December 8 – “Who is who and where is what”

OK.  I had a talk with Chris yesterday about naming the buildings at Seaside to make it easier to tell them apart.  At some point the "new" building is not really going to be a new building, and it seems like the "old" building has always been old.  What else could it be?  It was the original real estate building for Jamaica Beach back when the area was a few fishing shacks and a lot of marshlands.  It also was the original home of Coastal Creations.  They have done quite well since departing.   So I thought it was a good idea to come up with names for the two buildings.  I introduced the idea on the church website in my article there.  My idea was to name them after hurricanes.  Sure.  Rita and Ike.  But wait.  There is a Rita who is a regular at church.  Can't use that one.  Maybe Allison, then.  That was a Tropical Storm that caused a lot of flooding several years ago.  The Seaside building was kind of a high place during that one.  People came and parked their cars in the parking lot.     I didn't get any responses from the website.  So where else was I to go but to Chris?  I asked what she thought about the hurricane name idea.  Chris is a master at being kind when she disagrees with me.  She asked why those particular hurricanes.  I think she was buying time so she could formulate what she wanted to say.     I finally said something about a church we saw in Fort Worth with three buildings named Faith, Hope, and Love.  That was the opening she was looking for.  And it didn't take long for her to present her case.  So here's the new thinking.  We could call the old building Hope.  The old girl has been through numerous storms through her years on the Island, and she has never been destroyed.  That makes her, by default, a bastion of Hope.  I know after Ike hit we talked a lot about hope in reference to her.  Except then it was, "We sure hope that building is still around."  We really didn't expect her to be.  So Hope makes sense for that one.    And no one will argue that the new building has been a work of Faith.  She was built after Hurricane Ike – new construction while people were trying to rebuild their homes.  She was built without borrowing anything, a combination of unbelievable frugality, unexpected financial offerings, and unprecedented volunteerism.  The school is operating on faith.  And month-to-month God keeps the doors open just as we need it.  She is a great symbol of faith.   So now I'll try to remember who is who and where is what.  Hope is old and looks to the future.  Faith is now and reflects day-to-day living with Jesus.  That just leaves Love from the Big Three in 1 Corinthians.  And the Love here at Seaside?  Of course.  It's not a building at all.  Love is the great people God has placed here.     As 1 Corinthians 13:13 says, "And now, these three remain: Faith, Hope, and Love.  But the greatest of these is love."   Father, thank you for the tools of ministry you have given us in those buildings.  Thank you for the Hope you inspire in us.  And the Faith you call forth.  But especially for the Love you place in the hearts of believers.  Amen.