"...but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.." ~ Book of Isaiah, Chapter 40, Verse 31

Good morning and welcome. It is another off day back-to-work and this one is on Tuesday, September 5, 2017. This past Sunday we attended a service that we will not soon forget. It ranks up there with the first gathering after 9-11. The mood, the heart, the presence of Almighty God through His Spirit, and the sensitivity and response of those present made it one of those that literally would take one's breath away. There were many present in the service who had suffered directly from the impact of Hurricane Harvey. Those people were showered with love and caring. What a day! The music lifted up our Great God as we collectively praised Him for His unfailing love. It was all about what we can do to show forth the love of our Savior during this challenging time. After the service, we were privileged to treat several to a luncheon at a nearby restaurant. Some of those at the luncheon had over three feet of water in their home. We had a great time of fellowship and sharing. So many have a long road to recovery ahead of them and they will continue to need God's provision through those He has called to be His hands and feet. Amen.

I got out to help the wife clean up our yard. If you plan to keep up with her, you had better get up early and plan to stay for the whole enchilada. Her idea of what is acceptable in terms of appearance is quite different from mine. She is, after all is said and done, her daddy's daughter. In other words, don't get in her way. She kept treating me like I was a weakling. Some of you may remember the old advertisements in the comic book for turning a little skinny fellow into looking like the muscle bulging man, Charles Atlas. She was worried about the 100-degree temperature, my recent issues with wobbly blood sugar levels, and in general, she thinks I'm pretty soft. And older. I am from August to April older than her. I suppose I should be thankful that she is respectful of her elders. The yard was a mess. She already had developed a fungus among us in her grass. She is heartbroken because of all the dollars invested and the blood, sweat, and tears she has put into her yard. She had begun a treatment regimen before Harvey came calling. She will most likely have to start over on that one. We did get it done. I didn't faint. She's more or less taking it as a down payment until it can be attended to later. We do have much trimming that must be done on our trees. One big limb busted out my truck windshield. We also discovered four separate leaks in our roof. All of these are small compared to others and we know that, not only because we know personally those who are going through the recovery process, but, also, because we've been there and done that in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike.

Even as we attempt to get things back into a 'normal' mode, it is startling to see the number of major roadways that still are impassable in certain locations. We do have rain in our forecast, up to 1/2 inch in some locations over the next two days. That should not be devastating but it will not help the already flood saturated areas. One of the things that does impress is not only the amount of caring that has been on display but also the way folks in this huge metropolitan area get back to getting on with life. Last Thursday, I was out and about in a number of areas and it was amazing to see so many work crews on new construction for strip centers and other projects. It's like the all clear was sounded and these folks returned and took up where they had left off the previous Friday. That spoke to my heart about the resiliency of our folks. And, while I know this observation has been hammered on by many on social media regarding the truth of how this emergency has removed barriers, I heard a simple testimony at our luncheon on Sunday. One of those with us was an African American lady and she put this out there about what she had been seeing, "What happened to all the hate?" No time for it as people were busy reflecting the children's song, "Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world, Red, Yellow, Black, Brown, and White, they are precious in His sight, Jesus loves the little children of the world." He does and we should do likewise. Amen. ....More later.