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Three things

December 29, 2010 in Church Planting, Faith, Family, Ministry, Missions, Paseo with 8 Comments

There’s only a couple more days left in the year, and there’s three things that we typically do at this time:

1. We reminisce about the year that is ending and think about the good times and the bad, the funny times and the sad.

2. We look forward to the coming year and consider the changes that we want to do and the goals we want to achieve.

3. We find ways to divert our money away from the tax man and look for good causes to support.

Here are my three things:

1. 2010 finds us answering a call for an adventure

2. 2011 brings us an 1800-mile change of address

3. and along with that, a need for your partnership and support!

And here’s how I can help you with your three things:

1. I would love to share a memory I have of/with you… or maybe a funny story I think of, when I hear your name.

2. Please, please, please… let me tell you what you should change!

3. And boy, do I have a great cause for you to support! (It’s all tax deductible, after all!)

Will you take me up on my challenge? Who’s in this with me?

Our New Firsts

December 28, 2010 in Chance, Faith, Family, Friends, Home, Life Experience, Marriage, Ministry, Missions, Paseo, Paxton, Personal Entries with 11 Comments

The end of 2010 marks the first of MANY things for me and my family:

The first decade since meeting Brian.
The first decade living in Portland.
My first year being fully comfortable in my own skin.
Hearing God’s calling & packing for a 1,800 mile move in result to the call.
My first FULL year of loving and trusting in Brian & allowing myself to be loved BY him back.
Drastically cutting back our cost of living.
Actually walking life WITH God instead of away from Him.
The first time I’ve learned to receive in a healthy way so that I can GIVE better.
Realizing how deeply in love I am with my in-laws.
Having international house guests for 2 months and STILL wishing they never left us.
Adding a sister in my life that I want by my side forever.
Renewing my marriage vows… and MEANING them this time. UNFORGETTABLE!!!
Learning how to mourn losses in a healthy way.
Laughing from the depths of my heart & soul.
Witnessing my baby sister marry the PERFECT man for her.
My firstborn entering into half-day Kindergarten.
Watching my other little sister turn 3 decades old and Chance turn half a decade.
Listening to my two-year-old, Paxton, speak in sentence form.
Realizing my favorite place to be is at home with my family.

It’s been a great year. A year of stretching and a year of growth. I’m not only experiencing the most peace ever in my whole life, but I’m living in full joy. I’m not saying I don’t have worrisome or blue moments… in fact, I’ve struggled with depression this year… but there is a HUGE difference between feeling happiness and experiencing joy. God never promised us happiness on Earth, but He has offered us joy. Even in our pain. And I’m thankful for every growing pain. EVERY. SINGLE. ONE.

We, the Clayville Clan, hope you the most joyous New Year. Thank you so much for being a part of the community here at JenniClayville.com… for being a part of MY community. I’m thankful for you.

Now I leave you with my most recent joyful AND happy moment:

Happy New Year, everyone!

Your turn:
Your top 3-5 favorite firsts of 2010
AND
What’s up for 2011?

Partnership & Specific Needs

December 15, 2010 in Church Planting, Faith, Life Experience, Ministry, Paseo with 3 Comments

Just posting a copy of our financial support needs here as well.

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Per our support letter, we decided to also list the partnership and investment needs we are currently raising for 2011:

Moving expenses: $3,750
Estimated monthly budget for January – March: $4,250
Estimated monthly budget for April – December: $3,150
Estimated Support Budget for the year 2011: $45,000

Our prayer is that we would have:

1 family to partner with us at $500 per month
5 families to partner with us at $250 per month
10 families to partner with us at $100 per month
10 families to partner with us at $50 per month
20 families to partner with us at $25 per month

A line item budget for all of the above is available upon request if you would like to see what your monthly offering will go towards.

There are two ways to invest in this partnership (all donations are tax-deductible):

1. By Check – you can either mail a check through the postal services or you can set your bank up to auto-send/bill pay each month. Please send your tax-deductible donation to:

Paseo Christian Church
PO Box 960218
El Paso, TX 79996
(Please sure the word “CLAYVILLE” is in the memo line)

2. Online Giving – CLICK on the icon below and it will lead you to Paseo’s online giving page. Here, you can set up a scheduled monthly giving or one-time offering. Make sure you enter “CLAYVILLE” into the memo line here too.

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Thank you so much for your consideration in partnering with us. This humbles us and propels us forward to follow God’s calling. This is an amazingly beautiful time of stretching and growth for our marriage, our family and our relationships with God. We are SO blessed to have you… this community… as a part of our lives.

We are blessed beyond riches.

Calling, Mission & Adventure

December 15, 2010 in Church Planting, Faith, Family, Life Experience, Ministry, Missions, Paseo with 8 Comments

Thought I’d post a copy of the support letter Brian & I wrote here just in case we missed any of you who have been journeying along with us up to this point.

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As you likely know, we have been through a roller coaster of restoration, healing, learning, transition and more over the last 2 years.

In late August, we were invited to meet and interview at Paseo Christian Church in El Paso, Texas. It’s a wonderful, gospel centered, growing church plant. After spending five days there with the leadership and the community, we returned home feeling a strong call from God to walk away from our comforts in Oregon.

We know the next year+ of our lives are about to change. After much prayer, fasting and counsel, we have decided as a family, to answer a call to go to El Paso and become a part of the team at Paseo. Jenni has accepted the offer as the Worship & Creative Arts Pastor and Brian will be joining the leadership team as the Family Ministries Pastor. We are moving to Texas the last weekend of January 2011.

Paseo is a 4 year old church plant that not only values community, family, truth and renewal, but they purposefully integrate into the community to engage those in need. Paseo emphasizes life-on-life ministry. Sunday services are for teaching, engaging, worshiping and being in communion…but the real ministry happens outside of Sunday, during the week when many home groups gather and ministry teams are sent out to be a part of the community within the city of El Paso.

We’re impressed that Paseo isn’t a Sunday church. Not only does Paseo have a close-knit relationship with Casas Por Cristo, but they have committed themselves to supply resources to multiple schools, single mother facilities and to the homeless community. This church body, though smaller in size, has been making and will continue to make a huge impact on the city and community of El Paso. We not only want to participate in this movement, but we want our children to experience the compassion in these acts. The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few, God has given us each a purpose in life and we desire to be in the middle of ours. Nothing is more important to us than to be faithful stewards of the time we’ve been given.

Because Paseo is presently a ‘church plant’, it presents the opportunity for us to have another level of trust with the Lord – this is where you come in.

Our family needs to raise 75% of our income in order to serve Paseo and move forward in the call we are receiving. A list of our specific needs are posted HERE. We know that the Lord will provide for us according to his promise found in Ephesians 3:20.

Jenni has always felt called to ministry and has spent the past 7 years (since 2003) in full or part-time ministry with some breaks to be a stay-at-home-mom. The call to be a Mom is still first and foremost, but God has ingrained a strong passion and desire for leading worship and developing leadership. Though Brian has been focused on supporting the family the last 10 years, he has heavily been invested in serving as a small group leader for adults as well as students. However, Brian has felt a personal calling in the past several years to minister to men and their marriages. Brian will continue pursuing outside employment once we’re in El Paso, but wants to primarily focus on building God’s kingdom and being a great husband and father.

“Restoration” is our life word as we move into this new turn on our journey. God has given us a fresh understanding of how deep His love is for us. He has blessed our marriage and taught us what restoration truly looks like. Restoration doesn’t ever return to what was, but it turns to what the Restorer intends… better, more beautiful than it ever was before. Our Restorer has shown us that He is trustworthy and faithful in all His promises even when our world was completely turned over. We want to use all we have learned and been blessed with to expand His Kingdom and bring hope to the hopeless.

If you feel ready to give your tax-deductible donation now, please CLICK HERE to see the break-down of our support and partnership needs. We’d also love to keep you updated on our lives here via our newsletter. You can subscribe by adding your email address to the “subscribe” section on the left column of this website.

We are so thankful for your time in reading our letter and hope you’ll feel led to support our family in our mission in this next year. God is in the business of miracles… and we’ve only just seen the tip of the iceberg of His glory.

Humbly,

Brian & Jenni

The Crown

November 30, 2010 in Adultery, Faith, Family, Home, Life Experience, Marriage, Personal Entries with 25 Comments

Our beloved Christmas Angel was brutally de-crowned by our 2-year old this year.

She’s been with us for TEN years… since Brian and my first Christmas together.

Dear Christmas Angel… thanks for all the good times. For watching over us and keeping us *somewhat* safe all these years. But it was obvious it was time for you to go back to worshiping God in Heaven. We replaced you with a unbreakable $12 star. It’s not the same, but it’ll last us through the next few toddler years. We’ll miss you. ~ Love, Brian & Jenni

Christmas is my favorite holiday. Everything about it sings “JOY”. But in all honesty… it’s a mixed bag for me.

I celebrate and practice new traditions we have created as a family unit. I love watching my boys eyes light up at the sight of the Christmas tree. I love listening to my husband talk to my boys about the TRUE reason for this season. I am delighted at what we, as a family, have become. I soak in the blessing of being a wife to an amazingly loving and handsome man and a mother to two very smart and vivacious boys.

So how is it possible to be sad in those same moments?

I’m saddened that my mother has chosen not to be a part of our lives. I mourn the lost Christmases of my childhood… what it COULD have been. I remember and regret the 3 Christmases I stole from my husband and first-born son in my narcissistic selfishness. I feel the loss of friends that are no longer friends because they believe I don’t deserve grace or second chances.

I think feeling both good and bad is actually good. We have to know we are only getting filled to be emptied again. I’m still working on recognizing that consistently. What’s good in all this reflection is that in my very real and fleshly confliction, I’m reminded that I am exactly WHY God sent Jesus here so many years ago. JESUS, the manger King, who came to save and reclaim the lost. He came for YOU AND ME.

The people Jesus rebuked were not “those people” we don’t want to be associated with. The ones my Jesus rebuked were the Pharisaical judgers, the ones who claimed there’s only enough Heavenly real estate for the law followers. Do not be worried about what THOSE people think of you, my friend, because they will lose their crowns soon enough (just like my poor angel).

But in this season, dine with who Jesus dined with: prostitutes, the sick, the homeless, the lonely, the adulterers/adulteresses, the thieves, the poor, the forgotten, the broken… the repentant sinner. Because this is where you will reclaim your crown.

Stepping off the soapbox now.