A Word from Our Pastor….
“I am confident of this, that God, who began a good work among you, will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:6
In the first message of 2012, already way back on Jan. 1…I delivered a message titled “The Year of Following Jesus.” In that message I set the stage for us to be ever more faithful and more diligent to align ourselves, both as individuals and as a church, to follow Jesus. The messages will continue with this concept all the way up to Easter, all in the attempt to get us back on track again with our transformation process.
In 2006, I was called to this church to be a pastor who would lead FCC into transformation. By the guidance and movement of the spirit of God, along with the spiritual transformation of many personal lives among us, transformation did occur. We made great progress in redefining ourselves in what it means to be church and how that was to look in Slidell. For several years, we moved forward in our process of transformation. But, as is often the case with all organizations (churches included), we began to slow down and stagnate, especially in the last year and a half or so.
Thus, the imperative is to examine what’s going on. Why the slow down? Why the stagnation? What’s going on? Upon conversations with many of our leaders and small groups, it became clear that the root of the problem lay within us! We, as a body need to refocus ourselves upon our own personal faith journeys. Perhaps we have become complacent, or lazy, or too comfy. In the journey of spirituality that is not a good place to be. So, we will begin 2012 with intentional renewal. As the beginning of every message will indicate… FCC will experience a wonderful year of following Jesus to RENEWAL…
Renewal means- the process of renewing. It means to make like new; to restore to freshness and vigor, to make new spiritually; to revive; rebuild; regenerate; to begin again; rejuvenate; and restore. Indeed what a perfect word for what we will be set as our plan for this year.
Try to be present for the nine message series. If you have to miss one Sunday, ask David for the cd; so you won’t miss a step along the way. We will follow Jesus into renewal- both as individuals and as a church! We need it! Our community needs it! And, God calls us to it!
Come, follow Jesus with me,
Rev. Susan Lassalle
A Note From the Board… Vice Chair Jamie Killian
Do not question God’s Judgment
Have you ever wondered why bad things happen? Why the innocent suffer? Have you ever asked God, why? I believe everyone tries to rationalize events, make excuses to explain another’s action. It is human nature to try and make sense and cope with events we do not understand.
In a book that I am reading called Legends of Israel, I came across a story that ancient Jews passed down verbally about such a topic. In this story Moses questions God’s judgment. It goes as follows;
The Lord is Righteous in all His ways.
When Moses saw the wickedness and the oppression and the robbery of the needy and the poor, and the tears of the oppressed and the downtrodden he was grieved, and he said to the Lord: “O judge of all the earth! Why do you deal evil to the righteous and kindness to the wicked? Why do you shut your eyes to seeing evil? Why do you behold iniquity and take no heed thereof? O Lord, give me understanding of the secrets of your judgments that I may declare your righteousness to the assembled multitudes.”
And God answered Moses: “I have heard your supplication before me. Behold! I shall show you the manner of my judgments, but you shall see only the end. None born of women can see the whole. Open your eyes and see.” And Moses lifted up his eyes and saw a stream flowing down a mountain-side. The water of the stream was pure and clear. Then Moses saw a soldier on a horse draw near to the stream; he dismounted and gave his horse to drink. He then knelt down and he also drank. As he was so occupied a wallet of money fell from his coat pocket on the ground. He did not notice it; he mounted his horse and rode on.
Then a shepherd lad came to the stream to water his flock, and he saw the wallet which the soldier had lost, and he lifted it up and hid it in his pocket. The lad was full of joy, and he said: “This is the day the Lord has made. I shall be glad and rejoice in it! I shall no longer return to my master who beats me daily, but I shall return to my mother in my own land and buy her a house and filed, and we shall live together.”
Then Moses saw an old man come to the stream. He was tired and weary, his knees gave way because of his long journey and because of the heat of the day which greatly tried his strength. When he came to the stream he sat down on the ground and took some dry bread from his bag, dipped it in the water and ate and drank. When finished eating he lay down on the ground, using his bag as a pillow and slept.
When the soldier had gone some distance from the stream he saw that his wallet of money was not in his pocket, and he was greatly distressed. Then he remembered that he knelt down by the stream to drink. And he quickly returned to the stream. He saw the old man sleeping on the ground and woke him, crying: “Give me back my money, and I shall not harm you.”
The old man asked the soldier: “Why are you shouting?” And the soldier answered: “Because you have found my money which I lost here, and you want to keep it.” But the old man said: “I have not seen any money.” Then the soldier was furious and cried: “There is no one else here. You found my money and have hidden it. Give it back to me at once if your life is dear to you.” And the old man answered the soldier with angry words and turned his back upon him to proceed on his journey. And the soldier fell upon him and killed him. He then felt in the old man’s clothes and emptied his bag and searched everywhere but could not find the money. Then he mounted his horse and rode away.
When Moses saw this he cried to the Lord: “Alas! Lord God, I thought what I would see would comfort me, but it has added sorrow to my sorrow. I have seen a poor innocent old man killed, and a young shepherd lad enriched.”
Then the Lord answered Moses: “Lift up your eyes and see the rungs of the ladder which stands before you. I shall cause you to ascend it, where no man before has ascended, and then your eyes will be opened, and you will see that all my judgments are righteous.”
And Moses ascended the ladder and stood on the rung where the Lord had told him, and he saw a picture before him. And the word of the Lord came to Moses and asked him: “What do you see, my servant Moses?” And Moses answered: “I see a lame peasant and a sweet boy by his side. And an old man approaching the lame peasant; he attacks him and robs him of his money and murders him. And there is a soldier standing by who sees the murder and the robbery, and pays no heed.”
Then the Lord said to Moses: “You have seen well. Now listen and I shall tell you the way of my judgment.” And Moses said: “Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.” And the Lord said: “The old man who was murdered by the stream is the same old man who murdered the lame peasant and robbed him of his money. The soldier who murdered him is the same you saw standing by when the murder was committed and took no heed. The soldier picked up the bag of money which the murdered dropped in his haste, and kept it. Because it was not his he lost it when he watered his horse by the stream. The shepherd boy who found the money is the son of the murdered peasant; it is his inheritance by right. Therefore, my servant Moses, you see how all my judgments are just. He who sheds the blood of man his blood shall be shed; the soldier who took no heed when the murder was committed has now killed the murdered. I also caused the stolen money to be found by the murdered man’s son, and it is just that he should inherit it.”
Then Moses said: “O God of truth, in whom there is no iniquity, righteous and upright is he.”
-Legends of Israel, J.B. Levner, 1956 p. 69-71
Jamie Killian, Board Vice Chair
“I am confident of this, that God, who began a good work among you, will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:6
In the first message of 2012, already way back on Jan. 1…I delivered a message titled “The Year of Following Jesus.” In that message I set the stage for us to be ever more faithful and more diligent to align ourselves, both as individuals and as a church, to follow Jesus. The messages will continue with this concept all the way up to Easter, all in the attempt to get us back on track again with our transformation process.
In 2006, I was called to this church to be a pastor who would lead FCC into transformation. By the guidance and movement of the spirit of God, along with the spiritual transformation of many personal lives among us, transformation did occur. We made great progress in redefining ourselves in what it means to be church and how that was to look in Slidell. For several years, we moved forward in our process of transformation. But, as is often the case with all organizations (churches included), we began to slow down and stagnate, especially in the last year and a half or so.
Thus, the imperative is to examine what’s going on. Why the slow down? Why the stagnation? What’s going on? Upon conversations with many of our leaders and small groups, it became clear that the root of the problem lay within us! We, as a body need to refocus ourselves upon our own personal faith journeys. Perhaps we have become complacent, or lazy, or too comfy. In the journey of spirituality that is not a good place to be. So, we will begin 2012 with intentional renewal. As the beginning of every message will indicate… FCC will experience a wonderful year of following Jesus to RENEWAL…
Renewal means- the process of renewing. It means to make like new; to restore to freshness and vigor, to make new spiritually; to revive; rebuild; regenerate; to begin again; rejuvenate; and restore. Indeed what a perfect word for what we will be set as our plan for this year.
Try to be present for the nine message series. If you have to miss one Sunday, ask David for the cd; so you won’t miss a step along the way. We will follow Jesus into renewal- both as individuals and as a church! We need it! Our community needs it! And, God calls us to it!
Come, follow Jesus with me,
Rev. Susan Lassalle
A Note From the Board… Vice Chair Jamie Killian
Do not question God’s Judgment
Have you ever wondered why bad things happen? Why the innocent suffer? Have you ever asked God, why? I believe everyone tries to rationalize events, make excuses to explain another’s action. It is human nature to try and make sense and cope with events we do not understand.
In a book that I am reading called Legends of Israel, I came across a story that ancient Jews passed down verbally about such a topic. In this story Moses questions God’s judgment. It goes as follows;
The Lord is Righteous in all His ways.
When Moses saw the wickedness and the oppression and the robbery of the needy and the poor, and the tears of the oppressed and the downtrodden he was grieved, and he said to the Lord: “O judge of all the earth! Why do you deal evil to the righteous and kindness to the wicked? Why do you shut your eyes to seeing evil? Why do you behold iniquity and take no heed thereof? O Lord, give me understanding of the secrets of your judgments that I may declare your righteousness to the assembled multitudes.”
And God answered Moses: “I have heard your supplication before me. Behold! I shall show you the manner of my judgments, but you shall see only the end. None born of women can see the whole. Open your eyes and see.” And Moses lifted up his eyes and saw a stream flowing down a mountain-side. The water of the stream was pure and clear. Then Moses saw a soldier on a horse draw near to the stream; he dismounted and gave his horse to drink. He then knelt down and he also drank. As he was so occupied a wallet of money fell from his coat pocket on the ground. He did not notice it; he mounted his horse and rode on.
Then a shepherd lad came to the stream to water his flock, and he saw the wallet which the soldier had lost, and he lifted it up and hid it in his pocket. The lad was full of joy, and he said: “This is the day the Lord has made. I shall be glad and rejoice in it! I shall no longer return to my master who beats me daily, but I shall return to my mother in my own land and buy her a house and filed, and we shall live together.”
Then Moses saw an old man come to the stream. He was tired and weary, his knees gave way because of his long journey and because of the heat of the day which greatly tried his strength. When he came to the stream he sat down on the ground and took some dry bread from his bag, dipped it in the water and ate and drank. When finished eating he lay down on the ground, using his bag as a pillow and slept.
When the soldier had gone some distance from the stream he saw that his wallet of money was not in his pocket, and he was greatly distressed. Then he remembered that he knelt down by the stream to drink. And he quickly returned to the stream. He saw the old man sleeping on the ground and woke him, crying: “Give me back my money, and I shall not harm you.”
The old man asked the soldier: “Why are you shouting?” And the soldier answered: “Because you have found my money which I lost here, and you want to keep it.” But the old man said: “I have not seen any money.” Then the soldier was furious and cried: “There is no one else here. You found my money and have hidden it. Give it back to me at once if your life is dear to you.” And the old man answered the soldier with angry words and turned his back upon him to proceed on his journey. And the soldier fell upon him and killed him. He then felt in the old man’s clothes and emptied his bag and searched everywhere but could not find the money. Then he mounted his horse and rode away.
When Moses saw this he cried to the Lord: “Alas! Lord God, I thought what I would see would comfort me, but it has added sorrow to my sorrow. I have seen a poor innocent old man killed, and a young shepherd lad enriched.”
Then the Lord answered Moses: “Lift up your eyes and see the rungs of the ladder which stands before you. I shall cause you to ascend it, where no man before has ascended, and then your eyes will be opened, and you will see that all my judgments are righteous.”
And Moses ascended the ladder and stood on the rung where the Lord had told him, and he saw a picture before him. And the word of the Lord came to Moses and asked him: “What do you see, my servant Moses?” And Moses answered: “I see a lame peasant and a sweet boy by his side. And an old man approaching the lame peasant; he attacks him and robs him of his money and murders him. And there is a soldier standing by who sees the murder and the robbery, and pays no heed.”
Then the Lord said to Moses: “You have seen well. Now listen and I shall tell you the way of my judgment.” And Moses said: “Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.” And the Lord said: “The old man who was murdered by the stream is the same old man who murdered the lame peasant and robbed him of his money. The soldier who murdered him is the same you saw standing by when the murder was committed and took no heed. The soldier picked up the bag of money which the murdered dropped in his haste, and kept it. Because it was not his he lost it when he watered his horse by the stream. The shepherd boy who found the money is the son of the murdered peasant; it is his inheritance by right. Therefore, my servant Moses, you see how all my judgments are just. He who sheds the blood of man his blood shall be shed; the soldier who took no heed when the murder was committed has now killed the murdered. I also caused the stolen money to be found by the murdered man’s son, and it is just that he should inherit it.”
Then Moses said: “O God of truth, in whom there is no iniquity, righteous and upright is he.”
-Legends of Israel, J.B. Levner, 1956 p. 69-71
Jamie Killian, Board Vice Chair
