Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them. Matthew 18:20

We didn’t speak in tongues and there weren’t little fires sitting on our heads, but you could tell the Spirit was there. The LPS students were there after working in our neighborhood all week long. I’m sure they grew closer together as they tore houses apart. So maybe that was it, when you work together on a common project you bond. And I suppose that would explain their bonding with us. They have joined us for awhile in our long range project. The people were there from our Sister Church in Abita Springs who so often had given of themselves in our need. (They were housing some of the students from LPS this week.) They have been our friends for a long time. So maybe it was their presence that made the Spirit’s presence feel so close. It could have been the choir singing (two songs, it is Pentecost) or Michael and Glenda’s nice lunch afterward and sitting under what is left of our shade trees.

Jesus was explaining to his disciples how God’s people are to be working together. He talked about telling our “brother” when he sins against us. He told them how powerful it is when God’s people agree. And then he said the words above. Whenever we get together around his word (name) He promises to be there. He is always there. All these other things don’t bring in the Holy Spirit; he is already there. But when all these other things are a result of the Holy Spirit’s presence, they get to mean something.

The Spirit was among us on Sunday. And because of that we felt close to those other Spirit-filled people from across the lake and across the country. He made Tyrone’s voice a little sweeter in our ears, the food taste better, the conversation loving. And His word touched something within us. Thank you God the Holy Spirit for stopping by.

1. South Atlantic District Convention this week in Tampa. I will return on Wednesday. (That’s why there was no diapsora letter yesterday; I preached for the conference. I can’t walk and chew gum at the same time either.)
2. Today is the day some people predict the end of the world (6/6/06). Oooo, scary. Let’s hope they are correct. (But we know they won’t be.)
3. Brunette is doing well in Ohio. Pastor Piepenbrink says Mercadels are doing well in Atlanta; Maurice has a job as a butcher in Publix supermarket. He says he wants them to stay in his church. That’s not what we want.
4. Attendance Sunday was 85!
5. Randy returned yesterday with his crew to start work on the chapel. We forgot to leave sheets for Randy’s worker’s beds. They are in a box in our garage, “good luck with that.”
6. My son Josh is here so we have been able to catch up on things.

Be strong in the Lord:

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another. Romans 13:8

Pastor Mark preached this morning at the South Atlantic District Convention in Tampa. (Carol and I are attending here.) He talked about debt, bad debt and good debt. Since Jesus has already paid our debt of sin, we owe no debt to God. But our God has inspired us to take on another debt, the debt of love for one another. Of course most of the delegates here were interested in you and how you were doing. How are the members of your church doing? Are they back in their homes yet? Do you think they will be alright? This was not the idle curiosity that people interested in the story displayed at the beginning. It is not the kind of morbid curiosity you see as people drive around in their cars looking for homes off their foundations and homes blown away. You could see it in their eyes, they really care about you. They too wish it would go away. Are they paying the debt of love they owe?

St. Paul had been talking about paying your debts. If you owe a person respect, give him respect. If you owe him honor, give him honor. Don’t owe anyone anything except the debt of love since we will never be able to pay that off. It all flows from Jesus who paid such a huge debt that we could never pay it off. “If God so loved us, ought we not love one another?” At least this is one debt that is fun to pay off.

I wonder if people paying the debt of love they owe us makes our debt bigger. I think it might. Let’s hope so. Since paying it off is the fun part it means we will have more opportunity for joyful debt paying. I do know this. If people showing love and concern for us here in New Orleans makes our debt bigger, out debt of love must be off the carts. Time to start paying it off.

News:

1. Randy’s crew is down working on the chapel. I got quite a few inquiries about coming and helping both Randy and Jerry in the fall. It looks like our debt will get even bigger.
2. Gary and Paulette are being married in Mendenhall, MS on Saturday. They want to invite their whole family – that would be you.
3. Two new videos are out about our recovery efforts. One by the Committee on Relief and one by WELS Kingdom Workers. (I was having a bad hair day. Time for a Kris Smith haircut.) Those who heard the choir sing on the video were impressed.
4. There were 85 people in church last Sunday, including 14 from Abita Springs and 14 from LPS.
5. Choir practice at 10:00 Sunday. Worship 11:00

Be strong in the Lord:

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof. Psalm 24:1

I guess they were all weeds. Yesterday, Carol and I spend awhile trying to reclaim the property between the parsonage and the church. Most of the trees in that area were killed by the flood and some had been knocked down. So the grass that used to be there hasn’t been cut. Actually the flood waters also killed all the grass in there so what is growing there is mostly weeds…. But some very interesting weeds…. some of them 10 feet tall…. all different kinds. As I hacked them down it struck me how beautiful they really were. You know how you try in a flower garden to mix different types of plants together to make it interesting? That is the way it has grown all by itself. (Well maybe not “all by itself”). But I guess they are still weeds.

God didn’t have to make it the way he made it. He could have made a few utilitarian plants and been done with it. But he made this amazing variety that we spend our whole lives looking at, trying to understand and marveling at. He did it for us. He has done everything for us. Every time we look at it God is whispering, “I love you.” Even with weeds? Don’t forget, we are the ones who turned the plants to weeds.

I know, we still need to cut them down. We need a lawn not a weed patch. Maybe I’m just watching more closely these days, but it is good to see that even from a disaster God finds a way to say, “I still love you, you know.” I’ll cut them down, but the message will not be lost on me.

News:

1. I was asked by someone at the convention about how our church is doing offering wise. He said, “I assume that the synod is helping you pay your bills.” Maybe y’all don’t know this either since you don’t get back very often. In the first few months after the hurricane the synod helped us pay health insurance and allowed us to miss a few of our loan payments because we didn’t know what impact there would be. That ended in January because we didn’t need it. Our offerings have been good. Very close to what they were before. Some of you are sending in your offerings from afar. We are able to pay our bills. Thank you and thank you Jesus.
2. Another trailer has arrived at Lutherville II. Some nice WELS guy from Illinois, sat in his truck for a couple days so we would have room for our builders.
3. Sunday after church Carol and I leave on vacation.
4. I’m writing this sitting on our new patio furniture on our new deck. Life is good!
5. Radio show, www.wsho.com or AM 800 at noon on Saturday. Call in, say “hi.”
6. Choir practice at 10:00, worship at 11:00.

Be strong in the Lord:

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” John 21:12

We’re baaaack! From vacation that is. It has been a tradition of my family to meet in Colorado every other year while my son Josh is on furlough from Antigua. This was the year. We left behind the challenges, the mess, the destruction that has been so much a part of our lives for the last 10 months and went camping in the mountains of Colorado. We saw trees not dead, houses not gutted…. we went a whole week without hearing the word Katrina. It was nice. But one of the nicest things was, we did one of the gentler things people do when times are good, we had a little family reunion. We did one of the things we did when times were different. It reminded me of the way things were and the way we pray things can be again.

Tremendous changes had taken place in the life of Jesus and his disciples. They had walked and ate together on a daily basis for the past 3 years. Then that great event took place; Jesus was crucified. But he rose again! The world changed! We had a savior who had completed his work of salvation. But things also changed for the disciples. I’m sure they wouldn’t want to change the events of the crucifixion and resurrection but I’m also sure they missed the days when they walked and ate with Jesus everyday. (Who wouldn’t?) So after his resurrection, Jesus performed the “Catch of fish” miracle again and then said, “Come, and have breakfast.” It was a simple thing, but I’m sure it reminded the disciples of the old days. I’m sure it reminded them that their Jesus was still there. Things would be different now but Jesus was still there, like before.

This disaster thing has chased all of the nuance out of our lives. I mean we don’t do the gentle little things we used to do when times were gentler. We are so busy just taking care of the big things we don’t have time for those “little” things anymore. I’d encourage you to do a few of those “little” things again. It will make you feel better. I know it did me.

News:
1. I’m sorry if you were not able to contact me for the past 2 weeks. We were camping in the mountains of Colorado where cell phones didn’t work. Computers didn’t work either. It is hard to believe but we lived through it.
2. We drove past the church on the way home and there was Zack running around the church. Talk about old times. So we had a nice visit with Robin and boys. They are growing fast. (Not Robin) They say “Hi.”
3. The sheet rock guys are starting their work today. They should be done in a few days. Randy, who returned last night, says that everything is on schedule.
4. My son Josh and his family are staying with us here. He will be preaching for us Sunday and giving us a presentation on the mission work being done in Antigua.
5. Talked to Chris Driesbach on the phone. He is doing good on his tour of the West. Keep in in our prayers as he travels.

Be strong in the Lord:

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom. Ecclesiastes 9:10

I talked with Robin the other day. She said that her parents would probably not be moving back to the city. They would stay in Zachary. She said that they were elderly and just didn’t want to have to go through all that it would take to rebuild their homes and lives here. I guess I can understand that. When you are younger you devote your whole lives to building it up and getting things in order. You work hard on your career, your family, your home. But there gets to be a time when we don’t have the time or energy to go through all of that again. Does that mean that our lives are over?

Solomon spent a lot of time looking for the meaning of life. What he discovered is something that any of us could have told him before he started, “Without God, life is meaningless.” So many of the things he says in Ecclesiastes is based upon the view of a person looking at life by itself, without God. He talks about living the life we have and using the time here on earth the Lord has given us. “You can’t accomplish anything here after you die so you may as well use the time you have the best you can.” I guess I’d say it a little different, “God has given you a certain amount of time here on earth as a gift, for a reason.” “You should use it all.” “He’ll let you know when your work is done.”

Some of us will be living our lives for the Lord in a different place. Some of us will pick up the challenge and rebuild our lives here. We are blessed because we have people praying for us and working with us. No matter what happens we know that our God will be with us. We don’t have to live our lives in that meaningless state of living without Him. I guess the important thing is that, with Him, we continue living.

News:

1. The chapel is shaping up nicely. New windows, new light, sheet rock. All things are on schedule for our first service August 20th. Please make plans to be there on that date. It will be a big day for all of us. A big day to say thanks.
2. Chris has been on tour and says that things are going well. Keep praying.
3. This Sunday my son Josh will be preaching and telling us about his work in Antigua. It should be good.
4. Saturday is the radio show at noon. www.wsho.com or 800 AM. Listen in and give me a call. I’ll be flying solo.
5. Choir practice at 10:00 Worship 11:00

Be strong in the Lord:

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

“Your kingdom come” Matthew 6:10

You’ve been asked to pray. Yesterday Randy Baker, our own project manager, got a phone call from back home in California. His mother was close to the end and he needed to be there. It wasn’t exactly a shock. She had been ill for a long time and hospice had taken over her life. She fell out of her wheel chair and there wasn’t much left. But that wasn’t what was on Randy’s mind. What was clearly troubling him before he left was that he wasn’t sure where his mother was with her Savior. It isn’t as though she didn’t hear it. She grew up as a Pentecostal and as you know if you know Randy, you can’t spend more than a few minutes before he “works” Jesus into the conversation. So she has heard. But he didn’t know if she believed. Before he left he asked us to pray for his mother. What prayer would you pray?

The disciples wanted to know how to pray so Jesus taught them. He taught them with the amazing prayer that we call the Lord’s prayer. It is a short thing. It gets right to the point. It leaves no stone unturned. In three words Jesus prays for Randy’s mother, your mother, everyone’s mother, children, our church and all churches. He prays that everyone would be a part of God’s kingdom of grace. He prays that his word will be proclaimed, by us, to people all over the world and that they will come to know their Savior. I think it is significant that hard on the heals of this important prayer, “Thy Kingdom come,” Jesus prays, “Thy will be done.”

So say a prayer, in your prayers for Randy’s mom. It won’t take long. Maybe as little as three words. You can pray that the Lord would spare her life and that she would live on for a long time. God answers prayers like that all the time with “yes.” But please pray that she finds new reason to trust the words about Jesus she has heard throughout her life. That way she will live and never die. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done.

News:

1. Today the sheet rock will be finished in the Chapel. Tomorrow the mudder man comes to finish up. Remember August 20.
2. The Bloomington MN people are back in town helping the Jeffersons. I think that whole church has been down here at one time or another. What is with those people? Is it something in the water? I guess it’s not the water, it’s the word.
3. Chris will be doing a concert in Madison, Wisconsin on Saturday. He started out and made it all the way to the West Coast. But like a salmon going upstream a WELS person always ends up in Wisconsin. (The salmon go up to die, hmm)
4. Radio show tomorrow. www.wsho.com or 800 AM, Noon.
5. Worship Sunday. Josh will preach and tell us about the kingdom work in Antigua. “Thy Kingdom come.”
6. Choir practice at 10:00 AM Sunday, Worship 11:00 AM.

Be strong in the Lord:

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. Psalm 19:1-2

The church’s riding lawnmower is a green lawnmower. Actually its color is red but it is a “green” lawnmower. Let me explain. Last week while my son Josh was cutting grass with the riding lawnmower a couple of the parents in the neighborhood became very interested. The parents were the Mississippi Kites that have nested in one of the few remaining trees on our church property (for the ornithologically challenged, kites are small sleek hawks). They would watch as the lawnmower scared up big green grasshoppers. When the grasshoppers would fly up the kites would swoop down the pick them out of the air. They followed the lawnmower around all day. It was fun to watch those acrobatic dives sometimes diving only inches from my head. If you watched them closely you could see them constantly adjusting their tail and wings to get to the precise spot where they could catch a grasshopper in mid flight. I don’t believe we will ever be able to design an airplane that will be able to fly like that. It was nice to be a part of those amazing creatures’ life. We have a “green” lawnmower.

But of course God made it in one day along with a lot of other amazing creatures. In Psalm 19 King David sees how all of creation points to God and his glory. He says that creation itself is constantly shouting at us, “There is a God and He is glorious.” “Can’t you see that?” “Look at me.” Everything that God made on those six days still speaks to us. They can’t tell us how he saved us; we have the Bible for that. But their testimony is loud and powerful if we are listening.

It’s all around us, you know. Sometimes we are too busy to notice. It takes something strange like a kite chasing green grasshoppers to remind us. Take a walk outside. Look at the plants that grow. Look at the birds in the air. Look into the eyes of your child and listen. They are talking to you.

News:

1. Good attendance at church yesterday. Josh preached and told us about the work that the Lord is doing in Antigua.
2. Mr. Armstrong was back in church Sunday. He has moved back to New Orleans, living in an apartment. He has been through a lot but the Lord is giving him strength. An inspiration to us all.
3. The Ellsworths, Jeffersons and Isons were back in town this week working on their homes. A couple of Jerry’s kids are down helping Jeffersons get set up to move in. Are there any members of the Bloomington Church who have not been here helping out?
4. Welcome to the Family: Sunday we welcome George Edwards to our congregation. George became a member of our sister church in Dallas, now he will officially join our family. Praise God!
5. Happy 4th to all. God has given us a great country.

Be strong in the Lord,

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. Psalm 33:17

My many history teachers would wag their finger at me for not remembering this, but some famous king once said in battle, “My kingdom for a horse.” The battle was lost and he was looking for a way out. He should have read Psalm 33. I’m thinking about this because today is the 4th of July. We are celebrating our Independence Day. I’m sure there won’t be the same street fireworks that we are used to seeing around here. Still, I’m grateful to God for this country. I lived in other places around the world just enough to know that there really is no place like this one. There aren’t many countries that still have a sense of what is right and wrong, just and unjust. I know we have failed in this as a nation and we will again but as far as I can see those trying is a short list. I guess it is worth saving. I guess it is worth praying for.

Read the whole 33rd Psalm. It gives us information that is useful as we pray for our nation. It says that God looks down on the earth and its nations and observes what we do. Having a horse or a big army won’t save you if God chooses to wipe you out. It also says that God blesses his people. “Blessed is that nation whose God is the LORD.” (verse 1) God is actively looking at the world and making adjustments to meet His will and bless his people. What does he see when he looks at our country? I know he sees a lot of bad. But I think he sees a lot of good. (There is a lot of good to see happening in our streets these days.)

So maybe today we can thank God for this country. We could ask him to make it better, more “righteous.” We could ask Him to preserve it. Then, because we know He is watching, we could do a good thing. Maybe we could tell someone about His love for us in Jesus. And they could do a good thing too.

News:
1. Ran into Jackie Winemiller in the Wal Mart parking lot. She looks good, is doing good and sends her greetings to all.
2. Lee W. started working at Home Depot. Now we have an in.
3. In the Chapel, Tom and Dorie are taping and mudding up a storm… (that’s not a very good metaphor these days) Tom and Dorie are taping and mudding like a house afire… (that’s not a very good metaphor either) Tom and Dory are taping and mudding a lot.
4. Randy comes back tonight. We pray that the Lord is giving him comfort after the loss of his mother.
5. Ms. Kivi sends her greeting. She says she misses us. The feeling is mutual.
6. Got some rain yesterday. It felt good.
7. Remember August 20th !!

Be strong in the Lord:

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Matthew 6:28-30

Marsh grass, my dresser and mountain flowers…. There is a connection you know. One of the things we like to do on vacation is hike in the mountains. God takes some of the bare mountain sides and splashes them with flowers: some so small you can hardly see them, some large and gaudy, all different colors that you would think would clash but they somehow fit together. Yesterday I went fishing with my sons and one of my grandsons. We noticed how the marsh looked so green and rich. Normally there are some dead blades of grass mixed in with the new, but this year it was all green and lush. Was the marsh revitalized after the storm? I looked into my armoire (a gift) and there was a whole shelf filled with my clothes (gifts). I remembered how not that long ago I didn’t even have socks. “…. will he not much more clothe you?”

In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus reminds us that God knows what he is doing. He knows how to clothe the lilies in such a way that we marvel at them every time. He is busy lovingly creating new life with every blade of grass. And then he reminds us that he loves us even more than he loves them. If God takes care of things that live only a day or two, how much better will he take care of us to whom he has given eternal life. When you think about this, your worry should start to fade away.

We see it as a miracle from his hand, the way God clothes the flowers of the field. We don’t always see it when he clothes us. The clothes in my armoire came from ordinary places. Some people sent clothes specifically to me. Some people sent clothes to those in need and I got some. Some I bought and some I even traded for. So does God miraculously provide clothes for me? Yes! Not only has he provided the clothes but the armoire to put them in.

News:

1. Church “mudding” is going good. Tom has it looking pretty smooth in there these days.
2. Went down to Spanish Plaza on the river for the 4th. Ships going down the river, music from the Bucktown Allstars, a big juicy squeeze of New Orleans weather…. It was good to be home.
3. Jeffersons were in town last night getting ready to move back.
4. Garnet says that work on her dad’s house has begun. They are scheduled to be finished in two months.
5. Chris returns from his successful road trip today. Welcome back!
6. My son Josh and his family left this morning. It was nice to see them all again. It is hard to say “good bye” for a year or more.
7. Saturday “The Word is Near” radio show at noon, AM 800 or www.wsho.com
8. Sunday: Choir practice at 10:00. I’ve got cool new song to sing.
9. Sunday: Worship 11:00
10. Ladies Guild following service. We will plan for the rest of the year.
11. This is the 200th Diaspora newsletter according to Michael. (But whose counting) [that was on the 4th - Webmaster]

Be strong in the Lord:

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! Isaiah 49:15

Yesterday I heard about another Lutheran church in our general area who is not sure if it will rebuild or not. It was a larger church than ours but they have not held services there or anywhere else since the storm. Their pastor is serving a congregation in another state. I’m tempted to think, “Well, we are better than that because we never stopped worshipping together.” “We worshipped together the next Sunday.” And now as I look at the chapel getting smoother on the inside again, looking more and more like a completed project and I look at the completed parsonage and fellowship hall and think of all the work that people put in to get us here, I’m tempted to say, “We must be more dedicated than most.” But that isn’t it, is it?

I’m sure I’ve used this passage before in these letters but it is one of those passages that hit us where we live. How impossible would it be for a mother to forget the baby at her breast? There is a bond there that is at the same time beautiful and mystical. But after all the mothers have forgotten the babies they have borne, God will still be remembering you.

And that is why we are still together after almost a year. And that is why we continue to work our way back, because God has not forgotten us. And that is why all these people have come down here to help us. And that is why all those WELS people gave all that money so that we could get to this place, because God has not forgotten them either. God cannot forget his children.

News:

1. The hand-texturing of the chapel begins today. The outline for the stone work is in.
2. Two new FEMA trailers on Marywood Ct.
3. Chris made it back from his tour. Now he is mobbed by groupies wherever he goes. He is offering a special discount on his autograph for Crown of Life members. He has set up his cool equipment in the Fellowship Hall. We should get some good music out of him on Sunday.
4. Garnet says that they will be in their renovated house in two months. They just started.
5. Radio Show tomorrow at Noon, AM 800 or www.wsho.com. Call in!
6. Worship at 11 on Sunday, 10 choir practice.
7. Ladies Guild following service.

Be strong in the Lord:

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and to be with Christ, which is better by far; but it more necessary for that I remain in the body. Philippians 1:23

Romelle and Holly left yesterday after church. It was one of those really nice services where Randy played his horn and Andy and the choir sang and being welcomed to the family brought a tear to George’s eye and to a few others. But we also had to say goodbye to people who have become our “temporary” friends. (We’ve been doing this a lot lately.) Romelle said she was having mixed emotions. I’m sure after being down here a couple weeks in the shank of a Green Bay summer, it will feel good to be back home. Still I think she enjoyed her service here. Jesus has his own way of rewarding such things. She wanted to go, but she wanted to stay. Sometimes I think we spend a lot of time there, in the land of mixed emotions.

St. Paul is writing this letter to the Philippians from prison, probably in Rome. He knows that he faces the possibility of his execution. But he doesn’t really sound afraid of it does he? He knows that the day he dies he gets to be with Jesus in glory. No one really knows what that is like but we know it will be better than here. Now if you are sitting on your new patio as the sun comes up on a new day, as I am, maybe the contrast isn’t so noticeable. But sitting in a Roman prison would be a different matter. Going to be with Jesus in glory, even if it meant dying didn’t look so bad, I guess. Still St. Paul has mixed emotions. We spend a lot of time here.

When our kids grow up we are sad to see them go and glad to see them go. When our sick parents die, we are sad to see them go and glad to see them go. When we look at our lives there is a part of us which would like to live on here forever and there is a part of us which just would like Jesus come back today. When our friends leave us we are sad but glad that we have made a friend. Is it possible that, thanks to Jesus, our sad emotions and glad emotions are both good? The day will come when there won’t be any more mixed emotions, only glad emotions. I can’t wait, but I’d rather stay…wait a minute.

News:

1. Painting has begun in the Chapel. Good reports on the color palate.
2. Another trailer has arrived to Lutherville. We are ready for Jerry’s Kids to return.
3. Ladies Guild met yesterday after church. Many items were discussed: the new banner storage, partitions for Sunday School, the Christian Education Initiative, restarting bulletins, volunteer list for cleaning (contact Evelyn to be on the list), Kid’s Kount Sunday August 20th (bring school supplies), first service in the church August 20th (potluck dinner following), meals on Sundays for volunteers (contact Gretchen if you can help), and window treatments for the fellowship hall.
4. Big article in the paper that concluded that flooded houses aren’t worth as much as they were before they were flooded. Duh!
5. Thanks to Romelle and Holly for cutting the grass around the church last week.

Be strong in the Lord:

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

“But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today” Hebrews 3:13

I notice something in many of you that I also see in myself. It is hard for us to plan for the future. It is almost like we don’t really want to think that far ahead. Why? It might be that we are so consumed by what is happening today that there isn’t space to make great plans. It might also be that we realize how quickly all of our plans can change. I guess it is more painful to have your expectations unmet than not have any expectations to begin with. In other words, if we don’t plan anything we won’t be disappointed when they don’t happen. You can make a case that this is a good thing, taking one day at a time. But it is hard to live your life entirely that way and it probably annoys a lot of people around you.

The writer to the Hebrews is talking about the importance of Today. Today is important he says, because it is our time to come to know Jesus. It is the only time anyone has to know Jesus so don’t harden your heart. You don’t know if you will have tomorrow. Have you ever noticed how much of that kind of thinking takes place in the Bible. There is a lot of day by day thinking promoted. Ps 68:19, Matthew 6:11, Luke 9:23, Titus 3:14. Of course one of the greatest “daily” passages is the Old Testament reading for this coming Sunday, “His mercies are new every morning.” Lamentations 3:22-33 We trust God for daily bread, daily care, daily forgiveness, daily mercy as we daily pick up our cross and follow him.

That might be the reason that we can plan ahead without fear. We know that no matter what day we pick out in the future God will be there with all his daily blessings. I guess we can plan away as long as our happiness and our expectations rest on our God.

1. We celebrated Carol’s birthday yesterday. She made a big haul. All the inhabitants of Lutherville joined us.
2. Two new cooks came in yesterday, Shanda and Ann. They join a distinguished group of culinary artists who have helped us.
3. Another new FEMA trailer on Marywood Ct.
4. The office in the church and the cry room have been painted. I wanted the office painted lavender but…
5. I fed the kites with the lawnmower again yesterday. Some of the grass is beginning to take shape.
6. “The Word is Near” Radio Show Saturday at Noon, AM 800 or www.wsho.com. Call in: 504-527-0800
7. Choir practice on Sunday at 10:00. Worship at 11:00
8. August 20th, first service in renovated church and Kid’s Kount Sunday.

Be strong in the Lord:

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. Matthew 28: 19, 20

I guess it must have been nine months ago when Michael from California, Randy and I sat at the picnic table outside the church in Abita Springs and talked about the church. (A kind of odd conversation between guys who needed a shave) Michael was saying that the church was not a building but people, sometimes people who had never met, people from around the country. Of course he was right on. It became obvious as we met in Hall’s house in Baton Rouge with no building. We were still a church, right? I will tell you honestly, that my focus from the beginning was holding all our people together because I know too that a church is the people not the building. Still a lot of our focus has been getting our buildings back. That has not been an easy job. There are quite a few Builders for Christ members who can tell you stories. But now the day of completion is upon us and we thank God and his people for it. But the hard part still remains.

Jesus commissioned and empowered his disciples to do this important work of making people his disciples. That was their challenge and ours. Through the ages, through difficult times, through persecution, our brothers and sisters in faith shared it and the church added new members. I don’t think it has ever been easy. Even with big buildings and fine administration it has been a challenge. Do you think the Holy Spirit is up to it?

So now the challenge is ours. Will we once again be the voice of Jesus in our neighborhood? Will we once again be the place where people bring their friends to meet Jesus? We might be able to get our fellow believers to help us rebuild our buildings, but they can’t live our Christian life for us. They can’t be the church for us. They can’t share our faith for us. I wish it weren’t true, because we have been through enough, but I really think the hard part still lies before us. So if you haven’t today, put in a prayer for our church.

News:
1. You should see the neat hand texturing that Randy is putting on the walls. Pretty classy stuff.
2. I heard that the city got another grant of money for housing.
3. Eddie Green was in town yesterday waiting for flooring.
4. I got an impassioned call from a lady on Marywood Court. She wondered if we could help her rebuild her house. I told her we would put her on the list. It doesn’t sound like Jerry’s Kids will run out of work.
5. Evening devotions today at 7:00 in the fellowship hall. Join us.

Be strong in the Lord:

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

Not to us, O Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness. Psalm 115:1

There are some hymns that you just can’t sing. I’m not talking about those marvelous old German hymns written by someone with a slipped timing chain. Or the ones that seem like the notes were chosen by throwing darts at the staff. I’m talking about the ones that get stuck in our throat and push on the tear ducts in our eyes. Sometimes it is the song that a loved one sang or a hymn that reminds us of how great our God is and how amazing his gift to us is. One of those songs is a relatively new song to me called, “Not unto us.” (392 in CW) It is a song written based upon the above Psalm. Could it be that I have such a hard time singing it because it is written by someone I knew personally, or is there more.

Psalm 115 is one of those great praise songs to God. It reminds us how much better our God is than any of the gods that people invent. Their gods are helpless and hopeless. They can’t hear or speak or feel. Our God can and does. He is actively involved in our lives. There is not one good thing that has taken place in our lives that our God did not have a hand in. Go ahead, make a list of all the good things in your life and see our God smiling behind it. All our successes, all our triumphs we owe to him. Not unto us.

I used this passage in a devotion with the church council tonight. As we approach our goal of rebuilding it isn’t difficult for us to say, “Not unto us.” So much of what has happened has come from the hand of others. When we set our goal of rebuilding 10 months ago, we asked the Lord to help us make it happen. With his right arm and his love he sent his people from all over this country to pull together to bring us to where we are today. They did a lot more than we did. Not unto us… But our God sent them, they are his people. It is my prayer that when it is all finished we will see that this was the Lord’s doing and never forget it. I think we will be able to sing with new meaning, “Not unto us, not unto us be glory, Lord: Not unto us but to your name be praise.” Well maybe you’ll be able to sing it, because I can’t.

1. I’m writing this late in the day because our car (The Sun Spot) broke down in Mississippi. But it is hard to get stranded in Mississippi. Everyone is a Good Samaritan. Some guy we never met gave us a ride and Sally our camp neighbor let us use her car till we got ours fixed. Not unto us.
2. I heard that Tianna is enrolling Talia in our WELS school in Houston. The school just got a little cuter.
3. Randy went back for awhile to run his summer church camp in California. But he finished the hand texturing of the walls. Pretty cool!
4. Offerings remain strong at church. They are about where they were before the flood. Not unto us!
5. “The Word is Near” radio show on Saturday, noon. AM 800 or www.wsho.com.
6. Choir at 10 Sunday and Worship at 11.
7. Sauder now says that they won’t have our pews done by the 20th of August. They didn’t see a problem with the date while we were ordering…. Hmmm.
8. The council voted to have a church rededication service on October 29th. We thought Reformation would be a good time. We are praying that many of the people who have been the hands of God among us will be able to join us. We will pass a good time but…. Not unto us.

Be strong in the Lord:

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

Then they prayed, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.” Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles. Acts 1:24-26

It had been kind of a dream in the beginning. But yesterday it started to happen. 11 months ago we gathered together at Hall’s house in Baton Rouge to worship. There were so many questions about the future: toxic mold, benzene, bulldozers, green spaces, nothing able to grow, sharks swimming in the streets, wild packs of dogs…. Remember all that? There were more questions than answers. But with all those questions we did an outrageous thing, we made a plan to rebuild our church in our neighborhood. There was some thinking behind it. We thought that if we could rebuild our church and be back early we would be able to attract people as they moved back into the city. Yesterday there were 4 different visitors in church. One was there because Jerry’s Kids had helped him. One was there because one of the Mold Krewes had helped her. One was there because she lived in a FEMA trailer in the area and saw that our church was open. One was there because they were looking for a church and we were the first one they found open. Another part of our plan was to be able to help our members who got displaced come back and rebuild. Yesterday the Jeffersons and Theodores were in church. Jeffersons were spending their first night in their house and Theodores are back. It looks like the plan is happening. Was it because it was such a brilliant plan?

The apostles needed to choose a replacement for Judas. There was a reason Jesus chose 12 and they knew it. Apparently the apostles had two good candidates and they didn’t know which one to choose. So they came up with a plan, they would cast lots for the next apostle. But first they would pray about it and ask the Lord to put his hand in the choice so that it would be the right choice. Matthias was the right choice. Was he the right choice because God influenced the lottery or was Matthias the right choice because once chosen, God would make him the right choice? I guess in the end it doesn’t matter. When you have the omnipotent God working your plan, no matter what it is, it will always succeed.

So I want you, our scattered members to see it. I also want the Builders for Christ, Jerry’s Kids, the Mold Krewes who caught the vision and worked on our plan to see that it is beginning to happen. But if it works we know that it will be because we took that plan to the Lord in prayer and asked him to put his hand in. That is the hand that will make a plan work whether it is brilliant or not.

News:

1. Good attendance yesterday. Wanda sang with the choir. When she sang the line, “Stand up on your feet.” None of us did. (We are Lutherans, we don’t do things like that.) But one of our visitors did.
2. We are trying to put together a mowing list again. If you are interested talk to Bob Heier.
3. First service in the church is still planned for August 20. This will also be Kid’s Kount Sunday.
4. Rededication planned for October 29.
5. Things are pretty quiet at Lutherville these days. But there will be more activity when Randy returns next week.

Be strong in the Lord:

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. Psalm 139:8-10

I was talking with Ms. Land after church on Sunday. She was telling me about her upcoming cataract surgery. She said she was a little nervous about having an operation. I think most people are nervous about operations. I suppose having an operation seems more dangerous than not having an operation, just like driving down the highway would seem to more dangerous than staying home. I wonder if it really is.

King David says that he can’t escape from God, not that he wants to. He says that no matter where he finds himself, God hand is upon him. One of the questions that the Bible Information class that I use asks about God’s omnipresence is, “How is the omnipresence of God a blessing and a warning?” It is a warning because God is there and sees everything we do, even when we are behaving badly. It is a blessing because there is no place God isn’t. No highway, no operating room, no battlefield. But our God isn’t just omnipresent, He is also omnipotent. There is no danger that is difficult for Him to nullify.

Maybe some places just seem more dangerous to us than others. When we are in a “safe” place and not feeling threatened, we don’t think about God being there watching over us. But when we find ourselves in a “dangerous” place we need added assurance that our God is right there. It is good to know that it doesn’t really matter to God. He lovingly and powerfully is watching over us wherever we are.

News:

1. The stone for the front of the chapel will be arriving today.
2. Did you notice that the big orange shed that the hurricane floated to the front of our lot is now in the back? Hurricanes Lee and Andy moved it back.
3. Chris leaves on tour again on Thursday. Let’s pray for a safe and successful tour. (God will even follow him up to Wisconsin…. “you are there”)
4. The police are giving speeding tickets again. We will have to start watching our speedometers again.
5. We are trying to locate contact information for all the Mold Krewes who were here. We have many of the names but we don’t always have addresses etc. If you were a member of one of the Mold Krewes and have the names and addresses of your other Krewe members please send them to rebaughman@premier.net We don’t want to miss anybody.
6. Barb Schultz is recovering from her surgery. We thank God.

Be strong in the Lord:

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

The Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. Psalm 118:23

Today the Duke of Donations, Rev. Phil Schupmann of the WELS Committee on Relief contacted me and asked me to write a thank you note that they could include on their brochure. I guess it is kind of bad if you have to be asked to write a thank you. But the people of the WELS should know how thankful we are for their support all these months. Since I’m writing this in your name, I thought that you at least should see what I wrote. It is listed below. Hope you approve.

We have seen the mighty hand of God among us and it is marvelous in our eyes. Last year a hurricane came along and destroyed our church and scattered our members across the country. It was over. But God reached down with His mighty hand and touched us. He healed our church. He did it the way he apparently likes to do things like this, through His people. And you, His people, responded in overwhelming fashion. (Our God doesn’t do things half way) Through you, your gifts, time and prayers, our fellowship hall, parsonage and chapel have been rebuilt and many of our members have been helped to come home. You have been the hand of God among us. We have seen it and it is marvelous in our eyes. For that we thank you.

Pastor David Sternhagen
Crown of Life Lutheran Church
New Orleans, LA

News:

1. The stone for the front of the church came today. They were skillfully unloaded by our own heavy machinery operator. (See below)
2. Chris has completed his CD. I’ve heard it. It’s excellent! When he gets copies made, maybe you can get one from him. I’m planning a play a couple of the songs on the Radio Show on Saturday.
3. Jeremy, we are going to need your organists skills this Sunday, Chris will be gone.
4. Congregational meeting July 30th.
5. Saturday “The Word is Near” Radio Show, Noon – 1:00 PM, AM800 or www.wsho.com. Call in: 504-527-0800.
6. Sunday: Choir 10:00 AM, Worship 11:00 AM, lunch following.
7. I fed the Mississippi Kites today.

Be strong in the Lord.

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

Then Samuel took a stone, and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far has the Lord helped us.” 1 Samuel 7:12

I suppose it all depends on how you look at it. Yesterday and the day before our neighbors right across the street gutted their house. It might be the last house on the block to be gutted. And there it all was, personal possessions, Christmas decorations, clothing all mixed in with the sheet rock and insulation – a huge pile. It was a sad reminder of what was in our past. Months and months ago it was our huge pile with all our stuff piled high to be taken away. It was one of those memories that you would just as soon put away. On the other hand I walk in from outside into my shiny new house with all new sheet rock and sit at my new desk in my lavender office. The Lord, through his people have brought us a long way. I guess it is easy to forget it because we want to forget it, but that is where this house was and our church and fellowship hall, not all that long ago. That big mound of junk also becomes a reminder of how far God has brought us.

Samuel and the Israelites were fighting the Philistines. They were that group that the Israelites failed to drive from the Promised Land. The Philistines were constantly troubling them. Well, on this day the Lord decided the help the Israelites. He caused thunder and lightening that so put the Philistines in disarray that the Israelites easily conquered them and drove them all back home. The event was not lost on Samuel. He built a sort of monument. It wasn’t to mark a great victory for Israel like so many of those kinds of monuments do. It was to mark the place where God helped them. He named it Ebenezer, which means, “Stone of help.” What he said was important, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.” That stone was intended to remind the Israelites of God’s help in the past. It is far too easy to forget all of God’s help in the past. When we forget his help in the past then we are not as confident of his help in the present.

So I guess I’ll go out there and dub that big pile Ebenezer. It is a reminder to how far the Lord has brought us. And it should give us confidence that this same Lord will stay with us always. Besides it is better than the first couple names I gave it.

(Did you know that this whole incident with Samuel and the Philistines happened under Beth’s car? Read it)

News:

1. Going through the Relief Trailer today, making sure that things are in order. Hope we don’t have to use it.
2. Sauder (the pew people) claim that they can’t finish by August 20th. I’ll say that they remain pretty cheerful about it. Given the obstacles we have faced, this seems pretty small. Still, let’s pray about it.
3. Barb Schultz reports that she is still suffering quite a bit after her operation. Her doctor warned her that she would feel like someone hit her with a baseball bat. That doesn’t sound good. Add her to your prayers.
4. Miss Land is also recovering from her eye surgery. There were a few complications but last report was that she is doing good. Ramona is devising a spread sheet for the times of her medication. (You know - 4 three times and day and 3 four times a day at the same time.) Put Miss Land in your prayers too.
5. Chris set off today on his second triumphant tour. God Speed!
6. Saturday www.wsho.com or AM 800 at noon, “The Word is Near” Radio show
7. Sunday Choir practice at 10:00 A cappella, Chris won’t be there. Worship 11:00. Lunch to follow.
8. Don’t forget… Please remember the congregational meeting on the 30th.
9. The 70+ Martin Luther College students who came down to gut houses during the last school year were given Certificates of Special Congressional Recognition by their U. S. Congressman from Minnesota Gil Gutknecht.

Be strong in the Lord:

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Corinthians 12:9

It was a nice service yesterday, a little light on attendance but a nice service. The Ellsworths were in town and the Jeffersons were there because they will be moving in full time in the next week. We had a couple visitors again, that was nice. I preached on the Epistle lesson for the day, 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. God’s strength is made perfect in weakness. You can see it in a person. When a person realizes how weak he is and has to depend on God’s strength, that is when that person becomes strong. St. Paul said, “When I am weak then I am strong.” Is it true of churches too?

There are not too many people who would say, “I wish we had a weak church.” It seems to me we have plenty of those already: churches that go through the motions, churches whose offerings are not reflective of their blessings, churches that are lazy in their response to God’s love, churches that spend more time taking care of themselves than others, you know, weak churches. So could these churches “delight in their weaknesses” because they know that their weaknesses make them strong? That doesn’t seem right.

Maybe the difference is in the type of weakness. The weaknesses I’m listing above are sinful weaknesses. The solution to those is repentance. Recognizing the sin, confessing it and looking to the blood of Christ for forgiveness. I don’t think a sinful weakness could ever be a strength. But there might be other kinds of weaknesses that a church has: a sickly pastor, a dwindling membership, a neighborhood that is changing, a neighborhood with most of its people still gone. These are weaknesses that the Lord can turn into strengths. We have seen a good dose of that strength in our current weakness. We look for more.

News:

1. Eddie Green was in church yesterday, he is insulating his ceiling. The Jeffersons got their air conditioner working. (How important is that)
2. We’ve had nice rains lately. The grass is getting to look like grass again.
3. Randy returns today. With God’s help he’ll be finishing the job
4. Congregational meeting next Sunday after church. We’ll be looking at the final touches.
5. No storms in the Gulf. Say a “thank you.”
6. Ronnie Land and Barb Schultz are recovering from their surgeries. Say a “Thank you.”
7. Got a check from a Sunday School offering and some banners on the way. God’s people remain amazing.
8. Chris Driesbach is on his second tour. He says he is having a good time. Say a “Thank you.”

Be strong in the Lord:

Dear Scattered Members of the Family:

A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him who can eat or find enjoyment? To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness. Ecclesiastes 2:24-25

It happens almost every day now. Someone stops by and asks me if they can have my flooded out 68 Chevy pickup which is standing in our vacant lot. Of course they never want to pay anything for it, they just want it for free. I always tell them that I have already given it away to a friend. I’ve decided not to try to fix it up. This week we are expecting our living room furniture to arrive. (This has been a long story. Most of you know what it is even without hearing it. We are able to buy new furniture with the gifts that people sent us.) Since we lost almost all of our “stuff” we decided that as we set up again, we are going to KISS (Keep it Simple Stupid). We have a chance now to streamline our living conditions and unclutter our lives. We plan to use the loss to rebuild better. But that can apply to other things too.

Solomon was looking for the meaning of life. He searches for it the way most people do, in wealth, enjoyment, books etc. But he never finds it. What he learns is the words that I made bold in the passage above. Without God there is no enjoyment in life, not really. Without God it is all meaningless. And you can understand that. If this life is all there is, how much real purpose is there to it. But if our life looks to our God for enjoyment, wisdom and happiness, then we will find it, find it in Him. It is one of the great truths of the scripture, if you focus on happiness you will never be happy. If you focus on God, you will know God and be happy. It seems like a no brainer.

We are not just rebuilding our homes we are also rebuilding our lives. This might be a good time to get some of the clutter out, the distractions. This might be a good time to KISS when it comes to every part of our lives. Simply focus on Jesus our Savior and see what else the Lord loads in.

News:
1. Randy is back and beginning the final stages.
2. New cooks are in. Pastor Schuppe and his wife Joyce. Thanks for coming.
3. A few other workers will be coming this week.
4. Did you hear that Nash Roberts evacuated? First time in 60 years.
5. Congregational meeting after church on Sunday.
6. A reminder, we are no longer having communion on the 5th Sunday of the month (this Sunday).
7. “The Word is Near” Radio Show on Saturday, Noon, AM800 or www.wsho.com. The web cam is back on so I guess I’ll have to wear a better shirt.
8. Worship at 11:00 Sunday. Choir 10:00 AM

Be strong in the Lord: