First Baptist, Frisco

Yesterday we heard from First Baptist in Frisco, TX. They are moving a different direction. We are disappointed but we know that our hope is in Christ and not in a job. He is taking care of us. We appreciate all your prayers and the time spent keeping up with us. We're praying right now and will be making a decision about what to do next after the holidays. God bless you all and have a Merry Christmas!

Last Week

I have to apologize (again) for my tardiness on this post. I have not had a moment to myself since Friday. We have been doing some holiday things (the girls got to see Santa), birthday parties, church, and we even got to go to the Quarterback Club Banquet for the Penn State Football team. We got lots of autographs on our football and had a lot of fun.

I had a great visit last week. I really enjoyed the other pastors and felt like I would work with them well. The parents were very nice and the students were great. They worked very hard to make me feel welcome. All in all it was a place that we, as a family, would fit into very well.

Right now we are waiting to here back from them. They are getting together to talk and will call back this week. I think it's the time that they will ask me to come on an official visit or say they are going a different direction. It's possible they would say that they want to wait but I doubt it.

Please be praying for favor for me. Thanks for everything.

Health

I am sick right now. I started running a fever last night around bedtime, I have a sore throat and a cough. I'm heading to the doctor in about an hour. The sooner I can kick this, the better. I appreciate everyone being so willing to pray for me in everything and it feels good to know that people will be praying for me in this.

What to speak on

Right now I am praying about what I should speak on during my time in Frisco. Please pray for me that I would have wisdom to give them the message that God wants them to hear, that I would present it in a way they will receive it, that I will present it in a way the entertains them (yeah, I like to entertain the students I speak to, they remember better).

I really appreciate all the prayers that have been presented to God on behalf of Andrea and I. It is a HUGE part of what is happening in our lives right now.

December 6

On that date I will be flying to Frisco, TX to interview for the youth pastor position at the First Baptist Church there. This is the church that I have been asking so many of you to pray about. I have felt something special for that church for some time. I believe God has laid them on my heart for a reason.

Please be praying that I will have the right words to say both in the interview and while I'm speaking to the students. Pray that God would go out before me and prepare the hearts of the people who are going to hear the answers I give and the message I share. I believe that my actions while I'm there will only be a follow through of the Lord has already done.

They did say that this isn't "in view of a call" which just means that they aren't asking me to visit with the idea that both parties are deciding if the situation is right or not. In short, I don't have the job yet and they won't make an official decision while I'm there.

It's taking me a long time to write this, longer than any other post. We've been waiting a while for this and I think Dree and I are still in a state of shock that they called. I can't tell how how great it is to be on the ride of my life with God in control. In my soul, I feel like I'm flying down a highway at 200 miles per hour but in my spirit I know that God is at the wheel. What a paradox, knowing something is in control yet it still makes my heart pound so hard I can feel it in my chest. I hope all of you are on board with Him.

Sorry for the wait

Sorry for the wait but there's not much news that I can give you right now. The church that has shown the most interest in us is going through some inner turmoil which they need to take care of immediately. I think it has caused the hiring process to slow down, which I think is wise. Unfortuneately for us, it means we have to wait more. But just wait, we'll get to wherever we're going and God will show us that we came at just the right time, then we'll be in our place and He will be in His. Doesn't it always work out like that? :)

On a brighter note, our family is coming to visit us for the holidays. Andrea's parents will be over Thanksgiving and my parents are coming around Christmas. It will be nice to have them here since we won't be able to make it home. Please pray that we will be comforted because I know we will want to see all of our brothers and sisters and such, this will be a first for both of us.

I'll let you know as soon as I find out something. Grace and peace to you all.

Still standing

So we are still standing. What I mean is that we're staying where we believe God wants us to be. We believe that He wants us to be in Frisco and so we're waiting. It doesn't mean that I'm not pursuing anything else, I am. However, this is what we continue to pray for. On an encouraging note, I emailed the pastor's a website I created for a fake youth group. I was hoping that they would be able to see a creative, organized, and hard working side of me. i received very prompt replies to the email I sent to them which had the link. If you would like to see it, go to www.livepraylove.com/chrishogue.

Andrea got to meet Joe Paterno a couple of weeks ago. For any footbal fan I think it would be exciting; the guy's been the head coach at Penn State since 1966 (not to mention a few national titles). Her company sponsored a luncheon in which Joe was speaking. Because of that, she also got a picture taken with him which will be autographed.

She and her co-workers arrived late because they had been told the wrong time. Everyone else had been waiting for 45 minutes when they got there so they rushed them on stage to take the picture. Joe told them to hurry up because everyone was waiting and my wife responded, "We're not late, everyone else is just REALLY early!" Joe laughed and poked her in the shoulder. She got a huge kick out of it.

Still waiting

So we're still waiting. We figured that it would take a while to get a response because they need to talk amongst themselves and then speak witht the search committee, and then do a background check, then complete their plans for exploring the potential for evangelism on Mars in case we find life there...JUST KIDDING!!! Seriously, they do need to put in due diligence for their youth and congregation. That can be difficult most of the people involved are volunteering. I'm sure you've seen this before firsthand.

God is good and He is taking care of us. We thought we would have to start looking for a more permanent solution by now (such as me getting a job) but we've barely even touched our savings. God is providing every step of the way and I don't even know how. I just know that we shouldn't be doing as well as we are.

Keep praying that they couldn't get me out of their mind and that God would lay it on their heart that I am the right person for the job. Thanks for all your prayers!

Conference Call

Today's conference call with First Baptist in Frisco went very well. It lasted for about an hour and I was able to express many things that are important to me. More importantly, I was able to dispell the doubt that might be there because of my inexperience as a "youth minister". I was able to show how my I have gained the knowledge I need in the various jobs I have had related to ministry.

We will have to see where we go from here. They did not tell me how or when the next step would come to pass. I will contact them soon and see. So for now, be praying that they will not be able to get me out of their mind and invite me out for an on site interview.

Prayer Request for Oct. 5th

I have a conference call with the senior pastor, minister of education, and minister of music with the church in Frisco, TX that I have mentioned frequently. One of their assistants called today to set up an appointment, it is tomorrow, Oct. 5th, at 2:00 Eastern (1:00 Central for those of you in Malvern).

I have been praying that God would place me at this church. I feel like it is the place that God wants me to be so I have been praying for it and believing it will happen.

Thank you for praying for me. I don't know that I would be able to make it through this trial without God sending me good friends. I think that is what He wants.

Stand and then Stand some more...

I am posting a message. Wahoo!!! (this is Dree)

I know that so many of you check on us regularly via this blogspot. I want to say that makes me feel very loved. I am certainly blessed and grateful for all the prayers and hopes you all hold for us!

I wanted to chime in this time to let you know my heart about my dear hubby. Tonight we asked our dear friends Janet and Andy to pray with us as we were feeling weary from the race. As Chris put it "When you have done all you can do to stand, stand some more and right now we just want to sit down!"

Janet & Andy encouraged our hearts. They were God's mouthpiece to us tonight.

The daily grind of this "place" is hard. We are tired. However, what I really want you to know is how God is at work growing and maturing Chris. It has been delightful to watch and thought y'all would be intersted to know too. You know I am his #1 fan. (Dianne would probably argue with that, but I'm standing my ground...)

The first thing is Chris' great eternal perspective on our lives. He knows and reminds me often that God has his purpose for his glory. This waiting is part of his glory too. It's hard for me to imagine as I drag myself to work everyday, but he's right. God is at work with eternity in sight and so we should be too.

The second is that God has birthed this heart in Chris for the students we will be ministering to wherever we land. He prays for them and already loves them. I liken it to waiting to have a baby and longing to just see his/her face. Praying for them. Preparing for them. It's cool. (Of course Chris doesn't so much relate to the being pregnant part but there are plenty of mothers reading this that will know exactly what I mean)

The third is the deep walk Chris has with God that deepens everyday. He eats up God's Word and just as God promises there is hope and peace in His Word. It inspires me so let it inspire you. If you haven't dug into God's Word lately then dig in my friend. Let it ring truth in your brain and transform you.

Chris and I have been doing a Beth Moore Bible Study together (I know you might not think that the manly thing to do, but really it's great). It is called Believing God. Chris has been waiting 5 days for me to catch up with him. That's exciting to me. Not many women can brag about their husband's effort at their Beth Moore Bible Study!

Keep praying. We are still on hold. I started working full time today so pray that I can soak up my time with the girls in the morning and evening. I deeply miss being with them. Pray that Chris and I can communicate well in our new roles and that we would not allow the everyday stress to wedge between us.

God is faithful. Oh man is he faithful! What a relief that it's not up to us!

I pray grace and peace to you all!
Dree

PS - Chris has no idea that I am posting this. I know he won't be happy about me cheering for him but if we all gang up on him, we can take him...

Experiencing physical difficulties...

I think I'm officially crested the mountain of ability. Yesterday during flag football I pulled my hamstring while I was running (I did get the touchdown however). Anyway, it kind of hinders caring for Noelle so a friend of ours is watching her today.

So would you please pray that I heal quickly from this. Thanks, it is a good feeling to know that so many people are praying for me.

Experiencing technical difficulties...

So on Sunday, Andrea and I like to have the laptop in the living room so we can check scores for our fantasy football teams (I own "Harry Caray's Green Cheese Ribs" and Dree owns "Muppets with Fury"). As we were enjoying ourselves Noelle knocked the laptop to the floor, thus ripping the power cord apart. So for the first part of this week we have been computer-less, and have been catching up yesterday and today. Sorry this post has taken so long.

We are in communication with three "churches of interest" right now. The church in Wichita Falls, TX has invited me to come for a visit. My schedule doesn't match up with the pastor's schedule until late October, however. He's going to be out of town a lot and Noelle's birthday is the 20th and I don't want to miss that.

We haven't heard anything from the church in Frisco since last week. It still seems to be the best fit for us as a family, for me as a person, and for me as a minister.

Another church has shown a lot of interest this week. It's a big church in Monterey, CA that needs a junior high minister. It sounds like a neat place. They have been very interested to know my ministry philosophy and organization. Good thing I had those things thought out beforehand!

Please be praying for my health. To make a long story short, I have a sleeping disorder and the medicine I have been taking for it hasn't been very effective lately but I'm doing okay. I just would like to have a full night's sleep.

Thanks so much. Grace and peace to you all.

This Thursday

There are a couple of things I could use prayer for right now. First, I have a cold and would like to feel better soon. Second, I received a call tonight from the church in Frisco, TX that I have mentioned before. They are meeting on Thursday and will be discussing whom they want to do telephone intereviews with. Please be praying that they will want to speak with me and that I could connect with them on a personal level throughout that process.

Oh, and now there's a third request. As I was typing this I received a phone call from a church in Wichita Falls, TX. The conversation went very well and they asked me to come down for an on site interview and teaching session with their students. I need to find tickets and a time to visit.

Thanks for all your prayers. I believe I am winning favor with these churches because of them. Grace and peace to all of you.

Chris

Hurry up and wait.....

Well, I thought I had posted something last week but apparently it didn't make the arduous journey through cyberspace. We have had some good things happening lately.

I have spent the past few weeks at home trying to make contact with every church I can find that is in need of a student pastor. I have been able to speak with several pastors or search committee heads. Over the past weekend I spoke with churches in Jacksonville, FL and Wichita Falls, TX. The conversations went well but it is all trying my patience. I'm sure you all know how hard it can be to sit around and wait for churches to meet and call, and meet, and call, and so on, and so on.

It's all good, though. Andrea and I are continuing to hope in God, not in any situation. Over the past weeks it's been nice to stand on the Rock of His Word. In knowing that He is taking care of us and we're just to do what He has taught us to do and what He leads us to do.

Andrea is getting used to her job. She feels like she is able to help people more so that makes it more satisfying. A few people have asked the boss to keep her at all costs.

The big prayer request right now is that I would be pursued by a couple of churches who are meeting tomorrow. Please pray that I would have favor with them and that I would be on their minds as they pray about the opening at their church.

The position that keeps coming up in my mind is one in Frisco, TX. It is the one that I want so I want to bring it before God as much as possible, knowing that He is sovereign and might have something better planned. There are several reasons I like it; it's closer to home, there are some good friends already there, it's close to Southwestern Theological Seminary, and the biggest is that I like the pastor there. I enjoyed speaking with him very much and he seems to be the type of person that I want teaching me how to be a minister.

Please pray for that position in particular. It seems like a great place to be, but the greatest place to be is where God is. It's such a peaceful feeling knowing that He is in control. Grace and peace to you all.

Labor Day

There is a bit of a role reversal at our house these days. Andrea has been working for a week and a half now, and I am Mr. Mom. It's a lot of fun to be with the girls. I didn't expect that the girls and I would get this much closer. I also didn't expect an organized part of me to surface, but it has. In fact, Andrea says I'm a great housekeeper. I'm not sure if that's my life's ambition but I'm glad to be doing a good job of it while I'm here.

I have been sending out resumes and have even spoken with a couple of senior pastors in the past week. Right now I am waiting for committees to meet and decide with whom they'll do phone interviews.

The best leads I have right now are in Frisco, TX and Bixby, OK. There's also a church in Dexter, MI that I've been speaking to. Please be praying that I, and my resume, would have favor with the committee members and that they'll want to contact me.

I really appreciate all of you keeping up with this and praying for me and my family. Grace and peace to you all.

Andrea's New Job

Dree started a part-time job today as a receptionist at Abundance Wealth Counselors LLC. She was a little nervous since it was her first "real" office job. By "real" I mean an office that isn't in our own house. She looked great and I'm sure she'll be a great addition to their office.

Quick job search update

Andrea has some leads on jobs and we are expecting more to come. Please pray that we will have a good samling to choose from by Monday night.

I have talked with NCS about filling in for about ten hours a week. The money would help but we're not sure it would be a good solution, both for us and for NCS, so we're looking for wisdom from God on that.

Thanks for all your prayers!

What's next...

Andrea and I have been blessed to have our friends Jim and Melissa in town for the past week. It was a lot of fun to have them around. We had to bring Ashton down from an "Emma & Brenna High" (Jim & Melissa's girls) but it was a very positive visit.

Over the last day or so we have have time to talk about what we will be doing until we find the position God has for us. We have decided that we are going to stay here in our house. We enrolled Ashton in Centre Hall Elementary today. Tomorrow I am talking to some people I know that can help me find temporary work. We will be able to make this work for some time and we're believing God for provision.

Be praying that we will find a job quickly and that the transition from Centre Hall to wherever would go smoothly. More than anything we want the girls to be at peace with everything. Thanks.

A New Week

A big "thank you" to everyone who has contacted us with so many encouraging words this past week. We have been blessed.

This is a new week but God's faithfulness is not. It is as it has always been. He knows what is best for us and that's what we want for our life. That's hard to accept right now because my nature is to take things over. But when I stop and think about how smart God is compared to how smart I am, it's easy to side with God!

If you know of anything, let us know. We are scouring the job market for opportunities and open to a great many things. Grace and peace to all of you!

On hold for now...

They are wanting to wait a while to make a decision on whether or not to hire me. To put it into a realtime analogy; I have two containers of liquid in my carry-on. Those concerns are how much I would have to travel (it looks more like 7-10 days per month right now) and also where'd I would be working. The latter is not so much a concern to us. They would prefer us to be in Ft. Worth or Denver until the new facility in Kansas City, MO opened up. We can do that. The travel is a concern though.

Right now the earliest they'll be making a decision on it is mid-September.

Please be praying for us that we would have the wisdom to know what to do for the interim, that we would be able to determine how much is too much time away from home, and praise God that He provides for us.

Wednesday Update

I know some people were hoping that we'd hear something today (Wed, Aug. 9). Sorry, we should hear something by tomorrow. If not, keep looking!

Ashton's baptism

OK, This was the coolest day we've had in a long time. Yesterday I got to baptize Ashton at Coburn Park. This is a bit of a tradition with our church, every year we get together with two other churches in the area for an outdoor service, baptism, and potluck. I wish I could post the video of it but I put some grabs up anyway. If you'd like to see the video, let me know and I can email it to you.

The trip to Denver

I got home this afternoon from Denver where I met with the Doulos staff there. They are definitely my kind of people and I had a great time. It was easy to see that they are pursuing God in their ministry opportunities and want to glorify him above all. That's a big part of what I wanted to see.

All of the meetings were positive and I believe that it is a job that I would want to do. Dree and I are still praying and talking it through though. We should hear from Doulos by the middle of next week and make a decision then. Just in case your wondering, the job would based in Branson for at least the first year.

Sorry I haven't posted anything sooner. Expect the next one Wednesday or Thursday.

The state of things

I spoke with Doulos again this week. They are trying to move things along as quick as possible. They are a larger ministry and have certain processes that they must go through in hiring. The next thing that I have to do is complete some personality and spiritual gift inventories that are coming in the mail. After that I'll travel out to Denver and have an on-site interview with the CEO and President. I should be flying out Aug 2nd or 3rd.

We are praying that I'll receive a job offer shortly after that meeting. That we'll be able to move around Aug 15th and that Ashton will be there for the start of school Aug 24th. Please be praying for those things.

Dree and I have already started packing things up around here. All our winter clothes are boxed up and we're in the middle of putting all the books away. We hope that you are all doing well and that God is blessing you.

Grace and peace,

Chris

Good friends

Anyone still reading? I'm processing this all while I'm typing anyway. I had a good morning with the men of PVCC at our prayer breakfast. I'd like to thank Bob Flayhart for making such wonderful food but also for reminding me that I'm taking all the relationships that I have with me. I wasn't really thinking about it but I think that I was looking at them like they were ending. That's a very sad thought and I prefer to think of them as being packed away somewhere inside me. I'll continue to have them even if the people are not so close.

I believe that God is calling me to something great and we have been talking with the ministry in Branson still. I'm excited about the possibilities that exist there even though I don't know what they are.

Please be praying for us. We are about to move and we don't know where to, right now. We want to get there before school starts, we don't know if we want to rent or buy, etc. I'll post something as soon as I know where we're headed.

Job Search

Well, the job search is going well. I believe I will have a job before the end of July. I have been talking with a ministry in Branson, MO that I was involved in many snows to snows ago. I would be recruiting college graduates to go through the same intensive discipleship that I went through. The idea of moving back and working with them has always agreed with me and I hope it works out.

The other option is also exciting. There is a church in Dothan, AL called Harvest Church. It is a Spirit-led United Methodist Church. So far as we've talked, my vision for ministry lines up with theirs and the people there seem to be the kind of people I would get along with.

There's not really anything else right now but I will let you know as they come along.

Chris

Thanks PVCC

Dree and I wanted to say thanks to everyone at PVCC. Today was very special and it feels good to know that so many people care. We're in a strange place right as we don't know what we'll be doing or where we'll be doing it but we're content to be searching since it's what God told us to do.

About a month ago Dree and I watched "Elizabethtown" which was a decent enough show(glad I didn't pay $7.50 per person for it though). A big part of the story was the old storyline of fate versus choice. Those ideas have been around for thousands of years. It's always an either/or type of thing but something dawned on me while I was watching that movie. A life led by God is neither, it's Spirit-led. We obey, He determines our steps.

I love that life is neither up to me nor controlled by some faceless unknown force that gets referred to as circumstance. God is fiercely personal and takes great care with our lives as well as everyone else. All I have to do is obey Him as He has told me to. It's truly freeing. This yoke is easy!

Grace and peace to you all,

Chris & Dree

First shot

Hey there,

This is our first shot at this but we thought it was a great way to share with everyone since we are so far away for so many of you. And chances are that we will be far away from many more in the near future.Just in case there are peeps (that's blogtalk for people (and this is me trying to be funny)) out there that aren't aware of what we are doing right now, I'll start from the beginning.

Dree and I have decided to pursue a job in full-time ministry. We're not sure how that will end up. I am not returning to my teaching job at Nittany Christian. Andrea has already phased out of her job at Pure Freedom and will do the same with her job at the church when the time comes.It's hard to say what we'll do. We know that we have a heart to disciple and see people grow in Christ. That could translate into about anything in my mind; youth, college, young adults, or small group ministry. There are openings that we know of in Colorado and Missouri but there hasn't been any solid movement yet. The great thing is that we have seen that God has been faithful to us in everything he has called us to do in our lives. We know that He will be faithful to open up the right position for us.

We'll be heading to Arkansas and Oklahoma in June to visit family and go to Dree's 10 year reunion, boy is she getting old. Don't feel sorry for her even for a second. I don't know of anyone that likes to give people a harder time about their age than she. I'm thinking about making commemorative t-shirts for the event.

For those of you who know us best, we are announcing the onset of the Christmas season at the Hogue household. As I type, I am listening to Christmas music. Just so you know we're not crazy, we only started this past week. Aren't you proud of us!

We'll keep you up to date on the when, where, how, and whodunit of the job search. Grace and peace to you all.

Chris & Dree