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.