PASTOR’S NOTE 08/10/08

The Olympics kicked off this week.  I have watched some of the competitions and a little of the opening ceremonies.  I had some difficulty with it due to the forty billion dollars spent on building the facilities needed for the event.  In addition to that, the three hundred million spent on the opening ceremony, while a large majority of China’s one and a third billion live in poverty, making only two dollars a day on average.  Don’t get me wrong, I love the Olympics and I will watch as much as I can.   But in this extravagant obsessed world with its over-the-top mentality, the disparity in China is too great to be appreciated.   But enough of my soap box.  Yet, it brings up a thought.  Since mid-June we have felt like we were in our own king of olympic competition.  After receiving the keys to our present church building, our congregation immediately began moving out of the old location and moving into the new one, at the same time up-dating our new facility.  We targeted the first weekend in August, which was Safe House’s fifth anniversary, as the date for our Grand Celebration, a combination anniversary and grand opening.  We made it!  There are some things yet to be done, nevertheless we were able to invite guests in and have a wonderful time of worship and fellowship.  The people of Safe House labored hard and long, of that I am pleased.  But their true grit has been manifested in their spirit.  They prayed and stayed faithful until God answered prayer.  This is more impressive than running a marathon or power-lifting several hundred pounds.  This group of once broken people lifted the load of planting a church and have run the race with patience and moved the hand of God.  These are my true Olympians.