Testimony Time!

by Derek Guynes on May 09, 2012

I just have to testify for a minute. Cue the organ. And get the hype man ready to direct the choir…

I just want to share about God’s faithfulness to us over the past several months, particularly His faithfulness to my wife, Lacy. Some of you know that Lacy finished nursing school this past December. That was a crazy journey, to be sure, and there’s a really long, powerful story that goes with it. But I’ll save it for later. Anyway, she finished school, and, as everyone knows, nurses are in high demand, so she would have a job, like, on January 1, right? I mean, maybe God would have us wait till the 15th of January to test our faith or something, but hey, we can handle it.

Well…5 months later, and still no job. Only 1 interview to show for dozens of applications, new grad forums, and personal networking efforts. And that interview wasn’t even anywhere close to Mansfield, the community God called us to. What the heck is going on?

God’s timing. Cue the organ again…

So, I start getting frustrated. Fed up. I start saying, “God, you have to do something about this.” I go on a one-week fast for Lacy. That same week, she gets 3 calls back from different places, wanting to schedule interviews. Another long and powerful story, but Lacy starts her new job in a few weeks. Right here in Mansfield. Only God! What looked like a closed door was only God holding us up so that He could provide the perfect opportunity in His perfect timing. Her job is super close by, super flexible, and is in a place she loves. Couldn’t have asked for a better situation, really. Come to think of it, it IS pretty much everything we asked for in prayer – with a few exceptions that will probably work out better for her in the long run, now that we are looking at things from a more objective point of view.

Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” In these past few months, we knew that God is faithful, even though we didn’t feel it because of the confusion and frustration. Now we can say we still know that God is faithful, and we can feel it too! Be encouraged – God is faithful. 2 Timothy 2:13 says, “If we are faithless, He will remain faithful, for He cannot disown himself.” That’s who he is! And He never changes.

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Tags: faithfulness, finances, jobs, provision

New experiences bring new understandings

by Natalie Salinas on Apr 29, 2012

Becoming a mom has not only brought a lot of change and adjustment; it has also allowed me to understand the way that God feels about people on another level. Parents always talk about their love for their kids; this has now become a feeling that I have daily. This kind of love is the love that God has for each of us; this love is something I always knew, but had really never felt for someone. The motherly love that I have for my little girl is so strong and so deep. I feel so blessed to have a heavenly Father that loves me like this and will always be there to guide and comfort me.

Becoming a mom also brings a change in schedule that is not ideal for anyone. It is a hard transition that is not always fun and exciting. Getting up at night and constantly attending to a baby around the clock is not only exhausting, but can get discouraging at times. The awesome thing about all this is that the second that our eyes meet, all that stuff goes away. She is so sweet and perfect; I would not want to be anywhere else or be doing anything else. This is so much like life in general. We can be having a really hard time with so many burdens on our shoulders; but the second we connect to God and can feel His presence, nothing else matters. We would not want to be anywhere else, but with Him. God brings me wisdom, words of encouragement, and a love that can come from no one else.

My prayer is that I can give these same things to Nadia and be as awesome of a parent that God is to me. I want her to not only get this from me, but from AJ and, most of all, from God.

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25 Quick Thoughts

by Dan Hunter on Apr 11, 2012

It’s easy to have a lot of things on your mind. Often times they are random, weird, serious, heavy, light, contradicting things, etc. It happens. I have been entertaining a lot of thoughts lately. To be honest…too many to count. Some are random, some specific, some general, and some obvious. In no order, here are just 25 of my rambling thoughts:

1. I love my wife, Rachel
2. We must all reach people
3. $10,000,000 miracle
4. Pray more specifically
5. God is always faithful
6. Living Church (LC) needs a building
7. God wants to give LC something big
8. Thankful for all of our LC Volunteers
9. I need a vacation
10. I love my kids, Jordyn and Avery.
11. I can’t believe the Texas Rangers lost the World Series (game 6 debacle)
12. Praying for every LC family to tithe and honor God
13. Proud of the LC staff
14. Really Bobby Petrino, really
15. I have some great friends, they are a gift of God
16. If everyone would buy-in and take ownership
17. What LC needs to do and what LC doesn’t need to do
18. I have to grow
19. I need to get in better shape
20. Pray more often
21. God wants to heal, encourage, save, provide, and give hope
22. 2012 is a huge year of preparation for growth
23. We need financial miracles
24. Give the dead to the living
25. I am lucky to have my wife, Rachel

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#SparkLaunch

by Elisha Garcia on Mar 07, 2012

You ever had those moments when you know it in your head what God is getting ready to do?

Last Wednesday we launched our youth ministry, Spark. I won’t bore you with a ton of details, but when this thing started nearly one year ago it was myself, a handful of college-age volunteers and three students. Yes, three! Myself and the leadership of Living Church, early on, knew that youth ministry would be a BIG part of what we did at LC. Most church plants wait for several years to launch a youth ministry or even bring on a Youth Pastor, but we knew this is what God was calling us to.

For many months we planned, grew, invested, and developed leaders and students inside of a home. God was establishing a foundation. Family was created, leaders began to step up and chase students. Students began to bring friends and those friends came to know Christ. God was moving! We knew this environment had to change if God was going to continue to grow Spark.

Taking a huge risk we put money into renting facilities, buying video equipment, a sound system, and told our church in a BIG way we’re officially launching this thing. I can’t tell you how nervous I was to step out and do something like this. I’ve grown youth ministries before, but when you’re a part of a church plant, and start talking to people about planting ANOTHER church, it becomes something different entirely. In your heart you know, “God’s got this”, but in your head you’re thinking, “what if this blows up”. So with invite cards, tshirts, and more prayer than most people can handle, we went for it! We were going to launch 2.29.12

As a result of prayer, tons of hard work, faith of senior leadership, and obedience to do what God said, last Wednesday we officially launched Spark! We saw 104 people in attendance, 8 separate schools represented, tons of giveaways, and 17 brand new decisions for Christ! That final number (17) makes this entire ride worth the journey. I can tell you about the amount of energy that was in the room that night, or the smiles and laughter that came from tons of students, but the thing that I count as a win for LC, Spark, and Mansfield is the life change that took place.

We’ve officially launched our youth ministry, Spark, but we’re only getting Started.

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Tags: Spark, Spark Launch, Students, Youth Ministry

First – Monday through Saturday

by Dan Hunter on Jan 23, 2012

The word “seek” is so descriptive and specific. It paints a myriad of definitions: search, look, intense, desperate, focus, need, desire, etc. Ever lost a set of keys? Maybe your wallet? You start searching and nothing else matters. You stop what you are doing and immediately start looking for what you lost. You retrace your steps and leave no stone unturned. You seek. The word “first” is also pretty descriptive and specific, painting it’s own definitions: primary, number one, top, above, main thing, etc. Think of a race, a game, a championship, a contest…there is only one “first”. There are a lot of other athletes or teams that are great and excellent but only one finishes first.

Matthew 6:33 says, “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness…” It’s easy to let God slip to number 2, 3, 4 or even lower. Most of the time it doesn’t happen intentionally. It can happen through a lack of focus or a lack of purpose. Sometimes it is because we compartmentalize our relationship with God. But before you know it, something else or someone else becomes a little more important and slides into first. You may never admit if you are asked, but the sad truth is our life choices often show it. Seek first. I’m challenged to make His will, His ways, His desires, His purpose, His calling, His commission…first. First, not just on Sundays but more importantly, Monday through Saturday.

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Resolutions

by Truston Baba on Dec 29, 2011

This time of year, people start thinking about making a new year’s resolution. I have to admit that I’m one of those people. Every year, I think of everything about myself I want to change. I then write them down and create strategies, goals, and accountability to help me achieve results. It’s through great determination and will power I can say I have never failed to fully adhere to the guidelines to reach my goal… until at least January 7th. It’s so easy the first few days to eat right, call my mom every morning, and read through the introduction of a new book. But for some reason, after the first week of the new year, all the momentum of my resolutions wear off. Maybe it’s because normal life begins after the holiday season. Maybe it’s because I pick too many things. Or maybe it’s because I actually have an addiction to chocolate!

So this year, I’m taking a new approach. Instead of asking myself what I want to change, I’m going to ask God where He wants me to grow. If we genuinely asked God everyday how He wants us to grow and then listen and allow Him to speak through prayer and His Word, I truly believe everything else would work out better than we can imagine. So – January 1st – here I come again, with goals set high, strategies written, and ready to do battle. But this time, I’m not alone.

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It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas

by Natalie Salinas on Dec 22, 2011

This time of year can be so crazy. People yelling in the parking lot, or fighting one another for the latest gadget. Some people get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping and attending Christmas parties that they don’t take a minute to stop and remember what this time of year is all about. Being six months pregnant, I am more aware of taking in each moment in my daily life. I find myself talking to my little girl about how I am going to make sure her Christmases are a time for family and spending quality time with the people that you love. I want to teach her that buying gifts are not what it is all about; I want her to be reminded that each day is a gift in itself. I have enjoyed the gifts that God has blessed AJ and I with this year; a house and a baby girl on the way. I love being able to create memories in our home by spending time with family and friends. Time has been so strong on my heart lately and I want Christmas time to be a time to reminisce on God; and what He has been to us in our lives. I want her to see Christmas as a time of family coming together and enjoying each others company; not a time for family to get stressed out over meaningless things and argue with one another. We live in such a fast-paced society that when we take the time to slow down and soak in all the good around us, we are happier and more at peace with life. That is what God’s love is to me, it brings peace to my heart and happiness to my life. God’s love is like no other, no one else has given His son up to give us life. My prayer for my family and yours is that God’s love would be at the center of it.

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Romans 5:8

by Dan Hunter on Dec 08, 2011

A certain verse has been stuck in my mind lately. Obviously, I have been reading and thinking of many verses and passages, but one verse keeps coming to my mind. I can’t shake it or move on. When I pray, it comes to my mind. When I drive and think, it comes to my mind. When I worship on Sunday mornings, it comes to my mind. That verse is Romans 5:8. I’ve literally heard it my whole life. It says, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” What a verse! While we we’re lost, while we we’re making wrong choices, while we did not deserve it, while we showed no love to Him, He showed ultimate loved for us. Are you kidding me?! While we were STILL sinners. We had not made a move and He not only made a move, He made the way.

This verse drives me lately. As I am praying and diving into this verse more I’m humbled, broken and motivated. It compels me. It challenges me. It reminds me to live my life for Him in a way that honors His demonstration of love. So I sacrifice a little. Big deal. He deserves my best. I’m wrestling through some questions: Do I realize the Grace that He gives? Do I realize the love He really has? What can I do to show people His love? What can I do to introduce people to Jesus?

There is still a world around me that does not yet know Him. That world He first showed His love for as well. The bottom line is God loves people; the people in my life that I see, know and talk to. He loves ME even when I fail. I want everyone to know this grace and love, to actually know Him. I’ve heard it said that if you aren’t passionate to see the lost saved, then you have lost perspective of what Jesus did for you. I never want to forget.

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