Camp Hope Closing

It is with mixed emotions that we announce that Camp Hope will be closing, effective December 1, 2007, after almost 2 ½ years of ministry in our community. I say “mixed” emotions, because although we are saddened at the transition away from a ministry that has deeply impacted so many lives, we are excited about the possibilities of beginning a new chapter in the life and focus of our church. This is not to lessen the sorrow that we will all experience at losing what has been a huge part of the life of not only our congregation but of the church at-large as well. There is no doubt but that closing Camp Hope will be difficult. Since its inception in the early weeks after the hurricane, it has given our congregation a purpose and a way to show the transforming love of Christ to others, a way to be different—and isn’t that the true meaning of the “holiness” to which God calls His people. I cannot remember how many times perplexed homeowners asked us the question, “Why are y’all doing this?” Few of them could understand why it was Christians who were doing all the work, even the foulest work too. Camp Hope gave us the opportunity to say both in word and in deed, “We love, because, in Christ, God first loved us” (1 John 4:19). It gave us the opportunity to show the compassion of Christ to those around us who were like sheep without a shepherd (Matthew 9:36).

But we knew this day had to come sooner or later. We knew at some point that we would not have the financial means or the volunteer support to continue this ministry. And, sadly, that day has arrived. We are thankful to the Lord for providing for us and for not leaving us nor forsaking us; and we are thankful to you for partnering with us for so long, for praying for us, and for encouraging us to press on after the most devastating natural disaster in our nation’s history. Many of you have become quite close to us, and we have grown to look forward to seeing you again on repeat visits. This, too, will be difficult, as we may never see one another again this side of glory. But, that too, is in our good Lord’s hands.

Please continue to pray for us. The work here is by no means finished. We have a long way to go both in the church and in our community. We are embarking upon a building campaign to replace the church facility that we lost in the storm. Please pray that God would provide the means for us to do this. Please pray also for the work of the gospel here on the Coast. We still have contact with many homeowners. Pray that God will open eyes, ears, hearts, and minds and that many will come to faith in Christ. Pray that we as a congregation will shift our focus on outreach and that new avenues for ministry and, with them, new leaders for those avenues, will arise, so that we can continue to strive to reach our community for Christ.

Please continue to support us financially, if you are able. Although Camp Hope is closing, we still have financial needs—chief of which is replacing our church facility. From the outset, we made a conscious decision as a church to put the needs of the people of our church and community ahead of our need for a building. This means that, with the increase in building costs and labor costs, we are still almost $3 million short of even being able to build a facility that is ½ the size of what we had before the storm.

Please continue to encourage us. Many here are tired; it has been 2 years, and there is still no end in sight. Pray that we will not grow weary in doing good (Galatians 6:9). Plus, with yet another hurricane season upon us, folks here are understandably anxious. Pray that we will rest in Christ and be able to pass that on to our community.

Thank you again for your faithfulness to us! May the Lord bless you and keep you all until we can at last meet again.

Michael Vick and Football Season '07

A recent comment asked if I might be interested in blogging on the topic of Michael Vick's escapades. Well, seeing as how I'm never one to back down from an invitation, I will make at least one or two comments that I have not seen expressed in the media (though, I confess, I have not seen or read terribly much on the Vick situation).

Frankly, I cannot understand why everyone is in SUCH an uproar. Before you jump to conclusions, however, hear me on this: I plainly believe that what he did was wrong; it was against the law, and that is always wrong. I also believe that he was wrong to lie about his actions. There can be no question or wavering on these issues. And from a Christian point of view, we must always be good stewards of God's creation, which clearly includes dogs. God created men and women to be His vice-regents, to exercise dominion over the earth and to subdue it. Man showed his God-given dominion over the animals, for instance, from the very beginning by naming each one of them. But this does not mean that we have license to abuse creation. God has entrusted all of creation to us. Yes, we should protect dogs, just as we ought to protect our environment. So, Vick was clearly wrong in doing what he did.

But, frankly, I think that we do need to remember that they ARE just dogs! There needs to be some perspective kept here. They are not people. I don't seem to remember anything near this kind of outrage for the Kobe Bryant rape case. Granted, the Bryant case was thrown out by the judge. But this was not because Bryant was found not guilty of the charges. The case was thrown out because his accuser refused to testify against him. After the trial, Bryant even admitted that he understood why his accuser considered that she was raped!

To hear some of the media talk, Vick could not possibly have done anything any worse. In the shows that I have seen, the commentators used absolutist language to describe his crimes, saying it is "the most heinous of crimes" and such things like that.

That is what mystifies me. There is something definitely WRONG with our civilization when we put a higher value (or even an equal value) on the life of animals than we do on the life of human persons, who are created in the very image and likeness of God!

Thoughts?

That being said, I, for one, am thoroughly looking forward to football season '07. With all the hype on Ole St. Nick (Saban), you'd think Christmas was right around the corner! It should be interesting!

The United States of Narcissism???

No, I'm not trying to be disrespectful to our great nation by saying this. I am simply picking up on an idea that was expressed by Michael Horton in his book Made in America (pp. 78-80), an idea which is certainly not new but is one that we all should be aware of. In evaluating the condition of our country, Horton says:

"The term narcissism is derived from the ancient story of Narcissus, a young Greek athlete who used to go to a pond to admire his reflection. Today, we have mirrors.

"It is remarkable how closely America (and the West in general) resembles the ancient Greek and Roman civilizations in their decline. Hedonism (the pleasure cult of Epicureanism) was softening the people into effete consumers who spent more than they produced and who sold the future good of the civilization for immediate comfort and self-gratification. Their pools, baths, and spas fed their craving to be pampered. In fact, some years ago I visited Pompeii, the city preserved by the ash from a volcanic eruption. From the richly ornamented frescoes covering the walls to the spacious spas, Pompeii is a testimony to self-indulgence.

"And just as today's crowds huddle in the theater to see heads blown off in increasingly realistic ways, so the Greeks and Romans had their bloody arenas in which cruel spectacles (including, on occasion, the feeding of Christians to lions) entertained the crowds. Alcoholism, homosexuality, and the ethics of self-interest ruled social relations.

"When it comes to narcissism [in the U.S.], perhaps no generation has been more intoxicated with it than our own. Popular magazines such as Harper's published 'The New Narcissism' (by Peter Marin); a New Yorker article by Tom Wolfe pronounced the seventies the 'Me Decade.' [Christopher] Lasch wrote a best-seller describing The Culture of Narcissism as 'the culture of competitive individualism, which in its decadence has carried the logic of individualism to the extreme of a war of all against all, the pursuit of happiness to the dead end of a narcissistic preoccupation with the self.' Ironically, the most insightful critiques of this disturbing vice have come from secular rather than evangelical publishing houses.

"In a television commercial typical of may, an actress concedes, 'Sure it costs more, but I'm worth it.' America's famous opinion researcher, Louis Harris, notes, 'It is not overstating to report that a solid majority of the American people are close to being obsessed with their personal appearance.' So what do we [in the church] do? Why, we write Christian personal appearance books, of course! [Insert tongue in cheek here!] These volumes provide noncontextual endorsements from Scripture to show us how we need to believe in ourselves, love ourselves, rely on ourselves to a greater degree. From the pagans, it's self-centeredness, but from our own brethren it's simply 'being everything God meant us to be.' After all, we're 'King's kids'!"

The church needs to stand against the tide of our culture and hold fast to Truth and to Christian principles and morality. What an opportunity to be different! And isn't that what "holiness" means--being different? Our culture gives us a great chance to be just that! Are we up for it?

Thoughts?

Family Religion

I came across a great quote by Richard Baxter today. Yes, yes, you better believe that he is a dead Puritan preacher from the 17th century. Those of you who know me best will know that I have benefited much from, in C.S. Lewis' words, letting the clean sea breeze of history blow through my soul.

Here is what Baxter says about family religion.

"You are not like to see any general reformation, till you procure family reformation. Some little religion there may be, here and there; but while it is confined to single persons, and is not promoted in families, it will not prosper, nor promise much future increase."

We are all looking for revival, renewal, and reformation...a modern day reformation. But Baxter reminds us that we will not see this modern day reformation until we see a reformation within our families. We need families built upon the Word of God and upon a practical and experiential Christianity.

Amen! And may it be so.

Earthquake in Peru

Most of you will have heard of the disastrous earthquake in Peru. We recently received an update from some of the missionaries we support in the nearby area. Here is what they had to say.

"Thank you very much for your sympathy and kindness. I'm sure you can identify better than most what the Peruvian left in the disaster feel like. Thankfully, none of our churches or mission was affected by the recent earthquake. We center of work is in the northern city of Trujillo, about 10 hours north of the epicenter. I called the missionaries in Peru and they said that you could feel tremors all the way up to Trujillo. For more information, please go to our blog: (http://allenandsandi.blogspot.com).

Here are some prayer requests that come to mind:

* Pray that the gospel would run with freedom during a time when people question God and their faith.
* 80 to 90% of Pisco & Ica were destroyed. Please pray for the rebuilding process. As you can testify, it is a slow and trying process.
* Please pray that the evangelical churches in the region would have the strength, stamina, and sacrificial love to reach out to others hurting in their community.
* Please pray that God would give our mission wisdom in how to respond appropriately.
If anyone is interested, our mission will be sending aid through the local church and/or the National Evangelical Council of Peru, which has already taken steps to collect needed items. If you would like to give, you may send your contributions to the following address:

Christian Missionary Society
Re: Earthquake Relief Fund
PO Box 53363
Knoxville, TN 37950-3363

We will pledge to use 100% of any contributions received by Thursday, August 23 toward buying emergency supplies for those left without water, electricity or shelter, and 100% of any contributions received afterward toward ongoing care of the victims of this natural disaster."

Amazing Faith!

I was recently reading about the life of Allen Gardiner, who became a missionary to South America in the 19th century, and who suffered greatly in the process. I wanted to share his struggles with you, but, most importantly, I wanted to share his faith-full responses to these struggles. Reading it was an encouragement to me, and I trust it will be to you.

Gardiner became a Christian near the age of 28 in 1822. A year later he married. By the time of his 10 year wedding anniversary, 3 of his 5 children had died in infancy, and his wife died too. Gardiner wrote these words in his journal in the midst of his grief over losing his wife:

"My earthly comforts have been removed, and I pass my days in sorrow. Blessed be God! He remembers that we are dust. In my deep affliction he has not left me without mercy and great sources of comfort. The chief of these is drawn from a review of the manifold grace and love which he vouchsafed to my dear wife, making her last days the brightest and happiest of her life...It is ony my earthly affections that weep...I sorrow not as those who have no hope, but have every encouragement to make my calling and election sure..."

Wow! I wonder, would we be able to say, "My earthly comforts have been removed, and I pass my days in sorrow...Blessed be God!" if we were in similar situations?

After his wife died, Gardiner decided to become a missionary and take the gospel to parts of the earth that had never heard it before. He set his sights on the Zulu tribe in Africa, a tribe known for its fierce violence against outsiders. This, however, did not ultimately work out. And, Gardiner set his sights, instead, on the continent of South America. His goal? To bring the good news of Christ to the aboriginal peoples there. Constant persecution and hostile behavior toward him by the tribes he was attempting to reach caused him to return home to England in 1843. He needed to raise more money, supplies, and help in order to return.

For 4 years, Gardiner attempted to raise the necessary funds, supplies, and assistance, all to no avail. His efforts met with great apathy on the part of Christians. Finally, he formulated a plan that he thought would work and that he thought would enable him to get back to South America sooner rather than later. He thought if he could purchase a ship and enough supplies to last for twelve months, they could go. Then future replenishment could be brought to them from additional ships after that 12 month period. Well, they could only raise enough money to purchase the ship and 6 months supplies. So they set off in September 1850, with what they had and arrived in Tierra del Fuego in December.

After a number of mishaps, tragedies, and natural disasters, the missionary party was left stranded after only 6 weeks. They were not able to sail back to England and they did not have provisions enough to live. They needed a resue ship to come for them from England. So they waited.

Back home, no one could be found who was willing to set sail for that part of South America.

So Gardiner and his fellow missionaries waited. Soon, their supplies began to dwindle. As winter set in (in South America), the poor diet and rough conditions took their toll on these missionaries. One-by-one they weakened, became sick, and began to die.

Soon Gardiner himself was too weak to get up. This meant that death was imminent. Not getting up meant not be able to get to the water supply for a drink. After days without food or water, Gardiner wrote the following journal entries:

"I know, O Lord, there is a deep necessity for this trial, or thou wouldst not have sent it...may thy Holy Spirit work in me the grace of true contrition, and renew in me the graces of love, faith and obedience."

And most amazing of all, as he lay dying, just a couple of days before his death, he wrote a final letter to his wife (he had remarried) and his children, and added the following in his journal:

"Great and marvellous are the loving kindnesses of my gracious God. He has preserved me hitherto, and for four days, although without bodily food, without any feelings of hunger or thirst..."

"Yet a little while...the Almighty to sing the praises....I neither hunger nor thirst, though...days without water...Marvellous kindness to me...sinner."

And the angels who looked on this, were amazed at the "manifold wisdom of God" (Eph. 3:10) in so transforming a miserable wretch like Allen Gardiner that he, a mere creature, could praise God to this degree, even under the most extreme and dire circumstances!

Oh for grace to do the same!

Pursuit of Happiness

I was reading this morning from the life of Edward Payson, a 19th century minister from New England, who suffered all his life and died at an early age of 44 years old. I wanted to share an especially poignant quote from him near the end of his life. Here he speaks about where our true happiness lies as Christians.

"Christians might avoid much trouble and inconvenience, if they would only believe what they profess [to believe]: that God is able to make them happy without anything else...To mention my own case--God has been depriving me of one blessing after another; but as every one was removed, he has come in and filled up the place; and now, when I am a cripple, and not able to move, I am happier than I was in all my life before, or ever expect to be."

Whoa!

We live in a world that exalts the pursuit of happiness. Each of us is searching frantically and usually with reckless abandon for happiness. We do not realize that true and lasting happiness can and only will be found in Christ. We are searching for it in health, in perpetual youth, in exercise, in money, in vacations, in relationships, in sports, in jobs. As C.S. Lewis has reminded us, we do not realize that God has something far better in store for us than these finite things can ever offer: We are like children wanting to go on making mud pies in a slum when God has planned for us a holiday by the sea. He has made us for Himself, and we will never ultimately be "happy" with anything else.

Salvation vs. Self-Fulfillment

In reading more of Michael Horton's book, Made in America, I came across a few things that I wanted to share this morning. Horton describes how our culture has shifted, and our church with it, to a all-encompassing desire for self-fulfillment. Making ourselves "happy" is America's new chief pastime. And it is within the church too. Here is what he says:

"We used to think that the good news of the gospel was that sinners could be saved, or salvaged, from the wreckage of original and personal sin. Today, it seems, there is a new focus. In the old gospel, the problem was, 'How does a holy God accept sinners?' For the new one, the problem appears to be, 'How do basically good people accept themselves?'--a shift indeed....But, this is where society is today. And as society goes, so goes the church....

"As Christians began to think less theologically and more sentimentally, they were less motivated by the aim 'to glorify God and enjoy him forever' than by the pursuit of happiness. Today, we have a gospel of health, wealth, and happiness. We no longer exist for God's happiness and glory (esteem), but he for ours. This attitude is reflected even in the name of a church: The Happy Church.

"Jimmy Carter wrote, 'American people are living lives that are wasteful, self-indulgent, purposeless, and meaningless. There is a crisis of spirit'....Carl F.H. Henry, America's foremost evangelical leader, states, 'American evangelicalism is being spiritually thwarted by its affluence. No group of Christians has...more to learn about sacrifice. Our lifestyles are clearly non-Christian...marked by greed, extravagance, self-gratification, and lack of compassion for the needy'....

"Pollsters George Barna and William P. McKay lament: 'Survey data supply ample evidence of the bankruptcy of the commonly held world views of Christians. It is undeniable that as a body, American Christians have fallen prey to materialism, hedonism,...and even to a jaded form of Christianity that rejects much of the commitment required of faithful servants.' According to these pollsters, 'A recent national survey discovered that no fewer than seven out of ten Christians are prone to hedonistic attitudes about life. A similar proportion of born-again people,' they say, 'deny the possibility that pain or suffering could be a means of becoming a better, more mature individual.' Then, 'as a final example, three out of ten Christians agree that nothing in life is more important than having fun and being happy.'

"Thus, the criterion for religion is that it must make me happy. It must be fun and exciting."

Thoughts?

Singing in the midst of the fire

I was reading this morning on the life of Susannah Spurgeon, the wife of the great nineteenth-century preacher Charles Spurgeon. (Yes, I know, I'm reading about more dead people! But what an encouragement!) Susannah was, for all practical purposes, an invalid for most of her life--the result of complications from the birth of her twin sons and a couple of surgeries that may have done more harm than good. As a result of her condition, she struggled with anxiety, self-pity, and pain. At one point, when her struggles seemed to reach a climax, she came to a realization that was prompted by the crackling oak log burning in the fireplace. It reminded her of what the Bible teaches about our sufferings and was a source of tremendous spiritual peace for her. I wanted to share her words with you this morning:

"The fire was letting loose the imprisoned music from the old oak's inmost heart!...Ah, thought I, when the fire of affliction draws songs of praise from us, then indeed are we purified, and our God is glorified...Singing in the fire! Yes! God helping us, if that is the only way to get harmony out of these hard apathetic hearts, let the furnace be heated seven times hotter than before."

What a beautiful and Biblical truth:"when the fire of affliction draws the songs of praise from us, then indeed are we purified, and our God is glorified."

You might ask: "How can anyone in their right mind sing praise in the midst of the fire of affliction?" It's because they know who God is and what He has done for them. It's because they know that He is more delightful than whatever is being taken from them. Spouses, children, health, even possessions, as wonderful as they are, still pale into insignificance when compared with the grandeur and beauty and awesomeness and majesty of our God. We can rejoice in the midst of the fire, because we know that our Father has willed it and will use it for our good and for His glory. We can rejoice because our Father is good and is worthy of our praising Him.

Christianity in America

I am currently reading a book by Michael Horton on Evangelical Christianity in America. I wanted to cite a portion of the introduction this morning for your reading pleasure!

Horton is here talking about the lack of substance and depth in Evangelical Christianity today and how we have come to reflect the shallowness of our culture:

"According to a prestigious research group, Oxford Analytica, the presumed religious revival [that some are saying we are currently experiencing in America because of the proliferation of Evangelicalism in the media] lacks substance: 'Despite impressive statistics and the appearance of surprising vitality, there is evidence that the state of religion in America is not quite what it appears. Almost all the statistical indicators on religion are up,' the group reports. 'But indicators of the social influence of religion are down.'
"The myths of power, popularity, and growth have led to an unhealthy preoccupation with superficial success, methods over message, technique over truth, quantity over quality....
"The Bible commands, 'Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind' (Rom. 12:2). While much fuel has been spent on trying to get people to act like Christians, the Bible insists that we must first think like Christians. The transforming of our minds takes place not through magic, superstitious techniques, or superficial devotions, but through serious and sometimes difficult study. It requires that we know something about the Bible and the people to whom it is addressed, and that we know something about ourselves and the culture in which we live. It is dangerous to pretend one is not worldly when one refuses to critically examine the ways in which one has been influenced more by the spirit of the age than by the Spirit of Christ....
"Let us hope for a day in the not-too-distant future when the world sees a humble church that no longer shelters hypocrisy, that no longer offers stones of legalism when the world needs the bread of life; a church that bids the world , 'Come now, let us reason together' (Isa. 1:18) instead of expecting a national awakening on the basis of slogans, shallow assertions, and unfounded myths. Let us hope that the time has run out for being 'at ease in Zion.' Let us pray for the day when the Christian community will no longer patronize the supermarket of pop religion, when there will be a recovery of passionate, warm-hearted orthodoxy and historic continuity, not with American legends, but with Christian truths."

From Made in America: The Shaping of Modern American Evangelicalism (1991; Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2006), pp. 11-13.