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The purpose of this blog is to keep friends, family and support team members up to date on the progress of ministry at Christ Community Church (PCA) and of the things that we are learning in the process. Please take some time to read through a few of the posts.

- Zack Carden

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Saturday, September 27, 2008

Habakkuk's Confession of Faith: When You're Out of Gas

"Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vine; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the LORD! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation. The Sovereign LORD is my strength! He will make me as surefooted as a deer and bring me safely over the mountains."

Habakkuk 3:16-19

This afternoon I drove Tennyson's car north in search of a tank full of gas. Gasoline is getting hard to come by down here in Atlanta and elsewhere across the South for various reasons. However, I had no idea how far reaching the gas shortage was becoming until I tried to find it off of I-75. There wasn't any in Cartersville, Carbondale or Adairsville. By the time I reached Calhoun my gas light was on and I was getting very close to empty. I waited in line a the only station in Calhoun that had gas, but just as I drove up to the pump the station announced that there was no more gas. So I got back on the interstate and drove to Resaca. All the while praying, "Lord, I'm on fumes and I know I can't make it to Dalton. Please let there be gas in Resaca!" I exited and there were short lines beginning to form so I got in and, praise God, I was able to fill up Tennyson's van with gas.

I drove home at 60MPH on the interstate so as to conserve as much as possible. It worked. I arrived home from Resaca with the gas gauge still reading "Full". As I write this blog post it is Saturday Night and we are not sure about what tomorrow brings at church.

The last couple of Sundays attendance has been low, we believe, due in great part to gas rationing. We had to cancel evening youth group last week due to parents who needed gas for their commute and it looks as if we will have to do so this weekend. I just received an e-mail from a parent who told me that they most likely would not be at church due to the fact they were on empty.

This is certainly doing damage to the great kickoff we had and the mounting enthusiasm which which September had begun. The last time we had youth group there were about 27 people at our house. So it is cutting into the youth group momentum as well.

Yet all I could think about today was the verse above from Habakkuk. It is easy to say that when we are in want that we trust God will bring us through, but when we are in want where will our faith be?

As banks fail and gas is in short supply as things go crazy around us, it is good for me to remember Habakkuk's statement of faith. "The Sovereign LORD is my strength! ...and [will] bring me safely over the mountains." We are trusting God to do exactly that. Hasn't He done so much already? We are living in a borrowed house and we sold our house in Chattanooga! What a blessing God has given us. We look back at God's past blessings and look forward to His future blessings realizing that He takes care of His people.

Surely he will bring us over the mountains.

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