#1 I love when WFA gets outside our walls and serves in the community.  Another good Pecanwood Block Party on Saturday.  Thanks for loving our community!

#2 Tball is humbling!  Our team got smashed in a tournament this weekend!  Boys are having fun though and we are building relationships with families.  Tough on this coach!

#3 Very excited about what is happening in our Kids Ministry.  Pastors Chris and Tiffany Smirl are doing a great job leading our kids.  Sunday was a contest day for wearing the most mismatched clothes.  Our kids looked great or not so great and got a lot of funny looks at lunches all over Tyler!  More importantly, our kids were challenged as were their parents (we are doing the same teaching in kids church as we are in “big” church) to break out of the cages that are holding them back.  God has big plans for our kids and I’m excited to see what He does in them and through them!

#4 Sunday was a great day!  We focused both services on how big our God is!  In the morning service, we studied Genesis 15 where God gave Abraham an unbelievable promise and then took him outside his tent  to give him the most amazing object lesson.  Sometimes, like Abraham, we are limited by the “8 foot ceiling” all around us.  We need a moment of wonder to realize how big God is and the amazing plans He has for us.  Then following that, our pm service focused on “How Great Is Our God.”  We watched the DVD (click here to watch it) and then had a great worship time together.

#5 Then we took over Dairy Queen!  Love that our church loves God and each other!  #ilovemychurch

This Week:

• Kids Ministry Coordinators Meeting at Noon on Wednesday
• Family Night at 7pm on Wednesday
• College and Career will meet on Thursday at 6pm at The Sigwald’s House
• Kids Ministry Media Training on Thursday at 6pm
• Men’s Fishing Weekend on Friday and Lunch on Saturday at Palestine Pines on Lake Palestine
• Wow on Saturday
• Sunday: Missions Sunday, Water Baptism, and last Connect Group of the semester

#1 – My family and many others had a blast at the Play/Connect/Eat Family event on Friday night.  We had some great burgers and hot dogs made by Pastor Chris and then an exciting game of Parents vs Kids Kickball.  Everyone laughed a lot and had a great night!  Love our church family!

#2 Love that men can be men at WFA.  Whether it is fishing at the lake (coming in May), playing softball, or watching UFC, our men enjoy being together doing guy stuff!  Great night of watching the UFC fights Saturday night and having fellowship.

#3 Great service on Sunday.  Really love our new series on Cages and seeing people break out of their cages to pursue God.  If you missed either of the first two messages (Cage of Routine or Cage of Guilt), you can listen to them on the website.  It was great that our kids also studied the same text and message.  And then all our families discussed it around the dinner table during family devotions.  WFA should now be guilt free–that cage has been broken!

#4 I am really thankful for our worship team.  They do an amazing job leading us in worship on Sundays.  They sang one of my favorite songs this week, “When I Speak Your Name.”  There is power in the name of Jesus!

#5 Really enjoyed our leadership team meeting Sunday afternoon.  We have a dream team of leaders and workers that are building a great church in Whitehouse.  Very thankful for our team!

#6 Very excited about the missions opportunities coming up at WFA.  Family missions trip to Dallas in May, Haiti trip in June, and youth trip to New Orleans in July.

#7 Take some time and enjoy this weather.  Enjoy it with God–thanking Him for His many blessings, enjoy it alone–peace and quiet, and enjoy it with those you love.  Do it this week because before too long it will be 110 degrees and miserable!

Howdy WFA, FIVE things I would love to share with you today…

#1 – The final numbers are in, 710 attended our Easter services…and 76 gave their lives to Christ!!!  AND this matters SO much because every number has a name, every name has a story and every story matters to God!

#2 – I love my church and love the fact that we embrace the value that “Found People Find People!”  For those who invited someone to church and they received Christ…THAT’S AWESOME!!!  Thank you for going all out.  For those who invited someone to church and they did not receive Christ…THAT’S AWESOME because that means they are one step closer, take God at His Word, He makes EVERYTHING beautiful IN HIS TIME (see Ecclesiastes 3:11).  And for those who invited someone to church and they did not come, be patient with them (as God was with you, II Peter 3:9) and DO NOT give up on them (see Galatians 6:9!!!)

#3 – Some things I won’t forget from this past Easter…

• Watching 61 people walk across the stage and across the bridge in front of a huge crowd to give their lives to Christ!
• Hearing the amazing stories of changed lives during the illustrated message.  Not sure how you could watch the testimonies on the screen without tears streaming down your face!
• Walking across the parking lot at 10:05 and realizing our parking lot was FULL.  Seeing the line 10 families deep to check into all our kids classes!  And seeing we had no seats left in our second service!
• Hearing this song while the testimonies were being shown.  Wow…so powerful.  Thank you to our directors, media, actors, and those that shared their stories!  Amazing!
• And seeing hundreds of kids (and parents too) watching in awe as the helicopter dropped thousands of eggs on our field!  Such excitement, anticipation, and fun!

#4 — If you missed it because you were out of town or were serving, we should have the video up on the website later this week.

#5 – And we don’t just do big things once a year!  Let’s do EVERYTHING we can to get the word out about the new series we are starting THIS SUNDAY!  It’s awesome we brought people to church last week…let’s do ALL WE CAN to get them back this week as we are diving into the subject of “Cages”.  We will also be starting a new believers class this Sunday at 9:30am in the Multi-Purpose room.  If your guests walked across the bridge, make sure you let them know about the class.

Finally, I know I say it all of the time…but I LOVE MY CHURCH!  I can’t even believe I get to do what I do!  I love seeing lost people get found, and then seeing found people become fully devoted followers of Christ!  I can’t WAIT to see what happens next!!!!!

Thank you for praying big, serving big, and inviting big.  We are going to make Jesus famous in East Texas!

–Thankful that His mercies are new every morning.  I love praying and reading as the sun comes up.  So thankful for my relationship with God early on this Monday morning.  (And for BOLD coffee!)

–Another great day at WFA yesterday!  Even though we had a triple whammy of time change, downpour, and spring break, we had a good crowd and great service.

–My favorite part was seeing 5 hands raised to start their new journey with Christ in the second service.  I got to eat lunch with one of those, a senior in high school named Sarah.  Her explanation was so fresh and simple.  The Gospel is still powerful!

–I love being able to communicate the Gospel in two different ways for our two services.  Yesterday, our focus was on the finish line (listen here) which for us is Heaven.  We ended the first service with a traditional song, “I Bowed On My Knee And Cried Holy” and the second service with “I Can Only Imagine.”  Thank you to David Toole and Danny and Celeste Copeland for making it happen!

–Woke up early on Monday morning to write what God was clearly speaking for our the next 3 week series leading up to Easter.  I can’t wait to share as it is going to be an exciting series called, “Resurrections.”  Going to study several of the resurrections Jesus caused leading up to the celebration of His resurrection on Easter Sunday.

–Easter is coming fast!  Now less than 4 weeks away.  Help us by praying BIG, inviting BIG, and bringing BIG amounts of candy!  The helicopter is booked and the 10,000 eggs have been ordered.  What a day its going to be!  Click here for the poster.  After identifying two un-churched or un-connected families and praying for them the last two weeks, now is when we are to look for ways to serve them over the next two weeks.  Here is the 2-2-2 Easter Invest and Invite Plan.

— If you missed Family Devotions last night, you can download the lesson here.  Take some time this week for Family Devotions, Prayer, and Communion.

Going to enjoy extra time with the family this week.  Hope you have a great spring break as well.

#1 We sure missed WFA this past Sunday while we were in New Orleans.  Love technology though as I got to listen to Pastor Danny’s message via our website.  If you missed it or any of the last few weeks on Job, then click here.

#2 Really excited to preach this Sunday.  After a two week break, I am fired up!  Going to be closing out the Job series with part 7: “The Finish Line.”  Will be using lessons I learned from running my first marathon last Sunday throughout the message as well.

#3 We will also be welcoming a Kids Pastor Candidate this weekend.  They will be leading the kids church service Sunday and following that, we will be praying and making a decision.  Stop by Building 252 before or after service to meet them.

#4 Really enjoyed our first deacon dinner and meeting last night with the new 2012 Deacon Team.  WFA we have a great team–our future is in good hands!

#5 With all the growth the last 2 months at WFA, we are having to add another Pre-School Kids Class.  Two weeks ago, our nursery was packed with 20 babies!!!  While that is exciting for me, it is a tough day for our nursery workers.  So starting April 1st, Wee Worship Service for 2-3 year olds will begin right next door to Praise Kingdom (Ages 4-5).  We are also working to have a door to the breezeway put in to Praise Kingdom which will lead to a new Pre-School playground!!!  Great things are happening!

#6 Easter is only 4 weeks away from this Sunday (April 8th).  Be praying and inviting big to our Easter Sunday.  We are challenging you to follow the 2-2-2 plan…pray for 2 families for two weeks, look for an opportunity to serve them the second two weeks, and then the last 2 weeks, look for a way to invite them to Easter.  (Click here for the info)
Easter Schedule
8:30am      Stones: A powerful illustrated message
9:30am      Breakfast Brunch featuring an omelet and waffle bar and eggs, bacon, biscuits, coffee, etc.
10:30am    Stones: A powerful illustrated message
12:30pm    10,000 Easter Eggs Helicopter Drop

#1 Words fail to describe what God did on Sunday at WFA.  It was simply amazing and powerful.  About 20 people responded to get right with God in the 10:30am service.  And then the altars were packed with those desiring to be available for God to use.  Then God moved for nearly an hour as people went after God.  As I said in the service, “This service isn’t going to be a museum where we just talk about what God has done but it is going to be a theme park where we get to experience it!”  I believe we did and everyone enjoyed it and was changed!  The audio has been added to the website–you can listen here.

#2 Our Encounter service was amazing as well.  Unity+expectation=an encounter with God.  8 churches and about 300 people joined together for the sole purpose of seeking God.  And when we fulfill Jeremiah 29:13, God fulfills it as well!  What a powerful message on “When the pattern is right, the glory will fall.”  We were challenged to prevail in prayer like Hanah did in 1 Samuel 1.  And then the glory fell!!!  I wish we could have bottled up a little bit of that on Sunday night–amazing!  You can listen to it here and share it with someone.

#3 Our worship team did an outstanding job of leading us in worship all day long.  They played and sung themselves to exhaustion.  I am so thankful to them and proud of the team we have at WFA.  There were two songs that I have been asked about and here are the You Tube links to them so you can listen and get your praise on!  “More Of You” (Tearing down every stronghold) and “Break Every Chain.”

#4 I am more fired up than ever about what God is doing in East Texas and especially at WFA!  Get ready to experience a move of God.  And don’t just watch it…jump in and experience it!

#5 Yesterday was Luke’s 5th Birthday.  I think I have learned more about God and His love for me from being a parent than when working on my masters degree.  Luke also teaches me to enjoy the moment, be joyful, and laugh alot.  His laughter and joy are so contagious–his smile will melt the toughest of hearts!  Thank you God for blessing us with Luke William Fleming!

#6 First marathon is this week.  Going to be very tough but I have learned that I can do anything with God’s help and hard work.  That finish line is going to be incredible!  Nothing like setting a goal, working hard, and completing it.

#7 Easter is coming fast–6 weeks out from the most incredible Easter we have ever been a part of.  Start praying for your two families and let’s believe this Easter to have eternal impact at WFA!

Have a great week–Be available and prevail in prayer!

8 Things To Share With WFA

#1 HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!!

#2 What a great Sunday we had.  I love seeing hands raised in response to God’s drawing and altars filled with people seeking and surrendering to God.  By far, my favorite part of Sundays!

#3 We are reading through the Gospel of John as a church right now.  One chapter a day for 10 minutes a day in order to hear from God and be changed by His word.  Today is John 2 (and if you missed yesterday, then read John 1).  Post your thoughts on our Facebook Page.

#4 If you missed the message on Sunday, it is already up on the website where you can listen and download the notes.  In the message, we looked at how God shows up and speaks to Job.  I said,” Just because He is silent doesn’t mean He is absent.”  He was listening to them talk about Him for 37 chapters and shows up and speaks in chapter 38.  We also looked at 5 ways He speaks to us today.

#5 I don’t say this all the time but you need to bring someone with you to church this Sunday.  I believe it will be life changing and there needs to be many lost, un-churched, and un-connected people here to hear it.  Invite someone with you…you won’t regret it!  We are going to be dealing with “Does God love me because of His grace or because of my performance?”

#6 All those in leadership or anyone that desires to serve at WFA, is invited to our Leadership Meeting this Sunday from 1:30-2:30pm.  I will be sharing a leadership lesson, we will be doing some brainstorming and vision casting, and we will break into ministry teams to meet and work on the various ministries of WFA.

#7 I ran 20 miles yesterday and it turned into a blog.  Read about it here.

#8 I love my wife!  Our first official date was on Valentines Day 15 years ago.  After I got home from that date, I broke up with my girlfriend that I had been dating for over 2 years.  I’ll share that story another time (sent roses to two girls that Valentines and realized this could get expensive!)  We got engaged that October and were married the following June.

I learned an important lesson while running today. As I stepped on the treadmill facing a 20 mile run and 4 hours of running, I was overwhelmed. At this stage of marathon training, it is more mental than physical on the long runs. So I came up with a plan; focus on 5 miles at a time.

At every 5 miles, I rewarded myself with a short walk, water, and energy gels. This kept me focused on small goals rather than getting overwhelmed by how far I had to go. It helped as I completed the longest run to date.

It reminded me of the Scriptures we read today as a church in John 1. Jesus called some average fisherman to follow him and be His disciples. He didn’t fix them overnight. He didn’t give them the whole plan of how they would eventually change the world. All He did was asked them to follow Him.

I love that invitation because He gives it to us as well. It is to follow Him one step at a time. He doesn’t reveal all the plan or ask us to be perfect, simply to follow. He is asking each of us to just take the next step in following Him. It could be in our spiritual goals, financial goals, marriage goals, or physical goals. Don’t focus on how much change has to happen, just keep taking steps in the right direction; following Him. Eventually you will reach your goals…one step at a time!

And let me tell you from my experience today…it is a great feeling!

There is a funny commercial out that shows exactly how sin works and how it starts out so small, “Direct TV: Don’t Have a Grandson with a Dog Collar.”

Sin works that way…it is always waiting for us.  Genesis 4:7 describes it as “If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”  It wants to destroy you but the Bible gives us hope that whatever the sin is, we can rule over it.

Another great description of how sin works is found in Proverbs 7.  I read this chapter this morning during my Bible in a Year Reading Program using The Message translation.

Notice the progression of sin:

• 6-12 Sin is WAITING at every corner
• 13-20 Sin is WORKING to seduce you
• 21-23 Sin is wanting to WRAP you up in its enticement
• 24-27 Sin wants to WASTE your life

Make the decision now to run away from it no matter what.  David stopped to stare and suffered extreme consequences while Joseph ran.  Don’t think you are strong enough to reason with it, just RUN.

Or in the words of Proverbs…”Don’t fool around with a woman like that; don’t even stroll through her neighborhood.”