The Future of New Orleans

The future of the city of New Orleans is the buzz, not only here, but all over the country. Every family in New Orleans faces the issue at least weekly if not daily. The halls of congress and even the oval office are consumed with it. Some have questioned the wisdom of rebuilding a city that is sinking and already below sea-level. The conditions of the city have worsened to an extent where those of us who remain appear either to be economically trapped, mentally imbalanced, fattally attracted, addicted to good eating or on a mission. At least four of those five apply to this member of the Leverett clan - you can try to figure out which ones.
Truth is, despite prevailing conventional wisdom and deductive reasoning or logic, now is not the time for us to pull anchor and leave. While no one can blame those who have left and put their roots down elsewhere, we have undoubtedly felt the call of God to stay and to finish the work God began through us.
Sometimes the Lord and His ways makes no sense to us at all. And let’s admit that those who are committed to fully pursuing the will of God appear a little looney to the rest of the human species. Take Paul who in obedience to the call of God re-entered the city of men that stoned him and left him for dead. Take Mother Theresa who chose the slums of India as her home and place of purpose. Or more convincingly take our Savior who for joy set before Him, endured the cross. All of the aforementioned were consumed by an unmistakable call to a particular mission that came from above - but none of their decisions made sense according to standards of this world.
When I originally came to New Orleans I remember hearing more than once the comment softly spoken and under the breath of onlookers, “Man, that’s one crazy white boy!” Well I can’t deny it. I am crazy for the city of New Orleans and I’m crazy for the mission of God here. It’s not that I don’t care for other places, I do. But there’s no place on earth like New Orleans and I believe whether others see it or not, Katrina made a way for us to better achieve our goals. And I also believe that it is the best headquarters for a replication movement. It is the center of the country’s attention and what works here can work anywhere. True we were wiped out. True I lost my position at DSM. But things are never as they seem and despite our human frailty God is still at work in and through us.
Until such time that God makes it obvious that we are to move on, that we’ve been called elsewhere and that our work is finished here…you know where to find me. I’ll be somewhere in the city dreaming of and planning for and working toward New Orleans rebirthed. Will you pray with us toward that end?