Hurricane Katrina North Shore Disaster Fund Update #63
This is the sixty-third 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.
Pastor Sprague has sent another update about the ongoing minstry of Trinity Church in the North Shore and New Orleans and hurricane relief.
Crack Pots for Jesus
What a difference eight months makes! Back in August, I was gearing up to re-launch our new ministry year with a full staff and a new building right on the horizon. The Elders had just unanimously approved my 70-page strategic plan. We were ready to roll. Oh, how the Trinity - the Father, Son and Holy Spirit - must have had fun with my plan of operating from strength. What a good chuckle they had over "Michael's plan". They decided they could do better! Exceedingly better! Included in the revised plan was their desire to teach me, "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us" (2 Cor. 4:7).
Oh, how I needed to learn that God often uses cracked pots rather than fine china. I can now relate well to Judges 7. Remember the time Israel was invaded and oppressed by the Midianites at Harvest time? Year after year rolled along until Gideon raised an army of 32,000. That's a lot of men until you realize the Midian army was as thick as locusts and their camels could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore (7:12). The enemy army was at 135,000. Gideon's inexperienced troops were outnumbered 4 to 1. God said, "Gideon, you have a numbers problem." Gideon was glad God saw this too. However, God said, "You have too many troops. Have a troop reduction." Wow! A special waiver was offered to opt out of battle and 22,000 men opted out. Now Gideon's army was at 10,000, and he was outnumbered 13 to 1. God again said, "Gideon, you have a numbers problem." I'm sure Gideon was thinking, "God, I don't know if I want your help anymore." Sure enough, there was another troop reduction from 10,000 to 300. Now they were outnumbered 450 to 1. If you read the text carefully, it appears that the "geeky" guys were left and not the "Navy seals" types. The only guys left were the ones who lapped water like a dog.
Isn't this God? Often when He does something big, He stacks the odds against Himself so the credit will go to Him alone. Gideon and his 300 were stripped of everything and needed to learn to depend totally on God or perish. They were learning a God-confidence based upon His sufficiency rather than self-confidence.
God's promise, "This can be nothing other than the sword of Gideon. God has given the Midianites and the whole camp into our hands. Arise" (7:14-15a). Their God-confidence oozed. The 300 were divided into three companies of 100. Weapons were issued - trumpets (rams horn), a clay pot, and a torch to hide in the pot. In the darkness of the night, they circled the Midianite camp. Suddenly, 300 clay pots smashed, 300 torches pierced the night, 300 rams horns blared, and 300 voices shouted, "The sword of the Lord and of Gideon." Panic seized the Midianites as they stumbled out of bed. Confusion reigned and many were trampled. All fled! The truth: The power is not the clay pot, but in the One who resides in the jar! In the midst of the brokenness of the cracked pot, the light of God shines brightest.
I'm learning that God often uses weak, broken pottery and seldom uses fine china. Rather than operating from my plan of strength, God wanted me to learn His sufficiency in the midst of weakness. He stripped away my props quickly:
Empty nest
Evacuation
House damage/trees down
House unlivable
Church scattered
No offerings
Hurting people
30% of church gone
Elder Board changes
4 staff positions short
Parent's move
Postpone fall furnishings campaign
New building pledge system collapse
Building programGod took away the props and stripped away some encumbrances, man-made securities, self-reliance and self-effort. He took me through the refiners fire and pruned the dead wood because He insists our spiritual life and strength come not from our sufficiency but His.
I am not who I used to be. I'm lighter and realize I am alive in the cause of Christ. Jesus always makes a way that includes streams in the wilderness, beauty out of ashes, life out of death, and joy after sorrow. "For me to live is Christ" (Phil. 1:21a). How beautiful was Sunday morning as worship tables displayed cracked pots and candles lit. Each one who attended was equipped with a flashlight. At one point we turned off the lights and I asked Trinity folks a series of questions:
1. If you've experienced "desert times" and seen God faithful, turn your light on
2. If you've had job loss or job troubles, yet today you are working, turn your light on.
3. If burdens were crushing you this year, and you couldn't carry them on your own, yet He carried you and you are still in the game of life, turn your light on.
4. If you have become a Christian this year, or rededicated your life to Him, turn your light on.
5. If you've had a major financial blessing, turn your light on.
6. If you are weak, but know He is strong, turn your light on.
7. If God has used you over the last eight months, turn your light on.
8. If you identify with cracked pots imagery, yet know the power is not the pot, but the one in the pot, turn your light on.You should have seen the hundreds of little lights that were shining in darkness Sunday illustrating the sufficiency of Jesus. Hallelujah! Amen.
PRAISE & PRAYER:
1. Praise: One man said, "I wondered why I was coming (to church), now I don't want to leave."
2. Teams still pour in weekly, though two weeks ago the Compassion staff had their first "down" week since Katrina hit. They deserved the rest. Pray for Mark, Jenn and all of the team.
3. Pray for the wonderful teamsA man who was committed to coming injured his hand, and was not even able to open a Bible, told a team member he thought he broke his hand and his New Orleans visit was questionable. The entire team found out and asked the church to pray. That night, while getting up in the middle of the night, he tripped on the bone of his 125-lb. dog and fell down onto his hand and heard a big pop. He moved his hand and found it was all better. Canine Chiropractics or Divine Provision? The man served in New Orleans all week.
A lawyer, back for the second time, commented how he finds life so different in the midst of disaster response. People operate out of being at the same level as servants rather than a hierarchy. He finds that to be a display of what heaven will be like
4. Pray for a million details in finishing our new Family Discipleship Center in preparation for our four weeks of Grand Opening during the month of May. There is a still lot to do, and the construction company is not finished yet.
Betting the Farm on God,
Pastor Michael Sprague (05/15/06 12:17 PM CDT)
Just about a month to go before Grace Team 5 consisting of our Student Ministries High Schoolers will be on-site at Trinity serving in the ministry of hurricane relief. Please pray for these students and their sponsors as they continue raising funds for the trip and as they prepare their hearts and bodies for the hard work ahead.
Please consider a contribution 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 and New Orleans area. You will find detailed donation information by clicking here.
