Welcome Home
Pastor's Crazy Challenge
# 3 days ago
Hey y’all.
I wanted to send this to build your faith and let you know what God is doing at Coastal. I also want to encourage you to pray for us as we take this huge step together!
Below is a note from one of our members. She took up the “Pastor’s Crazy Challenge” today.
Hope you don’t mind taking a minute to read how God is moving and getting us ready to break ground on our building.
For those who don’t know we are very close to starting our building but are a few hundred thousand short of phase one.
Our plans are ready, our permits are ready, our builder is ready and our community is ready and in need of a place to gather and play.
Mostly we are excited about a place where thousands can come to know Christ!
Port St. John is not a wealthy community and from the moment we came to Coastal we have faced many financial challenges.
From the very beginning individuals have said that we will never make it as a church, we will never hire staff, we will never buy property and we will never build.
Two out of three of these have already happened because God has been in this adventure from the beginning.
Anyway, today I challenged our members to three things: The “Pastor’s Crazy Challenge”
Ask God to show them ways to give or raise $1000 towards the building by New Years. (This is huge for most people in this community)
To consider giving at least $10 a week to our building fund for the next three years
Commit to percentage giving each paycheck to our budget
Ok so it’s day one of the “Crazy Pastor Challenge”!
This week I have already been told this is “impossible, people can’t do this, we are in an economic downturn” and a whole host of reasons why we can’t build.
Here is the story from Sunday from just a few hours after hearing the challenge….one of our members (I like to call our hundred-aires) decided that maybe they should do something.
My faith has faltered many times in the last few months and my family and I have been very sick. I have even wondered if the church could or would take this next step.
However, this note came to me today just a few hours after the challenge. If this isn’t a sign that God is moving….I don’t know what is.
I know as we all work together this can be accomplished.
I invite you to pray and ask God to continue to bless us like the story below.
Erick
—-
Subject: re- I told you about my dad tonight giving the $500
Because it was so busy, I couldn’t tell you the whole story. I said to my dad—“You give money to a lot of charities, so I am going to ask you a favor. The gifts you would normally give,please give to build the new church instead. I described how kids would have a place to go, and more people could be saved and come to know the Lord. Then I reminded him that if not for Coastal, I would never have been baptized, and would not be reading the bible every day and studying. Thanks to you, after church on Sunday, I go to dads, and for the first time in my 56 years, we sit and talk about the Bible.(instead of arguing and debating) ………………..And the things I fought about-it was really that the Lord was trying to keep us from getting hurt. (Erick note- Her Dad then said he would write a check for $500 to Coastal) My love for the Lord has just grown and grown. I have loved Him for many years, and served him faithfully, but it amazes me what a difference reading His word really makes in a persons life(someday when I see you, I will tell you about the latest temptation in my life, and how,if not for this church, I would have probably walked smack dab into sin again.
Thanks for taking a moment to read this note. Please join us in prayer as God does what only He can do here in Port Saint John.
# 22 days ago
Well, I thought I would write another blog just in case some folks were still taking a look now and then. Patty forced me to go on facebook in the last few weeks and I really thought it would be a pain. Instead, it has been awesome. I have been in contact with old friends and renewed great relationships. It is amazing to hear all that has happened to folks in the last 20 years. The most amazing part is that the memories and fun times are just as strong and God is just as good. Ok that’s all for now.
Stormy Days
# 91 days ago
Well, another storm has passed through our area. Fort Brookins has faired well but others to the south are not as fortunate. Although this was a wimpy storm the rain down south has been unbelievable. I have checked on our small group and our neighbors and all are doing fine. I view these times as opportunities for Christians to look for ways to be a blessing in the midst of trials. I heard that the Southern Baptist convention has already sent workers to help those in the south part of the county. I am sure those being helped will know that there are thousands of people who give so they can be blessed. I am glad our church gives part of our offering each week to help people here and around the world. Most of all I am glad the good news of Jesus Christ is being shared around the world even on stormy days.
Control
# 110 days ago
It is amazing how much control we think we have in life. When things don’t go our way or people hurt us often we think getting frustrated will somehow help. I love to tell others how to drive…..they can’t hear me but I tell them. ;) We think we can stay healthy or not get hurt. Instead we hurt our backs and get shocked in the kitchen. (actually those are both me too) The truth is that the only thing we can really control in life is our attitude. No matter what is happening in life we can chose to praise God. We may not be able to control what happens to us but we can know who we serve. I am learning when I get frustrated to simply look up and praise God. It is amazing how much my attitude changes and how much peace fills my heart and mind when I keep praising Him. In the Psalms David always describes his trouble but always turns his focus to God. I am reading more and more Psalms each week and taking some time to adjust my attitude and my focus. Just some thoughts from me.
Wild Weeks
# 165 days ago
Life sometimes just stays busy. I remember thinking that once I received my degree that everything would slow down. I think I have thought that many times in my life. “Once I get over this speed bump.” It’s funny because now that I have school behind me there are other things to fill in the gaps. This week I was called on for two funerals. A part of me doesn’t mind being a part of a funeral because I know it is an opportunity to present the hope of Christ and remind people of how short a time we have on earth. Both services were outside, fully suited up, and in the summer sun but both were also very full of God’s love and grace.
This week Ricky also attended his first “Cub Scout” meeting….(or is it “wolf?). I am not sure if Ricky is more excited or if Patty is the most excited. I am sure somewhere down the road I am going to be camping in a hot tent with bugs and no sleep. I grew up camping with my family……in a 40 foot airstream trailer with Air-conditioning (yes I capitalize that word out of respect). I don’t think I would mind camping if I lived in Colorado or even somewhere above DC but Florida has one month of camping weather. I guess its worth camping for those great memories of bugs, snakes, burns and monsoons. If it was up to me I would camp in the Hampton or my favorite Homewood Suites.On another note, I get to see Kyle very little now since he began driving. I guess it’s time for me to begin to spend more time training my youngest in essential skills like wrestling and finger pulling. (It’s a southern thing) My two girls usually only require a few tickles, some hugs and a movie on occasion. Anyway, I have been pondering writing some of these thoughts in a book to help folks on their journey. I figure I will make it funny and thought provoking at the same time.
Most of all I really want to live a life that pleases HIM and points others to HIM. You can pray that for me. Hope you are not too busy for Him today. Thanks for taking a moment to read some random thoughts from the ADD pastor. Erick – Doc B.
# 190 days ago
Leaving Town.
Hey just thought I would put a note up. Our family is leaving town on Thursday morning….early for New Orleans. I worked an extra day this week so we can take a day to go over to Texas. I love to drive but I must admit that excluded the panhandle of Florida on I10. Anyway, send me a note if you check this blog on occasion. Our web is getting ready to change again. It’s tough to keep it maintained but I hope we can keep it fresh enough. Thanks for sending me a note at ErickBrookins then the @ symbol at Hotmail.com. Now I wrote it that way so I won’t get spammed from a bot searching the web. You can figure it out though right? Have a great week. Erick
Old Time Rock and Roll- Christian Style
# 209 days ago
How did you like my title? I must admit I love a great guitar solo. I love a good drum solo. I listen to the same music as my teenager. Recently I-tunes added some old Christian rock. I found a great old group called “WhiteCross”……man they really rock. I downloaded an entire album. (It’s a cross between Van Halen and a few other bands.)
Back in the 80’s Christian songs were in your face with their lyrics. This band is no different. I remember when I first became a Christian and I wanted to purify my mind. The hardest thing for me was giving up my music. For a while I thought the words would effect me. Then one day I was struggling with some thoughts and realized that one of the songs I loved had the same emphasis as my struggle. At the same time I found a few Christian rock bands. It was awesome. I didn’t have to give up the rock to improve my thought life. I was able to get rid of my secular rock but not give up all of my music. Now I could be inspired and “rock out” at the same time. I didn’t have to feed my mind with junk to listen to great music.If you love that “old time rock and roll” but don’t like the words….do a little searching. There are some great tunes out there. I hope you will rock and get inspired at the same time.
Encouragement
# 215 days ago
Wow! It is amazing to me the difference a few words can make.
Obviously we all know how much pain a discouraging or critical word can bring. I have been the recipient and the giver of far too many critical words. I know there is a place for constructive criticism….it’s just that most of the time it’s not constructive. In the last few years I have recognized that most situations require encouragement and not criticism…..even the “constructive” version. Encouragement comes in so many forms. A kind word, a nice note, a phone call and even wonderful E-mails. In the last few weeks I have had hundreds of encouraging notes, comments and cards. I can’t tell you how much that has blessed me. (Last week was my 40th Birthday)
When I first started in ministry I was very unsure of my gifts and talents. Another youth pastor named Colin would always encourage me and tell me what a blessing I was to others. I began calling him “Barnabus” because that was the name of Paul’s encourager. I still remember how he used to encourage me without any ulterior motive. Those are the types of folks that make a difference in the lives of others. Those are the folks I love to be around.
I hope that I can be a blessing to others by being an encourager. Hope that encourages you too!! God bless you!!
A Passion For Ministry
# 259 days ago
In 2 Timothy 1:6, the apostle Paul reminds Timothy to “fan into flame the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.” Pastors are not the only one’s called into ministry but we get to encourage others each day to stoke the fire God has placed in our hearts. I love being a pastor. I wake up and go to sleep every day thinking about how I can serve God each day. Ministry is my passion. I love people so much that no one has to remind me that people are important. I want to see thousands of people coming to know Christ and growing in Him before I breathe my last. Sometimes I don’t spend enough time organizing those people but I always love people. Sometimes this passion takes priority over my family and sometimes I am able to balance this passion. I knew a pastor who was at his office each morning at 830 and left every day after five. What most didn’t know was that he was reading the paper, doing his bills and playing cards. He had forgotten that real ministry is not just showing up at the office. At the pastor’s conference this week I had the opportunity to have several conversations with pastor’s about their staff and their schedules. The summary was that pastors who are always in their offices are not doing ministry. I think the only exception to this is business administrators. (Poor folks) A pastor’s job is this strange combination of phone calls at home, visiting hospitals, eating multiple meals with people each week, performing weddings and funerals at all different times and so much more. These things need to be done while not forgetting my personal spiritual needs and the needs of my family. Balance is a tough thing. I remember one pastor I worked under wanted the staff to have time cards. I asked him if he would give me a clock at home every time someone called, every time I wrote an email and every time someone stopped me at the grocery store to tell me about their life….. He looked at me contemplatively and said, “forget it, you are right.” He then shared with me that he was just trying to motivate some of the staff. I then let him know that I didn’t think he could motivate passion and a heart for ministry. Some staff just have to move on to secular jobs. (By the way Andy Stanley says that you never hear of someone quitting their job and becoming a pastor because of the easy schedule but you hear of thousands of pastors each year quitting to do something easier) This is where ministry is vastly different from any other work I have had. See, ministry is not a job it is a calling. It doesn’t take long to figure out if someone has lost their passion for ministry. They don’t visit anyone, they don’t desire to learn about ministry, they come in and leave at the same time each day. From the time I surrendered my heart to Christ I was in ministry. As a senior in High School I used to take kids to breakfast each week. I continued this habit of meeting people weekly until a few years ago when the adults I ate breakfast with stopped showing up at 530 to meet me. I guess adults can’t take a nap during school hours. Now I just each later breakfasts and lunch. I can tell when someone has a heart for ministry because no matter what their other job they find time to minister to people. That is why I love our church. I see so many people who have other jobs to pay the bills but their real passion is ministry. They do other things but all they think about is how to help others grow in Christ. I just love that. When someone says they want to go into ministry I look to see if ministry is a part of their life. No one can pay you for ministry because ministry must be a heart motivation. I must admit that I have a pretty funky schedule but I try to always be accountable. I don’t think my days are quite as long as when Coastal first started but I still have a passion to see people’s lives changed. Even when I am not in the office on a weekday my secretary always knows where I am. I love to visit people at work, eat breakfast and lunch with them and most of all, encourage them in their walk with Christ. Sure, ministry is so much fun for me that I can’t imagine doing anything else. I even get to play golf with people and call it ministry. However, I also know that I could do so many things that are easier on my time and my family. Every once in a while someone still says… “must be nice to be a pastor and have nothing to do all day.” I usually, just look at them and smile and say, “yeah you should apply for a job”.Bad News Becomes Good News
# 266 days ago
Someone actually said they were waiting for a blog from me….I was so inspired I am writing one. Let me know if you want more blogs and I will try to share a little more of my life and thoughts.
We are having our kitchen redone. At our last house I put in new kitchen cabinets just months before we sold our home. I promised Patty we would get a new kitchen when we bought our new home closer to the church. Well, after seven years it’s kitchen time.
Now if you have never had your kitchen done it’s like letting someone set a bomb off in your home. Dust fills the house, you have no water, no kitchen sink and no way to cook dinner. Well, we ripped out the kitchen a little over three weeks ago and after several setbacks it looks like our counter tops will be in on Tuesday.
NOW FOR THE BAD/GOOD NEWS:
Our cabinet installer was putting in some lights and hit the water line for the refrigerator with a screw. Water went all over the place. Patty said she always thought the movies were exaggerating until she saw what happened. Water was everywhere and the worker started going crazy trying to hold the hole with one hand and turn off the water with the other. The three stooges would have been proud. I called the owner of the company and asked if he had pastor insurance… since so many accidents seem to happen to me at home. Anyway, to make a long story short they had to cut off the water, remove the cabinets and redo some drywall.
NOW FOR THE GOOD NEWS: When they removed the cabinets they discovered that the drywall was wet behind the cabinets. The drywall installers had put a screw into the same line but it was leaking just enough to get everything wet but not show yet. It could have been a disaster. If the cabinet installer hadn’t hit the line and pulled out the cabinets we may have had an all out flood one day while we were away from home.
What we thought was bad news was good news!
Isn’t God like that with us sometimes. He doesn’t always give us what we want because He is preparing us for something better or saving us for something worse. Sometimes He even lets us go through trials so we can discover our true motivation and let His Spirit work deep in our lives preparing the broken places. The Bible says that “He works all things to the good to them who love Him and who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28 He is working even when we think everything is going wrong. You know how I know that……. because He just saved us from a huge tragedy by tearing out a piece of our home. I hope you and I can trust Him today when He does that to our hearts. Don’t worry….the good news is God knows your heart!! He will work it all out for good.
