Sunday Morning Coming Down....

It's a quiet morning, here at the Whaley house. I've been up for quite a while now, both the girls are still sleeping. Even Sandy is still curled up on her blanket! I've taken this time to catch up on reading blogs, the news...do some net surfin'...and just 'enjoy the moment'. I got to talk to my best buddy Shane, down in the Promise Land of Arkansas this morning on Facebook chat, prior to his morning worship service. He's vision casting this morning for 2009...I've been prayin' for him.

Found a great new interactive site for church leaders...missional thinkers...church planters...collegiate pastors...etc, that you really should check out. It called The Urban Loft. By all means, drop by...and join up if you're interested.

Started reading a new book last night that I got for Christmas. The title is "Pop Goes The Church" by Tim Stevens. I literally couldn't put it down! It's a fresh new look at how today's church is/isn't using today's pop culture in growing the Kingdom. I would strongly recommend it! But be careful...it's brash...in-your-face...and possibly controversial. But highly powerful! Definitely will be on my Top Shelf!

As I sit here, the wind outside is howling like mad! We're back to our 40+mph wind zone! Yesterday was a record setting day for high temperatures. We were in the 70's yesterday...and today, will only get to the high 40's. Sounds like another cold could make it's way around thanks to the drastic changes in the weather.

Today, hopefully, will be a cruise day for me. After working till 1pm yesterday at the pharmacy, the girls and I spent the rest of the day in full-blown cleaning mode (more about that later!). We did get to watch a couple of really good Christmas-themed movies last night, I think on the Hallmark channel. But today...yep, it's gonna be quiet! I'm planning on doing a few 'smaller' things on my H2O to-do list before next semester begins. It's amazing how little things can always grow into big things! LOL!

Hope you have a great Sunday as well...time for me to crank up itunes...think I'll head for the coffee pot first...

Christmas Eve Thoughts...

Here it is, already after mid-night on Christmas Eve, yet somehow, I still can't go to bed. Something about the magic in the air that surrounds this single day of the year. Even though our home is decorated in festive fashion, and our Christmas tree is magnificent, my mind slips back to that cold night in Bethlehem where a young couple couldn't even find a empty hotel room. The winds here tonight have been howling like mad all evening, and I can only imagine what the winds must have been like that chosen evening. It's been hard just to walk upright in these winds, and driving has been next to impossible. Wonder what it was like for those two...soon to be three...as they journeyed just to get in out of the weather? And seriously, a cave wasn't too great of a place to stay. I doubt seriously if either of us would spend the night in a cave, surrounded by animals, if we couldn't get a room at the Holiday Inn Express! But then again, that's my Jesus.

Tonight has been filled with thoughts of Christmas around our house. Tabitha enjoyed a Christmas Eve Service with Devin at his church in Melmore...Denise and I enjoyed the Christmas Eve Service online from Trinity Life Center in Shepherdsville, KY. Our good friends T.J. & Melissa Scott serve on staff there. Afterwards, our family loves to watch Christmas movies...so to say the least, we've had plenty to choose from this past week! And for me...I've done my traditional Christmas wrapping! My father always had a tradition of 'having' to be in the hustle & bustle of Christmas Eve Shopping. And I have since carried on that tradition. For some unknown, crazy reason, I 'have' to be out in the midst of the mayhem on Christmas Eve. That's the true day of the year, when you are able to 'truly' see what a person is really all about, and what they stand for. I get a year's supply of sermon illustrations on this day alone, and today was no exception! LOL!

The Christmas Tree lights are still on, lighting up the dining room. It stands there almost as a protector of all the presents that are underneath. Tomorrow morning, the quietness of the room will give way to mass chaos as we dive in head first into the presents...and paper, bows and ribbons become projectiles! Man, I can't wait! Definitely got to have my coffee before I start that!

The girls have long gone to bed...they're the smart ones...they know Santa's on his way...and I've been enjoying the warmth and crackling of the fireplace. A good cup of coffee and that fireplace is a hard combination to beat! And I've been extra blessed by being about to chat with many of my students from H2O, and friends back home on Facebook. Geez, I love my students! The Christmas break sometimes seems forever, especially when you're used to being around each other soooo much! I pray that each of them have an incredible time with their families...and enjoy this time off...the Spring Semester looms in the distance.

I guess I need to finish up my coffee, and head to bed...NexRad says that Santa is somewhere over Canada...and that's real close. I better stoke up the fire real good...definitely want to give him a 'warm' welcome!

If you're traveling, please be safe...enjoy every moment of family time, even those in-laws and out-laws that always seem to get under your skin...eat lots of goodies! I've already got my GPS programmed to the goodie table! But more importantly, may you see the Christ in CHRISTmas.

Happy Birthday Jesus!

You Better Watch Out...

Partners...

For those of you who are new to 'the Grind', I'd like to share with you about our ministry. My family and I are missionaries on the Northcoast of Ohio. I'm the Collegiate Pastor at Tiffin University, and Pastor for The River Church in Tiffin, Ohio. Since we are MSC (Mission Service Corp) Missionaries, we are responsible for raising our own financial support. We are very thankful to have three churches that support us: Grace Baptist Church in Tiffin, Ohio; First Baptist Church in Sheffield Lake, Ohio; and First Baptist Church in Woodville, Ohio. However, we are in need of additional financial support. I would humbly ask that you...your family...your church, give serious prayer about becoming a regular financial partner. Maybe you also know someone who is looking for a ministry to make a year-end contribution to. If so, please share our ministry with them. All donations/contributions are tax deductible for your convience.

On my side bar, I keep this small article at the very top of the bar.

If you would like to financially support our family and our Campus Ministry, CLICK HERE to make your donations online. Your support will allow us to dedicate our time to vocational ministry and to echo the statement made by the Old Testament prophet Nehemiah, “I am doing a great work and cannot come down.” (Neh. 6:3) God Bless you as you pray and seek His will. Thank you for your support and friendship for our work.

If God so leads you, please follow the link above to make all your contributions. Here, you can also set up an account to make monthly contributions. Thank you so much for considering our ministry.

The Whaley's
Jim, Denise & Tabitha

CCCCCold.....

Wow! I seriously can't remember ever being in a place that was this cold! The temperature is 7 degrees...that's our high for the day. But here's the ugly part...we have a -15 degree wind chill! The winds here are over 40mph! I'm also watching small bullets made of ice fly through the air at ridiculous speeds! We've had a major ice storm this past week, so all of our trees...and everything else...is ice-coated. But the winds here today are so strong that when the winds blow the trees, they break the ice off the trees and then the ice becomes miniture missiles! It's dangerous just trying to get from the house to the van...crazy!

Good thing I made a killer batch of chili last night...won't see me outside...

YES!!!

I only hoped it would happen...and now it's reality...Bring on May 1st, 2009...

Twitter Me...

For those of you who are 'twitter-fanatics', I now have joined your club! If you would like to follow me a little closer throughout the day, click on the Twitter Button below.

Forgotten Faith...

Well, I DID have faith in my president...Check This Out!

Is it me, or are we really seeing a rash of stupidity...

Quick Update From The 'Coast...

Sorry to be so brief, but here's a quick rundown from the 'coast from this past week!

Right now, it's 22 degrees with a wind chill of 11! Yep, I said 11! It's STUPID cold! Thank God for warm fireplaces an electric heaters! We've got about 1 1/2 inches of snow on the ground now. Last night, we were on the campus, when this crazy blizzard smacked us good! Thankfully, it only lasted most of the night. It's snowed off and on all day!

Pretty calm at work, though the people we see are always sick...so goes the life at a pharmacy!

We're getting ready for Thanksgiving Break...a MUCH needed few days off! Denise and I bought our turkey last week!

H2O sent 10 boxes to Operation Christmas Child this past week! I'm super proud of our students! Got lots of more incredible info coming from the campus, but it'll be in about another week...stay tuned!

Tab's new vocal group, Wildfire, performed last night on campus at a benefit concert...man were they good. They perform at the TU Christmas Concert around the first of December, can't wait for that. I'll soon be posting specifically about Wildfire, hopefully over the Thanksgiving holidays...including pictures...you REALLY want to see those!

Mrs. Denise and I are still trying to get over this crazy flu/cold/whatever-this-is! It has dragged on for weeks. I had to even go the the doctor last week...yuck!

Ok, I think that's it in a nutshell...have a great weekend...if you're in the north...STAY WARM!

Fools...

Seriously, are you kiddin'?

Washington D.C.'s New Atheist's Christmas Campaign

Psa 14:1 'For the choir director, David. The fool says in his heart, "God does not exist." They are corrupt; their actions are revolting. There is no one who does good.'

Don't be fooled...

Defining Moments...

January 20th, 2009 is going to be a defining moment in America. Barack Obama is already having his transition team investigate the Executive Orders by the current administration. He plans on making drastic changes immediately through these actions. One of the items on the table is the Freedom Of Choice Act.

We SERIOUSLY cannot allow Obama to make this kind of immediate decision:

http://www.fightfoca.com/

Tuesday Morning Saga...

It's Tuesday morning, and we've been awakened by the annoying sound of a very LARGE truck in 'back-up' mode. Little did I know that the very LARGE truck was backing in to my driveway! My only day off, it's 35 degrees and now Lowe's is unloading a truckload of new windows in my yard! Are you jokin?! LOL!

Now 20 minutes have past and the contractors are here, ready to put the new windows in. Did I mention it's 35 degrees!

So it's now an hour into the process of taking out and putting in the FIRST window, when our contractors realized that they were missing 'something'. I'm not sure what 'something' is, but one of them is now on his way to our new Lowe's...15 minutes away...to get 'something'!

What an interesting day...oh and did I mention it's 35 degrees withOUT a window in my living room...

Wack Week...

It's really been a crazy week here on the coast. I think our day planners literally exploded! And to top it all off, all three of us are sick. The girls have been sick all week, and as of tonight, are still feeling pretty rough. I had to go to the doctor on Friday, only to get my share of medicine. I'm feeling better tonight though, gotta go back to work tomorrow morning.

Friday, we bundled up and went to the TU Fall Choir Concert. It was really good! Tab is one of the members of a new vocal ensemble, and they debuted their group on Friday as well. All I can say, is very good! They're a country vocal group that features four young ladies, and their name is Wildfire!

Saturday we stayed in until the afternoon and then headed to the final football game of the season. It was Senior Day at the game, which featured all of the seniors on the football team, marching band and cheerleaders. We ended the day at a dinner party for one of our good friends, Randy Platt. We had a great time...his wife is an incredible cook!

Today was church & Bible Study this morning...nap...church...supper! Today's church, both services, were extra good, even if I did preach...just a really good day.

Winter is definitely here, we had snow yester day...just slightly. Then as Denise and I were on our way home last night, serious sleet! Then tonight after church as we were coming home, a major sleet storm. It covered our ground and vehicles. So I can just imagine what tomorrow is going to be like. I'm sitting here now with a warm fire in the fireplace...and the sleet continues to fall.

That's about it for now...I need to take my last dose of medicine for the night and head to bed...TTYL!

An Epic Fail...

November 4, 2008 has been forever more etched in the pages of history. A day where men like Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King, Jr. paved the way so many years ago, now has become a reality. Being a white man, born and raised in the heart of the deep south, I grew up with racism all around me. Yet in my small town, racism, and the hate that accompanies it, was never an issue. It was always something that was found ‘somewhere else’. My closest friends throughout my high school years were young black men whose families grounded them in Scripture and Faith, just like my family did me. It was years later in my life that I saw first hand what racism really does to society. I will always be a blessed man for the way in which my parents raised me, especially in the manor of how to treat my fellow man, no matter what color his skin may be.

I am overwhelmed that God has allowed me to be alive as this historical day has emerged. For years it has been believed that it would never happened, yet before our very eyes, we have watched as America has chosen to place an African American man at the helm of the country that I call home….an African American man as leader of the free world. That in and of itself is breathtaking to me.

However, we must be completely honest…Barry Obama…yes, I said Barry, chose to use his formal African name of Barack over his American name. And he isn’t even 100% African American. He has an African American father, and a white mother…which means he is the child of an interracial marriage. But one day, I do believe we will see a true African American, born and bred in the heart of America, rise to take control as Commander and Chief of our incredible United States.

Here however, is where the shock and awe must seriously come to an end…

We as America, have moved so far away from the Christian morals and values that our beloved country was founded upon that we are no longer considered a Christian nation. We have hundreds of missionaries from other countries coming to America just to share Jesus Christ with our people. The lyrics from ‘America Again’ literally screams the missing pieces of a forgotten country that was founded on the Gospel of Jesus Christ:

“George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, First Chief Justice John Jay. Names synonymous with the spirit of our country, founding fathers of the U.S.A. Over 200 years ago they shook off the chains of tyranny from Great Britain, by divine call. Citing 27 biblical violations, they wrote the Declaration of Independence, with liberty, and justice, for all. But something happened since Jefferson called the Bible the cornerstone for American liberty, then put it in our schools as a light. Or since 'Give me liberty or give me death!' Patrick Henry said, our country was founded on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We eliminated God from the equation of American life, thus eliminating the reason this Nation
first began. From beyond the grave I hear the voices of our founding fathers plead, you need God in America, again. Of the 55 men who formed the Constitution, 52 were active members of their church. Founding fathers like Noah Webster, who wrote the first dictionary,
could literally quote the Bible, chapter and verse. James Madison said, 'We've staked our future on our ability to follow the 10 Commandments, with all our heart.' These men believed you couldn't even call yourself an American, if you subvert the Word of God. In his farewell address, Washington said, 'You can't have national morality apart from Religious principal,' and it's true…”

Yesterday we voted by the masses to give an overwhelming victory for our President of the United States to someone who can’t even tell you about his relationship with Jesus Christ. Someone, who has numerous times made it extremely clear that fully believes it’s perfectly acceptable to allow over one million innocent babies to be executed in a process we call abortion. He is even an outspoken supporter of ‘partial birth abortion’. You can see for yourself HERE.

If that wasn’t enough to nauseate you, then you also need to understand that the man we have chosen to place in power has also made it extremely clear he feels that homosexuals and homosexual unions/partnerships are equal to that of the Biblical standard of marriage and family which is described throughout Scripture as one man and one woman. Please don’t take my word…check it out HERE.

What truly breaks my heart the most, is that I've watched the second largest generation in history become consumed and blinded by a smooth-talking prophet of change that has caused them to disregard the morals and standards that our country was established on. So many of our Bridger Generation voted yesterday for the very first time, in historic fashion, thinking that 'change' was all that mattered. Change in and of itself is good, and I most certainly support it...but not at the expense of removing the very foundation that was created to give us the rights and freedoms to vote in the first place.

In as much as yesterday was an epic success through the lenses of Civil Rights…it was as much an epic failure by placing a very God-less man in the highest position in the land. I applaud the outstanding effort and fortitude that it’s took to see this milestone in Civil Rights. And it’s my prayer that one day…and one day soon…that we as Americans, will put the right African American in office…

Fall Retreat 2008

I love retreats...exhausting as they are, I still love love them. This past weekend, Denise and I were joined with nine of our H2O students at our statewide Crosswalk Retreat at Seneca Lake Baptist Assembly. There were something like 125 or so of us there...collegians and directors alike...from all over Ohioland.

This was such a great time for me personally, to get away from the daily routines, and get to spend some quality time with my family and some of my students. We really had great time, got to see old friends, and to make new ones. It was so refreshing to see our students interact with each other...and with other collegians.

Time and space simply will not permit me to put down the millions of thoughts that are running through my head right now...just know this...God is seriously at work on the TU campus.

Enjoy...

Thanks Tab for some amazing pics!

Unreal...

And people really wondered why we were so opposed to the government fiasco to the tune of almost one trillion dollars....just read this!

Busy...Busy...

Super busy the past several days...with no relief in sight for the next couple of weeks. Homecoming at TU this past weekend...Started revival at Port Clinton Baptist Church on Sunday, with services going through Wednesday night...gotta make a massive road trip tomorrow...H2O on Thursday night...taking a student to catch a train EARLY Friday morning...leaving for our statewide fall collegiate retreat on Friday, coming back on Sunday...whew, I'm tired just thinking about it...

Please pray for strength, rest and sanity...and not necessarily in that order...

Rambling...

It's Monday night, actually Tuesday morning. A wonderful thunderstorm came through a few hours ago and blessed me with an incredible nap. I love naps...especially thunderstorm induced. I miss them. In Arkansas, they were the norm...in Ohio, they're the exception. I've almost been in Ohio a full year now, and as far as I remember, tonight was the first opportunity I've had to enjoy one. I really love naps...

Had a great weekend, was privileged to get to meet and hear Dr. Ken Hemphill on Saturday evening. Had to drive an hour and a half to get there, but it was worth it. Great time for Denise and me to be together on the road. She loves to drive...I love to ride...we make a great team.

Sunday was something! Killer Bible Study on Sunday Morning. Looked at truth. What truth is. WHO is truth. Truth has a name...you can find the answer in John 14:6.

Sunday night at The River Church was fun. Talked about imitators. The girls chose three of our guys that they wanted to imitate...the guys chose three girls. Hilarious! Up on stage in front of everybody...simply hilarious. We found it's easy to imitate one another...but it's not so easy to imitate Christ...takes work...takes focus...takes, well you know, commitment. Paul did it. I like Paul. He wanted the Ephesus church to do it...imitate...Christ. He wants us to do it...same thing...imitate Christ. Check it out...Ephesians 5:1.

Today was Monday. I'm getting where I don't like Mondays...maybe it's cause I'm super exhausted from the weekend. Maybe it's cause I know I would rather be working on reaching my students instead of working at a secular job. Maybe it's cause I just need a darker roasted coffee. Maybe...

By the time Friday rolls around, I'm finally (but I don't know how) caught up on my rest, then the vicious cycle starts all over again. OK! I'll admit it...I don't like Mondays. Do you like Mondays?

I need coffee...I need to go to bed...I need coffee...I really need to go to bed...but I need coffee...bed wins...Yay bed! Goodnight coffee pot...I'll see you in just a couple of hours...

Truth...

Question for the day...

'What is truth?'

Special Days...

I love days like today! From the moment my feet hit the floor this morning till the time I go to bed when I finish this post, I have had a phenomenal day!

We slept in just a little bit this morning, not much, but later than we normally do. Then Tab and I got out to do a few quick errands. In the process, we detoured through the Tiffin Bake Shop. The pastries were good, but the young lady behind the counter who waited on us obviously needed a stiffer cup of coffee...

On the way home we had to take a much different route due to the Heritage Festival taking place in the middle of town. I'm talkin' thousands of people filled the downtown streets in our tiny community! When we got home, Denise had stacks of pancakes right off the grill! You go girl! After a little bit of time to do a little surfin' while the girls did a few things around the house, it was off to the festival we went...

Thank the Lord that most of the enormous crowd had left by the time we got up there. And to our surprise, we only found about a dozen food & concession vendors and a handful of craft vendors. Seriously, I'm not real sure why all the people had been there only hours before. I still had to put my stamp of approval on the food...yep, it passed the test! My selection, an Italian Sausage smothered in peppers and onions, bathed in cheddar cheese, topped with mushrooms and more peppers and onions. WOW, that was really good! For the life of me though, I just couldn't talk Denise into one of those! I know...she was looking for the chocolate wagon!

From there, like father like daughter, she and I had a huge craving for coffee (Like that's something new, I know!). So we ventured over to Ralph's, only to find they had REMOVED their espresso machine! BLASPHEMY I tell you, BLASPHEMY! We took a quick drive over by the campus, and to our surprise, Java Rave was still open. Tab wanted something cold, so she got, now get this, a Caramel Java Icer. That's really a wack name for a Caramel Frappaccino! For me, oh and it was almost really good, six shots (yes I said 6 shots) of espresso with just a hint of White Chocolate. As Tab and I inhaled our coffee, Denise just shook her head...she knew exactly what was about to happen! I was pretty much useless the rest of the day! LOL!

From there, we stopped by the video rental place for 3 movies, one for each of us, then we charted our way home. After a quick trip back out to grab pizza and cheesy bread, our family day concluded by watching all 3 of the movies, laughing and enjoying every second of each others company. Oh sure we've taken the time to do our share of texting friends and checking our email and facebook, (and Denise playing a few computer games while the scary movie was on...although she did end up watching most of it! LOL!) but the main focus was the main focus.

Need I really have to say, I love my family! And it's days like this that will forevermore hold a special place in my heart. I love you girls!

Are You Jokin'?!

I've seen some crazy weather stuff in my life, but today really takes the cake. We're just a short drive off the coast of Lake Erie...hundreds of miles off the Gulf Coast, and today we've got Hurricane force winds?! Are you seriously jokin'? My buddy TJ, down in Louisville, KY is one of thousands without power from this massive wind storm that's made it's way up the Ohio Valley. His church, TLC, was literally shakin off the foundation this morning, and this time it had nothing to do with Holy Spirit!

As we were heading to church tonight, it was a chore just to keep our vehicle on the road. Limbs and trees were everywhere, siding was flying off houses, our campus had stuff blown everywhere, and I think I saw a cow go by on our way home! Insane.

Oh, and the world must be coming to an end...our Wal-Mart Super Store is CLOSED thanks to no power...along with Arbys and half of our community. Dude, just when I wanted some Curly Fries too...

A Lazy Saturday...

After weeks upon weeks of no rain in our area, yesterday was such a welcomed day. The rain began earlier yesterday morning and has continued on through today. Our crops are in desperate need of water. It saddens me to see the time and effort put in by our farmers, just to have a front row seat to watch their crops wither away due to lack of water. That's one of the big differences I've noticed between crops in the south, and up here in the north. Here, farmers don't irrigate. The locals tell me that's usually not a problem, but this year has really been tough.
I've took advantage of the calm of the rain to spend some relaxing time around the house. Last night, Denise and I got out to get ice cream, but other than that, we spent the evening watching the Hurricane Ike show on Foxnews, surfing the internet (especially Facebook), and enjoying fresh coffee.

Today, wow am I lazy! I got up early to meet with my buddy Dan Duffy, he's helping me out by taking a display for me back to Columbus. After that, SUPER LAZY! I can't remember the last time I've crashed like this. And boy oh boy does it feel good! I've got a small to-do list I've got to get done today, but those shouldn't be a problem. I've got to wrap up my Bible Study for tomorrow morning at the Co-Ed Bible Study on campus, and I've got to put the finish touches on my message tomorrow night for The River Church. I'm hoping for lot's of 'laziness' today with my laptop, the coolness of the air, and lot's more coffee!

My prayers are out to all those affected by the massive hurricane. As I watch now, the reporters are telling me that it's headed right into Arkansas. Gotta call friends today to check on them.

I've added a couple of new things to my side bar. One, is the 'FOLLOW ME' section. If you are a regular reader, or just stopping by, I would like to invite you to click on the 'FOLLOW ME' section and sign up as one of my readers. Come one, come all...please sign up! This kinda gives me a better idea of the readers that I have.

I have also joined TWITTER. The button over on the side bar will let you keep up with me on a more regular basis. I'll be updating my TWITTER several times a day via text. You can sign up to be a regular follower over there, also.

Hope you have an incredible weekend...Mine will be much lazy! Mine will also be spent with my beautiful bride of 24 years...today! She's such a blessed lady! :)

Luau Pics...

This past Sunday, we had a BLAST with our students as we officially kicked off the Fall Semester. It was an amazing time!

If you would like to see MORE pictures from our Luau In The Park,

CLICK HERE!

Remnents of a Luau...

WOW! What an incredible time at the park today. We reserved one of the many pavilions and turned it into a Hawaiian Luau! It was a blast! I think we had 55 in attendance, but maybe more. Lots of fun, games, prizes...more free food than you could realize...and laughter galore! A special THANK YOU to Randy & Melodie Platt for taking care of all the details, providing and cooking the food, providing the games and prizes, and much more untold stuff. This was the largest fellowship projects we've ever had, and it was a massive success! Stay tuned...Pictures are on their way...

The Week That Was...

OK...TU is off and running! Man, is it running! The prof's are dealing out homework like never before...students seem to be already overwhelmed. Hopefully things will smooth out in a week or two.

We had a great kickoff to H2O last week. Wow, the electricity was amazing. Great group of new students! It was so great to see old friends. Can't wait till this Thursday!

We had a great time at First Baptist Church in Sheffield Lake this past Sunday. The people are incredible. And their pastor...Ron Woods, definitely a close friend in the making. We share so much in common, it's scary. I honored to have Ron in my friend circle.

We had great services at The River Church on Sunday night. Now that summer is over, our services are back on the TU campus. I'm glad to be back!

Got a couple of new toys this week: A car charger for my phone (Thank God)! That was sooo a necessity. And a cordless mouse for my laptop. The last thing I want is carpel tunnel of the finger by using the mouse pad! :D

Hope your week has been great...let me hear from you...gotta go, there's a fresh pot of coffee waiting on me...

Campus Ministry Fall Kick-Off...

Click Here to find out what happened and to see pics from last nights h2o Fall Kick-Off!


Click Here to see pics of our NEW Banners!

Prayer Walk 2008...

Our first Prayer Walk is in the books. I guess it would be easy to be discouraged because we only had 8 participate. But in reality, it was who those 8 were, that brought joy to my heart. It was simply an incredible time in the presence of an incredible God. We covered every square block of the TU Grid with an open heart & mind, seeking His presence and guidance. Of the 8, this was the first ever prayer walk for 4 of them. That was truly a blessing to watch. The beginning of a new year is here, and prayer is the best foundation that can be given. I'm overwhelmed at the anticipation I saw today from our prayer crew. Truly a confirmation to what I've been sensing all along...


"Oh God, what exactly are You up to? Amaze me again with Your power and your presence. Make Yourself known to our students in ways that will blow their minds. I stand and wait for the next wave You're sending. Total life change is what we're believing in. Captivate us again. In Jesus' Name, Amen"

The Calm Before The Storm...

It's been a hectic week, here on the coast. Doing all the fine tuning before the majority of our students arrive on campus next week. For the next few days, there will be an uncanny quietness. The calm before the storm.

Today is a beautiful day on the coast. Temperature is in the mid 70's, with a light wind. What a day! It was actually cool here last night. I think the temp dropped to the low to mid 50's. Yep, fall is here. Ahhhhhhhh! I love this weather.

By this time next Saturday, the calm will have given way to the oncoming hurricane. Our Move-In Block Party at TU will be in full swing. We have 30-40 of our returning students coming in early to help move in the new freshmen ( and the upperclassmen! ) at TU. Phase 2 of our Outreach Attack Plans will be in motion. Our goal is to be averaging over 100 students each week in our worship gatherings. We're on target to already shatter that number.

H2O Radio...

Last Spring, our h2o Campus Ministry launched a full scale Internet Radio Station! Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week non-stop Contemporary Christian Music along with today's Modern Worship Leaders. You will also hear online devotions...h2o news...and lots more! The world just became smaller...

Our station is on the air NOW! Please take this as my personal invitation to go over to our h2o Radio Station website. First and foremost, pray for it...ask for God's blessing, and for his protection. Ask God to use this outreach tool to His Glory!

Then, download the FREE Player and begin enjoying h2o Radio!
Remember, the more people that downloads the player...the more that listen...the more we share the Gospel. Be apart of our Acts 1:8 vision!

Cedar Point Trip...

My first trip to Cedar Point is in the history books...and all I can say is WOW! CP is an absolutely amazing place! Billed as the largest roller coaster park in America, it literally lived up to it's reputation. From every shape, form, crook, turn, you name it...CP has it. And I loved every minute of it. I rode a few rides, but my biggest enjoyment was watching Tabitha ride the rides! She's a beast...a coaster beast! That girl is fearless...has ice in her veins. She road almost all of the gigantic rides, and when given more time, she'll ride ALL of them! Unbelievable. And yep, I'll be back...

Freshmen Weekend At Tiffin University!

It was a wild & crazy weekend this past week at Tiffin University. Students from all over the country that have chosen TU as their new home, were allowed on campus for 2 days of maddness & mayhem! They got to actually stay in their dorms, meet new roomies and dormmates, lost a LOT of sleep, and had an action-packed weekend. If you want to see more pics, CLICK HERE!

Merry-Go-Rounds...

Oh, if I could only get the spinning to stop...

It's not easy living with a somewhat uncontrollable beast that's camped out inside your head. Over the years I've done my best to simply maintain stability, yet most-times all to no avail. Just when I'm beginning to think things are calming down, everything explodes. The first step is always to admit the problem...I guess I'm doing that now.

I have a problem.

I'm an over-anxious, aggressive, intimidating individual with a huge...huge case of hyperactive Adult ADHD. Combined with my ultra-sensitive case of OCD (or as my daughter would say CDO...it's like OCD but the letters are in alphabetical order...like they should be), life in my head is...well...(I'll let you fill in the blanks).

At any moment in time, I'm flippin' channels on the TV, checking my email, talking to 4 different students online, listening & memorizing new music, texting 5 different people and blogging...all at the same time. NO KIDDING! That's not to mention making a couple of phone calls and drinking coffee right in the middle of it all. Granted, I can accomplish a large list of things in a very short period of time, but my head feels like I've got a Tasmanian Devil trapped inside. It would just be nice if it would all go away when I sleep...but it doesn't. It keeps spinning...and spinning...and spinning...

What I've noticed over the years, is that even though my 'accomplishment rate' is phenomenal, it's easy for me to lose sight of the bigger picture. After all, if we miss the 'why', the 'what' sometimes becomes irrelevant. 'Busy' is the verb of the day...the decade. Why do we do what we do? Are we lost in this never-ending downward spiral where we're more focused on individual tasks instead of the final outcome? Is any of this making any sense or is this the beast taking over?

Even now as I write this, I'm making corrections on my calendar...listening & memorizing a new song...texting 2 students...talking with 3 other students online, making to-do lists (now that's funny) for this coming Freshmen Weekend at Tiffin University...and having dinner, oh and I'm checking the weather radar online.

Do you get it? Are you like me too? How do YOU do it? How do you tame the monster?

Imagine being on an old-school merry-go-round. Thirteen screaming kids all running and pushing their hardest to get that old merry-go-round to go as fast as it will go, then just at the right moment, jumping on for that unforgettable adrenaline rush...trying to hold on... WEEEEEEEEEE!

Welcome to the corridor of my mind...

Then just as you least expect it, the merry-go-round comes to an abrupt halt. Some crazy child thought it would be cool to put his feet down and use them as brakes and has successfully brought this playground party to an crashing end. Kids are thrown in every direction, laughter transforms into tears, and as you look back, the mechanical marvel of the merry-go-round sits eerily still...motionless in time. And the images in your mind of the last few seconds play back over and over again like a video player stuck in rewind mode.

This is exactly what happens when I get a good dose of reality. Everything's going non-stop on this merry-go-round inside my mind, then reality steps in and brings my party crashing down around me. My instinct tells me to get up quick, get that merry-go-round going again...faster than ever before, only to realize my partners-in-crime are tired of this game and want to do something different. It's no longer about me...it's about others...it's about something bigger...

I forget sometimes about that much bigger picture...no, not forget about it, just am too focused...'busy' with the menial daily tasks to take that necessary glimpse. It's harsh at the moment, but very quickly the harshness fades away and the picture becomes crystal clear. Yep, I see the picture...I get it...

I've had a good dose of reality lately. And I didn't like it. But I needed it. My merry-go-round was going full tilt, almost out of control. I still don't like it. But if someone had not have applied the brakes when they did, I would seriously have missed & overlooked the main objective of the ride itself. And I'm very thankful for that. I'm focused again...kinda scary, huh?

I wonder if that's what it was like for one of Christ's disciples in Matthew 8:21. Ready to go...do...be, but this one had other things to do...his mind was occupied...OCD...busyiness...

I don't want to be like that guy. But I could be...could you?

Things I have to do: 1.) I have to...oh no, the merry-go-round is moving again, and it's my turn to help push...

Catch Up...

Hey Everyone,

We've been super busy up here on the NorthCoast. Go Here to see some of the stuff we've been doing at Tiffin University. And Go Here to check out the massive outreach project weekend at The River Church.

Hope all is well with you, we're gearing up for an incredible Fall Semester at Tiffin University. Can't wait for our students to be back on campus. Sorry for being short...lots of things to do...

Quick Update From The Coast...

It's been a very busy couple of weeks at the Whaley house. We were blessed to be able to take a small trip back to Arkansas (more on that later), a couple of quick things going on around the house, you know the drill.

But the fun news of the week was that Mrs. Denise and I went to see the opening of the new Indiana Jones movie, 'Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull'. UNBELIEVABLE! I grew up on all those Indy movies and I must say I love this series more that anything else. But this one caught me off guard. I've never been a Shia LaBeouf fan, mainly because of that crazy 'Even Stevens' TV show. But since he's made the switch to the big screen, this young man is really making a name for himself. He was really OK in "Holes", really good in "Transformers", but after last night, I'm an official Shia LaBeouf fan. And to pair his performance with my favorite actor of all time, Harrison Ford, I was in movie heaven. This is certainly one for the history books...hope you get to see it.

More coming soon...

He's My King...

The Year In Review...The Finale

The Spring Semester turned out to be everything it was predicted to be...and more.

Christmas Break brought about the launch of h2o's Internet Radio. This was major steps in, not only reaching our campus & community, but being an internet radio, we're able to reach literally global. Amazing how God works...

Our spring semester for h2o, we themed 'Spring Awakening'. I just felt that God was drawing us to Himself in such a way that we needed to understand how God uses common, ordinary people for extraordinary things. I taught through a series entitled, "The Original Dream Team"...the 12 Disciples. We took an in depth look at the character analysis of each of the chosen twelve. Absolutely amazing.

February brought us Valentine's Day, which we put together 100 candy bags with Valentine's Cards from h2o. We used this opportunity to pass out these candy bags all over campus with the simple message, "h2o loves you!". We did this exact same concept for Easter...another 100 bags! These were great servant evangelism projects for our students. The harsh winter that we had gave us another significant opportunity for servant evangelism. We set up a table in our Student Center and passed out cups of hot chocolate for over 3 1/2 hours! No strings attached...just simply free hot chocolate. The reactions from the students was priceless!

We came out of spring break with a big bang. h2o sponsored a campus wide concert featuring The Mighty Underdoggs. MU is a regional Christian rock group, made up of college students from all over Ohio. They did a fabulous job, and our students loved them. We're already planning on bringing them back next year. Great job MU!

With the end of the semester in sight, we really wanted to finish strong. We successfully completed our first-ever Dorm Blitz. Hundreds of flyer's were distributed 'underneath the doors' of our dorms in the middle of the night. Attendance continued to increase as the semester moved forward.

The students literally blew my mind when they approached me to begin a Sunday Morning Bible Study. Kind of like a cross between Sunday School and Small Group. We were blessed to be able to use one of the private dining rooms in our cafeteria on Sunday mornings at 10:00am.

Our biggest campus outreach promotion was our campus wide Guitar Hero II Tournament! We secured Osceola Theatre to hold this ridiculous event! Imagine playing a video game on a screen the size of a normal MOVIE SCREEN! It was crazy! We had almost 100 students participate in this with us. We were told by TU staff that this event was one of the largest attended events EVER at TU! We're already being asked by TU to do something like this again next year...what do you think we said...

Monthly outings to McDonalds for ice cream was extremely popular. At least once a month, we would crash Mickey D's after h2o for McFlurry Madness...or at least the McDonald's employees thought it was madness!

We passed out flyer's in our community as an evangelistic outreach for The River Church. We passed out over 300 flyer's in Tiffin's apartment complexes.

The last thing we did was a Digital Camera Scavenger Hunt. Talk about crazy...check out some of the pictures.

Our year was accentuated by h2o receiving the Outstanding Campus Service Award from Tiffin University. What a way to end the year.

Friendships were formed...relationships were forged...memories were created...but most importantly, lives were changed.

Our campus ministry name says it all: h2o...for all who thirst.

The Year In Review...

The 2007-2008 school year is almost over. But what we've seen God do over the past 9 months is surely to go down in the pages of history...

We knew one year ago, that God was up to something incredible. What we didn't know was that we were given front row seats to a supernatural performance of a lifetime. Our prayer is that we will be privy to Act II, beginning this fall. I simply cannot wait for the curtain to rise...

August 27th, 2007 was the birthdate for a vision of a lifetime. I remember it like it was yesterday. I had already moved my family to the Northcoast of Ohio from the Delta of southern Arkansas. Me, I felt like I was on a neverending racetrack back and forth from Arkansas to Ohio...fifteen hours each way. I had driven back to Ohio for the start of classes on the 24th, spending as much time on Tiffin University's campus as I could that first week. I was full of excitement in anticipation of what our first meeting was going to be like. I wasn't dissappointed. Five students & four adults later, h2o was born. Now, nine months later, we're seeing anywhere from 50 to 70 students in our worship gatherings. Currently, h2o is the 3rd largest organization/group on the TU campus.

The goal of the fall semester was simply to make our presence known on the campus. I met as many of the faculty and staff as I possibly could, we put out hundreds of flyers, made numerous phone calls, and established a critical imprint in world of Facebook. We learned extremely quick that the greatest avenue of communication with our students was going to be Facebook. I can honestly say, that the single greatest weapon in our ministry arsenal is Facebook. If you are serious about reaching collegiate students, please contact me and let me show you how this tool can work for you.

By the time the Christmas Break rolled around, h2o was beginning to leave it's mark on the campus. The fall semester brought about steady attendance growth coupled with lifetime relationships being developed. We were invited by the university to participate in their Spiritual Life Fair, as well as their Organizational Involvement Fair. We also participated in Operation Christmas Child which gave our students an opportunity for international missions. Our largest ministry/missions project came at Thanksgiving. Our students gathered enough food and raised enough money that we were able to provide Thanksgiving meals along with two weeks worth of groceries for three families in our community. We also partnered with another local church to provide, prepare and serve Christmas dinner for many of our underprividged families in Tiffin.

December was marked with a year-end Christmas party for our students at our house, along with the launch of our new church plant, The River Church. The River is designed to reach the 18-35 year old age group in our community, along with focusing on the students on both of our college campuses. The River was blessed to be able to also meet in Chisholm Auditorium on the TU campus, which is our home for h2o. It was great to see a brand new group of students reached with the addition of The River. Our church meets at 6:00pm on Sunday nights...perfect for reaching those students that are returning to campus from their weekend home trips.

Christmas brought about a needed time of rest and relaxation for our family. Even though I continued to work at my secular job, and maintained communication with our students, I sure enjoyed spending some much-needed quiet time at home with my family.

Our break was a good thing...the spring semester loomed in the distance...

...to be continued

Quick Update From The Coast...

Hey!

The past several days have been extremely hectic! I've just finished up leading worship at a revival in Amherst, Ohio...and our semester at TU is drawing close to the end. We've got so much going on campus, free time to blog has been at a premium. We're less than 2 weeks till the end of the semester, graduation is on May 3rd. Then, I'm planning on doing a lot of catching up on my blogs. Hope all is well with you! Stay tuned for more from the 'coast...

Sometimes, Seeing Is Believing...

Check Out THIS VIDEO!

Hot Chocolate Day...

Today was an incredible day for our servant evangelism project at Tiffin University. We set up a table inside our Student Center and gave away Hot Chocolate! WOW, did that ever go over good! Our original plans were to set up outside in the courtyard on campus, but the dreary weather drove us inside. It was incredible. We had information about our Campus Ministry available, but we let the students make the initial conversations about it. If they didn't, we didn't....they saw the info, but we didn't want to come across as though they HAD to hear our spiel about us BEFORE they could have their Hot Chocolate. It gave us a great day for simply lovin' on, and showing God's Love to our students. We gave away over 100 cups of Hot Chocolate...and yes, we DID have marshmallows!

Busy Times On The Coast...

It's been a crazy week, here on the coast. The weather is trying to change into spring, slowly, but trying to change none the least. Things are getting super busy on the campus. Seems like each of the professors are keeping our students overwhelmed for the remainder of our semester. I understand the need for the 'sense of urgency' for the class requirements, I'm just sad that it seems to occupy so much of our student's thought processes that they don't have time (or think they have the time) to slow down and spend a few quality moments with the Creator of the Universe. Pray for our students. God has so much planned for them.

Thursday night was insane at h2o! We hosted The Mighty Underdoggs, a 'somewhat' local Christian band in concert. They were very good, and our students loved them! We had our highest attendance yet at our h2o worship gatherings! And afterwards, the guys in the band just wanted to hang out with our students for a while...great night!

Friday night, was a needed night of relaxation. Denise and I watched some of the NCAA games on the tube, in the meantime, I was doing some research & studying for the weekends Bible Study and messages. It ended up being a very late night...after 2am before I made it to bed.

Saturday was definitely not our normal Saturday. Spent the day studying and working on PowerPoint for Sunday night's church service. But that night was fabulous! Denise and I attended the World Student Association's International Dinner at TU. I stood in amazement! We have a very large international population on campus, and this is our way of celebrating with their native food, dress and entertainment. Tabitha and the Concert Choir performed, along with numerous international performances. The food was fabulous. And it was great to spend some time with several of our international students that are a part of our h2o campus ministry. During this time, the Kappa Kappa Psi fraternity was having their annual Silent Auction. Yes, we got in on some of that too. But, I DID get a new coffee maker...an MP3 player...and a few other goodies out the deal. What was funny, was that our h2o students that were part of the KKPsi, was calling me during the International Dinner, keeping me informed of the bidding! Too Funny. Afterward, the Student Government Association put on a casino night for the campus, and for the guests of the International Dinner. Under normal circumstances I would have stayed away from that stuff. But the SGA designed this so that NO ONE spent any money...NO ONE won any money. Everyone was given free chips and tokens to play the different games. Everyone was also given tickets to put into drawings for free gift packages. We had a great time...and I hadn't played Black Jack in YEARS! In addition, this gave me phenomenal opportunities to begin relationships with students that I had never met before. Another 2am night!

Sunday was chalked full of stuff! The day started off with the beginning of our new Sunday Morning Small Group. We had 8 in attendance! We followed that be having lunch with several of our students in the cafeteria on campus. We then attended a Martial Arts Competition that was held on campus. Several of our students were entered in the different type matches. Services for The River Church got started at 6pm, and again, we had our largest attendance yet. God is truly amazing.

If you can't tell by now, we love our students...

After work tomorrow, I've got to speak at Heidelberg College, beginning at 9pm at their collegiate ministry. This is a great opportunity for me to share with their students and to also tell them about our new church plant.

Oh, and I really can't forget to share this...last Sunday, Easter Sunday, we were the guests at Lakeshore Community Church in Huron, Ohio. The pastor had an emergency trip out of state, and I filled in for him in the Sunday morning service. We were overwhelmed with how warm their congregation was...it was a great, great day...and the most exciting part, was that 2 ladies accepted Christ as their personal Savior. Now that's how I like to spend Easter.

OK, time to go for now...hopefully, we'll get some extra rest this week...in the meantime, Denise is keeping the coffee hot...

In Remembrance...

Moving Day...

We're excited to announce that we have purchased domains for our h2o Campus Ministry and our church plant. I would like to invite to drop by both of them and check them out!

Our new Campus Ministry site is: www.lifeath2o.org

Our new church plant site is: www.tiffinsriverchurch.com

Enjoy!

Church Ignorance...

Knowing that I could write volumns about this subject, I'm going to stick with one incident in particular.

A few weeks ago, one of the larger SBC churches in our state, (somewhere near 1000 in attendance on Sunday's), was influenced and led by the INTERIM pastor, who by the way is in his 80's and has been at the church for over a year, to bring before the church a change in the churches constitution that would no longer allow any church member under the age of 16 the right to vote in the churches business meetings. The Motion PASSED! Now, this church only recognizes members 16 and over in the voting process.

What does that tell those students...it tells them that 'they don't matter anymore...your input...your thoughts...your ideas...and I can go on and on...are useless.' 'You are not needed here.'

And we wonder what's happening to the youth in our churches! We've already succeeded in alienating the collegiate group...those between the ages of 18 and 25...from the church body, now we're doing the same thing to the next generation.

This has got to stop...

We're Moving...

Just to let you know, during Spring Break week, we're moving our h2o web address...stay tuned...

Thawing Out...

For three straight days of almost 50 degrees...THANK THE LORD...the frozen tundra is beginning to disappear! There were moments that I honestly thought we would NEVER see the groud again. But with the warmer temperatures and the rain today, the ground is emerging!!! YAY!!!!

What we're hearing is that this was the LAST, hopefully, major snow for the season. The locals are talking about a possible light dusting of snow if a week or so, but for the most part, spring is so close!!!!!! I don't have to tell you how much we're ready for warmer days.

It's spring break at Tiffin University! Which means a week off for Tabitha, and somewhat of a break for Denise & me. We will not be meeting on campus until Easter Sunday night at the The River.

However, we do have quite a bit of traveling during the week. We'll be at Woodsfield, Ohio this coming Sunday, sharing about our ministry with the congregation of First Baptist Church - Woodsfield. Woodsfield is about a 4 hour drive for us, so we will have to be on the road by 6:15am. TOO EARLY!!!

Then on Easter Sunday morning, I've been asked to bring the morning message at Lakeshore Community Church in Huron, Ohio. LCC is a contemporary style church, that's located on Lake Erie, just outside of Cleveland. We're looking forward to worshipping at LCC.

At h2o, we've got so much going on for the remainder of the semester, it's unreal! Check back here for details.

I think that's about it for now...

Someday Soon...

Got questions...Email me.

Nightfall On The Frozen Tundra...

As night fell on the frozen tundra of Antartica, we had managed to get a snowblower on part of our driveway. As you can see, be barely made a dent in the vast amout of snow that we have. Most of these pictures are somewhere near our driveway, giving you different views around our vehicles.

This first pic is a great shot of our home. Notice the 2 small lights burried in the snow...that is decorator yard lighting that is over 2 feet tall! Tonight, it nothing more than a 'glow in the snow'!

It's 10:00pm, EST...the blizzard has sub-sided, the clouds are gone...and the stars are out. Time to go, I'm making fresh snow ice-cream. And there's a good fireplace and a cup of coffee waiting on me inside...

I'm standing in the road looking back in our driveway...can you tell where the road stops and our driveway begins....

Before the snowblower arrived, our vehicles were literally burried in snow!

This is attempting to get to our front porch.

Snow Pics From The March Blizzard..

These pics were taken on Saturday morning, March 8th!

Where is SUMMER?!

Blizzard Video of March 2008

This video clip is shot from inside our garage on Saturday morning, March 8th. We already had 3-4 inches of ice, along with 4-5 inches of snow, when this crazy blizzard hit. As of right now, we're at a Level 3 emergency in our county; white-out conditions (as you can see); we had our driveway cleared with a snowblower earlier in the morning, but to no avail. This storm should end by tomorrow morning, with us getting at least 12 more inches of snow!! UNREAL!!

Updated Randomness...

It's 1:06am on Saturday morning, and my mind is running like a merry-go-round out of control. The past couple of weeks have been a non-stop roller coaster for us. Lot's of travel...speaking engagements...and just general stuff!

I've tried to spend the evening tonight, trying to knock out a to-do list that is long past due. One of the entries on that list is 'blog...blog...blog'. I somehow find it harder to do one of the things I love, which is blogging. Please forgive me for my momentary lapse of timing.

Last Sunday, Denise and I had an awesome time at FBC-Newton Falls. We were part of their Missions Sunday that was sponsored by their Ladies WMU. I had the opportunity to speak to their youth group in the Sunday School hour about life after high school, and the many opportunities to be involved in a campus ministry at their next level of education. Had a tremendous time! There were 20 teenagers in that group, and each of them were super cool. Then I spoke during the AM service about our Campus Ministry at Tiffin University, and about the many opportunities they have at reaching the Emerging Generation. Pastor Steve Spurlock and his congregation were incredible hosts. Thanks so much FBC-Newton Falls.

On Monday & Tuesday, Denise and I were at the Ohio State Evangelism Conference at Cedarville University. We were responsible for working at the Collegiate Ministry booth for the Ohio State Convention. Got to meet so many new people, and also to see our new friends that we have made around the state. I did manage to slip in the hear Ed Stetzer on Monday afternoon. He was exactly what I thought he would be...unbelievable. If you ever get the chance to hear him speak...don't miss it.

We left Cedarville University on Tuesday afternoon just in time before the blizzard hit around the Dayton area. Our drive was about 2 1/2 hours home, and the closer we got to home, the worse the snow & wind was. By the time Wednesday morning got here, we had an additional 9" of snow! Too crazy for me!

I had to work the rest of the week at my 'day job', for those of you who don't know, I'm a pharmacy tech for one of the local pharmacists in Tiffin. To say the least, we've been trying to catch up on much needed rest...I haven't caught it yet...

Our ministry on the TU campus is growing at a very scary rate. Not only in sheer numbers, but in the life-change that we're seeing in the students. We have a group of young ladies that have started their own weekly Bible Study/Prayer Time in their dorm...student leaders are beginning to emerge, a thing that I have been praying about for weeks! After our spring break, we will be putting many of our students who feel led to serve in a leadership position through a series of 'leadership exams'. I honestly believe we will be greatly surprised at the number of students who will be willing to make the commitment necessary to grow this ministry and the reach our campus for Christ. We have a young lady who is from Puerto Rico who speaks & reads fluent Spanish. I'm working now to get her involved in sometype of Hispanic-type missions in our local association. We have a smaller group of students (around 12) that are wanting some type of a small group Bible Study on Sunday mornings. Just today, I received permission from our Student Activities Director that we can have use of a private dining room in our cafeteria every Sunday morning for this. My plans are to begin the Sunday after Easter. Please be in prayer for this new small-group. This past Thursday night, we had 27 at h2o. So if we combine the Thursday night group and the Sunday night group, we're averaging somewhere between 45 & 50 each week. God is so good!

We have already reserved our facility, Chisholm Auditorium, for Thursday's and Sunday's for next year! We were told last week that our campus group is the largest group on campus! Even bigger that any of the Greek organizations. This is a testament to the work of a Holy God that is calling people...students...unto Himself! We're just amazed to be in the midst...

I'm meeting with the Director of Admissions this week about the possibilities that exist with the incoming freshmen. Our goal is to have information about h2o in each of the incoming freshmen's hands BEFORE they arrive in the fall. We are also excited about the chance to speak to each group of freshmen and their families that we be participating in our Freshmen Orientation weeks this summer. God continues to open all kinds of doors for us...and we keep pushing forward.

Please continue to pray for our family...and our work at Tiffin University. God is busy, and I just love to watch Him work...

New Pics Of Our Campus Ministry...

Hey there,

I've just posted new pictures of some of our students that are involved in our campus ministry over on the h2o Campus site. Enjoy!

Weekly Wrap-Up On The Coast...

The past couple of weeks have been somewhat of a blur! Last week, I battled my high blood pressure, and for a few days, I was losing the battle something fierce! I had a change in my medication for high blood pressure, and to say the very least, the new stuff just didn't work...at all! Thankfully, I was able to get back on my original medication, and things have kinda smoothed out! Couple with that, the ol' cold & congestion...yep, I felt miserable!

The weather has been nuts up here lately! Lots and lots of rain...we have flooding problems everywhere. Several times of light dustings of snow...and today, temps in the 40's. Go figure! This weekend will be much colder, however. We're expecting a high on Sunday of 9 degrees. Brrrrrr!

I had a great opportunity to speak last Sunday morning at First Baptist Church in Clyde, Ohio. Had a wonderful time, and got to meet some new friends. Tomorrow night, I'll be speaking at an adult banquet/fellowship, just outside of Cleveland. We're really looking forward to that. Our friend Stephen Carter and his wife Rachel, is the pastor.

It's been a week of birthday celebration at our house. Yesterday was Tabitha's 19th birthday! Man, how time flys! She had an incredible day...couple of days...week...it's still going on as I write this.... Too much fun!

Our campus ministry is unbelievable! We're seeing God do some miraculous things in the lives of our students. And our worship gatherings are breath-taking. God has made His presence known, unlike anything our students have experienced in a long time. Please continue to pray for God's Guidance in our ministry to collegiate students.

That's about it for now...stay focused...

A Must Read...

For all of my readers out there, you just HAVE to go HERE and read one of the best posts I've ever read. My buddy, Shane Knight, lays it down in absolute black and white about "Where The Church Is Going Wrong!" Don't miss out on this one!

South Arkansas Critters...

I keep trying to tell people just how serious the critters are in South Arkansas, but no one believes me. Finally I have proof! Ya'll these bad boys are nothing to mess with I'm telling you. Be afraid...be very afraid...

Wrappin' Up The Week On The Coast...

It's been a great week, here on the North Coast. The temperatures have been crazy! It's currently 4 degrees outside, about 1/2 inch of snow, winds at about 20 mph. I'm seriously talking COLD!!! When I went to work this morning, it was 2 degrees with a wind chill of -10! So far, I can't put on enough layers of clothes to get warm!

We had a great service this past Sunday at The River Church (plant). And last night, we had a great time at h2o. It amazes me that so many students will brave the cold just to hang out & fellowship and to study God's Word.

Our h2o Radio is growing by leaps & bounds! If you haven't downloaded the FREE player yet, drop by HERE, and download the player. Great music...24/7 right on your desktop.

Hope you have a great weekend, stay warm...enjoy the coffee...