Highs and lows...

HOPE Outreach in-take area and smiling workers

Kristy in her office cubicle

Kristy trying to keep her "smile" on

This is my office cubicle space in the "command center"

We had a good day filled with progress, hope ministry and electrical frustrations!

First to the progress. Each day here @ CFA is filled with excitement. You never know what you are going to face or who you are going to meet or who might be calling or who will send a gift in the mail. Work continues on the rebuilding project for our flooded out facility. There were men working on getting up all the old tile floors. We had workers on the demo/scrap metal crew. We had volunteers cleaning certain areas of our facility. We had members of the architects office measuring out the two older buildings getting ready for a new look and design. Yesterday we had a worker from Terminix treating the entire facility for termites...read my previous post discovery! All in all, a good day of forward progress. Lord, thank for the things that were accomplished today!

Next to the HOPE ministry. This daily ministry continues to amaze me. I am forever reminded that God is the initiator of this outreach and benevolence ministry. He started it and He is sustaining it. He has provided the supplies and the goods. Just today we were getting rather low in our food pantry when the next time I had looked the shelves were full again. Amazing! The food goes out and then the food is replenished. The scriptural promise is for real: "Give and it shall be given unto you!" Food, clothing, shoes, water, cleaning supplies, toiletries and other items are wheeled out by our "take out" crew. My boys are really enjoying this ministry and supporting it eagerly. Prayer is being offered somewhere on our church grounds for hosts of people. Everyone is enthused with the prospects of HOPE and possible salvation contacts. We are expectantly enlarging our harvest here in Columbus!

Now to my electrical frustrations. It was one of those circuit breaker days! You know...I've written about it before. Today it happened all over again. I must have reset it about 20 times, plus others were helping too. I would be in the middle of a conversation on the phone when the power was tripped and the phones went dead. Power in the "command center" flickered on and off and I knew what was coming next....silence! Kristy and I were getting quite flustered in there...well, at least I know I was!! She said, "Pastor, take a deep breathe!" Believe me I tried. I guess that comes with the territory of a flooded out church and our "command center" is literally run by extension cords!!! Two thirds of our complex is without power...and everybody is vying for that available power plug in the new wing. Lord, looks like I'm gonna need a bit more patience in dealing with these issues for many months to come...please help me!

Today I'm needing some of words of encouragement. You can post them below using the "comment" feature or you can email them to me using the "envelope" email feature below too. Either way, please send them. We are past the 30 day mark in post-flood disaster trauma and it is wearing on us. We are desperately needing financial contributions to our flood fund and that has been quiet lately too. Your words of inspiration and gifts will go a long way! Lord, please send your messengers of encouragement my way these next 24 hours!!

Hope to take some time out of my day tomorrow to get away from the constant emotional drain of leading our outreach efforts, rebuilding projects, pastoring a church, leading our services, preaching messages, looking out for the scattered sheep, etc....you get the picture.

Love to all!