1/19/09

Before time passes by and this becomes too old to talk about, thought I’d share a few things from my recent trip to Bridge City, Texas. Our team had an incredible opportunity to serve a pastor and his church there and help clean up and rebuild after Hurricane Ike tore through the area on September 15, only about two weeks after Gustav battered the city with its winds. 

I was shocked to learn that, although Bridge City and it’s surrounding area were literally just as devastated by violent hurricanes as the New Orleans area after Katrina, the Bridge City area has been nearly neglected in terms of help. Within just several days after Hurricane Katrina broke vital levees in New Orleans, people were rushing to help out in any way they could, whether through donations or traveling to help rebuild, etc. We learned from Pastor Sam that this wasn’t the case with the Bridge City area and Hurricane Ike. So it was a great blessing for us to be able to go down and help out, even though overall our contribution was small. 

Hurricane Ike brought a huge storm surge to the area, flooding the majority of the city. From the outside, many homes and buildings look untouched, but if you were to look inside a window, you would see most of the insides ripped out to prevent mold and mildew from spreading. On the inside, houses have been literally reduced to the framing. In many cases, only the shell of the house remains intact. Pastor Sam told us that about 92% of the people had no flood insurance–meaning that 92% of the people there had to rebuild on their own. 

We stayed in the house we were helping to fix up, who was Pastor Sam’s sister-in-law, Miriam. She definitely made sure that we were never hungry! She cooked so much food for us. And yet again, we were blessed by people who, despite difficult times, are so thankful for help and so willing to give more than they should. Aaron and I witnessed the same thing when we went to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina–people seem to give abundantly despite their circumstances. After Katrina, people who literally had no homes were cooking food for us and bringing water and drinks for us, and we receieved very similar treatment in Bridge City this week. The neighbor across the street offered us cots and mattresses so we wouldn’t have to sleep on the floor. Miriam was constantly cooking and was just such a sweet lady. 

I have seen devastating aftermath from two of (if not the) most powerful storms of the last 20 years. But throughout these I have seen the power of the human spirit prevail despite difficult circumstances. All is not lost, there is always hope. 

So to Pastor Sam and family in Bridge City, and to Pastor Steve in Gretna, Louisiana (who we helped after Katrina), thank you for the opportunity to serve you. We were greatly blessed by you and your overwhelming compassion for others despite having troublesome times yourselves. Thank you for continuing to make a difference in your communities.

 

01/03/09

Had a pretty stinkin’ fun day today. Got to hang out with the incredible Jason and April, who live in Indiana now. We all went to Braums and ate some pretty disgusting fast food, which in retrospect, probably took about 5 years off my life.

Afterwards, Neely and I went to get her oil changed and then we drove up to Fayetteville. No reason really, but it’s always nice to get out of town, even just for the evening. We went to the mall, went to Louis & Clark Outfitters for a bit, and ate at Tim’s Pizza, which is always delicious. Definitely one of the better places around.

So anyway, nothing special really. Just a fun day with some friends and with the lady.

 

Resolutions.

Everyone and their grandmother is has been blogging about New Years’ resolutions today, so I figured I might as well give it a go. As far as resolutions go, I have to side with my friend Nick and confess that I don’t make them. To be honest, they don’t make sense to me. I’m the kind of person that wants to change things immediately. I want to see a difference right away. So if I see something I don’t like about myself or want to improve about myself, I don’t see any reason to wait for a new year to do it. What I mean is, if I want to change it, why not just do it now? Waiting only increases my  probability of slacking on it, or forgetting about it. 

Having said that, my “resolution” this year is and will always be to be a better person tomorrow than I was today, not only for myself but for those around me. 
 
Hopefully yours is similar.
If not, check your pulse.

Happy New Year!

 

Ding. Dong. Gifts!

Now typically, I don’t get much into the holiday mumbo-jumbo that is Christmas. I don’t much like the lights, the colors, and especially the music. Christmas music (sorry Christmas music lovers) drives me up the wall. I don’t like how it becomes a near impossible task to go to Wal-Mart to pick up something I need. I hate the slow traffic buildup as the Day draws nearer. Honestly, all that stuff makes me stress out a little about Christmas.

Now this will sound weird but deep down I do like Christmas. I’m just not fond of all the bells and whistles that come along with it. But one thing I love about Christmas is giving–especially this year. Call me crazy but I think that’s the whole point of the holiday. Obviously, we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, but it’s also a time where we can give randomly to others and not feel weird about it.

This year a couple of us decided to give something to some people in a fun new way. There’s a girl in our junior high ministry who is nothing short of awesome. She is at every event, comes early to help out, and is just a joy to be around. She and her family have not had any presents from “Santa” under the tree in several years, just due to some financial lack. So one of our leaders, Leslie, has a brilliant idea.

Ding Dong Ditch. I’m sure you’ve heard of it. A lot of us (including me) did it as kids. But we adapted it a little bit for the holiday and unofficially called it Ding Dong Gifts. We bought gifts for the whole family, attached a note and went to their house. We must have driven up and down the street four or five times before we decided how we were going to do it. I was the runner, Robby was the driver, and Leslie was the door opener. We pulled up quietly and I snuck up to the house, placing the gifts on the doorstep. After ringing the doorbell, I sprinted back to the car and we drove off laughing.

A few days after Christmas we were able to hear from the girl how excited she was and how happy the whole family was as they opened their gifts on Christmas morning.

I love this season of giving. It’s a shame that for most of us, this time, this attitude, this spirit of giving will be gone until Christmas next year. I hope that that is not the case with you. May you continue to give to and bless others as you have been blessed.

 

Giving thanks.

Our slumping American economy has wounded hundreds of thousands of people the past few months in the forms of layoffs and firings, companies going out of business, bankruptcy and bailouts. And for the first time, it’s really hit close to home. 

My Thanksgiving this year has been a little bittersweet. Today I was able to spend some time with my family, who, because of my busy schedule, I unfortunately don’t get to see very often. Definitely a time of good food, football and fun with the people I care about most. After I had gathered up all my take-home leftovers and was about to get in the car to drive to Thanksgiving Part II, my mom informed me that my dad had been laid off from work earlier this week.

How do you respond to that? The only source of income for my dad, mom and brother has just been “laid off.” Now, my parents are and always have been very frugal with their money. They’ve never owned a brand new vehicle, have no serious debt, and believe in saving, so they’ll make it through. 

The part that sucks about this is my dad has worked with this same company for nearly 30 years. And in 30 years of working 12-hour days, he’s only called in one day of scheduled work…ever (as far as I can remember). A near perfect record along with 30 years of hard work, gets him this? That’s so messed up.

What I’m thankful for this season is God’s faithfulness and provision. In times of difficulty, we can be sure he will come through. I am looking forward to how my family will be blessed through this. I may sound a little biased here, because I am, but if anyone deserves God’s blessing and favor on their finances, then my parents do. My mother has been an incredible model of a faithful tither and giver all of my life. My father has taught me the value of a dollar and how to work hard for everything. 

So having said all that: Mom, Dad, if by some chance you read this, know that I love you and we’re gonna make it through. You have given me so much when you didn’t have to, and I will do the same for you.