"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;and through the rivers, they will not overflow you.When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned..." 

------Isaiah 43:2

I know that I share this pretty much every year, but six years after the fire that destroyed our church building, I still feel the need to say something about what I remember and what the old church meant to me...and what the new church means to me as well. 

I wrote this piece while I was sitting in an apartment in Washington DC, when Mike called us to tell us that he was watching the fire... While Mama was still listening on the telephone, I started to write because that's the best way that I can express myself. It was 11:30 at night, and I will never forget it for as long as I live. I know that everyone else has their own vivid memory of what happened the night the church burned; I'm sure that most of us will always be able to remember exactly what we were doing and where we were when we found out. And I'm sure that none of us will be able to forget how much joy we felt when we began to rebuild. All of it---the good and the bad---is a part of us now.

My faith is not built in four walls of brick. 
My faith is not trapped in a shrine. 
My faith is not flowing like a river, 
But my faith comes from Jesus divine. 

My faith's temple is not a steeple. 
My faith is not made of metal and stone. 
My faith is tossed on the ocean, 
But my faith belongs to God alone. 

My faith has been burned in horror. 
My faith has been lightning-struck. 
My faith can rise from the ashes, 
But my faith needs the Lord to lift me up. 

My faith is a light in darkness. 
My faith is a lamp to my feet. 
My faith carries me over mountains, 
But my faith is in the Lord complete.