a snapshot of my life and ministry

christmas carols

Merry Christmas! We are only hours away from the most wonderful day of the year! Which means, there are only a few days left to listen to the greatest music ever…Christmas music!

2011 has been a banner year for fpStudents. God has done some amazing things; we’ve seen crazy growth and lives changed all year long! As we finish out this year we decided to do a unique two-week series focused on the amazing season of Christmas, specifically seeking to understand the intent behind some of the most popular Christmas carols!

Typically Matt Grimes and I will do the majority of the teaching at our fpStudents worship services on Wednesday nights. But for this series we stepped back and let a few others share what God had put on their hearts. I was so excited (and a bit anxious!) to have several high school students speak during the series!

I was BLOWN AWAY by the level of intensity, honesty and passion that Whitnie, Tatum and Bailey brought in their delivery of God’s Word. They knocked it out of the park, and we (the students included) learned some great things as a result:

1. Students Are Gifted! Regardless of your age, when you choose to follow Christ God supplies you with gifts that are to be used to glorify Him and make Him famous. I truly believe that life change will happen among students and families at Faith Promise and beyond when STUDENTS begin using their gifts in God-honoring ways. What gifts are you holding back? How can you impact your world for Christ through what He’s given you?

2. Teaching Is Learning! If you ever feel like you have reached an impasse and are having a hard time growing in your relationship with Christ, take some time to share what you know! Each student who taught during this series commented to me about how much THEY learned through the teaching process. This doesn’t mean that you have to be on a stage in front of a crowd. When was the last time you intentionally shared what God has taught you with someone else? I believe that we can get full of knowledge, and in order to make room for more information, we MUST look for ways to pass on what we know! How are you exporting your relationship with God and sharing it with others? In this Christmas season, how often do you find yourself telling others WHY you celebrate the birth of Jesus?

I am so pumped about where God is leading fpStudents in 2012. Please continue to pray that He will interact with students and change families forever. And, of course, have a very merry Christmas!

parenting, part 1.

I used to know everything.  And then I became a parent.

Apparently, raising kids is one of the most natural things that you can do…people have been doing it for years! The strange thing is, kids don’t come with an instruction manual. Not that I would read it…I am a man, after all…but it would be nice to know that it exists!

In my nearly 4 years as a parent I have learned a few helpful things that I’d like to pass on to you today.  My knowledge is by no means extensive…which is why tomorrow my wife Holly will be sharing her thoughts on the subject as well…but I have seen the following “nuggets” as very useful on the journey of parenting.  Here goes…

1. Kids don’t do what you say, they do what you do.  Trust me, kids figure this out early! If you tell them to eat their vegetables while going to town on ice cream…your authority will not have the impact you want it to.  You are the model for how they make decisions. Show them the right steps to take, and with each step they will trust you more.
2. My relationship with my wife is the most important earthly relationship. I love my kids, but the reality is that one day they will leave.  The goal in parenting is to prepare them to live without you. This is a truth that I have learned to share with them early by modeling to them that my favorite person in the world is Holly.  Nothing will come between us, including my wonderful kids.  Let them know that your spouse comes first.
3. Fight for face-to-face time. Especially in the early years of parenting, there are a lot of side-by-side interactions with your spouse.  That’s normal.  Parenting is tough, and you have to lean on each other and work towards a common goal. But if you don’t fight to keep your focus on your spouse, that “side-by-side” will shift to “back-to-back” and you’ll miss out on the marital intimacy that God desires for your life.
4. Give the “why” before they need the “why”. Don’t wait to your kids are in middle school to explain the reasoning behind your decisions.  The more you involve them in the process of choosing family activities, friends, hobbies, etc., the less they will ask why later.  The “why” of your family decisions should be clear and consistently communicated even before they can fully understand the cognitive process.
5. Partner with the local church. Parenting is tough, and I wouldn’t want to do it outside of the body of Christ. Following Christ is a team sport, and I’m grateful that God allows us to experience community in our pursuit of Him.  Get involved with a group of people with your values that can encourage you and speak truth into your kids. It will make a huge difference!

home from haiti.

This past week a team of 18 from Faith Promise Church went to Port-au-Prince, Haiti to work with two orphanages that FP supports.  The last six days have been a whirlwind experience that would take days to fully communicate in words, so I thought I’d share with you just a few moments of the Faith Promise Haiti Mission Trip that will be forever etched in my mind.

1. On our first morning in Haiti, we got word that a child at one of the orphanages was sick.  Turns out he had cholera, which, if untreated, is very deadly. Ryan Hargis, our resident EMT, took him to 3 different hospitals where the boy was denied care. Finally he was accepted at a small Cholera Treatment Clinic, and by the time we left on Monday, he was back at the orphanage with the other children.  Had he not been diagnosed by our team, he likely would not have made it.  God’s timing is amazing!
2. In case you’ve never been to Haiti…it’s really HOT…even in October! Most days the temperature reached above 95 degrees, but I was BLOWN AWAY by our team’s tenacity to interact with the children despite the climate. We spent most of our time outdoors, and the team treated each passing hours as if it was the only opportunity that they had.  The smiles on the kids’ faces were priceless as they got more attention and love in less than a week than they likely had ever received before!
3. While in Haiti we had the honor of communicating through a translator named Namarra.  His presence amped up our connection with the children and the culture, and it would not have been the same without him.  I was so proud to see our team give so generously to him on our last day…he took BAGS of stuff back to his home when we left!
4. On Sunday our team got to experience a typical, though not for us, Haitian church service.  We fumbled through the French singing of traditional Hymns and sweated through a non-air-conditioned two-hour service in packed house of 350. I had the unique opportunity of preaching that day, and it was humbling to hear how grateful the church was for our involvement in the orphanages. I pray that our relationship with those children grows even more as we continue to support them!

I want to thank Faith Promise as a whole for the continued support that has been extended to the children at these two orphanages.  We are making a difference in more than just food and shelter, but also in allowing these kids to see God as He truly is…the Giver of life and love.  Please check out this video to see the personal impact you are making in the lives of dozens of children in need. http://vimeo.com/fpstudents/haitithankyou

haiti day three

Blog By: Dave Breaux (read his blog at davebang.wordpress.com)

Back to Bon Berger this morning. A little bit of a shock for the new people, because all of the children were back. Lots of familiar faces for those of us who have returned. Headed to the backyard to play and love on the kids.

Ryan got to hang out with the boys a little before heading out to the Mega Mart.

One of the old friends we ran into is the little boy that Tonja always referred to as my mini me. His name sounds a lit like Fonzie. Not sure if he is a Happy Days fan or not, but many of us gave him the thumbs up and a “Heyyyyyy” when we heard it.

In addition to a bunch of jewelry, some sunglasses, and some stickers, we were able to leave them with a lot of food and supplies.

Back to Foyer de Amis in the afternoon. Broke out the bird hat and taught some of the kids my Pterodactyl dance.

We did some face painting, and let them do some face painting, too.

Finally, we had to say goodbye to Foyer de Amis for the last time. Definitely didn’t get any easier this time. Amazing how we come to make an impact on them, but they make such a huge impact on us in the process.

haiti day one

Written By: Whitnie Williams

I’m overwhelmed. I feel like I’m in a completely different world.

I’ve never seen anything like this. Port-Au-Prince has this almost tragic beauty to it. The place is in ruin. The picture I’ve posted is of a tent city. A lot of people who lost everything in the earthquake have found shelter there, but it’s not the typical idea of shelter.

As soon as we began driving to the missions guest house, I witnessed much more than I could have possibly prepared for. I witnesses tragedy I have never seen before now.

Upon preparing to leave for an orphanage, a woman brought over a group of orphans she cares for to visit. My youth pastor, the leader of the trip, began to walk towards them, but it was them who flocked towards him, attacking him and greeting him with hugs and smiling faces filled with a joy I cannot explain. These children have lost everything, and in the midst of that, it was a simple stranger that could make their day. They then ran towards us, throwing their arms around us without reservation. I was overcome with emotion. It was the single most heart-warming and heart-breaking thing I’ve ever seen. I began to bawl. We’d been here for just a couple of hours, and I was already sobbing. I continued to cry as two of the most adorable children on the world held onto me. It was honestly a big comical… (Ok, it was hilarious. And yes, there are videos. No, you may not see them. )

We then boarded our bus and made our way to the orphanage our church sponsors, and it was there that I met some of the most humble, giving, loving, compassionate young ladies I have ever met. Through the language barrier, we connected. They were fascinated by my fair complexion and freckles, and one girl seemed to admire my purity ring.

I spent my bus ride back in reverence. God is so amazing, and that does not even begin to cover it. I cannot wait to see what He will do here through these amazing people and this amazing group He so eloquently and beautifully crafted by hand.

Keep us in your prayers, and I will update tomorrow.

Be blessed,

Whitnie