This is the forty-first update for the Hurricane Katrina disaster relief fund for the Lake Pontchartrain North Shore. This includes the Covington, Abita Springs, Mandeville, Slidell, and New Orleans, Louisiana.

I have received Pastor Sprague’s weekly E-Mail update concerning the ministry of Trinity Church in helping those stricken by Hurricane Katrina. Here is his message:

“NASCAR Living or Soul Rest

Writer Dallas Willard states, “You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.” This is true because we cannot live the life Jesus intends without entering into the rhythms of life Jesus designed for us. This, of course, is challenging when our lives are a whole lot more like NASCAR than rest.

Just before Hurricane Katrina hit, I got hit between the eyes that my RPM’s were set a little too high. Driving across Lake Ponchartrain via the Causeway to New Orleans one day I distinctly remember approaching the end of the 24 mile bridge and noticing the speed limit change from 65 to 35 MPH. I had a choice – tap the brake or coast. Seeing no other cars around, I decided to coast and let my speed decrease. Within moments I was being waved down by a police officer and was given a ticket for going 22 miles over the speed limit. My 18-year old son enjoyed hearing every moment of this occasion. He reiterated to me every lecture he had ever received from yours truly. I was reminded several times that he had never had an accident or ticket. He loved to tease me, “You are supposed to be a pastor.” Even my dear wife, Donna, had a little snicker and some words of instruction. Ouch, yet not the end of the story.

A few days later, our family was traveling to Texas. Donna was driving and I was asleep in the backseat. All of a sudden I sensed that we were slowing down and heard Jonathan say something like, “He’s coming after you.” Sure enough, a police officer was soon at Donna’s window asking her about her speed. She had accidentally missed a sign in this little town. The officer kindly gave her a warning. Of course, my son had a field day with this infraction as well. He loved every minute of this. Pretending to be asleep in the backseat, I confess, I couldn’t help but at least smile a little … but yet not the end of the story.

A few days after we returned from Texas, I was looking out the window of our home as Jonathan pulled into the driveway. Behind him was … you guessed it, a police car. I walked outside and the policeman informed me that my son had not fully stopped at the stop sign next to our house. The officer said to me, “Do you want to give him the medicine, or do you want me to?” Everything in me wanted to say, “After all I’ve been through, you give him the medicine.” Yet I, somewhat begrudgingly, said, “I will.”

I don’t know if these things ever happen in your house, but these things really happened in ours. The men in blue with badges had certainly gotten our attention and the common thread was, “slow down.” Then came Katrina! I have moved at the fastest pace during these past two and a half months than I ever have in my entire life. The needs are great and the demands seem endless at times. There is a constant juggling of competing time demands in the midst of great opportunities: Pastor/Shepherding, community outreach, prayer, preaching, building teams, Capital Campaign, new building, staff oversight, radio interviews, communication, administration, networking, family, etc. Though my body is occasionally weary, my spirit has been vibrant, fresh, alive and exhilarated throughout the entire endeavor. I have been working 12, 14, 16, 18 hour days week after week. I was created for such a time as this and I am amazed by the grace of God that is unmistakable. The strength I have had to persevere has come from God. Yet, I also hear the Spirit now saying, “Slow Down.” My calling in life is not to be a NASCAR driver, zipping in and out of the lanes of life to gain some elusive checkered flag this world offers. There is a better RPM level that will create a right rhythm for my life and fulfillment of my calling.

As Thanksgiving week approaches, I plan to take a few days off and do three things. Maybe you need to do the same.

1. Pull over

Jesus said, “Come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give rest for your souls” (Matt. 11:28). Jesus is saying, “God is not pro-exhaustion.” I am going to pull over and take some time for:

Solitude
Sleep
Wonder
Meditation
Thanksgiving
Recreation
Revitalization
Good Food – turkey and pumpkin pie
Time with family and friends – Jonathan is coming home Wednesday, yea!

I am choosing to pull over for a time and tune up for the next leg of a very important journey. Do you need to do the same?

2. Pop the hood

It is always good to pray, “Search me, Oh God, and know my heart.” Ps. 139:19.

Fast people, from time-to-time, need to pop the hood and ask good questions. I got a good list of questions from Mike Breaux yesterday to contemplate:

What’s making me idle so fast?
What am I chasing?
What am I running from?
Why is my body running so rough?
Why is my mind constantly racing?
Why can’t I say “no”?
Am I addicted to approval?
What is fueling my competitive drive?
What part does procrastination and clutter play in my life?
What part does perfectionism play in my life?
Why am I a perfectionist?
Why do I work so hard to be accepted when I already am?
Why do I work so hard to be someone when I already am?
Why do I feel distant from you, God?
Why when Jesus says, “Come,” I won’t?

Great questions, aren’t they? Many of these questions don’t apply to us, but maybe some do. Those of us who at times suffer from the “Hurry Syndrome” should not be afraid to ask them.

3. Change Lanes

I am choosing to build greater sanity into my schedule. I have finished the “first response” stage of Katrina and now need to enter into a rhythm of life that will sustain me for the entire race. It will be a 500-mile race for sure and will go on for several years. Pray for wisdom as I plan for a new rhythm for my schedule in the coming months. As Rick Warren puts it, I need to Divert daily, Withdrawal weekly, and Abandon annually.

How about you? Are you hearing the same words of the Spirit to “slow down?” Have you been driving far too long in the fast lane, swerving and honking through life? Author Richard Swenson helps Americans see ourselves as he writes, “Take a look at our lives. We send packages by Federal Express, have a long distance company named Sprint, manage our personal finances on Quicken, schedule our appointments on a Day timer, diet with Slim Fast, and have swimming trunks by Speedo.” That says it all! If your life is like mine … Pull over, Pop the Hood and Change Lanes!

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, we know that living at NASCAR speeds continually
• Causes our hearts to grow small and our joy levels to diminish
• Causes a heaviness of heart, a weariness of body, and an inner erosion of strength
• Causes us to skim on prayer and causes us to miss the still, small voice of God
• Causes our relationships to be superficial and our families to be crippled
• Causes soul fatigue, worry, exhaustion and feelings of always being behind

Jesus, help us to ruthlessly eliminate hurry from our lives. Help us to enter into the life of Jesus by entering into the ways and rhythms of Jesus. Jesus, we choose to come to you and find rest for our souls, thanksgiving for our hearts, awe and wonder in our minds and the joy of the Lord as our strength. We choose to live under the rule and reign of God in our life. Amen

Betting the Farm on God,

Pastor Michael Sprague

P.S. The traffic court D.A. dropped my speeding ticket because it was a first offense. Isn’t GRACE amazing in all its forms – big and small?” (10:26 PM CDT 11/19/05)

So many of us reading Pastor Sprague’s messages are reminded of just how much God has given us, and how much we have to be thankful for.

Let’s take the time this week and truly thank God for His Grace, His Mercy, His provision, and His Love.

Grace Team 3 departs from Grace Community Chapel on November 30th, and will return on December 4th. It is not too late to volunteer for service with this team of ministry working alongside Trinity Church in Covington, LA.

Please contribute to the combined efforts of this blog and Grace Community Chapel of St. Peters, MO, in raising money and volunteers for ministry teams to be sent to Trinity Evangelical Free Church in Covington, LA, to be distributed locally to the Lake Pontchartrain North Shore area, you will find detailed donation information by clicking here.

This entry was posted on Sunday, November 20th, 2005 at 11:44 am and is filed under Katrina North Shore Relief. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

Tags: Hurricane Katrina, Katrina, New Orleans, North Shore, St. Tammany Parrish