Change Is Still A Good Thing

Sometimes when God speaks we hear but do not listen. Been there, done that. In fact, my latest attempt not to listen to God was very recent. Since Katrina, I have been praying and looking and praying and searching and praying and seeking council and praying and praying and praying for God's clear direction regarding service in New Orleans. Yes, even missionaries struggle with knowing where and how they are to serve Christ. For the past three months, I have be setting up the volunteer village (I previously referred to it as a base camp) for Operation NOAH Rebuild. This volunteer village gig provided my Katrina weary mind, body and spirit with an easy street assignment for the next two years. However, my selfish desire to take it easy did not match up with God's call for greater action. I found myself at odds with God. This is never a good place to be. I had to surrender to the task for which God called me to fulfill. Therefore, I am currently in transition into an evangelism and church planting role in the New Orleans area. I could not be more excited. This has long been my heartbeat and through God's perfect timing, I now have the opportunity to serve Christ the way I'm wired. So once again, change enters my life and its not just a good thing, its a God thing.

One Family At A Time

With each passing day, Operation NOAH Rebuild becomes more of a presence in the neighborhoods of New Orleans and St. Bernard Parish. A few thousand volunteers have already been on the ground working on devastated homes this summer and through them, Christ is having a positive impact on our city. Many see the vast extent of the damage and ask me if the work that is being done is really worth it in the end. Will these neighborhoods come back? Will New Orleans ever recover? Is this all for nothing? Seeing the devastation each and every day, I understand these concerns and questions. I think the key is to look beyond the physical structures of the houses and see the families in need. I've wrote before that Operation NOAH Rebuild is as much a Kingdom building project as it is a project to rebuild houses. Housing is one of our most basic needs and Operation NOAH Rebuild has the opportunity to meet that need in a big way and give Christ the honor and glory for it all. As we lift Jesus up He will draw all men to Himself. If we are faithful to plant seeds while we toil with the hammer, the Holy Spirit will be faithful to reap in the harvest. As houses are rebuilt, the Kingdom will advance until New Orleans is like a city shining on a hill. Don't think it could happen? Through the power of Christ it can be accomplished one family at a time.

Change Is A Good Thing

Okay, I know, It's been a while since I last left a post. In my defense a lot has been going on and now that the dust has settled, I can tell you about it. I'll pass over all the boring details and get to the point. In an effort to help the city of New Orleans and the surrounding area recover from hurricane Katrina, the North American Mission Board has begun Operation N.O.A.H. Rebuild. N.O.A.H. stands for New Orleans Area Hope and its mission is to rebuild 1000 homes and 20 churches in the New Orleans Area over the next two years. This God-sized project is headed by local leadership and will utilize 50,000 volunteers. Part of the local leadership includes yours truly. I have taken a temporary assignment for the next two years to be the base camp manager for Operation N.O.A.H. Rebuild. The base camp is located at the New Orleans World Trade Center at the end of Canal Street and will house and feed up to 500 volunteers at a time. This is an exciting time for Christians in our city as we have the opportunity to break through barriers that were torn down by the storm. Not only will we be rebuilding homes, we will be building the Kingdom of God through lives changed forever by the grace of Christ.

This Party's Over

About a week ago, New Orleans wrapped up its first Mardi Gras since Hurricane Katrina. This years carnival season was smaller in every way. Fewer parade days, fewer parades and fewer people lining the streets quickly clued everyone in that this Mardi Gras was different. Not to mention some parades rolled right passed huge piles of debris yet to be removed. Mardi Gras is part of the cultural makeup of New Orleans. Why the city celebrates carnival is something unknown and misunderstood by most outside the New Orleans area. Despite the deep roots of Mardi Gras among the people, the decision to hold the event this year was controversial. Some believed that Mardi Gras was a needed and necessary part of rebuilding the city and offered a welcome distraction from the rebuilding efforts. Others felt such a celebration was ill-timed, diverting valuable resources away from recovery and sending a false perception that things were fine in New Orleans. Whatever the opinion, Mardi Gras 2006 rolled on. Now that the last parade float has been put away for another year and the streets swept somewhat clean of beads, life is back to normal as we now define it.

Hurry Up And Wait

If you enjoy waiting, raise your hand. That's what I thought. As for the rest of us, we'd rather get in a fist fight than sit around and wait because at least there is a foreseeable outcome. Those of us who are back in the city have had to become accustom to the waiting game. It's an unavoidable fact of life. We wait on the mail. Just the other day Jaime and I got a Christmas card from her dad and step-mom, three weeks after the fact. What made it funny was the phrase "Don't open till Christmas" written to the side of our address. Like we could wait 11 more months to open the crazy thing. We wait in line. That's nothing new but you should see these lines. Get to your favorite restaurant early and you might only have to wait an hour for a table. We wait in traffic. Do we ever wait in traffic! Two and a half to three hour commutes are still the norm. We wait for repairs and improvements on our homes. Supplies are in high demand and contractors are spread thin. We have a crew that's entering their third week of laying floors in our new house. We wait on the government. We wait on FEMA. We wait on the mayor and city council to get on with it. We wait, wait, wait. All this waiting can give me a headache. I'd take an aspirin but I'd have to wait in line at the store to buy it.