Time To Go

Its 9:09 P.M. on Saturday night as I write this and we're almost finished packing our vehicles. Gustav has shifted closer and is predicted to make landfall as a powerful Category 4. Our parish president has called for a mandatory evacuation and Jaime and I are ready to get out of Dodge. We're tired, anxious, and a little afraid. We've been here before and things didn't turn out so well. Let me be completely honest. If you want to pray for us, pray that our house is standing and intact when we are able to return. Pray that God will spare us the pain and grief of losing everything again. I doubt I'll sleep much over the next few days.

Preparing for the Worst, Hoping for the Best

Jaime and I are still in LaPlace waiting to get a better idea about where Gustav is headed. We've been watching this storm for almost a week now and it still hasn't gotten into the Gulf. Although the storm has intensified to a Category 3 we still have no better idea where it will make landfall. Most of our preparations are already made and we plan on spending today getting together the last things on our list. One of our neighbors has already boarded up their windows and the other is trusting in his high-dollar hurricane glass. We've got our plywood ready to go. At the time I write this (Sat. morning) our plan is to watch Gustav all day and make a decision one way or the other by tonight. If we evacuate, it will be early Sunday morning before daybreak. We'll go north up I-55 and cut over to Natchez once past McComb, MS. From Natchez we'll go up Hwy 15 to Mangham, LA where my parents live. Thanks so much for all the calls and emails the past couple of days. Your prayers and encouragement mean a lot.

Do We Have to Give Them Names?

The practice of officially naming Atlantic storms began in 1950. Most named storms have been forgettable while only a handful live in infamy. Betsy, Camille, Hugo, Andrew, Ivan, and the twisted sisters Katrina, Rita, and Wilma top the list. After the devastation of Katrina almost three years ago, someone decided to investigate the meaning of that particular name. I was surprised to learn that the name Katrina means "cleansing." We in the evangelical community jumped at this. We said things like, "God used Katrina to cleanse New Orleans" and "New Orleans has been given a second chance because of the cleansing from Katrina." I'm not saying that we were blowing smoke. We meant what we said and still do. The name thing was just convenient. Maybe it was too convenient. This morning I looked up the name Gustav to see if any secret spiritual meaning waited to be discovered. Ladies and gentlemen, may I present Gustav - staff of the gods. Crap. Don't expect this one to come up in any future sermons in the New Orleans area. I'm sure, however, some extremist preacher who hates lost people will pick it up and run with it. Please don't misunderstand me. I'm not saying that God is sending Gustav to finish us off. In fact, I don't know why God is sending Gustav and furthermore I don't even know where this storm is going to end up. What I do know is that the same God who is sovereign over the weather is powerful enough to set us back on our feet. I know this because it is fundamentally taught in scripture and I've experienced it first hand. With that being said, when I ask you to pray for this situation, remember Who is it you're praying to. Don't insult God by asking Him to do less than what He's capable. Pray big to our big God.

All Eyes On Gustav

Here we go again. As I write this we're only two days away from the third anniversary of Katrina and Gustav lingers on the edge of the gulf - waiting. I'm beginning to see the anxiety in the eyes of my neighbors and hear the tension in people's voices as they talk about this new hurricane. Gustav is the first real potential threat to New Orleans since Katrina and given what we went through with her you can imagine the concern over this. No one is taking it lightly. No bold statements about riding it out. No plans for hurricane parties. A gentleman on the news last night was asked by a reporter what his evacuation plans where. "If its coming our way, we're getting outta here" was his response. Nothing fancy or complicated, that's my kind of plan.
One of the worst things about having a potential threat like Gustav is the sensory overload you get from the media, and disaster preparedness agencies. Once someone realizes this thing might come your way, its in your face 24/7. This morning I received an email from Gibbie McMillan, our state convention's disaster relief director, with a tracking map and lots of bleak information to cheer me up. I think Gibbie is a great guy and its always a treat to visit with him but in times like these, honestly, he's the last person I want to hear from. However, I'm glad he's on top of his job.
I've moved my schedule around today so I can have time to make sure Jaime and I have what we need. Fill up my truck, make sure we have batteries, try to find a store that still has water for sell, and so forth. I'm even going to divert from our normal Royal Ambassador lesson tonight at church to talk the boys through hurricane preparedness. We have some boys from the low income neighborhood around our church that have started coming to RAs and I want to make sure their families are prepared.
Pray for us. Pray for grace and wisdom in dealing with the necessary preparations. I'm not one for praying that God sends a storm elsewhere. That just seems cruel. Rather pray that the storm will not intensify or will be pulled out into the Atlantic. Pray also for our people. Many are on the verge of panic attacks (I'm not joking) and are having a hard time dealing with the possibility of Gustav coming our way. Keep your prayers coming and I'll do my best to keep you up to speed.

The Omnipresent Storm

By David E. Crosby, Pastor
First Baptist New Orleans

Friday is the third anniversary of the landfall of our omnipresent storm, Hurricane Katrina, the most powerful storm to strike America since scientists began measuring such calamities.

Hurricane Katrina was three times the size of Rita or Andrew or Camille in the sheer energy it generated, lifting the waters of the sea at least 10 feet above sea level for a span of 200 miles. This storm surge, 30 feet high at the midpoint, filled Lake Pontchartrain to unprecedented levels and toppled the walls of the city’s drainage canals at seven different locations.

And there you have it—Mother Nature’s swirling gift that just keeps on spinning.

Not a day goes by—maybe even a waking hour—that I don’t somehow encounter this storm in my memory. Driving through Lakeview I see a new home and think, “They didn’t elevate it much. I guess they’re betting on the levees.” I see a vacant lot where a home used to sit and wonder, “Is that family living nearby or still displaced by the storm?”

I walk our church parking lot and lament the loss of trees, poisoned by salt water, that we worked so hard to keep alive the first year at our new site. I’ll think to myself, “Where is that cabinet we used for display?” and then remember, “Oh, yes, we lost it in the storm.”

If my surroundings don’t remind me of Katrina, the people around me are sure to do it. Every conversation about education, healthcare, housing, economic development, or criminal justice has its Katrina component. I visited the Orleans Parish House of Detention a few days ago and was reminded that hundreds of inmates still live in tents—remnants of the great storm.

Someone moves away, and I think of Katrina. Someone new arrives, and I think of Katrina. Is this coming and going related to the storm? Often it is.

Pick any day. Three of the five front page stories in our local newspaper will likely feature some dimension of recovery from the storm. Brad Pitt is building homes in the Lower Ninth Ward. Potential locations for the new VA hospital are being debated. A billion dollars is available to rebuild Orleans Parish school facilities.

The great storm stalled directly above us and continually pumps its downpour on our city. Across the span of our individual and collective lives, we have had precious little relief from this barrage in these three years.

And there’s more to come. The reminders will not evaporate with the passing of August 29.

Am I stuck in this fierce wind forever? Can my mind ever paddle out of this flood?

It’s too soon to tell, I guess, even after three years. As long as gaping caverns in our streets threaten to devour my vehicle, I will think of Katrina. Until the new hospitals are part of our skyline, until the inmates are eight to a cell instead of 14, I will think of Katrina. Until the schools, the levees, and the vast stretches of flood-blighted neighborhoods are rebuilt, I will always think of Katrina.

And, I guess, if our new approach to public education really works, and students enjoy an environment more conducive to learning, I will enjoy some measure of gratitude for Katrina. If Charity Hospital re-emerges as a state-of-the-art haven for the sick, I will give thanks for Katrina.

For heaven’s sake, if the Saints win the Superbowl or the Hornets top the NBA, I am going to be thinking of Katrina—the difficulties we have overcome, the problems we have solved, and the joy we have experienced in the journey from what felt like a watery grave to what looks like a successful community bequeathing a spirit of courage and determination to coming generations.


Thanks David for expressing so well what we all feel.
Discover more about First Baptist New Orleans and its work in our city at www.fbno.org

FBC Callahan - YOU ROCK!

What can I say? You love serving the Lord and love the Lord's servants and it shows. The five days I spent with you was such a wonderful time of sharing, fellowship and worship. And speaking of worship, FBC Callahan has a set of lungs it. Thanks for taking us before the throne! Keep Jesus the main thing and you'll continue to serve Him faithfully. I can't wait to run into you all again on the mission field. Thanks for your continued prayers and support. Hope to see you in September.

Want to check out a church that "gets it?" Go to www.callahanfbc.org

The Biggest Event in America This November

Turn on the T.V. some time today and you're almost guaranteed hyped up media coverage of our current presidential slug-fest. Depending on who you listen to, the fate of the world depends on the outcome of this election. So much attention, emphasis, and importance has been given to the presidential race that the biggest potential event in America this November is going largely unnoticed. What could this possibly be? I'm glad you asked. This November 8 & 9, New Orleans will be hosting Crossover, a city-wide evangelistic emphasis that will precede the annual meeting of the Louisiana Baptist Convention. Crossover will feature three Restoration Fests located in some of the city's at-risk communities. There will also be a large outreach to our Hispanic community as well as smaller events that target the outlying regions of Greater New Orleans. Crossover has but one goal, the reconciliation of New Orleans to God through Christ. Can you imagine that? God can and He is able to see it through. A New Orleans for Jesus is of far greater significance for the Kingdom and to our nation than who sits in the oval office come January. A New Orleans for Jesus can impact our culture in ways we cannot imagine. Instead of people coming to New Orleans to reach the city, imagine New Orleans going out to reach a lost world. This is all within the realm of reality for our Great God and Crossover can be the catalyst for just such a transformation. Please join me in prayer for Crossover and our city. Check back to this site for updates or become a Crossover New Orleans fan on Facebook. Better yet, come and participate in what God has planned for November 8 & 9.

Our First Coffee Pot (1999 - 2008)

On Saturday, August 2 at approximately 7:30 p.m., the coffee pot died due to complications with its electrical wiring. Given to David and Jaime as a wedding gift, the coffee pot faithfully brewed coffee for over nine years. During its lifetime, the coffee pot produced countless cups of quality Community Coffee, brewing milder roast and the more industrial variety, common in the New Orleans area, with equal ease. The coffee pot was also known for its effortless handling of high-end specialty coffees as well as exotic roasts from countries like Kenya and El Salvador. A durable machine, the coffee pot survived the destructive forces of Hurricane Katrina in August 2005 and remained entirely intact. Though gone from us, the coffee pot and the enjoyment he brought will long be remembered. The coffee pot is survived by the coffee grinder, espresso maker, automatic can opener and the crock pot.