Nov 16 2007
New Orleans Mission Trip (Nov 07)-Day 4
Last night we went out to eat and had voodoo rolls. Ummmm….  We walked across the street to see the progress that has been made on the pumps to the levies but it was cold and the wind was coming off the lake.
Today there is a group from Maryland working with us. It is great to see so many churches and Christians coming together to help people they don’t even know. I can’t put into words how bad it still is in the Gentilly area and the lower 9th Ward. I would say in Gentilly only every 10th house is occupied and that may be an exaggeration.  Edgewater has been ministering to these people since Katrina hit. This church is very important to the community. I’m glad we got to be a small part. This is my 4th time down here. I’m very passionate about helping these victims because I lived through Katrina and 5 other hurricanes. As I read about Cyclone Sidr slamming Bangladesh, killing at least 1,100 and forcing 650,000 to flee I am heartbroken for them. When you see how it affects people in person it moves you.
We were able to get the doors finished on the front of the church. We stained and glossed about 30 doors. We fixed holes, hung sheet rock, did plumbing and electrical all week. We are tired but I wouldn’t trade this week for anything. My 13 year old son Jacob was able to come because he is homeschooled and it was special to work with him.
Well, we are headed back to the Riverwalk–maybe we will see another New Orleans wedding.
9 responses so far
thanks for coming again, kevin.
Thanks for your hard work for the Lord.
I’m curious….. How many atheist groups did you see helping down there? I see many Christian groups expressing their compassion to help by traveling the long distance and working hard to help. Many do this over and over but I haven’t seen or heard of professing atheist groups doing the same.
What kind of world would we have if all the Christians just stopped expressing their faith in Christ, closed their hospitals and charities and social work like the Salvation Army. Would the atheists step up to the bat to fill the massive vacuum. As the Beatles sang. “Imagine”. Imagine living in a compassionate USSR or Nazi Germany where Hitler had his plan to wipe out the Jews and all the Christians too.
It seems the atheist’s compassion and drive is aimed at eliminating Christians and their publicly expressing their faith in Christ anywhere. ….. Just curious…..
Dad
Well, now I’m convinced that the claims of Christianity, the virgin birth, the dead coming back to life, etc., must be true! After all, we have solid evidence that proves it: we don’t see organized groups of atheists helping others in the name of no-God
I do join you in wondering what the world would be like without religion and the associated wars and other atrocities in the name of God. When confronted with Christianity’s bloody past, Christians often respond that we should not judge a particular religion by the actions of its followers. What do you think?
Yes, Askanatheist,
I agree with you in some of your points.
Jesus said, “By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Jesus gave you a test by which you can know which people are his and which ones are not his.
Obviously imposter’s and false disciples tend to discredit true believers in the eyes of the world. Jesus warned us that there would be false teachers and professors who would come in his name.
Reject those fake believers who do evil in the name of Christ and yet claim to know him…… Jesus said that by their fruits, you will know them. The trouble these fake Christians create is that men see their evil deeds done in the name of Christ and they reject Christ too, even though Christ warned us about these fakers and to reject them because they were not his.
Look at Christ himself. Do you see any hypocrisy or lack of love in him? Examine his life. Have you ever seen anyone else in history as loving and profound as he? Christ died on the cross for my sins.That is love.
Continue to compare us to Christ’s standards. Listen to those people who exhibit the Fruit of the Spirit, not the Works of the Flesh. The fakers you site, give true Christians a bad image but …….Jesus gave you the test to use. Way to go! ….You are using his test very well as far as you have gone. Go the rest of the way.
Those of us who profess Christ will have to answer to him at his judgment seat as to how we represented him in this life.
Jesus said that at the judgment many would would claim to be his and yet Jesus will tell them to depart from him because he never knew them.
I apologize Askanatheist, for the hypocrites you site and sometimes I am one of them myself..
Dad
Dad (Frank),
Some of the most selfless, generous, and loving people I’ve personally met are Christian, some are atheist, some are Baha’i, and some are Buddhist. Yet not all would seem to be Jesus’ disciples. So the test seems to fail.
I think the Christians you consider “impostors” would probably consider you an impostor as well since you don’t believe exactly the way they do. Surely charlatans exist, but simply holding opposing beliefs is not enough to quality one as a charlatan.
Many others have selflessly chosen to die out of love, and their death was for much less of a noble cause than the salvation of mankind. Normal people seem to have that capacity.
Dear AskAnAtheist,
First, shall I discount all atheists because Stalin murdered around ten million in Russia and the atheistic Maoists murdered countless millions in China and all atheistic evolutionists because Hitler murdered seven million to produce Friedrich Nietzsche’s master race by eliminating the “Jewish vermin”? I could go on.
Second You misunderstand the test. The test Jesus gave, he addressed to his disciples who claimed to follow him. The other people you mention do not claim to follow Jesus no mater how nice they may be. Jesus’s test is not love only, but that any person who claims to be his follower and is unloving , Christ says the world will rightly reject the profession of those people.. This you keep doing. You are agreeing with what Jesus said you would do.
Third - When anyone differs with me, let them show me in the Bible where I’m wrong. If they are right, they have done me a service and helped me see where I need to get in line with God’s truth. Hold me to the Biblical test, not a twisting of it.
Can the Bible be misused? Yes! Jesus warned us that people would claim to come in his name and spread lies. I tell people, to not trust me but check up on every thing I say but use God;s Word as your standard. To me the greatest question in life is “What is Truth?” That I seek and so far the Bible is outstanding.
Forth, you are right. Many people have died for noble causes they believed in. Man does have this capacity because we were made in the image of God in the beginning but we let sin come in to distort our understanding of God and of ourselves. ……The big difference between Jesus and those dedicated people is that none of them rose from the dead. Jesus did.
Many people have tried to disprove the Bible by disproving the resurrection, only to reluctantly yield to the fact that the resurrection really happened. Many educated, skeptics, after their own personal study have been convinced against their biases to conclude it really happened. Josh McDowell, Frank Morrison, Lee Strobel…..
May I suggest reading some of Lee Strobel’s books:
“Case for Christ”,
“Case for Faith”
“Case for the Resurrection”.
Lee is no slouch. He was an adamant atheist, Grad of Yale Law School, award winning investigative reporter for the Chicago Tribune (I think) and a hedonist….. His wife became a Believer which really ticked him off, almost to the point of divorce. He set out to prove her wrong and investigated the so-called facts of Christianity to disprove it. His detailed, fair research convinced him that the Bible is valid, the resurrection really happened and that Christ is the Son God. Yes, he is now a Believer.
You are an intelligent person. Check out Strobel. His books are available on Amazon. I read books by atheists. I listen to their mp3 debates to hear their positions.
Forgive my ramblings. I commend you for seeking the TRUTH.
Frank
Frank,
I think you are getting my point - if we should not judge Christianity or atheism by the evil deeds of its followers, then we also should not judge Christianity or atheism for the benevolent acts of its followers. Recall that this part of the discussion followed your statement:
Correct my if I misunderstood your earlier statement, but I understood that you were indicating that Christianity is better than atheism because you observed Christians, but no atheists, helping in New Orleans. And by extension, Christianity must be true as evidenced by this example of its followers.
Oops! sorry - i messed up the quotes…
ASKANATHEIST,
THANKS FOR THE DEBATE. I DON’T HAVE THE TIME PRESENTLY TO ADDRESS ALL YOUR POSITIONS BUT I WILL LATER. I am pressed for time right now.
I’ve read Bertrand Russell and Nietzsche etc.
Mp3’s I’ve listened to hostile to the Christian position = Brian Edwards, Peter Atkins, Pete Harty, Reggie Finley, Madeline Murray OHaire, Dr Dale Miller, Dr Gerd Ludemann, Frank Zindler, Dr. Tabash and more
Although I believe the Fundamentals of the Faith, I avoid the pejorative title “Fundamentalist”. Most, but not all who have claimed this tag have been unloving and closed minded.
I am always searching for the truth….. If I have the truth, I do not defend it but try to present it effectively. Truth always stands up to error if presented correctly to those who are willing to honestly consider it.
Jesus is my hero and example. He was the friend of prostitutes, tax collectors and sinners but confronted the proud and smug “religious Pharisees” but he also took time with inquiring Nicodemus, the Pharisee who came to him by night so as not to be seen.
May our real debate be about Jesus, not about intellectual hair splitting . I need to be ready to answer all who asks about my faith in him and his word.
I’ll pray for you AskAnAtheist, not to aggree with me but that you and I will know the truth. God gives wisdom to all who ask James 1:5
Frank.