You, therefore, pray like this: Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’ — Matthew 6:9-13 (NASB)

Good morning and welcome to another day. This one comes in a brand new month here on this Thursday, October 1, 2020. I suppose for us, the COVID threat began to become meaningful last March. It's the difficult guest that will not leave. As a result, it is hard to even catalog all the changes that have happened since. I know researchers are already saying that we as people are having our thinking process altered as a result of these months of dealing with this pandemic and from us living in isolation. Some of this shows up in the changing way that people see each other. I would guess the long term outcomes will keep the psychological field busy for years to come. This pandemic intruded and forced us to change the way we function on a day by day basis. It interfered with how we interact with each other. Who knows how long before, if ever, we will return to where we were before all of this started? Let me hasten to add, the impact on those who are unemployed or underemployed for a long period is even greater. We have our own challenges and stress but as retirees, it doesn't include career issues and the weight of trying to feed and care for our family. I hear more and more sermons from different preachers who talk about many of their fellow pastors who are seriously considering getting out of the ministry. Operating large Churches in today's world is a huge responsibility and many congregations have been decimated in terms of attendance and financial support. I'm no research fellow but it doesn't take anyone very long to appreciate the impact when Churches falter and the spreading of the Gospel is slowed. This is perhaps the greatest area in need of prayer on behalf of us all especially in how it could impact upcoming generations. Something to think about and to seek God's help and intervention. Amen.

Last Tuesday evening we drove over and visited with our youngest son Rodney, his wife Mitzi, and their children, Kyleigh, Lexie, and Brady. We had ourselves a most wonderful time of fellowship and feasting. We pulled out of their driveway just as the presidential debate was coming on. We had it on the radio. After about 15 minutes the wife said she didn't think she could listen to what she was hearing. I agreed and turned it off. The day after I read on my social media circle what people were saying about it. I read some of the headlines and a few political commentaries. Having not watched or listened to it in its entirety, it appears there is unanimous agreement that it was a debacle and while the pundits on both sides argue the fine points of which candidate scored points, the consensus says the biggest loser was the United States of America. One of the things I noticed in my circle was a large number who said they could not stay with it to the end. It was just too sad to watch. I read where 75 million viewers did see some of it. I doubt seriously if hearts and minds were changed, but, I can tell you, in my opinion, adding another level of sadness and angst over the status of political discourse in our nation probably does not help the Trump re-election campaign. There you have it. My throwdown assessment from someone who didn't even see or hear the whole thing. 

Everyone is aware we have held on as best we could to our Louisiana roots. But, the truth is, this month marks the fact that we have lived in this geographic area here in Texas for over 50 years. Our youngest son, Rodney, is the only native-born Texan in our immediate family. People used to ask me if I was a transplanted Louisianian or if I had become a fully assimilated Texan. I think the answer has always been, I am a Louisiana boy living in the wonderful state of Texas. Hopefully, those roots played a role in the work I've done and any contributions I have been able to make. I have always supported local elections and done my duty as a tax-paying citizen of the state of Texas. Let's face it, the values I grew up with have been, for the most part, welcome during my sojourn here. Louisiana has always been an enigma to most outsiders. It typically has bad rankings in just about every category. Yet, people love it as their home state. I know I do, warts and all. Here is a quote from the author, Ernest Gaines, "In all my stories and novels, no one ever escapes Louisiana. Maybe that is because my soul never left Louisiana, although my body did go to California." I think I resemble that remark. No matter where you hail from, we all need the Lord God of heaven. Every single minute of every day. Amen. ....More later.