Paradox

Life on the Coast is filled with paradoxes. On our church property there is a swarm of activity, consultations, visits, reception of materials, cooking, e-mailing, and multi-tasking. Sheetrock is going up, progress is being made. In another part of town there is eery stillness and an unsettling silence. Empty shells that once were busy hubs of life are reduced to hollowed out rooms, overrun by black mold. From a home like that, a young family escaped. They drove up this afternoon. In their twenties, wearing clothes that were dirty and not sized correctly. She tells me up front that she has some mental problems, takes six different prescriptions, and suffers from crohns disease. They have children, but they are living with someone else. And they live in a pickup truck. With two broken windows. They are lost in a confused government system that is supposed to take care of people like them. I gave them a tent and some sleeping bags. I felt good about that and at the same time I felt unhappy about my 'solution'. There are people around us who will not lift a finger to help someone else. And there are people who would drive for hours to relieve the burden of a stranger. There are people who would not give a dollar to a hungry person. And there is Kyle. I think he is a child from Missouri. He sent a plastic bag with a couple of dollars worth of change in it. It was marked 'hurricane fund'. I suppose that everyone's life is surrounded by paradoxes. I think they are just exaggerated by our current circumstances. One thing that cannot be exaggerated is the generosity of our brothers and sisters throughout the nation. You've heard the expression, 'The Cavalry is on the way'? We feel like the cavalry has been on the way since August 29th. One of my friends is internationally known evangelist Marvin Phillips. He has agreed to come and preach three nights in Pascagoula December 12-14. I will call these "Good News Nights". I hope this will be the first of a monthly activity where we have three-four nights of preaching in order to bless our community and encourage our workers. Also today I got a surprising phone call from brother Jimmy Lincoln, elder at the Southern Hills Church of Christ in Franklin, TN. Jimmy, in cooperation with the Concord Road Church of Christ in Brentwood, TN wants to bring gifts to our community. He wisely noted that many people will come to church on Christmas and we want to do all we can to encourage and reach them. They may bring up to 500 gifts to pass out in our community and church. I think that's an awesome idea. In addition, their associate minister, Ken Reed, will bring the morning message on December 18th. I regarded this as providential because this is the weekend I wanted to spend with Maggy's parents in North Mississippi in family Christmas celebrations. Although I will miss the joyful gift giving project, I will rejoice to see family that I have not seen since the storm. CURRENT NEEDS: *We always have need for workers, both skilled and unskilled. If you can hang and finish sheetrock, or do roof work, your skills are especially needed. *I have had several requests for newborn diapers, but we have no small size diapers at this point. We have plenty of other sizes. *Ministry needs are weighing heavily on my mind. I am thankful for Gary Irby who is here to help people right now. Also I will be calling on Charles Melton from Conway, AR to come and help us with his evangelistic skills. We need people who can come and with great compassion and care share the good news of Jesus with the lost. We never take for granted the reality of your prayers. Were it not for the united voices of saints rising up in our behalf, I believe we would be powerless to rise from the ashes. All credit and glory for whatever we do is given to God who inhabits the heaven and earth and in His mercy gives life and joy to the dead and lost.