Pastor James’ Blog

I was excited to get an e-mail from Bro. Jonathan Russell, pastor of Raymond Road Baptist Church in Jackson, MS about the fact that they would love to help us out with collecting plastic easter eggs, filling them with candy and verses and even delivering them to us!  We are “shooting” for 6000 eggs but wouldn’t it be awesome to get 10,000?  These will be used for a community wide event the day before Easter to share the good news of Jesus with the community.  See Bro. Jonathan’s blog to his church family here:  http://insidethepastorsmind.blogspot.com/2009/02/chance-to-help-our-partner-church.html

Raymond Road is a new partner church for us and they have already been a blessing to us. Pray for them as they work to reach their community and also help us.  Pray that God will shower blessings on their local church because of their love for souls and missions. 

NOW……..maybe you, your church family, your youth group, your senior adult ministry or someone would like to partner with us to collect and fill some eggs to help us out. If so, please let us know so we can “count on you hatching some for us!” —  Thanks to all who are so good help us at Life House!

Keep praying for us ..come see us ….and know we are your mission in Texarkana seeking to reach souls for the kingdom.   Blessings…Pastor James

   It hit me yesterday that in a few short days — April 8, 2009  — I will celebrate 30 years in the ministry.  It seems like only yesterday that the Lord spoke to my heart and pressed me to follow His calling.  It is forever etched in my mind how that one day (after many months of resisting His call) at the old Richmond Road Baptist Church in Texarkana, Texas I finally went forward during the altar call and surrendered my life to serve the Lord in ministry. I was overwhelmed, scared and certainly felt inadequate for the task before me. 30 years later here I am in Texarkana, Arkansas serving as a church planter for the North American Mission Board helping to plant a multi-ethnic church – who would have ever thought it. Cindy and I have shared some great years together in ministry. We’ve seen some wonderful victories, souls saved, churches grow and made some awesome friends. We have been blessed beyond measure and those blessings continue even to this day.  Sure, we’ve seen a few hard times. Yes, we’ve experienced dealing with some in the church who were less than cooperative and didn’t want churches to grow.  But one thing for sure…we’ve seen people that were hungry for God, desired to reach souls, were willing to work, pray, give and do whatever it took to reach out and grow a church for the Lord.  We’ve had a great journey these past 30 years and I wouldn’t “take nothing for my journey now”.  Where to from here? Well, my prayer and hearts desire is that I/we can continue to serve the Lord wherever He places us and be found faithful…reaching lost souls, teaching the Word and growing churches that are centers for evangelization. I want to be found faithful when this road of life ends or Jesus comes back in the clouds to call us home.  Thank you Jesus for allowing us to be a small part of your kingdom’s work for these past 30 years.  Give us even greater days ahead and souls for our labor.  Till Jesus comes… ON MISSION FOR HIM.  Pastor James

    The winter time is almost over and with it comes warmer weather and the chance for Life House to “get out” of it’s building and into the streets. Already we have one group of people coming to Life House as their “mission trip” in March and we are excited to have them help us out for two days.  Watch our online calendar and soon we will be posting upcoming events, services and changes.

One change that is coming, which we feel will be a positive one is the time change for our adult life groups.  Right now all life groups meet on Wednesday night. Starting Monday night, March 9 at 7 p.m. we will begin having Adult Life Groups on Monday night and continue having youth and children’s life groups on Wednesday night. We will continue holding the weekly “Senior Adult Game Day” from 1:00 to 3:oo p..m. on Wednesdays and our “Safe Haven Ministry” (open gym for all area students) from 4:00 to 6:30 p.m. – and then have the youth and children’s life groups meet from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m..  This change will enable “all hands” that are willing to be involved in our growing youth and children’s ministries on Wednesday night and also help the adults be able to focus on spiritual growth and leadership training for themselves on Monday nights.  One thing for sure – if the “move” doesn’t accomplish all that we feel it should – we aren’t “locked in” to anything – we just change it back.  That is one of the beauties of a “simple church” – you DO whatever is best for the church family at any given time without being afraid that something “failed.

Pray for us and get involved as you can. Also, IF YOU HAVE A CHURCH HOME and yet you would like to become involved with us on Monday Nights for Adult Life Groups – please know you would be welcome to join us as we study the Word and grow. Bring a friend or two also!  There is always room for YOU!   

Well better get off here and head out — as it’s another day and much to do….

Blessings….   Pastor James

    Well – maybe not a truck load but as many as we can accumulate.  Life House Children’s Ministry would love to be able to reach out to the children and families of our community this year with a community wide HUGE Easter Egg hunt.  We would desire to  touch as many homes as possible.  We NEED plastic eggs with wrapped candy inside and each egg to contain a verse of your choosing – written/typed out in it.  This would be a great project for a church, youth group, ladies group or even YOU. Would you be willing to promote and help us get as many “eggs” as possible by Sunday, March 29?  If we could get several churches/groups to help us on this as well as the members of Life House we feel that we will be able to collect all the eggs we need to make this outreach event happen. HELP if you feel led, want to or can.   We will be glad to make arrangements to come pick them up or whatever so that this can be a HUGE event to bless this community with LOVE, THE GOSPEL and HOPE.   

PLEASE CALL myself, the church office and leave a message or send me an e-mail and let us know that you, your church or group would be willing to help us out as soon as possible so we can begin making plans. THANKS.  Praying for helpers…. Pastor James

Pastor’s Cell:  903-278-0984, Church Phone: 870.216.1936 – E-Mail: jross@life-house.us

As a mission we have many “NEEDS” (really wantsthat make life easier in the life of a church).  One of those needs was an electric stove. God sent that yesterday and it’s beautiful!  The “cool” thing was that there was already a plug in the kitchen area that was made just for the stove so we are not “cooking with electricity”!  LOL   

The other need we have is a “biggie” but will come as God provides. We really need a “kitchen makeover”.  It’s a big GOAL but we have all of the appliances …  we need water installed, sinks, cabinets and counter tops.  We have NO real kitchen – just a room with refrigerators, freezers, stove, microwaves and some shelves. It really needs a touch from someone who has the gift to make it look great.   SPREAD THE WORD…IF you know someone who can do that kind of work…and has a heart for missions…and is willing to help us out…tell them to give me a call. WE NEED them BAD.  Maybe it would be a good missions trip for a group of men to come to Texarkana and help us out in this area. It would be a great blessing and enable us to better serve the events we host as well as our dream of being able to properly have a Summer Program for area youth this summer……

SO…………. The Words says…”YOU HAVE NOT BECAUSE YOU ASK NOT”…well we are asking the Lord to continue providing for us and we are asking YOU to spread the Word in your church and if there is someone or a group of “someones” that would like to tackle this project – again  tell them to call me ASAP! 

Thanks to the person(s) who donated the stove and to ALL who have done anything in these past 10 months to help us get things “in shape” and grow.  God blesses those who give and work for the kingdom sake.  

It’s lots of fun to stand back and watch as God provides time and time again for this new mission. He sends confirmation weekly that this mission was HIS doing and that HE will provide.  Keep praying for us and come see us – SOON!  Pastor James

DO NOT READ this blog unless you really want to be slapped in the face with reality in the mainstream church today.

http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/edstetzer/

One of my friends,  who pastor’s a church in Mississippi,  has a blog and I love reading his thoughts almost everyday.  His church is one of our partner churches.  The blog talks about baby christians and believe you me – there is a sermon it it!  I challenge you to read it prayerfully and apply where needed.  Be careful though and not get stuck by your diaper pins as you take your diaper off to put on your big boy or big/girl pants. (LOL)

http://insidethepastorsmind.blogspot.com/2009/02/baby-christians.html

Thanks Bro. Jonathan for a word well written.  Truth comes in many forms – even in blogs!

Pastor James

Yesterday morning during our coffee shop time before church one of the little boys came in with a sack full of jonquils that he had picked. He had carefully picked them, wrapped the stems of each one with colored paper.  His goal, his heart and his misson was to give every lady at Life House a flower yesterday. He came in the front door and started handing them out immediately.  He did it with little fanfare. He didn’t make it a big production…he simply would get a flower out of his bag and hand it to a lady. No big speech, “look what I did’s” but rather a simple little act that totally blessed our ladies.  He was a HIT with them. The ladies at Life House were really touched by this little act of thoughtfulness from an 8 year old boy. Many times we want to be involved in GREAT ministries, GREAT productions and GREAT events. Many times we want to make sure everyone SEES US and gives us the appreciation we feel we deserve for every act we seek to do.  This little boy sure taught several of us a lesson….little things mean alot. That little boy couldn’t have given out $100 bills and made a bigger impression or touched the heart of our ladies like he did with the simple act of giving a beautiful yellow field flower to them.  Great sermon…just wish I had preached it instead of him!!! LOL    Keep preaching by your love and life…those are the sermons people remember.  Pastor James

The weather is great and soon we will be hitting the streets again to reach out to people in our target area with the love of Jesus.  This morning I preached on “Made For A Mission” and shared three areas we should be “on mission” in.  Life House Church started from the very beginning as a missions minded mission.  We give over 10%  to missions causes and we physically try to go into the community and share Jesus.  We are 10 months old and began with a small handful of people.  Being a member of the Life House Church family requires commitment.  As with any “new” adventure there are those who “sign on” at first because of the excitement of being a part of something new and different. When Cindy and I attended Church Planter Training in Oklahoma the statement was made that the church planter shouldn’t be surprised that “several who started with you in the beginning won’t stick or stay because they started out with good intentions but won’t follow through with real commitment.”  As a pastor it always grieves my heart when people “talk a good talk” and then don’t follow through.  We are blessed at Life House. Out of all those who started with us – we have 98% still committed and active – it’s the 2% that breaks my heart. Rev. 2:10 speaks of being faithful until death. The work before our church is going to require faith, love, hard work, prayer, hard work, prayer and more hard work and prayer. No one ever said it was going to be easy planting a multi-ethnic church but it is a blessing.  God has blessed it beyond our wildest dreams – over and over again.  As a church family we must re-commit ourselves to the vision, mission and work if we are going to reach souls for Jesus.  We must refuse to allow ourselves to use “any old excuse” for not keeping our commitment to God, the church and our fellow believers.  It’s time to get the work boots on and hit the streets.  The service this morning really touched my heart as we worshipped, studied the Word and then fellowshipped at the end.  God is doing a great work and has more blessings on the way – so get ready church!!  It was even great to have a few new adult faces with us – and they were invited by Life House family …WAY TO GO CHURCH!  Keep loving, reaching out and working for Jesus…till He comes.   I’m excited as much or more now than ever before about the future for Life House Church. Pray for us and church family – one more time – “GET YOUR WORK BOOTS ON” — renew your commitment and join me in reaching souls for Jesus.  I love you Life House family.  Pastor James

   Last night there was nothing special going on…except for the first time in a long time our family was all together under one roof – OURS!  It was great to have Josh & Kimberly, Clint and Tami home with “Mama, me and the four dogs”.   Clint and Tami even brought our “grand-dogs” too – Bella & Bubba.  With everyone that makes 12~!!!!    We didn’t “do” anything special – just hang out. We looked at some pictures on facebook of people who were in our lives through the years…had some great laughs and most of all just spent time together.  In all of life there are few things that are really that important but one of them is being with those you love.  While jobs, distance and etc make it next to impossible to spend much time with each other on a regular basis…it’s great when you get the chance to.  Cindy and me are very blessed. We are blessed with jobs, nice house, good friends, good dogs, clothes on our backs, food to eat, great church family and ministry and blessed to have great sons and daughters in laws.  We may not be rich in this worlds goods (and that’s OK too), we are abundantly blessed in so many other ways.  Family…it’s good to be together. Stop and thank God for yours…and give them a hug and an “I love you” real soon.  I’m glad that we will all be together for “now” and because of Jesus – eternity.   Pastor James