1:40 p.m. Friday, December 12

Coach Wombaker just got back from picking the van up. We have the trailer hooked up to it and almost totally loaded. Things seem to be going smooth at this point. The Bus is being gassed up, tire pressure checked and a list of other things. The students are getting excited about what will take place over the next few days. We leave at 6:00 a.m. tomorrow morning, Saturday December 13th.
Please pray for the following students and adults this week:
Jennifer Shadell, Ali Jones, Ashley Burgess, Maddie Manning, Sara Nelson, Raigan Wimberley, Jessie Helton, Amanda Valenzuela, Hannah Fields, Carinne Brewer, Morgan Jones, Liz Mixson, Laura Stuart, Brianna Fauley, Tracey NEal, Andrew Wombaker, Jake Schuman, Forest Livergood, Trey Jackson, Josh Evans, Brandon Fauley, Jeramy Parrish, Evan Hawthorne, Nick Nelson, Taylor Standridge, Preston Manning, Josh Parrish, Ethan Vaughn, John Parker, Mason Rook, Jordan Henderson, Brad Byers, Mrs.Nelson, Mrs, Burgess, Mrs. Brown, Mr. Wombaker, Mr. Wimberley, Mr. Fields, Mr. Jones, Mr Brown

Prayer Time

We just gathered the school together for a time of prayer over the students and adults who are leaving in the morning to go on the Mexico Mission Trip. We are traveling to Reynosa, Mexico to work with an orphanage and do some needed construction work. Please continue to pray for us. We leave Saturday morning, December 13th and will return on Thursday evening, December 18th

Mexico Mission Trip

We leave on Saturday to take the students to Reynosa, Mexico to work with an orphanage. We are really excited about the trip and are looking forward to what He will do in and through us.

~ I plan on drinking as much st.arbuxs as I can before we leave

this is a test mobile post to make sure it is working

Church Adoption

For the past month, I have been carrying on a conversation with a like minded church in our community. This church approached us with the idea of becoming "adopted" by us and becoming a part of the Gateway Family. It has been a few awesome weeks of meetings and making new friends. They are voting this Sunday morning on the idea of dissolving their church and joining us as we minister to this local community and the communities surrounding us. I have had great talks with their Pastor who will be joining our staff in the role of Teaching/Discipleship Pastor. He is an awesome guy and is sold out to the vision we have. I have also had the opportunity of hanging with the elders of their church and hearing their heart for the community and ministries of the church. I am praying that they will join us for worship on January 4, 2009 as they dissolve on December 28th. My staff is very excited about the possibilities and what the Lord has in store for us all. We are looking forward and praying towards the idea of the synergy that an "adoption" such as this can provide in reaching the unconvinced with the Gospel.
It nights like this that get me fired up. I love watching people as they sense the move of God and are willing to be obedient and open to it. May we never loose sight of what He has called us to do. Pray with us about the awesome opportunity

Church Planting

I love talking church planting with people. I met a new friend this evening. His name is Kyle and I met him through Facebook. I have to tell you that I love technology and the way it makes communication so easy. I can not begin to tell you the number of ministry contacts I have made through Facebook. Anyway, I really enjoy talking about ministry to people and praying for them and what the Lord has in store for their lives and the pilgrimage He has them on. Back to communication~ It seems as though we have always had these tools at our disposal but I do remember the days of snail mail, home phones and writing letters. I have to say that I would much rather have my Mac in front of me and using the Internet to communicate at a much faster rate than have to wait for a letter to get to my intended recipient and then have to wait for the their letter in response. I told Kyle tonight that I would be praying for him and keeping in contact with him. Thanks to Facebook, I not only have a new friend but a new partner in ministry as well as a very productive way to communicate.

Kissing Toilets~ Perry Noble

The below blog is from Perry Noble's blog page. Perry is the Lead Pastor of NewSpring Church. I loved reading it and wanted to share it with you in case you do not follow his blogs.

Kissing Toilets
by perry noble
I shared this story on Friday night at our worship celebration…and thought I should share it here as well.

I was in the bathroom the other day taking a “pee pee” when I turned to my right and there was Charisse staring at me. (It was totally awkard!)

SO…I told her, “Daddy is pee pee’ing in the toliet…you will do that one day.”

She looked at me, smiled and said, “pee pee!!!”

I then turned around to wash my hands, explaining to her that after we pee pee we clean our hands…but when I turned and looked at her she was staring at the toilet.

I was afraid she was going to stick her hands in it…so I told her, “don’t touch.”

BUT…that’s when she did the unthinkable…she leaned forward and kissed the toilet lid!

I wanted to throw up! Seriously…WOW! I told her, “NO!!!” And I scooped her up…and THAT IS WHEN SHE WANTED TO KISS ME!!!

AHHHHHH! What is a dad to do? I LOVE my little girl…but she kissed a freakin’ toilet seat!!! I watched the whole thing…it was SO GROSS…

I was about to put her down when the Lord spoke to my heart and said, “Hey Perry…what you just saw her do…you’ve done many times. You’ve kissed the “toilet” of the world all week long and then came into church and tried to kiss me!”

BAM!

For WAY TOO LONG coming to church was about making me feel better and not exalting a HOLY and RIGHTEOUS GOD. I would “kiss toliets” all week long by the way I spoke about other people, the things I looked at…the places I allowed my mind to wander…and then I would come to church wanting God to make me feel better…BUT COMPLETELY unwilling to repent of the sin that was dominating me.

One of the things that I think we often forget as follower of Christ is that He knows…He knows our hearts…He knows our minds…and He knows the toliets we kiss all week long.

Judas kissed Him…but it was a kissed laced with betrayal and greed. God is not pleased with our church attendance…but rather our repentance.

Just wondering…kissing any toilets? Anything in your life that you know God doesn’t approve of…you refuse to repent…and you are going to come to church this Sunday and pretend that eveything is okay with you & God?

These are tough questions to wrestle with…but doing so will reveal our hearts!!!

One more thing…I LOVE MY LITTLE GIRL! Even watching her kiss a toilet make me stop loving her. It made me sick…but didn’t change the fact that I love her. I don’t love her because of what she does…I love her because she’s mine!!!

I am so glad that God treats us the same way…even through the time when I was kissing toliets and breaking His heart…He never stopped loving me…and it was His patience and kindness that drew me to Him (and still does) and conforms me more and more to who He has called me to be!!!

Gotta go give Charisse a kiss!!!

Sunday Reflections

~ I Love Gateway Fellowship
~ I Love what the Lord is doing in and through us
~ I Love our Team
~ I Love the vision He has given us
~ I Love seeing what the Lord is doing in people
~ I Love praying for His people and what they are going through
~ I Love that He has big things in store for us

We are walking through some amazing things as a church right now. God is doing some things that we have been praying about for over a year. It is so good to know that He works things out in His time and not necessarily ours. May we always be in step with Him. May we never get out front of Him or fall back behind Him. Thank you Father for continuing to stretch us and grow us.