Top 10 Reasons I Had Fun at VBS

10. Twenty glorious hours of not having to be in the office.

9. Moon Pies with pretzels sticks are just so interesting.

8. I still get a kick out of the Day 3 Family Night commercial.

7. Jeff "Motion Man" Slaughter hosting a missions video.

6. Wearing shorts every day.

5. Dr. Tolbert for taking time to speak to the kids.

4. Exploring the twisted world of fellowship hall technology.

3. Wiki Wiki!

2. Getting to spend time with a great group of kids.

1. Know God is working in their hears and minds because of VBS.

A Returning Church Makes an Impact

It may have taken Carrollton Avenue Baptist Church over two years to return to their traditional location but they've wasted no time in focusing on reaching their community. After the morning service on May 25, pastor Brian Webber and his congregation invited the community to a crawfish boil there on the church grounds. Just over 300 from the Carrollton area came out to enjoy the food, receive donations of clothes, meet Brian and the members of Carrollton Ave. The Gospel was shared and six made professions of faith in Christ. After the event, the members gathered up the remaining food and served it to the homeless men and women living under the Claiborne Ave. underpass. In the process of serving this second meal, the members of Carrollton Ave. were able to find housing for five homeless individuals. What a wonderful picture; spending the morning worshiping together as one body and using the rest of the day to carry out the work of the church in the community and beyond.

Learn more about Carrollton Ave. Baptist Church at http://www.freewebs.com/carrolltonavenue/

When You Know the Grass is Greener

Post Katrina New Orleans is a difficult place to live and work. Our new reality isn't really a happy one for many of the city's residents. I know certain public officials have taken an almost Pollyanna attitude towards conditions in New Orleans in recent months but I have to disagree every time I look into hopeless eyes and hear desperate voices. Our plight becomes even more real when I travel outside of the area and am reminded what "normal" looks like. Jaime and I spent the weekend in Houston celebrating the marriage of a good friend and I was reminded again that there's a lot of green grass outside the New Orleans metro area. Not once did I hear someone utter words like Katrina, road home, or contractor. Instead, people talked about shopping, movies, and vacations. People smiled without forcing it and spoke kindly as if they meant it. Being around normal people with normal jobs in normal situations melted the stress away and I began to feel something strange in my face. The muscles had begun to relax and the corners of my mouth moved ever so slightly into the upward position. I believe the Ancients call it "being happy." By no means am I trying to say that Houston is some grand utopia. I simply want to expound on the very first statement I made in this entry and bring to the reader's attention that New Orleans is not, as was recently stated, "back, (and) its better than ever." I still believe that New Orleans can be a city on a hill shining bright with the love of Jesus but it's going to take a long time and a lot of effort to get there. Those who stay and those who come will have to give that time and effort knowing that just over the horizon lie greener pastures where life makes sense, things aren't so difficult, and Katrina is just a bad dream.