Update on church progress

By way of updating you on where we stand as a church, I wanted to let you know that we had a building committee meeting yesterday at the architect's office and looked over some preliminary drawings of what phase 1 of our new building potentially might look like. Hopefully, by sometime in early 2008, we hope to have a final set of plans that can be made available to the congregation. And once we have those plans, I will try to post them on our website for all to see.

The building committee is beginning to get excited about the possibility of finally having our own place again, for the first time since the hurricane. It has been a long time in coming. By the time we move in, we will have been without a building for 3 years! (And what a three years too!)

Please pray for this process and for the remaining variables that we wait on the Lord to bring to resolution.

C.S. Lewis' Birthday

The second birthday that I referred to yesterday is that of C.S. Lewis, who was born on this day, November 29, in 1898. In honor of Lewis, I thought I'd post a few of my favorite quotes from him:

"I believe in Christianity as I believe that the Sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else."

"Christianity is something that if false is of no importance; if true, infinitely important. The world wants to hear that it is moderately important."

"If there lurks in most modern minds the notion that to desire our own good and earnestly to hope for the enjoyment of it is a bad thing, I submit that this notion has crept in from Kant and the Stoics and is no part of the Christian faith. Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered to us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."

Here is an excerpt from Prince Caspian in Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia...
"Welcome, child," [Aslan] said.
"Aslan," said Lucy, "you're bigger."
"That is because you are older, little one," answered he.
"Not because you are?" [Lucy asked.]
[Aslan answered] "I am not. But every year you grow, you will find me bigger."

How 'bout 'dem apples to whet your appetite?

John Bunyan's Birthday!

This week in history marks a couple of big birthday celebrations: one today and one tomorrow. We'll deal with them in order.

Today marks the 380th anniversary of John Bunyan's birthday. Now most of you will no doubt remember that Bunyan is the author of that blessed work The Pilgrim's Progress which ought to be read by every Christian at least 2 or 3 times (if not once per year!).

In commemoration of Bunyan's birthday, I'd like to share one of my favorite passages from his famous work:

[Christian and Hopeful are locked in the Dungeon of Doubting Castle and have been there since the Wednesday.]

"Well, on Saturday about midnight they began to pray [how like us to take so long to pray!], and continued in Prayer till almost break of day.

"Now a little before it was day, good Christian, as one half amazed, brake out in this passionate speech, What a fool...am I, thus to lie in a stinking Dungeon, when I may as well walk at liberty? I have a Key in my bosom, called Promise, that will, (I am perswaded) open any Lock in Doubting-Castle. Then said Hopeful, That's good news; good Brother pluck it out of thy bosom, and try: Then Christian pulled it out of his bosom, and began to try at the Dungeon door, whose bolt (as he turned the Key) gave back, and the door flew open with ease, and Christian and Hopeful both came out. Then he went to the outward door, that leads into the Castle yard, and with his Key opened the door also. After he went to the Iron Gate, for that must be opened too, but that Lock [was hard to open], yet the Key did open it; then they thrust open the Gate to make their escape with speed; but that Gate, as it opened, made such a creaking, that it waked Giant Despair [the owner of Doubting Castle], who hastily rising to pursue his Prisoners, felt his Limbs to fail, for his fits took him again, so that he could by no means go after them. Then they went on, and came to the Kings high way again, and so were safe, because they were out of his Jurisdiction.

"Now when they were gone over the Stile, they began to contrive with themselves what they should do at that Stile, to prevent those that should come after, from falling into the hands of Giant Despair. So they consented to erect there a Pillar, and to engrave upon the side thereof; Over this Stile is the way to Doubting-Castle, which is kept by Giant Despair, who despiseth the King of the Celestial Countrey, and seeks to destroy his holy Pilgrims. Many therefore that followed after, read what was written, and escaped the danger. This done, they sang..."

Isn't that a great passage! After being stuck in Doubting Castle for days, Christian finally realizes that he should turn to God for help. And, so, he prays and does so all the rest of the night. As a result of his praying, he "remembers" that he has a key in his "bosom" (i.e., in his heart) which is called "Promise" (i.e., the promises of God in His Word). And this key unlocks the gates and lets them out of Doubting Castle back onto the road to the Celestial City.

It's the promises of God that is our key to times of trouble, promises that are hidden in our hearts and brought to mind by the Holy Spirit at the right time.

Beautiful, isn't it?

Late bit about Thanksgiving

I thought I would post a recent article I wrote on Thanksgiving and the origins of it for your reading pleasure...

This month we celebrate a favorite holiday for many Americans, Thanksgiving Day, a day that is usually filled with family, food, and football—and all in large quantities too! Americans have been enjoying this holiday annually ever since Abraham Lincoln officially pronounced it a national holiday in 1863 (though its roots extend much further back, as we will soon see). Of all the holidays that we observe as a nation—and you may be surprised to hear me say this—I believe that Thanksgiving may be the most religious.

I know what you’re thinking: “What about Christmas and Easter?” I admit it is true that Christmas and Easter can and ought to carry a more explicitly Christian message. But I think it is also true that this message has been glossed over to such a degree that it is in danger of being lost altogether by the rampant secularism and materialism of our day. Christmas and Easter today are rarely, if ever, about Jesus. Instead, they are about Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, stockings and Easter baskets, expensive gifts, candy, and egg nog. But Thanksgiving is different. Despite the pervasive influences of secularism and materialism in our world, Thanksgiving has remained focused upon God and His gifts.

From the very beginning, Thanksgiving was oriented in a God-ward direction. In 1621, the governor of the Plymouth Colony in Massachusets, William Bradford, ordered the first observance of Thanksgiving in order to give thanks and praise to God for the colony’s first harvest. The first American observance of this holiday was instituted by the Continental Congress in 1777, following the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the founding of the United States of America. Over the next 30 years, 6 proclamations establishing a national day of thanksgiving were made by George Washington, John Adams, and James Madison (each made 2). Typical of these early proclamations was that given by George Washington in 1789, in which he clearly states the religious purposes of his calling for the holiday (which, in case you’re curious, was set for November 26, 1789). It was to be “a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them [the people of the United States of America] an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.” There is no escaping the explicitly Christian orientation of these original thanksgiving days.

When Abraham Lincoln officially pronounced Thanksgiving Day to be a national holiday celebrated annually, he did so with the following words: “I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.” Again there is no escaping the explicitly Christian orientation of this holiday.

As we celebrate our Thanksgiving Days, let us not forget its explicitly Christian heritage. Let us remember this heritage by remembering the reason it was established and celebrated in the first place—to give thanks and praise to our great God and Savior for His bountiful provision to us.

He has indeed been good to us!

New step for FPC Gulfport

We have been working long and hard on trying to get my sermons on the local radio station...and, from what I'm being told, we have finally succeeded!

Beginning this Sunday morning at 11am, our Sunday morning sermons will air in a 30 minute spot on the local American Family Radio station WAOY (91.7 FM). Please pray for this opportunity, that the Lord would be pleased to use it in the lives of any who may listen.

For those of you who are out of towners, you can listen in to the radio broadcast via WAOY's website (www.waoy.com) or you can always find the Sunday sermon via the podcast on our own website.

Changes in Politics and in the world

I read an interesting article today on world magazine's website (find the link here: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/R/ROMNEY_RELIGION?SITE=NCAGW&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT). The article talks about Mitt Romney's presidential campaign and how it seems to be run by his staffers more than by him personally. The author of the article notes several occasions in which Romney refused to address a particular situation or to give a speech on a specific topic because his advisors told him he better not.

Now, I'm not here to make comments on Romney as a person or a candidate. But the article did remind me of how complex our election processes have become. No longer does the candidate campaign on "the issues." No longer does he/she run based on his/her set of values or what he/she SAYS.

When Abraham Lincoln ran against Stephen Douglas about 150 years ago, the race was decided on what the candidates SAID. A series of debates was set up in which Douglas would speak first for ONE HOUR! Then Lincoln would reply for ONE HOUR AND A HALF! And then Douglas would get a final (paltry!) HALF HOUR to reply to Lincoln's reply.

On another occasion the two candidates debated for over 7 hours! Elections then were decided on the issues, on what the candidates SAID.

Today, elections are decided by what we see on the TV in short, well-crafted and well-constructed (air-brushed) cameos. Romney even has someone on his staff in charge of monitoring his IMAGE. In the debates we listen to on TV, each candidate gets only 1 1/2 to 3 minutes to speak on a given issue. Can you imagine the Lincoln-Douglas debates on TV today?

I guess my whole point, which could be developed in great detail, is that we are not making decisions today based upon what the candidates believe or what they SAY. We don't hear them enough to know what they believe or what they are saying. We make our decisions today based upon how we PERCEIVE the candidate, a perception which is ORCHESTRATED by the media and by staffers whose sole job is to construct and craft and manage his/her candidate's portrayed image.

Glitz and Glamour will win the day in today's election world. Gone (with the wind) are the days of knowing what the candidates actually believe and say.

C

Update on Church Progress

One of our dear friends from Maryland (actually, with as many times as he has been down here, I should say one of our dear family members!) has asked for an update on the church's situation and where we stand with our building progress. So...here goes...

Things really have been (and still are) moving really slowly. This will be a fact of life for us over the next couple of years. Although we have made great strides in our recovery efforts, there is a great deal that still needs to be done. Please pray for our patience as we move forward. We are all children of our age, to some degree, and want to have everything finished NOW; like everyone else in our fast-paced, immediate gratification society, we struggle with waiting on the Lord and being patient.

As far as the church goes, we have engaged a contractor and an architect who are developing the final plans for the first phase of our construction. We will hopefully have plans that we can make available on our website within the next few months (don't hold me to the time period, though, as things seem always to take longer than we expect them to!).

We have received the final approval from the Corps of Engineers to develop the new property north of I-10 (if you remember, the property contained "jurisdictional" wetlands, which required approval from the Corps before development). This means that we will be closing on the property shortly and breaking ground once the plans are finished from the architect and contractor.

We have also just received a contract for the purchase of our downtown property. This should allow us to build a phase 1 that will allow us to get out of the school gym and have our own facility once again (!).

We are thankful for the Lord's provision and ask you to join us in praying for His continued provision, guidance, and blessing as we move forward.

Thank you for your concern for us and for the work here on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

One solution to our problems

It doesn't take much thought to chronicle the problems that we face in our 21st century world. We all know that crime (and, what's more, violent crime) is rampant, that homosexuality and extra-marital sex is on the increase, and that poverty is a troubling problem, along with a whole host of other problems. The difficulty is not in pointing out the problems but in finding helpful solutions that work.

Gene Edward Veith has written a recent article (www.worldmag.com/articles/13473) in which he explores one solution to our problems that has PROVEN to work--and yet you can probably imagine the outcry over its non-political-correctness.

Veith has suggested that the solution to our problems with crime, sexual immorality, and poverty is the traditional two-parent family. He writes:

"Studies have long shown that the chances of a child growing up to become a criminal plummet to almost zero if he is raised by two loving parents. Two-parent families are also the most effective anti-poverty program.
One factor in the development of male homosexuality, according to Christian psychologists, is the absence of a father figure. The boy so yearns for a father's love that he becomes attracted to men. The effect of absent or emotionally distant fathers on daughters is that they so yearn for a father's love that they often become promiscuous."

Now, it must be said, that a two-parent family does not guarantee that children will grow up crime free, sexually pure, and wealthy! Neither is it guaranteed that a single-parent family will necessarily produce children who fail in these areas. Veith is simply pointing out an interesting statistical fact (a fact of science, if you will), and that is that when children are raised according to the way the Bible says they ought to be raised--i.e., in the confines of a home built around the love and commitment of a husband AND a wife--the problem areas of our 21st century world tend to be minimized, alleviated, and almost eliminated.