Updates

Dude where is my wife’s car???

Posted on by Spanky Rouse

As many of you already know we had something happen to our family this week that we never thought would happen. Our car was stolen in broad day light. Lara, her mom, Grey, and Elly were shopping at one of her favorite stores, Hobby Lobby. When Lara had her back turned someone reached under Elly while she was in the shopping cart and took her wallet. That’s when they found her key to the car and proceed to leave my family at Hobby Lobby with no car.

When Lara calls me to come bring her a key because she thinks someone may have stolen her wallet she had no idea that her car was missing too. As I arrive we then learned that we could not find her car in the parking lot because her parking space was currently empty. Now we are in a full state of shock. Really?!?! It is 2:45 on a Tuesday at Hobby Lobby, which my mom said, “Hobby Lobby, I thought only good christian people shopped there! haha

We called the police and waited on the sidewalk in front of the store. While waiting we realized that Greyson was a little upset. With a few tears and a tight grip on us I saw that this was a good time to talk about what we read in the Bible the night before. See Grey was remembering all of those things that were still in the car like his brand new coat, Nintendo DS, DVD players, and toys. Lara and I still couldn’t believe that someone would still our car but now we began recounting what was in the car too. The Christmas gifts Lara was returning or exchanging like jeans, shoes, cloths and then there was the $250 in cash she was taking to the bank when she left the store, $150 in multiple gift cards we received from Christmas, new makeup and perfume, 2 car really nice car seats, and plenty of other smaller things that mainly Lara had got as gifts.

We now are beginning to feel why Greyson is getting upset but going back to the night before, we began reading in the book of Job. If you don’t know in Job chapter 1 you get a good picture of just how wealthy this man Job was. It actually says that he is the most wealthy man in the east and he had a huge family, which is another good indicator of just how blessed he was. So Satan believes that if God will allow Job to loose everything he will not remain faithful to God but will instead curse God. God knew Jobs heart so he allowed his positions to be gone, his servants all gone, and even his 7 sons and 3 daughters were killed all in one day. Here is what I was wanting to remind Grey about, Job gets frustrated but immediately begins to worship God in the middle of the worse day of his entire life. When we got home and told Mac about the day and then reminded him how this was similar to Jobs worse day he said, “hey! this is like Job so maybe we should just worship.”

Even in the middle of the storms and when we are in territory we have never experienced remember our God is faithful! Life is going to be crappy and times are not going to make sense but He is going to take care of us. I like the words of wisdom from Job at the end of chapter 1,“Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Christmas Store 2012

Posted on by Spanky Rouse

I know its been forever since I have posted anything but here is a good way to stat the new year.

About a year and a half ago the Lord lead the Rouse House in a slightly different direction. We began building what is now Here There and Everywhere through our extremely supportive church (Ridge Church) and pastor (Chris Brown). Over this past year God has done great things and has allowed us and Ridge to give and serve the community of Piney Grove more than we could have imagined.

One of the highlights for us through out the year is an event we do for multiple needy families at Piney Grove Elementary called the Christmas Store. It is our version of blessing families with the necessities and wants during the Christmas holiday with the purpose of bringing hope into their hearts and homes. This year we were able to help some struggling families and single moms in bigger ways than we would have even planned: power bills were taken care of, a single mom’s gas was turned back on so so her 4 children could take showers and have heat, cars that were not running are now working well, and eviction notices have been stopped. A pinnacle for me was when I recieved a call from a struggling single mom that attended our Christmas store. She share how she wants to teach her children more about Jesus and what we believe because they have never known church people that cared so much like we did. She said that her children are asking questions about us and Ridge Church because, “there is something special about those people that helped us out. Why would they do this for us when we don’t even go to their church?”

For Lara and I we found ourselves most proud when we heard a mom talk about how amazing all of this is and that this is just what people at Piney Grove have come to expect from us and Ridge Church.  All of the time, energy, effort, planning, prayer, and sacrifice we have put into this project is starting to show some lasting fruit, and it is good fruit! Take moment to watch for yourselves what a few families said in their own words. Christmas Store 2012

Thank you to all of you who have and are currently supporting Lara and I along with Ridge Church as we strive to make a difference for His Glory Here There and Everywhere!

Aren’t we all busy?

Posted on by Spanky Rouse

Sometimes I find myself eating, praying, and emailing in my car just so I can save time going from one place to another. Isn’t it normal to be this busy and more? It’s ok if it’s good stuff like ministry, right? I sat with a good friend, Patrick Mitchell, yesterday and we happened to be talking about this very thing, the “busyness of life”. The funny thing is that we try to get together more often than we do but we are so busy doing great things that it doesn’t happens that often.

“Busyness keeps us task focused and task will always be more urgent than people. But if we are going to stay on mission, people must always be more important than task.” – Joel Thomas, Lead Pastor of North Point Community Church

I happen to read Patrick’s blog that he wrote yesterday too. I feel like it explains how we should truly be living not what it so many times the true reality. Enjoy Patrick’sblog, Renown, and enjoy this life don’t just live it!

Paradise in the eyes of a 5 year old

Posted on by Spanky Rouse
Earlier this week when our family was going through our night time routine getting ready for bed Grey said the funniest thing. It seems like everyday he says something funnier than the day before. For example, Grey heard a commercial about the presidential race and about 5 minutes after the commercial had gone off he turns to me and says, “How is Obama wasting all of our money? Is he giving it away to someone?” Half asleep and drinking my first cup of coffee I responded back, “ah ah…I don’t know but I wish he would give me some more. ” Grey, “Me too.”
So back to the funniest thing our 5 year old has said this week other than commenting on Obama’s handling of the economy…
We were reading as a family in the boys story bible about the Garden of Eden. When we got to the description of the Garden, Mac (8 years old) explains to us what the word “paradise” means.
Mac, “Paradise is a wonderful place where everything is perfect…”
Grey pipes up before Mac can finish his very sincere definition of the word paradise and says with all seriousness and no smiles, “Oh, you mean like Monkey Joes.”  – For those of you who don’t have the privilege to know what Monkey Joes is, it is a indoor play ground with a bunch of  blow up bounce house type games and an arcade.
Lara and I busted out laughing so hard while Grey keep saying, “Serious guy it is like paradise!”
So the next time you go to Monkey Joes keep in mind that it is as close as you will ever get to knowing what the Garden of Eden was like…paradise.

I don’t even know her name…

Posted on by Spanky Rouse

Last week I had the amazing opportunity to go to the Catalyst conference. This is a life changing experience for everyone who attends, so go! God spoke, God moved, God revealed, and I am left wondering how am I going to respond to it all. I will definitely write a couple other blogs on all of the things I feel He revealed and spoke to me about but for today I want to just begin sharing a new passion that is burdening my heart to a level that scares me to death.

Sexual abuse and trafficking. This horrible act on humans especially little girls and young woman is the second largest money making industry in our world today. I can hardly hold it together when I think about this while I just sit here. I simply googled it and found pages of statistics and I hope that these don’t sit well with you but overwhelm you to a point of action.

  • 2.5 million people world wide are enslaved at this very moment
  • 1.2 million of these victims are children, usually girls ages 7-19
  • 95% of these victims are physically abused regularly
  • Estimated global profits from human trafficking is $31.6 billion annually
  • In the US there is over 100,000 sex slaves, most of these are children
  • The average age of a person that is victimized by sex trafficking is 9 years old
  • In Charlotte, NC as of today 15 people have been identified as victims of sexually trafficking and 8 of them were children.
  • the average life span after entering sex trafficking is only 7 years
I had no idea…this is a BIG deal! Little girls all over this world and right here in my city are facing this nightmare day after day and night after night. What are we going to do about it? THIS CAN”T GO ON! “Is there a little girl out there right now praying for me to come rescue her?” is what keeps running through my head and pounding on my heart.
Just now thinking about her, them, tears are puddling on the keyboard of my computer. I don’t even know her name, there names, but I know God has created me to rescue, love, and be apart of His redemption in their lives. Now learning about this how could I go on with my life and not stand up and do something. What? I don’t know but I have to keep trying to figure out what I can and should do.
James 2:14-26, Unless your faith is accompanied with works it is fake, dead, nothing. So what are you, me, going to do to be Christ to those who are needy, poor, hopeless, homeless, helpless, thirsty, and praying for a miracle…praying for YOU to come be their miracle.

Providential Relationships Are The Real Miracle

Posted on by Spanky Rouse
I remember the immediate anxiety that filled my heart when God whispered to me and Lara that we were to raise support…for those of you that aren’t familiar with this term “support”, it means to fund raise for your personal income instead of the typical salary based income…so that we could serve in a full time in ministry. That was almost 5 years ago and yes it still scares the life out of me some days.

Lara and I were driving home one night a couple of weeks ago and we began talking about how crazy it is that the Lord has and currently is providing for us and our family through the financial support of other people. Literally we live off the generosity of others! Believe me we completely recognize the favor of God and His constant blessings but think about it, your entire income depending on the generosity of others and their obedience to the command in Scripture to give. I can sense the anxiousness rising up in me just thinking about it now.

As we drove home that night, Lara and I talked about how insane we must be, but we found ourselves remembering the miracles God has performed for us and the weeks, months, and years He has provided greatly for us through a relatively small group of people in a less than stealer economy //Truth: He is always faithful in providing the ‘mana’ for the day. It’s still so stinking hard to live by faith many, many days!  And we find our selves praying, “God, can’t there be an easier way, maybe the lottery?!?!”…but for me there is that thing deep down inside that I know is the Spirit of God saying, “I’ll take care of it, all of it. Stay focused, eyes on Me(God). Secured and safe salary or not I got this under control”

We have been able to experience God’s presence and His provisions for us in a way that I am sure we would have in no other way been able to intimately know of. The biggest ‘win’ for the Rouse House in support/fundraising is having the privilege to be the recipients of some truly gracious people. Many who have sacrificed greatly, done without so we may not have to, and given in joy in ways that honestly seem like a miracle directly from God Himself. Our lives and our children’s are being impacted in such ways that we will never forget and that will shape our faith inside of so we may fully become who our Heavenly Father wants us to be. Providential relationships, life is no good with out them!

Two things make a relationship providential: when we hear from God through someone and when we see God in someone. When either of those things happens, our faith gets bigger. Isn’t it true that when we see God’s faithfulness in someone else’s life, it is easier to trust him with ours? That’s the power of a divinely ordained relationship. – Andy Stanley

Thank you to all of you who have been the miracles makers and answers to our prayers! 

Give and Serve…1 year

Posted on by Spanky Rouse

One year ago last week we began a partnership that would change and impact many people, many families, a school, a church and possibly an entire community. The very first event or service project we at Ridge Church,  did with Piney Grove Elementary was give away 650 book bags ( Read more about last years Book bag give away )  filled with school supplies at the schools open house in 2011. This was an awesome time being able to provide for the needs of so many families as well as give us at Ridge Church the opportunity to begin relationships with parents, students, teachers, and school staff.

This year at Piney Grove’s Open House Ridge Church did more than just bring a bunch of school supplies. We brought the fun! Our goal was to remove the excuses parents may have to not come to open house, and bring some excitement about school to the minds of the children. We know that if parents and teachers can start off the year well and meet face to face, which may not always be the case, there may be a better opportunity to have a successful year. So, at open house we had hundreds and hundreds of pizzas for dinner, cotton candy and snow cones for the kids (and many adults, yum yum), games, candy, and plenty of smiling faces to welcome everyone back to school.

Families were having so much fun…maybe because they were eating as much pizza as possible before they had to leave…that they stayed and hung out. It really felt like a community festival not a elementary school’s open house. Some of the school staff said they have never seen families have such a good time at school nor a church that would do all of this voluntarily. I had a couple of the school administrational staff come to me saying, “why?…thank you!”

I had a special opportunity to talk with the principal of the school and after a big hug and the fighting back of tears she said,”I can not believe all that you guys keep doing for the school and the families here. Every time you come out you amaze me! Last year when we talked and you told me all of the plans you guys had for Piney Grove I…well it seemed really good but…”

Me, “you didn’t believe us, I knew it and I am glad you didn’t because we got to show you.”

Principal, “your right I didn’t and you have proven a lot. I know now that this message you guys want to preach at your church, well you show it and I could believe something like that now after watching you guys this past year.”

Wow! What an impact a year can make on a community by a group of people simply giving and serving. Can’t wait to see what is in store for this year! God is at work but sometimes it takes a lot longer for us to see Him working…but He is working.

Give and Serve…1 year

Posted on by Spanky Rouse
One year ago last week we began a partnership that would change and impact many people, many families, a school, a church and possibly an entire community. The very first event or service project we at Ridge Church,  did with Piney Grove Elementary was give away 650 book bags filled with school supplies at the schools open house in 2011. This was an awesome time being able to provide for the needs of so many families as well as give us at Ridge Church the opportunity to begin relationships with parents, students, teachers, and school staff.

Leading up to this years open house I began thinking of other ways we may be able to better leverage our resources, people, time, and influence at Piney Grove. I just wasn’t sure giving away 650 book bags was the answer for this year even though it was a huge success last year. I thought about the Christmas Store (clik on the link to read more about what we did at Christmas) project where 14 families at Piney Grove had Christmas provided for them. One of our main goals with the Christmas Store was to empower or enable the parents to be the heroes in their own homes and not Ridge Church. This lead me to begin thinking maybe we could empower or enable the teachers to be the heroes in their classrooms. So this year we gave all school supplies that people at Ridge had donated, to the school so they could then allow the teachers to give them to the children in their class that most needed them. That’s exactly what happened too.

By helping the teachers give and serve to these children that are in most need, maybe just maybe we helped begin a relationship between teacher and student that will benefit these students for a year or maybe a life time. Hopefully these students will be able to trust and respect their teachers a little more. Hopefully these students will enjoy coming to school because they love their teachers. Hopefully these classrooms will be a safe place for these children. Hopefully these teachers will have more influence and opportunity to teach an unguarded child. Hopefully this can be the year that will begin a child’s journey to success in this life.

The simple act of serving a person and giving to meet their need, sometimes goes way beyond that moment. Sometimes it can be the one thing that changes the direction of a life. We never know what impact our simple acts of kindness can do for another.

A Father’s Love

Posted on by Spanky Rouse

For those of you who know Greyson my 5 year old son you have to read what he says with his fun little voice in mind because there is no way I can spell as he speaks. 

One of the highlights for our whole family is when we go to the beach for our big family vacation and get an icee on the beach. There are these carts that people push up and down the beach that have the Italian Ice icee but the one we like has all kinds of flavors. Mango is mine and Grey’s favorite! There is only one brand that we buy because it is amazing and all of our kids can tell which cart to go to. One day Greyson was eating lunch later than usual and he got out to the beach a little too late and the icee cart we like had pasted about 15 minutes earlier. There was another brand literally sitting right in front of us but he said he really would like the other one. I asked him if he would be willing to walk all the way down the beach to find the other one. Of course he said, “sure!” So off we went, just me and Grey.

After about 5 minutes of walking in the soft, unstable sand because the tide was almost in, I could tell he was tired and not really enjoying this anymore.
Me, “Hey, Grey you want me to carry you on my shoulder? I think we might be able to get to the icee cart a little faster that way.” Grey, “Only if you want me to.”
 So there we went as fast

as I could walk carrying this 38lb little boy while he gave me an update about every other minute of how much closer we were getting. He said he could see better than me because he was up “more higher”. Finally after 20+ minutes of walking we reached the guy just as he was waiting for the truck to come pick him up. Grey got the along waited icee but before he did he he had to say to the teenager pushing the cart, “What?! no mango flavor. Seriously.” Even though he had to settle for cotton candy flavor I am pretty sure he enjoyed it.

I asked Greyson if he wanted to start walking back or sit down to eat the icee first and he said, “I think that we should wait so you don’t get too exhausted. I’m kind of heavy you know.” So I sat in the edge of the water and Greyson sitting in my lap enjoying every drop of that cotton candy icee. I told him that I love spending time with him because he is my blessing and I love him so much. Grey let me know that alone time with me was one of his favorite things in the whole wide world too, so we should do it more. This is a snapshot in life that I will hopefully never forget.
Close to an hour had passed and we had returned back to the rest of the family and my grandmother said, “Now that’s real love.” I thought to myself, yea of course I love my son and I want to do what it takes to make him have a great time at the beach and that’s just part of being a dad. After thinking more about that statement, “Now that’s real love”, I have been pondering all that my Heavenly Father has and is doing for me, His son.
God is constantly loving on me, working things out for my good, giving me good gifts, leading me in the right ways, and carrying me through my days and all of this just because He loves me and wants to bless me. I truly LOVE each of my children and wife more than anything else in this whole wide world. Other than Jesus there is nothing more important to me each day than them and their happiness but this is just a speck in comparison to how much we all mean to God and how much He loves us. The Heavenly Father’s love for us is immeasurable in size and unimaginable in depth but completely available and satisfying to all!
If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! Matthew 7:11

First and Last

Posted on by Spanky Rouse
This time of year brings many memories and emotions for most Americans. For me it reminds me of a special time in my life and a special night. On July 3, 1999 I had a date with a girl that was so much different than me but so special in many ways. This date would change my life and be my last first date, FOREVER!

On July 1 I was at home reading my bible, this had to be a God thing because no 17 year old boy is reading his bible at 11pm during the summer time. So… I was reading the bible and found a piece of paper with a girls name and number on it with a date of many many months earlier on it. Here is where the natural actions of a 17 year old bot comes into play. I texted this girl “Hi”, and yes I said text. Back in the good old days we didn’t have cell phones but we had pagers and I have no idea why we did to be honest. Back to the story…I texted “Hi” and she quickly sent me a message back. We then engaged in a conversations using short text back and forth for over an hour…crazy kids! The next night we happened to run into each other at a church softball game and there we set up a date for July 3.

We went out on a typical teenager date but then we drove around. That’s what I remember, driving all over Charlotte and just talking. We seemed to really enjoy just talking and getting to know each other. I never saw this coming but I experienced the best date ever that night. Lara and I have had many great dates since then but I find my self reminiscing over that night often. That was the the night that I fell head over hills in love with the girl that one day would be my wife, mother of my children, best friend, partner, and the one that could complete who I am suppose to be in this life. Thank you God for sending to me the girl that would become the love of my life! #blessed to have her!