LIFE CHANGES ON A DIME

I titled yesterday's post as Life is Changing. Boy is it ever!

Please pray for New York Avenue Church of Christ in Arlington, Texas. My brother-in-law is the minister there and my sister is the church secretary. Yesterday, three couples of their senior "Road Runners" group were traveling on a fun trip and had an accident in Crockett. One couple, Don and Bettie Davies died, Pat Parker died and her husband, Bill is in critical condition as he was airlifted to Tyler, Jack Chance died and his wife Dianne Chance was in the hospital but may have been released with minor injuries!

My sister said that Tommy had his sermon all planned out for Sunday. "Don't sweat the small stuff." Here are two crises, the hurricane and now the accident, As a church we need to stop worrying if we are clapping or raising hands. We just need to worship and worry about the world about us.

My heart bleeds for this family of God and for the families in crisis in New Orleans and all over the Gulf Coast. Many who are here in Beaumont are saying they are not going back to New Orleans. They have nothing to go back to and will start their lives over here or in a new place. Sometimes, I think it might be nice to start over without any baggage! Thank you God for the chances you give us to always start fresh with you and our lives.

LIFE IS CHANGING!

Life, as we know it, is changing all around. I see the devastation in the coastal region and I can’t fathom what is happening there. There seems to be no order. There seems to be no one in charge! No one that really knows what is going on! That is rare in our United States. But people are hurting and needing and when those hurts and needs are not met, people do strange and sometimes unthinkable things.

I can’t imagine shooting at a helicopter trying to rescue someone! That is unthinkable. But it happened. I can’t imagine taking things that don’t belong to me! But it is happening. I can’t imagine being so selfish as to walk past another’s need! But it is happening. I can’t imagine being so needful that I resort to these things. But it happens. Just because I have not ever had it happen to me, does not mean it does not happen nor that it could not happen to me at some time.

I remember the movie Trading Places and the bet the brothers made that if someone was rejected by friends and family and lost everything, they would turn to violence. It happened! We are base people and without Christ, we are hopeless. We lose everything and have no hope and we see these vile happenings.

I can sit in my clean, cool and comfortable home and watch on TV or type in my computer and sit in judgment on the people I am watching do these unthinkable things and say I would not do them. But in reality, I am not so sure that if I were in the same situation I would resort to whatever to meet my immediate needs! Especially, if I did not have the hope of Christ.

So I am trying real hard not to judge these people and realize that Christ is the missing link in their lives. Christ is the healer and need meter of all. Until I take Christ to these people, there will be these vile happenings.

UPDATE on CHARITY
I have not had anyone come into my home to date, to house during this crisis. I went to get my gift cards yesterday and took them to the church office. In talking with one of the ministers there, she had gone to the Ford Arena and they are not needing anything at this time. I told her and the others that I had thought about going out there and asking if there was a need for a young family to be housed and all I could think of was 1500 people all rushing to me to volunteer to come to my house!

The headlines would read: Another victim of Katrina ~ Woman crushed by mass!

She is going to a shelter in Lumberton and if she sees a need she will recommend them to come to my home. I told her I can remember when my youngest daughter was a baby and she was sensitive to loud noises and did not do well in crowds. I can imagine a young family with small children in similar circumstances and I would be happy to help them.

Also, the preacher’s wife has family-in-law that are currently housing 14 people from New Orleans and they know of other families coming in the next week to the area. They may take up our offer. So as of right now, I have no guests in my home. But the offer still stands and I am opening up myself to God’s leading as to who comes to my home.

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On another note, I am asking prayers for my sister and brother-in-law. They are making life changing decisions in the next few weeks and it will alter their lifestyle and livelihood. Please pray for them.

GOD, I NEED YOUR HELP!

As we watch the coverage of the aftermath, we feel helpless. Yet, Tollie and I both had the same feeling last night. We want to do something. Of course, our first thoughts were we have this large house with extra beds and room for people. So, we both, almost at the same time, said we want to go get someone to stay with us, that needs housing.

But I need help in doing this. This will certainly be out of my comfort zone. Yet, if I want a B & B, someday, this would be like that! So.....how can I not try. Yet, a B & B could be a one night thing, where this may be a month-long thing! That is a huge difference! But I do feel compelled to do something.

I am going this morning to get some gift cards. We are collecting those at church to hand out and help the victims in some way. I will go to Ford Arena or call and find out what is the best way to help! I know they need money right now and that is certainly a possibility. But I will see what else I can do and I am praying this morning that God sends someone to us to bring home to our house!

This could be a turning point in our lives to go from wanting to be a different church, to being a different church!

PEACE!

In reading my list of blogs this morning, I read where Kip McKean is bringing back the "lost" from the ICOC and wanting to determine who is in or out! This brings back so many memories and not good ones at that.

Why do people feel compelled to judge the hearts of men? I know we all do at times but this is a constant in this man's life. Satan has a strong hold on this man and I pray for his freedom in Christ.

I am still praying for those in the Gulf Coast states who are hurting and not home and don't even know if they have a home to go to. It must be devastating! I am so thankful we were spared. We got a strong, short lived wind and rain storm through here yesterday in late afternoon that was nothing compared to what these people went through. This was just an outer band of storms that came through, but it was enough for me. Knocked over some plants and my front yard looks like beavers have been in my tree cutting the tips off!

So I am very thankful we didn't have a visit from Katrina and hopefully we will not see any of her family of hurricanes this season!

KATRINA!

We are breathing a sigh of relief as we watch Katrina going into Louisiana. She could have made her way further west but went north instead. We are happy. Not happy that others are suffering but happy she did not come our way.

I thought it strange this morning when I heard a senator from Louisiana say they were praying for the storm to go east of New Orleans! I am sure there were others praying as well, those east praying it would go west or east! Poor God! I know he must hear all these prayers coming from all directions and then has to decide to disappoint someone! Is this really how it works? I have so many questions concerning prayer and how it works and I can't wait to get to heaven and ask them! (Although probably by then, it won't matter to me)

What do you think about prayer? I know prayer works, I'm just not sure how it works nor am I sure I always ask the right questions in my prayers. I know God has a plan and does he really change those plans by hearing prayers? If that be the case, what causes him to change his mind and does he then become a respector of persons and then does it depend on our "goodness" or "badness" as to who he listens to? Or is it that it is so out of our realm of thinking that none of this is what happens at all and that what really does happen can't be explained in human terms? See, I have many questions.

Don't get me wrong, I do pray. I pray every night before I go to sleep and I try to pray often. I am sure I pray when things are tough and I need to have comfort. I try to remember to always pray for thanksgiving. But I am not sure I pray often and at the right times and especially I believe that I don't pray the right kind of prayer! I am working and studying on my praying to see if I can understand it more and more.

If you have ideas of how prayer works and how it affects us, please share them with me.