My View from N. Wintzell 8/11/10

Money. It's a topic that we all think about much more than we'd care to admit. This Friday night, we're going to be hosting a financial workshop presented by the Baldwin County Extension Agency at the church at 6:00 pm. This workshop will cover a number of issues, including dealing with creditors, avoiding bankruptcy, developing a budget, and handling stress during financial crisis. I think that this will be an excellent workshop, and if you or someone you know could benefit from it, pass this information along and invite them to attend. This is a free event, and you can register by calling (251) 338-1565.

My View from N. Wintzell 8/9/10

Sorry it's taken me so long to post, but it's been a busy few days here on N. Wintzell. As I sit in my living room, I've been reflecting on the events of the past few days in the life of the church. Church life is a blessing, and this weekend's events served as a reminder for me.

This past Saturday, FBC held its first work day during my tenure. If you've never had the opportunity to participate in a church work day, I highly recommend it. Church work days usually include lots of coffee and breaks, and occasionally work gets accomplished. As I walked out of the pastorium Saturday morning, I was surprised to see one couple already hard at work trimming trees and bushes before the day's work was scheduled to begin. Over the next half-hour people started arriving and they came ready to work.

As a pastor, let me take a second to brag. When it was all said and done, we had 30 people show up for work day, and each one contributed to a productive day. I won't take the time to mention every task that was completed, but suffice it to say that our folks did an excellent job, and I'm proud to serve alongside them as their pastor. On Sunday nights we've been studying the book of Nehemiah, and as we labored Saturday morning, I was reminded of a passage we looked at the week before:


"So we built the wall. And all the wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work."
Nehemiah 4:6

It amazes me what God can accomplish through His people when they offer service with a generous spirit and a willing heart! I've spent a lot of time participating in church work days, and they've helped me to understand the importance of commitment. Commitment to service, commitment to others, commitment to the Lord; they all work together to build both the physical community and the spiritual community.


We celebrated a homegoing today at our church. One of our ladies was laid to rest after her passing a few days ago. Today, we remembered her life and ministry in the church. This lady will always be one of those folks who will serve to remind me of the beauty of committed service in the church. She taught Sunday School. She taught three year-olds. She did it for over 50 years. I've been in ministry long enough to have learned a few things: 1) Very few people do anything for 50 years. 2) Very few people survive one year of teaching three year-olds. 3) Many people get discouraged teaching Sunday School. Considering those three things that I know, this accomplishment continues to grow.

She was my three year-old Sunday School teacher, during the 1984-1985 church year. I don't remember a whole lot from her class (give me a break, I was probably barely potty-trained). I do remember taking up an offering every week. She kept spare change handy in case any of us didn't have anything to give. We had a real lesson every week. She never treated her three year-olds like we were there to be babysat. She prepared for that class like she was going to teach a doctoral seminar. I've always said that we should put our best teachers with our youngest children. She lived it out. I heard stories this week from her co-teacher about the hours that they spent preparing for the class, getting our papers ready and making plans for the next week's lesson. I learned some important lessons in that class:

1) There's a God in heaven and He created everything.

2) He has a son named Jesus.

3) He loves the little children (Red, yellow, black, white, etc.)

4) So do Sunday School teachers.

5) They prove this with many hugs and infinite patience for the questions that three year-olds ask.

6) People in the Bible wore funny clothes. When you got a little older, you could demonstrate this during the Christmas play by wearing a collection of sheets and bathrobes to make you look like a shepherd.

7) The nectar and ambrosia of preschool life is the weekly snack of butter cookies and red Kool-aid

8) The aforementioned cookies should be worn on the fingers before consumption. They taste better that way.

9) The Kool-aid was red flavored. I mean that. I don't think anybody knew if it was cherry or strawberry or pigsnout. It was just red. It was still divine.


In retrospect, those were some pretty important things to get a handle on as a three year-old. I'm glad somebody cared enough to share them with me. I watch people fall in and out of church life. I see people that I know love God who have believed a consumerist lie: I will find my place when I find a church that meets my needs (wants). If I can just find a church that meets my needs (wants), I'll be happy and settle in. I'd like to serve, but I just need to focus on my spiritual needs (wants). If you're out there reading this blog and are now offended, sorry (not really). You'll never find a church that will meet your needs (wants) until you commit yourself to one and find a way to exercise the gifts and talents that God's given you. I've been blessed by so many folks that have done just that, and I hope that I'll offer up the same committed service. Until then, I think I'll go find some butter cookies and Kool-aid.

That's my view, anyway, from here on N. Wintzell.

The Bayou Top 10: #8

Beware of Pelicans!

It seems that I left one bridge behind to return to an old familiar friend. During my time in Wetumpka, I had the opportunity to drive across one of the more beautiful historic bridges in our state on a daily basis. The Bibb Graves bridge was completed in 1931 and is the only reinforced concrete arch bridge south of the Mason-Dixon line. It spans the Coosa River right in the middle of town and the city has grabbed onto the bridge as a symbol of the community. From my office there on W. Bridge St. I was just a few hundred feet from the bridge. When I opened our church newsletter (The Bridge Builder) I often saw a picture of the bridge across the top. When I attended a Sunday morning small group (Bridge Group) I was reminded of the presence of the bridge.

I'm familiar with bridges, and the first one to capture my imagination was the Wintzell bridge on Hwy. 188 in Bayou La Batre. I remember it in its original color scheme. I remember the paint change and thinking that there wasn't enough money in the world to get me on the top of that thing to sandblast and paint. I think of trips under the bridge via boat and checking out all of the wildlife from underneath the bridge. If you've driven through the Bayou very often, you've probably had the experience of waiting for the bridge to raise and lower. When I was a kid, watching the platform rise and fall made for a great day. When I became a driver, it led me to the alternative route around Hemley and Davenport.

My favorite bridge memory involved a trip across it in my Mom's freshly washed 1987 Hyundai Excel. If you've spent much time around the water in the Bayou, you're probably familiar with our pelicans. Pelicans are large birds that like to hang out around the bridge or any other site near the waterfront. They also have the accuracy of a B-17, for on that fateful day, minding our own business driving across the bridge, the Landry family faced a pelican bombing raid. Pelicans bomb using the same wet white material that other seabirds use, there's just a lot more of it. A seagull or other bird will leave a spot on your windshield. This particular pelican launched a volley of refuse that managed to cover the entirety of the windshield. To my seven year-old mind it was the most amazing thing I had ever seen.

I've never forgotten that day. I drive across the bridge regularly, and often think of that old pelican. Maybe one day my kids will get to experience the thrill of pelican guerrilla warfare. I smile fondly when I cross my city's bridge (unless of course I'm caught up in bridge traffic) and know that whenever I see it, I've made it home.

It's Football Time in Alabama

It's football time in Alabama! August is here, and that means that all across our great state young men are preparing for one of the Deep South's great rites of passage. From small towns to downtowns communities are gearing up for the start of a new football season. To say that things are starting now is a bit misleading, though. For months now, these young men have been hard at work in the weight room, running drills, and participating in camps in preparation for this season. Yesterday marked the beginning of fall practice, as teams had the opportunity to have their first official practice of the year.

If you've never experienced high school football in a small town in a football-crazed state, you've missed out. There's nothing quite like going to a game on Friday night. I'd like to think that Friday nights are our greatest display of pageantry. When I think about the atmosphere under those Friday night lights, I can feel the goosebumps rising. In a few weeks, all of the hard work will come together and the band will fire up the fight song, the majorettes and flag corps will twirl away, and a cute cheerleader will cut some poor boy's heart out with her smile. The flag will be raised, the anthem played, and we'll salute that flag and pray for our young men and women, many of whom were on this same field just a year or two before, who have left the comforts of home and are fighting in an alien land.

This drama is played out week after week, year after year, in cities and towns across the nation. We'll win. Or lose. Old men and mamas will stand around and talk. Mamas will believe that the game would have turned out differently if that idiot coach would have just played her boy more. The old men will blame it on the toughness of the kids.

Old Man 1: I'll tell you, kids these days. No guts.
Old Man 2: If these kids were tough like we were when we played...
Old Man 1: I hear they get water breaks! When I played ball we didn't believe in water breaks. Water makes you weak.
Old Man 2: Kids got no pride. Even if somebody woulda offered us a water break, I wouldn'ta took it. Too tough.
Old Man 1: All this fancy equipment and buildings! I tell ya, back in our day...

You know the rest. Rehash injuries, share memories, rinse, and repeat.

Win or lose, we'll be back the next Friday night. We'll thrill with their victories and we'll suffer through their defeats. Kids will find somewhere to hang out after the game and celebrate/commiserate. Moms and Dads will sit in the stands and marvel at how quickly their sons and daughters have grown into young men and young women. Those veterans of playing days long past will grow misty-eyed as they remember their own days as heroes of the fall.

Most of all, we will look out with pride as "our boys" take on theirs. They may not be our biological children, but that doesn't make them any less ours. I believe that Friday night football may do more to break down all of the barriers that divide us in a small town than anything else. That kid on the field, in the stands, or on the sideline is no longer that kid. They're ours. They are the pride of our town and we're going to support them every step of the way.

Until we get to all of that glory, there's a price to be paid. As I type, students in all of the disciplines that will be displayed are gearing up for the practices that are required to reap the harvest of victory come September. Young men and young women, know that you carry our love for you, our community pride, our hopes for the future, and our memories of the past with you as you go.

That's my view, anyway, from here on N. Wintzell

Happy Birthday to Me!

It was an exciting weekend for us, as we celebrated my birthday Friday by vacating our N. Wintzell address for a trip to the Big Easy. Here are a few observations from our weekend:

1) Social networking has made wishing people a happy birthday easier than ever before. I counted 118 birthday greetings on my Facebook wall. I didn't even know that many people knew me, much less would take the time to wish me a happy birthday. Birthdays in the Facebook era make you feel like a rock star. Thanks to all of you for helping me enjoy the day.

2) I'm 29 now, so I guess I need to enjoy the last year of my 20's. The past 9 years have been pretty eventful. I've finished two degrees and started on a third. I met and married my wife. We've had two children and are expecting our third in December. I've gotten the opportunity to serve at four churches that have each taught me some important lessons about serving God and loving people. To borrow a phrase from one of my favorite authors, Garrison Keillor, "Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle, and quick to anger". Sorry, wrong quote. Let's try this again: "Thank you God, for this good life, and forgive us if we do not love it enough".

3) When you head south of New Orleans and cross the river towards Vacherie, home of Oak Alley Plantation you will encounter more sugar cane than you knew existed in the entire world. It never ceases to amaze me how a place can be so close geographically but feel so different when you get there.

4) Oak Alley was amazing. If you ever get the chance, definitely check it out.

5) New Orleans, LA is the hottest place on the entire planet. I can't imagine the surface of the sun being any hotter than New Orleans was this weekend. On Saturday, they put the mules up because it was too hot for them to pull their buggies. Did this heat prevent any of the tourists from swarming the Quarter or Aquarium? Of course not.

6) I don't get Cafe DuMonde. I know that a lot of you are going to consider this heresy, but I don't really care for beignets all that much. I especially don't care to stand in a line wrapping around the building in 98-degree heat for an hour to have beignets and cafe au lait. There are a number of places in the immediate vicinity with perfectly serviceable beignets and coffee with no wait at all. Even better, you could pick up a box of Krispy Kremes somewhere. This is the part where some of you start to moan about the experience.

You: Clint, you just don't understand. Going to Cafe Du Monde and eating beignets is an important part of the experience. You can't just eat any beignets, you need to go to Cafe Du Monde for the ambiance and atmosphere.
Me: Which part of the atmosphere, the smell or the sweltering heat? Or better yet, the part where you spend the rest of the day coated in powdered sugar from attempting to eat a "doughnut" which is no doughnut at all. Give me my Krispy Kremes!

(That having been said, I like my trip to Cafe Du Monde to come during the late night hours)

7) We avoided the Cafe and had one of the best breakfasts I've ever had in New Orleans. If you are in town and want to skip the beignets, I'd highly recommend the Cafe Fleur de Lis. I had the Cajun Country Omelette, and it came with the best hash browns I've ever eaten.

8) Friday night we hit up an old favorite, the Gumbo Shop. Seafood gumbo, jambalaya, and bread pudding all combined to leave me waddling back to the hotel.

9) After our hearty meal Friday night, we slept in and had the aforementioned breakfast. At this point, I was 12,000 calories in on the trip and starting to feel contemplative. Maybe this lifestyle is part of the reason that the Gulf Coast states consistently rate so highly on the lists of the most obese states in our nation. We can't be blamed for having superior cooks. Last October, Suzanne and I traveled to New England to view the leaves changing, and we really had a great trip. One night, we went out to eat in Burlington, Vermont. We had a blast, but I felt a bit awkward, as the city was full of a lot of active looking healthy people. On the night of October 7th, 2009 I was the fattest man in Burlington. I soon discovered why, as we sought a place to dine. We ended up at a highly recommended local cafe, and the food was pretty good. That was the case with almost all of the food we encountered on our trip. It was all pretty good. There was nothing we ate that was bad, but there was nothing that was life-changing either. Life changing? My friends, the bread pudding I ate Friday night was life-changing. I've longed for more bread pudding for the last three days. Must. Have. Bread. Pudding. So what if I'm fat? I blame it on the superior ability of my people to prepare and cook food.

10) The Quarter ain't the Quarter anymore. In the years following Katrina, I've been amazed by the lack of the Quarter's distinctive smell. We'll chalk that up as one minor positive that came out of an incredible tragedy. We did discover one source of the smell on this trip, as our mule took a potty break and deposited 9 1/2 gallons of it's fluid content onto St. Philip St.

11) What a great place. I love New Orleans and all of the unique experiences it brings with it. Living just down the road and having spent three years there in seminary, I feel like I know it pretty well. I can't imagine getting dropped off there with no warning from some other place in middle-America.


Goodbye, New Orleans. I'll be back before too long.

That's my view, anyway, from here on N. Wintzell.

The Bayou Top 10: #9

Continuing our series of the Bayou top 10 is something that is often associated with my hometown, but it's not always considered one its more desirable attributes. Monday morning I left the house early on my way to visit with one of our families at the hospital, and as I pulled out of the driveway, it hit me. We've been back for about 6 weeks now and I hadn't even noticed it was missing until Monday. What is it, you ask?



The Smell...

If you are from the Bayou or if you've visited much you probably know what I'm talking about. That mixture of brackish water, seafood, and sundry other scents combines to create an aroma that's unmistakable. The smell of the Bayou has been the source of some derision directed towards our lovely city, and I think it's a bit unfair.

I spent the 7th-11th grades at Grand Bay, and endured my share of Bayou jokes. Many of them were focused on The Smell. Whenever those jokes came, I was reminded of something my dad often told me whenever I was at work at the shipyard. If you've ever had the opportunity to work in the hold of a shrimp boat, you know that The Smell doesn't go away any time soon.

Me: Dad, it really stinks in here.
Dad: Smells like money to me.

And therein lies the heart of the entire situation. Every time that you are hit by The Smell, it means that somebody in the Bayou made a living that day. When you smell The Smell, another oyster has been shucked, another crab has been picked, and another boat has unloaded its catch. When you smell the salt water, know that it's carrying in another boat to be repaired by another welder, sand blaster, or painter.

This week I can turn on my tv and watch a show featuring a boat built here in Bayou La Batre. I can go pop in a DVD and find one of our hometown products carrying a certain infamous captain. Under different circumstances, I could travel through our country and enjoy the finest seafood available and know that it came from here. That's something to be proud of.

It may not always smell pleasant.
But, it smells like home to me.

My View from N. Wintzell 7/27/10

Greetings from N. Wintzell,

I have to take a moment and apologize for the lack of posts over the last few days. I normally take the weekends off, but I managed to tack Friday and Monday onto the weekend. It's an exciting week here on N. Wintzell. Suzanne and the kids are getting ready to back to school. The kids started going to the daycare this week, while Suzanne is preparing her classroom. Which brings me to my next point: Suzanne got a job! Suzanne will be teaching at Dixon Elementary School this year. Thanks to all of you for your prayers for us as Suzanne went through the job hunt. Now, if we can just sell a house in Wetumpka...

Anyway, on to some other assorted thoughts: I had the opportunity to go to the Mobile Baptist Association's Pastor's conference yesterday. Dr. Mark Foley, the president of the University of Mobile, shared with us about a topic that he has been dealing with a lot of late, revival. For those of us who have been a part of the churched culture of the South, revival has a very definite meaning. Revival is the term that has been used to describe a series of evangelistic meetings hosted by the church or churches in a community that go beyond the regular worship services of the church. Members of an older generation will recall camp meetings under tents that lasted for weeks, while others may recall 4 night events that were hosted in the church from Sunday to Wednesday. Regardless of the nature of the meeting, "revival" isn't an accurate description of what is taking place. We are having a specially designed worship service and we hope that revival springs from that meeting.

What is revival? It has been defined as "a renewal or a restoration". If you look at the roots of the word, it becomes apparent that revival refers to the refreshment of something that was once full of life and vitality. You can't revive something that has never been alive. Revival can't take place in the lives of people who have never known life. Revival takes place when the Holy Spirit moves in the lives of people who know Him and have experienced His work of regeneration.

I'm experiencing a season of revival in my own heart and life right now, and I'm thankful for the work that God is doing in me. As part of that work, I want to see the spiritual vitality of God's people revived. So, what part do I play in that. The most commonly cited verses on revival come from 2 Chronicles 7:14:

14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

A few thoughts on this passage:

1) This is not a magic formula for revival. Too many times we are guilty of believing that this verse and others like it are instructions given to tell us how to get God to do what we want Him to do. When you find yourself in this position, you can remind yourself of these truths.

Repeat after me:
I am not God.
I did not create the universe.
I did not create myself.
I did not number the stars nor do I call them out by name.
I am a finite creature.
I can barely get myself ready in the morning and handle the day's tasks by myself.
If it weren't for my wife, I couldn't do that. (OK maybe that's just me)
In spite of my shortcomings I have experienced God's gracious salvation in Christ.
It's not on my own merit.
I didn't do anything to deserve it.
It's not my job to manipulate God to do what I want Him to do.
I offer up my prayers to a gracious Father who desires to hear me and loves me.
I do not tell Him what to do.
If I were in charge I would screw things up royally.
I will not tell God what to do.
I will not attempt to manipulate God with my words.
I will pray to Him and listen to His instructions.
I will obey His commands and trust Him for the results.


2) While it is not a magic formula for revival, it does show us our responsibility in the revival of a nation. What are we to do? Humble ourselves and pray, seek God,and turn from our sins. Simple enough? If we do that, then God has to do this, right? If that's our thought process, then we've probably missed the boat on the first part. We don't need to do those things because we believe that by doing them we will force God's hand and make him bring revival. We pray and repent because they are the right response to our situation. When we do that, we can trust that God is in control of the rest of it and know that He will do the reviving.

3) Revival will spread. When I share what God has done and is doing in my life with someone else then the spark of revival grows until it becomes a flame spread across our families, our friends, and our communities. For those of you out there who are reading, when you've experienced God's work of renewal in your life, you're not meant to keep it to yourself. When we share what God has done in our lives, we will see the evangelistic explosion that so many of us desire. We will see the transformation of individuals through the power of God.

The Great Welsh Revival that began in 1904 was one of the great moves of God of the 20th Century. According to one account:

"People were changed in so many ways. The crime rate dropped, drunkards were reformed, pubs reported losses in trade. Bad language disappeared and never returned to the lips of many – it was reported that the pit ponies failed to understand their born again colliers who seemed to speak the new language of Zion – without curse and blasphemy – even football and rugby became uninteresting in the light of new joy and direction received by the Converts."

That's what I hope to see. People changed by the impact of the gospel so that our community, our state, and our nation experience revival. I spent last night with a group of pastors and we heard stories of alcohol abuse, drug addiction, and gambling problems. We heard about families that were being destroyed by all of these things. We want to help. We want to minister. So many of these issues have bubbled to the surface in recent days, but I understand this: These problems were there before. Our current situation has just exacerbated the problem. The solution is out there, and I know that God is at work in our community right now. I'm praying and I hope you are as well.

That's my view anyway, from here on N. Wintzell.