Thursday, October 14, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Monday, September 6, 2010
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Jr. Dog Walkers
up with the Jr. Dog Walkers. They will walk, play, and dispose of
waste, all for a small fee of $3 per dog! This past week, they
designed some homemade posters, done in marker, and posted them around
our apartment complex at all the doggie waste dispensers. Our
apartment complex is super pet friendly, so there are many people who
have dogs.
As we walked in our apartment last night after church, the phone was
ringing. It was a lady interested in the Jr. Dog Walkers! Today was
their first job of walking two cute little shih tzus, Toby and Jack.
The lady is excited about their services, because she has two small
kids and doesn't have much time to walk the dogs. The kids will have
a consistent schedule of walking her dogs. Hopefully, more people will
call too! :0)
:Kristi:
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Monday, August 2, 2010
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Saturday, July 10, 2010
How God is Using Kristi to Train Up Our Kids
We love our kids a ton! The thing that makes me the happiest is to see them growing in the grace and knowledge of our LORD Jesus Christ. I love to see them reading the bible. I love to see them serve the LORD. I love to hear their prayers. It's cool to see how their prayers grow in wisdom as they get older; from praying for their toys to praying for God's will to be done and praying for His glory in all things. It's encouraging for sure!
But it is always challenging to lead them in their relationship with the LORD. The bible tells us to train up our children in the way that they should go and when they are old they will not depart from it. However the bible doesn't necessarily provide the details concerning how (specifically) to do that. There is no instruction manual for raising kids that love Jesus and desire to live for Him. The cool things is that, as believers, we have the Holy Spirit living in us and He leads and guides and gives vision. Recently, God gave Kristi a cool way to lead our kids in righteousness. I thought I might share it with you for a couple reasons. One, I thought it might spark some ideas about how you can be creative with training your children. Secondly, I want to honor the LORD by recognizing the cool ways that He is using my wife. And finally, for those who love my kids, I wanted to share with you the cool things that God is doing in their lives.
Recently, I can't remember if it was during the time that my wife spends in her personal time in the word or if it was while listening to a sermon at church, my wife had a great idea (from the LORD) about an awesome way to lead our kids to be in the word regularly and with the purpose of application. Kristi went out and bought some "wet erase" markers and began writing bible verses on the bathroom mirror in the kids' bathroom. Their task for each day was to seek to intentionally apply that verse that day. The next day they would seek to apply not only the verse of the day, but also the verse from the day before. I thought that was a really cool way to get them thinking about actually applying what they read in the bible. Not long after that she started having them read the book of Ephesians, a chapter a day, and she would prepare questions for them to answer concernning the text of that day. Every once in a while she will switch it up and have them read the text and then have THEM write out questions about the text. As we read the answers that they write down from the text, and sometimes the questions they come up with regarding the text, it's really encouraging! There is nothing like seeing your kids know and understand the truth.
There is much more going on in our lives, but for now I wanted to share this. I'm grateful to be married to a godly woman who is hearing from the LORD and being led by His Spirit in how she handles her family. I say this not to exalt my wife, but to exalt the LORD for what He is doing in her life! I will be getting my new iPhone (slash HD video camera) on Monday and will begin to update more video! Be encouraged!
~ Issac
But it is always challenging to lead them in their relationship with the LORD. The bible tells us to train up our children in the way that they should go and when they are old they will not depart from it. However the bible doesn't necessarily provide the details concerning how (specifically) to do that. There is no instruction manual for raising kids that love Jesus and desire to live for Him. The cool things is that, as believers, we have the Holy Spirit living in us and He leads and guides and gives vision. Recently, God gave Kristi a cool way to lead our kids in righteousness. I thought I might share it with you for a couple reasons. One, I thought it might spark some ideas about how you can be creative with training your children. Secondly, I want to honor the LORD by recognizing the cool ways that He is using my wife. And finally, for those who love my kids, I wanted to share with you the cool things that God is doing in their lives.
Recently, I can't remember if it was during the time that my wife spends in her personal time in the word or if it was while listening to a sermon at church, my wife had a great idea (from the LORD) about an awesome way to lead our kids to be in the word regularly and with the purpose of application. Kristi went out and bought some "wet erase" markers and began writing bible verses on the bathroom mirror in the kids' bathroom. Their task for each day was to seek to intentionally apply that verse that day. The next day they would seek to apply not only the verse of the day, but also the verse from the day before. I thought that was a really cool way to get them thinking about actually applying what they read in the bible. Not long after that she started having them read the book of Ephesians, a chapter a day, and she would prepare questions for them to answer concernning the text of that day. Every once in a while she will switch it up and have them read the text and then have THEM write out questions about the text. As we read the answers that they write down from the text, and sometimes the questions they come up with regarding the text, it's really encouraging! There is nothing like seeing your kids know and understand the truth.
There is much more going on in our lives, but for now I wanted to share this. I'm grateful to be married to a godly woman who is hearing from the LORD and being led by His Spirit in how she handles her family. I say this not to exalt my wife, but to exalt the LORD for what He is doing in her life! I will be getting my new iPhone (slash HD video camera) on Monday and will begin to update more video! Be encouraged!
~ Issac
Monday, June 28, 2010
An Overdue Update
Hey guys! It's been a little while since we've updated the blog. Forgive us for not being as consistent as we'd like. Things get busy as we work, do awesome ministry, and do great things together as a family. Here's a little update on how things are going.
First and foremost the ministry has been incredible! God is doing great things at Remedy church. This past Sunday we finished out our first month of IGNITE outreaches. God has done AWESOME things with these small efforts to glorify God. We have had several opportunities to share Christ, hand out bibles, and lovingly serve the people of Missoula. Lots of people have seen Jesus through His people as we've completed the first leg of our IGNITE outreaches that will take place all summer long. We have also been VERY encouraged to see lots of new people coming to the church and staying to call Remedy their church home. There are new families, couples, and college students alike coming and being ministered to at Remedy and we've been so blessed to see God at work. It is sweet to see God doing all of these amazing things in spite of us. We are nobody special with no special skills or knowledge. We are just some people who love Jesus and are passionate about serving Him by serving His people. God is being faithful to honor that and we're grateful for that.
On a family note we are continuing to have an incredible time in Montana! This past weekend we packed up with the Wise family and went camping in the Rock Creek area of Montana. We just went for a one night trip, but it was great fun and we can't wait to go again. We set up camp, had some campfire fellowship with s'mores, and had a great night's sleep only to wake up to a BEAUTIFUL Montana morning. It wasn't too hot, and it wasn't too cold. We will definitely do more of that in the weeks to come. This weekend we look forward to seeing a good brother from Albuquerque, (Ken Kestell), who happens to be in town for a few days. We'll barbecue with him on Thursday, and I'll go folfing (Frisbee golfing) with Nate on Friday in the morning and then spend the rest of the day with my kids. We have plans to float the river on Saturday, which we are ALL really looking forward to. One of the things that the kids have been looking forward to since before we moved here is floating the river. I went for about a 5 hour float when I was here in July of last year and it was AMAZING! I had so much fun and can't wait to take my wife and kids this weekend. Then of course we'll rock Remedy services and I'll spend the 4th of July with my family (and probably some friends). I wish you all a good 4th!
So, when are YOU gonna come see us? We would love to have some visitors. We can't wait to show our family and friends beautiful Missoula. You better start planning soon, because the summer is the best time to come so we can get out and have fun. Don't wait till next year! Come soon! We love you and miss you and hope to see you all soon. I have an iPhone 4 on order and it will arrive in about 2 weeks. Once I get it I'll be able to record HD video on my phone and upload it directly to this blog. I really want you all to be able to see the kids and to hear our voices. We miss you all greatly and look forward to seeing you all soon. Love ya and God bless!
~Issac
First and foremost the ministry has been incredible! God is doing great things at Remedy church. This past Sunday we finished out our first month of IGNITE outreaches. God has done AWESOME things with these small efforts to glorify God. We have had several opportunities to share Christ, hand out bibles, and lovingly serve the people of Missoula. Lots of people have seen Jesus through His people as we've completed the first leg of our IGNITE outreaches that will take place all summer long. We have also been VERY encouraged to see lots of new people coming to the church and staying to call Remedy their church home. There are new families, couples, and college students alike coming and being ministered to at Remedy and we've been so blessed to see God at work. It is sweet to see God doing all of these amazing things in spite of us. We are nobody special with no special skills or knowledge. We are just some people who love Jesus and are passionate about serving Him by serving His people. God is being faithful to honor that and we're grateful for that.
On a family note we are continuing to have an incredible time in Montana! This past weekend we packed up with the Wise family and went camping in the Rock Creek area of Montana. We just went for a one night trip, but it was great fun and we can't wait to go again. We set up camp, had some campfire fellowship with s'mores, and had a great night's sleep only to wake up to a BEAUTIFUL Montana morning. It wasn't too hot, and it wasn't too cold. We will definitely do more of that in the weeks to come. This weekend we look forward to seeing a good brother from Albuquerque, (Ken Kestell), who happens to be in town for a few days. We'll barbecue with him on Thursday, and I'll go folfing (Frisbee golfing) with Nate on Friday in the morning and then spend the rest of the day with my kids. We have plans to float the river on Saturday, which we are ALL really looking forward to. One of the things that the kids have been looking forward to since before we moved here is floating the river. I went for about a 5 hour float when I was here in July of last year and it was AMAZING! I had so much fun and can't wait to take my wife and kids this weekend. Then of course we'll rock Remedy services and I'll spend the 4th of July with my family (and probably some friends). I wish you all a good 4th!
So, when are YOU gonna come see us? We would love to have some visitors. We can't wait to show our family and friends beautiful Missoula. You better start planning soon, because the summer is the best time to come so we can get out and have fun. Don't wait till next year! Come soon! We love you and miss you and hope to see you all soon. I have an iPhone 4 on order and it will arrive in about 2 weeks. Once I get it I'll be able to record HD video on my phone and upload it directly to this blog. I really want you all to be able to see the kids and to hear our voices. We miss you all greatly and look forward to seeing you all soon. Love ya and God bless!
~Issac
Monday, June 21, 2010
Thank You, Google!
Some of you know that, for whatever reason, Google shut down both my gmail address and my personal blog that was attached to that gmail address without my knowing. I had no idea this had happened until a friend hit me up and asked where my blog went. When I tried to access my blog it told me that it had been removed by Google. Apparently someone had hacked into my gmail account, so when Google recognized suspicious activity, they shut it down. I emailed Google about getting the issue resolved and roughly 2 weeks later I got a response from Google saying that they had reinstated my gmail account and my blog. So with that being said, I invite you once again to follow my personal blog @ Issaclopez.blogspot.com. What you will find on my personal blog is more devotional type writings to challenge, encourage, and inspire joy in the heart of the Christian. Thank you, Google, for resolving this issue and restoring my platform of communication.
~ Issac
~ Issac
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Our First Ignite
Sorry this blog is coming so late. We always get so busy during the week! Anyway, our first Ignite went really well! As I mentioned before, we went out to the nieghborhood around the park and invited people to join us. We had a lot of people come out; many of them being people we invited!
We grilled up burgers and dogs and provided drinks, chips, pasta salad and fruit salad. As people finished eating, we started playing games and painting faces. Courtney and another lady from the church, Sheila, painted faces for the kids. They did a really good job! They were like professional face painters! We had various games for little kids, like ring toss and latter ball, and for the older people we played kickball. Me and Ashley (from our church) headed up the kickball game and we had a pretty good game going! Issac and some of the other men from our church, Peter and Mark, had opportunities to talk to people and share the gospel!
I'm excited for our next Ignite (tomorrow). We are forecasted for rain, so we'd appreciate prayers for good weather. We'll keep you guys posted on how it goes, and hopefully it will be sooner than a week later!
Love you guys!
:Kristi:
We grilled up burgers and dogs and provided drinks, chips, pasta salad and fruit salad. As people finished eating, we started playing games and painting faces. Courtney and another lady from the church, Sheila, painted faces for the kids. They did a really good job! They were like professional face painters! We had various games for little kids, like ring toss and latter ball, and for the older people we played kickball. Me and Ashley (from our church) headed up the kickball game and we had a pretty good game going! Issac and some of the other men from our church, Peter and Mark, had opportunities to talk to people and share the gospel!
I'm excited for our next Ignite (tomorrow). We are forecasted for rain, so we'd appreciate prayers for good weather. We'll keep you guys posted on how it goes, and hopefully it will be sooner than a week later!
Love you guys!
:Kristi:
Sunday, June 13, 2010
A Great Weekend!
This weekend has been amazing! We've been having some beautiful weather and we've been trying to take advantage of that. Yesterday, we started the day by going to the Elk Country Vistor Center. We walked around the trail and read the interesting facts about Elk. The trail was near a stream, so we hung out next to the water and threw rocks in. The stream was moving pretty fast and had a lot of water in it. There was a spot with a cool little waterfall too! We also spotted a doe! We went inside the Visitor Center and read more about different animals and checked out all the Elk heads they had on the wall. It was a really cool place!
Next, we went to a car show at a dealership next to our house. There were lots of cool looking cars! After that, Issac and I went to a barbeque that Big Sky Brewery put on. It was held to benefit Montana Food Bank. There were bands that played some cool music and awesome food from places like Outback and Famous Daves. It was really fun!
Service at Remedy was sweet and after service we went to the Wise's house and played frisbee. I love playing frisbee!! The kids had fun too and they throw a frisbee better than I do sometimes!
Today is our first Ignite outreach. After service this morning we went out to the nieghborhood that surrounds the park and invited people to come tonight. With the gorgeous weather, I'm sure we'll have a great turn out. We're going to grill some burgers and dogs, throw the frisbee around, play some kickball, and share the Gospel and love of Christ to people. I can't wait! We'll let you know how everything went. If you read this soon, pray for us!
:Kristi:
Next, we went to a car show at a dealership next to our house. There were lots of cool looking cars! After that, Issac and I went to a barbeque that Big Sky Brewery put on. It was held to benefit Montana Food Bank. There were bands that played some cool music and awesome food from places like Outback and Famous Daves. It was really fun!
Service at Remedy was sweet and after service we went to the Wise's house and played frisbee. I love playing frisbee!! The kids had fun too and they throw a frisbee better than I do sometimes!
Today is our first Ignite outreach. After service this morning we went out to the nieghborhood that surrounds the park and invited people to come tonight. With the gorgeous weather, I'm sure we'll have a great turn out. We're going to grill some burgers and dogs, throw the frisbee around, play some kickball, and share the Gospel and love of Christ to people. I can't wait! We'll let you know how everything went. If you read this soon, pray for us!
:Kristi:
Monday, June 7, 2010
To My Calvary Santa Fe Family
Dear Calvary Santa Fe,
I wanted to take the time to write to you and give you an update on
how I am doing as you have all been SO SUPPORTIVE of me! First off I
want to thank you all for the prayerful and financial support that you
all provided before I left. The LORD used you in great ways to provide
for our move to Montana! If it were not for all of you, as well as our
immediate family, we would not have been able to make this move. I
want to extend a big THANK YOU! I can't express my gratitude. Since we
arrived here, in Missioula, MT, the LORD has provided for all of our
needs. My wife and I both found jobs, and our kids have been enrolled
in school for the last month. God has been so gracious to us! In
addition, we have been encouraged as we have transitioned into Remedy
Church, in Montana. We have had the opportunity to participate in
several inreach/outreach events and had the privilege of launching
R:COMMUNITY groups at our place. R:COMMUNITY is Remedy's version of
the "home fellowships". These have been very successful! People are
coming on Wednesday nights and sharing a meal, singing to the LORD,
and worshipping and fellowshipping for His glory. We are very excited
at what the LORD is doing! This Sunday we will put on the first of
nine park outreaches that we will do over the summer. These outreaches
are called "Ignite" and the goal is to ignite a passion for Jesus
through serving our community. We will go to parks and bless families
with a free barbeque dinner, and some games and fun for the kids. Most
importantly, we will be engaging people and preaching the gospel. We
would appreciate your prayers for our "Ignite" outreaches this summer.
I miss all of you so much and I'm really excited to hear that God
continues to do great things at Calvary Santa Fe. I am encouraged to
hear of your steadfastness and love as you serve Jesus! Keep that up!
If you would like to keep up with what God is doing at Remedy, I would
encourage you to check out Remedymissoula.org for the latest news on
events and ministry. You can also check back here at issacandkristi.blogspot.com
to find out what is new with our family. We update this blog so that
our family and friends can keep up to date with us personaly. I also
started a personal blog recently at issaclopez.blogspot.com where I
will be posting more devotional, spiritually edifying and challenging
blogs to bless the believer. So once again, thank you! I have been so
blessed to know and serve with you all over the past 4 years. Thank
you for all that you have taught me and the many ways you have blessed
and encouraged me. Calvary Santa Fe is greatly missed in our home and
will never be forgotten. My family and I love you all more than we can
say. God bless you all!
Grace and peace,
Issac
Sent from my iPhone
Monday, May 31, 2010
Fastest Carousel Ever
This is a carousel at Caras Park in Missoula, Montana. It is one of the fastest carousels in the world. The kids rode it. It was a blast. We posted some new pics on our flicker page of some fun stuff we've done. There is a slide show on the right side of the screen. If you click a picture it will take you to our flicker site so you can see all of the our pics on a larger scale. Enjoy! More videos coming soon.
~Issac
Friday, May 28, 2010
Happy Birthday Dad!
Today is my Dad's (AKA Pappa Gus's) birthday! "I've been searching for
a heart of gold" and I've found it in my Dad. My family and I love you
very much, Papa Gus! Even as an adult I still look up to you in so
many ways! You are a man. There are a lot of males who are not men. I
believe you are a man and have taught your sons well how to be good
men. (even if we didn't listen and had to learn the hard way that you
were right) I believe my wife and kids have a better Dad and Husband
in me because of how God has used you to be a great example and
teacher. God gets all the glory, but I want to honor the work that He
has very evidently done in and through you. I'm thankful that God has
seen fit to give you another full year of life! I pray that you have
many more! May you learn more about Jesus and love Him more with every
day you are given...because He loves you! Thank you for everything,
Dad. I love you.
a heart of gold" and I've found it in my Dad. My family and I love you
very much, Papa Gus! Even as an adult I still look up to you in so
many ways! You are a man. There are a lot of males who are not men. I
believe you are a man and have taught your sons well how to be good
men. (even if we didn't listen and had to learn the hard way that you
were right) I believe my wife and kids have a better Dad and Husband
in me because of how God has used you to be a great example and
teacher. God gets all the glory, but I want to honor the work that He
has very evidently done in and through you. I'm thankful that God has
seen fit to give you another full year of life! I pray that you have
many more! May you learn more about Jesus and love Him more with every
day you are given...because He loves you! Thank you for everything,
Dad. I love you.
~Issac
Sent from my iPhone
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
The New Blog is Up
Today I published the first blog on my new personal blog site. As I
mentioned before, I wanted to have a separate blog where I can put my
more devotional type writings. The blog isn't the prettiest yet. We're
still working on it, so it's under construction. But I'd love it if
you start following me on that blog as well. I'm Hoping it will be an
encouragment to you. Also, stay patient with this blog as we are still
without the ability to add video. We will get Internet ASAP and then
get some more video blogs up. Keep looking at the pics on the
slideshow on the right as we will be posting new pics there regularly.
Love you and hope to talk to you all soon. God bless!
mentioned before, I wanted to have a separate blog where I can put my
more devotional type writings. The blog isn't the prettiest yet. We're
still working on it, so it's under construction. But I'd love it if
you start following me on that blog as well. I'm Hoping it will be an
encouragment to you. Also, stay patient with this blog as we are still
without the ability to add video. We will get Internet ASAP and then
get some more video blogs up. Keep looking at the pics on the
slideshow on the right as we will be posting new pics there regularly.
Love you and hope to talk to you all soon. God bless!
~Issac
Sent from my iPhone
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Random Stuff
As Issac said in his earlier post, I got a job at DIRECTV! I'm so
stoked because I'll be working with him! We start on Monday and in
the mean time, we've been taking it easy - relaxing by the pool,
taking naps, etc - except for this week. This week we've been
volunteering at our local Goodwill. It's a little out of our comfort
zones, but we've been able to help out by stocking shelves with
miscellaneous items, hanging and sorting clothes, and other small
tasks. I had a chance to talk with one of the employees about why we
moved to Missoula as I was hanging clothes to be priced. Tomorrow I'm
going to give her a Remedy business card and invite her to church.
R:COMMUNITY group has been going really well! Tonight we had 10
adults and 6 kids. We grilled up some burgers and dogs and talked
about the message last weekend. We were challenged on how to live
humble, holy, lives of self-sacrificial service. It's encouraging to
see people being transparent and also cool to be able to hold each
other accountable. God definitely uses community to grow His people!
In other news, my sister graduated from high school on Monday! I was
very sad to miss her graduation, but happy that she is finished and
has plans to go to UNM. :-D
stoked because I'll be working with him! We start on Monday and in
the mean time, we've been taking it easy - relaxing by the pool,
taking naps, etc - except for this week. This week we've been
volunteering at our local Goodwill. It's a little out of our comfort
zones, but we've been able to help out by stocking shelves with
miscellaneous items, hanging and sorting clothes, and other small
tasks. I had a chance to talk with one of the employees about why we
moved to Missoula as I was hanging clothes to be priced. Tomorrow I'm
going to give her a Remedy business card and invite her to church.
R:COMMUNITY group has been going really well! Tonight we had 10
adults and 6 kids. We grilled up some burgers and dogs and talked
about the message last weekend. We were challenged on how to live
humble, holy, lives of self-sacrificial service. It's encouraging to
see people being transparent and also cool to be able to hold each
other accountable. God definitely uses community to grow His people!
In other news, my sister graduated from high school on Monday! I was
very sad to miss her graduation, but happy that she is finished and
has plans to go to UNM. :-D
:Kristi:
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Kristi gets a job and other things we've been up to...
Well, we are closing out our third week in Missoula and God has
continued to be faithful and good. (as if He is ever not) This week
has been a GREAT week. One of the biggest things that God did for us
this week was to provide Kristi with a job. We have been praying since
we were still in Santa Fe that the LORD would provide work for us, and
He has done that! But more than that, one of our prayer requests was
that God might provide us a job where we could work together. You see,
Kristi and I used to work together at MCI back in the day. It was
probably the job that Kristi and I look back at that we least enjoyed,
however we really enjoyed working together. I understand that most
married couples would not like to work together; most like the apart
time. By God's grace, Kristi and I have such a good relationship that
we really enjoy working together. I think we could spend every minute
of every day together and be totally happy. Anyway, God answered our
prayers and Kristi got a job with me at Directv. We will start on the
same day, have the same 5 week training schedule, and then maybe, by
God's grace, get the exact same schedule after training. I don't know
if I've mentioned the fact that Directv is 5 minutes away from our
house; it is literally walking distance! This is cool because we only
have one vehicle, so we don't have to figure out driving arrangements
and different schedules. Plus our gas cost will be very minimal. This
is amazing stuff! We are very thankful!
continued to be faithful and good. (as if He is ever not) This week
has been a GREAT week. One of the biggest things that God did for us
this week was to provide Kristi with a job. We have been praying since
we were still in Santa Fe that the LORD would provide work for us, and
He has done that! But more than that, one of our prayer requests was
that God might provide us a job where we could work together. You see,
Kristi and I used to work together at MCI back in the day. It was
probably the job that Kristi and I look back at that we least enjoyed,
however we really enjoyed working together. I understand that most
married couples would not like to work together; most like the apart
time. By God's grace, Kristi and I have such a good relationship that
we really enjoy working together. I think we could spend every minute
of every day together and be totally happy. Anyway, God answered our
prayers and Kristi got a job with me at Directv. We will start on the
same day, have the same 5 week training schedule, and then maybe, by
God's grace, get the exact same schedule after training. I don't know
if I've mentioned the fact that Directv is 5 minutes away from our
house; it is literally walking distance! This is cool because we only
have one vehicle, so we don't have to figure out driving arrangements
and different schedules. Plus our gas cost will be very minimal. This
is amazing stuff! We are very thankful!
Other than that, things continue to go really well with Remedy. We
hosted R:COMMUNITY Group at our place this week and had over 20 people
with adults and children. We went outside into the courtyard area and
sang songs to the LORD together and had a great time of fellowship!
Our Sunday service is growing as well. Since the initial first service
when no one new showed up, we've had 12+ people every Sunday since
then. We are excited about the people of Remedy. They seem to be
getting behind the vision of the church and supporting it with their
time, talents, and treasures as we are all called to do for our local
church. This week, in addition to R:COMMUNITY, the men of the church
will get together on Friday night for some Fudruckers Burgers and
bowling! This is an event we've encouraged people to invite their
unsaved friends to as well. Our desire is to be on mission by engaging
those who have yet to believe, with the intention of loving them like
Jesus and sharing the gospel with them. Sometimes we go into their
world, and sometimes we invite them into our world. This is an "invite
them into our world" event. Be praying that God would bring some that
don't believe that they might experience God's love through His
people. If not, God will build community and intimacy with the guys in
the church and that will be killer.
In other news, Nate took me out frisbee golfing this week! It is great
fun and an even better work out. I am so out of shape, but I hung in
there and had lots of fun. The weather has been beautiful here and I
look forward to doing more "folf" plus hiking, camping, river floating
and much more as the summer goes on. I also went on a field trip with
Caleb this week! We went to a State Park and studied insects, did some
bird watching, and did some mellow hiking in beautiful Missoula! I had
a great time with my boy. Caleb is such a sweet kid (aside from being
a sinner) and I really enjoyed hanging with him and seeing him
interact with other kids. He was different in lots of good ways. I'm
proud of him.
I'm also in the process of creating a personal blog for myself. I want
this current blog to primarily be a means by which I can update family
and friends with what is going on with my family and our adventures in
Montana. I'm creating the new blog to post some of my more devotional
writings. That blog will exist to encourage believers through insites
from the Word, transparency in my sin and struggles, as well as
resources from other men of faith. I will let you know when that blog
is up and I invite you all to follow that blog as well!
Thanks for stopping by to check on us. We appreciate knowing that we
have the love, support, and prayers of so many. We love you back!
~ Issac
P.S. - Check the picture slideshow on the right hand side of the blog
for pics from my field trip with Caleb and more.
Sent from my iPhone
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
A Couple Boxes of Bibles
courtesy of my Father-in-law, Ed Rivera. It's exciting to see people
getting behind the vision of Remedy Church, and ultimately the vision
and mission of Jesus Christ, and seeking to get involved. As we came
out here I could tell Ed had a desire to be a part of what God is
doing out here, but wasn't sure how. It didn't take long for God to
show Ed how He wanted to use him. The LORD put a burden on Ed's heart
to see people have bibles. "I don't think anyone should not have a
bible...especially if they just can't afford it" is what Ed told us.
So Ed began to do some research online to find a good deal on some
bibles that we could put in the hands of people who don't have the
word of God. Ed found some great English Standard Version paperback
bibles and had a couple boxes sent to us! I love that this was totally
prompted by the LORD! It makes me excited to see what God has planned
for these bibles and the opportunities that He will give us to put
them in the hands of those who need the word. We have a series of
summer park outreaches that we will be doing, beginning next month,
that we are calling "IGNITE". Through these park outreaches we will
seek to ignite a passion for Jesus through serving our community. We
will go to parks and provide food, music, games and fun for kids, and
most importantly we will be on mission to share the gospel of Jesus
Christ with the people of Missoula! I think these bibles will come in
handy for these outreaches! You don't have to move out to Missoula,
Montana to be a part of what God is doing out here! If you are excited
about what you see God doing through Remedy Church, be like Ed and
pray about how YOU can be a part of His work here! As I said, we will
be doing some awesome outreach this summer and there will be
opportunities for you to be involved. Maybe the LORD would have you
provide face paint for the kids, or some frisbees and footballs to
play with the kids at the parks. There are lots of ways that the LORD
can use you to be a part of His work here; even from afar. If you feel
like your not that creative to think of something to send, you can
always head to www.remedymissoula.org and contribute with an online
donation. Make sure to specify if you would like your donation to be
used for the "Ignite" outreaches. This is not a plea for support. I
was just excited to see how God used Ed and wanted to provide some
encouragement to those who may feel like Ed in that they want to be a
part of what God is doing, but don't know how. God will provide for
all of our needs according to His riches and glory in Christ Jesus.
(Philippians 4:19) As always, make sure that your first priority is
always to be faithful to tithe to your local church. Any other
ministry that you desire to support should be in addition to that. So
we thank God for Ed, and everyone else who is supporting us on the
frontlines of the battlefield in prayer! Keep praying for our Sunday
services and for the upcoming "Ignite" outreaches that will begin next
month! Our family is doing well! Kristi has some interviews going on
in the next few days, so we are hoping for some good news in that area
as well. Grace and peace.
~ Issac
Sunday, May 9, 2010
2 Weeks in Missoula and Thankful for Mothers
Well, it has officially been two weeks since we have been living in Missoula, Montana and I can honestly say that, so far, it has exceeded our expectations. I knew that I was excited to come here, as I felt strongly that God was calling us here, but I had no idea what the reward would be for trusting God and following Him even when the cost was great. Let me tell you, the joy and peace and excitement, and everything else that I have experienced has been much greater than I would have imagined. If you have wondered if we are liking it here, let me tell you, we LOVE it!
Since the day we arrived, we hit the ground running. I won't mention all the job hunting and "busy work" we've had to do to try to get settled in this new place. Aside from all of that, since we have been here, Remedy Church launched a new Sunday Service, and we've already started R:COMMUNITY Groups in our home. We have been here 2 weeks, and this week we will host our 2nd Community Group in our home! I LOVE it! Besides that I have been down to the college campus engaging students with the gospel, and meeting with guys one on one over coffee in order to build relationships with guys in the church. It has been such a great blessing to be involved with all that is going on.
Today was our 2nd Sunday service. Last week, being our first Sunday, no one showed up who wasn't there the night before, for our Saturday service. By God's grace, we kind of expected that. Any time that you do something new, you may not get a great response the first time you do it. But today, we had 4 or 5 new people, and some some people who were previously involved in the church but stopped being able to attend Saturday services! Our 2nd Sunday service went really well! It was encourgaing to see that the word is getting out and people are coming!
On a more personal note, being that it's Mother's Day I had an opportunity to reflect on the Mothers that are close to me. First of all, my wife. I just celebrated my 8th anniversary with Kristi and shared a lot about her as my wife in a previous blog, but she is also an incredible mother to our 3 kids. Kristi loves the LORD and models godliness to our kids. I'm thankful for that! Secondly, I think of my Mom. I am thankful for the love, care, and support that my Mom has always given me. My mom is the greatest example of sacrifical love, and unconditional love (especially for her children) that I have ever seen. My mom is the greatest example of self sacrificing service to others that I have ever seen. My mom is the greatest example of perseverence through suffering that I have ever seen. My mom is the greatest example of considering others better than herself that I have ever seen. My mom is a great woman. I cannot express the love, respect, and admiration I have for my mom. I love you, mom. And finally, I think of my Mother-In-Law, Carol. Just looking at the children that she has raise gives me much respect for her. All of her kids are respectable people, but over the years I have had the opportunity to get to know and love Carol. I greatly respect her as being an amazing mother to her children. These three women are the most prominant mothers in my life, however, I know many great Moms and wish you all a happy Mothers Day as well!
Thanks for continuing to follow up with how we are doing! I promise we will get some videos and pics up soon! Until then, keep living for Jesus and honoring Him in all that you do! (only by His grace) Talk to you soon!
~ Issac
Since the day we arrived, we hit the ground running. I won't mention all the job hunting and "busy work" we've had to do to try to get settled in this new place. Aside from all of that, since we have been here, Remedy Church launched a new Sunday Service, and we've already started R:COMMUNITY Groups in our home. We have been here 2 weeks, and this week we will host our 2nd Community Group in our home! I LOVE it! Besides that I have been down to the college campus engaging students with the gospel, and meeting with guys one on one over coffee in order to build relationships with guys in the church. It has been such a great blessing to be involved with all that is going on.
Today was our 2nd Sunday service. Last week, being our first Sunday, no one showed up who wasn't there the night before, for our Saturday service. By God's grace, we kind of expected that. Any time that you do something new, you may not get a great response the first time you do it. But today, we had 4 or 5 new people, and some some people who were previously involved in the church but stopped being able to attend Saturday services! Our 2nd Sunday service went really well! It was encourgaing to see that the word is getting out and people are coming!
On a more personal note, being that it's Mother's Day I had an opportunity to reflect on the Mothers that are close to me. First of all, my wife. I just celebrated my 8th anniversary with Kristi and shared a lot about her as my wife in a previous blog, but she is also an incredible mother to our 3 kids. Kristi loves the LORD and models godliness to our kids. I'm thankful for that! Secondly, I think of my Mom. I am thankful for the love, care, and support that my Mom has always given me. My mom is the greatest example of sacrifical love, and unconditional love (especially for her children) that I have ever seen. My mom is the greatest example of self sacrificing service to others that I have ever seen. My mom is the greatest example of perseverence through suffering that I have ever seen. My mom is the greatest example of considering others better than herself that I have ever seen. My mom is a great woman. I cannot express the love, respect, and admiration I have for my mom. I love you, mom. And finally, I think of my Mother-In-Law, Carol. Just looking at the children that she has raise gives me much respect for her. All of her kids are respectable people, but over the years I have had the opportunity to get to know and love Carol. I greatly respect her as being an amazing mother to her children. These three women are the most prominant mothers in my life, however, I know many great Moms and wish you all a happy Mothers Day as well!
Thanks for continuing to follow up with how we are doing! I promise we will get some videos and pics up soon! Until then, keep living for Jesus and honoring Him in all that you do! (only by His grace) Talk to you soon!
~ Issac
Thursday, May 6, 2010
The Remedy for Unfruitful Individualistic Christianity: R:COMMUNITY
The bible lays out the concept of community throughout it's pages. Biblical community is the concept that God has not just saved us as individuals, but He has saved us and called us into a body of believers. God hasn't called us to our lives independent of anyone else; He has called us to be in intimate relationship with each other. All throughout the New Testament we see commands that we often refer to as "the one anothers"; these are commands to love one another, pray for one another, serve one another, confess our sins to one another, etc. None of these things happen entirely during a one hour church service each week. These passages of scripture and more call us to resist the temptation we all have to be isolated, and be actively involved with the lives of others while allowing others to be involved with us. This is not a call to be in a Christian bubble. As believers individually, and as a Christian community, we are on mission with Jesus. Jesus came to seek and save the lost. He has commissioned us with that same initiative. So as a Christian community, we are intentionally engaging the lost world around us with the purpose of making Christ known and seeing souls saved. The clearest picture we see in the scripture of this being lived out is in Acts 2:42-47. This is the type of community we strive for at Remedy Church.
The question is; how do we cultivate that community? At Remedy, one way that we seek to cultivate community is through R:COMMUNITY Groups. (Remedy Community) These are small groups that will meet in homes during the week to practically flesh out that Acts chapter 2 type community. We will always share a meal, have good fellowship and laughs, pray for and with one another, and discuss how we can practically live out the things the LORD is teaching us through His word. The goal of these groups is to be the launch pad for community driven missional living that will take place all throughout the week and will ultimately characterize our lives for the glory of God. Our community groups will always be a place that we are inviting friends, co-workers, family members, and others who may not know the LORD, but that we have been praying for and are seeking to win for Christ with the gospel.
Last night we had our first (unofficial) R:COMMUNITY Group at our new apartment. We were really excited at how it went. Kristi and I made dinner, our friend Talitha made an amazing dessert, and we had 7 adults and 6 kids here fellowshipping and glorifying God. One of my main roles, at this time, is to get R:COMMUNITY Groups up and running and I'm so excited about it. I am passionate about our unity in true, biblical fellowship within the body of Christ, and have a great desire to see legit discipleship flow from these groups. Be in prayer that the people of Remedy would catch the vision for biblical community and devote themselves to honor the LORD through living intimately involved with other believers. We will keep you posted with how God continues to move through these groups as time goes on. As always we would love your prayers. We love you and pray that you are blessed.
~ Issac
The question is; how do we cultivate that community? At Remedy, one way that we seek to cultivate community is through R:COMMUNITY Groups. (Remedy Community) These are small groups that will meet in homes during the week to practically flesh out that Acts chapter 2 type community. We will always share a meal, have good fellowship and laughs, pray for and with one another, and discuss how we can practically live out the things the LORD is teaching us through His word. The goal of these groups is to be the launch pad for community driven missional living that will take place all throughout the week and will ultimately characterize our lives for the glory of God. Our community groups will always be a place that we are inviting friends, co-workers, family members, and others who may not know the LORD, but that we have been praying for and are seeking to win for Christ with the gospel.
Last night we had our first (unofficial) R:COMMUNITY Group at our new apartment. We were really excited at how it went. Kristi and I made dinner, our friend Talitha made an amazing dessert, and we had 7 adults and 6 kids here fellowshipping and glorifying God. One of my main roles, at this time, is to get R:COMMUNITY Groups up and running and I'm so excited about it. I am passionate about our unity in true, biblical fellowship within the body of Christ, and have a great desire to see legit discipleship flow from these groups. Be in prayer that the people of Remedy would catch the vision for biblical community and devote themselves to honor the LORD through living intimately involved with other believers. We will keep you posted with how God continues to move through these groups as time goes on. As always we would love your prayers. We love you and pray that you are blessed.
~ Issac
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
8 Years of Grace: My Marriage and the Gospel
Yesterday, Kristi and I celebrated our 8 year anniversary! I am so thankful that the LORD has seen fit to give to me Kristi as my wife. I am praying that the LORD give us many more years together. The bible says that he who finds a wife finds a good thing. I have definitely found a good thing in my wife, Kristi. I pray that I can continue to strive to be the godly man that a godly woman deserves. I fail and fall short, but continue to strive, by God's grace, to be like Christ.
Now, the statistics say that the first 7 years of marriage are the most difficult and the time frame in which most divorces happen. Well, we made it through to the 8 year mark and are still going strong. The reason for that is grace. We have had 8 years of grace. Let me tell you, if it was all dependant upon me to hold my marriage together, it would have ended a long time ago. I will mess things up very quickly if it's up to me. I know that Kristi would say the same thing. Neither one of us have the ability, in and of ourselves, to make anything work, let alone something as significant as a marriage. The reason that our marriage stands stronger 8 years later than it was the 1st year is that we have made Jesus Christ the Lord of our marriage. You see, we recognize the fact that our marriage, although it is a blessing and has brought us much joy, is ultimately not for us. Our marriage is for God and His glory. Ephesians chapter 5 talks all about how husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the church, and that women are to submit to their husbands as to Christ. This is one of the passages in scripture that lays out very clearly what a marriage relationship should look like. But then Paul the Apostle, the writer of Ephesians, says in verse 32 "This mystery is profound and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church". What Paul is basically saying is that our marriages are to illustrate the gospel. God has designed marriage so that it points to Him (as He has designed all things), but even greater than that He has designed it to display the gospel to the watching world. You see mountains, and trees, and rivers and streams are all of God's creation and designed to point us to Him. But none of those things illustrate and display the gospel. The husband loves his wife and gives himself up for her. The wife loves the husband and honors and submits to him. Do you see the picture? In the "drama" that is marriage the husband is playing the role of Christ and the wife is playing the role of the church! How beautiful is that? Kristi and I realize the purpose of our marriage and we recognize that it is not ultimately for our pleasure; although our marriage is VERY pleasurable. Our marriage is to display the gospel. That is why our roles as husbands and our roles as wives are so crucial. What do our roles in our marriages say about the gospel. When the husband will not love His wife and give Himself for her, in spite of ALL of her sins and failures, then our marriage is telling a lie about Christ; that He is not ALL loving and ALL forgiving and has not given His life for us. And when a wife does not submit to her husband's loving and Christlike leadership, then our marriage is telling a lie about the church; that the church doesn't have to submit to Christ; that we can be "independent" and do our own thing. And if the roles are reversed and the husband is submitting to the wife's leadership the picture gets really distorted and we are no longer representing the gospel and our marriages are no longer fulfilling their purpose. God created marriage for His purposes. Kristi and I have resolved that we will seek to honor God with our marriage and display the gospel in our roles and relationship. Now we are sinners and we blow it at times, but we offer the same grace and forgiveness that our LORD has offered to us. So as the husband (playing the role of Christ in this gospel drama) I have a tall order to fill; as do ALL husbands. I would appreciate your prayers in that and will pray for the husbands that I know as often as I think to do so. But as Kristi and I have sought to honor the LORD with our marriage and our family, He has blessed us and we are so happy! We are not a marriage that has survived "for the kids", or out of any other compulsion. Kristi remains my best friend today and there is no one I would rather spend time with than her. I have heard her say the same about me. Nothing good in our marriage has fizzled out and faded away! Only our sin and failures in our roles are fading as time goes by and we grow more in God's grace. All of the good things in our marriage (communication, friendship, intimacy, love, care, concern, commitment, etc.) are increasing and being strengthened with each year!
So here is to my wife! I love you, Kristi and I promise you that I will continue to strive to love you as Christ loves the church and gave Himself for her. I will commit myself to growing and being the godly and Christ-like leader that you can joyfully submit to. I promise to pray with you. I promise to read God's word with you. I promise that I will guard our time together and never let anything come between us and hinder our oneness. Here is to 8 amazing years!
~ Issac
Now, the statistics say that the first 7 years of marriage are the most difficult and the time frame in which most divorces happen. Well, we made it through to the 8 year mark and are still going strong. The reason for that is grace. We have had 8 years of grace. Let me tell you, if it was all dependant upon me to hold my marriage together, it would have ended a long time ago. I will mess things up very quickly if it's up to me. I know that Kristi would say the same thing. Neither one of us have the ability, in and of ourselves, to make anything work, let alone something as significant as a marriage. The reason that our marriage stands stronger 8 years later than it was the 1st year is that we have made Jesus Christ the Lord of our marriage. You see, we recognize the fact that our marriage, although it is a blessing and has brought us much joy, is ultimately not for us. Our marriage is for God and His glory. Ephesians chapter 5 talks all about how husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the church, and that women are to submit to their husbands as to Christ. This is one of the passages in scripture that lays out very clearly what a marriage relationship should look like. But then Paul the Apostle, the writer of Ephesians, says in verse 32 "This mystery is profound and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church". What Paul is basically saying is that our marriages are to illustrate the gospel. God has designed marriage so that it points to Him (as He has designed all things), but even greater than that He has designed it to display the gospel to the watching world. You see mountains, and trees, and rivers and streams are all of God's creation and designed to point us to Him. But none of those things illustrate and display the gospel. The husband loves his wife and gives himself up for her. The wife loves the husband and honors and submits to him. Do you see the picture? In the "drama" that is marriage the husband is playing the role of Christ and the wife is playing the role of the church! How beautiful is that? Kristi and I realize the purpose of our marriage and we recognize that it is not ultimately for our pleasure; although our marriage is VERY pleasurable. Our marriage is to display the gospel. That is why our roles as husbands and our roles as wives are so crucial. What do our roles in our marriages say about the gospel. When the husband will not love His wife and give Himself for her, in spite of ALL of her sins and failures, then our marriage is telling a lie about Christ; that He is not ALL loving and ALL forgiving and has not given His life for us. And when a wife does not submit to her husband's loving and Christlike leadership, then our marriage is telling a lie about the church; that the church doesn't have to submit to Christ; that we can be "independent" and do our own thing. And if the roles are reversed and the husband is submitting to the wife's leadership the picture gets really distorted and we are no longer representing the gospel and our marriages are no longer fulfilling their purpose. God created marriage for His purposes. Kristi and I have resolved that we will seek to honor God with our marriage and display the gospel in our roles and relationship. Now we are sinners and we blow it at times, but we offer the same grace and forgiveness that our LORD has offered to us. So as the husband (playing the role of Christ in this gospel drama) I have a tall order to fill; as do ALL husbands. I would appreciate your prayers in that and will pray for the husbands that I know as often as I think to do so. But as Kristi and I have sought to honor the LORD with our marriage and our family, He has blessed us and we are so happy! We are not a marriage that has survived "for the kids", or out of any other compulsion. Kristi remains my best friend today and there is no one I would rather spend time with than her. I have heard her say the same about me. Nothing good in our marriage has fizzled out and faded away! Only our sin and failures in our roles are fading as time goes by and we grow more in God's grace. All of the good things in our marriage (communication, friendship, intimacy, love, care, concern, commitment, etc.) are increasing and being strengthened with each year!
So here is to my wife! I love you, Kristi and I promise you that I will continue to strive to love you as Christ loves the church and gave Himself for her. I will commit myself to growing and being the godly and Christ-like leader that you can joyfully submit to. I promise to pray with you. I promise to read God's word with you. I promise that I will guard our time together and never let anything come between us and hinder our oneness. Here is to 8 amazing years!
~ Issac
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
First Day of School
Yesterday, the kids had their first day of school. They were each greeted with friendly interactions, which made Issac and I very happy! It's always hard, as a parent, to let your kids go into the "unknown." Hellgate Elementary/Middle School did a GREAT job in making the kids feel welcomed!
As we took Ikey to his class, few of the kids in the hallway said, "Hi, Issac!" They must have remebered him from Friday when we toured the school! His teacher was really nice too and showed him where to put his things. He was the visibly nervous out of all the kids, but made a lot of friends and was the "popular" kid for the day. He said that at recess, all of the kids played with him and followed him wherever he went.
Caleb was greeted by his teacher, who is SO FRIENDLY! The class made him a welcome mat for his desk, where everyone wrote little notes to him and drew pictures and signed it. None of the kids were in the class, so he was allowed to play some computer games until everyone came in. He said that everyone in the class was his friend. That's so awesome because he said in Santa Fe, he had no friends.
Courtney received her class schedule at the front desk and 3 girls from her homeroom came to the office to greet her and show her how to get to her classes. They showed her where her locker was and how to open it. They were very friendly and I noticed another girl introduce herself to Courtney as we were leaving. Courtney said she made some friends and she really enjoyed her classes. Of course, she likes the library a lot and spent her break time in there.
I'm so happy that they all came home with great news to report about their new school! We've been blessed to have kids that actually enjoy school, so that makes it much easier too!
:Kristi:
As we took Ikey to his class, few of the kids in the hallway said, "Hi, Issac!" They must have remebered him from Friday when we toured the school! His teacher was really nice too and showed him where to put his things. He was the visibly nervous out of all the kids, but made a lot of friends and was the "popular" kid for the day. He said that at recess, all of the kids played with him and followed him wherever he went.
Caleb was greeted by his teacher, who is SO FRIENDLY! The class made him a welcome mat for his desk, where everyone wrote little notes to him and drew pictures and signed it. None of the kids were in the class, so he was allowed to play some computer games until everyone came in. He said that everyone in the class was his friend. That's so awesome because he said in Santa Fe, he had no friends.
Courtney received her class schedule at the front desk and 3 girls from her homeroom came to the office to greet her and show her how to get to her classes. They showed her where her locker was and how to open it. They were very friendly and I noticed another girl introduce herself to Courtney as we were leaving. Courtney said she made some friends and she really enjoyed her classes. Of course, she likes the library a lot and spent her break time in there.
I'm so happy that they all came home with great news to report about their new school! We've been blessed to have kids that actually enjoy school, so that makes it much easier too!
:Kristi:
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Glad We're Here
So the moment came for us to finally experience the reason we came. Up
till now we've experienced the beauty of Missoula, the blessing of
great friends, and the privilege of meeting amazing new people; just
to name a few of the many good things we have experienced. But none of
those things are the reason we came. We came to Montana, by the call
of God, to serve and help build Remedy Church. Last night was
officially my first Remedy service. I was here once before, last July,
as a guest speaker, but God has now brought me back as an Assistant
Pastor. Let me tell you, I'm glad I'm back. It didn't take long for me
to be fighting back tears of joy during the music portion of our
worship service last night as I watched the beautiful people of God
sing to their Savior. I am so humbled that God would allow me the
privilege of serving these people. I was truly on a high last night.
It is just so exciting to be right where God wants you. Kristi and the
kids were just as excited and that makes it even better! Today we
launched Sunday services at Remedy. I wasn't surprised that no one new
came being that it was the first time we had done a Sunday service.
The staff was there as well as a godly guy from the church that was in
attendance last night but wanted to come and support the Sunday
launch. It's a new thing and we have got to work on getting the word
out, so I didn't expect a whole lot more than we saw today. But we
will pray that God bring people on Sundays to hear the gospel, worship
the LORD, and be equipped for the work of the ministry. Would you join
us in prayer for that? We would appreciate that. So we have our work
cut out for us! We have to get out there and preach the gospel and
spread the word of Remedy's Sunday service. That's why we're here. We
look forward to sharing all of the awesome things that God does with
Remedy with all of you. This was an exciting weekend and we are so
glad we are here. Thank you again for your support. Grace and peace.
till now we've experienced the beauty of Missoula, the blessing of
great friends, and the privilege of meeting amazing new people; just
to name a few of the many good things we have experienced. But none of
those things are the reason we came. We came to Montana, by the call
of God, to serve and help build Remedy Church. Last night was
officially my first Remedy service. I was here once before, last July,
as a guest speaker, but God has now brought me back as an Assistant
Pastor. Let me tell you, I'm glad I'm back. It didn't take long for me
to be fighting back tears of joy during the music portion of our
worship service last night as I watched the beautiful people of God
sing to their Savior. I am so humbled that God would allow me the
privilege of serving these people. I was truly on a high last night.
It is just so exciting to be right where God wants you. Kristi and the
kids were just as excited and that makes it even better! Today we
launched Sunday services at Remedy. I wasn't surprised that no one new
came being that it was the first time we had done a Sunday service.
The staff was there as well as a godly guy from the church that was in
attendance last night but wanted to come and support the Sunday
launch. It's a new thing and we have got to work on getting the word
out, so I didn't expect a whole lot more than we saw today. But we
will pray that God bring people on Sundays to hear the gospel, worship
the LORD, and be equipped for the work of the ministry. Would you join
us in prayer for that? We would appreciate that. So we have our work
cut out for us! We have to get out there and preach the gospel and
spread the word of Remedy's Sunday service. That's why we're here. We
look forward to sharing all of the awesome things that God does with
Remedy with all of you. This was an exciting weekend and we are so
glad we are here. Thank you again for your support. Grace and peace.
~ Issac
Sent from my iPhone
Friday, April 30, 2010
Bright Times in Gloomy Missoula
So the day we arrived in Missoula, the LORD blessed us with perfect weather. It was warm and sunny as we moved all of our stuff into the apartment. It was so great! However, since then the weather has taken a bit of a turn for the worse. Every day this week, other than Monday, has been on the cold side with grey skies and rain drizzling intermittently. So the vibe in Missoula, Montana this week has been kinda chill. We have had the type of weather that is perfect for curling up with a book and a cup of your favorite hot beverage and just relaxing. By God's grace I have had the opportunty to a bit of that as I await my start date in my new position.
But in the midst of the grey skies and dreary weather, we have had nothing but bright moments and the forcast looks even better! Today we took the kids to visit their new school. All three of them will attend Hellgate which is an Elementary and Middle School combined. That is so perfect because the kids will all get to go to school together for their first year in this new place. The school is broken up into three buildings; One for K-2nd, one for 3rd through 5th, and the other for 6th through 8th grades. So we've got a kid in each building. Today we got a tour of each building and the kids got to meet their teachers and see their classrooms. I could see the excitement in their faces. I love it because, as skeptical as they were about the move (specifically about leaving their friends), they have shown a lot of excitement about being here. They will start their first day on Monday and, after a tour of their school, a little bit of the pressure is off. If you check the pictures scrolling on the right hand side of this site, you can see pics that Kristi took of each kid in front of their school building.
Tomorrow is our first service at Remedy Church and we're so stoked! The LORD has given me great affection for the people of Remedy even though I haven't been here. I have been involved with Remedy staff meetings and vision casting and lots of behind the scenes stuff from afar, so as I had the privilege of doing those things, God was really uniting my heart with Remedy Church. So tomorrow I will get to meet the people I have heard about, and see and meet the people I have been praying for. That is really exciting! Another exciting thing is that my first weekend at Remedy is also the first week of our Sunday Service launch. You see, Remedy started out with just a Saturday night service, but as we want to provide more opportunities for people to be in church and hear the gospel, we are launching a Sunday service. I think a Sunday service will bring a different crowd. I think Saturday night church goers, and Sunday morning church goers, for the most part, are two totally different types of people. So starting this Sunday service will give us the opportunity to minister to a new group of people, while also providing some flexibility to people who may be busy on a Saturday night to attend a Sunday morning service. We are excited. If you are in Missoula, we would love to see you at Remedy. If you are anywhere else, we would love for you to visit us at Remedymissoula.org. You can see what we have going on, listen to and download the messages, and support the ministry through online giving if the Lord would lead you to do that above and beyond your tithe to your local church body. You can also find us on Facebook at Remedy Church Missoula, or follow us on Twitter @remedymissoula.
Other than that we are doing really well. Kristi is on the job hunt. Continue to keep her in prayer. We had a great night of fellowship with the Remedy staff tonight! Peter cooked us all dinner, and then Nate hooked up some coffee and tea and we just sat around and laughed and joked and the kids had a blast being kids. As I eluded to earlier, I have had some time to catch up on some reading. It has been really nice. I have been reading "He is not silent" by Al Mohler, "Lectures to my students" by Charles Spurgeon and "How long oh Lord" by D.A. Carson. All three books are really good and have been sitting on my shelf calling my name for some time. I'm glad to have some down time right now. I want to make the most of the time that I have before starting my new job, and teaching my soul more about the gospel and growing in my understanding of God is the best way that I can think of to spend my time.
We should be able to update some video blogs and pics soon, so keep checking back! We love you and covet your prayers. Keep us up to date on what is going on with you and how we can pray for you. Grace and peace.
Issac
But in the midst of the grey skies and dreary weather, we have had nothing but bright moments and the forcast looks even better! Today we took the kids to visit their new school. All three of them will attend Hellgate which is an Elementary and Middle School combined. That is so perfect because the kids will all get to go to school together for their first year in this new place. The school is broken up into three buildings; One for K-2nd, one for 3rd through 5th, and the other for 6th through 8th grades. So we've got a kid in each building. Today we got a tour of each building and the kids got to meet their teachers and see their classrooms. I could see the excitement in their faces. I love it because, as skeptical as they were about the move (specifically about leaving their friends), they have shown a lot of excitement about being here. They will start their first day on Monday and, after a tour of their school, a little bit of the pressure is off. If you check the pictures scrolling on the right hand side of this site, you can see pics that Kristi took of each kid in front of their school building.
Tomorrow is our first service at Remedy Church and we're so stoked! The LORD has given me great affection for the people of Remedy even though I haven't been here. I have been involved with Remedy staff meetings and vision casting and lots of behind the scenes stuff from afar, so as I had the privilege of doing those things, God was really uniting my heart with Remedy Church. So tomorrow I will get to meet the people I have heard about, and see and meet the people I have been praying for. That is really exciting! Another exciting thing is that my first weekend at Remedy is also the first week of our Sunday Service launch. You see, Remedy started out with just a Saturday night service, but as we want to provide more opportunities for people to be in church and hear the gospel, we are launching a Sunday service. I think a Sunday service will bring a different crowd. I think Saturday night church goers, and Sunday morning church goers, for the most part, are two totally different types of people. So starting this Sunday service will give us the opportunity to minister to a new group of people, while also providing some flexibility to people who may be busy on a Saturday night to attend a Sunday morning service. We are excited. If you are in Missoula, we would love to see you at Remedy. If you are anywhere else, we would love for you to visit us at Remedymissoula.org. You can see what we have going on, listen to and download the messages, and support the ministry through online giving if the Lord would lead you to do that above and beyond your tithe to your local church body. You can also find us on Facebook at Remedy Church Missoula, or follow us on Twitter @remedymissoula.
Other than that we are doing really well. Kristi is on the job hunt. Continue to keep her in prayer. We had a great night of fellowship with the Remedy staff tonight! Peter cooked us all dinner, and then Nate hooked up some coffee and tea and we just sat around and laughed and joked and the kids had a blast being kids. As I eluded to earlier, I have had some time to catch up on some reading. It has been really nice. I have been reading "He is not silent" by Al Mohler, "Lectures to my students" by Charles Spurgeon and "How long oh Lord" by D.A. Carson. All three books are really good and have been sitting on my shelf calling my name for some time. I'm glad to have some down time right now. I want to make the most of the time that I have before starting my new job, and teaching my soul more about the gospel and growing in my understanding of God is the best way that I can think of to spend my time.
We should be able to update some video blogs and pics soon, so keep checking back! We love you and covet your prayers. Keep us up to date on what is going on with you and how we can pray for you. Grace and peace.
Issac
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Radical Submission and Radical Provision
One of the greatest challenges to moving my family to Missoula was
leaving stable jobs in an unstable economy, and trusting that God
would provide jobs for us. I know that many that love us were
concerned about how we would be provided for. Someone that I met with
in Santa Fe shortly before I left asked me what hapens if I don't find
a job. My response, by God's grace, was that not finding job was not
even a thought in my mind. I have been so confidant that God was
bringing us to Missoula that I could not imagine Him not providing for
us once we got here. You see, we are so "independant" at times that I
think we tend to forget that God is our provider. I think some of us
have forgotten how to trust God and depend on Him for our "daily
bread". This move has really challenged us to remember that and live
it out. I can't tell you how encouraging it has been to trust God
against all odds and see Him come through in greater ways than we
would have imagined. Yesterday, on my 2nd day in Missoula, I was hired
at Directv. In a time where people go months without work, I show up
in a brand new place and land a job in 2 days. That is the grace and
favor of God. That is good proving to me, and to you, that He is fully
trustworthy and capable to do more than all that we could ever ask or
imagine. God is using the things that He is doing in our lives to
encourage all of us to trust Him. But our trusting Him doesn't stop
here. My wife still needs a job. But what kind of a fool would I be if
I had seen all that God has done so far, and still didn't trust Him to
be faithful to provide for us? He wants us to trust Him step by step.
He wants every step we take to be in faith in His provision. So we
will continue to do that and continue to report of God's faithfulness.
But God has blown our minds so far! He has paid our 1st 4 MONTHS of
rent up front so that we don't have to pay rent till September. He has
provided me with a job. He has provided all of our meals for this
week. He just continues to pour out His grace upon us. I look forward
to seeing what He will continue to do. But before I end this blog, let
me ask you a few questions. Have you forgotten that GOD is your
provider? It's easy to say it, but do you really know it and believe
it? Is there something that God may be leading you to do that you
won't do because you are not trusting Him to provide for you?
Sometimes God calls us to do radical things that require a radical
trust in Him that may not make sense to the people around us. But as
we step out in faith, and do what God calls us to do, He proves
Himself faithful and glorifies Himself in our lives as well as the
lives of all those who are watching. Don't let fear of how things will
work, or how you will survive prevent you from doing ANYTHING that you
feel God calling you to do. God will meet all of your needs. Put
yourself in radical submission to God and trust Him for His radical
provision.
leaving stable jobs in an unstable economy, and trusting that God
would provide jobs for us. I know that many that love us were
concerned about how we would be provided for. Someone that I met with
in Santa Fe shortly before I left asked me what hapens if I don't find
a job. My response, by God's grace, was that not finding job was not
even a thought in my mind. I have been so confidant that God was
bringing us to Missoula that I could not imagine Him not providing for
us once we got here. You see, we are so "independant" at times that I
think we tend to forget that God is our provider. I think some of us
have forgotten how to trust God and depend on Him for our "daily
bread". This move has really challenged us to remember that and live
it out. I can't tell you how encouraging it has been to trust God
against all odds and see Him come through in greater ways than we
would have imagined. Yesterday, on my 2nd day in Missoula, I was hired
at Directv. In a time where people go months without work, I show up
in a brand new place and land a job in 2 days. That is the grace and
favor of God. That is good proving to me, and to you, that He is fully
trustworthy and capable to do more than all that we could ever ask or
imagine. God is using the things that He is doing in our lives to
encourage all of us to trust Him. But our trusting Him doesn't stop
here. My wife still needs a job. But what kind of a fool would I be if
I had seen all that God has done so far, and still didn't trust Him to
be faithful to provide for us? He wants us to trust Him step by step.
He wants every step we take to be in faith in His provision. So we
will continue to do that and continue to report of God's faithfulness.
But God has blown our minds so far! He has paid our 1st 4 MONTHS of
rent up front so that we don't have to pay rent till September. He has
provided me with a job. He has provided all of our meals for this
week. He just continues to pour out His grace upon us. I look forward
to seeing what He will continue to do. But before I end this blog, let
me ask you a few questions. Have you forgotten that GOD is your
provider? It's easy to say it, but do you really know it and believe
it? Is there something that God may be leading you to do that you
won't do because you are not trusting Him to provide for you?
Sometimes God calls us to do radical things that require a radical
trust in Him that may not make sense to the people around us. But as
we step out in faith, and do what God calls us to do, He proves
Himself faithful and glorifies Himself in our lives as well as the
lives of all those who are watching. Don't let fear of how things will
work, or how you will survive prevent you from doing ANYTHING that you
feel God calling you to do. God will meet all of your needs. Put
yourself in radical submission to God and trust Him for His radical
provision.
Consider:
Proverbs 3:5, Psalm 111:5, Matthew 5:25-33, Philippians 4:19, Matthew
28:19-20
Sent from my iPhone
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
We arrived!!
I can't believe it. Roughly 6 months ago, after much prayer and
seeking God as to what was next for us, we decided that God was moving
us to Montana to join Remedy Church; a 1 year old church plant. We
decided that 6 months was a good timeframe to prepare to move. It
seemed like it would take forever, but in reality, time has flown and
now we are here. We would not have been able to make this journey if
it were not for the countless prayers of our family and friends, as
well as the financial support and blessing that we received from many
of you in order to help with the moving and rental costs. Through many
of you, as well as the money that we had saved up, the LORD provided
almost five thousand dollars! (which due to an unfortunate
circumstance went completely to the apartment complex for move in
costs) We have been so blown away to see how God has provided for us.
We pray that God richly bless all of you for the part that you played
in that! So we are here and excited to see what is to come. Since we
have been here we have been so welcomed by the members of Remedy
Church! Each night this week someone from the church is bringing us
dinner. Part of the bitterness of leaving Santa Fe was leaving such a
GREAT church body. However, God didn't delay in showing us the how
great of a church He has given us the privelege of serving. We are
blessed. Here are some things you guys can pray about: I had a job
interview today and have a 2nd interview with the same company
tomorrow. Pray that I get this job. Also, my wife is in need of work
as well. Pray for her. Also, pray for good scheduling and pay for us.
Pray for God's continued provision for us as it took almost every
penny we had to just get out here and into the place we live. God is
faithful! The place we live is great. It is a beautiful and quiet
complex with lots to do. The kids have already started making some
friends in our complex. As for the gospel...the LORD has already
opened some doors to us for the gospel. A couple teenage guys in our
complex volunteered to help us move in yesterday, and so after working
and sweating with them for a while, I told them all about God's love
for them in sending His Son. Today Peter (one of the Remedy team
memebers) took me to lunch down by the University. After lunch we took
about 2 steps on campus and the LORD opened the door for us to talk to
and share the gospel with several college students. Peter was able to
really minister to to many Atheist and Agnostic students with answers
to their tough questions. I was encouraged by his wisdom. He has a
passion for college students and I witnessed today that his gifting
matches his passion. I believe that constitutes a calling. Well, that
will be all for now. If there are typos in this, forgive me. We don't
have internet yet and I've sent this blog from my iPhone. I'll be in
touch. Much love and God bless.
seeking God as to what was next for us, we decided that God was moving
us to Montana to join Remedy Church; a 1 year old church plant. We
decided that 6 months was a good timeframe to prepare to move. It
seemed like it would take forever, but in reality, time has flown and
now we are here. We would not have been able to make this journey if
it were not for the countless prayers of our family and friends, as
well as the financial support and blessing that we received from many
of you in order to help with the moving and rental costs. Through many
of you, as well as the money that we had saved up, the LORD provided
almost five thousand dollars! (which due to an unfortunate
circumstance went completely to the apartment complex for move in
costs) We have been so blown away to see how God has provided for us.
We pray that God richly bless all of you for the part that you played
in that! So we are here and excited to see what is to come. Since we
have been here we have been so welcomed by the members of Remedy
Church! Each night this week someone from the church is bringing us
dinner. Part of the bitterness of leaving Santa Fe was leaving such a
GREAT church body. However, God didn't delay in showing us the how
great of a church He has given us the privelege of serving. We are
blessed. Here are some things you guys can pray about: I had a job
interview today and have a 2nd interview with the same company
tomorrow. Pray that I get this job. Also, my wife is in need of work
as well. Pray for her. Also, pray for good scheduling and pay for us.
Pray for God's continued provision for us as it took almost every
penny we had to just get out here and into the place we live. God is
faithful! The place we live is great. It is a beautiful and quiet
complex with lots to do. The kids have already started making some
friends in our complex. As for the gospel...the LORD has already
opened some doors to us for the gospel. A couple teenage guys in our
complex volunteered to help us move in yesterday, and so after working
and sweating with them for a while, I told them all about God's love
for them in sending His Son. Today Peter (one of the Remedy team
memebers) took me to lunch down by the University. After lunch we took
about 2 steps on campus and the LORD opened the door for us to talk to
and share the gospel with several college students. Peter was able to
really minister to to many Atheist and Agnostic students with answers
to their tough questions. I was encouraged by his wisdom. He has a
passion for college students and I witnessed today that his gifting
matches his passion. I believe that constitutes a calling. Well, that
will be all for now. If there are typos in this, forgive me. We don't
have internet yet and I've sent this blog from my iPhone. I'll be in
touch. Much love and God bless.
Issac
Sent from my iPhone
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Driving, Driving, and More Driving
So, we haven't had much time to update because we've have been driving
all day, literally. Yesterday, we had many people over to help load
the big Budget truck and drove away from friends, family, and
eveything we know and love to serve our AWESOME LORD in Missoula. I
am currently in the Super 8 Motel in Billings, MT awaiting some Taco
Bell dinner with burning eyeballs (I think it's a combo of make-up and
staring at the road for the past 10 hours). It was a mostly beautiful
drive today, with only a couple spots of random snow/rain and some
wind. If you look at our Twitter updates, you will see that we try to
let everyone know what we're up to. Tomorrow will consist of some more
driving, roughly 5 more hours, and moving into our new apartment!
Please continue to pray for us. We definitely appreciate it!!
all day, literally. Yesterday, we had many people over to help load
the big Budget truck and drove away from friends, family, and
eveything we know and love to serve our AWESOME LORD in Missoula. I
am currently in the Super 8 Motel in Billings, MT awaiting some Taco
Bell dinner with burning eyeballs (I think it's a combo of make-up and
staring at the road for the past 10 hours). It was a mostly beautiful
drive today, with only a couple spots of random snow/rain and some
wind. If you look at our Twitter updates, you will see that we try to
let everyone know what we're up to. Tomorrow will consist of some more
driving, roughly 5 more hours, and moving into our new apartment!
Please continue to pray for us. We definitely appreciate it!!
:Kristi:
Thursday, April 22, 2010
John Piper - If God wants me happy why do I suffer?
Christian, have you ever wondered about the love of God for you? Have you ever wondered why God would allow so much suffering and hardship in your life? Have you ever wondered if God cares ANYTHING about your happiness, and if He does, then why does He allow you to endure SO MUCH? One of my heroes in the faith, John Piper, has some awesome insight from the Word that I believe will prove beneficial in giving us a biblical perspective on God's love for us, His desire for our GREATEST joy and happiness, and the purpose He has for suffering in our lives. I hope you are blessed by watching this.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
.....and we're back!
Well, it's time to start using this blog again. It has been a long time, but now that we are pretty much gone, we want to keep in touch with all of our family and friends back home, as well as our new church family in Montana.
It's Monday the 19th and we drive out of Santa Fe with all of our belongings in the back of a 24 foot truck this Saturday the 24th! Things are a bit crazy as we rush to pack our house within the next 5 days. I've gotta tell you it has been a challenge to trust God to provide for this move, but despite my faithlessness and doubt, He has remained faithful and has blown our minds so far. We have seen Him act through His people to provide for us through their generosity in such big ways! It's been amazing to experience God's love and provision like that, as well as be encouraged by the support of our family and friends. We have been humbled by the love and support we are receiving from Remedy Church in Missoula. Many that we've never met personally, (as well as some that we have), are reaching out to us with prayer and supporting us in ways that we would have never imagined. I look forward to serving such wonderful people when I arrive in Missoula.
So with that, keep us in prayer! Pray that we would have wisdom and diligence in all that we do. Pray that God would meet our needs. Pray that we would have safe travels with no road hazards or car/truck trouble. Pray that we would have all the help we need to load up the truck, and help clean the house before we leave, as well as sufficient help to unload the truck in Missoula. I have an interview the day after we arrive. Kristi is still yet to get any "bites" regarding the applications she has submitted for work. Please pray that the LORD would provide us with jobs rather quickly so that we can easily transition and not fall behind on any bills. Also, if you would like to help us and contribute financially to help us get to Missoula so that we can get settled to serve the LORD, you can comment on this blog to let us know that you are interested. If you know someone that might be interested in following the work that God is doing in our lives and joining us in prayer, direct them to our blog! We would love as many people interceding for us as possible!
We hope to keep you all updated with what's going on in our lives with the move, and with all that is going on with the church. Look up Remedy Church Missoula on Facebook, Follow us on Twitter, and/or visit the website at www.remedymissoula.org. We look forward to what God does in ALL of our lives (that includes YOU) and how He uses ALL of us for His glory!
~ Issac
It's Monday the 19th and we drive out of Santa Fe with all of our belongings in the back of a 24 foot truck this Saturday the 24th! Things are a bit crazy as we rush to pack our house within the next 5 days. I've gotta tell you it has been a challenge to trust God to provide for this move, but despite my faithlessness and doubt, He has remained faithful and has blown our minds so far. We have seen Him act through His people to provide for us through their generosity in such big ways! It's been amazing to experience God's love and provision like that, as well as be encouraged by the support of our family and friends. We have been humbled by the love and support we are receiving from Remedy Church in Missoula. Many that we've never met personally, (as well as some that we have), are reaching out to us with prayer and supporting us in ways that we would have never imagined. I look forward to serving such wonderful people when I arrive in Missoula.
So with that, keep us in prayer! Pray that we would have wisdom and diligence in all that we do. Pray that God would meet our needs. Pray that we would have safe travels with no road hazards or car/truck trouble. Pray that we would have all the help we need to load up the truck, and help clean the house before we leave, as well as sufficient help to unload the truck in Missoula. I have an interview the day after we arrive. Kristi is still yet to get any "bites" regarding the applications she has submitted for work. Please pray that the LORD would provide us with jobs rather quickly so that we can easily transition and not fall behind on any bills. Also, if you would like to help us and contribute financially to help us get to Missoula so that we can get settled to serve the LORD, you can comment on this blog to let us know that you are interested. If you know someone that might be interested in following the work that God is doing in our lives and joining us in prayer, direct them to our blog! We would love as many people interceding for us as possible!
We hope to keep you all updated with what's going on in our lives with the move, and with all that is going on with the church. Look up Remedy Church Missoula on Facebook, Follow us on Twitter, and/or visit the website at www.remedymissoula.org. We look forward to what God does in ALL of our lives (that includes YOU) and how He uses ALL of us for His glory!
~ Issac
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