I really appreciate those who prayed for my family this past week after the passing of my uncle. J.O. Willis, or “Uncle Red” as I knew him, was a great godly man who enjoyed life to the fullest and served as a great example of life to everyone who met him.

While I was in Louisiana for the funeral and celebration of life service we stopped by an old house that has become an historical monument in Louisiana. It’s a “Dog-Trot House” built in 1848 without the use of a single nail. And it’s one of the many places my dad called home while he was growing up in North Louisiana. He lived there while he was 9-10 years old.

Built in 1848, the house has been repaired and renovated, though mostly like it was when my dad lived there in the late 1940's.


Now that’s a house! It had four rooms, two on each side including the kitchen. The kids would sleep in the middle in the heat of the summer to take advantage of the breeze that might blow through. There was a black church across the street. On Sunday evenings they would sit on the front porch and enjoy the music from the church. The youngest of nine kids, my dad and one older brother and one older sister were the only kids living at home when they lived here. But during the war (WWII) several of the wives came to stay here with their kids while their husbands fought.

It was a simpler time. I don’t know if it was better (outhouses, no a/c, real struggle), but folks survived and came out strong. Today we think people are living in poverty if they only have one car and one TV in the house. You can’t miss what you never had.

Here is the announcement we are showing this Sunday morning about the change in our schedule:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJ5nPJJEdgE]

We need to know from our adults which service you are going to go to so that we can provide Sunday School classes for you. I’m excited about this change because I think we will see our two services more balanced between one another and because it creates a lot of new Sunday School space for us to grow. Eventually we may have two full Sunday Schools running.

If you’ve got questions about how this will work for you or you family post them in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer.

1 After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to view the tomb. 2 Suddenly there was a violent earthquake, because an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and approached [the tomb]. He rolled back the stone and was sitting on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his robe was as white as snow. 4 The guards were so shaken from fear of him that they became like dead men.

5 But the angel told the women, “Don’t be afraid, because I know you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here! For He has been resurrected, just as He said. Come and see the place where He lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell His disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead. In fact, He is going ahead of you to Galilee; you will see Him there.’ Listen, I have told you.”
Matthew 28:1-7