Fall Family Fun Day

I normally post Sunday night, Monday night, Wednesday night, and Thursday night.  Last Thursday night, I was 'radio silent.'  We had a big project going on that occupied my time and by the time I settled behind the computer, my eyes were heavy, and I headed to bed.  I'll tell you about what we had going on that required a lot of organization and planning tonight.

We attend a small country church outside of Jennings.  On any given Sunday, we'll have between 25-30 people - hardly a mega-church, more like a family of different people drawn together!  The demographics of our church represent a common issue across our nation in that we're aging.  We aren't being replaced by a large populations of active, involved young people willing to pick up the torch and serve.  To serve our community with good, wholesome family fun, we decided to put on Fall Family Fun Day on Saturday with all welcome and everything free.

We began praying that God would send us families that we could love on and minister to.  We launched a social media campaign to advertise the event and made up banners that we put up around town like at the Feed Store and community bulletin boards.  Of course we invited family, friends and neighbors.  We also made up signs, copying the Burma Shave roadside advertising done in the 20's, beckoning travelers with "Fun Jumps," "Free Sno-Cones," "Free Pony Rides," "Free Hot Dogs," and the last one a big arrow with the word HERE on it near the entrance of the church.  We erected the signs on the main road both north and south of the church.

The day finally arrived!  The event was scheduled from 10AM - 2PM, so we got there at 7AM to begin setting everything up.  It was a beautiful, blue-sky day with highs only in the 70's.  We were so busy, the following photos were mostly taken before the crowd showed up, because there was no time for photo taking with all that needed to be done.  We had a registration table and passed out tickets as we had door prizes that congregants made/bought to be given away including homemade pie, $25 gift cards, homemade gifts, local honey, toys, crafts, etc.  We offered prayer and information about the church and passed out tracts.  Popcorn was popping, sno-cones were being made along with hot dogs and drinks.

The wind was gusting at 20 mpg, so we were a little worried about the fun jumps.  Fortunately, they were anchored down securely with stakes and kids bounced with reckless abandon inside the bounce houses.  Games were scattered around and smiles and laughter were in no short supply!

Since our church is small and elderly, neighboring churches like East Ridge Baptist Church in Lake Charles (who sent their youth group), Immanuel Baptist Church in Lake Charles (who brought horses for pony rides), and Bethany Baptist in LeBleu Settlement who all arrived to help out.  It was a blessing to see the family of God helping out one another.  Kids got a kick out of the pony rides, being led around the church property in a slow walk.  You should have seen their faces, some riding time after time.

We had a sound system set up playing music and every hour we'd call the kids and adults to a central area for the door prize giveaways.  Each hour we had fun sermon illustrations where the Gospel was shared and we prayed with our guests.

We had over a hundred people in attendance, not counting the volunteers and church members.  When it was done, we gave thanks that we were able to pull this off.  We hope we were able to be a blessing to kids and adults in our community.  We give thanks to God and all the glory goes to Him!

Years ago, I followed a blog by Herrick Kimball called "The Deliberate Agrarian."  In THIS POST, Mr. Kimball laid out his Agrarian-Style Economic Self Defense Plan.  In this beautifully written essay, he laid out his plan.  The #7 item in his plan (the last but not the least in his list) stated the following:

Find community and get involved. Get yourself into a small rural church where folks care about and will help each other. Country people look out for and help each other. That’s always been the case. It’s not going to change when times get bad. But they won't be paying your mortgage for you.

And that's what we found at our little church (Cornerstone).  People love one another and pray for one another.  They bring food when you are sick.  Fresh vegetables are grown and brought to services and given away on our way out.  The Word is taught and a strong spirit of Christian charity is practiced.  Herrick was right!  I hope you can find the same!

A Sign of the Times

Our little country church sits in the S curve on Highway 26 north of Jennings.  We have thirty something people attending on a typical Sunday morning.  Small in number, but big in love.  It is a loving family, not a perfect church, but a church that loves Jesus and one in which the people love each other.  God's Word is studied and believed that its truths are relevant as ever, and we still sing the old hymns.  It was founded in 1981.

In a recent business meeting, we decided that the age of our sign originally erected at the church's founding is in need of some work.  Rust had eaten away at the tubing that makes up the frame and lichen was growing on it.  This called for immediate attention.  On a recent Saturday morning, we arrived with ladders and a grinder and began grinding the entire sign, roughing up the surface for painting.

Then we primed the sign frame, having to climb way up there to get the top portion.  It was a beautiful day to get the work done.

Finally, we put a thick coat of oil based paint on the sign's frame.  The sign really shines now, but we're not done.

We're going to update the lettering on the sign, adding service times for Sunday School and Morning Worship as well as our church website address.  We're also looking at putting the same thing on the back side of the sign so that traffic southbound on Highway 26 will be able to see it.  We may look at a board beneath the sign that would allow us to put up lettering for Scripture verses and special announcements.  Finally, we'll plan on affixing some solar lighting to the sign so that it is lit up in the evening.

If you don't already have a church home, we'd love to have you come worship with us!  If you were looking for a sign, here it is.

The Light of the World

This morning we had a meaningful service at our little country church.  It's a tradition we've done for quite some time.  We call it the "Lighting of the Tree."  We have a normal Morning Worship Service, with Bible Study, singing of old hymns and carols, prayer and a message.  This morning's message was on Luke 1 beginning in verse 26 when the angel Gabriel was sent to announce to Mary about her being chosen to give birth to the Christ Child.  The angel told Mary, "The Lord is with you."    He went on to tell her the great news that she, a virgin, had been chosen to give birth to the Messiah.  Mary, of course, had lots of questions.  Before leaving, the angel told her, "With God, nothing is impossible!"

At the end of the message, the lights are dimmed and a big candle on top of the tree, representing Jesus, is lighted.  600 years before Christ, the prophet Isaiah was speaking to Israel.  Due to their idolatry and unbelief, they had been taken into captivity by the Assyrians.  They were in dark times.  Isaiah had hope, though:

But there will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish; in earlier times He treated the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He shall make it glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles.  The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them.  Isaiah 9:1-2

In Matthew 4:12-16 we see Jesus' inauguration of His ministry fulfilling this prophecy.  Jesus had many "I AM" statements: I AM the Good Shepherd, I AM the way, the truth, and the life, I AM the gate, I AM the Bread of Life, I AM the resurrection and the life.  One other I AM statement was Jesus saying, "I AM the Light of the World."

The theme of Jesus as the Light of the world is prominent in New Testament Scripture: 

• John 1:4-5
• John 8:12
• John 9:5
• John 12:46

Jesus was truly the Son of God and came to the world to save sinners.  In Matthew 5:14-16 Jesus gives the believer a challenge for the ages!  Go shine your light before men.  Illuminate the darkness.  Live lives that point to Jesus.  Be intentional about shining your light.  Give all glory to God.

At the conclusion of Scripture reading, our church family is invited, one by one to come to the front and light a candle to represent the light of Jesus living within believers and a commitment to shine our lights for Christ.

It is a quiet time, a reflective time as the candles on our tree are lit, one by one, as the piano is softly played.

The tree was constructed by the father of the gentleman in the photo above many years ago.

Even though our church is small, it took quite a while for everyone to get their candles lit.  There was no rush though.  It was a peaceful, worshipful moment.

One thing important about a light, if you take a lighthouse, for example.  The light keeps people from being shipwrecked onto the rocks.  The light also gives guidance so that those who are lost, may find their way home.

Jesus is that perfect Light!  Shine, Jesus, Shine.  May we shine for You in all we do.

Timber!

Last year we had a drought.  It's a strange thing in Louisiana to not have rainfall, but it happened.  We lost a magnolia tree in our yard.  I really hate that because the fragrance from a fresh magnolia blossom is a scent that is wonderful.  The drought caused fish to die in people's ponds.  Many older trees, which were weakened anyway were finished off by the drought.  Such was the case with two old pine trees at our church.

Since the drought, the trees began losing limbs, dropping pine cones and bark.  It was only a matter of time before they fell.  We couldn't hardly afford that since at least one of the trees was dangerously close to LA Hwy 26.  Saturday morning was a beautiful and crisp fall morning.  A perfect day for felling a couple of trees.  Bro. Jerry brought his mule.  We were going to need that thing.  Jerry will be 89 years old on January 1st.  I hope I'm still dropping pine trees when I'm approaching 90!

The mule's winch is pulled tight

We guessimated the height of the tree to ensure Jerry was far enough away.  We aren't professionals, so I went home and came back with two extra chains that we connected.  You can see the embankment for the highway to the east of the tree and why it was important to have the tree fall toward the mule and not toward the road.

The other tree that was farther from the road was already down along with one side of the 'double' pine tree.

Dwayne got his chain saw and climbed the ladder to cut the tree.

As he cut, I held the ladder to keep him from tipping over.  I also told him when he hears the tree pop, that we were going to run.  I think I mentioned for him to keep an eye out for the "widow makers" (rotten limbs) that were right above us.

Timber!  We heard the tree crack and it fell exactly where we needed it to fall!

Thank the Good Lord!  I was a little worried for a minute there.  We cut the trees all to pieces and used the mule to drag the trees to the back with a chain where we'll have a bonfire later on.  The mule also has a bed that dumps, so we piled branches, bark and pine cones in the back and got things pretty much cleaned up for Morning Worship today.  We left a big piece of the stump standing on one of the trees.  I told Dwayne to start practicing with his chainsaw and maybe he could make a chainsaw sculpture.

Cornerstone Goes Caroling

Every December our church goes Christmas caroling.  We generally go to people's homes that don't get to get out.  We sing and pray for them.  Everyone has so much fun!  We met after church Sunday afternoon at 2 pm in the parking lot of a local pizza place.  Some of us loaded up in a wagon for a hayride (minus the hay).  The rest followed in their cars.  I can't believe I didn't get a head count, but I think it was around 25 folk in all.

After we went to a couple of people's homes to sing, we went by Jeff Davis Living Center.  It is one of the two nursing homes in our town.  We walked down the halls singing and stopped by the room of a lady who came to our church.  We have special binders made up with all the Christmas carols in them, so we sing the first and last verses and sing "We wish you a Merry Christmas" before moving down the hall or to the next room.  

Jennings has a VA Home as well.  We walked through the VA home singing.  We went into the Alzheimer's Unit here.  It was amazing to see some of the residents singing along!  It's always very touching and moving to see.  The VA home was decorated very nicely.

We had one more stop at Camelot Brookside.  It is another nursing home in our town.  We have Services there monthly on the third Wednesday of the month.  It was to be our final stop of the day.  However, when we pulled up, there was another large group about to go in and carol.  We decided to come back on another day to sing for them.  We'll be there for services on the 20th anyway.  It was about to get dark and would be dangerous to be in the trailer going down the road.

We headed back to the Fellowship Hall at our church and sang one more time.  Then we asked a blessing over the meal and feasted on brisket, potato soup, shrimp mold, and a dizzying array of desserts!  Caroling is a simple thing, but it brings joy to people.  They remember old times and sing along and smile.  It was a great day for everyone involved, and I'm glad that we do it!

Le Temps Apres Finis

 

3 knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, 4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” 5 For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, 6 by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. 7 But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.  8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.  2 Peter 3:3-9

I wanted to share something with you that I hope you enjoy.  At our little church, we had special music last Sunday in which 3 members sang a song in Cajun French.  In our little dot on the map, many people's parents spoke French (mainly so the kids wouldn't know what they were saying!) and many people's grandparents spoke French as their first language.  It is part of our heritage that is slowly dying out.  We still often hear Cajun French words incorporated into everyday language and many know the vocabulary, but few passed this along to their kids.  They were heavily discouraged in school against speaking French.

We had a treat last Sunday morning when a trio at our church sang "Le Temps Apres Finis" as special music.  The song title means The Times are finishing or The time is nearly done.  Click on the two-minute You Tube video below to hear it:  (I have the words translated into English below the video.)

 Chorus:    The time, the time, the time is nearly done (3x)

Verse 1:    I read in my Bible the time is nearly done (3x)

Verse 2:    We must watch and pray as Jesus recommends (3x)

Verse 3:    Why not come to God, before it is too late (3x)

The Work Day

Today's post has nothing to do with gardening.  Nothing to do with milking cows or dairy goats.  Not a word about chickens.  Most of our posts are about Biblical agrarianism - learning the 'old ways' while living in the modern world.  I wouldn't call us preppers, although we grow food and raise animals for meat and dairy.  For a long time we've strived to live contra mundum - against the world, in defiance of common opinion.  At the end of this post on spring cleaning, I promise you that you will find that this post has a lot to do with surviving and thriving while living in post-modern times.

Spring Cleaning.  Here's how it starts.  At our church's monthly business meeting, a motion was made and seconded that we have a "work day" at church.  The motion carried and we made a list of what needed to be done and what supplies we needed.  On Saturday morning at 8 am sharp, pressure washers were fired up and all the bricks were washed.  Dirt dobber nests were scoured off the building, along with spider webs, mildew and all sorts of other buildup.

The out-building that had a green-tint to it because of mildew, once again regained its tan color after power washing.

The music room was cleaned up.

The pews were polished so that the wood shined again.

As you might imagine, there was food involved.  The BBQ pit was fired up at the same time the pressure washers were.

The drainage canal that runs along the back of the fellowship hall had grown up in willow trees.  Coming from the north, you couldn't even see the church.  We tackled that project with machetes, axes, and a chainsaw.

The washing and cleaning and chopping continued until we were checking the time to see when the food was ready.  

Finally, there was only one tree remaining...

TIMBERRRRR.....

If a tree falls in a drainage canal and no one is there to hear it fall, does it make a sound?  I don't know the answer to that., but we heard it fall and we also heard our stomachs growl.  We were all hot, tired, sweaty, and hungry.

We were all done!

Inside, we were greeted with the fragrance of chicken, sausage, rice dressing and other delicious sides.  You may not believe me, but I promise you I'm telling the truth.  There was even a pot of squirrels cooked in a brown gravy.  How many other churches serve squirrels at their fellowship meals?  Delicious!!  There was a coffee pot going and about nine different types of desserts.  We asked God's blessing on the food, read some Scripture and began eating and visiting, laughing and smiling.  It was a good day!

So now we are at the end of the post.  I promised you that this post had a point, and here it is.  We are members of a small country church.  On a GOOD Sunday, there are 44 believers in attendance.  Everyone knows everyone and if you miss a Sunday, people call to see if you're okay.  If you are sick, you'll get food brought over.  If you have a need, people call or text one another for prayer.  After church on your way out, people bring produce from their gardens and other stuff to share.  You may go home with some cabbage, or sweet corn, or squash, or purple hull peas, or a dozen eggs or some sweet dough pies.  But we don't only eat good food, we feast of spiritual food from the Word of God.  It is nourishing and edifying to the body and soul.

Right now in our world that's spinning out of control, people are stocking up on food, ammo, and other necessities in the even times get hard.  That is, of course, wise.  May I add to that some better advice?  Get right with the Lord.  Put your faith in Jesus and not in your own preparations.  We can do nothing without Him.  Find a small church community of likeminded believers who love Jesus and love one another and serve Him and each other.  We were not created to be alone.  God will never leave us or forsake us.  When times get hard, it is vitally important to have family, friends and a community of believers to support, encourage, and assist each other.  We will really miss out if we leave that important aspect out of our preparation plans.

A Random Memory from My Past

It was a very sad week as I learned that a childhood friend and classmate passed away at 55 from a heart attack.  We drove to the funeral home for the visitation and spent time with my friend's family and classmates and friends that gathered to mourn his passing.  What a tragedy!  Grayson and I were friends from as long as I can remember.  We grew up together, went to church together, spent the night at each other's houses, and went to school together.

Grayson was a gear-head.  If it had an engine and wheels, he could keep it running.  He had go-carts that he would race around his yard at break-neck speed, taking corners like Mario Andretti.  He built ramps and would, in Evil Knievel-like fashion, fly through the sky in his go-kart.  When he grew up, his profession was keeping the fleet of law enforcement vehicles in a neighboring parish running.  It was fitting.  He was always good at what he did.

In "big church," we'd flip through the hymnals randomly and try to count how many Fanny J. Crosby songs we knew.  We'd sing a song called "Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy, down in my heart."  The last verse said, "And if the devil doesn't like it, he can sit on a tack."  We would sit down like we sat on a tack and fly off the metal folding chair making a huge racket.  The volunteers in the youth department got more than they bargained for with us hooligans, for sure.  We got into trouble sometimes at church.  One time in the choir loft, during the hymn "Higher Ground," we decided it would be a good idea to add our own motions.  When it said, "Lord, plant my feet on higher ground," we pretended to dig a hole with a shovel and plant our feet.  You had to be there, but our faces were red from laughing so hard.  Our parents didn't see the humor in our antics.

As we stood around the funeral home and reminisced for two hours, we mined a depth of memories of Grayson.  We showed livestock together in 4-H in elementary school.  Sheep are finicky, sickly creatures.  It's been said of sheep that "they are born looking for a place to die."  We had great fun showing sheep at the parish, district and state livestock shows, but the actual shows were in the COLDEST part of winter.

Grayson had an answer for that.  He always had a number of catalogs.  JC Whitney, for one, to get Auto parts.  Crutchfield, for another, to get speakers, tuners, and amps, and the all-time favorite catalog, the Johnson-Smith Catalog.  In this catalog, back in the 70's, you could order all sorts of pranks like fake vomit, fake poop, and whoopie cushions.  It contained everything a kid could want!  I could be off-base, but I think it was from this catalog that Grayson solved the problem of being cold at livestock shows - the Handwarmer!

We all ordered them.  You would remove the cap, pour lighter fluid in the bottom until the cotton was saturated with fluid.  Then you'd light the coil and allow to burn until they were glowing.  At this point, you would replace the cap and place it in a red flannel bag with a yellow drawstring and place in your pocket or coat pocket.

Image Credit

It would stay warm ALL DAY LONG!  Grayson saved the day.  The livestock shows were bearable with the trusty Jon-E Handwarmer.  Somewhere in the attic at my Mom & Dad's house, tucked away in a box is my old handwarmer (and probably my brother's Millennium Falcon Star Wars spacecraft and action figures).  Both are probably worth a lot of money.  At least they bring back priceless memories of a great childhood.

As often is the case, you grow up, move away from your hometown and lose close contact with old friends and classmates.  You never, ever forget them, though.  It's sad, but we have many memories to dredge up and relish.  Grayson, old friend, may you rest in peace!

Many Choose to NOT sit in Pews

 I read with interest a recent Gallup Poll which saddened me:

IN THIS GALLUP POLL you can read all the details.  I will cut and paste some of the more pertinent take-aways below and then will discuss further below.

"Church membership is strongly correlated with age, as 66% of traditionalists -- U.S. adults born before 1946 -- belong to a church, compared with 58% of baby boomers, 50% of those in Generation X and 36% of millennials."

"The two major trends driving the drop in church membership -- more adults with no religious preference and falling rates of church membership among people who do have a religion -- are apparent in each of the generations over time."

"While precise numbers of church closures are elusive, a conservative estimate is that thousands of U.S. churches are closing each year."

I grew up attending church because (shamelessly robbing an old preacher joke) I had a drug problem - my parents drug me to church!  I attended Sunday School, VBS, learned all the songs like "Zacchaeus was a wee little man," "This little light of mine," "Deep and Wide," and "Jesus loves the little children."  We had "sword" drills, memorized Scripture and grew in the Faith.

We now attend a small country church.  Tricia and I drug our kids to church.  Forty people meeting regularly to worship God, pray, and be taught from the Bible.  It is an older congregation.  There are strong role models there.  Imperfect people serving a perfect God.  We rejoice in each others' victories and mourn in each others' losses.

Truth be told, the Gallup Poll is about church membership - not believers. Just because you are a member of a church does not mean you are a believer.  Heaven will have people who never joined a church.  However, we are admonished to "not forsake the assembling of yourselves together" in Scripture.  We are encouraged to meet to worship our King, be edified by sitting under strong Scriptural teaching, to pray for one another, to sing praises, and to fellowship with one another.  By doing this, your faith should grow as your Christian walk deepens.

Alternatively, Hell will have people who were church members:  

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Matthew 7:21-23

So looking at just church membership is not looking at the whole picture.  However, fewer people on the pews is sad.  That's potentially fewer people hearing the Gospel, fewer people being changed by Truth found in the Word of God, fewer people being encouraged to not conform to a darkened world, fewer people being equipped to bring the Light of Christ into that darkened world.  And as the Gallup poll showed, the trend shows decreasing church attendance with each generation.

It is my opinion that we are In the Last Days.  You can click that hyperlink to read what the Apostle Paul wrote about these times in II Timothy.  Things will get worse, but take heart.  If you know Christ, He will guide you through the storms that are sure to come.  Get to know Him if you don't!  Keep the Faith!  Find a strong Bible-believing church and attend and grow despite the trend the Gallup poll showed.

Fifth Sunday at Cornerstone

Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.  Psalm 30:4

In months containing five Sundays, we have a tradition in our church called "Fifth Sunday Singing."  Churchgoers are encouraged to sing a hymn or song, recite memorable Scripture, give a testimony, read a poem or any contribution.  Normally, we have it on Sunday evening.  Sometimes we'll have a fellowship meal following the service or homemade ice cream and cookies.

This year because of the caution surrounding Covid-19, we are unable to go caroling at the Nursing Homes and VA Home like we normally do at this time.  This is really disappointing.  We opted to have Fifth Sunday Singing this past Sunday and then have our Thanksgiving/Christmas Feast next Sunday after Morning Worship in lieu of caroling around town.

Congregants prepare and then there are usually some impromptu specials where anyone who would like is invited up to sing old favorites.  Lots of smiles.  We usually have a pianist, a guitar player and a harmonica player, but sometimes songs are done a capella.

Many times songs have lead-ins in which the brother or sister in Christ will tell a story about what the song means to them or memories that the song might bring up or thankfulness to God for blessings.  You are free to share whatever is on your heart.

In impressive fashion, two young men recite an entire chapter of the Bible from memory, inspiring us all and making us wonder how they can do that when my memory is so poor!

As is always the case, we close in prayer and leave feeling better than when we walked in.  Praise God!  In checking the calendar, I see that January 2021 is the next month with five Sundays.  Time to start getting ready.

Pointing Toward Heaven

During Hurricane Laura, strong south winds pushed our church steeple, breaking two of the four anchor bolts out of the roof, allowing the steeple to bend over sideways.  The resulting rainfall swept through the holes in the roof and flood through the ceiling over the baptistry, significantly damaging the church in the process.  But that is why you diligently pay insurance premiums each year, for storms or mayhem.

First things first, a blue tarp was put over the roof to protect the church from further damage.  Then it was determined that a new roof needed to be installed.  We contacted roofers, received a favorable quote and ordered materials.  Prior to roofing, however, the steeple needed to come down.  This was no small task.  We arranged for a crane to lift it off the roof.  I arrived early to unbolt the two remaining bolts from the roof.

The Piddler on the Roof

Some steeples serve as bell towers and have a bell in them that rings as a Call to Worship.  Ours does not.  There is an entryway - a door that can be unscrewed to allow entry.

Once I gained entry, I climbed inside and got to work loosening nuts off of the rusty bolts that had held the steeple in place since 1981.

Just as I got them loose, I heard the crane drive up.  The crane company was not sending any riggers - only a crane operator.  The operator quickly got his piece of equipment ready and instructed me on how to properly attach the slings and clevices so the steeple could be safely lifted without toppling over.

He extended his boom and pointed directions to me as we worked beneath a beautiful blue sky.

In no time at all we had the steeple snugly secured and we were ready for lift-off.

I backed away as the steeple was lifted.  It teetered for a minute, but was quickly stabilized as the crane operator expertly did his job.

He swung it around and laid it on its side in the grass.  The steeple does have some damage and we'll have to show it to the adjuster to see if repairs can be made to it.  What a sad ending for the steeple?  After seeing it pointing toward Heaven, it now lies on its side, broken on the grass.  An inglorious end, one might say.

I read a little about the history of church steeples.  In Europe church steeples were grand, towering over the countryside.  When the settlers came to the new world, they wanted their churches to be like the churches in Europe.  The architects designed the churches to have steeples that would be the highest thing in town.  Places of worship would be easily recognizable from all around due to the high visibility of the church steeples.  The steeples would point the way to Christ, His Word, His Worship.

That is why it is so tragic to see the photo above.  But take heart!  The Church is much more than the physical building.  The Body of Christ is the Believers.  Despite the condition of our steeples, it is the Believer's job to point the way to Christ.  Metaphorically, we should not be lying in the grass, broken and on our side.  We should be lifting up Jesus and pointing the way to the Son.

The People Or the Steeple?

Driving by our church the other day, I pulled in and took the following photo:  You can no doubt see how the roof is covered with tarps to protect it from further damage.

The photo above is the aftermath from Hurricane Delta.  The photo below was taken the morning after the first storm, Hurricane Laura.

To use a boxing analogy, I feel like Hurricane Laura softened up our church with some body punches and then Hurricane Delta, although a weaker storm, came through with the uppercut to the jaw.  Fortunately, it was not a knockout punch.

We'll need a new roof and we have insurance for that.  Shingles littered the landscape.  It took quite a while to pick them all up.  The steeple was blown sideways, allowing driving rain to come in through the ceiling above the choir loft, knocking down ceiling tiles, exposing insulation.  Once the shingles were gone and the strong winds blew, rainwater came in through the ceiling, through walls, windows, and doors causing quite a lot of water damage.  

We have been unable to meet for the past few weeks in our church, but this Sunday we will be meeting for Morning Worship Services in our church.  A local church in a small town just west of Jennings allowed us to meet for services in their church at 1PM for the last two weeks.  What a blessing!  They welcomed us and allowed us to use their church as if it was our own.  True brothers and sisters in Christ!  We also met the past three Wednesday nights in our home for Wednesday night prayer meeting.  

This crazy year with both Covid and hurricanes have emphasized that the church is not the building, not the bricks and mortar, not the wood and glass. The Church is the Body of Christ, a fellowship of believers who meet whenever and wherever they can to Worship our LORD.  We have had "church" under the cedar tree out behind the church during the pandemic.  We have had "church" at our house and at a neighboring church during the hurricane damage.  The church is God's people, not the steeple.

“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”  Hebrews 10:25  

Church Under the Live Oak Tree

Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.  Hebrews 10:25-31 

Since this Coronavirus thing started, we, early on, decided that we weren't going to participate in the pandemic.  Largely, life has gone on as normal.  The major thing that has changed in the last six weeks is the absence of church services.  Oh, our pastor began doing YouTube video services, and we've watched them, but it is just not the same as assembling TOGETHER with the Body of Believers in Christian fellowship to be edified by preaching from the Word of God.  We've really missed that.

Although our State is still under "lockdown" orders, our Attorney General petitioned the Governor, and we were given permission to meet together for church services as long as certain guidelines are followed.  There is a lot in that last sentence that I disagree with, but in Christian charity, I'll refrain from complaining and just be grateful that we met.

At 10:45 am on the Lord's Day, Cornerstone Baptist Church of Jennings met under the shade of a live oak tree under a blue bird sky with a cool breeze blowing.  There were 33 church members in attendance.  We sang hymns including: "He Lives," "God Will Take Care of You," and "Victory in Jesus."  Then our preacher read from the Book of Judges about having character, using the story of Samson to illustrate.  The wind started to blow so briskly, our Pastor had to call his son to come help hold the pages of the Bible down so that he could read the passage!

Our church membership probably has the average age above 70 years old.  For this reason, many of our members are at-risk during this virus outbreak.  It was very hard to meet at a distance and not shake hands or hug one another.  We are social people.  We enjoy each others' company.  Hopefully, we will get back to normal quickly!

The Pastor went through the life and times of Samson in his message, detailing his character flaws and mistakes and the pain they caused him.  He closed by making the point that many of us, like Samson, like to do things in our own strength rather than relying on God.  It was thought-provoking and convicting.

God is in control. We need to trust in Him.  In Good Times and in Bad.