New Website

It's official...our new website is up! It is www.livinghopemarysville.com, so check out the new site along with the new welcome video. Spread the word and keep praying for us!

It's Official...

Living Hope has a new address! We have moved into 3 offices in the downtown area. The new address is...

Living Hope Church
246 West Fifth Street
Marysville, Ohio 43040

God is moving, so please keep praying!

Hello from Louisville, Kentucky

This week I am in Louisville attending my last DMIN seminar here at the Billy Graham School at Southern Seminary. I will be here through Friday and then drive back home to Marysville onn Friday night. I want to say happy birthday to my mom, however, I will try to be a good son and not disclose her age, although I am tempted to:) Have a wonderful day and tell somebody about the good news that Jesus saves!

The Essentials of the Gospel

Let's face it, fads come and go. The are numerous styles, methods, and outlines which assist the believer in sharing his or her faith. While there is nothing wrong with using outlines, the essentials of the Gospel can only be found in the Scriptures. The Bible says in Romans 10:17 that, "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God." As an Evangelism Explosion teacher/instructor, I have no problem with anyone using an outline that is centered around the Scriptures. However, we must know and be able to clearly share the essentials of the Christian faith with others. There are distinctives that seperate us from other religious denominations. Living Hope is proud to be a Southern Baptist Church, however, I am more proud to be a Christian and am more concerned to lead people to Christ than anything else. This brings me to my original question, what are the essentials of the Gospel. I believe they are:

Jesus is the only way (John 14:6)
Repentance and Faith (Acts 20:20-21)
Must be born again (John chapter 3)
Virgin Birth of Christ (Luke 1; Romans 5)
Sinlessness of Jesus (1 Peter 1:18-19)
Must acknowledge sin and confess Christ as Lord (Romans 10:9-10)

The virgin birth and sinless life of Christ are NON-NEGOTIABLES, Christ has to be born of a virgin because the Word of God teaches that sin is passed through the seed of the male, thus, requiring Christ to be born of a woman in order to die for the sins of the world. God cannot sin and Jesus said in John 10:30 that He and the Father are one. Jesus is God and never sinned, though tempted he died sinless. One must acknowledge their sin, believe Jesus Christ is Lord and He was raised from the dead, and receive Jesus Christ by grace through faith. Let us not become sucked into this era of easy-believism by watering down the Word of God and forcing people to pray prayers without a clear understanding of the Gospel!

This Coming Week...

Please pray for the following traveling here to OHIO this week...

Carol and Josh Wiley as they come to buy a new home.

Hannah Campbell, Marissa Blaylock, and James Cornett as they come to pray about the possibility of relocating here in the future.

Wisdom and the funds to move into office space beginning in July. The cost is $800 per month and is a wonderful opportunity.

James Moseley will be arriving to continue the job search and working with the ministry.

Houses need to be sold and jobs to be found...good thing God is in charge!!!
Keep Praying...

Last Night...

At our second interst meeting there were 58 people present...41 adults and 17 kids. To God be the Glory! Please keep praying.

Today In Marysville...

This has been an awesome day in Marysville as today we passed out bottled water and talked to people at the park. James, Cam, and I had the opportunity to talk to around 10 kids today at the park and tell them about Living Hope, found only in Jesus Christ. I think a pretty good outreach idea was birthed today as we are praying about a possible event called Xtreme Hope, which will be a free event next month for all of the kids and teenagers at the park. It will be on a Saturday and we will offer a free competition with food and prizes with an opportunity to meet kids and their families. The competion will be for skaters and bikers who want to come and show off their stuff. Please pray for this and for our meeting tomorrow night at the YMCA!

Praying for homes to sell and jobs to be found...

I hope you had a good Memorial Day weekend. I had the opportunity to preach all of the services at Dublin Baptist Church on Sunday morning. James and Mary Emily Moseley drove through the night to arrive in time for Sunday morning services. They are currently here through Wednesday looking for jobs and at apartments. Please pray for them as well as the Armstrong's and the Johnson's. Also, Cam Martin, from Kirby Woods Baptist Church is here. He will be helping us in the area of music. Please pray for our next meeting this coming Sunday evening at the Marysville YMCA.

Time to re-think our strategy...

According to the Annual Church Profile for Southern Baptists in 2007, we had an overall decline. We must get on our knees and stop majoring on minors and ask God to help us live in light of eternity. May the church become full of Jesus followers rather than church goers. Check out this article to to read more...

STAND!

The old cliche says, "If you do not stand for something, you will fall for anything." One statement taken from a paragraph of Purpose Driven Church says, "The people who have made the greatest impact on this world, for good or evil, have not been necessarily the smartest, wealthiest, or best-educated people; they have been the people with the strongest, deepest convictions. Marx, Ghandi, Buddha, Columbus, and Luther are just a few of the people who have changed the face of the world because of their convictions." Jesus was driven by conviction, He knew his purpose. Jesus understood his conviction to be that of doing the Father's will. Can I ask you a question, what drives you? What are you standing for? Make sure your convictions are biblical and balanced. In an era where people think truth is relative, Christians must stand upon the principles and truths found in the Word of God. In the words of Dr. Al Mohler, "Don't just do something...STAND there."

Life Is A Vapor

One of the most humbling passages in the New Testament can be found in the book of James. In chapter four, the Bible speaks of boasting of things to come, especially your days. In verse fourteen it says, "For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away." Moses tells us in Psalm 90:12, "So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." Every human alive has a beginning and has an ending. There was a time when you and I did not exist, however, there has never been a time when Christ didn't exist. He looked his disciples in the eye and said before Abraham was, I am...what a powerful truth in that statement. We do not serve a God who was created and has an ending. In Psalm 90 our God is known as the everlasting God. He has always been, is now, and will always be. Back to us, we have a beginning and we have an ending. The Bible says in Hebrews 9:27 that it is appointed unto man once to die and then the judgment. Once you are created, there will be no ending eternally. Every human being will either spend eternity in heaven with Christ or in hell apart from him. Religion does not matter...whether you are a devout Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran, etc...the real question is whether or not you have repented of your sins and trusted Christ as your Lord and Savior. You can be saved by simply admitting your sins, believing Jesus Christ rose from the grave and confessing Christ as Lord. If you have done this or would like to talk with someone, please email us or give me a call at the number listed above. Life is short...Eternity is long...Live like it!

The Greatest Rewards Require Sacrifice

This morning at Dublin Baptist Church, Jim Bollman, the Offensive Coordinator for THE Ohio State Buckeyes along with a couple of players came and spoke. They shared their testimonies of how they came to Christ and are now being used on the football team. Something that Coach Bollman said has stuck with me all morning is that the greatest rewards often require the greatest sacrifices. Often, we want to see God move and do wonderful things in and through our lives, but the real question is are you ready and willing for God to move in and through you? You have often heard it said that God is not interested in your ability, but your availability. Another question to ask is whether or not you and I are usable. We all want to be used, but are we usable. What does it mean to be usable? It means to be fully surrendered and let go of all the junk in your life and realize that without Christ we are nothing! We are all nobodies apart from Christ. May our lives speak as living testimonies to God's grace and when you pray for God to use you, be ready...that's when God sent us from Memphis, TN to Marysville, Ohio...

Back from Orlando, Fl

The past three days I have been in sunny Orlando, Florida at the Exponential Conference. There were a lot of focus on church planters instilling into their DNA missional and reproducing traits from the ground up. I will add more this weekend about the conference and how this will impact Living Hope in the days to come...

Land For Sale!

Please be in much prayer as we have learned that 25 acres have come up for sale in a fast growing area of Marysville! The farmer only wants to sell to another farmer or a church. Dublin Baptist Church recommended tonight in their quarterly business meeting to form a committee to investigate the purchase of this land!! The asking price is $600,000 or 24k an acre. Please be in much prayer about asking the Lord to either close this door or make it obvious it is His will...Will update as the Lord continues to move...

Is Sin Dead?...

A quote from Dr. Al Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky stirred my mind. In a recent article in the USA today, he said, "We find a comfort zone of morality, a kind of middle-class middle level where we think we are doing well. We cut the grass. We don't double-park. But we ignore the larger issues of sin." This mentality permeates our culture, even into some of our churches. Sin is real and must be dealth with in our culture and around the world. Praise God there is a cure for that sin problem and its the precious blood of Jesus Christ!

First Meeting

Praise the Lord there were 33 adults and 10 kids present...God is doing a great work and we believe that greater things are yet to come in the city of Marysville...to God be the glory!!

Our First Info Meeting...

That's right, next Monday night we are having our first informational meeting at the Marysville public library. It will be from 6:30-7:30 and childcare will be provided along with those all important refreshments. Please come if you are in the area and learn how you can be a part of Living Hope Church in Marysville! If you are not in town or able to come, then please be praying during this time...

The Story...

Randall Wood, the missions pastor here at Dublin Baptist asked me a question last night that has stuck with me. He asked me, "Are you writing the story of Living Hope down as it unfolds?" I had to tell him no and that I would before I began to forget. God is literally adding pages each and every day! Soon, I hope to post a link in an effort to tell the story as it has thus unfolded. As Dr. Rogers used to say, "The weakest ink is stronger than the best memory"...

1913 Saddlehorn Way...

is our new address! Today we signed a contract to build a new house in the Mill Valley North subdivision. The Lord was faithful to honor our commitment to wait out the market and save as much money as possible. Construction will start soon and should be ready for move-in sometime in September, maybe even late August. It is close to a corner lot and has planty of kids for little Caden to meet and play with. Please play for our neighbors we will soon meet that we will have the opportunity to invest in their lives and share the greatest hope we know, LIVING HOPE!.

An Offer and An Arrival

Today has been a busy day but a good day. After 4 months of house hunting, we put an offer on a house today. They will hopefully respond this weekend or by Monday. It is a home that has come down in price considerably over the past 4 months and has plenty of room for us to grow into and host guests. Please pray that if the Lord wants us to have this house, He will put it all together, if not we will continue to wait and pray. Also, Frank Johnson just arrived a few hours ago with a load to put in storage. God has sold their home and he is here to drop a load of furniture off and drive back to Millington, TN tomorrow. Pray that the Lord will give him safe traveling mercies tomorrow. AND GO TIGERS!

The Der Dutchman

I never thought that I would be eating at an Amish restaurant...but I did today and man was it good! Today, we traveled into Plain City, a town located about 15 minutes south of Marysville and ate at a well known Amish place called the Der Dutchman. I have not quite yet figured out what it means, but as soon as I do I will inform you. I bought a couple of books today detailing the life and culture of the Mennonite and Amish. It is always good to take a look at the community around you and gain a better understanding of their culture historically, socially, and theologically. Tomorrow we will be worship the Lord's Risen Day at Lifepoint Church, http://www.lifepointcolumbus.com.

Have a wonderful Easter!

Prayer for the Armstrong's

The past few days here in Ohio have been awesome! Brent and Kim Armstrong have been here in Marysville since last weekend praying, house hunting, and job interviewing. God is at work in their lives and it is obvious to see His hand upon them. They feel the Lord calling their family here to be a part of Living Hope! They have three kids...Emma, Molly, and Miles. Living Hope is richly blessed to have such a Godly family to come be a part of the foundation of what God is doing. Please pray for them as they drive back to Memphis today as well as the next few months. Pray that their house would sell in Germantown and Brent would have clear confirmation for a job. The story continues to unfold, how will you be a part of the story...

Welcome to O-H-I-O...

Starting last night and finishing this afternoon, Columbus saw a record snowfall of over 20 inches. I have not seen that much snow in all of my life! Caden did not know what to do with all the white stuff. I have posted a few pics of him on facebook. All churches in the Central Ohio region have cancelled, so it looks like the Westbrooks will have the opportunity to brush up on our house church a little earlier than planned. God has been so good to let us meet people and share the vision of Living Hope almost every day since we arrived last weekend. I had a very encouraging conversation with a prospective team member of the Living Hope staff, more to come later. Please keep praying for Marysville, and for all the snow to melt.

First Post From Marysville

Well, the time has actually come where I am writing these pages from Marysville. God is so good and we are so thankful to finally be here. There is actually a little snow on the ground with high's in the 50's today! This morning we attended Dublin Baptist, who is a co-sponsoring church and Lifepoint Church tonight, another partnering church with Living Hope. More updates to come tomorrow...

Almost Home

That's right...only 2 more days until we unpack our stuff in our new home, Marysville, Ohio. God has been so good and is continuing to bless in unspeakable ways. Please be praying for the Armstrong's, Moseley's, and the Johnson's as they are all selling homes and looking for jobs. We are moving into an apartment for 6 months, and we believe God has a plan for us being there! We pack up tomorrow and leave EARLY Friday morning, and Caden will have his coat and gloves on:) Lord willing, we will talk to you later from Marysville.

The Breaking of Bread...or Ribs, Steaks, Burgers...

This coming Sunday, the 24th, we are having a cookout at my house (the westbrooks). This will be open to anyone going or praying about being a part of Living Hope, no commitments necessary. It will be a time to connect with one another, hear the story of how God is moving in your heart about Ohio, and a time of prayer...AND FOOD! Right after the morning service @ Kirby Woods, just head over to our home in Cordova, located at 8582 Thor Rd. God is continuing to add pages to the story every day, will you be a part of the story??? See you Sunday

Here is a map link to our house from the church
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=&saddr=6325+Poplar+Ave,+Memphis,+TN+38119&daddr=8582+thor+rd.+cordova,+tn+38018&sll=35.152588,-89.776363&sspn=0.010351,0.023389&ie=UTF8&z=13

Prayer...

Just a quote for the day...
"Prayer does not fit us for the greater work, prayer is the greater work." - Oswald Chambers

Change of plans...for us, not the Lord

When we left out of town last Friday, Jen and I thought that we would put a contract down on a house and move in by the end of the month. Through a series of circumstances, some ice and snow, and several miles traveled God has led us to rent an apartment for 6 months. The complex is known as the Watkins Glen Apartments in the heart of Marysville, located in the center of all the new restraunts and businesses. God knows the future and we believe this is strategic as He places us among hundreds who need Living Hope! Not to mention, we can take our time and pray about the house God intends for us to call home. Job 42 :2 says that no plan of God's can be thwarted, however ours can. Thank God He knows what is best and can change our plans. Is He changing your plans???

SOLD...

That's what the sign says in our front yard...we have a contract and will close on the 14th. Please continue to pray for us as we seek the perfect home God has for us in Marysville. God is good all the time, and all the time God is good!

Don't Waste Your Life...

One of the most common phrases known to Christians is the old saying, "Only one life twill soon be past, only what's done for Christ will last." How true of a statement that is. The Apostle Paul understood this principle in Philippians 3:7-8 when he says whatever gain he had, he counts as a loss for the sake of Christ. There are only 2 things that are eternal, the Word of God and the souls of men. What do you spend most of your time doing? It is very easy to become sidetracked with the daily grind of life, dreams, and ambitions; but what about the Lord's dreams, ambitions, and His will He has for you? The moment you were transferred from a slave to sin to a slave of righteousness, you gave up your rights to do what you want, go where you want, and live where you want. That is why I am uprooting my family and planting in Central Ohio, because I am not going to waste my life, it's not mine to waste anyway...