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GOOD FRIDAY REFLECTIONS

2011-04-22T01:20:00.014-04:00

We all love Easter, but we forget that we don't get Easter without going through Good Friday. As a way to help you reflect on Good Friday, I wanted to pass on a message I preached a few years back at a community Good Friday service. I thought it might be helpful for you as you consider all that Jesus did on this Good Friday.

(As you read it, give me grace - it was early in my ministry. The delivery is rough, but the content is helpful.)

"Why do they call it Good Friday?"

April 18, 2003

LaGrange, IN

Josh Hossler

"I want to say that it is truly a privilege for me to be able to speak to all of you today. I enjoy being up here even if criterion for being here is less than distinguished. [They picked the Good Friday speaker simply based on who the newest pastor in the community was.]

I think my message will mean more to you today if you know a little bit about who I am, so I would like to entertain you with a brief digression. I am the pastor of the LaGrange Missionary Church, and have been for a little over 10-months. (I’ll get this one out of the way right up front) I am 24-yrs. old, have been married for a little over one year, and am not yet a dad. I graduated from Bethel College, Mishawaka, Indiana, in the winter of 2001. I am the youngest of 4 in my family, born to Dr. Bill & Margaret Hossler.

My father is a Missionary Church pastor of 32 years, 25 of which were spent in Port Huron, Michigan, the town where I was born. Like this community, the churches of Port Huron also gathered together the Friday before Easter for a service much like ours. And, being one of the leading pastors in the community, my dad gave his share of Good Friday messages. Good Friday service was always a part of our Easter celebrations.

Round about the age when children begin making connections between ideas, beliefs, and reality, I too came to a eureka, of sorts, and a question. It was a normal Good Friday. I was on my way to the community service with my dad; while the rest of my family was planning to meet us there. In the car on the way to the service, I began thinking…

Knowing that we as Christians, love Jesus (or are at least supposed to), learn from Jesus (in Scripture), and want to be like Jesus – knowing that Jesus was a really nice guy, knowing that he healed people, fed people, and helped just about everyone... and knowing that Good Friday is the day that we remember Jesus’ horrible death on a cross, I asked my dad this question.

“Dad,” I said, (my face painted with the color of curiosity) with my head slightly tilted with curiosity. “Dad, why is today called Good Friday?” “Isn’t this a sad day?” “They killed Jesus! Isn’t this a bad thing?”

It didn’t make sense to me, how on the day we remember the death of my friend Jesus, the friend I had been taught to love in Sunday School – How we could possibly call this day a Good day?

The question I think, is one worth tending to this morning.

Why do we call it Good Friday?

There are all kinds of ways to answer, but I want us to look specifically at a few verses in Romans–

Romans 5:6-8

"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

I want to point out from these verses, just a few of the reasons why we call today Good Friday.

Why do we call today Good Friday?

1) Because God came to us.

Isn’t that good news – God came to us. He didn’t wait for us to come to Him. He came to us! 2 Corinthians tells us this, “God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ” (2 Co. 5:19) Here’s the good news: When it says “world”, you and I are included in that! We could basically take the word “world” out of that verse and insert your name.

“God was reconciling Josh to Himself in Christ.”

“God was restoring Josh to a right relationship with Himself in Christ.”

“God did this, Jesus did this, so that Josh and God could be together again.”

Isn’t it good news that God came to us. He didn’t wait for us to come to Him? Here’s even better news: God’s reconciliation is still available. God is still in the restoration business.

Why do we call it Good Friday?

2) Because on the cross Jesus spoke up for the powerless.

“When we were still powerless.” You could insert your name in there. “When Josh was powerless” “when Josh could do nothing to get back to God on his own.” The human predicament is that we are lost and unable to find the way – powerless.

Illus.: “$25 For A Crippled Puppy” (Bruce Howell)

The story is told of a farmer was sitting on the front porch one summer evening when a newspaper boy came to deliver his paper. The boy noticed a sign on the porch which read, “Puppies For Sale.” He got off his bike and said to the farmer, “How much do you want for the pups, mister?” “$25, son.” The boy’s face dropped. “Well, sir, could I at least see them anyway?” The farmer whistled and in a moment the mother dog came bounding around the corner of the house tagged by 4 cute puppies, wagging their tails and yipping happily. At last, another puppy came straggling around the house, dragging one leg behind. “What’s the matter with that puppy, mister?” the boy asked the farmer. “Well son, that puppy is crippled. We took her to the vet and he took an x-ray. The pup doesn’t have a hip joint and that leg will never be right.” To the amazement of the farmer, the boy dropped his bike, reached for his collection bag, and took out a fifty-cent piece. “Please mister, I want to buy that pup. I’ll pay you 50 cents each week until that $25 is paid. Honest I will, mister.” The farmer said, “But son, you don’t seem to understand. That pup will never be able to run or jump. That pup is going to be a cripple forever. Why in the world would you want such a useless pup as that?” The boy reached down a pulled up his pant leg, revealing a brace, holding a poor, twisted leg. “Mister,” the boy said, “that pup is going to need someone who understands him to help him in life!”

There’s no greater an example of an underdog than the sinner, who has been crippled in his soul. He’s been cut off from God—unable to help himself. Jesus is for the sinner. That’s why He came. God came to those who couldn’t help themselves.

Why do we call it Good Friday?

3) Because on the cross God showed that He was for the sinner.

“We were powerless and ungodly.” That didn’t keep God away from us. Jesus was ridiculed for siding with sinners, but aren’t you glad that God has an affinity for the ungodly? Again, we could remove word “ungodly” in this verse and insert our own name.

“Christ died for Josh.” “Christ died for me.” “Christ died for ______ (put your name in there).”

From the cross Jesus looked at those who spat upon him and ridiculed him; he looked at them and he said these words… “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (for they do not know what they are doing). (Lk 23:34) When Jesus cried out in this manner, I have to think that he was crying out not just on behalf of those who were there that day, but he was crying out on behalf of humanity from that day until the end – asking God to forgive sins.

You can substitute your name in that verse. Personalize it. It’s as if Jesus were crying out… “Father, forgive Josh, for he knows not what he does.” Today is a good day because this is the day of our forgiveness!

Why do we call it Good Friday?

4) Because on the cross Jesus took our place.

That should have been you! That should have been me!

Jesus stepped between you and your punishment and took it all, every last bit of what you and I deserve. And that punishment was given to Jesus in the form of ridicule, rejection, physical beatings, loneliness, betrayal, humiliation, and finally death.

Our current day dramatizations place Jesus on the cross for a brief period of time, but in reality the gospel accounts give us a period of at least 6-hours that he was on the cross.

(Most of us would struggle with a six hour car ride – this was no car ride.)

The well-known artist, Rembrandt, has a painting which he has named The Three Crosses. If you were to look at Rembrandt's painting of The Three Crosses, your attention would be drawn first to the center cross on which Jesus died. Then as you would look at the crowd gathered around the foot of that cross, you'd be impressed by the various facial expressions and actions of the people involved in the awful crime of crucifying the Son of God. Finally, your eyes would drift to the edge of the painting and catch sight of another figure, almost hidden in the shadows. Art critics say this is a representation of Rembrandt himself, for he recognized that by his sins he helped nail Jesus to the cross.

“Christ died for us.” Christ died because of us, because of our sins, our sins helped nail him to the cross… BUT, he also died “for us” – in our place. You can put your name in there. “Christ died for Josh” – “Christ died in the place of Josh.”

Why do we call today Good Friday?

5) Because on the cross GOD whispered to the world (as only He can with an earthquake and thunder), and said, “I LOVE YOU!”

“God demonstrates His own love for us in this (in Christ’s death).” How humbling it is to be able to place my name in this verse. “God demonstrates His own love for Josh in this…” God placed this verse here in Scripture as if He were declaring to the world His unconditional love for me. And He demonstrated that love to the world, by dying for me.

Place your name in there: How does that make you feel? God said here, that He did this for you. On the cross God said in front of the world, “I love you!”

A certain medieval monk announced he would be preaching next Sunday evening on "The Love of God." As the shadows fell and the light ceased to come in through the cathedral windows, the congregation gathered. In the darkness of the altar, the monk lighted a candle and carried it to the crucifix. First of all, he illumined the crown of thorns, next, the two wounded hands, then the marks of the spear wound. In the hush that fell, he blew out the candle and left the chancel. There was nothing else to say.

To call this day, the day we remember the crucifixion of our Savior, calling it Good Friday is perhaps the grossest understatement in the entire history of the world! This day is enormously more than just good.

No, I’m not suggesting that we change the name of the day to Best Friday, or Greatest Friday. I’m simply suggesting, that if the day is so great, maybe we should let it truly change us, and be convinced that it can change the world too.

Maybe to put things into perspective we could ask ourselves this question, “Where would we be without the cross?” or another question… “Why do we call it Good Friday?”

Romans 5:6-8

"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

TWO YEARS AGO THIS PAST SUNDAY...

2010-06-14T21:57:00.003-04:00

TWO YEARS AGO This Past Sunday (june 15, 2008)... Evident Church had it's first official public preview service. Just wanted to say thanks to the original team and crew that made it happen. So many lives have been forever changed! God has done so much and I couldn't be more proud and more thankful for the amazing people God has brought around for the journey. You guys are all awesome and Raelyn and I want to thank you from the bottom of my hearts. Evident is poised for another great season of God's faithfulness and fruitfulness, can't wait to see what's ahead! Love you guys!

Pastor Josh

P.S. - Click the namethatchurch.com button on the right to watch a video of our first preview service. We've certainly come a long ways...great memories however!

(more media on our website)

Evident is a Family

2010-06-01T20:05:00.000-04:00

Hi guys,

For some of you this is an update, for some of you this may be the first you're hearing of this. To give you a little back story, on Wednesday of this week Russ & Jennifer McKee took Cameron to the hospital with a fever and other symptoms. In the process of doing some testing the doctors discovered that his platelet level was dangerously low, a possible indication of some fairly serious things. Fearing this, Thursday night he was transferred to Children's Hospital in downtown Detroit for more testing. Further blood tests and a spinal tap confirmed what was feared. He has been diagnosed with Leukemia (AML Type 2). Leukemia is essentially cancer of the blood. It is treatable and treatment for Cameron has already begun.

This is obviously a VERY scary and overwhelming time for the Russ, Jennifer, Cameron, Cole, Cassidy, and the extended family. They covet your prayers and support now more than ever. They are hopeful, their spirits are high, and they are learning to put their trust in God. They are glad any time someone from the church family calls, writes, or stops in to see them. They love Evident and you all have been (and continue to be) such an encouragement to them.

Here is some of their info just so you have it...

Russ's number is (586) 206-8087.

Jennifer's number is (586) 206-6797.

Their address is 45750 Spagnuolo, Macomb, MI, 48044.

Don't hesitate to come around them any way you think would be appropriate or might feel led during this time. Just to give you a heads-up, as a church we are planning on coming around them financially in some way possibly through a special offering. This is something you could be thinking and praying about.

Thanks for your prayers. Don't hesitate to call if you have questions. I will be sharing a little bit about all of this with the church on Sunday and will also try to keep you updated as I know more.

God is still on the throne.

Love you guys,

Josh Hossler

Evident Church

Lead Pastor

EvidentChurch.com

Easter Sunday Recap

2010-04-05T17:22:00.006-04:00

We are grateful for God's grace that he continues to pour out on us week after week. Very excited about what God's doing at Evident. Here’s a quick recap of the weekend:

- Evident stepped up and really invited. Very proud of them for that. This is the most momentum and influence I’ve felt as a church since we launched. Saw a ton of first-timers, had one guy come who hadn’t been in church for 38-yrs.

- Evident had it's biggest weekend ever since our grand opening! We had 173 in attendance and 10 decisions for Christ!!! I hesitate posting numbers because I know how sidetracked they can get me but at the same time I didn't want to miss this opportunity for my church and others to celebrate with us on this. It was a great day and honestly what I'm most excited about is just what I see God doing in and thru Evident these days (10-decisions for Christ... awesome!!).

- Our staff, leaders, and volunteers are AMAZING. They all showed up yesterday with amazing attitudes, ready to serve, do things well, and celebrate Jesus. Kids, worship, guest services, portability... everyone knocked it out of the park. Thank you for all you do!

- Felt compelled to preach a resurrection apologetic (you can hear it here, click media). God was faithful and really used it.

- Thanks for everyone who prayed, invited, and laid it out there for Easter! Don’t get discouraged if your family or friends didn’t come or didn’t make a decision for Christ. Keep working on them, we know God is.

- This Sunday we kick-off a really important new series this called “Love is the Movement” based primarily out of the book of Acts. Really looking forward to going deeper in relationships and connections with each other through it.

Again, so grateful for God’s grace and a great weekend. Keep inviting! Can’t wait to see what he’s going to do this week!

Make the Most of Easter (part 2)

2010-04-05T12:41:00.002-04:00

Easter is the biggest season of the year for Christians and the Gospel. Easter Sunday is honestly like Super-Bowl Sunday for me, full of excitement and anticipation! I've been gearing up for this for a long time! Here are a few suggestions for making the most of it this year:

1) INVITE - This is one of those times when people are most open to Christianity and church. Why not make the most of the natural season of Easter to open up a conversation with someone and invite them to come with you to church! We will do our best to present the Gospel in the most clear and concise way possible... but this only works if you bring people with you! (One Service Easter Sunday (April 4), 10am, Seneca Middle School, FREE Easter Egg Hunt for the Kids)

2) PRAY - It’s not enough just to have an Easter service, but we want the realities of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus impact people’s lives. This is something only God can do. Be praying for Evident’s Easter service. Be praying for your family and friends who don’t know Christ. Be praying for the community. I'm praying that we see dozens people accept Christ this Easter season!

3) DON'T MISS IT! - This is two fold... The first is pretty simple, don’t miss this Easter service at Evident. This is Evident’s second Easter service ever and it's going to be great!! Second, I don’t want you personally to miss the meaning of this season. Slow down, set aside some time for you and your family to focus in on the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus - take it all in. Here are a few Scripture readings that might help: Isaiah 52:13-53: 12; Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9; John 19:1-20:31.

Love you guys and I'm praying we have an amazing, God-honoring Easter - can't wait to celebrate it with you!

Josh

Make the Most of Easter (part 1)

2010-04-01T23:50:00.001-04:00

We're less than a week away from Easter (April 4) and we're REALLY excited about it!!! We've been spending a lot of time planning and praying for this weekend. We don't know exactly what God wants to do but we believe it's going to be great! Here are some ways you can participate in making the most of Easter this year:

1) Invite. Invite. Invite. Our friends and family are extremely open to attending church on Easter Sunday, lets invite them to join us. I've been doing this as much as I can! One thing you can use to invite is that there will be a free Easter Egg hunt for the kids. We also have more invite cards if you need any this week.

2) Utilize your Facebook status or Twitter updates to invite your friends to join you. Let them know where you're going to church, what time, and where the service is (we are having one 10am Easter service at Seneca). Don't be annoying about this but be genuinely excited about what God is doing in your life and in your church.

3) Begin praying now for our Easter service. The most important factor in people opening their hearts to the grace of God is NOT the presentation. It's the condition of their own heart. Pray that our friends and family who attend on Easter Sunday would be open, ready and anxious to hear the message of God's grace and forgiveness.

4) Check out Evident's Easter themed website, and forward it to someone. The site looks amazing! Check it out and it's as simple as forwarding it on to a few friends and saying, "Hey, check this out!" There are all kinds of resources on the website that will help them learn more about our church and possibly consider coming. Do what you can and help spread the word, you never know how God is going to work in someone's life.

Can't wait to see what God does this weekend!!!

Welcome to the Team!

2010-03-23T21:49:00.001-04:00

Mike Stiner - Director of Student Ministries

(mike.s@evidentchurch.com)

We are excited to also be adding Mike Stiner to the team at Evident! Mike will be overseeing junior and senior high ministries and helping provide leadership for our students. He has a passion to see students grow spiritually and help them reach out to their friends. If you have questions about student ministries at Evident you can email Mike at mike.s@evidentchurch.com.

Here's a little bit more about Mike in his own words...

“I currently go to Rochester College and I graduate in just about a year and a half. My degree will be in Christian Ministry. I currently also wait tables at the marvelous Shields Pizza in Macomb. I love listening to all kinds of music and watching great movies. I am the man at Wii Tennis. That’s right I even beat Josh Hossler in it! I have a huge passion for students to find Jesus and to live a life in which Jesus can be seen through them at school, home, sports, and etc. My favorite Bible story is the Prodigal Son in Luke 15.”

Introducing Mike Harper

2010-03-16T23:35:00.013-04:00

Mike Harper - Director of Community Outreach
(mike.h@evidentchurch.com)

Evident is a team effort and we’re excited to welcome Mike Harper. Mike is Evident’s Director of Community Outreach and will be heading up our SERVE ministry. His mission will be to help us serve and love the community in ways that show them Jesus' love. Mike and his wife Allison love Jesus and have a passion for serving. We’re very excited to have them on board!

In his own words, here's a little more about Mike...
"I am 37 years old and married to my lovely wife Allison. We have a 7-month-old son named Garrett. I am a student at Rochester College seeking a degree in biblical studies and plan on continuing on for my masters of divinity. My hobbies consist of spending time outdoors gardening, hiking, fishing, hunting, and camping. Reaching out to the community through acts of Christian service is my passion. For many people we may be the only sermon they ever hear. My life verse is Romans 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose."

Communication Strategy (Update)

2010-02-26T00:40:00.006-05:00

Hey Guys,

For some of you, you haven't heard from me in a while. I promise you it's not because I haven't wanted to let you know what's been going on. Things have been CRAZY the last year and half as Evident has launched and things have gotten under way. God has done and is continuing to do great things at Evident of which I am blown away and grateful for. Keep praying for us and keep supporting us in whatever ways you can. Know that your prayers and support have done amazing things in the Kingdom!

I wanted to post to let you know I'm shifting how I communicate these days. Most of my attention now is focused on communicating with and leading Evident directly. In addition to this blog, here are several other great ways of keeping up with what God is doing in my life and the life of Evident.

1) Evident Weekly Emails - if you're not already receiving our weekly email updates and would like to simply email us at info@evidentchurch.com and let us know you'd like to be added. These emails give updates on all sorts of events, sermon series, and weekly happenings at Evident.

2) Twitter - you can also follow me personally on Twitter. If you have a Twitter account simply click this link and then click follow. If you don't (and don't care to) you can go to this website periodically to see what I'm up to (my Twitter updates are also featured on the sidebar of my blog). Twitter is a great way to see snippets of my daily life and happenings.

3) Facebook - if you and I aren't already friends on Facebook we need to be! If you have a Facebook account simply search for me "Josh Hossler" in the search box and invite me to be your friend. If you do not have a Facebook and would like to connect, you can begin that process here.

4) Evident's Website - lastly, Evident's website (www.EvidentChurch.com) is loaded with great content (photos, videos, sermons, etc.), updates, and all kinds of information about whats going on at the church. While this way is not as personal, it's still a good way to keep up with some of the church stuff.

What's happening with this blog? Well, I still plan on using it from time to time but don't hold your breath between postings. I really do still want to you to be in the loop on what's going on so please dive in on one or more of the forms of communication I mentioned above. If you've been a part of this journey with me so far, I can't thank you enough for your encouragement, prayer, and financial support. Continue to pray for us. God has done and is doing great things!

Love you guys - talk with you soon!

Josh

ps - don't stop checking back periodically as I will update this site with different things from time to time

Psalm 142:1-3

2009-12-16T13:35:00.001-05:00

Psalm 142:1-3 (New International Version)

Psalm 142

A maskil of David. When he was in the cave. A prayer.

¹ I cry aloud to the LORD;
I lift up my voice to the LORD for mercy.

² I pour out my complaint before him;
before him I tell my trouble.

³ When my spirit grows faint within me,
it is you who know my way.

Celebration and Transition

2009-12-10T15:21:00.001-05:00

Dear Evident,

This is a great time of year and a great time in the life of Evident Church! I'm excited to be sharing a few things with you...

1) If you weren't able to be at Evident this past Sunday (Dec 6), please take a few minutes to listen to this audio clip from during the service (Evident Updates - 12/6/2009). In it, Matt and I share some very important information regarding Evident and Matt & Katie's transition. You can also read more at www.voxchurch.tv. We will be having a celebration and commissioning for Matt & Katie Sunday, December 20 during the morning service.

2) Evident is doing a lot of great things this holiday season to help others. First, I'd encourage you to listen to this message from Sunday to hear more about it (www.EvidentChurch.com click on "media", click to open message player, "Light Up the World" 12/06/2009), but second here's a quick snapshot.

- We've established a Benevolent Fund at Evident that you can give to that will be set aside to help anyone in need.

- The rest of December we'll be collecting food, clothing, and toys that we will give to families at Evident or in the community that need encouragement this Christmas season (if you are aware of anyone in need please let us know info@evidentchurch.com).

- We're working with Orchards Community Church in Romeo, MI and planning a time to serve at Detroit Rescue Mission (Dec 22, around 1pm, more details will be coming).

- God has also begun laying a burden on my heart to do something through this organization. As I shared it with the church on Sunday, my goal was to just express my heart and then receive your feedback. So far, I've had a lot of very positive feedback and would still love to hear from you!

3) This coming Sunday we're going to be celebrating baptisms! Join us Sunday, December 13, 10am, at Seneca Middle School for this baptism celebration! We'll also be kicking off a great new teaching series through the book of Matthew (desktop wallpaper attached).

We love you guys and appreciate your involvement and care for the Kingdom!

Josh Hossler

www.EvidentChurch.com

http://joshhossler.blogspot.com

http://twitter.com/joshhossler

test

2009-12-09T23:28:00.003-05:00

test - I'm having trouble with Feedblitz again, just trying to figure a few things out...

Big News

2009-10-12T14:52:00.006-04:00

Yesterday was about as interesting as they get for church planters. What I mean by that is that yesterday we started talking to Evident about the plans for Matt & Katie Woodburn (see this post). It is amazing to see the way God has worked over the past year and a half since Matt and Katie have been up here. The areas and ways in which God has used them at Evident is immeasurable. And I have personally been blessed so much from connecting with Matt (and Katie) in ministry and in life. They are a one of a kind couple and I look forward to what God's going to do in their lives and through them.

What's great is that Matt & Katie will be partnering with Colonial Woods Missionary Church to help start a new work in the Chesterfield/New Baltimore area of Michigan. What's really exciting about this for me is that it has been part of the vision of Evident from the beginning to be a multiplying church and see more and more churches planted. Beyond that, I get extremely geeked to talk about one day seeing a network of churches throughout the metro area uniquely connected to reach the city (Detroit) and surrounding communities.

It's not everyday that a year-old church plant is not only talking about stuff like this but is actually a part of it. This is big news to be a part of multiplication like this and we think the Kingdom wins big-time in all of this. We are excited to partner with Matt & Katie to help reach the Macomb and Chesterfield communities. Should be awesome!

- Please commit with us to praying for Matt & Katie as they transition over the next few months (they will be transitioning in January 2010).

- Please commit with us to praying for Evident as we continue to reach new people and grow during this fall.

- Please continue to pray for God's Spirit and work to be poured out in our lives and ministries.

Thank you for all you do and all your prayers. I'll post more later this week.

For fun.... a few images of my ladies (AvaRae & AdaLyn (Raelyn, my wife not pictured :) )!

I Want a New Marriage

2009-09-30T16:26:00.002-04:00

That's the gist and title for the series we're in these days at Evident. (you can see the series intro and site here www.wewantanewmarriage.com) So far we've had great response to all the teaching and things we've done (Last week we gave out flowers to the ladies and had someone tell us they had never been given flowers before). Actually, I've been on maternity leave (ha, sort of) and Matt has been filling in and doing a great job (great messages, go to the media page of www.EvidentChurch.com). I'll be back in the saddle this Sunday and can't wait to tackle some more issues in this series. If you can make it, we'd love to see you Sunday.

For fun, here's a quick video we shot and played this past Sunday at church (it's me and AdaLyn!)....

She's Here!

2009-09-28T16:05:00.010-04:00

After months of waiting she's finally here! I'll share more at church Sunday (or next time I see ya) but here's how things went down:

I got home Friday from a morning appointment (Raelyn was one week and a day past due) and I could tell something was different. Raelyn was having contractions and they were three minutes apart. We hung out at home (timing the contractions with a labor app on my iPhone :) ) and as things got more intense we headed into the hospital (thankfully our good friend Kate was at the house and could watch AvaRae for us). We got to the hospital at 3:30pm on Friday and things were just a whirlwind from there. We were rushing all over the place and were holding AdaLyn in our arms by 4:45pm! It was crazy and intense and a blessing. It was so fast we didn't even have time to grab our suitcases out of the car, which had our cameras in it (and if you know Raelyn and how she loves to scrapbook, the cameras are super important). I even asked at one point if I could run down and at least get the cameras and the mid-wife said not unless I wanted to miss the birth of my daughter!

Anyway, things went great and everyone was wonderful. We couldn't have asked for a better scenario and we are so thankful to God for answered prayers and extra blessings. We're thankful for all the support of our Evident family and staff, Raelyn's mom and dad as well as mine. Everyone's been great and we can't wait for all of you to meet little AdaLyn.

Here's a little bit about her:

AdaLyn Rose Hossler (name means "noble" and "pretty one")

September 25, 2009 (4:48pm)

8lbs 3oz

20 3/4 in long

Life Verse: Psalm 45:11 "The King is enthralled with your beautify, honor Him for He is your God."

I'll post a little bit more Wednesday. In the meantime, here's some pics. Enjoy!

A Giving Alternative

2009-09-23T13:30:00.005-04:00

Nice picture huh? I went golfing a few days ago and this was my tap in birdie on the par 4 13th! Golfing's a lot of fun when you're hitting shots like this (or in my case "shot" singular). Birdie's (one shot under par for you non-golf fans) are easy when they're an inch away.

I thought of some Evident parallels to this and this is what came to mind. We've got a lot of things rolling these days that makes ministry fun, some tap in birdie kind of things.

We were just able to launch a new website and one of the best, lesser known features is online giving. Before you head into a tailspin about this, remember it's simply an alternative for giving and isn't necessarily for everyone. I would really encourage you to consider it though, whether you're an Evident regular or a distant observer/supporter.

For starters, it is definitely safe and easy. We take this very seriously and only the most trusted tools have been used to make this possible. Secondly, it also streamlines things. Raelyn and I have chose to do the Automated Bank Debit, which automatically draws money (an amount we determine and can change if ) out of our checking account and puts it into Evident's. It streamlines things for us personally (saving time and checks) and it also streamlines things for Evident (as more and more of you do this, accounting and tracking get easier).

Is it less spiritual? That's going to have to be something you hammer out personally. Scripture is to give, give generously, and give cheerfully. Automated giving helps me do that. Even though the giving is automated, I know my heart is in it and it also helps me to be more disciplined in my giving and not half-hazard.

There are a lot more things I could talk about, but to keep the post short I'll stop for now. God is doing some great things in and through Evident and it wouldn't be possible without the faithful and generous donations from the Evident church family and many of you. Online giving might be a good option for you. It makes things simple and easy and helps support what God is doing. Check out the "Give" page at www.EvidentChurch.com to learn more and definitely email me if you have questions.

Sunday Recap

2009-09-21T21:35:00.003-04:00

Sunday was a big day for Evident! We're launching into a new season and you can definitely feel the momentum building. Last week (sep 13) we celebrated our one-year anniversary which was a blast (party favors and all), and yesterday we kick-offed a new series We Want a New Marriage (listen to Matt's message here (on the media page) - he was covering for me while I'm on call, baby is due any day). We'd like to get your input (and those who will be at Evident during this series) and so feel free to get in on the discussion here.

I'm absolutely loving it these days as we watch what God is doing. God has brought an amazing group of people to Evident - you guys are awesome - many of you invited and brought people with you yesterday. We had about 160 at church and three people accepted Christ!

We're still waiting for the new addition to our family. Raelyn's due date was last Thursday (sep 17) and life is literally on hold waiting for this little one. We just had a doctors visit today though and everything looks great... just means more waiting!

I'll post again later this week with an update on our baby situation and a few other updates about Evident.

new things

2009-09-16T12:54:00.003-04:00

Just wanted to redirect you to a few new things we've done...

Redesigned Evident Church website (looks sweet Jonny!)(lots of media, lots of fun):

www.EvidentChurch.com

Follow me on Twitter!

http://twitter.com/joshhossler

Out of the Silence

2009-09-16T12:51:00.002-04:00

I've been "gone" for a while, but I'm picking things up again. Feel free to read past posts to see where we've been. Posts will be coming regularly! God is and has been doing some amazing things!

Blog Change

2008-12-31T23:05:00.002-05:00

The blogging email service I have been using is no longer in service. If you are currently subscribed to my blog via email please add "feedblitz@email.feedblitz.com" to your safe list. Future blog updates will come from this address. My blog won't change, just the email service that sends out automatic emails when I add new content.

If you are reading this and don't have a clue what I'm referring to, you can email me at jhossler@hotmail.com to be added to the blog email list. Basically, whenever I post new content to my blog you will receive an email letting you know. Pretty simple!

Thanks to everyone who is reading the posts and following what's happening with our lives and Evident Church. We appreciate your prayers, support, and encouragement.

test

2008-12-30T14:55:00.001-05:00

I'm conducting an email test.

An Evident Church Christmas!

2008-12-22T21:31:00.008-05:00

It's a great feeling to have our first Christmas at Evident! We're not doing any Christmas Eve services or anything like that this year (keeping it simple for now), but we're using the two Sundays surrounding Christmas to celebrate this amazing season.

Sunday, December 21 - Part of the worship experience for the first time at Evident, the Evident Church kids wowed us with special songs and even choreography. Honestly, the kids (and kid's leaders) were amazing - they absolutely stole the show! For the message, we dove into the question "How do you explain the virgin-birth?"

Larry King, when asked if he could interview anyone from all of history who would it be said, "Jesus Christ." "And what would you like to ask Him?" King replied, 'I would ask Him if He was indeed virgin-born. The answer to that question would define history for me.'"

Believe me, there's no reason to be bashful about believing in the virgin-birth. There's plenty of supporting "evidence" and when it comes down to it one can confidently say they believe Jesus was indeed virgin born. And this "sign" sets Jesus apart in human history as THE Christ, the Messiah, the promised one of God.

It's amazing that God left heaven, was willing to enter our sin-filled world (as he does our sin-filled lives), walked among us as we do, die for us, and then went back. It's the gospel!

Sunday, December 28 - We're looking forward to having communion together as a new church for the first time since we launched public worship services.

Thanks for all your support and prayers. God is bringing some great people to be a part of Evident.

Evident Messages Online!

2008-11-30T23:29:00.003-05:00

Evident Church media page has been rebuilt! Now, you can stay up to date with current sermons. Plus, more to come on the media page like possible podcasting features and more! Pass these messages on if they can be helpful to anyone.

www.EvidentChurch.com

www.EvidentChurch.com/media

Easy as Pie

2008-11-20T19:18:00.000-05:00

There are a lot of unsung heroes at Evident Church, one of them is Sherrie Kyle (sorry, that's not her picture on the left). Sherrie is one of our silent partners. She has attended Colonial Woods Missionary Church ever since I was a little boy there and has recently taken on a small project for Evident. After hearing us share about the financial needs we had at Evident she started doing what she knows how to do to help. Sherrie started baking pies. Every pie she sold she would give the proceeds to what God was doing at Evident. Only at it a few months, Sherrie has raised more than $800!

Sherrie, we can't thank you enough! What you are doing for Evident and for the Kingdom is just awesome!

The Life You Were Meant to Live - Wk1

2008-11-11T15:54:00.008-05:00

Sunday we launched a new series "The Life You Were Meant to Live". Here's a quick recap of week 1.

Main Points from Sunday's Message
Genesis 1, 2:4-17
- Life without meaning is empty. Most men lead lives of quiet desperation (Thoreau).
- God "formed" us, special above all creation, no mistakes, no regrets, no oops.
- Then, God gave us physical and moral responsibility. We're accountable to him.
- Simply put, we cannot know who we are apart from knowing who He is.

A few added thoughts from Sunday’s message...
For a bit Sunday, I harped on the idea that our generation (I realize there are several represented and I think this is probably true of all of them) rarely thinks deeply about life. That’s probably not totally true. Many people do think deeply, but their thought lacks guidance. New age thinking would also tell us to think deeply and look inside ourselves (The gospel according to Oprah). The truth is, deep introspection without the guidance of Scripture is dangerous. We cannot find ourselves within ourselves. This merely leads to relativism and hedonism. No, we don’t find ourselves simply by looking within. We find ourselves within the pages of Scripture. It acts as a mirror reveal who we really are (James 1). As I said Sunday, we can only truly know who we are by understanding our creation and our re-creation (second birth). We can only know who we are by knowing who Christ is, and there is no greater more concrete way to know Christ than the pages of God’s Word. So I pray that you think deeply this week, and may your meditation be on the laws and precepts of God as found in His Word.

Heaven Come Down

2008-10-21T14:51:00.006-04:00

We did a great new worship song this weekend. It's called Song of Hope (Heaven Come Down) by Robbie Seay Band. It's a great song and it really describes where Evident is at these days. We're getting some great feedback on what we're doing. People in the community are coming and when they do, they are pleasantly surprised at what they get. They're getting a real genuine experience that gives them something substantial in a way that they can understand. And lives are being changed!

Last Sunday night we held our first ever Evident 101, a basic introduction to Evident Church. This first one filled up in two weeks with handfuls of new people wanting to hear more about Evident, ask questions, and get plugged in. Our leaders shared the vision for what God has called us to be and then we opened it up for feedback and questions about who we are. What we heard over and over again was that from kid's ministries to guest services to setup to worship to preaching, people are being impacted by what God is doing. We're hitting our marks, doing what God has called us to do, which is to communicate a deep yet simple message of hope and renewal and salvation through Jesus Christ... AND IT'S WORKING!

I love what God is doing and where he is taking Evident. Things are going well and I don't begin to presume upon God, but I believe that this is something special. And as long as we keep our eyes rightly fixed in Christ I believe God will do amazing things through Evident. I'm believing big!

FEEDBACK FROM AN OUT OF STATE DRUMMER:

I want to brag on our team for just a minute. This past Sunday we had an amazingly talented group of young people lead worship for us and they did an awesome job. One of the band members, the drummer, made a four hour drive Sunday morning just to play with the band! After the worship service he found me and wanted to share some of his feedback. He went on to tell me that from beginning to end, top to bottom, he had experienced something amazing that day. He told me how welcomed he felt; he mentioned that he observed people who were excited about what they were doing; he mentioned at one point that he had at least seven people helping him set up his drum kit; he noticed the worship was full of life; and on and on and on he went. He wanted to pass this on to me and just say that what he experienced isn't normal and is truly special. From his perspective this kind of atmosphere is contagious and it wouldn't be long before we were packing the place out, moving walls and setting up more chairs. This is the kind of place God can use.

Team, YOU are doing an amazing job, it is off the charts! God gets any and all credit I know and fully believe that, but it is right to thank him and celebrate what He is doing through you. God has been so good! Awesome guys, KEEP IT UP!

Jesus for President

2008-10-07T23:43:00.009-04:00

they say never talk about RELIGION or POLITICS... we’re talking about BOTH...

The war, abortion, the economy, gas prices, unemployment... We’re taking a look at what faith has to do with it. Don’t worry, this isn’t about endorsing a candidate or party... In fact, we’ll probably make fun of how the church has historically addressed politics. It should be fun and even a little controversial!

Oct 19 Jesus: Democrat or Republican?
Oct 26 Jesus: Skeletons in the Closet (what they never told you about Jesus)
Nov 2 Jesus on Hot-Button Issues

Evident Church
P.O. Box 380256
Clinton Twp, MI

Meeting, Sundays, 10am
Seneca Middle School

Evident Church has Launched!

2008-09-23T17:18:00.005-04:00

Hey, it's official, we're running weekly now! It's crazy and I can't tell you all the feelings I'm feeling and we're feeling as a team as we let the Grand Opening sink in and look to next Sunday. We're riding the high of a great Grand Opening! Once again, God was faithful and so many people showed up. The spirit and life was great and we are seriously off to a great start. Grand Opening went great!

From what I can tell at least one more person accepted Christ (and there was no specific call for this!), and this is what we hope will happen! We hope that people will be coming to Christ on a weekly basis just as a natural outflow of Evident Church... and we're seeing that! Altogether we had 189-people at the Grand Opening and once again the kids had a blast and we worshipped God and we communicated about Christ and preached from the Bible in a way that people could understand. It was great and I'm loving where we are right now! It's tough, we have a lot of work ahead of us, but it's great.

We're hoping to push attendance up near 200 as soon as we can (this is important for stability at the level we're hoping to launch). We're also hoping for greater awareness and connection in the community. Pray for Matt our Connections Pastor as he works with his team about outreach. Pray for Tim our Creative Arts Pastor as he works to develop the worship teams. Pray for Rosalie our Kid's Team Leader who is working to recruit volunteers for the kid's areas. Pray for Jeni who handles Guest Services who have the tough and important task of welcoming and connecting with everyone as they check out Evident. And pray for Steve, our Portability Director, looking for drivers and setup/tear-down crew each week. These are real needs and real prayer requests we have. I sense that these first few weeks are critical and your prayers and financial support are critical as well.

Thanks for following what's going on. Praise God for all he's done and is going to do!

Grand Opening!

2008-09-15T17:48:00.004-04:00

Words can't express all my thanks to everyone who has supported us and prayed for us so far in this church launch process. I am continually grateful to God, Raelyn (my wife), the pastors and leaders of Evident Church, the LEAD Team churches, and many other partners.

We're praying for an awesome weekend (Grand Opening, September 21, 2008, 10am)! I personally need your prayers more than ever. There is a lot of work to do and there is so much potential in this church and in this community. Pray for strength, pray for protection for me and our team, pray for direction and Godly momentum/influence, pray for God to provide, pray for many people to know and grow in Christ, pray for this to be the beginning of a movement not just the beginning of a new church.

It's time!

Simple

2008-08-23T22:10:00.017-04:00

Our 3rd Preview Service was great! It was different than all the rest by design but God was there! We talked about that fact that faith should simplify our lives and that Jesus took a very complicated religious scene and boiled it down to just two things... love God completely and love others correctly (Matthew 22:34-40).

And then we talked about how we have been wired to worship. Whether we're raving about the latest movie or the newest phone, or screaming at the TV as our favorite team wins (or looses) the big game (I admit, I was screaming in excitement as Michael Phelps won gold medal #8!) we have been hard wired to worship! We spend billions of dollars every year because we love to heap praise on things that are excellent or praiseworthy.

The problem comes in that we often choose to worship things that don't sustain us. They don't hold our attention for long and it's no surprise because they were never designed to. Only God is able to sustain us fully and completely in worship. And worship isn't music and words, worship is a lifestyle, a focus of attention and affection.

AvaRae is at that age when she realizes when I'm gone and it really bothers her. She balls when I leave to go to work (my home office downstairs)! Then, the stage is set for a great reunion when I come home. She can hear me walking up the stairs and gets really excited! I hit the top of the stairs, get down on her level, and she comes running (as fast as a 14-month old can). I'm looking forward to this amazing embrace and hug from my girl when all of a sudden, about two steps from my arms, she makes a quick turn and runs right past me! Evidently she saw a Cheerio or a bird (who knows what). I know she'll grow out of it and be knocking me over with her hugs in no time, but for now it's a pretty good picture of what we do with God. We bypass the worship of God for lesser things. We end up worshipping creation (His stuff) when we could (and should) be worship the Creator (Him).

There's one sure and quick way to find out if you're worshipping God or not. Are you living for you? Or are you living for Him?

We are extremely excited to be heading into our Grand Opening (September 21, 2008, Seneca Middle School, 10am). I really think we're ready (with God's help and by God's grace). We had several more people give their lives to Christ at our last service and we are hungry for more life-change! If there is any way possible you can come to our Grand Opening, we think it would be well worth your time, and it would be a huge help and encouragement to us. Drag anyone and everyone you can with you, this is a once in a life-time opportunity!

3rd Preview Service!

2008-08-14T10:06:00.007-04:00

The graphic says it all and explains where we're at in the launch process. The summer has been interesting, but I think our team is strong and excited for our 3rd and final preview service. We've grown closer together as a team; we've grown spiritually; we've turned some corners. God is good.

Please pray for God to move and give all of us strength this weekend! If you are in the area we'd love to have you join us. We've gotten some great feedback and really like what we're seeing. Again, God is good! What we long for though is for God to fill this weekend with His power! See you on the flip-side (after a short family break)... Love you guys!

There's Something Very Spiritual about the Smell of Cows

2008-08-05T23:08:00.005-04:00

There's just something spiritual about muddy roads and the smell of cows! This week I've spent a few days at a church camp that I grew up going to every single year. It was the kind of thing that my whole family went to. In fact, each year pretty much the whole family makes the trek back to Brown City, Michigan for ten days of Brown City Camp. Every year it rains at least once like crazy and the gravel roads turn to mud and every year the dairy farm across the street is in full effect.

This camp has meant a lot to me. It is here that God has spoken to me and I have made many significant spiritual decisions here. It really is a great place to change your pace and connect with God. There's something neat about it... in a weird cow smell sort of way.

BrownCityCamp.org (they have the messages from just about every service on here, some really good stuff)

Below is a passage I shared from during one of the camp's early morning prayer times. God is really working with me this week on desiring Him above all things and ministering out of an overflow of my relationship with Him rather than a deficit. I love this passage.

Psalm 73:25-28

Whom have I in heaven but you?

And earth has nothing I desire besides you.

My flesh and my heart may fail,

but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Those who are far from you will perish;

you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.

But as for me, it is good to be near God.

I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge;

I will tell of all your deeds.

Is Miley Cyrus Really that Relevant?

2008-07-20T20:50:00.013-04:00

Yes, today at our second preview service we played a little round of an orignal game called "Relevant/Irrelevant". I'm sorry to say that Miley Cyrus (aka Hannah Montana) is irrelevant along with guys in blue knit sweatervests.

God's presence was real today as our team set up in yet another facility (two for two, not bad) and did an awesome job. We no doubt have the best team on the planet and it is an honor to be starting a church with them.

A long time ago (in church planting years) God told me "Josh, preach the Gospel/Jesus, and I'll take care of the church." I'm going to hold God to his word (I'm pretty sure He's good for it.) and today as the Gospel was preached a room full of followers acknowledge their desire to go deeper with God and two people stepped across the line of faith for the first time!

We are so grateful to God for His overwhelming grace, amazing friendships, and bright future. God is good! We can't wait to do this again next month! (Next preview service is August 17!)

ps - I've noticed that a lot of my posts sound really upbeat and almost too good to be true. This really has been an amazing journey and it really has been this good. Well, and it doesn't hurt that I'm an eternal optimist!

2nd Preview!

2008-07-18T10:55:00.002-04:00

Just a heads-up, our second preview service is this weekend! As of today (Friday), the school still has power and we're good to go (what a wild ride last month). We really believe that God wants to do significant things not only in general through this new church, but specifically this weekend.

Evident Church
July 20, 10am
Sequoyah Elementary School
18500 24-Mile Rd.
Macomb, MI 48042

A few things to pray for:
- protection for our team (health, sanity, circumcstances)
- the right people to be at our service
- soft and ready hearts to hear from God
- Jesus to be made evident
- people to take steps closer to God
- people to accept Christ

Things we're praising God for:
- an amazing team
- a great and clear vision
- blessings of resources
- life in Christ
- great school to meet in
- grace and favor in the community
- the Spirit of God at work in us and the world

Thanks for all your prayers and support! If you're anywhere in the area it would be awesome to see you Sunday. If you know anyone in the area, you could be their connection to Evident Church... and to Christ.

I'll post again after this weekend to let you know how things go and what God does!

ps - we added a few new things to the site

Church on the Beach

2008-07-06T22:21:00.009-04:00

I think one of the best ways to be like Jesus and the early church is to have church on the beach! This is definitely one way to grow your launch team. We had a really good time this morning at Stoney Creek Metropark. We worshipped together and enjoy some good old-fashion fun-in-the-sun!

One of the things we looked at in Scripture was Acts 1:1-12 where Jesus gives some last instructions to his "launch team". Basically he said to wait for the Spirit, and when the Spirit is present there is power... power to do things you can't normally do. One of the key things the Spirit gives us power for is relationships - power to be one (united in purpose), power to be the body (different but working together), power to bear with one another. What better witness can we be than to show the world that Jesus is alive by how we relate to one another as his followers? Then we spent some time sharing what we appreciate about each other. It was good stuff, we have a great team!

Thanks Matt & Shannon for putting this together! Thanks Matt for not wearing your speedo.

I love my girls! (eating their icee-pops)

Evident Church in Action

2008-06-27T02:49:00.004-04:00

I'd like to give a special thanks to James & Shannon Waid for taking all these great shots. These are just the first few to come through, but they look awesome! Thanks James & Shannon!!!

Media from 1st Preview Service

2008-06-24T22:53:00.005-04:00

We had a little fun at our first preview service revealing our church's name. We (I) definitely need some acting classes, but I think you'll find this humorous anyway. Enjoy!

Enter... Evident Church!

2008-06-16T00:17:00.009-04:00

To give you an update on our 1st Preview Service, I thought I'd just let you in on portions of a team email that was sent out recapping the day.

Email sent to Launch Team, June 15 PM:

Hey Team... or should I say Evident Church!

(Disclaimer: I want to thank God first and foremost. Anything good that happened today is only by and through Him. He has been so good to us!)

Wow! Oh my goodness! What an amazing day! God is so good! You all did an amazing job!

Enough with all the exclamation points but seriously you all did amazing. It was so cool to see the vision in reality. You guys pulled it off, that was it, that was the vision! We have some tweaking to do (and a constant ear to the voice and Spirit of God), but that was it.

Tim... the music, you, and the band were phenominal!

Matt... thanks for reminding us about real man fuel (wings!), seriously great job!

Team Leaders... you all knocked it out of the park!

Every single volunteer did everything with a great attitude and with excellence... what a team! (change of venue? no big deal!)

During several conversations with Matt and Ameen (Portable Church guys), they mentioned how impressed they were with all of you and the team that God has brought together. I couldn't agree more! This is amazing to be a part of.

Here's the run down on the morning:
- 140-people were a part of the day!!!
(that is excellent! don't be discouraged if people you invited didn't come, keep inviting and we'll keep cranking out experiences you'd be proud and excited to bring them to!)
- Every single kid had a blast, many had to be drug away at the end of the morning
- God was worshiped
- The gospel was preached
- Many lives were impacted
- I didn't throw up... it was a good day!

FYI
- The plan is to have DVD's of the worship experience for the entire Launch Team this coming Sunday (June 22) at our team meeting.
- You'll want to get familiar with the church's website! We'll be using this as one of our key tools. www.EvidentChurch.com
- Our next Launch Team Meeting is June 22, 5pm, Parkside Community Church (if someone is willing to host this celebration at their house I'd rather do that - let me know!)

Feedback
We'll officially be celebrating and giving feedback about the day at our next Launch Team Meeting (Team Leaders, don't forget we're meeting early at 4:30pm to debrief), but I'd love to hear your stories and get some dialogue going even now. Feel free to respond back and "reply all" to include the whole team. I'd love to hear what everyone's saying.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! It is an honor to serve with you guys. Today was so much fun, can't wait to do it again next month! Let me hear from ya.

In Christ,
josh

Pray!

2008-06-14T00:22:00.004-04:00

I have been pretty absent from the blog world lately. You wouldn't believe how busy we've been. And this week leading up to our first preview has been amazing (in all kinds of ways)

Honestly, the best way to bring you up to speed would be simply to have you head to namethatchurch.com and look around. We have our first public service this weekend, pray like crazy that God does what only God can do. This is His church and we are looking forward to worshiping Him this weekend! God is good (and our team has been amazing!)!

I'll update you on the flip-side!
josh

More namethatchurch.com Pics!

2008-05-21T11:11:00.002-04:00

Here are some more, recent namethatchurch.com pics - enjoy! Thanks Carol Ann!

First Steps

2008-05-21T00:05:00.010-04:00

Hey, it has been way too long since I've last blogged! Things have been very busy and a lot is happening as we're headed toward our first preview service June 15. Let me just give you a quick update.

Recap:

- we're excited to add several new people to the team
- namethatchurch.com has attracted some great media and buzz (several local and even large papers have called for stories)

- we'll be deciding on and announcing the church's name once voting ends May 31!
- our team has been getting more and more prepared for our preview services and launch

- AvaRae took her first steps (sorry, just had to throw that in there... and yes, of course I'm bragging!)(Hey, it's related to church planting. As a church plant we're taking some of our first steps.)

Prayer Requests:

- continued team unity and growth

- funding, we still have significant finanacial needs

- strategic partnerships

- outreach events

- June 15 preview service

- pray for Matt & Katie Woodburn to be able to move up and join us soon (pray for the sale of their house and a great job for Katie)

This is a crazy adventure! Things are tough but good. God is always faithful and has done so much even just in me not to mention all the others involved in this. We are excited to make His name great and help people find, pursue, and live a life-changing relationship with Christ! I'll keep you posted.

Video Update

2008-04-27T22:13:00.003-04:00

Go Big or Go Home

2008-04-20T22:27:00.015-04:00

Part of the vision for this church that God has placed in our hearts is that we would launch large. We believe it's not only possible but it would also honor God to launch with 200+ people (large is relative). This would give us tremendous traction and momentum as we begin to impact this community for Christ.

I've shared this with a few people (and I'm sure a few of you might be thinking it) and some have been skeptical. They didn't necessarily think that it couldn't be done but that maybe it shouldn't be done. I even had a church tell me that every church should start small and cozy, like in some guy's basement (like their church did). They didn't think our vision was biblical. Again, they thought it should start small. Sounds nice, right? I had to bite my tongue. I wanted to respond back by saying, "What? Do you mean like Pentecost!?!" I would have definitely said it with too much attitude (like I just did when I typed it).

Can you imagine launching a church with 3,000-people!!! Pentecost, the day when thousands of people attended an impromptu church service and 3,000 of them accepted Christ and were baptized! This "launch" led to the incredibly rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Some scholars estimate that this church numbered somewhere near 25,000-people! While this isn't the norm and isn't what we predict in Macomb, launching large provides great momentum and can prove incredibly effective in many areas. (Not to mention just the shear fact that behind every number is a name, a person's story!)

So, we believe not only would launching with some size be incredibly effective, but it would also be incredibly God-honoring. So, when this is part of the vision, it means different strategies, different plans, different approaches. You either go big or go home!

So, we have posted namethatchurch.com on the biggest billboard we could find on Hall Rd.! That in itself is a God story. (fyi - this billboard is 14' tall and 48' wide, we have the board for a biblical 40-days) Our prayer is that God will use this crazy idea to spark some interest and create some buzz. We've already seen some great response. We believe God is stirring in the hearts of hundreds of people in Macomb Township and preparing them for an encounter with Jesus... an encounter that will change their entire lives!

God, we're giving you everything we have. We trust in the vision you've given us. We know you want to connect with the people of Macomb way more than we do. We know you want to see your church thrive in Macomb way more than we do. It's an honor to be a part of something like this and a privilege to be burdened (in a good way) with a vision like this. Thanks in advance for all you're going to do!

How Much Does Your Vision Cost

2008-04-11T20:08:00.008-04:00

I'm a little angry about vision:

Vision should and does drive everything.

Your lack of vision might be costing you more than you know (What's your vision/dream for your family, faith, future, finances? An even better, what's GOD's vision/dream for these things?).

Vision should cost you something.

If your vision doesn't cost you anything it isn't worth anything.

If the leader you're following isn't challenging you to give everything, he probably isn't taking you anywhere worth going.

If you find something worth following, it's worth giving your life to. If you find something worth giving your life to, it's worth following.

If you aren't having to sacrifice, I guarantee you will not end up where you want to. There is no way you're going to end up where you want to end up by coasting. The only way to coast is down hill.

How much does your vision cost?
How much is it costing you to pursue your dream, the preferred future for your life? What kinds of sacrifices are you having to make to propel you toward your vision (I'm not talking about sacrifices you have to make because you've been lazy and now this is where you find yourself. And I'm not talking about sacrificing the things that matter most (like family and faith) to pursue selfish ends. I'm talking about deliberate choices that will ultimately help catapult you toward your vision.). Are you following someone, something that is challenging you to go to greater levels of sacrifice? If you're not being challenged to give it all, you probably don't have a vision worth following. What's your vision/dream? How much does your vision cost?

namethatchurch.com UPDATE

2008-04-01T23:07:00.024-04:00

Many of you have been asking, so I thought it was about time to give you an update on namethatchurch.com.

So far it's been going great. It's generated some great interest and low level buzz. It hasn't exactly lit the community on fire yet, but I think there's still some great potential for that. We have some things coming up that I think will really help get this thing rolling in the next few weeks. We'll keep you posted.

By the numbers:

- so far, we've tallied several hundred votes

- we've received over 30 name suggestions (several decent names, several humorous ones)

Here are a few that won't make it past the panel:

St. Josh Hossler Community Byzantine Church

Hosta Church (a take off of "Hossler")

- the two most popular names so far have been Evident Church and Faithbridge Church (you can view an updated list of the names at http://www.namethatchurch.com/)

The greatest thing so far is just the opportunities namethatchurch.com has given us to share and engage people in conversations about the church (here's one example). I personally have found myself talking to people and asking for their input that I otherwise wouldn't be talking to about the church yet. And in addition to that, we've heard some great stories of how the news of namethatchurch.com is spreading throughout the Macomb community on it's own. People on our team have bumped into people in the community that started telling them about it!

I really think namethatchurch.com is going to help create some awareness in Macomb that we otherwise would be able to create. We're extremely excited about moving closer to our outreach events and summer preview services and we believe God can use namethatchurch.com to help build some great momentum!

Feel free to comment and share your stories.

The Allure of God

2008-03-25T10:59:00.023-04:00

There are certain parts of the Bible I just don't understand. I've been reading the past few months in the book of Hosea. It is the twisted story of a prophet of God named Hosea who God tells to marry a prostitute (not exactly the kind of girl the parents want you to bring home). She's unfaithful to him, she has several children, most of them probably not Hosea's (some real Jerry Springer material). The whole time, God is using this real life drama as an illustration of his tumultuous relationship with Israel.

What surprises me the most in Hosea is the picture of God you see. Now, remember, the genre of Hosea is prophecy. Imagery is vivid, words are used to paint powerful pictures. And it portrays a side of God not usually seen. It's an up and down story of a God who is being wrenched back and forth (like Hosea) by his love for a women (Israel) who is unfaithful. It can be kind of sappy. And at times, God seems more like a junior high boy than I'm comfortable with.

It is a powerful story of God's unbridled love for... us (let's not get into the whole debate of whether or not we/Christians are the Israel of today). In the middle of it, there are two of the most powerful verses in the entire Bible - Hosea 2:14-15.

"Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her. There I will give her back her vineyards, and will make the Valley of Achor a door of hope."

This is powerful. God doesn't just sit by and wait for his lover, Israel, to return to Him... He makes the first move! He allures her! God, goes after Israel. It says that He will "speak tenderly" to her. God so desires Israel that He woos her! He acts in ways that entice and draw her back to Him!

Now, the implications for this are huge! God acts in ways that entice and draw creation back to Him. This means that God woos me. As I wander and drift, not always on target in my relationship with God through Christ, God doesn't give up on me. Instead, He allures me! This means that God woos (sorry, I can't find a more manly word) those who are far from Him. Right now, God is speaking tenderly to the people we see every day around us. God is wooing and drawing them, tenderly and gently begging them to return to their rightful place as sons and daughters of the King.

Honestly, if I were Hosea/God, I'm done! No more love, no more mercy, no more effort on my part. You/Gomer/Israel have ripped my heart out for the last time! I'm through! But not God. God is ever full of love and mercy and a passion to pursue us.

I love to see then how God is using us, in Macomb, to allure people. Even crazy things like namethatchurh.com God is using to draw people to Him and make them aware of what He's doing around them. I believe God is helping Macomb to see and sense Him in a million different ways and using us to do some of it too.

I tell you what, I am absolutely captivated with a God who is this amazing! I am gripped by this kind of creative love and I am prayig that others all around me can sense the allure of God as well.

Big News! An Addition to the Team...

2008-03-18T19:42:00.002-04:00

From the beginning I have been absolutely blown away to see what God is doing to pull this new church together. There is absolutely nothing about this plant that is normal or that we can take credit for. God is building an amazing team for this new church and we are continually blown away at how God is stirring in people a desire to be a part of what is happening in Macomb. Here's one more piece of that.

We're excited to be able to announce that Matt & Katie Woodburn will be coming to Macomb to join the team! My connection with Matt began when Matt and I were pk's together at Colonial Woods Missionary Church back in the day. Matt and Katie are also both graduates of Bethel College, Mishawaka, IN and have been serving at Rona Missionary Church in Fairborn, OH for the past several years. I love Matt & Katie's heart for people and their great ability to connect with the unchurched. God has uniquely gifted them and placed a common vision in their hearts. Officially, Matt will be serving as the Pastor of Connections, handling primarily outreach and assimilation (no doubt lots of other things).

As you might be wondering, our new church doesn't have the resources to be able to "hire" additional staff like Matt, even though that has been part of the dream from the beginning. The way it works is that the Michigan District (of the Missionary Church) is kicking in a portion to allow Matt to do a church plant internship with us while Matt also works a part time and raises support to help supplement the rest of his income. Please pray for these areas of transition for the Woodburns (they also have a condo to sell in Ohio).

You have know idea how much of an advantage this gives us as a church plant and we are extremely excited about it. If you would like to be a part of helping Matt & Katie make the transition or would like to contribute to the church plant in general (we still have huge needs!), please email us at jhossler@hotmail.com or call 586.246.0938.

I continue to shake my head in amazement at what God is doing. I've never seen greater potential for God to move and do great things than what I'm seeing in this new church. I have no idea what 2008 will look like, but I do know it's going to be exciting! Matt & Katie - it's great to have you guys on the team!

Pictures - Mr. E Bunny's Egg-Stravaganza

2008-03-15T14:30:00.012-04:00

The event today with the Macomb Township Parks & Recreation Department went great. We ran a station called the "Candy Corral". There were close to 600-people (6,000-pieces of candy!) that came through and we were able to make some good connections. It was a good first touch for our church in the community (and of course we all sported our sleek namethatchurch.com t-shirts). Man, I love Macomb and we have such a hunger and determination to launch a church that connects with them and that can help them connect with Christ!

Connecting with the Community

2008-03-15T08:25:00.002-04:00

We're participating in our first community event today. We're thrilled to be partnering with the Macomb Township Parks & Recreation Department for an Easter event. They've been great to work with. Today, we'll have the opportunity to rub shoulders and talk with nearly 600-people!

Pray that we'll make great connections. Pray that we will fall more and more in love with the people. Pray that Christ will be exalted.

(I think prayers are retro-active, so even if you didn't get this in time, go ahead and pray :)) Talk with you soon!

Church Name... sort of!

2008-03-09T17:15:00.006-04:00

You have all been waiting so patiently. Well, here it is! Our church name... sort of!

We figured we were designing this church for the community, why not have the community give their input on our name! And this is not so much about coming up with a name as it is we're hoping to peak the interest of our community. At the very least, we're hoping to increase awareness in our community that we're launching a new church!

So jump in - we're going to have some fun with this! Spread the word. We just happen to think God can use it! See ya.

http://www.namethatchurch.com/

Can You Give God Props?

2008-03-03T09:06:00.020-05:00

God deserves some serious props (translation: God has blown us away with some amazing things and he deserves proper credit and recognition). Can you really even give God props? Anyway, here's what He's done:

1) business man decides to give us business cards and t-shirts at his cost (Thanks Dmitry!)

2) God provides great video camera for us to use through one man's generosity

3) we have the biggest billboard on Hall Rd. reserved for part of our marketing plan (God moved the big boys for this one!)

4) it looks like we're in... the door has been opened for a meeting location for us! (we still have to finalize it, but things are looking good)

This past week, I have been brought to laughter, tears, my knees, and awe over what God can do! It's been great.

Commission-ed

2008-02-26T11:10:00.001-05:00

"So after they fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off." - Acts 13:3

It's nice to know that even though we go into something risky and something difficult, we don't go alone. We are being sent out with the blessing, prayers, and support of those in authority over us and in ministry around us.

Team, here we go! It's official! It was a significant night in the story of our lives and the story of this new church. I hope you have a sense of the destiny and providence of this whole thing. We are a part of something that few people have the privilege of being a part of and I'm glad to be a part of it with you.

The Power of Partnerships

2008-02-19T19:52:00.006-05:00

The more I do what I do, the more I realize the power of partnerships. It's actually ALL about partnerships. Think about all the things you couldn't do if there were no partnerships... in society, in business, in recreation, in faith, in friendship, in family. Everything we do in life comes back to partnerships.

An important question then is how good are you at creating lasting and meaningful partnerships? It's a question worth thinking about. Here are a few thoughts on good and bad partnerships:

- not all partnerships are good

- good partnerships should be mutually beneficial

- bad partnerships leave people used and abused

- in all partnerships sometimes you give, sometimes you get

- always make sure they receive more from the partnership than you do (do this, and you'll never run out of strong partnerships)

We are very thankful for the doors of partnership that are being opened up to us. The most recent partner happens to be a community organization that hosts several key community events each year. We have the privilege of joining with them on an upcoming Easter event. Without a doubt it is a great win for us, now our goal is to make it as big a win for them as possible.

God is defintely giving us favor and uniquely positioning us for great things!

pictures of hijacked

2008-02-05T10:38:00.001-05:00

Just wanted to give you a quick update on our hijacking experience last Sunday (read "hijacked" to catch up).

It was everything we hoped it would be and more. Honestly, it was a blast. The whole morning went great. Tim and the band were great, the cafe' area was great, the whole team did a great job. And we had tons of positive feedback. We can't wait to bring this to Macomb Township this summer for our preview services!

Pastor Thompson and Warren Community Church, thank you so much for the opportunity you gave us last Sunday. It was an amazing experience for us and we hope it was for you as well. Thank you for being such a great partner in this new church.

Stay tuned. There is a lot developing these days that I'll be able to share with you more in the next couple of weeks!

Hijacked

2008-01-29T15:50:00.000-05:00

Look out Warren Community Church, we're hijacking your service!

The leadership at this church is amazing for letting our team come in and have church in a similar way to what we plan to once our new church goes public.

Let me try to describe what it's going to be like for you...

- coffee & bagels

- short (1hr!)

- media driven

- Jesus-centered

- high energy

- did I mention short?

Basically... casual, relevant, simple!

It's going to be a lot of fun! Thanks Warren CC for this opportunity. If any of you are in the area this Sunday you'd better come see us!

James 1:5 & 2 Corinthians 1:11

2008-01-21T11:33:00.000-05:00

If you're curious what the verses in the post title say you can click here and here. They highlight one key thing we're working on right now - securing a meeting space for our future worship services.

I am excited as I talk with various school officials and principals in the area about possibly having our church meet in their schools. For the most part they have all been very gracious to us and open to the idea. There are some really great people in the school district. We really want them to know that we are here to be a blessing to them and to the communities that surround their schools. We would love to partner with them in making their communities a better place, we think it can be a great win/win for everyone.

Please pray for James 1:5 wisdom that we would know the best location and exactly where God wants us (this will give you an idea). And as God leads us, please pray for favor that the doors may be opened to us. We believe this is God's church and He will provide a place for us to meet. We are excited about some of the possibilities we see and pray that things would work out according to God's plan and timing.

Dedicate '08

2008-01-07T21:33:00.000-05:00

I've never felt as hungry to attack a new year as I do right now. When the ball dropped and 2007 ended I had a holy moment (ironically, this was just after kissing Raelyn). In a quick moment a lot of things flashed through my mind, but it wasn't what happened in 2007 that flashed through my mind. It was what will happen in 2008. In 2008 we'll see the building of our team, our summer events and preview services, and our public launch in September. By this time next year, we'll be several months old as a church and right in the thick of it!

We have definitely turned a corner. There is a holy excitement and feeling of anticipation amongst the team of people that are gathering to be a part of this new church. And I have to say that I am so proud of the team that God is building to launch this new church. It was amazing to sit at our last pre-launch gathering and hear the stories of how God has uniquely called them and led them to be a part of this. And I know each one of them is going to be significant part of it, and God is going to do amazing things through them.

In my previous post I asked you to pray... God is answering, God is on the move. I still shake my head in amazement when I think what 2008 will bring. We've been in a gathering season, a waiting period. Now, it's time to get busy. Jesus, may you dominate the landscape of Macomb Township in 2008!

Lion Chasing

2008-01-05T17:45:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure who all reads this blog. Some of you I knew before I left to start this church. Others of you are new connections and are involved in this with me. No matter who you are, I want to let you in on something.

It's time to turn a corner. Since we hit the ground in September until now we have been in a gathering season, gathering resources, gathering people for the team. We have one last Pre-Launch Gathering tomorrow night (Jan 6, 5pm, Macomb Township Recreation Center). Pray that the vision will be clear, that God moves, and that the team begins to feel the excitement of where God is taking us.

These are critical times. It's no easy thing that we're doing. Starting a new church looks glamorous, but it's one of the most spiritually challenging things a person could do. Why would we expect it to be any different. Anything worth fighting for isn't going to be easy. But just think of what COULD be... and what SHOULD be! We're chasing lions, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Image: In a Pit With a Lion on a Snow Day, Mark Batterson

A Few Christmas Thoughts

2007-12-26T17:25:00.000-05:00

Christmas was different this year, a lot different. The main reason... we have a 6-month old little girl. This changes everything. It's fun. We get to live Christmas through her eyes. Except... she's 6-months old. She'd rather eat the paper than see what's inside the box.

As much as we talk about Jesus being born at Christmas, it's really weird for me to think of Jesus as a baby. I mean, I know what 6-month olds do!

Think about it (here's what I know of my baby):

1) AvaRae drools a lot. Nothing deep or theological here, just interesting to think of Jesus drooling as a baby (and no, I don't think that is sacrilegious).

2) AvaRae makes a lot of interesting noises. The other day, we were enjoying a nice time of family prayer and AvaRae decided she needed to added her two "scents" (it was more like ten "scents", and everyone heard it loud and clear).

3) AvaRae is definitely advanced :). I wonder if Jesus' parents thought he was advanced... Just think about it. (I wonder when they finally found out how true this was.)

4) AvaRae is a cute cuddly baby.

I once had a professor in college give us an assignment. He told us to come back next class and tell him what the greatest miracle ever was. We all came back to class thinking we had the right answer. Creation, parting the Red Sea, raising the dead... the resurrection of Jesus! We were all wrong. The greatest most amazing miracle of all was that God became one of us and was born as a baby, the incarnation. This one miracle alone tells us just about everything we need to know about our amazing God. Think about it.

"[God/Jesus] became flesh and made his dwelling among us." John 1:14 (NIV)
"You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Luke 2:12 (NIV)

Vision! What is it?

2007-12-17T21:04:00.000-05:00

If you run in leadership circles at all you hear the word "vision" a lot! And as used up a word as it may be, we can never escape it's importance. The truth is, we die without vision (Don't believe me? Read this.). Vision matters!

I used to think vision was slippery, hard to get a handle on, but lately I've come to see vision in a very practical way. Vision is simply something God places in your heart to do. That's it, that's vision! (Don't believe me again? Read this.)

Here's some of the vision God has given us... We believe God has called us to launch a church that is super solid theologically. God wrote a book, it's called the Bible, it's our manual. At the same time, we believe God has called us to connect with culture. This means speaking a language people understand, designing worship services and worship space so that people who aren't used to church will feel at home and in the process encounter a real God. We believe it's possible to have a solid Christian church that is simple, understandable, and relevant all at the same time. (Remember that old line where they would say, "It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No. It’s Superman!” I think people are going to say, “It’s a concert! It’s a worship service! No. It’s Jesus!”)

We want to create a church where it is crystal clear what it means to find Jesus, pursue Jesus, and live for Him (Helping people find, pursue, and live for Jesus.). We believe people want to connect with God they just don't know how - we want to change that. We want to break the rules, the kinds of rules that say 20% of the people do 80% of the work. We want to break the kinds of rules that say you can't go deep (depth of teaching) and wide (reach the unchurched) at the same time. We want to be simple... and effective.

We believe it's possible (and would be God honoring) to launch with 200+ people. We believe it's possible (and would be God honoring) to launch with multiple staff (or the closest thing to it). And we believe it is fully possible (and would be incredibly God honoring) to spin off another church within two years. We believe it's possible to see lives changed daily and people regularly coming to Christ. We believe we (God) can change a community... and a city.

...But, I guess this is all just stuff God has placed in our hearts to do so who knows if it'll actually happen. Oh, wait. That's what vision is, it's stuff that God places in your heart to do. And if it's something God has placed in your heart to do, then I guess you'd better get ready.

The Next Level

2007-12-11T18:11:00.000-05:00

It's time to take things to the next level... are you ready?

I was feeling a little frustrated today so I decided to do something I haven't done in a while - I hopped on the tread mill and took off. It wasn't long into it that I realized I really was in as bad of shape as I suspected (by the way, don't try to take your shirt off while still running on the treadmill - bad idea). I also realized I've been coasting (in a lot of ways, but especially physically). I've known I needed to do something about it, but I haven't. Today, I had had enough, it was time to take it to the next level.

Jesus was constantly challenging people to take it to the next level. He challenged the disciples to get out of their boat and follow him into a new future. He challenged the religious to lose their religion and find the heart of it all. He called the crowds to the next level when he taught that if they wanted to truly find life, they needed to lose themselves in a cause greater than themselves.

It’s time! It's time to stop coasting. It’s time to take things to the next level with this new church! Are you ready?

We’ve been meeting for several months now, pulling together a team and now it’s time to get rolling. January 6 we’ll have one last key Pre-Launch Gathering. We’ll once again tackle vision questions, discuss our strategy, and lay out a Launch Team Covenant. This is the point in what we’re doing when everyone decides how committed they are and how much they believe God is calling them to this and how much they believe in the vision. This is where we start to lean in; this is where it starts to get exciting!

We really want as many of you on the team as possible, but you need to engage.

January 6 – Pre-Launch Gathering: talking about vision, strategy, Launch Team Covenant
January 13 – Shindig ’08: relationship building @ the Hosslers
January 20 – Kickoff of Weekly Launch Team Meetings!

Guys, it is going to be great! God has given us the challenge and privilege of starting a new kind of church, one that is Biblically solid and connects with culture. Man, I cannot tell you how amazing this new church is going to be!

Pray like crazy! Lean in! Here we go!

(I'll be posting a little later in the week a little bit more about mission, vision, and values for ? church.)

Josh's Favorite Things

2007-12-09T21:13:00.000-05:00

Had a great night of team building tonight as 26 of us (counting the wee ones) of us got together to talk and dream some more about the kind of church God has given us a vision for. It was hilarious to get to know all the strange little things that people enjoy. Tim Joye shared some thoughts about being connecting to other believers and encouraging each other. Then, yours truly, kicked the night of by sharing a few of my favorite things... Oprah Style (and yes, everyone went home with gifts... Milky Way Candy Bar, McDonalds Dollar, and a can of Mt. Dew).

Honestly though, the night wasn't the blow out we had hoped for. It's hard (even though it's important (even critical!)), to take the time necessary to build the foundation. Right now we're building the foundation. But, it's going to be a great foundation. (I'm excited about the people on the team!)

We also just took some time tonight to dream. We said, "Can you imagine what the next year or two are going to look like?!" It seems every great church plant has their story. "Yeah, we started with like 3-people in an alley behind... And now look where we are!" I wonder what our story is going to be. And I wonder who's going to be in it.

God, thanks for teaching me lessons. Thanks for teaching me about the amazing resilience of Daniel, a man who turned several world empires upside down (Daniel 1-6, some really great stuff). Thank you for teaching me not to despise the day of small things (Zech. 4:10). Thank you for placing a vision inside of our hearts for a church that goes after the unchurched, that even dares to run to them (Luke 15:20) without compromising. Thank you for running to us (ie - Christmas).

Take-Aways & Housekeeping

2007-11-29T21:23:00.000-05:00

Can I just say that the guys at Eastlake rock! I just got back from visiting a couple year old church plant called Eastlake Community Church in Kirkland, WA (a Missionary Church). They are going like gang busters and reaching the unchurched 80% in their community. They are boldly leading a church that is laser focused on reaching people. I came back so challenged and fired up!

My biggest take-aways from my trip to Eastlake:

1) You can be simple AND effective. You don't have to do a huge production every week to reach people. Just make it simple, clear, and relevant and people will come.

2) Hold followers of Christ to high standards. At Eastlake you don't lead until you've proven you can follow. To be a leader at ECC you must first serve at least four months in some other area. They also don't pull any punches when it comes to tithing. If you don't tithe, you don't lead - period! And they ask too. They're serious about it. Why? Because tithing/giving is a great indicator of spiritual maturity and it also tells you where a person's heart is. People may say they're committed, but if they're not backing it financially who are we kidding.

3) The mission is way too important to worry about what others think. Whenever we get real serious about reaching the unchurched Christians get real nervous. Most of my life I've been really concerned about that. Most of the time this mindset keeps us play it safe and usually renders us ineffective (or at least mildly effective). Jesus and Jesus alone need to be the CEO and Senior Leader of our churches and not popular opinion. The mission is too important to let what other's think sidetrack us.

HOUSE KEEPING:
Pre-Launch Gathering DATE CHANGED!
-Dec. 2 Pre-Launch Gathering moved to Dec. 9
-5pm
-Macomb Township Recreation Center
-Child-Watch Provided

Gobble! Gobble! (includes updated pictures)

2007-11-20T16:30:00.000-05:00

I have a couple practical issues to hammer out here in today's blog.

1) I will be getting rid of my office phone number (586.286.1472) and just going with my personal number (586.246.0938). So, beginning Nov. 24 you will only be able to reach me on my personal number.

2) I've wanted to post about this for a while. If you regularly check this blog to see what's going on you might want to consider subscribing via email (bottom right side of page). It's really simple. Once you type in your email address and hit subscribe you'll receive a confirmation email. Then, after you confirm your subscription you will automatically receive email updates every time new content is posted on the blog. It's a great and easy way to know when new stuff has been added. Plus, it's easy to unsubscribe if you ever wanted to. This also helps me know the number of readership. Just thought I would take a minute and encourage you to try it out!

Hope you end up passed out on a couch, bloated with turkey, and watching football this weekend with family! Have a good Thanksgiving.

Timing Is Everything

2007-11-15T17:25:00.000-05:00

Timing is really, really important! The right timing can make all the difference in the world. You can do the right thing but if it's at the wrong time, it doesn't matter. This is true in sports, dancing (I know nothing about this), dating, marriage, business, and church planting. This is biblical. Ecclesiastes talks about certain times for certain things. I've said all of this just to say, yep, we're tweaking our timeline.

We know God has called us to start a strong fresh church. It's going to require a lot of planning, a lot of recruiting, and the building of strong relationships. We're realizing more and more that things like this just take time. And so, we're giving it more time. Instead of gunning for February '08, we're aiming for September '08. This seems to be next most strategic time for us. Honestly to me, it seems like forever from now. But it'll be here before we know it.

Besides, the vision just got bigger... a lot bigger! Waiting to launch until summer/fall gives us more time to build a stronger base, raise more resources, make greater inroads into our community, bring key leaders on board, and start with a bigger bang than previously planned. God has opened our eyes and challenged us to dream big! We're trusting God on this one are more excited than ever to see God move. We're pumped about having more time to make sure we get things right.

In the mean time, our Launch Team continues to develop and grow, we're making good connections in the community, and we're being prepared as leaders for the upcoming challenges. The next 2-3 years are going to be a lot of fun!

Feel free to email me with any questions (Josh Hossler at jhossler@hotmail.com).

Not Everything's Big In Texas

2007-11-06T18:50:00.000-05:00

Hi ya'll! Sorry, I'm hanging out in Austin for a few days this week getting some church planting training. That picture is the rental car I'm using while I'm here (when they say compact they aren't kidding!).

Anyway, I'm learning some great stuff and can't wait to get back and get to work! I'm trying to spend lots of time in prayer because we need to know exactly what God is calling this church to be and not to be. The strong and clearer vision, the more powerful the church. God... bring it!

Pre-Launch Gathering

2007-11-01T15:09:00.000-04:00

Never Saw This Coming

2007-10-29T18:53:00.000-04:00

A recent partnership with Davison Missionary Church has taught me some new lessons. I never saw this partnership coming. But Davison, you have blown us away with your generosity and interest in what we're doing. Can't say thank you enough!

Here's a few things I've learned:

1) God can do way more in a day than we could do in a lifetime. Unless God is in something it'll accomplish practically nothing. If God's in something it'll produce more than you could ever imagine.

2) Partnering with God can be tough work. I'm not always very good at finding what God's up and sticking with Him on it. Scripture says the Spirit of God is like the wind... hard to get a handle on. We're trying to put up the sails and let 'er ride!

3) We can't outdream God! Any dream or vision we have that we think is HUGE is never bigger than the dream and vision God has for that same thing. We can never outdream God.

God, help our dreams to at least resemble the size of yours. Davison, thank you for helping us see some God-sized dreams coming true.

Introducing the Joyes!

2007-10-24T00:37:00.001-04:00

For a while now, there has been another part to the team... The Joyes. While God was calling Raelyn and me to start a new church he was also calling Tim & Julie Joye. It has been amazing to see how our two paths have joined and the ways that God has been working far in advance to bring all of us together.

God knew exactly what it was going to take to make His name famous and His church thrive in Metro Detroit. What Tim and Julie (and the family!) bring to the table is amazing. Tim is a talented worship leader with a gift for teaching as well. Julie is a strong leader with a gift for relationships and a heart for women. Tim and Julie both grew up in Metro Detroit and have strong connections in the area we are going to plant. I can't imagine trying to start this new church without them!

I'd really love for you to be able to hear Tim & Julie's stories! God has done some great things in them. One of these days I can have Tim guest blog and you can hear it all directly from him. We are so thankful and privileged to even be on the same team with these guys. God is cooking up something special here - we can't wait to see what it is!

(enjoy this little video, this was played at our Open House 10.14.2007)

Are you in?

2007-10-15T11:09:00.000-04:00

We can't always sit on the sidelines. There are moments in our lives when we are presented with opportunities and then we choose to step up to the plate... or not. It's your turn to bat!

Last night we held our first Open House event. The purpose of this event was to get everyone together in the same room who has an interest in being a part of the new church. I'm not just saying this, but it was a great event.

First of all, the kids had a blast (see pics below). The food was great (see pics below). Excitement was high. God is shaping things up for an incredible new church. And many of the people who were at this open house are going to be key players. It's going to be great.

I just want to say a quick thanks to everyone who came, helped, and prayed. You know who you are. We couldn't have pulled it off without you!

In all we had about 60-people at the Open House (39-adults, 21-children)!

Open House!!!

2007-10-11T20:40:00.000-04:00

Well, it's here! After traveling to the various LEAD Team Churches and other partner churches and drumming up interest wherever we could, we are finally going to get everyone together in one room who is interested in being a part of the new church. This is going to be an amazing event!

First of all, Tim Joye and I will be share in more detail our vision for this new church. Also, this is the first time we'll really get a glimpse of who God is drawing to be a part of things with us. Not to mention, this is the first time many of these people will get to meet other people who want to be a part of the church too. This night also marks the beginnings of forming and organizing leading up to the launch. Needless to say, this is an extremely important night in the story of this new church.

PRAYER PARTNERS:
Please pray like you've never prayed before! Pray that things will go well during the Open House. Pray that the right people, the people God wants, will be there. Pray for the facility and staff where we are meeting, that we can have a positive impact on them while we're there. Pray for Tim and I (and our wives) as we share our hearts and what we believe God is doing. Pray for people's excitement to grow. Pray for God to stir people to want to be a part of this new church. Pray for the countless lives that God is going to reach through this church.

OPEN HOUSE DETAILS:
Sunday, October 14 5pm
Macomb Township Recreation Center
Child-Watch Provided (6mo-10yr)
Contact Josh Hossler with questions (info at right)

God has done some amazing things... God, this is all for you! Do your thing!

Thank God for Colonial Woods because...

2007-10-02T20:03:00.001-04:00

God has answered immense and unimaginable prayer. I've never imagined the ways God might provide and resource His church. All we knew when God called us to launch a new church was that the task was pretty unbelievable. One of my greatest fears was that God had given us a great vision, but that it would be under resourced. Let me tell you, God is definitely resourcing His church!

I would have never imagined nearly ten years ago when our family moved away from Colonial Woods Missionary Church (Port Huron, MI) that I would have found myself back there. And not just back, but preaching from the very stage that my dad spend so many years of his ministry preaching from. This past Saturday and Sunday (9/29&30) I had the privilege of sharing for a few minutes in each of Colonial Woods' weekend services about the work that God is doing in Macomb. The reason for my visit... to unveil the partnership between Colonial Woods and the Metro Detroit Church Plant.

Colonial Woods has become a serious partner in our project, along with the LEAD Team Churches. I cannot tell you how encouraged I am as a young pastor to know that there are so many people willing to not just cheer us on, but to come along side of us in significant ways to help us get the job done. We're not there yet with raising our start up costs, but we're much much closer. We praise God for moving and resourcing in ways we never expected!

Team

2007-09-25T13:58:00.000-04:00

We just finished up our "tour" at the 5-Lead Team Churches (see names and links on right side of page) that have teamed up to help us launch this new church. These churches and these pastors are truly my heroes. I only hope I can one day be as unselfish a leader as they are being by partnering on this thing.

I've also been blown away at the willingness of other churches to come along side of us in this project and cheer us on with their encouragement and significant financial support. God is definitely resourcing his church. God is up to something and we're along for the ride!

Just for fun... (a few church names/logos that didn't make the list)

(these are a few of the names of the Pastors of the LEAD Team churches)
Sorry guys, these didn't make the cut. Although feel free to use them for your own churches and communities. I'm sure they'll love 'em! Thanks for your partnership.

Location! Location! Location!

2007-09-18T17:16:00.000-04:00

The following proposal was submitted to and approved by the Missionary Church Michigan Distrct, Church Multiplication Team!

crossing the JORDAN: Metro Detroit Church Plant

Date: September 11, 2007

To: Missionary Church Michigan District, Church Multiplication Team (CMT)
From: Josh Hossler, Metro Detroit Church Plant
Re: Church Plant Location Proposal

After much prayer, research, counsel, and deliberation, I am ready to request location approval for the Metro Detroit Church Plant.

The location that I believe God is calling me to, leading me to, and giving me a heart for is the Macomb Township area on the north side of Detroit. I have spent time driving around pretty much of the entire Metro Detroit area, praying the entire way, seeking God’s direction, asking for Him to give clarity to what He’s doing in Metro Detroit. Several areas seemed good to me, but God has given me a peace and clarity about Macomb Township unlike any other area.

While this area was also an area that others were interested in, I believe I have also arrived at this location independently. Initially I felt overwhelmed and intimidated by the Macomb Township area. But after spending more time there, God gave me a peace and even the beginnings of a heart and passion for the people there. The more I’ve “tested” this idea in prayer and with others, the more God has confirmed it to me.

There are many reasons why I believe this is the area God is calling me to. Its demographics match the kind of area I felt lead to plant in (rapidly growing, young professionals, suburban). I believe we’ll be a good fit for this area. There is little evangelical church presence here. I am sensing a strong heart and passion for the people in this area. And I have definitely sensed God’s leading and confirmation to this area.

Early on, when we sensed God calling us to be a part of starting this new church, I prayed, “God, help me!” God flipped that prayer to, “God, how can I help you? What are you doing in the Metro Detroit Area that you want to use my gifts and abilities for?” And since, I have sensed God saying to me, “Josh, this is what I am doing (Macomb Township). I want to use you to start this new church in Macomb.”

Sincerely In Christ,

Josh Hossler
Metro Detroit Church Planter
http://joshhossler.blogspot.com/
jhossler@hotmail.com
Office: 586.286.1472

Macomb Township, MI

Area: 36-Square Miles
Population: 75,000 (increased 49% from 2000)
Race: 95% White
Median Age: 34
Average Household Income: $95,000
Work Force: 65% White Collar; 35% Blue Collar
Married: 71%
Estimated Unreached: 50,000-60,000
Evangelical Churches: 3

Big Meetings

2007-09-04T12:47:00.000-04:00

One of the big components to launching this new church is the Metro LEAD Team. The Metro LEAD Team describes a great partnership between the Missionary Church Michigan District, 5-Metro Detroit Area Churches, and the new church plant. This team helps provide funding and resources to assist the new church as it begins. Churches currently part of the Metro LEAD Team: Calvary Missionary Church (Livonia), First Missionary Church (Clarkston), Parkside Community Church (Sterling Heights), Walled Lake Missionary Church (Walled Lake), and Warren Community Church (Warren).

I have spent the last two weeks speaking in two of the LEAD Team churches (Clarkston & Livonia) and getting to know the people there. It has been a great experience. All of the people have been very excited and supportive of what we're doing. Also, Tim & Julie Joye (and family!), who are partering with us, have also joined us at those churches. Please pray that God will begin to raise up people from all five of these churches that will join us in starting this new church.

Also, I have a series of big meetings coming up this week and next. One set of meetings is with the Metro LEAD Team and one is with the Michigan District's CMT (Church Multiplication Team). Both meetings will focus on determining and approving the target community for the church plant. This will be a great milestone and a critical detail to have nailed down. Pray for God's direction - we only want to go where God wants us!

I still believe God has big things in store and many lives will be forever changed!

Test... again!

2007-08-30T20:49:00.000-04:00

Sorry for all the emails - I'm trying to get the bugs worked out. I'd appreciate any feedback you might have. Is everything working out for all of you on your end?

josh :)

email subscription test

2007-08-30T17:56:00.000-04:00

I'm still trying to work some of the bugs out of my email subscription service... It's not working real well right now.

josh

We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto!

2007-08-29T12:00:00.000-04:00

Well, I just wanted to give you all an update this time around in my blog...

We have successfully made the move from Lagrange to Macomb! God took care of so many things and we are so grateful to everyone for their help, both in Lagrange and in Macomb. We are still unpacking boxes but the place is feeling more and more like home.

This is definitely not "Kansas" but we're excited to be up here in Michigan and are asking for God's guidance as things begin for this new church!

Pray for us as we get settled in; pray for me as I speak the next few weeks at the 5-LEAD Team Churches that are partnering with us in starting the new church. Pray that people will be lead to partner with us financially as we raise startup costs and that people will sense God calling them personally to be involved in this new church in some way.

God, only you know what you have in store - thanks for everything!

Transitioning

2007-08-16T23:20:00.000-04:00

As one new adventure begins, another one ends. Transitioning to start this new church means transitioning away from a church we have spent the last 5-years pouring our lives into. We've laughed, cried, sweat, and genuinely grown to love the people of LaGrange Missionary Church. God has taught me so much through them, I will never forget my time there and the memories shared. It has been so great to see them grow so much in Christ.

Here are a few lessons I learned as I said "Good-Bye":

1) It matters how you leave.

I realized pretty quickly that I could have negated 5-years of ministry in just a few short moments by leaving badly (angry, without proper good-byes, without respecting appropriate protocol, grabbing everything I could, tooting my own horn, etc.). It matters how you leave; it matters how you leave your job; it matters how you leave your family; it matters how you leave your church. The how really matters so do it right and do it well.

2) Don't be discouraged by who doesn't come to your going-away-party.

I told myself long before it happened, not to let the mark of my ministry be based upon who showed up to send me off. You don't know people's reasons for not showing up, so don't let your mind get carried away. Even though big fan fare is great, I need to constantly remind myself that I get my pats from God not from men. If I'm aiming to please men and win their approval, I'm in for a big heap of trouble.

3) Don't look back.

If you know God has called you to do something or head a certain direction, get going and don't look back. Lot's wife learned the hard way. Lallygagging and second guessing will only cause problems. My dad used to say, "Son, don't undo in doubt what you've decided in faith." Thanks dad!

God, thank you for teaching me that there is a right and wrong way to leave, and thank you for your grace that helped me not totally mess it up. I can't wait for what's next!

Fundraising is Easy!

2007-07-25T16:18:00.000-04:00

That was just a title intended to draw you in. Fundraising isn't easy at all. One of the main facets of what I'm doing these days preparing to launch this new church is raising money. It takes money to launch churches and lots of it!

Raising money's not for me, but someone has to do it and initially it better be me as Lead Pastor. If I'm not able to communicate a clear and compelling enough vision to raise a few dollars, I'm definitely not going to be able to recruit and raise a launch team, and I'm certainly not going to be able to give the new church enough direction and focus to reach it's community for Jesus! Bottom line, if I can't raise the dollars, I can't start and lead this church!

So, for me, a few lessons I've learned in the fundraising trenches (at it a whole 4-weeks!):

1) face-to-face is definitely the way to go

2) make your stuff simple and sharp (if you're talking about starting a great church don't give out crappy informational material)

3) you have to own-it (own the vision! own the task of raising the dollars! if you don't care about what you're doing don't expect others to)

4) think big! (people give big gifts to big vision)

5) don't act desperate (invite people to partner, if they do -great, if they don't - great)

6) get 'er done! (stop tweaking the material, stop planning and strategizing, stop fretting, make the call, set up the meeting, get 'er done!)

God, you never cease to amaze me - help me to trust you, think big, and get 'er done!

The God of Real-Estate

2007-07-18T12:48:00.000-04:00

God is a lot of things, one more thing He is... He is the God of Real-Estate. It's all His, right?! He moves it, keeps it, preserves it, and spends it any way He wants. God is up to something big and going to blow us away with what He has planned. He blew me away when HE sold our house in 5-days!!! (They offered our asking price!) Who are we kidding? God is the God of ALL things, including Real-Estate!

Spying out the land...

I also just got back from spending a great couple days in the metro Detroit area. I spent some time driving around and driving around and driving around some more (thanks Jim and Kevin!). Here's what I came away with... THERE ARE SOOO MANY PEOPLE AND THEY NEED JESUS! There are a lot of great places for a church in the Metro Detroit Area, please pray that as God sold our real-estate in 5-days He would point us to the real-estate (ie - community of people) He wants to reach and change for Jesus.

God is up to something and He's going to blow us away!

2nd email subscription test

2007-07-06T15:11:00.000-04:00

2nd email test, first one didn't go through

email subscription test

2007-07-05T17:09:00.001-04:00

test

AvaRae pics

2007-06-26T11:37:00.000-04:00

AvaRae Zae Hossler

Name Meaning: Life/Mighty One

Life Verse: Proverbs 8:35

Born: June 21, 2007 @ 7:43am

Weight: 7lbs

Height: 21 1/4 in

Parents: Josh & Raelyn Hossler

She's here!!!

2007-06-25T17:21:00.000-04:00

Hey Everyone,

She has finally arrived! AvaRae Zae Hossler arrived at 7:43am, June 21, 2007. She was born at the Sturgis Hospital in Sturgis, MI weighing 7lbs, and measuring 21 ¼ in long.

AvaRae didn't’t come into the world without some intense work (labor). We went to the hospital Tuesday (June 19) around 9am and she wasn’t born until Thursday (6/21) at 7:43am (We’ll tell you the whole story some other time.). We were exhausted, but so excited!

Then we found out that AvaRae was going to get to spend a few more days in the hospital (not what we planned, but it was no surprise to God). Because of the long labor, her little body developed and was battling an infection. There were a few very scary moments. We know people were praying though and with antibiotics, great nurse and doctor care, and with God’s help she recovered in just a few days and we were able to bring her home today (6/25). God has been so faithful!

We are excited to be starting a new chapter in life, both with the arrival of AvaRae and with moving to Michigan in September to be involved in starting a new church (I can share more about this with you later.). We have seen God answer prayers, guide us, teach us, and give us peace as we have walked through the last several chapters of life. Life is so good with Jesus!

Thanks for all your prayers! I can't wait for all of you to meet AvaRae!

Josh, Raelyn, and AvaRae

First post!

2007-06-15T15:54:00.000-04:00

Hey, just trying this blogging stuff out! thought this might be a good way to keep people update about the new church and stuff...