DownshoreDrift

Does anyone else feel a sinking sense of dred about what is going on in the Middle East? Over 50 civilians are dead in the Lebanese village of Qana after Israeli missiles hit the area that Hezbollah was using as a human shield. The masses proceeded to go nuts, understandably. Interestingly, the part of the blogosphere that I inhabit (mainly baptist blogs) is strangely quiet about the goings on over there and I wonder if we are even noticing (except for Marty Duren who posted about friends of his who were caught in the crossfire in Lebanon).  I know it is all over the news, but the only conversations I have with anyone are the ones I bring up. Is it just too far away? Do we not care? Are we just tired and overwhelmed with information?

We had a prayer meeting tonight at church, and I brought the whole situation up and said we NEED to be praying. We did and we really sensed God's presence. Personally, I do not think that we will ever have peace in the Middle East.  I was in Jerusalem last year, and I visibly saw the hatred between Palestinians and Jews. It is a bridge too far. We are deluding ourselves to think that we are going to fix everything over there, in my opinion. Radical Islam is not as radical as we think (in the sense of being out of the mainstream of Islamic thought) and it has a very strong hold over the masses, at least in their sympathies. Hatred is growing against the U.S. government for our actions over there, not for the freedoms we possess, as our president has told us. I personally believe that we should take the war to the terrorists and deal with them very harshly, but the reality is, for every action we or Israel take, the hatred towards the U.S. grows.

The Washington Post ran an article entitled U.S. Risks Backlash in Mideast. Some excerpts:

The Israeli bombs that slammed into the Lebanese village of Qana yesterday did more than kill three dozen children and a score of adults. They struck at the core of U.S. foreign policy in the region and illustrated in heart-breaking images the enormous risks for Washington in the current Middle East crisis.

With each new scene of carnage in southern Lebanon, outrage in the Arab world and Europe has intensified against Israel and its prime sponsor, raising the prospect of a backlash resulting in a new Middle East quagmire for the United States, according to regional specialists, diplomats and former U.S. officials.

John Piper has an interesting perspective on Israel, Palestine, and the Middle East from 2004 that is worth reading for all who are trying to get a handle on the on going crisis from a Biblical perspective. I went to the Middle East last summer for a couple of weeks and ended up in Jerusalem for a couple of days at the end of the trip. In preparation, I studied quite a bit on the theological, historical, and social issues behind the conflict in the region from the Jewish, Palestinian, and Arab sides. I am coming to some conclusions that have strong implications for foreign policy, global missions, and eschatology and am working on a massive post that I will link here but will host at my other site, writings.downshoredrift.com.  Read the Piper article as background material for what is coming. It should be interesting.

Matthew 11:28-29

28"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

What do you do when you get tired? How do you know when you are just worn out? I haven't been blogging that much lately, because, even though I've been in town, I 've been pretty much swamped. And I'm tired. It's been a difficult 4 months since we first learned about Caelan's cancer. We've been back and forth to Birmingham (well, Erika has as of late) for chemotherapy for the last several months, and praise God, he has done so well. Now, we're getting ready for radiation. We found out that there is a good chance that his right side that will receive the radiation will be shrunken compared to his healthy left side. That was hard to hear, but we are praying that God cause bone and muscle to grow miraculously. He has done it before, we'll believe in Him again.  In a week and a half, Erika will be going to Birmingham every day for a month and that is also pretty scary for the overall functioning of our family.  Overall, however, we are doing well and are so blessed and continue to praise God. But, a bone weariness has set in right now and I'm feeling it. Erika is too.  Please pray especially hard for her as she is carrying the brunt of all of this with the trips to Birmingham and the emotional strain. She is an amazing woman and I am so blessed to have her.  Pray also for me that I would be a better husband to her and find ways to take things off of her.  We knew this would be hard, but we are really starting to feel it right now.

So, I've been thinking about the above verse. "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest." Yep. That's me of late. That's us. Weary and burdened. I'm real big on rejoicing in the Lord and turning my cares over to Him, but even when I do that, I still find that stress and weariness are there. It is good to know that Paul went through the same thing in 2 Corinthians 4:7-12:

7But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. 12So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

So, I think the key is not to try and alleviate your weariness or your stress, but freely admit it. Go to Jesus, not just to feel better but just because He is there and He loves you. Find your rest in Him, where you are accepted, loved, and forgiven. I have found that the level of frustration in your life is exactly the same as the difference between your expectations and reality.  When you make peace with the situation and trust God, even in your weakness, He is there to see you through.  In your weaknesses, ask Him to be strong for you. Sometimes the most spiritual thing we can do is admit that we are tired and that we cannot make certain things happen. Admit that everything doesn't depend on us. Admit that we are not in control. Then, hook up with Christ and allow His peace and life to flow through all your broken, tired places. Rest in Him and allow Him to be strong through you.

Well, that's what I'm doing right now. I'm admitting and confessing my deep need for a Savior. I'm admitting that I don't have what it takes, I'm not strong enough, I don't have all the answers, and I don't love the way I should. But, I take heart because I know Someone who has all that I need. I see Him at work all around me and I invite Him in to breathe life into this weary soul. Tomorrow is a new day. May I wake up rejoicing in the Savior who makes me whole.

I've spent a good deal of time over the past week putting together a blog/web based magazine for our church. I keep thinking about how effective blogging has been for me to meet new people, get ideas out there, and to be able to receive feedback, prayer, and encouragement. What if a church created a community where it could take part in that together? What if we put what God was doing in our lives on display and invited others in our church to take part in that? We decided to launch gatewaylife.net and see what happens. It just started yesterday, so we are in the experimental phase, but the folks that have been to it are really excited. As always, it will take people a while to start leaving comments, but already ideas are flowing about putting bible studies up and having them be interactive and sharing testimonies. So, this should be interesting.  By the way, please don't go on there and leave any negative comments. They will be immediately deleted. That site is not the place to criticize people's thoughts or theology. Save it for here. I can take it.

Also, I've been invited (actually volunteered) to be a contributer at Dr. Andrew Jackson's RedBlueChristian.com.  It is an offshoot of his SmartChristian.com and it is meant to look at political issues from both a conservative and liberal Christian viewpoint in the hope that dialogue between the two sides can occur. I am decidedly conservative, but I often find myself at odds with Republicans on many issues. Of course, I am pro-life, against gay marriage, and very conservative on social issues, but I find that to be consistent with what the Bible says means that I am not always in agreement with Republicans. That is as it should be. We should always maintain a prophetic witness and never be beholden to a political party or a nation-state for that matter. Our Kingdom is not of this world. So, I'll be writing on political issues from time to time over there and will provide links from here. Hopefully, I'll present a reasoned, Biblical perspective.

The aforementioned causes me to ask: What would you, the readers of Downshoredrift, like to see discussed from a political perspective? I might not take all your ideas, but some ideas might provide food for thought and get me thinking. I'm working on an article on the crisis in the Middle East right now and how we should be addressing the entire issue. I'm learing a ton and it is fascinating. Other issues?

UPDATE:  I just posted my first article at RedBlueChristian.com. It is called the Fallacy of Trusting in Politics. It is basically an introductory post on how I believe that Christians should seek to maintain a prophetic Biblical witness and not be tied to any one political party because our Kingdom is not of this world. Pretty tame stuff, really. But, it's a start. Check it out.

We've made it through the first four rounds of chemotherapy and are through with the really harsh drug, Cytoxan. Caelan is still doing great!  Here he is this weekend at the pool. The only problem is that the chemotherapy has caused his tongue to swell and become multicolored.  Just kidding!  He really is doing great and has not been sick at all.  We are so blessed and we continue to thank you for praying. God has been so faithful to answer our prayers.

Erika continues to take Caelan to Birmingham each Monday. This past Monday completed our last overnight trip.  We'll have two weeks off and we will start radiation on August 7.  This will be pretty difficult, even just in the travelling.  He has to go every morning, 5 days a week, for 4-6 weeks.  We are praying that the radiation is not too hard on him and that he responds well.  Some people have told me that toward the end of radiation it was like their skin was being burned off.  We have been told that the dosage will be different for a baby and he should do O.K.  I truly hope so.  Please pray for Erika as she will continue to be the one taking him back and forth.  All of our other children will start school, including Peyton (4) and Kieran (3).  They will be in preschool all day during this time as I have to go to work and Erika will be out of town everyday.  Please pray for them (and me!) as we make this huge adjustment in our lives.  After the radiation, the boys will return to their normal schedule with their Mom and some preschool, mostly for fun.

Montgomery, AL   Clear, 99°

Tuesday101° / 74°           Wednesday101° / 74°     Thursday 101° / 74°

"I think I want to stay out of the hot."  That's what my 7 year old daughter, Ashtyn, said when I offered to take her and her brothers to a baseball game last week.  I concur. It is blazing hot. Africa hot. The kind of hot that just zaps your energy and makes you want to stay inside all the time.  Thank God for air condition.   The whole country is sweltering in a massive heat wave.  It should break 100 again today in Alabama.  But, my point here is not to complain.

Could it be that we (humans) are causing this? Could the ideas behind greenhouse gases and global warming be right?  I read an interesting article in the Dallas Morning News about the resolution on the environment that Southern Baptists adopted at the convention in Greensboro, NC last month.   Here's a quote:

The National Academy of Sciences, a private organization chartered by Congress to advise the government, said last month that data show the Earth is the hottest it has been in 2,000 years and that human activities are responsible.

Yet, the same article has this to say:

Daddy, if God and Jesus and a jaguar were to race, God and Jesus would tie and the jaguar would lose.

                                                                        - My son Peyton, 4 years old.

I really can't add anything to that.  He just walked up to me out of the blue and told me that. It's amazing what kids think about, isn't it?

I've never done this before, but I was so encouraged by a comment that a reader left, I just had to make a post out of it. Bryan Riley just recently left his job with Tyson Foods as an attorney.  In his own words from his blog, Charisshalom (grace and peace - I like this guy!), he says this about why he left:

For some time God has been moving in our hearts, trying to gain our attention. For at least that same amount of time we weren't really letting myself have His attention. We had lots of things “to do.” We had one, then two, then three incredible kids. And, even before them, we had our marriage, our jobs, a dog, a house, and friends, and, well, “life.” But over the course of the last several years, God has been reawakening us to the fact that we had to let go of all the things we were claiming for ourselves and find our pleasure solely in Him. (For a great read and explanation of how God fulfills us, see John Piper's book Desiring God.)

Through good, bad, and ugly, God finally said, “enough.” I have better plans for you than any you could make up. So, it is with great fear, hopefully wisdom, I know folly, joy, tears, smiles, and love, that we are writing to you that we are leaping to a new life. I've left my job as an attorney for Tyson Foods, Inc. to prepare our family to serve as missionaries. Call it an early mid-life crisis if you want (i'm 35); I pray it is obedience.

I don’t think it is any accident that this happens in the middle of a year and right at the time we Americans begin celebrating our freedom. For the first time in years we suddenly feel more free than we have in a very long time. God has shown us how to line up our God-given passions with his purpose and plan for our lives.

We will begin training to serve as missionaries with Youth with a Mission (YWAM) on July 8th. Please check them out at http://www.ywam.org/, whether you know anything about them or not. It is a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world--from Albania to Zimbabwe, Australia to the US, and Mexico to Madasgascar. This is our calling and desire and, at this time, we don’t know where all we will be taken, but we are ready to go.

Wow. What an encouragement. We really need to be praying for Bryan and his wife and children. I said that I wanted to make  a post out of his comment on my blog, though. It tells how God has blessed he and his family for his obedience, and was on my "Where Have You Seen God at Work" post of a couple of days ago:

One of the great treasures of Montgomery, AL, where I live, is the Alabama Shakespeare Festival.  It is a playhouse that obviously focuses on Shakespearean plays, but also has many other plays as well. The productions are first rate and are truly amazing. In case you didn't know: The Alabama Shakespeare Festival, located in Montgomery - Alabama's state capital - is the sixth largest Shakespeare festival in the world and attracts more than 300,000 annual visitors from all 50 states and over 60 countries. Pretty cool.

Anyway, last night for my birthday (thanks Laura for the tickets), my wife and I went to see The Man of La Mancha,  which is the Tony Award winning musical that is an adaptation of Miguel Cervantes' story of Don Quixote de la Mancha.  Most people are familiar with the story of Don Quixote, the knight errant, who jousts windmills and lives in a fantasy world of castles, ladies, and the evil Enchanter. With his manservant, Sancho Panza, Don Quixote brings chivalry and color to a drab, practical world.  The duo embark on a quest to defeat the Enchanter, and in the process happen upon a "castle" (it is really a tavern/inn, full of mule drivers and a harlot/kitchen wench named Aldonza).  Aldonza is being groped and propositioned by the vile mule drivers during the dinner she is serving and she, with great hardness of heart, accepts money from one of them for services to be later rendered. 

The beautiful thing about this story is the relationship between Don Quixote, who sees a fantasy world where everyone else sees reality, and Aldonza. When Don Quixote sees Aldonza, he immediately calls her, "My Dulcinea," which means "something akin to an overly elegant sweetness" in the Spanish of the time.  She keeps wondering why he calls her that and she keeps begging him to see her as she "really is."  Despite her vile nature and her occupation as a whore, Don Quixote continues to call her pure, beautiful, and virginal.  Over time, his unwavering love changes her character and in the end, she sees herself as "Dulcinea," instead of as the whore, Aldonza.

Obviously, the biblical imagery was gripping.  We are no longer seen by God as sinful, rebellious people. We are not seen as vile, broken, and utterly depraved.  When we are brought to Christ and are regenerated by His work, we are seen as a new creation, as holy, dearly loved, precious, clean, and righteous. We are given the righteousness of Christ, and we are treated as though we had never sinned. Everything is changed because of the complete work of Jesus Christ on the cross. We love because He loved us first, and He showed His love by sending His Son, Jesus to us as an atoning sacrifice for our sins (1 John 4:10-11).  Jesus calling us by a new name changes everything.  The rest of this world becomes the false system, and the Kingdom view of Christ, though it is invisible, is the ultimate reality.  We spend our lives learning about this new reality, and by faith, we learn to accept and live from our new position as Sons of the Living God.  Just like the evil Dr. Carrasco and the mule drivers in the play, Satan attacks us and tries to get us to forget the Kingdom vision and live according to what is seen and return to our idols, instead of living by faith.  However, God calls us to live our lives as a response to His initiative of grace and to be free in His unending, unconditional love. 

The analogy breaks down in the end, in that Don Quixote is just a man and not the living God. But, he does transform Aldonza into Dulcinea.  In the same way, we are transformed from lowly, broken sinners into the Bride of Christ. I left the play thanking God for the transformation He has and is working in my life. May I live by faith and believe what God says about the love He has for me and may I accept it and live my life as a grateful, worshipful response.  Well, that is how I found grace at The Man of La Mancha.

As I stated in my last post, the reason that I started this blog is to chronicle where I see God working in my life, through normal everyday events, and sometimes even through really huge things. I have noticed that there is quite a bit of controversy always going on in the blogosphere, however. Whenever I write a post on something negative or controversial, I tend to get more comments and hits.  I've seen this on other blogs as well. I'm really starting to think through this and am coming to some conclusions about what I post about.  What if we used our blogs to give praise to God more than to criticize others? What if we used our blogs to talk about the wonderful things that God has done more than to talk about how much we disagree with other people? I'm all for truth and pointing out right and wrong, and I'll do it as much as the next guy. Sometimes, we really should. But, if we are not careful, we can become pretty negative about things. As a discipline, it is really important that we CHOOSE to praise God at all times (Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near Philippians 4:4-5).

So, God is near! Let's be gentle with one another. Let's spend more time praising God than picking things apart or complaining. What do you have to praise God for? Where have you seen God working? Why do you have joy? Let's give God praise!

UPDATE: You know, after rereading my post, I realized that I spent 2/3 of it complaining about the blogosphere and not giving God praise! It is so deceptive. So, I praise God today for my wife and children. I praise Him for His incredible blessings. I turn 32 today, and I thank Him for giving me a good life and for saving me 24 years ago (actually before time began). I praise God for a church that is hungry for the Lord, loves one another, and truly wants to make a difference in the world. I praise God that He is healing my son Caelan of cancer. I praise Him that He is gracious and forgiving and does not keep of record of wrongs (who could stand?).  I thank Him for His care and the beauty I see in the world. I have so many things to praise God for and am glad that I don't have to wait until Thanksgiving Day to do it! 

I really see God working in my church in giving them a heart for the lost and for discipleship. I see people developing a heart for worship. We just had about 20% of our church go on mission trips the last couple of weeks - I see God continuing to give us a heart for the nations. I see God working in our families, our marriages, and giving us a hunger for Him. God is working everywhere!

The Washington Post has a very interesting article on pastors who blog and why they do it (HT: Smart Christian). Hmm. Maybe I should try this. It sounds like it might be worth it . . . Seriously, I found that I resonated very well with the tone of the article. The real reason that I blog is that I want to keep a journal of how I see God working in the world all around me and our response to that. Sometimes I deviate from that a bit to just share observations. But, mostly, I am very intrigued with how I see God working. I think that is a story worth telling. Downshoredrift is when you go to the beach and you keep getting pushed down the shore by the waves, at times, imperceptibly. I believe that God works that way in our lives. Waves come crashing in and we think they are going to take us out, but in reality, they move us further down the shore. God works in our lives through the good things and bad to move us closer to Him and to reveal Himself in our lives. God is trustworthy and He is always at work. I like to write about that and give God praise. He is worthy!  What about you?

With the resolution against alcohol consumption at this year's Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting in Greensboro, NC because of it's harmful effects, should we expect a similar resolution against smoking at next year's annual meeting in San Antonio based on this article?

Tobacco expected to kill 1 billion this century

What do you think?  Wouldn't that be interesting? Tobacco is considered a doorway drug to other things that are even more harmful. Smoking also killed my grandfather, so I would definitely have something to say about that, especially based on the logic that has been used up to this point in response to the alcohol resolution.  Any drafters (no pun intended)?

By the way, you would really have to be following the discussion on the alcohol resolution on the SBC blogs to fully understand the intention of this post. If you haven't followed that discussion, please ignore.

I've written a lot about my 11 month old son, Caelan, who is still doing great, by the way (Praise God!).  I haven't written much about my older kids, though.  They are awesome!  I couldn't imagine life without any of them. Ashtyn (7) is the thoughtful one who asks all the hard questions.  Peyton (4) is the athelete and straight ahead go-getter. Kieran (3) is the jokester and is completely hilarious.  They are all a joy and are unique in their own ways. God has blessed Erika and I so much.  Here's a picture of us at the YMCA water park today. We are having a blast with the water slides, fountains, pools, and water falls. What a great time! It's a little blurry with the water, sun, et al, but you get the idea!

Today is the one year anniversary of the London terror bombings that killed 52 and injured over 700 more. The bombings were sponsored by Al-Quaida and were front page news all over the world. Today, they had a moment of silence at King's Cross Station of the London Underground. During a visit to London, I rode the tube through there only a year before with one of my best friends from college who was both in NYC during 9/11 and London last year during the bombings. I have had the privilege of travelling quite a bit on mission trips and for other reasons over the past couple of years and I actually heard about the bombings standing in a market at the Damascus Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem, while picking up a Jerusalem Post. A Palestinian looking over my shoulder let out an "Oh No," and I knew what he meant. Everytime Al-Quaida enacted a terrorist attack, life became harder for the Palestinians. The tension was high in Jerusalem over the next couple of days as people wondered if there would be other attacks or crackdowns by the Israeli's against the Palestinians. I was staying in a British hotel at David's Gate at the time and had a chance to offer condolences to the British nationals that were both working and staying there. It was an interesting time, to say the least.  I was very concerned about my friend, because he took the tube from King's Cross to work. I later found out he was alright.

During my studies leading up to our trip to Jordan and Jerusalem, I learned a great deal about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the whole situation in the Middle East. We travelled throughout Jordan, spoke with a lot of people, heard their stories, and found out that opinions toward America are definitely mixed. Some hate America and distrust everything we do. Others, are grateful for our participation over there and want the economic opportunities that good relations with the U.S. provide. As I travelled through Europe and India the year before, I found that most people were very interested in America and had strong opinions, most of them good. We are both loved, respected, feared, and hated. It was very interesting to me that in every newspaper, there would be news about America. The whole world watches us and whatever we do has enormous consequences. I don't think I fully understood that.

America is at war with terrorists, and rightfully so, considering 9/11 and further attacks, like the bombings in London. I pray that we stop all terrorism and that we have victory in the War in Iraq. My best friend in the world is over there in the U.S. Army right now.  As Christians, however, how does all of this affect us and other believers? How do you think this has affected the work of American missionaries overseas?  One truth that was brought home to me as I travelled, is that I am a Christian first and an American second. I have more in common with the Jordanian man who converted to Christianity from Islam that I met with in the Palestinian refugee camp, than I do with most Americans. I have more in common with the Christian family that we met in the slum of New Delhi, India than I do with most Americans. This is because we are both children of God through faith in Jesus Christ. I love my country dearly and would gladly spill my own blood for her freedom, but as Christians first, how does that affect how we see the world?  How do we balance our patriotism with our first citizenship in the Kingdom of Heaven? How does being a global Christian affect our view on things? How can we, as Christians, bring peace wherever we go, encourage other believers, and use our incredible privileges as citizens of the most powerful nation on earth to help others?   Here are some possibilities:

• Pray for the persecuted church - check out organizations like Voice of the Martyrs that are advocates for persecuted Christians everywhere and ask God what you can do.
• Pray for our troops, our leaders, and all those affected by terrorist acts.  God is a God of mercy, but He is also a God of justice. Pray that justice be carried out. Even though, we will never have complete safety or security until Christ returns, we work toward that end everyday. Pray, "On earth as it is in Heaven . . ."
• Get to know internationals in your city. I am making a concerted effort to get to know the Indian community where I live. It has been really interesting as I have gotten to know community leaders and am building relationships with them so the gospel can flow freely and I can do my own part to improve international relations.
• Realize that you are part of global Christianity, not just American Christianity. How does that affect your views and your lifestyle? I do believe that God loves and has blessed America incredibly, but He is God over the whole world, not just our national god.
• Pray for the terrorists, that God would bring His peace and salvation to their hearts, and that they would repent and cease making war. They are souls made in God's image that are held captive by the evil one. May we pray for our enemies.  Brother Andrew has a great perspective on this in Light Force: A Stirring Account of the Church Caught in the Middle East Crossfire .
• Engage in the work of global missions in a holistic way. We are called to disciple the NATIONS. What does it mean to disciple a nation? It includes seeing individual conversions, but it also means that we are to bring a Christian worldview to every aspect of life, including social, political, and economic structures.  How can you help influence the nations through your business or your profession? How can you bring biblical values to the policies of your chosen field? The opportunities are endless.

Terrorism will not go away when we eradicate Al-Quaida or when we win in Iraq. It is the last resort for alienated people who want to assert their will through force and fear. The only One who can truly change the hearts of men is Jesus Christ. He is the only One who can bring true peace. Pray for Al-Quaida, that God would send his gospel to them, that they would repent, and be saved and lay down their weapons. I seem to remember another terrorist in the Bible who had a similar experience on the Road to Damascus. May God do it again.

Well, we finally finished up our mission trip to Waveland, MS with Pathfinder Mission. It was an incredible experience. God was so faithful to connect us with people who needed encouragement and who needed to hear the gospel. We threw a big party yesterday for the 4th of July.  It was huge success!  We had well over a hundred people from the community join us and we all sat around and ate BBQ chicken that was given to us piping hot off the grill (thanks Bay Vista Baptist Church!), shrimp, hot dogs, and other sides. Kids came and played basketball and other games at the adjacent park. We heard and told stories, laughed, prayed, and enjoyed God's gift of life. It was really important for Pathfinder to connect with the community this way, and also to provide a sense of place and normalcy for people. They team was great, we all worked together well, and I can truly say that God blessed us enormously.

A really great thing is how we (Pathfinder is a ministry of our church, Gateway Baptist, in partnership with other churches) are truly becoming a part of the community down there. We have an official shrimp boiler now, Mr. Charles. He brought his boiler and also found shrimp for us straight off the boat down by the docks for $2 a pound! What a deal. We connected with him on Saturday and he said that he would love to come and boil shrimp for us anytime. We're going to take him up on it!  He did a great job!

We also now have an official camp photographer!  His name is Lionel and he does really great photography of the area. I spoke to him for sometime. I told him that he was now the official Pathfinder Mission photographer. Whenever we have special events, we're going to call him and have him take pictures. He readily agreed and said he would come by anytime.  He's a really nice man. You can see his photos here: http://pbase.com/nomofilm1.  Especially check out the Katrina before and after pictures here: Katrina Before & After.  I'm going to be posting some of his pictures soon to give a good idea of what truly happened down here.

We reconnected with so many people yesterday that we had visited with during the weekend. It was so wonderful to sit with people for an hour or so on their porch on Saturday, and have them come back to Pathfinder on Tuesday and hang out with us some more. It really showed me their deep need and appreciation for community and relationships.  Just about every person I had a significant conversation with came to the party on Tuesday and just hung out. These are just regular folks. Some of them lived in really big beautiful homes. Others, lived in trailers or small old houses. They're all in the same boat now. Each one is waiting for a group of volunteers to come and help them put their lives back together. It is too big a job for them to do by themselves. Many of them are older, or they have been wiped out.  When people question why they just don't leave, the answer is that they have no where to go. They would be in the same boat anywhere else, without a home and without resources.  Plus, this is home. Unlike much of America, people have real community down here and are tied to the land for generations. It's very difficult to just leave that.

An example, is Scott in the adjacent picture. I talked with him on Sunday for quite some time. He gave his heart to the Lord right after the storm, but is in desperate need of a community of believers to connect with.  We are going to try and provide that for him through Pathfinder. Next to him is Kathleen, one of the permanent volunteer staff at Pathfinder. She is doing incredible work in the community as are all the other staff.  God is working in powerful ways to bring resources to the point of need and to help lift people up. We just need more teams to come.

People are very open and are willing to talk about spiritual things. But, I learned something very important. Often when you go on a mission trip and God does great things, you think that you wish you could stay in that area where people are responsive to the gospel. But, the reality is that people are responsive to the gospel everywhere. You only notice it more because you are praying for the power of the Holy Spirit, are totally dependent on God, and are focused on the singular task of ministering Christ to people through all kinds of ways, even through parties, chicken, and boiled shrimp! God is the one who opens people's hearts. People are no more responsive in Waveland, Montgomery, or China. It is all the work of the Holy Spirit, and until we realize that, start depending on Him, and start acting in faith, we are going to see the same results we have been getting. The gospel must be preached in power. It was in Waveland, MS this week. God drew people to Himself and was glorified. May it be so in our hometowns as well.

Please pray about coming down to Waveland, MS with Pathfinder Mission. We are at the point that we have built up a need meeting ministry, but we desperately need teams to come and minister, share Christ, and try and connect all of these folks with spiritual hunger into a community of faith. If you have a group from your church that would be interested in coming down to share Christ with people that we have met through follow up, I would be so grateful. Our staff at Pathfinder is small and most volunteers who come are focused on the construction end of things. We need some evangelists. The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.  If you want to send a team down, let me know and I'll set the whole thing up for you. What an incredible training time for folks in your church as well! Please pray about it!

We met Red and his wife Melissa today. Red was self described as "bad people." He had tatoos up and down his arms, earrings in his ears, and it was obvious that he and his wife had trouble. We went by to tell them about the 4th of July picnic tomorrow, and like so many other people in the area, we began to hear their story. Thirteen of them had gathered in Melissa's aunt's house, including children. They didn't have anywhere to go outside of the area, so they had to stay in Waveland. These are poor people, and all they really have is each other. They gathered together on Sunday night, and Monday morning the waters started to rise. Within 20 minutes they rose from knee high, to several feet over their head. People were drowning all around them.

Red got everyone in the attic, lifting older ladies who could not help themselves and pulling children up. He broke a hole in the roof and got them all up on top of it. As the waters continued to rise even higher, everyone had to swim for a higher building. Melissa couldn't swim, but she just started kicking her legs and swinging her arms and somehow made it. There was a man across the street who got his mother-in-law and wife on the roof, but his mother and he drowned. Red and Melissa saw him disappear.

As we kept talking about their ordeal and the subsequent days of misery after the water went down, Red made the statement, "I don't know why God let this happen. Nothing good has come out of it. Nothing is any better. Did He save my life just for this mess?"  Red does not have a personal relationship with Christ, but he believes that God exists.  Both his mother and his wife, Melissa, have cancer. He was really discouraged as he spoke to me about what happened with a beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other. As I began to share the gospel with him, he couldn't accept that God could forgive him, or that God could do anything with a scoundrel like him. Remember, Red is "bad people." 

For so many folks down here, their lives have become like the picture of the steps here.  After Hurricane Camile in 1969, they called these steps, "Steps to Nowhere."  They are steps that go up to where homes once stood, but now there is just empty space. That is how so many lives are. Ask Scott, the guy we met yesterday, who is suffering from Katrina fatigue - he is overwhelmed with sadness from the loss of the storm, but he gave his heart to Christ while he slept under the stars in his tent in the weeks following Katrina. But, he is still so lonely. Through the work of the ministry of Christians down here and through places like Pathfinder Mission, we are providing people "Steps to Somewhere."  That Somewhere is actually a Someone who loves them so much that He gave His life for them. We are reminding people like Red, Melissa, and Scott, that Jesus loves them and we do too. 

Red did not receive Christ today. He just couldn't accept God's love and He couldn't believe that His life could change. He couldn't understand all of the suffering from the storm or the suffering in his family with his mother's and wife's cancer. He said that if he had one wish, it would be to trade places with his mother and take her suffering.  I was able to relate to them about cancer because of Caelan, my son. I was also able to tell him, that while he couldn't take his mother's suffering, that Jesus loved him so much that he took Red's place to take his sin, suffering, and pain. Red couldn't accept it. I'm praying for him and I hope you will too.

God is at work in Hancock County. He is touching hearts and changing lives. He is bringing hope in the midst of despair. He is doing work right out in the open, and He is doing secret work that no one can see. Hearts are so open. We talk with each person we meet for so long. They want to laugh, share their stories, and hear about why we have come. They want to hear about Jesus. They all want to pray. But, there are so few volunteers in comparison to the still present need.  Judy, a lady we met this evening is waiting for another church group to come and help her with work she cannot do. Charles and his wife so desperately need another FEMA trailer so they can bring their family back with them. They need a pod to put their stuff. There are STILL people living in tents all over, waiting for a trailer.  They are all thanking the churches, declaring that if it weren't for the Christians, so many more people would have died. They are waiting for you to come because they cannot put their lives together by themselves. They are waiting for someone to tell them how to build their lives on the Rock and to show them how. Please pray, send, and come down yourself. I'll set you up with some really needy folks.

Tomorrow is our 4th of July party. Please pray that people that we have invited come. Please pray that we are able to speak into people's hearts and spread the Joy that we know in the Lord. We'll be home tomorrow.

Jesus is on the move in Waveland, MS. Sometimes you have to look a bit harder and use enlightened eyes of discernment, but He is working. Yesterday, we went to worship at Bay Vista Baptist Church in Biloxi, MS and heard an incredible message on Philippians 1:21 - "For me to live is Christ, to die is gain."  We have been thinking about that quite a bit the last few days. We are living that out right now, and are finding true life, our reason for existing. Jesus. Here's a picture of the team, gathered like the early church around the common table, laughing, sharing life, and on mission. Praise God.

We had some amazing experiences with people yesterday. Christ was shared with dozens of folks in one on one conversation. We passed out flyers on Pathfinder Mission and also about our 4th of July picnic. We prayed with so many hurting people - their stories of survival and of life on the coast since the storm are courageous and heart breaking at the same time. Many people gave their hearts to Christ in the days after the storm as they thanked Him for living through it. God is bringing us to those people to encourage and bring together into a congregation. Pray that their hearts are receptive and that the chains of religion that keep them from joining a body of believers are broken.

Hazel is one of the people that God is speaking to these days. She lost her home and is living in a FEMA trailer. She is waiting on a team to come from Massachusetts in October to put her home back together. They promised. She is waiting. I pray that they keep their promise and that it wasn't just made in haste so they would feel better about themselves. There is a little old lady in Waveland, MS who believed them and is waiting patiently. May God help them if they do not fulfill their word.

So many people. So many stories. Tomorrow, as I said, we are trying to gather people together to celebrate the 4th. So many people we've talked to do not have any plans. We are going to try and provide a sense of community, join with them in throwing a party, and also share gifts with them and let them share with us. Mike, a guy who almost came to Christ yesterday, asked if he could bring something. I said, "Yeah, bring some shrimp if you can." We're going to try and boil shrimp along with the chicken and other sides. We'll see if that works out. Please pray for us as we finish up the trip today and tomorrow. We've seen God do great things. We believe Him for more.

This is Cathy. We met her today as we were out visiting people who have come by Pathfinder seeking assitance. We have already gotten her a storage pod to put her stuff, but we wanted to go by and check on her, see how she was doing, and see if there was anything else we could do to help. We have about 16 folks down with 6 more joining us by tomorrow and we broke up into groups of 3 or 4 and fanned out across the community to pray with people, assess their further needs, help them with things, and check on their situation for the camp's further work with them. Cathy was a really sweet lady who loves Jesus, prays to him all the time, and is very sincere in her faith. Her Catholic church was destroyed in the storm, so we invited her to join the Thursday night Bible study we've started at Pathfinder.

One comment that she made really touched my heart. She's living in a FEMA trailer and does not have very much money. She is totally dependent on volunteers coming down to help rebuild her home. So many have come, but there is still so much to be done for people like Cathy who cannot care for themselves.  We prayed with her that God would continue to move the hearts of Christians in Ohio, Oklahoma, Missouri and all points in between to not forget people like her and to continue to come down and make a difference. It was a sweet time of prayer.

A success story had us running into Jeanne, who I met a couple of months ago. She works at the local Wal-Mart. She was so happy to see me, as I was her! A group from Michigan came down a couple of months ago and rebuilt her house. Pathfinder helped her with a toilet for her bathroom that we had salvaged. We invited her to our 4th of July party that we are having and she said she was coming and was going to bring her daughter.

One other thing: We ran into a guy today named Charles. He likes to boil shrimp and is pretty good at it, too. We got to pray with him and share the gospel over the course of about an hour long conversation. I invited him to our 4th of July party and asked him to come and share his gifts with us and boil us some shrimp to go along with the BBQ chicken. He said that he would, so hopefully, we'll get to spend some time with Charles boiling seafood on Tuesday. I also asked him to bring some shrimp if he ran across any! Our goal is to be a hub for the community and to serve them in bringing them together. The more that we partner with them, the closer we'll be.

We arrived in New Orleans yesterday with a group from our church and are now in Waveland, MS at Pathfinder Mission.   I got to meet Joe Kennedy yesterday (awesome guy) and connect with some folks from New Orleans Seminary and others who are doing disaster relief. We followed them into the 9th Ward and St. Bernard Parish and were able to get this picture of a shrimp boat that floated over the levee and is now, basically in someone's front yard.  Ugh.  Check out Joe's version of the events HERE.

The devastation continues to be overwhelming 10 months after the storm. But, little by little, people are putting their lives back together. That is what we are here to help along. We are over in Waveland now and will be going out today to visit with folks who have come to Pathfinder looking for help. We will be doing follow up on the help they have received, we will talk with them about future evacuation plans, we will invite them to a big 4th of July party we will be having, and, most of all, we will be praying with them and sharing the gospel. Please pray that God will open hearts to the saving power of Jesus Christ and that many will turn to the Lord, as well as receive tangible help.

I'll be keeping you updated over the next several days from the blogs and will have lots of pictures and stories to share! So, come back often over the weekend and please pray for us.

UPDATE:  Seriously, check out Joe Kennedy today. He gave an eloquent description of what we experienced yesterday and his future plans in relation to reporting on what is going on. He took this picture of our advance team: