I was at the funeral home the other night, and there was an inscription in the coffin of the deceased that read, ” Let my life’s work speak for me.” I thought , what a strong statement to be able to make. It definitely is something to work towards.
Wayne
Categories: Family
I would like to have 10 men agree with me in prayer for the sell of our house. I am not asking for you to pray a long time , just a short mention of it every day until it sells.
Thanks,
Wayne
Subscribe to New York Church Planter by Email
Categories: Family · Hope Baptist Church
Another mistake that I made when we first started the church in Guatemala was actually made prior to the first service. When looking for a place to meet always remember , especially in the U.S, that when you are 70-80% full, you are full. Americans like choice and options, so when a new person walks into our churches and struggles to find a place to sit, there might be a good possibility that they will not come back. In Guatemala people are a little more used to being cramped, nonetheless, we started off with too small of a building. Parking also is an issue many pastors over look. It is estimated that you will need at least half as many parking spaces as you have people. In some areas, depending on the number of singles, this number will be higher. One last thing about starting too small, it might mean that our vision is too small. I have been quilty of the latter. Guys, we must dream big because we have a big God.
Wayne
Categories: Church Planting
I want to thank Brian Rhodes, and the people of Lakeland Baptist Church for giving $500 towards the church in New York. I have known Brian and his wife Courtney for a long time and they are great friends of our family. Brian thanks, and may God bless your ministry.
Wayne
Categories: Hope Baptist Church
A friend of mine, John Pearson, sent me this quote the other day.
“Sharing a mistake is just as valuable as sharing a best practice. Everyone learns from it.” -Marcie Brogan
One mistake that I made shortly after starting the church in Guatemala was, I shifted from a missionary/planter to a missionary/pastor. One grave mistake that a lot of people entering the ministry make is, once they get a small crowd, they begin trying to visit, take care of, and please every church member. We started with 75 in our first service and could have easily topped 100 before we came home, but instead of using the momentum that we had from being the new church, we began what I call weeding the garden. We all know that a garden definitely needs to be taken care of, and someone to pull out all of the weeds, thorns, etc. My job as the leader, however, is to be sure that there is always new seed being planted. I as a leader/trainer need to remember that yes, it is part of my job to weed, but the purpose is not that I would continually do this job, but to trian others to do so. Just as a gardner not only wants his garden to grow, but also to produce more fruit. A pastor/leader needs to remember that if all he does is take care of the first few plants those few will eventually die out.
Wayne
Categories: Church Planting
I spent all day today with my older brother, who is blind, trying to see why his S.S. benefits were cut in half this month. All I have to say is, “ If anyone wants to vote for socialized medicine, or universal health care, or anything that gives the gov’t more power, you have got to be completely insane.” I know that it may sound good that the gov’t is going to take care of you, especially if you are a single mom, but all you need to do is try to get somewhere with a fine organization like Medicaid, and in one day you will renounce anything good you might have thought about them in the past. I normally do not blog about things like this, but I was to the point today of pulling out my hair, and for all of those who know me will understand. Final thoughts: less gov’t, less gov’t, less gov’t.
Wayne
Categories: Family
I would like to say thank you to the Temple Baptist Church, and Pastor Malcolm Carter. We were with them today and had a wonderful time. Their church has caught the vision of helping us get to New York. They gave $1700 toward the project. Praise the Lord. That brings our current total up to around $22,000. Please pray that our house sells, and that others will be part of the vision.
Wayne
Categories: Hope Baptist Church
I saw a commercial for The Marine Corps. It stated that they were not taking applications, rather commitments. That, along with what a friend of mine blogged about being sure of your calling, challanges me to always take serious and to heart the calling that God has placed on my life. It has been said, and I believe to be so true, that somedays it will only be the fact that you are called to be where you are, and to be doing what you are doing, and serving the people you are serving that will get you by.
Commitment
Wayne
Categories: Church Planting
