I love Virginia Beach

It was 73 outside today, not a cloud to be seen, a light breeze.  I went and jogged from my apartment, 4 blocks to the beach and down the boardwalk for a mile or so and back.  It's amazing. It's crazy to compare where I am today and where I was this time last year... I don't like all the things that have happened, and disagree with what some folks have done that affected me and others I care about, but I see how God allowed those things to take place so that He would have me right where he wanted me - in Virginia Beach.

One of my students who I have had some good times with but who has never really seemed to care whether I'm really around or not called me from his mission trip.  That made me super happy.  I got time in with a high school junior on Monday that I haven't ever had time with before.  Today, me and my boy J Clay had some good talks at the Purple Cow, and last night me and Michael set up what looks like a pretty serious and amazing discipleship time (we're going to read through one of Paul's epistles and read Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller).  Praise be to God for all He has done and is doing - but, most importantly, thanks be to God for being God.

Some verses of late: 2 Samuel 24:24, Romans 12:9, Acts 20:28

Wayne

Best week ever?

Evidence:

- Got to sleep in on a Monday morning

- Had our first JO baseball team on Tuesday (we lost, which would normally would be points deducted, but it was so much dadgum fun and the guys did a great job by and large)

- Gators played on Wednesday night.. it was the Not Invited Tournament which isn't great.. but I still love watching them play

- Rob arrived in Va Beach at 9:30 FOR THE SPECIFIC PURPOSE OF WATCHING COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF BASKETBALL

- 12:20 in the PM: the glorious Madness begins

- 8:30 Buffalo Beach with the boys for 3 hours of basketball and PILES of chicken wings

- Friday: so much more basketball to come

- And, seriously.. This week is passion week, and today is Good Friday, the day my God, my Savior is going through His disgraceful trial, public scourging, and ultimately death on the bloody cross.  ALL for the payment of my sin.  And Sunday is coming - the day Sin, Death, and captivity were defeated once and for all with the Resurrection.  If you haven't read them recently, read Mark 14 - 16, Matthew 28, John 13..

Because he lives, my friends

Wayne

Acts 20:28

God is good!

Great day at Trinity today:

- Palm Sunday service was very awesome; there were some really neat elements that the team brought together to make the service reflective and somber and reverent and worshipful

- KidsTown was amazing; I seriously had a 3rd grader tell me "so I don't get how God was here before anything else".  I also had "if God loves everyone, then why is there a hell?" by a 4th grader, "why would God let Satan even be around" by a 5th grader?" and "what would the world be like if God didn't sent His son to die for our sins?" by another 3rd grader.  It was an amazing time watching these 8, 9, 10, 11 year olds ask really deep, challenging question.  I had to cancel the game time to allow them more time to ask questions - I just saw an email in my inbox from two of my 4th graders who didn't get to ask their question!  

- Surge (middle school) and 180º (high school) were both amazing.  I love watching these students starting to WANT to be here.  God is very active in Virginia Beach's student population and it's fun to be a part of.

Also - first baseball game of the year for Norfolk Academy's JO (7th/8th graders) is Tuesday! Say a prayer, not that we would win, but that I wouldn't be an overly competitive jerk.  

Much love

Wayne

Acts 20:28

Two things I highly recommend

1. Acts 20:28:Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.  That gets me fired up and makes me want to stay closer to Jesus than ever.  If you are in ministry (if you are Christ Follower, you are in ministry, one way or another) this verse should hopefully give you encouragement and challenge  you take seriously the call that's been placed on your life

2. Go to iTunes and subscribe to the podcast by Broad River Community Church.  It's Matt Orth's church and he is doing an amazing study on the book of Colossians.  It's brilliant.  Go on, do it.

Much love

Wayne

James 1:22

Student Ministry

I think I am constantly need of reminding that I am not the Holy Spirit.  My small group is going through the John Ortberg book God is Closer Than You Think and we were discussing John 16 where Jesus says that it will be for our good that He go to the Father so that we would have the Holy Spirit.  Verse 8 says the Holy Spirit will convict the world of their sins which is incredibly freeing - God is drawing people to Himself!  I was talking with Josh from the group about how frustrating student ministry can be when we (he is on Young Life staff) try and convict students instead of the letting the Holy Spirit do his work.

By the way, the book is pretty good too.  I bought the new Shane Claiborne book Jesus for President.  I'm ready to read it but I need to finish two other books first. 

I'm glad we have the Holy Spirit.

 

Seminary. Books. New services.

What are your thoughts on seminary?  I think I am going to go ahead and start Divinity School at Regent University this fall.  I'm excited because it's a school that is close so I can go be a part of a campus and a classroom where I can see the people - I will definitely still do some on-line courses, but I really like the thought of going to a class with actual people and a for real professor.

I've given a lot of thought and prayer to this whole process, and have thought about going to a school where I more closely agree with the doctrine or theology (Bethel, RTS, DTS, Gordon-Conwell), but Regent is a great University and I will be sure to learn a ton and meet some great people.  

I'm reading a church planting book by Ed Stetzer.  I really like it.  And I like church planting. Our church is talking about how we are going to manage the growth God is blessing us with, and one way is they are letting me explore the prospect of starting a second site for Trinity. That's a lot of fun to just dream and plan and think about, even if it doesn't go anywhere.  

We meet in a baptist church and on the marquee this week, they put the sermon title for the week "Why I Remain Baptist".  For real, a part of my heart died.  God is good and very much in control, but I'm not good at responding to that sort of thing with grace.  Fortunately I have good, godly people around me to keep me from tearing stuff like that down.  

Randy Singer has a book coming out in May called By Reason Of Insanity.  Make sure to get a copy, it is amazing.

Colossians 1:28-29 is awesome.

Wayne

First post in months

Wow, a lot has happened since last I posted... I'm not going to review them right here, but know that your prayers have been heard by God and answered in big ways.

On to the good stuff:

- Ministry life is amazing.  God is doing things at Trinity that are far beyond what we have prayed for.  I am blessed to be a part of a fellowship where there is a communal sense of awe - weekly you hear "what is God going to do next??".  We just had our first baptism/child dedication service yesterday and it was a testimony to God's activity in our little fellowship - dads who would never darken the doors of a church there dedicating their children to the Lord, young kids committing their lives to following Jesus, a friend of mine making a public profession of coming back to the God he walked away from back in middle school... It's overwhelming really.

- I have amazing friends up here.  I am part of a small group that I do not have to lead or teach or prepare for.  This sounds like something I should have been part of for years, or should have started, or like that not big of a deal, but my goodness, I couldn't imagine life without it now.  I realized it is the first such small group/Bible study like this for me since I was 20 or 21.  If you don't have something like this, as lovingly as I can say this: get your butt in one.  I know there are some near you, you just have to look.  Even if it's not through your church, find one - and if you get into one and don't like it or aren't really connecting or don't find any benefit, I will personally refund you.  Whatever that means.

- I started coaching baseball and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!  I am so grateful to Scott Fowler for allowing me the opportunity to assistant coach at Norfolk Academy for the JO (that's 7th and 8th graders) team.  If you're in the area, let me know and you can come watch us dominate.  I hope.  I'm super competitive so this will test me to make sure I am having fun, win or lose, so the guys will too.

I'd love to hear from any of you if you have a minute - the cell number is still the same (not for much longer though) and email is trinitywayne@gmail.com.  Hope all is well

Much love

Wayne

James 1:22