Changing Lives for Good

Whispers of Grace

My wife, Jennifer, has posted a couple of blogs here in the past but she has now stepped in to writing her own blog, Whispers of Grace. I hope you'll head over there and be an avid reader. She's a great woman and a phenomenal writer... and I don't think I being biased in saying that either.

She'll also have a column in the upcoming Haslet Style magazine. I am very excited and very proud for her. I'm sure it will only take a few reads for you to understand that I definitely married above my head... God is SO good!

A New Perspective on Church Planting

I (Jennifer) was talking to a friend today about life and kids and motherhood and all those other things you talk about when catching up with an old friend. In the course of our conversation, she asked me, “How is your church plant coming along?”

As I described to her the exciting details of our church’s first gathering this past Sunday, a pesky little thought kept darting around in the back of my mind. Why do we call it church planting? I know, I know, it’s because starting a church from scratch is like planting a seed and then watching God transform it into a thriving, bountiful, nourishing, and shade-giving life. But something about that metaphor just doesn’t seem to capture the faith-filled adventure of starting a church.

Maybe it’s because I’m a city girl (despite going to Texas Agricultural & Mechanical University). Or maybe it’s because I somehow didn’t inherit my parents’ enthusiasm for landscaping (in fact, Brett chuckled when it took me a couple of weeks to notice that a big shrub in our yard was dead). But the term planting seems so . . . well, unattached. Like those bean plants the kids occasionally bring home from school—you know, the ones where you stick a bean in a cup with some water, put it in your kitchen window, and sit back and watch it grow.

But in my experience, the process of starting a church is much more intimate and personal and life-consuming and humbling than merely planting a seed and watching it grow; it’s more like having a baby. It’s receiving a vision that God implants deep in your soul, tiny and embryonic but alive nonetheless, the heartbeat of God’s call getting stronger every day. And before long, that nascent life inside you begins to swell, and others around you start to notice. You can’t help talking about it; everything you do and see reminds you of the budding vision that is growing and maturing in you. You pray and dream and tremble (and then pray some more!) as you start making plans for the day when God’s vision for a new church, through you, becomes a reality. You start checking your calendar, eagerly counting the days, your heart leaping at the fact that you're one day closer. Which, of course, usually causes you to pray some more.

Then, like a glimpse through a sonogram, you gradually begin to see the shape and form and detail of the church. A couple catches the vision and joins the launch team. The Bible study draws people who want to know Christ and one another more deeply, gradually joining together to form the sinews and joints and arms and legs of this tiny little body of Christ that is being nourished and formed by God’s provision and grace.

We had our first gathering last Sunday, and now our little “baby” is kicking! A dear couple has graciously opened their home for our church to have a Super Bowl party. Others contacted us this week to say, “We’ll be there again this Sunday; please let us know how we can help.” And my heart smiled this morning when I heard that two of our precious women have already called each other to coordinate refreshments for this week’s study. Ah, this burgeoning body of Christ is alive and moving and growing and working together! I am so in awe of what God is creating.

In the coming weeks and months, Brett and I will continue to pray and plan and dream and nourish and sometimes simply stand in unspeakable awe at this emerging new life, the God-implanted vision becoming reality, the body of Christ being formed here in Sendera Ranch. We’ll celebrate all the little milestones as week after week, day by day, God knits together men and women of all ages and stages, all of us joining our lives to embody God’s vision for His church in our community.

We invite you to come join us this Sunday, so you can experience and be part of our vibrant, growing community of Christ followers, the family of God that is forming here at The Church at Sendera Ranch!

Gone Fishing

One of the things I (Jennifer) love about Sendera Ranch is the amenity center. Whether it’s splashing around in the pool or climbing on the playground, there is a lot of fun waiting for us there!

     On Saturday, we did something here for the very first time: we took the kids fishing. The fish weren’t biting (does anyone in Sendera Ranch know if there are actually fish in that pond?). But we did have a lot of fun! Perhaps my favorite part of the morning was when I had the opportunity to simply hang out with Julia.

     As all you parents know, there’s something profoundly special about spending time with each child. That’s what Julia and I did yesterday. She and I found a shady spot, situated ourselves on a particularly flat rock not far from the water, and we simply sat together and fished. As we watched her bobber slowly drift across the pond, Julia told me about her school (her favorite part is the “treasure box”), her friends (her new best friend is Emily) and other interesting things. Like, even though we bought her a Barbie the Island Princess costume for Halloween, what she really wanted to be was . . . Batman. Sigh. If only I had asked her first.

     The thing about fishing is that it forces you to slow down. To wait patiently for the thing you’re seeking. To savor the moment. And to get to know the person you’re with.

     The Gospels tell us that soon after Jesus began His public ministry, He was walking by the Sea of Galilee and said to Peter and Andrew, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19; Mark 1:17). And immediately, the brothers picked up their nets and followed Christ.

     Fishers of men. It’s the reason Jesus has called us to follow Him. He doesn’t say, “Follow Me, and I will make you students of theology.” Or, “Follow Me, and I will make you successful and wealthy.” Or “Follow Me, and I will make you great parents with a fabulous family.”

     He says, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

     Why are Brett and I here in Sendera Ranch? Why did we pack up our family and move out here in faith, not knowing anyone, not having a “safety net”? Because He has called us to be fishers of men. And He has called the Stair family here, specifically, to launch The Church at Sendera Ranch.

     Now, that doesn’t mean you have to be in full-time ministry to be a “fisher of men.” Far from it! Just as you don’t have to be a professional angler to catch fish, you don’t have to be a pastor or missionary to share the good news of God’s great grace.

     You just have to take the time to slow down. To wait patiently for the opportunity to share the truth. To savor each God-gifted moment. And to get to know the people God has placed in your life.

     And one by one, God will begin to speak into the hearts of men and women in our community and change their lives for good. And as The Church at Sendera Ranch, we’ll be here to befriend, teach, support, help, and encourage one another as we go.

     So what are you waiting for? Let’s go fishing!

The Best-Laid Plans

In May 1995, with my newly framed (and, as Brett would point out, oddly enormous) Texas A&M diploma adorning the bedroom wall in my tiny apartment, I began my first day as the public relations coordinator for Word Publishing. One of the perks of my new job was when my boss handed me a Franklin Covey catalog and told me to pick whatever I wanted. Anything!

            To an organized, detail-driven gal like me, it was a dream come true.

            I chose a classic leather binder in—what else?—Aggie maroon, with Monticello refills, two-page monthly calendars, and all the accessories a girl could ever want, even the combo ruler/page trimmer/calculator! My day planner was absolutely indispensible during my years in-house at Word.

            Fast-forward twelve years. I still use the same Franklin Covey planner. And I’m still using the same Monticello refills. I’ve pared down most of the accessories over the years, but one thing hasn’t changed. Each time I open my planner, I see the words I wrote all those years ago on the very front page:

The mind of man plans his way,

But the Lord directs his steps.

—Proverbs 16:9

         

  It’s an ongoing reminder for me that no matter how much I plan and organize and take care of the details, ultimately God is in charge of what happens.

            That lesson hit home for us last week. Here are just a few snapshots of how God rearranged our plans:

·         In the hospital prep room, just before our baby goes in for surgery, the doctor says, “While you’re here, would you consider…?” He describes another surgical procedure he thinks our son needs. Brett and I have ten minutes to decide.

·         That night, one of our daughters complains that she feels “funny.” Sure enough, her temperature is 103.3. Some cool washcloths and Motrin get her temp down to 101, so we avoid the rush trip to the ER. Or so I think.

·         The next morning, she complains of severe eye pain. Minutes after an urgent call to her glaucoma doctor’s cell phone, we’re meeting him in his office for an emergency exam.

·         I wake up the next day with excruciating pain. A CT scan reveals the problem, and I’m sent home with plenty of pain meds to manage it for now.

            

           Whew! Everything I had neatly penned into my trusty planner’s calendar spaces for the week changed. Apparently, God had something else in mind for our family.

            And the same is true for The Church at Sendera Ranch. It was a week of unexpected phone calls. The meeting space we had arranged to rent fell through. One of our sponsoring churches isn’t able to help as much as planned. (In an e-mail today, an author described church planting as “dancing on a moving floor.” Yes, my friend, that’s exactly what it’s like.)

            So what do you do when your best laid plans, as the poet said, go awry? Like we did this past week, you close your day planner and prayerfully search out what God is up to. And then, as Blackaby and King suggest in Experiencing God, you join Him where He is already at work.

            The past few days, God has been directing our steps at The Church at Sendera Ranch in ways we hadn’t even considered. Apparently, He has an even better meeting place for us. (Details to come soon.) And He wants us to trust Him to provide what is necessary to reach this community with the great news that He is changing lives for good.

            We’re making lots of exciting plans here at The Church at Sendera Ranch, and the Lord is clearly directing our steps.

Things here, on the cutting edge of God’s work in our community, may not always fit neatly in our daily planners. But at The Church at Sendera Ranch, we can all count on one thing—something you may not have experienced in church before—the exciting, daily adventure of following God’s lead.

Christened for the Journey

Today we made it official. With a little help from our fourteen-month-old son, we’ve “christened” our new home.

In the weekday hurry-scurry of getting our oldest child to kindergarten and our two younger kids up, fed, dressed, and ready for Mother’s Day Out—while simultaneously trying to get ourselves dressed and ready, since I (Jennifer) had a meeting this morning—Brett and I somehow overlooked a very important fact.

My coffee mug, filled with the dark brew, was sitting unattended on the bathroom counter.

(Have you already figured out how this story ends?)

I’m in the closet, putting on my shoes, when our son comes toddling into the closet to see me, his pudgy little baby arms fully extended and proudly bearing a gift that, judging from his “Da! Da! Da!” of glee, he apparently considers to be a priceless treasure:

My coffee mug.

I shriek. I look in the mug. Then I sigh with relief, realizing it’s almost empty. Whew! I must have drunk more coffee than I thought. That was a close one.

Shoes tied and baby scooped up in my arms, I make my way through the bedroom to go find daughter #2 and make sure she has put her shoes on by now.

Only to discover that there is a reason my coffee mug was empty.

Because the coffee in that mug has been splashed all over the floor and is now deviously spreading and seeping into the carpet fibers.

Arrrgh!

My first thought—after At least he spilled the coffee on the floor and not himself and Thank God he didn’t spill it on my laptop!—was this: Well, now our house in Sendera Ranch has officially been christened for this journey.

The word christen means “to baptize and give a Christian name to.” In some churches, infants are christened, usually in a gleaming white gown, in a ceremony during which the priest or pastor announces the baby’s christened name and then pours water over (or, in a sense, “baptizes”) the infant.

Similarly, it is customary for a ship to be christened on the day of its launch. During a formal service that closely resembles a baptismal ceremony, the ship’s name becomes official that day, and “christening fluid” (usually wine or champagne) is poured over the bow—a kind of “baptism” for the vessel before she heads out into the vast ocean for her maiden voyage.

So I suppose it’s not much of a stretch to say that today, in a sense, our family was officially “christened” for this journey to start The Church at Sendera Ranch. Okay, so the “christening fluid” wasn’t champagne; it was lukewarm Pura Vida Kilimanjaro coffee. And we’re not sailing into the ocean, but we are heading into the sea of people who live in and around Sendera Ranch.

And just like that tell-tale dark brown spot on our bedroom carpet, Brett and I are not perfect. Like everyone, we sometimes make mistakes and do things we regret. But we love and serve an amazing God, who hears our prayers, cleanses our sin-stained hearts, and daily transforms us with His boundless grace and unfathomable love.

Don’t you want to know a God like that?

Brett and I are convinced that He has called us here, to Sendera Ranch, to build relationships and to share this message of hope with our neighbors—people who, like us, aren’t perfect, but they’re eager to be part of a community that celebrates the great news that God is changing lives for good.

Won’t you join us in this journey?

Boxes and Bubble Wrap: Jennifer's Reflections on Moving

Since Brett has been busy with the kids this weekend, I thought I’d chime in today.

As you know if you’ve been reading this blog, the Stair family moved from Austin to Sendera Ranch just over two weeks ago. Now, Brett and I are no strangers to moving. (I guess that goes with the territory when you’re in ministry!) This move marks the sixth time Brett and I have packed our bags and headed to a new place. So let’s face it: we’re pretty much veterans when it comes to relocation.

Our adventures with the moving company aside, the move to Sendera Ranch has been the hardest for me so far. No, not because of the place (I love Sendera Ranch!). And no, not because of the house (it’s right next to the pool and playground!). And no, not even because of the people (I’ve already met several wonderful neighbors here).

The hardest part about this move is how S-L-O-W-L-Y the process of unpacking is going. Argh!

Those of you who don’t know me yet probably think I should just chill out and not let the clutter bother me. And believe me, I’ve tried! But I just can’t do it. I’m the kind of gal who likes everything to be clean and orderly. Granted, with three children ages six and under, “orderly” has never been the first word that comes to mind when you visit our home. But, honestly, I try!

That’s why I’m losing my sanity amid all the boxes and bubble wrap. It seems every day I trip over something that’s not where it’s supposed to be. And when I decide that I just can’t take it anymore and take a break to organize a room—say, the study—then I get frustrated when the process of unpacking just stirs up the clutter, like sweeping out a dusty garage. It’s like taking one step forward and five steps back. I’ll start opening boxes and spreading out books and office supplies all over the floor . . . but then I have to stop and chase our toddler, who just snatched a computer cord and is gleefully sprinting down the hall with his contraband. Then I’m back to work trying to figure out which paperwork to keep (which bills are due?) and sorting our books (by topic, then author’s last name) . . . only to realize that the girls have been taking stuff out of my pile marked “garage sale,” so I have to go get it back. Sigh.

This afternoon, I arranged the pantry after our much-needed trip to the grocery store (side note to any of you who may be real estate investors: we need a grocery store in Haslet!). As I was sorting and re-sorting our food (nonbreakable items on the bottom where the kids can reach, baking goods and glass jars up higher, party supplies on the tip-top shelf . . . but where on earth to keep my cookbooks?), it hit me.

When was the last time I cleared out the clutter in my own life?

I’ve been intent on organizing our house because the clutter is driving me crazy. Yet I haven’t been bothered by all the junk cluttering my spiritual life—the frustrations, the times I snap at the kids, the mornings I head straight to the coffeepot instead of to my Bible . . . things I trip over almost every day. And some days, it feels like my relationship with God is one step forward, five steps back. I’ll be reading the Word and learning something awesome . . . and then I hear the girls upstairs fighting about something or the baby wakes up from his nap. And just when I finally get things calmed down enough to start to pray, it’s not long before I realize that I’ve been sneaking into some of those sins tucked away in my pile marked “under control,” and now I have to deal with them all over again. Sigh.

Coming clean to God isn’t always—perhaps ever?—an easy process. Like sweeping out a dusty garage, examining your inner life can stir up a gritty swirl of memories and fears and frustrations. But as we allow God to illuminate the dark corners of our hearts (2 Cor. 5:6) and cleanse us with the water of His Word (Eph. 5:26), our inner “house” will become the kind of warm, peaceful, inviting place that our families will enjoy and others will be drawn to.

After all, isn’t that why we’re here, planting The Church at Sendera Ranch?