Journal: April 16 Easter
April 16, 2006 Easter Sunday
I can’t remember a better Easter service! There were so many elements of the service and all so meaningful and well done. Pastor Ted Pagel, Jr. and his assoc. pastors did and excellent job of orchestrating a real celebration of Easter. One might wonder if baptisms and infant dedication should be a part of an Easter celebration, but they fit in beautifully and added meaning. The church, meaning the people … the bride of Christ, doesn’t just exist, but is alive and well. Pastor Ted preached from Revelation about Christ’s coming again and the choir sang a wonderful musical with video drama support. That’s a lot of stuff in one service and it was so good time just flew by. I’m not doing it justice in my report, but the fact that I’m trying is evidence in itself. I don’t usually feel this strongly about church services.
I’ve slipped into journaling once a week instead of daily as I once was doing. Perhaps the days are not different or memorable enough, or I’m adjusting to a new normal and not as surprised at how great life on the road can be. Actually, this has been a pretty good week. There have been no church teams here to work, this being the week before Easter, so Bob, the NDR Director went home to Idaho leaving just a few couples here to work or not work. Our choice. I chose to work on Bob and Joan’s house. I worked alone and enjoyed the solitude and the work. I did trim and painting and nearly finished the house. I determined that finish work is what suits me best. I like the more exacting kind of carpentry and I like the transformation that results in a finished product. Since we will be here for another month, I can only hope that I will get more of this kind of work. The Jarvis’s have been good to work for. They are appreciative and encouraging. Their house will actually be in better shape than it was before the storm. It’s been a long time happening and I don’t think anyone would wish for a storm, but "It’s an ill wind that blows no man any good." They were in church this morning and the sermon ended with a strong appeal to accept Jesus as Savior lest His coming again be peril and not joy. I hope they are understanding and moving closer to Jesus. I need the courage to talk with them about their relationship to Him. There’s more to getting our house in order than trim and paint.
We had a fun day yesterday. I needed a day of recreation. Normally shopping would not be recreation for me, but getting to pick out my own birthday present was. I’ve wanted a slimline Bible. I appreciate my study Bible, but it’s big and heavy and I would like one I can carry easily and have handy should I get the opportunity to help someone in their spiritual search. So we drove to Gulfport and browsed through a Christian bookstore. Actually, I picked out a Bible rather quickly and had time to read the Old Testament while Anitarae finished her browsing. The real recreation came later when we went to The Shed Barbecue for supper. It’s called the Shed and it really is a shed, but the food is terrific. We sat outside at a picnic table along with the other 150 or so people who had come to eat and enjoy a blues band. This was the most Mississippi thing we’ve done yet. The band was great and the crowd was just there to relax, talk, listen and laugh. I enjoyed looking out over the crowd. It was a picture of enjoyment. I could just imagine what some of them had been through in the past months since the storm. There was a couple near us who are still living in a FEMA trailer and interestingly enough she is from Auburn, NY and cousin to one of Anitarae’s colleagues. Small world. And the other couple we talked with had sons who graduated from Syracuse University.
I am really enjoying being here in Mississippi. We agreed that in a way it was too bad we committed to go to Tennessee in May because the work here is so much more needy. So, our omnipotent God heard and changed that. The Sower office called to say the other couple backed out of the Tenn. Project and we could too because it’s not good to work alone. So we will be here until the middle of May. I wonder what God has in store for us.
I can’t remember a better Easter service! There were so many elements of the service and all so meaningful and well done. Pastor Ted Pagel, Jr. and his assoc. pastors did and excellent job of orchestrating a real celebration of Easter. One might wonder if baptisms and infant dedication should be a part of an Easter celebration, but they fit in beautifully and added meaning. The church, meaning the people … the bride of Christ, doesn’t just exist, but is alive and well. Pastor Ted preached from Revelation about Christ’s coming again and the choir sang a wonderful musical with video drama support. That’s a lot of stuff in one service and it was so good time just flew by. I’m not doing it justice in my report, but the fact that I’m trying is evidence in itself. I don’t usually feel this strongly about church services.
I’ve slipped into journaling once a week instead of daily as I once was doing. Perhaps the days are not different or memorable enough, or I’m adjusting to a new normal and not as surprised at how great life on the road can be. Actually, this has been a pretty good week. There have been no church teams here to work, this being the week before Easter, so Bob, the NDR Director went home to Idaho leaving just a few couples here to work or not work. Our choice. I chose to work on Bob and Joan’s house. I worked alone and enjoyed the solitude and the work. I did trim and painting and nearly finished the house. I determined that finish work is what suits me best. I like the more exacting kind of carpentry and I like the transformation that results in a finished product. Since we will be here for another month, I can only hope that I will get more of this kind of work. The Jarvis’s have been good to work for. They are appreciative and encouraging. Their house will actually be in better shape than it was before the storm. It’s been a long time happening and I don’t think anyone would wish for a storm, but "It’s an ill wind that blows no man any good." They were in church this morning and the sermon ended with a strong appeal to accept Jesus as Savior lest His coming again be peril and not joy. I hope they are understanding and moving closer to Jesus. I need the courage to talk with them about their relationship to Him. There’s more to getting our house in order than trim and paint.
We had a fun day yesterday. I needed a day of recreation. Normally shopping would not be recreation for me, but getting to pick out my own birthday present was. I’ve wanted a slimline Bible. I appreciate my study Bible, but it’s big and heavy and I would like one I can carry easily and have handy should I get the opportunity to help someone in their spiritual search. So we drove to Gulfport and browsed through a Christian bookstore. Actually, I picked out a Bible rather quickly and had time to read the Old Testament while Anitarae finished her browsing. The real recreation came later when we went to The Shed Barbecue for supper. It’s called the Shed and it really is a shed, but the food is terrific. We sat outside at a picnic table along with the other 150 or so people who had come to eat and enjoy a blues band. This was the most Mississippi thing we’ve done yet. The band was great and the crowd was just there to relax, talk, listen and laugh. I enjoyed looking out over the crowd. It was a picture of enjoyment. I could just imagine what some of them had been through in the past months since the storm. There was a couple near us who are still living in a FEMA trailer and interestingly enough she is from Auburn, NY and cousin to one of Anitarae’s colleagues. Small world. And the other couple we talked with had sons who graduated from Syracuse University.
I am really enjoying being here in Mississippi. We agreed that in a way it was too bad we committed to go to Tennessee in May because the work here is so much more needy. So, our omnipotent God heard and changed that. The Sower office called to say the other couple backed out of the Tenn. Project and we could too because it’s not good to work alone. So we will be here until the middle of May. I wonder what God has in store for us.
Comments
Ha, ha!
That's great about getting to stay in MS, and the circumstances that made that possible!