Locusts and Wild Honey

Beach Party

Tuesday, July 4th, 2006 | General, Hurricane Katrina | 3 Comments

Highlands Fellowship

Monday, July 3rd, 2006 | General, Hurricane Katrina | 2 Comments

With all the church groups that come to work in Lakeshore, sometimes we also receive a blessing from families who come on there own. Along with the 11 church groups and 180+ folks last week, a wonderful couple, Scott and Myrtle, came to help. I did not get to spend much time with them, but they quietly served with smiles, and sweat, and hard work. They just sent me an encouraging email that I’d like to share.

Pastor Don,

Our names are Scott and Myrtle Berry. We just returned home on this past Friday after spending a week there. We worked mostly on the Church office building. We are from Highlands Fellowship church in Abingdon, Va. Just want to say thanks for all you are doing for the people in your community. It was hard for us to leave with so much left to be done. We know new groups are coming in to help every week, thats encouraging. At our Church this morning they sang “How Great Is Our God”, Myrtle and I know first hand just how great our God is, we saw with our own eyes just how great He is!! Take care,

In Christ,

Scott and Myrtle

BTW, Highlands Fellowship Church in Abingdon VA continues to provide us essential assistance in the form of multiple groups who have traveled to the coast and a number of physical resources that help tremendously. Two of our bunk houses and our fully equipped kitchen trailer all came from Highlands Fellowship. We owe a deep debt of gratitude to Bob Turner and all the great folks from Abingdon.

Bogalusa Boasting

Saturday, July 1st, 2006 | General, Hurricane Katrina | 6 Comments

I do not exaggerate when I say that thousands and thousands of folks have poured through Lakeshore in the past 10 months. Hundreds of churches have sent teams down our way to stay extended periods of time, and countless others have sent supplies, financial assistance, prayer support, and other forms of aid. I know I’ve only been able to mention a small fraction of those who have helped. Human limitations prevent me from remembering or keeping track of everyone, much less expressing written acknowledgement publicly on my blog. Please do not interpret my shortcomings as lack of gratitude. I do try to thank them in person when here.

I deeply regret not having the time, mental acumen, or energy to profusely thank every single person and group providing assistance and support. Whenever I do mention someone, like Providence Baptist Church in Maryland, Jeff Hill from New Jersey, or the folks from Grace Baptist Church in Cape Coral FL, I add a sincere apology to those I do not have opportunity to mention. Even with that apology, I still receive a few comments and emails from those perturbed that I have not taken the time to specifically mention someone in particular. For example Elouise Parker writes:

Memorial Baptist Church in Bogalusa has done quiet a bit for this group of people from October until now and I have not seen any mention of their helping. Their youth came to you near Christmas and did a fun day for your youth and their brotherhood prepared a meal. They came on a Sunday Afternoon in October with a huge covered trailer and seven other vehicles loaded with items for you. The youth department furnished the hams for the Christmas event and the church furnished lots of other items. I know that these people did not do this for personal glory but for the glory of our Savior but they should have some recognition also, not just those that came from far away. Monica Miller and Brad Triana have done lots for your people also.

Elouise,

I apologize for not yet mentioning Memorial Baptist Church in Bogalusa, or nearby Izabel Baptist Church, pastor Jeff Mizell, and Clifton Baptist Church, pastor Tony Hicks, and I think at least one or two other churches who have helped from the Bogalusa area. We deeply appreciate all the help they have sent our way. We appreciate the meal the Memorial Baptist Church brotherhood provided. We also appreciate the 100+ other big meals that other churches and groups have prepared in the last 10 months.

I have a list of about 300 churches who helped with Christmas in Lakeshore. I will try to locate it and post their names. Please forgive me for not already doing this. I wish I could write a blog entry for each group and what they did to play their part. I do not even know. We were able to provide Christmas to approximately 1000 families on the gulf coast through these events.

Please also forgive me for not being able to publicly acknowledge the countless people who have sent supplies for our food distribution center. Thousands of people would not have groceries on their FEMA camper tables, or in their tents if it were not for the generous donations from across the country and from those closer to home. Back in October, when the convoy from Bogalusa came, we were receiving 20 or more similar shipments a day. I would have loved to take a picture of every group, and make a blog entry of each one, however, I could not even physically be there myself for every shipment, much less take the time to get to my computer and comment on it. In October, I was still performing funerals for people who died in the storm, trying to help people living in tents get water to keep from dehydrating, traveling two hours away for inter net access to post the little I was able to, and taking 80 phone calls a day. Please understand that my failure to publish recognition for all the assistance does not typify our people’s deep felt gratitude for the help that continues to flood into our storm ravaged community.

Since the storm hit we have been running non stop. I only have time to pause to write about a small fraction of what happens. I deeply regret my human weakness and inability to keep up with everything. For example, just this week we had 11 different groups here working with us building and rehabing at least a dozen homes. Each house deserves a full blog post as does each of the groups that were here. We also still have a few donation deliveries a day. Each one of these deserves mention and recognition as well. I just can not humanly keep up. I’m sorry. Please accept my apology and my heart felt sincere extension of gratitude to the fine folks from Memorial Baptist Church in Bogalusa for all they have done.

Disaster Relief Evangelism

Tuesday, June 27th, 2006 | General, Hurricane Katrina | 8 Comments

In the wake of hurricane Katrina, thousands of volunteers have flooded into our community to serve in the relief, recovery, and rebuilding efforts. From day one of the disaster we clamped onto a solitary overarching trust that God will work all things to his glory. In our first church service, I said, “we believe He will use this catastrophe to amplify the truth of His word and call many to anchor their hope in Him.” We still desire nothing more than to magnify the greatness of our God. By His mercy he allows us to continue participating in that grand purpose along with countless selfless volunteers from across the country.

Each week I urge our gracious teams to proclaim the gospel of grace in word and deed. As we provide help and hope to hurting people through hundreds of projects, let us never stray away from the shadow of the cross. If we rebuild someone’s home, reroof their house, wire the electrical, hang sheet rock, lay down flooring, paint the walls with fresh color, add trim, install the air conditioning, and all it takes to move a family from tents and campers into a beautifully renovated house and shut our mouths concerning Christ our supreme treasure, what have we done? We must accompany our benevolent actions with explanations of hope. Let us do more than provide folks a comfortable home to go to hell from.

When you stock the shelves of our food distribution center, speak of the greater storehouse of God’s sovereign mercy and grace. When you carry groceries to a families car, tell them of the boundless provision of Christ. In this blazing south Mississippi heat, when you offer them precious bottle water, urge them to turn from their broken cisterns that can hold no water, to the all satisfying fountain of living water who is Jesus Christ. When you gut a house, clean a yard, or remove storm debris, share Christ’s almighty ability to remove the grotesque debris of human sin. When you find someone’s storm soaked Bible amidst the rubble or replace their lost Bible with a new one, crack it open and proclaim the glorious gospel of grace. When you roll out tar paper and hammer down new shingles, herald the mighty fortress that is your God. When you pour a slab, or dig footers, or set floor beams, share how true “hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.” When you pressure wash a house or roll out fresh paint, speak of the powerful cleansing effect of the blood of Jesus Christ that washes away sin. When you hang doors or hang sheet rock point to Jesus Christ who hung on the cross to pay the penalty of sin and make full atonement for all who believe. When you help storm victims replace their possessions, glory in the all satisfying treasure of Jesus Christ.

Above all pray that God will overpower rebellious hearts as He irresistibly draws the people of Lakeshore to Himself, so that they stand drop jawed, not at the unspeakable devastation wrought by Katrina, but at the wonder of a gracious God who rescues undeserving sinners. Understand that we can not coerce, manipulate, or trick people into new birth, only the effectual power of God opens blind eyes, unstops deaf ears, and pounds alive dead hearts to beat with faith in Christ. Know that God uses our feeble imperfect witness in His economy of grace. Trust that God will accomplished his chief end as he glorifies himself on the gulf coast. Rejoice that God’s goodness, grace, and renowned continues to overflow the levees of our making, to the praise of His name.

Grace Baptist Church

Saturday, June 24th, 2006 | General, Hurricane Katrina | 4 Comments

God acomplished a tremendous amount of work this past week through the sweat of all the teams with us here in Lakeshore. Folks from Georgia, New Jersey, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Mississippi, Texas, and Florida joined us as we continued ministering to our storm ravaged community.. Tonight a fresh group from Kentucky roll in. As I’ve often noted on my blog, Its sometimes difficult to keep all the teams straight, much less thank them personally as they rightly deserve.

I beg forgiveness, once again, to point out one team among many., but I felt especially blessed to spend time with the Grace Baptist Church contingent. Their pastor, Tom Ascol stands tall as one of my heroes of the faith. I mentioned last Sunday that if I had to list a handful of the most influential pastors/ preachers/ theologians in my life over the past several years, Tom Ascol would rank right up there with Charles Spurgeon, John MacArthur, John Piper, and R. C. Sproul. His leadership through the Founders Ministry serves to mold my understanding of God and His church in Lakeshore. Last year I preached through Galatians and part of my weekly routine involved listening to Tom’s Galatians series, so I felt almost as if I had attended church right across the pew from the Cape Coral crowd.

Through the busyness I stole away a few moments to spend time with a few of these wonderful people. I can’t express the encouragement God granted me through sending them our way. One of my only regrets of the week is that I never captured a snapshot of the Ascol kids square dancing.

In addition to digging ditches for electrical conduit, removing storm debris, and a host of other labor intensive tasks, the folks from Grace Baptist led our successful Vacation Bible School this week. The gospel driven, Bible saturated Genesis 1 Space Probe blasted off each morning with a growing number of kids enjoying God’s exciting word. The Friday night commencement drew many parents, who had never been to our church property before, in to see what their kids had been doing throughout the week. They heard the gospel clearly presented by Ken Puls and I pray that God will use the activities of the week as he effectually calls many to Himself for His glory.

Brief June Update

Friday, June 16th, 2006 | General, Hurricane Katrina | 2 Comments

The Lord continues to expand our scope of ministry as he sends us a steady stream of volunteers to rebuild our storm ravaged community. Nearly 10 months after hurricane Katrina slammed into the gulf coast, most of Lakeshore MS still looks like a carpet bombed war zone. Large machinery has removed thousands of tons of debris, but so much more needs to be done.

The new sound of pounding hammers and buzzing saws finally begin to join the ongoing roar of chain saws, the crunching of demolition equipment, and the beeping of relief supply forklifts.

We praise God for allowing us to be a part of hundreds of ongoing rehab and rebuilding projects. Several folks have moved into their homes after dozens of teams file through with house gutting crews, clean up teams, roofers, electricians, plumbers, sheet rock hangers and finishers, painters, finish carpenters, and helping hands of every sort.

One new construction project, begun this week, saw a widow’s footers being poured and the floor beams put into place. Mrs. Redford, a 76 year old Lakeshore Baptist Church member, with parkinson’s, rode out the storm with her dog. Miraculously she survived the ordeal but lost her home. We plan to build her a new 600 sq ft house.

We heavily rely on the volunteer crews that God sends our way. If you would like to plan a trip to Lakeshore to lend assistance, please call us at Lakeshore Baptist Church (228) 469-0110 to schedule a trip. also visit our web site rebuildlakeshore.com Monetary donations serve to fuel and feed our volunteer efforts and supply building materials for many of our projects.

Lakeshore Baptist Church
6028 Lakeshore Road PO Box 293
Lakeshore MS 39558