Thanks to guest writer Michael Eaton.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 1:3

The WELS Marriage Retreat is in San Diego and Naomi and I are going. The retreat is about the different aspects of love inside a marriage. The agenda covers love in ways I don’t usually think about, things like forgiveness, service, endurance and also how to celebrate and renew it. I love my wife with all my heart, what more can I add? I guess the retreat is showing the different facets of marital love and how it is expressed. The inner guy inside me is bracing for a boring weekend, but the Christian inside, as always, reminds the guy preparing to be bored what Jesus did out of love. I love Naomi, and Christ and will pray for an interesting time.

Saint Paul is encouraging the persecuted Thessalonians to stand up and trust God’s grace. And in doing so he highlights this grace by demonstrating their resolve. St. Paul had sent Timothy to see how they were holding up and obviously they were doing well enough to trigger the letter. By the existence of this letter to Thessalonica God’s grace is shown holding up that group of believers. I once saw that same level of grace for myself when I worshiped with you all down in Baton Rouge. The congregation of Crown of Life gives me strength every day.

As a man I don't gush about love, but plod along earning my daily bread for my wife, Naomi, and daughter, Alana. I guess you could say I’m devoting my life’s work to their comfort. In doing so God’s grace and power shine.

Help and Love one another:

Michael Eaton
Santee, CA

News:

1. LSU beat Duke. Keep it going.
2. Tianna was in town today. She writes that they are all fine. We thank God.
3. Radio Show tomorrow at noon. WSHO.com
4. Abita Springs town garage sale tomorrow.
5. Worship 11:00 AM We welcome Sydney Harris to the family.
6. Choir 10:00 AM Sunday

Be Strong in the Lord

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow. Matthew 6:34
Those who plan what is good find love and faithfulness. Proverbs 14:22

We did what we always do. The “big shots” from the Committee on Relief and WELS Kingdom Workers were in town and they met with Jerry (of Jerry’s Kids), Herb (of Builders for Christ), Kristopher (Of Mold Krewe and WELS video fame), Carol (The first lady) and me. We sat in a circle on the new wood floor of the Fellowship Hall’s new kitchen. We talked about all the good things that had happened and were happening. We talked about how the Lord had surprised us along the way…. how he had sent us just the right people at just the right time….how so many of these good things God had made happen. We talked about how they had happened without our planning and then we sat down to plan. That’s what we do.

The Lord Jesus took such a huge burden off of us when he said, “Don’t worry about tomorrow.” He backs that up with, “Your heavenly Father knows that you need them.” God has a plan and IT WILL HAPPEN. It is easy for him to plan since he knows the future – no – he makes the future. But the same Lord who has told us not to worry about tomorrow and to trust him for it, has also said, “Those who plan what is good find love and faithfulness.” Proverbs 14:22 We can plan what is good, we should plan what is good, but it is God who does it.

So we made our “good plans.” Where they will lead, God only knows. But he does know! We know He’s “got our back.” It seems like maybe He’s “got our front” too. How does that song go? “Many things about tomorrow I don’t seem to understand, but I know who holds tomorrow and I know who holds my hand.”

News:

1. The Builders will leave in the next couple weeks after they finish the Fellowship Hall and the Parsonage. Actually most will leave this coming weekend. Jerry’s Kids will continue until the Middle of May. We are hiring Randy Baker of California to be our project director to help us plan for the rebuilding of the chapel. (When and how God knows) The plan is to gear up again in July.
2. Jeffersons were in town yesterday. Jerry’s kids were working on their roof.
3. Wanda is experiencing the loss of some of her family members here in town. Keep her in your prayers.
4. Romona has been ill. Pray!
5. George Armstrong called. He is planning to move back to the city, rebuild his house for Garnet and George and Miraja. He says, “Hi.”
6. Two of our “old” members are back in town doing electrical work. Mark Meissner and Tom Theile.
7. The IHOP on Bullard is opening.
8. Crawfish boil on Sunday. (Celebration Sunday) Jerry’s Kids hauled a lot of the down wood out of our back yard and I cut the grass. It won’t be as nice as it was, but we should be able to “pass a good time.”
9. Wednesday Lenten Service. “I am thirsty.”
10. Sunday, Choir at 10:00 Worship at 11:00

Be strong in the Lord

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your parnership in the gospel from the first day until now. Philippians 1:3-4

It was some time in October when the Builders for Christ first came. Six months later they are leaving. They rode into an area of chaos and broken hearts and with their gentle spirits and strong backs they cut a swath of hope among us, and we thank them. They fixed roofs and electrical services from Mandeville to Slidell. They rebuild my camp in Mississippi. They successfully have rebuilt our Fellowship Hall and the parsonage in New Orleans. And now with their silver bullets in their guns they will ride off into the sunset. People we didn’t know. We have worked together, prayed together and worshipped together. We benefited. I think they did too.

St. Paul from prison thinks about his friends back in Philippi. He had spent some time with them, but now they are separated. Together they had worked in the Lord’s vineyard. And now he remembered fondly those days. The Lord caused them to get together and St. Paul saw it for what it was, a gift of God to him.

So I’m sorry that more of you didn’t get to know them better. And I’m sorry they didn’t get to know you better. I think they would have benefited by knowing you like I do. I think you would have been encouraged if you had gotten to know them. Our God seems to like this kind of thing – bringing people together to help them all grow. I wish the Lord had found a different way to do that, but no one that hung around these last six months will say that it wasn’t successful.

News:

1. Waste Management’s garbage pick up number. 504-254-5353 They say they will be picking up trash in New Orleans East this week.
2. I’m hoping that the bathrooms in the Fellowship Hall will be usable this week.
3. LSU LSU Both the men and the women are in the final four.
4. The WELS camera man was down again yesterday. Watch for the latest flix of our church. I hear that the Forward Magazine also has an article about Crown of Life. (our mail is still pretty slow)
5. Did you notice the Ison’s FEMA trailor?
6. Tonight, worship service at 7:00 PM
7. Saturday "Thw Word is Near" Radio Show 800 AM or www.wsho.com at noon. Call us.
8. Sunday Choir at 10:00 Worship at 11:00
9. Crawfish Boil Sunday. Celebration Sunday. After church. Please come!

Be strong in the Lord

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit – Just as you were called to one hope when you were called – one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. Ephesians 4:3-6

There are some empty places in Lutherville, these days. There will be more on Saturday and even more on Sunday. The people who came from far away to help us rebuild are going home. There will be a few left to finish the job and until May 15th Jerry’s Kids will still be working on member’s homes. I guess there is some kind of dynamic working here. Big companies when they want to get their people to work together dump them out in the woods together and make them learn to survive together. A bonding takes place. So maybe that is what has happened here. We have worked together on a common problem. We have gutted houses, wrestled with permits, used the same port-a-potty, made do, solved problems, got dirty….together. Maybe that is the bond we feel, this psychological bond of working through a disaster together. Maybe that is why we hate to say, “Goodbye.” Naw, I don’t think so.

St. Paul reminds the Ephesians that they have been united by the Holy Spirit. They have a bond of peace that comes from sins forgiven. Their unity is a real one. They have the same Spirit working within them. There was a time when each of them was washed in the water of baptism and became a child of the same Father. They are part of the same body. Can people get any closer than that?

So maybe we won’t be working in the same place anymore, but we’ll be working on the same job. Maybe we won’t be hugging each other any more, but we’ll still be part of the same body. Maybe we won’t be worshipping in the same building, but we’ll be singing the same song. Maybe we won’t see each other again… well, not for awhile.

News:

1. Lenten Service last night. Tom Thiele (our old member) sang, “Were You There?”
2. Partitions came for the bathrooms in the Fellowship Hall. We could have bathrooms working by Sunday. Can anyone sing a Te Deum?
3. The Spice Boys will be berling the crawfish on Sunday. Everyone is welcome! Exsorbete capita! Vellacate caudas! (no, I’m not speaking in tongues, that is Latin for “suck the heads and pinch the tails”) ((for those who don’t know, that is how we eat crawfish)) (((two Latin phrases in the same e-mail, this is getting scary)))
4. Ellsworth’s house is getting pretty close
5. Celebration Sunday: Worship 11:00, Choir at 10:00, Crawfish boil to follow!! All are invited.
6. Bible Class, Monday at 7:30 AM
7. Lenten Service 7:00 PM Wednesday
8. “The Word is Near” radio showk, Saturday, Noon, www.wsho.com or 800 AM. Call
in with your Bible questions or answers, 504-527-0800.

Be strong in the Lord:

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this (God’s) house remains in ruin? Haggai 1:4

Things are winding down. This Mold Krewe will be the last one this spring. The Builders are leaving one by one. Jerry’s Kids will be staying into May. It looks like the Fellowship Hall will be ready to go and the parsonage almost complete by the time the Builders leave. Over 6 months ago we met at Hall’s house in Baton Rouge as a church and decided that if the Lord would help us, we would rebuild. We said we would keep moving forward until the Lord made it clear to us that we couldn’t. There was a slow start, a lot of setbacks, fears and questions. There were troubles with housing, electricity, supplies, roads, water, gas, sewer and permits. One by one the Lord got us through all those barriers. But we still have not completed the rebuilding. Our Chapel stands there waiting. Will we lose our momentum?

The Israelites lost momentum in rebuilding their temple in the Old Testament. It really wasn’t their fault, at least at first. The troublemakers around Jerusalem got the King of Persia to stop the construction. But even after that King was dead, the Israelites didn’t seem too interested in starting up the work again. So the Lord comes to Haggai and asks him if he thinks it is OK for the Israelites to be living in their fine houses and not really caring about the Lord’s house. He says to them, “You wonder why you are not prospering?” “It is because you have not been interesting in rebuilding My house.” So they got busy and finished the job.

Of course you can’t use this story to say that God wants us to rebuild our church and if we don’t he’ll make us pay. We don’t know if God wants us to rebuild our chapel or not. We prayed about it, stepped out in faith and asked him to be with us. I think it is pretty clear that the Lord wants us to be where we are today based upon his obvious blessings. But I’m not going to say that if we stop our building process for awhile that we are showing lack of faith in God. I do think that there is something we can learn about how not to lose momentum. When you look at the walls in your house and see that they have sheet rock on them, remember that God’s house still doesn’t. Every time you walk across you floor and feel the carpeting or tile beneath your feet, just remember that floors in God’s house are still bare. Don’t feel guilty about it. Thank God for it and be even more committed to doing the same for His house.

News:

1. Garnet, George and Miraja are planning to come back at the end of May. Garnet’s father George is also planning to come back.
2. Having trouble getting doors for the Parsonage
3. It is about 80 degrees today, feels good. We could use a little rain. There have been quite a few fires.
4. Pastor Eggert, a retired pastor has offered me his robes. (I guess one of the Mold Krewe people told him about my robe with the rusty zipper.) Thanks!
5. Herb tells me there is a man who is willing to rebuild our altar, pulpit, lectern and baptismal font. It is nice to have friends who know how to do things.
6. Radio Show on Saturday. Noon. WSHO.com
7. Sunday Choir practice 10:00. Worship 11:00 Crawfish boil to follow.
8. Tom and Mark finished the electricity in Seth’s house and are working on Johnson’s.

Be strong in the Lord:

Dear Scattered Members of the Family

When the trumpet sounds in the city, do not the people tremble? When disaster comes to a city, has not the LORD caused it? Amos 3:6

God should have checked with me first. Saturday Jerry Zimpleman of Jerry’s Kids fame, was in a motorcycle accident and remains in the hospital awaiting an operation to repair his pelvis. He will be down for an undetermined amount of time. Of course it came at an inopportune time. (I suppose it is hard to think of an opportune time for such a thing.) But he had been working hard with his Kids to rebuild our member’s houses. There is no one who didn’t see his work as a gift from God. He was just the “Shot in the arm” that our family members needed. God should have checked with me first.

It is one of the most perplexing truths of the scripture that these “bad” things, at least on some level, come from the hand of God. It probably makes us feel a little more comfortable to say, “God allows these things to happen sometime.” But if we are honest we know we are just playing a mind game. It would be easier to be able to say like many people, “It’s just a matter of bad luck.” “There is no purpose or meaning behind it, I just was in the wrong place at the wrong time.” “The space/time continuum was out of sync.” “My karma was bad.” But people of faith know that we have a God who can and does do anything he wants. So we find ourselves trying to figure out what God is up to in some of these things. Certainly if the Lord wants us to know the answer to that question He will make it clear. In the meantime we are left with what we know about our God – he loves us and wants only good for us. I guess it is fitting that in the middle of that powerful Psalm (46) that begins with “The LORD Almighty is with us, the God of Jacob is our fortress,” we hear the Lord say, “Be still and know that I am God.” Trusting in our Mighty Fortress we just need to be still.

So keep Jerry in your prayers. We watch and wait for the Lord to keep his promises. In the spirit of Amos I’ll ask my own question, “Is there a promise that God ever made that he hasn’t kept?

News:
1. Celebration Sunday turned out pretty good. The only bad time was when the choir director messed up. The bathrooms were working in the Fellowship Hall; a big cheer when up from the crowd.
2. We gathered in our back yard for the Crawfish boil. The place is still pretty battered, hard to find shade now. The trees that weren’t knocked down are dying from drowning. But the fellowship was good and the Spice Boys did their magic. Patience “got her big toe” in the crawfish. They made you want to slap your Mama.
3. Kristopher Smith will be moving into his apartment this week.
4. Bible class in the chapel at 7:30 AM today.
5. Lenten Service, Wednesday at 7:00PM Dinner 6:00 PM
6. Worship on Sunday 11 AM, Choir 10 AM.
7. PBS National Special "Gulf Coast: Road to Renewal", April 10, 9 PM Central time, (WYES, Channel 12 here in New Orleans). Check your local listing. The show will feature our neighborhood (and Crown of Life) for 6 minutes of the one hour show.
Be strong in the Lord:

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

God is love. 1 John 4:16

It would seem to be a nebulous thing. Our church has a nice article in the “Forward in Christ” magazine. It is our church’s monthly magazine. At the top of the article it says, “Eight months after Hurricane Katrina’s wrath, the ties that bind a congregation are stronger than ever.” I think that is probably true, but I’m not sure how you measure it. The tie that binds, I guess, is fellowship or Christian love, but how do you know that it is stronger? Maybe more to the point, how do you get it stronger? Can a hurricane make it stronger?

John is talking about how we get this love. He puts it this way, “If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love.” 1 John 4:15-16 You can see where that “Tie that binds” us together comes from. It comes from God living in us and we in God. And that happens through faith. Since God is love, you can’t really have love without him. Getting closer to God is the thing that makes the tie that binds stronger.

So hurricanes can’t do it. The troubles of life won’t do it. But what they can do is send us running. And as we run for help we run up against the only one who can really help us, God….who is love. As we learn to trust him more, love him more, we also learn to love one another more. It isn’t a very pleasant way to strengthen the tie that binds, but it is often pretty effective.

News:

1. Jerry will be undergoing surgery. He has one of only 4 doctors who do that operation. Two weeks in the hospital and 2 weeks rehab is the prognosis. Please put him in your prayers. Gary Walker is taking over for him.
2. Barb Schultz’s aunt and uncle have passed away recently. Lift her up in prayer as well, please.
3. Good crawfish boil last Sunday. We managed to eat 200 of the 250 pounds.
4. Chris Driesbach is planning to take his Christian music on the road. He will be doing his show for the builders again tonight. He would like to start his road trip the first part of June. If you or your church would be interested in Chris coming by your place call him at 504-289-3483. His E-mail address is hichrisd@hotmail.com You’ll enjoy it.
5. Wednesday, Lenten Services 7:00 PM
6. Saturday, radio show at noon. www.wsho.com or 800 AM locally.
7. Sunday Choir 10:00 Worship 11:00
8. Be sure to watch PBS April 10th, 9 PM Central Time, “The Gulf Coast, Road to Recovery.” Six minutes of the show features our neighborhood and hopefully our church. Check your local listing for times in your area.

Be strong in the Lord:

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

I’m glad we don’t have sacrifices any more. When I was a kid, what we did was not sacrifices, it was survival. Once a year we would take the steer we had been raising and butcher it. Butchering day was a kind of festive day. Grandma and Grandpa would come over. The men would do the heavy outdoors butchering. The women inside the house would cut it into pieces and wrap it for the freezer. We kids were “gophers” and observers. There were plenty of strange smells and of course blood. But not as much blood as you’d think. It was our food for the next year. It was hamburgers on the grill in the summer, meat loaf, roasts, steaks….good things to eat. A good day! There was only one bad job, taking the gun and shooting Butch or Larry or whatever his name was. My Grandpa always did that until one day I was standing next to him and he handed me the gun. It was my turn to do the job no one wanted to do.

Tonight the words from the cross for our Lenten service are, “It is finished.” I found it interesting that the Greek word Jesus used to say that means, first of all, to bring to an end. We understand what he was saying. The sins of the world had been paid for. God’s plan to save the world was now complete. But the word Jesus used is also used in connection with a sacrifice. It is used to say, “The sacrifice has been made.” All those years the Israelites sacrificed animals, but they knew that the death of these animals could not really forgive their sins. All those sacrifices were just a picture of the bloody sacrifice of God’s son, our Savior. Finally the right blood was shed. And the sacrifice was made.

So I’m glad we don’t have them anymore. It is one thing to kill an animal to feed me and my family. It is another that an animal should die because I’m a sinner. I’m glad that we don’t have to kill those animals anymore. But I’m especially glad that there are no sacrifices for my sins left to make because, “It is finished.”

News:

1. Chris entertained the Builders last night after dinner.
2. Lenten Service tonight at 7:00 PM
3. Jerry didn’t have his operation yesterday. He is suffering quite a bit. Time for more prayers.
4. The Builders got the cross to light up again last night.
5. Did I mention that Seth has electricity in his house?
6. Most of the Builders will be leaving this week. Some will be returning to finish the job.
7. Jerry’s Kids continue on.
8. Choir practice at 10:00 Sunday Morning. 11:00 Worship
9. Saturday Radio Show at noon. WSHO.com
10. Monday, Devotion with the Jerry’s Kids at 7:30 AM
11. Good Friday Tenebrae service at 7:00 PM

Be strong in the Lord:

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Last night was our Lenten Service. Before the service we went over to take a look at the parsonage. (Actually we wanted to use the bathroom there. The port-a-potty was in “bloom”.) The parsonage really looks nice. The builders have done excellent work. We were looking in the cabinets and we saw that someone had put a couple cans of soup in this cabinet, spaghetti in that one, etc. They almost all had something in them. We later found out that the Builder’s wives had done this. After the service, Richwell Ison stood up to thank the Builders and Jerry’s Kids. He told how his neighbors were responding to Jerry’s Kids who are working on Richwell’s house. He said, “My neighbors don’t see much good when they look around. It is a lot like a battle zone. There are so few things that are positive. But when they look at you (Jerry’s Kids) they see a good thing and it encourages them.” Twice in one night.

St. Paul had just been talking about the big encouragement that we all have, the resurrection from the dead. He then tells the Thessalonians to encourage and build each other up. It is interesting that the word he uses in Greek for “build up” is used most often in building a house. But St. Paul uses it to describe what we Christians can do for each other, build each other up.

So these “strangers” among us are doing two kinds of building, one on buildings the other on people. It kind of gives a new meaning to Builders for Christ.

News:

1. Isons were in town yesterday. They wanted to visit Jerry in the hospital, but he moved to Baton Rouge. They are excited about the work being done on their house.
2. Keep Kimberly Jefferson in your prayers, she hasn’t been feeling good lately.
3. Jerry gets his operation at 4:30 today. Say a prayer for him as well.
4. Jeffersons will be in town today. Jerry’s kids are reporting good progress on all the houses.
5. My neighbor here in Mississippi is beginning to rebuild their house.
6. Almost all the builders will be gone by Saturday. Some will be coming back to finish up after Easter. The tumbleweeds will be blowing through Lutherville.
7. Choir practice at 10:00 AM Sunday. Worship 11:00
8. Good Friday Tenebrae Service 7:00 PM, Easter Worship at the usual time, 11 AM.
9. Be sure to watch PBS April 10th, 9 PM Central Time, “The Gulf Coast, Road to Recovery.” Six minutes of the show features our neighborhood and hopefully our church. Check your local listing for times in your area.

Be strong in the Lord.

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have to done for you. John 13:13-15

It was their last day and they were washing windows. Sue and Judy were leaving today and tomorrow. They had been down here with the Builders for Christ for a long time. Sue from the end of September and Judy from the middle of January. They had spent their days working around Lutherville, getting the trailers ready for all those coming in. Meeting and greeting people, sweeping floors, painting rooms, whatever needed to be done as their husbands rebuilt our fellowship hall and parsonage. They were leaving today but there they were washing the windows of our fellowship hall so that they would look nice when we moved in on Sunday. They never said, “We’ll help out but we don’t do windows.”

Jesus was headed for his death on the cross. It was Holy Week. Jesus was meeting with his disciples to celebrate the Passover. But before it began he does something that shocked them. It was traditional to wash your feet before eating a meal. Usually someone did that for you, usually a servant or a child. It was considered a lowly type job and I’m sure that sometimes those who did it were made to feel lowly. But no one does it. So Jesus grabs a towel and he washes his disciples’ feet. He was the leader of the group, yet he became the servant. He was the God of the universe, the Savior of the world and he was washing their feet. “I have set for you an example.” He said. And then he became an even better servant, he died on the cross for us.

They were washing windows… our windows. But they were really washing feet. That is what they had been doing all along. They were serving us. I guess we know who they learned it from. Will we see it? Will we wash feet?

News:

1. Dana Greenspon of PBS called to confirm that our portion of the PBS special “Gulf Coast: Road to Rebuilding” will be on April 10 at 9:00 PM central time. We are up first.
2. Jerry had has operation yesterday. He made it through safely. We thank God. 5-7 days in the hospital, 8 weeks unable to walk on one leg.
3. Sunday we worship in the Fellowship Hall. Come join us. You will be surprised how nice it looks. There are still a few things that need to be done, but that will come later.
4. John and Lynn and Jack and Sue, the real long timers, are leaving. John and Lynn will be back after Easter along with Herb and Judy. Gary, another long timer, is staying on to help.
5. Jerry’s Kids are making good progress. Keep them in your prayers.
6. Tenebrae Service, Good Friday at 7:00 PM
7. Did you see that the cross is lit again?
8. Jeffersons were in town yesterday.
9. Linda Hall and Carol spent the afternoon in the waiting room with Lynn Zimplemann.
10. Ladies Guild, Sunday, after church.
11. “The Word is Near” radio show, Saturday, Noon, central time, www.wsho.com or 800 AM. Call in: 504-527-0800.

Be strong in the Lord:

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted. “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” “Hosanna in the highest.” Matthew 21:8-9

We had palms too yesterday. As you know our tradition is to make pin-on crosses for Palm Sunday. The last few years Carol would make them from the Sago Palm in the front yard of the church. But that one drowned like so many plants. But there still was a palmetto in among the fallen down trees, so we used that. But probably the thing most of us noticed was that we worshipped for the first time in our renovated fellowship hall. Everything was shiny and new, including the new padded chairs we sat upon. Something old, something new…. Was it easier to worship God in our “new” place?

There is always some question about the people who worshipped Jesus as he rode into town on Palm Sunday. It is just hard to believe that if he were this popular he would be crucified within the next week. “Crucify him, crucify him” they said. There may be a lot of reasons for that, but let’s not take away from the praise of the people there on Palm Sunday. This looks like it is spontaneous and real. It is at least as likely to be real as “We are going to worship the Lord in Spirit and in truth next Sunday between the hours of 10-11 AM.” They worshipped him on the streets. He was their Messiah. At least some saw him as that. But they would have worshipped him the same even if it had been in the temple.

I guess when we were driving all those miles and worshipping in someone’s living room, it seemed more likely that our worship was sincere. No one would go through all this to worship if it didn’t mean something to them. A lot of our visitors who came down and worshipped with us under those circumstances were honestly moved by the experience – a church without walls. Now we have some walls again, they may not be as fancy as some churches but they are still nice walls. Our challenge is to never forget why we worship him with walls or without walls.

News:

1. About 40 people in church yesterday. Only 4 of them were builders. It will be nice when the rest of our family gets home.
2. The Fellowship Hall is almost finished. A few missing pieces yet. The Builders promise to come back to finish the job.
3. Kimberly and Horace were both in church yesterday. Kimberly is living with relatives in town and Horace is looking for ways to move back.
4. Someone donated palms plants for the front of the church. I have a feeling it was those green-thumbed Thierfelders.
5. Barb Schultz has suffered the loss of several of her family members lately. Please pray.
6. Lynn Zimpleman reports that Jerry seems to be doing a little better after his oper-ation. These will be some rough times for Jerry. When you pray remember him too.
7. Ronnie Land says she is feeling a little better. She had a long struggle with some kind of bug.
8. Good Friday Tenebrae service on Good Friday of all days. 7:00 PM
9. Easter breakfast 10:00 AM. Leroy Ellsworth is cooking. Choir will practice before service. 11:00 AM service. Easter Egg Hunt after the Service. Someone bought us Easter Lilies for next Sunday. Could it be those green-thumbed Thierfelders again?
10. PBS Nightly Business Report special “Gulf Coast: Road to Renewal” tonight at 9 PM Central Time. We’ve heard it will be on in the Milwaukee area but not all over Wisconsin. Check you PBS schedule. A sneak preview is available at www.pbs.org/nbr/ There is an 8 minute clip of our neighborhood and a little of our church.

Be strong in the Lord:

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

They preached the good news in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith, ‘We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.' They said. Acts 14: 21-22

Carol and I went over to Baton Rouge yesterday to visit Jerry (Of Jerry’s Kids) in the hospital. He had just been through the ordeal of moving from the bed to the chair in his room. He was shaking in pain. The man who walks around with a smile on his face had to work at it yesterday. We wondered aloud about what this meant. A man who was so clearly doing what the Lord would want him to do, being the good Samaritan, struck down himself.

They had just stoned St. Paul, leaving him for dead. He had come to the towns of Lystra and Derbe and preached to them the good news of Jesus Christ. People were coming to faith. Then some Jews from Antioch arrived there and stoned St. Paul (which on the scale of nasty ways to die is right up there) leaving him for dead. But he wasn’t dead. Instead he went around encouraging the other disciples by reminding them, “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” God doesn’t seem to hand out too many “Get out of jail free cards” on this. It seems like maybe Enoch in the Old Testament got one. Maybe that young Christian man who dies suddenly got one, (but we seldom see it as that.) This world is a sinful place. It is so bad that God sent His son to rescue us from it. We sometimes pray to stay a little longer and that’s OK. We just have to remember what we are praying for.

My prayer is that the Lord quickly takes away Jerry’s current hardships like he did St. Paul’s. But I do so knowing that living here will result in hardships even if you are preaching about Jesus in Derbe or lifting up your fellow believers in New Orleans.

News:

1. Did you see the PBS special "The Gulf Coast: Road to Renewal" last night? I’ll be doing the Leno and Letterman shows next week. Of course I said many profound things as I was being interviewed but they all ended up on the cutting room floor. Is my head really that big?
2. Dug out the old hymn boards from the church. They look like they are fine.
3. As you pray for Jerry, also pray for Wanda who has a nasty cold.
4. Good Friday Tenebrae Service 7:00 PM
5. "The Word is Near" Radio Show on Saturday at Noon central time, www.wsho.com or 800 AM. Call in 504-527-0800.
6. Sunday Easter breakfast and Choir at 10:00. Worship at 11:00 (No Communion). Easter egg hunt after the service.

Be strong in the Lord

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

He will swallow up death forever. Isaiah 25:8

Remember how it used to be? Good Friday we would gather together and read from the Bible and sing those amazing Lenten hymns. We would follow Jesus to the cross and through his word we would watch him die. “Were you there when they crucified my Lord….” Then the closing of the book and returning to our homes in silence. There was that odd sort of mourning that we do. The death of Jesus lying heavy on our hearts. We understood why they call it Good Friday but we were still sad. And then came Easter Sunday. “He has risen indeed.” Freedom and joy! Nothing left to do but sing. Churches usually go all out for Easter. Those of you who will not be coming back for Easter will have the opportunity to celebrate Holy Week in some beautiful places. Ours won’t be as big and elaborate as it was in the past.

Isaiah is predicting that day, the resurrection, the day when death would be swallowed up forever. Jesus’ death takes away our death. Jesus’ resurrection proves our resurrection. These are the truths that have inspired the hymn writers, wiped away the tears, and filled the hearts of God’s people with hope and joy from the first day until now.

The way we celebrate it probably doesn’t make that much difference: at our home church or another, with our family or without, in our church with all the bells and whistles or in a simpler way. What we celebrate is not affected by the circumstances of life. That is part of the joy of it, that nothing can change the joy of this season. Is there anything that can match living forever?

News:

1. Jerry might be getting out of the hospital today. He is still struggling with the pain. Keep lifting him up.
2. The Ellsworths are coming in on Thursday. Leroy is cooking Easter Breakfast.
3. Isons are coming in on Friday.
4. Tenebrae service 7:00 PM on Friday.
5. Saturday, “The Word is Near” Radio Show, noon central time, www.wsho.com or 800 AM
6. Sunday: Choir and Easter Breakfast 10:00 AM, Worship 11:00, Easter Egg Hunt after service

Be strong in the Lord:

Sorry no updates until after Easter! He has risen!

Be strong in the Lord:

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

He waited seven more days and again sent out the dove from the ark. When the dove returned to him in the evening there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf! Genesis 8:10-11

After our Bible class this morning I was talking with Gary and Paulette as we stood in the shade in the middle of Lutherville. We were talking about birds we had seen. One of Jerry’s Kids from Calvary, Thiensville said that she had never seen a mockingbird. So we told her about the joys of mockingbirds. I then told them that before the hurricane, we had this nice family of Mississippi Kites in the tree behind our house. But with all the trees knocked down, I didn’t think they would be back. At that very moment a Mississippi Kite flew right over us with a branch of green leaves in its mouth. It proceeded to land in one of the trees behind the church. What could it mean?

It had been a long haul for Noah and his family on that boat. Over a year they had waited for the water to go down so they could rebuild their lives. They knew God had rescued them and would be with them as they rebuilt the earth. For Noah, the dove that came back with an olive leaf in its mouth was a sign that the water had receded from the earth and new life had begun. It must have been an encouragement for him, to know that soon they would be leaving the ark and they could get back their lives.

Does God send us signs from nature? Sure. He has even told us to keep our eye on nature to see that the end is coming soon. Does God have his hand in where birds fly and when? Absolutely! Did God want that Kite to fly over my head at that moment? Yes. What that is supposed to mean, is not so clear. Was God trying to encourage us as we rebuild by showing us one of his creatures rebuilding? I don’t know. But I do know this, I was encouraged.

News:
1. Nice church attendance Sunday. About 60 and most were members of the Family. Mr. Ison played his trumpet, the choir sang “Alive” and the kids found some “Resurrection Day” eggs.
2. Went to see Jerry in the hospital yesterday. Did a little Resurrection service in the hospital room. He is looking better and thanks y’all for the prayers.
3. Church Council at 7:00 PM Thursday.
4. Randy Baker is coming in next week to discuss with us the rebuilding of our chapel.
5. Jerry’s Kids are coming back en force this week.
6. A few builders will be returning this week to finish the fellowship hall and the parsonage.
7. Congregational meeting after church on Sunday.

Be strong in the Lord.

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. Romans 6:4

It was nice to see so many of the Family members together again last Sunday. What better time to get together than on Easter Sunday Morning. I was thinking about those who were there and how much our lives had changed since last Easter. There are very few of us who aren’t living a whole new life: a different house, a different job or no job, living in a different city. And even though there have been some good things that have happened to us in our “new life” still most of us would probably prefer to go back to the way it was. But is this “new life” really our new life? Is it really our life at all?

St. Paul is talking about a new life too. The old life was the way of sin and death. But Jesus rose from the dead. With his death and resurrection, he has won for us a new life. We celebrated that fact just last Sunday. Jesus triumphed over the grave. And here is the good news: our baptism hooks us up with Jesus’ resurrection. That new life that Jesus won is ours. But that resurrection isn’t just something that we will be part of some day after we die. We can live like resurrected people now. The old life of sin and unbelief are no longer to be a part of us. Now we are to live this new life of faith and love. Who would want to go back to that “old life?”

I guess so many of the things that we call our lives really aren’t our lives at all: where we live, our job, our house, etc. Our lives are really what we are now that we have been raised with Christ in his resurrection. Our lives are the new lives we have in him. That life is ours no matter what city we live in or what bed we sleep in. And that life we will never lose. He has risen! He has risen indeed!

News:
1. We could use a little rain. How will we get the grass growing around the church if it doesn’t rain?
2. Don’t things look better now that the leaves are back on the trees?
3. Still not back in the parsonage. Waiting for doors. Will they be in this week?
4. Jerry’s Kids will be back in force this week. Ellsworth’s house is real close.
5. Thursday night, Council at 7:00 PM
6. Wednesday, Bible study with Builders and Jerry’s Kids at 7:30 AM. If you are in town, join us.
7. French Quarter Festival starts Friday.
8. Saturday, “The Word is Near” Radio show at noon, 800 AM or www.wsho.com
9. Sunday Choir and Worship at the usual time.

Be strong in the Lord:

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

Through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing and yet possessing everything. 2 Corinthians 6:8-10

Brian Williams had a report last night that talked about the ongoing problems of those who survived the storm. They talked about the problems that children were having: no permanent home, moving from one place to another, different schools and different friends. They concluded by saying that the only thing worse than the chaos outside was the chaos within.

St. Paul talks about what Christians often look like on the outside and what the truth is. I suppose to someone who looked at St. Paul, he looked like a poor fanatic. He didn’t seem to have anything; he was always running for his life, being beaten and imprisoned. But because of his Savior Jesus, he was in fact, powerful, productive…a winner!

It might be true that the chaos on the inside is more difficult to deal with than the chaos on the outside. On the outside we might be jobless, homeless, and apparently hopeless but it is knowing how to deal with those things on the inside that is what keeps us awake at night and makes us wonder if it will ever get better. The truth is we know as much about our earthly future as anyone else, which is nothing. They think they know and don’t, we know we don’t. We do know absolutely about our eternal future, which is far more important. We know who we are and whose we are. And we know whose eye is on the sparrow. That can help a lot with the “chaos within.”

1. We found Bradley and Sierra! We knew they must be OK because we went by their house and found it gutted. We left them a note and yesterday they called to say they were OK and living in Lake Charles. Today we met Sierra and her Mom at church.
2. Jerry’s Kids are back and working hard in the heat (almost broke a record yesterday).
3. Jerry is still struggling. Keep him in your prayers.
4. Congregational Meeting Sunday after church.
5. Crawfish boil, Sunday, May 7. This boil will be our Thrivent matching funds project. We can earn up to $1300 total in matching funds. All donations to the crawfish boil will be matched by Thrivent up to the $1300 limit.
6. For those following the saga, the doors for the parsonage were put on back order for another week. Does anyone know a good “door prayer?”
7. Thursday, church council 7:00 PM.
8. Saturday “The Word is Near” radio show, AM 800 or www.wsho.com . Noon central time. Call in 504-527-0800
9. Sunday, choir 10 AM, service 11:00 AM

Be strong in the Lord

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 1 Timothy 6:10

Over these months I’ve regaled you with the visions of the odd things you see in the midst of a disaster: boats in trees, homes in the middle of streets, etc. Well, I have one more. A few days ago we got a check in the mail from one of the Builders for Christ who was down here. A couple of the Builders’ wives would walk around the neighborhood and pick money off the streets. That’s right, this is such a rich town that the money is just laying out there on the streets to pick up. Well, maybe not exactly. When people would gut their homes they would throw everything out to the curb: dressers, cabinets, and everything else. Among those things was money that was left behind when the people fled their homes. The big machines picked up the dressers and stuff, but small things like money just fell to the ground. So the ladies would go around and just pick it up. $247.00 worth to be used for rebuilding our church. But these home owners actually saved that money. They must have thought it was important at one time. What happened?

St. Paul warns Timothy and us that money can be dangerous if you are too eager to get it. He tells us that some people have been so greedy for money that it has actually caused them to wander from the faith. Well, if money causes you to fall from the faith, then it is not a good thing at all. Money is only good when kept in its proper place. Money is only as good as the good thing you use it for. There is a difference. I can spend $10 on food that makes me too fat. I can spend $10 on food that keeps me alive. Which $10 is more valuable?

It wasn’t that the people thought that the money they left behind wasn’t worth anything. It was just that they had more important things to do than take it with them as the fled the hurricane, a matter of perspective. And when they came back to see all their possessions ruined, a few dollars in change probably didn’t seem like much to worry about, a matter of perspective. It just became part of the trash. But some ladies picked up that “trash” and turned it into work in the Lord’s Kingdom. Trash into “good” money… now that is recycling!

1. Yesterday I asked for a “door” prayer. And someone actually sent one. But more importantly they must have prayed it because the Grand Wizard of the Builders for Christ, Dale Mueller, is loading up doors in Milwaukee and driving them down here. Those Builders are crazy people! … and our God is good!
2. Church council meeting tonight. We will be looking at a list from Randy Baker about how to proceed with the rebuilding of our Chapel.
3. Tuesday I took the “Borgne Free” out for a shake down cruise. It worked good after being put back together. (You will remember that it was stolen, vandalized and left for dead on the street after the Hurricane.) Only two problems surfaced.
4. French Quarter Festival starts on Friday.
5. Hope to see you Sunday (Choir 10, Worship 11, Congregational Meeting 12)
6. Crawfish boil, Sunday, May 7. This boil will be our Thrivent matching funds project. We can earn up to $1300 total in matching funds. All donations to the crawfish boil will be matched by Thrivent up to the $1300 limit.
7. Saturday “The Word is Near” radio show, AM 800 or www.wsho.com. Noon Central Time. Call in 504-527-0800
8. Sunday, choir 10 AM, service 11:00 AM

Be strong in the Lord:

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

When the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men stoop, when the grinders cease because they are few, and those looking through the windows grow dim; when the doors to the street are closed and the sound of grinding fades; when men rise up at the sound of birds, but all their songs grow faint; when men are afraid of heights and of dangers in the streets; when the almond tree blossoms and the grasshopper drags himself along and desire no longer is stirred. Then man goes to his eternal home and mourners go about the streets. Ecclesiastes 12:3-5

My friend, Mark, wrote to me about visiting his mother-in-law in the nursing home. It sounded like she had just recently moved there. He said that his mother-in-law was mourning the loss of her life. I’m sure it is difficult to make the adjustment for getting old. All the things you loved doing, your freedom and the ability you have to come and go just sort of slips away. He wondered if that loss was something like what so many of the members of our congregation are going through.

Solomon is searching for the meaning of life. He concludes that life without the Lord is meaningless. Right before the passage above he talks about getting to know the Lord while you are still young before you get too old. He then gives this pretty powerful description of how a person gradually “loses his life” when he gets old. Of course the Lord has made it clear that he doesn’t want us hanging on to this life too tightly because he has a plan to take us out of here. He died to make the plan work. Still it is painful to “lose your life.”

Of course we know that we will never really lose our lives. Jesus lost his life so that would never happen to us. Still we might have worked hard for this life. We might have saved our money, spent it wisely and made our offering to God in thanksgiving. We have prayed about it and asked the Lord to bless us. We have watched him do it. We have even been thankful for the life He has given us here along with the life he has given us there. We would be ungrateful not to miss it when we lose it. Still we know, and this is where faith comes in, that God always has something better waiting for us. That is true no matter what age you find yourself in. How does the hymn go? “God will fill with his own fullness all he takes away.”

News:

1. The church council met last night. We are recommending to the congregation that we keep the basic structure and layout of the chapel the same. We would like to improve lighting, acoustics and some aesthetics. Congregational meeting after church on Sunday. We’ll discuss it there.
2. The cabinets are pretty much finished in the Fellowship Hall. They look nice. The Builders fixed the bulge in the floor.
3. The air conditioning is out here at Camp David. It is getting so that we could use it.
4. “The Word is Near” Radio show, Saturday at noon central time, www.wsho.com or 800 AM. Topic: “Why are baptisms down?”
5. Sunday: 10:00 Choir practice, Worship 11:00, Congregational meeting afterward.
6. Crawfish boil, Sunday, May 7. This boil will be our Thrivent matching funds project. We can earn up to $1300 total in matching funds. All donations to the crawfish boil will be matched by Thrivent up to the $1300 limit.

Be strong in the Lord:

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

"For we are God's workmanship..." Ephesians 2:10

Yesterday afternoon (Sunday) we went over to work on Seth's house. Jerry's Kids said that they were going to be able to put sheet rock in his house. So we went. (We = Carol, Seth, Beth, Mike and me.) We began knocking out the plaster and lath that was left to be done before sheet rock could be put in and carrying it to the curb. A rather routine thing these days. Carol went back to the church to get some shovels and came back with some of Jerry's Kids who were willing to help us. They had just arrived on Saturday from Minnesota. I suggested to them that they didn't have to be working on Sunday and one of them said, "We didn't come this far to sit around." I guess that would be a good motto for our church - and for our life.

St. Paul had just written those words that have become so Lutheran, "For it is by Grace you have been saved, through faith, - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not of works, so that no one can boast.” The gift of God – Salvation! We know how much the gift cost, Jesus’ life. But it is ours now. Then St. Paul says, “We are God’s workmanship.” God has built us. He has put us together to be what he wants us to be. That building process has been an on-going, life-long thing. Richly gifted, painstakingly built, that is what we are. I would think that it would be important not to let that sit idle for too long. “We didn’t come this far to sit around.” Maybe more to the point, “He didn’t bring us this far to sit around.”

I know that it is difficult to keep pushing on, when it comes to getting our lives back in order or our church rebuilt. The process is long and there seems to be no end in sight. There are days when it just would seem easier to forget about it. But the Lord has brought us a long way as his children. He has also brought us a long way toward getting back. “He didn’t bring us this far to sit around.” So pick yourself up. Our God and our fellow believers are along side.

News:

1. 75 people in church yesterday. 31 of them were Jerry’s Kids and Builders. There were a couple chairs left, but not many. Tyrone and Wanda sang with our Ad Hoc Choir.
2. New members of the family: Charles and Andrea Aycock. Miss Kivi heads back to Wisconsin.
3. Jerry was in church. Getting stronger but not ready for bull riding yet.
4. Crawfish boil, Sunday, May 7. This boil will be our Thrivent matching funds project. We can earn up to $1300 total in matching funds. All donations to the crawfish boil will be matched by Thrivent up to the $1300 limit.
5. Bible Study Wednesday Morning 7:00 AM
6. Radio Show 12 Noon
7. Worship 11:00 AM
8. Did you notice that the Spur Station was open on Read. It looks the post office will open soon.
Be strong in the Lord:

Dear Scattered Members of the Family

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 2 Corinthians 9:8

Yesterday, after a couple of Bible classes, I picked up my string cheese. After the first Bible class one of Jerry’s kids came up to me and said, “I brought your string cheese.” I’m sure I looked a little puzzled but as I thought about it, I remembered. Joan from Wisconsin had contacted us a couple weeks ago and said, “We are coming down to work with Jerry’s Kids and were wondering if there is anything you need.” Carol and I thought about it…. string cheese was the answer. We’ve come a long way.

St. Paul is reminding us of the promise of God. There are a lot of “alls” in that passage above: “All grace,” “all things,” “all times,” “all that you need.” There will always be times when we think that our needs won’t be met. Will we have a job? Will the month be longer than the paycheck? Will our bills ever get paid? Standing right behind those questions is the Lord with his “all” promises. He says he wants us to be able to abound in good work, so he promises to give you all your need and then some, so that you can also spread it around. Apparently that is the way he likes to do it. That is the way he has done it.

Like many of you, there was a time a few months ago that if someone had asked, “What are your needs?” I would have said, “Aside from Salvation, just about everything.” We had no home and basically the clothes on our back. But God, through his people, has kept his promise and supplied all my needs. He gave them enough so that they could give to us and they did. The day is coming, and it might be here already, when it will be our turn to supply the needs of others. I’m not sure I’m ready to share my string cheese though.

News:

1. A full Krewe of Jerry’s Kids this week. A lot is getting done in a hurry. Finding the supplies continues to be a challenge.
2. The air conditioning at Camp David has been repaired. It helps to have kindhearted neighbors who also repair air conditioners. “All your needs.”
3. Jerry is heading back home for a couple of weeks to recover. He plans to return by May 11. Keep him in your prayers.
4. Wednesday Morning Bible study 7:00 AM
5. Randy Baker is coming on Wednesday and will meet with us at 7:00 PM. Those interested in the rebuilding of the Chapel please plan to be there.
6. Crawfish boil, Sunday, May 7. This boil will be our Thrivent matching funds project. We can earn up to $1300 total in matching funds. All donations to the crawfish boil will be matched by Thrivent up to the $1300 limit.

Be strong in the Lord:

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having the gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. 1 Corinthians 12:27,28

I wish I had my camera along. I could have shown you the progress being made in member’s houses. There was one group putting down large tiles on Mercadel’s floor. There was a man smoothing out the sheet rock on Jefferson’s house. (Jefferson’s house looked so different from the outside, I drove past it the first time) He took has mask off and we talked. He told me how he was so happy that the Lord had made it possible to retire early enough to be able to use his hands to help others. He knew it was a gift.

St. Paul is talking about the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Our attention is usually grabbed by those gifts that seem like stand out gifts, “apostles,” “Workers of miracles,” “speaking in languages.” But I guess I’ve never thought too long on “those able to help others.” It would seem that everyone is able to help others in some way. Or is this like all the others, a special outpouring of the Spirit that makes some people more gifted in this area than others? Some people have been given a greater desire, more resources, and more time…..gifts of the Holy Spirit. Maybe part of that gift from the Holy Spirit is also the opportunity.

So let’s see if I’ve got this straight. The Holy Spirit works in my life so that I can retire early and still have the time to use my strength for helping others. And then he gives me the opportunity to do it. It seems so “mechanical.” It doesn’t seem too “spiritual.” Or does it?

News:

1. Had a nice rain today. Thunder, lightening. We needed it. Thank God!
2. Randy comes into town tonight. Interested parties please plan to meet with him at 7:00 PM. Time to start on the next phase.
3. Lynn Thierfelder has been suffering with shingles. Please keep her in your prayers.
4. It looks like Ellsworth’s house is finished.
5. Herb continues to put the finishing touches on the fellowship hall.
6. Saturday, “The Word is Near” radio program at noon, central time. “Has the church become feminized?” AM 800 or www.wsho.com . Call in: 504-527-0800.
7. Sunday Choir 10:00 AM Worship 11:00 AM.
8. Crawfish boil, Sunday, May 7. This boil will be our Thrivent matching funds project. We can earn up to $1300 total in matching funds. All donations to the crawfish boil will be matched by Thrivent up to the $1300 limit.

Be strong in the Lord:

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

As I have loved you, so you must love one another. All men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another. John 13:24-35 [sic - Webmaster]

It came from one of Jerry’s Kids. “I ask my fellow volunteers what impressed them most about their work in New Orleans and they all say the same thing, ‘the people.’” It is not so much the sheet rock put in, the plumbing fixed, the tile laid, but the people they met along the way. I suppose it is always better when doing this kind of work to see the people you are doing all of this for. It puts a face on the work. It also gives us the opportunity to show love for Jesus.

It was the night on which he was betrayed. Jesus turns to his disciples and says that he was going to give them a new command, to love one another. And then he tells them that people will know that we are connected to Jesus be the way we love each other. What is it about the way we love one another that shows that we are connected with Jesus? Could it be a love that has no reason, like the love he has for us?

There is no reason that we should want to hang around people we don’t even know. There is no reason why Jerry’s Kids would enjoy getting to know the people of Crown of Life. There certainly is no reason that one group of people should be interested in helping out people they have never met. This is love. If you follow the “bread crumbs” of this love the trail will end at Jesus.

1. Met with Randy Baker last night. He has a nice picture of what our church could look like on the inside when finished. He also has a pretty aggressive timeline for the job. The drawing will be at church on Sunday. Time to put our church in your prayers again.
2. Seth’s house should have the sheet rock in it today.
3. Lynn Thierfelder says she feels a little better. Keep her in your prayers.
4. Did you notice that there are a few more people living in their FEMA trailers now?
5. The now infamous doors for the parsonage will be arriving on Saturday, thanks to Dale and his sidekick Tonto.
6. Choir Sunday at 10:00. Worship at 11:00
7. Saturday, “The Word is Near” radio program at noon, central time. “Has the church become feminized?” AM 800 or www.wsho.com . Call in: 504-527-0800.
8. Crawfish boil, Sunday, May 7. This boil will be our Thrivent matching funds project. We can earn up to $1300 total in matching funds. All donations to the crawfish boil will be matched by Thrivent up to the $1300 limit.

Be strong in the Lord: