Last evening was Pastor Don’s opportunity to preach to a combined service of LBC and project people. His theme was from Romans 8:18. “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” This very encouraging sermon ultimately drew our focus to that glory mentioned in the text. To help us get a glimpse of that heavenly glory he pointed us to the fellowship we have when we unite our hearts in worship and service. So many times during the week it is mentioned how this gathering of saints is a “taste of heaven”. I’ve had this same thought many times, but am careful to use the phrase, lest it become a cliché. I truly believe, though, that it is descriptive of the experience. The unity, kindness, cooperation, patience and love exhibited by the members of this effort are refreshing to the soul. It has always had a unique place in my life, which I will always treasure.
Yesterday was our annual trip to town for a pastor/leadership lunch with Pastor Don as our guest. It is intended to be a time of fellowship during which Don can report on the progress of the work. There are some very encouraging signs of progress. There have been conversions and the addition of a family, which is grounded in reformed doctrine. One of the stories Don told us bears repeating. Pre-Katrina he wrote an article rebutting an attack against Calvinism from the pen of a well-known Southern Baptist preacher. Don dissected and corrected the points one by one. The country preacher from a small, rural church versus the big city guy with the big city congregation. The blogosphere picked up on this argument and began linking Don to other reformed sites. When Katrina hit, this growing collection of links became the conduit for making the masses aware of the work going on in Lakeshore. It was interesting to see how the Lord had prepared the way for the massive effort, which now has involved more than 600 churches. We closed the lunch by ascending the stairs up to a balcony overlooking the bay and joining our hearts in prayer for Don, his family and the ministry at LBC. An interesting side-note concerns two people we met at the restaurant. Donna was the hostess and in typical style, was very cordial. Once we mentioned that we were from LBC, and were in a more private setting she commenced to tell us that she lived right around the corner from the church. When Katrina hit, she explained how the church assisted her in a desperate situation. At one point her emotions welled, which is often the case when we engage in these conversations. We also asked our waitress, Inga, to take our group picture on the balcony. This exceedingly pleasant young lady proceeded to mention how one of our visitation teams stopped at her house the day before. She had been invited to the community meal and was intending to come. Brother Mitch asked Don to pray for her. We prayed accordingly and she thanked us and said this was the best tip she received all day!
It’s another gloriously noisy day on the LBC campus. Bulldozers, backhoes, chain saws, bush-hogs and the like are singing in unison. I have never seen as dramatic a footprint as we will leave behind this year. The fabricators continue to cut and weld the frame for the lift at Pastor Don’s house. Lord willing this should be completed and in operation by tomorrow. Our resident masonry artist, Mr. Larry Martin, and his crew are crafting the brick pillars that will support the Mercy House sign. Larry is one of our reliable vets whose good nature seems to invite abuse. Dan Stout, one of our team leaders, was relating to me (in Larry’s presence) how his team was so good until they yanked Larry off of the job for something else, then he said the went from good to great! Larry just laughed. More of that strange way men show their love one for another.
One of the things I just love about these projects is the opportunity for our highly skilled professionals to showcase their skills, unto the Lord. We all know how gifted our pastors/theologians are in rightly dividing the word of truth. We know that because of all of the exposure we can have to their preaching. With sermon audio and the like, there is no lack of places to feast upon the Word. But where can these men and women join forces to serve the Lord with the work of their hands within the context of Reformed Baptist theology circles? Sure, there are many fine venues for doing this kind of work, and far be it from me to take away from the quality of their efforts. But the unity of doctrine we possess gives us a common theme that is part and parcel of our conversations during the week. It’s not unusual to hear comments like “Sorry I dropped my hammer on your head, but that was according to God’s sovereign plan.” Which may be answered, “Hey buddy, you better be paying attention to human responsibility, our I’ll put some fear and trembling in you.” Perhaps I’m exaggerating a bit, but you get the point.
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