I was able to get a few helpful fire starting tips from our ‘Bayside Resident Expert’
(B.R.E.); Stan Brower.
1. Push over the trees a little bit to get them to fall.
2. Carry them over to the pile.
3. Make sure it is not too windy.
4. Stuff in some tinder to the pile.
5. Get some good sticks, and a piece of wood.
6. Place one stick between both your hands and spin it on a larger piece of wood with a notch in it.
7. You will need to spin the stick fast enough so that it heats the wood up to at least 800oF for ignition.
8. Once ignited, be sure to blow on it a little bit…
.
*JK you guys! (Stan didn’t really give me the above tips)
Stan Brower is one of the most humble, kind and giving guys I have spoken to in a long time…
*Me
SB: Stan Brower
*Stan, how long have you been coming to Bayside Community Church?
SB: Well, I’m really not dressed for the occasion…
*that’s ok, I really just want to get pictures of your front loader…
SB: My front loader?
*Yeah. It’s a cool piece of machinery. How many trees can you take out in a day?
SB: about 10 feet/hour
*Is this it for the Australian pines? It looks totally different cleared out!
SB: You can actually (envision the day) when that building is here, people are going to drive in..
*We are all going to be jumping up and down, totally excited!
Ok, back to the questions; so how long have you been coming to Bayside?
SB: About a year…
*Really? A year?(thinking; “that’s like me! I thought he had been coming for ages!”)
SB: We had been searching for about 2 years before we found it..
*So what drew you in? What made you decide to come…
SB: Oh goodness, it’s a long story…we were at our other church for almost 18 years, a lot of things happened and we had to pull away from it. We weren’t happy there and started looking around and Stephanie (his daughter) couldn’t say enough about Bayside. We visited and she was telling us how much it had grown. I was kind of leary…my first 3 visits I heard Pastor Alex, and two guest speakers…I hadn’t even gotten to hear Pastor Randy…
*You gotta’ hear the Lead Pastor at some point!
SB: I was very impressed with the messages, and then I got to hear Pastor Randy…I could tell that there was a lot there, it gets to a range of people. It speaks to new Christians, and (more seasoned). I get my toes stepped on all the time, and that’s a good thing.
*Isn’t it?… so true…I know that what you are doing out here is part of your contribution to our LTD project…
SB: Yes.
*What made you decide to do this? Did you sit down with your wife and family?
SB: I buy and sell equipment and I had bought a tractor. I kinda’ knew what was going on out here. The Lord just wouldn’t leave me alone about it, and I thought I really needed to donate that tractor to the church. So I finally did, after procrastinating about it for a while. So that started it. I knew after we came out here and mowed a little bit, seen all the clearing that needed to be done… so I got a super deal on a loader at an auction, got a rake for it, came out here and started pulling trees. It just turned into what it has turned into…
*I’ll tell you Stan, we are so blessed to have you, and all that you are doing out here is huge, huge, huge…big stuff. It’s definitely saving the Church a lot of money.
SB: When I first started doing this my wife said “hey, you gotta go fishin’, go do something” and I thought; “no, I’m enjoying this!” I get to get on that big machine and pull these trees up. To me that’s as good as going fishing or golfing.
My sister told me long ago, way back in ’88, when I was dealing with melanoma cancer- real bad…The Lord had really blessed her and her business, and she kept giving to me and giving to me, and I just kept telling her ‘you gotta’ stop that’. You know, we had bills, but she gave and gave. When I told her to stop, she said that my dad had told her, “If God can get it through you, He’ll get it to you.” I have just taken that to heart.
*wow. (I’m thinkin’- here I am, out here excited to see a pile of wood burn, and in the process learn about a guy who’s on fire to serve our God) That is so awesome, Stan.
SB: It’s my way of giving to Him. He’ll take care of us.
I met up with Tom Wessel (Our General Contractor) April 4 as he was making his routine drive-thru of our property…
*Bobbette
TW: Tom Wessel
*Ok, so what are those posts sticking up on the land?
TW: Those are just survey stakes that kind of just give us a general idea of how the building is going to sit on the property. There will be a big pond/retention area along the back property line. The first thing we’ll do is to mow this down real low and do what we call “scalp” it, then we will start digging those ponds and take the soil for the building pad. In essence, unlike most sites, we have all the dirt we need right here on site to raise the property and that will save a nice chunk of money, not having to bring in fill - we won’t have all the trucking costs, etc.
(we are now heading in the direction of the far east end of the property…my first look at that edge…)
A lot of the land out this way we won’t even disturb, most of this is for the future phases of the property.
…Hey! It looks like Pastor Randy has been hitting golf balls out here…
(I get out of the truck to get the ‘evidence’)
*When do you think we are going to get the big machines and all the heavy equipment out here?
TW: I’ll guess that it is going to be within the next 30 days. We are in the process of obtaining the last few permits that we need, and as you can see, Stan is starting to tear down the last of the Australian Pines. What we will do when that is done is to put up our silt fence, then get that inspected. The environmental fence goes up around so that we don’t move any dirt outside our property line. Then, like I said, we will scalp the property where the building pads are. We’ll also be putting in some underground storm structures, the drainage parts of it so that in anticipation of the rainy season, we will still have access to the site and can continue to work.
*What were you thinking when you were first approached with this project?
TW: It’s a great opportunity for me to grow with another community.…You know, it’s kind of like you can build commercial buildings all day long and yes, the owners of the business appreciate and like to see their new product, they like to get into their new building and are thankful for what you do, but I tell you what, there is nothing more rewarding than working on a project like this and we get to those first services where we’re gathered together and everybody’s done their part, and it is so neat to feel that appreciation and that love…
*You’re coming to our first services?
TW: Oh of course! Absolutely. I wouldn’t miss that for anything.
At Bayside we focus our efforts so strongly on the uncommitted, the undecided, and the unchurched to see them become fully devoted followers of Christ. We know that God’s heart is always thinking about these who are away from Him, and we want to line our hearts up with God’s heart. That is why Living the Dream is such an important project for us, because we believe this community is just waiting to meet with God. As you watch this video think about those who aren’t here yet.
We are very excited about this new year and the new series we’re in, Living the Dream Unveiled. But what we are really excited about is unveiling some really cool things leading up to our Groundbreaking service on Jan. 20th, you are not going to want to miss that. I can’t really tell you what to expect week to week, cause it’s a surprise, but all I can say is that it is so cool. I want to encourage you if you haven’t been to see the property yet you gotta go check it out! There’s some stuff happening!
As many of you know, God is doing amazing things with Living the Dream. All of you have been so instrumental in its success and I thank you. We couldn’t do it with out you! Thus far, Bayside has given $2.5 million towards Living the Dream. With God’s continued favor, the construction process will begin as soon as our county permitting is completed. God’s hand is definitely on this project! Thank you for all you have given towards Living the Dream. I pray that God will bless you and do immeasurably more than all you ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us. Living the dream with you,Pastor Randy
No matter which way you look at it, God is giving Bayside overgenerous preferential treatment with Living The Dream. We are seeing processes that should take at least one week happen in one hour. We have, also, witnessed several County Staff Members grasp hold of the heart behind Living The Dream. After seeing Bayside’s vision, they are doing everything possible to help Bayside’s application processes go smoothly and quickly. It truly is overwhelming to see how perfectly God orchestrates things when you are in the business of people and not buildings. You know, that is what Living the Dream is all about. It is about people. Our heart is to have a place where there is room for everyone to experience the life-giving presence of our incredible God. Where families can come together and memories can be made. Oh, how sweet it will be!
Living the dream with you,Pastor Randy