The Gamble's next season of ministry

Use this area to offer a short teaser of your email's content. Text here will show in the content preview area of some email clients. Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser.   Dear Blog, Greetings! If you would allow me a moment I wanted to give you an update on what is happening in the life of the Gambles.  After seven years of serving at Suncrest Christian Church I have resigned as Campus Pastor for the purpose of planting a new church in the Oklahoma City area.  It was a bittersweet day announcing my resignation Sunday.  We have made incredible friends in Northwest Indiana and served an amazing church family.  At the same time it was one filled with a sense of purpose and confidence in God's next step for the Gambles.  What is exciting is that I am not merely leaving Suncrest.  I am being sent out to start a new church.  That is what Suncrest is about.  That is what I want to be about. So, I just wanted to share this news with you and ask you to subscribe to a "mostly monthly" e-newsletter that I will send to keep everyone interested in what is happening with the Gambles and the new church.  If you would like to sign up just click here.  I've also started writing about it on my blog to share more about what God has been up to in our lives and how He led us to this decision. That's it.  I hope you have a fantastic day and don't hesitate to drop me a line or connect on Facebook/Twitter/the real world. doug P.S.  If you are reading this and thinking "why did he send this to me? I know this already."  Let me apologize and blame it on technology (That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it).  I'm just trying to get the word out as broadly as I can.  Thanks! Copyright © 2012 New Church OKC, All rights reserved. You ar receiving this email because I love you and you were in my address book. :) If you would prefer not to receive updates about the new church we will be starting in Oklahoma City area then you can unsubscribe below. Thank you for reading. Our mailing address is: New Church OKC 1008 W. 62nd Ave. Merrillville, IN 46410 Add us to your address book unsubscribe from this list | update subscription preferences

A break

After some thought I've decided to give this blog a little time off. Obviously if you have checked it recently you know I haven't blogged much anyway. This season of planting Suncrest's second campus is so consuming that some extra things have to go. I've also realized that to make this blog something that adds value to others' lives I really have to work at it. It's a discipline all its own.

Perhaps after Suncrest-East launches I can get back at it (I'd love to blog about my experience after the fact. There's something about hindsight that brings clarity.) or I may decide that it is not something I want to maintain. Either way it has been fun and I appreciate those who have taken the time to read my random thoughts.

Blessings,
doug

Suncrest-East location announced

We finally are locking this in!

Getaway in the city

For Sheila's birthday.

What happens at staff retreat...

more to come....

Answered prayer

I realized this morning as I was praying through my daily prayer list that one big prayer that I prayed almost daily for had been answered. Now, in some ways it is old news because I blogged about it over at suncresteast.org. However, my practice on my prayer list is to check off those requests that have been answered. So it just really hit me this morning as I read "surpass exponential offering goal" that God had answered this prayer in a mighty way. The goal was $100,000. We have now received $108,000!

Awesome God!

I like to "holla"

So there is no doubt I get loud in my preaching. Usually I'm so revved up many people ask me how many cups of coffee I have had. In truth it was only one Grande from Starbucks ($1.96 thank you very much) that morning.

However, I've always struggled a bit to NOT preach in one speed...fast! One time someone described my preaching as "trying to drink from a fire hose." Love it. Even though I do recognize the need for some rhythm and the use of different gears.

All that to say in the evaluations that we solicit from some of our Suncresters this week, one reviewer wrote this:

I thought Doug was going to go crazy the chairs on stage. However, I thought he seemed pretty comfortable and did a good job of balancing the chairs with moving around. Always a plus when Doug doesn't yell.

Makes me laugh.