The Last of the First

I'm sitting on the floor of the first apartment where Josh and I lived.  He moved into this apartment upon moving to Birmingham in 2009, and I moved in after our wedding in 2010.  I'm sitting on the floor because the apartment is completely empty except a few groceries that will be given away this afternoon and several empty boxes that we didn't use.

As Josh and I were going to bed for the last time in our first apartment, we began reminiscing about all that has happened while we've lived here.  It was an emotional time for us both as we talked and prayed, thanking God for His goodness to us.

For the last year and a half that we have been planning this move, I've wondered what my emotions would be when the time finally came to leave.  I'm quite proud (and honestly surprised) that my emotions have remained  consistent. (Well, consistent in regards to the move.  But this post isn't really about the other situations that have me on an emotional roller coaster right now!)  My primary emotion is excitement-- I'm ready to be there; ready to establish our home, our "command central" for our ministry; ready to meet our neighbors and start building relationships.  There is a small twinge of sadness about the loved ones we won't see as often, and lots of sentiment in recognizing that this is a major milestone in our lives.

But more than anything else, my heart is overflowing with gratitude to the Lord for His sovereign care for us.  Although we certainly haven't always understood what He was doing, we see how He has orchestrated every detail of this journey.  It hasn't happened in the time frame or way we once thought it would, but His ways have proven to be better than ours, and we are grateful that He didn't give us what we thought we wanted.  We are grateful that the Lord led our sending church to begin a church planting residency.  We are grateful for the trials that have refined our faith.  We are grateful for how the journey has strengthened our marriage.  We are grateful for a moving process that has gone smoothly so far.

Most of all, we are grateful for a faithful Father who delights to prove His faithfulness in a multitude of ways.

NYC Newsletter #7

This newsletter was originally sent December 1, 2011. "New Yorkers temperamentally do not crave comfort and convenience--if they did, they would live elsewhere." (E.B. White, Here is New York) Anyone who has spent much time in NYC will resonate with the above quotation from E.B. White.  The city is not built for convenience or comfort.  And yet, for some people it holds a magnetic attraction that inexorably draws them to it.  That is how we feel about this great city. Over the past month, we have been making intense preparations for our transition to NYC.  We survived our first foray into the NYC real estate market, and even in this process, God demonstrated that His wisdom was much higher than ours.  Little did we know that He was orchestrating something much bigger than just an apartment hunt.  We initially attempted to find an apartment on our own, without using a broker.  After a few hours of wandering through the streets of Astoria in the cold, driving rain, unable even to locate a rental property, we realized that this was an exercise in futility.  We begrudgingly decided to call the broker who had listed an apartment we had seen on Craigslist.  Our broker, a young woman from Ukraine named Oksana, showed us a wonderful apartment that we signed on the next day.  As we were leaving the real estate office, Oksana, somewhat timidly, asked when we were going to begin meeting as a church, and if she could attend our meetings.  Once we regained our composure, we assured her that she would be more than welcome to attend the Bible studies we would be holding and that we would contact her as soon as we moved in.  So, while we were focused on finding an apartment, God was providentially orchestrating a meeting between us and a young Ukrainian immigrant, who works at a real estate firm filled with Ukrainian immigrants, who was looking for a gospel-preaching church.  This was just a small reminder to us that God will glorify Himself, that Christ will build His church, that the Spirit is still sovereignly giving new life to sinners who were once dead in trespasses and sins. So, please pray for Oksana, and for the other employees at the agency where she works.  Pray that the Lord uses this relationship as a means to engage the Ukrainian community in Astoria with the gospel of Jesus Christ.  And pray that we would have wisdom to know how best to minister to that community. Other ways you can pray... Please also pray that we would be able to establish meaningful relationships with our neighbors in Astoria.  We plan to move into our new apartment on December 19, and are prayerfully considering ways to reach out to our new neighbors. In addition, please remember to pray for these ongoing requests: Pray for our personal holiness and faithfulness to the gospel Pray for the personal holiness and unity of our prospective team members Pray that God would assemble the team that He wants to send to NYC to advance the gospel Pray that God would provide jobs and other necessary resources to enable our team members to relocate to Astoria Pray that God would grant wisdom to those who are considering moving to NYC.  Pray that they would know whether this is, in fact, where God is leading them. Pray that we would have wisdom to know how to lead well   Pray that we would continue to develop Kingdom partnerships with churches and individual Christians in NYC Pray that God might open door for the gospel and that we might proclaim it boldly, as we ought (Col. 4:2-4) Pray that God would provide the necessary financial resources for our ministry expenses Some of you have already given generously, and others have asked about how you can partner with us financially. Currently, our sending church, The Church at Brook Hills, is handling all financial donations.  If God is leading you to give, you can do so by mailing your tax-deductible gift to:             The Church at Brook Hills             Attn: Jean Adams             3145 Brook Highland Parkway             Birmingham, AL 35242 Please make checks payable to The Church at Brook Hills and designate your gifts by writing“Northeast Church Plant” in the memo line.  If you would like to see our prospective budget, please contact us. Thank you for taking the time to read this e-mail.  We cannot express to you how valuable your prayers are to us.  We look forward to sending out next month's update from our new home in Astoria! Blessings in Christ, josh and traci "Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, now and forever. Amen" (Eph. 3:20-21)

The Next Ten Days and The Next Month

The next ten days are pivotal in our journey to New York.  We are heading to NYC for the last time as tourists!  Our goal is to find our first apartment in the city, which will determine which pieces of furniture will move with us, which will determine which moving company we will use.  So many decisions hinge on this apartment search.  Josh and I will leave Tuesday morning and will start viewing apartments and meeting landlords on Wednesday.  Because I'm a psycho planner, we've created tiers for the amenities in an apartment.  Tier One includes every (reasonable) feature in an NYC apartment:, laundry in the building, full size refrigerator, close to the subway, to name a few.  Tier Two still includes a few luxuries, but we compromised on some features.  For instance, a laundromat on the same block, close to a subway station or a bus stop.  Tier Three's features are minimal and include: "has a door that locks."


We're committing the first two days to Tier One apartments.  Then we'll give Tier Two a couple of days.  By the weekend, we'll probably be desperate enough to sign on just about anything!  As Josh mentioned in the latest newsletter: "Pray that we are able to find a place that is both affordable and inhabitable (sometimes a trade-off in NYC)."  I'm also praying that we are able to both agree on an apartment earlier in the trip rather than later.  We would love to find something the first couple of days, then have the rest of the trip to start making preparations for the move, enjoy the city with our friends, and get to know our new neighborhood a little better.


Josh was praying recently and reminded me again that our God owns the universe, including every inch of New York City, and every piece of real estate in Astoria.  We are trusting Him to place us in exactly the right apartment with exactly the right landlord and neighbors.  And that reminder is the sole reason I get any sleep lately!


Upon our return to Birmingham, we will celebrate Thanksgiving with my family and begin packing.  Our sending church, The Church at Brook Hills, will commission us on December 4, during the 9:00, 11:00, and 6:00 services.  If you're in Birmingham and would like to join us in praying for NYC, please feel free to attend any of those services.  (Speaking of Brook Hills, they produced this video for us, and it is amazing!)


On December 14, the moving truck will load all of our household items and head toward the city.  Josh is officiating and I am directing the wedding of a good friend of mine that following weekend.  So we will head to Decatur on the 16th for the rehearsal, and will leave after the reception on the 17th.  We'll drive through the night and, hopefully, beat the moving truck to NYC.  


We'll have a few days in our new apartment, and then we'll head to western NY to spend Christmas with Josh's family.  We'll return to the city on the 28th, when a group of friends from our church will be visiting to help us get settled in.

We are so grateful for your love, prayers, and encouragement during this intense exciting time in our lives and ministry.  We know that we are utterly dependent upon the Lord to order our steps, and we are excited to watch how His plan unfolds.  Thank you for joining us on this journey!

NYC Newsletter #6

This newsletter was originally sent November 1, 2011.

"Your heavenly Father knows what you need before you ask him."--Matthew 6:8 "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.  Let us then draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."--Hebrews 4:15-16 "Likewise, the Spirit also helps our weakness.  For we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.  And he who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God"--Romans 8:26-27 As we have pressed forward toward the time when we will move to NYC, we have been repeatedly reminded of our own inadequacy and finitude.  Not only do we find ourselves unable to carry out this ministry in our own strength, but sometimes we don't even know what exactly we need.  We need the grace of God, not only to give us what we ask, but sometimes to give us what we don't even have the wisdom to ask for. We have found tremendous comfort in the Bible's teaching on prayer.  The Bible teaches that our heavenly Father knows what we need before we ask him.  We do not need to cajole or manipulate him into giving us what we need.  He loves us more than we love ourselves, and he delights in giving us what is best.  We can rest in the providential love of our Father. Not only do we have a Father who loves us, but His Son, our great high priest, Jesus Christ has made a way for us to come into His presence.  This is the only reason that we can call God "Our Father" in the first place.  Because our great high priest has offered the sacrifice of his own blood to cover our sins, we can come confidently into the very presence of God.  We don't need to hide, we don't need to pretend.  Jesus' death makes it possible for us to live honestly and transparently in God's presence, knowing that we will not find judgment, but grace to help in our time of need. But what about those times when we don't know how to pray?  What about those times when the darkness or confusion is overwhelming?  Well, God has not left us alone in those times.  He has sent His Spirit to live in all who trust in His Son's death and resurrection as the payment for their sins.  The very Spirit of God dwells inside those who trust in Jesus, and he himself prays for them during this time.  And because he is the Spirit of God, he always prays according to the will of God. My friend, you might find it easy to pray at this time.  Be thankful for that and rejoice in the privilege that you have to come into the very presence of God.  But you might be walking through a dark valley right now.  You try to pray, but it is difficult.  I want to encourage you to keep praying...even if it feels like your prayers are bouncing back off the ceiling.  Remember that when you pray you do not pray alone.  You pray to a Father who delights to give you what is best for you; you pray through the Son who has made a way for you to come confidently into the presence of the Father; and you pray by the power of the Spirit who empowers us in the midst of our weakness.  The entire Trinity is conspiring together for your good and God's glory...and you get to experience it as you enter the presence of God in prayer. Please pray for us over this time... We would also ask that you remember to pray for us as the transitions in our life accelerate over the next two months.  Specifically we ask that you pray for our upcoming apartment search.  We will be in Astoria from November 15-22 to look for an apartment.  Pray that we are able to find a place that is both affordable and inhabitable (sometimes a trade-off in NYC).  Pray also that God would lead us to the area of the neighborhood where he wants to plant us in order to make connections and build relationships for the advancement of the gospel.  Pray that even on this initial trip, we might be able to begin building meaningful relationships with our neighbors. Please also remember to pray for these ongoing requests: Pray for our personal holiness and faithfulness to the gospel Pray for the personal holiness and unity of our prospective team members Pray that God would assemble the team that He wants to send to NYC to advance the gospel Pray that God would provide jobs and other necessary resources to enable our team members to relocate to Astoria Pray that God would grant wisdom to those who are considering moving to NYC.  Pray that they would know whether this is, in fact, where God is leading them. Pray that we would have wisdom to know how to lead well   Pray that we would continue to develop Kingdom partnerships with churches and individual Christians in NYC Pray that God might open door for the gospel and that we might proclaim it boldly, as we ought (Col. 4:2-4) Pray that God would provide the necessary financial resources for our ministry expenses Some of you have asked about how you can partner with us financially. Currently, our sending church, The Church at Brook Hills, is handling all financial donations.  If God is leading you to give, you can do so by mailing your tax-deductible gift to:             The Church at Brook Hills             Attn: Jean Adams             3145 Brook Highland Parkway             Birmingham, AL 35242 Please make checks payable to The Church at Brook Hills and designate your gifts by writing“Northeast Church Plant” in the memo line.  If you would like to see our prospective budget, please contact us. Thank you for taking the time to read this e-mail.  We cannot express to you how valuable your prayers are to us.  We would love to talk with you more about what God is doing in NYC and answer any questions that you might have.  We greatly appreciate the encouragement that we have received from so many of you, and we look forward to partnering together in the future for the glory of Christ in NYC and in all nations. Blessings in Christ, josh and traci "Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, now and forever. Amen" (Eph. 3:20-21)

NYC Newsletter #5

This newsletter was originally send October 3, 2011.

Dear Friends and Family, We wanted to briefly update you regarding what the Lord is doing to prepare us to advance the gospel inNYC and to the ends of the earth.  As we said in our last email, we have begun meeting with a group of prospective church planting team members here inBirmingham who are prayerfully considering planting their lives with us in NYC for the glory of Christ in all nations.  We have attempted to structure our life together as much as possible around the pattern of the early church recorded in Acts 2:42--"They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer."  We have been reminded that God did not choose to use slick marketing techniques and worldly wisdom to create and advance His church.  Rather, He sent out His people in the power of His Spirit to proclaim His Word, and through them He began taking the nations for the glory of His great Name.  We are praying and trusting that He will do the same with us...and we pray that He will do that with you as well. Please pray for us over this time...

Pray for our personal holiness Pray for the personal holiness and unity of our prospective team members Pray that God would assemble the team that He wants to send to NYC to advance the gospel Pray that God would grant wisdom to those who are considering moving to NYC.  Pray that they would know whether this is, in fact, where God is leading them. Pray that we would have wisdom to know how to lead well   Pray that we would continue to develop Kingdom partnerships with churches and individual Christians in NYC Pray that we would be a people formed by the gospel Pray that God would provide the necessary financial resources Some of you have asked about how you can partner with us financially. Currently, our sending church, The Church at Brook Hills, is handling all financial donations.  If God is leading you to give, you can do so by mailing your tax-deductible gift to:             The Church at Brook Hills             Attn: Jean Adams             3145 Brook Highland Parkway             Birmingham, AL 35242 Please make checks payable to The Church at Brook Hills and designate your gifts by writing “Northeast Church Plant” in the memo line.  If you would like to see our prospective budget, please contact us. Thank you for taking the time to read this e-mail.  We would love to talk with you more about what God is doing in NYC and answer any questions that you might have.  We greatly appreciate the encouragement that we have received from so many of you, and we look forward to partnering together in the future for the glory of Christ in NYC and in all nations. Blessings in Christ, josh and traci "Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, now and forever. Amen" (Eph. 3:20-21)

NYC Newsletter #4

This newsletter was originally sent August 18, 2011.

Dear Friends and Family, It has been another busy and exciting month as we have seen God working to advance His Kingdom in  NYC and in all nations.  As we mentioned in our last update, we have been meeting all summer with individuals and families who are praying about joining us in NYC.  The highlight of this past month came thispast Sunday when we met together as a group with these brothers and sisters for the first time.  We had twenty-six adults meet with us here in Birmingham on Sunday and have others from around the country who are asking God if this is how He wants to use them for the glory of His great Name. Over the next few months, we will be walking together as a group through some basics of our philosophy of ministry and what it will look like in NYC.  We will work through the New Testament's teaching on the nature and mission of the church and we will think carefully about how God is calling us to be the church for the advancement of the gospel in NYC and all nations.  We will spend concentrated times in corporate prayer, knowing that we are utterly inadequate to bring any lasting gospel fruit.  And we will share life together, living out the unity that we already have in Christ Jesus. Please pray for us over this time... Pray for our personal holiness Pray for the personal holiness and unity of our prospective team members Pray that God would assemble the team that He wants to send to NYC to advance the gospel Pray that God would grant wisdom to those who are considering moving to NYC.  Pray that they would know whether this is, in fact, where God is leading them. Pray that we would have wisdom to know how to lead well   Pray that we would continue to develop Kingdom partnerships with churches and individual Christians in NYC Pray that we would be a people formed by the gospel Pray that God would provide the necessary financial resources Some of you have asked about how you can partner with us financially. Currently, our sending church, The Church at Brook Hills, is handling all financial donations.  If God is leading you to give, you can do so by mailing your tax-deductible gift to:             The Church at Brook Hills             Attn: Jean Adams             3145 Brook Highland Parkway             Birmingham, AL 35242 Please make checks payable to The Church at Brook Hills and designate your gifts by writing “Northeast Church Plant” in the memo line.  If you would like to see our prospective budget, please contact us. Thank you for taking the time to read this e-mail.  We would love to talk with you more about what God is doing in NYC and answer any questions that you might have.  We greatly appreciate the encouragement that we have received from so many of you, and we look forward to partnering together in the future for the glory of Christ in NYC and in all nations. Blessings in Christ, josh and traci "Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, now and forever. Amen" (Eph. 3:20-21)

NYC Newsletter #3

This newsletter was originally sent July 19, 2011. Wow!  I looked at my calendar today and realized that it has been over a month since I last sent out an update on what God has been doing to bring glory to His Name in NYC and in all nations.  It's been a busy, but wonderful, month.  In the interest of time, I'll just share two highlights: The Nations in NYC In late June, Traci and I traveled to NYC to connect with two short-term missions teams from our sending church, The Church at Brook Hills, who were serving immigrant populations within the city.  It was a blessing to connect with some of our global partners in NYC and to see people from our faith family engaging the nations right here in the U.S.  In a city with over 800 languages and more than 500 people groups, the opportunities for global gospel advancement are truly astounding! Our New Neighborhood in NYC During this same trip, we settled on the particular neighborhood where we believe God is leading us to plant.  If you know anything about NYC, you know that it is a wildly complex city.  You can move five blocks and feel like you are in another country. Out of this vast and diverse metro area of twenty-two million people, we have chosen to focus our efforts in a neighborhood called Astoria, located in the northwest corner of Queens.  There are a number of reasons that we believe Astoria is the most strategic place that we can plant our lives to make disciples of all nations. First of all, Queens County is the most ethnically diverse county in the United States, and Astoria is considered one of the most diverse neighborhoods in all of NYC.  It is estimated that Astoria is home to over 125 people groups.  But while many other NYC neighborhoods are quite segregated by ethnicity, the various ethnic groups of Astoria seem to have assimilated rather naturally, while still retaining their distinctive elements.  We believe that this will allow us to reach people from a myriad of ethnic groups and truly plant a church that is reaching the nations. Secondly, Astoria is considered one of the up-and-coming neighborhoods of NYC due to its proximity toManhattan (only 15 minutes to Times Square) and its comparatively (compared to Manhattan, that is!) low cost of living.  For this reason, Astoria is a popular neighborhood for artists, musicians, businesspeople, and others whose work takes them to Manhattan, but who do not want to pay Manhattan prices.  Many people also consider Astoria a much more family-friendly environment than the more densely-populated Manhattan.  This will provide an opportunity to minister to many of the “culture-makers” who work in Manhattan, but live in Astoria. Finally, Astoria is terribly under-served with the gospel.  In a three mile radius of Steinway Street (the major commercial street of Astoria), we counted seven mosques and Islamic centers.  However, we only know of one gospel-preaching church located in Astoria.  In this neighborhood of 170,000 people from every corner of the globe, we have the opportunity to plant a church that reaches the nations with the gospel of Jesus Christ. How can you be involved? We are humbled and grateful that so many of you have expressed an interest in being a part of planting a gospel-centered, Kingdom-advancing church in NYC.  We are praying that God would raise up individuals, families, and churches to be involved with us in the following ways: Pray First and foremost, we need your prayers.  Our most pressing need at this moment is for God to send out laborers into His harvest with us (Mt. 9:38).  Please pray with us that God would raise up mature, godly brothers and sisters to move to NYC as members of our church planting team.  We are asking God to send us a diverse cross-section of families and individuals to engage NYC with the gospel and to serve their neighbors with selfless love. Obviously, moving to NYC will mean a major life transition for our team, so pray that God would provide for them as they seek jobs in NYC and work through the logistics of relocating.  We will be updating you more on the development of the church planting team and letting you know more specific ways to pray in the near future. Give NYC has one of the highest costs of living in the world.  For this reason, we are praying and trusting that God will raise up individuals and churches to partner with us financially for the advancement of the gospel in NYC and in all nations.  At present, we estimate that the initial phase of this ministry, the first two years we will be in NYC, will cost $398,700.  God has already provided $180,000 of that.  We are moving forward in faith, trusting that He will provide all that is necessary to build His church in NYC. Currently, our sending church, The Church at Brook Hills, is handling all financial donations.  If God is leading you to partner with us financially, you can do so by mailing your tax-deductible gift to:             The Church at Brook Hills             Attn: Jean Adams             3145 Brook Highland Parkway             Birmingham, AL 35242 Please make checks payable to The Church at Brook Hills and designate your gifts by writing “Northeast Church Plant” in the memo line.  If you would like to see our prospective budget, please contact us. Go It may be that God has begun to give you a passion to make disciples of all nations by making disciples in NYC.  If so, we would love to connect with you. We are currently exploring the possibility of partnering with other local churches outside of Brook Hills.  If you think that your local church, or some members of your local church, would be interested in what God is doing in NYC, we would love to connect with you.  Please feel free to contact us so that we can think and pray together about how we might be able to see the kingdom of Christ advanced in NYC and to the ends of the earth. Thank you for taking the time to read this e-mail.  We greatly appreciate the encouragement that we have received from so many of you and we look forward to partnering together in the future for the glory of Christ in NYC and in all nations. Blessings in Christ, josh and traci "Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, now and forever. Amen" (Eph. 3:20-21)