The Big News

Cammie and I have been praying for God to use us mightily for a while now. We thought that prayer would mean here, in Louisville, but that apparently is not the case.

Last week, I was taking the youth from church to the gulf, to do some work. I met with Jean Larroux, to talk to him about Work Order Software that we build to help with the data management from the people in Bay Saint Louis that need help with work on their property. After meeting with him, I began to feel like God was possibly calling me to do something more with him. I wasn't sure what, so I began to pray. A day later, I told Cammie of the things on my heart, and she began to pray about it as well. That weekend, we decided that we definitely were being called to do something, but we didn't know what that thing was. I called Jean, and he told me that his biggest need was someone to help him with the business administration of the relief work down there. Since that is what I've been doing for the last 4 years, I felt like God was indeed matching up my gifts, to needs in the church down there. We traveled down the very next night, and spent two days there in Bay Saint Louis. It's a terrible mess. There is much work to be done. But the Lord is working down there in the hearts and minds of people.

Since this has taken place, I've been asked a million questions, I'll summarize the main ones and answer them for you.

What about Louisville?
What a gem this town has been. Cammie and I have enjoyed so much of Louisville, the people here, the friendships we've made over the last few years, the ways that we've been able to get involved from everything to the Chamber of Commerce to the Relay for Life, we have been right in the middle of Louisville. We will miss it dearly, and will be taking a piece of Louisvilles, hospitality and planting it in the sands of the Gulf Coast.

When will we move?
As they say, this is the million dollar question. We don't know for sure, but it will be when we have a house to move in to down there. Housing market down there is more expensive than the market up here. We'll probably rent, then find a house that needs to be fixed-up and take it on.
In the mean time, we have a great house for sale on main street, so make me an offer on it.

Is it dangerous?
Being the father of a 6 month-old and husband to a sweet woman, I have had to ask my self "can I take them to a place like this?" A pastor friend told me this when I asked him that question: "there is nothing more dangerous than not doing the thing that God has called you to do!" I'm not taking that lightly, but the crime reports etc, are not things that we noticed when we were down there. There are also hundreds and thousands of Christians flocking to the area, to help put it back together. As David Skinner once told me "God didn't promise safety, but promised to be sovereign."

Big River Systems?
My other baby. BRS will move with me, with no interruption of service. One of the great things about BRS is that with an internet connection and a phone I can do my work from anywhere. I'll be taking it down there, and not slowing down any on that aspect, we need business more than ever now. I'll keep some staff, some of whom have expressed interest in relocating to the coast as well. I can't do this financially with what the church can afford to pay. BRS provides me the income and support that I'll need to make ends meet. We will be able to provide the same service as we do here, the phone will simply ring in another county. Also please note that our data centers are located in the central part of the country, so we won't run the risk of having active servers on the coast.

THE PHOTOS ABOVE WERE TAKEN IN BAY SAINT LOUIS, TUESDAY OF THIS WEEK.