Greetings!

We trust that this update finds you well and walking in obedience to our Lord and His Word. I am writing this from California. Martie and I are here for the Celebrating Recovery conference hosted by Saddleback. Our good friends, Robert and Sure Lumpkin are looking after the camp in our absence. Celebrating Recovery (CR) is a Christ-centered recovery program for people with addictions and compulsive behaviors (or hurts, hang-ups, and habits). During our time on the Gulf (nearly twelve months) we have met many people who are struggling .... people on the fringe... in desperate need of help. We realized we were not equipped to minister to these folks so we decided that this conference would be a great way to get some training. The Lord provided scholarships for the conference fees, a place to stay, a car to use and the money for the air fare ... how awesome is that!

Recently the Lord impressed 1 Samuel 22:2 on my heart. "All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him...." Jesus said "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick ..... I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." (Matt9:12-13) What He did next was to show me how easy it is to discount those who need a "doctor". I was delivering pods with volunteers from Jackson, Mississippi. This particular delivery was in an unsavory area west of Waveland ... When we found the trailer, the yard was a mess. There were chickens, dogs, piles of junk, well, you get the idea. Cars had to be moved, a limb had to be cut off of a tree to get the pod in the yard. The couple that lived there were dirty and unkempt. So I thought to myself "Ok Let's drop the pod, give them a Bible, pray and leave." They expressed their appreciation for the pod and the Bible and then the man told me that his dad had been a Baptist pastor. He went on to say that when he was 16, his dad gave him a Schofield Study Bible and how much he treasured it. About that time a great conviction was settling over me. The Holy Spirit was saying "It's not the outside of the cup, Charley!" Then his wife told me that she had been raised in an Assembly of God church. That did it! How easy it is to judge people and put them in a pigeon hole. Well, I prayed for them (asked God to forgive me) and when we had finished they were both weeping and thanking us, over and over. God loved us while we were yet sinners .... how easy it is to take on the attitude of the Pharisees. Martie and I plan to follow up with this couple to encourage them to come to our Bible Study.

While here at the conference, two verses reminded me of you all when I heard them ...

Matthew 5:14-16 "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

James 2:15-17 "Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead."

I thought about the many volunteers that have come to the Gulf Coast over the past year and how great the need still is for many more to come. The Church is the light of the world. And what a great impact the Church has made in the lives of so many of the hurricane victims. She has been given, and still has, an unprecedented opportunity to change the lives of thousands of people living on the Gulf who are struggling with the aftermath of Katrina. Please encourage your churches to not lose perspective on this.

The need for you, personally, and your church to let your light shine has not diminished. The pain in the hearts of the people has not lessened. Their need to have a personal relationship with Jesus remains. And not only here but around the world. The Lord has given us a bigger area of responsibility than our neighborhood ... "go and make disciples of all nations..." So many of you have given of your time and resources to do just that. We pray God's blessing on you and that He will continue to speak to your heart and show you His will and purpose for you in the days ahead.

We will return to Mississippi on Tuesday. We are looking forward to our return but are thankful for this respite the Lord has given us. Until next week. Be Blessed.

 

Charley and Martie