Settling in... sort of!

OK... it's been a CRAZY couple of days!
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We drove in and went almost directly to the closing on our new house (everything went well!!!)... then a quick bite to eat and camped out one more night on an air mattress (Myah kept us both up all night).

The truck with everything we own showed up at 7:00 this morning and everything was unloaded (onto the driveway and into the house) by 11:00 AM!

After that, it has been a barrage of good ole' Southern hospitality! New friends who are giving their heart and soul to the plant helping unload the truck - brand new friends (who we have never met before) helping us unpack boxes - one of our planting partners brought pizza for lunch another brought pizza for dinner - and get this - - our new neighbor from across the street surprised us and ordered pizza for us (and then came over to introduce himself). It's a lot of pizza, but it's UNBELIEVABLE to be supported and welcomed like this!!

Toss in a couple of mishaps with local utilities (like water not being on), traveling all over to put deposits on the rest of utilities and the girls toggling back and forth between playing with new friends and crying because they are tired and here we are waiting for my parents to arrive (they are coming to help unpack for a few days).

One other thing: a special thanks to all of the guys who helped PACK the truck in Bryan! Everything arrived fine and relatively unscathed!! You guys ROCK!!!! Also a big thanks to Jason Kreger for hooking us up with a great deal on the semi that drug our stuff down here and for sending a great driver who was willing to work his stinkin tail off instead of just sitting around while we worked - Chad was a great help!!

We are anxious to get settled, load up the squirt guns and storm the gates of Hell!!!!

Keep praying!!!!

Jeremy and Sheila

125 Arbor Oaks Cove

Medina, TN 38355

'twas the night before the move...

'twas the night before the move and all through the house, not a creature was stirring (and there better not be a mouse). The children were snuggled tightly into their beds with threats of spankings looming over their heads.

Mom has chosen wisely and headed to sleep while Dad updates his ipod and inventories the Jeep.

So much is bouncing between these ears of mine (there's plenty of room), but most of all tonight it's fear of what is not in sight. It's moments like these where the wise are reminded that FAITH steps in and calms 'till all is subsided. But since "wise" has never been something that has been assigned to me, I have to be honest - - I AM PRETTY FREAKED OUT (that didn't rhyme at all, but it was honest).

(lame attempts at poems end here)

Everything is packed... we head out at 7 AM to Jackson, TN. I am completely terrified of everything that lies before us... so many questions (and even a little doubt if I am being honest). But, it's moments like these that I am reminded (AGAIN AND AGAIN) that God has gone before us and that Scripture promises us that the gates of Hell will not stand against us.

Just thinking about that phrase... "the gates of Hell" - last I checked, gates were DEFENSIVE - that means that WE are on the OFFENSIVE (now THAT is something I have been accused of!!!)

Starting tomorrow, we are storming the gates of Hell - laying down a front-line initiative that will cost us all dearly - there will be casualties - there will be fear (and a healthy amount of terror), but make no mistake, I have read the back of the book... WE WIN!!!!

Fear? sure - - Faith? YES!!!!!!

Let's give 'em HEAVEN!!!

Jeremy

You don't realize how deep your roots are until you go to dig them up!

A friend of mine (and my management chair for our church plant) is also in the process of moving his family from Nashville, TN to a suburb of Atlanta. A couple of weeks ago when we were talking about how difficult it was to take the friendships that we have and walk them through this necessary, but amazingly difficult transition, he said these words that stuck with me. "You don't realize how deep your roots are until you go to pull them up"

Those words resonated with me over the past few weeks as we started the final days of our tenure in Bryan, OH. I cannot begin to express the unbelievable significance that each of you have played in the lives of my family. Over the past 7 years, you have been our surrogate FAMILY! You have invited us over for holidays when we had nowhere to go. You have helped us care for our sick children when we didn't know where to turn. You have given us advice when we were lost. You were there for us to build memories. You were willing to forgive us when we made mistakes. Our roots in Bryan must have been fed some amazing fertilizer (I am refraining from jokes for this ONE moment - you cannot understand how hard it is to refrain from making a fertilizer joke right now... you know - something about being fed poop... BUT I WILL NOT!!!)

Here is the thing... I think the analogy is simply perfect... we never intended to take a shovel and cut off those roots - we never desired to kill the plant. We intend (and continue to do so) to pull those roots up and take them with us!

We were overwhelmed Sunday (and the weeks leading up to it) by the number of people who expressed their sorrow upon our departure. But we all need to understand something VERY IMPORTANT.., OUR MINISTRY YEARS (and friendship years) ARE NOT OVER!

WE NEED YOUR FRIENDSHIP AND PARTNERSHIP NOW MORE THAN EVER!!! Please know that things will undoubtedly change, but we still care deeply for each of you as you ARE a significant part of our lives!

Many of you have asked what you can do to support us in this next phase of Kingdom Building. Well, since you asked (and for those of you who didn't - this is the part where you are more than welcome to stop reading because our friendship is about to get to the part where YOU come in.)

PRAY LIKE NEVER BEFORE!!! Church planting is a spiritual effort! The enemy is already starting to throw doubt and turmoil into the picture. Every single day brings new challenges and problems into the scope.

• Pray that our team maintains a high level of purity and focus - Satan would love nothing more than to distract us with failure - WE WILL NOT STAND FOR IT!
• Pray for our team to build relationships! God has provided us with a team on the ground in Jackson that is capable of AMAZING things on a human level. I am unbelievably excited about what GOD will do when He adds His SUPER to our NATURAL!! This unbelievable asset will be a detriment if we cannot build this into a TEAM!
• Pray for my family! This is obviously a very difficult time for all of us. We leave behind all that we know and love. Pray for Sheila and the girls as they work towards settling in to the new area and developing friendships with some of the amazing people we have already started to get to know.

Also, as you might expect, we can always use financial support! I do have an incredible opportunity (one that you will hear much more about in the coming days). Over the past couple of weeks, I was made aware of generosity that allows for a MATCHING GRANT for THIS PROJECT! Because of the amazing generosity, every dollar that is donated between now and the end of January will be matched ONE TO ONE!!! That means that if you are able to send $10, it becomes $20. $100 becomes $200... $500 becomes $1000... and yes :-)... $5000 becomes $10,000!!!!

Listen, I know how many of you are feeling - Sheila and I have felt that way too - I have sat and thought "It's easier to ignore it than to send in $10- it's too small an amount to bother to send." Let me tell you something from the other side now... NO AMOUNT IS TOO SMALL. We are serious about this... We are excited to see the Body of Christ do its' thing... God provides from every possible angle! I would encourage you to do this: Take a moment and pray asking God to give you a clear understanding of how He would have you be involved in this project - if financial support is a part of that leading, the amount does not matter - faithfulness is what matters!