PROUD OF MY KIDS!

My wife and I have been blessed to have three great kids, all boys as many of you know. It's hard to believe that two of them are grown up and gone while one is a sophomore in high school. But time slows down for no one. I often talk to parents who can't wait for their kids to leave home but that has not but the case for us. We loved having our kids at home and love it when they come back home. It was and is always our intent to be involved in their lives - at school, in sports, in music, in the pursuing of a vocation, hunting, fishing, watching football, whatever. Of course, the church and our faith played a major role in our lives together and still does. This is what enables us to be united as a family when it comes to celebrating the good times as well as going through the most difficult of days as was the case these past few months with Todd's situation. I'm proud to say that even during the darkest of days I've seen my kids be faithful to Jesus and stand firm in the faith. I wouldn't trade that for anything in the world. For those of you who are still rasing kids (when do you stop, anyway?), pray for them daily. Place them in God's hands. You can't control their actions nor can you control their choices but your prayers can influence them and God will honor the integrity of your heart. He's honored my heart's desire for my kids and He will do the same for you. To Him be praise!

Nothing new under the sun

Isn't it interesting that the focus of the tragedy of the recent weeks pertaining to the hurricane has turned into a blame game? The local government blames the state government who blames the federal government who blames the alignment of the stars as the problem. Of course you get the religious folks who claim it's God's vengeance against an evil and sinful city. And then there are those who blame the welfare system, the penal system, the political system and on and on we go. So in the midst of the bickering and the pointing of fingers, people, no matter their color, no matter their socio-economic status, no matter their religious background, no matter their political stances - have died. And all folks want to do is say - "It wasn't my fault". Sounds familiar doesn't it.
Remember the account in Genesis when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit? God wasn't fooled. He knew they disobeyed. But Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the serpent. Same ole same ole. Instead of acknowledging the wrong and confessing their disobedience, Adam and Eve blamed someone else and ran and hid. Do you ever wonder what would have happended should they have confessed their sin and repented instead of trying to pass the buck?
Don't you suppose everyone made some mistakes when it came to the response to Hurricane Katrina? And don't you suppose we'd all be better off acknowledging our faults rather than trying to blame someone else for them? And in that confession, don't you think that healing and restoration would take place which would sure go a long way in reaching out and meeting the needs of those who are in dire straits? The bottom line is when no one takes responsibilty, everyone suffers. People have suffered enough, don't you think?

Katrina response

Okay - we have a disaster of biblical proportions as a result of the wrath of hurricane Katrina which has wiped out New Orleans, much of Mississippi and Alabama. So now what? We have thousands and thousands who have nothing but the clothes on their back. Nowhere to go, nothing to eat, nothing to drink, missing friends and relatives, not to mention thugs and looters rampaging the city of New Orleans. Chaos and confusion seem to reign supreme with only a hint that some order is now being restored. The victims have used words like lost, scared, afraid, frustrated, mad, furious plus several I can't mention on this site. So now what?
Does living here in Leoti leave us with the response that there is nothing we can do? I mean really, what can we do? Oh, we can send money (and we'll do that). We can put together survival kits. And of coures, we can pray. But do you think that maybe, just maybe the Lord might be challenging us to step it up and send some folks down to the area of need? Jesus said in Matthew 25 to those who gathered before the throne of God, "Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, and I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me." Later Jesus said "Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me."
Surely the people affected by Katrina are the same as those mentioned by Jesus in Matthew 25. And surely we have a responsibility to do something, to put our faith into action. I'm not real sure what I'm asking in this blog, but I feel impressed to go and help. Not to just send a check, but to go and assist in feeding , clothing, caring for the needy as a result of this disaster.
Anybody out there thinking the same thing? Like I said, I don't know for sure where this will lead, but I believe God is wanting us to step it up. Are you with me? Give me your thoughts sooner than later.