Next Step STORM

I've been reading and thinking a lot about King David and pondering how he could be labeled "a man after God's heart". You know the stuff he did...what sets him apart? I want to be a man after God's heart! How do I get there? This is a rhetorical question, please don't write me with the answer. I want to keep asking the question cuz I figure when I think I'm there, I'm probably farther away from the truth.

You see I'm just starting to figure out salvation. I'm working out my salvation.  Notice that I did not say I'm working for my salvation, though I find myself guilty of the latter at times. And that's my point here...the part I said I'm starting to figure out. Salvation is not from us but from God. I can't earn it....

Yeah, I know...I've been preaching it for years but I don't think I fully understand- "nothing you can say or do will make God love you any more or less". If I believe that, then why do I listen to the lies sometimes when I fail? Satan is quick to accuse me, point out my flaws, tell me I'm no good cuz of what I did. I gotta admit, the reason why I listen is because I don't fully understand, but I'm getting there! Praise be to the Lord, the only wise God our savior! Hey! Don't point your finger at me cuz you do the same thing! That's why I'm putting this on the table! We all need reminded.

I find comfort in David being a man after God's heart. We don't understand the salvation that God alone has provided. We even take the choice to follow Christ on ourselves, saying I chose Him. NO. He chose you! The last time I checked, a dead person can't choose nothing! (Sorry Mom, anything. A dead person can't choose anything.)


Colossians 2:13               Ephesians 2                            Romans 5                                  Romans 6 

Listen to me. I'm not trying to get into an Armenian/Calvinism debate cuz I think I'm a Calvinistic Armenian. My point is, I don't think we understand. We have knowledge, but not understanding. If we understood completely, then we wouldn't get in a slump. (Oh my goodness, I can just hear the comments section blowing up with theology. Listen to the spirit in which I speak, not the words I use!)  Romans and Psalms say no one understands.

I TRY to be good, to do good, to have pure thoughts, to not think negatively, to be humble and not prideful. No matter how hard I try I just can't seem to get there! You're right, dummy, you can't get there! THAT'S WHY i NEED CHRIST! For He in me can! His strength is made perfect in my weakness. Thank God, I'm not the only one. Paul said in Romans 7.....
"I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!"

Glory to God, this flesh is dying but this spirit is being regenerated! It won't always be like this!

Ok, so, funny story. You think I got it now, right? Oh praise the Lord, Monte has finally been born again again! Well, let me tell you....So I'm in church Sunday and the pastor starts preaching about this very same stuff! I'm thinking "HEY! That's what I'm processing and I wanted to share it! He stole my stuff! Well at least he didn't say anything about David. Hrmph. You see what I did there? Instead of rejoicing in the fact that the God of the universe is speaking, the Holy Spirit is obviously working, His message, because of the unity of the message.....Even when I have a revelation about my works vs God's works, I STILL take it on as my own! O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!
                                                                                                                                                    ~monte

Our plan at this time is to continue work here in Birmingham but with our eyes open. That meaning that we are open to changes in our plan. The very nature of what we (YOU and us together) do, helping others in storm situations of life and weather events, dictates that we remain open to movement at the Holy Spirits leading. As far as projects here in B'ham, we are overwhelmed with work at this time, both tornado and inner city. We're the only outside group that remains. NOW, WE NEED VOLUNTEERS! We're asking for those that find it in their heart to organize a team to come and serve the good folks of B'ham! Anyone can do it. It just takes a willing heart. Call or email us and we'll walk you through it!
We can't help but notice, the farther away from Katrina we get, the fewer the volunteers. In the Hope City years, on the beach in Gulfport, MS, it was 24/7 non-stop running. (Being on the beach may have had something to do with it :)  The "condition" is the same across the nation it seems; probably a combination of things. Some of which I don't even think of. We (volunteers) are probably a lil burnt out on disasters and there are so many, maybe we're stretched a lil thin. The economy probably has something to do with it also as peeps are having to be concerned with keeping a roof over their own heads. And there are so many "options" out there these days.......Anyway, all that to say that we continue to look for volunteers and are finding we have to be more intentional about seeking them out. Any volunteer marketers out there?  ;)
Birmingham has been a struggle all along in bureaucracy and politics with the Long Term Recovery Committee (LTRC).The LTRC is always set up locally after a federally declared disaster to control duplication of benefits (to those affected by the disaster). Basically, this where the caseworkers, material funders, and construction partners sit at a table and collaborate. NSS is a construction partner and this is where we go to get funding for materials on projects that have been case-worked. Caseworkers get all the pertinent info from clients and pre-approve them. They make sure the client meets the requirements of securing assistance, or fall within the scope of the disaster assistance. As a construction partner, we're constantly juggling between having enough volunteers to complete projects and having enough work for the volunteers coming in and matching the projects to the skills of the group. Let me just say, I find this to be an impossible task but give God the glory cuz He does a perfect job of supplying all our needs. He consistently does perfect match work! AND I am constantly amazed at the body of Christ at work and what we can do in unity!
A perfect example of this was how we started out the New Year. We had a great group of youth from Rebel Ministries in camp over New Year week. We had a family that needed some work that included a roof tear-off, siding, flooring, door replacement, drywall repairs.... This is tornado damage from April 2011 and the family with 4 kids has been living in the home since, doing what they can and living with what they have. An odd concept I know.... anyway, the Rebels completed the roof but we didn't want to start the siding because we didn't have a group scheduled the following week that could complete it. And because the group completed the roof quicker than I anticipated, I was wondering what we would do next. Not worried, mind you, cuz I have experience with the Lord coming through, just wondering. It was about that time that I got a call from Christian Service Mission (a local partner and part of the body unified that I was talking about above). They asked if I would help them run a crew of volunteers next week? Uhhh, let me think about it.....YYYYESSSss! We then started the siding with the Rebels and got to finish it the next week with a wonderful group from Redeemer Lutheran Church, Damascus, MD! God is good! You know, I heard somewhere ;) that "He will supply all our needs according to His glorious riches"!