Colby and I are so excited to announce that we will be planting Elevate Church in Erie, PA in early 2012. For the past 4 years Colby has been working as the Lead Pastor of Epic at First Alliance Church. We are so thankful for all that God has done in our hearts and lives as we have had the opportunity to serve there. God has used this experience to develop the gifts and the vision He has placed in our heart to help us understand what it takes to plant a life-giving church that will reach people who are far from God.

In August of 2007, God placed a vision and passion in both of our hearts for the City of Erie and we have been planning and preparing ever since. “Elevate” comes from a passion to lift God up in our city and to reach the spiritually restless with the life-giving message of Jesus Christ. We believe that no matter where you are on the journey - God wants us all to take that next step and experience life on another level.

Our anticipated launch date is 2.12.12.

Pastor Appreciation Month

October is pastor appreciation month.

Have you *appreciated* your pastor?  (I have...wink, wink!)

Here is a link to a great post on 5 ways to appreciate your pastor.

I feel strange posting this as a pastor's wife but since this is our last week at Epic I thought it might be okay.  :)  My hope is that our friends and family who don't live in Erie will read this and think about their own pastors.  Whether you go to a huge church and your pastor doesn't even know your name or a small country church - - I'd put money on the fact that each of your pastors feels the same - - any type of encouragement would mean the world to them!   Think about dropping them a quick note and let them know that you are praying for them....  and then do it!!!

Weekly Bible verses

We're on week three and going strong!!

Wade and Jake have done great but it's Park that has surprised us all. One day we were practicing our verse in Colossians and Park kept chiming in. I had no idea that he was paying so much attention!

Here's a little video from a camera phone of all the boys before bed last night. I was trying to get a good one of them saying all the verses they've memorized so far. I have another 26,419 videos like this first one... pure craziness. The second one is of everyone finally behaving and Park filing in the blanks of Colossians 3:23.  Enjoy!

 

Not yet

After school today Wade casually told me to watch out because my phone is going to be ringing a lot soon. I asked why and he said it's because he gave his number to three girls today.

Then I found this in his book bag.

Um, sorry Lydia.  He won't be calling you.  He's in KINDERGARTEN.

We're home

I really, really, really dislike flying with my children.

I sweat.  

A lot.  

I have to plan ahead and wear layers so that I can strip down to a tank top.  

Strollers, toys, food, medicine, screaming kids, bathroom trips ~ you know the drill.  

Well, after our second flight down to Alabama within a month, I've decided that I hate flying without them even more.  Weird, I know.  But what if something were to happen?  Colby & I are on the same plane, together, I'm sure you know where I'm going with this.  And that thought just stresses me out.

So anyways, I've made a decision.   No more airplanes for me.  

So long friendly skies.

But guess what? We're home! We flew into Buffalo last night and pulled into our driveway around 1am. Our wonderful friends had our kids asleep in their beds here at the house and I crawled in and snuggled with each one of them. Sleeping children are just so precious. (and quiet!)  And Park? He was my favorite. I yanked him out of his crib, he woke up, and just laughed at us. Again and again, laughing. I have no idea why? Love him.

ARC 3.0 was an adventure. It was in a more laid back setting than 2.0 but definitely more intense! We received a call today that we have been approved to move on to 4.0 which is where we get into the nitty gritty on launching our specific church.

The details are coming together and I can't wait to share them with you. Our hearts are so full and overwhelmed that God would give us this vision and we feel privileged to be able to help carry it out!

Back to Birmingham

Tomorrow morning Colby & I leave to fly back to Birmingham.  We are partnering with a wonderful organization called the Association of Related Churches which was born out of Church of the Highlands.  ARC works with church planters, church leaders, and churches in transition to provide support, guidance and resources to launch and grow life-giving churches.

 

ARC 1.0 Basics:  Getting started

Understanding the correct model is crucial to have a dynamic, life-giving church.

ARC 2.0 Advance Training:  The big event

Discover everything practical on team building, fund raising, marketing, structures, communication and how to pull off a successful first service.

ARC 3.0 Opportunity Assessment:  Are you ready?

Make sure you're ready - your marriage, your vision, you plan.

ARC 4.0 In Action:  It's time to plant

Get everything in place to launch strong and large.

There are 4 steps that ARC takes you through while preparing you to plant a church. The first step was a series of DVD's that we watched and second was a 5 day intensive training course that we went to in Alabama. And now we are headed back to Birmingham for part three. This two-day assessment is ARC’s opportunity to get to know Colby & I and to evaluate our communication of the vision and values for our future church. They consider our calling, gifts, strengths and strategy.

Many thanks to our friends Eric & Shaina as they watch the boys while we are gone. We are so excited to be completing this process and partnering with ARC as we look to plant our new church here in Erie.

I'll post again when we are down south!!

Our heart

The unchurched.... people who have never had a meaningful relationship with God.

The dechurched.... people who were once active in a church - they may have grown up in the church or believed in God at some point, but they no longer consider themselves church people - in fact, some may no longer consider themselves Christians.

The spiritually restless... people who long for a deeper meaning for their life.

Do you see yourself in any of these categories??

These are the people who have our heart.

God has called us to start a church where we can reach out to these people, to serve them, and to meet them right where they are.  To be life-giving.

So here we go.

Two Trees

I’ve learned a new word recently.

Life-giving.

Even those of us who don’t have a church background probably know this story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden....

Then the Lord God planted a garden in Eden in the east, and there he placed the man he had made. The Lord God made all sorts of trees grow up from the ground—trees that were beautiful and that produced delicious fruit. In the middle of the garden he placed the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. But the Lord God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden—except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.” The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said,  ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’” “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”

Genesis 2:8-9, 15-16, 3:1-5

The crazy thing is that the choice offered to Eve is the same choice we are offered today.

The tree of the knowledge of good and evil is a legalistic, self-righteous mind-set. We can choose to live according to the knowledge of good and evil, maintaining a form of godliness that will ultimately leave us cold and dark. Does this mindset describe your personal experience with a lot of Christians or churches? If I were honest my answer would easily be YES.

Our other choice is to choose the tree of life. To breathe life – not rules or condemnation – into people. We know what is right and wrong when we are in the tree of life, but our attitude and expression of right and wrong are on a different level.

Sometimes we can jump between the two trees. Believe me – I know that it feels good to prove to someone how you are right and they are wrong. Yet even when we are technically right, we are achieving an empty victory at best. In other words we are right – dead right. And who wants to be that?

So… life-giving, my new phrase. I want to be life-giving. As a couple Colby and I want to be life-giving. As a family we want to be life-giving. And our deepest desire is to be a part of a church that is life-giving.

To be continued.......

Push

Today has been a big day.  One of those huge, life altering kind of days.

This morning Colby resigned from being the Lead Pastor at Epic.  We are beyond grateful for our time at Epic/First Alliance Church.  Our prayer is that God continues to work through the Epic service and move through those of you who faithfully attend.  We are asking God for big things for you guys!!

In 2005, months after Wade was born, we first felt God’s push on our lives.  Most people say that God “called” them into ministry…  he had to push us!   We had been volunteering at our church in Toledo – helping with the youth group and Colby was also singing on the worship team.  Within a month or so that church lost both its Youth Pastor and Worship Pastor.  Colby was offered both jobs…  Push #1.

In 2007, three months after being hired to be the Worship Pastor at Epic, God pushed again.  The weekend that we were permanently moving our belongings out of our home in Perrysburg , OH and into a rental in Erie, PA we found out that the Lead Pastor of our new church plant was resigning.  Colby stepped in and took on the role of Lead Pastor as well as Worship Pastor…  Push #2.

One thing that we have learned is that God's voice is loud, clear, and undeniable.   He's pushing us again and it is crazy exciting.

Push #3.

To be continued…….

Something new

Here is a picture of the newest part of our weekly routine.  In addition to their chores, the boys will be learning a Bible verse each week.  And by "boys", I mean all of us. :)

I hung up this chalkboard right in the middle of our kitchen and we start tomorrow!