JeremyHigdon.com

Have I Got A House For YOU!

We are planning to move to North Florida in the beginning of October (with the intention of being in the area about 5 months before we launch), so we are trying to sell our house. Please be praying that this will happen soon...the good thing is, I believe with this market it will take a miracle to sell our house...and that is good because I believe God still does the impossible!

If you are interested, here is a link...if you know someone who is looking, here is a link... and if you are curious, here is the link! (by the way, the exterior of our complex has just been freshly painted).

Oh, and if you act now, I will throw in a Ford Expedition...seriously!

Now, what do we have to do to put you in a 3/2 today?

*this is also posted at oasisnfl.org

The location we are praying for...

This is where we are trying to plant, target, rent, and have services for Oasis Church North Florida...

We are really excited at the potential of being in or near River City Marketplace. We believe that this project (the biggest ever in the Northside of Jacksonville) in a strong indicator that not only are the thousands of people in the area, but thousands more will be moving in over the next ten years. In fact, the city of Jacksonville is actively planning and working to change some key factors in the Northside to better facilitate growth and to be ready for the people who will be moving in. We are actively praying and pursuing renting the Rivercity Marketplace 14, which is part of the Hollywood Theaters.

The people are coming to River City Marketplace. It is a destination. We want to position our new church to be as close as possible for being easy to find and give directions to (which takes away an excuse of not going to church), location (which is important in every aspect, not just real estate), and convenience (right off I-95, just north of 295, which is the loop around the city). 

When Jeanine and I first went up the Northside, we saw this mall and the people who were all around this place. We prayed that day in the parking lot, that God would grow His church and that we would be faithful to follow Him in doing our part. We are asking you to partner with us in prayer as we seek to launch a church that cares for people...a church in the Marketplace!

*this is also posted at oasisnfl.org.

Prayer Update

Thank you for praying for Shannon...she has made it through surgery and the last I heard she is recovering in ICU. She was talking already, so I believe that is a good sign when it comes to the area of her brain they were operating on. Shannon still has a long road to go when it comes to the next steps of recovery and to continue to fight this cancer that is in her. We, as her friends, are still praying for a miracle and know that God can heal her. Please continue to pray for her and her family as they continue to take it one day at a time and lean on God each step of the way. I will keep you updated as I learn more!

I have been in Jacksonville the last few days and will be updating you where we are in the process of planting Oasis Church North Florida...things are happening and we are excited! I am headed home to South Florida this afternoon...

Please Pray Right Now!

I am asking you to pray right now (even as you read this) for my friend, Shannon Dodd. As I write this, she is in surgery in North Carolina. The doctors are operating on her brain, seeking to remove a tumor and some lesions. Shannon has been fighting cancer for the last year and this is a major surgery and "battle" in the fight. Please pray for strength for her body. Please pray for the doctors to have wisdom as the operate. Please pray for her husband, two young boys, and extended family as they go through this time as well.

Thanks for praying for this huge need...it is awesome that we can connect our hearts in prayer for different requests...we have a great God!

North Miami Updates

Please be praying for the Willix family in the loss of Luann's father on Tuesday afternoon. Everett Kidwell passed away at the age of 80. There will be a memorial service at the Pembroke Pines campus on Saturday, August 23, at 11am. This family has been part of our church for nearly a year and has played a vital role in our change over to Oasis Church. I am honored to work with them and it is our privilege as Oasis Church to walk through this time with them.

In other updates, this past Sunday went well as we began a new series called "True Colors". We are looking at the colors of our logo and seeing how each color can be conncted to our 3 core values. For instance, we looked at the green in the logo and attached that to our value of "growing" community. We talked about the fact that even though our campus is pretty young, we want the statement "nobody stands alone' to be true one day at our church. Community is vital for weathering the storms as well as celebrating and enjoying the calm days of life. This week, we will looking at the value of mission...can you guess which color we will use??

And lastly, a chance to make a difference at NoMi. Somehow, the video games that are in our elementary KidsWorld room were stolen (games, consoles, controllers, etc...) over the weekend. While we are ticked at this, we are glad no one got hurt...in fact, we hope whoever took the stuff will come back and follow Jesus at some point at Oasis Church! However, we still want to have the best, most inviting experience for our elementary...and having video games really makes first-time kids feel welcome and gives them a chance to get connected almost immediately. If you have the next gen of game consoles (PS3, Wii, and 360) and still have the old gen of consoles (PS2, Xbox, Gamecube) would you consider donating one of them? Please bring everything that goes with it...cords, system, games, and controllers. I am bringing my PS2 this week...how bout you? You can either bring it to NoMi on Sunday or you can drop it off at the church office in Pines M-F from 9a -5pm... thanks ahead of time! 

Link Love

Here are some more nuggets of blog goodness (not to be confused with Chik-Fil-A nuggets which are also very good!) I have come across in the last few days. Check 'em out and see for yourself...

- Vince posts on the need for starting churches...and this is a big reason why Jeanine and I are stepping out to plant in Jacksonville in the next few months...

-Tony writes a great post on seeking advice...do you go to the "expert" or someone who has really been there and done that?

-Perry writes three things for pastors to keep in mind...but I think they apply to every single one of us...you can read them here, here, and here.

-Craig Groeschel writes on being yourself and reasons to invite people to Christ on a continual basis.

That's it for now...

Where's Ryan?

You ever have a moment when something looks a little strange or out of place and it makes you do a "double take"...you know, where it makes you say "what in the world!"?

The other night, Jeanine went to look in on Ryan sleeping in the crib and SHE COULD NOT FIND HIM! Talk about a little bit of panic...she flipped on the bathroom light and what she saw certainly surprised her... so she went a grabbed the camera...

He was completely under the pillow...what a funny little guy! By the way, Ryan turns 11 months old today...hard to believe next month we are going to have a birthday celebration...where has this year gone?

Oy Fay

We are preparing for a ton of rain as TS Fay begins to move into Florida territory...while it looks like our area will just have some wind and rain (right now, it is just more of a nuisance!), there is a chance it could be a hurricane when it lands on some of our friends and loved ones on the west coast of Florida...while we are not sure what will happen, we know that God does and will be the One who will sustain us... Be praying for those in Cuba and Haiti who have lost loved ones in this storm and let's ask God to protect those who end up in the path of Fay.

As long as the power stays on, I will be surviving this latest tropical system on Cherry Pepsi and Guitar Hero 3 on the Wii (the TV is only available after Zach goes to sleep since we HAVE to watch Barney!!)...gonna be tough, but I think the Higdon's will manage just fine...but if the power goes out...uh oh!

Book Recommendations

Just got done reading this book by Mark Driscoll, pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, and one of my favorite teachers to podcast. If you are looking to find out more about Jesus or (re)discover all that Jesus was, is, and will be, then you need to read this book...it will deepen not only your knowledge of Him but also love for the most important person in history (both ours as individuals and ours as the world). In a time full of differing opinions and perspectives about Jesus (both inside and out of the church) we need to be reminded of and recognize what is real and what is not..."Vintage Jesus" brings us back to the true Jesus...I suggest you read it!

Here is the video...

that my senior pastor, Guy used to announce our move and future church plant to our church this past weekend...

What an honor to be sent out on mission by Oasis Church! We are pumped about what the next few months has in store...