What a week-end

This past Friday through Saturday afternoon Kevin, Jessica and I hosted a 212 Retreat for leaders from our environments at NewPointe Community Church. We began preparing this event back in February and really prayed about who we were to ask to step up into the next level of leadership. Dwight kicked the retreat off with a great talk on Emotionally Healthy Spirituality. He really knocked it out of the park. The next morning we listened to Francis Chan, then Craig Groeschel and Andy Stanley. It was a really neat opportunity for us to invest and pour into our leaders. We value them and hope they will "TURN UP THE HEAT" as they work through the process of going to the next level in their relationship with God.

After this event we went right to the church and got ready for NewPointe's first "All Access" event. Our very first church conference. We met a lot of terrific people. Hopefully we got to be very real and transparent with them showing them behind the scenes of a NewPointe week-end.

Sometimes words can't express ... how blessed we are in the family of God.

Aqua Team Serving Orphans

Finally I'm taking time to followup and tell you some news on the Egypt team. Sorry, I left my pictures at home but I will post them tonight.
They got off last Thursday with amazing answers to prayer. Here's some GOD sized wins:

• All the money they needed for the trip (and more) came in before they left


• The orphan program stuff all fit in the suitcases


• The trip to the airport, good weather allowed the team to be there on time without any lines


• Several luggage bags were over the 50 lb. weight limit - no charge

Here are a few things I know:

I received word from DW that they had a delay in their flight arriving in Cairo, a longer ride than expected on the train to Luxor. They are tired from traveling but their spirits are high. They are looking forward to what God is going to do in and through them.

For sure they will learn a new definition of flexibility. From my past experience with mission trips I know they will be changed individuals when they return. It's an exciting adventure when you choose God's ride.

As I track their itinerary each day I pray for them for the activities they will be doing and the traveling they have ahead of them. Ifyou choose to remember them in prayer keep in mind that they are 7 hours ahead of us.
Team members names to lift in prayer: John, Jared, Grant, Amy, Day, Lissa, Miranda

Waiting room stuff

Today I went to the hospital to pray with a friend and volunteer in The ReignForest who was going to have her retina reattached for the 2nd time in less than three months. She's an amazing young woman with a heart that loves God, a faith that will enable her to make it through this difficult time. After praying with her I sat with her husband in the surgical waiting room. We had been sitting there an hour when Jason got the call that they were starting the surgery. It's going to be a while. We spoke of politics, religion and family life over the next couple of hours. We discussed how kids today- well most everyone wants service or stuff - right now. They don't want to wait. We need answers now, plans now, toys now, food now, better bodies now and relationships in 10 minutes or less. Genuine relationships take time to nurture and grow. You can get a lot of things by driving up to a window...but relationships - well they're not on take-out menus or at drive-up windows.

I learned alot about Jason that I didn't know. He is a deep thinker, a sensitive yet strong and protective step-dad, a loving new Father, an admiring husband and a follower of Jesus Christ. Sometimes we want a quick relationship with God but God wants so much more. He is a quality creator. Jason is a bright intelligent thinker with strong moral fiber and a heart that recognizes where his blessings come from. Lately, the rainstorm of problems has been coming in sheets and not letting up.

When the doctor came and discussed the outcome of the surgery with Jason, the doctor mentioned that he had to go all out and risk it all to make the best possible situation out of a very difficult one. I was impressed by Jason's questions to the doctor and the confidence he had in this doctor. When Jason asked if there was anything he could do to make the scarring less for Theresa. The doctor amazed us with "You need to pray". Pray that there will be minimal scarring.

In a book I handed to Jason to read you will find 4 certainties that children of God can count on:
1) God will make you well 2) God hurts when you hurt 3) God knows why you're suffering 4) God is in control (pg. 6)

Thanks Jason for the great conversation and allowing me to share time with you "waiting".
Thank you God for the awesome outcome of Theresa's surgery and for reminding us what the waiting and the rain is all about.

Follow-up for Western Nite

Sure been some positive feedback comin' in from our thar' time at the Weaver farm this past Satr'day nite. Now here's ya' evidence to show yoos all...some good lookin' cowboys 'n gals that ware thar' having a good ol' time.
A punkin farmer donated near fifty punkins so the yungins could deckor'ate a punkin to take home. They were right clever r'tists.

A wagon ride, Lasso the Ponies, Feed the critters, Cowpatty Toss, Smile & Shoot - a picture station for a great family/friends photo, gearing up with some hats and bandannas and a campfire that was warm & toasty.

Thanks to Len, Casey, Jenn, Lynn, Judi & Gwen - Ya' all did a real good job thar'.

Happy Trails !

What a beautiful day

What a georgeous fall day we had on Saturday. We could not have ordered a better day.

The ReignForest KML team (Key Ministry Leaders) planned a Western Nite event for volunteers families and friends. Dennis and Mary Jane Weaver allowed the team to hold the event at their farm behind Weaver Appliance. What a beautiful peaceful place. There was a stocked pond for those interested in fishing. Courtney cast her line trying to catch the big one. She was the first one to catch a fish. Good job Courtney. "The event also had games like:Feed the Critters", Pony Lasso, Bull-loon Round-up, a pumpkin shoot, face painting, Smile 'n Shoot (family picture time), pumpkin decorating, a weiner roast and hayride.

Over 50 people attended the event. It sure was good to celebrate fall with awesome volunteers !

Yeeha to all ya' volunteers and lil' partners !!!

Catch up

I can't believe it's been 10 days since I've blogged. Last week flew by and I was zoned out because of a hit with a "bug" that took at least a full day out of of my life. Last week was a busy one that kept me hopping with preparing totes for July. Thanks to Gwen Hamsher, Justin Neel and Doreen Ley for all the help during the week.

We also had storytime from 11:30-12:00 in The ReignForest Monday - Friday for the grand opening of Origins Cafe', where you can find cheesecake that makes you think you taken a wrong turn and went to Easton in Columbus to that other place that offers cheesecake. Anyway, what a week!

BIG Thanks to Big Dan who covered storytime on Monday and Thursday and assisted everyday in running the show. A special thanks to Mrs. Wishywashy, Gaila Gartrell, who did an awesome job with stories and music on Wednesday...you rock woman ! Then on Friday, Miss Judi Houston was the teacher. YOU are an outstanding storyteller. I notice every time I watch you that you absolutely love it too. BIG THANKS to Alissa West, Maddison Mullen and Devon DeMonte who came in to be singers and actors in the story of Solomon and what he wanted most from God.

Thanks again to all of you who came to story time and for all the positive feedback.

A twist on prayer and laughter

Last week my friend who will remain nameless - NOT ...Lynn A. went into her prayer closet with her little dog Autumn. She and I had been talking the day before and I had shared with her how I have this routine in the morning for prayer "1. 2. Do It". I get up, go to the bathroom, brush my teeth and get in my prayer closet. I did this at the prompting of my prayer prophet (see earlier posting). She related easily to the distractions that kept me from prayer time. Lynn felt that she might try this routine also.

So Lynn is in the closet with Autumn and realizes, the dog is a distraction and turns the door knob to let her out and it just turns in her hand. She jumps up in the closet and says "Oh God NO!" (Did God really have anything to do with this ?)

Long story short, she finally gets free of the closet and I'm 3rd on her to-do list: 1) Let the dog out 2) Call her work and let them know and ... our conversation took place something like this (a condensed version):
L: Faye, I was in my prayer closet today.
F: Lynn, that's great !
L: Faye I was in there for 4 1/2 hours.
F: WOW Lynn, that is really great - you get the prize.
L: NO Faye, I was locked in my closet and couldn't get out.
F: Lynn, do you want me to come and let you out?
L: Faye, if I had my cell phone on me I would've called you to get me out of the closet sooner.

I'm telling you Lynn and I were laughing so hard we were crying. I was on my knees in my cubicle and I'm sure I was disturbing my neighbor Jessica but I couldn't help laughing so hard. Not only at Lynn as she told me detail by detail of her thoughts and the creative way she escaped. We also laughed at my "blonde" response ( duh !). We weren't sure what this lesson was but we were both sure there was a lesson in this.

Later the next day I thought...Mmmm..., perhaps Lynn would share this story in huddle on Sunday morning in The ReignForest. You see last Sunday I challenged the even months serving team to pray a minimum of 5 minutes each day and this months team was fresh on rotation duty. Well Lynn said yes, she would share. (GOD BLESS HER !!)

Anyone who knows Lynn knows that she can be very animated. Well she came and shared her story and what a "hoot" and a hit it was. Many volunteers laughed until they cried and some came to hear the story twice.

Thanks Lynn for coming out of the closet. Maybe your story will remind the of the laughter enjoyed on Sunday and they will remember to participate in the prayer challenge.

Hey could be that they will find 5 minutes turns into 10 minutes which turns into 20 minutes and before you know it - their prayer life is changed.

Remember God created both prayer and laughter... He's Good.

I Can't - God Can

I love volunteers. They make The ReignForest at NewPointe Community Church an awesome place for preschool children to come and worship on the week-end.

Today in our huddletime in The ReignForest it was good to have Jason & Katie back from last week-end to continue to share their story with us. Last year Jason was suffering from headaches and had to have some tests to find out what was going on. Not long after the tests they phoned him and said he'd have to come in for surgery...he had a brain tumor the size of a baseball.

He shared how he had not given his life to God at that point. When it came time to go into surgery he knew that it was serious and he decided to surrender everything to God to help him through this. After surgery he was told it was cancerous and there's still a small part of it left.

He shared how he hasn't worried about anything since his time of surrender, how he's hoping that he will be a light to his family so that they can see God working through his life.

A lovely slender woman stands by his side, his wife Katie and she says she knows that she could lose her husband but she's trusting God.

This past week J was in the hospital for several days with pneumonia. He wanted to be here for the week-end to share his story. I called him while he was in the hospital and he said he was taking the time to rest and look for opportunities where he could share his story of trusting God.

They are young...less than 30 years old. But they get it !

They can't handle life on their own but they are calling on a God who can.

This is just one of many recent stories being shared by volunteers in The ReignForest. It's a safe place to serve, a safe place to stretch your faith and a safe place to share your story of life change as a volunteer in our environment.

I openly share that I can't lead these volunteers, but God can.

So.. I surrender it to Him.

Thanks volunteers for challenging me in my journey into a deeper and even more transparent relationship with Jesus Christ.

Reflection of God that is worth the wait

Theresa Clay and Gwen Hamsher, volunteers overseeing parts of The ReignForest, shared recently in our Sunday morning huddles. What they shared, provided me with food for reflection. Today I pondered my journey of waiting on God as I searched scripture verses on the topic.

Learn to wait; you show God your seeking Him.
Psalm 38:15 I wait for you, O LORD; you will answer, O Lord my God.

God waited.
1 Peter 3:20 who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water,

An action follows a wait.
Isaiah 64:4 Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.

Here's a promise of His double action, rising and blessing.
Isaiah 30:18 Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!

Sometimes it takes “waiting” to understand the plan, to perfect the plan in you or for your acceptance of His plan. You’ll never finish learning about how big HE is, so get ready, get set, wait for Him.. ..it’ll be worth it.
God is worth the wait.

Volunteers - serving with the "end" in mind

In The ReignForest we want preschoolers to learn three things by the age of five:
God Made Me
God Loves Me
Jesus wants to be my friend forever
We teach with the "end in mind" knowing that we have these children for a very short time and we need to make the most of the time.



We wear shirts that read "We Speak Family" on the front and "We're on the clock" on the back. Of the 8,760 hours in a year, we may have an opportunity to be with your child for approximately 40 hours. In order to accomplish the task of getting children to learn the three things we partner with parents by providing a Small Talk card each week so that they can discuss with their children what they are learning in The ReignForest. At the beginning of the month they also get a memory verse magnet which allows them to practice the verse we are learning.
Volunteers are key to making things happen in The ReignForest each week. They are as special as the preschoolers that they work with. They are people like me and you, followers of Jesus Christ who are willing to put their hands to the activities that engage children, they are willing to make a commitment to serve and care for children so moms, dads and grandparents can attend a service where they can hear a lifechanging message. They will have an opportunity to decide if they want to become followers of Jesus Christ. Consider this, could serving be the most important work of your week, your year ...even of your lifetime?

Think of it - serving is a choice, is it really possible to make an eternal impact ?

You choose.

"..But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." Joshua 24:15

Serving families, serving one another, serving Christ.

Invest & Invite-so easy a 2 year old can do it

This story was shared by Group Coordinator, Tammy Loos, this past Sunday as she led the huddle in The ReignForest. Thanks Tammy for your sensitivity to your surroundings and the Holy Spirit's leading. Thanks for your leadership in The ReignForest, for being an awesome mother, and living the example of a follower of Christ.

My daughter, Cassidy, was singing “Jesus Loves Me” while we were at Walmart. Two employees walked by, one woman was crying. The crying woman started to follow us down an aisle. Cassidy was still singing. The woman came up to Cassidy and asked “What makes you so happy?” Cassidy smiles really big and opens her arms and says loud and clear “Jesus!!” The woman fell to the floor. I am really scared now. The woman opens her heart and tells me: her husband left her because he doesn’t want kids and she is 4 months pregnant, he took all of their money & car, canceled her insurance, she is alone and doesn’t feel good & she wanted a better life for her baby than she had. I was at a loss for words so I just told her that she is not alone & that Jesus loves her and that we attend NewPointe Community Church where everyone is welcome and loved. She asked what I did with my baby while I was in church. I told her that we had a wonderful program for all ages of children & that Cassidy went to her room in The ReignForest and she loves it. Cassidy starts singing “Jesus Loves Me” again. The woman said she didn’t grow up in church so she didn’t think she would fit in. I told her that I didn’t grow up in church either. NewPointe was for everyone, wherever they were in their life journey. We care about a relationship with God, not what people know or don’t know or how they dress. The woman said she might try...I told her that we would pray for her. Cassidy heard the word pray and put her little hands together and said “I pray!”. I held the woman’s hand and said a simple and short prayer as if Cassidy was praying. When I was done Cassidy says a heartfelt “Amen!” The woman thanked me, told me she felt better and that she just might go to church with her neighbors she knew they go to NewPointe Communty Church.

Last week when Faye had asked me to lead huddle time I said yes & that I had a wonderful short devotion about God’s Joy. Throughout the week I prayed about what I would say and felt that I was prepared. Sunday morning, it seemed like everything was against me getting to church and I left later than I wanted. A mile down the road I realized that I forgot my name tag. I turned around & went back home, frustrated at yet another obstacle! I grabbed my name tag and underneath it was an email with a story that I had printed out earlier. I grabbed that also, not knowing why. All the way to church, I couldn’t get that email story out of my mind. As we walked into church, I saw the crying woman from Walmart entering with an older couple. I knew I was supposed to tell the story on my email and Cassidy’s story. I didn’t have a clue what I was going to say. I just knew that I wanted everyone to know the power our small children have and the influence that we have on them in the ReignForest.


The Wooden Bowl

A frail old man went to live with his son and daughter-in-law, and four-year-old grandson. The old man’s hands trembled, his step faltered, his eyesight was blurred.

The family ate together at the table. But the elderly man’s shaky hands and bad eyesight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon, he spilled his milk. The son and daughter-in-law became very irritated with the mess. “We must do something with Grandfather!”, said the son. “I’ve had enough of spilled food and noisy eating!” So the son and daughter-in –law set a small table in the corner. There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner.

Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his son gave him his food in a wooden bowl. When the family glanced in Grandfather’s direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat all alone. The only words the couple had for him were sharp and unloving. The four-year-old watched in silence.

One evening, the father noticed the four-year-old playing with some scraps of wood. He asked the child “What are you making?” Sweetly, the small boy responded, “Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up.” The child smiled and went back to his work.

The words so struck the parents that they were speechless. The tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though n word was spoken, both knew what must be done. That evening, the husband took Grandfather’s hand and gently led him back to the family table.

For the remainder of his days, he ate every meal with his family. And for some reason, the son and daughter-in-law didn’t seem to care any longer when a fork was dropped or the milk spilled.

Awesome volunteers and New Friends

Today was an awesome day of getting some things moved from our church's previous location to NPCC. While Len and I were at our previous building I realized he would need some help to get the truck loaded so I called Butch & Loretta Harding, who live in the village and they said "Sure, we'll be able to come in about 15 minutes." What a blessing they were. They were so awesome during the major move too. They tried to always be available offering their pickup truck, diligently working, helping out where they were needed. This couple also serve in the Monkeys classroom, our 30-36 month old room, they just do a fantastic job there too. God Bless them, they made our day with their gift of helpfulness.

While unloading at NPCC, a couple walked in the door, saying "Is this Northpoint? Are we in Atlanta?" I knew they were joking because we get a few of those type of comments...ok maybe more than a few. After a few minutes of chatting we found out that they were from outside of Marietta, Oh and celebrating their anniversary here in Amish country. Something they do every year. When they saw the silo and the KidStuf sign on it they just had to drive up and see what was going on. You see they knew what that silo always used to say...yeah they knew the bear was gone...what's up. You see, they run a KidStuf at their home church and were they ever excited to see another church doing this too. What a great couple this was. They were excited about our environments and knew all the lingo of The Seven Practices, they had been to GrowUP, their leadership team went to Drive....yeah Kevin - they drank the koolaid. I just want to say "what a blessing"...Tony and Sarajane were. They made working on a Saturday worth it all with the fresh water they poured into my life. Their reflection of Christ's love in them was evident and passionate. I enjoyed sharing the alignment we have at NewPointe Community Church. It really gets exciting to have people visit and they "get" what's going on, where you're going and they start cheering you on and asking questions about how did you get here, how long did it take, when did you start planning...you know the inquisitive questions. Kevin's asked these questions for years..right Kev?

I love this church. The really really cool thing- what really grabs my heart, is how GOD uses people to make your day. You see, I really needed that double dose of encouragement today...because life can be difficult at times and being the messy person that I am...well I just plain mess up and I need God to redirect my attention.

Amazing...answered prayer

There are times I wonder how will all the things that need to be done by the week-end get done? There have been times I can barely pray about the needs before me, so I end up groaning prayers in my spirit. It's times like these that I'm glad the Holy Spirit makes intercession for me. The many little details to make The ReignForest (TRF) function properly on the week-end often goes unnoticed by many. But to make it a place where preschoolers can really connect with their Small Group Leaders and Coaches is hot on my list of success. It's not just that I want to win with the children but I want to win with families. It's also important to me that volunteers feel that what they are doing each week is significant in the lives of the families they serve. But that's not all, my newest "buzz" is all of the 5th & 6th graders getting involved in the North Canopy (theatre) and the teens that will soon begin playing live music there for the little ones. What is going on in TRF? Well, something is taking place...it's really cool, I think God is walking through our halls, checking in on the rooms, liking what He sees and He's finding He is being worshipped by preschoolers in a very genuine and enthusiastic way. This is way cool-it's the way in which innocent children do. I'm liking this worship time too. It's contagious, infectious an "I-wanna-be-like-them" purest worship time. I sometimes wonder how God's going to use these preschoolers... who are way cool future dudes and dudettes.
Well, all of this to finally say this, that today was a day of answered prayer with volunteers providing future support for many of the things that are needing to get done in TRF. I am so blessed with wonderful people who will come in through the week to help make a difference in our environment.
It's somewhat like the "chicken and the egg" question; "Which came first?". What made the change first - the preschoolers or the volunteers ? Ask some of the volunteers that serve in TRF, they will tell you that they receive more from the kids than they give. Funny thing, I've been saying that for five or six years now--who's counting. The week-end people who serve are awesome too. God's good...real good.