A Word from Parker

WH Family,
First of all, let me say “Thank You!” from both Kandace and I. We have been so incredibly blessed by your love and support all these years and specifically over the last few days. It wasn’t easy to share the news that we will be moving, but nonetheless, you’ve been so encouraging as we pursue God’s call on our lives! We can’t wait to see what happens with the Wichita church plant and the relationship between that congregation and this one that we love so much!
Secondly, we want to invite you to a special event on August 23rd where we will share more information about our journey, our vision for church planting, and our specific call to the city of Wichita! We truly want our Western Hills family to be a part of this with us. So, we invite you to come learn, ask questions, and be encouraged by our amazing God! We will meet in the WH Gym at 6:30p that evening and plan to also record it for anyone who’d like to view it online.
With that in mind, as today’s devotional I want to ask you a question that might make you a little uncomfortable. But don’t worry, it’s made me uncomfortable for the last 15 months as Kandace and I’ve been praying about this big adventure.
Here we go…
Have you ever told God, “No!”?
Boom! That’s a biggie!
There’s so much in that little question. Our answers to it truly have long-lasting consequences for both us and those around us. Yet, we ask it all the time. Moreover, we wonder, “Maybe everything will be fine if I just ignore what God is telling me to do?” We become those little kids playing hide-and-go-seek that simply put their heads under a blanket though the rest of their body is in clear sight. We think that if we just avoid God it will be easier for Him to receive our “No” or that He’ll eventually give up asking. Trust me, I’ve been there!
So why do I ask this question? Because last year I told God “No!” Let me explain…
In the Spring of last year, after Kandace left her administrative job to start her photography business, we both started thinking that maybe it was the right time to start praying about our future in ministry. As many of you know, since 2017 I’ve felt that God was preparing me to be a Lead Pastor some day. But when Kandace left her job to pursue what we believe God had uniquely equipped her for, we began giving my pastoral call a little more thought. So we started praying, “God, if you want us to start a new chapter and for Parker to become a Lead Pastor, guide us and make it clear.” And then we waited.
After a couple months we had a few interviews with some awesome churches, but it still didn’t seem like the right time or the right fit. But interestingly enough, two of those churches, at two separate times, in two separate states, in consecutive months, asked me if I’d ever considered church planting. I guess they saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself, and they were interested in getting me connected with their network of churches that planted all across the Midwest.
When those churches asked me if I was interested in that sort of thing, I said, “Nope, not at all!” You see, I hadn’t really had the best experience with church plants in the past. Having a front row seat to two different plants before moving to Kansas, it seemed like a grueling, time-consuming and sometimes hurtful process. I’d seen a leader experience burnout after trying to start a church from scratch and another church plant close after only a year because some folks that joined didn’t have the best of intentions. So as you can imagine, that kind of thing didn’t exactly bring about the “warm fuzzies” for me. So I told those churches, and ultimately told God, “No.” And then, I became the child that hid his head under the blanket. Kind of sounds like Jonah, huh?
But when I told Kandace about these two churches and the question they asked me about planting, she said, “Well, maybe you should pray about it and not tell God ‘No’ before speaking to Him? Maybe He is trying to tell you something?” Then she reminded me of something I encouraged her to do before she left her job last April. She said, “Maybe you should pray an ‘open-handed prayer’ to God and see if church planting is exactly what He wants you to pursue?”
Man oh man, do I have an amazing wife?!? I’m so thankful for that reality check and the encouraging words she gave me in those moments! She is truly out of my league and a blessing each and every day. I love her so much!
So, with the support and encouragement I received from Kandace, we started praying. More than that, I felt like I should meet with godly mentors to better discern God’s voice. I didn’t want to be the kid with his head under the blanket.
And what’s crazy is that the more I prayed, the more God spoke! It was unbelievable how He used His Word, His people, and His Spirit to change my heart from being completely opposed to the idea of starting a church from scratch to realizing that it was precisely what He’d been preparing me for! He wanted to use my passions for vision-casting, preaching, coaching, and leadership for His glory!
Specifically, when it comes to His Word, I can’t tell you how many times He brought to my attention Matthew 16:18 that says, “on this rock I will build my Church and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.” Was Jesus talking about a literal rock that He saw on the side of the road? No. He was actually talking about Peter who had just confessed that Jesus was the Christ! The moment Peter said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God,” Jesus prophesied that a movement of redemption, the likes of which the world had never seen, would start with Peter; he was the original “Rock!”
Then, last November when the WH Staff went to Texas for the RightNow Media Conference, God emphatically confirmed His call on Kandace and I to plant a church! That same passage in Matthew 16 was read left and right by several speakers, and it was like God was literally screaming, “Come on son! Join me as I build my Church!” It was incredible the moment Kandace and I looked at each other and said, “Ok, I’m in…Are you in?… Yep, I’m in!…Let’s do this!” And if you’re able to join us on August 23rd, you’ll hear more about what happened from that point until now!
So, I return to my original question. Have you ever told God “No!”? What if ultimate fulfillment, purpose, and joy actually lies behind a “Yes” instead? What if lives can be changed with a simple “Yes!”? And as Grant has said before, “What if your ‘No!’ prevents someone else’s ‘Yes!’?
Let’s be real. Saying “Yes” to God is uncomfortable, scary, and sometimes weird. But it’s also where we find life! It’s also where others find life! It’s the beginning of something new and can be the first chapter of someone’s redemption story.
So what is God asking you to do? Where is He asking you to go? Who is He calling you to share His love with?
In closing, I’d like to challenge and encourage us with Romans 10:13-15, “For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the Good News!”
Let’s say “Yes!” together as we go be the Church.

-Parker and Kandace

A Forgiveness Culture

So a new phrase has popped up over the last few weeks that expresses the nature of the world we now live in. It’s based on the premise that if someone does something, says something, or thinks something that is contradictory to what we think is acceptable, we move to shut them down and cast our vote of eternal damnation quicker than Twitter can post 140 characters or less. The phrase that describes this movement is, “cancel culture”.
Unfortunately, “cancel culture” is a phenomenon that happens on all sides of an argument. It has spread its tentacles through almost every aspect of society and there’s no one that hasn’t seen its effects. When someone posts an opinion that contradicts the vocal majority…cancelled. When an organization missteps in their treatment of a certain issue…cancelled. When an athlete takes a stand against something that others don’t agree with…cancelled.
Businesses have suffered its wrath. Individuals have succumbed to its power. Leaders have crippled under its weight. And the next generation has been inundated with its normalcy.
But there’s one thing that I’ve become supremely thankful for when it comes to “cancel culture”. This viral expression of displeasure has made me 10x more appreciative that the Kingdom of God does not employ the same tactics!
Regardless of how many times I mess up, regardless of how many times I willingly choose to be selfish, regardless of how many times I say something I later regret, regardless of how many times I act like my old self, Jesus is there to offer me His forgiveness and grace! As Christians we exist in both a temporal, earthly kingdom and an eternal, heavenly kingdom. Though the earthly kingdom has adopted a cancel culture, the heavenly kingdom maintains a forgiveness culture. And that is Good News!
If we confess to Jesus that we are sinners in need of His grace and commit our lives to Him as our Lord, He accepts us as full and permanent members into His forgiveness culture. Does that mean we have the right to go on sinning without remorse? The Apostle Paul would say “by no means!” (Romans 6:15). Instead, we are called to let God’s abundant grace make us more thankful and joyful; two emotions that should affect every action, word, and thought.
So how does that impact the earthly kingdoms we live in? Does that mean that everyone should get off “scot free” and face zero consequences for their sinful deeds? By no means! There should be earthly consequences for sinful actions because without them we’d live in a lawless state where no one is safe. If someone breaks the law or commits a crime against their fellow man, there absolutely should be repercussions. However, there should also be forgiveness!
Forgiveness is hard. It’s long. It’s counterintuitive. But it’s worth it! When we realize just how much Jesus has forgiven us and granted us access to His forgiveness culture, we should be more prone to offer it to others. No matter the situation or crime, forgiveness has the power to change both the offended and the offender.
A forgiveness culture extends an olive branch where a cancel culture extends a stiff arm. A forgiveness culture builds a restored community where a cancel culture builds walls. A forgiveness culture tears down years of bitterness where cancel culture tears down years of progress.
So what do we do as citizens of both a cancel culture and a forgiveness culture? We have to allow the latter to infiltrate the former! We have to reflect the same forgiveness we’ve been offered by Christ to those that wrong us. Yes, we should still stand for justice, enforce laws, and impose appropriate consequences, but we should also offer forgiveness, apply grace, and trust eternal justice to God.
Before I close, I’d like to challenge us to reflect on some verses. Consider allowing these Scriptures to soak into your heart…
 
Ephesians 4:32: Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Mark 11:25: And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
Matthew 18:21-22: Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.”
James 5:16: Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
All that to say, let’s praise God for granting us access to His forgiveness culture and allow that thankfulness to permeate the cancel culture we live in. Stand for justice but also stand as agents of grace. Jesus has made possible reconciliation between us and the Father and He’s given us the “ministry of reconciliation” as His ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:18).
Blessings to you all!
Parker

True Contentment

WH Church Family,
     We are almost to the end of our series, “The Table!” Our hope is that you’ve been challenged, encouraged, and blessed by God’s Word as we’ve talked about different life and relationship stages.
     In our last session together, we talked about true contentment in Jesus alone and what that looks like for a single or dating person; though the truths we discovered are applicable to all. Remember that we highlighted “What we Need and What we Don’t” by unpacking Philippians 4:8-13. If you missed it, we’d love for you to check it out on the website (whillschurch.org).
     As promised, I did want to take a few moments here to address any questions that came up from Sunday’s message. Funny enough, there was only one question, but it was a great one!
How do you know if you should start dating if your life could change drastically at any time (i.e. a job, vocation, or ministry transition)?
     Ultimately, this question is about God’s timing. When we ask it, we are hoping that we don’t miss out on two things: 1. God’s plan for our next step, and 2. A loving relationship. This can create a lot of fear and anxiety causing us to make no decision at all.
     I tend to believe that God is sovereign. If He wants to bring someone or something into our lives, it’s going to happen. Our mission is to listen to His Spirit and act on what we know at the time. Sometimes we are so afraid of hypotheticals that we miss out on reality. If God speaks to you through open doors, dreams, people, passions, prayer and especially His Word and tells you to go somewhere, GO! As a Christ-follower, our first vow is always to Jesus. If we accept His Salvation, He’s the one who gets to call the shots. If He’s making it clear that He desires to move you to a new place, trust Him because He knows what’s best. It can seem scary to follow Him, especially when you may be moving away from someone you could see yourself with. But if that is the person God truly desires for you, He’ll weave your stories together once again. If that person is not who God wants you to pursue and He in fact does want you to date and marry someone else down the line, I believe He’ll bring that person into view.
     On the flip side, if you haven’t heard from God and haven’t gotten clear direction on where He may want to send you, live in the moment, pray and keep your eyes open. If you do meet someone, be honest with them about the uncertainty of your life and how you wish to serve God above all. Make it clear that you want to honor Christ with your decisions but also honor them as someone you’re dating. If you’re both still cool with pursuing a relationship under the assumption that God calls the shots; go for it! You may find that the move you thought might happen never did and God was able to grow a really cool relationship in the mean time.
     All in all, we are called to trust God, act on what we know, and listen to His Spirit! A great example of this is found in the story of Ruth in the Old Testament. Consider reading it and notice her faith even in the midst of massive transition. I hope this answer was helpful.
Blessings,
Parker

What a Celebration It Was!

WOW! What a weekend at our church! I truly hope you were able to be on campus this last Sunday. The long anticipated worship service with Antioch blew the roof off the place! It was an amazing celebration of God’s goodness and the challenges He’s put in front of us through Jonah’s story. Who knew this tiny book would be the catalyst for so much growth spiritually and relationally in our community!? All glory to God!

As Grant said the other day, in a time and culture where divisiveness is more prevalent than unity, it was so encouraging to see the Body of Christ link arms with a common goal of lifting high the name of Jesus! We pray that this continues and that it pours out onto the streets of Topeka for years to come. Who knows, maybe God wants to start a nationwide commitment to unity right here in Shawnee County?

Obviously, our biggest thanks go to God for what He did, but we’d be remiss to not thank all of those who volunteered this weekend as well. To everyone who preached, led worship, brought food, smoked meat, served in the children’s ministry, ran the audio/visual equipment, greeted, made coffee, set up tables, cleaned dishes, helped guests to feel welcome, got up early for rehearsal, and stayed late to clean….“Thank you so much!” We couldn’t have done it without you.

All in all, we can’t wait to see what God does next, and we know you’re eagerly anticipating the next service too. However, don’t wait on us to organize the next fellowship experience. Hopefully you started a friendship or two this weekend that you can start cultivating right away! Make a phone call and put a Royals game on the calendar, get lunch, grab coffee, or maybe do a Bible study together. Yes we eventually want to do something big with Antioch again, but the whole point is that you don’t have to wait until then to continue this relationship. As one of our church members said recently, “Maybe the next step isn’t one big one, but a thousand tiny ones.”

Blessings,
Parker