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[thejeffmillerguy]

Residency Update

Dear friends and family,

It’s been sixteen months now since my family and I joined Sacred City Church in Davenport, Iowa. I joined the team at Sacred City in order to do a Church Planting Residency to learn how to plant a church in the future. Sacred City Church was a church plant itself launched in July of 2011, with the mission of making disciples, planting churches, and renewing the city. God has been at work over the last five years, taking the original core team of 40 people and growing Sacred City Church to roughly 250 people. And just recently planted another church in Moline, IL. My family and I stepping into this role meant planning and budgeting our finances with wisdom so that we can learn how to live with less. And most importantly, it meant trusting that God would provide for us in every way.

For the past sixteen months we have been provided for in many different ways; from finances to the addition of our third child, we have truly seen God’s faithfulness to His people. You may be wondering what this means for you. Well, with all of that, we need your help and are asking you to support us as we obey God in this calling. The first and most important way you can support us is by prayer – that in all, God would be our chief joy and that all our needs would be satisfied in him. The second way you can support us is financially – through one-time donations or monthly commitments, so that we may be provided for. In order to participate in this residency, we need to raise $2,500 per month in support. To be honest at the moment we are operating well below that number.

We already have partnered with many people and have money pledged to us in the form of monthly contributions, but over the past sixteen months we have lost three supporters due to situations beyond any of our control. As we start this New Year we humbly ask you to consider partnering with us. At this time, we are specifically seeking a TEN-MONTH commitment (Jan – Oct) to us as we continue to be committed to this ministry in the Quad Cities. A commitment in any amount is a blessing!

As with any letter (or Facebook post), I can’t possibly fit all the details on one page so this has served as a bit of a “fly-over.” It is my goal to check in with as many of you as possible to give you a more in-depth and personal view of all God has been doing. In the mean time, please feel free to contact me via email or by phone (if you don’t already have that information shoot me a private message and I’ll pass that along) should you have any questions. You can also check out Sacred City’s website for more information at www.sacredcitychurch.com.

If already at this point you believe this is something that God is calling you to join us in, there are a couple of ways in which you can support financially right away. Shoot me a message and I will send you specific giving instructions.

Thanks for your time and consideration,

Jeff Miller

[thejeffmillerguy]

One Year Update

Well here I am sitting at my desk on September 1st, one year into a church planting residency at Sacred City Church. If I could sum this year up into one word I would say Growth. Dictionary.com describes growth as the act or process of development; gradual increase. 

I am growing. When we were kids growing was so much fun, there was an excitement about becoming a “grown up.” As an adult though I have found the process of growth to be more painful than I remember. Growth as an adult takes work, effort, and patience. When we were kids growth just seemed to happen, like one day you woke up and your pants were an inch to short and all your long-sleeve shirts were now 3/4 length shirts. For me, being an adult that’s growing has meant all my stuff still fits the same but I feel out of place. 

For the past year that has been the case, I have often felt out of place. I have found myself in conversations and feel like I have nothing to add. I have been reading and come across something that I have probably read before but now all of the sudden it hits me harder. I have witnessed pain in other people’s lives and heard them tell their stories and grieved for them in ways I had not before. I believe the growth I am experiencing is maturity, perhaps this is the “gradual increase” the dictionary.com definition of growth spoke of. As a 34 year old man it’s embarrassing to even say that, that I have made it this far and still lack maturity. 

For most of my life I have been the “funny guy.” That’s not necessarily a bad thing in and of itself. You see being the funny guy has its perks; people are drawn to you, people feel disarmed around you, and people often laugh with you. However it also has a downside; people don’t take you seriously, it’s hard to say tough things, and you feel a constant pressure to perform. To be the funny guy for me has been at the expense of growing up. It has been at the expense of feeling the weight of my emotions and the emotions of those around me. 

Over the past year God has shown me time and time again my need to grow up, my need to be mature. You see I’m training to be an Elder, which is a very serious role; in fact it is the highest office in Christ’s church. Functionally elders in the local church do three main things: 1) Guard the teaching ministry of the church. 2) Ensure the spiritual care of the church. 3) Oversee the direction of the church. I think it’s fairly obvious that in order to do these things one must be mature and I believe God is growing me into that kind of man. 

In this year, God through his Spirit and the men he has placed in my life has been putting to death the funny guy. Not because the funny guy is a bad guy but because the funny guy lacks maturity, the funny guy needs to grow up. Now some of you might be saying, “Jeff, I think you’re being a little hard on yourself.” and you might be right but for 34 years I have not been. I have let myself off the hook numerous times saying, “this is just who I am.” but that has cost me valuable time and has ultimately hurt relationships. People sometimes need a funny guy in their life but more often than not it seems that people need a mature friend who can offer wisdom and truth. People need wisdom and truth that comes from not just simple joke telling or downplaying of their situation. 

In this residency I have been given many opportunities to mature. I have had the opportunity to further my education through theological training in a program called Porterbrook. I have preached a handful of times. I have read 15 assigned books and several others on top of that. I have been actively discipled through an accountability group -we call these Fight Clubs. And most recently I have taken on the responsibility of leading a Missional Community -think small house church where were eat, pray, and learn together. 

There are so many things that I would like to share with you about this past year and show you how God has been maturing me. About how I have come face to face with the ugliness of my sin and the holiness of God. About how I have been living out of the shame and guilt of my past rather than trusting in the finished work of Christ. About how my kids changed schools in the middle of the school year. About how I have been stretched financially. About how my family is expecting another baby in January now that our youngest is 9. About how I wrecked my car and have been driving around with no hood for months, and much more on top of that but it would all come back to Growth. 

As I look forward to the next year, I look forward to more Growth. Not because I know it will come easy but because I look forward to becoming the man that God has called me to be. I look forward to outgrowing some of my immature clothes. 

I have appreciated your prayers, your financial support, and your love for my family and I. I am also thankful and overwhelmed that you partnered with us this past year. You do not go unnoticed or unappreciated. Thank you. 

[thejeffmillerguy]

New Year Update

It has been far to long since I have updated everyone on the Millers. We are now in our 5th month of our church planting residency. In 5 months I have read 10 books. Alisha and I have also completed our first nine weeks of Porterbrook (think community college seminary) and are 6 weeks into our next section. I have moved from the home office to now having an office at the church. My boys switched schools and are now attending a private Christian school near our home. Alisha has begun coaching at our local gym. And I have been given my first preaching assignment this weekend (1/24). It has been a full 5 months. We are learning so much and growing all the time. God is teaching us so much through the books I am reading, seminary training, community, and through His word. God is also humbling me fairly regularly. I have trouble asking for help, I also struggle with hiding my brokenness. In an attempt to be self-sufficient and liked I have a tendency to hide. I'm learning (slowly) to stop hiding, realizing my identity is not based on my performance or my usefulness. This means I have to slow down, it means I need to listen to the Spirit, it means I may not always have an answer, and most importantly that I am not my own savior. I wish there was a way to share with you all in more detail about all that is going on with us. In an attempt I will point you to some of the materials I am going through and that may help explain. Here are some books I would suggest: 1) The Voice of The Heart by Chip Dodd -This is a book about emotions or better stated our Hearts -I will reread it for years! 2) Future Men by Douglas Wilson -Great book for dads and soon to be dads or just guys in general. 3) When the Church Was a Family by Joseph Hellerman -This is a great book on the early church and Christian community. Please read it! 4) The Imperfect Pastor by Zack Eswine -Great for anyone in ministry or those pursuing ministry as a vocation. People always ask "How are you doing?" and we are thankful for that question but sometimes it's tough to answer. Truthfully, we are doing well. With that it's also important to note that we are sinners and sinners by nature sin. So our home is not perfect, we don't always love well, sometimes we fight unfairly, and we feel the weight of our brokenness. God is doing a work in us and sometimes I believe we reflect His Glory and other days we insist upon showing our glory. Pray for us. Financially our bills are being paid and on time and we all have what we need. Right now we have raised $2,855 a month after taxes. We would like to get to $3,000 by the end of January. Some of you may have just done the math on that. As you can probably tell we aren't getting rich and that's not why we do the work we do. We are so thankful for friends and family that have partnered with us financially monthly and through one-time donations so that we can be trained to do the work of the ministry. If partnering with us is something you have been considering, I would love to have a conversation with you about that. If that's not an option for you we ask that you pray -bringing our names before the Lord isn't the least you can do, it is the most you can do. Thanks for taking time to catch up with us. Please call, text, email, show up at our house even so we can share with you more! In Him, Jeff

[thejeffmillerguy]

When the temple is corrupt, it’s because the leaders are corrupt. When the leaders are corrupt, the people are corrupt. When the people are corrupt, the nation is corrupt. If it’s bad in the temple, it’s bad everywhere. And I say to you in a general sense, the measure of any society is its worship. You cannot judge a people by their economic status. You cannot judge a nation by its economics. God doesn’t. You can’t judge a nation by its social equity. You can’t judge a nation by its concern for protection of people from harm. That’s superficial. You judge a nation by its worship. That’s how God judges. And it’s worship that determines eternal destiny.

John MacArthur

[thejeffmillerguy]

The quality of one's relationships within the Christian community is a key indicator of a person's spiritual maturity.

[thejeffmillerguy]

Week 3

Well we are now 3 weeks into our Church Planting Residency! I know that may seem like a short amount of time but we are learning so much it feels like it has been much longer.

This past week Alisha and I both went much deeper into our theological training by starting a program called Porterbrook, I believe I mentioned this in the last update. Part of Porterbrook involves us meeting with other people from our church to go through the material -they are called Cohorts. This is another opportunity to do life together with people, get outside of our normal routine of life, and grow in the Gospel -not just our knowledge of the Gospel but IN it.

One of the hardest lessons for me so far has been breaking my habits or probably better stated would be the patterns of life I have adopted. I am not accustomed to really doing life with other people and allowing them to put their finger on areas of my life where I need growth. This has been humbling and encouraging at the same time. I have relied on my strengths and ignored my weaknesses for far to long, so it’s humbling to be weak but encouraging to know that I don’t have to be strong.

I recently finished a book titled Future Men by Douglas Wilson as part of my assigned reading. This is a book I would recommend to every guy out there. The premise of the book is Raising Boys to Fight Giants but honestly it was so much more than that. As a father I wish I had read it 11 years ago. As a man I wish I had read it even earlier than that! I’m sure this is a book that I will refer back to several times as I strive to raise my boys to become men that fight giants.

Alisha and I are at nearly $1,900 a month in our efforts to raise $2,500! We are blown away by those of you that are supporting us financially and prayerfully. I wonder if you would consider partnering with us in one of these 2 ways? Financially we are looking for those of you that may be able to make a one-time donation to us that we will spread out over our 24 months of residency and also those that may be able to partner with us monthly for the full two years of our residency. In addition we are also looking for those of you that will partner with us prayerfully, that we may grow in knowledge and wisdom and be further rooted in the Gospel. If you would like to talk more about this shoot me an email at jeff@sacredcitychurch.com or give me a call/text at 972-345-2585. If you’re in the Quad Cities area let’s grab coffee!

We would love for you to be involved in this residency with us. I look forward to sharing more with you next week!

Christ is all, Jeff Miller

[thejeffmillerguy]

Week 3

Well we are now 3 weeks into our Church Planting Residency! I know that may seem like a short amount of time but we are learning so much it feels like it has been much longer. This past week Alisha and I both went much deeper into our theological training by starting a program called Porterbrook, I believe I mentioned this in the last update. Part of Porterbrook involves us meeting with other people from our church to go through the material -they are called Cohorts. This is another opportunity to do life together with people, get outside of our normal routine of life, and grow in the Gospel -not just our knowledge of the Gospel but IN it. One of the hardest lessons for me so far has been breaking my habits or probably better stated would be the patterns of life I have adopted. I am not accustomed to really doing life with other people and allowing them to put their finger on areas of my life where I need growth. This has been humbling and encouraging at the same time. I have relied on my strengths and ignored my weaknesses for far to long, so it’s humbling to be weak but encouraging to know that I don’t have to be strong. I recently finished a book titled Future Men by Douglas Wilson as part of my assigned reading. This is a book I would recommend to every guy out there. The premise of the book is Raising Boys to Fight Giants but honestly it was so much more than that. As a father I wish I had read it 11 years ago. As a man I wish I had read it even earlier than that! I’m sure this is a book that I will refer back to several times as I strive to raise my boys to become men that fight giants. Alisha and I are at nearly $1,900 a month in our efforts to raise $2,500! We are blown away by those of you that are supporting us financially and prayerfully. I wonder if you would consider partnering with us in one of these 2 ways? Financially we are looking for those of you that may be able to make a one-time donation to us that we will spread out over our 24 months of residency and also those that may be able to partner with us monthly for the full two years of our residency. In addition we are also looking for those of you that will partner with us prayerfully, that we may grow in knowledge and wisdom and be further rooted in the Gospel. If you would like to talk more about this shoot me an email at jeff@sacredcitychurch.com or give me a call/text at 972-345-2585. If you’re in the Quad Cities area let’s grab coffee! We would love for you to be involved in this residency with us. I look forward to sharing more with you next week! Christ is all, Jeff Miller

[thejeffmillerguy]

2 Weeks In!

Week 2 of the Church Planting Residency is in the books! It was another eventful week. This week started with sermon prep with the staff on Monday going through Mark 10:1-12 dealing with the issue of divorce. This was not only a hot topic is Jesus’ time but still remains an issue of debate today. We met for about 2 hours outlining and preparing the sermon. We do this as a team every week! I received my reading list for year one of my residency on Tuesday and have already begun digging into those books. So far my favorite is "Brothers, We are not Professionals" by John Piper. I believe that this book will be very beneficial for me as there is a pull for pastors to make ministry a job rather than a calling from God. On Friday, Alisha and I headed to Omaha, Nebraska to start our theological training through Porterbrook Omaha. We were there with 6 other people from our church and about 40 people from other ministries in the Omaha area. This will be a 2 year process for myself and a 1 year endeavor for Alisha. We spent all day Saturday being taught and deepening relationships with those around us. We will go through 4, 9 week sections meeting weekly with those from our church to discuss and go through the weeks reading and assignments. I'm looking forward to growing in my faith as well as in relationship with the others going through the process. We received great news on Friday that we are now over half-way funded! We have a goal of raising $2,500 a month for the next 2 years in order to get our ministry training and I am so thankful for those of you that have partnered with us financially as well as prayerfully, that means so much to us. If you would like to partner with us or want more information on what that might look like for you, I would love to talk with you about that. You can always call or text me at 972-345-2585 or shoot me an email at Jeff@sacredcitychurch.com. Thanks for taking time out of your day to catch up on what God is doing in our lives. -Jeff

[thejeffmillerguy]

One Week In

My first day on the job at Sacred City consisted of an 11 hour drive to Oklahoma City, OK. We were going there to visit a multi-site church to get a feel for their systems and organization. This trip provided me with several beneficial opportunities. 1) I really got to know the new staff I will be working with -minus one team member who's wife decided to have a baby a few weeks early -I guess I'll let him slide this time. These are the brothers that I will be ministering with for the time that God has us here. It was a pleasure getting to talk life and ministry with them. 2) The men we met at the church are doing great things that were very inspiring to be a part of. They took time for a church of a little over 200 and treated us like family. The information that they passed along to us I'm sure will prove to be invaluable. Last, 3) I was reminded how much I love my family. When I am away from them it's always hard. It's hard to be away from my best friend and these 2 young men that actually look up to me. I could probably write all day about the experience but take me at my word when I say it was a full 3 days of learning and training on presenting the gospel effectively at multiple campuses. On Sunday morning Alisha and I were officially presented before the church and we were prayed over. That really meant a lot to us. I also was given the opportunity to serve communion -we do this on a weekly basis during the Sunday morning gathering for baptized believers. It was an absolute honor to serve our new church family in this way. We are excited to see what God has in store for us. At this point Alisha and I are 1/3 of our way to being fully funded financially. Thank you so much to those of you that have been able to partner with us financially as well as prayerfully. We have a goal of raising $2,500 a month in order to take care of the needs of our family. Maybe this is something God is calling you to partner with us in. If so I would love to have a conversation with you about what that might look like. You can reach me by email at jeff@sacredcitychurch.com or by phone at (972) 345-2585. Also here is our e-giving link if that is an option for you to give monthly or one-time donations https://egiving.org/egivinglogin.asp?id=2310. Again, thanks so much for partnering with us in the calling God has placed on our lives. Stayed Tuned, Jeff

[thejeffmillerguy]

Transition

Dear Family,

It’s been a touch over three years since my family and I moved to the Quad Cities of Illinois and Iowa. When we moved we had no idea what God was going to do with our lives and ministry. And if I’m honest, this adventure was pretty scary. We spent the first few weeks here wondering why in the world none of the streets had actual names and only went off a number system. Over the past three years though, God has worked on our hearts more than we could have imagined, and we see the same thing happening in so many other people in the Quad Cities. Needless to say, we have found deep joy here since those first few weeks and our need to rename all the streets has been replaced by a desire to reach the people living on these numbered roads!

Most recently, that desire has brought a new calling in the form of a Church Planting Residency at another local church called Sacred City. In July of 2011 Sacred City Church was planted in Davenport, Iowa with the mission of making disciples, planting churches, and renewing the city. God has been at work over the last four years, taking the core team of 40 people and growing Sacred City Church to roughly 200 people. And it is now with great joy and anticipation that Alisha and I join the team at Sacred City to learn how to plant our own church in the future. Stepping into this role means planning and budgeting our finances with wisdom so that we can live on less. And most importantly, it means trusting that God will provide for us in every way.

You may be wondering at this point what all this means for you. Well, with all of that, we need your help and are asking you to support us as we obey God in this calling. The first and most important way you can support us is by prayer – that in all, God would be our chief joy and that all our needs would be satisfied in him. The second way you can support us is financially – through one-time donations or monthly commitments, so that we may be provided for. In order to participate in this residency we need to raise $2,500 per month in support. We already have some money pledged to us in the form of monthly contributions, and we humbly ask you to consider the same. We are specifically seeking two-year commitments to us as we commit to this ministry in the Quad Cities. A commitment in any amount is a blessing!

With this letter, you’ve gotten the “50,000 foot fly-over view” of what’s God has been doing in our hearts. It is our goal to check in with each one of you soon after receiving this to give you a more in-depth and personal view of all God has been doing. In the mean time, please feel free to contact me at any time via email at jmillerlive@ymail.com or by phone at (972) 345-2585. You can also check out Sacred City’s website for more information at www.sacredcitychurch.com.

If already at this point you believe this is something that God is calling you to join us in, there are a couple of ways in which you can support financially right away. Below you will find specific giving instructions. 

Thank you so much for your time and consideration,

Jeffrey A. Miller

 The first way is via mail. Support can be mailed to:

Sacred City Church

PO Box 3864

Davenport, IA 52808.

Another perhaps more convenient way would be to give online. You can visit the Sacred City website or you can got directly to their Giving page at the following link: https://egiving.org/egivinglogin.asp?id=2310.

There you will need to follow instructions to create an account to set up transactions and put the name Jeff Miller in the memo line.

[thejeffmillerguy]

Sermon Intro July 4th Weekend

On July 4, 1776, some 239 years ago, a group of men led by Caesar Rodney from the great state of Delaware signed the Declaration of Independence. This weekend we celebrate that as a country. There will be fireworks, there will be swimming, there will be cookouts, volleyball, whiffle-ball, cold drinks, popsicles, and there will be laughter. BUT in the midst of it there will be thorns.

Some of your fireworks will be duds. The water in the pool will be to cold. The grill will run out of gas. Someone will take volleyball to seriously. The whiffle ball bat will bend. Someone will knock your drink over. The kids wont throw away their popsicle sticks and ants will come. And someone will say something hurtful. The thorns of the weekend will be annoying and an unwelcomed intruder.

Dictionary.com describes the word THORN this way: something that wounds, annoys, or causes discomfort. It also lists an Idiom: thorn in one's side, a source of continual irritation or suffering. If I was to ask you today if there are any thorns in your side all around the room undoubtedly every hand would rise. Thorns are a part of life. A wounding, annoying, discomforting part of life.

There is comfort today though. Our comfort comes in knowing that we are not the only ones who have suffered through the thorns of life.

[thejeffmillerguy]

The presence of God is the joy of his people, but any suspicion of his absence is distracting.

C.H. Spurgeon

[thejeffmillerguy]

What does that even mean?

Sunday during worship we sang a song. My son is headed into 6th grade so he has begun attending the adult service with my wife and I. The song is a hymn titled All Hail The Power of Jesus’ Name. What a great and powerful song to lead us closer to God. However, I knew immediately that my son would have no idea what was being said in this song. So I looked over to my wife, a church attender since birth, and let her know we needed to explain what a Royal Diadem is so he understands the importance and significance of what was being sung. My wife said “I don't know what that is either.” So I did a quick Google search to give her a basic definition but I knew that wouldn't work for my son.

The problem is that so many people don’t understand that meaning because some of the dated language in the hymn. I’m sure it’s not just students and children that don’t know these words, in fact I would say that most older people who have sung this song their entire lives don’t know what some of the words mean – so here is a mini-glossary:

Word Meanings:

hail – call out to someone to attract attention prostrate – lying stretched out on the ground with one’s face downward diadem – a jeweled crown or headband worn as a symbol of sovereignty chosen seed – selected by God to be his children kindred – one’s family and relations terrestrial – of, on, or relating to the earth yonder – at some distance in the direction indicated throng – a large, densely packed crowd of people

Now take a look at the lyrics with educated eyes:

(1) All hail the power of Jesus’ name! Let angels prostrate fall, Bring forth the royal diadem, And crown Him Lord of all.

(2) Ye chosen seed of Israel’s race, Ye ransomed from the fall, Hail Him who saves you by His grace, And crown Him Lord of all.

(3) Let every kindred, every tribe, On this terrestrial ball, To Him all majesty ascribe, And crown Him Lord of all.

(4) O that with yonder sacred throng We at His feet may fall, We’ll join the everlasting song, And crown Him Lord of all.

What richness and fullness this song now holds for all believers! Seemingly based on much of Revelation 19, we are given a word picture of what it will be like when our Father comes to get us! Philippians 2:9-11 also tell us, 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (ESV) 

Now may we go forth and be informed worshippers! 

[thejeffmillerguy]

Salvation is a posture of repentance and faith that you begin in a moment and maintain for the rest of your life.

J.D. Greear 

[thejeffmillerguy]

Instead of teaching our kids that Jesus is something that we have and they don’t, let’s teach them to look for the bright image of God in each person that crosses their paths.

Addie Zierman

[thejeffmillerguy]

Religion commands us to change our behavior, but it cannot change our hearts

J.D. Greear