Thinking Days

I love to have thinking days. I used to feel guilty if part of a "work" day was spent dreaming up new outreaches, object lessons or plans for the future. I thought maybe I should think on my own time. That sounds kinda funny but I didn't want to be waisting the churches time. I have had a change in philosophy, though. I don't get to do it as often as I'd like but about once a month, I have at least part of a day I call my thinking day.

I have learned over the years that successful churches, pastors, and leaders are big thinkers. They dream about what most would deem impossible. They set their goals to be what others would scorn as lofty. I know that Donald Trump is not a pastor, I don't even know if he is a Christ follower, but Donald trump is a big thinker and I bet anything he has thinking days like me! He is a very successful business man. I know I'm not in "business" but I need to be a bit more earthly minded to keep myself stretched and growing in my creativity like some of the business people of the world.

Do you have thinking days? Maybe not about ministry but about family, career, relationships or a bucket list. I try to remember what the scripture in James 4: 2 says, "You do not have, because you do not ask God." I think and dream and then I ask. Try it!

Let Me Fill You In!!

I am painfully behind in blogging! This summer has flown by and as I get older, the days just seem to have less hours that the previous year.

It's been a great summer here at Whitehouse First Assembly. We have been blessed to see many new families making WFA their church home and so many people growing in their relationship with the Lord. One thing that Pastor Michael started at the beginning of summer was a devotional plan that the whole church did together and then posted their thoughts on our Facebook page. It's been fun to see what God speaks to different people even though we are reading the same scriptures. Isn't it cool that we have such a personal God that He reveals Himself to each of us in the specific way that we need Him to speak to us. Love that!

We are just 9 days away from our VBS called Your Story! I am expecting God to show up in a BIG way; lots of kids, many salvations, families transformed and our community touched by the great team of people who have gotten behind our kid's department! Your Story is based on Jeremiah 29:11"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." I have this driving passion to help kids understand that if we walk in God's ways, He has this amazing plan for our lives that He has known about before we were even a thought in our parent's minds. Your Story will be communicated through lots of fun and a Toy Story theme! Who doesn't love Woody and Buzz? VBS is August 14-17, 6:30-8:30 PM, for ages 3-12. You can register online at http://www.whitehousefirst.org/ under the Children's Ministry tab.

We have some other dates and events that you need to be planning for:

During VBS, we are having a school supply drive. If you or someone you know has a need for assistance with school supplies, please e-mail me at eilersrl@gmail.com.

August 25th is our first Cookie Drop of the school year to bless our teachers and school staff. Higgins will be our first drop. the second one will be September 29 at Cain.

Wednesday, August 31 at 6 PM in the Fellowship Hall is a fundraiser dinner for the Children's Department. We will have spaghetti, salad, garlic bread and dessert! We are planning to do these dinners monthly.

Every Wednesday morning beginning September 7 from 9:30-11:30, we are having Play and Connect. It's a casual time for moms and their babies and preschoolers to come together for some mom talk and kid play! Invite your friends and neighbors! We will have a schedule of meeting places that will be on the chuurch web site soon. Our first meeting place is Whitehouse City Park.

September 9-10 is our district Kid's Convention in Austin. The total cost of the trip will be dependant on how many people go but the convention itself is only $15 for a Saturday filled with fun. Please contact me ASAP if your kids are interested.

Sunday September 11 is Grandparent's Day! Kids are encouraged to invite their grandparents for a special breakfast before our morning service. No grandparents close by? No worries...they can adopt a grandparent for the day! It will be a fun time for the kids to honor the Grands!

Saturday, September 24 at 10 AM is "See You at the Playground." This is the children's version of "See You at the Pole" where parents can bring their kids to the playground and gather for a short time of prayer for our schools, teachers, kids, administrators and staff. Our location(s) will be announced soon.

Saturday, October 1 is our very first Hike-a-Bike-a-Trike-athon! This is a Boys and Girls Missionary Challenge fundraiser to help missionaries all around the world tell other kids about Jesus. The whole church is invited to participate and get pledges to hike, bike, or trike around the Whitehouse High School track. More details coming soon.

Those are just a few of the many fall events coming your way. I hope you and your family will be able to take advantage of our plans and enjoy these times of serving together, growing together and loving more people to Jesus. Thanks for the honor of serving you and your kids!

Coasting...NO Way!

Summer...in ministry, it's a time when some churches "coast" because of summer attendance numbers usually going down. But I have this urgency today that this summer is an important time for the kid's department at WFA. It's not a time to coast, it's a time to dig our feet in and work hard at reaching our community. It's a time to rethink a few things, rework, recruit, rewire the circuits, renew commitments, and rely on God to show us how. It's time to ask some tough questions about our effectiveness and then listen to what God is speaking to us. I don't want this ministry to be my plan, but God's plan. I am ultimately accountable to Him for the "job" He has called me to do and I don't want to stand before Him with excuses, ifs or buts.

I'm praying for the Lord to inspire me with the most creative ideas He has ever given me. I'm praying for favor in our community. I'm praying for people who act upon the prompting of the Holy Spirit to minister to kids. I'm praying for miraculous resources provided to do all the things He speaks to me. I'm praying for divine appointments. I'm praying for health to get it all done. And I believe that it will be such a God thing that only He will get honor and praise; not WFA, not any person or program! I use a Mark Batterson expression a lot, "I'm gonna work like it depends on me but pray like it depends on God."

I'll let someone else "coast"...as for me...let's get 'er done!

Summer Stuff

Summer time! Who doesn’t love the chance to enjoy some leisure time and the fun of summer events? We all deserve some R and R and if you have kids at home, family time is also high on your agenda. But let’s not forget that we still need to gather together with our church family to be encouraged and continuing to grow in our faith. Kids need consistency in all areas of their lives and church attendance is an important element in their spiritual growth. So…we have some great plans for your kids this summer!

Wednesday nights starting June 1st we are changing up our regular schedule with some summer fun! The first Wednesday of June, July and August will be Wacky Water Nights with all kinds of water games. Send the kids in something that can get wet or an appropriate swimming suit and a towel. Don’t forget foot wear! The other Wednesday nights will include a devotion, praise and worship, crafts, Junior Bible Quiz, ministry training in such things like puppets and drama, and much more. We will be meeting in the Fellowship Hall for the summer.

Sunday mornings will start with Sunday school as always and we have a summer theme in Building 2:52 your kids are gonna LOVE! The month of June will be a NASCAR theme called RACE which stands for Running After Christ Every day. During RACE, we will divide up into four teams for some ongoing competition with the winning team rewarded at the end of June with a FREE trip to the movies to see Cars 2 with Pastor Lori and the Building 2:52 team!! In July, we will continue driving the summer with a series called “Life is a Highway” that uses the Cars movie theme song!

We have two camps we are going to in June and I know God is preparing those kids for something amazing to happen in their hearts and lives. SAVE the DATES now, we have activities for the whole family with a trip to Fire Mountain on Thursday, July 7th and August 14-17 for our Back to School Kid’s Event combining some VBS elements and our theme “Your Story.” It uses the fun characters of the Toy Story movie series but tells of the wonderful plans God has for our lives based on Jeremiah 29:11.

Party in the Park

This Sunday afternoon we have an incredible opportunity. Even though we might think it would be a great day to stay home and chill after morning service we won't because we could witness lives changed for eternity and hurting people receive hope. We are having a "Party in the Park" at our Whitehouse apartment complex and will be playing with some kids, serving some free hot dogs, and chatting with people. We'll have free cotton candy, an inflatable, balloon animals, games, prizes, a crazy skit and an illustrated Gospel message. We will hand out Easter Sunday Celebration fliers, talk about our new bus ministry picking people up and bringing them to church. It's an opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus. We want to be a blessing to all and we have a burden for single moms. If you are a part of WFA, you won't want to miss it. Bring a lawn chair and a friendly smile. If you are a reader of this blog, please pray for us. God has given us favor with the complex and we just want to walk through any open doors the Lord may have that day. Pray for good weather, too!

The Heart of Worship

I am so proud of my kids. I have noticed in Sunday morning worship that our altar times have been evolving. One by one, more of the kids are physically pressing in and going after God in preparation to hear from His Word. I have been explaining that sometimes we need to get ready to hear from the Word, like an athlete prepares to compete, we can take steps to help and prepare to receive whatever He is saying through the preaching of the Word. One of the preparation steps can be worship. Since we have moved rooms and now have a larger altar area, the kids, without my teaching or instruction, have been laying prostrate before the Lord. Do you know how it touches my heart to see kids going after God in such a humble manner? To look down and see some lying flat or in a fetal position with their faces buried in their hands and cutting themselves off from all distraction so they may hear what God wants to speak into their lives. Sometimes, I have to look away to keep my focus because if I don't I'd be a blubbering idiot at the sight of something so pure and innocent as children worshipping their Savior. This past Sunday, as we were winding down our altar time, I asked the kids if any of them wanted to share something that God had spoke to them. Several kids raised their hands and told us what God had spoke. It was awesome to hear what they said but even more incredible that they are "getting it" and are developing that listening ear that many of us are still working on. I believe to hear the voice of God it takes practice. Practice to be quiet after we petition and practice to not rush but wait until He speaks. That is growth that every pastor loves to see; adult, youth or kids. It is exercising their faith and stretching them to not only listen but then share with and encourage other kids. Have I mentioned that I love my "job"?

Let Me Give Honor Where Honor is Due

Pastor Michael preached about honoring people in your life in a message based on Mark 6:1-4. In the scripture, Jesus had returned to His hometown after performing numerous miracles and He was not met with honor and thankfulness, He was dishonored by their lack of faith. I've been thinking about who in my life that I should be showing honor and gratitude towards. Of course, my family, parents, and those God has placed in authority over me. But I've been thinking about some people who have influenced me and helped mold me into the woman of God I am today. Without their effort, time, trust, empowerment and love I have to ask myself if I would be where I am today. Not that I have "arrived" but would I be in this place, at this time and on the track of evolving into more of a Christ-like person? Can I look at the people who have been in authority over me at some point in my life and honor them when we didn't always agree or we needed to part ways?

So today, I give honor to some people who greatly deserve thanks from my heart. The first pastors who allowed me to sorry all over some kids in my febble attempt to be a "children's pastor" were Pastor Ray Sorenson and Pastor Jerry Hochstetler back in Ankeny, Iowa. Pastor Ray recently went home to be with the Lord and I wish I could have expressed to him one last time how much I appreciated him. He was a unique man with a heart of gold. Pastor Jerry was instrumental in me hearing my call to full time ministry. They encouraged me to get in there and just follow the Holy Spirit's leading and love kid's to Jesus. They believed in me.

I give honor to my precious friend, Laurie Rich. She is the most amazing children's pastor I know. She did not know me from Adam but she patiently answered many questions when I was starting out. She shared ideas, she always listened, she treated me like an equal in ministry even though she had much more experience and anointing. I still think of her as a close friend who I can tell ANYTHING to and she is always one of my biggest cheerleaders.

I give honor to some of my closest friends and fellow children's pastors who have encouraged me, inspired me, taught me, prayed for me, spoke with honesty to me, gone before me and made a way, allowed me to steal their ideas or have just been a great listener. Kevin Umphress (I learned a TON of stuff from this guy), Brian Bopp (believed in me when I needed it the most), Lori Warning, Brian Dollar, Jason Noble, Jim Wideman, Dick Gruber, Kevin Geer, and Brandie Broadhead to name just a few.

I give honor to the other pastors I have served under. Pastor Raymond Weets, Pastor Mark Oberbeck, Pastor Josh Singleton, Pastor Dave Beroth, and Pastor Tommy Hall. Several different men, different preaching styles, different personalities, different leadership styles but all men of God that taught me what it means to serve the body of Christ and grow in my relationship with Jesus. I honor you all and thank you from the bottom of my heart. Your investment in my life helps me to do what I do today in Whitehouse, Texas at WFA.

I give honor to my current investor, Pastor Michael Fleming. I have been here a short four months but have seen this man growing daily in all areas of his life. He's one of those guys that is not satisfied with the status quo and I love that! I'm thankful to have the opportunity to grow some more under his leadership and to follow his example. I give honor to his wife Angie. She is an amazing woman of God with grace, wisdom beyond her young years and a sweet, humble spirit. I give honor to Pastor Danny and his wife Celeste. They work so hard and give their lives completely to ministering to our students. They also lead us into worship every Sunday. And they will make you laugh harder than you ever have before! I give honor to Big Mike and Yvette Durbin. Big Mike is a volunteer pastor here overseeing our tech department and is Pastor Danny's right hand guy. Big Mike and Yvette willingly give their time, talent and treasure to minister here and do it with all of their hearts.

Who do you need to show honor to this day? Give Jesus the first place of honor! Show your spouse and children honor. Honor your parents as the scripture teaches. And to those in authority over you...honor...even when you do not agree. God has placed them in your life and to not show them honor is to dishonor God!

The Power of Words

I hope that when I die, the word encourager is spoken when describing me. I try to be that whenever I can but I do think that I need to work harder to do it more often. I am a person who's love language is words of affirmation. If you don't know what I mean by "love language" you need to read the book The Five Love Languages.


There is such power in spoken words. I can be totally bummed about something and one small encouragement from someone will bring me out of my funk. What if we all intentionally encouraged at least five people a day? I believe it would change the world because of the power of spoken words.


Think about this....what if someone said to you, "I believe in you!" Our student ministries pastor, Pastor Danny, recently preached a series to the youth entitled "I Believe in You" and he was amazed at the number of kids who said no one, not even their parents, had ever told them that. In my opinion, as a parent our kids should constantly hear "I love you", "God loves you", and "I believe in you." I wonder how much rebellion would be squelched if we could intentionally say those things to our kids?


Okay, so not every has the same love language as me but you name me one person who doesn't like to hear, "great job" or "I appreciate you" or "you are a blessing" at least once in a while! Often times we think about nice things people have said or done for us but we don't verbally let them know how it blessed us. It's like when we say, "I don't have to tell my spouse I love them...they just know it." Well, stop that right now! They do need to hear it so start telling people the nice thoughts you have about them!


The Bible is full of encouragement. There is no way I could even list all of the verses that just contain the word encouragement let alone the verses that are meant to lift us up. But remember this, not everyone reads the Bible. That friend who doesn't know Jesus is probably not being encouraged by the Word of God, so you need to be Jesus with skin on and say the words they need to hear. I will share this scripture, though. Proverbs 18:20-21.


I am so blessed to have people in my life that encourage me. The power of words, good, bad, life, death. I want to be a life-giver.

Growing

Growing in Numbers
We outgrew our kid's church room, so this past week, we made the move to our new digs! It's very exciting to make this kind of change even though it means a bit of set up and tear down each week. I'm so blessed to have such a great team mate in Pastor Danny, our Student Ministries pastor. He is so generously sharing his youth room with us and is even helping with the transition each week to turn it into Building 2:52. It's amazing what some black sheets, banners and crawl tunnels will do for the look of a room. The kids loved it Sunday and we can accommodate so many more!

Growing Spiritually
God is really doing some amazing things throughout our church and the kids are right there, too. It's so cool to see them growing spiritually and taking the messages we have in Building 2:52 and applying them to their lives. That's when you know they are growing in Jesus; when a Bible story comes to life for them and they realize it's there to help them in their lives too, not just the person in the Bible. Plus fourteen kids have accepted Jesus as their Savior in the last three months!

Growing in Outreach
We just finished up a series on purity and are now going into a series on the Parables of Jesus. In the midst we will have two weeks to celebrate Palm Sunday and Easter. Our Easter plans for WFA are really coming together and it's going to be incredible! I'm praying for 125 kids on our campus that day. We will have something special for birth on up and the adults are welcome, too. Just kidding...we have some great plans for Big Church that people will be talking about for months to come!

Another very exciting area of outreach is our bus ministry. We are taking steps right now to bus in kids and their families on Sunday mornings. We have been bussing on Wednesday nights but we know there are many who would love a ride to church on Sunday, too.

Growing the Team
Our kid's department team is growing, too. We have something very special; people who are excited to serve kids. I know I'm biased but kid's are arguably the most unreached, unserved population in most churches and yet one of the most important areas of the church if not the most important. But not here at WFA! We are investing in our kids with our time, talents and treasure! If this community knows nothing else about our church they will know we LOVE kids and welcome them in Jesus' name!

Can I Be Very Transparent?

If you have known me for more than a month, you probably know me pretty well. I tend to be the type of person, that in my effort to be honest and open, may sometimes share more than you want to know. This can be both good and bad! :) But since moving to Texas I think I have been a bit guarded....believe me when I say not on purpose. It is so incredibly painful to leave a place that you love, where you have poured your heart and soul into people and winning the lost. Ministry is such a different kind of "job" because it's so very personal and relational. Each time God has called me to a new place, there has been a grieving process in the transition. I don't fully understand why, but this last move was especially hard and so when I came to this new place I may have had a shield before me that was certainly not intentional.

The past couple of weeks, I have been so renewed with what the Lord is doing in my life and in this new place where I am serving my Jesus. The shield is down and I feel like I have set aside a huge weight. I am feeling more like myself, the real me with all the good, bad and ugly sides we all deal with. I am so encouraged and loved by my new friends and team mates. I am full of ideas that stir my every waking thought. I have to tell myself not to get ahead of God's timing when I think of all the possibilities and open doors laid before me. I feel a new purpose in my call and additional confirmation about being in Texas. I see that past hurts cannot cloud my new vision of what God needs me to do here or allow them to stand in the way of Him moving in me and through me. I have avoided blogging for a bit because I just couldn't put out in cyberspace the raw things I have felt. Healing comes in many forms; through time, through people, but most assuredly through time with Jesus and His people. Healing comes when we trust...if we just trust Him enough to obey what we know He is telling us to do, then put one foot in front of the other and keep looking straight towards Him, soon we are not dragging our feet or tripping along but we are running in His direction.

My heart must be made up of multiple chambers. I still have every child I ever ministered to tucked away in a special place and now I have a new chamber that is already filling up with some very special kids in Texas. I'm so thankful and in awe that I get to do what I do. I'm thankful for seasons in our lives, even the tough ones because we always come out stronger and with more anointing when we are careful to give Him the glory, no matter what!

Be Ready...Cuz You Never Know

I had a "be ready" reminder yesterday. I had a full day of errands for church and stopped by Build-a-Bear to give them a deposit for our Mini Missions Trip. I wanted to make sure all the details were covered so we could get 40 kids through the build -a-bear process in the 2 hour time table we set. I was speaking to an employee that I hadn't talked to before and was explaining our mission in coming there. For those of you who haven't read or heard, we are taking up to 40 elementary kids to Build-a-Bear on March 11. They will create a bear, dress it with a t-shirt and make a get well card to put in the box. We then are taking them to Mother Frances Hospital in Tyler and giving them to the pediatrics ward via the Children's Miracle Network. The kids are raising their own money to pay for the trip and purchase some additional gifts for the kids.

This young lady caught me a little off guard when I looked at her and she was tearing up. She was so touched by the mission that she had to compose herself before she could speak. She told me that was the sweetest thing and how much she loved the idea. I regained my clarity and shared the purpose and lesson behind the mission. We just want to show the love of Jesus to some kids who are suffering. We want to teach our kids the joy of giving and that there are more ways of telling people about Jesus than to get them to come through your church doors.

The exchange reminded me that we all need to be ready to share our faith because you never know what seemingly ordinary conversation will open a door. This girl couldn't wait to tell the other store clerk what was happening. I wonder how many other people she will relay our conversation to and if that God idea of a missions trip will unknowingly open someone's heart to knowing Jesus?

Lord, may you find us READY. Jesus, I need these reminders in my busy life that You will speak through me in ways I don't plan or purpose but when I'm ready you will use me. I will be able to be ready when I constantly seek you and am careful to heed your voice. Thanks for revealing this to me in a way that I needed and may all we say and do bring you glory and honor. Amen

Family Devotions

I was going to write a blog about something new our church is doing to encourage family devotions, but my pastor said it so well I'll let you read it for yourself! http://mdfleming.wordpress.com/

Mark Your Calendars!

Here are some incredible opportunities for your kids and family:

Family Game Night
Friday, January 21 @ 6:30 Pm in the Whitehouse First Assembly Fellowship Hall. Bring the whole family, young and young at heart, your favorite board or card game and some snacks to share. I'll bring the beverages. Come for a great time of bonding with family and creating some memories!

Mini Missions Trip
We have 40 openings for kids in Building 2:52 to go on a missions trip to Build - a - Bear in Tyler and then to Mother Frances Hospital. Cost of the trip is $40 and includes Build - a - Bear, team t-shirt, lunch and other gifts to purchase.
Our mission id to make bears to take and donate to the pediatrics ward of the hospital along with coloring books, crayons and puzzles. We want to show the love and compassion of Jesus to the hurting kids of our community. Contact me for more details and an application.

Kid's Fine Arts Festival
Does your child have an artistic talent, a love for singing or a cool hobby they would like to share? Fine Arts is a great opportunity for our kids ages 6-12 yrs. old to discover and develop their God given talents and abilities. We will travel to Dallas on April 9 for the Festival. See me for applications and info. There are LOTS of categories to participate in!!

Kid's Camp
Camp? Talking about camp in January!? You BET! I can't wait for camp. Let me encourage you in this; I believe kid's camp is the single best spiritual investment you can make in your child outside of regular Building 2:52 services! We have to get the ball rolling now because camp fills up so quick. Our dates are:
5-7 yr olds - June 16-18 $115
8-12 yr olds - June 22-25 $165
Deadlines are coming up quick so see me ASAP for forms. We have quality people going with me as councilors!

We are making plans for an incredible Easter Sunday, April 24! It's going to be a day your whole family will enjoy and never forget so start praying about who you can invite to join us! More details soon!