Haiti Mission Trip Update(new)

At 8am, our team piled in 3 SUVs and began the 55 minute ride up the mountain to Chadirac. The view was simply beautiful. A picture could never come close to conveying just how breath taking these mountains really are. The ride is very slow, steep and rocky and requires four wheel drive vehicles. Not to mention prayers!

We made it in time for church. There were probably 120 people attending this particular church in the community. And get this: the church service was 3 hours long! Some of you think I preach too long!  At Stones Crossing Church, we use the Connect Card to take attendance. At this church, they call the names on the membership roll. If you are in attendance, you answer “Present.” If you are not, then they mark your absence.  And not only do they take attendance, but they also mark if you were “On time.” Maybe we could begin this practice at Stones!

The worship service was also inspiring. No lights, no air-conditioning, no seat cushions and no band. Everyone sang joyfully and passionately. They know how to worship God and enter His presence with singing. If you could just see their vibrancy, you would then realize, we could learn a lot from them about what corporate worship really is.

When we walked in the church as a group, one of our trip guides, Wendall Robinson, informed me that they were expecting me to preach and this on a moment’s notice. I asked God to give me a message for them in a matter of minutes. God is faithful! My text was Ephesians 3:18-19. I talked about how to experience God’s love every day and was very thankful for such a gifted interpreter, but especially for the presence of the Holy Spirit to build up His people.

We spent the rest of the day doing home visits. As Americans, it is very difficult to grasp the level of poverty here. But the people are so full of  joy. And they are so beautiful. What we learned is that they have the very same problems as us, just in a different context. And we worship a God who is able to handle any problem we take to Him.

Tomorrow, I will lead a pastor’s roundtable discussion. The goal will be to identify their biggest challenges as pastors in their community. This will be the foundation of future mission trips from Stones to Haiti.

Thank you for your prayers. Our team is very encouraged!

 

Welcome Adam and Jessica Trotter!

 

 

I am very excited to share with you the news that Adam Trotter will be coming on the Stones Crossing Church staff in June as Pastor of Worship Arts! Adam and his wife, Jessica, are from St. Charles, MO. which is just outside of St. Louis. Adam’s responsibilities include leading worship for our Sunday worship experiences, overseeing the Experience Band and vocal teams, as well as equipping the worship bands for Motion(high school), Flow(middle school) and Merge(5th &6th grades). Not only is he a gifted musician and leader, but he has a passion to see people take their next step in worshiping God.

Adam took some time to answer a few questions so that you could get to know him better.

Tell us about your spiritual journey.

I was baptized when I was eleven years old and church was a big part of my life and shaped who I was. When I was in high school, I was leading student worship and helping lead Sunday worship for adults at my church. While I was doing that though, I started living for myself and feeding the desires of my flesh. Trying to live a double life for three years started eating away at me and ultimately left me feeling empty inside. I tried to fill that void with temporary joy in things such as alcohol and girls. I wasn’t sure how to leave the selfish lifestyle I was living because of the fear of  losing  friendships and having to overcome my pride. Thankfully, God provided an opportunity to turn my life back around and gave me the strength to help me through. It was a challenging time in which I lost friends and got ridiculed, but God brought me through and gave me new and meaningful relationships, thus giving me a new perspective on life and how and who I should be living for!

Describe your style of worship leading.

I am a very energetic and passionate worship leader. I cannot stand still in worship! And I like to have congregation interaction as much as possible. Worship is not a performance, but an offering of ourselves to God.

Tell us about your musical background, style and musical influences.

My musical style is modern and contemporary. My musical influences are Hillsong, Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, Gateway Worship, New Life Worship, Charlie Hall, David Crowder, Kristan Standfill. I have been playing guitar for fifteen years and singing for nine years. I traveled the nation and recorded three albums with a Christian band(One Way Caravan) for three years part-time and three years full-time. We had the the opportunity to share the stage with TobyMac, Superchick, Hawk Nelson. I also loved being able to write all our music and lyrics for the band.

What do you like to do in your free time?

I love hanging out with my wife Jessica and my friends. I am also a big baseball and college basketball fan. My teams are the St. Louis Cardinals and Kansas Jayhawks. 

A Different Manger Scene

I know the picture is not great, but if you look closely, you will notice Mary, Joseph, the Wisemen, and the Shepherds watching TV while Jesus is alone in the manger.  This display, by artist Brian Christensen, is provocative.  I personally hope it provokes a challenge for every Christ follower to get away from the TV and spend time alone with God as we anticipate and celebrate the birthday of Christ.  Comments?