Thankful for Family and Friends

Saturday's work crew from West Cannon, Northpointe, Toledo and Pittsburgh

We are very thankful for friends and family who came out to help us move.  Our new apartment is about 15 minutes away from where we were living.  FIFTEEN MINUTES closer to the kids' school.

• Krista's mom and dad
• My mom and Bill
• a friend from the Dominican Republic
• a friend from Baptist Bible Seminary
• a friend from Northpointe Christian School (a friend of mine was there on Saturday and four of Joel's friends helped pack up on Friday)
• a lot of friends from West Cannon Baptist Church.

Friday's work crew from Northpointe

During this transition time in our lives, one of the challenges is not having a church "home."
At the same time, individuals from West Cannon Baptist Church and Northpointe Christian School have been extremely helpful.  We also appreciate people from Emmanuel Baptist Church who have asked about how to pray and looked for ways to help from afar.
We have visited several different churches in the Grand Rapids area the last two months.  While we are very much looking forward to settling into a church, it has been an encouragement to visit several different Bible-teaching churches.

Recently we were talking with the kids about how they respond to the question of what church are you attending.
One of the kids answered, "No where."
Another one answered "Everywhere."
And the third one answered, "I don't know."

While prayerfully looking forward to where God will have us I am also amazed at how God has used people from West Cannon Baptist and Emmanuel Baptist Church.  I am very thankful for people who "understand what it really looks like to represent the grace of the Redeemer in the lives of the people whom he puts in our paths."  (New Morning Mercies, October 11)

Actually, today's New Morning Mercies devotional is a great reminder of who the church is.

So many people who attend evangelical churches on Sunday have little life commitment to the work of those churches.  Most pastors would be thrilled if the vast majority of their people were every-Sunday attenders and committed to financially supporting the work of the churches.  But all this sadly falls far below God's wise design for his church.   Think about it:  you will simply never be able to hire enough professional ministry people to cover all the ministry needs in a given week, no matter what size your church is.  It is no wonder problems are left to grow until they reach intense levels of complication.

All God's children have been called to the same position.  We've all been called to be his ambassadors.  Remember, the only thing an ambassador does is represent.  God's plan is to make his invisible presence and his invisible grace visible through his people, who incarnate his presence and carry that grace to others.  That's God's call to every one of his children.  There are to be no self-satisfied recipients, no consumers.  The body of Christ is designed by God to be an organic, constantly ministering community. 

Moving Day

Tomorrow is Moving Day!

Praise God! We have a place to rent! Someone connected us about an organization that helps people in ministry and refugees find housing. They quickly helped us find a nice 3 bedroom apartment close to school and made it affordable for a 3-month lease --which gives us time to figure out our next step regarding a job. We move tomorrow, Saturday, October 6.
The kids are also able to attend Northpointe at least through the semester and hopefully longer.  

We have been extremely blessed to be at the Shelner's house in Rockford.  It has been so much more than we expected.  
One of the blessing with the move though is the morning trip to Northpointe.  This Monday will be a 6-minute drive instead of 20+ minute drive (depending on traffic).

Whether we are living in a spacious house or an apartment we need to praise God.
Whether we are living 6 minutes or 20+ minutes from school we need to praise God.
I purposefully use the word “need” because sometimes in my selfish heart I don't want to speak words of praise to God.   I speak/think words of personal convenience by demanding God do what I want.
My first words and thoughts are not praising God for an awesome apartment strategically located.  They are wishing that we could have something for more than 3 months.
I do this more often than I care to admit.  Instead of praising God for who He is and what He has done for me, I demand more.  

We are praising God for the way He works and continue to pray that He would grow in us thankful hearts. 
Thank you for praying and continuing to pray for us as it relates to housing.

I am continuing to look for and consider different options for work.  
Please pray for patience, provision, and wisdom as it relates to work.

Recently we decided that I am not going to pursue a church ministry position.  While this has been a difficult decision to make, we know it is what we need to do.   
With that being said, I do have some resumes and contacts with some para-church ministries and other companies in the Grand Rapids area, where would like to stay.  At the same time, we realize we might not be able to stay in this area.

This transition time has been challenging.  It is easy to feel down because I look at my lack of a job as my identity.  I have been reminded of the book The Gospel at Work recently.  
Here is a helpful excerpt from the book.

We don’t need our work to provide an identity for us. We already have an identity in Christ. We don’t need it to give us a place to belong. We already have been adopted by God because of Jesus, and we belong to his redeemed family. We don’t need work to make us loved or liked or accepted, nor do we need it to prove to ourselves that we’re worthwhile. Why? Because all of that has already been secured for us by Jesus! So where does that leave our work? What role does that leave for it to play in our lives? Simple. It leaves our work liberated from the impossible demand to provide something for us that it was never meant to provide and from the excuse that it doesn’t matter, and we are set free to live lives of joyful, hea

Thank you to so many people for your prayers, notes, gifts, and encouragements.

If you want to keep up with what is going on in our lives, click on the Personal tab on the site or go to http://drodgersjr.blogspot.com/search/label/personal

Fall Festival Resources

Sorry this didn't go up yesterday as planned.

This past weekend I had the opportunity to speak at the Fall Retreat at the Tri-State Free Methodist Camp in East Liverpool, OH.

God through the Holy Spirit and the teaching of God's Word, saved me at this campground.
God has continued using camps in my life and my family's lives.  I am thankful for that.

However, in speaking this weekend I wanted to remind those there that camp is great but Church is better, which is something I wrote about HERE in 2016.
This is the 9-minute video on church membership in one of the posts.
Church Membership from Radical on Vimeo.

For both of the messages, I used a basic note sheet from the Sermon Notebook by Matthias Media.  This is a great resource each person can use in their local churches (www.matthiasmedia.com/sermon-notebook).

We looked at two sayings in 1st Timothy that are "trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance."
"Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost."  (1:15)
"Godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come." (4:8, 9)

Friday Night
We are saved...
from SIN (1 Timothy 1:15)
into A RIGHT RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD (1 Timothy 3:14, 15)
into THE FAMILY OF GOD, THE CHURCH (1 Timothy 3:14, 15)

If God has saved you from your sin, by His grace, through Jesus Christ into the family of God
and God has saved other brothers and sisters in Christ from their sins, by His grace, through Jesus Christ into the family of God,
THEN we need to know how to live together.

Paul tells Timothy one of things Timothy and the church needs to be is PRAY (1 Timothy 2:1-15)
Here are some specific prayer items we need to be praying.

• Pray for leaders 
• Pray for church leaders to lead in godly ways.
• Pray people would be saved.
• Pray your church would be unified in boldly preaching and living out Gospel truth.
• Pray other churches (Bible-teaching, non-heretical churches) in your community would boldly preach and live out Gospel truth.
• Pray individuals in your church would grow more and more like Christ.  Pray for specific people.
• Pray NOT for personal desires BUT more so for the glory of God and the salvation and sanctification (spiritual growth) of men, women and children.

Here is the prayer I prayed to close the service.  It is adapted from the Gospel Primer.

God,
Help us love your church and live for your glory.
Help us remember who we were before Christ.
Help us rejoice in who we are in Christ.
Help us value the church for which Christ died.
Help us value the part we play in the lives of our fellow Christians, especially those in the local churches we attend.
Help us value the part these people play in our growth and the growth of other Christians.
We pray this in Jesus' name.
Amen.

Saturday night
A hope-filled life...
looks to GOD (4:10)
doesn't FOCUS ON SELF (4:11-12)
is devoted to TEACHING/LIVING OUT THE BIBLE (4:13-16)
builds OTHERS UP IN THE FAITH (5:1-6:2a)
doesn't DESIRE THINGS OF THIS WORLD (6:2b-10)
fights THE GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH (6:11-19)

Before preaching I had been wondering if I should share some of our testimony in the message. 
I am glad I did because several people came up to talk with us about difficulties they were going through and how they needed to reminded of the hope we have in Jesus Christ.

Additional Resources:
A great bookmark that serves as a reminder for church members/attenders on how to love their church on Sunday:  library.thevineproject.com/#/resources/pray-think-speak-a-postcard-for-church-members
Book - Finding God in a Galaxy Far, Far Away
Video - From Now On

Which Comes First? House or Job

When posting or sending out previous updates, I divided them into different areas
It is difficult to do that for this update because the work and housing are so inter-related.
Which comes first, finding a job or finding a house?

Whichever one comes first. We are actively searching for both.
The challenge is looking for something, while not knowing where I will be working and what I will be earning.

If I don’t have something in the works by September 24, I am going to begin applying for some retail positions.
The reason for this is because we need a place to rent and need a job to pay for the place.

We have been making some connections through Northpointe Christian School and friends here in Grand Rapids and even in Toledo and following up with them.

We would very much appreciate your prayers and advice/suggestions as we navigate through this process.

For more updates on our family, click on the other links at drodgersjr.blogspot.com/search/label/personal

Didn't See It Coming!

At the end of July, I received an advance copy of Didn't See It Coming by Carey Niewhouf.  It took a little longer than I planned to read the whole book and a lot longer than I was hoping to write this review.  A couple of things came up this summer that I didn't see coming.

The book is written from a Christian perspective and would be helpful for those in or considering ministry.  At the same time, the seven challenges are hurdles every leader will face in life.  I appreciate Carey's statement on page four.

I've tried to strike a tone in this book that works for those who are skeptical of Christianity and for those who passionately follow Jesus.  As a result, this book may end up not feeling Christian enough for those who are Christians and too Christian for those who aren't.  If that's the case, I may have hit the mark.

Didn't See It Coming has proven to be so very helpful to me considering some of my current circumstances.  The seven challenges are cynicism, compromise, disconnection, irrelevance, pride, burnout, and emptiness.

Two things that make this book very helpful:

1. Carey's openness in talking about struggles he, and probably everyone, has faced,
2. The eternal foundational hope that comes from Jesus Christ.  In the chapter on pride entitled "Habits of the Humble," Carey shares some ways to never lose your gratitude.  One of these is "Fall more in love with the Giver than you ever do with his gifts."

My copy is filled with highlights and many of them are not just because of good information.  They are statements or stories that God used in my heart and life.  This will definitely be a book I reread and recommend.

A Different Kind of Birthday

Monday was a different kind of birthday.

On my (David) 48th birthday which fell on Labor Day, it was challenging to not be preoccupied with the fact that I need to find a job.

During my last several weeks of teaching the Genesis class, we looked at some misused verses of the Bible.

Romans 8:28 - "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."

AND

1st Corinthians 10:13 - "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.  God is faithful and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability but with the temptation, he will also provide the way of escape that you may be able to endure it."

Before beginning the study, I asked the class leadership team about doing a different study.  Part of the reason I asked was that I thought with the possible transition it would have been very difficult for me.  I am glad they said to stick with this study.  In God's sovereignty, he used it in my life.  

The Fighter Verses have also been an encouragement to me.
Krista has been an encouragement to me. 

New Morning Mercies and The Gospel Primer have been great helps.

The past Sunday's sermon from Chapel Pointe was an amazing blessing.  The message was entitled How to Get Out of a Cave from Psalm 57.

With all of these big helps and great reminders, our current circumstances are still hard.
NOT impossible BUT challenging.

In posting pictures of our family at the beach, the museum and other places, I in no way, shape, or form want to create or communicate a fake facebook idea that everything is smiles, beaches, and carousel rides.

I don't really know how to best share moments of late night prayers, challenging parenting moments, and packing stacks of boos that seem like they were just unpacked and organized.  I don't even know if all of these moments need to be shared on social media.

Actually, here is a short video of the river in downtown Rockford where I have gone for some night prayer times.

Two specific verses have reminded me why I want to share the story of how God is working in the Rodgers' family.

1st Timothy 1:15
The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am the foremost.

AND
1st Peter 3:15
But in your hearts revere Christ as LORD.  Always be prepared to give the reason for the hope that you have.  But do so with gentleness and respect.

About 8 years ago I wrote that this blog “is meant to show what God has been doing in, for and through us.  We do this for the purpose of GLORIFYING GOD and HELPING OTHERS GROW.”  It is my prayer that my Facebook page, this blog and even more importantly my life will glorify God and help others do the same.  

For more updates on our family, click on the other links at drodgersjr.blogspot.com/search/label/personal

UPDATE: God has it figured out (08.30)

This quote has especially explained the Rodgers' family life recently.
I really hope to use this post to give an update of what is going on right now in our lives and how we are really trying to live out the Biblical truth in this quote.

A lot has happened in our lives in the last 16 months.

Transition out of ministry at Emmanuel Baptist Church (June 2017)

Move from Toledo, OH to Grand Rapids, MI.

Transition into a new ministry at West Cannon Baptist Church (September 2017)

Lived at three different addresses in Grand Rapids.

Transition out of ministry at West Cannon Baptist Church (August 2018)

Coming in October 2018 - Moving out of the house we have been renting. 

Needless to say, life has been a whirlwind.

I share this to give context for some of the decisions we are prayerfully thinking through and planning.  A couple of weeks ago, I shared prayer requests and updates related to school, my work, our housing, and church HERE.
Here are the most recent updates on Housing and My work.

Housing

As it relates to housing, we are going to need to find a new place to rent by the beginning of October.  Our search area has changed because we are not necessarily looking for something in or near the Rockford area.  The main factors are cost and proximity to Northpointe Christian School.  We are so very thankful for people that have been praying for this and sharing suggestions with us. 

David’s work

I have updated my resume for ministry and rewrote it for non-ministry positions.  Once again I am thankful for people who have been helping with this process.  I am going to be looking for work in the Grand Rapids area.    

We don't have a lot of time as it relates to housing decisions at the same time we don't want to unwisely rush into the next thing. 

• Having two ministry transitions like we have had in a short time has been difficult.  Krista and I want to be sure we are ready as a family and individually for a full time ministry position. 

• I would love to have a job that would use my gifts and passion for teaching and training.  The non-ministry resume has this particular focus.  I do have severance pay through October so are being taken care of for the short term and don't need to take the first thing that comes along. 

• We know that by the end of September we need to have something.  This might be a ministry position, a training job or whatever I need to do to provide for our family.  Lord willing and for the kids' sake we would like this to be in the Grand Rapids area but we know it might not be.  

• God has it figured out.  Please pray for us a we make big decisions, seek godly counsel, and live life for God's glory. 

 In sharing these updates I want to be clear.  Things are challenging right now - very challenging.  I would like to say that my reactions to my kids and Krista are always godly and not based on my feelings of frustrations.  I would like to say that I haven't had any "pity parties" and I spend all my waking minutes singing praise to God with a smile on my face.  These things are not true.
August 25th New Morning Mercies devotional had two statements that I want to remember and remind people.

Real faith never calls you to swindle yourself into thinking that things are better than they are. Biblical faith is shockingly honest and hopeful. 

It wasn’t the naïveté of faith that propelled [Abraham, Noah, David, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, Peter]. No, it was the clarity of faith that caused them to do what they did.

I have used the Piano Guys song "It's Gonna Be Okay" as a real-world example of the "thinking that things are better than they are."  The song is very fun.  The men are very talented.  The message seems very positive.
BUT its message falls VERY SHORT.  I am thankful that God is working things out in this life for His glory and my greater good.  Not so that my circumstances will be okay.

I think about the contrast between the message of the world with the message of the Gospel.
"All I have is Christ."

Biblical Counseling Prayer

My time at West Cannon Baptist Church has come to an end.  While it is difficult to leave, we definitely believe this past year has not been a waste of time.  One of the blessings has been working with Faith Ministries in Lafayette, IN to bring the Biblical Counseling/Discipleship Training Conference to western Michigan this upcoming spring.  It is difficult to begin the process and then hand it off but the great thing is it has been and will continue to be God working out the details.
One of the last things I did specifically related to the conference was to develop the beginning of a prayer calendar.  The first month, August has been focused on the basics of a biblical counseling culture and praying that God would continue to develop this at West Cannon Baptist Church.  The prayers and descriptions are written in a general way so other churches can use them also.
It is my prayer that God will use West Cannon to help grow a network of churches that offer Biblical answers and Christ-centered hope to those in western Michigan.
If you live in the Grand Rapids area, you should plan to go to this conference.  For more information and to register go to www.westcannon.org/counseling

Biblical Counseling Mindset Prayer focus - ATMOSPHERE OF GRACE / CULTURE OF DISCIPLESHIP

Pray that God’s Word would be faithfully preached and God’s people would loving care for one another.
Biblical counseling in a local church setting provides the opportunity for the church to offer real hope to church members, regular attendees, and the surrounding community.

The Sunday preaching and teaching is foundational in helping people understand and live out this hope. The BIBLICAL DOCTRINE taught and the ATMOSPHERE OF GRACE experienced during the church meeting time is important because this is a common meeting time for everyone. Throughout the Pastoral Epistles, reminds Timothy and Titus to teach the truth and live it out before people. Specifically, in 2 Timothy 2:2, Paul tells Timothy to share what he has learned with faithful men who will share it with others. The preaching and teaching prepare a congregation of “mini-preachers” to proclaim the Gospel to their families, neighborhoods, and workplaces. The ministry of the church on Sunday is so much more than just the pulpit ministry. It is also a “pew” ministry. Each member is a minister.
The ATMOSPHERE OF GRACE goes beyond Sunday meeting times. A church body that has a growing biblical counseling mindset also a CULTURE OF DISCIPLESHIP and SOUL CARE that is marked by a love for one another (John 13:14, 34, 35; 15:12, 17; Romans 12:10; 15:14; 16:16; Galatians 5:13; Ephesians 5:21; Hebrews 3:13). This CULTURE OF DISCIPLESHIP is Spirit-led, relationship-driven not program-directed.
This ATMOSPHERE OF GRACE, CULTURE OF DISCIPLESHIP along with DIRECTIVE COUNSELING is an every member ministry of the church.

Biblical Counseling Mindset Prayer focus – DIRECTIVE COUNSEL

Pray that EACH MEMBER OF WEST CANNON BAPTIST CHURCH would be a biblical counselor/disciple-maker by speaking biblical truth into one another's lives.
“The body of Christ is built up because the men and women in a church family openly acknowledge their pain, hurts, and struggles. There is mutual edification. This is biblical counseling." Biblical counseling is not a silo ministry. It is not a ministry that is isolated from other ministries. The counseling ministry and discipleship ministry are not two different areas of ministry. The biblical counseling ministry of a church is interwoven throughout its disciple-making mandate.
A church will never have enough highly trained, certified counselors to meet all the counseling needs in a church. If we truly believe in biblical community and the priesthood of believers, then EVERY MEMBER of the church needs to be equipped to "speak the truth in love to one another at every level in the body of believers.” Every disciple is a disciple maker.
Each and every growing member of West Cannon Baptist Church needs to be involved in DIRECTIVE COUNSELING. This is counseling that is life-on-life. It happens through friendship, Sunday School classes, small groups, conversations before church, after church and throughout the week. The goal of DIRECTIVE COUNSELING is to encouragement and obedience by speaking the truth in love. Each member is a counselor. The question is "What kind of counselor are you?"

The quotes and the basic idea of this post have been taken from Biblical Counseling and the Church.

Biblical Counseling Mindset Prayer focus - CORRECTIVE COUNSEL

Pray people would seek help when needed. Pray members of West Cannon Baptist Church would seek training to become even more equipped biblical counselors.

There are times when more intentional, focused help is needed. Someone may need specific help with parenting, communication, finances or other ongoing issues. If a church member has been doing DIRECTIVE COUNSEL, he or she may notice the same problems keep coming up in a person's life. CORRECTIVE COUNSEL is meant to help those who are "stuck in sin." At this level, the counselor has more specific education and training to help those who have an ongoing struggling. At the CORRECTIVE COUNSEL level, individuals who have been giving DIRECTIVE COUNSEL can come alongside the individual as a helper/advocate.

Biblical Counseling Mindset Prayer focus – INTENSIVE COUNSEL

Intensive Counsel - Pray that counselors would speak God's truth and have Godly wisdom while helping those who are struggling with difficult, intense situations. Also, pray that those struggling with intense problems would seek the help they need.

INTENSIVE COUNSEL is focused on issues that have become life-dominating or tragic. Some examples include addictions, significant fear, and potential divorce.
Because of the nature of the problems, INTENSIVE COUNSEL takes more time and requires a counselor with more in-depth training. The level of counseling is what most people think of when they hear the word "counseling." The challenge in the local church setting is helping the congregation understand that if people sought and gave more counsel at the DIRECTIVE COUNSEL and CORRECTIVE COUNSEL levels, it would help with how much INTENSIVE COUNSEL needs to be given.

Misused Verses - Misplaced Hope

Over the last couple of week's the Genesis class has been looking at 

The Most Misused Bible Verses.

We looked at three different verses. 

With today being my last day of teaching I wanted to close out the series 

and

help the class consider their involvement in the upcoming 

Biblical Counseling/Discipleship Training Conference

Over the three week's we referred to various Bible study ideas to help 

with looking not only at these misused verses but 

also any verses or passages.

The first week's help was "have a plan."

The specific plan I mentioned was COMA

Context, Observation, Meaning, and Application

from One to One Bible Reading

The second week's help from Ben Lawrence was

"Look for the author's original intent in writing the book/passage/verse"

The third week's help was "ask questions."

Some questions include 

"Who is the promise directed to?"

"Are there any words that need to be defined or clarified?"

This final week's help is "remember the focus of the Bible."

The Bible is not about you.

It is about God.

Most of the misused verses in the book are misapplied because

the reader puts his hope in the wrong place -

pleasant circumstances, more money, well-behaved children

instead of in Jesus Christ. 

We have the scriptures written to teach and encourage us

by giving us hope.

HERE is the link to the Sunday night session on "Why host a Biblical Counseling conference?"  

Biblical counseling in a local church setting provides the opportunity for the church to offer real hope to church members, regular attendees, and the surrounding community.

BIBLICAL DOCTRINE/ATMOSPHERE OF GRACE

Why preach and teach Biblical doctrine?

• In 2 Timothy 2:2. Paul tells Timothy to share what he has learned with faithful men who will share it with others.  This verse along with the rest of the Pastoral Epistles are encouragements to preach, teach and lead well.    

What does it look like?

• EVERYONE is preparing for the sermon
• The preaching and teaching prepares a congregation of “mini-preachers” to proclaim the Gospel to their families, neighborhoods, and workplaces.
• The ministry of the church on Sunday is so much more than just the pulpit ministry.  It is also a “pew” ministry
• It’s not just about teaching.  It’s about equipping
• The church family learns how to talk about “sanctification” and “growing and changing.”  They share Biblical answers for life.

CULTURE OF DISCIPLESHIP/SOUL CARE

Why develop a culture of discipleship/Soul Care?

• All the “one anothers” in the New Testament
• Some examples:  John 13:14, 34, 35; 15:12, 17;  Romans 12:10; 15:14; 16:16; Galatians 5:13; Ephesians 5:21; Hebrews 3:13

What does a culture of discipleship/Soul Care look like?

• Living out the one another’s in Biblical, gospel-centered community
• Spirit-led, relationship-driven not program-directed

DIRECTIVE COUNSEL

Why do directive counsel?

• Share the hope that is in you – 1 Peter 3:13–16
• Share the hope with others – Hebrews 10:23-25

What does directive counsel look like?

• A synonym for counsel is discipleship
• It is focused on God-glorifying life-change,
• Deeper relationships that begin through friendships and small groups
• Goal = encouragement and obedience by speaking the truth in love

CORRECTIVE COUNSEL

Why do corrective counsel?

• 1 Thessalonians 5:14
• 2 Timothy 3:16, 17

What does corrective counsel look like?

• More targeted towards a specific problem
• More intentional relationship between counselor/counselee
• More formal situation and more equipped counselee

INTENSIVE COUNSEL

Why do intensive counsel?

• 1 Thessalonians 5:14
• 2 Timothy 3:16, 17

What does intensive counsel look like?

• Focused on life-dominating or tragic issues
• Requires more focused time
• Requires a counselor with more training.
• “Not intended to be a substitute for the ongoing, long-term discipleship that we all ought to experience in the body of Christ.”  Scott Mehl

Rodgers Update August 18

On August 12th, I posted about a big change in the Rodgers' family life.  
Check the post to read more details.
We are going to be transitioning out of ministry at West Cannon Baptist Church in Grand Rapids.  

We are still working through what some of the next steps are for us.  
Here are some things we know and some things we would appreciate your prayers for.  Obviously this planning is in light of James 4:13-17.

We are planning to stay in the Grand Rapids area.

School and Krista’s work

The kids and Krista are continuing at Northpointe Christian School.  The NPC administration, staff and families have been great.  Krista will begin her second year as a paraprofessional at the elementary school.  Joel is going into 10th grade.  Josiah is going into 7th grade.  Jadyn is going into 3rd grade.  Pray for the start of the new school.  

Housing

As it relates to housing, we are not sure the length of time we have at our current rental.  Once again, we know we have been extremely blessed by God through the Shelners.  When needed, we are going to begin looking for a rental.  Even now we are keeping our eyes and ears open to possiblities.  Pray for wisdom. 

David’s work

My last day of work at West Cannon Baptist Church is August 24^th.  I have two months of severance pay.  During that time I am going to begin look for work in the Grand Rapids area.  If you know of any possibilities let me know.  At this time, I am not going to be looking for a pastoral ministry but hope to in the future.  Pray for wisdom.

Church

August 26^th is my last Sunday at WCBC as part of the staff.  Some people have asked if we will continue attending West Cannon.  While we love the people at WCBC and love its commitment to Biblical truth, for now we have decided it would be best not to attend.  There are many other good churches and we are looking forward to visiting some of them.  Pray for opportunities to be blessed and be blessing to others.

It has been a crazy year and a half.  It definitely has not gone the way I would have planned but thank God I am not God.

We appreciate your prayers.  Pray that we would continue to grow in our faith in God. 

One of the first verses I highlight when I get a new Bible is the same verse I have written out in many of my journals and the same  verse that has been on the side panel of this blog almost since the beginning is Acts 20:24, which is very relevant right now.

Everything for Good

It was a challenging Sunday morning.

Taught about Romans 8:28 in our Sunday School class after reading my resignation letter in the morning service.  

That resignation letter part is probably a shock to many people.  
Over the last two months, the elders at West Cannon and I have had some conversations about long-term ministry fit.

But before I share some of the details about this new time of transition in the Rodgers family I want to share a couple of truths from scripture.

First, the Genesis class is in our 3rd week of a study on The Most Misused Scriptures in the Bible.  This week's lesson is Romans 8:28.  Part of the lesson is this 9 minute Look at the Book video from Desiring God.  You can also click HERE to see all 32 study videos on Romans 8.

Second, two weeks ago I shared the following with a friend and then shared it on Facebook.  As I was sharing these truths with others, I was also working on reminding myself of these same truths from recent Fighter Verses.

For those facing any type of challenge in this life, and really who isn't, I want to encourage you to look to God by spending time in His Word.  The Fighter Verses Memory Plan is a great way to do this.  Over the last 7 weeks the verses have been such an encouragement.  Six of the verses are great reminders of who God is and what we need to do.  James 4:13-17, Psalm 18:30; Philippians 4:6-8 and Psalm 42:11.  The seventh verse is the great truth of the Gospel - Luke 19:10.  Get your Bible out and check out these awesome verses.

In this post, I have included the statement that I read Here is the statement that I read this Sunday morning (8/10/18) at West Cannon Baptist 

Today's Gospel Primer is the following

"The more I comprehend the full scope of the gospel, the more I value the church for which Christ died, (Ephesians 5:25 - "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her) the more I value the role that I play in the lives of my fellow-Christians, and the more I appreciate the role that they must be allowed to play in mine." 

Dear Church family, 
We are confident that God has used our time here for His glory and to help West Cannon. At the same time, over the last two months, it has become clear to the elders and me that my gifts and some ministry philosophy ideas and West Cannon’s needs are not a good long-term fit. While this has been a very difficult time and a very difficult decision, we understand and agree with the decision.   

We are thankful that God has given us the opportunity to serve Him during this time.  We have been extremely blessed over this past year by so many different people in so many different ways.  

Thank you for all that you have done to welcome and care for our family. We know God has used our time here to grow ourselves and the family of WCBC for His glory and for that we are thankful. 

We are praying and will continue to pray for the ministry of West Cannon and look forward to see how God is going to use of the Biblical counseling ministry in West Cannon and Western Michigan. 

We would very much appreciate your prayers as we seek God’s direction for us.

There is a lot that we are still processing through at this time.  As we learn more and make decisions, we will keep you posted here.

Here is the statement that Pastor Doug read.

As stated, Dave's resignation reflects a mutual recognition - on his part and the elders, that his gifts and unique styles are not lining up in the way we had all planned with the unique culture and needs of West Cannon. 

We, the elders, want it clearly communicated that Dave has in no way disqualified himself for ministry.  Dave and Krista's love for the Lord, love for His church, their character, and walk of faith are exemplary.  As we discussed this potential decision over the past 8 weeks or so we have been even more impressed by their sincere faith.  In times of testing - when we are squeezed, our true character comes to the surface.  This time of testing for Dave and Krista has further revealed a mature faith.

We also want you to know that Dave’s ministry has produced some very desirable fruit, not only in the lives of individuals he has ministered to but also for our church family. Dave’s efforts resulted in a new partnership with Faith Baptist Church in Lafayette, Indiana to host a Biblical Counseling / Discipleship conference at West Cannon. Our goal, and theirs, is for West Cannon to be a regional center for training that will benefit the greater body of Christ in Michigan. We also believe that this will become a critical component of our ministry for years to come that will benefit our family and our community. 

You may ask, "Why now?  Why not give it more time?"  Good questions. 

Dave has served the Lord in vocational ministry for many years and has established an understanding and commitment of how best to do ministry. A year ago we – the Rodgers and the elders, believed that his style of ministry and philosophy of ministry would dovetail well into our ministry for a long time. Now we believe that putting off what seems inevitable could lead to undesirable levels of frustration and possible conflict. Neither of us wants that for ourselves or the other.  

After a year of diligently seeking to buy a house the Rodgers still have not been able to purchase one.  Knowing that there were some “questions” about how well Dave’s gifts and style of ministry were lining   up with our needs we thought it best to come to a decision before they purchased a house, potentially complicating the situation. 

With three school-aged children and Krista working at a local school making a decision now is much better   than during the school year. Though this still creates some difficult decisions now is preferable than later. 

In reflection it is fair to say that the need for this transition surprises us ... confuses us ... frustrates us ... and saddens us. 

In our elders’ meeting this past Wednesday we determined to thoroughly evaluate our responsibility for what has happened and what needs to be changed in our ministry to prevent this from happening again. 

We are going to thoroughly research, clarify, and state our vision for discipleship in / through our adult ministries and lead our congregation into embracing/adopting this vision. 

We are going to review our process for seeking and vetting potential candidates for future positions. 

We know that there will be questions you have about what happened - that's understandable.  Please know that we are seeking to be as open as possible while respecting regulations regarding employment issues.  If you have questions or concerns the best way to address them is to talk with one of our elders - Tim Anderson, Bruce Bonnell, Tom Cizauskas, Dave Parmerlee, Rob Wynalda, or me.  We may or may not be able to answer your questions but that is the best first step.

Krista and I would greatly appreciate your prayers and I know the leaders at West Cannon Baptist Church would appreciate your prayers.

We are not sure exactly what the next steps are.
What we do know is that I will be at West Cannon through August 24 and I will receive 2 months of severance pay.
As of right now, we are planning to stay in the Grand Rapids area. 

Pray that we would remember the truth of Romans 8:28