DownshoreDrift

Well, I'm a bit behind in getting my message notes up for the past two weeks, they should be up by tomorrow.

Things have been really busy lately as I've been getting to meet with a lot of folks and and have seen God move mightily in people's lives.  The biggest problem that we have, at times, is the we lose faith in the Lord and we look to our circumstances more than Him. We need each other so that we will continue to remind each other that all things hold together in Christ (Col.1:17). If my life is falling apart, that means that I am not living in Christ, because in Him, all things hold together. That has become a really good test for me as I go through my day. Am I living my life in Christ (The life I live in the body I live by faith in the Son of God - Gal. 2:20), or am I living in my own strength according to my own thoughts?  If I am falling apart and life is overwhelming me, then perhaps I need to repent of trusting in myself and my own resources to control my life, instead of trusting in Christ, because in Him, all things hold together.  We often do not counsel someone who is really struggling with stress or depression to repent, but repentance just means that we turn from what we have placed our hope in to Christ. He is our hope. He is our strength. He is our life (When Christ, who is your life appears, then you will also appear with Him in glory - Col. 3:1-4).

Anyway, those are some things that I am thinking about right now. Pray for us as we have the big community wide Easter Egg hunt this coming weekend. We had over a hundred folks from the neighborhoods around our church come out last year, and it was a great time to interact with those God sent our way. I pray that this year we have the same experience!

YYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For the first time since 1986, the Tigers advance to the FINAL FOUR!!!  I can't tell you how nervous I was. I kept screaming at the T.V., in between CBS' maddening barrage of commercials (If I see one more CSI adverstisement  . . . ), for LSU to STOP shooting 3's from the outside.  Send it down low to Big Baby and Tyrus Thomas.  Well, they did enough, and just like at the end of the Duke game the youngsters from Baton Rouge took over. Awesome!  This will be a fun week of anticipation - I love the NCAA tournament!

It was also great for my two year old son to keep yelling, "Go Tigguhs!" with me!

LSU plays Texas at 3:40 on CBS. I hate to say it, but I am kind of spending my day looking at the clock. The winner goes to the Final Four! This is the first time my Tigers have made it this far since I was a 13 year old kid in 1987 - so needless to say, I'm enjoying it. I went to college at Mississippi State (because it was in state and I grew up in South Mississippi) and I remember how awesome it was my senior year when State went to the Final Four. That was incredible. I still pull for State, it being my alma mater and all, but I've been an LSU fan since I was 6 years old (being from New Orleans and my Dad being a huge Tigers fan).  When LSU would play Miss. State, I would always be conflicted, but pull for LSU anyway - it was just unnatural to pull against the Tigers. So, I cheer for State every game they play except against LSU.

So, enough digression explaining my college allegiances. I'm really excited about today and I can't wait for the game. This means a lot to folks from Louisiana, and it is incredible that 4 of the top players for LSU are from Baton Rouge, with another two from within 50 miles away.  It's been said that they play so well together, even though they are so young, because they have been playing together in summer leagues and high school teams for years. They are unselfish and know each other so well. They play as a TEAM.  It just shows the power of community, believing in one another, and putting others first.  I always get excited when I see Biblical truth played out in other arenas of life having incredible results.  What an example for us in our daily lives.  Anyway, Geaux Tigers!!! 

Well, I'm going to weigh in with what I think about what is going on. If you have been following the International Mission Board meetings this week through the blogosphere, you know already the the Board of Trustees passed motions that reinstated Wade Burleson as a trustee and also changed their trustee handbook to no longer allow for public dissent after a policy or action has been adopted. I have waited to write about this so that all of the facts would be on the table and we would know more about what was really going on.

To catch you up, in November, the Board of Trustees approved two new policies involving missionary candidates (they cannot have a private prayer language and they must have been baptized in a Southern Baptist church or one that has the exact same theology regarding security of the believer).  You can follow links that give you source material HERE.  Wade Burleson, a trustee and pastor from Oklahoma came out against the policies and the board voted to dismiss him.  There was a large outcry against this and the board reversed their position, as I previously noted. However, they also decided to handle the situation by silencing dissent in the future. This is VERY troubling, and any Christian organization, should allow for principled dissent. Truth is not a majority opinion. It is based on God's Word. Truth is not truth just because more people say so. We have drifted into the politics of persuasion and power, which proves the postmodernist claim that all of truth is relative since it is all about power plays and word games anyway. But, I digress.

<----- (Random Megachurch) In an age of megachurches, church growth, everyone's identity being based on how large your church is, numbers comparison, and publicity for any and every reason, it is great to see a church that has a different focus.

Steve McCoy has a post concerning Redeemer Presbyterian Church in NYC that I mentioned the other day.   The post is about Redeemer's publicity policies focus on NOT drawing attention to their ministry through the media.  Here are a few policies that are of particular interest:

As a result of a series of unpleasant experiences, Redeemer Presbyterian Church has forged the following media policy:

We do not provide interviews or participate in stories; we do not desire publicity that will raise our profile. This policy exists for these reasons:

1. Anything that raises Redeemer's profile pulls Christians out of their own churches to visit or join us. This is a bad neighbor policy; the City needs many different churches, not one big mega-church, something we are going to great pains to avoid becoming.

2. If Redeemer becomes a “Christian tourist destination," our limited seating will be filled with those who already believe in Jesus, leaving no room for genuine seekers. We are already turning people away at one service, and seating is tight at others. Therefore, we do not want any publicity that would fill our seats with curious believers.

3. Redeemer would prefer that seekers come as the result of relationship (i.e., they are accompanying a friend who is then available to discuss things with them following the service.) To come into a church like Redeemer is not an easy thing, and although publicity might result in a few non-believer walk-ins, we would prefer there to be none at all.

In an time when churches are hoping, praying, and selling their soul to attract visitors from ANYWHERE, including other churches, it is incredible to see a church that is actually trying to not gain publicity to attract other Christians.  I really admire this.  Admittedly, Redeemer has become a huge church that has several thousand attenders, but I think that it is great the way that they are trying to stay on task: reaching people for Christ.  Item #4 on this list has to do with staying away from political issues as well, so I think that they are trying to keep the main thing the main thing and not get sidetracked or stereotyped according to certain hot button issues.  May we be at peace enough with ourselves and God's purpose for us to not look for publicity or man's praise, but find our worth from God alone. If we are faithful and He gives us a large ministry or small, we should feel the same and worship Him alone.  Maybe this was not the point of the article, but it is what it made me think of.

We arrived in Florida yesterday to spend a couple of days resting during Spring Break. Yes, as a 31 year old with four children, I get to enjoy Spring Break again!  The reason is that my daughter is in 1st grade, and spring break is the only time to get away during the school year. We'll be here the next couple of days and are so grateful for the chance to get away, rest, refocus, and spend some time with the family. God is so good and it is wonderful to reflect on His blessings like this.  We also get to spend time with another family that we love, and celebrate their daughter's 9 year birthday. Happy Birthday, Ashton!!!!

I got to return to the Mississippi Gulf Coast and New Orleans on Friday. I went with a friend of mine who has been working with the Katrina restoration from the beginning. A major reason why we went was to help and introduce our folks in Waveland-Bay St. Louis (Charlie & Martie Elgin) to Kevin Clifton, the pastor of Bay Vista Baptist Church in Biloxi, MS to see if we could partner together.  They are doing incredible things on the coast and are really reaching into the community. Our folks are moving from Shoreline Park Baptist Church to establish another mission to continue the redevelopment work and to bring an evangelistic focus. Our thinking is that if we can develop affinity relationships with others who are doing amazing things, we can pray, share resources, support, and gain spiritual strength from what God is doing all along the coast. I am really excited to see what God is doing through Bay Vista, while I am so grieved as to what is going on on  the Coast. Joe McKeever has a good article on the situation in New Orleans here.

It's that time of year again!  This is possibly the greatest weekend in sports - wall to wall NCAA Tournament basketball from Thursday to Sunday. Even if you don't follow college hoops throughout the year, this weekend is the time when Cinderella comes out to play and all things are possible. It is the only time of the year when the whole nation will be pulling for Southern Illinois and Winthrop. Last second shots. Heroics from unknown players from schools you've never heard of. Big programs bowing to the little man. It's the rags-to-riches story played out before your eyes.  This is the best weekend of the tournament, because as the field advances, usually the best team wins. But, this is the time for upsets, which America loves.

My favorite team, LSU - 2006 regular season SEC champs, got robbed by being given a #4 seed, but many are predicting that they will make it to the Final Four, which would be incredible.  They play really well together as a team and have a great inside-outside combination.   In my opinion, when basketball is played well, like it is supposed to be, it is really beautiful. It is all about teamwork, defense, moving without the ball, setting up your best shooter for the open shot by setting picks and passing well. It is about blocking out and fundamentals. And, it is about unselfishness - putting the team before the individual. This is why teams like the Detroit Pistons win in the NBA and why, if LSU plays the way they are capable of, they will go far in the NCAAs.

What makes basketball so great are the same things that make us successful in life and help us fulfill the calling that God has for us. Teamwork. Putting others before yourself. Discipline. Fundamentals. Defense. A sweet pick and roll (o.k., I lost focus). But, the point is that sports teaches us a lot about how we are to live. In real life, we need perseverance. We need to know that we can come back when we are down, that a loss does not mean we are defeated because there is always tomorrow or next year, that we need each other and we cannot do it by ourselves.  For those of us who have ever played sports, these are lessons that have shaped our lives and have reminded us to never give up.  They are the same lessons that we learn in the Bible when Paul says in Romans 12:5 that we "belong to one another" and in verse 10 that we are to be "dev0ted to one another in brotherly love."  They are the same lessons that grace teaches us as Jesus enables us through His redemptive work to step into the real life that God has for us. In His life, we are taught to love others as we love ourselves, to put others before us, to persevere and never lose hope even in the greatest of difficulties- because He is our hope. In a very small way, basketball, when played in it's purest form, points us to that ideal and it resonates in our souls. May we be interpreters of our culture for those longing and show them the real thing - in our lives and in the church.

This a great article on repentance by Tim Keller, the pastor of  Redeemer Presbyterian   in New York City. I placed a link to his articles and resources on my sidebar.  Here is a great quote:

It is important to consider how the gospel affects and transforms the act of repentance.  In 'religion' the purpose of repentance is basically to keep God happy so He will continue to bless you and answer your prayers.  This means that 'religious repentance' is a) selfish, b) self-righteous, and c) bitter all the way to the bottom.  But, in the Gospel the purpose of repentance is to repeatedly tap into the joy of our union with Christ in order to weaken our need to do anything contrary to God's heart.

This is a short (page and a half) paper, but I think you will enjoy it.  Read the rest of the article here.  Thanks Steve McCoy!

Perhaps you might be wondering why I preached three messages on giving. I became so enthralled with the subject as I started studying it a month ago that I realized that there was so much to say. And, it isn't like you can just come at it from one direction and talk about it forever. Over the past three weeks we have looked at three different vital aspects of giving. The first message had to do with the object of our giving - we should give to help those in need (see Isaiah 58).   The second message had to do with the faithfulness of God's character that enables us to trust Him as we give. The third message (today) had to do with the motivation behind our giving:  Grace.

We spent most of our time in 2 Corinthians 8 & 9.  We identified 6 characteristics of  joyful giving in these two chapters. They are:

1. All giving is by Grace (2 Cor. 8:1,6,7; 9:14-15).  The Greek word for "grace" is Charis, which Strong's defines as "divine influence upon the heart and it's reflection in the life."  I really like that. We receive God's grace as a divine influence upon our heart that is then reflected in our life.   The experience of this grace helps us to be generous with our lives, even if we are going through severe trial or extreme poverty. Grace is so powerful, that in 2 Cor. 8:2, when you mix those two cirucumstances with overflowing joy, you get rich generosity!

Since I wrote about some bad news for the Gulf Coast, I thought I would follow it up with some good news.  And, with all the controversy in the SBC, this reminds us what we are to really be about. Franklin and Billy Graham were doing a crusade in New Orleans this weekend. Here are some comments that they made at a pastors meeting on Thursday (thanks Joe McKeever! and Baptist Press article):

Franklin Graham said, "This is an historic occasion. I never dreamed that Daddy and Uncle Bev and Uncle Cliff would be able to be here for this 'celebration of hope.'

"Soon after Katrina, I was down here talking with community leaders and pastors. A mayor of a suburban community said to me, 'I have not seen a FEMA worker. They may be here, but I haven't seen them. I haven't seen a Red Cross worker. They may be here, but I've not seen them. But I have seen church vans from Iowa and church buses from Michigan. It's the churches that have saved our community."

"A Marine who is now working with FEMA told me, 'The faith-based groups have something the other volunteer groups do not have. They meet needs no one else is touching--deep spiritual needs. When you lose your home and everything you own, the first thing that needs healing is your spirit."

"We have come to support the church in New Orleans. This is not about us; you get the credit when we leave. You will stay here. 'We are your servants for Christ's sake.'"

"When we were first invited to come for this event, I felt inadequate. I didn't want it to look like we were grandstanding. But your pastors convinced us we needed to come preach Jesus."

"Saturday night (at the Arena), you'll have to put up with me. Daddy will preach Sunday. We intend to give people the opportunity to get up out of their seats and come to Jesus Christ, our only hope."

"David asked me to introduce Daddy. I'm not quite sure how to do that. People ask me 'What it's like being the son of Billy Graham?' I don't know. I've never had another father. But he's a wonderful man. He's the same person at home as he is on television or in a stadium somewhere. Daddy, welcome!"

The congregation rose as one to welcome this hero who is ignoring his pain and his infirmity to be here during our time of great need.

Billy Graham slowly made his way to the pulpit with his walker. He put it off to the side and stood at the pulpit, hunched somewhat, obviously weak. But he's still Billy Graham.

"I'm hard of hearing and don't know what Franklin said. (laughter) I want to tell you I'm devastated by what I've felt and seen. I haven't called my wife about this yet because I'm not emotionally capable of telling her what it's like."

"I've been so impressed by the pastors of all backgrounds working together. Thank you for the privilege of being here."

"This is the first time I've had a tie on since the New York Crusade in June. I couldn't tie it. I have other problems, too. Something Bev Shea is too young to understand." (laughter)

"At Pelican Stadium, we went for six weeks. Every night. I would preach 50 minutes or an hour and a half.(someone called out a loud, "Amen!") No wonder we had such a hard time filling the stadium!

"Dr. J. D. Grey was the pastor of this church back then. He was a true friend and a real character. Just before coming to New Orleans, we did the crusade in London and we invited him over. He told the British all about New Orleans. They didn't understand him at all." (laughter)

"In the Bible, Job lost his sons and his daughters and all that he had. He didn't complain at first, but worshiped. He believed and trusted and debated. Eventually, God restored and gave him many times over everything he had lost. I believe God is going to do that for you."

"This disaster is a mystery. People always ask 'why?' I don't know. I don't know anyone who does. God did not cause it, but He did allow it. Maybe it was to build a new New Orleans. (chorus of amens) Jesus Christ is no security against storms, but he is the perfect security in the storms."

"I watched your mayoral debate on television the other night, and learned more about New Orleans than I had ever known. There are many political divisions in the city. Many political winds blowing. The only thing I didn't hear in the debate was anything spiritual. And that is the city's greatest need. I pray God will become the mayor of this city!"

"I used to come to the Gulf Coast a lot. We took vacations on the beach. We flew into New Orleans and drove to the beach. I've been up and down the bayous and seen the alligators and snakes. Now they've come to the city!"

"God has raised up Christian leadership in this city. I believe we're going to see God at work."

Amen and Yes Sir. That really reminds me what all of this is supposed to be about. Let's never forget the Gospel, which is the power of God for the salvation of all who believe - that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners.  I praise God for Billy Graham and how he reminds us to keep our focus on Jesus and the cross. That is the hope for New Orleans, and it is the hope for me and you as well!

For those of you who know me, you know that I have been pretty vocal about the situation in New Orleans and the MS Gulf Coast. Being from down there, I admit that I have been an advocate of the people, and at times have been critical of the Federal government and the Bush Administration's handling of the response and recovery. It's not because I have a political ax to grind, because I am really conservative politically. It's just that I think that things could have been done WAY better.

Here's a case in point. In Hope, Arkansas, right now, there are 11,000 mobile homes that were bought by FEMA at a cost between 350 and 800 million dollars. No one knows the exact price. They cannot be sent to the Gulf Coast, because Federal law states that they cannot be placed in a flood plain!  Apparently, no one checked the law before they spent upwards of a BILLION dollars (I can hear Dr. Evil now) on mobile homes that no one can use. Meanwhile, thousands upon thousands of people cannot return to the area, because there is nowhere to live. People are still living in tents down there, as our folks in Waveland-Bay St. Louis, MS will tell you (Charlie and Martie Elgin). Yet, 11,000 mobile homes sit in Arkansas.  Read the article here.

One interesting thing to note:  The Federal Government has been slow to give money to the state and local officials of Louisiana and Mississippi because there is concern about waste and mismanagement.  Can you imagine the national outcry if Louisiana or Mississippi misappropriated a half BILLION (again, Dr. Evil) dollars?  We'd never hear the end of it. Yet, this gets barely noticed. Oh well.  All the folks living in tents can feel better because the weather is at least getting warmer!

Ben Cole, pastor of Parkview Baptist Church in Arlington, TX wrote a response to the position papers of the International Mission Board's Board of Trustees on the issues of private prayer language and baptism.  This response is devastating and it completely dismantles the argumentation of the trustees, in my opinion.  Admittedly, I am not crazy about his sarcastic tone as he addresses the issues, but it is obvious that he is passionate. When I am fired up about something, I come across REALLY STRONG in my writing, so I will give him some grace on that. Read it for the content and for the argumentation. Compare it to Dr. Hatley's views in his papers and decide for yourself. Here is the link to Rev. Cole's argument.  Also, read the comments if you can.

I am expressing my opinions guardedly on these issues on this blog. If you know me at all, you'll know where I stand - I am against these new policies. But, this is still the time for the making up of minds, so my main concern is to get the information out to establish a record. I am going to the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting in Greensboro, NC in June. Sometime before that, I will present a position paper on these issues to our church for discussion so that you can know the issues before the event. In that paper, I hope to present both sides fairly, although I will be honest about where I stand. I have no desire to withhold information that tilts the argument in my favor. Let truth be truth. We will have discussion and an opportunity for questions and answers.

I am holding off on documenting a firm position until all the information that is going to come out has come out so that I do not spend a lot of time reacting to rumors and presumption.  These previous few posts were meant to introduce you, the good reader, to the events surrounding these new policies.  Sometime soon, I'll post what I feel the result is of these policies will be and how they affect our involvement in missions, but for now, on this blog, let's return to the task at hand - where and how is God working in our lives?

Wade Burleson has a stirring post on The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse today.  Do you live and minister by grace or by fear and control? Have you ever been under someone who was more interested in getting their own way and asserting their "vision" than in truly helping others be all that God wanted them to be? The Bible calls for Servant Leadership - Luke 22:24-30, but often our lives and ministry exactly mirrors the rest of the world.

When we are truly serving one another instead of Lording it over others to get our way or push our agenda, we see things WAY differently.  As a pastor, I have had to step back many times and ask myself the question, "Am I taking this action because I really believe that this is best for this person and for their growth, or am I working in a way that benefits me and advances my agenda?"  If I ever do the latter, I am forsaking my call of being a shepherd. A shepherd lays down his life for the sheep, he does not use the sheep for his own enhancement and benefit. May God deal with me ever so strongly if I begin to do that and may my church hold me accountable.

In reality, we are all fallible in this and it is so imporant to stay focused on Christ and remember that He is the head of the Church and that He is in control and our Source of life. We start grasping when we think that it is all up to us to get our needs met and to gain significance. This attitude destroys our relationships, our marriages, and our ministries. May God protect us and keep us dependent on Him.

Well, the IMB (International Mission Board) has finally given their position on the two policies concerning private prayer language and baptism that I mentioned in my previous post. You can check them out by starting at sbcoutpost.blogspot.com and following the links to the position papers.   Another EXCELLENT critique with some pertinent links can be found at Wade Burleson's blog.

You can read it for yourself, and this is probably of more interest to theologians and pastor types, but let me just express my opinion: the positions espoused from the IMB's Board of Trustees espouse a strict cessationist (all of the miraculous gifts of the Spirit have ceased) and a landmarkist theology. This is VERY dangerous and is a really bad interpretation of Scripture. I am very concerned for the Southern Baptist Convention and feel that we have severely gotten off track. Read the papers and let me know what you think. I really am interested!

WARNING: This post contains insider Christian/Religious/Denominational stuff that might be harmful to your health, and or spiritual well being. Proceed at your own risk. I take no responsibility for heart burn or any other gastrointestinal maladies that might accompany the reading of this post.

I have in the past tried to stay out of denominational issues because it is a never ending sink hole of time and energy. But, there is something brewing within my denomination (the Southern Baptist Convention - SBC) that I have been watching carefully over the past few months. I don't want to go into all the details here, but it is basically over the International Mission Board's  (IMB) Board of Trustees (the IMB is the missionary agency for the SBC) deciding to adopt two new policies as it relates to missionary candidates. They are:

1. No candidate can have, or ever have participated in a private prayer language,  &

2. Each candidate must have been baptized in a Southern Baptist church by a qualified administrator (i.e. an ordained minister), or must have been baptized in a church from another denomination with basically the exact same theology as Southern Baptists.

Now, I know that you might be thinking, why is this a big deal?  Who cares what policies some board of trustees adopts? Well, as a Southern Baptists, our whole purpose in being together is for the sake of missions. We work together, pool our money in the Cooperative Program, and give to missions offerings because we believe that we can do more together than we can working separately. These two policies, however, go beyond our confession of faith (the Baptist Faith & Message) and seek to narrow the definition of cooperation. In my opinion, they seek to add to Scripture and develop policies that are not consistent with the Bible's teachings on these subjects. In short, I believe that they are unbiblical.  The difficulty is, if you are a missional Southern Baptist Church, as we are, we now have limited ability to work with our own missions organization because of narrow rules that they have defined.

In our church, probably 60% of our folks DO NOT come from a Southern Baptist background. We have folks from Reformed traditions to Charismatic traditions. We have Methodists and even folks who have no church background!:)  For those who never experienced believer's baptism or where baptized as an infant or through sprinkling, we have asked them to be rebaptized in a Biblical manner. But, for those who were Baptized Biblically in the Assembly of God or some other denomination whose theology is not exactly like ours, but who has a correct view of baptism, we would receive them.

We also have quite a few folks with Charismatic backgrounds. This has never been an issue in our church because we consistently hold up the cross of Jesus Christ as our rallying point. As long as we look to Jesus, we will get along, and we have, beautifully.

There are quite a few people who are talking about this. An IMB trustee named Wade Burleson spoke out against the new policies and has been blogging here about it for the past several months.   Unfortunately, the IMB Board of Trustees was so upset with his opposition, that they voted to have him removed as a trustee!  Bloggers from all over began to protest vehemently, led by Georgia pastor Marty Duren.  Marty has a great synopsis of the controversy, if you are interested.   Other SBC pastors and leaders that are blogging/discussing this are Kevin Bussey and Art Rogers.  Look around their blogs some and you'll find the information.

There have also been articles in Christianity Today and in the Baptist Press.  So, this is fairly interesting and could be of vital importance to our churches as we seek to continue to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth. 

I would submit to each of you that what the Bible teaches DOES matter. It is more imporant that we follow God's Word and really seek to understand what He is saying, than just be carried along by every motion from every group that claims to have authority. What do you think?

The past two weeks,  we have talked about God's Kingdom being expressed and advanced through our generosity and the freedom that God has given us to give. There are some major themes that need to be understood when it comes to giving:

1. We give of our time, resources, energy, and our lives, because God is a giving God. John 3:16 says that "For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life." Our lives are to reflect His life and His character. It has been said, you cannot outgive God. Whatever you give, He will give more because He will not share His glory or be in debt to any man. Luke 6:38 says, "Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."

2. We are free to give because God is trustworthy. Matthew 25:14-30, the Parable of the Talents, tells the story of three men who were given resources by their Master. The Master went away and the first two men took what the Master had given them and doubled it. They said, "Master, you entrusted us with this amount and we have earned more."  They were called FAITHFUL.  Note, that they said to the Master, "you entrusted" us. To be entrusted with something denotes a trust relationship. The third servant said that he knew that his Master was a hard man and that he harvested where he has not sown seed. He was afraid of losing his money, so he buried it. How often, in our own fear of what will happen, we bury the blessings that God has given us. This man was called wicked and was thrown out where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. If we have a relationship with God and trust Him, we will have the confidence to give, knowing that He supplies us with all that we need (Phil. 4:19).

3.  We are blessed to be a blessing (Gen. 12:2). God blesses us because He loves us and He blesses us so that we can be a blessing to others. He desires that we be a conduit of His grace, power, and supernatural provision - Matt. 10:8 - "Freely you have received, freely give." How many Christians receive incredible blessings from God, just to hoard it themselves and spend all that they have on their own pleasures!  How many Chrisitians receive salvation, life, and provision, only to spend their life thinking of themselves and taking care of themselves!  You are blessed to be a blessing!  Take what you have and bless others!

4. We are to give to those in need.  Isaiah 58 illustrates this well. We are to give to the poor, fight  for justice for the oppressed, feed the hungry, and take care of those in distress.  This is God's heart and when we follow Him in this, He will take care of us. Our light will break forth like the dawn and our healing will quickly appear. We will be called Repairers of the Breach and Restorer of Streets with Dwellings. God takes care of the poor and so should we. They should always be a primary object of our giving.

5. We are to give to advance the Gospel. Philippians 4:15-19 is an example of Paul thanking the church at Philippi for their gifts in helping him in his life and ministry. As he shared the Gospel and they supported him, they formed a partnership to help advance the Kingdom of God into darkness. May we be faithful to always support those who are sharing Christ with a lost world.

6.  We are to give to support the work of the church. Romans 12:5,10, & 13 says that we belong to one another, we are to devoted to one another in brotherly love, and that we are to share with those in need. Acts 2:45 shows the early church selling their possessions and goods and giving to anyone who was in need. If we all belong to a body, and if we all have a say in the ministry of that local body and in developing the budget as we do at our church, then we should all committ to support the work of that church financially, and with time, prayer, resources, and energy. Together we can do far more than if we stay isolated.

As a church we have decided to cut our budget by 25% from last year to this year. We have cut back to bare bones and have eliminated every bit of fluff. We are asking each person to pray about giving sacrificially to the church so that we can have an overage above and beyond our needs for the following reasons:

1. To pay off our mortgage. We have had a building debt for 17 years and it is about time we bought our old trailers outright!  I'm not much into spending a bunch of money on buildings, but it would be great to actually pay for the ones we have. So, we are committed to 70% of our overage to go towards paying off the debt.

2. For benevolence. We want to pursue the needy, not just wait for them to come to us. We are going to take 15% of our overage and find people to bless and give to.

3. For our church ministries. We want to take 15% of the overage and actually FUND our ministries that year after year have little money because we rarely have had cash flow. What can we do in outreach or children's ministry that would push us outside of our comfort zones if we could fund it a bit?

The really cool thing about this is, that at the end of March, we are going to apportion all of this money. And, we have already had about $55,000 given to world missions in January and February alone!  So far this year, we have given the same amount to missions as we have to our church ministries.  I am praying that at the end of this quarter, we are able to make a HUGE dent in our mortgage and minister to and help a lot of people. We continue with our work on the Gulf Coast and our desire is to GO TO our community with the saving grace of Jesus Christ instead of expecting them to come to us. May God bless us as we continue to give out of our weaknesses to share the generosity of Christ with a needy world.

With the emergence of the video
from the Associated Press concerning Bush's warning before Katrina I wanted to share this interview from Brian Williams of NBC with former FEMA head, Michael Brown. You could say that this is coming from a disgruntled former employee who got the ax for administrative bungling and lack of leadership, but I think that it is more than that. The days following Katrina were some of the worst in our country in the past 30 years. Although I voted for Bush twice and am a life-long Republican, I am terribly disappointed with the Federal response to the disaster and do not have a lot of patience with the "blame the local politicians for everything" attitude that conservatives have used. If this had happened under Clinton, Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity would have been screaming to high heaven as this being another example of liberal imcompetence. I am really interested in right being right and wrong being wrong, despite your political party. Let's admit mistakes and work together to fix them. But, let's not blame everyone else and then make false promises to rebuild and then move on. Read the interview for yourself and draw your own conclusions:

Michael Brown: I was ‘left on the battlefield’
Ex-FEMA head says he either fell or was pushed on his sword after Katrina

• Michael Brown: Fall guy?
Feb. 27: Former FEMA director Michael Brown talks to NBC's Brian Williams about losing his job in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

NBC News
Updated: 7:52 p.m. ET Feb. 27, 2006
Former FEMA director Michael Brown sat down with Brian Williams on Feb. 24 for his first network television interview since resigning in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. "NBC Nightly News" aired a brief portion of the interview on that day. You can read it by clicking here. The broadcast will feature more from the exclusive interview on Tues., Feb. 28.

Brian Williams: When did you realize that there was a complete disconnect between what you were saying and the situation on the ground?

Michael Brown: On Tuesday, August 30th, sometime in the morning, there was a secure conference call, and the president takes control of that call and pretty much shuts everybody up and says, "I need to hear from Brown right now what's going on." And I remember my first words to him were, "Mr. President, my estimate is that 90 percent — 90 percent — of the population of New Orleans has now been displaced." And there was just that split second of silence. And [then], "90 percent?" "Yes sir, I believe it is that bad. That's how bad it is." I really thought that would get just the whole mechanism of the federal government to come charging in. There are e-mail traffics of my conversations about my fear about this being the "Big One." Everyone should've known what we were facing.

Williams: Why aren't you shouting from the mountaintops?

Brown: I did. And I want to show you an e-mail where I am screaming at my staff in this e-mail: "Where is the Army?" I've talked to them about the Army; I want the Army now. "Where the hell are they? Why haven't they shown up yet?"

Williams: Millions of Americans kept asking, "Are they not watching the same pictures we're watching?"

Brown: One of the mistakes that I've owned up to was this whole mentality that exists in Washington, D.C. — that you get your talking points. And, by God, you stick to your talking points. And what I should have done was gone to the American people — instead of putting my arm around Governor Blanco and talking about how wonderfully things are working — we should have told them: "This is a disaster of the magnitude that this country has never seen. We are struggling. We're gonna do everything we can to help make this thing better. We're gonna call in all the resources. We need your patience and understanding" — and paint them a realistic picture. You see, I believe that people in D.C. don't believe that the American people can handle the truth.

Williams: You are, like it or not, part of the American lexicon because of a phrase uttered by the president of the United States. Take me back to that day — that moment — he's standing next to you, you heard him say it. Did you still think you could win this?

Brown: I did. I really thought I could still win it, because all I needed was for DOD to come in and help me with logistics — establish a new supply chain for materials. And I knew that we could do that, because that's what FEMA does. And when the president turned, he said, "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job." I really thought to myself he's being typically presidential; that's what he tends to do. But I also thought that it was going to irritate some people.

Williams: Why?

Brown: Because, suddenly, I was part of the inner circle. Do you know how many people in the country — how many people in the world — call me "Brownie?" One.

Williams: Why was yours the only head to roll after Katrina?

Brown: Part of being a presidential appointee is that you have to be willing to fall on the sword for the president of the United States. And, clearly, I either fell on the sword or was pushed on the sword. I'll leave that for others to make that judgment. And so, I think that I was made a scapegoat, in that regard. Most always, though, really, they never leave their wounded or their dead on the battlefield. And, in this case, I'm willing to take the fall for the president, but I wish I hadn't been left on the battlefield.

Brian Williams: People down in the Gulf Region feel that a lot of you have blood on your hands. People were left in that Superdome for a week. It was an awful situation. Who bears the responsibility for this?

Michael Brown: Well, I think that we all do.

Williams: Where is the aid? It's the question people are asking us today on camera.

Brown: Brian, it's an absolutely fair question - and I gotta tell you from the bottom of my heart how sad I feel for those people the federal government just learned about those people today.

Williams: I couldn't believe my ears, when you answered me that this was the first that you were hearing of it. Why weren't you people watching the television coverage that was on around the clock of the biggest natural disaster in American history?

Brown: We were. And we knew about it. And I had literally been up for about 24 hours. But, when I said to you-- "Yes, we just learned about it"-- what I meant was I had just learned about it 24 hours ago. It was still the same day to me. They didn't see that, at the same time that we were seeing bodies in the water, there were many men of the urban search and rescue teams, members of the United States army, and members of the United States Coast Guard rescuing people.

Williams: Were you truly qualified to run FEMA?

Brown: Yes.

Williams: Why?

Brown: From the time that I served on the transition team, up until Hurricane Katrina, I successfully handled over 160 presidential-declared disasters.

Williams: How did your years as the head of an Arabian Horse Association prepare you to deal with 80 percent of the city of New Orleans underwater?

Brown: Because that whole tenure period I acted, in essence, as an attorney. It was not running horse shows. It was not judging horses. I was, in essence, the counsel that did the investigations and the prosecution of wrongdoing. Making sure that systems worked.

Williams: If I were Michael Chertoff sitting here across from you, what would you say to me, honestly?

Brown: I'm exceptionally angry. I think you made a horrible mistake by telling me that I had to stay in Baton Rouge. That showed a little bit of naivete about how disasters need to be run and operated and managed. And I hope now that you will go back and reread the memos, the plans, the ideas that I set forth about how we can make this system work for the American people and that you'll implement those. And if you don't and you're not willing to do that then perhaps you need to move on too.

Williams: It's unbelievable. It's hard to believe that six months ago that was us.

Brown: How do you think-- how do you think I felt Brian? How do you think I felt sitting there, one leg strapped to a chair in Baton Rouge not able to get out and crack the whip, and-- and scream and holler.

Williams: But do you pick up the phone and say, "Get me some airlift pallets of food and water to these people"?

Brown: Yeah. You do. And I think if you interviewed my staff you they would tell you about my screaming phone calls.

If we don't learn from this, and go back to the things that I was saying over the past three or four years about doing serious catastrophic disaster planning, and making certain that the emergency management system in this country works, then those people will have suffered in vain.

I will have been scapegoated for nothing. If we don't learn from this, then shame on us.

© 2006 MSNBC Interactive

We started with the passage from Acts 2:42-3:26. This passage talks about the power of God  forming a community of faith, and then how the Apostles (Peter and John) healed the crippled beggar at the Gate Beautiful.  This is a powerful picture of what God is able to do and what He wants to do through our lives. Matthew 6:10 is the passage that we have been working from which teaches us to pray, "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth as it is in Heaven." When we consider God's power and we consider His will, and His desire is that we are to pray that what His will is in Heaven would be shown on earth, well, that pretty much radically changes our view of life on this planet, doesn't it? We are no longer left to our own resources and to the limitations of the earthly realm. Change is possible. Hope is available. God can do all things and He wants to do all things in our lives. We can experience His power. Here are a few passages that detail this: Matt. 10:7,8; Luke 7:18-23; Luke 10:8-11; Matt. 12:22-28.

God wants to work in our lives, and He has hope for us. He can and will do miracles. He can change us, and He can also give us the strength that we need to persevere and make it through incredible trials. Do you trust God's power in your life? Do you believe that He still does miracles and that He still can carry you through? Have you placed you hope in God, or because of trouble and trial, have you lost your hope? Think through these questions and compare them to the God of the Bible.