Fasting and Praying over Israel and July Bills...

Today is the due date to pay for our mission trip to Israel, and we only have about $900 raised (we need $7,400). They have already purchased our plane tickets, and said if we couldn't raise enough support, that we can give them a credit card to pay for the remainder due. Needless to say, Shane and I are worried. Our credit cards are maxed out, so even if we wanted to dig ourselves deeper into debt, we couldn't. We still believe God can provide the remainder of the money needed either through others who donate, or even by magically having it appear under our kitchen sink.

We are also worried about our bills for July. As some of you know, Shauna was laid off from her job at SMI. We felt confident the money would be provided when we first heard the news, because Shane had 20 students signed up for summer lessons, and he is making extra income at The Wish Collection. We are worried now though because some of Shane's students dropped, and we have used most of his teaching money already for June bills, food, and gas. If we go to Israel, we will only have $200 or $300 of income. If we don't go, $400. 

Here is what we need and are believing God for: 

1. $900 to be in our account Thursday to pay July's rent. 

2. $300.77 to be in our account by July 8th to pay Shauna's car bill. 

3. about $550 to pay for the bills due in the middle of the month (credit cards, utilities, etc.).

4. $950 in our account before August 1st to pay for Shauna's student loans, and August rent.

5. we would be provided with Groceries and money for gas. 

 

Therefore we are doing a 3 day fast starting today. Today, we are asking God to provide us with the money to pay all of our bills, as well as enough money to buy groceries and gas so Shane can get to work everyday. Tomorrow, we will be asking God to show us if He wants us to go to Israel or not. We are asking that if he does, we will have over $3000 in our E3 account by Sunday. On Thursday, we are basically asking God to confirm we are in His will, and also show us if He wants us to go on another missions trip in the fall. 

We would like people to fast and pray with us and for us, if possible. Please let us know if you are interested. If you feel God is asking you to donate to our Israel trip or to donate/ provide money for our bills click the DONATE button on the right side of our page.

Thank you for your prayers. We will update you as God updates us ;-). 

"And He said to them, 'Which of you who has a friend who will go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves, for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him'; and he will answer from within, 'Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything'? I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs. And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you fill find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, it will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!'" 

-Luke 11: 5-13

Thoughts on Evangelism

I have taken evangelism classes, been through evangelism training, seminars, etc, and always come out feeling like I just got a new sales pitch or that I had to become someone that I am not. Evangelism is not about taking the message and wrapping it in a new shell. It is about realizing that there is more than just ‘a message’. When I think of evangelism the first thoughts to my mind are still negative and entail tracts, door-to-door evangelism, and cookie-cutter ‘presentations’ of the gospel. What bothered me the most about these is that it seemed to be making something simple hard and then repackaging it as something simple. I really believe that if God had intended for us to use a sales pitch approach to evangelism then he would have outlined it in Scripture. What we are given in Scripture is the command to go, tell, teach, and make disciples. What we are not given is how. Evangelism is really quite simple: learn God and His word and tell others about it. What we have done is made it overly complex. There are far too many methodologies about how to do such a simple task. As Americans we love methods. Anything that we can complete in 4 easy steps is something we must try. But, once again, God has not given us a method. Evangelism, like worship, should flow from a heart that is dedicated to God. If we truly love God, our natural response will be to worship Him (tell God about how great He is) and to evangelize (tell others about how great He is).

This shocking revelation came to me about midway through the semester. I thought that my problem was that I hadn’t found the right methodology. Or maybe I wasn’t the right kind of person. A lot of evangelists have big personalities. Maybe I needed to be more bold and exciting. In truth, my problem lies within me. Instead of seeking God and letting evangelism and worship flow from that, I have sought methodologies and mentors to show me how to evangelize and worship. If my goal is to learn how to properly evangelize or how to properly lead worship, I will fail. If my goal is to seek after God, then I will succeed in both evangelism and worship because they will flow naturally from a heart that is desperate for God.  Honestly, this is something I am still sorting through. God can use all types of people and methodologies. He can (and has) used nonbelievers, and even an ass, to communicate. But, am I really offering God my best? What good is it if I learn how to tell people about Jesus but don’t really love Jesus myself?

There is a constant struggle within me to do what is good and what is evil (which Paul so aptly describes in Romans). How can I evangelize? How will I incorporate it into my daily life? By being real with people, both believers and nonbelievers. What has turned me off about the evangelistic methods that I have seen is that they are dishonest (at least for me). I would never talk to people in such a matter of fact way or use the format that is often used. Over the past eight weeks I have had the opportunity to share the gospel with several people. It has been years since I have really talked to someone about God because I have felt that I am inadequate for the task or too hypocritical. But as I look as Scripture, I see that God uses the broken, the weak, and sometimes even those who were diametrically opposed to Him. It is when we come before God realizing that we, in fact, have nothing to offer that he can truly use us for His glory and His purpose.  What irritates me about the methodologies is that each one supposes to be the ‘best’ method or the ‘biblical model’. As I read through the book of Acts I see very different teaching/preaching styles but the same message. There is no ‘best’ method. The ‘best’ method is what works for you and the person that you are talking with at that particular time.

I have been enlightened through my reading on several areas. My wife and I have recently felt a call to missions. “We want to go to the ends of the earth,” we say, “Surely God will be able to use us there!” But we ignore the problems, the hurting, and the needs all around us. Oscar Thompson’s book, Concentric Circles of Concern really challenged me on this premise. If I can not make a difference in the lives of those closest to me, in the time and place that I am now, how can I expect to make a difference in other people’s lives in a foreign country? Why would I expect Person X (a total stranger) to listen to me when I haven’t told my own family about the Gospel? I have been encouraged to start close to home and work my way out, much like Jesus initially commanded. This begins with my family and then finding other opportunities that are in front of my face before I go trotting across the globe to tell others about Jesus. What if ‘to the ends of the earth’ is actually my hometown? What if the people that need to hear about Jesus the most are my own family and not some distant tribe in Africa? Will I still want to answer the call?

I also gained a lot from the basic understanding of Salvation described by McRainey. Surely, I thought, there must be more to salvation than belief and a simple prayer.  I knew there was more but could not adequately find the words to describe it. Salvation is encompassed in three things: believe/trust, repentance, and surrender. To be saved, I must believe that Jesus is and will do what He said. I must turn from my sinful ways and I must surrender my will to God’s will. This is what salvation means and the absence of this realization is one of the reasons for my lack of witness. I even learned something from Fay. While l disagree wholeheartedly with his systematic and simple approach to evangelism, he did realize that asking questions is important. When we beat people over the head with a message they won’t listen and will leave with distaste for what we preach. Even if the message is good, if our delivery is bad than we can expect nothing. When we allow people to talk, when we ask probing questions that cause people to challenge what they believe, then we are getting somewhere. Through asking thought provoking questions we allow a persons mind to work and for the Holy Spirit to do a work within them.

So, how do I go about evangelism for the rest of my life? To be honest, I don’t know. I know that right now I have to start with my family. My parents need Jesus more than anyone I know, yet I am much more eager to fly across the world and share with people that I have never met. If there is anything that I have learned from learning it is that the more learning I do, the more questions I have. I seldom walk away from a book, lecture, or class with more answers than questions. I have posed a lot of questions in my reflection of evangelism. The task that now lies ahead of me is to continue looking for answers. Along the way, I will tell people about Jesus. Tell them about this journey that I am on. Explain that I don’t have all of the answers, but I’m looking. I can share what I have experienced. I can share what I have learned. I can share my pain, my love, my joy, and my sorrow. Through my honest reflection of my journey towards God, I pray that the people I meet will be inclined to begin asking questions themselves and begin their own journey towards God. 

Shane's Bio Part 1

I figure that in order for you to care about where I'm going you have to know where I've been.

I grew up in Luling, LA (a suburb of New Orleans). I have two younger sisters. Angie is 21 and is getting married in June. She's at L.A. Tech getting a degree in Primary Education. Dana is 18 and is working on becoming a Certified Nursing Assistant. It's interesting that we've all chosen career paths that help people to get better, learn, and grow. I don't get to see them much, but I'm hoping that as we get older I can hang out with them more. 

My parents divorced when I was 7. I didn't have the greatest childhood, but from adversity comes strength. My parents did the best they could and I love them for it. It's only now that I'm starting to see the humanity and depravity that lives inside of all of us. My parents are great people that made some really bad decisions for a while. As I look inside myself, I can see the same qualities. It's very easy to fall into path where you never thought you be, just by making a few bad decisions. Look at the life of David the King. He went from lust, to adultery, to murder. I think selfishness plays a part, but such is humanity in its fallen state.

I was one of those smart kids through school: the ones with all the 'potential' but are too lazy (or bored) to do anything with it. God has decided to repay the favor by giving me tons of students that are VERY similar to me. Touche' God. Around my freshmen year of high school, two awesome things happened. I found God and I found music. I had known both of these before (I had grown up Catholic and played sax in band for quite some time), but they both became more real to me and became a driving force and catalyst for the next stage in my life. 

Growing up Catholic, I knew a lot about God but never knew God or that He was possible to be known. I have heard that Catholicism is different in different parts of the country, but in New Orleans it is a cultural thing. You are Catholic, because your mom was catholic. You go to church because it's what you are supposed to do. All in all, the Catholicism that I experienced growing up was very little about God and very much about cultural ties, heritage, and blind ignorant faith. [I'm sure I'll post more on this later, but faith and reason go hand in hand. It does no good to simply say "I just believe" in the face of overwhelming support for something else. I am speaking of Catholicism, but this is true of all Christianity. Jesus is The Truth, right? Augustine said that "All Truth is God's Truth". Therefore, seek Truth and there you will find God. Don't be afraid to look for the answers and ask the tough questions. Blind, ignorant faith does not help you or the cause of Christianity. But I digress...] I left the Catholic church when I was 14. Around this time you are supposed to go through Confirmation, that is a ritual where you confirm that you believe everything that Catholicism stands for. My mom was not happy about me leaving the church, but could understand that I could not openly acknowledge something I did not believe. I did not believe it because I had recently started attending a Bible Church with my best friend Justin Pohlmann. Through him and his family I saw that faith could be real. That there was something to this God that I had heard so much about. I decided to follow Jesus after a retreat where Adrian Dupre, the speaker, gave a very convincing sermon/drama about exactly what Jesus did on the cross and who He did it for. At last I realized that Jesus died for ME. It was personal, and I pledged my life to follow the Man who had given His life for me.

Shortly thereafter, I decided that if I was going to follow Jesus than I needed to truly serve Him. This meant, for me, surrendering to a life of ministry. I wasn't really sure what my calling was, but Justin's mom jokingly (at least I think it was jokingly...hmm) suggested that we should go to Christian clown college. Except we didn't take it as a joke. There really is such a thing. I was ready to spend my life 'Juggling for Jesus'. Luckily, as I mentioned earlier, I also got into music around this same time. 

I picked up the guitar when I was 14. My Dad bought me one from one of his drunken friends. I remember looking at it in awe, and when I got it inside and cleaned it out, inside of the soundhole I found cigarette butts, bear cans, mardi gras beads, even a stuffed animal! As crazy as it was, this was the start of my ministry. I joined a band with Justin, his brother Andrew, and another friend, Ryan Kessler shortly thereafter. We called ourselves Tried by Fire, after a verse in 1 Corinthians. Looking back, I thought that I was really hardcore. I wore JNCOs (which I still have) long after they weren't cool, had an embarrassing amount of 'flame' shirts (We were called tried by FIRE, weren't we?), and had multicolored spiked up hair...and we can't forget the bright yellow Jesus shoes (which I still have). I got made fun of a lot, but I figured that that was the price you pay for being cool. In hindsight, I looked really dumb and deserved to get made fun of. You live you learn, right? 

I played with a few other bands and eventually decided that I should probably look into youth and music ministry. I had a passion for God, a passion for students, and a passion for music. I looked all around the nation for great Christian colleges: Baylor, Colorado Christian, Moody. But God had other plans for me. I wound up in a small Bible college in the town of Birmingham, AL. This was definitely not where I wanted to be, but it was exactly where I needed to be.

To be continued...

-shane

What we're all about

Hey Guys, 

So, we decided to join the blog revolution. Or something like that.

Shauna and I have been praying about missions and wanted a place where we could put our thoughts, prayer requests, etc. This is that place. As of now, there's not much to it. 

A bit of info about us:

I lead worship for Route 56, a preteen ministry, and teach in the Arts Academy at Hunter Street Baptist Church. Shauna is an assistant at Shades Mountain Independent Church. We both have degrees from Southeastern Bible College. I'm working on my M.A. at Liberty University. We've been married for almost 2 years and have an awesome mini-dachshund named Flops. We know that we are called to ministry, but lately have been feeling that this may be overseas. We're not sure if this means that we'll go on one short term trip, a series of short term trips, a longer short term trip (6months-2 years), or spend the rest of our lives somewhere. I do know that we are open.

For some reason I have really had the desire to train pastors and other leaders and work on discipleship. You should know that I've never actually done this. I've never led a youth group, preached, or even taught the Bible formally. I have taught, but all of my teaching experience is in music. So, this is crazy right? Why would I feel called and want to do something that I've never actually done before?

I don't know. I do know that I have a passion for it and that I enjoy talking about Bible and Theology stuff.  I'm not the smartest guy that I've ever met. There are tons of guys that I know that know Theology much better than me. I love to learn and I love to help others learn. I really enjoy taking hard to understand concepts and making them more easily accessible for people. Is that enough?

In the future you can look for bios from Shauna and I as well as regular updates and thoughts as we begin this crazy missions life. 

-shane