Greetings from Southern Louisiana

Go here to see more Hurricane pics: http://scripturist.org/2005_08_28_archive.html

Greetings from Southern Louisiana, October 27, 2005

What a ride we’ve taken in the last few months. From early relief efforts related to hurricane Katrina to our own experience with hurricane Rita we have experienced a crazy autumn. As of today Forest Park Church along with its many partners all around the United States have been able to provide basic housekeeping essentials to over 500 families left homeless by the storm season and thousands received basis supplies through our work in shelters.

For many, directly south of Crowley on the coast, the fall of 2005 will forever change their lives. Entire communities, some well inland, were flooded or completely washed away by the powerful winds and storm surge. Communities like Cameron, Pecan Island, and Grand Chenier are faced with the task of rebuilding nearly the entire town as all that remains are the foundations where homes and businesses once stood.

This week marks the eight week we have been providing direct assistance through our relief center set up here at the church. Thousands have received aid from towns and Churches all across the United States. Your generosity is something we will never forget and together we say THANK YOU. The members here at the Church have worked tirelessly to do what they can to support our relief effort as well, with many working daily consoling, determining needs, making deliveries, and keeping the relief machine rolling. We will begin to shut down direct assistance at the end of this week, but will continue to provide aid in various forms to those in need.

In addition to the relief work here we have had an opportunity to serve other Churches and Christians in the area as well. Three families in our church lost their homes in the last storm and we stand by them as they rebuild and move on. The Roberts Cove Church of Christ has a relief shelter set up at their building. We helped in their efforts by purchasing showers, and a new stove for their kitchen in addition to monetary assistance. The South City Church in Lake Charles was directly affected by the storm and we were glad to join with a church from Harlan IN to make temporary repairs to their building and members homes as well.

We now look toward the future, to be there when the storm is a memory and the first Holiday season is approaching. Once again I want to thank you all for your interest, support, and prayers during this time of extraordinary ministry and ask you to continue to these efforts in your prayers!


Thanks and God Bless,
Forest Park Church of Christ
www.forestparkchurch.org

AND....

October 26 Update on Mandeville and Slidell

Here's the latest:
We are still getting requests in Mandeville to cut trees and clear properties. We have about 20 jobs lined up to do. Jeanne says we can still use some heavy lifting equipment. We didn't have any last week, but some is coming next week More businesses are open, although hours are limited due to insufficient workforce. Walmart is still closing about 7:00 P.M. and most fast food places are drive through only. But it seems to be slowly improving.

Recent groups here include a group of college young people working with Keith Wood of IDES (www.ides.org): eighteen from Roanoke Bible College in North Carolina, eight from Manhattan Christian College, six people from Mechanicsville and Suffolk, Virginia, and three from Indiana. Oakcrest Christian in Shreveport sent six folks here week before last; they brought lots of supplies, gave our ladies a break in the kitchen, besides going out and cutting trees. Plus it was nice to have Ted Hardan lead worship in the evening with his guitar. Cookson Hills sent four adults from Oklahoma, and we had a repeat visit by the good folks at East Win Christian Church in Memphis, Tennessee. There were also four people from the Glendale Christian Church in Springfield, Missouri and seven from the Lake Mount Church of Christ in New Waterford, Ohio.

There have also been groups staying in the Christian Church building in Slidell: A group of 30 from fifteen Christian Churches in Pennsylvania, a group from First Christian in Rolla, Missouri and five from the Kingsway Christian Church in Omaha, Nebraska.Last week our Mandeville church property also was host to a group of ladies (and spouses) from Russell Christian Church in Kentucky, who set up a tent city on our lawn. They went to Metairie to help Journey Christian Church in the office and helped clean out a flooded home.

We (MCC) currently have a group from Illinois (Chambersburg, Springfield and Ashland). Also, just arrived last night, some RV'ers from Arcadia Christian Church in Indiana. We thank all these wonderful people for their help (and I apologize if I have forgotten to mention some).

Progress in Slidell:
The building looks beautiful. The new dry wall is in place and has been textured and painted. The stage area and baptistery have been rebuilt and installed. Some cabinets have been installed in restrooms. When tile and carpet are installed it will look like a new building! Our thanks to all who have helped get the building back into useable shape. It has been a lot of work done well and in relatively short time.

The church is open to the community. Anyone needing food or supplies is invited to come by the church and get food or other supplies that may be available.

Ministry Challenge in Slidell: a call for more volunteers

All the homes in the neighborhoods surrounding the Slidell church building have been flooded. Many people will not receive enough money to pay for restoring their homes. We think now is a great ministry opportunity to help these folks. Some with money are now replacing dry wall. Most are still waiting on insurance settlements. We have discussed the possibility of IDES purchasing insulation and sheetrock for a lot of homes in Slidell.

We could use teams of four to do the sheetrock installation and follow them with a couple persons to mud and tape and sand. Only the lower four feet of wall need to be reinstalled and we will use 4'x8' sheets that are easier to handle. We would replace electric receptacles and insulate before installing the sheetrock, and there would be a need for someone to prime after the dry wall has been taped and sanded. We would not want to texture or paint the finish coat.

It would require someone to keep on top of the scheduling of people and ordering of materials. But we could do as many houses as we have volunteers over the next several months. This would help those who are short on reconstruction money and make quite an impact on the Christian Church outreach to their neighborhood.If you are interested in helping with this project please respond to this email.

I will forward your interest to Bill Read and Joe Major and we will discuss how to proceed. We will check on local availability of adequate supplies and it will be critical to coordinate acquisition of these supplies with the work schedules of volunteers. If you wish to contact Bill Read directly, you may email him at ucim@yahoo.com or call him on his cell phone: 985 869-3259. If anyone would like to help coordinate this project I am sure Bill would appreciate the help, since he is bi-vocational and also works full time for the Post Office.

Tree Cutters Needed in Orange Texas!
I spoke with Bobby Granger this week. Bobby is minister of the West Orange Christian Church in Orange, Texas. Orange is located on Interstate 10 near the Louisiana border. He is still without power and land phone lines due to Hurricane Rita and they need some help cutting and moving trees in his area. If you can help please call Bobby on his cell phone: 409 988-9583.

When power and phone service is restored you can contact Bobby by email at bandpgranger@wmconnect.com.

Thanks again to everyone for their overwhelming support. I am planning to get a lot of thank you notes out soon!

Mandeville Christian Church
http://mcchurricanerelief.org/

You Can Help: www.ides.org

Births to Unmarried U.S. Women Set Record

Nearly 1.5 million babies, a record, were born to unmarried women in the United States last year, the government reported Friday. And it isn't just teenagers any more. "People have the impression that teens and unmarried mothers are synonymous," said Stephanie Ventura of the National Center for Health Statistics. But last year teens accounted for just 24 percent of unwed births, down from 50 percent in 1970, she commented.

The increases in unmarried births have been among women in their 20s, she said, particularly those 25 to 29. Many of the women in that age group are living with partners but still count as unmarried mothers if they haven't formally married, Ventura noted. The 20s are the prime childbearing years, regardless of whether the mother is married or not, she said.

Among teens, more than 80 percent of mothers were unmarried. There were 1,470,152 babies born to single women in 2004, 35.7 percent of all births in the country, NCHS said. That was up from 1,415,995 a year earlier. Births to older women continued to increase, Brady Hamilton of NCHS pointed out, reflecting choices these women are making in terms of careers and having families.

The birth rate for women aged 35 to 39 increased 4 percent from 2003 to 2004. It was up 3 percent for women aged 40 to 44 and 9 percent for those 45 to 49. Other findings of the report included:

_There was a total of 4,115,590 births in the country in 2004, up from 4,089,950 in 2003.

_Births to whites declined by nearly 18,000 while Hispanics were up 32,000, there was an increase of more than 8,000 in births to Asians and a rise of just 72 births among black women.

_The total birth rate was 14.0 per 1,000 women, down from 14.1 in 2003.

_The birth rate for women aged 15 to 19 was 41.2 per 1,000, down from 41.6 in 2003 and a record low. The teen birth rate was 61.8 in 1991 and has been declining since.

In Lamentations 5:1-5 Jeremiah points out to God the punishment he inflicted on them for their many sins when he says,

"Remember, O LORD, what has happened to us; look, and see our disgrace. Our inheritance has been turned over to aliens, our homes to foreigners. We have become like orphans and the fatherless, our mothers like widows. We must buy the water we drink; our wood can be had only at a price. Those who pursue us are at our heels; we are weary and find no rest."


Hosea 5:4-7 says, "Their deeds do not permit them to return to their God. A spirit of prostitution is in their heart; they do not acknowledge the LORD. Israel’s arrogance testifies against them; the Israelites, even Ephraim, stumble in their sin; Judah also stumbles with them. When they go with their flocks and herds to seek the LORD, they will not find him; he has withdrawn himself from them. They are unfaithful to the LORD; they give birth to illegitimate children."

This is hurting the Children of our country and we do nothing about it. To see how not having a Father damages a childs development go to one of the sites below:

http://www.fathers.com/help/importance.html
http://www.ccvonline.com/newsletter/article.aspx?volume_id=68965&article_id=M
http://www.state.wv.us/wvsca/cjcolumn/augwvl.htm
http://www.health.state.ok.us/PROGRAM/hpromo/medj/fjournal.htm

Characteristics of Wise Speech

Characteristics of Wise Speech
From Proverbs Chapter 25

Prudent
Proverbs 25:11 “A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”
Proverbs 25:20 “Like one who takes away a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar poured on soda, is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.”

Worthwhile
Proverbs 25:12 “Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold is a wise man’s rebuke to a listening ear.”
Proverbs 25:24 “Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.”

Refreshing
Proverbs 25:13 “Like the coolness of snow at harvest time is a trustworthy messenger to those who send him; he refreshes the spirit of his masters.”
Proverbs 25:25 “Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land.”

Trustworthy
Proverbs 25:14 “Like clouds and wind without rain is a man who boasts of gifts he does not give.”
Proverbs 25:18-19 “Like a club or a sword or a sharp arrow is the man who gives false testimony against his neighbor. Like a bad tooth or a lame foot is reliance on the unfaithful in times of trouble.”

Gentle
Proverbs 25:15 “Through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone.”
Proverbs 25:23 “As a north wind brings rain, so a sly tongue brings angry looks.”

scripturist@hotmail.com

Powerful Forces

Go here to see more Hurricane pics: http://scripturist.org/2005_08_28_archive.html

Hurricane Wilma blows a trampoline over the trees.

Hurricane Wilma Comes accross Florida to the East Coast.

A Hurricane Is a powerful force.

We have all seen the powerful forces of a hurricane. Homes wiped off foundations, trucks blown up into trees, large ships carried inland, highways and bridges ripped up. But there is another powerful force at work. It is the kindness and generosity of Godly people. Where FEMA was impotent, the church moved in. Where secular society sat back and pointed blame, the church sacrificed and served. Those of us, who have seen the destruction of these hurricanes, have also witnessed the love of Christians all over the United States. We have seen the powerful forces of God at work.

Be a part of God’s healing hand of love.

Donate at www.ides.org

Who was Jesus speaking to in Mark 16:17?

Question:
I need some help figuring something out. Mark 16:17 says, "signs will accompany those who have believed" and then proceeds to name some signs and wonders. I recognize that the whole context is the apostles unbelief, and that not ALL believers will show signs and wonders of this sort. I see that it is the apostles who will show these signs.

Pentecostal will say, "Those who have believed, sounds like every believer to me." What do I need to ultimately help people see that Jesus is not speaking about all believers throughout history? Help?

Answer:
Mark 16:17 must be viewed in light of all other Scripture. Scripture cannot contradict itself. When people try to make Mark 16:17 mean that these signs will accompany any person who believes, instead of any apostle who believed (which is who Jesus was talking to in Mark 16:17), they have to take the unfounded position that all believers get all the miraculous gifts. We know that is not true.

1 Corinthians 12:28-30 says, "And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?"

Not all Christians had the miraculous gifts. 1 Corinthians 12 proves that. Therefore Mark 16:17 CANNOT mean that whoever believes in Jesus will do all those miracles. It must be referring to the apostles only.

Remember, always ask who was talking, when they were talking, what were they talking about and WHO were they talking to. When you answer those questions you will see from the context that Jesus was rebuking the apostles for their unbelief and calling them to preach, obey and spread the Gospel. Jesus promised the Apostles that any of them who believed him would do these miraculous things.

From the book of ACTS we can establish that the apostles did do these things. In fact, that was the proof of their apostleship. The miracles were unique signs of an apostle not all believers.

2 Corinthians 12:12 "The things that mark an apostle, signs, wonders and miracles, were done among you with great perseverance."

When you compare the signs and wonders of Jesus to the easily faked healings of modern charlatans like Benny Hinn, you will see the difference between Benny the con-man and the wonders and signs of the apostles as foretold in Mark 16:17-18 and fulfilled in the book of ACTS.

Where did your conscience come from?

Go here to see more Hurricane pics: http://scripturist.org/2005_08_28_archive.html

Remember Jiminy Cricket? He was a personification of Pinocchio's much abused conscience. The human conscience is a universal assumption like the law of gravity and yet, it remains a mystery. Have you ever seen cartoons where a devil and an angel are on either shoulder trying influence a person’s behavior? These are expressions in popular entertainment of the common understanding of human conscience. It is so simplistic, so basic, it is just assumed. Why do humans universally have a conscience? Why do we have a sense of right and wrong? That is the mystery.

Have you ever stopped to contemplate the uniqueness of the human conscience among creatures on earth? No animal has a conscience. No animal ever struggles with right and wrong. Animals have no conscience. When their owner dies and cannot feed them, they will eat their master. See an example here: http://edition.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europe/05/15/austria.dog/

Or there is the case of the man that had no feeling in his foot due to diabetes, who fell asleep only to wake up and find that his dog chewed his foot off. http://kdka.com/local/local_story_133180307.html

The dog did not feel any guilt for eating its master. It didn’t need to seek counseling or forgiveness. Animals have no conscience. If a dog steals your hotdog off a picnic table, it doesn’t feel bad later for stealing. When the lion pounces on the gazelle, breaks his neck and eats his raw flesh, he feels no guilt. He loses no sleep. Animals live and move by mere instinct, reacting to positive and negative stimuli like Pavlov’s dog.

The spider feels no guilt for eating her young. The mother bird feels no guilt for pushing a baby bird out of her nest because it has the scent of human touch on it. Chickens feel no guilt for pecking to death another chicken with a wound. Buzzards feel no guilt for eating another dead buzzard. There is no conscience in an animal, only instinct. They are servants to their hunger and the training of positive and negative stimuli. Animals do not know right and wrong. They don’t understand righteousness and evil. They are not moral or wicked.

Humans, on the other hand, do have consciences. Granted our conscience can be seared (1Timothy 4:2), callused (Acts 28:27) and warped (Titus 3:11), but never-the-less, we still have them. This is one of the ways in which we are created in the image of God. We have a conscience. We have a built-in sense of right and wrong. The very fact that we all have a sense of right and wrong, proves there must be some universal source for that built-in assumption. Even moral relativists, who say there is no right and wrong, by saying so, have just declared an absolute and thus contradicted their own theory. In so doing they prove there must be some ultimate authority or truth by which all truth may be measured and judged.

Romans 2:14-15 says, "Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them."

Our conscience sets us apart from all other creation. It is an imprint of the image of God on our soul. It is written on our hearts. Many a man has tried to scratch out that law written on the heart. But even their anger and vehement opposition to the existence of God is evidence of the imprint that will not fade. Their very outrage at our supposed bigotry for having a set of convictions and the audacity to believe truth is knowable is evidence that that think they are right. We don’t get all worked up about something without convictions. If there is not right and wrong we can have no convictions. The very moral outrage they have at people of conviction shows their own. Even criminals have a sense of right and wrong. The mafia has a gentlemen’s code of conduct in how they murder people. We all have a conscience. It may be twisted, denied and perverted but it’s there.

Fyodor Dostoyevsky wrote in The Brothers Karamazov, "Without God, everything is permitted." How true. If there is no God, then there is no authority on morality. If nothing is right or wrong and no one has a right to dictate morality, then Hitler was not evil and murder is not wrong. The existence of truth is self-evident in our consciences. Although many people say they believe in moral relativism, it is very rare to find a person who lives that philosophy out in every day life. If they did, I would guess they would end up in jail. With no definite standard of good and evil or correct and incorrect, the search for truth becomes impossible.

What are we going to school to learn if it is not truth and fact? If no concept is more accurate than another, there is no point in evaluating what we believe or trying to find the truth -- since there is no possibility of ever being right or wrong. Without truth, science is impossible. Without truth, law is impossible. Without truth, love is impossible. We all live like there is truth. The existence of right and wrong it is written on our heart to cause us to search for the whole truth which is found not in our molested consciences but completely in the Holy Scriptures.

Creation Is Guided By Law And Thus A Law Giver