A Big Lesson In The Big Easy

I had the privilege of going to New Orleans on a short term mission trip this past week. I learned a few valuable lessons on this trip that I want to pass on to you.

• It’s not so much about the what but the why

let me explain this for you I know all this but for some reason I got consumed with the job at hand & forgot somewhat about the reason I was here. Which was to be an ambassador for Christ

• Its about the eternal not the temporal

what I mean is the work we done will one day be gone or destroyed again but the eternal is the lives we touched & even the lives of other team members

• Even if we don't have everything we want there is someone who is more in need than you

 

So that is just a few things I brought back from this trip & in the next few lines I will give you a brief summary of our trip.

We left Thursday morning & traveled nearly 12 hours before arriving in New Orleans.. After getting settled in we ate at the best Pizzeria I have ever ate at. Once we got back to the church we went to bed. The next morning got up & left for the orientation one of the vehicles had a flat tire so that put us back a little. Finally we got our job assignments two jobs one was installing some sheetrock in the ceiling we had to finish it to. Its ready to paint now. The other job was laying tile & a few odd tasks in that home. Friday night we went to Bourbon St. & the downtown areas. Saturday night we went to the ninth ward one of the hardest hit areas it is still devastating to see homes still destroyed, vacant lots, torn communities & it’s been 5 years since Katrina. So that's brief but we had fun, worked hard, & left our impression on a city that so desperately needs Jesus.

Oh yeah one more job the girls got to go to was a clean up job but what's so neat was that God showed up & used these girls my fiancé’ included they got to minister to a 72 year old woman who was lonely but still had her joy they laughed together, cried together, they just had church in the middle of the day & really blessed that dear woman who had nothing but God but kept her faith. So it was worth it all for this moment alone.

Thanks for all the prayers & support could not have done this without you.

I will post pictures on here later so until then God bless 

WAIT….. DON’T STIR IT UP !!!!

   I have been contemplating this for a few weeks now. Whether or not I should write this. I made up my mind to just do it. If you get offended sorry.

  It’s on the subject of when/how to confront someone or something. My pastor always says never make a decision while your in a valley or on top of the mountain. I have used that a lot in my life since hearing it.

  My outlook or I guess my personality is always to jump right into things. I suppose that's why I always used to stay into fights in school. Since then I have learned a few valuable lessons I like to call life lessons.

  I always like to find some answer in God’s word & believe me everything you come across you can find an answer for in the bible. That’s one reason I waited to post this I had not found that perfect scripture. Until now.

James 1:19-20
Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.
NIV

   My problem would always be when it got heated I would just join right in & yell & scream too. Then it hit me one day now just bear with the illustration & hear my heart in this. We have a small house dog that refuses to relieve herself outside. So every day she destroys our carpet.I got tired of picking CRAP up while it was still wet so I thought hey wait for it to dry & you can just pick it up & do whatever with it.

  You know it really worked too & did not make near the mess either. So I believe there is a principle here for life.

1. life's CRAP is going to happen
2. it’s got to be cleaned up
3. we can act then or wait
4. if we act then it will be much messier
5. if we wait it will be cleaner & less likely leave a stain

  You might say well are you sure yelp just used it a few weeks ago worked flawless.

Prov 30:33
33 For as churning the milk produces butter,
and as twisting the nose produces blood,
so stirring up anger produces strife."
NIV

So you see if we will wait & hold our tongue some of life’s problems would not be as bad.

One last thought if you sow bitterness you will also reap bitterness.

Ron