Renovation

May 2012 - while we were in Ecuador - a friend from Phoenix emailed us to inform us that our Associate Pastor from Crossroads Nazarene Church had accepted the calling to "restart" an existing church in the Biltmore area of Phoenix.  Were we interested?  Yes.

Fast forward to October 2012 when a core group of people began to meet, plan and support the vision of bringing a vibrant and living church into a neighborhood that has everything.
The church campus is huge and includes a Children's building, a gym, offices and sanctuary, all of which needed to be renovated.  " He who began a good work..."...groups poured in to help with installation of new lighting, ripping up carpeting, transforming a loft into a coffee bistro, painting, trimming, moving walls, tiling, planting and landscaping.  The interior and exterior of those buildings were all affected and revitalised for their purpose..."will carry it on to completion..." to share the gospel..."until the day of Christ Jesus."

Another church, open for business in America...and, "we were confident of this, that He who began a good work (in you) will carry it on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ." (Philippians 1:6)
We know of new church starts in Chicago and Portland and Ambato, Ecuador with young couples  who have sacrificed because they know..." at the proper time they will reap a harvest if they do not give up." (Gal.6:9)

 Our church was under renovation, but the process is actually its name: Renovation Church. The name symbolizes that the people who attend are under renovation and are being renovated.  That's God business: He starts that good work on the interior and exterior of us and carries it on to completion.  We are being transformed, taking our vibrant and living selves into neighborhoods that have everything....but Christ.
We launched today, March 24, 2013.  And..."to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power..." (Ephesians 4:20) we had 400 in attendance.

And, Easter is coming!







Want a miracle for your interior and exterior?
Find a church, get involved, and let the renovation begin!


This work is part of our Steppingstone journey.  Stay tuned....we know our next step!
Keep looking up,
   Jim and Linda

The Best Bundle of All!

Bundle.  It's not what it used to be. We can remember when  "bundle of joy" referred to a newborn baby, and during the winter months, we used to "bundle up." In reference to money,  we could "make a bundle," "lose a bundle," or "save a bundle!"
But move over old bundle - you have been confiscated by our business world - coerced into a new-bundle definition, which is enough to make us a "bundle of nerves."

Now, "bundle" refers to a combination of products that promise to save us money and make our lives more efficient. For example, customers can buy double pack, triple pack, or personalized technology bundles, which include HD, DVR, unlimited calling, wireless, entertainment packages, or TV+ phone + Internet that operates at breakneck speed.  Buyers can get more for less or less for less. They can buy a subscription or sign a contract.
But, it's not just technology that offers bundles.  Hospitals are implementing bundles, which are a series of health practices especially designed for the need of a patient that, when followed, greatly improve the wellness of the individual.

There is more. Creative writers can create their own blogs and add a bundle of products to make the blog more competent.  The blogger can bundle Stats, Traffic Sources, Followers, Slideshow, Share it, and umpteen other gadgets to create one extraordinary blog.
Not into bundling your blog? Then bundle your insurance. Insurance companies offer policyholders home, business, and auto bundles. Bundling this package promises to reward consumers with a bundle of savings.

   So, we see that just by bundling, we can add and add and add.  A consumer can possess, experience, sustain, and own, not just one bundle, but a flock, a gang, a bunch, and a cluster of bundles.  We can personalize our own bundles or subscribe to a fixed one. Actually, bundles can make life easier and simpler because they are a network of services that reflect lifestyles.

You might think, 'I don't have any bundles.' or  'My family doesn't have a single bundle to its name.' We propose, if the world has bundles, why can't we, who pray for each other, claim that we pray bundles of prayers for those whom we know as well as for those whom we have never met?  Someone is praying for you, so you are included in someone's bundle of prayers.  If you are praying for someone, then you have included someone in your bundle of prayers.  When Christians bundle prayer, we don't look for the best deals around or pray a package that promises to reward.  We don't have to buy a subscription or sign a contract. We aren't looking to save money or make our lives more efficient. We are praying sincerely on behalf of someone and our  prayers reach a powerful God with the speed of a thought.
We are praying because Jesus gave us the example, and we are obedient. Think of it this way, when many people add us to their prayers, we are in a caboodle of prayer bundles and God is listening. We have a wireless, personalized, and an unlimited-calling prayer line.
After all, prayer is a habit that reflects our lifestyle.

Who's in your prayer bundle?  And, in whose prayer bundle are you?

If we don't pray for each other and the needs around us, we will never experience a bundle of answers to our prayers, which is the best bundle of all! 
  "The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." (James 5:16b)

Keep Looking Up!
    Jim and Linda