Crown Of Life Lutheran Church, New Orleans, LA

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“For I know the plans I have for you,”...

Letter #99
January 12, 2006

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

“For I know the plans I have for you,” Declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

Yesterday the Mayor’s “Bringing Back New Orleans Commission” released its suggestions. They suggested that the city should stop issuing building permits and take 4 months in which certain neighborhoods would have meetings to decide for themselves how they wanted to rebuild their neighborhoods. Of course this is the latest in a long string of experts who are planning our future for us. I have to admit, this annoys me. I’m not sure what it is. Maybe I’m just in a bad mood. Maybe it is because I’m suspicious that those who come up with some of these plans are probably not living in a FEMA trailers or an apartment in Atlanta. Maybe it is because I just don’t trust other people to plan my future or at least I don’t want them to. Well there might be one person I’d be willing to trust.

There wasn’t a lot of good news for the people of Israel in Jeremiah’s day. They had been carried away, into captivity. They weren’t living at home and there wasn’t even a plan to come back home. Still the Lord through his prophet Jeremiah comforts them with the words above. God’s plans for his people were good plans. His plans gave them hope. His plans gave them a future. Of course the ultimate hope for the future came through the Christ that the Lord would send. That same loving God who planned their eternal future also lovingly planned their temporal future. God had plans to prosper them and not to harm them.

I guess it will always be annoying when it seems like you are not in control of your future. It is especially annoying when it seems like others are planning it for you. But the truth is, the future is not ours to plan, at least not with certainty. And whether they realize it or not, the mayor and all the “experts” cannot plan the future either. All I know is that I’m glad that I know someone who can plan my future and has. And his plans are to prosper me and not harm me, to give me hope and a future.

The builders have set up camp at the church. Some people are back, living in our neighborhood.
The Mold Krewes are making progress. I got a call from a guy who saw them working and wondered if they would work for his mother?
Remember, Youth activity in Baton Rouge on Saturday. Call Seth for details 504-237-1150
Radio show, Saturday at noon. WSHO.COM or 800 AM.
Choir practice at 10:00, Worship at 11:00
We are moving to Kionka’s on the 22nd. I’ll put directions below.
Most of you heard about the rebuilding plan. It was in papers all over the country. I’ll copy below the other article on it that was in the paper. It gives more information. Nothing has been decided yet. We are in the talking stage.

Be strong in the Lord:
Pastor

If you are coming from the West:
Take I10 east to Clearview Parkway, North
Turn right (East) on Veterans Memorial Hwy
You want to turn North on Neyrey St. But Veterans has a neutral ground and Neyrey doesn’t go through. You’ll have to go up to next left and go back to Neyrey.
Take Neyrey north to Olney go right on Olney
First left is Wanda Lynn Dr. Go to 3912 Wanda Lynn on the left

If you are coming from the east:
Take Causeway Blvd, north
Turn left on Veterans (I don’t believe you can turn left on Veterans so you might have to go past it to the turn around lane.) Take the turn around back to Veterans and go right.
Take Neyrey right
Right on Olney
First left is Wanda Lynn Dr. Go to 3912 Wand Lynn on left.

Posted by temporary permission of The Times-Picayune

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Rebuilding proposal gets mixed reception

By Gordon Russell
and Frank Donze
Staff writers
The Times-Picayune

Tempers flared as expected Wednesday with the unveiling of a bold plan to temporarily halt the issuance of building permits in flood-ravaged parts of New Orleans -- a four-month timeout proposed by Mayor Ray Nagin’s rebuilding commission to allow for a planning process that would chart the future of those neighborhoods.

The message to Nagin’s Bring New Orleans Back commission from many of the roughly 20 audience members who spoke out at the presentation of its land-use plan was direct and simple: Don’t tell me what I can do with my property. Fueling the anger was the plan’s call for using eminent domain, as a “last resort,” to buy out homeowners in areas that show few signs of rebirth.

The proposal also drew a pre-emptive Bronx cheer from City Council members, who held a news conference minutes before the unveiling to assail it.

While the mayor appears to be in favor of the four-month planning process, he indicated after the meeting that he is uncomfortable with preventing people from renovating their homes and is unlikely to support the building moratorium.

Groups ranging from the NAACP to Louisiana ACORN also objected to the plan Wednesday, though not all the objections shared the same target and some seemed to contradict one another. While representatives of some neighborhoods called the four-month planning process too long, for example, Louisiana ACORN said the same time frame was too short to gather enough public input.

After the commitee presented its plan in a Sheraton Hotel ballroom packed to the brim, a number of speakers argued that temporarily barring them from getting permits would choke the progress that is starting to show in their neighborhoods.

“We don’t want to wait four months,” said Jeb Bruneau, president of the Lakeview Civic Association. “We want to be able to go down to City Hall and get permits. We have the means to help ourselves, so don’t get in our way.”

Others called the plan a “land grab” cooked up by greedy developers. Carolyn Parker of the Lower 9th Ward warned the group that her home would be taken “over my dead body.” Rodney Craft, also of the 9th Ward, warned: “If you come to take our property, you better come ready.”

Though most of those who spoke strongly opposed the plan, the crowd of about 500 applauded at several points during the presentation and many seemed willing to listen and consider the proposal.

Even some of those who attacked parts of the plan seemed to welcome its promise of civic participation. Former state Rep. Sherman Copelin, who spoke for the New Orleans East Business Association, criticized the proposed building moratorium but said his Eastover subdivision, one of the wealthiest the area, welcomed the chance to plan its own rebirth.

“We want to accept your challenge that we come up with a plan. But we want a commitment that you will work with us on that plan,” Copelin told commissioners. “If you throw us under the bus, we’re going to be your worst damn enemy.”

The outcry was hardly suprising. Since the mayor’s commission began its work, by far its most controversial question has been whether the city’s footprint should be made smaller to reflect a population expected to reach only half its pre-Katrina number by 2008.

Nagin himself didn’t comment publicly after the presentation ended, but said via E-mail afterward that he has “serious reservations” about the permit moratorium. He said that he is especially concerned that those rebuilding in the flattened Lower 9th Ward may be putting themselves in harm’s way -- particularly as long as the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet remains open. But he indicated that, even there, he is inclined to allow residents to rebuild.

“I just do not recommend it (rebuilding there) at this time,” Nagin said.

Those objections aside, the mayor said the land-use plan is a good starting point from which a shattered city can rebuild itself. “I like the plan,” Nagin said. “It was well presented and is well thought out. The committee chairs, commissioners and citizens who contributed should feel proud for a job well done.” In remarks before the plan was presented, Nagin said he realized that many in the audience would object strongly to it.

“This report is controversial,” he said. “It pushes the edge of the envelope.”

But he reminded the crowd that the proposals are far from final.

“Let’s take the time to discuss it, debate it, analyze it and tweak it,” he said. “This is a recommendation from the commission. We as a community have the ultimate say in how we move forward.”

Joe Canizaro, the banker and developer who chairs the land-use panel, said after the meeting that he does not believe the plan requires a halt to permitting for it to succeed.

While some residents interpreted the proposed moratorium as a signal that city leaders don’t want them to come back, Canizaro said, the panel’s intent was to protect homeowners from investing heavily in renovations and later facing the possibility of a forced buyout.

“I don’t have any problem at all if the mayor chooses otherwise,” he said of the moratorium, adding that he realizes some flooded sections are already bouncing back. “I hope that the people in this community, when they make those investments, make sure that they’re going to have neighbors and they’re going to have services provided. The city may not be able to provide services if they’re stuck out there by themselves. There are a lot of things that people emotionally in today’s environment aren’t thinking about.”

The plan, which has subject to numerous revisions over the past few weeks and even late into the night Tuesday, contained a few changes from a draft published Wednesday by The Times-Picayune.

The most significant change was the suggestion that, for neighborhoods to be considered viable, at least half their pre-Katrina population must commit within the next four months to return.

The report also recommended that the buyout legislation proposed by U.S. Rep. Richard Baker, R-Baton Rouge, be modified to give homeowners forced to sell in devastated areas 100 percent of their equity. The bill that stalled last month in Congress guaranteed only 60 percent to homeowners.

However, Canizaro also said that even without the Baker bill, he thinks enough federal money will be available in the form of Federal Emergency Management Agency grants and other sources to make homeowners whole.

The panel estimates it will cost $12 billion to buy out every home in neighborhoods where every home received at least 2 feet of water, but Canizaro said he expects only half of the flooded homes will be bought out in the end.

The commission also recommended that a new public authority be created by the Legislature, tentatively called the Crescent City Recovery Corp., to oversee the expenditure of federal money and in particular the buying, selling and, in some cases seizure of homes.

Giving the recovery agency the powers the panel wants will require voters to amend the City Charter. Voters would also have to approve the panel’s recommendation to take away the City Council’s power to overrule decisions of the City Planning Commission. Instead, those seeking to appeal would go directly to the courts.

Canizaro said he hopes both matters will be placed on the ballot at the time of the next election, which may be held in April. Gov. Blanco has indicated she plans to call for a special session next month.

For the time being, none of the panel’s recommendations have any legal force. On Wednesday, the mayor’s committee voted unanimously to accept its report, but it will be up to Nagin to decide how to tweak the proposal, along with those of six other committees scheduled to be heard next week: education, infrastructure, government efficiency, health care, culture and economic development. The White House and a state commission appointed by Blanco that will disburse billions in federal money would also have to okay the plan.

Canizaro said the committee will nonetheless begin to lay the groundwork for the next phase of planning called for in its report. The report calls for planners to begin holding meetings, starting March 20, for residents of each of the city’s 13 planning districts. By May 20, those plans would be finalized. The process will be quarterbacked by New Orleans architect Ray Manning and Tulane University school of architecture dean Reed Kroloff.

Manning and Kroloff said Wednesday they will begin immediately to assemble data about different neighborhoods that will be key to the planning process. They will also start to formulate a strategy for including displaced residents scattered across the country who may not be able to attend meetings in New Orleans. They said their efforts may include teleconferencing meetings.

The two men acknowledged that they are about to enter uncharted waters.

“This is an evolutionary process,” Kroloff said. “We’re learning as we go. This is a problem of unprecedented scope and dimension. Answers aren’t immediately available. We’ve got to gather as much as we can from the best minds everywhere to help us come to terms with this.”

Manning said the tight timeline is daunting, but not impossible.

“Some of what we have to do is tantamount to doing a study that would normally take, in some places, a year and a half,” rather than four months, he said.

Like Canizaro, Kroloff tried to assauge the fears of residents who believe that because they live in a flooded area, their property rights are threatened.

The planning process and the proposed moratorium, he said, should be seen as “a breather, a moment in time to assess these neighborhoods with their residents -- and under the direction of their residents -- to determine what is the best for protecting their longterm future in the city. It doesn’t mean they wont be able to rebuild, it doesn’t mean they won’t be able to come home.”

Canizaro said he believes the planning process will help bring clarity to residents and officials alike, and the end result will be a smaller footprint, though he declined to speculate on its shape.

“Nature and people’s own emotions will cause them to want to consolidate,” he said. “Maybe I’m looking for too much out of this process, but I’m hopeful that it will bring people together to understand what is best for them.”

Perceived as the driving force behind the proposal, Canizaro took much of the heat Wednesday. During roll call, scattered boos broke out when his name was announced. More than one speaker mentioned him by name.

“Mr. Joe Canizaro, I don’t know you, but I hate you,” eastern New Orleans resident Harvey Bender said. “You’ve been in the background trying to scheme to get our land.”

Canizaro buttonholed Bender in the hallway afterward and encouraged him to attend the planning sessions to make himself heard. He also told Bender he does not have any financial interest in any panel recommendations.

Individual residents were not the only ones to attack the plan. Community organizations also began to weigh in on the plan Wednesday.In a news release, ACORN leaders said the four-month window was far too narrow for neighborhoods to prove their sustainability. Dorothy Stukes, spokesperson for the agency’s Katrina Survivors Association, said: “They are just changing the rules around to justify a land grab.”

NAACP branch president Danatus King, meanwhile, suggested that the plan was designed to help “fat cats” and a “chosen few,” pointing in particular to sections of town that the land-use panel described as “infill areas” where large commercial, industrial and residential development might occur.

The local chapter of the Sierra Club, meanwhile, weighed in with a cautious endorsement of the plan, calling it a “thoughtful step forward” but expressing concerns about the accelerated time period for the planning process and the possibility that there is lingering toxicity in the soils of flooded areas.

First to attack the plan was a group of City Council members who held a hastily called news conference a few minutes before the mayor’s commission unveiled its report, just one floor below the ballroom where it was presented. The opposition was not unexpected: The council in December passed a resolution calling for aid and city services to be distributed equally across the entire city, and trashed the notion of a “reduced footprint.” Councilmembers, who have been at increasing odds with the Nagin administration in recent months, also complained that they were not briefed on the plan.

Councilwoman Cynthia Willard-Lewis, whose eastern New Orleans district was among the hardest-hit by the storm, told reporters that the council had come out with a “strong, forceful declaration of the right of everyone to return.”

Councilwoman Jacquelyn Brechtel Clarkson, whose district includes Algiers and the French Quarter, which were lightly touched by the storm, went further, calling the panel recommendations “a blatant violation of private property rights that is unprecedented in America.”

Also present were Jay Batt and Renee Gill Pratt.

Mel Lagarde, the usually diplomatic health care executive who co-chairs the mayor’s panel, promised to do a better job at communicating with other elected officials, but said he refused to let the debate become a political sideshow.

“The tolerance in this community for any kind of political foolishness is over,” said Lagarde, who up till Wednesday has declined to speak publicly about the process. Lagarde said the situation is too dire to worry about making everyone happy.

“The size of the problem always dictates the size of the decision,” he said. “And there’s no way you’re going to be able to finesse a decision around a problem of this magnitutde that everybody’s going to feel comfortable with. There is no way that is going to happen.”

Gordon Russell can be reached at grussell@timespicayune.com or at (504) 826-3347. Frank Donze can be reached at fdonze@timespicayune.com or at (504) 826-3328.

This is what the LORD Almighty, the god of Israel, says...

Letter #100
January 13, 2006

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

This is what the LORD Almighty, the god of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters. Also seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” Jeremiah 29:4-7

As much as I miss all of you scattered about, it is good to hear about what is happening in your lives. Some of you have become active members in the church in your new home. Some of you have your children in the Lutheran School. Some of you have new jobs and are busy making a life for yourselves. As much as I’m glad to hear most of you saying that you are looking forward to returning home, it is still good that you are using this part of your life in a productive way.

The scripture reading above is a letter that Jeremiah wrote to the people who were exiled in Babylon. (Actually it is the Lord speaking through the prophet Jeremiah) It is interesting that the Lord tells them right out “I carried you into exile.” The Lord had his hand in their lives. His plan was not to harm them, nor was his plan to have them put their lives on hold until they could return. He was telling them to be a positive influence on the people of their new land. To bloom where they are planted.

When people would move to New Orleans from other parts of the country and come to our church, I would give them my “Bloom where you are planted” speech. New Orleans is a different kind of place, unlike anywhere else. Some people would be freaked out by it, so I’d tell them to become a part of their new community. Take what is good and embrace it, reject what is bad. Don’t assume that because something is different that it is bad. The Lord has put you here for a reason. Now, New Orleans people, it is your turn to bloom where you are planted. Be a part of your new community. Be a positive influence on the people around you. Make a difference for as long as the Lord has you stay there. That is true no matter how long you live in an area. I know it might seem like your life is in waiting: waiting for the city to do this or that, waiting for this permit, waiting for this job or school. But the truth is that no part of our lives are ever on hold.

News:

They have changed the way you get a building permit from the way it was when I got mine. I’m copying an article from the Times Picayune below that talks about it. It actually sounds like they are getting it “streamlined.”
Notice that the Mayor says in the same article that he will probably not support the 4 month waiting period.
Michael Eaton our Web Master says this is my 100th Diaspora News Letter. It has been a long time and there is still a long way to go. “Be strong in the Lord.”
Choir at 10:00, we are working on a new song. Worship at 11:00
Saturday: Youth bowling with Cross of Glory, Radio Show at noon. WSHO.com on our computer. I’m putting together my “Bible Diet.”
My old Jazz record collection that went through the flood are still drying out. Isn’t it amazing that the cardboard covers can still be wet. (the covers are lost, but it looks like the vinyl will be OK)

Directions to the Kionka for worship on the 22nd.

If you are coming from the east Take Causeway Blvd, north
Turn left on Veterans (I don’t believe you can turn left on Veterans so you might have to go past it to the turn around lane.) Take the turn around back to Veterans and go right.
Take Neyrey right
Right on Olney
First left is Wanda Lynn Dr. Go to 3912 Wand Lynn on left.

Be strong in the Lord:

Pastor

Posted by temporary permission of The Times-Picayune

Friday, January 13, 2006

N.O. building permits going like hotcakes

New plan 'kind of put the pedal to the metal,' one resident says

By Susan Finch
Staff writer
The Times-Picayune

While Mayor Ray Nagin said he's likely to reject a recommendation that the city impose a four-month moratorium on building permits in areas flooded badly after Hurricane Katrina, many residents rushed to City Hall on Thursday to make sure they have the right permits, just in case.

City safety and permits chief Mike Centineo said he wasn't sure the long line outside his seventh-floor permits office at late morning was a reaction to publicity about the moratorium proposed by the Bring New Orleans Back Commission, but several people in line mentioned it as a factor.

Media reports about the moratorium idea -- "talking about I can't get my permit" -- spurred Woodrow Still Sr.'s trip downtown to apply for permits to fix one house he owns in Pontchartrain Park and another in Mid-City.

"Get that stuff off the news. They need to quit panicking everybody," Still said. Babs Bellini, standing in line with Still, said talk of a moratorium "kind of made it a little more urgent" for her to make sure she got a permit to rehabilitate her flooded home in Lakeview. "It kind of put the pedal to the metal." The permit-getting process didn't seem to be running very smoothly -- at least before lunch -- on the seventh floor, where those waiting weren't informed until they reached the head of the line that to apply for a building permit they needed a damage assessment -- a document they could get only on the eighth floor.

There, each person took a number and sat waiting until being summoned by a Safety and Permits staffer who demonstrated how to use city computers set up in the hallway to download damage assessments and get a building permit, as long as their damage was less than 50 percent.

The eighth floor also is the place where property owners with damage assessments higher than 50 percent can ask a building inspector for a lower figure. Owners granted reductions must wait 48 hours -- giving time for the new figure to make it into city records -- before they can apply online for a permit.

Uptown resident John Hazard said he'd waited in line on the seventh floor for more than 30 minutes before he was directed upstairs to apply for the permits he needed to repair two rental houses he owns on Octavia Street.

Hazard left City Hall after applying online, and getting, a building permit to repair one of the houses and winning reduction of his damage assessment on the other house to below 50 percent.

He had high praise for the eighth-floor operation: "I was amazed how easy this was," Hazard said.

Centineo told reporters his department continues to issue about 150 building permits a day.

Susan Finch can be reached at sfinch@timespicayune.com or (504) 826-3340.

“Love is Kind”
Letter #101 January 16, 2006 Dear Scattered Members of the Family: “Love is Kind” 1 Corinthians 13:4 I went into New Orleans this morning to lead the Mold Krewe in devotions and then the Builders For Christ. The Mold Krewe was a group of fresh-faced “kids” from Martin Luther College and Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary. I noticed how they talked with each other, the cheerful humbleness of their demeanor. They looked a little out of place in the middle of a disaster area. And then the Builders, probably 3 times the age of the “kids.” Years and years of experienced, some “grizzled” more than others�. but as they talked with each other they sounded just like the kids. One of them had brought hand made quilts for us to share with others. We put them in the car next to a package from Cindy Lou who has been sending a box or two now and then. Inside is an odd assortment of things you don’t think about: a stapler, a ruler, horehound candy, a skirt, things that were put there with obvious care. St. Paul is talking about the body of Christ and how we are each a part of it. Then he goes into that famous passage about love, “Love is patient, love is kind�” It is the love, of course that comes from God because “God is love,” because “God so loved the world.” It is the love that God has for us and the love we have for God and the love we are to have for one another. St. Paul describes it with all those wonderful words. But it struck me that what I was seeing today was that “love is kind.” Sometimes it is a big old hug or a touch of the hand. Sometimes it an obviously kind word. But I think it is probably found more often in the way a person carries himself, the glance of her eye, the tone of your voice, a word not said. It isn’t just the gift, but the way it is given. It isn’t just the word but way it is said. Love is kind. Watch for it. It is one of the subtle beauties of love. News: Big attendance yesterday in church. The Builders and Mold Krewe swelled our ranks. Next week we worship closer to home, in Metairie. The Builders have filled our lot with trailers. They didn’t waste much time getting started. Got another letter from someone thanking us for helping them gut their home. It is a big gift. The Army Corps of Engineers came by my camp on Sunday and cut down all the damaged trees and carried it all off. It’s looking better. Evelyn was in church on Sunday. She is doing better and we thank God for that. Heard from Brunette Macklin on E-mail. She has a new computer now and she will be keeping in touch way up there in Ohio. The kids had a good time bowling with the Cross of Glory kids. They invited our kids. Love is kind. Be Strong in the Lord: Pastor
Newest Mold Krewe.

When a Samaritan woman came to draw water...
Letter #102 January 17, 2006 Dear Scattered Members of the Family: When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” John 4:7 (I’d like to warn you before you read any further that the subject I’m going to be writing about today might seem a little irreverent to some. I was conflicted about writing it myself. So if you are easily offended please don’t read further.) Last Sunday I asked Linda if she would ask the company she does business with to renew our port-a-potty. Ever since we began work on the church, there were no rest room facilities in the area, so we had a port-a-potty placed next to the street in front of the church. We also were given a semi load of water, which we also placed out by the street because at the time there was no water in the city and those who were the first ones back were glad to have a place to get a drink. So we were able to meet some people and tell them about our church because of the water placed out in front. But far more popular than the water was the port-a-potty. It was the only one around and very popular. Jesus was thirsty and he stopped at the well in Samaria. There he met a woman and asked her for a drink. But if you read the whole text above you find out that Jesus was using this “chance” meeting to share the good news with her. To a casual observer it would seem like two people getting water but in reality it was the most important moment in this woman’s life. As it turned out many more people came to faith in that area, all because of “water well evangelism.” This is what happens when you are always prepared, under every circumstance, to share your faith. So I guess there is such a thing as “water well evangelism.” I’ve heard of “Friendship Evangelism,” “Door to Door Evangelism,” “Cross Cultural Evangelism.” So let me go ahead and add one more, “Potty Evangelism.” (I know that at this point some of you are bursting with good puns, jokes and add campaigns for “Potty Evangelism.” Don’t go there!) We sometimes think of evangelism or outreach as some kind of complicated program costing a lot of money and involving complicated demographics and slick physiological programs. But the Lord finds many ways to bring us into contact with others. Seizing those would keep us pretty busy and make us good evangelists. News: We worship at Kionkas on Sunday. Choir practice at 10:00 AM and Worship at 11:00. Lunch to follow. We are planning to attend as a church, the Endymion Parade. (I know we usually go to the Bacchus Parade but the logistics seem too difficult this year.) Stay tuned for particulars. Feb 25th. Sav-a-Center on Franklin, and the Subway there, “We Never Close” on Chef are open. Castnet on Hayne, Ranch Market and Eastover Market on Bullard are open. Lake Castle School is open. Still no gas stations. Be strong in the Lord: Pastor
The Builders begin their day with the Lord.

From one man he made every nation of men...
Letter #103 January 18, 2006 Dear Scattered Members of the Family: From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. Acts 17:26 Ok, Ok let’s clear the air. The Mayor of our city has said some things that even he admits were over the top. He said that God is punishing America with these hurricanes. Well, if God wanted to, I guess he could, but we simply do not know. I’ve dealt with this issue in the past. (cf. John 9:2ff) What about the “chocolate city” remark? The fact is the majority of people in the city before the hurricane were black. Today the majority of the people in the city are still black. So, if you are interested in the color of this city, it has already been answered. St. Paul says some profound things in the passage above. He reminds us that no matter what color we are, we are descended from the same great, great grandparents, Adam and Eve. St. Paul says that means we are all God’s children. So what color my brother is might be something that some people think about, but it ought not be an issue with a child of God. And then St. Paul tells us that God has determined “the exact places where they should live.” Are there any of us who don’t realize that where we live has been determined by God? So if the mayor wants to say that God is punishing America with hurricanes, well, we need to see his evidence. If the mayor wants to say that God has determined that New Orleans be a “chocolate city” well, St. Paul would agree, because that is the way it is. My question is, “Does it matter?” News: I saw the builders scraping shingles off the parsonage. The rebuilding has begun. I saw the builders working on the fellowship hall, getting it ready for the future. They removed the beams that used to hold the dividers. I went over to Kionka’s today. They are getting their living room ready for us. I bought a few folding chairs to add. (All Wal Mart had) Carol and I met with Abby Janssen from the Forward in Christ magazine. She is down here writing an article. I’m glad it wasn’t a video interview. As my friend in California reminds me, I have more of an audio face. Radio show on Saturday at noon central time http://www.wsho.com or 800 AM on the dial. Sunday, Choir at 10:00, Worship at 11:00 am at Kionka’s. Buses are running in New Orleans East again; not many people are on them yet. Endymion Parade Feb 25, be there! Be strong in the Lord: Pastor
Builders trailer and the Spice Boys cooker.

God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight...
Letter #104 January 19, 2006 Dear Scattered Members of the Family: God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. 1 Kings 4:29 I’ve been praying for wisdom. Actually I’ve been praying for it especially these last few months. At first, after the storm, my prayers were more on the order of, give me strength. With all the moving and gutting and travelling around, that is what I needed. Then my prayers shifted to patience. With all the delays and setbacks and permits, it was patience that I found myself praying for. I still pray for those things because I still need them, but now and from the beginning it has been wisdom. Not just in the many decisions that have to be made but to know what the right thing is to do. There are so many voices, all saying different things. There is someone who sees through all the fog into a crystal clear future; that is God. If I could only see through his eyes. Do you know that Solomon didn’t ask for wisdom? God gave him wisdom but what Solomon asked for was a discerning heart. In Hebrew, a literal translation would be &dlquo;a listening heart.&drquo; Solomon wanted to be able to listen to all the sides of the issue and then be able to decide from that, what the right course of action should be. I guess the result of such a listening heart is wisdom. We could all use it, couldn’t we? Every person you talk to or listen to has a different idea of what should happen in our future. And we have to make decisions based upon the information we have. But there is more to wisdom than that. Solomon demonstrates that to us. Solomon did some really stupid things. He did those really stupid things when he stopped listening, not to the information around him. He did really stupid things when he stopped listening to God. So, Lord give me a listening heart. But Lord, let me never stop listening to you. Give me your wisdom, Lord. News: Orkin failed miserably to keep the termites out of our church, so we will probably give Terminex a chance. I saw three new roofs on houses around the church, a couple FEMA trailers in the neighborhood. The Bring Back New Orleans committee’s latest plans for the 9th Ward, (that’s us) includes blocking the Mr. Go and beefing up the levees. Stay tuned. Directions to the church on Sunday: If you are coming from the West: Take I10 east to Clearview Parkway, North Turn right (East) on Veterans Memorial Hwy You want to turn North on Neyrey St. but Veterans has a neutral ground and Neyrey doesn’t go through. You’ll have to go up to next left and go back to Neyrey. Take Neyrey north to Olney go right on Olney. First left is Wanda Lynn Dr. Go to 3912 Wanda Lynn on the left. If you are coming from the east take Causeway Blvd, North. Turn left on Veterans (I don’t believe you can turn left on Veterans so you might have to go past it to the turn around lane.) Take the turn around back to Veterans and go right. Take Neyrey right. Right on Olney. First left is Wanda Lynn Dr. Go to 3912 Wanda Lynn on left. Worship at 11:00 Choir at 10:00 Radio Show at Noon central time on Saturday. www.wsho.com or 800 AM on the dial. Got my boat started yesterday. Was able to get the parts that were broken or stolen. A few more fiberglass repairs and it might be ready for the water. Be strong in the Lord. Pastor
The Builders rescue "Borgne Free" from the neutral ground on Read. See Diaspora Archive Letter #51.

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen...

Letter #105
January 20, 2006

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Cor 4:18

It is better to look at good things than bad. Quite a profound statement huh? But it is. Around the church there are some good things to look at. Instead of just destruction there is now some construction. It is nice to see the flowers growing in the garden. It is nice to see a new roof going on the parsonage and repairs being made in the fellowship hall. I’d rather look at those things than the more obvious trash, debris and mess all around.

St. Paul tells us to do an odd thing, maybe something that even seems impossible. He says “fix your eyes not on what is seen but on what is unseen.” How do you fix your eyes on what you can’t see? He is telling his readers not to focus on the troubles and difficulties of life, but look beyond at the glory that is ours in Christ Jesus. Don’t focus your eyes on all the temporary things of life, but focus your eyes on the eternal things. Can we see the invisible? Yes we can. We have these gifts of the Holy Spirit known as the eyes of faith. Isn’t it nice that we can always lift our eyes above the bad, sinful, and ugly and cast our eyes on the beauty of what is ours and will be ours in Christ Jesus.

Bob Heier called yesterday to tell me that his father had passed away. My prayer is that the Heiers lift up their eyes and fix them on what we cannot see but what we know is his now in glory.

News:

Bob Heier’s Dad passed away. The funeral will be Monday. We hold him in our prayers.

Greens applied for their building permit and Elaine reports that the building permits are now free on line.

If you have a couple folding chairs bring them on Sunday just to be sure we have enough.

If you are coming from the West:
Take I10 east to Clearview Parkway, North
Turn right (East) on Veterans Memorial Hwy
You want to turn North on Neyrey St. but Veterans has a neutral ground and Neyrey doesn’t go through. You’ll have to go up to next left and go back to Neyrey.
Take Neyrey north to Olney go right on Olney.
First left is Wanda Lynn Dr. Go to 3912 Wanda Lynn on the left.

If you are coming from the east take Causeway Blvd, North.
Turn left on Veterans (I don’t believe you can turn left on Veterans so you might have to go past it to the turn around lane.) Take the turn around back to Veterans and go right.
Take Neyrey right.
Right on Olney. First left is Wanda Lynn Dr. Go to 3912 Wanda Lynn on left.

Choir practice at 10:00, Worship 11:00

Radio Show on Saturday at noon central time. www.wsho.com or 800 AM in New Orleans. Call in!

Church council meets tomorrow at 1:30 at church.

Lee, Gretchen and I meet with the Builders tonight at 5 PM to discuss the heating/air conditioning.

Be strong in the Lord.

Pastor

I have become all things to all men...

Letter #106
January 23, 2006

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. 1 Corinthians 9:22

Last week I pinched a nerve in my neck and it has been sending buzzy bolts of pain down my arms. It restricts my movements so much. It makes the simplest thing difficult. It was our turn to cook for the meal after church. Stirring what I called Chicken Katrina in the pot was a challenge. Transferring the creamains of one of the member�s mother from the box that it came in to an urn seems like an easy enough job, but I needed both arms and it took a long time. Hauling chairs to our new worship site, I�m usually good for two folding chairs in each arm but I �wimped out� and only took one. Directing the choir wasn�t bad because I could choose where my arms were. But even raising my arms in the benediction at the end of the service was painful. (The sermon was only painful for the listeners.) It wasn�t strength that I needed, it was flexibility. You have to be flexible to be a pastor.

St. Paul impresses me as a very inflexible guy in the beginning when he was called Saul. He was pretty rigid in what he thought religion was supposed to be. But the Lord knocked him down and through a series of events taught St. Paul how to be flexible. It seems like he became the most flexible of them all. He got to the point where he could say, �I have become all things to all men.� It occurs to me that it was his flexibility that made him such a powerful apostle.

I guess that is what the trials of life do. They bend us this way and that way. We find ourselves in positions we never thought we would be in. But what we discover is that the Lord sees us through them. New positions, then, are not quite so scary. Maybe in life it is not the strength but the flexibility. Or maybe our God-given flexibility is the strength.

News:

1. Worshipped in our new place yesterday, the Kionkas. We filled the place. Over sixty there. Of course about half of them were Builders for Christ.
2. Get your building permits on line for free now.
3. Met with the FEMA man yesterday after church. They are fitting our lot for a FEMA trailer.
4. Carol and I are heading for Florida for a Pastor�s conference this week. Looking forward to seeing our son Josh there.

Be strong in the Lord:

Pastor

�When God closes a door he opens a window.�
Letter #107 January 24, 2006 Dear Scattered Members of the Family: �When God closes a door he opens a window.� (Mother superior to Maria, Sound of Music) God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. (God, through St. Paul to the Corinthians.) 1 Corinthians 10:13 Brian Williams was in New Orleans again yesterday. He was walking through the Lower Ninth Ward with a guy from Habitat for Humanity. The guy from Habitat said that they were going to start building houses here and keep building houses here. I guess no one told him that that part of town is going to be bulldozed and turned into a park. (At least that is what some people say.) Those of you who are living far away from the city are probably lucky that you don�t have to listen to all the voices and all the advice out there. Everyone has a different idea of where this will lead. As a church we have decided to keep moving forward toward rebuilding. And I know some of you are doing the same with your houses. I guess it would be asking too much to actually have the Catholic Nun in Sound of Music quote from the Bible. But I guess she is saying about the same thing as St. Paul. Sometimes it might not seem like there is a way out of a dilemma, but God promises that he will provide that way out. There are two things (at least) that are important here. First it is clear that there will be times when it looks like there is no way out. God doesn�t always provide a way out until after we feel like we are trapped. I suppose it is hard to grow in faith if it is never tested. Secondly, St. Paul says that God will provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. That, I guess isn�t the best news. It sounds like we are still going to have to be carrying a burden but it won�t crush us. I guess it is good news - we know that this won�t crush us. New: 1. Talked with LeRoy Ellsworth. They are coming into town this weekend, staying at Lutherville (camper on the church property) and discussing with Jerry the rebuilding of their house. 2. My pinched nerve is still bothering me. Even a walk on the beach with Carol didn�t make it stop. (It was still a nice walk.) Chris promised to ask the Lord to give me an �upgrade.� 3. Please remember Feb 11th is our �Work with the Builders� day. 4. �The Word is Near� radio show is noon on Saturday. www.wsho.com or 800 AM. 5. Worship at Kionka�s on Sunday at 11:00, Choir at 10:00 6. Check out our colnola.com website. Michael updated it this week. Be strong in the Lord: Pastor
Mold Krewe starting their day right.

And God saw that it was good."
Letter #108 January 25, 2006 Dear Scattered Members of the Family: "And God saw that it was good." Genesis 1 For some reason it didn�t seem like the same thing. Carol and I are over here in Florida for our district pastor�s conference. We are staying in a hotel on the Atlantic Ocean. So yesterday we did one of my favorite things, we walked the beach. Old people, young families and kids all seem to enjoy the beach on a nice day. Pelicans dipped in and out of the waves, the shore birds chased down some kind of critter in the surf. And the water formed large green waves and crashed on the beach into foam. Very nice! Back home the Builders for Christ were putting my home and our church back together after they had been destroyed by this same water. How ugly! How beautiful! It didn�t seem like the same thing. When God made our world He saw to it that it was all good. All the things he made, he made to be useful, beautiful �. good. Of course we know what happened. Mankind fell into sin. And with his sinful touch he can make the most beautiful thing ugly. Think about it. Money, sex, work, nature, music, entertainment, speech, all amazingly beautiful useful things that sinful man has made ugly. Last but not least, himself. So I guess it isn�t surprising that in a sinful world the sea with all its beauty can turn on those who admire it. It�s their fault. What we notice occasionally, God saw with perfect clarity. So he sent his son to make it good again, by making us good again. The day is coming when it will all be good again. News: 1. Lee called. Electricity in the parsonage!! 2. Joyce Ison called; they are coming into town on Thursday. I�ll try to reserve a spot for them at Lutherville. They are getting their building permit. 3. Both Isons and Ellsworths are going to try to join us for church on Sunday. 4. Thanks for all the prayers for my pinched nerve. God hasn�t answered �yes� yet but your prayers lift me up. Thanks. 5. Take a look at the web page. Michael from California has made some nice changes. Colnola.com 6. Tanner wrote a nice e-mail. She says she and her family are doing pretty good. She reports being sad. I guess we can understand that. So put her in your prayers too. Be strong in the Lord: Pastor
Lutherville trailer park behind Crown of Life.

"I will sing to the LORD, I will sing."
Letter #109 January 26, 2006 Dear Scattered Members of the Family: "I will sing to the LORD, I will sing." Judges 5:3 We were sitting in this beautiful church in West Melbourne. Florida. It was the district Pastor-Teacher Conference that always starts off with a communion service. Our district doesn�t have many large congregations so it is always special when we can fill a big church with bunch of people who like to sing and raise the rafters. We were singing, �Crown Him Lord of All� and we got to the 5th verse and some young ladies behind us broke into the descant. It took my breath away! I couldn�t sing around the lump in my throat. I�m glad God lets us sing to him. A young lady named Deborah sang the words above after the Lord had helped her lead the Israelites against their enemies. Deborah was victorious, so in joy, she sings. I�ve never been in battle, but I imagine that when you are facing death like that and the Lord rescues you, you really feel like singing. I�ve never been in battle for my life�. Wait a minute, maybe I have. There was a battle for my eternal life. My sin made me a captive of death and Satan. The battle was fought, but I didn�t fight it. Jesus did. He won! I�m victorious! God helped Deborah win and she sang. God didn�t help me fight the battle; he fought the battle for me. I will sing. (As long as some girl doesn�t sing the descant behind me.) News: 1. Met Pastor Piepenbrink today. He is the pastor where Mercadels are going to church. They both say good things about each other. It is nice our family members are making a good impression. 2. FEMA rented the supermarket parking lot next to our church and kicked our trailers off. Now we only have them on our parking lot. It was nice while it lasted. 3. Sunday Choir at 10:00 AM at Kionkas. Worship at 11:00 AM. 4. Please remember Feb 11th is our �Work with the Builders� day. 5. �The Word is Near� radio show, noon central time on Saturday. www.wsho.com or 800 AM. Be strong in the Lord: Pastor
Beach Companions.

Come see a man who told me everything I ever did.
Letter #110 January 30, 2006 Dear Scattered Members of the Family: Come see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ? John 4:29 As is our tradition (it doesn�t take Lutherans long to have one) we introduced the new visitors to our church yesterday. So far there have been Mold Krewe people and Builders for Christ. But yesterday there were the cooks who had come from Arizona to cook for the builders and there were two tourists from Ohio. The cooks said that what they were doing was inviting the people of our neighborhood to come and eat meals with the Builders at the church. Did you catch that? Jesus was at Jacob�s well. He talked with the woman there and told her that he was the long promised Messiah. Just before that he also told her that she had 4 husbands and the one she was with now wasn�t her husband. She went back into town and said to the people, �Come see a man who told me everything I did.� Given her reputation I�m sure some were curious and some were afraid. She didn�t have to tell them anything, but it seems like she just had to. �Could this be the Christ?� I guess it no longer surprises me when people come to donate their time to help out their fellow believers; we have been blessed with a lot of that. So a cooking team, as unique as it is, seems about right these days. That isn�t the part that is amazing. And it is true that tourists coming into town is an awfully nice thing. (We used to have a lot of tourists in town, unfortunately they often didn�t come to church.) So having tourists is great but not the thing that lifted me up. What was it? Neighborhood. They actually said that word, �Neighborhood.� We went around your neighborhood and told people to come and eat with us. People in our neighborhood! Having good news isn�t quite as much fun unless you have someone to share it with like the Samaritan woman. It seems like we are beginning to have someone to share it with in our own neighborhood. �Could this be the Christ?� News: 1. Over 60 in church yesterday. Isons and Ellsworths made it in from Bossier City and Houston. Jerry�s guys are going to be helping them rebuild their houses. A nice group. 2. We heard rumors that Wanda was going to be there so the choir practiced, �Now Behold the Lamb.� But she couldn�t make it. 3. Pastor Warnecke was down last week. He�s working on getting us permission to put trailers on the parking lot next door. No Mold Krewes this week. 4. The Arizona cooks are inviting us to a steak dinner in the church. Wednesday at 6:00 PM. Let me know if you can make it and please bring something to pass. 5. BIG NEWS! We�re going home. That�s right, service next Sunday will be in our old gutted out church. We need the space and the builders are happy to have us there. It might not be pretty but it�s home. 6. A friend of Gretchen's has the following items for sale before Tuesday 31st: Bedset: mattress, boxspring, rails (Queen size), bought in Nov. 2004, brand new, it didn't move no damage (I still have the plastics) $150 (cash only) + Duvet and blanket (Queen size): $ 40 Chevrolet Prizm 2000 4dr (sedan, beige) mechanically identical to toyota corolla, 115000 miles, new tires + new AC compressor, Blue Book value: $4000, sale for $3800 Laurent Parent, 1 Meadows Blvd Apt 210 Slidell 70460 985 643 6374 (home, until January 31st), 228 688 5272 (work), parent@nrlssc.navy.mil Be strong in the Lord. Pastor
Sunday meeting in Metairie.


Letter #111 January 31, 2006 Dear Scattered Members of the Family: �Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and observed your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.� Acts 17:22-23 We here in New Orleans are deep into the Carnival Season. And even though the city is suffering big time, the plans for the Carnival season are on track. There are those who think it is a good idea because of the money that it generates and the city certainly needs money. Others think it is improper to have a big party in the midst of so much suffering. To those reading this who don�t know, Carnival means, �farewell to the flesh.� It would seem like a Christian holiday. We all wish we could get rid of our sinful nature. But that is not the way it works. The Roman Catholic Church, years ago, told the people that they couldn�t eat meat during the season of Lent. (I think some people still give up things for Lent.) So the people decided that since Lent was the season to give up meat and it was a season of repentance and reflection, they thought they would have a big party just before Ash Wednesday. They called it Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday. And from the way many people celebrate Mardi Gras, not many people would call it a Christian holiday. St. Paul could think on his feet. Those of us who share our faith wish we could be as clever as St. Paul was here. The Greeks were so afraid that they would leave out a god (they had so many anyway) that they made an altar to the one they didn�t know. I guess they were thinking that they couldn�t possibly miss two gods. St. Paul takes this pagan fear and uses it for his advantage. �I�ll tell you about the God you do not know.� And then he told them about Jesus. While the Builders are building on our Fellowship Hall and Parsonage, some of the Builder�s wives are walking around the neighborhood, talking with those who are cleaning out their houses. They were telling them about our worship service on Sunday and inviting them to join them for meals at the church. They came up with this idea; what if we printed a little invitation and connected it to a pair of Mardi Gras beads and hung it on the doors of people who are around�. a sort of door hanger New Orleans style. So Carol and I got a few bags of beads out of the attic (the water didn�t get that high) and the ladies went to work. St. Paul would have been proud. News: 1. Pastor Richard Warnecke was able to obtain permission to park our trailers on the old Winn Dixie parking lot. This is great news! 2. Isons were still in town this morning. They say �Hi� to you. 3. Had a devotion with the builders this morning at 7:30. They are making good progress. 4. Wednesday, steak dinner at the church. Bring something to pass. 6:00 PM 5. Worship in the Church on Sunday 6. Building Committee meeting after church. We have to finalize a lot of things so the builders can move ahead. 7. Met Pastor and Mrs. Piepenbrink of Atlanta at the conference last week. They have some new friends we know as the Mercadels. Be strong in the Lord: Pastor
The Mercadel's new friends, the Piepenbrinks.

What is man that you make so much of him...
Letter #112 February 1, 2006 Dear Scattered Members of the Family: �What is man that you make so much of him, that you give him so much attention�.will you never look away from me, or let me alone even for an instant?� Job 7:7,9 [sic Webmaster] It is always the same. Someone sticks a microphone in the face of some pathetic Katrina evacuee, like me, and asks, �You�ve lost everything, how does it make you feel?� Are they really expecting some other answer than, �It makes me feel awful, how are you?� But we are Christians right? This stuff is supposed to roll off us like water off a duck. But it doesn�t. Why not? Well it is because we are not stupid. And amazingly, it is because we believe. Job was living though a particularly difficult patch in his life when he said the words above. He wasn�t stupid either. He knew God was somehow behind the disasters in his life. He couldn�t figure out why God was allowing all these disastrous things to happen to him. At this point, it sounds like all he wants is for God to just leave him alone. �Don�t give me any attention Lord, because it seems like it is all bad.� �Don�t pay any attention to me. �Don�t try to teach me anything.� �Don�t give me any lessons in life, just leave me alone.� �I�ll take my chances like everyone else.� Well, it was a bad day for Job. And he couldn�t see how God was going to resolve his life in the end. He was in the middle and he was struggling with God. It takes a long time and a lot of training for us to say, �Every good thing I have comes from the hand of God.� But God says so and we learn to believe him. It is that same faith that understands that if the Lord gave these things to me, He has also taken these things away. And so that is the problem. Yes, we know that it will be good for us. But it isn�t real good right now. So it might feel like we would be better off if we didn�t have God active in our lives, if this is what we get. But then again we are still in the middle. We need to reach into that same bag of faith and pull out the faith that knows that God will lift us up again. He lifted Job and he will us. News: 1. It �pains� me to tell you that my pinched nerve continues to annoy me. Thanks for the prayers. 2. Still no FEMA trailer but they did promise that we will have them by 2008. Judging by the progress that the builders are making, I�ll have a house before a FEMA trailer. I wish the same for you. (If it is soon) 3. Our next door neighbor of the church, wants to find out if Jerry�s Krewe can repair his house. 4. Did you see the house for sale on Marywood ct? 5. Steak Dinner at church at 6:00 PM Bring something to pass. 6. Choir practice at the church 10:00 AM Worship at 11:00. Lunch 12:00 Noon Be strong in the Lord. Pastor
The parsonage gets a new roof.


Letter #113 February 2, 2006 Dear Scattered Members of the Family: You are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins. Matthew 1:21 Ken Cherney played his guitar in church and we all sang a Christmas song. It probably did not look like what you are picturing in your mind. First of all it wasn�t Christmas, although there was a lot of giving going on. And the church�. Well it doesn�t exactly look like a church right now. We were gathered together, the builders and a few of us members to eat dinner together in the church. Some volunteer cooks from Arizona made a fine meal for us. Afterward we sang songs. There among the stacks of sheet rock, insulation, and lumber we sang, �And man shall live forevermore because of Christmas day.� Things got very quiet. Joseph would get to give the baby his name. But it wasn�t like they had any choice. Mary and Joseph didn�t sit down and look through a book of names to see which names went good with ��..of Nazareth.� When an angel from God tells you what to call your child, that is what you call it. But Jesus had to be named Jesus because that is what he is, the savior of the world. Because of that day all our days have changed. And man shall live forevermore because of Christmas day. Things got very quiet as we sang. Maybe because it didn�t seem inappropriate to worship a baby in a manger from a torn up church. Maybe because in the midst of the chaos all around us, there was peace. Maybe because it became very clear why we were doing all this. �And man shall live forevermore because of Christmas Day.� News: 1. Went down to city hall and found out that we didn�t need a close wall inspection as long as we were just making repairs. That means one less hurdle. Good news. 2. Randy Hall did the electrical inspection on the parsonage and is submitting his report to the city. We can start closing the walls!! 3. Mercadels were in town talking with Jerry who is going to help them rebuild their house. 4. �The Word is Near� radio show on Saturday, noon, central time. 800 AM or www.wsho.com . Listen in and call: 504-527-0800. 5. Council meets at 2:00 Saturday 6. Worship back in the church on Sunday 11:00 Choir 10:00 7. Big storm ripped through New Orleans last night. All our Builders are OK. Be strong in the Lord: Pastor
Inside Crown of Life.

David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the LORD...
Letter #114 February 3, 2006 Dear Scattered Members of the Family: David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the LORD with all his might, while he and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouts and the sound of trumpets. 2 Samuel 6:16 I know, I know it is not the same thing. Our going back to church is not the same as King David bringing the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. For the past 5 months we have been worshipping our Lord in Spirit and in truth at the homes of a couple members. That won�t be any better just because we are in our church. The Ark was a symbol of the Lord�s presence among the Israelites. God was certainly in Jerusalem even though the Ark was at Obed-Edom�s house. We have a promise from God to that effect, �Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.� But it was good to have the Ark where it was supposed to be, in the capital city. It will be good to have ourselves back where we are supposed to be. King David was taking the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. David was excited. There still was no temple for the ark. David just set up a tent for it in Jerusalem. It wasn�t a magnificent place. But what made it magnificent was that the Lord was there. David, in leading the Ark back dances for joy in front of it. His wife thinks he made a fool of himself. David doesn�t mind. I guess I�ve made a fool of myself dancing before, but you don�t have to worry, I won�t be dancing when we go into church on Sunday. (Me dancing in church would not be an adiaphoron.) But I will be happy. I will be happy because it is one step forward on the path we found ourselves on 5 months ago. It will be folding chairs, no carpet, bare studs for walls and a home made altar. But it is as good as a tent, and the One who makes all things beautiful will be with us. 1. Heard from Brunette Macklin�s new pastor in Ohio. It is a WELS church and they are helping her find an apartment. Glad she is in good hands. 2. Horace called today. He stopped by and looked at the church. He promised to join us on Sunday. That will be nice. 3. Arva & Odie Moore met with Jerry Zimpleman yesterday. They are going to rebuild. 4. They are starting to close up the walls in the parsonage today. The race is on. Will the Builders finish the parsonage before FEMA provides me with a trailer? 5. Saturday Noon �The Word is Near� Radio Show, 800 AM or www.wsho.com . Call in 504-527-0800. Council 2:00 PM at church. 6. Sunday: Choir 10:00 Worship 11:00. No heat or air so dress appropriately. Be strong in the Lord: Pastor
Sign at Crown of Life.

Peter said to Jesus, �Rabbi, it is good for us to be here...
Letter #115 February 6, 2006 Dear Scattered members of the Family: Peter said to Jesus, �Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters � one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.� Mark 9:5 It was a nice day to be back in our chapel. People didn�t want to leave. They hung around. Eddie Green was there and Margie and Ashleigh were there for the first time. Horace was there recovering from serious surgery. Charmaine and Chris brought a friend and there were some visitors in church. The choir sang, the keyboard sounded good. Someone had put beautiful flowers on the altar. And people just wouldn�t go home. Jesus took his disciples up to the top of the mountain. There he appeared in all his glory before them. Peter, James, and John must have known he was the Messiah but this so confirmed it. �Could this be the Christ?� was no longer a question they would ask. And then to hang around with those two great religious superstars, Moses and Elijah�. Back in town were the scoffers and the unbelievers, the hypocrites and the haters. No wonder Peter wanted to stay. But alas, Jesus didn�t come to hang out on a hill top (at least that hill top). And he didn�t call his disciples to talk to Moses and Elijah. They were already in heaven. So we went home: Glenda to look for a job, Pam to make arrangements for rebuilding her house, Eddie driving all the way back to Montgomery, Beth to plant grass seed. But it was God who was scattering HIS seeds. News: 1. About 70 people in church for our first time back in the church. The Builders made the place look pretty good. 2. It turns out that I got the deluxe FEMA trailer. Slide out and full sized toilet. (I�m not sure how to take that.) 3. Evelyn is feeling better. 4. This week we are picking out cabinets for the Fellowship Hall. Most of the Parsonage has the insulation in. 5. Church work day, Saturday 7:30 AM. Building Committee and Ladies Guild will meet too. 6. Worship (11:AM) and Choir (10:00 AM) Sunday. Be strong in the Lord. Pastor
Church before the chairs were set up.

�It is finished.�
Letter #116 February 7, 2006 Dear Scattered Members of the Family: �It is finished.� John 19:30 Yesterday after devotions with the Builders, I came back to Camp David to welcome our district president, The Rev. John Guse and his lovely wife, Carolyn. Of course when someone as important as your district president comes (in other churches they call them Bishops or Cardinals) everyone is on edge. We had the pastry chef design some tasty truffles, rolled out the red carpet, (which is hard to find in Mississippi these days�. Probably always has been.) and generally tried to give him a welcome befitting his high station. Normally District Presidents are loath to be seen in such humble surroundings but he had come with the Synod�s new Bible Study, �The Real Treasure of Every Treasured Soul.� He had come to this disaster zone back in November and he commented. �There doesn�t seem to be much change.� Of course, living here, we notice every new FEMA trailer, business opening and abandoned car removed. But to the occasional visitor it still looks like a disaster. Recovery is painfully slow. (Directions to our house include, turn at the tipped over yellow van on the corner.) Back in 1949, at St. John�s Lutheran Church a pastor poured water on the head of a baby boy and at that moment the disaster that was me we fixed. (Actually I had been fixed the moment Jesus said the words on the cross above, �It is finished.�) I don�t even remember the day. I�m glad that our recovery is not a slow and painful, step by step thing. I�m glad that I don�t have to spend my life gradually getting things in order with my God. I�m glad I don�t have to live my whole life as a disaster waiting for recovery. Kings and Priests, that�s what we are. Thank you Jesus! I guess it would be nice if this current disaster could be so quickly fixed. Of course the day is coming, when in the twinkling of an eye, God will. News: 1. Carol and Madonna are checking out appointments and color schemes for our fellowship hall. They will have some recommendations on Sunday. 2. My pinched nerve is still troubling me. (It is hard to direct a big choir finish with one hand) But someone gave me some exercises that help. Thanks for asking. 3. Michael Walker and the Spice Persons will be doing their thing for the Endymeon Parade. (They used to be called the Spice Boys but not that Patience has joined the team we have to call them Spice Persons) 4. Work Day at church Saturday, 7:30 AM and following. 5. Radio Show at noon on Saturday. 6. Check out our web site colnola.com 7. Choir 10:00 Worship 11:00 Sunday. Be strong in the Lord. Pastor
Kings and Priests.


Letter #117 February 8, 2006 Dear Scattered Members of the Family: I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel. Genesis 3:15 It has started. We�ve been working on our fellowship hall and the parsonage for quite awhile. But this week it really started, because this week we started rebuilding some of the houses of our members. A Church without members is just a building. This week a Faith in Action group began bringing our family members back. Getting everyone back is still going to take a long time. But the process has begun. I wish it would go faster. Adam and Eve did a bad thing. Not just to themselves but to all their descendants, us. They plunged us all into a world of sin. But in one day God promised them and us a Savior. His promise is recorded above. But of course it would be thousands of years before Jesus would actually come and live and die for the sins of the world. But the very moment God made the promise, salvation was complete. A promise of God is a done deal. Adam and Eve were saved by faith in that promise, just like we are. I�m glad we don�t have to wait and see what is going to happen. I�m glad that it is all over. I wish the rebuilding of our church, our houses and our community was so complete. I wish I had a promise from God, �You will all be back.� Then we would know that it is a done deal. And even if it took a few years for it all to happen, we would still know that it would. That would make it easier. As it is, we have to wait and pray and listen closely. Maybe that is the point. 1. Some of our old members, Tom Thiele and his son Michael were some of the first ones to come down and start rebuilding the homes of our current members. They have been working on getting the electricity up and running in some of our homes. Somehow I�m not surprised. 2. Tanner called. She sends here greeting to y�all. She and her children are doing fine. Still trying to graduate from court reporting school. 3. Talked to Garnet and George today. They are planning to come back after school is out for Myraja. 4. Jerry�s Kids (Jerry Zimpleman�s home rebuilders from WELS Kingdom workers) have been working on Ellsworths, Mercadels, Isons, and Greens homes. Others have signed up. 5. Saturday, if you can make it come and lend a hand on rebuilding your church. Get to meet these nice people who are working so hard for us. The day starts with devotion at 7:30 AM. Ladies Guild will meet at 10 AM. 6. Radio show, noon on Saturday 800 AM or www.wsho.com 7. Sunday, Worship 11 AM and choir 10 AM. Be strong in the Lord: Pastor
The current King and Queen of the Builders, the Mehnes.

The length of our days is seventy years � or 80...
Letter #118 February 9, 2006 Dear Scattered Members of the Family: The length of our days is seventy years � or 80, if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away. Psalm 90:10 There is a lot of gray hair in our church these days and not just mine. It�s these Builders for Christ. They are not kids anymore. You can�t call them geezers, not if you see them climbing on the roof, lifting heavy boards, sheet rock, climbing ladders, etc. But they are getting up there. I think if you would talk to them, they would estimate that the time they have left here on this earth will be much shorter than the time that they have spent here. Some of them are bumping up on Moses� limits above. Is time more valuable when you have less of it? Psalm 90 is famous because it is so often read at funerals. It talks about life is such an honest way. It starts by praising God for being our dwelling place, always. It goes on to talk about how quickly life passes by and ends by asking the Lord to make the time we spend and the things we do worth while. As you look back over your life in the past, there are probably days you wish you could get back. Time that you wasted that you would like to tack on to the end of your life. The only time we have to spend on this earth is the time still left. And we don�t know how much that is. As it turns out the only time we have is this moment that we are in. How valuable is it? How will we use it? Time is running out for us all. The older you are, I guess, the more obvious that becomes. Time is running out for these Builders and yet they spend their days not taking life easy but busily rebuilding a church. Why do they do it? Don�t they realize that time is running out? Maybe that�s why�. Time is running out. News: 1. Talked to 3 people who at one time said they were not coming back to town but now are saying they think they would like to. They say the same thing, �There is something missing.� New Orleans does have something that once it is in your blood, there is no place like it. 2. Work day at church on Saturday. We are also hoping to get the building committee and the ladies guild there to make some quick decisions about rebuilding. 3. Work continues on the fellowship hall and parsonage, and members houses. 4. Still no electricity in my FEMA trailer. The Builders can still win the race. Be strong in the Lord: Pastor
The Builders on a break.

It is good to praise the LORD and make music to your name...
Letter #119 February 10, 2006 Dear Scattered Members of the Family: For the Sabbath Day It is good to praise the LORD and make music to your name O Most High, to proclaim your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night, to the music of the ten-stringed lyre and the melody of the harp. For you make me glad by your deeds, O LORD: I sing for joy at the works of your hands. Psalm 92:1-3 I�m not sure, but we might have one of the most productive choirs around. I don�t think most choirs sing every week; we do. We also have only one practice a week, right before church. The pressure is on. We have to learn this song so that we can sing it an hour from now. Of course the American Idol judges would probably say that we were not ready for a serious performance. And it is true that sometimes, someone sings a wrong note. Sometimes the director (who shall remain nameless, 8th commandment you know) gets lost. But each Sunday we put a bunch of locals and a bunch of foreigners (Builders for Christ) together and we lift up our voices. The psalmist wrote the above song for the Sabbath day. They had different instruments then. We�ve had a harp accompany our choir, but never a 10 stringed lyre. Of course we have an electronic keyboard that I�m sure can mock a 10 stringed lyre or a 9 string if necessary. But it is still true it is �good to praise the LORD.� Good for who? Well, first and foremost, good for us. The Lord has put a song in our hearts. He has made us his own, forgiven us, given us every good and perfect gift. �For you make me glad by your deeds, O LORD.� It has to get out. And when it does it feels right and good. So for us it isn�t a performance, although the church usually thanks us with applause. And we won�t win any American Idol prizes. One of these weeks we will practice and learn the song and forget to sing it in church. But it probably won�t make any difference. News: 1. Big work day tomorrow at church. The weather might be bad, but come anyway. Building Committee and Ladies Guild members will get together at 10 AM to decide on colors and such. 2. Breaking out my tuxedo for a carnival ball tonight. 3. Choir Practice at 10:00 Sunday 11:00 Worship. 4. "The Word is Near" radio show, Saturday, Noon, www.wsho.com or 800 AM. Listen in and please call in, 504-527-0800. 5. Isn't this amazing! Our fellow Lutherans in Germany sent us 654.96 Euros to help us recover from the hurricane. "I believe in the communion of saints." 6. We welcome to the Family this Sunday, Charles and Andrea Aycock. They had been planning to join before the hurricane. Big day for us. Thank God. Be strong in the Lord: Pastor
Last camp standing on the lake side of levee. Lake Pontchartrain.

They devoted themselves to the apostles� teaching...
Letter #120 February 13, 2006 Dear Scattered Members of the Family: They devoted themselves to the apostles� teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. Acts 2:42-43 A letter came in the mail the other day. It had a �funny� stamp on it and there was some foreign language on the return address. In it was a gift to our church from our fellow Lutherans in Germany. I guess the news of our disaster reached all around the world and they took a collection to help us get our church back. I thought about them. They obviously had thought about us. But they didn�t know us, or did they? These early Christians in Acts certainly knew each other, it sounds like they met with each other everyday. They devoted themselves to that fellowship and when they did amazing things started happening, It sounds to me like they were even surprised by what was happening. What was their fellowship? Well it wasn�t that they knew each other. It was those other things, the apostles teaching, the breaking of bread and prayer. That is what bound them together. And that is where the �awesome� things sprang from. There is probably a piece of paper somewhere that declares that we are in fellowship with these Lutherans in Germany. If the situation in typical, their �big theologians� met with our �big theologians� and agreed that we were teaching the same thing. And on the bottom of the piece of paper there are probably signatures of synod presidents and some sort of seal. But that paper isn�t really our fellowship. Our fellowship is our common faith and our common love for God and for each other. We had been kind of waving at each other across all those miles of the Atlantic Ocean and then one day they heard of our plight, had compassion and their hearts met ours. Awesome fellowship! 1. Good attendance on Sunday, over 85. Of course most of them were from far away places. But that is good. 2. The choir sang 2 songs on Sunday. We�re hot! 3. Most of the sheetrock is up in the parsonage. Our FEMA trailer still doesn�t have electricity. The Builders could win the race yet. 4. Went in this morning for 6:30 AM devotions with the newest Mold Krewe from New Ulm, MN. The cooks at the church are even busier now. 5. Jerry�s Kids (They�re not really kids. I�m just searching for a good name for them) are working on member�s houses. The electricity is repaired thanks to Tom and Michael Thiele. I saw them scraping shingles off of Ellsworth�s house and finishing up the electricity in Ison�s house. 6. Took our electrical inspection forms down to city hall. She greeted me with, �Wrong form.� They are the ones who supplied the form�. Don�t get me started. 7. For prayers: Evelyn is struggling a bit. One of the cooks broke down in Texas on his way back. Gretchen�s Brother in law got stuck in the snow storm in Tennessee. 8. Women: Work on your Bible study on friendship. To be discussed at the March 12th meeting of the Ladies Guild. Be strong in the Lord: Pastor
Worship at Crown of Life.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart...

Letter #121
February 14, 2006

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men. Colossians 3:23

Happy Valentines Day! It is the day of love, right? I was talking to one of the Builder�s wives and she was saying that they were going to be singing love songs tonight when they got together in the evening. But she assured me that they would be love songs to Jesus. That�s nice! But I was thinking about that. It certainly can�t be inappropriate to sing a love song to each other. Is it better to sing a love song to Jesus?

St. Paul is talking to people in various positions and giving them advice about how to serve the Lord. In the above passage he is talking about slaves working for their masters. We often apply this passage to employees working for their �masters.� St. Paul says that we should work diligently because we are really working for the Lord. We are serving him. We know that one the best ways to serve our God is to serve one another. It follows that one of the best ways to show love for our God is by showing love for each other.

On this Valentines Day go ahead and sing a love song to Jesus, there is no greater love than the one that he has for us. But if you want to sing a love song to the love of your life, go ahead and do that. There is nothing that the Lord wants you to do more than love him by loving others. We sang it in church last Sunday, �Serving You by loving all.�

News:
1. Mold Krewe pretty much finished Seth�s house yesterday.
2. The gas station on the corner of Bullard and Hayne is open.
3. Michael from California reports that he had a dream where his brother David fell off a brick church. Michael doesn�t have a brother David. Oooooo. Sounds like a good excuse not to do any work around the church.
4. �The Word is Near� radio show, Saturday, Noon, www.wsho.com or 800AM (in the New Orleans area). Topic: �Court to Hear Case Against Christ.�
5. Choir 10 AM Sunday, Worship 11 AM Sunday. All are welcome to come at ten and sing with the choir.

Be strong in the Lord:
Pastor

I thank my God every time I remember you.
Letter #122 February 15, 2006 Dear Scattered Members of the Family: I thank my God every time I remember you. Philippians 1:3 It was one of those times when you ask yourself, �What just happened here?� I had gone into New Orleans for my morning devotion with the Builders at 7:30 AM. Traffic was a little backed up on the Twin Span (I 10 across lake Ponchartrain) so I got there about 5 minutes early. After the devotion, in which no one fell asleep, I walked around to look at the progress that was being made. Some of the guys were working the fellowship hall. Some of the women were sweeping out the parsonage since the sheet rock was now installed. I was walking back to the church when I saw Herb unloading a pickup of sheet rock and taking it into the Fellowship Hall. Herb nearly died of a stroke less a year ago so I decided to help him. For 5 minutes I helped him carry sheet rock into the fellowship hall. After the last trip he said, �Thanks.� What just happened here? St. Paul thanks God for the Philippians. He had literally laid his life on the line to take the gospel to them and other gentiles. He worked hard spending sleepless nights, flogged and beaten, in prison and ship wrecked. They were headed for eternal life because of St. Paul. (I know, really because of Jesus) They should have been thanking God for him, not the other way around. Maybe they did. Do you think they wanted to express their thanks to God and to St. Paul for what he did for them? I think so. As a matter of fact, if you read the end of the book you can see that the Philippians sent St. Paul some money to help him out in need. St. Paul thanks God for them and they find a way to say thanks back. I laughed to myself with Herb thanked ME. He had given his time, effort and a piece of his life to help our church rebuild. It was I who should have been thanking him. But maybe he doesn�t see �our church� as �our church� but as the Lord�s church. I wonder how we will thank these people for what they are doing? I wonder how we will thank God for these people and what they are doing? 1. Carol picked up a WELS guy who was down here working for Habitat for Humanity. They couldn�t get their project done so he came to help us rebuild people�s houses. 2. The parsonage is sheet rocked. Mud is next. 3. The Builders are sending down an architect to make plans for our rebuilding the chapel. He is volunteering his time. 4. Randy Baker is coming with a crew at the end of the week to do masonry work on the parsonage and fellowship hall. (his second time here) It was his idea to make the fellowship hall and chapel look more alike. They will have the high honor of living in a FEMA trailer while they are here. (Gary was wiring up my FEMA trailer for them to stay in.) 5. The race is over. We will now never know who would win FEMA or the Builders. 6. I noticed the grass growing around the church. Looks like we will have to buy a lawnmower. 7. Half of Ellsworth�s roof is on. The students are scraping the tile off the floor. 8. The weather is warm today. The ducks are going to have to be more careful when swimming up this bayou. Be strong in the Lord: Pastor
The Thieles came to do electrical work. Shocking! Sorry!

Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.
Letter #123 February 16, 2006 Dear Scattered Members of the Family: Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? Isaiah 43:18-19 It is one of those beautiful mornings today. It is only 9:00 AM and I am sitting out on my deck feeling the warm sun against my back. It feels like a spring day. The sky is bright blue without a cloud. The air smells like spring. (You know what I mean.) The bayou out front is a kind of green color and I noticed that the grass I planted in the yard is beginning to come up. It is hard to believe that it is the same place as it was a couple months ago. Trees knocked down all over, everything dead or dying and it smelled like it too. There is still a lot of destruction around, but there is a feeling like God is beginning to make everything new. The above passage is part of the sermon text for Sunday. After talking about how he had helped and saved them in the past, God is telling them that he is doing a new thing. He has a plan to bring life in the dessert. Of course that �new thing� is the way he saves us. God is promising the people of Israel that he would bring them to life through the Messiah. He took a disaster that was us, a stinking mess of sin and death, and brought it to life. And now here we are, brand new. I guess that is what our God does. Takes dead things and makes them new and alive. I see him doing it with the Mississippi countryside. I see him doing it to the quirky, funky city I call home. I see him doing it through his people with the homes of our family members. But it is nothing compared to the new life his has created in the man sitting on his deck this beautiful morning. News: 1. Big, good news! They are closing the Mr. Go (Mississippi River Gulf Outlet). That is where the water came from that flooded our part of town. This is a major commitment to protecting our part of town in the future. 2. �The Word is Near� radio program, Saturday at Noon, www.wsho.com or 800 AM. �Italian court puts Jesus on trial.� 3. More big news. The feds are giving Louisiana another 4.8 billion toward rebuilding. 4. Choir practice at 10:00 on Sunday, worship at 11:00. Be strong in the Lord: Pastor
Bayuo behind "Camp David, Bay St. Louis, MS."

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