Christmas Wish List 2010

Hello Everyone and Merry Christmas from Ohio’s Northcoast!


The snow is falling and the wind chill is dropping, but all is alive and well, and excited about what God is doing on our campus! We have just completed such an incredible semester! In September we baptized three of our students and in November we saw another six students accept Christ as their Lord and Savior! Plans are in the works now for another Baptism Service this coming semester! We are successfully ministering to almost 10% of our entire campus community. God is truly amazing! Plans are in place to reach even deeper in our campus in the coming months!

As we near the Christmas Season, we would like to share with you our Christmas Ministry Wish List! Here are several items that we are wishing for to help us impact our campus for Christ. Please take a look at our list and pray how God would have you help us. To God be the Glory, Great things He has done…and is going to do!

Bibles
Small Group Bible Study Material
Outreach Material Funding
Ministry Project Funding
Music & Video Equipment Upkeep
Banners
Copy Paper
Copier Toner
Printer Ink
Video Production Software


We would also like to ask you to put our family on your Christmas List! As NAMB MSC Missionaries, we are asking you to pray about being one of our financial sponsors! No gift is too small or too large! Whether a one time gift or monthly gifts, your financial support allows us to spend more time ministering to our students and making an impact on our mission field! Please contact us for donation information. Your support is amazingly appreciated!

May you and your family have an incredible Christmas and Holiday Season! Please continue to pray for your NAMB Missionaries on Ohio’s Northcoast! Please pass this on to everyone in your churches and on your email prayer lists!



Celebrating God’s Love,


Jim & Denise Whaley
NAMB MSC Missionaries
Tiffin University
Tiffin, Ohio
www.LifeAtH2o.org

Sunday Dec. 5th Mind Dump

Overall, not a bad week. A little stressful here and there at work. Enjoyed the TU Christmas Concert last night at The Ritz Theatre. Great program. It was Tabitha's last collegiate choir concert...still not sure how I feel about that! Snow fell for the first time this past week. First time, just a few flakes. Today, lots of snow in bursts...thankfully not that much on the ground. I don't like snow!

Here's a few thoughts from my week!

• Had to bring in firewood yesterday. Love the fire...hate the wood.
• Thankful for a paycheck, but I really would rather be on my campus full time.
• Watched the girls decorate our home for Christmas...that NEVER get's old.
• Enjoyed preparing for our "Presents" Christmas Message Series.
• Had the last H2O of the Fall Semester on campus on Thursday. Makes Me Sad!
• Having to wear layers of clothes now. Not a fan of winter here on the coast.
• Slept in this weekend. So needed it.
• Great church tonight at H2O Church.
• Had 6 new guests tonight at church. Amazed at how God continues to bring new students each week.
• Watching the season finale of 'The Walking Dead'. Great new show.
• Fresh coffee and Mississippi Mud Cookies....SCORE!
• Been conviced to do some serious rearranging to my daily schedule. Needed!
• Praying for my family.
• Really convicted about church structure and issues of multi-site work.
• God's at work here...tryin' to be extremely sensitive to His direction.
• Love my family beyond words.

Have a great week.

Thanksgiving Day Quick Thoughts...

I have SO much to be thankful for!

• My relationship with Jesus Christ.
• My amazing Bride!
• My incredible Daughter!
• Our puppy!
• My health.
• My best friends...you know who you are!
• My friends.
• My calling!
• My ministry!
• My job...sometimes! LOL!
• My coffee.

I have seemingly lost my ability to manage time. I seem to be falling behind in every aspect of my life! Multi-tasking used to be my middle name...now, I guess my ADHD is out of control! LOL! Pray!

I love to blog, yet can't quite seem to get on it. My head is busting at the seams with things to say and put on paper, yet I struggle getting back here. Pray!

I have 2 books started that I want to finish writing. Time is my enemy. I want so bad to finish them quickly. Need ability to focus and get these finished! Pray!

Winter is upon us, here on the Northcoast. Which means incredibly large heating expenses. Really need $$ help for that. Pray!

I have a strong sense that God is expanding my ministry territory. Been sensing it for a while now. Not sure the direction...excited...horrified! Pray!

There are more days than not that my life seems out of focus. Thankful for an amazing family and dear friends that keep me keep things clear! Pray!

Creative Idea For Prayer...

Just posted this article at our Collegiate Ministry site. Phenominal idea! Get busy!

Reign On The Fourth Of July...

I love the 4th of July! Since we've moved to Ohio, we've unintentionally created a tradition of going to our city park, hanging out for the bulk of the day, then watching the fireworks show at night! This year was no different. We headed to the park around 4:00pm, found us a great place to park in the shade, and set up camp under an incredible shade tree! We were in direct line of the fireworks display...it was only a matter of time.

We packed all kinds of food, played games, and literally had quality family time. As I kept watching other people in the park, it really dawned on my that we were no different than the other hundred's of families that were out there in the park with us.

Everywhere I looked, I could see the family units gathered together, some had tents, some had yard games, some brought barbque grills, there were lots of love and laughter everywhere.
As the sun began to set and darkness was creepin' in, we noticed so many people were filing into the park, each anticipating the fireworks hoopla that was yet to come. It didn't take long to see each group gathered into their own little 'groups' scattered all over the park. Even though I've seen this annual trek of people each year, something seemed different...

As dusk fell on the park, the anticipated arrival of the annual pyrotechnics grew stronger. At the stroke of 10pm, the first of the explosives rocked the ground we set on and a hush fell over the entire park. It was time! But in the middle of the fireworks display, God reigned down on me in such a unique way. There in the twilight of the fireworks, I saw the family groups from all over the park each with their face toward the light. Everyone was captivated. We were all caught in the shock and awe of the moment. I could hear the oohs and the aaahs all around me. It was in that moment that Matthew Chapter 4 came alive to me!

"And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them. Great multitudes followed Him—from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan. And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him." Matthew 4:23 - 5:1

Jesus' fame had spread throughout the land. He had rock star status. Wherever He went, crowds gathered...waiting...anticipating...watching...each had their face toward the Light.

I have so much hope that we will once again gather together, each in family units throughout our land, gathering in great multitudes, caugh in the shock and awe of the Savior that gave His life for us. May we be captivated to the point that our entire world comes to a screeching halt, so that His Word...being in His Presence, is THE most important thing in our life. May we be silent before Him, except for the oohs and aahs of our own inner child.

And may we always be set with our face toward The Light...

The State Of College Ministry...

It's not pretty...but the potential is amazing.

There is absolutely no doubt that the possibilities are endless in the areas of college ministry. From coast to coast, border to border, our homeland is littered with college campus' of every shape, form and fashion. From the commuter Junior Colleges to the behemoths such as The University of Kentucky...UCLA...The Ohio State University, students from ages 18 to 25 populate the landscape of America like never before. We are witnessing the birth of the largest generation in history. Already larger than The Baby Boomer Generation, our current class of want-to-be adults stand poised to rewrite history as we know it. But if we as Christian leaders don't intentionally and aggressively reach out to them, we're in for a rude awakening...and the results will be devastating!

Where did we go wrong? What caused this drastic turn that these amazing students are taking away from the church and away from a relationship with Christ? Such deep questions, that will never be answered in the confines of my menial little blog. But hopefully this will jumpstart our thought processes as we maneuver our efforts of evangelism and discipleship in the turbulent waters of The Next Generation!

The thoughts I share in this post are strictly my personal views taken from years of experience and observations as I’ve served His church in a variety of positions and locations. It also includes conversations that I’ve had with other friends and colleagues in various ministry situations. Whether you agree or disagree, remember this is just my observations. Please feel free to share yours in the comments. I welcome your input.

I believe the tide started turning for this group years ago when they were attending our Children's Sunday School classes and our Kid's Church programs. Entirely too many times, our Sunday Schools (SS) are nothing more than a Sunday Morning baby sitting service. We've staffed our Children's SS with individuals that, in all honesty, were the only ones left in our churches that said, 'Yeah, I'll do it' after we've begged and pleaded with every member on the roll books. Never before in all of my life have I seen a lack of interest and passion from our church members in the area of Children's Ministry. I've always believed that you can measure a person's true commitment to their church by their commitment to the church's Children's Ministry. Throw in a color sheet here, popsicle sticks and some glue there, and voila' we have a Children's Ministry! I do want to say a huge 'Thank You' though, to some invaluable Children's SS teachers I've seen over the years, like Margaret Burton at FBC-Swifton, AR; Mrs. LaVerne at Rowe's Chapel BC in Caraway, AR; or Floyd & Jane Killough at 2nd Baptist Church in Monticello, AR. True warriors, in my opinion!

As for Kids Church, oh the possibilities are ginormous! But I've seen some real losers too. I've seen entirely too many churches use Kids Church programs as nothing more than an excuse to remove our children from our 'big church' services. I once remember visiting a church...and a very large, contemporary one at that, who proclaimed to have a "kickin' good Children's Church Program". Upon personal investigation, it was nothing more than a free-for-all, with literally dozens of kids actually hanging from the rafters! Totally out of control, yet the adults in charge, thought it was the greatest thing known to man. As to an exclamation point to my thoughts on this subject, I was recently informed by a local SBC pastor that his church does well in the area of children's ministry. I asked how he had come to that decision. His reply still sends cold chills up my back. He informed me that "Our church does VBS for one week during the year, and that's all we need to do to have a great children's ministry."

Yep, he actually said it.

On more than one occasion.

And it still makes me nauseous...and angry.

Our next step in the progression of these students is the amusement park ride known as 'Youth Group'. This is an up and down, backwards and sideways assault on the roller coaster of puberty. Think about it: our current generation of students ages 18 - 25, were in youth groups all across our country from 1997 to 2004. During this time, the 'big thing' in youth ministry was to break away from the standard classroom type setting when your having your big meeting on Wednesday nights to a more relaxed atmosphere of used couches and comfy chairs arranged in a myriad of ways as to make the students comfortable. We traded in our discipleship teachings for fun and games. We were known throughout our communities as the place to be to 'have fun and hang out' with your friends. That, in and of itself is certainly not a bad concept. But seriously, where was the teaching? It sort of turned in to a 'teen-age sitting' service in the middle of the week.

After all, I should know this regiment down cold! I was a 4-star general in youth ministry. During that time, I was not only leading my youth group in this exact same fashion, I was the torch bearer and the leader of the processional of this new method throughout my own association of churches, other local churches, and in my state convention.

And it was working...or so I thought. During this time, I was serving in a combo position in the largest church in my county. We were blessed to have an incredible family life facility, that I took complete advantage of. It was a youth magnet. We were the hottest ticket in town on Wednesday nights. I had more students than I really knew what to do with.

And then it hit me.

All fun and games. Very little if any, Jesus.

I was radically convicted.

I began to restructure the Wednesday night agenda. The result, our number of students began to decrease rapidly, just as I suspected would happen. When the smoke had cleared, I was left with about a dozen students that, I can honestly say, were the best students I've ever led. They 'got it'. And wanted more of it. They began soaking up Scripture like a massive sponge. They were so hungry for His Word, they began to come to my office during the week for additional one-on-one time of discipleship. Totally blew my mind.

Then the unexpected happened...

This core group was now being equipped with spiritual ammunition to attach their high school campus. They were fearless...gunslingers for real! As their passion and love for Jesus Christ grew, it became noticeable at school. Literally, lives were changing right before my very eyes. They became mouthpieces for the Gospel everyday on their campus. They began bringing their friends to Wednesday night youth group...and to Sunday Worship. Before we realized what was happening, our youth group had now surpassed those earlier attendance figures, and was seriously THE place to be on Wednesday nights. It was awesome!

But not every youth group made that transition. Many were left in the clutches of that fun and games monster and it has put the finishing touches on crippling a large majority of this great generation. As a whole, we realized a little too late. Much too late to salvage this kids.

Are there exceptions to what I've described? ABSOLUTELY! WITHOUT QUESTION! I've seen some killer youth groups. Some so good that it made me want to be a youth again! I'm so appreciative of those leaders who were willing to go against the grain of the mindset of this youth group mentality. Guys like Shane Knight, Youth Pastor extraordinaire! He killed it during the many years he served the youth in churches throughout the south. I have such a huge admiration for guys like that! But by and large, I believe we failed to connect the majority of these students with relationships that would have eternal implications. And the result is the fact that 7 out of 10 students that have grown up in/attended church as a youth, NEVER go back to the church after their high school graduation! Seventy percent! In some states...like mine...more like 80%!

So this begs the question, 'Are we truly embracing the fact that nearly the entire campus population at the majority of universities across America either do not have a relationship with Jesus Christ or are fed up with 'church as usual''? Do we truly see the massive mission field that has been laid before us? Such a unique opportunity, but how willing are we to do something about it?

So what does this look like at the college level?


...to be continued.

Things I Lernt In The South...

I'm proud of my heritage. And I absolutely love the South. When I read this email, I pictured everything on the list, just as it truly is...back home in the south! Enjoy!

• 
  
  A possum is a flat animal that sleeps in the middle of the road.
  
  There are 5,000 types of snakes and 4,998 of them live in the South.
  
  There are 10,000 types of spiders. All 10,000 of them live in the South, plus a couple no one's seen before.
  
  If it grows, it'll stick ya. If it crawls, it'll bite cha.
  
  'Onced' and 'Twiced' are words.
  
  It is not a shopping cart, it is a buggy!
  
  'Jaw-P'? means 'Did ya'll go to the bathroom'?
  
  People actually grow and eat okra.
  
  'Fixinto' is one word. It means 'I'm fixing to do that'.
  
  There is no such thing as 'lunch'. There is only dinner and then there is supper.
  
  Iced tea is appropriate for all meals and you start drinking it when you're two. We do like a little tea with our sugar.
  
  Backwards and forwards means 'I know everything about you'.
  
  The word 'jeet' is actually a phrase meaning 'Did you eat?
  
  You don't have to wear a watch, because it doesn't matter what time it is, you work until you're done or it's too dark to see.
  
  You don't PUSH buttons, you MASH 'em.
  
  'No, Jew?' is a common response to the question, 'Did you bring any Sweet Tea?'
  
  You measure distance in minutes.
  
  You switch from heat to A/C in the same day.
  
  All the festivals across the state are named after a fruit, vegetable, grain, insect, or animal.
  
  You know what a 'DAWG' is.
  
  You carry jumper cables in your car - for your OWN car.
  
  You only own five spices: salt, pepper, Tony's, Tabasco and ketchup.
  
  The local papers cover national and international news on one page, but require 6 pages for local high school sports and motor sports, and gossip.
  
  You think that the first day of deer season is a national holiday.
  
  You find 100 degrees Fahrenheit 'a bit warm'.
  
  You know all four seasons: Almost summer, summer, still summer, and Christmas.
  
  Going to Wal-Mart is a favorite pastime known as 'goin' Wal-Martin' or 'off to Wally World'.
  
  You describe the first cool snap (below 70 degrees) as good chicken stew weather.
  
  Fried catfish is the other white meat.