Absolutely Useless!

Lately I have felt a little like getting a T-Shirt made with that sentiment on it. USELESS. There have been times that it would seem to fit me well. I don't know about you but sometimes I come to these tunnels of despair that get a little overwhelming. Is this what they mean when people talk about a "mid-life crisis". You know...that point where you take stock of your life and realize that in terms of heart beats, most likely you have crossed the half-way point....more past than future...more thoughts of "post-mortem" than "post-modern".

It can weigh on you like a turtle neck made of sand bags. And it can cause you to consider the contributions you've made on this earth. Have I been used by God in a any tangible way? Will my role in His story really count once I have moved on? Has my greatest adventure in this life come and gone? Did I miss my peak?

Probably a good time for a check up from the neck up. Back to the Biblical basics for that kind of foolishness. You see, there is a fundamental problem with this line of thinking, and here it is in simple terms so I can understand... IT IS NOT ABOUT ME! How self-absorbed! My calling is not to be significant for the kingdom. I don't need to learn to be creatively clever for the gospel's sake...and Jesus does not need me to be "useful". In fact, He doesn't NEED me at all. He has called me to follow. He doesn't want oration from me. He wants obedience from me. It is in my weakness and His cross that I boast for it is there that He is strong. He will confound the clever with what would otherwise be thought of as silly. He will take the mundane and magnify His majesty...every single time!

Not that I champion talking to myself or anything, but here is a piece of advice to you "Mr. How Do I Fit In?"...OBEY! Now. Try this on for size. Hey, maybe I could put that on a T-shirt...and you know the great thing about T-shirts? They are much lighter than turtlenecks!

Laying the Foundation

One thing that has been very apparent in the process of building our mission outpost is just how important the foundation must be to hold the building that will be built on it. It is so important that we have to spend time and money studying the ground below and allowing any new dirt moved on to that foundation to have time to settle. That is the process that we have been in for the last two months, studying the land and making plans for our new foundation. We are working on the final details of the land development and building construction and are looking forward to getting started. Please begin to pray for all the people that would be involved in this process. There will be many. Most of all allow this time to be a time when you think about your own foundation. Are you rooted in the word of God. If the storms came in a rained on your life would you have a strong foundation.(Matthew 7:27) Give your life to the life and work of Jesus Christ and together let's make sure our lives are built on the strong rock of Jesus Christ.

United

I went out to the property yesterday to pray and saw a new flower box around our sign. I was so happy to see that someone had taken their time and put this great addition on the property. It was at this time I felt "united" to our faith family. I have always felt united but as I have worked on getting this project off the ground only a few people have been with me, praying with me, planning with me, and walking this journey with me. What I realized yesterday was that you, the Clearwater family have been "united" with me the entire time. I guess somewhere in my spirit I realized that truth but I just didn't say it out loud. But now I do. I feel the presence and power of our "united" family pushing towards the goal of planting our "Mission Outpost". I want to thank those of you that saw that a flower bed was needed at the property but more than that I want to thank you that you are "united" with this vision. I thank my God for you all.

Acts 2:44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common.

Getting Ready!

Hello Clearwater Family,

Wanted to give our church family an update on what is going on at the property. We have just finished up our final drawings for the civil or drainage plans for the property. It was a pleasure to work with In-Site engineering and there team on this project. They have given us a plan that enable us to utilize 6 of the 7 acres that we purchased which is great considering that we will have two ponds on the backside or railroad side of the property.

We will have one main entrance on Huntley Parkway and then on the next phase of the project have a right in and right out entrance/exit on Highway 11.

The master planning with Turner Batson is also complete and it was a great pleasure to work with Jamie Collins and Richard Foo on the plans for the land as well as the building. They have worked with In-Site to get our buildings in the best possible places on the land to enable us to be able to use this land effectively.

On the agenda at this time is working with developers and general contractors to get some final numbers for the land development and first phase building. Once we have the numbers together and several bids from companies involved we will approach the banks to acquire the financing necessary to get going.

As you can see we are in full swing of the "Getting Ready" phase of the project.

One question that has been asked a lot is "when we will be moving to the new land?" or "how long will it take to build?"

My answer to both is around 8-10 months depending on the time of year we start as weather will play a part in the process.

I hope this gets you all up to speed and answers some questions that you may have. Please feel free to contact me with any questions that you may have.

To God be the Glory!

Timmy

Great News...We were Approved!!

On Wednesday I went to the new property for prayer and a wonderful meeting with Gary Swafford from the State Board of Missions. He shared my excitement for the new work here in Pelham and encouraged me in many ways. He then informed me that Clearwater has indeed been approved for a $50,000.00 low-interest loan that we applied for to help us build our new facilities! Among other factors, this approval was based on the excitement that has been generated from this partnership of Alabama Baptists and I am so grateful to Gary and those at ALSBOM (Alabama State Board of Missions) for all they do to assist church-plants in their efforts. We are thankful for you all.

Stopping at the Corner

"Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people..." Joshua 1:6

On Tuesday I returned to the land to walk the property, to envision where the new facilities will be placed...and most of all...to pray...to pray for all of those people in cars passing by. Wow! I had forgotten how busy this intersection is. There are so many that come this way...as they are on their way to wherever it is that they must soon be. Moms with children on their way home from a quick stop at the Publix on Huntley Parkway. People getting off the interstate and making their way home after a hard days work.

Many of them stop at the property and look...now, granted there is a stop sign at the corner and no doubt they are most likely looking for oncoming traffic before making their right and left turns. But my prayer that day was that they would see more. I prayed they would see what is coming soon. That would notice a sign and see a church that longs to lead them to Jesus...that longs to cause them to glimpse His glory...that longs to minister to them...and their children...and their families...with strength and with courage. Oh I pray that there would be a desire developing within their hearts even now to "Come and See" as we get ready to become more than just a neighbor...as we become a friend.

The days ahead are good because Jesus has orchestrated a plan to lead His church to be built. We are a part of this great plan. I pray that these passers-by are as well. Let us prepare to go now...to lead them to see the glory of the Son of God!

It Has Been Quite the Journey!

It has been a while since I have posted here at PowerofOne. I must say it is so refreshing to be back. I will be posting more and look forward to sharing with you my heart. I have learned so many things since the last post...some have broken my heart...some have encouraged it...all have brought me to see God's Hand more clearly. My faith has been strengthened in the last days and I am full of excitement about what God is showing us. As most of you know, we have now purchased land at the corner of HWY 11 and Huntley PKWY in Pelham. It is a beautiful 7 acres and fits the vision so perfectly. God has orchestrated this...only He could do a work like this! Go by...walk around it...pray over it...begin to use it now for kingdom purposes. Tonight, I'd like to share a prayer with you...there will be more to come...Oh so much more!

Thank you Jesus for your faithfulness when my own heart wanes. I turn to you until my heart beats in cadence with Yours. You are leading this church...You are it's Head...we are your servants...your people...and we long to follow You. Where else would we go? You hold the words of eternal life...and we will exist to value You above all else. To You alone be glory!

Blessed is the one you choose to bring near, to dwell in your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple! Psalm 65:4

How amazing is it, that the Lord, the creator of all things wants us to be in His presence! We are embarking upon a great adventure as we seek the Lord in the development and construction of our new home on Hwy 11. The project is underway and things are going great. I know that if any of you have driven by the land, you have no doubt ask the question, "When will we start moving dirt on the land?" The answer is soon. There are a lot of details that have to be taken care of prior to the City of Pelham allowing us to begin the dirt movement phase of our project. Those details include; Having a ground run topographical map completed (done), geotechnical dirt work analysis completed (in progress), architectural renderings of the building and parking lots drawn (Initial phase done), and last and certainly not least the civil engineering drawings completed (in progress). The civil engineering could not get under way until the topo and geotechnical work were completed. I expect that we will have all initial phases of the project completed by June 1st. I would like to introduce our people to the companies and representatives that will be working on this project with us.

Turner Batson Architects- Jamie Collins

In-Site Engineering- James Cassidy

BECC (geotech)- Marty Burford

Arrington Engineering and Land Surveyors- Jeff Arrington

A special thanks to Ernie Brown with Realty Link for helping in the procurement of the land.

Next up in the coming weeks.....Tree removal where necessary. We will be taking out the trees where we will be bringing in dirt to level the land. We will be leaving as many trees on the property as possible. The teams desire is to have as natural a design as possible.

Speaking of team, let me introduce everyone to our Vision Team.
Jeremy Gore, Jeff Glass, Jeff Jiles, Blake Bassham, and Landon Robertson. Jeremy, Jeff, and myself are handling the land project and the others will be primarily dealing with the building and it's components.

I hope that this brings everyone up to speed. If you have any questions please feel free to email me at: timlawson04@yahoo.com

Pray for wisdom for our team.

In Christ,

Tim Lawson