September 28, 2005  HURRICANES KATRINA AND RITA

I don't know what's been happening in your neck of the woods, but we've been through a couple of hurricanes here. Katrina and Rita. Such pretty names. Such devastation.

Katrina didn't hit us, but a wave of evacuees did. Our shelters were full, then began to thin out a bit. Then Rita came. And so did more evacuees. This time we got a taste of the storm as it passed right near us. Lots of downed trees. Lots of power outages and lack of water.

Our power went off at 2:25 Saturday morning as the storm approached. I know because I was up watching the weather on TV. I'd heard the wind picking up and wanted to be in on the action, so I got up. After the power went off, I went back to bed but didn't sleep much as the wind blew ferociously all night. I got up about 6:00 and went outside and stood on the carport and tried to see the hurricane. As dawn broke, I could see the treetops swaying, bending, and creaking. Thankfully, no downed trees here on our property. Just LOTS of sticks, leaves, and pine straw.

Local churches (including ours) and school gyms were full of evacuees. Power was out most everywhere for the first day or so. September has been miserably hot here this year--100 degree temperatures daily. No AC, no cooking if you had electric stoves, no fans unless you had a generator, no cell phones (towers damaged). Many people were even without water and regular phones. Low fuel supplies, so long lines at the local gas stations. Grocery stores struggling to keep essential food items on the shelf. No school in the parish all week.

One evening Craig and I sat on the front porch cooking supper over a butane flame (or propane or whatever that stuff is in the can). As night fell, COMPLETE darkness enveloped us. No street lights in the neighborhood or anyone's windows. We had a battery-powered lantern with a tiny "night light" setting, which we turned on. That tiny light shone ever so brightly. One tiny light which drew your eyes and illuminated the area around it. I'm talking a TINY little light, not the big lantern part of the light. Amazing how a tiny light like that can penetrate even the darkest of dark. Dark can't even be dark when a light comes on. Light always wins over dark. Dark can't ever put out light, but light always dispels darkness.

Well, that calls to mind all sorts of little elementary things we learned as kids--you know, "this little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine." Don't put it under a bushel, don't hide your light. Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine. Sometimes the simplest of things are the most profound.

September 22, 2005  FINISH THE JOB

I love it when the Lord shows something new in an "old" verse (one you've read before many times). Take Proverbs 19:25, for instance:

"The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he will not even bring it back to his mouth!"

This is one of those verses in Proverbs that I might tend to "gloss over," that is, keep reading. In my mind's eye I see a beggar on the street who puts his hand in a food dish and then just leaves it there, too lazy to lift it to his mouth. This has very little personal meaning for me. I don't consider myself to be a sluggard. Perhaps I am lazy at times (isn't everyone?), but for the most part I work pretty hard. As the old saying goes (and as I heard my momma say many times), "A man may work from sun to sun, but a woman's work is NEVER done!"

However, the other day as I read this verse, I saw something else in it. A deeper shade of meaning. I believe this verse can also refer to the person who starts something but doesn't finish it. You know, there's enough motivation there to "bury the hand in the dish"--to start a project--but motivation and excitement of something new wanes and the hand never completes the motion. There's no follow-through. Many people start projects. Many are starters. All it takes is a little excitement. But when the mundane arrives or the going gets tough, it takes a little (or a lot of) extra character and determination to keep going and finish the thing. There are quite a few less finishers than starters.

As Chin-Ning Chu said, "To succeed in life in today's world, you must have the will and tenacity to finish the job." Who is Chin-Ning Chu? I don't know. I found the quote on www.brainyquote.com. But it's a true saying, nevertheless.

September 10, 2005  TRUE HURRICANE RITA HERO STORY

Two days after my last posting, one of Craig's three brothers and his wife) from New Orleans showed up at our house needing shelter. We of course offered our home, and for the past couple of weeks we have enjoyed their company. They left yesterday to return to Slidell to oversee their affairs. Their house was destroyed by water, but they will be staying with one of their daughters whose house was not touched.

All three of Craig's brothers' houses were covered by water. One brother lives in Slidell, one in Arabi, and one in Meraux. The one in Meraux was late evacuating (although his wife and daughter had already left). He really has a story. As the hurricane bore down upon his home, water began creep under his front door. He grabbed their four cats and put them in the attic. By that time, the water was five feet high and he couldn't get out the door. He swam to the bathroom and kicked out a small window, squeezed through, and rose to the surface clutching a life preserver. Outside, he climbed into his boat, anchored it to the door jam of his home which by that time had burst open, ducked his head for cover under the console, and weathered the storm. His boat was wedged between the roofs of his and his neighbor's house. He said it was a horrific night. He only emerged from the console to bail water and let out more anchor as the water rose.

Next morning after the hurricane passed, he could see his neighbors on their rooftops. He spent the next three grueling days helping others to safety as we, his family, wondered of his safety. On Thursday, he turned his boat over to authorities to use in rescue efforts. They deposited him at the civic center where he witnessed firsthand the horrible situation there. He and his neighbor began walking to LaPlace, Louisiana--and by the way, he was barefooted, not having had time even to put on his shoes at his house. They walked several miles when a state trooper stopped them, frisked them , and told them he'd be back to get them. They didn't see him again, but a parish sheriff stopped later and took them the rest of the way. When he got to LaPlace he called his wife in Baton Rouge to come get him. Needless to say, we were all relieved and thankful to hear of his safety.

Well, in the midst of the mess, God is still good. And one thing I know, He can take yuck and make great out of it. I know that for sure. He will if we'll let Him. If we'll trust Him.

September 2, 2005  JUDGMENT OF GOD

We've heard it prophesied that this is a year of judgment. Judgment is not necessarily bad. (Read "The True Judgment of God" by Kenneth Copeland for an excellent explanation.) Judgment is like the D-Day of sowing and reaping. If you've sown good seeds, judgment is a good thing. However, the reverse is also true.

More later....