Yesterday, we had our regular Bible Study at 3:30 pm. Rebecca (Miracle’s mom - see Christmas eve entry) called and asked us to pick her up. She had tried for a few weeks to come, but obstacles had always come up. So finally this Sunday, I picked her up with two of her children (Miracle and Dorothy).

Now, normally our two guys – Robert and Michael – are faithful like clockwork coming to the Bible study (or if they can’t come, they call and reschedule). But for some reason, which I believe to be God’s sovereignty, they didn’t show up. So instead of me watching the kids and Jeremy doing the Bible study, Rebecca and I sat down together and studied the Bible. It was a great 45 minutes. Poor Rebecca was so tired (she’s been working long hours at her new job) but she listened so attentively. I’m so thankful for her efforts to come even when she was so tired. I talked to her again today and she said she read some more of the study and the Bible last night. Pray for her salvation.

This weekend marked a historical time . . . the time of our last scheduled team and the last of the food boxes! A team of 5 men and 5 ladies came from Cleveland Park Bible Church in Spartanburg, SC. Six of them arrived Thursday night and were up early Friday to go down to Faith Baptist in Abbeville. The ladies focused on cleanup and mowing the lawn while the men hung siding.

The other four arrived around 1:30 pm on Friday and helped us hand out our last 76 food boxes. Jeremy and I put boxes in 31 trailers that Jim, our FEMA contact, told us would be occupied within a few weeks. We also got to meet a new FEMA worker, Jeanne. Then after the team got here, we loaded up the van with the last 45 boxes and went to the Plantation Inn where evacuees are still living. We’re so thankful for the four that helped us . . . the job got done quickly and well, and we got a really good contact out of it.

On Saturday, all of us went down to Abbeville. The men continued with the siding and started putting up crown molding. All of us ladies painted all the trim that wasn’t being put up. Then, after lunch, all the ladies went to a mobile park in Lafayette and went door to door to hand out the last of the children’s coloring books and toiletry items. The five ladies were troopers, not letting the occasional rain (both mist and downpour) dampen their spirits.

While at the mobile home park, we noticed one trailer that was pretty much surrounded by a moat of water. Knowing we had pallets at the storage unit, we decided to get into the “bridge building” business. We returned to the storage unit, loaded up the van with a dozen pallets and headed back to the mobile park. Jeremy was quite a site with his rolled up pants and running away quickly so as not to get splashed when he dropped the pallets. What a sight! ☺ Finally, the bridge was built and the people were very thankful to not have to wade through water to get out of their mobile home. (Sorry the pictures are a little fuzzy).

The team was such a big help and blessing. They were not afraid of hard work and were very flexible as plans sometimes changed (the rain was one factor). So thank you all (Harry, Phil, Mike, Robert, Shaun, Pam, Brandy, Mandy, Miriam, and Victoria) – you were a huge help and blessing!

A few days ago, I received a call from one of my FEMA contacts asking me for help. You see, there are typically two options of housing for the evacuees. One is a 3-bedroom mobile home and the other is a small travel trailer. Most of the time, families get the mobile homes and individuals or couples get the travel trailers.

My FEMA friend, Jim called me needed help with the travel trailers. The problem was that the people were running out of propane. Normally, this isn’t a problem – the people take the propane tank off, get it refilled and then reinstall it. But for some people this is harder than others. There are several single, elderly ladies who have no transportation and shouldn’t be lugging these things around anyway. So, they call the FEMA man.

Unfortunately, FEMA can’t really do anything about it. Their job is to get people into housing, not fill propane tanks. In acts of kindness, Jim has gone over to the trailers and made sure the propane tanks were refilled anyway. But as he explained to me, if he is constantly refilling propane tanks, he can’t move people into trailers. Hence, the call for help.

Of course, I told Jim I would do anything that I could to help him. As Anouk and I talked about it, we were reminded of how ministry opportunities come in various forms. Jim was asking us to help him with mundane tasks; God is presenting opportunities to minister.

We were reminded that this is really what the Christian walk is all about – serving others while growing closer to Christ. We must remember that the life of a Christian is an active one. We are not called to stand and watch, but rather to serve and be active. Even the terms we use to describe a Christian life denote action – Christian walk; spiritual journey; pilgrim’s progress etc. Paul tells us to “walk” in Christ – Colossians 2:6. In the first chapter of his book, James teaches us that action is the only option for a believer: “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (verse 22). He makes the point even stronger in chapter two when he tells us that works (action) are the proof of genuine faith (verses14-26). The writer of Hebrews also underscores the importance of action when he wrote in the twelfth chapter, “ . . .and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” (verse 1). Finally, consider II Peter 1:5-11 – here Peter tells us we should be adding things to our lives. (All emphasis mine)

Look around: ministry opportunities abound! Helping refill propane tanks probably won’t get you an invitation to speak at the next Bible Conference or people asking you to sign their Bibles; but it will help build relationships so you can present Christ in a personal way – by reflecting a small part of His sacrificial love.

Don’t wait for your pastor to approach you with a ministry opportunity. Don’t wait for the announcement from the pulpit or in the bulletin. Be active! Open your eyes, look around – people need the Lord. Go and serve them, because in doing so you are serving Christ (Matthew 25:31-46).

Let’s go back a month or so. It is December and Christmas is closing in on me – fast. I knew that a team would be here serving just before Christmas, so I couldn’t do my usual shopping spree two days before Christmas. I had to actually plan ahead. What was I to do? How do I buy a gift for my wife and hide it from her – we only have 25 feet to work with here. Plus I wanted to save all of the good hiding spots for Anouk to hide my gifts.

To solve my dilemma, I started thinking gift cards. Whoever invented gift cards was a genius! They don’t take up much space (I hid it in my wallet), they are good for a long time, and they meet the individual wants of the beneficiary. But, now came the hard part – from where do I get the gift card? I thought about Chili’s, but I knew that my selfishness would be too obvious at that point. So, I vaguely remembered Anouk saying something about a trip to a day spa. I think the context was something like, “I would never go on my own, but I think it would be neat to go one day.” Hint taken.

So, I find myself in a place where no man was ever intended to be. As I walk up to the front door, my palms get sweaty, the nerves kick in, and I am the only man in sight. A lady approached the door at the same time as I did, so being the gentleman that I am, I open the door for her. Walking in behind her, I am unknowingly mistaken to be her husband. The workers, thinking I am with the lady in front of me, ignore me – leaving me to stand there with sweaty palms and no idea what to do.

Finally, I muster up the courage to ask about gift cards. The workers who previously ignored me, now cheerfully hand me a brochure. I am sure the confused look on my face sounded off an alarm that said, “This man has no idea what he is doing! Go for the gold!” After looking over their brochure, I decided on a package that I though Anouk would like. Now, I had one budget in mind when I walked into the place and another one when I walked out.

Leaving the place as quickly as I could, I climbed into my car feeling pretty proud of myself. I had done it! I had gone behind enemy lines and purchased something I just knew my wife was going to love. But then I started to think about what I had done. She was going to get her hair cut . . . oh, no. Was it going to be too short? Would she come back from those evil people with scissors looking like another woman? My palms got sweaty, the nerves kicked in, and now there is a knot in my stomach.

Well, yesterday was the appointed day when Anouk cashed in her gift card. I dropped her off wondering what I had done. The results? After 4 ½ hours, a gorgeous wife! She was that way when she walked in and she was that way when she walked out. Only now she had painted nails and a different haircut – a really different haircut. She had fun and that’s what I really wanted. I wanted her to relax and have a good time. She said she had so much fun that she would like to do it again sometime. Palms sweaty, nerves kicking in . . .

All satire aside, I love my wife and think she is the most beautiful woman in the world. God was very gracious to me when He gave her to me (Proverbs 18:22; 19:14).

This last week our friend from Rhode Island was here to help us. Brian Prata is the music director at Cornerstone, an accomplished classical guitarist, a good friend, and generally a good guy to have around.

We spent the week serving and socializing. It was good to have a familiar face around to help in the ministry. While Brian was here, we followed up on some contacts, delivered food boxes, toured New Orleans, worked at the Abbeville church, and shot a couple games of pool here at the campground – I think he won every game.

Anouk and I are aware that good friendships are important. Brian has been a good friend to us, we thank God for bringing people like him into our lives. We have been spoiled – two weeks ago the Cook family came to help, and then last week Brian was here. These friends have given Anouk and me a shot in the arm to keep pressing on!

This week has been a blessing to Jeremy and me. First, Pastor Guy Altizer from Greenville, SC came from January 4th to the 10th to help us brainstorm about the need for a good Bible preaching church here in the area. We had a good time of fellowship with him.

Also, the Cooks (a family from our home church, Morning Star Baptist) came down on Monday and just left this morning. The four of them (Jack, Jane, Henry and Zoey) were such a blessing to us. Not only did they help us accomplish a lot of work, but they were a tremendous encouragement in fellowship.

On Monday afternoon, after their arrival (a 17 hour drive), we all went to the storage unit and packed up some boxes. Then we went a did a couple of box deliveries. On Tuesday, we all went down to Abbeville to help in the church. The men hung sheetrock and we ladies picked up trash and got to burn it (that was fun! It’s the first fire I’ve ever started! ). In the afternoon, Jane, Zoey, and I went back to the storage unit to make some more boxes and organize what was left.

On Wednesday, the men went again to Abbeville, while the ladies went and finished up at the storage unit and went to visit some previous contacts. I’m happy to say that ALL the food is packed in boxes and ready to go! We also enjoyed having a Bible Study and prayer time with them that evening. Then on Thursday, we were able to all go to Cypress Tree Inn (about 70 rooms) and follow up on evacuees that had received a food box from us. Not many were home, but we did have a few good contacts.

We thank the Lord for the “time of refreshing” the Cooks brought to us down here. All that work would have taken Jeremy and me a long time to do. Thanks Cook family! Thanks also for the great time of fellowship and the fun games of “Apples to Apples“!

Jeremy and I are so encouraged by the outpouring of prayer, love, and support from so many of you. Thank you for your continued prayers as we wind down our time down here.

One of the challenges of this ministry is that it seems to be always changing! It is hard for Anouk and me to keep up with it all let alone post a blog about it. But alas, I will endeavor to bring my faithful readership (all two of you) up to speed.

Children’s Ministry – When we first arrived in Louisiana, we recognized the need to minister to the evacuee children. This is a difficult time for them – they have lost their home, school, friends, etc. So, God opened the door for us to hold a weekly Kids’ Program at the KOA Campground. We spent the time playing games, singings songs, teaching Bible lessons, and, of course, the playing the review games at the end of each lesson. Oh yeah, we did pass out some candy too!

The families that were living at the campground were waiting for FEMA trailers where they could move to and stay for up to 18 months. As the trailers became available and the kids left, it was a bitter-sweet time. On the good side, they have a new home to live a more “stable” life. On the bad side, we could no longer have the children’s program (they had moved 45 min. away). So unfortunately, we no longer have a weekly children’s program. We do however seek to minister to kids in other ways – like the Christmas Eve Service for example.

Food Boxes – We started passing out the food boxes a couple of weeks into November. These boxes have been a great way of meeting people and opening the door to evangelism. I am trying to total up how many boxes we have handed out. I am not sure right now, but I do know it has been several hundred. In each box, there is a New Testament, a John/Romans, an invitation to a Bible Study, a “Do You Wonder Why?” pamphlet, a “Why” tract, and a business card. Thus far, Operation Renewed Hope has provided approximately $5,000 worth of food for us to distribute.

Bible Studies – We have tried to start several Bible Studies in different locations. One has worked, while rest have not. This week I will be trying to start a new Bible Study in a new location – pray that people will come.

We are very thankful for the one Bible Study that we have with two men. They are learning new things each week, and it has been a blessing to me to be able to teach them. God is gracious! Yesterday, we had another great Bible Study – the topic was the greatness of God’s love and His hatred for sin.

New Blessings – In closing, let me share with you a small part of the grace that God has given to us. I received a phone call from someone on the administrative staff of a Christian organization this last week. He told me that he has been following Global Grace’s ministry here in Louisiana. He told me that he liked what he read and asked if we needed more funds for the ministry. He wanted give funds to help the people affected by the hurricanes. I told him that we could always use more money to help people get the items they needed to make their lives a little easier and a little closer to “normal”. He has sent us a very large check for us to use in ministering to the evacuees.

We have already purchased and delivered a small refrigerator for a single mom with three children living in a hotel. We also were able to purchase and deliver a washer and dryer to the two men we are having the Bible Study with. Please pray for wisdom as we take these finances and distribute them to the ones who need it the most. Isn’t God gracious?

I have been waiting to post about all of this until I could also post some pictures. I still haven’t been able to upload the pictures, but will soon. I will add them to this post when I get them uploaded, so be sure to check back soon.

Note: If you are signed up to receive our notifications, you will automatically be notified when we post the pictures.

Here are the promised pictures . . .

One of the blessings of being on a pastoral staff is that whenever you are enriched by God’s Word you immediately have a group of people that you can share it with. Being down here I have missed that, but since I have the administration password to this blog – I can share it with you!

Recently, I have been surveying the Scriptures about God’s grace. We have all heard the definitions of grace: “Unmerited favor from God” or the acrostic, “God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense” But what is grace? What does the Bible say about grace? I think of this because of a few reasons: our church started a ministry called Global Grace; I read Paul’s salutations, “Grace be unto you . . .”; I counsel people through difficult times and say, “God’s grace is available”; and I sing the song, “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound.” Grace – what does the Bible have to say about it? Let me share with you a few of the observations I have made about God’s grace (this is by no means intended to be an exhaustive list. If you have thoughts to add, please feel free to email them to me!). One distinction that needs to be made: My thoughts are in reference to God’s sanctifying grace, not the saving grace He bestows upon us at salvation. In other words, the growing grace that we need in our everyday walk with the Lord is the topic at hand.

1. God grace comes in increments – James 4:6; Ephesians 4:7

Let’s be honest - there are times when we simply need more grace! God has designed it so that we are constantly faced with the reality that we must depend on Him. It is usually in the midst of difficult situations or crises that we realize the need for more grace. In reality, we should petition for more grace everyday regardless of circumstances. Just as Paul said, “But by God’s grace, I am what I am . . .” (I Cor. 15:10), our everyday progress is marked by our need for more grace to continue our sanctification process.

2. God’s grace only comes through humility – James 4:6; I Peter 5:5

Humility is recognizing the absolute necessity to depend on God for literally everything. The grace that is needed for you and me to grow in our walk with God will only come as we recognize our need to grow closer to God. The moment we are appalled by the coolness of our relationship with the Father is when grace becomes available. But when pride is prevailing upon us, we find nothing but God’s resistance – yes, His resistance and grace be withheld.

Like a fish needs water, we all need God’s grace to progress in our spiritual journey. We understand that we cannot do anything that pleases God without His grace. How do we receive the grace that will bring Him glory and pleasure? Only by humility.

3. God’s grace has no limitations – Romans 5:17

“The abundance of grace . . .” Whenever God provides, He provides more than enough to get the job accomplished. Consider the miraculous feedings of the 5,000 and then the 4,000. In both accounts, He could have provided the exact amount food for all to be full, and no more. But He provided so that there would be plenty left over, so no one could walk away and say they didn’t get enough. No one could ever say, “Boy, it sure would have been better if . . .” It was perfect and more than they could handle. Remember the description of God’s ability in Ephesians 3:20? He can do “exceedingly above all that we ask or think.” God’s grace has no limitations and there is always enough available to make the situation turn out for His glory. (For more on the abundance of God’s provision, see Luke 6:38).

4. God’s grace is sufficient – II Corinthians 12:9

Paul had a trial, a very difficult trial. We are not sure what the trial was, but I doubt it was a hangnail or his PC crashing – again. We know it was serious enough for him to ask Christ three times to remove it. Two negative answers were not enough for Paul to stop asking. He continued to beg God to remove the trial. What finally stopped Paul’s request? It stopped when Christ reminded Paul of His grace. Once Paul turned his focus to the grace of God, the problem didn’t seem so big. Would the problem persist? Sure! But now Paul had the promise that God would provide the very thing needed to magnify His name in Paul’s life – His grace through that particular trial. It’s true, God’s grace is sufficient – even for what you and I face each day.

5. God’s grace allows us to serve God – Hebrews 12:28

We learn from this verse that the only way we can serve God in way that is acceptable to Him is by God’s grace. That is humbling. We like to think that we have some talent that God is just chomping at the bit to use, or that because of our background and experiences we are perfect for a particular ministry. Reality smacks us in our arrogant faces when we understand the concept of this verse. I can only serve God because of the grace that has been given to me. If I accomplish anything for the cause of Christ, it is because God gives the grace for it to be done.

God’s grace is truly amazing. My growth in Christ is an act of His grace. Who am I to grow closer to God? Who am I to bring honor to His name? Everything I touch is tainted with sin; but by God’s grace, blood covers those blemishes and somehow – I don’t fully understand how – but somehow makes me holy in His sight. Hallelujah, what a Savior!

It is hard to believe - it is 2006 already. And it is the last month of our ministry here in Louisiana. Right now we are balancing staying focused, working hard to the end and planning the exit strategy. As we continue ministering to the evacuees here, thoughts of jobs and housing are lurking in the back of our minds.

The peace comes when we rest upon God’s provision. Anouk and I know full well that God has a job and house waiting for us. Last night as the New Year was ringing in, Anouk and I briefly reflected on what God had done for us in 2005. Let me share some of what He did for us in 2005:

1. In January, we went to Israel - a lifelong dream of ours. It was an amazing experience to walk where our Savior walked. Our favorite place? For both of us without a doubt - the Garden Tomb. To be in the place where our Christ was ressurected was something not to be forgotten.

2. In Feburary I was able to take a Masters level class at Maranatha. I have a goal of getting a Master’s degree someday (it is a slow process for me!), so it was good to be able to get a couple more credits toward that goal. Anouk suprised me by flying out and being with me for Valentine’s Day.

3. In July we had our annual Vacation Bible School at Cornerstone. It was well attended and the carnival was another success. I remember setting up for the carnival at it looking like rain. The teens and I prayed that God would hold off the rain, and He did!

4. At the end of July into the beginning of August, we went on a missions’ trip to Romania. We went to work with Mr. and Mr. Bob Capehart - great missionaries through BWM. We brought a lot of supplies over to him - including 17 foot trampoline. I was doubtful that the airline would allow the trampoline to go through, but God ordained it, so it was - without extra baggage fees.

5. September brought change. Anouk and I felt that God would have us leave Rhode Island and go back to Rockford. This was a very difficult and somewhat confusing time for us. Simply put, we liked it in Rhode Island. The church was good, there were no compelling reasons that forced us to move (doctrinal, sin issues, etc.). We just knew that God wanted us to move - so we stepped out on faith, not knowing what God had in store for us. Then the Katrina hit. With the start of Global Grace, God provided a ministry for Anouk and me.

6. October was the month of transition. We made it down here after a series of breakdowns that God ordained for His glory (still not sure what all of it was for, but we are trusting that it was for His glory!). As we transitioned into the ministy here in Lafayette, we were able to go into the Cajun Dome and serve the evacuees living there.

7. November brought Thanksgiving Day. God was gracious and allowed us to host a dinner for evacuees and evacuee workers at the Day’s Inn here in Lafayette. In all, about 60-70 people were served.

8. Most recently, the Christmas Eve Service was a display of God’s provision. Anouk and I decided to host a service that would give gifts to all of the kids that came. God provided more than enough gifts to give to the kids as well as enough gifts for the adults that came. God always does provide.

So, as we look back on how God provided for us this past year, we cannot help but be hopeful and excited about how God will provide for us in 2006. Rejoice with us - God is so good!