Folks, I need your help again!

We have over 200 damaged Florida Baptist church facilities across the state. In most instances, insurance deductibles for wind damage range between two and five percent. Some churches can handle their own financial needs for damage recovery, but many cannot. That is why the State Board of Missions established—with the aid of an initial $200,000 grant from the Piper Foundation—a $500,000 interest-free loan program to assist churches with high deductibles or uninsured properties. We simply are having more demand than we have resources.

The Piper Foundation (also known as Christ Is Our Salvation Foundation) recently offered the Convention a loan of $500,000 interest-free for use by churches for disaster relief deductibles and some uninsured properties. However, this is a challenge loan which requires that we raise $100,000 from among our churches. This is a great, yet do-able challenge. Put simply, every one dollar given in response to this challenge will result in five additional dollars to assist sister churches! I have written a few letters to some pastors and am making this one-time public appeal. Help me with what you can so our convention can help as many churches as we can, with as much as we can, as often as we can!

We are phasing down our disaster relief feeding efforts after having served over two million hot meals. However, we will stay with recovery and rebuild as long as we have volunteers and financial resources. We have received offerings from across this nation. Some were large, some were the “widow’s mite,” but all are equally important and needed.

In the weekly convention staff chapel service last week I preached to our weary, hardworking staff, “focus is fragile.” It doesn’t take much to get us out of focus—close distance or long distance. In Hebrews 1:1-12, the Hebrew writer says it is because of the weights and our besetting sin. The concept of the besetting sin captured my attention. Besetting means “to attack from all sides.” My conclusion and confession—my besetting sin is ingratitude. It attacks from all sides—family, church, health, among others. We are so prone to take life for granted and lapse into ingratitude.

That’s why the biblical writer reminds us in Hebrews 1:2—“Look unto Jesus!” This is the only way to handle our besetting sin. He reminds me of Whose I am and creates a new song of gratitude in my heart.

When Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne came to visit, my focus surely was on Jesus. Lord help me stay focused.