three years that felt like less than one

While in my personal life I am still processing, very sadly, that Pastor Tim will not be a constant in my day to day life anymore, as a pastor, this is a moment of great joy for me. After three years, the Wheeless' are ready to take the next step in their journey to what is very obvious to everyone around here: Tim is called to pastor his own church. I wouldn't trade the last three years with him for anything. He has become a close friend, trusted confidant, source of personal sharpening, and fellow pastor at NEHBC. But, I also can't deny that the Lord has very clearly raised him up to pastor his own church. Tim is ready and one big way I know that is I can honestly say I'd be happy for him to be my family's pastor.

One last challenge lies in the way: churches usually don't call a Senior Pastor if he doesn't have a Masters of Divinity (MDiv) degree; more and more churches view it as a requirement. It is not a short degree--96 credit hours. So, Pastor Tim's options are to spend the next 5-7 years doing it part time or devoting himself to it full time and finishing in 3 years. When a man realizes he is called by God to pastor and he is ready in every other way except his formal education, he doesn't want to wait 7 years to begin shepherding a flock. So, the choice for the Wheeless' is pretty simple. They are doing exactly what Nicole and I would do if we were in their position.

In December, Pastor Tim and Sharon will wrap up a 3.5 year ministry at NEHBC and head off to school. I am confident they have learned all they can here. Pastor Tim is now an experienced preacher, vision caster, counselor, and leader. He is an MDiv away from beginning a highly successful pastorate. Our families have plans to squeeze in one last Thanksgiving Day together (it has become somewhat of a tradition), although we have plans to talk them into Thanksgiving 2012--Houston is much closer than Georgia, and then their time will soon draw to a close.

The loss of the working relationship is hard for me, but I'm looking forward to a lifelong friendship and watching what the Lord does with the Wheeless'. God is good.

Pastor Tim has shared about this on his blog also.

Blayne Owens Update

NEHBC's first apprentice-pastor (2009-2010), Blayne Owens, and his wife of nine months, Cari, spent the weekend with us and were in worship this morning. They are doing very well adjusting to marriage, living in Fort Worth, and getting through their undergraduate work as they steadily march on toward pastoring a church. The journey to a pastorate is long and challenging as the Lord sharpens and builds His man to the point he is ready to lead a flock. Blayne will graduate with his Bachelor's degree this May, 2012, and then begin his Master's degree at Southwestern Seminary (a three year process). It was great spending time with these great friends of ours. God is doing a great work in them.

Sunday morning recap

Well, this morning we had so much to cover in our worship services: the 9.11.01 segment, housekeeping, corporate singing, celebrating our 9 year anniversary as a church, recognizing Tom and Jennifer Thompson and their girls, skyping with Team London, preaching, the response time, and the offering. It was insane to have to cover all that ground and try to do justice to any of it. It is never dull at NEHBC, that's for sure. I really enjoy our church family's worship gatherings. I pray Jesus Christ was glorified.

A Tale of Two Reconciled Marriages and the Sufficiency of God's Word

Let me tell you about two stories of life change in Christ at NEHBC and then make a point:

Couple A is in their late 40s or early 50s. There was physical abuse. There was lots of dysfunction. There was extreme financial strain. There was stealing. There was separation. Today, through the teaching ministry of our church, the counseling ministry of our church, and buckets of unearned and undeserved love shown by our church family, there is repentance of sin, brokenness, a reconciled marriage, and steady progress down the road of recovery. Their personal testimony to me last night: "We have a long way to go, but because of the love of this church and the commitment to doing things how the bible says it should be done, we are back together and we are on the way to healing."

Couple B is in their 50s. There was alcoholism. There was unfaithfulness. There were lies and deceit. There was dysfunction. There were divorce proceedings. Today, they are back together through repentance and humility. Their testimony to me this past Monday: "We have work to do, but because this church never stopped loving us, but also never compromised what is right, we are back together."

All Scripture is God breathed and SUFFICIENT for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness. (2 Tim. 3:16). Do you believe that? God's Word, given the opportunity, can conquer anything going on in someone's heart. We do not have to add to His Word. We do not have to take away from His Word. We do not have to soften the blow of His Word. We do not have to spice up His Word. God's Word is completely sufficient as is to bring life change to anybody.

I'm telling you, our Glory to God vision works. When we are a living community of God (love each other biblically) that exists to make disciples (evangelism, bible teaching, and prayer) life change happens. NEHBC is an incubator inside of which life change through Jesus Christ happens.

Glory to God.

The Thompsons Are Here

We welcomed them in person in midweek worship last night, but I want to get the word out even more: Tom, Jennifer, Emma, Eliis, and Ella are here. They are members of NEHBC and missionaries to Estonia. They are here with us for two months. The Lord is going to use them to encourage us and exhort us to "Love the World" even more. I pray we are able to be an encouragement and blessing to them also. At the end of October, they will return to Estonia. If you want to have them over for dinner or coffee, email: assistant@nehbc.com.

Membership Gatherings

Nicole and I are LOVING the gatherings in our home. We are systematically and alphabetically inviting every NEHBC member over for coffee and cupcakes in groups of 20-40. It is so much fun. Because we are doing it alphabetically, the tenure of the members ranges from one week to nine years and the age of the members ranges from young adults to senior adults. This makes the gatherings rich and biblical. We are loving the interaction we are getting with everyone and we find ourselves looking forward to the next gathering as soon as one ends. If you haven't had your gathering yet, we can't wait to see you.

Hell Fighters Motorcycle Ministry

The chapter affiliated with NEHBC is up and running. They had a ride this past Saturday, passed out many tracts at NEHBC's Fall Festival last night, and this coming Saturday they will do street evangelism at the annual Lone Star Rally at Galveston. Glory to God.

Breakthrough

Tonight, 6:45-7:45, is Breakthrough, NEHBC's monthly prayer gathering. We are dedicating tonight's prayer hour to the elections taking place tomorrow. Join us as we pray for our nation.

Team Greece II in the starting blocks and ready to go

Tonight we had our final meeting before we go and we are ready. We are NEHBC' final mission trip of 2010. I am praying earnestly that the Lord of the harvest will do something supernatural through us. I believe we can plant a church there on this trip and frankly, I'll be disappointed if we don't. To be sure, the challenges will be great from limited time at ground zero to the language barrier to the ever lurking spirit of timidity and fear. A common factor among Christ followers used greatly in the New Testament is boldness. We are going to be bold. From a human perspective, the challenges are great, but in the power of Christ, starting a church is possible. Please pray that we do. Glory to God.

Center for Biblical Counseling

Just heard that tonight in a counseling session a lady accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior and she and her husband committed themselves to marriage God's way. Love it. We continue to see lives changed through NEHBC's counseling ministry.

Midweek worship service suspended

Don't forget that per the announcement in worship this past Sunday, due to our construction timeline, NEHBC's midweek worship service has been suspended for the rest of 2010. We will resume midweek worship in January, 2011. You can read about it here.

Incredible!

In His sovereignty, the Lord has given NEHBC a special relationship with a church in Missouri. Their pastor, Jeff Ferguson, has been the speaker for at least one NEHBC men's event and is a man I greatly admire. Previously, I've shared on my blog about how the Lord used NEHBC last year to inspire their church to take their first mission trip. Well, check this out. The Lord also used NEHBC to inspire them to have their first Sportsmen's Day. This past May, their pastor observed our Sportsmen's Day and then went back to his church where they planned one out for this past weekend. 50 people came to faith in Christ! Can you believe that? 50 more people in the family of God. I'm grateful for any role at all the Lord allows us to play in making His Name holy among the nations. Only heaven can tell the influence of NEHBC on the Kingdom of God.

Our New Associate Pastor to Adults: Pastor Greg Kingry and His Wife, Ellen

I am thrilled about who the Lord tabbed as our new Associate Pastor for Adults. He brings to our staff several assets that will strengthen our team and church in important areas.

1. Missionary: There are no current pastors at NEHBC that haven't genuinely wrestled with becoming an international missionary. Yet, we haven't had a former missionary on staff. Pastor Greg and Ellen were IMB missionaries for seven years and lived in Jerusalem, Israel, for six years and London, England, for one year, while serving in administration for the North Africa-Middle East region of the world. Our staff and NEHBC will be greatly enriched by the Kingrys' former experience as missionaries--our passion for joining Christ in His global agenda will only grow and those wrestling with a call to missions will have an experienced couple to provide wise counsel.

2. International living experience: a constant challenge for the American church is ethnocentricity. The Kingrys' years in the Middle East and Europe will be a tremendous asset and will stengthen our ability to think globally.

3. Experienced leader: Pastor Greg has not only served in leadership overseas with the IMB, but he has previously served as Vice President of Finance for Southwestern Seminary where he managed a budget of $16 million and 22 departments. He has also served as President of the Richard Hedrick Company. He has vast experience in administration and leading people.

4. Age/wisdom: Pastor Greg and Ellen are in their early 50s and are empty nesters. Their youngest is 20. They have walked with God longer than I've been alive. Currently, we only have one staff member over 45. Pastor Greg will bring more age balance, wisdom, and maturity to our staff.

5. Relational: Pastor Greg and Ellen have incredible relational skills and are passionate about building one-on-one relationships. Pastor Greg is going to tremendously strengthen the relational aspect of our staff.

Pastor Greg is now the fourth pastor at NEHBC--myself, Pastor Sonny, and Pastor Tim are the others. He starts at NEHBC today and I will officially introduce him to the congregation this coming Sunday.

With Pastor Greg and Ellen on board, NEHBC is positioned for the opening of our larger worship center and the changes it will bring. I'm grateful to God that we currently have all of our staff positions filled.

September Trustee Meeting

This morning was the September meeting of our trustees and we had a great meeting. I came away once again grateful for these men who love the Lord and our church and have the integrity to ask questions that should be asked of me as the pastor of NEHBC and to deliberate the administrative matters of our church. Accountability is biblical and necessary for every single one of us. To hate it is to hate God's plan for your life. If you have authority issues, you have issues with Jesus Christ. I'm grateful for the peace and health that pervades NEHBC--a significant piece of it is our trustee system.

Leviticus continues tonight...

Tonight our journey continues in midweek worship. If you want to get a head start, read Leviticus 23. We are going to explore the fundamental role of biblical rest and worship in living a Christ-centered life. 6:45.

Being NEHBC

Sunday mornings and midweek worship is when most of the "teaching them everything I've commanded you" half of the Great Commission takes place at NEHBC. Sunday afternoon through Saturday night is primarily when our evangelism ministry takes place--through a combination of group evangelism efforts (ie: outreach, our Farrington Mission ministries, periodic big events, etc) and one-on-one gospel encounters.

Lately, it seems like I've been hearing more than usual about NEHBCers really taking advantage of one-on-one gospel encounters. People are telling me about how they now see themselves as missionaries here in our city and their job is merely their funding pipeline and platform for ministry relationships. People are telling me how they want to be the ones winning the people in their lives to Christ--not hoping others will. It's an awesome thing. It's becoming a regular thing for me to hear of NEHBCers travelling on business during the week across our country and around the world and sharing the gospel on airplanes, in taxi cabs, hotels, etc.

It's Tuesday morning and NEHBC's evangelism ministry is happening right now all over our city, across our country, and around the world!

Join us and live in your commission today: Matthew 28:18-20.

Glory to God.

the story continues

Below this blog post is the story of my encounter with William yesterday. Well, by the grace of Jesus Christ, the story is not over. This morning William showed up for the 8:45 worship service and then attended small group bible study at 10am. It was great to see him.

The Lord really encouraged me in our Glory to God vision through William. Our vision is for NEHBC to be a living community of God that exists to make disciples from our city to the world, primarily through one-on-one evangelism and church planting, because of the call of God to go and the cry of the lost to come.

Yesterday, the Lord let me personally test the process of our vision by letting me meet William in a one-on-one encounter through which I got to talk to him about the things of Lord which led to William showing up this morning at NEHBC. I introduced William to Greg, an NEHBCer, who immediately took him in, spent time with him, and befriended him as did the small group William attended. While at NEHBC this morning, William was taught the Word of God in depth, in our worship service and bible study class. He was moved by his time with us this morning and is committed to attending midweek worship on Wednesday night.

I'm grateful to God for yesterday's one-on-one encounter. I'm grateful William came to NEHBC today. I'm grateful I could introduce William to Greg who put aside his immediate plans to take the responsibility of building a relationship with him. I'm grateful for the small group that took William in. I'm grateful that through Greg and the small group, William was genuinely loved. I'm grateful NEHBC could systematically unpack the Word of God for William today--twice. I'm grateful William is coming back for more. I'm most grateful this all happened not because William got a flier in the mail or came to a big event at NEHBC, but that it all began with a one-on-one encounter out in the community. Not that trying to reach the unchurched through mail outs or a big event is bad or wrong, but ideally, we should primarily be reaching families and individuals through one-on-one encounters as we live out our lives. Gospel encounters are not supposed to be primarily programmed and scheduled, they should simply be a way of life.

I feel like through this experience, the Lord gave me a taste of where we are headed and evidence that our vision is going to work. Glory to God.

A big thanks to everyone who prayed for William.

Farrington Mission: sharing the vision

Pastor Sonny (our Executive Pastor) and myself are in the midst of a 2 week-4 meeting stretch in which we are sharing the vision of Farrington Mission with pastors of local churches that we would love to have as partners with NEHBC in ministry at the mission. We want to see local churches in Houston make Farrington Mission a key piece of the Jerusalem part of their Acts 1:8 missions strategy. The more churches we have serving together in this endeavor, the more people we can turn into disciples for our Lord Jesus Christ. Two meetings down, two to go--tomorrow and Thursday. Please pray that the Holy Spirit will grab the hearts of these churches and pull them in to partner with the mission.

(These churches can send people to serve in the food pantry, clothing closet, ESL classes, basketball open gym, dance clinic, etc. These churches can also provide inventory for the food pantry and clothing closet and "handy people" for the facility maintenance team. Churches are also welcome to send their people through the training required to volunteer in the crisis pregnancy center. Churches may also choose to partner financially with the mission.)

Trip Report: Team Sturgis

Tonight, in midweek worship, Team Sturgis is bringing a report of what the Lord Jesus did through them last week in South Dakota at the largest motorcycle rally in the world. I've already heard stories of some of their amazing gospel encounters; the Lord used our team mightily. I'm so proud of them. It takes tremendous courage and self sacrifice to do the kind of ministry required on this trip. Come hear what NEHBC did for the Kingdom in South Dakota last week. 6:45pm.

silence and solitude

I wont blog this week. I'll be off Facebook and Twitter and email. There will be no tv, no iPod, no music. No people--except for our Executive Pastor, Sonny, who will join me on the last day so he and I can be on the same page when I come back. At least one week a year I try to get away just to be alone with God. I can't lead our church properly without a week or two like this each year where I can get away for silence and solitude. I'm headed out of town for four days of prayer, fasting, and being alone with God. I'll take clothes, my bible, and a legal pad. I'll read, I'll pray, I'll think, I'll meditate, I'll reflect, and I'll be still.

It is during times of intentional solitude like this in the past that the Lord has given me NEHBC's Glory to God vision and the heads up about Farrington Mission. I'm always refreshed and renewed as NEHBC's pastor and I return with much greater clarity about what's supposed to be going on at NEHBC.

Scripture puts it like this: Jesus Christ is the Chief Shepherd; the Shepherd of NEHBC. I'm merely the undershepherd who leads this particular flock out the thousands of flocks in His holdings. This is the week when I leave the flock to go and meet with Him one-on-one for a few days about our flock.

I covet your prayers for me. I want to hear His voice. I need clarity on some big issues. I need direction on some issues. Thank you in advance for praying for me.