A Journey of Love…

Most of the readers of this web adventure are well aware of the journey our family has undertaken.

William Casey Ferguson was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas on March 2, 2006 at 6:56 AM. By 9:30 he was placed in our arms.

On September 4, 2006, the adoption process will be completely over. It is already good as done.

At this point, we are simply awaiting the turning of a calender page.

God is so good!

We are very blessed.

Four boys!

Who would have ever thought it?

For those who might be interested, a page of Casey pics can be found in the left hand column under the heading of Casey Pics!

May every reader of this online journal know the blessing of God!

Les Ferguson, Jr.

Holy is the Lamb

Boston. Journey. Van Halen. Sammy Hagar. Bon Jovi. Pink Floyd. Queen. Styx. And so many more.

Those were the sounds of my youth. And they still have the power to evoke memories of a time long past. Occasionally, I still tune them in on my favorite classic rock stations or on a CD.

But lately, most of my musical infusion comes from singer/song writers and bands considered to be Contemporary Christian music.

In my late teens and early twenties, Contemporary Christian rock was limited to a few groups like Stryper and Petra. But now, the choices are many and I am like a kid in a candy store.

Some of the groups I enjoy have a main stream sound that is causing their market share to grow as well as attracting new fans who would have never before listened to music based on a foundation of faith in God.

Mercy Me. Casting Crowns. Michael W. Smith. Newsboys. Audio Adrenaline. Chris Tomlin. Kutless. And many more.

Truth-to-tell, if it wasn’t for my oldest son, I am not sure I would have made the connection with this kind of music. But I did and the rest, as they say, is history.

Some of the music is more of a hard rock sound. Some of it is a of a praise and worship style. And some of these bands and groups take turns doing music that is not normally their style or sound.

One in particular has been in my truck’s sound system for at least a month and a half. I have listened to nothing else during that time (my addiction to talk radio has slowly faded away).

The band is Kutless and the album (Strong Tower) is a compilation of worship songs.

The first song is We Fall Down and the lyrics are:

We fall down We lay our crowns

At the feet of Jesus

The greatness of mercy and love

At the feet of Jesus

We cry holy, holy, holy

We cry holy, holy, holy

We cry holy, holy, holy

Is the lamb

Good stuff. And a good focus.

Last night (Tuesday) I realized just how good it was. I had taken Conner, my nine year old, Matthew, my eleven year old nephew, and Madyson, my 13 year old niece to Barnes and Noble.

It was a relaxing time. We all bought books. And drank a specialty coffee or fruit drink in the little café and read awhile. But when we left, the song above came on through the speakers and I heard it better than I had ever heard it before. Through the lips and lungs of two wonderful boys who belted out over and over We cry holy, holy, holy We cry holy, holy, holy We cry holy, holy, holy Is the lamb.

Indeed. Out of the mouths of babes. Holy is the Lamb.

I don’t know if they yet grasp all of the theological implications. And maybe it was just a song to them. But I doubt it.

With all of my heart, I believe that in a crystal clear and perfectly pure moment in time, they were acknowledging The Lamb of God.

Holy is the Lamb.

Is He holy to you?

July 26, 2006

The Blessing of God

Since August 29, 2006, our church family has been the beneficiary of so many blessings. Yes we have taken our lumps as the result of hurricane Katrina, but our wonderful fellowship of family in Christ has more than risen to the occasion.

Were I to try and name all of the people and churches who have come to our aid, I would fail miserably. We have had folks from a multitude of faith fellowships here assisting us and assisting our community. We have had and continue to receive support from counselors from the North Atlanta Church of Christ. They are here faithfully one weekend a month offering a listening ear and solid Christian advice to our local church family as well as those from our community who have chosen to seek this kind of help.

So much money, so much food, so much help, and so much labor has come through our doors and into the community at large. And we still are in need. Not a day goes by that somebody doesn’t call our church building looking for some kind of construction help or clean up. And here we are–just a little over a month before the one year anniversary of the greatest natural disaster to hit our fair shores–and we are still finding people who have yet to receive the kind of help they desperately need.

Other communities on our beautiful Gulf Coast are in even worse shape. Hopelessness abounds. Somebody I love and value greatly told me recently that even when their once destroyed house is finally finished being rebuilt, it won’t be home–because everything in the house will be brand new–and there are no memories associated with any of the stuff that will fill their home. Countless others face the same thing

Did I mention our church building? For those of you reading this from outside our local church family, the following may be somewhat surprising… We have been preparing to build a new building for a number of years. Land had been bought. Our building had been sold and a contract was signed–just two days before the storm–to start building. We have had a slight change of plans–at least in the time frame and cost analysis. Since the storm, we have been on a long long odyssey just to get our building permits from the city of Gulfport (that story is amazing in itself). After ten months, we now have them. In the meantime, we now are under 160 days left in our old building with nowhere really to go. Not to mention that the projected costs have almost doubled. We need help. And lots of it. Please keep us in your prayers.

Into the midst of this struggle came the the youth group mission team from the Pittman Church of Christ in Pittman, NJ. Led by the able and capable Paul Glover, this group of kids and adult helpers arrived on July 15th and left July 20. They did some community service projects, but mostly they lifted spirits in amazing ways. Every night, Sunday through Wednesday, they put on one of the best if not the best VBS programs I have ever had the privilege to see. Kids were excited and adults too.

And we have been blessed. Through the heartache and frustration–through the uncertainty and pain–we have been blessed.

And we are ever thankful and ever mindful of the One from whom all blessings flow.

As I write this, we have a work crew here from the Northside Church of Christ in Benton, Ar.

North Atlanta is scheduled to have a crew here from August 4-6.

Hope Christian Church will have a crew here August 5-12.

If you would like to help in any way, please feel free to contact us at the Orange Grove Church of Christ.

Blessings to you,

Les Ferguson, Jr.  July 22, 2006

The Battle Belongs to the Lord!

The horse is made ready for the day of battle,

but victory rests with the LORD.

Proverbs 21:31 (NIV)

As I write this, Israel is waging war on two fronts. There are fears and worries of a third and fourth front to be opened as well. Hot rhetoric is being exchanged with some of the regions leaders as Syria and Iran make ugly saber rattling noises.

Added to that mix are America’s ongoing struggles in Iraq and Afghanistan. And then of course, we have our own problems with Iran as well as the rogue state of North Korea.

War seems to be breaking out everywhere. The political pundits have been trumpeting the idea that we are already involved in World War III.

I don’t know if they can make a completely compelling case for that or not. But however you describe it, it seems as if our world is quickly spiraling out-of-control.

I wonder why we seem so surprised.

Humanity has always displayed a real talent for messing things up. And it’s not like we do it all on our own anyway.

We live in a broken world where Satan has the ability to go to and fro–a world where his demonic forces work almost completely unfettered. His influence is felt far and wide-among nations, among leaders of nations, and among those of us who are simply citizens of the land wherein we dwell.

Paul reminds us in Ephesians 6:12 that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Yes, there is a war going on. And while it may or may not be fought among the nations, it is most assuredly being fought in our lives.

The message of Christianity is this: Choose your side. Fight hard. Live for your King. The Battle Belongs to the Lord!

Blessings,

Les Ferguson, Jr.    July 18, 2006 

A Compassionate Response

 Project Recovery was created in 2005 to provide free crisis counseling services to individuals and groups affected by the Hurricane Katrina disaster. This web site is designed to help you cope with the after effects of the Hurricane Katrina disaster.

Project Recovery is funded through a grant by the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and facilitated with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The project is a division of the Mississippi Department of Mental Health.

I knew of Project Recovery. I see them in their light blue t-shirts as they go about their business around the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Monday morning I got to meet one of their representatives at my office in the church building. Enter Lelia Lang. She wasn’t there to offer me personal mental health services (although such is probably needed!). She was just there to make sure we were aware of what they had to offer to stressed out and hurting folks.

And people here are ever so stressed. The closer we get to the one year anniversary of Katrina’s calling on the coast, the more stress will be evident.

But I digress. Lelia Lang. I don’t know how old she was. It’s getting harder everyday for me to guesstimate the ages of younger and older folk. However, she was a good bit older than I am and had lived almost her entire life here in South Mississippi. She is a displaced resident of Pass Christian having lost everything in the storm. She is currently looking for a place to live even as she faithfully goes about her work of trying to help others.

She shared some stories with me of growing up here on the coast. She truly lived a rich life and as far as she is able, she is still trying to live just as richly.

I enjoyed my time with her immensely. She shared some of her tears and some of her pain. She listened to me as I talked of my work here. I think we both got something good out of our time spent together.

But one story in particular got to me. It wasn’t about her, but about a family friend. I don’t even know her name, but she was a nurse who lived and worked in a more affluent area of New Orleans. The storm was over and she was outside with neighbors when they noticed a wall of water advancing on them. It was a break in the levee and she lost it all. Somehow she was picked up by helicopter and taken to the Super Dome. She spent days there unable to wash the caked on mud off of her legs. Mud that ultimately made her very ill by infecting her with some kind of bacteria.

She was then evacuated from the Super Dome and unceremoniously dropped off on the high rise bridge of New Orleans. By this time she was sick and very disoriented. She went from being a well paid medical worker with a secure home and career to being homeless and wandering somewhere in Alabama. And that’s how Lelia found this old family friend.

Lelia cried as she told me this story. The fact of the matter is that any of us could have been that lady. The fact of the matter is that far too many of our fellow Coastians us are sharing similar stories. And it breaks my heart.

My family has been blessed. Maybe yours has been as well. But for those of us who live here, we need to not forget how to be compassionate to those of our number who are still struggling and still suffering as they try to put their lives back together.

For those of you reading this from other states and other places far removed from Katrina’s Ground Zero, we could still use some of your compassion. Our neighbors, our families, our friends and even our churches ares still coping with disaster.

Pray for us. Come when you can. There are thousands more stories like that of Lelia and her unnamed friend.

Blessings,

Les Ferguson, Jr.  July 13, 2006

Racism

On my old Xanga blog, I wrote about going to the movie theater to see Glory Road, the story of Texas Western’s improbable run to the NCAA championship. It was a good movie and remains one of the most endearing sports stories. Tonight I watched it again on DVD with my three oldest boys and Kyle’s girlfriend, Laurel.

The one thing I had forgotten was the very thing that made me angry when seeing the movie for the first time. The overt racism that the team’s African-American players had to face is ugly to see. It breaks my heart that my next to youngest son has to know how so many of his race has treated others of a different race.

Racism is such a horrible thing to behold. It is a cancer of the heart and cannot be reasoned with. It must be radically removed by the blood of Christ and the changing grace of God.

I’d like to think in our more enlightened world that we have overcome racist attitudes and actions. But I know that there are still those who view a person’s value and worth as a by-product of their skin color. May God have mercy.

In the church of Jesus, we have come a long way from the paths of the past. But we still have far to go. Too many times as some remind us, the most segregated hour in America is found during Sunday morning worship. We can do better. We must do better.

I wonder how many of us who would repudiate the racism of the past still make excuses for not making our churches a welcoming place for people, not only of color, but for those who are caught in sin.

Racism is horrific. God forbid we become practitioners of a racism that leaves lost souls in the dirt and grime of a filthy world.

We can make a difference.

Another late night rambling post…

Blessings,

Les Ferguson, Jr.  July 10, 2006 

70's Music Explosion

I went home for lunch today. That makes two days in a row. Up until now, I thought I was saving money.

But today may very well be a different story. What I learned today may cost me some time and money and who knows what else.

I wish I had stayed at the office.

While I was at home, an advertisement came on the TV. It was a sales pitch that pitched me way back in time. It was a sales pitch that reminded me of how old I have become. It reminded me that what I once thought was cool is kind of, well, dorky.

You can try it yourself. 1-800-923-1616. Or better yet take a look and a listen. 70’s Music Explosion.

Did I really groove and drive and sing and study and date and listen to some of that? I sure did. Many of you did too. It wasn’t dorky then, but try singing it around your family now… They’ll look at you funny as well.

There is a secret part of me that wants to pay the five monthly payments on my credit card of $29.99 to get the whole set–including the special CD of one-hit wonders. It would be fun to croon some of those songs again–out-of-view-and-hearing of my family and friends of course!

At least my Explorer Sport Trac would be a happenin’ place.

I went home for lunch today and I was reminded that things change. Culture changes. Music changes. And obviously taste changes.

That’s a lesson we may need to be reminded of from time to time–especially in the culture of the church. There are some things that never change. Jesus. Truth. Doctrine. Salvational concepts. Those are constants. To alter them or ignore them or somehow cheapen their necessity is to do violence to the Holy Words of God.

But so many of our disagreements or problems or fights among the family of God have nothing whatsoever to do with that which never changes. Instead, it’s about culture and taste. Or more truthfully, it’s about whose will prevails.

1 John 4:16b-21, God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. ¹⁷In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. ¹⁸There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. ¹⁹We love because he first loved us. ²⁰If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. ²¹And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother. (NIV)

Maybe the 70’s weren’t so bad after all. In the words of the Captain and Tennille, Love will keep us together…

Les Ferguson, Jr.   July 6, 2006

70’s Music Explosion

I went home for lunch today. That makes two days in a row. Up until now, I thought I was saving money.

But today may very well be a different story. What I learned today may cost me some time and money and who knows what else.

I wish I had stayed at the office.

While I was at home, an advertisement came on the TV. It was a sales pitch that pitched me way back in time. It was a sales pitch that reminded me of how old I have become. It reminded me that what I once thought was cool is kind of, well, dorky.

You can try it yourself. 1-800-923-1616. Or better yet take a look and a listen. 70’s Music Explosion.

Did I really groove and drive and sing and study and date and listen to some of that? I sure did. Many of you did too. It wasn’t dorky then, but try singing it around your family now… They’ll look at you funny as well.

There is a secret part of me that wants to pay the five monthly payments on my credit card of $29.99 to get the whole set–including the special CD of one-hit wonders. It would be fun to croon some of those songs again–out-of-view-and-hearing of my family and friends of course!

At least my Explorer Sport Trac would be a happenin’ place.

I went home for lunch today and I was reminded that things change. Culture changes. Music changes. And obviously taste changes.

That’s a lesson we may need to be reminded of from time to time–especially in the culture of the church. There are some things that never change. Jesus. Truth. Doctrine. Salvational concepts. Those are constants. To alter them or ignore them or somehow cheapen their necessity is to do violence to the Holy Words of God.

But so many of our disagreements or problems or fights among the family of God have nothing whatsoever to do with that which never changes. Instead, it’s about culture and taste. Or more truthfully, it’s about whose will prevails.

1 John 4:16b-21, God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. ¹⁷In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. ¹⁸There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. ¹⁹We love because he first loved us. ²⁰If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. ²¹And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother. (NIV)

Maybe the 70’s weren’t so bad after all. In the words of the Captain and Tennille, Love will keep us together…

Les Ferguson, Jr.   July 6, 2006

Authentic Religion

It is somewhat amazing to think of the things we do in the name of religion. Worse, is the way we often describe it.

So many in our culture are looking for an authentic religious experience. Unfortunately, so many also define religious authenticity as a worship experience that moves them in some emotional way.

Don’t get me wrong. I crave those times of worship. I need our worship leader (who is simply wonderful) to help us enter the throne room of God in a passionate, emotional way. As mystical as it might sound to some who are more logical and rote in their approach to worship, I want to be moved by the songs we sing, the prayers we pray, and the word we preach.

And, I am not so naive as to think that my frame of mind, attitude, and effort isn’t important to the whole process. But when you crave intimacy through worship, you can find it if your heart is right no matter the songs we sing or the leader who leads.

But what gets me and I know I sound like a broken record to some is how much of our religion is defined by what we do in a worship assembly. It’s the "go to church" mentality.

And frankly, I am quite weary with the kind of Christianity that sees its sum total as taking place on Sunday morning. I wouldn’t miss worshiping with my family for anything, but if that is all there was to it, Christianity is shallow at best and worst, empty of anything that really matters.

Authentic religion is best described by James the brother of Jesus who says, If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted in the world. (James 1:26-27 NIV)

Sometimes I wish we didn’t have a single church building to our name. Again, don’t get me wrong. Church buildings can be one of the most valuable tools we own. I pray that every church building be utilized to its fullest from soup kitchens to after school play times to whatever gets us involved in the lives of those who live in our vicinity.

Authentic religion is living out our beliefs in God-honoring, life-changing ways. It is changing how we think, speak, and act. It means looking after the needs of those who may be unable to help themselves. It means going to places and being with people we might never associate with in a normal and sane world. It is all about knowing whom we belong to and living accordingly.

The reality is that authentic religion, authentic Christianity is not played out in pristine, sterile settings! An Australian, John Smith, once wrote, If I remember correctly, it was a clergyman of some distinction who said long ago that we must rediscover the fact in the church that Jesus was not crucified in a cathedral between two candles, but on a cross between two thieves, on a town garbage heap that was so cosmopolitan they had to list his name in several languages, in a place where men talked smut and where soldiers gambled for the only thing he possessed. That’s what Jesus was about and that’s what the church ought to be about.

So where does Sunday morning worship fit into authentic religion? It is the time where we renew and revive our connection to the Father and to each other–it is the time when we encourage and are encouraged to live like Jesus, to love like the Lord, and to care like the Good Shepherd!

If you want an authentic Christian life, then be in worship this Sunday. Magnify the name of the Lord. And then take Him into the highways and byways of the life you have been given!

Les Ferguson, Jr.

July 5, 2006