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 .

I was just reflecting on a passage from Scripture because I have a bone deep weariness.

     ^"11 Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. ¹² For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. ¹³ And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account." Hebrew 4:11-13.

As I find my self more and more consumed with the cares of this world, the less and less joy I seem to have.  I was at a NAMB event over this last weekend and we were told that we needed to prepare a short sermonette, about 8 minutes.  My Bible time and my time with God lately has been like a desert but the sermon.  
There was joy, my heart seemed to sing out to God and the beauty of His word sung to me.  For the last several years all I have had the opportunity to delivery has been funeral sermons.  I do realize the importance and can be important evangelism tools but preaching Gods word, that different.  When I preached those 8 minutes it felt like it was "right", that's the best way to explain it. 
The weariness lifted, it seemed as if I had walked out of the desert from which I had put myself.  Its funny how we do this, I work a bunch of "ministry" jobs that barely pay, have incredibly odd hours, very high demands and seem to be hurting my family.  I have made the excuses for the longer time in between family devotions and my devotions with my wife.  My own spiritual life is in the tank; it would seem from doing the very ministry that I should be working harder on my own spiritual life for.
God is good, in one days study for an 8 minute sermonette He corrected me with His love, wow!

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!