Our new church plant

So some of you know about our church plant that my hubby and I are involved in. For those who don't, here's the quick run down:

It's been a vision of our pastor to plant a church further east on Long Island than us but we've never taken the step to do it. We've looked at properties, talked to many people yet it just wasn't time, I guess.

My husband's responsibilities at church as a pastor were three-fold: college ministry, music ministry and all things technical (he was a computer engineer in his former life). At the beginning of the summer, he and our senior pastor spoke and DH felt that it was time to pass the college ministry on and we had a newly graduated college grad coming on staff as a youth pastor so that seemed to be a natural thing to hand off to him. So now hubby had two responsibilities. Just before our vacation last summer, our senior pastor told him that they were going to take away the worship ministry from him for no particular reason but he wanted a bit more of a hand in the planning of it so while he was still going to be a worship leader of one of the teams, he was no longer the worship pastor. So that left him with the computers. He decided that if this is where God wanted him (to be fixing computers), he'd go back to consulting and make triple the amount of money he was making now. He's excellent at computers, had clients who would easily hire him to do work but he hates doing it. He knew something was going on but not what it was. So while on vacation, and being very hurt and discouraged, he took the time to pray - a lot. We both did. He came to me part way through the trip with his calling. He had never considered it before but what about the church plant? We prayed about it and we both felt that this just might be the thing - but what would Pastor say? We'd find out when we got home.

A few days after coming home, hubby went out to lunch with the senior pastor and told him what he felt - that God was leading him to work on the church plant. Well, it turns out the reason nothing had ever been done on it was because pastor was praying for one of the men to come to him feeling the call to do it. He easily could have assigned it to someone but if he did, it wouldn't be their ministry but their job. So he waited years for someone to come and now he saw who was going to take this on. Wow!! Very cool!! So the next Sunday, it was announced to the congregation to shocked gasps and applause. That is where we started.

Fast forward to now. We've found a location to meet (a hotel) and have the full support of the church. It's now time to start getting more and more things together and one of those things was finances. The Christmas offering went to the church and we had more than $20,000 come in to begin the plant. Two weeks ago, Pastor challenged the congregation to pray and think about donating a week of the church plant apart from their regular offering. Last week, he asked everyone who was planning to take that on to come forward and we had about 90 people/families do so! We've already gotten about 70+ weeks already donated or pledged and our goal was just one year! Wowza! He said to everyone that this week would be the week to pledge ourselves to the new church plant. This meant that these people would become one year missionaries in the new church and be there to help with the infrastructure - nursery workers, children's ministry, worship, technical stuff, greeters, ushers, hospitality, etc. Well, today we had about 50 people pledge to do so!

This is such an amazing time for us! My husband will be the senior pastor but not always the pastor who will be doing all the preaching. Since we have so many pastors, we'd like to get them in to preach series at the new place. Of course we're also looking for a more permanent location but that will have to wait for a bit until we're a bit more self-supporting, most likely. But it's still so exciting!

It's so humbling to see God working ahead of us meeting our needs even greater than we could ever think. I just wanted to share what's up with us!

Home goings-on...

I know I've been bad about posting.  Sorry about that!  I've got a couple of posts that I want to do but just haven't done it yet so instead, I'll just chat.  :)

On Monday, my 17 year old got her wisdom teeth out. We always knew she was a wise-guy but now we know why!  She had 6 wisdom teeth!  Weird!  She's still in a bit of pain but hopefully today will be a better day than yesterday.

I'm sure most of you know that my poor oven has been dying on me.  It's an electronic one and the computer has been going crazy.  It's been telling me it's at temperature when it's not even close, suddenly locking the door and telling me the temperature is too hot, "coding" (shutting off and displaying an error code) and that sort of thing.  I can not even use the oven and it will lock on it's own!  We had the appliance place come in and replace the temperature sensor and it didn't fix it so it was time for a new oven.  Well, DH decided to take the computer out of the oven since he couldn't make it any worse because by this time, it wouldn't even start.  He checked the board completely to see if anything was wrong, cleaned all of the connections and put it back together again. Well, I've now used the oven twice and I've not had a problem!!  I'm amazed!  I'm tempted to try to do a self-clean cycle but I think that just might be pushing my luck.  :)

Finally, I think we're set on where we will be holding the new church in September.  We found a great building that would be perfect and the landlord was willing to renovate it for us but we needed to sign a 3 year contract and we weren't comfortable with that.  So for now, we'll be meeting at the local Crowne Plaza Hotel.  We're still working out the details on that but we'll have 2 rooms and we'll hold services at 10:30, I think.  :)  The whole church plant is slowly coming together!  Oh!  Our pastor also challenged the congregation to help with the church plant and take a week to fund it (it's $450 a week but he's asking for $500 to help cover some other costs), hoping to get funding for it for a full year.  So that would be 52 people who would pay for the rental of the hotel.  At this point, I think we have 20-something people committed already!  How awesome!!  That means we've got the first 1/2 year already covered!  Praise God!

Once again, Menu ... Tuesday

I'm such a slacker but yesterday I was not feeling that great so I didn't post my menu then.  HOWEVER, I actually planned out TWO full weeks' worth of food.  I did that because our pastors are going away next Monday and Tuesday nights, so those nights I planned "kid food" that my hubby wouldn't necessarily want.  Once I got there, it wasn't too much more to make it through the rest of the week, so two weeks are DONE.  :)

31 - Was supposed to be appetizers but we had a sudden death in the church so it ended up being just canned soup and brown bread
1 - taco soup
2 - Italian beef stew, noodles, salad
3 - chicken enchiladas, salad (this is, IF my oven works)
4 - leftovers (funeral)
5 - burgers, fried potatoes, corn
6 - spaghetti with Italian sausages, salad
7 - steak, baked potatoes, green beans
8 - "slops" (elbow macaroni, ground beef, tomato soup)
9 - grilled chicken cutlets, broccoli, orzo with feta cheese
10 - macaroni and cheese, salad
11 - ham and bean soup, salad, rolls
12 - appetizer dinner
13 - chicken pot pie, salad


Like my "Menu Planning Mania" button? Get yours here.

My dear departing oven

So my oven is dying.  Poor thing.  It's in it's death throws but I won't let it go just yet since I don't have enough money for its replacement.  So instead, I'll coddle it along.  It's reading the temperature all wrong and will tell me the oven is too hot and will lock the door - when it's at 200 degrees.  Here's an example from tonight.

5:35 - start oven at 325 degrees on convection
5:36 - "at" temperature (forget the oven thermometer inside reads just 125 degrees)
5:40 - put meatloaf in oven
We get a good long stretch in here - enough that I ask my daughter if the oven is still even running
5:54 - oven "codes".  It's saying that the temperature is too high
5:55 - oven door locks
5:55:30 - oven door unlocks
5:57 - restart the oven to 325 degrees on convection
5:58 - reaches temperature
6:03 - door locks
6:03:05 - door unlocks
6:04 - door locks
6:04:03 - oven stops running then starts again
6:04:25 - oven door unlocks
6:12 - oven "codes" again - temp too high
6:14 - restart oven
6:26 - still running well!  Hmmmm
6:55 - a very yummy meatloaf is ready to eat.  It's weird that it gives me a lot of time an hour into it.

(oops - posted too soon - will update when meatloaf is done or it goes crazy again)

Good read on another blog - Proselytism and an argument from the world

One of the books I posted on yesterday was Holy Subversion by Trevin Wax and I'm really looking forward to reading it.  Today on Trevin's blog, he has a response to a person who left a comment on a blog post discussing proselytism.  It's a very good read for us because we can see a well thought out argument against the idea that Christians shouldn't try to "force" other people to believe and we should allow all beliefs to exist because all beliefs are equal.  I recently got into a discussion about this with someone and I found it wonderful to read how another believer addresses the issue.  So read it today when you get a chance.  It will only take a few moments but look at it as a teaching time.  I learned a lot and I hope you will too.

Woo-hoo! Books!!

I love getting new books and I just ordered 4 that I'm excited to get and to start reading.  They are:

Gospel-Powered Parenting:  How the Gospel Shapes and Transforms Parenting by William P. Farley

From Amazon:  Bill Farley's new book on parenting is rock solid. It is so because it is so profoundly grounded upon the all-sufficiency of the Word of God and the Gospel of grace. When it comes to parenting, Farley is no neophyte; he has been in the trenches raising sinful kids by the grace of God and for the glory of God for two decades. Nor is he going to give you theoretical platitudes; he is honest about his own deficiencies and his great need of Gospel wisdom in parenting. Here is Jonathan Edward s theology made accessible to depraved parents raising depraved kids in a depraved world. This is, ultimately, a parenting book full of hope, hope grounded in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. --- Douglas Bond, author of Fathers & Sons: Stand Fast in the Way of Truth, and Hold Fast in a Broken World.


Tim Challies, a blogger I highly respect recommended it highly.




Holy Subversion:  Allegiance to Christ in an Age of Rivals by Trevin Wax


From Amazon:  Christians are too often guilty of pledging their allegiance to the influential principalities and powers of this age rather than to Christ alone. In Holy Subversion, Trevin Wax challenges such behavior by urging a return to the subversive lifestyle of the earliest Christians. Their proclamation and demonstration that "Jesus is Lord" directly opposed the Caesar worship of their day.

Today, Christians in the West must choose between Jesus and our "Caesars": self, success, money, leisure, sex, power. What would it look like, asks Wax, if today's church reclaimed the communal, subversive nature of the gospel, intentionally undermining all contenders for our devotion? How would the message that "Jesus is Lord" change our thinking about our jobs, our families, and our church participation? Here this gifted pastor-theologian offers help in taking our faith public, dethroning modern-day Caesars, honoring the Lordship of Christ, and understanding the church as the ultimate counterculture-an embodiment of Christ's supremacy over all.

Dug Down Deep:  Unearthing What I Believe and Why It Matters by Josh Harris

From Amazon:  "When the apostle Peter says, "Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God…casting all your anxiety on Him," he implies that humble people are fearless. They have the courage to stand up for truth humbly. I love the term "humble orthodoxy." And I love Josh Harris. When they come together (Josh and humble orthodoxy), as they do in this book, you get a humble, helpful, courageous testimony to biblical truth. Thank you, Josh, for following through so well on the conversation in Al Mohler's study."
—John Piper, author of Desiring God; Pastor for Preaching and Vision, Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis


Crosstalk:  Where Life and Scripture Meet by Michael R. Emlet

From Amazon:  Your friend just left his wife. You catch your child posting something inappropriate on the Internet. Someone in your small group is depressed. A relative was just diagnosed with an incurable disease. When those you know and love experience trouble, you don't want to hand out pat answers or religious platitudes. Instead, you want to offer real hope and help from God's Word. You know it s true, but how does an ancient book, written thousands of years ago, connect with our twenty-first century problems? In CrossTalk: Where Life and Scripture Meet, Michael R. Emlet gives you the tools to connect the Bible to your life and to the lives of your family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers. You will learn to understand people and God s Word in ways that promote gospel-centered, rich conversations that help you and those you know grow in love for God and others. This book will make the whole Bible come alive to you. Instead of platitudes, you can offer a cup of living water to those who are struggling in this broken world.




Should make for some good winter reading!  Oh - if you're interested in following blogs, you can see on my blog roll both Trevin Wax (Kingdom People) and Josh Harris.  

Menu Plan Monday....errr, Tuesday

Yeah, I'm behind on this once again but I promise this post will be worth it.  :)  My plan for this week is:

Monday - Chicken enchiladas, salad

Tuesday - Wine-braised Italian sausages, salad

Wednesday - Chicken sandwiches, pasta salad, cut up veggies

Thursday - Cranberry pork roast, rice, broccoli

Friday - Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, peas

Saturday - Ham, scalloped potatoes, glazed carrots

Sunday - leftovers or a $20 family meal at a local take-out place


But what's so worth it about this post?  The chicken enchilada recipe.  Honestly, this ROCKED our dinner last night and I just finished it today for lunch.  My whole family rated this a 10+ which is pretty rare for everyone to think something was that good.  I got the recipe off of All Recipes and only did two things differently than the original recipe:  1)  I used a small chicken that I had used to make chicken stock for soup for a very ill friend of mine.  2)  I used a large can (28 oz) of enchilada sauce since we like things on the saucy side.  Hubby actually said this was better than the awesome Mexican restaurant that we love to go to on special occasions!!  Wowza!  THAT is good!  So here's the recipe:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Angelas-Awesome-Enchiladas/Detail.aspx#

2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast meat - cut into chunks 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup 1 1/4 cups sour cream 1/4 teaspoon chili powder 1 tablespoon butter 1 small onion, chopped 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies, drained 1 (1.25 ounce) package mild taco seasoning

mix 1 bunch green onions, chopped, divided 1 cup water 1 teaspoon lime juice 1/2 teaspoon onion powder 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 5 (12 inch) flour tortillas 3 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded, divided 1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce 1 (6 ounce) can sliced black olives

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Place the chicken in a large pot and add water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the chicken pieces are no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Shred chicken by placing two forks back to back and pulling meat apart. Set the shredded chicken aside. Meanwhile, combine the cream of chicken soup, sour cream, and chili powder in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, then turn off the heat and cover to keep warm.
2.	Heat the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the shredded chicken, chopped green chilies, taco seasoning, half of the bunch of chopped green onion, and water. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the lime juice, onion powder, and garlic powder; simmer for an additional 10 minutes.
3.	Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Stir 1 cup of the soup mixture into the skillet with the chicken mixture. Spread the remaining soup mixture on the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.
4.	Fill each tortilla with chicken mixture. Sprinkle Cheddar cheese over the chicken filling before folding the tortillas, reserving half of the shredded cheese for topping the enchiladas. Fold tortillas over the filling and place seam-side down in the prepared pan.
5.	Pour enchilada sauce evenly over the enchiladas. Cover with the remaining 1 1/2 cups of Cheddar cheese. Sprinkle the reserved chopped green onions and the sliced olives on top of the cheese. Bake in the preheated oven until filling is heated through and the cheese is melted and bubbling, about 25 minutes.