aXis Video for FBC Russellville

This is a little video made by Jerry Boriboun. In the video, he gives a little glimpse into what aXis is about. Christina Keaster and Lauryn Wood are interviewed in the video. The background song is "I Will Go" by Starfield. Enjoy.



Posted by Matt Wilson

Some Pictures from Chimney Rock

"[You] formed the mountains by your power..." -- Psalm 65:6

"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made..." -- Romans 1:20

This will be a short post, but I thought I'd post some pictures from Chimney Rock, which is near Asheville. The majesty of God is truly displayed in these pictures. Imagine what this place looked like before man arrived, and imagine what the new heaven and earth will be like!







Posted by Matt Wilson

Faith and Works

What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. -- James 2:14-17

People present so far -- Project leaders, team leaders, D-group leaders

After a couple hours of meetings, everyone grabbed some lunch and then everyone moved the girls into their apartments. This is a good opportunity for you young men out there to learn something. ALWAYS move the women in first for a few reasons. First, God wants us to serve others. Second, most women will be in a better mood if they don’t have to worry about their living arrangements (they think, and thus worry more than us guys). Third, if the women aren’t happy, it’s HIGHLY unlikely that you’ll be happy. We (the male D-group leaders) weren’t able to move in yet because of the foul odor that resided in our room. To make a long story short, we moved in the bare essentials (toiletries, a couple changes of clothes, bedding) after dinner and prayer walking.

After dinner at Mellow Mushroom (known for its pizza, not mushrooms), the group split into smaller groups of three to four people and did some prayer walking. For those who are unfamiliar with the term, it’s self-explanatory. You pray while you walk. We walked around downtown Asheville and prayed for the people of the city, the participants, and whatever else the Spirit led us to pray about. There were four young men in my group including myself. Each of us had prayed aloud once, and Zach had just finished his prayer by asking the Lord to help us “maybe just brighten someone’s day.” No more than three minutes passed by when we encountered a homeless man. His name was James (interesting Scripture reference huh?) and he needed some money for gas. We introduced ourselves, and talked with him as we walked the five blocks back to our vehicle. We found out that he installed carpet for a living, and had fallen on hard times. After gaining James’ trust, we swung the conversation to the spiritual realm, asked him some questions. As far as we could tell, James is a believer in Christ.

It was a pretty neat experience to put our money where our faith is and buy James a couple gallons of gas (we filled up the gas can he had with him and drove him to his van). James was grateful, and we got to share our faith and pray for him. Jesus said that, “Whatever you’ve done to the least of these, you’ve done unto me (Matthew 25:40).” He also said that “all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another (John 13:35).” God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. A major theme of the Gospels is love, especially for the poor. The next time that someone needs my help, I pray that I will love others as Jesus did, with deeds and not just words.

Thanks for your support, and please pray for James, the project, and the people of Asheville.

Matt Wilson

God Provides Housing

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. -- Hebrews 11:6

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. -- Matthew 6:33-34

People present so far -- Project leaders, team leaders, D-group leaders

The project leaders (Jeremy Aylett, Neal Nelson, Kyle Seal) of aXis tried for about six months to secure housing in Asheville. They had been told numerous times by The Grove (an apartment complex that housed the aXis project in 2006) that we would likely be able to stay there for the summer. On Saturday, May 24 (three days before I left) Jeremy called me and told me to be in prayer about housing for the project, because The Grove was giving them mixed signals. I prayed about the situation, and left as planned on Tuesday, May 27 to head to Asheville.

As I made the 11.5 hour, 630 mile trip, I listened to some great Christian music and got excited about the summer and the spiritual growth that lay ahead. As I traveled, I didn’t know if we would even have housing when we arrived, but I wasn’t worried. As we (Christina, Nicole, Philip, and me) encountered heavy rain for about an hour, I put my hope in the Lord. It’s wonderful to not have a spirit of fear, because I know the Lord is with me, and for me. My hope is in Heaven, and not this world. I have been saved by faith in Jesus Christ, and nothing can separate me from His saving grace (Romans 8:35-39).

Upon arriving at the infamous Ridgecrest, our place of stay for the night, we all grabbed a bite to eat and had a meeting. During the meeting, the project leaders explained the housing situation, as well as the plans for the night and the next day. Jeremy informed us that the arrangements with The Grove had fell through, and that they had been searching for housing for three days. Jeremy accidentally stumbled upon (aka God provided) an apartment complex very close to UNCA (University North Carolina Asheville). First, let me say that it’s hard to get a two month lease for 30 people from another state. Not only did we get four rooms, but the landlord was about to get three of the rooms furnished within a day! The final room would be available and furnished Monday, June 2. In three hours, more was accomplished than in the previous six months! God’s timing is incredible.

As mentioned above, seek first His kingdom, don’t worry, and have faith. For without faith, it is impossible to please Him.

Thanks for your support, and please pray for the project and the people of Asheville.

Matt Wilson

Overview of the Project

First, let me apologize for the delay and lack of posts thus far. We didn’t have Internet access until Saturday, May 31. As a project we still don’t, but luckily Jerry Boriboun has wireless Internet. Read Jerry’s personal aXis blog.

Before making too many blogs, I want to give you an overview of the project. There is a “four-tier” hierarchy of leadership. I’ve listed the people that fit the bill in each category that are from Arkansas Tech and/or FBC Russellville. The list follows as this:

1. Project Leader - Jeremy Aylett
2. Team Leader - Lauryn Wood
3. Devotional Group Leaders - Nicole Ellenbarger, Christina Keaster, Philip Kile, Matt Wilson
4. Participants - Jerry Boriboun, Bread Hatfield, Shoko Wada

Thanks for your support, and please pray for the project and the people of Asheville.

Matt Wilson