December 2010

This year Laura and I are coming to Christmas with a year of "challenge" behind us. There is nothing wrong with hard work and challenge, but it isn't something you usually choose. I once heard a Texan utter sage wisdom, "A dog could eat a skunk, but why bother." Given those choices, I'd probably be happy with Puppy Chow. I wouldn't call this past year "the year of the skunk" (Chinese calendar?), because we made the choices that brought us here. Those choices all had to do with one thing: believing that the Lord wants us to lead a church that reaches the lost, making disciples who make disciples who make disciples. I've explained this to people and they look at me like I'm wearing camel fur and eating honey-roasted grasshoppers. But one thing is undeniable: The Lord has given Laura and me the same deep sense of conviction and leading (having had the same rocks fall on our heads, apparently).

As a result of these challenges, we've both been in the Word, together, praying and seeking God. We've seen the Lord close doors, open others and provide at just the right times, sometimes in the 15th hour. We memorized Psalm 27 together and each time we review it, it becomes more like a prayer. I was praying the other day, very aware that the Lord had worked carefully to get us to this place of heart and mind (and finances and broken car and desperation) to really have to depend on Him, to wait on Him and to be patient and faithful in all things. I remember thinking, "This is where the proof of your love for Christ and trust in His leading is shown for what it is." "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him," sounds funny followed by, "Ho, Ho, Ho, Merry Christmas," but it might have more to do with Christmas than I realized.

Here are some things for news and prayer.

Janae sounds like she is making a good, slow, blessed transition to ministry, Germany and God's generosity. Since leaving in August, she's been in Holland, Germany, Malta, England, Helena and Gary's apartment and now in her own apartment. The Lord just gifted her with a kitchen and appliances and all sorts of stuff. It's neat to see the Lord bless like this.

Gary and Helena and Carmen and Jonas and Juliette have a very exciting life…everyday. Besides this, the Lord blessed them with a very good Transform 2010 outreach. "Blessed" is a good word considering that so many things went "wrong" to the very end. But this is how the Lord teaches patience and trust and all those other faithful follower things. What a blessing they didn't give up. Now they are in swing to lead Transform 2011 and keep learning to be a couple and a family and followers in the middle of an exciting life.

Alisa probably wouldn't call her life in Atlanta exciting. Sleeplessness and routine and busy are more descriptive of her residency at Grady. But we are all proud of her and extremely amazed to have someone in the family who does C-sections (my little Alisa) and someone we can call for medical advice.

Greg is in Dallas putting on a tough front (ha, ha, ha…that's who he works for, "TUFFRONTS"), slaving for a living. We're looking forward to seeing Greg and Alisa for a "Kachikis Christmas in Kansas."

At New Song we're praying and planning to begin reaching out in a local elementary school. Eight of us have gone through training with CEF to do afterschool clubs and now we'll get ready to begin in January. This is exciting for a couple of reasons. First, we want to have a helpful impact on our community for Christ and this is a great way to do that. Second, we want all of our life groups to be outreach / project oriented. This is our "beta" life group and it's the way to begin if we really want outreach and service to be a part of our DNA. Pray for us. We've done some great learning in our "beta" discipleship cell. There's nothing like reality to confirm conviction. We're launching a Life Group, reaching out, trying to hook up to the Acts 29 church planter's network and praying like crazy that the Lord would allow us to see fruit and see a culture of disciple-making grow in the center of Olathe.

Just in time for Christmas I memorized Isaiah 53. We're told to imitate Christ (Eph. 5:1) so I thought it might help. Who in their right mind would want to imitate Jesus? Obviously, you can't imitate what He did, but Paul (& the Holy Spirit) both think we can serve as He served. And it all involves choice and risk and work and loss and a focus on loving God and being willing to die so that others might live. That's what Christmas is all about, but that's also what life should be all about for those who know Christ.

"Christmas" was a lot of work for God. "Christmas" meant a lot of sacrifice for the Son. "Christmas" had a huge price tag to buy something that is precious to God and impossible for us: our salvation, our redemption, our adoption as children. The verse in Isa. 53 that gets me is, "He shall see the fruit of the travail of His soul and be satisfied." When Jesus sees the redeemed, He thinks it was all worth it. Will that be any different for us? Those who hunger now will be satisfied. Those who work and sacrifice now so that the lost can know Christ will celebrate, even now in trials. That's Christmas and we're living it.

May the Lord grant you a mega celebration of the coming of Christ as you let others know why He came and what it means for them.

In Christ,

Dan & Laura

P.S. If you have any CEF material, flannel graph stuff, illustrated songs, etc…you're not using, send it our way. Also, as our activities kick up, so are our expenses. As a baby church with no mommy, we can use all the help we can get, so if it's prayer, please pray, and if you are able to give, it would be deeply appreciated & well used.