Strength from the most unlikely of sources!

It’s Thursday, October 2, 2008 and we are still able to rise and shine and give God the glory! Last Tuesday evening I returned to our inner city Bible club meeting for the first time since the storm blew into town. Talk about a blessing! I was literally mobbed by the twenty plus kids there. Their pastor had told them about our situation with the tree and all and so many of these underprivileged children told me they had been praying for my wife and I. To put it mildly, I was taken aback. I knew they knew about our situation but to have these little ones who have so little in the way of material things holding us up in prayer, to tell the truth, it’s hard to take in!

One young fellow who is kind of a special buddy for the past few years was nearly in tears as he hugged me and told me how worried he had been about us. His mom who is one of our coaches later told how that boy had sent up some intense prayers for us during their family prayer times. She said he had covered the entire waterfront. From food, clothing, our home rebuilt, and often with a PS for electricity and safety. Now I ask you one more time: Is God not only good but also GREAT, or what? Tuesday had been a rough day for me. I received the first set of estimates on the house and they appeared to be low. I had been forth and back all day with the lady helping us find a place to live temporarily (at least 10 emails). It was exhausting. Yet, when I landed at the clubhouse, all these things seemed to fade away as God used the love and kindness of these folks to encourage and strengthen me, yes, it was help from the most unlikely of sources.

When I got home from the club meeting at our eldest son’s house, I was pretty much used up for the day. He and my wife were probably ready to talk about the stack of details on the repair estimates but I couldn’t bring myself to deal with it anymore for that day. As I lay my head on the pillow all I could think about was the look of concern on the face of a 10 year-old African American boy who had done his best to intercede with God on our behalf. Sadly, much of the interaction with the insurance folks has been filled with a background noise made up of tension and frustration. However, I am now ready to get on with it, knowing that God is going to work it all out, and with all these little ones standing with us, we will make it! Amen, and may God bless you and yours. …..More later.