small drama or GRAND STORY

“Your life is much bigger than a good job, an understanding spouse, and non-deliquent kids. It is bigger than beautiful gardens, nice vacations, and fashionable clothes. In reality, you are part of something immense, something that began before you were born and will continue after you die. God is rescuing fallen humanity, transporting them into His kingdom, and progressively shaping them into His likeness-and he wants you to be a part of it!”-Paul Tripp
In way areas of your life has God recently been reforming/changing? In what ways has (the) Holy Spirit be conforming you into the likeness of Christ? Who is God asking you to help grow in this same process? -Casey Cariker

young leaders at rejoice

Recently, at Rejoice South we had picture day. It was a lot of fun to see tons of pics of the different individuals, families, and new people that God has been sending us. This picture was one that got my attention. Not because they are all new to Rejoice but because of their potential. Tonight, I began to think about each one, their different faith stories, their different family situations, their unique personalities, their specific gifts to the body of Christ...then I began to pray for them. "Father, will you remind them of your supernatural love today. Awaken them to the Spirit of God that you have given them upon surrendering to your grace. Open their hearts so they can worship passionately, transform their minds so they can think biblically, open their hand so they will give generously, give their feet a new direction/purpose for live, and help them use their words for your glory!" Amen.
-casey cariker

logan mccormick, Christ-follower and new international missionary

I got the chance to sit down with Logan McCormick today. Logan just returned from an international missions trip to the closed country of Morocco. Logan joined with a group from the United States to be the hands and feet of Jesus to those in need in Morocco as well as look for opportunities to spread the Gospel.

Q: Logan, what most surprised you about Morocco? Probably the culture. It was my first time out of the country and first cross culture missionary trip. So the idea of being in a strange place, with a different people group, with different preferences, religions, foods, customs..all of it was extremely eye opening.

Q: What were some of the things you enjoyed the most in Morocco? Spending time with our team from the United States, learning their callings and backgrounds. Playing with the Morocco children, making them laugh even though I couldn't speak their language, walking on my hands to put on entertainment, just overall trying to be a servant and an example of Christ.

Q: How much is the gospel needed in Morocco? Horrible! 99% are Muslim, 5 times a day people are worshipping, praying to a dead false God. People who are Christ-followers face death for converting to Jesus. It is overwhelming. It is really hard to understand.
Q: What did you feel like God taught you or revealed to your heart in Morocco? He taught me to have patience. I wanted to change the community in one trip, but I have to trust in His direction and care. I need to be thankful for my family and place to live. I need to be more aware of the work of Christ in the world.
Q: Let us know about some of your teammates/co-workers in Morocco... I enjoyed spending time with some leaders from our church, learning from other leaders and cross cultural missionaries...learning from people who have literally given decades of years in foreign places for the sake of the gospel is inspiring.
Q: Any last thoughts? I just want to thank everyone that financially supported me and prayed for me. It wasn't easy for my family to let me go. I'm praying that God will encourage and repay everyone who helped me go on this trip of a lifetime, hopefully I will get even more opportunities like this one!
-thanks Logan-Casey Cariker

82 year old Christ follower by cindybeall.com

Dear 82-Year Old Follower Of Christ written by Cindy Beall at www.cindybeall.com
So, how have you done it?
How have you managed to maintain your faith in Christ all these years?
How have you handled the changes that you have certainly seen in your 82 years on this earth?
How have you dealt with the heartaches that you’ve most assuredly endured?
How have you chosen to trust God when everything around you seemed to be in shambles?
How have you done it?
Because, quite frankly, I want someone to ask me this when I’m 82 and I’ll need to know what to say.
You inspire me.

-Casey writes: When was the last time you sat down and spoke to someone who has pursued Christ for many decades? It is so encouraging to be around a person who has understand the love of Jesus for many many years, they still have the fire/zeal of God in their eyes, they still weep when talking about the cross...they still rejoice when someone far from God is reunited with God through Jesus...they still are faithful to the local church...they long to be in the presence of Christ in heaven, but they also long to see another generation take Christ to the nations...This week spend a few moments learning from a long time Christ-follower. -casey cariker

have you noticed "the noticer"

What have you been noticing about your world lately? Do you fly through life only noticing your relationships, your needs, and the things you are interested in? In his book, The Noticer, Andy Andrews does a good job writing an interesting narrative about an elderly homeless person who noticed many important things about several different people and families. He notices damaged relationships/marriage, leaders who need wisdom, people who need a hand up, young people who need encouragement and so on. Andrews does a great job writing a simple, easy to read narrative. This is a book that I could recommend to people who need to grow in their understanding of making an impact on others. However, I "noticed" that several concepts in the narrative were real similar to other books that I have read. For example, Andrews talks about how each one of us express our love for others, especially in a marriage, yet what he noticed sounded just like Gary Chapman's book on Love Languages. Overall this book was worth reading, it was catchy in its story telling, it made a few good points, but I wouldn't call it a 'must read'. I give this book 3 stars. -casey cariker

dear mother of young children

(written by Cindy Beall at www.cindybeall.com)
Dear Mother of young children,
Your days are long, aren’t they, precious? You are so tired of telling that 3-year old to pee-pee in the potty you could scream. And you often do. You wonder when your newborn is going to sleep through the night so that you can sleep through the night. You never knew just how precious sleep was until now.
You dream of days when you can walk through the grocery store alone. You will hear another woman’s baby cry and you’ll be overjoyed because it is, in fact, another woman’s baby…not yours. You might even start skipping as if to say, “I am sorry she is crying, but your baby can cry the whole time for all I care because I don’t have my children. I AM ALONE!”
You count the hours down until the afternoon nap. You will battle with them for a bit as they fight off the impending sleep, but you know the battle will be yours. They doze off and you pray that the next 120 minutes will actually feel like 240. You complete the household duties that never seem to disappear and then sit down for a much-needed, much-deserved rest before the natives awake.
The dreaded time frame from 4:00 - 6:00 in the late afternoon is not to far away. You wonder what you’ll do to calm the cries this time. It’s commonly referred to as Arsenic Hour because you don’t know whether to give it to them or take it yourself. But you make it through, manage to prepare a decent meal for your family, and bathe and bed them so that you can grab 20 minutes of time with your husband before you doze off due to sheer exhaustion.
It won’t always be this way.
When that youngest turns five and heads off to kindergarten, you will wonder where the time went. Sure, you will enjoy your 2.5 hours of freedom each morning because your city only has 1/2-day kindergarten, but your eyes will light up as you see his cute, little self bouncing toward you in the carpool lane. You’ll inquire about his day and hope he shares every ounce of it with you so that you will not miss a thing.
Your older child can brush her own teeth, dress herself and even make herself some lunch. You offer to help her and she graciously replies, “Oh, no thanks, Mom. I’ve got it.” And you smile a little because you are proud of the little lady she is becoming, all the while holding back the tears that the child that once peed on your hard-wood floors now goes to the restroom like a normal child and even makes her own meals.
You will enter new seasons and what once drove you over the edge will now be a distant memory that brings a smile to your face. You will wonder where the days went when your sons foot begins to get as big as yours.
You will not even be able to remember the last time you didn’t sleep through the night. There will be no more diapers, wipes, sippy cups or pacifiers. The faces that once stole your heart away will begin to look like little people. And those little people will start looking like young adults.
So, hang in there. Some days all you feel like doing is hanging. And that’s okay. Try your best to enjoy each day to it’s fullest with these priceless gifts you’ve been given. Because trust me when I say this, you will miss this.
I sure do. -written by Cindy Beall at www.cindybeall.com -posted by casey cariker

dear married man 3 kids by Cindy Beall

Dear Married Father Of Three Kids,
Are you happy? If so, please tell your face.
I see you sitting on the chair at the water park just biding your time. Your kids are overjoyed and are having the time of their lives and you are just sitting there, enduring it all with a heavy sigh and rolling of your eyes, waiting for it to be over. You can’t wait for the day to be done so that you can go back to your cozy den and submerge yourself into a world of ridiculous-ness that is seen on the television.
You have no idea that you are missing life…right in front of your eyes.
I see it in your wife’s eyes. She misses you but doesn’t know what number to use to call you. She can’t find your heart so in the process decides she has to protect hers. Before you know it, there is a huge, brick wall right in the center of your king-sized bed. You haven’t truly seen her in years.
Your children come to you with their accomplishments just hoping they’ll receive an accolade from you, their dad. Only to be recognized with a motion from their father’s hand because they’ve gotten in the way of his precious television show.
You are missing it all. And you have no idea.
So, wake up from your sleep. Snap out of it. Before you know it, you will be a complete stranger to the woman you were once head over heels for. And your children? They won’t come back to visit you because there is no relationship to maintain.
You have no idea how many people would do just about anything to have the life you have.
Don’t believe me? Ask around.

social media a fad? have you tweeted today?

Holy Cow...For those of us who still have a VCR, use a toaster, are trying to figure out how to adjust the ring tone on our phone, and wonder if we got anything in our mailbox at the end of our driveway...we may need to take a deep breath!

morocco project

Here is another update from our team in Morocco.
Dear Friends,
Another long day. The medical team drove about an hour and a half to their destination. Arrived around noon, had breakfast and tea and began their day. The nurses on the team are doing a great jobteaching and doing consultations with the women. Dr. Jay is working long hours and listening to lots of issues and treating as meds are available. This morning we tried to purchase med's in bulk at the pharmacy....does not exist. What does exist is way to expensive to treat the masses like we are doing. So we just have to see how far the med's we shipped will go. The teams are returning to our base camp around 8-8:30 PM each evening. I hear excitement on everyone's voice. Continue to stand in the gap with us for energy, patience and understanding of what the father wants to teach each of us. We are being a blessing to the people. One president of several associations told me today that we are greatly appreciated in our actions of help. This is important for
what we are trying to accomplish.
The painting crew started the third school with four classrooms and six bathrooms. From the beginning of the day, our airless paint sprayer broke down. The pistole developed a leak and was cracked inside. That sent everyone to the rollers and paintbrushed. We quickly look for a solution to the situation and moved on. No HomeDepot anywhere in sight here! Because of the new shift in our work, we did not finish the school today. We will finish tomorrow. I am trying to negociate for the medical team to finish at noon on Friday.
One of our team members (Lynette) is not feeling well tonight and has not joined us for supper. Althought it is 11:15PM and we have not eaten yet. This makes for some long days, but gives us time to sit and visit with our team members. Jay is doing another consultation here at the house. I must say, he is a trooper and is using his gifts and skills to help thoses who do not have the means nor the specialist available.

updates from morocco

We currently have a team of people partnering with the Hanna Project inside of Morocco. Remember that Morocco is a "close country" that does not have faith or religious freedom. Our people and the Hanna Project are being the hands and feet of Jesus:
The guys team went to the mountains on Monday morning leaving town late morning and arriving around noon where we were given a triumphal entry by the children of the village. We were offered hot mint tea and then a lunch. We began organizing for the painting of the school around 1:30 PM. We were granted stamina and speed. Everyone was exhausted as it took three hours to get to our destination. We finished the project by 5PM, thanks to the airless paint sprayer that was donated. We then waited for three hours for a vehicle to come and pick us up where about 15 people loaded into a van built for 9. Two or three guys road on the roof rack. Not our team. :-) We arrived at our hotel around 12:30 AM. We finished a day ahead of schedule. We started the second school this morning around 10AM and finished around 7PM. We are making great progress. Late this afternoon, a university graduate spoke with me and told me that we had set an example before the people of his village for our hard work. The schools look great, even if the paint is a lavender color! It brings a new image to the schools and they are clean and inviting for the children to begin school soon. Tomorrow we will begin the third school and our last. We will surely finish ahead of schedule and I am convinced there is a reason for this. It will give us the opportunity to show part of our team where we have been planning to do our first water project to help a village who does not have potable water. My desire is that it ignites a spark in the hearts of my team and they will leave the country to help champion the cause!

Thanks for standing with us on your knees!

Mike Cousineau

DA Carson's The Cross and Christian Ministry

Last year I read, The Cross and Christian Ministry, a study of 1 Corinthians by D.A. Carson. It was really strong and the depth and insight of 1 Cor. was very solid. However, I put it on my shelf after highlighting much of it and went on with my business. Today, I ran across this portion on another blog, which reminded me of its depth and what we talked about from 1 John 5 last Sunday. Enjoy-
At the moment, books are pouring off the presses telling us how to plan for success, how "vision" consists in clearly articulated "ministry goals," how the knowledge of detailed profiles of our communities constitutes the key to successful outreach. I am not for a moment suggesting that there is nothing to be learned from such studies. But after a while one may perhaps be excused for marveling how many churches were planted by Paul and Whitefield and Wesley and Stanway and Judson without enjoying these advantages. Of course all of us need to understand the people to whom we minister, and all of us can benefit from small doses of such literature. But massive doses sooner or later dilute the gospel. Ever so subtly, we start to think that success more critically depends on thoughtful sociological analysis than on the gospel; Barna becomes more important than the Bible. We depend on plans, programs, vision statements--but somewhere along the way we have succumbed to the temptation to displace the foolishness of the cross with the wisdom of strategic planning. Again, I insist, my position is not a thinly veiled plea for obscurantism, for seat-of-the-pants ministry that plans nothing. Rather, I fear that the cross, without ever being disowned, is constantly in danger of being dismissed from the central place it must enjoy, by relatively peripheral insights that take on far too much weight. Whenever the periphery is in danger of displacing the center, we are not far removed from idolatry. (p. 26) -which part of this made you think? -casey cariker

34th birthday, do something a little different

Last week, while I was on vacation with my family in New Mexico I turned 34 yrs old. I also happened to be with my extended family in the Chama Moutains that day. So as I began to think about turning 34 and living each day as it could be my last, I decided to jump off a cliff from 35 feet up for my 34th birthday. Thanks to my sister-in-law Denae, we have a snapshot of it! When was the last time you did something a little risky? What event or decision have you been putting off for awhile and now you know you need to stop procrastinating? If you knew that you wouldn't fail, what risk or adventure would you start? Pray about it and go for it! -casey c.

Love For The Poor

This summer we have been looking at 1st John and have been challenged to take the 1st John challenge. Reading a chapter of First John each day. We hope that you and your family have been challenged by this series. In the third chapter of 1st John we are challenged to love one another. I will be honest and say that this can be very difficult at times. Sure it is easy to love those who love us, but when it comes to our enemies, that is another story. And found in verse 16, we get another challenge from John.
16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? 18Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.
We are called to love the poor, the less fortunate, brothers and sisters in need. This weekend our teens are about to experience this firsthand. We are in Waco, Texas about to go through Poverty Simulation. What is that, you may ask. Beginning Friday, possessions as we know it will be gone. We will be poverty stricken. All of our clothes, personal items, money, everything will be taken away. We will have to sleep outside. We will have to find our own food and water. We will be shown a reality that millions are faced with each day. We will be taught the truth of poverty and homelessness in America. Our teens will never be the same.
If we see a brother or sister in need and have no pity on them, how can the love of God be in him? Our students will never pass a needy person again and feel no love or sympathy. This will be our third time to work with the homeless in Waco. I honestly believe that this is an experience that everyone should go through at least once in their life. It changes your outlook on the less fortunate and teaches you the simple things we take for granted. Pray for the students and leaders this weekend as we will be living on the streets of Waco. Pray for the millions of Americans and millions worldwide who do not have a place to call home. Pray that as believers in Christ, we can all have and show more compassion for God's creations who are in need. Pray that we, as the body of Christ, will become less judgemental and apathetic and more loving and compassionate.
How can you begin to show love for those in need?

Brad L.

think you struggle to get your kids to church?

We love kids at Rejoice Church. It's our hope that your kid never wants to escape our church this bad!
-casey c.

redefining friendship

Ever wanted a friend that sticks closer than a brother? Here is a 21st century example. -casey cariker