Prayer Alert

Please spread the word throughout the body of Christ wherever you are to build a prayer movement for our dear friend Stacey Howard. Stacey gave her life to Christ through our ministry in Desire many years ago. She has developed a rare condition or disease that is causing her lungs to atrophy. The doctors are mystified and unable to treat the condition. She has seen nearly a dozen specialists who are unable to properly diagnose or treat her condition - she has lost almost half the functionality of both lungs. She may require lung transplant surgery but we are praying for God to perform a miracle in her life. She is dear to so many of us in New Orleans!

Greg Jacob Opens Subway Restaurant in New Orleans East! (9954 Lake Forest Blvd.)

Today was a very exciting day for Greg Jacobs, his family and friends. As a budding entrepreneur and small business owner, Greg proudly unveiled his first major venture. Fighting through the red tape of city administration, Greg persevered to launch his restaurant in one of the more devastated areas of New Orleans. Putting his own capital and personal reputation at risk, Greg has show a deep commitment to the revitalization of the New Orleans community. The restaurant is located at the corner of Read and Lake Forest in New Orleans East.Greg is a former student in Mo Leverett’s ministry in Desire. He was the business manager and athletic coordinator in the school. In addition to being a entrepreneur and business owner in the city, he is also on the coaching staff of Clark High School, working with the running backs! He of course is excited about the ministry opportunity that this placement creates for he, Byron, Richard and the other coaches.
I was proud to be Greg’s first customer. I ordered a 12 inch BMT combo - with my signature large Diet Coke - for those who are interested. I also was able to assist Greg by posting numerous signs and handing out dozens of flyers throughout the community. What amazed me most about this effort was how excited individuals were that the restaurant was being opened and that Greg had already begun to establish a great reputation in the business community.
Greg is a gentle but quietly competent, understated presence. His unassuming smile and genuine integrity endear him immediately to all that meet him. We are so proud of him and his entrepreneurial spirit. We are praying that God will bless him beyond his wildest dreams and that God would establish him as a next-generation Christian business leader for the New Orleans area.
We fully expect that this venture is merely his first and that many more will be forthcoming. Make sure if you’re in the area to frequent his restaurant and know that you’ll be treated to a great sandwich and even better service!

Living in Ten-Minute Increments of Grace

Among the many chores that I must do around the house is to periodically wash the dishes. What makes this chore particularly challenging is that I tend to procrastinate and then the job is harder. Trying to scrub a pan or bowl or plate the day after is a lot harder than it would be right after dinner.
One of the biggest mistakes that I make in my spiritual journey is that I seldom repent soon enough. I have in the past waited for services where repentence is emphasized or when I’m having a personal devotion. Then, because my memory is imperfect, I tend to repent in generalities and categories, instead of specific attitudes or actual acts that fall short of God’s righteous demands. This is a mistake with severe consequences on a number of levels.
First, failing to repent often, leads to spiritual disintegration. Sins and attitudes that go unchecked become internalized, habitual and eventually part of one’s person. One then experiences the consequences of those attitudes and behaviors on a personal and relational level and is diminished moment by moment.
Second, failing to repent often, leads to spiritual vulnerability. The enemy of our soul looks for every opening that he can find. A heart which has not fully and continually repentant is weakend and thus vulnerable to pride and temptation. In our weakened state we then are susceptible to being sifted by the enemy and wounded by His attack.
Third, failing to repent often, leads to spiritual isolation. An unrepentant heart is an impediment to intimacy with our heavenly Father and with our offended brothers. God is forgiving to be sure, but He desires continual fellowship with us. When we choose to wait for forgiveness we miss the opportunities of grace that are available to us at any and every hour. We miss the chance in that moment to crawl into his lap and receive from Him mercy and affection for our soul.
And so, I’m learning to live my life in ten-minute increments of grace - returning to my Savior regularly for refreshment and a clean slate. Until I am washed clean for good - it’s easier to wash up right after I’ve slipped in the mud than wait the following morning when its under or stuck to the skin.

Making Progress on New Project

I am on my way to a recording session where we will be laying down the drum tracks to the songs on this new project. Most of these songs are painful in that they deal with the tragedy of Katrina and all the unravelling that came with the storm. But they are also about healing and hope that falls from above as well. There are times when I wish there were a pill i could take that would bring instantaneous recovery from injury, or some therapy that would remove inner-woundedness from life’s travails. But there is no real healing except that which flows from the eternal and surgical hands of the Sovereign One who stoops over us in love. Unlike other medical procedures, there is no anasthesia for the process. And unlike other procedures that bring permanancy in healing, God never in this lifetime comepletes his work. We are like a child born premature that must anticipate a life span of surgeries. We never really recover fully from our inner-woundedness until we see the Creator-Redeemer face to face. Oh how I long for that day.
I was thinking this morning, now that I am in my 40’s that I have entered the Autumn years of my life. Spring is the stage where we are blooming with life and color and personality and self-discovery. I would say that this stage would be the first 20 years of our lives. Of course Summer follows with fulness and maturity and fruitfulness. These are our productivity years. These would be our next 20 years taking us up to the stage I’ve just entered - our Autumn years. Our Autumn years are our years of decline. Now I know that there are ways in which the Autumn years can be the most productive phase of all, when we manage the first phases well, or when because of spiritual renewal one might find in later years, but even for those, the autumn years are a time of preparation inwardly where we let go of our fruitfulness for the enrichment of others. We are focused and hopeful that we might pass on to our children the legacy of our lives. We are shaping our lives for the benefit of others. This is why to me Autumn is the most colorful and beautiful phase. Winter of course is the phase where we retreat deep into ourselves in preparation for new birth. Perhaps I’m making too much of this. Perhaps I’m just a little melancholy entering into another recording session. Whatever the case may be, I am thankful to the One who sustains us through all our lives and gives us hope in the midst of the storm.

Campus Outreach Was a Great Audience!

Special thanks to everyone involved in allowing me to come and perform for the very special young men and women at Campus Outreach Christmas Conference. Your encouragement during this time was meaningful beyond your possible understanding. As we are being re-established in the ministry of Rebirth International we will always remember the special role you guys have played in filling our sails with wind. Special thanks to Mike Hearon for inviting me to come and allowing me to play a role in the significant cause of Campus Outreach. Your ministry is a real standout in a country that so desperately needs spiritual leaders for the next generation. God bless all of you and lets pray together that 2007 is a year of great fruitfulness in His Kingdom’s purposes for both our organizations!