Zeke's friends, laundry, standing tall, dvd's and all kinds of pics of the kids!

New blessings everyday...

Hey friends...
It's been fun to preach on the joy that a life with Jesus can bring. It's even more fun to tell you about some of the blessings from the Father that are bringing corrie and I joy right now. FIRST, old friends of ours have rented us a cabin in Tennessee in June for an entire week... they're even helping with the gas to get there. What a divine moment! We ran into them just before Easter and they offered us the vacation. Corrie and I are looking forward to an amazing week away... our first real vacation in several years... and the kids first ever.
SECOND, corrie told me last night that someone in our family is going to give us a second car. Overwhelmed by that we are... wow, will that make our lives a little less stressful.
KEEP PRAYING for us friends and family. We desperately need it. Corrie is continuing on with her babysitting (8am-6pm) everday and that's keeping her busy. Adam is dropping down to about 20 hrs at the coffee shop. So, his schedule will go from 30hr at Kidd and 25-30hr at Orchrard... and switch to 20hr at Kidd and 35-40 with the Orchard.... at least that's our hope.
The church is growing and we're seeing new faces almost every week. Love you and we'll blog again soon.

Churches everywhere... what's God doing?

There are so many churches coming (or have come to the area) that we (staff and fam) are getting really anxious to see what God is doing... or is Satan trying to divide and conquer what should be unity in the body? I welcome your thoughts. Here's the churches in our rough target area...

PLANTED OR REBIRTHED IN THE LAST 10 years
**The Park UMC (Hamilton Twn)
**Grace Presb. (Hamilton Twn)
**House of Praise (Morrow)
**Salt Run Community (Hamilton Twn)
**Crosspointe Community (Hamilton Twn)
**Northbridge (Little Miami High)
**Walls Down (coming soon)
**Little Miami Christian (coming soon)
**Family Life Church (houses?)
**New Episcopal church (Maineville/Hamilton Twn)
**Rivers Crossing (S. Lebanon)
**Grace Chapel (Morrow)
**House Church (Wedgwood/Hamilton Twn)
**AND MY PERSONAL FAVORITE! The Orchard Church http://www.emergingorchard.org/

BESIDES THE NEWER CHURCHES, THERE ARE THE ESTABLISHED COMMUNITIES
**ST. Philip
**Morrow UMC
**Maineville UMC
**Maineville Baptist
**Fellowship Baptist
**2 Baptist Churches in Morrow
**Morrow Church of God
**Maineville Church of Christ
**Morrow Church of Christ
**Kingspointe Church of God
**2 Baptist Churches in S. Lebanon
**There are 4-5 other church buildings that I know of that I'm not sure of names or if they still have services...

THAT MAKES 30 or so churches in our immediate area (that I know of). There have also been a few other plants (at least 3) that have begun and faded. What's all of this mean?

What is God doing?
What are we doing?
Why so many plants?

What are we bringing to the area different from the established churches?

What are the different plants bringing that are actually going to reach people different from all of the other plants?

And I don't mean just what makes the plants unique... which is part of it. But, what aspect of a relationship with Jesus is different? Not methods, music or program... how will those in the margins recognize each church as a part of Jesus and not just each church the splintered faction of a divided body?

PLEASE, comment below and tell me your thoughts...