"But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?' 'So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.'" ~ Parable from Jesus as recorded in Luke 12:16-21

My wife is something else. She asked me the other evening if I was glad to have her back home. I had to think for a moment to make sure it wasn't a trick question. That is one of those that is so obvious it drips with a hidden meaning. I said, yes! And, that was no exaggeration. We are a team and when she is not with me, the team does not operate so well.  And, on this day, Wednesday, September 6, 2017, I am thanking God for her and all she does to make our lives better. That question was an easy one. You hear about those that are not so easy to respond to. You know the ones I am talking about. ~ Does this dress make me look fat? ~ What do you think of my new hairstyle? ~ Were you planning on doing anything at all today? ~ Do you think she is pretty? ~ What exactly did you mean by that comment? ~ Were you planning on wearing that? ~ Can you tell me exactly what you are thinking? ~ If you were listening, can you tell me what I just said? ~ Whew! Those make me sweat just reading them. Some counselors have attempted to understand why men hate questions like these. Some think it has to do with men over thinking the meaning of what might be implied by the question. Others see it as an innate tendency for men to not be forthcoming with their true feelings or thoughts. I'll let you think about that one while I do the same. Just don't ask me what I came up with. Thanks.

I heard the mayor of Houston say they estimate between $200 million and $300 million will be required just to clear the debris from Hurricane Harvey within the city. Those kinds of numbers are hard to take in. Supposedly, Hurricane Ike was a $9 billion dollar storm while some experts are saying Harvey will be somewhere around $180 billion. That, my friend, is mind boggling. While there was some wind damage, most of the destruction came because of water, between 50" and 60+". That too is very hard to comprehend. Much has been said about the expansion of home building into areas that should have been restricted. Some lawsuits have already been filed against some of those who developed areas nearby a dam or reservoir. The home buyers believe the builders knew of the potential for serious flooding, yet, they built and sold in those areas, risking the lives of those who purchased from them. Others are calling for investigations of those responsible for flood control, management of the dams and reservoirs, and those charged with the responsibility of releasing water that precipitates downstream flooding. In the midst of the finger pointing there remains the suffering that will not go away anytime soon. I well remember the impact and influence on our personal sense of well being when we had to deal with all the issues relating to the extensive damage to our home from Hurricane Ike. It was hard to breathe and it was that way for a long time.

Another very scary thing I heard which might be the most difficult yet has to do with the question of whether or not there are enough resources available in both skilled restoration people and materials to provide for this massive recovery. I've already heard about scams of all kinds going on. I can tell you with some amount of certainty there will be no shortage of those attempting to take advantage of others. I watched a video of the great Bible expositor, Dr. John MacArthur, at a Bible conference and he was asked about all of the hate and ill will between people today. He gave a five-minute overview of just how depraved we are as fallen people. Sometimes we hear so called experts say that people are basically good. What does God say? We hear these words from the Prophet Jeremiah, "The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?" (Chapter 17:9) That's why thugs loot an elderly person's home when the inhabitants are devastated by a natural disaster. That's why people choose to price gouge. That's why some will do shoddy work for a high price for people who are in the depths of despair. He went on and on in describing how much evil any person is capable of if they do not have God in their life. That's why God sent His one and only Son so that we might be changed by His power and become His child for eternity, and, to that we might be His hands here for good on earth. Dr. MacArthur's explanation spoke to me. Maybe it has something to say to us all. It does, because it is based on what God wants us all to know. Amen. ....More later.