Friday, November 30, 2007

The Good News Rolls at Rachel Sims

Before Thanksgiving I paid a visit to my friends and fellow missionaries at the Rachel Sims Baptist Mission in the Irish Channel of New Orleans. I had been in the area working with a pastor on some outreach ideas so I dropped by and chatted a while with Larry Miguez and Linda Middlebrooks (I got to meet Larry's mother too, she's a card). I had arrived on one of those "real life" days, the ones you never read about in the Baptist press. Some things weren't going as well as hoped, one of their semester missionaries was having car trouble, plans for an upcoming event were becoming more and more last minute, and frustration had set in. By the way, we missionaries have lots of days like this. This is why we go on and on about how much we appreciate your prayers. Anyway, if there's one thing that missionaries do for one another, its to bare one another's burdens. Its considered uncouth for us to vent to others so we get things off our chest to one another. Its very therapeutic and helps us get over the hump. Larry and Linda did get over the hump. God is good that way. In fact, I spoke with Linda earlier this week and she had very good news to share. Several children and youth had accepted Christ as their savior through the ministries of Rachel Sims in the two weeks since we had last spoken. Linda was excited about discipling these new Christians and shared some great ideas for future evangelism efforts. We work through all the hardships and frustration when all the wheels fall off so we can get to days like this. Growing the Kingdom is what it is all about and the work of Rachel Sims Baptist Mission plays an important part here in the New Orleans area.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Memories of Emma Lou Rhymes (1927-2007)

the old farm place ............ electric fence .................

my cousins and I scraping the frost from her old freezer to make Coke snow balls

......Unchal........ those pointy-tip glasses she wore back in the day

.... picking names for Christmas ..... that cat of hers that Daddy loved to torment

her collection of bells ....... her travel adventures with Aunt Hedy

.."Hello my Darlin'"..... coffee ............

..........her love for each and every member of her family ...

.....the interesting nurse related object scattered throughout the house

............that time my brother kicked her to make her stop snoring

.............her time working in Baton Rouge ...........

talking to her on the phone .... stories about growing up Daddy had "forgotten"

...her graduation from Alcorn .............

her positive spirit even as her health failed


Wednesday, November 14, 2007

We've Got Next

Jaime and I had the opportunity to spend the weekend in central Louisiana during this year's Crossover event. Crossover is the evangelistic blitz that precedes the Louisiana Baptist Convention (We got the idea from the SBC). Crossover '07 was only the second year for the event and despite the inclement weather, things were productive overall. The reason Jaime and I went to this year's Crossover is because the LBC is coming to New Orleans in 2008. This means that our area will be hosting the Crossover event. This is an exciting opportunity for the Baptist churches in the Greater New Orleans area to unite for a three day, area wide, evangelistic full court press. Although we are still in the process of forming our Crossover team, the ideas area already flowing. I believe that 2007 has been a year for prayer and preparation for what God wants to do and that 2008 will be the beginning of great things to come. Crossover '08, we hope, will be part of a great movement of God in our city and the surrounding area.

Friday, November 09, 2007

If Charlie Brown Grew Oranges


Pitiful isn't it. Some have said its cute but I can't help but feel sorry for it. I thought it would be cool to have a fruit tree in our backyard so I purchased a satsuma orange tree from Home Depot planted it back in the spring. I chose satsuma because we grow them in this part of the state, particularly down in Plaquemines Parish. It had a lot more branches when I planted it. However, as it bloomed and oranges began to form, all non-orange baring limbs died. Thus I was left with an orange three Charles Schultz would be proud of. If I wanted a conversation piece for the backyard I definitely got it in this sad looking satsuma. I hope it will survive "harvest" and bounce back this spring. I admit that I have to admire it for hanging on despite its current condition. I suppose that is why I can't help but find myself cheering the little guy on. Everyone loves and underdog.

Thursday, November 01, 2007

The Best Artist You're Not Listening To


Jake Smith. Remember that name. In an industry that tries to pass off assembly line produced music-in-a-can as quality comes something real. In fact, Real is the title of Jake's debut album on Rockettown Records and its worth picking up. Jake's music has been described as "a fusion of funk, soul, R&B, and rock blend" with a distinct New Orleans area feel. There is a musical depth to Real that is usually missing in other Christian albums. The layers of sound and their presentation to the listener let you know you're hearing more than just a vocalist. Jake's talent as a song writer is clear in his lyrics as he goes below the surface and hits on themes that relate to real life. Real has good crossover potential and would feel right at home in many of today's music collections. I feel Jake Smith is a breath of fresh air and wish him and his band success. Keep it real Jake, your on the right track. Go to http://www.jakesmithmusic.com/ to purchase Real, learn more about Jake, and the band's tour schedule.