Cheerful Mercy....Intense Joy!

As I enter into the Thanksgiving holiday season I have been reflecting on all the things I am thankful for. The list is to numerous to share and just the thoughts of the Lords blessings in my life bring unspeakable joy to my spirit. But one thing that seems to keep repeating itself in my mind, in scripture and in conversation is God's unending mercy upon us. I know I have been a recipient of this mercy time and time again. It is because of His mercy that I am able to write this blog, that I am able to minister to men and women in addiction, that I am able to go to Honduras/Kenya, that I am free and alive!

Mercy is defined as "a broad term that refers to benevolence, forgiveness and kindness." So with that we are all showing mercy during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. Showing mercy is part of the holiday experience. It is ingrained in our social culture to show mercy. We see it in our gifts to the needy, not only as a church but as a society. Our government and non-profits take care and provide for those in need. We show mercy.

But what is our attitude?  Paul directs us in Romans 12 "having then gifts...let us use them...he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness." As I have been reminded this season to have an "attitude of gratitude" I am also being reminded to have an attitude of cheerfulness when showing mercy. And the Lord has been showing me that my attitude of cheerfulness is a direct reflection of His attitude of cheerfulness when He showed mercy to me.

Our mercy, or our ability to show mercy, is a gift from God and His attitude as He showed mercy was cheerful. Cheerfulness is defined as " a state of well being characterized by pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy." As I read that definition I imagined God's "intense joy" as He shows mercy. That is how much He loves us. I have spent a lot of my life making wrong decisions and have sought mercy in a lot of situations and I do not ever remember anyone showing me mercy with "intense joy"....but that is exactly what God does. It is part of His nature, His character. And that is what we must do in order to reflect God's love in our lives. We must show mercy with cheerfulness. If we show mercy with an attitude of cheerfulness that attitude will be reflected in the recipient. Not only will the recipient receive benevolence, forgiveness and kindness but the both of you will have an opportunity to  receive "intense joy!"

Tara and I are very thankful for the response we have gotten towards our fundraising. The Lord has been opening many doors for us to continue ministering to others and sharing about our mission to Kenya. Please continue to pray for us and our ministry.
Prayer request
-Kairos weekend at Hancock Sate Prison Dec 5-8
-Lumpkin County jail outreach every Tuesday night
-YWAM Athi River Base, Kenya (applications have been submitted)
-Continued support of fundraising (we are at 20%)
- Mission trip to Honduras Jan 25-Feb 1

Please continue to pray for the MACCO School in the Mathare Valley, Kenya...pray for the 200+ kids and the staff.

The School

The Kids

The Kids

The Staff

Grace and Peace,
Joel and Tara

Yesu Ni Safari (Jesus Is A Journey)

It is official! We met with the board of Outstretched Hands Ministries last week and they voted unanimously to assist Tara and I on our journey to Kenya!!! Praise the Lord!!!

What this means is that, beginning Oct 1st, we will be doing all of our fundraising through Outstretched Hands Ministries as they are a 501 (c) 3 organization. They will also undergird us spiritually and give us the covering we need as missionaries. What a blessing! 

Our next step is to apply for volunteer positions with YWAM Athi River Base in Nairobi. This will allow us to learn the culture and language of Kenya. We hope to be at the Athi River Base by Feb/March 2014 (depending on our fundraising)................So now the journey begins.

Dave Garton once said "Jesus is a journey and if your journey is boring...then you are boring". I find that true more and more. I rededicated my life to Jesus March 3, 2008 and my life has been as far from boring as I could have ever imagined. One of my greatest fears of giving up my addictions to drugs and alcohol and changing my life was the thought of my life being boring. If I am not getting high and "partying" what am I gonna do? Deuteronomy 30:19-20 says I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to His voice, and hold fast to Him. For the Lord is your life. And to think I wanted to choose death. How absurd is that...choose death over life...the death and bondage and slavery of addiction...a slave to the world. I had no idea the life the Lord had for me. I thank and praise Him for what He has done for me. Glory to God and praise His holy name!!!!

I will be preaching this Sunday both services at my home church, Commerce First United Methodist Church. I will be sharing our mission trip to Kenya we took back in June/July. I will also be announcing our plans for long term assignment in Kenya and I will be sharing my heart and what the Lord has done in my life. I prepared a slide show of our trip and posted it below. I hope you enjoy it. It is long, 8:21 to be exact, but it is worth watching and the music is good so make sure your speakers are not on mute.

Grace and peace,

Joel and Tara 

Running.......................

A few weeks ago Tara and I signed up for the Atlanta half marathon on Nov. 28. It was the only thing that would get me motivated enough to get "off the couch", lace up my running shoes and get out the door. I had to just sign up and do it! I am already feeling some great results of my effort. I have lost a few pounds and I feel a whole lot healthier. Although, it has been rather uncomfortable and has required some discipline, I am already feeling pretty comfortable running 4 miles and that is a great feeling...a great confidence booster. However, I will admit that Tara is doing a lot better than me. She can run farther and her pace is a lot faster than mine but that is ok...I am just enjoying the fact that I am not sitting on the couch and I really enjoy the wind blowing through my hair as I run...that's the good stuff in life. (mom..hope this answers your question on why I haven't gotten a haircut yet).
Anyways,.........

Paul says in Hebrews 12 let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.

And so it is in my spiritual life. I am running. I am running the race that is set before us. It was not easy. I had to have a motivator...that is a motivating factor to get me "off the couch".....I had to just sign up and do it. I had to step out in faith and sign up for our mission journey to Kenya. I had received the call from God to go to Kenya. I had received my confirmation. I consulted with my spiritual authority. Everything was lining up, except for ME.
My own fears and frustrations had me immobile...what will I do for a job?, where will we live as we transition?, what about my certifications?......the unanswered questions kept piling up in my mind but I had to do it. So I did. We did. We stepped out into the uncomfortableness of faith and "signed up", we are "all in" for the mission field in Kenya. And the Lord has provided!!!!!!
We have already had a great response from friends and family in support of our journey. We haven't even started our fundraising campaign and already people have shown interest in what we are doing. We see the body of Christ in it's glory. I have an overwhelming since of peace regarding our finances. We have moved into a house in Commerce. I have started teaching The Genesis Process at a women's ministry in Martin, GA called New Beginnings. I will be finishing my state certification in addiction counseling in December. I will be preaching at both services on Sept 15 at CFUMC (thank you David Bowen for sharing the pulpit). Tara and I both are helping with a jail ministry. All of this God has placed in our lives in just a few short weeks with the goal of reaching Kenya.

Spiritually, we feel healthier, we have lost a few pounds. We are laying aside the sin that ensnares us. The sin of doubt. The sin of control. The sin of self-reliance. The sin and weight of not fully relying on God. Yes, we are running...we are running into the arms of Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, and by increasing our faith He is giving us the endurance to continue.

Blessings,
Joel and Tara

Be Prepared!...God, country, self....and a little bit of prayer

I just wanted to give an update on how things are going with Tara and I. Last week was a transition from Waypoint to our home in Commerce. Waypoint was very generous in letting us use the box truck to move our things. It was really nice having Mark, Marcus, Tyler and Matt help us move. We had the truck packed in 2 hours and had it unloaded in 1 hour. Nothing was broken and they seemed to have each box placed in the right room. Tara was nice enough to have labeled each box and what room it goes in before we loaded the truck. Praise God for a wife who loves to organize! Can I get an AMEN!

Even though we have spent most of the week packing and unpacking, we did enjoy some break time by attending an Eagle Scout Award Ceremony for our friend Kyle Mostellar. Kyle was on our mission team to Kenya this past summer. The service was amazing and the Boy Scouts motto is "Be Prepared"...not only for emergency situations but for life in general. The best way to be prepared is to focus on what really matters...God, country and self. These are the basic principles to live by and it was a blessing to see a young man who has a heart for the Lord accomplishing a task to make him a better Christian, a better citizen and a better person.

So I am sticking with that and focusing on being prepared. As Tara and I prepare for Kenya we must put our priorities in order. And to do that we must rely on the Lord. So I am asking you to pray for and with us on this journey. Our main focus is making sure that we, as Americans, are not going over there with the great American solution and trying to fix everything. We don't want to show up as mighty whitey and try to fix all the problems. We are going as missionaries. We are going because the Lord has called us and asked us to go and witness and tell of the great things that He has done in our lives and proclaim the gospel as a life source for everyone. We have spoken with several other other missionaries and some organizations that have missions in Kenya. We have decided that the best thing for us to do in preparation for long term missions in Kenya is to volunteer with an organization already established there. We are in the process of applying with YWAM (Youth With A Mission). YWAM has a base camp in the Athi River Valley just south of Nairobi. They also have several programs that we would benefit from by being exposed to. They have an orphanage, a school, a medical clinic, an agricultural program and they also do community outreach. All of this would give a lot of insight as to how we might be of better service in Kenya. We would like to volunteer at the Athi River Base for 6 months. This would give us time to learn the culture and the language a little better. Our goal is to be in Kenya volunteering by March/April of next year. Please pray for us.

Other Prayer request:

Pastor Julius as he
continues his prison
ministry in Kenya

All the Kids (200) at the MACCO
school in Nairobi

The kids (80) at
Glory Shiners Junior Academy
in Nakuru

I want to close with scripture that was in the back of the program for the Boy Scouts Eagle Award Ceremony:

"for the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that One has died for all, therefore all have died; and He died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for Him who for their sake died and was raised."--2 Cor 5:14-15

wow! I love the beginning of that verse......."for the love of Christ controls us....."

Blessings,

Joel and Tara

new season is beginning

Well, it has been a very very long time since this blog was updated (approximately 408 days but who is counting, right?) So with all sincerity I do apologize.

The last year has been really truly amazing. Tara and I have seen the Lord work in so many lives here at Waypoint. Not just in the men and their families but also with staff and the community. 

It is with sweet sadness that we will be leaving Waypoint in a few days. I say sweet because we know God has called us into the foreign mission field. We are working our way to Kenya. But it is sad because we are leaving friends and a community that is strong in the Lord. We felt called here to Waypoint to "give back" and intern under Dave Garton. That season is ending and a new season is beginning. We are on a "safari", a journey.

This all started when I first met Tara. The night we met our conversation was about mission work and the mission field. We both had an interest in Honduras. During our marriage we have traveled to Honduras on short term mission trips several times. We do a lot of construction projects and have established relationships with some of the locals so it is a joy to go there every year. However, this year when we got back I mentioned to Tara that I wanted to add another mission trip to our schedule. I wanted to do something more challenging. I wanted to go on a trip that focused on evangelizing and praying rather than construction and building. I told Tara I wanted to go deeper in the Lord. Evangelizing and publicly praying for others is really out of my comfort zone so I asked the Lord to send another trip our way, to show us where He wanted us to go and how He wanted to use us. Within a few days I got a call from Michael Vincent, founder of Outstretched Hands Ministries, he was putting together a team to go to Kenya, Africa to help with a school feeding program, evangelize, pray and visit some prisons. I'm sure Michael was a little stunned when I started laughing on the phone but he did not know what I had just asked the Lord for. Talk about timing....hallelujah!!!!
With a lot of prayer and faith Tara and I traveled to Kenya. What a joy to see so many smiling faces in Kenya. Yes there is a lot of poverty, there is a lot of addiction, a lot of disease, a lot of darkness but there is joy and peace and love. We were moved and touched in a special way and know God wants us to "go" and "do" and to step out in faith.
As I was praying about our decision to go "all in" and commit to being a long term missionary in Kenya, the Lord showed me a verse. The prophet Joel writes in chapter 3 verse 9 and 10 -Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare for war! Rouse the warriors! Let all the fighting men draw near and attack. Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weak say, "I am strong!"- These verses spoke to me (rhema). It is time to beat the plowshares into swords and time for the weak to say "I am strong!" The Lord was showing me that I was comfortable at Waypoint. Waypoint had become my "plowshare" and it was time to take what I know and use it as a "sword". I needed to step out of my comfort zone and step into battle, I needed to step out in faith. I was once weak in my addiction but now I am strong in the Lord!! Let me repeat that...I was once weak in my addiction, I was defeated, I was lost, I was confused, I was deceived ...but God...but God had other plans and now I am strong! Through Christ I can say "I am strong!". Verse 14 says Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision. We had spent most of our time traveling through the rift valley north of Nairobi and I heard the Lord telling me he wanted our presence in Kenya, in the "valley of decision". 
We aren't sure how this is all going to play out, there are a lot of needs in Kenya.....orphanages, feeding programs, schools, medical clinics, addiction counseling, prison ministry, church building, etc......and we aren't sure how we are going to fit in but we do know the Lord has called us there. He wants our Christian presence in Kenya and we are obedient and going. We have already spoken to several ministries to partner with and are excited to see what develops. 
God is good and as a friend of mine once said "Jesus...is a journey."   

Blessings,
Joel and Tara

all the way down to the core of his being

To those who are interested in knowing more about what goes into a day at Waypoint. The men are up by six thirty getting ready, eating breakfast, daily chores, quiet time and off to class by eight am. The staff & teachers start their work day at seven am with a meeting, prayer & a daily report of how things are going with the men in the program. At eight am the men are divided into classes depending on how long they have been at Waypoint. The classes consist of Orientation, Regeneration, Inner Healing & Discipleship. This is where most of the material is discussed, taught & backed up with Biblical references. However, the classroom is not where all the learning takes place. When the men head to their designated work sites, that is where the application of the classroom lessons begin. The teachers cover a lot of truth during a typical class period and to absorb that information we allow the guys an opportunity to apply it. On the work site a man is given directions, responsibility, a task, maybe three and a chance to make some of his own choices. The work site is not just a place to make the men raise support for this ministry. It is a learning tool to help the man practice and work through what he has been learning from his teacher. If the environment at Waypoint was strictly a classroom setting then there would be less opportunities for the men to apply what they are learning and less opportunity mess up. Being in a residential program with a daily routine naturally provides opportunities for the men to make mistakes. However, when a man stumbles or has to work through a negative attitude, he is in a safe, Christ centered environment that shows him not only grace but how to fail and still feel and know that he is accepted. Our staff prays that Waypoint is a safe and healthy facility that builds men up to be sober physically and mentally, clean from drugs and a clean mind, and makes them into godly disciples of Jesus Christ. That is why our last class in the program before the transition phase is Discipleship. We are not here just to clean a man up on the outside but all the way down to the core of his being. Isn't that what Jesus wants to do with all of us. Not just with those struggling with drugs, but with all His people. Colossians 4:9 says it the best..."The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things and the God of peace will be with you."

After a day of class and a full day of work the men then have the evening to fellowship, play basketball, maybe some fuse-ball, have prayer groups, Bible studies and most of the time homework from their class. Their day is full of reminders that they are in a program. A place where they still need help and healing. It is not easy to be here...it is not easy to ask for help. Please be in prayer for these men. Ask the LORD to heal them, mold them & show them that each of them are uniquely made with a purpose. Pray that when each of the men leave they have turned their focus from themselves to God and to others.

Pray for these men to become disciple makers.

Thank you,

Tara & Joel

9 MEN

It has been a while since our last blog and a lot has changed here at Waypoint. God has moved in mighty ways and in so many areas. I hope you don't mind if I share a few amazing stories with you!

Our staff at Waypoint is under transition. A few of our staff have been called to go to other jobs or ministries and God has brought in a new set of men to serve. Our Servant Leadership Team now consists of Nathan, Nick & Ryan. Chuck & William are our two newest staff members. God's timeline is remarkable. God was raising up new leaders the whole time. Tara and I are blessed to be working with people who continue to follow God’s lead and are dedicated to spreading His grace, mercy and peace. Please continue to pray for the ministry in this area of transition and for wisdom and guidance as He leads us.

Praise God as we celebrated last weekend by graduating 9 men from the program….YES 9 MEN!!! That is not a typo. Jeff, Ryan, Nathan, Nick, Randy, James B, James S, David and Brandt have graduated from the program and are moving into various transition phases as they continue their spiritual journey and we are proud to say they are young men in Christ. What a blessing!  

The Lord is allowing our prayers to be answered with the Thrift store industry. For the last few months we have been praying for so many donations that we would have to give things away. We have so much stuff right now that we are able to have some summer sales, as well as give things to people who are in need. Yes, we are giving things away. Praise the LORD!

As we close in on the deadline to purchase the property that Waypoint uses the Waypoint board has a lot of very important decisions to make. Please be in prayer for them to hear clearly from the LORD, to have a long term vision for the ministry, to raise money to buy the property or relocate. Most of all please pray for the board to be unified in the midst of so many changes & growth with the program.

Last, but not least our new website is up and running. Please take a moment and look at it. Bookmark it in your favorites so if you know of someone who needs a place to get help from drugs and alcohol you will have our name on hand.
http://waypointcenter.org/
Much love & thanks from the bottom of our hearts,
Tara & Joel

packing/unpacking and digging in the closet

I wish we could say that we are half way moved in to the cottage at Waypoint, but I went to our home in Commerce last night to do some more packing and I am afraid to say we a have a lot more to pack. It is funny what a newlywed couple can accumulate in such a short period of time. Joel and I have memories from our childhood, family pictures, children's books & toys. We were blessed with a few inherited pieces of furniture bed room suits, tables and dishes. Not to mention the overflow of beautiful new wedding gifts we received. This stuff in our home reminds me of how quickly we store up things in our hearts and in our minds. Our bodies are like a building and if we don't slow down and take a mental, spiritual and emotional inventory of what we have stored up we will become so full that there is no room to move or to add new memories. We focus on the old pictures, the chipped glasses, and complain that we never use the "good china" that is still in the cabinet. I can relate this to my Christian walk. On a regular basis I need to observe my habits, my gifts and my motives to what I have and what I need to improve.

Sometimes the men that need a place like Waypoint are at a place where they feel trapped, no where to move. They have memories of their childhood that are not good. Pictures in their head that this is the only way to live and "I can't breathe, there are so many piles of clutter." "If I try and clean this house now it would take forever to make it straight and fresh, this is impossible, where do I start?" The men are overwhelmed by the junk in their life that they just want to walk away. I praise God that there is a place like Waypoint. That there are godly leaders and teachers. That there are godly lessons and applications that can help these men.

So please pray for these men to keep focused, to dig into the back closets of their heart and head to clean out all the clutter that is keeping the men from living a godly, clutter free life. There are lots of memories, plans, and thoughts that they need to give over to God, to be laid at the cross and to be thrown out completely. There are lies that the men have been told that they need to work through. Please pray that these lies will be replaced with God's word and God's truth. That Christ will be the cornerstone of a new foundation for these men to live by.

For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:6

--Impower--

I know I have mentioned this before but I want to reitterate it again and to stress the importance of your prayers for these men, their families, and our staff here at Waypoint.  We are always in need of volunteers, money, and donations.  However, these gifts can never impower a man in recovery like the power of prayer.  Prayer is more than calling upon God to bless these men.  Prayer is intereceeding for someone who lacks the strength or faith to ask.  A man coming out of addiction is at his lowest point in his life.  Why else would he be here!  He needs to be focused on getting sober, staying clean from drugs and alcohol, and working through his relationship with God.  I want to encourage you to pray for the men, their wives, their children and their parents.  More speciffically please lift up the man and his constant reflection of looking into his own heart, his daily struggle of being at Waypoint and his future.  Each man needs prayer for his place in the work force, his role with his family, and the transition for both. 

Each man is burdened by the weight that others carry in order for him to be here.  Imagine if you were sick all the things that would go undone while you were getting treatment.  The yard work, the home improvement projects, tucking your kids in bed, helping with the bills, the cost of the treatment, etc.  All of which are insignificant to his life being saved and restored.

Yet, we have not because we ask not.  I am asking each of you to consider praying for one guy daily.  Please lift him up to the LORD.  Ask the LORD to meet the needs of each man and his family.  Their needs spiritually and physically, emotionally and socially. Your commitment to pray will provide rest for the man so he can recieve healing from God.  So he will recieve power and strength to stick with the program.  Everyday the men wake up and no one is forcing them to stay.  It takes commitment and hard work to continue on their journey.  Your prayers are important and life changing for these men and their families.  Please pray!

 

March......into eternity

Joel and I have been blessed with the opportunity to be a part of something bigger than we could every imagine.  So are you! As Christians, we are all living for eternity.  Not an eternity as we forsee happening as this earthly body and soul passes into the next but for an eternity that we can grasp today.  Yes, today!  Joel spoke last week to the men here at Waypoint about our recent mission trip to Honduras.  The question "When does eternity begin? came up.  Well it begins the day we are introduced to our Savior.  We either begin living for Him or living without Him.  So as you drive down the rode, sit at your desk, prepare dinner, you are not living just for the next few hours but you are living for or against eternity.  So today as Joel goes to classes, meeting and the office; as I go to the thrift store, the storage and donation area and meet with customers, we have the opportunity to see God, hear from God and walk with God.  Life on earth might not be Heavenly all the time, but the relationship that we have with God is only the beginning of how amazing life on the other side is going to be. As you look at the faces of the people around you try and remember that they might not know God and the way they are living is not leading them to eternity with Him.

 We are always in need of prayer.  Waypoint has flock leaders, classes, teachers and staff to talk and lead the men here in the program.  However, you never know when a man is going to make that decision to leave early.  This week we had a man leave before his 10 months was over.  I know that God taught him a lot while he was here and he left with a deeper understanding of living a Christ centered life.  But these men need your prayers daily, please be in prayer for them beginning with our staff and wives.

We love you, you are supporting us in so many ways...your prayers are intereceeding in ways that we can see God working.

Joel and Tara

Nick and Corwin
Dave and Gail
Elizabeth and Jeremy
Todd
Shane
Chuck

James
James
David
Mark
Jared
Greg
Tripp
Jeff
Chris
Alex
Randy
Nick
Ryan
David
Micah
Lotten
Nathan