40 day devotion

Last night was the first night of our 40 day devotion we started here at the gibbs house. It is geared toward kids. So the first devotion was to go meet someone at school that you have never met before and learn 5 facts about them. I was really not sure how Austin and Adisyn would do, but they did suprise me. Austin came home with 6-8 facts about a boy that he had never met, and found out they have a lot in common. Ashlyn, who already knows everyone and everything, did go to a young lady that she typically dont hang around and get some facts about her. I am so proud of both of them for doing what the devotional asked. It just shows that they are willing to obey God no matter what. (Last nights verse is from 1 John 4:11 Since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.) Tonights verse is from John 13:34 A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. Tomorrow they will have to look for someone that is being left out or alone and show love to that person by inviting them to eat lunch or play at recess etc. with them. I am excited to see how they do and learn of their day.

New campus in Rockport Texas

We are well under way of launching our seventh multi site campus for Bay Area Fellowship. It is in Rockport Texas and what a testimony it has already created. From our newest campus pastor, Adam Harris, ( you can follow him on twitter @adamjharris) selling his house in Victoria to finding a new house in Rockport, all in record timing, all the way to already having one person accepting Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour in one of our core meetings.

The worship area is making awesome progress as Pastor Joey Davila (our multi site worship pastor @joeydavila on twitter) is doing an awesome job creating a wonderful and beautiful place of worship.

The children's area is coming along great, kind of slow in my opinion but that is just me because I want it microwave style "RIGHT NOW"!! I am so excited because of the progress that has been made there, we start painting two days from now and I can't wait because that just means we are one step closer to reaching the community of Rockport and surrounding communities for Christ one child at a time. Stacia, my beautiful, awesome, most wonderful wife, is jumping in and being my hero this week as she and one of her friends go on a couple days of shopping to equip our nursery area with all the tools to minister to kids birth to 35 months old. She is a huge, and I can't express HUGE part of this ministry being successful!! She keeps me encouraged and prays for me daily, for that I am so blessed. She will be so busy over the next week or two to make sure the Bay (nursery) and Boardwalk (3 to pre-k) has everything in the rooms to make it a success.

I am so proud and honored God has chose Stacia and I and our kids to be a part of this ministry. Keep looking at these names on twitter to keep up with the progress and some pictures will be posted soon on our facebook pages of the progress in BAF_ROCKPORT. Follow these names on twitter: @gibbsg @staciagibbs @adamjharris @johncatkinson @joeydavila @baf_rockport

SILENCE

As I was reading one of my devotions today, it was amazing how it matched up with what is going on in my personal life here lately. After Pastor Bil Cornelius preached a message without saying one word, it really made me get into a place of SILENCE. And after reading I Kings 19:11-13, it all makes since.

I Kings 19:11-13 reads The LORD said "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing her, Elijah?"

In the last few weeks we have been getting ready to launch and have now launched our 6th multi site campus. I am responsible for getting the children's ministry from birth to 5th grade up and going. Believe it or not, it required a lot of time working and recruiting and scheduling and building and ordering and preparing for the launch and now that the campus is up and going, I have to make sure there are volunteers in correct places, make sure the processes are going smoothly. In the center of all the excitement and business, I found my mind and spirit clouded with thoughts and events. It wasn't until these last two weeks, have I slowed down, and allowed that GENTLE WHISPER be heard.

We all need to just slow down, clear out minds, schedules and lives for a season so we can hear that GENTLE WHISPER from God through the HOLY SPIRIT.