Praying Through Growth

Couple's Study at Our House Tuesday Night

We would like to invite you to pray along with us as we continue to seek God's design for the new couple's ministry. There are so many models and ideas out there today. We have been trying to focus on life on life discipleship and God has been blessing us all. But we understand that for more couples to have this same privilege we need to multiply and grow. These couples you see here above, are part of the couples who are praying, working, and seeking God along with Wendy and I to see His simple process become a reality. We desire to help couples live as disciples of Christ and serve the church as we engage the world to help others live as disciples of Christ.

This is a great group of people. The potential for the couples ministry and church is incredible. We are at a unique point in our development. We are seeking to create a lifestyle ministry model for the couples that is simple, scalable, and reproducible. Only one of the couples pictured here was previously involved with our campus ministry, so this is a whole new adventure for them all. Most of our campus fruit are young and unmarried.

Pray God would continue to draw each of these couples to Himself, filling them with His grace and love. Pray God would show us His direction and plans for the development of the couples ministry and leaders for the church. Pray God would continue to help us introduce our friends, family, and business contacts to Jesus as we walk together in Him.

The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. I Cor. 12:12-13 NIV

Happy 10th Birthday Luke 04-20-2007

We are so proud of you Luke! Who would believe you are already ten! Wow time flies when you're having fun! Your mom and I pray you will seek God with all your heart that you might know the height, depth, and breadth of His great love.

Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Ps. 37:4-6 NIV

We hosted a cook out on Saturday for Luke and Meg, Demps & Kristi Dempsey's daughter, at our house to celebrate their birthdays. It was tons of fun and there were nearly sixty folks there. It was a great time with old and new friends!

Thanks for all the calls, cards, and emails! Click here to see more photos from Luke's party.

CO Brazil Team Update 04-17-2007

As you can see to the left I am including a team update that has some news from our ministry with the couples and families as well as news from Fernando Rodrigues, one of our national staff, who leads one of our campus teams and our outreach within one of the poor communities of our city.

Praise God with us for His faithfulness! Easter weekend we hosted a retreat for our church where the graduates and couples led and served the church! It was a great time of fellowship and celebration as we all joined together to reflect on Christ's precious gift through the cross!

To see photos of the actual retreat click here.

Please be in prayer with us for God to provide a new location for our growing church over the next month. For those of you who live in urban settings you know how difficult it can be to find a place within your target area that has the right characteristics and that you can afford. Please notice as well the other prayer needs included in the update!

Please Click on the Image at Left to see and read it in full size.

What a Welcome Home! 04-03-2007

Among the many things that I love about our Brazilian friends is how they love a party! And party is what we did! The night I arrived in Brazil the couples thru a welcome home and birthday party at our house! It was awesome to see everyone again after my trip and it was fun to share the special day with Arnaldo and Romer! I can't tell you how old they turned. They did not release that info to the general public!

Arnaldo & Romer (the birthday boys)
Click here to see all the pictures from the party!

CO Brazil Team Update 04-02-2007

At left is a recent team update with news from around the ministry here in Brazil. Each month we try and give an update from one aspect of the ministry here and a personal report from one of our Brazilian staff.

Please praise God with us for how He is moving and working to change and transform lives! There truly is no greater joy than to see God changing the lives around you! Please celebrate with us as well the arrival of Samuel on 3/3/2007 to new staff partners Guilherme and Amber Albergaria. Thanks for your partnership and prayers!

Please Click on the Image at Left to see it and read it in full size.

We hope you will enjoy hearing all that God is doing here! Let us hear from you.

Update on Dad

Thank you all for your prayers during my recent visit with my family back in the US. It was a blessed time of fun, laughter, work, and tears. It was so good to visit with mom and dad and get to see them and talk with them about all that's going on. It is so difficult to be so far away when loved ones are hurting and suffering!

While Dad's illness has been challenging he has maintained a good perspective and has been a fairly good patient. He does not always seem to want to take it easy, even when he was also recently suffering with pneumonia as well. Thankfully he has recovered from the pneumonia and is doing well at the present.

While I was there my oldest brother Tony and his family came down from St. Louis, MO to visit. My niece Blair Allen and her family came in from California to visit. My nephew Rusty and his family came up from King's Bay, GA to visit. And my brother Scott and his family came over frequently to make the time that much more special!

I praise God for my family and how God has used them to nurture and bless me my whole life! I can't say enough about how much I love everyone and how much I miss everyone. thank you God for such a special father and mother! I would not be the man I am today without their love, support, correction, direction, and presence! Thank you mom and dad!

It was hard to leave, but Wendy and the children waiting on me back in Brazil was a sweet consultation and gift! I arrived home to great cheers, hugs, and kisses. What a reception! Thank you family!