Pastors Blog
David Crosby 01/06/09
The Feast of Epiphany, celebrated the twelfth day after Christmas, is in part about the New Year's youngest murder victim, Ja'Shawn Powell, the two-year-old boy whose body was found January 4 in an athletic bag on Jackson Avenue in New Orleans.The king cakes we are enjoying in this season have a hidden baby inside because Joseph and Mary hid the infant Jesus from the evil King. According to the Gospel of Matthew, Herod was jealous of the baby and sought to destroy him. Thus unfolds the ...
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David Crosby 01/02/09
President-elect Obama has not betrayed his faithful constituents by selecting Pastor Rick Warren to offer the prayer at his inauguration-he has affirmed them. This would include both my yellow-dog Democrat activist sister-in-law and most of my African-American preacher friends here in New Orleans.Warren has directed thousands of dollars to New Orleans and the Gulf Coast in the years since Hurricane Katrina. His work among those afflicted with HIV is well known. These are only two of his many ...
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David Crosby 12/12/08
This is me working hard at my house just after the blizzard in New Orleans this morning. I successfully completed the snowman along with two snow boys.The snow that lingers longest in my neighborhood is the snow that I rolled up, hauled over, and stacked together to create this trio. Even though it turns your yard from white back to green prematurely, the energy used in rolling up the snow actually intensifies and extends your enjoyment of it. These snowmen will be standing at attention in my ...
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David Crosby 11/24/08
The City of New Orleans is putting out signs around the city, announcing what will soon be built. Citizens have been disturbed rather than encouraged by these signs because it seems so little is happening. A city council member suggested last week that the city put out signs to tell people what projects had actually been completed. There would be a lot fewer signs to read.Our city is weary of promises and good intentions. Three and a half years after Hurricane Katrina we still have police ...
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David Crosby 11/10/08
Meeting in New Orleans Monday and TuesdayAn employee of the Road Home program will move into his own new home in January, years after Hurricane Katrina destroyed the home he lived in for many years.Another family announced last week that they will be returning to their refurbished home in Old Metairie by the end of this year.New Orleans has a long way to go before all displaced families fulfill their desire to get back home. In fact, our community faces years of rebuilding in all dimensions ...
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David Crosby 09/29/08
If Jesus himself were running for political office, I would not give him an endorsement as pastor of my church.But Jesus is not now-nor will he ever be-running for political office. He taught us clearly that politics itself is far too feeble a tool to get done what he is trying to do on this earth. Jesus is not blind to politics and politicians-he sees right through them.The church is a force for good in this world because it is beholden to no politicians. It speaks and ministers by the ...
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David Crosby 08/28/08
The cancelations are rolling in. Formal Katrina remembrances are being replaced by an unstoppable barrage of unwanted, terrifying memories. Productive work is now on hold. All eyes are on the Gulf of Mexico and the unseeing, unfeeling specter of Hurricane Gustav.He has me churning already. His powerful winds and deadly aim at New Orleans are dredging up suppressed memories of midnight runs, stranded plans, and emotional partings.An emergency meeting to batten down the hatches turned into ...
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David Crosby 08/20/08
Friday is the third anniversary of the landfall of our omnipresent storm, Hurricane Katrina, the most powerful storm to strike America since scientists began measuring such calamities.Hurricane Katrina was three times the size of Rita or Andrew or Camille in the sheer energy it generated, lifting the waters of the sea at least 10 feet above sea level for a span of 200 miles. This storm surge, 30 feet high at the midpoint, filled Lake Pontchartrain to unprecedented levels and toppled the walls ...
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David Crosby 08/13/08
Our Year of the Message Bible reading plan starts with the New Testament on Monday, September 1. The reading guide, the sermon series, and the Year of the Message notebook are all available at the Welcome Center in the church foyer.I hope that you will get a notebook, take notes on the messages, and keep up with the readings through the New Testament this fall. The preaching is divided into five simple outlines that will help you get acquainted with the diversity and richness of the New ...
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David Crosby 07/21/08
Janet and I celebrated 36 years of marriage July 17. That's a long time.I often remind couples during the wedding ceremony that they are making a promise for a lifetime. They make this promise without knowing what the future holds. Many challenges await them, but they promise to be faithful.How can two people, not knowing the future, make a promise of faithfulness one to another?God's love is the guarantee of the promise. Love never fails, as the Apostle Paul eloquently reminds (1 Corinthians ...
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