Tim Liston

288 Campus Construction Report...

Looking good... :)

 

Thank you, Great CoMission givers! Thank you, Lord!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Great CoMission Update #5: Digging Trenches in a Dry Land...

 

Pastor Caleb from Haiti posted this on Facebook today: "If you think your house is too small to asking people come to stay with you its ok. But Heaven is Large! Ask theme to come with you!!!"

 

How right he is!! Heaven is big - and what God wants to do for us and through us is usually bigger than we're thinking as well! That's why our church hires, builds, expands, starts new campuses, and why we DREAM BIG!!! If you've been around our church lately, you know God is up to something. Even at this moment, I hear the sound of construction going on at the 288 Campus. Our East Campus recently smashed all previous records with an event held for our Krush students. There is an excitement in Alvin like I've never seen before as we move toward the renovation of our building/campus there. And our efforts in Haiti may have had a breakthrough recently!! (I'll let you know. Keep praying.) WE ARE GETTING READY! Here's an excerpt from a Charles Spurgeon sermon from the 1850's. It reminds us to be ready for what the Lord wants to do. Enjoy...

 

"And he said, Thus saith the Lord, Make this valley full of ditches. For thus saith the Lord, Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, that ye may drink, both ye and your cattle, and your beasts." -2 Kings 3:16-17

 

"The armies of the three kings were famishing for want of water: God was about to send it, and in these words the prophet announced the coming blessing. Here was a case of human helplessness: not a drop of water could all the valiant men procure from the skies or find in the wells of earth. Thus often the people of the Lord are at their wits' end; they see the vanity of the creature, and learn experimentally where their help is to be found. Still the people were to make a believing preparation for the divine blessing; they were to dig the trenches in which the precious liquid would be held. The church must by her varied agencies, efforts, and prayers, make herself ready to be blessed; she must make the pools, and the Lord will fill them. This must be done in faith, in the full assurance that the blessing is about to descend. By-and-by there was a singular bestowal of the needed boon. Not as in Elijah's case did the shower pour from the clouds, but in a silent and mysterious manner the pools were filled. The Lord has his own sovereign modes of action: he is not tied to manner and time as we are, but doeth as he pleases among the sons of men. It is ours thankfully to receive from him, and not to dictate to him. We must also notice the remarkable abundance of the supply--there was enough for the need of all. And so it is in the gospel blessing; all the wants of the congregation and of the entire church shall be met by the divine power in answer to prayer; and above all this, victory shall be speedily given to the armies of the Lord. What am I doing for Jesus? What trenches am I digging? O Lord, make me ready to receive the blessing which thou art so willing to bestow."

 

Charles Spurgeon

 

 

 

Great CoMission Update #4: Walls on the ground, on paper, and in dreams...

 

288 Campus: The walls of the 288 Campus expansion have been poured! There will be a week or two wait now as the walls cure and the steel is shipped. Then the walls will be lifted into position.

 

Alvin Campus: Last week we had a meeting about the Alvin Campus and I was  very encouraged! Yes, we have a building. But all of the needed changes are still being worked out on paper. But it's fun watching a dream becoming a reality!

East Campus: We are about to begin the design of the East Campus build out! We've been told this shouldn't be a difficult process because the area is already under roof and everything has been removed.

Haiti Campus: As you heard in the service two weeks ago from Marc Davis, Haiti is a challenge! We knew it would be. We've got our eyes on a piece of land, but are moving forward with caution. It's risky, but the potential for making an impact for Jesus Christ is so great, we are going to keep pressing ahead in faith. Prayers please!!

Thanks again to every faith filled, fully devoted, commited and crazy New Hoper who is giving toward these projects! You are the GREATEST! Much love!!!

 

 

 

 

Show some love this Valentines Day...

Jane and I plan on going just to show love to someone who has sacrificed so much for our country. You can join us, if you are able. BTW - New Hoper, Terry Collins is one of the Co-Founders of this amazing organization.You can read more about Operation Finally Home here:

www.babasupport.org

 

You can read more about Sara here:

http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/pearland/news/marine-s-widow-surprised-with-free-house-in-alvin-at/article_631b4be0-676d-580e-9849-82a499a20a0a.html?mode=story.

 

 

 

Cancer, Rebuke, Pastors, Weddings, Christ's bride...

It's early Tuesday morning and I'll admit it: I'm a little all over the map today. It's already been a long week. But somehow, everything around me is related. I sat in M.D. Anderson yesterday praying, reading, and waiting as Ty had his surgery. During that time I made it halfway through the book, Replenish: Leading from a Healthy Soul, by my friend Lance Witt. I want to share two excerpts with you. In the first, he’s talking about rebuke; why we need it and how it is the highest form of love. The second is an interesting take on a Pastor’s job. Enjoy…

 

“A question I often ask people in ministry is, ‘Who in your life can rebuke you?’ Solomon said, ‘He who listens to a life-giving rebuke will be at home among the wise.’ When’s the last time a trusted confidant rebuked you about how you treated someone, or an off-color joke you told, or your insensitivity to your spouse, or your distortion of the truth, or your harshness toward a team member? A rebuke can be life-giving in the same way that a doctor exposing and removing cancer is life-giving. There’s temporary pain but long-term gain. Usually when we think of rebuke, we attach words like shame, guilt, and failure. But a well-placed rebuke from a well-trusted friend actually exposes the stuff in my life that could destroy me. If I have a friend who loves me enough to rebuke me, it is a [blessing]…

...As a pastor, my job is to watch after the bride [the church] on behalf of the groom [Jesus]. I am like a spiritual wedding coordinator. The coordinator’s job is to assist and serve the bride and groom, behind the scenes, in making their wedding day a meaningful event. No wedding coordinator worth their salt would ever steal the spotlight from the bride and groom. Jesus said, ‘Father, I want these whom you’ve given me to be with me, so they can see my glory. You gave me the glory because you loved me even before the world began!’ There should never be anything blocking the bride’s view of the Groom’s glory. My constant challenge as a leader in the church is to get myself out of the way so that the bride [the church] will be awestruck by the incomparable majesty of her Groom [Jesus]!”

 

BTW- A question I’m constantly asked is: Why isn’t your name on anything at New Hope? (Some people seem a little disturbed by this!) But the reason is simple: It’s not about me! It’s all about Jesus and for His glory alone!

 

Blessings! And thanks for your prayers for my family!

 

Replenish: Leading from a Healthy Soul, by Lance Witt

http://www.amazon.com/Replenish-Leading-Healthy-Lance-Witt/dp/0801013542/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1327421226&sr=8-1

 

 

Fellowship of the Unashamed...

I read this in church this past weekend. It's something that I wrote in the back of my Bible when I was 18. It's not original with me, and I'm not even sure who the author is. But it described how I felt at the time. Amazingly enough, many years later I still feel the exact same way. After the service I started getting requests for a copy. I posted it on Facebook, but decided to include it on my blog as well. Enjoy...

 

I’m part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have Holy Spirit power. The dye has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I’m a disciple of His. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure. I’m finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, “chincy” giving, and dwarfed goals. I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don’t have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded or rewarded. I now live by presence, lean by faith, walk by patience, lift by prayer and labor by power. My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few, my guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversary, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity. I won’t give up, shut up, let up, until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, preached up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know, and work till He stops me. And when He comes for His own, He will have no problem recognizing me – my colors will be clear.  

 

Great CoMission Update #2: It has begun!

TODAY: December 12, 2011!! Here's a shot of the very beginning of the New Hope Church 288 Campus Great CoMission project! Dirt is moving as we get ready to pour the foundation. This is something we needed to do in order to allow us to move forward using the building codes from 2011. We'll pour the foundation, then work will pause as we wait for more money to come in. The decision has been made to build only what is needed at this time - as opposed to building unfinished space for future use as well. This will keep us well within our budget and commitments. Vision and resources must intersect!

 

Our Real Estate Lawyer is making some final adjustments to our New Hope Church Alvin Campus Documents, but everyone is ready to ink the deal on the building there. We have our down payment ready and we will continue to move forward on the construction documents for this brand new campus! Pray that God moves - and that people continue to be faithful in giving so that we can get this campus up and running! I'm so excited about what God is doing in our church family!!! Thank you for being a part of this amazing work!

 

(I'll fill you in on our East Campus and Haiti Campus in a later update!)

 

Custom Tables in Theater Seating...

This post is for any church or organization that is having an event and needs to add tables to elevated stadium seating...

 

Our 288 Campus auditorium seats 1500+. However, the floor section seats only 500. When you remove the chairs and add tables, the number shrinks to about 250+/- in the floor section. In order to seat the adults who had signed up for our six Great CoMission Thanksgiving Banquets at this campus we needed to add more tables.

 

We found our solution by adding custom tables in the stadium seating. It was an experiment for sure, but our guys came up with a design and made it work like a charm! We added 200 more seats for the banquets and were able to fit everyone in (over 8 nights/2 Campuses). Our guys also made several custom carts for easy storage. The tear down was equally impressive - as seen in the video below. (Note: The band was practicing for weekend services during tear down.) 

 

PS- If you’d like the plans or more pics, email Ken Meredith at mail@newhopechurch.tv.

 

 

 

 

New Hopers and the MLS Cup Championship...

 

This Sunday night, November 20, the Houston Dynamo will be playing David Beckham and the L.A. Galaxy for the MLS CUP Championship on ESPN at 8:00 p.m. local time. We've got three New Hopers on the team: Eddie Robinson - defender, Brad Davis who was injured last week but is up for MVP of the entire league, and Tally Hall - goalie! Say a prayer for our guys and cheer them on to victory!

 

 

Helping our Wounded Heroes

New Hoper and BABASOT Board Member, Terry Collins (front right)

 

I’m so proud of all the good work that our New Hopers do every day. Our church family just overflows with the love of God for people. And I love that about you! I want to tell you about a New Hoper who is doing something amazing. His name is Terry Collins and he is one of the Co-Founders and a current Board Member of an organization called Bay Area Builders Association Support Our Troops. BABASOT was established in 2005 and has as its mission to provide custom made homes to wounded and disabled veterans and the widows of the fallen in an effort to get their lives back on track. BABASOT partners with corporate sponsors, individuals contributors, and volunteers to help severely wounded heroes and their families’ transition from the battlefront to the home front. I talked to Terry this past weekend and he said that they just gave away their 29th home to a wounded warrior!

 

Amazing!

 

Way to go BABASOT! Way to go Terry!

 

For more info: www.babasupport.org

30,000 reads?! Amazed to be used by God…

 

As I prepare to publish this post, my total blog “reads” are at 29,364. That means this post, more than likely, will move the reads beyond 30,000 total. Insert my amazed face here: ______!!  I’ve always been amazed that God would use me, at all. When I stand up to preach and look out at everyone (and our East Campus via the screen) I still have this thought after all these years, “Why do these people sit here and listen to me? I wouldn’t listen to me!!” Awhile back, someone was telling me they love the lessons at New Hope. Then they told me they drive an hour each way every weekend to come to church and I actually said, “Why?” Insert my embarrassed face here: _____!!

 

But I truly believe one of the reasons this all works is because it’s not about me.

 

Years ago, I sat down to talk to Howard Agnew (New Hope Worship Pastor). The church had just grown beyond 500 people each Sunday and I was feeling overwhelmed. I told Howard I was troubled that so many people were coming to church and I didn’t know most of them. He let me talk for a moment and then he said, “Well, they’re coming to church to get to know Jesus, not you.” Insert my "ouch" face here: _____!!!!!!!!!!!! Lesson learned: Preach Jesus hard and stay out of the way!

 

Now we move toward the fall with great and wonderful things on the horizon for our church family. And if you’re ever amazed by what God is doing in our church, or through the people of our church, please know that as Pastor… I’m just as amazed!

 

 

 

 

100% of the offering leaves our church...

 Nicaragua: Two little girls cautiously approach the group of New Hopers in the background. Our team was there to serve the people who live in the dump.

 

The weekend of June 11-12 we will be giving away 100% of our offering to missions away from home. If your heart is for overseas missions, then be sure and put some money in the offering bag or give it online. People need Jesus. We want to help our missions partners who are making Christ known in far away places. Please give generously!

 

 

New Hopers in the sky...

 New Hopers Paul Steffenauer & Kyle Engelhardt watch over us from above.

 

Paul rides shotgun and directs the high tech instruments that track and assist in the apprehension of criminals while Kyle flies the chopper. Paul will soon enter flight school to become a pilot as well.

 

Well, I'm convinced: You never know where you might find New Hopers these days!! Recently, I had the privilege of riding for a shift with New Hopers, Paul Steffenauer and Kyle Engelhardt, of the Houston Police Department Air Support Division. Wow! Talk about a thrill ride! (Kyle was willing to increase his tithe if I puked on Paul. I couldn't... not that I didn't try!) It's amazing the support that these eyes in the sky are able to offer the guys on the ground, spotting, directing, warning... Basically, giving the law enforcement personnel on the ground a bigger more detailed picture of unfolding events. I'm a Pastor, so you knew this part was coming: The whole time we were up there I was thinking about how much we miss on the ground when we're right in the middle of "it" - whatever "it" may be - and how helpful a view from above is or could be. 

 

"'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,' declares the LORD. 'As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.'" -Isaiah 55:8-9

 

That's another reason to call on God: He sees more than we can see. He knows more than we can know. And James 1:5-8 says He's willing to share that information with us.

 

Props to the guys in the skies and to all our law enforcement people who spend their days and nights watching over our safety.

 

New Hoper Kelsi Kettler Hits Walk Off Home Run at College World Series!

 

Kelsi Kettler after hitting the game winner Thursday.

 

Facing an 0-2 count with two outs in the bottom of the eighth, Alvin High School State Champion ('08), New Hoper, & Baylor University player, Kelsi Kettler delivered a walk-off solo home run that bent just around the left field foul pole for a 1-0 win over Oklahoma State (42-19) in the first round of the Women's College World Series on Thursday at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium. Yea Kelsi!! You can read more and see a highlight video here:

http://www.baylorbears.com/sports/w-softbl/recaps/060211aaa.html

 

 

Beyond expectations, but not unexpected...

New Hope's signature "crown of thorns" becomes permanent in Friendswood.

It was mid-May 2010. The school year was winding down and so was the economy. But our East Campus needed a home and our 288 Campus was being choked by poor traffic flow. And in the middle of a bad economy (and a bad time of the year to raise money) our church family came together and did something amazing: With no fanfare, banquets or home meetings, we pledged to give $650,000 over & above normal giving in 12 short months. Incredibly, a few weeks later the pledge amount had increased to $763,992. It was obvious that our people believed the projects of Beyond were worth the sacrifice!

 

Fast forward one year to today, and our East Campus has more than doubled in attendance and has three Sunday services to fit the 1000+ people (and their cars) on our property there. Over 1600 people attended our East Campus on Easter this year! It’s a rare weekend when there isn’t a baptism or two at East. And on Baptism Weekend this past month, 50 people were baptized at our East Campus. Amazing. You might say it is “beyond” what we ever thought possible!

 

Our 288 Campus now has a new bridge and driveway. Our old driveway was expanded to three lanes, all of which are now “exit only.” We also have an exit for those going west on CR58, increasing our total exit lanes from 1 to 4. Traffic wait times have decreased by approximately two thirds. (That’s even before the CR58 expansion is completed.) Turning lanes are being built on our new county road specifically designed for our church family. All these improvements will make it much easier for our friends and neighbors to come to church! And together, all these changes are "beyond" what we were expecting! 

 

Remember: The final pledge amount was $763,992.00. And now here’s the most amazing news. The total given (as of 06/02/2011) was $791,692.00 (and growing). Yes, it is “beyond” what was even pledged!

 

Somehow, that’s not a surprise!

 

Thank you to everyone who committed and gave so that our church family could continue to reach people for Jesus. What we do is important. I’m so glad you understand that and are willing to sacrifice to make it possible! May God bless you!

 

PS- If you were giving to Beyond and would like to continue we will use that money to continue our campus development projects! Thank you!!