What's been going on in my world...

So I've been asked to update my blog so I thought I would do so by updating you all on my life.

First, my wife and I just recently celebrated our "8 Year" anniversary in Natchitoches, LA at the Judge Porter House Bed and Breakfast. When I read Proverbs 31 and Titus 2, I think of my wife Jodi. I couldn't have asked for a better "help mate" to partner with me in our family mission and ministry to the Kingdom of God. I love you Jodi!

Secondly, I've been spending allot of time studying two things in God's word.
1. The family and roles-Although so much of our culture has influenced and blended in to what we as Christians believe and practice the Bible is crystal clear on what the role of a man, woman, husband, wife, and children are to play out. As counter culture (even in the church world) as it is, I am more determined than ever to go by God's game plan. My family's spiritual heritage depends on it!

2. This "love thing". Pastor's messages have been hitting me square in the mouth. This is something God had dealt with me about in my early 20's and now has gone "full circle" to "see if I'm up to par". I realize how immature my love (the way God defines it is) still is and how much growth I have to see happen! I'm not interested in seeing where I am when I compare myself to others. In doing that, I may become proud thinking I am "so far ahead of some" and may also think "I'm so far behind others" so I don't do that. What I do compare myself to is God's word and in doing that, I know I have much more to go.

Thirdly, A lot of what Jodi and I do (especially Jodi) ministry wise, is done at our home. I mentor a couple of young men each hunting season. Jodi does SOOOO many things behind the scenes that will never get praise from men but will one day get praise from God. She is storing up "so many treasures in heaven" by her self-less serving of others and pouring into the lives of our daughters and other young ladies/women. I honestly believe these boys rather come to my house for Jodi's service and home cooking rather than to hear me teach God's word and take them deer hunting! But, we are a team and we work together although we play separate roles. We had Danny and Kyle Phillips out this Saturday evening. We watched some LSU Football, ate some summer, gathered the boys and my girls up for a time of Bible reading and prayer, then off to the woods we went with our bows!

Tonight, I get to spend time with my girls while Jodi gets a much deserved "mom's night out" with some of her sisters in the Lord! I love spending time with the two most precious souls God has entrusted to me-my daughters.

I love what God has called me and my family to do. It is such a privilege to work in the Kingdom of God. Thank you Jesus for calling me to be a slave to such a wonderful master as yourself. I love you.

Beck

Getting close...Grand Re-Opening!

When Pastor and Vicki O'Neal came to what was then, "Claiborne Church of God", in August of 1977, attendance at Sunday services were 50 people. Now, the situation has changed drastically! "Pastor O" has consistently and faithfully preached the Kingdom of God and the vision of "biblically functioning families" for over 32 years! God has truly placed his hand on this place! I think the best opportunity I have in passing the faith to my children and grandchildren are right here at 320 Laird Street!

This Sunday, we are entering into a new chapter of Family Church with our newly renovated worship center. The building campaign has been titled, "Generations" because we want parents and grandparents to pass the faith to the next generation!

What an exciting time this is! We will have the ribbon cutting at 9:15 and worship will begin at 10 A.M.!

Enjoy some pics of the outside! Inside pics are a surprise!

Weekend at a glance...

We had our 3rd Annual "Moving on Up" Family Orientation this Saturday at the R.D.F.C. This is where we host the families of upcoming 6th graders into our student ministry, feed them, and spend the evening casting vision! We have some GREAT families moving up! Our first service for the new semester will be this Wednesday at 7 P.M. We just installed all new sound in the youth room and we are pumped about Wednesday's worship service!

Yesterday after church, the girls and I had lunch with Danny and Kyle Phillips. These two young men have a special place in our hearts ever since we started having them in our home a year ago for our youth hunting mentoring program. We worked over 4 hours in the 100 degree heat putting up bow stands, chasing wasps out of box stands, and putting out deer corn! A little (or a lot) of work will pay off come fall when these boys are watching deer!

One of Jodi's "heros of the faith" is Ruth Bell Graham. Let me just say she is much more closer to being a "Ruth" than I am a "Billy". Anyways, Billy Graham said he and Ruth were a "team" and her way of contributing was to spend her time pouring into raising their kids so that it would allow Billy to travel and preach the gospel.If she wouldn't have done that then he wouldn't have been able to "go". And if he wouldn't have "gone" then people wouldn't have been "reached." She played as much apart of his ministry than he did. She never spoke, never was much on being "out front", just did her God called duties faithfully. She had a heart "for the lost" and although she never preached a message to the lost in front of thousands of people she was "reaching the lost" by freeing Billy to do what God had called him to do. Although I am able to stay near my family I still feel I am able to "go" because of the freedom Jodi gives me. Although a very outgoing woman she never wants to be in front of the crowds and her ministry so, so very often is done "behind the scenes". It is her contributing to the ministry God has called us to both in the home and in the church. So many times we think "ministry" is done AT the church but it is not limited to that one place. Ministry is done with the people who make up the church.

After the boys and I came in she spent the next few hours cooking supper and serving those boys as if they were her own. While she was busy doing that, my daughter Gracen was right along side of her serving as well. Two lessons here: Ministering to the boys while teaching OUR girls about ministry. We as a family where all ministering together as a "team" although we all played different roles and parts in that effort.

I love you Jodi and I thank God for you! I see you working so hard to pour into the lives of our girls and staying busy brining the presence of God into our home. Thank you for all the time you have spent over lunches, etc. pouring into the hearts of young teens and moms. Thank you for never complaining and working alongside me in ministry. As a team we can build our family while striving to head down the journey towards full-devotion with other families.

I am blessed...

Family, Friends, and Foreigners!

This week my family and I are housesitting at the home of Michael and LaTonya Lewis. We are also housing my brother-in-law and also Juan Karlos from Guatemala. I met Juan a few years ago while on a mission trip to Guate. This time around, we get to take care of him! He will be attending Christ for the Nations this fall!

The last few days as well as the remainder of this week will not be a slow one.Saturday evening we had several families over to eat and play some volleyball! Sunday the pretty wife took her little group of small group girls to the movies while I took the bro-in-law to the family clinic! (chrone disease).

Last night we had a wonderful time fellowshiping with some wonderful friends-Fritz and Sarah Niswanger. Today Jodi went on a movie date with the girls and another family while this afternoon she had some women folk over from our small group! Tonight, we ate wonderful home cooked meal. I will spend time with my girls while Jodi heads to her ladies night bible study with our small group.

Tomorrow Jodi will spend her day pouring into the lives of the two most important girls she will ever pour into-her daughters. Pouring into the offspring God has given us and making heart connections with them us a must! We are excited about our last youth summer gathering that will take place tomorrow night at the West home. Josh Taylor and our youth workers have done a GREAT job this summer putting these together! I can't wait for our first service back in a few weeks! I feel like a bull that has been locked in his cage! I'm ready to get my preach on!

Thursday night we will be having supper at the home of another special family-Richared and Angie Richardson. Lee Taylor and his wife Rachel will be there as well so this ought to be a great time of fellowship!

Okay, wheew!!!

Friday is my Sabbath so I will be resting in the Lord all day!

I am so thankful that God has filled our lives with family, friends, and a foreigner!

I'm in a hurry

Let me ask you a question. When was the last time you sat down as a family and ate a meal around your kitchen table? Let me ask you another question. How often do you or do you not do that as a family?

I can remember as a kid waking up almost EVERY single morning to a sit down meal together as a family and then doing the same when dinner rolled around. Sadly, that doesn't happen too often these days. Why? Because our society is one of fast pace and it is a train "blowing and going." Families are usually swinging by McDonalds or Sonic "fastfoods" because that caters to our lifestyle-fast. Now, we stay as busy as the next person and ministry never stops so I'm not condemning families that swing through the fast food line every here and now-we do that. What I am saying is that it takes a family being intentional enough to stop the madness, slow down, and enjoy each other. What's wrong with swinging by and grabbing a burger every night? Well, there is something very spiritual about sitting down and eating a meal together. The Bible is FULL of that. So much conversation can go on around the dinner table at HOME. Also, it is great for a mother/daughter or family to cook the meal themselves. I love coming home and seeing Jodi and Gracen in the kitchen together. Why? Again, so much conversation and relationships can happen when families do just that. To see them building a mother/daughter relationship and Jodi teaching her things she will need to know to take care of her family the rest of her life makes my heart glad!

The country group, "Alabama", sang a song years ago entitled, "I'm in A Hurry". Some of the lyrics go:

"I'm in a hurry to get things done
(oh,) I rush and rush until life's no fun
All I really gotta do is live and die
But, I'm in a hurry and don't know why

I hear a voice
It says I'm running behind
I better pick up the pace
It's a race and there ain't no room for someone in 2nd place

Throughout the rest of the summer, slow down and enjoy each other!

Beck

Family Trip Wrap-up!

What a wonderful week of community we had on our Family Church Beach Trip! Connections with family and friends alllllllll week! We headed back Saturday morning and one of our families vechile broke down in Hattisburg, MS. Within minutes we had Family Church vehicles pulling in from all directions coming to the rescue! It is wonderful to see the body of Christ pull together to help a family in need!

Family Church Beach Trip (Wed. Night)

What a great time we had yesterday evning. "Grillin and Chillin", Worship on the beach at sunset, and a family crab hunt afterwards! We had a few families and a group of teenagers head on up to the room for some "Kimps and Kapades" (fun card game). We munched on some cookies, watermelons, and coffee until midnight! FUN! FUN! FUN! I love what i get to do!

Beck

Family Church Beach Trip!

It's Wednesday afternoon and everyone is having a BLAST!!! A little oil showed up this morning on the shores but Family Church isn't allowing that to stop us from having fun and connecting with each other! This afternoon we are having some family games with teens and parents! This outta be interesting because we have some very competitive families!

Chillin in the condo with the girls so momma could go down to the beach and catch some sun! You know your at the beach when your 3 year old wakes you up in the middle of the night saying, "Daddy, there is a seagull in my bed!". Fun!

Family Church Trip Fun!

So after church Sunday we grabbed a quick bite to go and we were off to the races! The Collies caravaned with us since we all have young children (which means we stop alot). We arrived and ate at the "Barrel" then unloaded at the condo. The lady folks went off to Wal-Mart to do the grocery shopping and us boys watched the kids and tried to find the local Outdoor Channel.

Yesterday families got settled and chilled at the beach. Families arrived most parts of the day and just got settled. We had the Calhoun's over last night for a killer supper then a card game afterwards.

Today we have hung out again at the beach and played some volleyball. My kids are loving the beach and my wife is "Super Woman" taking care of all the so many things that moms take care over. Thank you Jodi!

I love my Family Church Family!

Orangeology

Jodi and I are in Atlanta, Georgia at the 2010 Orange Conference with about 4, 000 other Pastors, Youth Pastors, Family Pastors, Etc. What happens when you blend Family (yellow) and Church (Red)? You get Orange! Enjoying some great speakers like Doug Fields, Mark Batterson, "Rev. Run" (the Old Run DMC), and others! Just got through putting down some PF Changs and topping it off with a Starbucks coffee!

Haman in tha House!

We had some cajun style preachin up here in northeast la these past few days. Pastor Mike Haman of Healing Place Church shared with the students of C.C.S. during a spiritual emphasis week!

Last night we packed the house in E3 Student Ministry as Mike brought a strong word on forgiveness. We were all certainly blessed by the ministry of Mike Haman and were privilidged that he made time for us this week!

Thanks Mike!

Spring Fling!

Even with baseball season in full-swing we have over 70 students and families show up at the Lewis home this past Saturday. Instead of having parents drop their teens off we encouraged them to stay! We desire to help bring families together! The Lewis' are such great hostesses! It was a great afternoon!

White in my yard!

I woke up last Friday morning and thought I had awaken in Saschatchawan! Friday's are my days off so I enjoyed it with the family! Here are a few pics!

Through His Eyes

My wife Jodi and friend Alicia Hinton have a blog entitled, "Through His Eyes", that you can view by going to www.ajimages.blogspot.com

These two girls are super talented, creative, and take FANTASTIC pictures!

Check it out!

Beck

Around midnight

In Acts 16 we read that Paul and Silas were beaten and thrown into prison. What led up to their imprisonment was Paul casting a demon out of a slave girl that was a fortune-teller who earned a lot of money for her masters. So in verse 24 we read that the jailer had Paul and Silas put into the inner dungeon where their feet were clamped into the stocks. Simply put, these boys were in a dark situation and weren't going anywhere! Now these guys weren't in prison because of some foolish decision they had made. No, they were here for advancing the Kingdom of God and coming against darkness! They were here by doing good to a young woman who was possesed by the enemy of her soul!

What amazes me is verse 25 which says, "Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening." There are a few things that really stand out to me.

#1 It was around midnight.
-It was dark and they were in no situation that any of us (at least our flesh)would want to be in.

#2 They prayed.
-Even though they were in a dark situation they believed God. They stood fast and trusted in the one that could/would deliver them.

#3 They sang hymns.
-They could have mumbled and complained but instead-they sang!

#4 The other prisoners were listening!
-The other prisoners were listening to what the men of God would say. Would they hear them doubting the God they said they believed in or would they hear the voice of faith and praise?

You may find yourself in a "midnight" time, hour, or place in your life. I would encourage you to let their be a song of praise on your heart and lips! I would encourage you to stay on your knees praying and believing! Lastly, there are people around you watching and listening to how you will respond to the dark hour in your life! What will they hear? What will they see!

Oh yea, by the way God showed up and delivered Paul and Silas!

Renovations, Additions, and Services in the Gym!

Below are some pictures of the renovations taking place across the street in our old santuary. It will be completely renovated/remodeled along with additional seating, lobby area, etc.

This past Sunday was our second service in the gym that was totally transformed so we could hold services there for the next 7-8 months! People were blown away at how well it looked! We have had two of our largest attendances the past year just in these past two weeks in the gym! We are having to order an additional 100 chairs! Praise the Lord!

Generations Underway!

It's been almost two years now since that "First Fruits" Sunday where over $600,000 was recieved to begin a two year "Generations Building Campaign". Two years later, this Sunday, will be our last Sunday service in our existing Sanctuary! A week from now we will begin our complete renovation of our parking lot, sanctuary, and many other things. I'm sitting here in my office and can hear the construction taking place in the gym now, that will be our temporary worship center for the next 8 months or so while construction is going on across the street. I am so excited about the future of Family Church! We praise God for the giving that has continued the past two years to get us where we are today. Praise God for people's willingness to hear God and to continue to be faithful until we see this take place!

For video footage go to www.familychurch.org, click on "church information, and there you will see "Generations".

Pray for us as we enter this new phase at Family Church!

Celebrating Ten Years of Scrooge

Family Church's big gift to the community each year is the presentation of the "Gospel According to Scrooge". This takes months of planning, LOTS of money, sacrifice, and dedication from the people. We invite the community, free of charge, to come view this powerful presentation for two weeks here at 320 Laird Street. This year we had over 8,000 attendees come and view how the life-changing power of Christ can transform a person! We have already had so many wonderful testimonies from people within the community that was touched through "Scrooge".

Thanks Arvil and Cheryl for doing such a great job leading this each year!

Scrooge!

I'm sitting here in my office waiting to walk across the street for the second night of "The Gospel According to Scrooge". If you haven't seen this yet then you need to go to www.familychurch.org and get your tickets! General Admission is free and Reserved Seating is only $10.00! Invite family, a friend, a co-worker and come hear the life-changing message of Christ!

Youth Deer Hunt

We had three of our youth and the chariman of our deacon board come out to the house this past Saturday for a deer hunt. Richard Richardson Jr. took Taylor Moore on his very first deer hunt ever. Richard and Taylor saw a total of seven deer (two bucks) but couldn't quite pin one down. I took Danny and Kyle Phillips with me to two of my other stands. Kyle saw a doe about 30 yards off but got by him. Danny's time came with only about ten more minutes until we had to get down to head to the house for a big breakfast. Danny took a shot at a spike that was about 100 yards away at about 9:15 A.M. We went down and saw no sign of blood. We met up with the other boys and headed to the house for a big breakfast Jodi had prepared. Bacon, biscuits, sausage, eggs, cheese grits, orange juice, coffee, and I'm making my self hungry all over again! We broke bread and read out of James chapter 1 about how we deal with difficult times in our lives. We all saddled back up and headed to the woods in search for Danny's deer. When all hope seemed to be lost we came across the young buck and the smile on Danny's face was priceless! It was a great morning for a group of young men!