website up and running and finally got it launched today.

Check it out. You should be able to click the picture below. If not, it's www.vincefarrell.com

Blessings!!!

Camps, Retreats and Summer Oh, My!

I've spoken with many Youth pastors and Pastors on the subject of "summer camp."

The responses are quite mixed, they range from;

Love to go to camp, it's great for the teens.

Camps are a necessary evil.

Got to keep teens busy.

Summer camp, ahhh!!!

Honestly, we've probably dealt with ALL of those feelings at one time or another.

I've always viewed camp as a great time to take teens away and get them exposed to something bigger than the local church while at the same time forming bonds with the teens. Regardless of your feelings about this time of year, allow me to share some thoughts on the subject.

I have the honor to speak at a camp this summer and then turn around and take a group of teens from a church to another camp.

Back to Back.

I've been doing some praying and research about camp and here's what I've discovered.

In a survey of over a 100 teens, a simple question was asked, "have you ever made a decision at a camp to make Jesus Lord of your life and has that still held true today?"

7 out of 10 said yes! The actual stat is 71% of teens asked said, they made a commitment to follow Christ and are still doing so.

Wow! What a return on an investment!

Here's another tidbit of info, several youth pastors got together and came up with 11 different things they thought teens would like at a camp. They then gave the list to those teens and asked them to rank the top 3 that was most important to them at camp. (I've added a pic below for total view)

42% said "More in-depth exploration of God"

41% said "Building deeper friendships"

Wow! Now think about this; Jesus gave us the two greatest commandments: love God with all that is within us and love people in the same way. Seems that camp is a great tool to help teens foster that type of mentality.

Now here is the final thought about these and many more findings.

It really doesn't matter if it's a small camp or large camp. What does matter is putting everything into the planning stage and execution to making it the best camp you can on whatever budget you have to work with.

No one likes cheesy (ok, some people do, it's why there are books dedicated to poking fun of church marquee signs---I have two books, they're great.....they give my purpose strength!!)

Teens don't like cheesy, but they hate fake more!

Cheesy can be tolerated, but if it's not real, they'll check out in a heartbeat.

This summer ask God to give you fresh vision for your teens, ideas for the camp experience to make their experience with God real and with others, loving.

Controlled Chaos

One of the things I'd try to make sure we had in our youth ministries was a little element called "controlled chaos."
Let's face it, teens just want to have fun. Guys too.
I believe that if you can have a time in every service for a little controlled chaos, then great things could happen.
Whether it be a group activity, silly game, gross contest, controlled chaos is something to get teens up and having fun. It helps create an atmosphere for good things to happen.

In the movie "The Dark Knight" there is a scene where "The Joker" is having some one-on-one time with Harvey Dent in the hospital. He makes a statement, "Introduce a little anarchy, upset the established order, and everything becomes chaos...I'm an agent of chaos. Oh and you know the thing about chaos...it's fair."
A little over the top? Yes! However, there is a lot of truth (I believe) to it.

Think about this.
When it comes to the most meaningful relationships in your life; spouse, family, friends, God-- would you say that you have a real in depth relationship with them or are they more on the surface? The truth be told, it's easy for the best relationships we have to quickly fall into a pseudo style relationship.

So how do we keep those relationships real, instead of slipping into surface acquaintances?
Introduce a little chaos.

Bill Hybles calls it, "The Tunnel of Chaos" and Mike Yaconelli gives detail in his book "Messy Spiritually" that if you want to really grow then you've got to go through this stage in your relationships.
A level of chaos has to be introduced! You've got to come to a place where you can look at each other and say, "if we're going to move from a pseudo relationship to a real in depth meaningful relationship then we've got to allow each others messiness to get on us."

Real openness.
Real transparency.
Real arguments.
Real love.
Real forgiveness.
Real accountability.

Upset the established order to your surface relationships, introduce a little controlled chaos and watch great things happen.

God is in the Whirlwind

Well, it's been a while since my last "real" post.
The last few weeks have been a whirlwind; with me traveling and ministering, as well as, moving.

Tuesday I went to go pick up the 16' truck that I reserved for moving.
When I got there they informed me that they don't have a 16' and will have to wait till the afternoon to get one. I explained that simply won't work and long story short, they hooked me up with a 22' truck for $100 less than what I originally was going to pay for the 16" truck!
God is Good!

Before getting home on Monday I spent the weekend ministering at The River Church in Nortonville Kentucky. I so enjoyed getting to know more members of the body of Christ and we had an excellent time together.

By the end of Sunday I will have logged two days worth of driving in the last five days!
Tuesday: Load truck and drive to Arkansas, then unload.
Wednesday: Drive to Alabama and load truck.
Thursday: Drive to Arkansas and unload.
Friday: Drive to Alabama and load truck again.
Saturday: Drive to Arkansas and unload.
Sunday: Drive back to Alabama and return truck to rental store.
Whew!!!!
Yep, crazy.

Then I'm taking the family to Gulf Shores for some rest and relaxation before we sign papers on June 1st and head to Arkansas for the next leg of the journey.
I'm gonna stay behind a few days and tie up some loose ends and then I have the honor of speaking at Elevate Youth at First Assembly on Wednesday, June 3rd.

Well that's a peek into my life for the next few weeks, I hope to keep in better touch through the wonderful media of Facebook.
Blessings!!

Wet Fleece

We listed our house last fall, "For Sale By Owner", it stayed for sale for over four months.
Thinking the time must not be right, we took it off the market.
Well, time passed and we decided to list it again, this time with a realtor.
We put it up at the beginning of March.
The last week of April my wife and I attended the annual Worldwide Missionary Evangelism (WME) conference at our home church in Arkansas.

During the last night of the conference, Larry Jones, spoke a simple and practical message.
At the alter I prayed and simply said to God, "I'm finally at peace doing what I feel you directing me to do, but I sure could use some wet fleece here."---That was on Friday night.

Monday morning our realtor called to tell us the house had sold!
That afternoon we went looking for a place to rent. We looked at a house that a friend had open; it was nice and the offer was very gracious but we wanted to explore all of our options so we called, Pat Saterfield, our realtor who sold our house in Arkansas three years ago.
She informed us that she didn't deal with rentals but she had a client who needed to move his house and would possibly be open to a lease to own plan.
After seeing the house, it was perfect for our needs. We made some phone calls back and forth to the owner and long story short, we sign next week for the price we needed. He's taking a loss on it, but told us he'd rather take a small loss each month rather than a huge loss with it sitting there empty.

Where to go, check.
What to do, check.
Time frame that only God could set up, check.
The fleece, wet.

It would appear that God still answers prayers.

Concerning Starting Over Post

I figured the best way to respond to every one's comments was to post this.....

Thank you all. It has been a good day. Your words of encouragement and understanding have been very helpful in easing the emotions for this new endeavor.
I believe that having faith in God to take the next step does not mean an absence of fear, faith is still trusting God to work in you even when the peace has not caught up with your steps of obedience.
I will defiantly continue to blog about these new steps and would greatly appreciate any referrals, to ministers you know, about speaking at churches or whatever. This will be our main source of income for the upcoming year while the new work is birthed.

I'll start VERY soon on giving you an update about what's going on.
There is already some good things starting to develop.

Blessings,
Vince

farrelldesign@yahoo.com

The Power of One

When I was in the ninth grade, I heard a message called "The Power of One."
It focused on the contrast between two men. Adam and Jesus; found in Romans 5:12-17
The phrase "by one man" has stuck with me to this day.

By one man, sin entered the world.
By one man, salvation has come.
The power of one.

I had a most wonderful experience brought to me through the use of Facebook.
A young lady who was a year behind me in school took the time to find me on Facebook and send me a message. I'm deeply honored that she would do this, and I want to share it to encourage you in the same power that it encouraged me. The Power of One.

I have changed the name out of respect, it reads:
Hey, my name is Meg and we were at Southside together. You are a year above my graduating year...anyway. I just wanted to let you know that you made a huge impact in my life your Sr year. I accepted Christ at a See You At The Pole meeting that you were leading. Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you for being so on fire for God back then. I have now been faithfully serving God for about 14 years. Thanks for making a difference in the lives of those around you. God Bless.

To those who wonder is it worth it, to those who can't see past today. For those of you that were in one of the two youth ministries I had the privilege of pastoring, to those who heard me say time and time again, "if you fall, get back up and dust the dirt off and keep going. It's true.

Don't give up.
See past today.
Display grace in your actions.
Don't hold grudges.
Forgive.
Reach out.
Don't gossip.
Help others.
Encourage those who need it.
Love without expecting anything in return.

The power of one.
By one man sin entered the world.
By one man salvation came.
What type of person will you be?

You be the type of person who makes a difference.
To make a difference, you have to do things differently. Christianity today needs to look different than it does right now. For me, I'm going to be known for "what things I'm for" rather than "what things I'm against."

The power of one.
Will you join me?

Inside Out

The Church.
It meets every week in a building.
It's encouraged to happen outside a building every week.

A few weeks ago, on the side of the road was a car in need of some jumper cables. I paused for a moment thinking like we all do, “I’ll be late for my meeting.” I texted my contact and decided to be late for the meeting, moments later the car was back on its way.

The Church happens everywhere.

I had the wonderful opportunity to speak at a church about a month ago where I gave an invitation for people to follow Christ. In the altar were people whose lives were being changed and hearts connected with God.

The Church happens everywhere.

Lately, a fantastic young man has opened his life to me and we’ve been having some great heart to heart talks. The openness and transparency he has displayed to me is quite an honor. I’ve had the opportunity to speak into his life and share some Biblical insight and help connect the dots between everyday living and biblical application.

The Church happens everywhere.

After speaking at a youth gathering, a parent came up to me afterwards and shared some struggles she and her husband have been going through in this rough economic time. She has been wrestling with some profound issues. Being able to speak life and encouragement and pray with her was one of the highlights of the evening. I could see the peace of God come into her life and her situation.

The Church happens everywhere.

My wife and I lead a small group of believers that is composed of people from several churches. When a couple in the group showed up with an important need, the group answered the call. When almost half of our group was affected with job loss, we all chipped in to make car payments, buy groceries, and do whatever we could for each other. A loving, passionate, giving community of believers.

The Church happens everywhere.

A few days ago, I received an email from a Youth Pastor in Dallas. I've never met the man and honestly have no idea how he got my contact information. In the email his heart called out for guidiance and a deep desire to connect with someone who could help him fulfill the call that God has put in his life. He is one of several I've had the awesome privilege of connecting with and getting to step into a new type of relationship with fellow members of the body.

The Church happens everywhere.


In the everyday experiences of life, if you look for it, church happens everywhere.
Many times the issue is we only see church in one location: a building; the reality is Jesus spent more time outside of the building and more time building the Church.

I encourage you to live your life with soul saving love.
Outside of the building and in the place where opportunities are everywhere.

Mugged at Knife Point

Ever notice when you buy a vehicle, you all of a sudden notice how many cars like yours are on the road?

You never notice them until you have one of your own.
All of a sudden they're everywhere.
The reality is, those cars were always on the road, the difference is YOU are now aware of them because YOU now have one.

I think the same applies to different areas of our lives.
Here lately it seems just about everyone I bump into has experienced great levels of pain or have been let down by people and organizations that were supposed to help and protect them.

Something my friend Steven and I share is a great love for music and the messages that come out of it. Several months ago when listening to one of my favorite songs the words jumped out and hit me like a ton of bricks. In the midst of singing them in my truck (by myself, because I'm not allowed to sing where people can hear me) I stopped and said, "Yes, that's true! Thank you God for allowing it to happen to me!!!"

They say, "I just wanna' get mugged at knife point, cut deep enough to wake me up, cause I know I don't want to die, sitting around watching my life pass me by....." Reliant K- This Weeks The Trend

I know what you're thinking....."that's sick!" I would think the same thing, too, if I hadn't gone through what I've gone through.
Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't wish the situation my family has gone through on anyone, nor what countless others have gone through.
Craig Groeschel calls it,"the private pain before public gain" stage.
But I will be the first to say that it's been the "mugged at knife point" situation where scriptures come alive and are proven true.

I truly thank God for allowing the mugging to happen to me.
It doesn't make it any more right.
It doesn't excuse people's actions.
It's just that I am no longer waiting for God's judgement on them.
I pray they are blessed in all they do and that God would withhold His wrath on them.
Why?
Because, I've woken up!
I realize I was dead in the place I was.
In the church where I was.
In the organization where I was.
In the accomplishments I had achieved.
While "doing ministry", while "doing church", while "doing stuff'" I was like so many countless others: watching life pass by.

But now I can see, hear, feel, taste and smell things that others can't because of what I've experienced. Bill Hybels calls it, "The Popeye Moment."
I can relate far better to those who are sick of church and Christians than I ever could before. The truth be told, in the past when I heard someone bad-mouth church or say the church is full of hypocrites, I'd simply write them off as someone who didn't "truly" know or had experienced a good church. Or I would argue with them that what they were saying was in their own mind and really had no clout.
Now, I'm more understanding, more compassionate. I listen more as my heart cries, like Popeye, "I've had all me can stands and me can't stands no more!"

See now I can honestly say, "I know what I'm called to do."
I'm more focused with more clarity and courage than I've had in the last eight years.

I encourage you, if you've been "cut" or "mugged" from the very ones who were supposed to put a robe on your back, a ring on your finger and sandals on your feet; first, allow God to do an amazing work in your life where you can honestly forgive them and release them (because honestly they don't even know what they've done to you...on some level they believe what they've done is 100% right, so there's no need harboring bitterness towards people who think they're right....trust me). Secondly, see it as an opportunity to start living in the fullness of what God created you for.

Yes, it's painful. It's not easy, but if it were easy then the world would be filled with better Christians instead of bitter ones.

So be different.

Be the type of Christian the world needs to know.