The Writing's on the Wall

Over the weekend, our home church at First Baptist Kenner was vandalized. Someone painted graffiti on the fellowship hall just in time for folks to see on Sunday morning. Naturally, some people were upset by this. Whether it was because of the act itself or the fact that it had been done to the church's building, I don't know. I don't think anyone was particularly outraged but everyone was surprised and taken aback. First Baptist Kenner is surrounded on three sides by a moderate to low-income community. In fact, its at the bottom quarter of the economic scale in Jefferson Parish. For years the church building has literally cast a shadow on this community but rarely, if ever, darkened their doors. As we began to transition in the absence of a pastor, opportunities for service that had always existed began to be taken advantage of. Hands nervously reached out to people who didn't look like us, dress like us, or make as much money as us. It was subtle and often unnoticeable but God blessed as a result. New and different faces began showing up at worship and wide-eyed, skateboard loving, video game junkies started participating in the youth ministry. After years of being ignored by the community because of our apparent apathy, cold hearts were being stirred by the slightest tough. First Baptist Kenner was doing more than taking up real estate, it had begun to seriously consider this Great Commission thing. To my friends and fellow church members who read this, let me submit that had we remained in our apathy there's a good chance that not one mark of graffiti would have marred our walls. Churches who are ignored by their community pose no threat. Push back the darkness and the darkness will push back. Satan doesn't give us an inch nor does he accept a consolation prize. Personally, I see this graffiti episode as a positive sign. We've done only a little but its enough to get The Enemy's attention. Let us commit to boldly exalting Christ in this community and offer those who live there proof after proof of His undying love and relentless endeavor for their salvation.

My Second Car is a Desk

I hate being detached from the field. Yes, this is going to be one of those open and honest entries. You don't live in a bubble and neither do I. However, I seem to work in one these days. Its me, a desk, a computer screen and endless phone calls, emails, reports, paperwork, and meetings. Since when did being a missionary stop being about reaching a lost world? At least that's how I feel. I love the world. Its dirty and tangible and it scrapes your knees when you fall down. Being attached to a desk in an office with Christian co-workers, working on church projects for church people creates a warped view of reality. Its sterile and has a completely different set of problems from the outside world; problems that seem petty when compared to the suffering brought on by sin. I sit bathed in the dim light of the computer screen and wonder how dim my light has become as a result. I know that I could walk outside and not lose count of my steps before encountering a person that needs Christ. This knowledge eats away at me constantly during the day. Much of my time with God is spent asking for the wisdom to make decisions that will bring balance to my day. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to have the opportunity to help churches reach their communities. I know how important it is and I pray that they will see an abundant harvest as a result of their efforts. It really is exciting stuff. But, I know how I'm wired and what drives me. I love the way God made me and I desire to honor Him by not squandering that which He has given. I know a time is coming when I can trade in my desk for beautiful feet. Until then, I will honor God through obedience and determination to do my square peg best for Him in this round hole. After all, its not about me.

Vintage - Better When Authentic

This story is from Andrew Ogea, worship and discipleship pastor of Vintage Church in Uptown. This recent church plant has been on a mission to impact culture with the truth of Jesus Christ and see the spiritual transformation of their community and beyond. Read how God is working through their efforts:

"The greatest compliment our church has received lately came from a local coffee shop owner in Uptown. He said, "You guys are changing the culture around here!" Unfortunately, he did not say this out of his love for the church or for Jesus Christ, but rather out of his disdain for the mission groups that have been coming down to join our church in servant evangelism work. This month, one particular group was handing out free water in front of his shop to individuals driving by or walking down the sidewalk. As a result, the "compliment giver" came out of his shop and began to chastise the group for stealing his business. Apparently, handing out free water to people in the summer heat negatively affects the economics of local coffee shops.
Following the outburst, the compassionate leader of the mission group instructed all fifty of his students to go into the coffee shop and buy coffee on his ticket. The owner, shocked and embarrassed, did not know whether to thank the group or go into the back of the business and hide in shame. Throughout this entire ordeal, the mission group had no idea that I had been building a friendship with this man for the past month. The next day, I went to the coffee shop, and for the first time we spoke about Jesus and the work of the church in the community. "

Three things:

1. a willingness to serve (even in something as simple as passing out water)

2. a willingness to show compassion (even in the face of hostility)

3. a willingness to not give up (even with the possibility of a broken relationship)

Simple - not easy - always effective

To learn more about Vintage Church visit them at www.vintagenola.org

Just Do It

A question that I often get in my work is "what's the key to effective ________." In that blank may be evangelism, follow-up, community ministry, or any number of other outreach related topics. The question came up frequently enough that I decided to rethink my answer. Before, when asked, I started right into the traditional pre-packaged response about this program and that emphasis and acquiring such-and-such material. It didn't take me long to realize that this convention appropriate response created a crisis of duty in our churches. The vast pool of resources available to churches today, although very useful, can easily become a substitute for the actual work with which they are designed to assist. Not to mention the fact that much of what's available is financially out of reach for many churches especially in the New Orleans area. With that in mind, I began thinking about Peter, Paul and the early church. They had no programs, no special emphasis, no bright colored material but yet they reached the people through out the Roman empire and beyond and they did it while being hunted and killed like animals. They were equipped with the only three things needed to radically advance the gospel; the Holy Spirit, The Word of God, and their own story. To these three they added one crucial ingredient, the determination to do what Christ had commanded. Long before Nike used it as a slogan, the early church decided to just do it. No excuses. No procrastination. No dropping back to punt or waiting for someone else to do it for them. They just did it and did it until they left this world by natural means or were expelled at the hands of godless men. For them, the key to effective missions was to take what God had given and then just do it. Obedience, what a concept! Now when churches ask their familiar question, I'm sure to include this important lesson I learned from the early church. Its not an easy lesson to apply because it takes much time and effort but it gets the job done. Don't just give the appearance of sharing Christ, do it.

Top 10 Reasons I Had Fun at Girls Mission Camp

10. Two words - Tether Ball

9. Knowing Ben was out of Iraq

8. Duct Tape Man

7. Debi's outstanding staff and counselors

6. The Creek

5. That kitchen crew makes awesome coffee

4. Watching Beck and Gay Ann cut-up

3. Silly skits

2. Being called "Batman" all week

1. Three girls putting their faith in Jesus

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.

Praying for Pastors

About a week ago, Jaime and I received a booklet at church produced by NAMB that guides you in praying for your pastor for 40 days. We took it and did like most people and put it in the designated pile of "things we intend to get to" that, for us, resides in our kitchen. It sat there for a week with the fast food coupons, catalogs and sales papers until Jaime and I straightened up the house. At that point the booklet made its way to my bedside table which is where I noticed it this morning as I sat on the edge of the bed trying to enter the world of the living. Because I like to start my day focused on Christ (I usually say a brief prayer or quote a verse) I decided to pick up the booklet and start with Day 1. As I prayed for our pastor, I began to wonder things about him. You see, we currently don't have a pastor and this exercise is designed to strengthen the one God sends. I wondered things like his age, background, experience, attitude toward missions and so on. I wondered if he was married and had children and were they young, teenagers or all grown up. I wondered if he would take well to the unique New Orleans culture or be a bit resistant. I suppose that's part of the reason I ought to be praying for this fellow. But there's one other thing that ran through my mind this morning; we're not the only church in the metro area praying for a pastor we've never met. Since Katrina, more pastors have left the area than have come, leaving many of our churches without a shepherd to teach and guide them. As a missionary that works with our association, praying for pastors both here and yet to arrive has been an important part of my prayer life. In truth, I should spend more time praying for these men and I invite you to join me in that prayer. Our churches need God called, Spirit led, Christ focused leaders to wet their apatite for Scripture and to turn their eyes and hearts beyond the front doors and into the community and all the world.

I Need an Asprin and Some 23rd Psalm

After a good and productive week, shouldn't I go into the weekend with a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction? Then why do I feel like I've been dragged through the mud by a team of wild horses only to want to crawl into a hole and hide away from the world. My guess is that it has something to do with life. Jesus said that He came to give us life and to give it more abundantly. Good life? No, just life - warts and all. Sometimes life is bad and nothing seems to be going your way. Sometimes life is great and you feel you're on top of things. More often than not, I suppose, life is somewhere in the middle where good and bad mingle together. This week I check several things off of the to-do list, saw plans come together, and made positive strides on others. But I'm tired and emotionally drained. My spiritual battery is near zero and the resulting emptiness only adds to my overall sense of burnout. Burnout, that's a word we don't like to use in ministry. We're suppose to be supermen and women who put in 16-18 hour days 6-7 days a week for 52 strait weeks without a break. That's a lie by the way. You know who started it? Narcissistic ministers who truly believe they are important and who equate being a workaholic with faithfulness. Here's my advice, get over yourself. If Jesus was smart enough to take rest during His earthly ministry, so should we. David spelled out what that rest is like in the 23rd Psalm and I am encouraged by it and seek it for myself. Praise to our God who gives rest to the weary.



The Lord is my shepherd, (To You, O LORD, I lift up my soul.)
I shall not want. (O my God, in You I trust)
He makes me lie down in green pastures; (Make me know Your ways, O LORD)
He leads me beside quite waters. (Teach me Your paths)
He restores my soul; (Pardon my iniquity, for it is great)
He guides me in paths of righteousness (Lead me in Your truth and teach me)
For His name's sake. (For You are the God of my salvation)

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, (For I am lonely and afflicted)
I fear no evil, for You are with me; (My eyes are continually toward to LORD)
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. (Good and upright is the LORD)
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies: (For He will pluck my feet out of the net)
You have anointed my head with oil; (Do not let me be ashamed)
My cup overflows. (Let integrity and uprightness preserve me)
Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, (All the paths of the LORD are lovingkindness and truth)
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. (For You I will wait all the day)

Closing the Open Window - On Purpose

After the events of September 11, the nation, in its grief, became more receptive to things of a spiritual nature. Churches across the U.S. saw an instant increase in attendance and a significant number of decisions for Christ were reported. However, this window of opportunity following tragedy was short lived. In a matter of a few months, it was all over. The window had closed and things went back to the way they were. Why? These types of opportunities are tied directly to the crisis that created them. When the crisis is over, so is the opportunity for evangelism that results in an increase in responses to the gospel.

Here in the New Orleans area things are a bit different. Our window of opportunity is still open. As we approach three years post Katrina the questions that begs to be answered again is "Why." Whereas the crisis in New York and across the nation abated after several months, Katrina continues her destructive ways in the hearts and lives of the citizens of Greater New Orleans. For reasons that seem to numerous to count, our people still live in crisis and thus retain a heightened sense of receptivity to the gospel. Although it is not as acute as immediately after the storm, it remains because Katrina is still with us.

With the restructuring of BAGNO now underway, we are faced with an interesting paradox. We desire to move to the forefront of the recovery effort of our city while becoming a more united and effective witness for Christ. We see the problems that plague our fellow citizens and we are resolute to do something about it. We are not trying to move towards a social gospel but are embracing the Word of God found in James 2:17 which says, "In the same way faith, if it doesn't have works, is dead by itself." Imagine an united group of churches providing an authentic, irresistible witness for Christ throughout the New Orleans area. It is our hope that by the year 2020 we will have played a major role in helping our region through the first phase of its recovery and rebuild.

Here's the paradox. Doing so will no doubt usher in a sense of normalcy in the lives of individuals that live and work in our city as the new New Orleans begins to truly be realized. This strive towards normalcy will ease the Katrina crisis and thus close the window of opportunity now before us. While we embrace the openness of our city our compassion for its plight will lead us to have a hand in bringing that openness to an end. We are essentially pushing the start button on the countdown clock and then racing to plough up as much hard ground and plant as many seeds before the clock reaches zero and "thud" the widow closes behind us. Once closed, the obstacles of normalcy and complacency will again be before us. The questions for us then will be, "how much darkness did we drive back" and "how many did we add to the Army of God." The answers to these questions will determine whether normalcy and complacency will be mountains or mole hills. If we've done our work and fought hard for the Kingdom we will see the gospel continue to move forward, but if we fall into normalcy and complacency before our city does then we will have much to answer for when we stand before God on the Day of Judgement. The window will close and we will be the ones to close it. Let us commit to seeing as much of the city reconciled to God through Christ before this happens. The clock is ticking. The race is on. Ready, set, GO!

BAGNO Sets its Sights on 2020 Vision

During our annual spring meeting, the elected representatives of our churches voted to move forward with a very bold new strategy for completely restructuring our association. The strategy, entitled 2020 Vision, is designed to give BAGNO greater relevance within the metro area while bringing it to the forefront of the recovery effort. 202o Vision has five specific goals for attaining its purpose; visionary leadership, maintaining community relevance, church planting, associational restructure/reorganization, and strengthen existing churches as mission centers. As the vision statement states, "By the year 2020, we envision BAGNO as a dynamic beacon of hope for the community as we focus the love of Christ to the hearts of area residents and people groups on a daily basis." This is an exciting opportunity to lay the groundwork for what can become a model for local church/association ministry and cooperation. I've said all along that God is doing amazing things in the New Orleans area and this is just one very important piece of the puzzle. Commit to praying for this effort as we take a bold step towards seeing the Greater New Orleans area reconciled to God through Christ.

Missions Starts at Home

This past Sunday, I participated in an On Mission Celebration on the Northshore of Lake Pontchartrain. I had the opportunity to speak in four churches in and around Kentwood, LA. I do these things in order to keep people aware of the needs in the New Orleans area. Most importantly, I try to replace news of government failure, corruption, crime, murders, and drugs with news about the amazing things God is doing in the hearts and lives of the Crescent City. I end every presentation with a plea to come and serve Christ on mission in New Orleans. However, this time, I did things a little different. I've had something on my mind for quite some time now and I thought I would go ahead and include it in my presentation. After I made my plea to come and serve in New Orleans, I said something along these lines, "As much as I would like to see you serving with us in New Orleans, I pray that you will not neglect the rest of the Great Commission. Please don't turn missions into an endeavor where you repeatedly drive past your lost neighbors en route to an exciting mission destination." I believe this is part of the reason why I've seen a decline in the quality of volunteers over the years. Missions has become a place we go instead of something we do. Churches decide to get their feet wet in missions by going somewhere interesting. Entire groups go completely unfamiliar with what it means to be on mission and when they're asked to do the work of a missionary they become uncomfortable and sometimes uncooperative. We do this on a local level as well. We drive across town to serve in a ministry center but we won't take the time to walk across the street or engage the community sitting in the shadow of our church. Our first responsibility in missions is our Jerusalem. If we would take the time to reach out to our communities with the love of Christ first, then, I believe, we would see and increase in interest in going to places of interest and ministry centers and we would go better equipped to reach the lost. The army doesn't train its troops on the front lines; they send them first to boot camp. Why should the Army of God be any different? Let missions start at home and then branch out into the utter most parts. We will be better prepared, in greater numbers, and will have a more significant impact on the world for Christ. Missions starts at home.

What's a Guy To Do?

Have you ever had one of those weeks when things look optimistic on Monday morning and it seems you've adequate time to accomplish everything on your list only to find yourself screaming "slow down I'm not going to make it!" come Wednesday? I'm in one of those weeks, again. I just don't understand where the time goes and why it has to take so much longer to do what, at the time, seemed so simple. There's always these interruptions, or what my friend Kathy Frady would probably call Delay Delights, that keep popping up throughout the day. A last minute meeting here, an impromptu meeting there, lanes closed on the interstate, a flood of phone calls, emails piling up, high priority requests from state or national leaders, and volunteers, volunteers, volunteers flow over me like tidal surge rushing into a low lying area turning my blue Monday sky into a watery dome from which I must emerge to get air. You see, I like to get things done and I like to have them done well and on time. However, real life doesn't operate on my schedule. I imagine that it doesn't operate on yours either. It's times like these that I've learned that, in a little while, the curtain is going to draw back and all the work God has been doing behind the scenes is going to come into the light. My struggle, including my lament, has just been an aside a few lines before God takes center stage and brings the act to a close in dramatic fashion. It's the moment I've been waiting for. The moment when you lean over to your friend and whisper, "this is my favorite part." With the least effort, God preforms His part and then the curtain closes to my thunderous applause.

A Weekend With the WMU: or how Joe McKeever finally caught up with me.

I've spoken to WMU groups in various places and at various times and my favorite by far is when I'm given the opportunity to speak with WMU in my home state. I've matured far past my disdain for Louisiana as an adolescent. I think we all go through that stage in our lives when we think where we live is the pits and anywhere else is better that where we are. Today, I wear Louisiana with pride and love the land, the people, the food, and the culture. So, I had a great time this past weekend meeting with and speaking to the annual gathering of WMU at their state meeting in Baton Rouge. This group is like family. I grew up in front of some of these ladies, which they were quick to point out. I've lived in their towns. Jaime and I have attended churches with some. I've even had the privilege of serving in ministry with a few of them. Honestly, this was probably the most relaxed I've been while speaking to a group, unlike my friend Lonnie Wascom, Director of Missions for the Northshore, who said he was the most nervous he'd ever been (he said it from the pulpit, I'm not ratting him out.) All in all, Jaime and I enjoyed our time at the meeting and felt the love and prayers of the WMU ladies who were in attendance. Where would we be without the WMU? As for the Joe McKeever bit in the title of this entry, I've never made it known where and when I'm speaking for fear he might show up. Yes,yes, I confess. It's true. I think a lot of him and his opinion. However, this time I couldn't avoid it. Oh well.

You Want To Do What Today?

There I was, busy in front of the computer, working out the details for this weekend's speaking engagement, tonight's conference call, and July's summer camp for our Baptist Centers when my cell phone rang. It was my good friend Don Snipes, a construction coordinator for Operation NOAH Rebuild. After exchanging pleasantries , Don said, "I've got a team that whats to do a block party and I wanted to know about the block party trailer at BAGNO." "The trailer isn't quite ready yet because it needs some work" I explained. "When are they wanting to do the block party?" (Okay. Here's my thought process at this point. Although the trailer wasn't ready at that moment, we were scheduled to have it in order by the end of next week. Therefore, I figured the trailer would be available for them to use when they arrived on the field. Now back to reality.) "Uhhhh, today" Don said into the phone almost as if it were a question. I let out a chuckle of nervous laughter. Volunteers, God love them! Skipping some details, I learned from the team leader that what they really wanted to do was grill some burgers, play some music and hang out with folks in the neighborhood. I was relieved by this clarification since this type of event is much easier to put together last minute. So what did our intrepid team have to pull this off. Next to nothing. To their credit, they had the setup for their praise band which was some good lagniappe. We love live music. It took the better part of the day, but in the end the team had pieced together an impressive event. I had to leave before things got kicked off. I still had that conference call to make. I'm all the time telling teams about the need to be flexible when coming to the New Orleans area. Sometimes I have to practice what I preach.

It's Good to Hear Your Voice

Yesterday marked the return of local radio personality Garland Robinette, host of WWL 870 AM's Think Tank, to the airways after a five month hiatus. A medical mistake during surgery left Robinette unable to speak. In fact, doctors informed Garland and his family that things didn't look good for his voice to return. Hosting duties for the Think Tank were turned over to Tommy Tucker while Garland recovered at home. The absence of Garland and sudden replacement by Tommy prompted rumors of termination. However, WWL Radio graciously stuck by Garland in hopes of his return. How many of you have a boss that would hold your job for five months in hopes you would return? Yesterday, Garland's voice was husky and he had to take the occasional sip of water but he made it through all three hours of the Think Tank. Although Garland dedicated the majority of the show to its usually content and call-ins, he did take a few minutes at the beginning to thank those who had seen him through. The comment that I found the most interesting was related to his faithful substitute of five months, Tommy Tucker. Garland, although raised Catholic, admits to leaving his faith as he became an adult. Tommy, on the other hand, is a devout Catholic and out of his religious experience he did something that caused Garland to think. Just prior to Christmas, Tommy used the airways to begin a prayer campaign for Garland. He asked listeners to pray specifically for Garland to be healed. This was during the time when doctors were still pessimistic about Garland's recovery. However, as Garland admitted yesterday, it was at the time that Tommy began asking for prayer that he began to regain use of his voice. This experience, he stated, has caused him to rethink his position on religion and faith. It seems he has begun a new faith journey (my words not his). I write this for two reasons. First, I'm a fan of Garland and his show and I'm excited to have him back on The Big 870. Second, prayer is a powerful thing and I encourage you who read this to continue to pray for those special people in your life. Often we get discouraged because of the lack of results or the length of time that passes. Be faithful in your prayers because they are heard by a God who is faithful.

Resurrection and New Beginnings

As we gathered together this past Sunday to celebrate our Lord's victory over sin and death, some of our area churches were taking the opportunity to mark the beginning of a new chapter in their history. Sojourn, a church plant on Magazine St. that targets "cultural creatives," officially launched Sunday services. James Welch, Travis Flemming, and their ministry team had put in way more time than the typical church plant in investing in their community before attempting the much sought after milestone of a launch date. While Sojourn was gathered for worship, down the river in Arabi, Celebration: St. Bernard held their first service in their rebuilt sanctuary that had just been completed. In fact, I spoke several times to campus pastor Craig Ratliff last week and each time he was busy overseeing the final details of construction to ensure that their Easter service would go off as planned. A little closer to where I live, St. Rose Baptist Church celebrated the Lord's resurrection with an outreach to the community. Pastor Jim Louviere had been getting the congregation ready for weeks for the event. This is a church that was averaging five on Sunday morning six months ago before Jim came and gave the Holy Spirit some room to work. Now about thirty strong, St. Rose Baptist used Easter as a day to share the good news with their neighbors.

Larry Norman - Goodbye, Farewell

1947-2008

Inspirational. Controversial. Eccentric. Whatever opinion you held about Larry Norman, there is no denying the profound impact he had on Christian music. At a time when the only spiritual music available for young people were choruses and camp songs, Larry emerged on the scene with rock rhythms and potent lyrics that took the message of Christ to the air waves as well as the street. Like the great hymnist Issac Watts had done centuries before, Larry took the message he loved so much and put it to the popular music of the time. A child of the 60's, Larry's long hair and rock music was condemned by the church but embraced by the culture. He was well respected as an artist by the likes of Janis Joplin and the Grateful Dead but despite such praise from high-profile musicians, Larry stuck with his evangelistic message. "He really could have been a star if he were singing about something other than Jesus," remarked Chris Willman, senior music writer for Entertainment Weekly, when reflecting on Larry's career. Unfortunately, Larry's final years were spent in poor health. In a final statement to his fans just days before his death, Larry said "I feel like a prize in a box of Cracker Jacks with God's hand reaching down to pick me up...I am ready to fly home." Although his presence in the music industry has been absent for several years, Larry's death leaves a void that will be felt for quite some time. As for me, Larry Norman was an imperfect man who was way ahead of his time and although I didn't agree with some of his political views I found myself profoundly affected and inspired by his music and his uncompromising message of salvation through Christ alone. I am truly sad he is gone. Larry, we love you and our prayers are with your friends and family. See you at the throne of God.

Basketball and Bibles

This past Friday night, Jaime and I joined fellow missionaries, local ministers and seminary students in assisting Lagniappe Ministries with their volunteer project at the New Orleans Hornets home game against the New Jersey Nets. It was Gospel Night at the arena which is different than the typical faith and family nights other sport venues promote. The owner of the Hornets is a committed Christian and he has Gospel Night. The game was exciting as our Hornets put on a great show in their win over the Nets. Its great to see really good pro basketball in New Orleans (CP3-MVP). After the game, we went to the American Bible Society's booth for our volunteer assignment. The ABS was sponsoring Gospel Night and had free copies of The Psalms and "Element of Life" magazines to give away. You know how people can't get enough of "free." We handed out boxes and boxes of The Psalms and magazines before the crowds finally thinned out. I was impressed with "Element of Life." Each article was a story about how Jesus had transformed someones life. The magazine appealed to the urban crowd in both design and content with an evangelist message to boot. My prayer is that many will read the articles and take the next step towards a relationship with Jesus.