(From Rev. Malcolm Stranathan’s sermon - June 8, 2008)
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
Jesus replied: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
“What is the greatest law” … Jesus is challenged by a lawyer,
Jesus quotes from the Shema – (written in Law books of Deut. 6)
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind”
the “Hear O Israel, Love the Lord …
Hebrew scripture mandates that this prayer is to be said in the morning and in the evening,
When you wake up, remind yourself, all that you are, all that you have been, all that you will be – Give that to God - internalize your love, honor, respect, reason, so that it so mucht a part of your core that there is nothing left but God. God is the center of it all!
When the people gathered together for worship, they would remind themselves of this first law. Around dinner tables of fellowship and special feasts they would recite the prayer, they would study it learn to embody it as best they could.
At some point of reciting, an inward change was bound to take place, how can someone say a prayer so many times and not be affected by the words, the power, the intention.
No doubt at some point a giving over of one’s own will takes place to make God the center of their life!

You can almost see the Lawyer nodding in agreement to Jesus reply but then Jesus continues

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In his book, Leading Beyond the Walls, Adam Hamilton, pastor of Kansas City’s Church of the Resurrection, writes:

“I remember spending the summer before we launched Church of the Resurrection, wrestling with three questions:
1. Why do people need Christ?
2. Why do people need the church?
3. Why do they need this particular church?
“Without an answer a church will flounder. … When a pastor, a church leader, or a congregation is clear about the answers, and able to inspire others about the answers to these questions, the power of the church begins to be unleashed.”

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This is an edited version of Pastor Malcolm’s sermon from April 20, 2008.

I set out the can, covered my eyes, and started to count down!
Ten, nine, eight, seven, … three two one, Ready or not here I come!
Wait a minute don’t you know the rules!
I’m “it” and I’ll count from ten to zero while everyone goes and hides.
I will then go and look for you and if I find you and I reach out and tag you the you have to come and stay in my prison.
If I catch everyone … then you will be in my prison for all eternity.
There is a catch, if while I’m looking someone comes up and kicks the can that I’ve placed here, then everyone in the prison is released!
Right? Okay, let’s try again.


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Note given to Rick Johnson’s Mission Mississippi work team on our last day of work by Sandy Wilkerson, daughter of Vickie Wilkerson, the Lucedale, MS homeowner where the team worked all week:

Hand picked I’m sure by God’s own hand to lighten the load of your fellow man.  You leave your own homes to travel the World in search of a soul in need.  And but for a moment in God’s own time you restore lively hood across his lands.
But in truth that’s only a small part of the reason each of you follow this plan.  Your mission is greater, and through your works and words and smiles you’re successful at what you do.  You bring faith back into hearts that God’s still a part of everything we do.
All the Katrinas and disasters this world ever suffers at Satan’s own hand will be undone through the blood of the Son and wonderful people like you.
Thank you, all of you, for the reminder that we are all God’s family.  Happy Easter “08.”
Your friends from Lucedale

We are waiting in the Gulfport/Biloxi Airport now for our flight which is still on time.  We attended the Easter services at Vancleave UMC this morning after sending the youth on an Easter egg hunt around the retreat center.  The rest of the day was spent relaxing from our last day of work and visit to the Shed before heading out to the airport.  �

I looked out my window, and what did I see, a ray of hope was looking at me.

There were 14 eyes and 14 hands, as the days passed by they worked eagerly with Gods helping hand.  For they were carpenters and painters, none as you see, for God had Blessed them and sent them to me.

 7 would come and 7 would go changing each day all in a row.

 As each came, and left with them they took my prayers and a piece of my heart.  Tears would fall for the love that they gave.

 Katrina came and a lot she had took, but with the ray of hope, she could not compare.

 These are my thoughts and my prayers that I pray.

 Thank you God for giving me hope and for each and every day.

 Thank you,  Vicki Wilkerson, Lucedale, MS�

Just a short post tonight because of the hour.  The youth led devotions tonight, giving people an opportunity to share some of their experiences of working here in Mississippi.  Afterwards we all went to Sonic for ice cream and returned near lights out.�

• Mike’s team was on the rotation to clean the bathrooms at the mission center today.
• Steven was confused again.

• A new worksite was started, requiring lots of nailing into cinder blocks and resulting in the second minor injury of the trip.

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• Rick’s team continued the major work at their site.

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 (Written March 18) Erica loves her home.  Her father started to build the house by himself, when she was little, but within 2 months after starting, he died in a work related accident.  Her mother rasied 5 kids in the house that was subsequently built, just the way he designed it, using funds from his insurance.  Erica and her husband later came back to live in the house when her mother became very ill; she was needed to care for her mother and 3 of her sisters who were still in high school.  Her mother died 2 months before Huirricane Katrina hit.  Erica who is only in her late 20’s or early 30’s now had to take care of her sisters.  Then Katrina caused extensive damage to their home.  Erica asked for help, from FEMA and other agencies, however she was not yet the principle owner of the property and because all the bills were in her mothers name she could not prove that she lived in the house before Katrina.  This house that Erica loves, tha t she grew up in, now has no bathroom, no hot water, water pouring through the roof whenever it rains, half the windows are no longer there, the holes covered in plastic, doors are missing, raw sewage flows in two open ditches in front and on the side of her house, the ceiling is collapsing in most of the rooms due to water damage, the floor is uneven throughout and in several places has caved in, and the list goes on and on.  Yet Erica loves her house which is home to 8 people incluiding 3 children youger than 4.  Katrina occured two and a half years ago, and she has received no aid except for $242 for the loss of her water heater during the storm.  Erica is not bitter, she loves her home and looks forward to the future.  She is pleasant, hopeful, and so appreciative. Today we reshingled her roof, just before a predicted day of rain and thunderstorms.  During Katrina the walls and ceiling of the house “breathed” she says, meaning the whole house swayed as the rain poured in from the roof.  And the roof is the best part of the house.  Tomorrow we tear down the ceilings and prepare to replace it with new drywall.  Later we’ll replace flooring, the water heater, the front steps, and if they can fix the septic field, we’ll repalce and replumb the bathroom. Yet through it all Erica loves the house that her father designed and started building, the house she was raised in along with her siblings and the house she now owns and plans to live in for a long time with her family. — Jim Morrill

For each home rebuilt by the volunteers, Camp Hope provides a new bible for the homeowner. The Bible stays at the site during the rebuilding. All the volunteers that work on that home are invited to sign the Bible and offer a word of encouragement. After the reconstruction is complete, the Bible is presented to the homeowner. As has been mentioned many times here, the mission is not to just rebuild houses, but more importantly to lift up people. From what we have been told, the homeowners truly cherish this special gift. This is a picture of the Bible at Mr. Huey’s home — the hope is work on his rebuilt home will be completed  next week.