Journey Of Grace Community Church

It's Beginning to look a lot like ...

2012-02-15T04:35:00.001-10:00

This morning I woke up to a basement lined with boxes and a house that looks like several mini tornadoes ran through it. Yes, this means that we are packing. With each day, it becomes clearer that we are moving and that our days here are drawing short. I just opened a checking account in Hawaii online (that was weird) and the stress level is going down with each box we pack. It is really setting in that we will not be living here in less than a month.

Many of you have been praying and your prayers are being answered. One of the things I can announce since my last post is that we are almost fully funded. As of yesterday, we only lack $150 a month for our funding. We still need about $25,000 for seed money and our house to sell, but I am not sweating it. God has been too good to us for me to worry about those things, especially since they are both out of my control.

Well, the moving company comes this week and we will be heading to Memphis for the last time as Ohio residents next week. Then we have one more week in Ohio. Really going to miss our church and friends, but am excited that we are going where God is inviting us too. Hopefully on my next post, I can give you two more great announcements. Just waiting for the okay to do it. Thanks for your prayers and you love. Here are the current prayer request:

1. House to sell

2. For us to know what to keep and what to give away (or sell) while we finish packing.

3. For us to connect to lost people and people that know Christ in Hawaii as we begin our work there.

4. For our families to love Jesus more through our moving.

5. For the rest of our funding.

6. For our church family as we leave and emotions

7. For Michelle and I to stay close and intimate with Jesus as we lead our children to Hawaii (they are beginning to feel the stress)

Shawn

Our God is Greater

2012-02-06T13:02:00.001-10:00

This has been one incredible month. The past 30 days have shown us the power of God and the power God uses through prayer. Several weeks ago I was informed that we were without $2500 of funding monthly and we were still facing raising over $28,000 in seed money. I was at depressions door as I spent my last day on staff at Urbancrest at work somewhere else and we were without a core team. Even through all that God has shown Himself to be strong. In the next few weeks, I will have some exciting news to share with all of you. I can't wait to tell you what God has shown us in the last week. He is providing and showing Himself as faithful. I am simply blown away and can't wait to tell you what He has shown me. I know, you want to know what I am talking about, but I cannot speak about it yet because of allowing .... well that would let the cat out of the bag. Oh, I wish I could tell you, but just wait and you will shout with me.

So we stand at $2,500 short of our monthly support and $28,000 of our seed money. We have purchased our plane tickets and our moving truck come Feb. 16th. We haven't sold our house yet, but after what I learned today, that is a done deal with God. When He is ready to sell it, He will. My God has been incredibly faithful and I cannot wait to get to Hawaii and see Him at work. In the next month, we will be releasing a website and moving. Wow, how great our God is.

On another note, it has been an absolute pleasure to be on staff at Urbancrest. I have learned so much the past 6 years. Have there been hard times and people, yes! But it has all worked together to teach me and grown me. I am going to miss all of our fellow workers in Christ and our church family. You all have been a great blessing to my family and especially myself. Most of all, I am going to miss my Pastor. Pastor Tom has been a great friend and even better mentor. If you ever get a chance to learn from him, you better. He has great wisdom and has been very loving toward us as we grew. Thank you Pastor Tom for your leadership and love. I will truly miss being around you each week but will use what you have taught me to lead others to Jesus.

Finally, if you are interested in what is going on with our family from my wife's view, check out her blog:

Peoples Family Blog

She is the better writer!

Shawn

Rough week, I needed our community!

2012-01-10T16:17:00.001-10:00

This has been a heck of a month so far. Satan has done some great things to get Michelle and I in discouragement. First, I spent New Year's Eve, Day and the day after sick. I usually quarantine myself to the basement when sick and enjoyed (not) three days down stairs by myself. Michelle had to run the house while I was out of commission. After the weird stomach bug I had, I came down with a chest cold. On Thursday, as I was healing up, Michelle had a kidney stone attack. We went to the ER and they sent us home thinking she would pass the stone. Friday afternoon arrived and she ended back up in the ER. This time they sent her overnight to a hospital about 20 minutes away from the house, where she spent the night and had surgery the next day to take out the stone. Michelle's parents drove all night and some students helped me watch the kids. She came home Saturday after surgery, while we got Joshua to his first basketball game ever (thanks to Cliff Glenn) and Haleigh played in three basketball games. At the end of the night we celebrated Caleb's 8th birthday. He was a champ about waiting all day to celebrate. Well, Michelle is finally beginning to feel better and our house is beginning to be packed. I told her that I am not a good mom and that our house does not run well without her.

Through all these tests, I realized how important community is. I see how God set us up to serve each other and bear with each other through hard times (Romans 12). I would not have made it without students and parents stepping up to help with our home and children. God's design for the church has two purposes. #1 to take His message to a lost world in order to invite to be His. #2 to create a community of people who do life with each other and support each other so that the world would see the love of Christ through this community. I don't know how people live without other people helping them through life. I am realizing that there are a lot of people out there who have no one to turn to and they suffer needlessly when trials come because they are alone. I wonder how many people are alone right now in Kapolei, where God is taking us? I wonder how many mothers or wives have no one to turn to and need someone just to listen so they can get through their day? I wonder how many men are fighting their sin alone or are struggling to get out of bondage alone? In Genesis 2, God creates Eve for the purpose of creating the Human race and for the purpose of community. How many people we pass by everyday that might not have the community we do? I pray that God creates a church where community is important and it is driven to bring people into the community of God!

God is at work and doing some great things!

Here are some quick updates on the church start:

Monthly Funding is almost in place. We believe we just need $2,000 a month pledged and we are done with our monthly funding needed.

Our seed money has grown to $7,100. We need $35,000 total. In the past two weeks, we have seen all of this come in.

We believe we have found a house to rent. I call the realtor this week to negotiate a price with them.

We are hoping to rent our house if it does not sell.

We will be selling our 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan next month. Know anyone needing a van?

Shawn

More on Yes

2011-12-23T10:31:00.001-10:00

It is no secret that we are looking for people to join us in Hawaii to start this church in Kapolei. I am still stuck on the struggle of people saying yes. For many years I would tell God yes, but then wait for Him to do certain things before I obeyed. Many times, I did not even check with Him before doing ministry. I now realize how easy it is not to be intimate with Christ and still do ministry. For many years I lived this way, not relying on what He was doing in me, but relying on what I knew to minister. At first, it was hard to go back to intimacy with Christ. I had become so reliant on me that I forgot what it was to rely on Him. Now, I cannot go a day without His work in my life.

Many times I have realized that I have not enjoyed God's provision when I was not where God wanted me. How could I rely on Him, when I was not being obedient? I did not rely on Him because I was not where He wanted me to be. Intimacy brings us to that place where He pours out His Spirit and shows His provision.

How many of us are saying yes to God with conditions? How many of us are saying "God I will when You do ...."? Saying yes means that whether or not you get what you want or need, you're all in. Whether or not God sells your house, provides the finances, brings the people into your life or whatever conditions you have put on God. How many of us are waiting on God to provide something before we say yes? Saying yes means YES no matter what. We are on our way to moving to Hawaii soon, what has God asked you to join Him in? Are you putting conditions on how or when you would go with Him? Have you looked for the provision of His power without being obedient in His call? He won't provide where He is not at work!

Dec. 22nd

2011-12-22T12:45:00.000-10:00

As I sit here in Memphis, I realized that it has been a month and a half since I had written. Tons of things have happened since my last writing. First, we have decided to move our area in which we are planting. We are moving to a town called Kapolei. Kapolei did not exist 10 years ago. Today, well over 30,000 people live in this area. In the next 10 years, 12,000 more houses will go in and the University of Hawaii is moving half of their current campus to this area. The state and local governments are also moving their offices to Kapolei. Because of all the movement, they call Kapolei "The Second City". This area is growing with all ethnicities and is growing rapidly. We are going to plant a church right in the middle of it. We feel very confident about this being the area where God wants us. We had felt a wall in Kaneohe and could never find peace about going there. But now that we have turned to this area, a greater excitement has come into our lives.

We are currently waiting for God to sell our house and put a core team together. These are two of the things we felt God would do. Someone once asked me if these things did not happen would we wait? I foolishly said yes, but I was reminded recently that we don't put our yes on the table with conditions. We put our yes on the table without knowing if God is going to do these things, but in following His invitation to this work.

What conditions have you put on your yes to God? Our's were: our house selling, being debt free, having a core team, all of our money being in place. However, we believe that these are just us telling God that we will go if He will do these things. We trust Him ad realize that He wants us in this without condition, so here we go, without condition. We will spend our last day at Urbancrest March 4th and then probably fly out that following weekend. Please pray for us as we pack, try to get our house sold and move. I also will need to find a temp job in February. Urbancrest will be paying us through January. It has been a blessing and honor to serve with them, now to serve the people of Hawaii.

The YES is Unconditional,

Shawn Peoples

Learning a ton

2011-11-07T16:53:00.001-10:00

It has been 7 months since Michelle and I surrendered to the Lord's invitation to Hawaii. Wow, time has flown and we see more and more how God is stretching us. Right now it feels like the quiet before the storm. I feel twice as busy, with tons of things to do. However, it still feels like we are not into the big things yet. Before I know it, I will be packing this house up (when it sells), taking my children to Memphis for the last time in a long time and putting my family on a plane to begin our lives in Hawaii. Although the time is flying, there have been times where I have been tempted to be discouraged. There is so much uncertainty around us and it seems that our move is still far off. This can be discouraging, especially since my role at the church is lessen incredibly since Judgement House is over. It is tempting to get in a lull and mope about waiting on the Lord to move in mighty ways to sell our house, raise our funding and get us debt free. But I also see that this is a time of great growth. There is much to learn and glean from the leaders around me before I step out on this endeavor. The training I am receiving is priceless and is needed to lead. I also see how much I am growing while waiting on God to do the big stuff. He is doing so many little things in my heart right now. I might not be the warrior I want to be, but I am more the child of the King every day. Thank you for your prayer and I pray that your intimacy with Christ is growing. Here are some praises and prayers.

Liberty Baptist Network has approved us, however we do not receive funding until we begin to meet on the weekends with atleast a group of 30 people and have $30,000 of funding in place.

Our house is still on the market and we need wisdom to know what to do if it does not sell.

I will be heading to Hawaii to speak at a men's conference and prep our move. Dec. 2-12 I will be gone from my family. Pray for them and myself that I will see where God is at work.

Allie Kappes needs your prayers contiuously. She is being stretched by our Lord.

We sent out almost 200 letters in the past week with the plans to send out another 200 this week. Pray for receptive hearts and for God to invite others to join our journey.

Getting closer to my Lord,
Shawn Peoples

Oct. Update!

2011-10-26T08:39:00.002-10:00

Thank you for everyone who has been praying for us. The last few weeks have been incredibly busy. We have just finished with Judgement House at Urbancrest and saw 114 people turn to Jesus for the first time. Michelle and I are working through Launch to get ready. This week and next we will begin to send out letters to those we are connected with to raise prayer support and financial support. Michelle and I head to Lynchburg Va in November to hopefully be approved for funding through Liberty Baptist Church Planting Network. We seemed to be approved through NAMB and are waiting on the figure they are going to support us with. We are also waiting for Urbancrest to work through their 2012 budget. In the next few weeks I will be meeting with Pastors that might lead their churches to support us financially. I have been praying for 10 churches giving an average of $400 each. I have had some great opportunities to share our vision with several different churches and have seen several of these churches interested in supporting the work in Hawaii. Please pray for the next month. It would be good to have our funding in place by Dec. 1st which would allow us to move by the end of January. Our house is not sold yet, so please pray for wisdom if it does not sell before Jan. 31st. I will be in Hawaii Dec. 2-11 for a men's conference, camping with some gang members and meeting people in the area we are planting in. I would love to find our housing while their. Also, we will be asking our financial supporters to begin giving Jan. 1st. Please pray for our core team to continue to come together and for us to lead more to Christ in Hawaii. Thank you again for praying for us and the church plant in Hawaii.

Steve Jobs and a quick update

2011-10-05T16:15:00.000-10:00

As of this evening, everyone has probably heard that Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple Inc. and an incredible inventor has passed into eternity. Though most of us do not know where Steve Jobs is spending eternity, this is not the reason for this writing. In Steve Jobs I have seen the finger print of Our Creator which is in everyone. I admire Steve Jobs not only for the incredible technology and products that have been a help to have, but for one statement he made several years ago. In addressing Apple Inc., Mr Jobs made it very clear that he did not want his product used for pornography. In response, Apple has limited app creators from making XXX apps and has limited the sale of those type of apps. Though there is some apps that are porn in the Apple line up, it amazes me that a man that did not openly declare Christ as his savior but fights against one of the biggest destroyers of men and families. I have had an admiration for Mr. Jobs since he said what he did. Like many of you, I did not pray for his salvation often and regret that decision tonight. Please join me in lifting his family to Christ this week in hopes of their salvation. I am thankful that God's fingerprint came out of Steve Jobs, because the Lord has used that statement to fight my own addiction to pornography. Thank you Lord for Steve Jobs!

Quick Update - We believe we know where we are going to plant now. Details to come.

Printing will begin next week to send out prayer letters and prayer cards. We are alos beginning our big push for funding. Please pray for the funding to come in and ask the Lord if he is looking to you to help fund this work. We need 1000 prayer partners!

Shawn

Here we go!

2011-09-30T06:05:00.001-10:00

Well, this week has been a tough week. We enjoyed our time in PA with the Henz's and Community Fellowship during their Global Awakening weekend. Unfortunately, Haleigh lost her favorite stuffed animal named Ernie when we left. Fortunately, Ray went to the hotel and found it. Wheeewwww. We had exactly 12 hours to relax when we got home before Michelle and I traveled to Kettering Hospital for my surgery. Now after 3 days, I am still sore and a little tired. It has been hard to get motivated these past few days. I have been in and out of sleeping on the couch in the basement and did not get anything done that I wanted to get done. This weekend, we will begin working on letters to send out for support. We need to get some printing done this next week to get those letters out and need to begin to work on our website to give people a glimpse of what we will be doing while starting up the church in Hawaii. So this next week will be incredibly busy.

On a different note, pray for Harlan and his church plant in Waianae. This past week, a 16 year old young man died in an accident there that was Chuukese. There are a lot of details we are still waiting on and still don't know how he died. Pray for his family and for Harlan to bring Christ with him as he ministers to the students there. Also pray for this to be a wakeup call to so many of the gang members there. Pray for us as we begin to recruit supporters for this incredible mission of starting a church.

Leaving for TN today

2011-09-19T08:34:00.000-10:00

Well, it has been an interesting couple of days here in Hawaii. The enemy put on a full court pressure to get me to tell God no to Hawaii. However, we have fought thru and believe that the invitation is still there. I am amazed at how God is working and what He might do this our church plant. There is a young lady named Ariana that has lead most of her family to Jesus and shared with me that her family wants a church closer to Kaneohe. We are still praying whether to start in Kaneohe or Kailua. So we will put this to God and see what happens.

We head home tonight and are looking forward to seeing our kids. I am not looking forward to the drive from Little Rock to Memphis when we land and then Memphis to Ohio on Wednesday. I hope jet-lag doesn't set in until Thursday for me. Then we head to Pennsylvania either Friday or Saturday for a Global impact Celebration. Then home Monday and surgery on Tuesday. I'm ready for October to be here. Thanks for praying for us, keep praying as we continue to look for where God is at work.

8 Chuukese are Christ's forever

2011-09-17T07:50:00.001-10:00

Last night we had an opportunity to join Harlan in his Friday night tutoring and bible study. I got to share from John 17:3 about eternal life being defined by our knowing God. At the end of the study, 6 Chuukese students turned from their sin and turned to Jesus. After eating with the rest of the group, two gang members approached me with the question how do I go to heaven. One said that he knew he needed to become a Christian but didn't know how. After about 30 minutes of questions and answers, they both surrendered to Jesus. I remember just before they prayed, I asked both of them what is worth going to hell for? What they did not want God to take away from them? One answered "his boys". I think we see gangs as this dangerous group of young men who will bust a cap in you the moment you come around their turf. However, it is really a group of boys who are needing community. There is strength in numbers and these boys find strength in being together. After both of the boys prayed, one took his colors off. I asked him why he did that and he responded that he is with Jesus now and doesn't need a gang. Pray for him today. It is going to be hell for him as he steps back on the streets. God has been good to us and is doing some sweet things. I still don't understand why God would allow me to have influence over these young men, but He has.

We ended our night with a bowl of Pineapple Dole Whip. It is non-dairy so Michelle could have some. However, it was in Waikiki, which on Friday night, is a place of lust and lies. I asked God if He had given Waikiki over to the enemy. I am still waiting on that answer. Pray for us, we need some clarity in which town to begin work in. Both have challenges that go far beyond us. Thank you to all of you who had sent encouragement. Your words have been like Dole Whip to my soul, refreshing and good.

What God has given me this morning

2011-09-16T09:22:00.001-10:00

For most of you when you read this it is still morning here in Hawaii. The Father has been so good to me this morning. Several people have sent us encouragement and given us scriptures that have thrilled my heart. Isaiah 26:3 has been on my heart since Tim Wheat shared it with me through Twitter last night. This morning a song is my theme. Tedashii's "Make War" is where I am this AM. Continue to pray for us today as we war against selfishness, sin and Satan. Here are the lyrics:

[Intro: John Piper]
I hear so many Christians, murmuring about their imperfections,
And their failures, and their addiction, and their shortcomings.
And I see so little war! Murmur, murmur, murmur.
Why am I this way? Make war!

[Verse 1: Tedashii]
Bang with me, ba-bang bang, ba-bang with me
No more playing games mane
Cause this thang can get risky
So mane if you into Christ,
Take up!! your cross quickly
Stand fearless on the front-line
Time to come with it, do the right thing
Wake up!! And let's get it
I ain't even in the ring
They throwing bows like Riddick
Persistently attacking me
They're even in the back of me
It's either fight or loose my life
And I can't take this passively
So what you think I'm 'bout to do
I'm bout to do what I can do
Trust the one who got me through
And fight like it was after school
Never giving up, steady, standing on the battle field
Feet firm to the ground like I stepped on Chapel Hill
Flesh feeling frisky, sin persuades and tempts me
Satan cheers me on, guilt followed by conviction
It's the same ol' trap and we fall like we defenseless
Work your senses, grow in wisdom
Stand firm and be relentless

[Hook:]
I make war!
Cause sin never sleeps
It's got me in a trance
You can see it in my dreams
I make war!
Man I beat my flesh
To the death, every breath
Like I beat my chest
I make war
Sun up
I make war
Sun down
I make war
Time in
I make war
Time out
I make war
Against lust
Against pride
Against me
Until I die

[Verse 2: Flame]
Do you even have a clue
What happened to you when He died
When that tomb got rolled when He rose in the sky
I think we emphasis sin so much
That it makes us paralyzed
And glorify struggle so much
That it makes us terrified
And de-emphasize the fact
That we have been sterilized from our own lives and thus
We gotta snap out of it
We ain't in no straight-jacket, we free
When Jesus died in our lives something strange happened
He gave us power
Yeah I know that we sinners
Courtesy of lyricshall.com
But since He rose He's renewing the image of God in us
Now, we gotta start making war
Now we can start saying no
To them fleshy impulses that Jesus Christ is paying for
Now we can start taking the lead
Just like the Dalai Lama and start going all out like a suicide bomber
Whatever the sin is we gotta go go go harder
By His grace no time to waste and just just just like there's no tomorrow

[Hook:]
I make war!
Cause sin never sleeps
It's got me in a trance
You can see it in my dreams
I make war!
Man I beat my flesh
To the death, every breath
Like I beat my chest
I make war
Sun up
I make war
Sun down
I make war
Time in
I make war
Time out
I make war
Against lust
Against pride
Against me
Until I die

[Verse 3: Tedashii]
I'm a Christ representer, fin' to stand and deliver
Cause a lot of my believers struggle with their agenda
So I dropped this on an adat
Just so you could come play back
A hit to be encouraged that rocks you with truth from, way back
So listen up to it asap, like you do a Lecrae track
I'm spittin' written visions to put on heads like a wave cap
Sinning, naw we don't play that
Cause that's the way that a slave acts
I'm filled with the spirit so tell them dog this is payback
As you begin to copy the carbon copies of Christ
And conform to his written image you should be shinning a light
If you not, why is that?
Is it fear that's been grippin' you
Cause you scared they'll be dissin' you
Flipping birds while that spit at you
If you not, why is that?
It don't matter so bump it
Perfect love cast out fear and He ain't save us for nothing
This is a privilege (privilege)
Your life to give to Him (give to Him)
So stand firm for Him dawg and let's get it in

[Hook:]
I make war!
Cause sin never sleeps
It's got me in a trance
You can see it in my dreams
I make war!
Man I beat my flesh
To the death, every breath
Like I beat my chest
I make war
Sun up
I make war
Sun down
I make war
Time in
I make war
Time out
I make war
Against lust
Against pride
Against me
Until I die

In Hawaii

2011-09-15T18:16:00.001-10:00

Michelle and I are currently in Hawaii. As we have driving around today, I have been reminded by the enemy how impossible it is for me to insert my life back into Hawaii and reach people bringing them to a relationship with Christ. I have been fighting all night and day with being overwhelmed with how much I cannot do. As we drive around Kaneohe ad Kailua, I see that I don't know this place much anymore. Things have changed and I am not a local kid. The enemy used a good friend to discourage me today. He asked the question whether anyone coming with us had a seminary degree. This always reminds me that I don't have a degree and that I am not qualified (by man's terms) to lead a church. It has been a rough day. I have never felt so out of place here in Hawaii. So as I write, I want to let you know what the enemy has done to me today, not to question what God has invited us to, but to get desperate with me and beg God for some clarity and for us to see where in these towns He is inviting us. I am fighting as I write this to tell the enemy to take a hike. God has done too much for this all to be wrong. In fact, that we are here showing another couple what might be their life also and praying over an 18 year old missionary who is struggling herself, I am reminded that we are exactly where we are suppose to be, in desperation to see God at work. My heart is ready for God to shove the enemy into the eternal hole he belongs in. But I am also reminded of the 95,000 people just miles from me that will spend eternity with Satan in HELL. I am calling on all of you (and I mean all of you), we need your prayers and not just dinner prayers. We need you to desperately beg God for His revealing His work. Pray for Allie, she is being brave, but is hurting inside for those in Ohio. I am truly proud of her and thank God for her. Her courage is teaching me so much right now. BEG in PRAYER!

Praying for God to open our eyes

2011-09-13T11:14:00.000-10:00

It has been a little while since I last wrote. I spent my last week as the Youth Pastor at Urbancrest Baptist Church last week. I thought I would be a little emotional when finishing my last week, but I found myself calm and reserved (maybe that was the emotional, for most of you that know me I am not reserved). I have a great excitement for our students and Aaron Taylor, their new leader. I have come to admire him and do feel he will be a much better leader than I was, which is exactly what is needed right now for our students. But enough about that, here is what is going on in our world.

Michelle and I are headed to Hawaii wednesday with a couple of friends. One of those, Allie Kappes, is giving up a year of her life to work with Harlan Nakasome and the Chuukese people on Oahu. Allie decided right after our last trip there to spend a year as a missionary. While there, Michelle and I will be looking for opportunities to meet people and see where God is working. We are praying that God will open our eyes to people He is inviting to be part of a core team for the church plant. Praying we also see where in Kaneohe He might wants us. With 55,000 people there, we want to be where God is inviting us to join His work. I have a few meetings set up with some church leaders in hopes to connect with the Hawaii State Convention. Michelle and I will be looking at possible housing while there also. We also have a couple with us that is praying about moving their family their to work along side of us. We are praying for God to give them clarity in what He is leading them to. Please go to the Father for us this next week and ask God for some God sized moments.

When we get back home, we will be heading out to PA to preach at Ray and Katherine Henz's church. It is their Global Impact Celebration and we are hoping our Father will give us a support partner in this church. Then we come home and I have surgery and will be off my feet for a couple of days. It is going to be a busy couple of weeks.

Pray for us please, I am beginning to become aware at the immense task at leading a church. With each day I wake up, I become more aware at my weakness and my sin. I am realizing that Christ is the only one that can do this and I know what you are saying at this point, so what are we praying for you? I need to stay in this place of needing Christ and not relying on self. I have relied on self for so long, it has become an everyday lifestyle before saying yes to this journey. I find myself in a fresh place today. Having to wait on God to see His plan unfold. God has been so good to us, He has given us so much and prepped us for even more. Pray for some big things in Hawaii.

Shawn

Quick update on the church plant

2011-08-26T07:52:00.000-10:00

Hello readers of this blog. I wanted to give you a quick update on the church plant and our journey. We are beginning the fund raising process. I will be sending out letters in the next two weeks to friends, family and churches I have been connected with. We have been incredibly busy trying to get the house sold. There is a ton of painting left and hopefully it will be done this weekend. I have had to make some hard decisions about what I am going to do with my time. Since the church start is where we are going, I decided (through God's prompting) to stop schooling for a while. This will allow me to finish tasks on time and not feel so overwhelmed. Michelle and I are headed to Hawaii for a week in September to look at housing, meet partners, pray over the two towns that will be affected and show some friends Hawaii as they pray about joining this journey. Michelle and I then head to PA for a missions conference. September is going to be a busy month. Please pray for support partners (prayer, missions teams and funding). We need prayer the most and want as many people as possible to lift up this journey to our Lord. Pray for the house to sell by early September. Pray for churches in Kaneohe and Kailua, we want to be partners with them, not a threat. God is so good to us and we appreciate all of you who have joined us in this journey.

Shawn - Told you this would be quick!

Marinate ... not Microwave

2011-08-23T04:44:00.001-10:00

I know you are wondering why I titled this Marinate ... not Microwave. For the past three weeks this is what I am hearing in my soul. God is doing some incredible surgery on my heart and is revealing the selfishness I have lived in for so many years. I do love to see the Lord work, I just want Him to do it now! That is the issue of sin that is being removed out of my life. At our Launch Network assessment, we were told to enjoy the journey. Well, anyone that knows me knows that I hate driving, I would rather have a machine that zaps me to the place of destination. Time Machines need to hurry up and get here ... sorry, just my microwave heart showing up. The only thing I marinate is a steak and most of the time I have the heat too high to cook it so that the best flavor comes out. If I could, I would microwave that sucker. However, this is not the journey that God has me on. I have been reminded that I cannot take anyone where I have not been as their pastor. So the Lord's process is not mine, but isn't that scriptural (Isaiah 55:8-9). So pray that I will enjoy the journey and learn more about Him during this time of walking with Him.

Number two thing I am learning. I am self reliant in ministry. There are a lot of things that I have done in my strength and understanding for a long time. This is very unsettling for me and depresses me a lot. Before our softball games, 3 guys and I are studying the book "Experiencing God" together. I feel like chapters 1-6 have been my life, but then chapters 7-8 showed up. God has used this book to reveal the self-reliant issues I have. Everything in my life is out of my control right now but that does not keep me from trying to control them. Without God doing some really cool things we are not going to Hawaii anytime soon. Here is a list of things I cannot control:

- My house selling
- Urbancrest allowing me to stay on staff (finances a tight right now)
- Our funding both monthly and initially
- Core team members for the church plant
- When we get to leave for Hawaii
- Partnerships for this ministry
- Where God takes us during this journey

Okay, I know that many of you might be thinking that these are some big items but they should not affect me too much. Well in the words of my friend Bucky Allen "I am in a place of high RISK!" Everything is at risk in my life right now. The Lord has shown me the worthlessness of the things that I once thought I was in control of. While teaching Sunday Morning, the Lord spoke Psalm 73:25 into my heart - "whom do I have in heaven but You oh Lord, the earth has nothing that I desire." Well apparently, the earth has had much that I desire and through the "Experiencing God" study, the Lord has been kind to show me these things. So there is a lot of surgery going on in my life right now and I am thankful for it.

Finally, the Lord is doing some awesome things around us: two members of our church finished painting and repairing our basement, we sold my car, we have funding for one of the two plane tickets we need for Sept. 14th and our house is on the market while finishing repairs and painting. God has also drawn me close to Him and has revealed my desperation for Him. He is becoming the only thing I can truly rely on. Thanks for praying for us and please remember to pray for the nations that they would turn their lives to Jesus!

You will know when you need God ... it is when you can't do it!

2011-08-11T18:36:00.000-10:00

Desperation ... it is a place I don't like to be a lot. It usually means that I have failed or can't figure it out. Overwhelmed ... the word that I am using a lot these days. Inadequate ... what I feel about myself in this journey with God.

If I were not a King's kid, I would be in big trouble. However, I am reluctantly realizing these are great places to be in this journey with God. If I could accomplish what God is going to accomplish, I would not need Him and He would not get the glory or people drawn to Him. I have been reminded that I am in the middle of a God sized task and I can't do any of it. Desperation has begun to surface. This is when I see my need for Him the most. I am beginning to be desperate in some areas I need answers. I see that when others in the history of God's people were desperate, they would do anything to see God work. I am getting there! I am overwhelmed. I have way too much to do and to little time to do it. I also am feeling overwhelmed from the task that God has asked me to join Him in. However, I recently listened to a "Focus on the Family" show where David Platt said he was in over his head. Platt said this is the best place to be because when something great happens, there is no way for him to get the credit. Guess I just found my assurance on that one. Inadequate definitely describes the sum of what I am feeling. Today I wanted to dodge a Launch training meeting because I had become so confused on the subject of "vision". It happen to be the discussion point for today and the book I read went right over my head. Many things I had relied on have been removed or shown as shallow. Weak is where I am left tonight.

Now I know this sounds like doom, but after today I am left with the great expression of John 3:30, "I must decrease so He will increase".

I want people to see and love God. I want people to know that He is inviting them into the most incredible journey and that journey is built on an intimate relationship that He begins. I have been taught today that before I can lead anyone there, I must go there first myself. This is how I am encouraged. I am not struggling for no reason but am struggling with the future of our new church and the other churches that will be planted from it. With a God sized vision comes a struggle with God. It hurts right now, but I know God loves the people that I am going to be shepherding. I also know that God loves me enough to allow me to experience His provision during this time. This journey is truly God sized (at least for me, Michelle and the kids) and it will result in a God sized vision that will bring about God sized results. Pray for the thousands of lives that will turn to Christ through our church plant. Pray for my wife as she is feeling overwhelmed with the house selling. Pray for me to allow God to remove stuff out of me and for me to learn from Him. Pray I get this house painted and repaired and pray that God will connect 1000 people with this church plant.

I love you prayer partners, God is using your words to hold me together.

Humbled,
Shawn

Will we quit or push forward

2011-07-27T04:28:00.000-10:00

Well I believe we have suffered the first major blow in this journey. I was on a call of encouragement yesterday to one of my friends who leads a church and he was telling me how they are hurting financially. I tried to encourage him and remind him of who we serve. Then it hit me, his church was going to sponsor us $1000 a month. As we talked more, I realized that they would not be able to join us in this journey as a sponsor church. God was gracious to both of us and we had a sweet time in prayer over the phone. However, I left that conversation heavy hearted because of his discouragement and now the lack of funding. This is a big blow for us, but not one that I worry about this morning as I write. Last night was a different story, but God has been so good to us in this journey. Last week, we were given a promised gift of $5000 to go against our debt. That same week, we sold a bunch of big items which allowed us to pay the credit card bill on our assessment trip to Vegas. We also were given enough money, with the selling of items, to pay for our Launch training. So God has continued to affirm and encourage my heart.
Please continue to pray because we do need that $1000 a month but apparently we did not have it yet and the Lord knew this. This puts us at an unknown level of funding, so we are starting this process over. We are currently receiving $100 a month from two different donors (thankful for God at work in these people). Some of the churches and organizations that are promising to help fund the church plant will not start until 2012 and they do not know the amounts yet, so please pray for gifts to come in and help us print material, create a website, pay for two trips to Hawaii for vision and preparations (one is with Michelle and one is without), and finally for our house to sell! Thank you for praying, God has been doing the most incredible things with us.

There are more prayer requests that we have, please email gracecommunityhawaii@gmail.com to see these once a week. We desire your prayers so that you may see God at work on this journey and that we would partner together to build God's Kingdom!

Shawn

Forever Reign

2011-07-15T05:54:00.001-10:00

Well, it has been two weeks since I last updated and life has been extremely busy since then. Yesterday some of our youth ministry team got back from an incredible week of Emerge, our missions camp that we have joined First Baptist Kettering in. It was probably the last youth camp I will do with Urbancrest and was probably the last time I lead worship with the band that the Lord has allowed me to be friends with for the last four years. God was and is so good to us. I thought I would never be able to experience a Passion Conference style worship service as a worship leader (they are intense and the Spirit of our Lord is so present), but I was wrong. God did the most incredible things during our time of singing and response to His Word. Over twenty students put their YES on the table to go wherever Jesus sent them. Our students lead 22 people to Christ and the singing was so loud on our last night together that I could hear them over my monitors and me; that's saying a lot since I am usually too loud because I love to sing for our Lord. I still can't believe that God loves me that much to invite me to be part of it. He is so GOOD.

Okay, Emerge was the icing on the cake to what God had done last week. The Thursday before I left, I had the overwhelmingly opportunity to speak to four people from around the country, all with the hope to spread the glory and fame of Jesus Christ. The wild thing about those conversations were that I did not know any of them before that week. One of them facebooked me out of the blue. Still don't know how you got to me Aaron, but I am so glad you did. One of the conversations was a friend made a couple of years ago during our Global Impact Celebration. One of them was through a mutual friend and one of them was through our church heading to Joplin, MO and serving those who were affected by the tornado. Henry Blackaby, in his book "Experiencing God" writes how God can connect anyone around the world to His plans anywhere around the world. We are seeing that and are simply blown away. God is at work around the world and is inviting people to join His work in Hawaii. We have a couple of people praying about joining us for a year and a few others praying about joining us for the complete journey. While I write this, I cannot describe the feelings of joy and am overcome by God and His love for us. I still cannot believe that He would invite Michelle, our kids and myself into His work. He is also inviting others which is becoming way too much for me to take in. God is SO GOOD! I know I said it before, but He is. Which leads me to ask you to pray hard for a few things:

1. We believe that we need to take a vision trip with two other couples and possibly some singles this August or September. Michelle and I are still paying for the Las Vegas trip and we don't have the $2200 it would take to fly and rent a place for a week (Harlan is going to let us use His van while we are there). Please ask the Father to open His storehouses and pour this money toward us.

2. We begin our training with Launch next Saturday. The training is $500 and we need to get that in soon. Please pray for the funds to come.

3. We need to begin website work and promo fliers. This will begin at a cost of $1000 and then will be $25 a month for the website upkeep. We don't have this either but we believe this will allow people to connect with the church before we get to Hawaii.

4. We need to get our house ready to sell. I have not had enough time to paint, repair and clean. We also need carpet and I accidentally tore a hole in the flooring in our kitchen. I need help with yard work and out side cleaning and painting. Please pray for God to bring people that can help in those areas and for our house to sell. Wouldn't it be cool if someone bought it before we put in on the market!

5. Some have begun to send in their monthly support and I praise God for these givers. Pray that the Lord would connect us with more churches.

6. This has nothing to do with the church plant; but a friend of our's, Kevin Singerman, is taking several people with him to Africa monday to share the Gospel in two large villages that have never heard of Jesus. Pray that they will be close to Jesus and that out of that intimacy, many will turn to Christ.

7. Pray for our friends Ray and Kathering Henz. They are moving through their process of getting to the mission field and serve the people of Asia.

8. Pray for Chris Straw and his team as they join God in planting a church near downtown Lebanon two mile from Urbancrest.

9. Pray for our students as God might have connected us with a man to lead them.

10. Pray for my travels this Saturday as I finally get my family back. I have felt divided this week between the incredible intimacy with God and my family being in Memphis. I know what Paul talks about in 1 Cor. 7. My heart hurts for my wife and kids.

Thanks for praying for us and if you would like to receive prayer updates, please email Tanya and Eric at gracecommunityhawaii@gmail.com . They will get you on our email list. Thanks and draw near to Christ!

Soli Deo Gloria,

Shawn

We have email

2011-07-01T06:49:00.000-10:00

I would like to formerly thank and introduce Tanya and Eric Landess to our team. Tanya is going to help me get the word out here in Ohio. I am still trying to convince her and then Eric to move to Hawaii with us, but don't tell them yet. Tanya is going to help me fundraise and also be a communication piece. She has set up an email for anyone to contact the church plant. It is gracecommunityhawaii@gmail.com. If any of you have questions concerning the church or are praying about supporting this work, this will be the best way of getting ahold of us. Also, if you want to be communicated with about prayer requests, this will be the email we use on our prayer list. Tanya and I will be checking the email and will respond. So an answer to my personal prayer has been answered. Someone that is very organized and very connected with the world has joined our team and is coming alongside of us and sending us off well. Thanks Tanya and Eric. Oh, you may ask how Eric is part of the team. Well, Tanya sees her marriage as being led by Eric and has Eric's full support, Eric is part of this team also. They also have decided to support our work financially also. I am thankful or both of them and God connecting us so long ago through Judgment House. Welcome, Eric and Tanya Landess to our team! Maybe God will bring them to Hawaii one day too!

Pastor Shawn Peoples

Sorry for not letting you all know

2011-06-30T11:33:00.000-10:00

Okay, I said you would know the color, however I am stuck in a place not to lord it over those couples that I have become aquianted with that might not be approved through Launch. So I will just say that the Lord has greatly affirmed through Launch that we are planting a church in Hawaii. If you need to know the color, you can: email me, call me, text me, facebook me, message me on twitter or just send me a note through the mail. Other than that, I am off to teach Galatians 2 to a bunch of hungry students (probably for taco night and the word together). I will try and update this weekend.

Shawn

Out of intimacy

2011-06-28T11:31:00.000-10:00

One reminder we had last week that I have had a hard time grasping is "I am called to intimacy with Christ, not ministry. Ministry is the overflow of my intimacy with Him". Vance Pitman spoke so clearly on this subject. I often forget this and get ministry ahead of my intimacy. Today was about to be one of those days until God's Spirit intervened. I am thankful for a God who loves me so much that I can call Him Daddy, because He is my Daddy. I think this is an aspect of God we forget to concentrate on, His fatherhood on our lives. We talk about God being Lord, but we forget the intimacy that we have with our Daddy. I hope that does not offend you, calling Him Daddy. My children call me this often and I get to receive this name because our Father wears it well over me. I am honored to be called daddy because of the joy of being their father. I see God's love for me in such intimacy, that He is my Daddy and that He finds joy in being my Daddy (not that I have done anything but that He is the Father and a wonderful Father at that). I believe it is such an intimate word that many are uncomfortable with it. But we are called to intimacy with Him. Shouldn't we talk intimately with Him? Sorry, I am going on a tangent here. I simply want to remind you of what my Daddy reminded me of this past week. My heart is exploding right now because of His incredible love for me. I pray you will feel intimate with your Daddy in heaven this week. Know He wants to be intimate with you!

Pastor Shawn Peoples
One of His kids!

P.S. He is answering so many prayers right now, I am too overwhelmed to list them. I might write it down in a book though.

Quick Update

2011-06-27T10:26:00.000-10:00

Here is a quick update. I am sorry I am not able to expound on some of these, but I will when I know more details one certain item.

1. Made over $750 at our yard sale. I have decided to pay a medical bill off with this money. We actually have $1500 of large items left that I believe we will sell quickly over Craigslist.

2. Painting the our bedroom tonight and taking off wall paper in the kitchen this week. Will have an inspection done on the house mid-July to see if it is ready to put on the market.

3. One of the couples praying about going with us has decided that the Lord is not inviting them to Hawaii right now. We still find joy that the Lord has an awesome plan for them and that He is leading team members to come along side His work with us.

4. I start my second term of Summer classes at Liberty today. I have a paper from the last term due at the end of this week which will allow me to be done with the last term a week early. Pray I end well and start well at the same time.

5. Met with a great friend, Bryon Black, today about putting together some promotional videos inviting churches to join God's work in Hawaii. Looking forward to shooting some video with him. He does incredible work.

6. And this is really cool - We are officially joining the Launch Network. I have not received details yet, so I as get them I will let you know. Don't know our color either, soon we will find out.

Thanks for praying for us, God has been doing some sweet things in and around us.

Shawn Peoples

Now we wait (this post is a little long)

2011-06-24T08:41:00.000-10:00

Michelle and I have been assessed by the Launch Network. For those of you chiming in, Michelle and I spent a few days in Las Vegas with Hope Baptist Church and the Launch Network. The Launch Network's goal is to start strong churches by raising the leadership levels in the church plant's leadership. We spent 2 days with Mac Lake (the director and owner of a really cool name), Vance Pitman (Lead Pastor at Hope Baptist Vegas) and the assessment team. If you didn't know, I got a little nervous just before we left for Vegas but the Lord was so good. Before we left, I had prayed that the Lord would not allow me to be impressive on my merits and that He would keep me honest, without making things bigger than they are (a pastor's trait I have accomplished, you know with numbers). As Mac began the assessment, a lump rose up in my throat. He began talking about their color coding (Green = go with their blessing and no reservations / Yellow = go with reservations and a plan to help through some of the flags that have arose / Orange = not now, the lead planter needs to work on somethings before they begin the work - 6-18 months / Red = stop, don't plant which usually means that there is not a sense that the church planter and his wife would be successful). As he described this, all I could imagine was red or orange. I don't have confidence in what I can do. However, God brought to my mind a message left by one of my greatest friends, Nathan Sawyer. Nathan had called while we were in flight and said to allow the team to teach me and show me things I needed to hear. God used these words to settle my heart and then the fun began.

Michelle and I sat one on one for 50 minutes each with 5 different assessors in the areas of: personal growth planning, financial coaching, marriage assessment, personal counseling and a leadership interview. We also were blessed by 4 discussion panels by some awesome believers. These panels dealt with Calling, Risks and Rewards of Church Planting, Personal Growth and a reverse panel. Michelle and I also had separate meetings. She went into one for Church Planter's wives and I went into one for teaching. I cannot stop thinking about the things I learned. Michelle and I enjoyed the personal counselor the most. But that doesn't mean we did not love the other ones also. I enjoyed every minute of this assessment. I believe I will use this assessment to help people when they submit to a ministry call. The two days were some of the best two days of my Christian walk. I truly loved being asked, criticized, and affirmed by their team. When we left, I felt a greater confidence in my calling. Not to church plant, but to God. Michelle and I will hear from Mac Lake by next week where he will affirm our lives, show us areas to work on and let us know our color coding. If given green or yellow, we will begin a 6 month journey with them as they deal with leadership. I went into this time thinking they would see that I don't know how to church plant and walked out being more sure that God is doing the most incredible things in my life. They dealt mainly with Calling and Personal Growth. How incredible this time was and I am so thankful that my Jesus loves Michelle and I so much that He would send us to this time.

So this is where we are at. We are waiting on their call, we are still needing about $3000 to begin printing, create a website and book the first round of plane tickets. We are also waiting for God to reveal some team members that will come with us. The target to be in Hawaii is April 2012. We are hoping to be there sooner. Prayer partners, keep at it. God is doing some of the most incredible things in our lives! Glad I said yes and took His invitation to this journey! Here are some quotes from our two days being assessed that I am still chewing on:

The root of forgive is to untie (I am living this one right now)

Knee to Knee when talking (this was in our marriage counseling time and I see it as a great tool for me to concentrate on Michelle when we talk)

Conversation and Recreation go hand in hand (Michelle and I don't do a lot of recreation things together, mostly because of time and cost, baby sitters can be expensive. So we are looking for ways to talk more while do things outside of our home)

Whatever I am, others I lead will become! - Tom McCormick

Know the urgent vs. important and see the important as priority _ Tom McCormick

My primary calling is not ministry, it is intimacy with Christ - Vance Pitman (so good to be reminded of this)

Ministry is the overflow of our intimacy with Christ - Vance Pitman (yes, yes and more yes!)

What I do affects our family - Daniel Floyd

Calling requires an openness to change my will - don't remember who said this but it was good

Calling takes seasoning (there were at least 15 years between Paul's conversion and his first missionary trip) - Neil Cressy (mind blower right here)

Calling Keeps you in the Game - Vance Pitman (I needed that one)

God did not call me to start anything, He invited me to join His starting work - Vance Pitman (Amen)

God has created me to be me - Tim Wheat (This was one of the lessons I took away)

Our needs will only be met in Jesus - Melody Wheat

I am God's workmanship, when I criticize myself, I criticize God's work - Chip Judd (oh so good)

There are more but this post is already too long!

Shawn Peoples (Called to God and letting him bring me to the start)

Moving Sale List

2011-06-16T11:22:00.001-10:00

Okay, after a couple of days of pulling things out of drawers, closets and storage, we finally have an idea of what we are selling. You can click on the name of this listing (Moving Sale List above) for items we are selling or you can email me for a list with pricing. Unfortunately, we don't have $2000 worth of stuff but have over $1200 in things we are selling. This will go toward debt so we can move as soon as possible. Please pray we sell it all and for the prices we are asking for. We are asking low prices to get it sold.

Pastor Shawn Peoples
keonepeoples@gmail.com

Step Two is here

2011-06-15T07:17:00.000-10:00

Michelle and I leave Sunday night for Las Vegas and the Launch Network assessment. We will be meeting with other Church Planters and coaches that will see if we have what it takes to be a church planter. I have to admit that I am a little nervous about this. We don't know how to prepare and so pray has been our best preparation. We have spent a lot of prayer asking the Lord to keep us humble and not try to impress. I know that whether or not we are approved for training and financial support, God is giving us every indication that Hawaii is where we are going. So, we are trusting God to work through this for us.

On another note, Michelle and I have begun going through the house and clearing out items to sell. This will be our biggest yard sale ever! We have added a lawn mower, some tools, and a ton of small items from around the house. Praying for at least $1000, but hoping for $2000. This will allow us to pay for a website and some of our trip to Hawaii in September. June 25th is coming fast. I also will be selling my car soon. Probably in mid-July. This will put some miles on our van, but it seems to be working well.

Finally, it seems God has answered another prayer. We have been praying that if we sell our house by the end of summer, that we would have a place to live either for free or really inexpensive. About a week ago, one of our Legacy Builders in our church offered her house that she has been trying to sell for a while. If her house is still on the market when we sell ours, we can live in her house. I don't want to assume it is free of charge, but it seems to be that. I am grateful no matter which way it ends up knowing that we have a place to live. Now to get that house sold. Painting this week and next and then removal of wall paper in the kitchen. We need some help, so let me know if you are available to do some painting, cleaning or carpet installation. Then Clint Otto will be coming over to inspect and help us get the place sold. Ii has been a great house to live in. I hope God connects us quickly with a buyer. Thanks for your prayers, we keep watching God answer them. Here are more to pray for:

Our assessment with the Launch Network (also NAMB)

Yard Sale June 25th (wanting $2000)

Plane Tickets for September (need them to be inexpensive)

Help to get our house ready to sell

Selling our house quickly

Getting on the field by mid to late January!

Pastor Harlan Nakasone - He has kidney stones and is leading three church plants

Soli Deo Gloria,

Shawn Peoples

Cool Things happen on this journey

2011-06-08T03:48:00.000-10:00

We have had some really cool prayers answered recently. First, it looks like we have a logo and have a friend working on the next phase (printing). Second, someone has offered us a temporary house to live in after we sell our house and before we head to Hawaii. Third, Michelle and I celebrated 14 years of marriage last night. We took a riverboat cruise near Cincinnati. It was a mostly romantic night. I say mostly because there was a school of Junior Highers there that would not stay in one area. They walked all over that boat and made sure they were as loud as possible. I guess I'm not done hanging out with students. It was a great reminder the cool things God has done in my life and what He has taught me.

We are still getting ready for the Launch Network assessment in Las Vegas in a couple of weeks. Pray for us as we travel and for Nick and Suzy Killin as they watch most of our kids for those couple of days we are gone. Speaking of Nick and Suzy, they got married this past weekend. Suzy looked great and Nick did awesome. They are enjoying a house on Fort Myers Beach in Florida for their honeymoon which a mutual of ours has allowed them to use. I want pictures of the place when they come back.

Thanks for praying for us. For those of you that are wondering, we are taking in support through Urbancrest Baptist Church. If you would like to send a one time gift or the first of the monthly support that the Lord might be putting on your heart, please send it to Urbancrest and write the check to the "Faith Promise Fund". In the memo line write Hawaii Church Plant. This will allow you to have a record of giving. We will use any gifts now as seed money until we get on the field. Please don't forget about our yard sale June 25 in the morning. We are hoping to make over $2000 on the sale of our stuff. We will be putting out a bunch. Thanks for praying, looking to see what God does (or has done) next.

Shawn

Just a quick update

2011-05-31T11:03:00.000-10:00

This will be quick.

1. We have been officially informed that our assessment in Las Vegas with Launch Network will be shared with the North American Mission board. What does this mean? It means that we might only need to go through one assessment to be approved by both agencies for funding and accountability. However, this also means that we could be turned down by both agencies in one shot, so I praying that God would let me relax and not try to impress people.

2. Still looks like we are at the $7100 range out of $8900 needed monthly. Praying that God would lead 72 families to give $25 a month for two years to help being this church.

3. We have scheduled our yard sale for June 25th from 8am to 1pm. We will be selling couches, media centers, kitchen gadgets, electronics, queen size bedding, end tables, chairs, a desk, books, dvd's, toys, clothing, snow blower, some Christmas stuff, lawn mower, vcr/dvd player, speakers, trains, sports equipment, some tools, kids bikes, kitchen table, and bunch of stuff we have but wont be able to take with us. This will be the first of two yard sales to raise our moving expenses.

4. We will begin to work on the house and get it ready to sell. It needs painting in some rooms, wall paper removed from the kitchen, yard work, a landscape wall built, and probably new carpet. If anyone has a connection to any of these services for a very inexpensive cost, please let me know.

5. I will be selling my 2000 Toyota Camry CE at the end of the summer. I will be asking around $3700 for it.

Please pray for this and the revelation of the team God is building to be part of this church plant.

Jesus is Worth it All,

Shawn

(okay, that wasn't as short as I thought it would be)

The Gospel requires the Body to finish the work

2011-05-25T03:51:00.000-10:00

For whatever reason that God decided to, He has called believers to be the heralds of the Gospel. As I have been studying the church in Corinth, I am becoming more aware that God has put believers together to strengthen the efforts of the Gospel. Paul, in chapter 12 of 1 Corinthians, talks about the importance of the body. That God has put the body together and that parts of the body are different for a reason. Parts have different functions and that those functions in the whole are for the complete work of Christ. So what is the complete work of Christ. Acts 1:8 tells the church that IT WILL be His representatives throughout the world. In Matthew 28, Christ implores His followers to go throughout the world and MAKE DISCIPLES teaching them to follow the teachings of Christ. In Luke 19:10, Jesus tells everyone that He has come for the purpose of Salvation, in that there are those who are perishing and that He has come to save them from their eternal destiny. The church cannot deny this call. It is the purpose that the church is put together, to represent Christ in His mission to the world. It is the combined effort of the church to take the Gospel and allow the Spirit of God to work through the individuals of the church to seek and to save those which are lost. In saying this, I am asking everyone to pray for this church plant. It is going to take parts of the body of Christ around the world to see this church plant grow and multiply. It takes those who will carry the Gospel to Hawaii, it takes those who will pray and serve those carrying the Gospel and it takes those who will fund this church beginning. Everyone is important in this mission and it will take a multitude to see it happen. The wonderful thing is this is the way God has planned it. The body working together to spread the fame and Glory of Jesus Christ. Please pray for this new church and how you can be involved in the work of building God's kingdom. Maybe you are able to come and serve as a core team member or on a short term trip to help the church begin. Maybe you can commit your hours to pray or even supply needs for the church. Maybe you can help be part of funding this church as it begins. What is God inviting you to do in this plan.

To give you an update on where we stand. Michelle and I have begun to get rid of things in our house. We will have a yard sake sometime in June to begin liquidating items for the move. I estimate our need at $42,000. This figure is the cost of moving a small amount of household items, repurchasing vehicles, down payments on an apartment and meeting place for the church, cost of flights to move the family and do some vision work, purchase equipment for the church and to begin the actual work in Hawaii. Some of this we know we will raise through selling items but we will need others to give toward this. Our current church, Urbancrest Baptist Church, is beginning to take in funding for us. The first week they opened the account, someone put $50 in it. Praise God for this giver. We will also need people to give monthly to this church. our hope is to not need funding by the second year of the church so we can begin planting more churches. Our dream is 36 churches in ten years. God is calling us to do some great work, will you be part of it?

For God uses the foolish things of this world ...

2011-05-11T04:49:00.000-10:00

This morning I moved my study to the book of 1 Corinthians chapter 1. Realizing the person who was writing this letter, it is amazing that Paul was exhorting the church. Remember the work that Paul did before coming to Christ. My Pastor called him the Usama Bin Laden of the Christian church. He once hunted down Christians and approved of their demise. It is amazing to see that God will use anyone for His glory. I count it a joy that the Lord would call Paul to Himself and that I have been called to Jesus also. God will use anyone to bring about His work. Paul speaks into the the church's life about the work of the cross. It is foolishness for those who are perishing. What we do as Christians is absurd to the outside world. It does not make sense to leave Ohio for a land filled with so much plurality and sin. It does not make sense to sell everything to have to purchase used items in Hawaii. It does not make sense to uproot my family for no promised salary and that we have to rely on the world wide body of Christ to supply our needs. It does not make sense, but it is the work of God. It did not make sense to Paul when he was Saul. It was foolishness to him and he found a desire to destroy it because of its absurdity. However, Paul was changed in his pursuit of the church. In this pursuit to destroy it, he becomes part of it. It is amazing that God would invite him and I am still amazed that God would invite me. I am not qualified by any means. I don't have a degree, I have a large family and we are a committed to keeping my wife home to train our children. Yes, by the world's standards, it does not make sense. However, God doesn't check with the world before making a plan. He is righteous and sovereign. He doesn't make mistakes and is in full control of all things. I am amazed that he would use me, the foolish thing, to do such a great work. I have been set free by Christ to bring His story to the world, so that they might be set free and take His story to the world.

Recently, Urbancrest Baptist Church has set up a way for anyone who feels led to be part of this incredible journey financially. If you feel led or you know someone that the Lord is leading to give to this work, you can send finances to Urbancrest Baptist Church @ 2634 Drake Road, Lebanon Ohio 45036. Checks need to be made to the FAITH PROMISE FUND or Urbancrest Baptist Church. In the memo line write HAWAII CHURCH PLANT. This way there is accountability for the use of the funds and it allows people to have a tax write off if needed.

UPDATE ON FUNDING: Michelle and I (and Nathan) are heading to Las Vegas, NV for a church planters conference in June. We used a large donation made by a family member to afford this trip. Our hope is to be assessed by the Launch Network and eventually be supported by them. If approved by this network (training included) and approved by NAMB (North American Mission Board) we might only lack $1600 of our monthly support needed. The Lord is doing a great work. If you feel led to be a monthly contributor, contact Doss Estep at 513-932-4405. Doss is our missions pastor and can walk you through the process. Michelle and I will also begin to raise our initial support needed to move and equip the church. I recently raised this figure to $42,000. This will cover flights to go over early and make relationships with potential people and locations for Grace Community. It will also allow us to find a place to live. We plan on having a few yard sales before we sell our house. This money will go into the fund. We are going to be selling a ton, so pray we do. Near the end of summer, I will be selling my car and then selling our van just before we leave. Our house will go on the market by mid-July, we hope. God is going to provide and we get to be part of it.

Thanks for Praying for us,

Pastor Shawn Peoples

Take the world and give me Jesus

2011-05-06T02:51:00.000-10:00

As I sit and listen the Ascend The Hill's "Take the World, but give me Jesus" I am reminded of the hope that Christ has given us. This morning in Acts 25-27, I read the boldness of Paul as he used his circumstances to preach the Gospel in hopes to persuade all who listened that they would turn to Jesus. What incredible joy that Paul displays in Jesus, sharing how he was once a killer of Christians, yet through Jesus has been redeemed and his purpose is now fulfilled in Christ.

How many times do we see the circumstance we are in as a avenue to share Jesus? I am reminded of the way I was brought into sexual immorality and how our Lord has forever changed others through me and my circumstances. I see hope in my trials that Christ would not only make my joy complete but others that I am brought around by the Spirit of God. Some of you are hurting right now over decisions made by others. Will you waste it and pack it away or will you use it to show others the joy you have in Christ Jesus? I pray that your hope would be found in the same hope that Paul's was founded. That Jesus Christ is God, He loved perfectly and gave His life willingly on the cross to set us free. Not only that but that Jesus rose again from death on the third day and sits on the Throne of God sending to those who need Him hope. In that hope, that we who have broken the law, find redemption through His death and resurrection. That for those of us who have trusted in His power and life, we now have eternity with Him when our time is done on this earth. Paul held tightly to Christ as His hope, Michelle and I are learning to also. How about you? Do you see your circumstances as a means to gain more joy and to share Jesus' story in you?

We get to go to Hawaii and share Jesus' story in us. I know it is going to be hard and though there lays grand visions in my head about what might happen when we get there, the hope and joy of Christ will carry us through the trials, realizing that they are brought so we might share Jesus' story! Don't waste your circumstances!

Pastor Shawn Peoples

All or nothing!

2011-05-05T16:06:00.000-10:00

Today Michelle and I have been invited to the Launch Strong network of church planters assessment retreat. This organization trains and supports church planters. Vance Pitman and his church Hope Baptist in Las Vegas have become the Western US hub for this network. I was praying the past few days that we might be able to join this organization and learn from Vance and his staff. I am deeply honored that the Lord would allow us to go through their assessment process and see if we are doing things correctly. I have to admit that I have no clue what I am doing, but I am having a lot of fun being in this place. God has given me such a great excitement for this work and I know that He knows what He is doing! Please pray that we would be able to pay for the retreat and the plane tickets to get there. We already have a baby sitter(or two) who will stay with our kids while we are gone. We just have to come up with the $199 retreat cost and the plane tickets. If we are accepted into their organization then we will have another $800 to pay for training for our whole team and then support will begin. Some great churches are part of this network and we would glean great information from them. My hope is that they would lead us to become a church planting network in Hawaii. I want to lead and be part of a movement, not just one church. I believe God is honored in this and will bring a great harvest through it.

Just to let you all know, Michelle and I have a motto we are living by now. "All or nothing". We have no backup plan in case everything falls apart. Either we will be a part of something so incredible that words will never give God enough glory or we will fall flat and have to trust God for the way out. We both trust that God will lead us through this and whether it is His will or a mistake, walking by faith is better than doing what we can do in our strength. Pray for us that we will not quit living in total reliance on God! Thanks for your prayers and support. If you want to donate to the work, Urbancrest is setting up an account for you to send your support. We also will be creating an email list soon and prayer cards. I will write on this blog how you can get a hold of both.

Loving what God is doing in my heart right now. I hope I don't fool myself and walk in my flesh! Jesus is worth it!

Christ is Worth it all! Even the paperwork

2011-05-04T03:37:00.000-10:00

This is the time that some of my friends that have planted churches told me to beware of. It is a time where Michelle and I fill out every piece of paperwork that church planters must fill out. Some of this is to assess if we will be successful in church planting and some of it is for funding. I could feel myself becoming overwhelmed yesterday after a day of typing and talking about church planting. However, the Lord is good to remind me that it is His plan that I am part of and that I am to be faithful to what He asking us to do. This morning I awoke with a joyful heart toward the work that needs to be done. The cool thing I have seen is that there is absolutely no guarantee that Michelle and I will go through this process without trials and troubles, but it is worth it. That is the thought I have come to this morning, all of this is worth Jesus! I hate admin stuff and would rather just go interview with people and get this over with, however Jesus is worth every bit of paperwork and time that I spend in administrative things. My quiet time was spent in Acts 19-20 this morning. Paul had to deal with trouble every time he began to preach Jesus crucified and risen, so how can I not expect my flesh to rise against the preparation to preach Jesus crucified and risen. I am battling myself on this one! Dr. John Piper puts it best when he proclaims that there is "so little war" against our flesh. I see this as putting down the old flesh and picking up the power of the Holy Spirit. I know that bigger trials are awaiting us and that this is just the beginning of a long fight, but again, Christ Jesus is worth it. Pray for my diligence and that I will continue to find joy in this process. The enemy has tried to bring the fear of being in Hawaii without any support to my mind many times. I have responded with reminding him that God is worth even my failing! In the words of the great modern poet Lecrae

"in the times of the good, the times of the bad, or anytime that I had it all I will be glad!, I will boast in the cross, I will boast in His name, I will boast in His sunshine, boast in rain!"

Getting ready for the fight of my life!

Pastor Shawn

And the church plant begins

2011-05-02T08:12:00.000-10:00

I am overwhelmed at the blessings that people shared with us yesterday. I pray that as we now begin to shift toward Hawaii, that my eyes would continue to search for the work of God and that I would run from sin. Thank you to everyone who blessed us and shared the work of God in your life through us. Here are some things for all of us to pray over as our attention begins to focus on Hawaii.

Hawaii is consider 95% lost. This means that most of the people in Hawaii are destined for eternal separation from God the Father unless they turn from their sin and place their faith in Jesus Christ.

50% of Chuukese students drop out of school by the age of 14. The education system is hard for these children as they try to adjust to Hawaii.

20% is the poverty rate in Hawaii. Pray for the church to see this and be able to minister to those without.

55,000 is the number of people in Kaneohe, Hawaii where we will be planting the church.

4/12 is the month and year we hope to begin the work in Kaneohe!

God loves to show off

2011-04-29T08:54:00.000-10:00

   I know the title sounds a little arrogant, but really God loves to show Himself to His creation. We have found that to be true in these last few days. Since saying yes and beginning to walk with God on this journey, we believe God has already raised $5000 of monthly support. I am blown away at the works of God. I have just begun to get my paper work in for funding from the North American Mission Board (NAMB) and the Lord has raised up support through a few churches and friends. I love when God invites His people to join His work. That's exactly what Grace Community is, His Work.

   I have also been challenged by a book (Exponential by Dave and Jon Ferguson) I have been reading to dream big because you cannot out dream God. So I have been in prayer about what God might do with us. Have you braced yourself, here is the ultimate dream. 36,000 believers meeting in 36 different locations in Hawaii. Every location fully supporting 2 church plants and 2 foreign missionaries. That's over 2400 small groups with 4800 leaders and apprentices, supporting 72 church plants and 72 missionaries. This is what I have asked of the Lord to do with us. I know it is huge, but in God's eyes, it is just a small part of the Kingdom. God will have to bring a ton of people to this work and lead us while we lead them. To begin with, I am asking God to bring us ten leaders that I might pour Christ into so that they may begin to lead 10 others individually. These leaders will lead small groups and care for the souls of their groups. They will also, train ten leaders while they lead. We want God to multiply His work in us. Also praying that my dream has been birthed out of God's dream.

   I am also praying for a raise in support. A friend that is praying about joining us would be a great asset as a leader. I am asking God to allow us to pay him and take care of most of His expenses. This would take about $3000 more in support. Cannot wait to see how the Lord answers this one.

   This has been the most incredible time in my walk with Jesus. I have seen our Lord give us joy in all things that we are currently doing and will do. My children are greatly expecting our move with joy and our family is walking with us. Please continue to pray for us. I am in the process of connecting to a few other churches and networks. I also am beginning to partner with people in Hawaii for this work. Please also pray for our support both in prayer and finances. The initial thought was $8100 a month. Since that time, we have done some investigating on expenses and it looks like it will cost us about $8900 a month to begin this church (not including the added support I am praying for). I am not a bit concerned about the raised amount, just letting you know how to pray. Thanks for walking with us through this incredible journey.

Shawn

A new Journey Begins

2011-04-18T15:48:00.003-10:00

So what happened?

Fifteen years ago if you would have asked Michelle and I if we would be starting a church in Hawaii, we would have just walked away. Neither of us were responding well to the call to ministry that the Lord was extending to us before we were married. Fourteen years ago when we submitted to the call, church planting and missions were the last things I wanted from God. Praise the Father that He knows our lives better than we do. On March 20, 2011 Michelle and I put our yes on the table. We could no longer live without following God on a journey that is going to be incredible.

About 18 months ago, the Lord put a stirring in my heart to lead a church. I thought we would lead an established church, but the Lord patiently taught and led me though some hard times of growth. In September of 2010, Michelle said "I don't see you leading a work that is already existing, I see you starting something". I blew off that comment because I did not believe I was qualified. A few weeks later, two close friends shared with me that they would consider helping us with a church plant and that they believed God was leading me to this. I told them to be quiet and not to talk to me about it. As I brought the conversation up to Michelle, she again affirmed what she believed God was doing in my life. So we began to pray and seek the Lord in this. We thought it might be in Lebanon Ohio (where we are currently serving), but the Lord invited someone else into the work. I thought it might be downtown Cincinnati, but the Lord shut down this desire. We prayed toward Hawaii while I was on a trip there with a great team of believers and the Lord affirmed. The fear that I felt was tremendous and almost kept me from following through with my yes. However, the Lord's peace and joy won my heart. On April 7th, I resigned my position and we have begun our journey with the Lord. The Lord has already answered so many prayers and continues to affirm this decision through His people. So here we go!

Why Grace Community Church? Because I believe it describes the desire that the Lord Jesus has placed in my heart for Kaneohe, Hawaii.

Grace - What we have been given! It drives us to see that we can do nothing without Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit. We are going to make a ton of mistakes, but we know God's grace is big enough to correct those and lead us. We also recognize that without grace (the Cross) we would not have been invited on this journey, but would be forever condemned in our sin. Without Jesus and the faith that He has given us, my eternal destiny would be hell (Romans 3:10, 23-25, 5:6-10, 6:23).

Community - What we believe that Lord wants us to be, which is a Community of Christ exalting believers that are bound by His spirit and one in our direction. We believe our community should grow from its members and that each member be able to use the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the talents that the God has equipped us with. When we gather, with one heart, we should proclaim the greatness of God. When we are not near each other, we should pray for and contact each other to care for each other's souls and well being. We are to be one in Christ Jesus and are to dedicate our lives to the Word of God, Fellowship, the Gospel and Prayer (Act 2:41-44).

Church - I have grown to see the true meaning of this word. It is the body of Jesus, in its many parts, put together by Him (Romans 12:4-5) for Him (Colossians 1:16-17). The church is here to proclaim the majesty of Jesus Christ. We exist to represent Jesus to those who are near Him and those who are far from Him (Acts 1:8). We exist to show people that God is magnificent and that He is in-love with them. We exist to be agents of reconciliation within marriages, families, the hurting, the dying and the lost (Micah 6:7-8). We exist to see God show Himself off (Isaiah 26:8) and that our representation of Jesus would be reproduced and sent across the world in that all people are drawn to Jesus as we lift Him up (John 12:32).

We are truly excited about this Journey of Grace Community. We believe God will grow our faith exponentially. Please join us as a prayer partner, a financial supporter or a fellow team member (maybe all three). We hope that you will see the Lord's work through us and be encouraged to join Him also. Here is a prayer list to begin on!

Monthly Funding - About $8100 a month (Hawaii is expensive and we need to be wise on how we use this money)

Initial Start up - About $35000. Much of this will be out of our pocket since we are selling our cars and house. Hopefully this will come quickly and allow us to prep the work from here in Lebanon Ohio and get to Hawaii soon.

Other Team Members - We believe that God is calling other people to be part of this work in Hawaii. Please pray that we will connect with people God is inviting to this work and that we will have the same vision and passion.

For relationships in Kaneohe - Pray that our team can build relationships with those that do not follow Jesus. We desire many to follow Christ and enjoy Him forever.

For our family - One of the greatest challenges to missions is family. We want to show our children God and for our extended family to love God more through this. Michelle and I also want to lead our family well and not forsake the calling to parenthood that God has given us.

To be debt free - Michelle and I are close to being debt free. We need this bondage removed to allow our family to live on little and give much. We also believe that our church is to live this way and not put itself in a place of bondage by borrowing money for the work of God.

For Christ to be Exalted - What He has called us tos. He is worth any sacrifice, struggle, praise and prayer. I hope that we can transmit His glory to others.

Finally, God has lead me to this thought - "It is hard to see our need for Him when we put ourselves in places that our strength and understanding can be used. It seems that when we go on journeys that we cannot rely on self, God shows Himself to be worth it all. We need God right now!" Simply, when we are put in a place where we need God, we start looking for Him and He shows up and shows off. We always want to see our need for Him and not lean on our own understanding!

Soli Deo Gloria,

Lead Pastor Shawn Peoples (man that sounds awesome, thank you Jesus!)