The Last Post

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The second to the last post on this blog

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No more "Words From The Warehouse"

This will be the last entry on this blog under the name "Words From The Warehouse." Tomorrow will be the first official Sunday where there is no Axios. We will be attending The Point Church where my friend, Brian Jones, is the pastor. This doesn't mean that I am ending this blog or leaving the "blogoshere" but it does means that the next time I post, this blog will take on another look. It marks the ending of one stage of my life and the beginning of a new one. With this blog, my life has literally become an open book and the next chapter is about to be written. If I were to write an autobiography, the chapters may look like this:

Chapter 1 - Indiana Born: Once a Hoosier Always a Hoosier (1960-1978)

I loved being raised in Indianapolis, IN. I am not a Bulldog or a Volunteer nor will I become whatever a Colorado person is but I am and always will be (even though I have not lived there in 30 years) a Hoosier. In the Bible, people were always identified by birthplace, parent and vocation. I can proudly say that my father's name is Nolan, a Kroger Dairy man from Indianapolis. I am his son and a product of that environment. It is a big part of who I am and the reason I always shop at Kroger.

Chapter 2 - Chattanooga, TN: Class Rooms and Dorm Rooms (1978-1984)

Some of the best times of my life were spent at Tennessee Temple University in Chattanooga. I graduated in 1982 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Bible and went on to Seminary there. I finished my graduate work in 1984 but did not officially graduate with my Masters of Religious Education until 1986. Some of the best friends I have ever had came from this chapter of my life especially my three brothers: Tim Shelton, Mark Trammell and David Snow. I loved being on my own, meeting a whole new group of people, and opening up my eyes to the world around me. It was a great time.

Chapter 3 - Dark Years and Wilderness Wanderings (1984-1986)

Without going into any detail, all my hopes and dreams and my calling came to a sudden stop shortly after I left Tennessee. All that I had ever wanted to be, the thing that I felt called to do, what I had studied and prepared for, was to become a Youth Pastor and it seemed like that was not going to happen. I remember talking to God about Romans 8:28 and telling Him that I had Him beat on this situation. Fortunately, this wasn't the last chapter of my story and God's promise proved to be true. Here's the subpoints to this chapter:
Geigertown, PA: Where the Wheels Came Off
Chicago, IL: A Lot of Fun But Still Falling Apart
Atlanta, GA: The Rebuilding Begins
Ft. Lauderdale: The Move I Didn't Make
Woodstock, GA: Johnny Hunt and the Darkness Is Lifted

Chapter 4 - Woodstock\Canton, GA: New Life, True Love, and Fulfilled Dreams (1986-2002)

The first time I went to First Baptist Woodstock, God spoke to me and the dark years ended as suddenly as they began. Johnny got me active in the Youth Department. I met my true love in 1988 and married Pattie in 1989 and instantly became the father of three. My dream of becoming a Youth Pastor became a reality in 1990. I served as Youth Pastor and eventually, Associate Pastor, at the Hopewell Baptist Church in Canton for 12 years. They were good years, great memories, wonderful people, and I will always be grateful to Pastor Norman Hunt for giving me that opportunity.

Chapter 5 - Holly Springs: Axios and a New Call (2002-2008)
In 2000 I began to sense God leading me out of youth ministry. Pattie and I publicly surrendered to a new calling but we were not sure what that calling was. We ended up staying at Hopewell for 2 more years as Associate Pastor until it was evident that it was time to move on. It was never my intention to start a church and I was hesitant to say that I wanted to be a Pastor but much like Paul, when he was at a crossroads and watched God block every effort until he received a vision for a new direction, the vision for Axios was birthed by process of elimination. I knew that I didn't want to assume a role as a "staff" person again and I felt no inclination to move from this area and I saw no churches that were compatible with the vision God was giving me concerning church but I had a group of people ready to follow my leadership. So we decided to start Axios and God miraculously provided the means and the place and planted us in Holly Springs. He gave me a heart for the town and gave us six wonderful years with the ups and downs of church planting for which I will always be grateful.

Chapter 6 - Denver, CO: The Adventure of a Lifetime? (2008-?)
When we started Axios, I always had a sense that the 5 year mark would be significant. I didn't know what would happen at that mark but I felt that we would know if we had succeeded or if it would be time to say "It's been great but its time to move on." When that day came, it was not clear what God was doing. There was plenty of good things happening and significant victories being won but by Easter of this year it was clear that the latter of the two was coming true. The swiftness of the way things transpired following Easter literally felt like God was pulling the plug on this ministry and on the first Sunday in June, 6 years almost to the day of our first service, we held our last service in the warehouse. But as swiftly as Axios was coming to a close, God was opening a new door in Colorado. I believe that God used these years to prepare me for what is to come. I do not know if Colorado is my final destination or just a stepping stone to the significant ministry God has ordained for me to do. But I am grateful that there is still another chapter to write and that God has counted me worthy (axios) of this new call.

Thanks to all of my family and friends that have followed this blog and stayed in contact with me through this medium. You can follow this Colorado chapter of my life with my next blog. Check back at this blog for a link to my next blog. Hopefully it will be up and running by Wed, Sept 10.

Sadie's Road Trip

We had a great Labor Day weekend even though all of us went our separate ways. Rayanne went camping with Jenny and her family and friends. Joe went camping with Rachele and her family and friends. That left Pattie and I going to Tennessee to see our parents all by ourselves and no one home to care for Sadie. And even though Ben was coming home, his schedule was full so we took her with us. She did great and absolutely loved my family's pond as you can see in the video. I hope your weekend was as great as ours.

Don Miller's Prayer

Look at our house

We had someone come and look at our house today - our first potential buyer. It was weird having a stranger walk through our house with such a critical eye. But she seemed pleased and stayed for a while. She said that she would like to bring her husband by later. Her response to our house doesn't surprise me. Pattie fell in love with it the first time she saw it. It seemed to be perfect for us. I also love this house. It was an answer to prayer and a fulfillment of dreams. God was good to us in giving us this house for the last so many years and I expect His goodness to continue as we seek to follow Him.

We've come full circle.

Today was the last time that we would be meeting on Sunday morning as Axios Church. The irony of it all is that a little over 6 years ago, we began Axios by meeting in this same living room with a handful of people about the size of the group that met today (Jim, Donna, me and Pattie are the only one's left from that original group). At the first of April 2002, our group began to visit different churches on Sunday morning and then met at our house on Sunday nights to pray and look at Scripture and seek guidance concerning starting a church. At the first of May, we felt led to begin Axios Community Church. We began giving and praying because we knew we would need God's power and financial resources to take on this endeavor. God began to immediately move and amazingly and , to me, miraculously provided a warehouse space for us to begin in. We had our first official service on June 2, 2002 with 50 people. There are too many stories to tell of the good things we accomplished, the lives that we touched, and also of how God worked in me to mold and shape my faith, my thinking, my life into the follower I am today. Of course, there are also stories of failures, disappointments, missed opportunities that have also led us to where we are today. But I am not sad, nor full of regret, or ashamed but honored by this opportunity called Axios, grateful for this journey, and excited about the next endeavor, dream, challenge that lies ahead. In 2002, while we met in our home, we looked at the different prayers that Paul prayed for the young churches that he had helped start but then had to leave behind. Through this study, we discovered our name "Axios" in a prayer in 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12. It is the Greek word translated "worthy." Today, we looked at one final prayer which is also my prayer for all who have been a part of Axios, for all those who read this blog and all who seek to be fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. It's found in Ephesians 3:14-21 and says:

"For this reason I kneel before the Father,
from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name.
I pray that out of his glorious riches
he may strengthen you with power
through his Spirit in your inner being,
so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.
And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,
may have power, together with all the saints,
to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,
and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—
that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more
than all we ask or imagine,
according to his power that is at work within us,
to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus
throughout all generations,
for ever and ever!
Amen."