Tregaron and its wonderful residence!

My senior Pastor and the Music Minister have asked me take over the ministry and become the Pastor at an independent living facility that our church has had services at for the last fifteen years.  It's called "The Church at Tregaron", has about twenty five people each Sunday.  99% women, from many different theological backgrounds, with an occasional husband or son attending.  They are a lovely group of people, who are very caring and who are just appreciative that someone is taking the time to provide them spiritual care.  They have been a very receptive to the Gospel Message but everyone has expressed already having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ our King.
The ministry team is made up of a gentlemen and two ladies who do all of the music and set up and one lady who does snacks and hands out hymnals and the bulletins.  I have found that Lifesprings Church put some money into the equipment that we use. I have preached in many nursing, independent living and assisted living and only the really high end facility have anything to support a service. Our mother church really shows how much they care about these loving folks.
Personally, music has not and probably will never be a strength, unless we start singing like the Old Appalachia Baptist's?  You'll have to look that one up, I found it really interesting.  We sing hymns out of the old Baptist Hymnal and sometime the Music Leader gets a little excited.  He really does love God's music and he just pours his whole self into rejoicing in God. I so enjoy watching a man who is on fire for the Lord and shares so much through his worship.  It makes it hard to laugh and sing at the same time!
God has luckily gifted all of His people in different ways.  I have to remember that though I have been there for a few months know, one of the Ladies and her now deceased husband started it 15 years ago and the music guy has been there almost as long.  They are very gracious with me, even when they think I'm supposed to be the leader of our little circus but I'm supposed to do it the way it has always been, Ha, ha, ha...
It's all to the Glory of God! May he bless you and keep you close to His bosom!

Being Positive and Proactive

Dear Friends,
As I have been walking along this path that God has set before me, I have found that even when it all goes wrong He is still great.  I find that I get tired of writing about negative things all of the time, it is both draining to you but to myself as well. Even though I could put many things up on this blog about negative things, I have decided I wont.
So, lets look at the goodness and greatness of what God has been doing.  The most exciting is that I have a wonderful family, with a wife who I know loves me.  I am also going to get to co-teach a Pastoral Care and Counseling extension class. The local SBC Association is administering it for MBTS and we have a great DOM and Association. If you know me, you know that I am very hands on, I love to teach and I loved to be involved with people.  Only God could have set this in my path because so many hurdles had to be jumped and it was done by so many others.
Another thing that I am excited about but hasn't happened yet is that I have put in some applications for online teaching jobs.  These would be great if they worked out both financially but also would add some fun.  Remember though pray for my family and myself, just as I  pray for those whom I know and for everyone in general.  Though if you need more pray let me know, I do love direct prayer for people whom I care for.  Love you all...

I have decided to become involved in some specific issues in Nebraska.
1.  I am against the "Die with Dignity Laws" that are being introduced across the country.  We have a      state senator here who has introduced it for the last several years and will continue to do so.  This        is a slippery slope and people are misinformed.
2.  My family and I are going to get involved in the anti-abortion movement in Omaha Metro area.          Prayer is going to be our biggest weapon but we wish to show our children how to be active in our      faith.
3.  My children wish to be involved more with the homeless problem in the Omaha Metro area.                Haven't exactly figured out how to do this but my heart swells with there express of compassion          for those without and in need.
4.  This is one that I have been involved with for a few years.  Its two parts, first being the treatment        of the poor when they die. Secondly, getting green burials legalized in the state of Nebraska .

Once again life is a learning opportunity for us who are ill equipped with the basic tools needed for everyday, well Life.
My family have been attempting to get a second vehicle for a long, long time but just have never been able to do it.  It usually has been finance related, as a one income household taking on a car payment just doesn't make much sense.  In addition someone has to be willing to sale a car to someone with less than perfect credit, its getting better but still not stellar.  This usually regulates people in our circumstances to buy here pay here places.  These people pray on those who are not able to purchase a car another way and fall into what seems to be an unregulated nightmare similar to payday loan hovels, but I digress...
We did not go to one of these places to finance our vehicle, we were blessed from some friends who in all purposes gave us a van. Suddenly we have two vehicles and just as suddenly the second van begins to develp issues.  At this same time we also got our tax returns, which we had not been expecting due to other issues and used to catch us up on bills but did leave us with some left over.
The intelligent thing to do would to have fixed the one van and saved the difference but I guess I'm not that smart.  We decided to use the old van and the cash to hopefully get a good deal.  Have I mentioned the fact that I know nothing about cars, I mean very little. We got ripped off!  I should have just walked up and handed some stranger the keys to our van and the money and said have a good day because that would have probably helped someone.  I did attempt to talk to the car dealer but he was unapologetic but did offered to take the car back, see what he could get for it at auction then put me in something "nicer", maybe at a discounted rate. The other option he had was there are a group of mechanics he works with and he would be happy to direct me towards one of them. Ha, ha...fool me once shame on me.
There are so many things wrong with this vehicle but I am trying to work them out so that Sarah is not stranded at home.  Today I attempted to change my own oil, I watched the videos on YouTube and I had all the stuff.  I crawled underneath, or as far as I could get and loosened the bolt and out the oil came into the pan.  My oldest is sunder the car and says "Dad is oil supposed to be red"?  well no its not!
I had just drained my transmission, which doesn't have a refill spout but you need a funny tool and brains to be able to fill it.  It just gets worse from there but I know if I die right at this moment I will go to Heaven but some of the things coming out of my mouth did not edify God in anyway.  In all of this I am just happy that my wife is OK, my children are healthy and God has a lot of grace because I don't.
Why can't I forgive this man who lied and stole money from my family?  He will continue to cost me money into the for see able future.  Why can't I forgive myself for feeling so foolish, feeling like I have let my family down and put undo stress onto my wife who really doesn't need any.  Why can't I be more like my Savior and forgive?  Why, why, why...?

The current state of affiars of the Winn's family circus!

Hello and welcome to the mighty few who are reading this, may this find you better then when we may have last spoken. 
As the point of all blogs, I will just start by talking about me, because why else would you be reading this...
My current employment/vocation:

1. I am working part time as a hospice chaplain for Fremont Homecare and Hospice, in of course Fremont Nebraska.  The job is good, it has great benefits and the pay would fantastic if I got more than 20 maybe 25 hours a week. I love the fact that I get to help those who are so often so lost and lonely. I have felt it one of the greatest privilege next to being a witness for Christ is being with someone as they die. Though its not always spiritually lost, American nursing homes have turned into dumping grounds for our unwanted elderly (that's a diatribe for another time).
2. I am working as a PRN chaplain at Bergan Mercy hospital, mostly overnight on-calls.  This can be rough because even though they have a sleep room, I can never sleep with a pager sitting around.  Every noise causes me to jerk awake and for 30.00 dollars for 15.5 hours its hard to dedicate the time for this job. Though the supervisor is great makes it hard to say no when she is so very nice.
3. I am working as a PRN chaplain at Creighton University Medical Center, a level 1 trauma hospital that can really be a crazy place.  This is the job for an adrenaline junky, because it is absolute stillness then 100 miles an hour of human destruction.  This can be very rewarding and it can be heartbreaking within a heartbeat.

This is how the Lord our God is using me right at this moment. God has stretched my family and I this last two years and has pushed us past our limits. Sarah and I have grown closer in our walk and that is the best possible outcome that could happen, at least for us.  Sometimes being a dull piece of iron isn't always the funnest thing to be when the times of learning happen but it is what I seem to be best at.

Finally, Sarah, the children and I are currently in the process of going through the discernment process for church planting with NAMB.  A lot of personality tests, with some meeting and seminars, all to see if we are self starters and have the right personality to have an effective church plant.  Why would you say that I would put my family and myself through this, well let me tell you.  I first and foremost would not be doing this unless Sarah and I did not feel we were being lead this way.
Sarah and I have had a heart for military families since we came to know Christ.  Our hearts have been getting heavier and heavier as we see and hear what is going on with these men and women.  Then one day while attempting to get my endorsement stuff done for the umpteenth time with NAMB, I was lead to military church planting, asking are you a chaplain, do you have a heart for our military and BAMM! God got me again....More to come!