My View from N. Wintzell 10/26/10

Sorry for the radio silence. It's been an exciting few weeks here on N. Wintzell. For those of you who aren't so intimately acquainted with the activities of the Landry family, let me bring you up to date.

10/17/10- Homecoming at FBC. A great day of worship and fellowship with friends and family was enjoyed by the church. Immediately following the festivities, my son developed a hacking cough and fever. Dr.'s diagnosis- bronchitis.

10/18/10- Dad and Joseph enjoy a sick day together. A smashing time was had by all. Compliments of Hollywood Video, we enjoyed Toy Story, Pete's Dragon, and The Great Mouse Detective.

10/19/10-10/20/10- all was quiet on the southern front.

10/21/10- at 7:15AM I received a text message from my 33 week pregnant wife: "I think my water just broke!" We live in an amazing age of technological wonder. My wife uses it to communicate a number of important messages to me. It was via text message that I found out about two of my wife's pregnancies. I like text messaging. For future reference, I think such an announcement (ie the breaking of water) deserves a phone call.

We arrived at the hospital and Suzanne was examined only to determine that her water had not broken. She was, however, having contractions. After stopping the contractions, the Dr. determined that the best course of action was for her to stay over night.

10/22/10- Good news! Everything looks great and we're going home at noon. All in all the trip was a smashing success and we hope to hold off the onset of labor as long as possible.

10/23/10- Suzanne wakes to symptoms of Joseph's bronchitis. After a phone call to her doctor, we return to the hospital. While there, contractions began again and, you guessed it, we settled in for another overnight stay.

10/24/10- While I was at church, the doctor made the decision to release Suzanne again. Upon arriving home, she discovered that our son was running a 102-degree fever with redness in his throat. Three hours of Urgent-Care later, we had a diagnosis of strep throat.

It's now Tuesday, 10/26/10 and everyone seems to be doing well. Suzanne went back to work today and we have made our best effort to keep the medical establishment in Mobile County afloat for another week. Thanks to all of you who have been praying for us. We're blessed to have such an incredible group of people to call our friends and family. Please keep praying!

Clint Landry?

Have you met my alter-ego?


If you weren't aware yet, your humble blogger/pastor has gone Hollywood. OK, so maybe it's not me, but there is a guy with my name. If you haven't had the chance yet, should take the opportunity to check out Swamp People on the History Channel. I was first alerted to the show by some observant folks here at the church who noted that the show's true protagonist, Troy Landry shared my last name. (Also, if you dropped Troy between my dad and uncle, you might think he was the 3rd Landry brother) We've got some video of Troy below:




Troy Landry is a Swamp Person. During alligator season, he takes the opportunity to hunt alligators, commercially, and employs a "hired gun" named Clint Landry (no relation to Troy or the author) to do the actual shooting. You can find out more about the show here: I was immediately intrigued, as it's always good to see a fellow Landry enjoy fame. I took the opportunity to find the actual Clint Landry on Facebook and friend him up. Apparently, I wasn't the only one with this idea, as I've recently received friend requests from folks around the country. In checking out their profiles, I've found that they are, inevitably, Swamp People fans who think they have befriended "the" Clint Landry.

Unfortunately, I'm not "the" Clint Landry. I do not regularly "Choot 'im in da head, yah!" (that's a little Swamp People joke for us insiders) I am a Clint Landry, though, and I am now endeavoring every day to do my part to act as a Swamp Person. No reptile shall survive my fury. I will begin to speak in the dialect of my Cajun forefathers. I will wear the exact same shirt in every episode of my new show. OK, so maybe not. Maybe I'll just have a bowl of gumbo and buy one of these sweet t-shirts: here

As for me, I'll just enjoy my new-found pseudo-celebrity here on N. Wintzell.

A Homecoming Note

Thanks to all of the folks who came out and participated in Homecoming 2010 at FBC. I believe that the day was a great success! If you were not with us, here's a copy of my letter to the congregation in this year's homecoming book:


October 17, 2010
Greetings!
Thank you for joining us today as we celebrate our 129th Homecoming Sunday at First Baptist Bayou La Batre. It’s a joy to welcome you. Whether you are a member, former member, or guest we want you to know that we appreciate your presence this morning. It’s a blessed thing to be a part of a church that has enjoyed an enduring witness in the community for so many years. In a day in which most of our life is marked by the transient nature of change, there is great comfort in worshipping the God who has not.

Our church has seen a lot of changes over the past 129 years. There have been good days and difficult days. We’ve shared joys and sorrows together. In the midst of storms, our God has faithfully seen us through to this day. Today is a day that we share together in hope, the hope of a risen Savior.

Today is a day of celebration! We remember those who have gone before. We consider their sacrifices and we examine the impact that they have made on our lives. We give thanks for men and women with the foresight to invest in the lives of future generations, to the glory of God.

Today is also a day of reflection. As we look to our past, we reflect on our present situation? As we share the joy of a family reunion, we remember those who are separated, lost, and searching for the hope that we share.

Will there be a lighthouse to shine a beacon of hope for them? Will we embrace the challenge of a new day? Will our city know that the God who has been at work in and through our church for so many years is seeking them? 129 years from now, will we be remembered as men and women who carried the Gospel to a lost city?

Will you pray with me that God would raise us up to fulfill the Master’s call to lift His name high? I’m convinced that God wants to work through faithful men and women to do a new thing here. Will it be like the old days? No, it probably will not. I do believe, however, that God has a new vision for us and it is greater than anything we can imagine. What will our future hold? I don’t know, but I know that I’m excited to be a part of it.



Blessings,



Rev. Clint Landry
Pastor
First Baptist Church
Bayou La Batre


As part of yesterday's service, I've asked our church, along with the many friends of First Baptist out there to join us in 40 days of focused prayer for the future of our church. From now until November 25th (Thanksgiving), we're going to praying for a renewed sense of vision and direction. Will you join us in seeking God's vision for FBC?

Homecoming

Consider yourself invited!


It's an exciting week here on N.Wintzell. The church is abuzz as we prepare to celebrate Homecoming here at First Baptist. I believe it's going to be a good day in the life of our church. If you've never had the opportunity to participate in homecoming at a small-town church, you've missed out. Sunday will be a day of reflection and remembrance, of celebration and of tears. We'll fondly think back to days gone by and we will join hands in a prayer of hope for the future.

The old girl will celebrate her 129th this week. That's quite an accomplishment in an era where our institutions struggle to survive. She's been battered by storms, physical and otherwise. She's had some bad days. She's still here.

This will be my first opportunity to participate in a homecoming since I was a child here. The homecoming committee asked me to preach this year, given the unique set of circumstances concerning my call as pastor. I'm happy to do it and I'm praying that God would speak to His people through me Sunday. I look forward to welcoming old friends and family back home Sunday. We'll embrace and celebrate what the Lord has done.

As I look back on my relationship with the church, I smile when I think about good days. I remember many hours spent playing in the church yard, enjoying fellowship meals with the best gumbo in the world, and the men standing around the coffee pot chatting about the goings on in the wide world. The kitchen here was where I first learned that the coffee pot was the men's territory. I think about children's camps, youth trips, and Vacation Bible Schools. I was the worst arts and crafts student in the history of VBS, if you were curious. My mediocre abilities ruined the experience for all parties involved. I still break out in hives when I see popsicle sticks and pipe cleaners. I remember old friends. Some of them have been taken home and some of them are away.

Sometimes I think about the difficult days that we've been through. I'm thankful for faithful men and women who cared enough to keep things going through dark times. I'm glad that through the ups and downs of the life of the church, God's seen us through. I'm glad that He's given us "a future and a hope".

Over the past 129 years, I know our church has made an impact. I don't have to go far to see it, hear it, and feel it. If you are out there reading this post and you're one of those folks, consider this a personal invitation to come out and join us this Sunday. Whether you are nearby are far away, come home this Sunday at 10:30. We'll have the gumbo ready for dinner on the grounds and we'll be waiting for you, here on N. Wintzell.

A Little Spark?

Will it Grow?

Forgive me for the light posting over the past few weeks. I've been preparing for a doctoral seminar that I'm participating in this week and the work has kept me from posting as much as I'd have liked. I spent the day in Pensacola participating in a seminar on leadership and church growth. During the course of today's class, we were confronted by some startling statistics in regard to the state of the Church in America today. I hate to admit it, but some of the information was disheartening.

Faced with this information, we are tasked with coming up with solutions for the state of decline that so many of our churches are experiencing. In considering these issues, I was reminded of a conversation I had earlier in the week with one of my church members. She had mentioned to me once that she had met one of my former students from my first church, Durant Chapel. At the time, I didn't know the context of their conversation. This lady was in the hospital and my former student was her nurse. The patient was quite nervous concerning her physical difficulties and the nurse took the time to minister to her and pray with her. In the course of the conversation, it came up that they both knew me.

As a youth minister, I can't tell you how much it excited me to see one of my students living out the principles that I worked hard to pour into her life. I certainly can't take credit for it, but knowing that one of my students was ministering to someone else reminded me that the Kingdom will multiply. Jesus put it this way:

30 And he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? 31 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, 32 yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”

Mark 4:30-32

How are we going to make an impact on our culture? How can we make a significant difference in our communities? How can our mustard seeds grow into great plants? I think the answer is clear: one person at a time. When that happens, one will become two. Two will become four, and so it goes and grows.

If you were ever around any youth ministries from 1972-1993, you probably heard or sang one of the most iconic Christian songs of the era, Pass It On by Kurt Kaiser. For a person of my generation, it's a song that's usually met with a few snickers and visions of cheesy campfire scenes at youth retreats. It does remind us of that important truth: the Kingdom will multiply as we share what God has done in us, one person at a time.

So take a moment, imagine you're around the campfire in 1982, and enjoy the song:

Perks of the Job

Greetings, friends!

So, I don't have anything profound to write about today (ok, maybe I never have anything profound to write about, but thanks for reading anyway). But I thought I would share a little bit of my week with you. Wednesday I got to enjoy one of the real perks of my job as pastor here at FBC Bayou La Batre. One of the ways that church members often show appreciation to their ministers is by providing them with food. Over the course of my years in ministry, that food has come in the form of scuppernongs, barbecue, yard eggs, and a number of other delights. All were good. This week, that tradition of dining excellence reached an apex as a church member called me to give my family some shrimp he had caught the night before.

Needless to say, I was happy to receive the gift. Last night, our family sat down to one of the best meals I've ever eaten. It was a simple meal: fried shrimp, french fries, and hush puppies. It was perfect. What made the meal? First and foremost, the company was outstanding. Sharing a great meal with family is an incredible joy, that most of us don't do often enough. Second, it was nice to be blessed with a gift from a church member. I'm thankful that God's people appreciate the service I offer to the church and choose to bless me in return.

I would be remiss, however, if I failed to make note of the crucial role that the main ingredient made in the meal. Without the shrimp, the fries and hush puppies would have made a pretty mediocre meal. You can go to almost any grocery store in our nation and buy shrimp, but there's nothing like those beautiful white shrimp caught on our Alabama Gulf Coast. For my out of town friends, they may cost a little more and you may have to look a little harder, but I promise you, it will be worth the effort.

For more info on Alabama wild shrimp, check out thislink.