Those words were spoken to me while talking with three men outside of the Government Street Grocery. It had already been a good night. Before I even left my house, Cory, a musician who is very lost, but with whom I have established deep trust and sharing (and who will probably be the subject of an upcoming newsletter), had reached out to me to say, “Are you coming to the bar tonight? There is something I want to share with you.” Then, not long after I got to the Grocery (bar), he sought me out and said, “I have this new song. I haven’t played it before a crowd yet. Can I play it for you?” I sensed there was a great honor and a great trust in that, so of course I followed Cory outside where he could play his song. Cory is a gifted songwriter, and this new song was about the broken trust and broken pieces he was trying to pick up and put back together following his second divorce. It was truly a heart-breaking song. As I have said many times here in Ocean Springs: “The people here know they are lost…. They just don’t know there is a Savior.” But then, after Cory finished playing, the sacredness of that moment led to something even more amazing:

That truth has been the reality for my family and me through the second half of this year. It started with my brother-in-law, who came to visit us this summer. While he was here, he was experiencing severe and recurring abdominal pain, so much that I told him, “That sounds like when I had a hernia, You should go see a doctor.” So he did – and at the age of 61, he received a diagnosis of advanced, inoperable, stage IV, pancreatic cancer. Obviously, that news rocked him, my sister, their sons, and my family and me. My brother-in-law has been a brother in Christ to me since I was ten. And the news of his cancer meant coming alongside him to walk toward the end.

My name is Steve Lanier. Some of you may know me because of my association with Redeemer Church, and many more may probably know me as ‘Sherry Lanier’s husband’, because of her work with MNA’s Disaster Response Ministry. When I retired from the staff of Redeemer, Sherry and I knew that ‘retirement’ was not going to be defined by sitting at home, isolated and focused on just ourselves and our hobbies. We knew that Sherry would continue her work with MNA, and I wanted to focus on pastor and missionary retention. In other words, we would minister to ministers and church planters, both foreign and domestic. We were invited to partner with a mission agency that focuses specifically on missionary retention, Deeper Still Missions, and, with their help, we are able to come alongside local pastors, and domestic and foreign missionaries and church planters, caring for, serving and encouraging them and hopefully extending their time on the field. As a part of that new call, we are spending a good bit of our lives here in Ocean Springs (OS) alongside Mark and Stephanie.

Is it when a new pin is put on the map, and a church exists where there wasn’t one before? Is it when a group of Christians are gathering for worship and discipleship in a new location that didn’t have a church before? Is it when that group has enough people to be self-sustaining, self-sufficient, and “particularized,” and no longer on the dole of a sending agency or in need of outside supporters? What, when all is said and done, makes a church plant “successful”?

The kind where there is more to be done than there is time to do it. I had stopped by a sister church, one of the churches on our team. A place I would have liked to linger and catch up with the pastor and staff. But lack of time meant it had to be a quick stop. There is always so much to do as a pastor. Sermons to study and write. Meetings to plan. Counseling that has to be done, and visits that have to be made. And I find myself, now as a church planter, busier than ever. So it was on this day, and I had to be back in Ocean Springs for an appointment with a member of our core group, so I was on the road, driving east. It was a clear, sunny day, and Highway 90 on the Mississippi coast is a beautiful drive. Live oak trees, the veterans of decades or even centuries, and untold numbers of hurricanes, line the street, which parallels white, sandy beaches and a gorgeous view of the gulf of Mexico. But today, I didn’t have time, or wasn’t taking the time, to notice or appreciate any of that. I had things to do. Places to be. And then it happened.

As I discussed in our last newsletter, a major component of our evangelism ministry is being with the lost, befriending them, listening to them, and then entering into their suffering and their story. All so that, Lord willing, we will be able to share the gospel and show them the truth and love of Jesus. Recently, I was having lunch with Barry, a bartender that I have spent time with on several occasions, and who is now starting to trust me enough share deeply and personally. As we sat down, and before we had even been able to order our drinks (diet cokes), Barry began to pour everything out to me: A frustration with his partying lifestyle and seeing where that was leading him (nowhere good). Addiction to alcohol. And to pornography. And a life that is spinning further and further away from any healthy foundation or direction. As I say often about the people we are meeting here: They know they are lost. They just don’t know that there is a Savior.

As I listened to Barry sharing his story and his struggles, and I was thanking God that he would lead Barry to trust me in such a personal and profound way, I leaned in, and said, “I am sorry for the hurt you are feeling… How can I help?” And that is when he said it: “Tell me about your church.”

Recently, I had a remarkable experience that repeated itself twice in the same week:

First, I was having lunch with Saul, the guitar player that I spend a lot of time with and have mentioned in previous newsletters. Saul is a world class guitarist, and has played or toured with many of the bands I grew up listening to (Great White, Warrant, Ted Nugent, Van Halen, and as I found out recently…. Styx). So Saul has a fascinating backstory, but that is not where we (mainly) spend our conversations. We talk about marriage, and his struggles in that area. And politics (he’s surprisingly conservative for a musician). And parenting. And we talk about his shame / guilt reflex (and rejection) that comes from years of Catholic school in his childhood. And, over the course of our conversations, I have been able to naturally, organically ask him more spiritual, evangelistic exploring questions (“Where did everything come from?” “What do you think about God?” “Who was Jesus?” What happens after we die?” “If you could ask God one question, what would it be?”). From that, we have had some fascinating, even profound conversations as I listen to his answers and his thoughts. Saul knows what I am about as a pastor and a follower of Jesus. And honestly, he thinks it’s pretty ridiculous – “Following Zeus or some fairy in the sky,” as he puts it. But we have also become very close friends here. We talk almost daily, and spend time together weekly.

And so it was that, as we were together recently, amid a conversation that was ranging to everything from Hamas and Israel to Taylor Swift, Saul suddenly stopped me and said, “So, what is this Jesus thing all about to you?”

When you hear the term “spiritual warfare,” what do you picture? Fantastical realms of angels doing battle with demons? Strange imaginations from Hollywood, with priests holding up crucifixes while the head of an oppressed person spins in 360 degree circles? Or, closer to home, do you think of times you have faced temptation, and the idea of a “good little angel” on one shoulder, whispering for you to do the right thing, while a “devilish imp” sits on the other shoulder, shouting for you to do the fun thing?

This is a video update on life and ministry in Ocean Springs. Some beginning thoughts on taking the gospel to a place and people who have been blinded by our enemy, but to whom the Light of the Gospel can shine with beauty and power.

There is spiritual battle all around us and against us. "The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel” (2 Cor. 4). But: “You are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world!” (1 John 4)

Friends, pray for us as we do battle. And pray for God to rescue souls!

It was a beautiful Saturday back at the end of September. Stephanie and I had two young believers (including Alex, one of the new converts from my last newsletter) who were spending the day at our house bombarding us with questions about faith, theology, and how to be a follower of Jesus. We had stepped out onto our back deck to take a break and to enjoy the fall sunshine. As we all walked around, I took a normal, innocent, innocuous step off of the sidewalk, and suddenly there was a loud, unmistakable “SNAP!” Stephanie, who was about fifteen feet away, said, “What was that,” but I couldn’t answer. Because I had collapsed on the ground, writhing in pain.

I would like to share three remarkable stories with you - Stories of God’s grace and gospel at work in the lives of three different individuals to save them. One of these stories comes from our core group, one from our outside ministry, and one from a sister church. And they all have two things in common: First, I can take no credit for any of them, and second, they are proof of how God is amazingly on the move to save people and bring them home to Himself!

Ocean Springs and this section of the gulf coast are known for their festivals and parties. Later this fall, the Peter Anderson Art Festival will draw close to 100,000 people to Ocean Springs (a town of less then 20,000 people). We just had a songwriters’ festival here. And of course, because we are in the spiritual and cultural shadow of New Orleans, Mardi Gras is one long party all up and down the coast, running from early January until late February every year. Still, there is one event, one week here that stands out above them all. “One gathering to rule them all,” if you will…..

As a pastor, I have the privilege of walking alongside beloved people in the middle of some of their most memorable and emotional seasons of life. Sometimes that privilege is hard - Such as in the counseling room, or the emergency room, or at the grave. But sometimes, it is a lot of fun - Such as at weddings.

Those are not words I am used to hearing. So, when they were spoken to me, back when we lived in Maryville, Tennessee, they certainly got my attention.

I am amazed and humbled at the blessed beginning God has brought to this new ministry of evangelism and missions in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. Yes, it is early. Yes, we are in the first baby steps of what I pray will be a long-time, long-term, embedded ministry in this city. But, as I have said to a lot of people directly: In over twenty years of pastoral ministry, I have never seen God move ahead of us, open doors, or “fill the sails” of ministry like we are witnessing daily in Ocean Springs.

It would be easy to overlook Ms. Grant . Yes, she has a smile bigger than she is, and a wonderful laugh and personality. But she is an elderly, diminutive, lady - who at first glance might not seem to have much to offer. But to overlook or dismiss Ms. Grant would be to miss out on a true treasure, for she is a fascinating person, with an amazing story:

In assembling a pioneering group of believers to join in with the vision for a gospel community in Ocean Springs, the Lord has led us to people in a variety of ways. Some of our new core group were part of the original group the Sealy’s started about four years ago. Some have recently moved to the coast. And some have been recommended to us through connections with churches that are part of our support team. But one family…well, they sought out and found us!

With those words, Garrison Keillor would announce the beginning of the most famous and anticipated portion of his weekly Saturday night radio show, The Prairie Home Companion, and anyone who was familiar with the show knew that it was time to stop whatever you were doing, lean in real close to the radio, and prepare to be transported away to a wonderful place and a simpler time.

Although we came here to accomplish a mission, along the way, Stephanie and I are enjoying the context and the cultural and natural beauty that surround us while living on the coast. Sand dunes and sunsets, water winding through bayous, shrimp boats and their ever-following pelicans… Everywhere you look here, there is an unmistakable beauty and a charm to southern, coastal living.

I met Saul “by accident” one night when we bumped into each other at an open mic night at a local bar here in Ocean Springs. In my quest to get to know people, listen to their stories, and earn their trust as their pastor here, I have been frequenting a lot of open mic nights — Those nights tend to be less “touristy” and have a gathering of more locals, people I can see repeatedly and build a relationship with over time. And that is where I met Saul. Now, open mic nights can be a risky mix, musically. There can be a well-polished musician, playing to try out some new songs in front of a live audience. But he might be followed by another musician, playing for the first time in public, with all of the nerves and anxiety that accompany the gargantuan task of taking the risk of letting others hear you play for the first time.