November / December 2005 / January 2006
Special Issue
Dear ones,
Hurricane Katrina brought major disruption in my life (and the life
of my family) and in very many ways, including the Good Word. Since
29 August the situation there has swallowed me, and other things have
had to wait. We published an emergency issue for the month of October,
and I intended to follow it (albeit late) with a November/ December
issue. But now the Retreat Board has decided to resume conducting retreats
(more on that later); so, in order to get the retreat information to
you at the right time, I will go back to publishing as before. Are you
a little confused by all this? So am I; but the result is that this
will be a November/December/January issue; the next one, God willing,
will be for February/March 2006 and we will work our way forward from
there.
A PERSONAL NOTE TO ALL OF YOU
Hurricane Katrina (with help from the lesser one that followed) has
turned my life upside down and shaken it, causing almost all other things
in my life to wait indefinitely. As a result, I have been unable to
answer mail, write Thank-You notes to you wonderful people who have
continued to send support, or to keep the normal publication schedule
for the newsletter. Sandy and Bonnie have kept the office running, with
periodic ad hoc guidance from Marty; not only have you not heard from
me, even they have gone for many days (at times, weeks) without any
contact with me. I am not complaining-on the contrary, I am praising
God for holding things together without my help, and I am thanking you
all for your patience, encouragement and support.
As I write this at the end of November, I am approaching the day when
I can again begin to function normally. All information files (three
file cabinets full) were lost with the house, along with my entire personal
library (300-400 volumes), all my Bibles but one, etc. But progress
is being made; some key reference works are being replaced and, by the
time you are reading these words, I hope to have a computer working
on the coast, with connection to the Internet (Wow! What a marvelous
thought!). Publication of this issue of the newsletter should get at
least this much of our operation, and my life, back on schedule.
So, please forgive the silence from me, and know that you are loved
and appreciated. The crisis on the Coast is far from over for many of
us; in fact, in many ways the most difficult days are ahead of us as
we continue to search for things among the wreckage, make slow progress
in clearing away the mess, face staggering decisions about the future,
and do battle with insurance companies. It will be years before the
ravaged Gulf Coast recovers from Katrina; and it will be many months
before my personal life returns to something like normal. Meanwhile,
we are making progress; please keep praying, and know that you are loved
and appreciated.
AND A PERSONAL PLEA
When our house in Ocean Springs was exploded by hurricane winds and
blown completely away, the loss that has hurt me the most is the loss
of all my photographs. Pictures of several generations of my family,
as well as those of my own life and those of Marty and the children
simply no longer exist.. We have recovered a few from the forest, damaged
but recognizable; but for the most part, they are all gone. In recent
years, I have had copies of some of my photos made and sent them to
various friends: childhood friends, school friends, Marine Corps friends,
and Christian friends. If, for any reason, I have sent you copies of
any of my photos, then PLEASE have copies made of those copies, and
send them to me. They will be priceless treasures to me. Because I no
longer have a mailing address in Ocean Springs, and because I stay at
various places there, the best address to use is this office: P.O. Box
413, Marion, KY 42064.
They can be scanned into a computer and sent as attachments to e-mail.
If you can't do that, places like Office Depot, Office Max and Kinko's
will make excellent copies for about a dollar, and several small photos
can be copied on one 8 1/2 x 11 sheet for that same price. If you do
this, ask the clerk to set the copy machine on "color," even
if the pictures are black and white, for it makes the quality much better
and doesn't cost any more. I will GLADLY repay for all expenses.
THANKSGIVING ON THE GULF COAST
Thanksgiving on the ravaged Mississippi Gulf Coast was fascinating.
If I had to describe it in one word it would be "peaceful";
if I could use a second word it would be "thankful." There
was no whining or complaining about what they no longer had; it was
as if there were an area-wide rising above the terrible losses, and
quiet, heart-felt thanksgiving for what we had. So many from the "outside
world" have come to help, and that help poured in for Thanksgiving.
Southern Baptists, supported by 200 other Christian groups, gave away
17,000 turkeys in two days in Biloxi. A Charismatic church in Gulfport/Long
Beach served free Thanksgiving dinners to all comers, most of whom came
from a nearby housing project. At Greg Porter's feeding station on the
beach in Pass Christian, more than 2,000 turkey dinners were served.
Food was carried to the soldiers and policemen on duty at crossing checkpoints.
This Thanksgiving, in the scene of so much death and destruction, there
was a quiet, deep spirit of gratitude to God for what we have, and to
all those who have sacrificed to help, and go on doing so. It has been
a Thanksgiving I shall never forget.
CONSPICUOUS BY THEIR ABSENCE
I continue to be awed and humbled by the steady flow of people, work
teams and individuals, donated supplies and services, into the Gulf
Coast to help us. Who are they? They are Christians, individuals and
churches, ministries, patriotic organizations, ad hoc citizen groups
and individuals, ordinary citizens of limited means who sacrifice to
help. By contrast, it is highly significant to note the groups which
have NOT appeared on the Gulf Coast to help. All those extremely wealthy,
left-wing, liberal groups and individuals which claim to be the defenders
of the needy, such as the ACLU, radical feminist groups such as NOW,
Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Michael Moore's
group, Barbra Streisand and the Hollywood crowd, homosexual groups,
Planned Parenthood and other pro-abortion groups, and American Atheists.
These anti-God, anti-family, anti-biblical morality groups, with their
claims to care for the hurting and helpless, who claim to be the exclusive
fountains of compassion (and who accuse Christians and conservatives
in general of being hard-hearted and uncaring), with their enormous
wealth, have been conspicuous by their absence. In short, while they
slander and calumniate those who are helping, they have done nothing
to help the victims of the greatest ongoing tragedy ever to occur on
the shores of the United States.
A BULLETIN FROM THE RETREAT BOARD: RETREATS
TO RESUME
As you probably remember, when the Believers' Retreat Board met early
last Spring, we felt that the Lord was speaking to us that "the
retreats, as we have known them, are over." We also felt, however,
that He at some point would be raising up some new and different work
on that foundation of Believer's Retreat. We also felt that we were
to continue meeting as a board. So we met Oct. 29, and at this meeting
felt that the Lord was saying that it would pretty soon be time for
gatherings (retreats?) to begin again-but in a new way, according to
His leading. We are not yet sure when the first gathering will be, but
it will probably be sometime in the next year, most likely the fall
of 2006. We'll let you know when we know (regarding the logistics of
when and where); and we will continue to pray for His leading about
what sort of gathering and work He has in mind. We'd appreciate your
prayers. (Sally McKenney Mahoney, for the board).
SOME UGLY TRUTH ABOUT THE ACLU
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), avowed, passionate enemy
of God, the Church, and all forms of Bible-based morality, is also very,
very rich. Its income in 2004 was reported at $150 million; it has $180
million invested. It recently sued one of the poorest school districts
in Ohio for displaying the Ten Commandments and won in federal court.
Its lawyers then sued the school district for its own legal costs and
the school district was forced to give them 0,000 that the ACLU doesn't
even need. (ANS)
DRIVING GOD FROM THE AIR FORCE ACADEMY
The Air Force Academy has recently been the scene of distress over,
oh, dear me, prayer in Jesus' name, and sharing the good news of the
gospel. Yes, a few carefully chosen and coached people have complained
about being "uncomfortable" with prayers in Jesus' name, and
with Christian cadets who share with others the good news of the gospel
of Christ. Now, Air Force chaplains are being told not to pray in Jesus'
name, and Christian cadets at the academy are being told not to talk
to others about the good news. And now a new commanding officer has
been sent to the academy (I assure you, folks, that such appointments
are carefully selected at the highest levels of Air Force command-they
do not "just happen"). Upon assuming command, to no one's
surprise, he announced that his goal is to make the academy "a
safe environment." Is he talking about safety rails, protective
headgear for athletics, or seat belts in Air Force vehicles? No-he is
talking about an environment in which cadets will be "safe"
from evangelical Christian discussions or witnessing. (ANS)
THINK ON THIS!
The average child spends more time before a television set in the first
six years of his life than he will spend with his father in his entire
life.. (Dr. Richard Land, For Faith and Family, 25 Oct 05)
SEX SLAVERY IS AT LAST BEING ACKNOWLEDGED
At long last, supposed guardians of women and children, such as the
UN, NOW and other militant feminist groups, are publicly acknowledging
that women and children are being kidnapped and made slaves in the international
sex trade. They are bought and sold, world-wide; some are actually auctioned
off on the Internet. The centers of the trafficking in women and children
as sex slaves are Southeast Asia and the Arab countries of the Middle
East, but it is going on right here in the United States. The income
from such trading, world-wide, is exceeded only by the sale of drugs
and weapons. (ANS)
A CHRISTMAS PLAY (SKIT) THAT YOU WILL
LIKE
You may recall that last year we offered on our Web site a series of
Christmas skits (focusing on Mary and Joseph) written by my daughter
Sally and her husband Joe. This year Sally has written another Christmas
play, one which I think you will enjoy. This one is a comedy (with,
of course, a serious message). Sherlock Holmes and Watson have been
transported to a 21st century American city and have incurred amnesia.
They soon perceive that a holiday is being celebrated, but the people
they encounter won't tell them what the holiday is (i.e. the prevalence
of "Happy Holidays" and studied absence of "Merry Christmas").
So they try to discover what the nature of the holiday is by observation
and embark on "The Adventure of the Mysterious Holiday." The
skit can easily be performed by a youth group or drama group; or, you
may simply enjoy reading it just for fun. If interested, go to our Web
site and look for "Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Mysterious
Holiday." The Joseph and Mary skits will also be posted in case
you missed them last year. And, again, we will be glad to mail paper
copies of either play (or both) to those of you who don't have access
to the Internet.
UPDATES AND PHOTOS ON THE WEB SITE
Since September, working from a computer in the only public library
on the coast that is functional, I have been able to send periodic reports
to our web master in Virginia, who has posted them on our web site,
along with some photos. I hope soon to have more photos up, including
views of the indescribable destruction along the coast. Of course, many
of you have no access to the web site, and others may not have known
that the reports were there. If you have no computer, or no access to
the Internet, and if you would like to read the eyewitness Hurricane
Reports, let us know and we will mail to you a printed-out set as a
gift.
ONE OBEDIENT MAN AND A FEEDING MIRACLE
ON THE COAST
One Christian man in Evansville, Ind., Greg Porter, moved upon by the
Spirit of God to go to the hurricane-ravaged Mississippi Gulf Coast
and feed people, loaded up a grill and supplies and headed south as
soon as the roads were open. This one man's obedience eventually produced
a miracle. Traveling east on Interstate 10, he saw an exit for Pass
Christian, took it, and headed south on Menge Avenue. He had no idea
of exactly where he was or where he was going. Looking for a place to
pull off the road and begin cooking, he found none because of the wreckage
that crowded the road; so he just kept driving south. He found no place
to get off the road until he reached the beach, so he set up his grill
there, started cooking hamburgers, and that first evening he gave away
32 hamburgers. There, on the beach in Pass Christian, was the place
that God had chosen for him to be the instrument in a feeding miracle.
People came, and his feeding project grew; for some time he was spending
$1,000.00 daily of his own money. His wife Pam came down to help him,
but returned to Evansville to run their businesses and care for their
severely handicapped son. Greg continued to cook and feed people. Word
spread, and help began to arrive: individuals came to help, from as
far away as Maine and Nevada; groups came to help; many have stayed.
They are now feeding more than 1,000 people, noon and evening, and conducting
a worship service, attended by hundreds, each night. There is a huge
feeding tent, cooking tents, warehouse tents, trailers and motor homes.
Greg is now also responsible for a large distribution center for food
and essentials, adjacent to the feeding center. A few days ago, when
I went by to see him, Greg was gone to New Orleans, taking surplus food
to people over there, but things were humming right along, getting ready
for the evening meal. It is a beautiful thing that God is doing there
on the beach in Pass Christian, and it all started with one obedient
man and his wife in Evansville, Indiana. Oh, and Greg had triple-bypass
heart surgery, only two months before the hurricane hit; but he hasn't
slowed down since he turned south off I-10 on Menge Avenue, that day
in September, looking for a place to stop and cook.
EARLIEST CHRISTIAN CHURCH IN ISRAEL
FOUND?
Prisoners, digging a foundation for a prison expansion in the Valley
of Armageddon north of Jerusalem, have uncovered what archeologists
believe to be ruins of the oldest Christian church yet found in the
Holy Land. Intricate mosaics, dating to the 3rd Century (200-299) AD,
contain inscriptions in Greek that the Israeli Antiquities Authority,
in a preliminary finding, has called Christian. One such inscription
says, "The God-loving Aketous [the name of donor] has offered this
table to the God Jesus Christ as a memorial." (BP/NYT)
HOMOSEXUALS DIE 15-25 YEARS SOONER THAN
HETEROSEXUALS
The Centers for Disease Control has concluded a study of the life expectancy
of homosexuals compared with that of heterosexuals, and found that homosexuals
on the average die 20-or-more years sooner than heterosexuals. Dr. Paul
Cameron of the Family Research Institute (FRI), who has studied 10,000
homosexual obituaries has found essentially the same thing: that they
die 15-25 years sooner. Causes of the earlier deaths of homosexuals
include disease, drug and alcohol use, suicide, and accidents. (CDC/FRI/ANS)
MILESTONES
An historical note: The very first milestone in this column, the one
which gave birth to the column and all that has followed, was the birth
of little Hope Owen at 6 lbs., 12 oz., on 3 Dec. 1980. Hope was the
first-born child of Greg Owen, my close friend and colleague in ministry,
and his wife Sandy. In this issue, Hope appears again, this time as
a bride. Not only that, but due to the publication delay, we are also
reporting here the wedding of Hope's younger brother, Daniel. This means
that "MILESTONES" has been published for 25 years, evolving
into its present form, as Hope grew to beautiful maturity.
Married 24 Aug. - Sherry Sperry, faithful Christian friend, Palmetto, Fla., and Perry Harlan, Cleveland, Ohio, in Jamaica.
26 Aug. - Hope Owen, daughter of Greg and Sandy Owen, Denham Springs, La., and David R. Darst, in Nashville, Tenn.
25 Nov. - Elisabeth Elliott, daughter of Rev. Mark and Toni Elliott, Pineville, La., and Daniel Owen, son of Greg and Sandy Owen of Denham Springs, La.
Died 16 Oct. - Greg Meier, son of long-time friends, Joe and Betty Meier, Mt. Carmel, Ill. Greg lost his battle with cancer, but died triumphantly, praising God.
25 Oct. - Rosa Parks, 92, whose 1955 refusal to give up her seat to a white man led to the landmark Montgomery, Ala. bus boycott, at her home in Detroit. She was a member of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
15 Nov. - Adrian Rogers, 74, of cancer
and pneumonia. A leader in the return of the Southern Baptist Convention
to strict biblical standards, he was three-time president of the SBC,
and pastor of Bellview Baptist Church in Memphis. He was a man of great
integrity and courage, who loved the Word of God, one whom I greatly
admired, and personally
liked. We will miss him.
Marty's Corner: Katrina Three Months
Later
I've often said that no matter how great an artist is, he can never
capture a sunrise or sunset as the Lord painted it -you have to experience
it, drink it in and let it surround you. I now know that pictures can
never capture devastation-you have to experience it. It's palpable.
I had seen hundreds of pictures of the Mississippi coast, pictures of
our son's house and of our house literally blown away, pictures of historical
homes that spoke of the heritage of Mississippi that had nothing left
but rubble or just gone-nothing left. I'd heard story after story of
what life was like for family and friends, but until I went to the coast
in late October, I didn't grasp the fact that you have to experience
it. I've now been twice and each time I leave, as soon as I'm back I
think that I must go back and somehow help. It's haunting.
We're so blessed because we are staying in a little cottage behind Melissa's
home - we have a sanctuary, so to speak, and also have family close
by.. Just to get into the area where her house and our cottage are (Long
Beach), you still have to have a Pass (similar to a credit card) and
it's not because of looting and crime, but because of the devastation
in the area. Sewer pipes are replaced but they're above the ground,
there is still no drinking water, travel on the coast highway shifts
from the eastbound lane to the westbound depending upon which side is
still intact. When taking morning walks with my granddaughter as she
pulled my great-grandson in his wagon, it feels like I've been picked
up and put in the middle of a picture I'd seen as a child of a bombed
city in World War II. There's nothing there but vacant semi-cleaned
ground mixed with half buried cars, boats, refrigerators and smaller
rubble...and sometimes treasures. There are plastic bags everywhere
as well as everything from stockings to rugs...all hanging on the trees.
You'll often see vases, a dish or two, bowls with a watch or some jewelry
in it, etc. on the steps of all that remains of the entrance into a
home, and they stay there day after day. No one takes them because you
know that those are the only things left from that person's home and
they may want them someday. American flags are hung around trees, across
planks, on remnants of a church or stuck on a makeshift pole in the
ground.
Because I have a Pass, I can drive most anywhere and pass through the
checkpoints. One can drive for miles and miles and miles along the coast
highway and the scene is still the same. Churches are gone, homes are
gone, harbors are gone, businesses are gone and you can't find the landmark
that tells you that you're at major (or minor) intersection. In Pass
Christian, there are no businesses left; however just off one of the
main streets there, you will see a tent city with row upon row of tents
that are housing people left without homes. Many of those in tents have
children who go to school daily in the one county school left (augmented
with 56 trailers and port-a-potties brought in) with grades K-12 in
that one place.
Everywhere you go, there's a different obstacle to overcome. In one
place, the people are still looking though the debris in hopes of finding
a special family heirloom. In another place, a lone person can be seen
just walking aimlessly; in another, there are teams of Christian workers
from other parts of the United States where they are re-building a house;
in another, a family in front of their (now gone) house on their driveway
bedding down for the night in sleeping bags or, if fortunate, in a tent
or trailer; in another, a harried mother washing clothes in the laundry-mat
before hurrying to her gutted house to help nail new wallboard up; in
another, tents in a church parking lot where work teams are "housed."
Some, who may have a house still intact, have lost their jobs because
the business where they worked is gone. Churches are meeting in school
gyms; overdue library books (from Aug.29-Katrina Day) can be dropped
off in a barrel at the place where an entrance Pass is given because
the libraries are gone; insurance offices have hired guards at their
doors (and many insurance salesmen have simply left the area forever);
drug stores are in trailers. And, daily, from sunup to sundown, the
people are working, cleaning debris, the noise of front end loaders
picking up rubble and putting into dump trucks goes on and on and on.
At one huge tent on the coast highway near Long Beach & Pass Christian,
you'll see a sign on a hand-made cross that says, "God has Power"
- there they are feeding over 1,000 people twice daily and boxes of
Bibles are at the entrance for anyone and everyone.
In the area where our homes (Jeff's and ours) were, it's now a "tent
/ trailer park" where Christian work teams are sleeping in tents
or trailers (make-shift showers and bathrooms have also been built on
our former foundation) and the Nehemiah Relief Project's office is located
in an RV.
And yet, the glory of God is lifted up everywhere you turn. It's the
Christians from all over the United States who have come to the coast
to help. It's the Christian work teams who have done everything from
cut huge trees off homes and cars, prepared meals day after weary day,
torn down moldy sheetrock, picked up scrap metal, plastic, and broken
furniture. It's the Christians who live on the coast and have lost their
own homes but are helping their neighbors. It's the Christians who have
held a child's hand and looked for his lost blanket. Each day, the words
that you can hear said over and over, usually with tears streaming,
are "Thank you for your help... and for sharing your life of faith
with me." So, the Good News is that the Christians are doing what
Christians are called to do...share the Lord Jesus. The words My God
Reigns resonate.
SPAIN, IRELAND AND THE CHURCH
Spain, once the very stronghold of Roman Catholic orthodoxy and home
of the infamous Inquisition, is rapidly becoming the opposite. In recent
times, Spain has become less and less of a Catholic nation; in fact,
it is showing signs of becoming a secular, non-Christian nation. In
June, Spain became the 3rd country to legalize homosexual marriage,
following Catholic Belgium and Lutheran Netherlands. Spain was quickly
followed by Canada which became the 4th such "Christian" nation.
Now, Ireland, traditionally synonymous with "Catholic," is
seriously considering severing its ancient ties with the Roman Church.
By law, although Irish public schools are funded by the government,
they are operated by the Catholic Church. The principal argument for
breaking the ties with Rome is the flood of revelations concerning sex
abuse of the school children and the covering up of it by Church officials.
Catholic zeal is at an all-time low in Ireland where, for the very first
time in history, there will be not a single priest ordained in the Dublin
Archdiocese for the year 2005. (BP/ANS/365gay.com)
A FINAL WORD
Treasure and use each day as if it were your last, and never give up
hope; God has a limitless supply of new beginnings, and He makes beautiful
things out of broken pieces.
You are precious,
(Sources: AFAJ-American Family Journal; AFRN-American Family Radio News; ANS-Agape News Service; AP-Associated Press; BP-Break Point; BPr-Baptist Press; C-Charisma; CBN-Christian Broadcasting Network; CR-Congressional Record; CSN-Calvary Satellite Network; DR-Drudge Report; EP-Evangelical Press; Fox (Fox News); FOF-Focus on the Family; FRC-Family Research Council; GN-Good News Magazine; HC-History Channel; LAT-L.A. Times; Mil-Military Magazine; NR-National Review; NewsMax.com (NM); NW-Newsweek; NYP-New York Post; NYT-New York Times; PWB-Pastors' Weekly Briefing; RTLB-Right to Life Education Foundation Bulletin; RTLGC-Right to Life of Greater Cincinnati; USAT-USA Today; USNWR-U.S. News and World Report; VOM-Voice of Martyrs; W-World Magazine; WND-World Net Daily; WT-Washington Times; WW-Washington Watch.)