"My father was the best person I have ever known and though he was taken from me on that day, nothing and no one will ever be able to take way the eight years and two days of my life that I shared with him. After my father died, and after I lost so much, I promised myself that I would never lose who I am as a person – the person that my father brought me up to be. … If you owe someone an apology, tell them you are sorry today. If someone asks for your forgiveness, forgive them. Start being the person you always wanted to be today and don’t waste your time worrying about tomorrow." ~ Mary Kate McErlean, whose father was killed on 9/11 when she was 8 years old.

Welcome back. It is September 11, 2017. We all know that President Roosevelt said after the surprise attack on December 7, 1941, by the Japanese on Pearl Harbor, "A date which will live in infamy." That happened before I was born but it is well remembered. However, I would say that for so many of us, 9-11, reflecting upon the terrorist attacks on our nation that occurred on September 11, 2001, this day also lives on and on in our hearts and in our minds. Those attacks forever changed our nation and today I pause to say a prayer for all the families who were impacted on that fateful day. Amen.

These are some pretty scary times we are living in. One family we know left our area to visit in-laws in Mexico. They left the area inundated by the unprecedented rains of Hurricane Harvey only to be greeted by an 8.1 earthquake in the very place they were staying. That earthquake is one of the most destructive to hit Mexico. Now we have Hurricane Irma ravaging parts of Florida even as I pen my blog this morning. These major natural disasters have almost shielded us from the cataclysmic out of control wild fires going on in the western regions of our nation. What does all of this mean? I am one who believes the last days that we hear so much about actually began when our Savior, Jesus the Christ, ascended back into heaven. (Acts 1:9-12) I say that based on the testimony immediately after His ascension by one of the attending angels, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven." (Verse 11) In what we call the Olivet Discourse, our Savior does indicate an increase in disturbances within the cosmos prior to His return. (Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21.) My point to myself and to us all? Make peace with God by accepting His provision through the finished work of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. ("So then, 'Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'" Romans 10:13) And, be ready. There's a song the wife and I used to sing that has this thought for us to think about, "It could happen in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, it could happen in a moment, He could break the eastern sky." I believe that. I really do. Amen.

One of the serious overhangs from Hurricane Harvey has to do with the shutdowns of some of the roadways in and out of the massive Houston metro area. I was out and about last week, therefore, I saw this impact firsthand. A typical 45-minute drive into an interior area took me over two hours. I was telling some folks about this situation and I gave them this illustration. On that particular trip, I saw some of the people around me on the freeway more often than I see my family. And, get this, my time was better than many others making the same journey. Some reported nearly a 3-hour trip. Here's another insight. Having made a couple like that, the entire day was gone when I finally got back to my workstation. I know what some of you are probably wondering. Road rage? Sure. There will always be idiots out there endangering themselves and others. However, because of everyone being in the same boat, I actually didn't see as much of that as I normally do. Another observation that always strikes me is the sheer number of over sized 18 wheelers that it takes to supply our metropolitan sprawl. At times, I was stuck right dab in the middle of a congregation of truckers. You can't see anything, so, staying in line is pretty much all one can do. I think I maintained my cool pretty much even in that mass of traffic, but, I can't be sure my blood pressure wasn't up a notch or two. I heard one estimate of 100,000 commuters who were displaced by the road closures. Yikes. Thankfully, and I mean that, yes, thanks be to God, I am still here and able to commiserate with y'all. Have a great day and may God, the very God of heaven, add His blessings. Amen. ....More later.