What I have learned in 9 days

Nothing ... just kidding. I actually have learned a ton in our 9 days here in Hawaii and here they are:

1. I am going to fast and my plans are not always the Lord's plans. I thought I would hit the ground running, like every church position I have taken. WRONG, I have learned that God's timing on things are better than me trying to force things.

2. God's timing is incredible and what is needed. I have felt guilty for not being in Kapolei every minute we have been here. However, God has not opened our living in Kapolei yet and through the counsel of other church planters and pastors, my job right now is to get my family settled. This has made Michelle and I have honest talks about time away from home.

3. Our finding a house and vehicle were miracles. Nothing short of it! People here have told me that we have pulled off one of the hardest things in Hawaii, finding housing quickly. Not only did we find a house but we found one that is perfectly fit for ministry. It has upstairs bedrooms so the kids and Michelle can have privacy. It has an office attached to our bedroom, which allows me study time but also accountability. It has an extra room downstairs which Michelle can use as a school room and that we can use it as a 4th bedroom. It has a yard large enough to host 20-30 people. It has street parking for guests (in most neighborhoods in Kapolei, this is a no-no). Finally, it has quick access to both the town and the freeway.

4. That my family is the most important ministry I have. Without them, I have no ministry and God is going to use our family to reach others.

5. I still can make friends. I have had a few opportunities to meet people and each time we have, it has been a blessing.

6. God will start this church when He is ready, not just because I am here. This one is hard because it makes me trust that God has a plan and that He wants this church plant to succeed more than I do.

So here a a few lessons I have learned. I will write in a few days when I can expound more on what God is doing around me!

Shawn

Comments

  1. TracyMarch 16, 2012 at 12:52 AM

    In my prayers.. Glad you all are continuing to see miracles unfold!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousMarch 16, 2012 at 1:15 AM

    god has used you in ways you dont even know in my family and iam sure he will continue his work with you there, thanks chris

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

I need your prayers! Especially when I cannot make a decision I need to make!

Image
     In my life with Jesus, there are times where I am asked to make decisions that I don't understand fully. Times of great turmoil in my heart take place while I wrestle over what is the Lord's will; wondering if my flesh is getting in the way or that Satan is placing desiring around me that tickles my flesh to accept what might be good but not what Jesus is leading us too. Two years ago, I felt the anguish of making a decision, with a magnitude of affects on my family, as we decided to come back to Ohio instead of heading to Memphis in waiting on the Lord. Years before that, I struggled with leading my family to become disciple makers through church planting in Hawaii ... leaving our beloved church and an extraordinary ministry. I have fought myself in these kinds of decisions, knowing my family would be at a crossroad, which could coarse shift us for God's glory or fleshly sinfulness. I have lost sleep over what bills to pay, how to go about confronting someone ove
Read more

Hurt people hurt people when they don't know they are hurt!

For the last 6 months, I have had little desire to write on this blog. Every time I began to write, it became a venting post and I realized what my writing might cause more harm than good. The last few months have been especially hard. For a while, I thought this was because of the presidential primaries coming or struggles I was experiencing within the church I have been serving. Day after day I would beg God for a clearer mind and less heavy heart. For the last few months, I have sunk deeper and deeper into ... depression. For the first time in a while, I realize that the depression I thought had left me has really been there all along. I thought I was managing it well or that it wasn't as bad as it felt, but it has finally overcome me in such a way that I needed help. Most of my Christian life, I have been praying not to feel so hurt all the time. You see, every time some one gossiped about me or lied to or about me, I felt rejection and abandonment. Every conflict I have expe
Read more

The past seven days! Im about to bury my friend and what I have learned in those days!

Image
     The past seven days have been brutal. It started for Michelle and I last Saturday as my brother Clint was not recovering well from a surgery I had 10 years earlier. As Michelle and I had the joy of committing to marriage two great friends and disciples, our minds were on Kettering Hospital and Clint's life and family. I didn't feel well last weekend while I fought a cold, a little fatigue and carried a little worry how Clint's surgery had turned from routine to life-threatening. I went to bed sick and woke up the same.      Sunday morning was much like Saturday night. My head was a little foggy and I knew that Clint wasn't doing well. As we prayed for him during the first service at church, I rested in the Lord, as I knew He is able to overcome any problems Clint was having in that room. I trusted that the Lord was holding his wife Michelle, together. Soon, early in the second service, it became clear that Clint was in trouble. Pastor Tom and I stopped the se
Read more