missio

Recently I’ve had to declare the truth to someone who wasn’t willing/ready to accept it. It wasn’t how I said it, it wasn’t who was saying it, and it wasn’t the timing of it: it was what was being said. Sometimes telling the Truth to someone is the hardest thing to do. But it must be done because of love.

Brothers, we are not professionals. But we are Truth-Tellers. Speak the Truth in a gracious and loving manner, but do not be afraid to say what needs to be said. Do not seek to please people in what you say, but seek to please the Three Persons of the Godhead.  On a side note, don’t give them what you think is correct opinion based on your experiences. Speak Scripture into the lives of the people around you. If it is contrary to Scripture, which reveals Jesus, is it really Truth?

So, I’ve been slack the last couple of days, I admit it. I’ve been reading it, but having been posting my notes ( been really busy ’round here…) So here you go, Harmonizers. Psalm 12, Psalm 13, and Psalm 14.

Psalm 12

• “The faithful have vanished” - this is God’s sentiments from Noah’s day until now: that the thoughts of man are all evil, all the time. Am I any different?
• How many times do we/I/you lie to someone else? How many times do we exaggerate the truth, or speak with a double heart?
• May the Lord humble us. Yet another dangerous prayer from David.
• The words of the Lord are purer than pure. Seven is a number of perfection in Hebrew. His Word is pure and perfect: whiter than white.
• Vileness is exalted in Greenville. Our city is no different than Nineveh: Great, but it needs to be called out against. There is great evil in our city in the sight of the Lord.

Psalm 14

• See my notes on Psalm 53 (link). It’s the same Psalm with minor wording differences. Don’t believe me? Look ‘em up.

Psalm 13

• First of all, Shane and Shane have written an awesome song based on this psalm. It’s awesome.
• Will the Lord forget us? No. But it may seem that way from where we’re standing.
• A lot of timesit seems as if my enemies are better than I. They have more blessing, more success, more prosperity. But I must remember: my standing with God is not dependent on my standing with man.
• God, let me trust in Your steadfast Love, the person of Jesus Christ. Let my heart sing with gladness because You have saved me, in spite of my woes. I will sing to You, because of Your grace on my life. Thank you, Jesus. Amen.

This past Thursday night, there was a city council meeting to determine the fate of all restaurants in Greenville, including the one we meet in, Dr. Unk’s. Here’s the story:

Background

Earlier this year, Dr. Unk’s received a complaint (about food vs. alcohol sales), and they were audited by the city. As it turns out, Dr. Unk’s sales $370,000 in food. That’s a lot of money. But not enough compared to their total sales (the rest comes in alcohol sales). In the city of Greenville, it takes 51% in order to be classified as a restaurant, which presents a problem to Dr. Unk’s because a bar/nightclub cannot exist in their current zoning district. But city law flies in the face of state law (30%) and other similar cities (eg: Chapel Hill, Wilmington). So, Jeremy (the owner of Dr. Unk’s) made an amendment to city law to amend the current law to 30%, compliant with state law. The meeting on Thursday night was to vote on the amendment.

The Meeting

Over 30 people turned out on Dr. Unk’s behalf, including 7 members of our church. We got a mention in the newspaper. I spoke on Dr. Unk’s behalf as well, before the council. The meeting looked to be going to a vote, where it would have been in a 3-3 tie. The mayor would have then voted against the amendment, I think primarily because Dr. Unk’s very openly and avidly supported Chip Little, the current mayor’s recent opponent in a very tight mayoral race. Instead, a substitute amendment was made to gather more information, including why the state law is at 30%, why Greenville law is at 51%, how many restaurants would close if audited, and what other cities do with regard to zoning restaurants. When all was said and done (after 2 hours), the discussion was continued until (at least) August.
The Outlook

I think it looks good for Dr. Unk’s (and therefore, us). Dr. Unk’s has a lot of neighborhood support, including a church .  They also have other options besides this amendment being passed. A special use permit could be enacted, or the area could be rezoned as general commercial, among other less desirable, but effective, methods. There are tons of options, legally. Regardless, Jeremy informed me that as it turns out [randomly ] he owns the building that Dr. Unk’s is currently in, and that we would probably have a place to meet no matter what happens. Which is great.

Thanks for the prayers!