As I was going around the house closing windows before going up to bed late one night last week I saw my first UFO. I would have grabbed the camera so that I could have been the next guy to have 50,000 views on youtube but I was so awestruck by what I saw that I couldn’t pull myself away from the sight. It was about 12:30; Cher, Erin, Aaron and I had just finished watching a movie that my ‘stache would be shamed by if I made public what that movie was. I stood captivated at the window by three brilliant lights in the corn field on the east side of the house. The lights moved back and forth, low, close enough to the ground to stir up the yet unplanted soil. “I knew it,” I said to myself, “Crop circles are real!” (though there weren’t any crops yet).

Then it hit me. “That can’t be a UFO making crop circles. There aren’t any crops in that field. In fact, it hasn’t even been planted yet.”

To be honest that whole story elapsed in less then two seconds. While I was caught off guard by the bright lights and the dust I quickly realized, even though it was 12:30 in the morning, that it was the farmer working hard, working long through the night and even into the morning to plant his field.

While my observation, investigation, and determination of the tractor only took a few seconds, the application, in my mind, of the farmer preparing and planting his field at 12:30 in the morning worked in me as I laid in bed, remained in my mind in the morning, and has stayed with me all week.

Immediately after realizing that the farmer was working hard and late I remembered Paul’s words to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2.

2 You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, 2 and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 3 Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. 5 An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. 6 It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. 7 Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.

While this whole passage speaks to working hard I obviously focused in on the farmer and in Paul’s words was reminded that the farmer must labor hard before he receives any of the crop, for if there is no hard work there is no crop even to have.

And though it may seem strange, I can’t tell you how motivating seeing a trinity of bright lights moving back and forth across a corn field can be; how hard that makes me want to work.

Yet at the same time that I know I must work hard I know that I’m entering into the labor of another Trinity, The Trinity, and Their work that They are accomplishing in DeKalb (John 4.38). This is where the Gospel is at work in my life and in my ministry. For while it’s up to me to work hard in the city for the Gospel it is because of what Christ has accomplished in His death, burial, and resurrection that we’re even striving to plant a new church here. Too it’s the work that God the Father, Jesus God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are doing in DeKalb that honestly we’re just participating in. So, even though the fields here are just now being planted and won’t be harvested for about four more months there is already harvesting to be done as I know God is working in the hearts of many people here in DeKalb and that many are ready to hear and receive the Gospel.

Knowing this, that The Trinity is at work in the city of DeKalb, that God has prepared people to hear and to hear and receive the Good News of Jesus I’m moved to work even harder than I am by a trinity of lights planting a corn field at 12:30 in the morning.

I’ve also been encouraged this week by Aaron Oneal, our first staff/intern. I’m starting to see Aaron settle into a hard working schedule and seeing how he’s gaining perspective into his new role here with The church in DeKalb. Aaron has a tremendous amount of potential and I’m looking forward to watching him develop as a leader and a minister of the Gospel.

In less than two weeks Lynne Reasoner will also be joining us from “the strange and foreign land” of Texas (at least it was strange and foreign to me while Cherron and I were down there while in seminary). We’re looking forward to Lynne arriving and joining our team, helping us with our children’s ministry, some college ministry and lending a hand in the administration end of TcD.

We’re looking forward also to having our third Sunday morning worship gathering this Sunday June 7th, 10:00am at The House Cafe. So far The House has worked out as a great place for us to gather for worship. Not only have we been able, obviously, to come together in a safe place and worship God, celebrating our newness of life through the Gospel but having “church” at The House Cafe has given us the opportunity to preach the Gospel publicly and to have it heard again by people who we’re anxious to see discover the truth of Christ and the Gospel.

As always, there is a lot happening in DeKalb and with our new church plant in the city. Here are some ways that you can work with us this week as we work with Jesus.

Prayer:

Tomorrow is Cherron’s 35 Birthday…oh my! Praise God for an awesome wife who is a great partner in ministry, and who is a great mom to our kids. Cher likes to be very hands on in our ministry so pray that God would give her opportunity to grow some relationships with some of the ladies of TcD, and to begin new relationships with other ladies in the city. Pray that Cherron would have opportunity to see ladies come to Christ and grow in Christ under her ministry to them.

Pray we have another successful worship gathering on Sunday. Pray for good turn out. Pray that our worship and presentation of the Gospel both in song and sermon would communicate well to those who gather with us. Pray that as we continue to worship publicly, and move closer to meeting weekly, that our influence in the city would continue to grow.

Pray that we would be able to develop some relationships and reach the “townies” (those who aren’t just students but actually live in DeKalb) over the summer. We really want and need to meet some new families.

Give:

We’re setting a fundraising goal of $5000 for the month of June. Because we’ve been pretty successful at raising funds for The church in DeKalb we’re beginning to look at some exciting options for our own multi use space which we would use for Sunday worship gatherings, possibly a used book store, and various other ministries that would benefit and bless our city. The startup cost of that would be at least $10,000 and we’d have to be raising about $7000 a month between support, offering, (and book sales if we were able to host a business). But the impact this space would have in our city would be amazingly significant. On top of having our own space for worship on the main strip in town and potentially running a business that would help pay for the space we could also host concerts, art shows, public dialogues, a food pantry…you name it!

You can help make our vision a reality by helping us continue to reach our fund raising goals each month.

Giving can be done through our web page at www.reachingdekalb.net or by mailing checks to our sending church, Redeemer Fellowship at 1125 Oak Street St. Charles, IL 60174.

Jesus is busy at work in DeKalb and we’re humbled and excited to be at work with Him here. Thank you for your partnership in the Gospel which allows that to happen!

Grace and Peace,
Jamie

One of my favorite passages of Scripture over the last years has been 2 Corinthians 2.12-3.6. It is a passage that gives me great courage and great relief, especially when I suck at what I do.

I need to be honest, and I think I can be without causing too much grief because I believe in sin, heck, I believe in total depravity! Too I believe that, to borrow from the title of a book that I’ve been recently reading, that I need to “Lead with a Limp.”

I need to confess, that much like Paul in 2 Corinthians 2.12-13 I have been torn between being in this city, in which God has opened a door to plant and preach the Gospel and trying to “mirco-shepherd” our small flock at TcD by trying to “patch” holes and “plug” leaks. Basically I’ve been trying to be “sufficient for all of these things” and not relying on the sufficiency of Christ for and in everything.

More than that, I’ve been lazy the last few weeks and I have really slacked off of reaching my goals of meeting new people in the city.

Yet I know, with great confidence, that I can make known recent failings and through the Gospel be motivated, encouraged, and moved to repent, rely on Christ, work hard and continue to watch our church plant grow in it’s influence in the lives of our people and our city.

God is truly blessing The church in DeKalb despite my own recent failings and we continue to see new people getting involved in our Community Group, and new people asking to be discipled. Too, our leaders are being stretched and are growing and together we are realizing just how much we need to work harder at the spiritual disciplines in our own lives and realizing too how much we must depend on Christ for everything.

One of the greatest accomplishments over the last few weeks, especially since Cherron, the kids, and I moved to DeKalb, is that our people are beginning to move past community for communities sake and are starting to see that they, even as individuals, have a vital role in the Church. Their language is beginning to change from “I go to church” to “I’m a part of a church.” It’s not just that we get to spend a lot of time together and know each others names, but we’re starting to see how we are all, collectively, a part of a unique family. Our identity is changing, to say it in a corny sort of way, from “me” to “we.”

Yet there is much to do, and much that lies ahead of us. Here are some ways which you can partner with The church in DeKalb as we move forward.

Prayer:

Pray for me. Pray that I repent well and, too, that the depth of my own idolatry and sin is continually matched by the goodness and righteousness of Christ and the grace of God so that in realizing the depths of God’s mercies I’m motivated and moved to work hard for Jesus in our city.

Pray that God continues to use His Word in the lives of His people here that He is drawing into TcD. And pray that His Word transforms them both in new life (people coming to Christ), and sanctification (being made holy and set apart for godly work).

Pray that God would open many doors this summer with the “townies” here in DeKalb. “Townies” are the residents who actually live in DeKalb, (compared to the students). We need to build our church around the Townies as our desire is to be a church for the whole city, not just another college ministry. Pray that God would draw a good number of “Townies” into TcD this summer and help us build a solid foundation of people.

Pray for spiritual growth in the people who are already involved in TcD. That God would mature them spiritually over the next weeks and months, that He would give them a deep desire to know Him and an unquenchable hunger for His Word. Pray too that as these believers grow in grace and knowledge that we would be actively adding new believers that will go through the same process of discipleship.

Give:

As I mentioned last week, we’ve already reached our goal of $5000 this month but that was only because of two very generous churches, and because of that we wanted to raise an additional $2000 this month.

So far we’ve seen $674.50 come in towards that goal. In the next 11 days we would love to see this new goal meet by raising just over $1300.00 more.

If you can give we’re praying and hoping that you will. Even if every member of our Facebook group gave about $6 each we would make our goal this month. Only $6!

Giving can be done through the website at www.reachingdekalb.net or by mailing checks to Redeemer Fellowship (our sending church) at 1125 Oak Street St. Charles, IL 60174

Thank you for continuing to support us through prayer and through giving. More than that, thank you for your partnership in the Gospel.

Grace and Peace,
Jamie