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Rebuilding New Orleans - Spring Break Mission Trip

I spent last week with a group from the Schweitzer college ministry doing hurricane recovery work in the New Orleans area. We worked with Northshore Disaster Recovery to do the work along with students from several other schools in Missouri. We worked with nearly 100 college students rebuilding houses destroyed by Katrina. Our group worked on putting up vinyl siding, sanding/mudding dry wall, and working on the two porches of the house. Other work sites poured footings for new houses and worked on drywall installation in another.

It's amazing how much destruction still remains in the New Orleans area. Where we were in Slidell it was mainly rebuilding taking place, but further south demolition is still taking place from a storm that occurred nearly four years ago. All around New Orleans people are still living in FEMA trailers.

We drove through the Ninth Ward on Thursday and the area has basically gone wild again with grass, trees, and other plants growing out of foundations. The occasional house in need of demolition is all that remains in neighborhoods that once had houses closely packed together. The inspection marks painted on the sides of buildings remain even in nicer areas where attempts have been made to powerwash them off the homes.

Our experience was outstanding working with Northshore and we're discussing the possibility of taking another trip in the next year to work with them again. Schweitzer has a very active disaster relief ministry that fits nicely with organizations like Northshore, focusing on hands-on work and learning the stories of those impacted by the hurricane.

Eric Cartman & Cultural Attitudes

Last night at The Green Room we continued our series about prayer talking about how we find rest in Christ and how when we find that rest we take on the attitude of Christ as described by Paul in Philippians 2. This is in contrast to the attitudes of our culture.

I had a lot of fun in expressing the values of the culture in contrast to the humbleness of Christ through Eric Cartman from South Park. We showed clips from each of these three cultural realities that are funny when portrayed by nine year old Cartman, but not so funny when we recognize them in ourselves and the people around us.

Whatever I'll do what I want: Plain and simple, as a society, we want to do it our way. There's a desire to live a life without consequences and ignoring those around us.

Respect my authoritay: We also have an attitude of entitlement. Going beyond just doing what we want, we try to force our will on those around us.

Screw you guys, I'm going home: When we don't get our way, we check out. We like to disconnect and take our toys and go home. How often does disagreement in our lives push us into isolation.

Contrast these attitudes to the words of Paul:

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
      did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
 but made himself nothing,
      taking the very nature of a servant,
      being made in human likeness.
 And being found in appearance as a man,
      he humbled himself
      and became obedient to death—
         even death on a cross!
                            - Philippians 2: 5-8