church planting

We don’t even know where to start!  God has been so gracious to us these past few months.

We had our baby girl Mercy Elia Potter on August 8th.  She weighed 7.7 and is so precious.  We love her so much!

These photos were taken by the Elia’s pictured above.  They are also the reason Mercy’s middle name is ‘Elia’.  We love them.

We will continue to keep you updated on our lives.  This week we have our last preview service with Crosspointe Waterford Lakes before we go public in the Radisson Hotel!

I hope you begin to see the trend that I (Josiah) spend most of my time each day serving at Chili’s.  Here’s another story of how God’s working in our lives in Orlando.

At the end of my shift I had a table sit down and order Chicken Fried Chicken.  I rang in Country Fried Steak b/c I’m human and I make mistakes.  The food comes out and the three ladies look at it and say, “This isn’t what we ordered.”

No harm so far.  We weren’t busy.  Their food came out literally five minutes after they ordered.  I had my manager swing by and talk to them and we got them their correct order in a matter of 5-10 minutes.  They were still working on their salad and black beans so they weren’t without food at any point.

I bring out their correct order and magically there aren’t any mashed potatoes on the plate.  The lady to my right says, “You got it wrong again, there aren’t any mp’s.”  The lady to my left says, “Stupid.”  (Under her breath but loud enough for me to hear)

I’m furious.  I don’t show it.  I smile and say I’ll be right back with that.  They had mp’s in a matter of 40 seconds.

I continue to wait on them, anticipating their needs with refills and boxes and the whole nine yards.  I figure, I’m not going to let a grumpy old lady steal my joy for the day.

I bring the check and they pay with 100$ bill.  NOTE*  If you go out to eat and your bill is less than 50$  do NOT pay with 100$ bill.  We’re not a bank, we don’t have that kind of cash in our server books at 1pm, especially when everyone else is paying with debit cards.  It’s a huge hassle.

Anyway, I finally scrounge up their change and bring it to them with To-Go drinks.

They leave.

I go to the table to collect the tip but………………there is no tip.  There’s no tip.  They ran up a 50$ check and stiffed me.

I’m fuming.

I look out and see the ladies walking to their van.  On this van, neatly placed on the right side is a Jesus Fish.  Just like this car.

You can only imagine what’s running through my head now.  As I begin to sift through my thoughts to pick an appropriate one to attach to these ladies I look down and see this.

That’s right.  They left their take out boxes full of their left over food.  (There was a lot of it.)

I look out the window and see the ladies having a nervous conversation looking back towards the restaurant wondering if they can sneak back in knowing full well what they just did.

Then it hits me.

I grab the box and run out to their car and say, “Hey ladies!  You forgot your take out food!”  They say anxiously, “yes……yes we did, didn’t we?”  I reply, “I like your Jesus fish.”  ”You do?”  ”Yes ma’am, I’m a Pastor.”

Silence.

“Oh really?”  ”Yes ma’am, well you all have a great day!”

I watched those women talk to each other in bewilderment for the next five minutes as I cleaned their table.  They never came back in and tipped me, I didn’t even really care about the tip that much.  What I did care about was the example I got to set for my co-workers.  I spent the next ten minutes telling and retelling my story to my teammates and they laughed hysterically!  They couldn’t believe, first of all, that I would take those ladies their food after they had stiffed me and then they couldn’t believe how foolish those women must have felt after they received the knowledge that they had just stiffed a local Pastor waiting tables to scrape by.

I had a choice.  I could have cussed those women and bad mouthed them to my teammates and just been another disgruntled server, or I could swallow my pride, take those women their take out food and set an example for my friends at Chili’s that even when people treat you unfairly, you can still love them while exposing their wrong doing without hurting them.

I hope those women learned a valuable lesson today.  As Christians, how can we go to a restaurant, run up a 50$ bill and then not be gracious to the person who served us that meal?  You don’t have to tip 30% to show how awesome Christians are when they go out to eat.  Just be patient, kind, gentle, and generous and maybe people will recognize you by your love.

One thing you all should know about servers at restaurants is this……it’s going to sting…..are you ready?

If you’re not a regular (someone who comes in the same time ever week and sits in the same section and orders the same thing)……if you’re not a regular, your server doesn’t care about you.  It’s nothing personal, actually that’s sort of the gist of it.  Guests are merely dollar signs to servers.  Sure they’ll treat you like kings and queens but as soon as that credit card receipt is signed you’re simply taking up precious space until the next party of four dollars sits down.  Is this taught by the companies/restaurants in training?  No.  This is an unspoken norm that I see played out every day.  I’m ashamed to say that I get caught up in it.

One night, a week or so ago I had two people sit in my section.  It was close to closing time, I was tired, I wanted to go home and be with my wife….needless to say, I didn’t care about these people.  I walked up to greet them, put on my fake server smile and asked if I could get them something to drink.  The guy informed me that he was an employee of Chilis.  That changed everything.  Employees get 50% off their bill and usually tip really good so my demeanor shifted a little.  I was refilling drinks, chips and working my tail off for that one table because the little dollars just turned into bigger dollars.

Later in the meal I stopped by to see if they needed anything.  The girl had gone to the restroom and the guy looks up at me and says, “Hey man, sorry I’ve had such a bad attitude this entire meal.  I got some really bad news today.”  Oh no.  This isn’t good.  My dollars were turning back into people.  People with real problems, real families and real souls.  I had a choice.  I could blow it off and say, “sorry bro, more sweet tea?” or I could truly serve “the least of these.”

I said, “I’m so sorry man, what happened?”  He said that he just found out that he got rejected by the law school he’s been dreaming of going to since he was a little boy.  I replied, “Wow.  That’s awful man.  Well, I know some people with connections to some great schools in Georgia.  I’m a pastor, here’s my card.  Call me and we’ll grab coffee or something and talk about what’s next for you.”  He looks up at me, “You’re a pastor?  Me and my girlfriend have been looking for a church to go to around here.”  From there on I told him about Crosspointe and where we meet.

I’m not sure if that guy will come to church, or even call to talk about what’s next in life for him.  I’m not sure if that was even the reason for the lesson I learned that evening.  I am convinced of one thing though, we all get caught up in whatever it is that we do and devalue people.  Pastors devalue people to numbers.  Serves devalue people to dollars.  Politicians devalue people to votes.  So how do we change that?  How do we see the value in people?

We serve them.  Whether it be with time, money, work or refills of sweet tea, we serve them.

35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

Matthew 25:35-40

Love,

Josiah and Jordan

This past weekend Jordan and I went to Waterford Lakes to celebrate Kelly Allen’s birthday, Jocelyn Davis’ baby shower and hopefully lease a house in Waterford.

This is Crosspointe’s Lake Nona Campus where we worshipped and heard the Gospel from Pastor Chan Kilgore.

Here’s Sydney the proud big sister of Brody.  They’re Rob and Kellie’s children.

Who would’ve thought I’d reconnect with my dear friend JT Dellis in Orlando!?  God is moving and shaping JT in amazing ways!!!!

Here’s Jo at Disney.  She loves Disney!

Here’s the Allen/Potter/Davis clan at Disney.  We’re excited about sharing the Gospel with these people!

Our Saturday was filled with appointment after appointment on every half hour with realtors and home owners that Jordan skillfully planned down to the minute from 9am-4pm.  After hours of searching and taking photos and reviewing and praying we finally decided upon a house!!!  Here it is!

Above is the neighborhood we’ll be living in.  From what the neighbors tell us it’s filled with young families, UCF graduates and students!

Above is the front of our house.  We are thankful that it will have enough space to host Bible Studies/Small Groups and it fit our housing budget perfectly!

Above is a lake near our house.

These are the roads that weave in and out of Waterford lakes.  There are lots of little playgrounds like this in the area.  The one below happens to be immediately off of our cauldesac.

We are so thankful for God’s providence in bringing us to Waterford Lakes.  It’s been an exteremely difficult six months and not how we would’ve pictured our first six months of marriage but God has proved over and over again that He is faithful and continues to guide us as we seek Him in everything we do!

Our next step is Jordan graduating from Palm Beach Atlantic University on December 19th!  After that we will drive up and begin our lives in Waterford Lakes, spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ to everyone.

We are currently 30% supported and are praying for God to provide 75% support by Christmas!  The more we are supported the more we are freed up to minister to Waterford Lakes so if you have a moment today, pray about partnering with us in ministry and God’s redemption of Orlando.

We love you all!

Josiah & Jordan

So over the last few weeks God has shown us how faithful He is over and over and over!

Jordan has been busy nannying and going to school full time and is almost finished with her Bachelor’s degree in Christian Leadership and Josiah has been asked to speak all semester at TNL presents The Anchor at Palm Beach Atlantic University as well as lead worship for the FCA chapels on friday mornings.

God has also been using us at Truth Point Church in West Palm Beach which just had it’s first Sunday in Bear Lakes Middle School a couple weeks ago!  It’s been a wonderful win-win situation where God has provided us a place to serve and be ministered to at the same time!  Here’s a photo from the first Sunday!

The biggest thing that God has been challenging us to do is to surrender everything we want to worry about to Him.

Money—->worry—->surrender—–>God provides

House—->worry—–>surrender—–>God sells it in 3 days

A place to live in waterford lakes—–>currently surrendering that to Him

As full time missionaries now the biggest concern is how we will afford to live in this American society without getting full time jobs on top of our full time calling/job.

Thankfully Jesus has been providing for us and showing us that He will choose who He wants to support us with.

The first thing people tell you when you are about to ask friends & family for support is; ‘Make sure you send letters to people who have a lot of money!‘ and while that is tempting we choose to prayerfully consider who we send letters to and trust that God will take care of the $$.  Here’s a perfect example.

This is Taylor.

She is one of my guitar students and has been taking lessons for about six months now and she’s getting quite good at her instrument!  I had the joy of meeting Taylor and her family at the last church I served at and am so thankful for them as they have been so supportive of Jordan and I in our transitional season.

One day Taylor came for her lesson and when she was about to leave, she handed me two envelopes.

Two envelopes? I  thought.  Hmmm….maybe we missed a week of lessons and I forgot about it. Nope.

This is the envelope.

That’s right.  In parenthesis it reads “My God money”

We were so touched by Taylor’s love and support and this was just another HUGE reminder that God’s going to use the ‘least of these’ to give Him glory.

As we continue to take steps in the direction that God’s leading us in we are constantly reminded of His love and grace and provision as we seek His glory in planting in Orlando.

Thank you to all who have supported us and are continuing to support us in this next season!  We love you and are praying for you!

Love,

The Potters

We know online giving is a new thing in the church realm and we had a lot of questions ourselves about what happens and how to do it.

Here is a step by step instruction guide to giving to the Potters through Crosspointe church online.

FAQ’s

*When do you get the online support? Once payment is received, the accounting office at Crosspointe cuts and mails us a check.

*Is it tax deductible? Yes.  When you login you will see your contribution schedule and a year to date contribution history and total for your records.

Step 1: Go to the Crosspointe Church Website and click on ‘Give’ in the upper right hand corner

Step 2: Click on the ‘click here’ button to give online or simply mail your contribution to the address provided

Step 3: If you are a new user, click on the ‘create account’ button

Step 4: Fill out the information sheet (this is all strictly confidential)

Step 5: This is where you can either give a one time gift or schedule a monthly contribution.  Click ‘Individual Support’ next to ‘Fund’ and then click ‘Josiah Potter’ next to ‘Sub Fund.’ After that you can choose what day you would like to give and then fill out your Billing Info.  Below you will be able to keep track of your schedule and history with a year to date total at the very bottom.

Thank you all so much for your support!  Please continue to keep us in your prayers!

Our immediate requests are

*Sell our home in Boynton Beach Florida

*Find a house to rent in Waterford Lakes that is big enough to have meetings/small groups in

*That God will provide 100% support by November

Blessings,

The Potters

As you may or may not know; I was asked to step down at The Journey Church and have been replaced.  This was not how I envisioned leaving The Journey, but I do have a choice in HOW I leave. I get to choose my response. We all get to choose how we respond to something that comes our way. We get to choose our response and in the end that may be the most important choice of all.

The best part about all of this is that God has been in all of this, directing it, guiding it and putting things in place I cannot even see right now.  The beauty of the situation is that two months ago Jordan and I began praying to consider joining Jared and Jocelyn Davis in planting with Crosspointe Church in Orlando and little did we know God had already provided for that!

What this means…

We need to sell our house.  3/2 in Boynton Beach Florida.

We are going to be 100% financially supported by givers and hope to be supported fully by November 1st. (Think American Missionaries)

We need to find a house in Orlando to rent and move in by January 1st 2010.

Please pray for us as we listen to God’s call for our lives and if you are interested in supporting us please let us know and we will send all the info to you and come visit with you as well!

Grace and peace,

Josiah

Today I marry my best friend.

Today I am responsible for someone much more important than myself.

Today I see friends and family my eyes have not touched in years.

Today my mother will cry as I walk away with my bride.

Today my father will have me repeat vows after him, making the oath much more personal than it tends to be these days.

Today my sister will watch her big brother become a husband.

Today is today and we’ve prepared for 8 months for this day and I thank Jesus for every second.

The phrase “Christian Celebrity” has been running through my head this week.

Let’s break those two words down first. (thank you Dictionary.com)

Christian:

Celebrity:

a famous or well-known person

The reason I wanted to make the definitions of those two words known is because I think this phrase is open season to whatever anyone considers either “Christian” or “Celebrity”

We see stars in magazines and hear stories on the news and tack our own agenda to what we consider “celebrity” and usually find a way to either glorify or degrade the “celebrity” we are discussing (often as if we actually knew them)

I’ve always tried my hand at a lot of things in hopes that someone would notice and take a chance on me.  From songwriting, to writing, to recording to acting; I’ve honed and polished my crafts in attempt to extend my creativity to the masses.  To be honest I want to be bigger than Elvis, but my reasoning has been slowly changing from my high school days when I’d audition for films and such.

My hearts desire is to make the name of Jesus Christ famous

That sentence is so loaded it’s not even funny.  It’s so hard to even write that, let alone live it.  To live that sentence means something totally different than you would normally think.

You see making the name of Jesus Christ famous doesn’t mean walking a red carpet, dropping a hit record or even getting thousands of hits on your blog/day.  Making the name Jesus Christ famous requires one thing:

 Luke 9:23-24

23Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.

You will make the name of Jesus Christ famous by every word you utter, twitter, or type; by every glance you give, shoot or take; and by every situation you react, let alone, or respond to.

There will be people who make the name of Jesus famous through their art, words, hands, thoughts and there is nothing wrong with that.

In fact there are people who do that quite well!  Here’s some links for you to explore Anne Jackson, Carlos Whittaker, and Donald Miller.

These are people I would consider “Christian Celebrities” not because they’re followed everywhere by the paparazzi or have billions of followers on twitter, but because they are making the name Jesus Christ famous by what they do.

Anyone can be famous.  Susan Boyle is famous.  Perez Hilton is famous.  Shoot, even the PC guy on the Mac commercials is famous.

Being famous doesn’t mean anything.

Jesus means everything.

Make Jesus famous today by what you say, blog, teach, think, look at, hear, listen to and promote.