While We Were Away... Pics from our visit with The Jones Family

Allyson and Hannah

Lydia... Have you been eating chocolate?

Allyson and Abigail

Beth and Allyson cooking up a storm... no wait... please don't!

Abigail has a future as a taxi cab driver (Ned on board)

Cousins Galore! Ned 4, Max 2, Lydia 3, Abigail 9 Hannah 11, Daniel 13

Where Was God When Bridge City Flooded?

When I moved to the area a few years ago, I heard that one day a storm could come and all of Bridge City could be under water. But, that had never happened before and when Hurricane Rita hit, it didn’t happen then either. So, it really couldn’t happen... but it did.
From inches to feet, Bridge City flooded. The images that we received on the television and internet sites could only shock the residents of the Golden Triangle. It was true. Bridge City and parts of Orange were flooded.
It was a Sunday morning that I spoke to my neighbor to find out that my home had not flooded. I was thrilled, but others had suffered catastrophic loss. Then it happened. Someone said to me, “You must be living right, God spared your house.” Those words simply stunned me. I know this person was well meaning, but the Christian gospel message had simply flown by and had not been captured in the least. Good??? Good??? Good has nothing to do with it. Did this dear person not know that Jesus came and preached that it was no longer about being good? God’s favor is about another “G” word, grace! Matthew 5: 45-48 teaches, “This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that. In a word, what I'm saying is, Grow up. You're kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you." (from the Message)
The lesson above is that the world is not a fair one or an equitable one. The rain falls on both good and bad people. The earthquake shakes, the tornado tears, the lightning strikes… with no discretion about who is good or bad. Famine comes, war ravages, violence erupts, crime hits, and disease disables… with no discretion about who is good or bad.
Bridge City is not the first town to suffer and it will not be the last. Again I turn to scripture to find words that comfort. John 9 tells the story of Jesus meeting a blind man listen to what is said, “Walking down the street, Jesus saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked, "Rabbi, who sinned: this man or his parents, causing him to be born blind?" Jesus said, "You're asking the wrong question. You're looking for someone to blame. There is no such cause-effect here. Look instead for what God can do. We need to be energetically at work for the One who sent me here, working while the sun shines.” God did not send Hurricane Ike. (If anything, the ruler of this world, Satan, may be at work) In Jesus we see a man who never walked up to anyone and made them blind, or lame, or sick, or anything detrimental to people. Jesus was a healer, a teacher, a man who loved people, even forgiving those who would kill Him. In that, I find utter comfort. God will be here to help us pick up the pieces and rebuild lives. God was with those who were trapped… God was with those who responded… and God will be with us as we comfort and care for those in need. I believe God, while not causing these events, works through them to show us how to love one another. People are the treasure, not the stuff.
Until next time, God bless!

Video of Bridge City after Ike

click the link below and watch local news coverage!

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1138292619/bclid1137896012/bctid1795036818
how will bc rebuild?
http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1138292619/bclid1137896012/bctid1805534857

for more pictures... http://www.kogt.com/
go to photo gallery on main page on left.
click on events, then on ike.
what a site...

Pictures of the Flood of Ike

Bridge City Texas was flooded by the storm surge on the morning of Hurricane Ike. Everyone that lives in BC city limits was flooded and then some. Basically everyone from my house to the Neches River and Sabine Lake had inches to feet of water in their homes and or businesses. It is truly catastrophic!
Pizza Hut in Bridge City


Jack In BC

the road from my house to BC

Hurricane Ike Has Hit

It is now 3:00 a.m. I sit in my niece's home in Tyler, Texas watching the streaming internet broadcast from KFDM out of Beaumont. I have no idea what is happening at my home in Bridge City nor my office at St. John Lutheran Church in Nederland.
I am specifically worried about flooding in the B.C. area. I am also feeling a sadness. I have heard that some folks that decided to stay in the area are now suffering. One email received at KFDM is from a family that needs rescue from 4 ft. of water in their home.
It truly makes me think about story of Noah. Noah told people that the rain was coming. Some even doubted him and probably laughed at his preparations. But, you know the worst part of that whole story is the fact that Genesis 7:16 tells us, Noah and his family and all the animals went into the ark..."then God shut the door behind him." I don't think Noah could have done that to anyone begging to get on board, but I don't think God did either. I actually don't think anyone thought it would rain at all. But had the door been opened, it would have flooded the ark and the future would have been lost.
As I sit in my comfortable shelter, I feel terrible for those who thought they would "ride it out." My prayers are with them and I know God loves them dearly.

Some ramblings!

In the midst of this sorrow, I also find comfort in having recently read the book, The Shack.

Tragedies come in varies forms and to various degrees. The loss of property can be heart breaking, but it can be overcome. The loss of life however, is pain nearly beyond our capacity. If you have not read The Shack, I highly recommend you do so. Ironically, I have heard the majority of theologians who have loved it and a few others who think it is a heresy. Personally I thought it was wonderful. Hmmm... but you need to decide. Don't rent your opinion from someone else. Yes, we pastors try to lead in the right direction, but occasionally we disagree. Everyone I know who has read the book loved it. In fact, one said it was life changing. WOW! Life Changing! Isn't that what evangelism is about... getting individuals into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ?
No, it is not always absolutely perfect theology, but I have numerous books on my shelves that fit that bill and no one, other than another preacher, will ever read them! Thus, The Shack, has accomplished an important goal... it allows someone to read a story and find God's grace, healing, and restoration. While the story is fiction, it is a beautiful, and at times funny, portrait of who God can be and why we are here on this planet. Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy!

Take care and get out of the wind!

The Race That Counts Isn’t In The Olympics

So... are you as tired as I am? Have you been staying up late each night waiting vigilantly for that certain Olympic race or event? Have you enjoyed watching these Olympics? I have. It has been wonderful seeing Michael Phelps break record after record in all of his swimming events. I especially loved the 4 x 100 relay when the United States team came from behind in the last seconds to barely edge out the French team. (The fact that the French swimmers talked trash before the race made the USA’s victory that much sweeter.) I can hardly remember the last time jumped out of the chair and screamed at the television for anything that didn’t involve a football. The cool part was that I knew millions of other Americans were jumping up and screaming too (including my son)! Other nights we have marveled at everything from gymnastics to volleyball.
For whatever reason, these games have been better than most. But the Bible tells us of another more important race. 2 Timothy 4:6 says “This is the only race worth running. I've run hard right to the finish, believed all the way. All that's left now is the shouting—God's applause! Depend on it, he's an honest judge. He'll do right not only by me, but by everyone eager for his coming.”
But what does it mean to run a race for Christ? How do we… how should we… how can we? Life itself is the race. Our confusion lies in our opponent. Who we are pitted against? Most of the time we think our opponents are our other brothers and sisters. It begins early with competitive contests against others for grades, sports victories; power, beauty, prestige, and money to only name a few. We are deceived by our real opponent, the Evil One, Satan! He is our opponent and his desire is to use each of us and our brothers and sisters to serve his purposes. When we oppress, judge, hurt, and ridicule other people, we unwittingly serve Satan and not Christ. It happens in the secular world and it certainly happens in the churches across our land.
Our victory is in Christ and Christ alone. It is not in our behavior, our goodness, but only in our forgiveness. And Christ stands ready to forgive and restore. Our race is to outwit and outmaneuver Satan in such a way to honor God and seek God’s will in our lives and in our service to others. The race is a life-long spiritual journey to walk each day with God and lean totally upon God and God’s wisdom. You can begin to hear God’s voice each and every day in your life. God does not only speak to people of the Bible certain people today, but God desires to speak directly to you. Really!
Hebrews 12 describes it like this, “Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!” Jesus finished His race and so can you. You are called to run against Satan and his lies about life, especially lies about your abilities and value to God. Your relationship with God is your very life-line to eternal victory. Satan will attack you and try to sell you a counterfeit faith, be on your guard. God wants people to be His disciples not just members of the church. Disciples read their Bible, pray, and live in community so they can know God in such an intimate way that each day they are certain their lives (their race) are headed for the victory stand next to God… to win a prize more precious than gold! (P.S. You do realize that our particular race is a three-legged race and we can only win when Jesus is our partner! But you probably already knew that.)

My Newest Pet Peeve Came to Light at the Movies

Not long ago, I got a phone call from my good friend Tom Butler. Tom and I went to school together and we often talk about all sorts of subjects. Our conversation began with his delight in his new job. By the time the conversation had gotten cranked up, he was in rare form. He was stuck in five o’clock traffic in Charlotte and suddenly a barrage of subjects and complaints came streaming forth with hardly a breath taken. I think he complained about every pet peeve from politics to sports. So, when he finally took a breath, I told him my latest pet peeve. (We all need a friend like this to tell our peeves to!)
My recent pet peeve is one that some of you might find annoying too. If you read my column or listen to my sermons, you know that I love movies. Recently while attending a movie, I was amazed by the number of teens that could not manage to tear themselves away from their cell phone/blackberry long enough to watch the very movie that they just paid for. Instead, the teens, one sitting two seats over from me, continued throughout the movie to text friends. Ironically, the movie theater had a large sign that asked people to turn off their cell phones and even ran a pre-movie message about doing so. Of course the teen next to me got there late and missed the commercial and obviously did not read the sign. Yes… I am getting old! Maybe this might not bother you. Maybe I should just sit there and ignore the small bright lite (in a dark room) just because… you know… they’re just kids right? That might have been a life or death text… right? Nah!
Kids are kids are kids! Things haven’t changed that much. I am sure that somewhere in the late 80’s someone walking near my car probably thought I should turn that music down. It was annoying! In the 70’s, my brother-in-law needed a hair cut and a shave… according to guys my dad’s age. In the 50’s and 60’s, it was rock and roll that would destroy the culture. But none of that stuff was interfering with my watching a movie was it?
Proverbs 13:24 says, “A refusal to correct is a refusal to love; love your children by disciplining them.” Rude is still rude. Do I care if kids have cell phones? Not one bit. But when it comes to acting with respect for others, I absolutely think that parents should teach their kids when and where it might not be appropriate to use some of their gadgets. Don’t get me wrong; a few weeks back, I took a group of middle school kids to a camp. I love to be with young folks. And no, Christian kids aren’t all angels nor are non-Christian kids devils. It really depends on parents doing their jobs as parents. Parents, I beg you. Stop… slow down and take the time to teach your children the morality and principles of faith. In 20 years, they won’t care how many ballet classes or ball games they played if they have a solid Christian foundation in their lives and in the lives of their parents. We live in a generation where kids are busy six days a week and parents feel guilty about getting them to church on Sundays. Too many folks run themselves ragged trying to give it all. Yet all that is really important is to have Jesus Christ in the life of every family. I have four kids, so I know it’s not an easy task. But, it is a choice!

Good Guys and Villains

I guess I am still a kid at heart; I still love to go to the movies. Maybe it's because I have kids that I still find comic book characters fascinating. Be it Iron Man, Spider-Man, Superman, or as the case may be recently, Batman. It has to be more than me who finds thrill in the comic book stories spun by both DC comics and Marvel considering the substantial box office records broken last week. Somebody else out there loves this stuff too!

While I left the actually magazine's behind years ago, big screen or small, I find myself drawn to it like a moth to a flame. The new installment of Batman: The Dark Knight comes with far more action than its predecessor, Batman Begins. This time, Gotham City, is plagued by the crazed lunatic, the Joker. For those who thought Jack Nicholson broke the mold on how to play the villain, think again. The Late Heath Ledger may be nominated for an Oscar for his role. He may be considered one of the best bad guys ever to hit celluloid.

Okay, so I know this is not a movie review column, but I found some unique links between the Dark Knight and Jesus. For fans who have yet to see the movie... stop now! And yes, I know that Jesus is not a comic book character! But, here goes.

Batman upsets society. He is a vigilante who goes about fighting crime to protect the lives of people. But there is something else. He dares to reach down into the gutter to do the job others who are unwilling or too corrupt to take on. In many ways, while this endears him to the public, the criminals and even the police are not amused. In the same way, Jesus upset the social norms of His day. He dared speak to women, welcome children, heal the lame and leapers, even on the Sabbath. He was an advocate for the poor and oppressed and called the religious leaders and wealthy accountable for their actions. In short, both are depicted as larger than life heroes.

But, heroes are hard to come by. One great line from the movie is, "You either die the hero or you live long enough to become the villain."

Jesus embodied this quote. To those whom He healed, spiritually, physically, and mentally during his earthly life, he was a hero. Yet, in the last day of that earthly existence, Jesus was scorned, mocked, spat upon, and reviled as a villain. He died a horrific death and, had it not been for Joseph of Aramathea, His body might have been left for the dogs to dine upon. In this latest installment, Batman becomes the hunted villain too. I find it interesting that it is self inflicted fate. He allows the public to think ill of him rather than causing the people of the city to lose hope if they ever know the real story. The hero today may be the persecuted tomorrow. It was left to a crowd to condemn Jesus. A crowd that was incited to shout, "crucify Him!' again and again.

While I enjoy the fantasy of Batman, Batman is fictional. Jesus' life, self sacrificial death, and eternal life are a reality. Hebrews 1 says, "After He finished the sacrifice for sins, the Son took his honored place high in the heavens right alongside God, far higher than any angel in rank and rule." Again in Hebrews 2, "It makes good sense that the God who got everything started and keeps everything going now completes the work by making the Salvation Pioneer perfect through suffering as he leads all these people to glory."

Everyone needs this hero to save us. Be sure to pick the right one! I hope you can accept Jesus as yours!

The Good about the Good News

What comes first... repentance or forgiveness? That is the question Professor J.B. Torrance raised with his theology students. This question was used to stop the soon to be preachers in their tracks and really make them think hard about the heart of God and the reconciling work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Torrance’s point was that God’s forgiveness (i.e. grace) is unconditional and is to be proclaimed as such to the world. John Calvin said “a man cannot apply himself seriously to repentance without knowing himself to belong to God. But no one is truly persuaded that he belongs to God unless he has first recognized God’s grace.” Yet how is one to understand God’s grace if it is not proclaimed to him or her as a fact rather than a conditional promise?

Dr. Baxter Kruger tells this story. He says, "I had a conversation with a young man who was somewhat disturbed by my simple declaration that “God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself” (2COR 5:19) and by the fact that I turned to the folks gathered at our meeting and declared that all without exception had been forgiven and embraced by the Father himself. In the conversation afterwards, I asked the young man, ‘what is the gospel?’ 'What do you tell people to believe?’ ‘what is the good news?’ He answered, ‘I tell people to believe in Jesus.’ I then asked, ‘believe in what about Jesus?’ His response was telling, ‘I tell people that if they repent and believe in Jesus, they will be forgiven.’ ‘So,’ I said, ‘the object of our faith is not Jesus and our salvation in him, but the possibility that we can be forgiven, if we repent and believe in Jesus. So we are summoned to believe in a Jesus who may be our savior if we repent and believe in him correctly, and in doing so (which we can’t) we actually make him the savior?’

Do we really believe in the fact of our forgiveness through Jesus and thus have something real to believe in? Or do we believe in the "possibility" of our forgiveness, and thus believe in whatever it is (our faith, repentance or goodness) that makes the "possibility" a reality?

Kruger goes on the say, "the gospel is not the news of what can be if we make it so; it is the news of what is, of what God has established in Christ. ‘God was in Christ reconciling the cosmos to himself." Thus, J.B. Torrance, John Calvin and even the Apostle Paul were right. Forgiveness is prior to repentance, and thus, even, prior to faith itself. Without the fact that God, in Christ, was reconciling the world to himself on that cross, then there is nothing real to believe. Without the proclamation of this truth as truth in our churches today, we give people nothing to believe in except themselves and the existential power of their own faith, abilities, and self-energized repentance. We cannot be afraid that there is anyone on this earth who is not supposed to hear that they are forgiven, embraced and included. Remember... grace is a free gift... presented by God... so that you are free of your sin. It is a reality and we thank God for our gift and acknowledge that we are in constant need of such a wonderful gift. We strive to be more, yet by God's grace we are free of sin and live each day, humbly walking with our Savior. That is Good News!

Check Your Daughters or Sons Date with These Helpful FBI Hints

Hello Dads and Moms,

I saw this blog elsewhere and had to post it for you. Maybe it will help?

These agents specialize in profiling individuals in order to predict behavior. Use these tips to rest easy until your daughter comes home at curfew, courtesy of Rodale Publishing:.
• Tip #1 from FBI agents – ask your daughter for her date’s full name ahead of time and then Google him, look him up on My Space, Facebook and You Tube. Any personal profiles or videos that come up will give you a good sense of his personality. Check out his favorite movies, books and videogames. According to Clint Van Zandt, who worked for the FBI for 25 years, reality mimics fantasy. He says he can’t tell you how many times he’s asked a criminal where they got their ideas and they’ve said they saw it in a movie.
• Then, when he gets to the house, evaluate his clothing. John Douglas, a former FBI investigative chief, says what a person wears reflects their overall level of judgment. So a jacket, combed hair, and cologne say – ‘I care. I’m trying to put my best foot forward.’ Camouflage pants, unwashed hair and body odor say ‘I only care about myself – and even then, not so much.’
• If the guy has any visible tattoos or piercings – ask about them. Generally the more in-your-face they are, the more they represent a cry for attention. People who demand that others notice them, may have trouble being sensitive to another person’s needs. Ask about the meaning behind the body art. It’ll provide insight into his character.
• As you’re talking to your daughter’s date – let the conversation stop. See how he fills the pause. That puts a person on edge and you can see how they handle stress.
• Finally, the FBI agents recommend that you directly state what your expectations are when he’s out with your daughter. Watch his body language. If he folds his arms and moves away, no matter how subtly, he’s resisting what you’re saying. So take down his license plate number, just in case.