Thursday, October 06, 2005

The Spirit As An Unruly Beast


Turmoil in our lives can be the result of a variety of influences! Tonight my spirit was torn between anger and sadness. It's a very personal thing, and one that may be of value if shared. The anger in and of itself is of no benefit to anyone, but from the perspective of sadness you may hear my thoughts and find comfort at some point in your life when you are forced to wrestle with your spirit. I have a son serving in the army. I am very proud of him for his service to our country. I love him very deeply, and yet, on December 12, 1999, following the deaths of my parents(dad on July 1st - mom on August 1st)he chose to disown me and be adopted by his stepfather. At the time he was 21 years of age and nothing I could do or say would disuade him. He chose a course of action in conjunction with his mother and her husband Ken,(the stepfather who was chosen as "father" for my son,is now dead as the result of a heartattack)to go through the court proceedings and was "legally adopted" thus taking on a new last name, and a new persona(can you do this just by changing your last name). Tonight I found myself in the midst of continuing to clean up the affairs of my parents. If you wonder why it has taken so long it is because '99 was a not so good year and it took me 'til '04 to really dig into the task of cleanup. What is left are the personal belongings that must be gone through(when I say 'must' it is a choice, and one that my conscience would not permit me to do otherwise)and sorted. At the center of my wrestling tonight were the bank books which I had not previously examined. My father was a kind and generous man, a good man, and a firm believer in God and His only Son, our living Savior, Christ. Dad started saving for my son's education when he was born in '78. In '83 he had set aside $10,386.63, according to the books. He continued this until my son graduated from high school at which point my father and I both encouraged the young man to "get an education." What followed were years of my son taking advantage of his family, spending the college fund without ever so much as passing a test, and then continuing to live as though there were no need to succeed in life. I pray today that he has matured in the military. I pray daily for his safety in Iraq. I pray for his children and his wife. My wife and I are not allowed to see the children from his marriage, but we do have a blessing in our 4 year old grand daughter, she is so cool, and her mom seems to like both of us. This is the daughter that my son has no time for, either. So you see, there are times when the spirit must be wrestled. I look for peace, and pray for a time when I will fully understand the "why" of how this all came about. I know that there is little that I can do to change the circumstances. What I do is "Press On" in faith and trust that in God's time my spirit will return to the calm place that helps me get along the best. When we are hurt there are two directions our hearts can go. One is as unfruitful as the other. Be it sadness or anger, if we allow these emotions to control us we have ceased to be at peace with the life we live. Tonight, as with every night I seek the peace that comes from faith in my Savior and the healing power that is found in God. Life is never "easy" but we can learn to not let it be as hard as we might make it. Let God be God, and someday, I submit, we will see very clearly the purpose which now evades our comprehension. God bless, Preacher.

Inspiration Is Everywhere For Those Who Seek It!


I had to share more of Jean's pics with you tonight. Her eye for the "right" shot is truly a blessing.

Having A Sense Of Humor


There is a time and place for everything! It's good to know that even in the worst of circumstances some folks out there can find some small portion of life in which there is a gleam of mirth. Katrina's devestation has planted a mission team deep within the area marked as "disaster." The house they have established as home base had to be completely shoveled out. It was filled with mud and debris! Sleeping in outdoor gear and cooking over open fires, men and women in ministry to their fellow human beings are now working overtime hours helping wherever they are needed. As time becomes available in schedules new folks arrive and others leave to return to the reality of homes safe from the devestation that they have witnessed first hand. The stories are emerging across the nation as these weary travelers return home, back to their jobs, and as one man put it so succinctly, "Back to a world that is not so real!" The most devestating effect a cataclysmic event such as a hurricane has on people is the spiritual, mental, and emotional shock that they go through. Humor is a way of combating the horror, the fatigue, and the loss. One writer mentioned rescuing a cat that looked more like a rat and had little life left in it. His description of the rescue left me with a smile on my face and a note of hope for all of those who have gone through, and continue to go through the horrendous task of putting everything back together. It will never be the same, and maybe that is a good thing. Perhpas it will be better, and that would be good as well. The best thing, however, is knowing that no matter how large or small the impact on lives, in response to the adversities encountered in life we have individuals who will stand up, step forth, and pitch in to make things better. Where our mission teams go they take faith and wrap it up in smiles filled with the warmth and love that our God has given us to share. This is "not" a plug for you to pull something out of your pocket to help, it's a request for your prayers. Send them out tonight, tomorrow, or often throughout the day. We have a whole lot of peoople who are in need, and the best thing we can offer is a spiritual boost to their moral as weeks turn into months, and the months, inevitably, turn into years, as a portion of our nation recovers from nature's insistence on it's own way. We will recover, and we will be better for having done just that! In the midst of it all let us give thanks that it was no worse than it was, and move forward in faith. In Christ's Love, Preacher.

Pictures not seen on the news! This is out even beyond the suburbs!


The lower right hand corner is the "mission" headquarters right now. The other pictures are from Katrina's wake of destruction. Except for the riverboat the rest of the Pics were shot within half a mile of the mission HQ. Preacher.